Banned former F1 chief Flavio Briatore has been named as being also involved in the Gerhard Gribkowsky bribery affair.
The Italian, a friend and business partner of Bernie Ecclestone, was reportedly involved in the F1 chief executive’s payment of millions to jailed German banker Gribkowsky.

The Seddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said Briatore, as well as a Swiss lawyer, helped Ecclestone get the money to Gribkowsky via a web of shell companies and fake consultancy contracts.

And the report said four of Ecclestone’s lawyers – three in Geneva and one in London – have been subject to searches by prosecutors.

The 80-year-old has said he was effectively blackmailed by Gribkowsky and argued that the amount paid to the former BayernLB risk manager was much less than $44m.

APA news agency said the prosecutors have declined to comment on the latest reports.

Red Bull and Ferrari will fight it out for victory this weekend, David Coulthard has predicted.
“It would appear that Ferrari and Red Bull have the edge on McLaren,” the Scot, a veteran of almost 250 grands prix, surmised after watching the practice sessions at the Nurburgring on Friday.

“Red Bull have taken pole at every race this year and I would expect that trend to continue,” he told the Telegraph.

It is a neat summary in the wake of Ferrari’s continued resurgence and the fact that McLaren, as at Silverstone two weeks ago, appears to have taken a step backwards.

Also looking stronger is Mark Webber, with his team orders stoush with Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel appearing to have given him wings.

At the same time, championship leader Vettel appeared to struggle somewhat in front of his home crowd, but forecast rain and low temperatures could give him the edge over Ferrari in the coming days.

“In the rain we still have a problem,” admitted Silverstone winner Fernando Alonso to Auto Motor und Sport. “The worst thing for us is a wet and cold track.”

German Vettel told O Estado de S.Paulo: “Our forecast is for rain.”

With his 80 point lead, however, the weather is a minor concern for the bigger picture. More important for Alonso is a consistently quick car — and for McLaren to improve.

“I need six or seven ‘teammates’ to be able to finish ahead of Vettel and take points off him. Otherwise it (the title) is going to be difficult,” he said.

There are also mind games at play, with McLaren’s Jenson Button openly admitting to trying all he can off the circuit to add to the current tension at Red Bull.

“I love it that there is a disagreement. It is what McLaren need,” he said.

Bernie Ecclestone has finally confirmed reports he paid $40 million to jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.

But the F1 chief executive, who was officially named in the Munich prosecutors’ charges against Gribkowsky this week, denies it was a bribe, hinting instead that he was effectively blackmailed.

Ecclestone, 80, told the Daily Telegraph he was “threatened” by Gribkowsky who was warning of tax trouble for the diminutive Briton.

He said Gribkowsky was alleging irregularities with Ecclestone’s offshore family trust Bambino and “threatened that he was going to say that I was running it”.

Ecclestone added: “The taxation people in England at the time were in the middle of settling everything with the trust and the last thing you need is for them to start thinking something different.

“He (Gribkowsky) was shaking me down and I didn’t want to take a risk.”

Ecclestone said he asked his lawyers for advice about how to deal with Gribkowsky’s alleged threat.

“They said ‘I tell you what would happen, the (inland) Revenue would assess you and you would have to defend it, because you could defend it, and you would be three years in court and it would cost you a fortune. Better pay’,” said the F1 chief executive.

Ecclestone said he paid Gribkowsky through Mauritius and British Virgin Islands-based companies because “he wanted to be paid so it didn’t look like it came from me and didn’t look like it had come from England”.

And he said he has consistently denied making the payment at all until now because “the prosecutor had asked me not to say anything”.

Gribkowsky’s legal representative declined to comment.

French carmaker Renault’s continuing involvement in formula one relies on “certain conditions” being present.
That is the claim of Carlos Tavares, who is the marque’s freshly appointed chief operating officer.

After the ‘crashgate’ scandal, Renault effectively withdrew from F1 as a works team and is now only an engine supplier to the Red Bull, Lotus Renault, Team Lotus and – in 2012 – Williams teams.

“It was a reasonable decision which led us to a level of expenditure in line with our means,” Tavares is quoted in a French language report by Agence France-Presse.

“Renault does not have infinite funds,” he insisted. “This decision allowed the company to refocus its efforts on the core of the race engines.”

AFP said that instead of paying EUR 220 million to run the works Renault team in 2009, the marque now spends just 60 million on its F1 programme.

Asked about the difference in image, Tavares answered: “I don’t know that we have lost anything.”

As for the future, he said Renault’s “strategy is to be the leaders in zero-emission vehicles.

“Our commitment to F1 is long-term when the conditions of cost, image and sporting fairness are also met”, added Tavares.

“As long as the conditions are there, there is no reason to not be in F1. It has been almost 30 years that we have demonstrated our passion (for F1) and we continue to do so every day.”

Hugo Boss is getting some of the best value for money as a formula one sponsor, a leading sponsorship consultancy firm has found.

The evaluation by Cologne based Sport Und Markt compared brand awareness versus the amount spent by F1 sponsors in 2010.

The result showed that fashion brand Hugo Boss, a long-time McLaren sponsor, had among the most efficient investments in F1, reaching 4.9 million people for its $3.1 million annual spend.

The very best however was Hewlett-Packard, reaching 6.6 million people by spending just $1.5 million for its minor Renault branding.

Allianz comes in at 11th place, Puma 14th and Mercedes-Benz far behind in 23rd, because each person reached cost the German marque a considerable $4.78.

Also struggling for sponsorship efficiency is DHL, one of F1′s official partners, ranking 32nd with its $10 million annually buying recognition among only 300,000 people.

A spokeswoman insisted to German business newspaper Handelsblatt: “This long-term partnership is for us one of the most powerful marketing platforms.”

One of F1′s non-executive directors is looking to get involved with formula one sponsorship deals.
The Financial Times reports that global communications services company WPP, headed by founder and boss Sir Martin Sorrell, is taking a minority stake in the biggest F1 sponsorship agency Just Marketing.

Sorrell is a board member of CVC, the controlling shareholder of formula one.

He said motor sport and F1 have grown significantly “But it needs a more professional approach from the marketing side”.

Zak Brown-headed Just Marketing handles the F1 sponsorships of clients including LG, Johnnie Walker and UBS.

“Motor sport is a very interesting area. It is very global, it has good reach, and with its live events has tremendous cross-media and new media opportunities,” added Sorrell.

Brown confirmed that the deal is going ahead and will “result in bringing in more clients and more money in the sport”.

But he remains concerned that F1′s constant politics is a barrier to the involvement of some potential sponsors.

“I do think it crosses the line from time to time, and I’m sure there are some companies that won’t participate in F1 because they can’t stomach the politics,” said Brown.

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he is interested in buying back formula one.
The F1 chief executive currently works for the sport’s majority owner CVC, whilst retaining a small percentage of the commercial rights for himself.

It has been reported recently that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in collaboration with the Fiat-linked Exor company is interested in buying F1, as are the grandee teams.

Asked if he is interested as well, Ecclestone told the International Herald Tribune: “Yes, absolutely.

“I wouldn’t buy at the price that I think CVC would sell it. But I would certainly buy at the price that they (News/Exor) want to pay.”

Ecclestone, 80, was quoted recently as saying he thinks formula one is worth between $6 and 7 billion.

He reacted: “I have never quoted anything. It may have been written, but I haven’t quoted. A gentleman never speaks about money and last night.”

F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss has urged Lewis Hamilton to reunite with his father.
Although the pair have patched up their personal relationship, McLaren driver Hamilton – guided into F1 and through his championship year by his father – is no longer managed by Anthony Hamilton.

Moss, 81, said he is concerned with Hamilton’s current behaviour.

“I am very concerned about him because I think he is an enormous talent,” he told the Daily Mail.

“It would appear to me that his persona has changed since he moved away from being with his dad,” added Moss, referring to Anthony, who now manages Force India rookie Paul di Resta.

Hamilton has been under fire in 2011 for on-track driving incidents and the way he has reacted to that criticism.

“I quite understand it is the bravado of youth and all that, but it is pretty dumb and he is not dumb,” Moss insisted. “You can’t be a world champion if you are stupid.”

Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button declined to weigh in on the 2008 world champion’s situation.

“He will always be quick. It is about whether he is happy within himself and that’s for him. I see him when we do events and when we are at the circuit (but) I don’t sit down with him as friends,” he said.

Jacques Villeneuve on Monday admitted he has given up on formula one.
Last year, the 1997 world champion was pushing hard to make a comeback, but at Williams’ headquarters in Oxfordshire he admitted he no longer even watches the races.

“I just can’t be bothered. Halfway through the race I’m yawning and it’s really tough … and I just get upset,” the 40-year-old told Reuters at the launch of his former team’s new engine supply deal with Renault.

Villeneuve explained that his major qualm is with the DRS overtaking system, which he has previously denounced as “too artificial”.

“When I see these guys not even being able to defend, like Michael (Schumacher) — he should have been on the podium in Montreal,” he said.

“All the … overtaking with the DRS, I’m just falling asleep … useless, boring, it’s not even racing.”

He is also critical of the amount of penalties handed out to drivers like Lewis Hamilton for banging wheels with his rivals.

“It’s fun, it’s a good show, the fans are up in the grandstands and they can scream and shout about it … that’s good, that’s what you want,” said Villeneuve.

Formula one engines will still sound good in the wake of the current V8 era, the governing FIA has insisted.
The unique noise produced by powerful high-revving engines has been an issue each time the regulations substantially changed, including when V8 engines became mandatory at the abolition of the V10 era for 2006.

But the proposed switch in 2013 from V8 to 1.6 litre four-cylinder turbo engines caused unprecedented angst, including from Bernie Ecclestone and the majority of his race circuit promoters, who threatened to boycott F1 if the cars sounded like “tin cans rattling”.

A compromise has been reached in the form of a 1.6 litre V6 turbo engine, producing 15,000rpm rather than the 12,000 proposed for the inline-four rules, to debut in 2014.

But in a media document on Thursday, the FIA denied the rev increase for V6s was in deference to the sound debate.

“This parameter has been updated from 12,000 to 15,000rpm to allow engineers more flexibility in power and energy management,” read the statement.

“However, as a consequence of the new architecture and the change in rev-limit, the engine will sound different, but will remain representative of formula one,” claims the FIA.

The governing body also insists that the V6 engines will not use more fuel than under the defunct four-cylinder plan.

“The fuel flow limit will stay the same,” read the document. “The challenge will be even bigger than originally planned and will therefore enhance the technological lead of formula one.”

Technical reliability in formula one has taken a great leap forward in 2011.
Last Sunday at Valencia was the first-ever 24-car finish in F1 history, with every competitor entered in the world championship making it to the chequered flag.

And Germany’s Die Welt newspaper noted that in the eight races so far this season, there were only 18 technical failures, compared to 38 at the same point one year ago.

“Reliability is at least as important as speed,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, “and to be the best requires a combination of both.”

But Jarno Trulli, a veteran driver who has spent the last season and a half at the back of the field with Team Lotus, is not so sure perfect reliability is good for F1.

“When I started racing (in F1), a driver knew how he’d start a race but not how he would finish it.

“This implies two things,” he wrote in a column for La Repubblica. “The first is that the chances for a small team to get in the points have sensibly reduced; the second is a further loss of appeal for F1.”

Charlie Whiting on Friday denied the FIA’s mid-season clampdown on blown exhausts is a political move aimed at slowing down the dominant Red Bulls.
“I am aware of some stories being written but to be frank with you I know it is not a political one,” the governing body’s technical delegate told reporters at Valencia.

Red Bull team figures including Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and the drivers of the RB7 have been pointing out that earlier innovations, like the F-duct and double diffusers, were banned only at the end of a season.

“I know it is a purely technical intervention from our side and I feel perfectly comfortable with that,” insisted Whiting.

A distinction between the F-ducts and double diffusers and the blown exhaust issue is that while the FIA deemed the former as clever rules interpretations, it believes using the engine as an aerodynamic aid is illegal.

“What we are doing is stopping people breaking the existing rules,” said Whiting. “We are not changing the rules; they’re staying the same.”

And he clarified that changing engine maps between qualifying and the race has not been completely banned.

“They (the drivers) are allowed to change things that they can do with a switch, on the steering wheel for example,” he said, explaining that connecting laptops to the cars to change the settings is now forbidden.

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn backed Whiting’s action and said it has probably prevented some teams from lodging official protests.

“And that (protests) wouldn’t be very good for formula one,” said the Briton. “The stewards would probably find it quite a difficult argument to resolve and it would probably end up in the appeal courts and that’s no good.”

A Hollywood movie about Niki Lauda will be called ‘Rush’.
We reported in April that British script writer Peter Morgan, best known for The Queen and Frost/Nixon, was working on a screenplay to immortalise F1′s 1976 season.

35 years ago, Austrian great Lauda almost burned to death in a fiery crash but returned six weeks later to battle James Hunt for the title.

It was recently believed that Bourne Ultimatum and Green Zone director Paul Greengrass would direct Rush, but the LA Times quotes a source as saying The Da Vinci Code’s Ron Howard is now being touted to lead the project.

The film, having gained the financial backing for the project, “aims to shoot this year in Europe”, added the report.

The BBC warned Bernie Ecclestone about “facing problems”, the F1 chief executive has admitted.

His comments follow reports this week that the British broadcaster’s highly respected free-to-air live television coverage of formula one might be dropped for 2013.

It has been feared that the only option for F1 in the BBC’s absence would be Rupert Murdoch’s pay network Sky, but the Daily Mail newspaper said ITV – the F1 broadcaster between 1997 to 2008 – might also be interested.

“We want formula one to stay free to viewers,” Ecclestone said. “That is 100 per cent.

“They (the BBC) did warn me that they were facing problems but, so far, nothing more has been said. I hope they want to keep us because it is such a success and I will do my best,” the 80-year-old added.

It has been suggested the reports might indicate the BBC’s desire to continue to broadcast F1 with improved contractual terms.

F1 team owner Red Bull looks set to pull the plug on its NASCAR project.
The failure of the project compared with the energy drink company’s meteoric success in formula one is being blamed for the decision.

Reports in the American media early this week say staff at the Red Bull Racing Sprint Cup team are being told the operation will close at the end of the season.

“We are not at liberty to comment on details while negotiations (with investors) are under way,” said the team.

NASCAR insiders say North Carolina based Red Bull Racing, headed technically by ex-F1 figure Gunther Steiner, has struggled since its debut in 2007.

A report in the Toronto Sun said it is “well known” that Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz has been “unhappy” with the NASCAR effort.

“They never really had the level of success (in NASCAR) that I’m sure they were hoping for,” said F1 marketing guru Zak Brown, according to USA Today.

“And on the flip side, you have enormous success around formula one. I’d probably say it’s a combination of both, and I’m not sure there was ever the same level of excitement and passion (for NASCAR).

“Dietrich is a winner, and he’s not going to go on forever if he doesn’t get the results,” added Just Marketing’s Brown.

He said it is likely Red Bull will chose instead to spend its North American dollars on title sponsoring next year’s US grand prix in Austin.

“Not that the US GP will ever be the size and magnitude of NASCAR,” admitted Brown, “but I’m sure they’re not going to just drop the NASCAR team and not fill the void in another sport or with a title sponsorship. The US is too big a market for them.”