Kimi Raikkonen chases F1 return with Williams in 2012

The Finn quit F1 at the end of 2009 to try his hand at world rallying but after two frustrating seasons he has had talks with Williams about joining them for 2012.

BBC Sport understands that Raikkonen is keen to join the team and Williams are weighing up the idea.

Raikkonen, 32, would partner Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado at Williams.

Maldonado is in his first season, but the team's sponsorship with his country's national oil supplier is understood to guarantee him a seat.

The veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello is Maldonado's team-mate this season, but his future with the team looks shaky.

Button hails 'perfect job' in India

Jenson Button said he could not have done any better than second place after finishing behind Sebastian Vettel at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Button got within three seconds of Vettel and was always pressing but admitted the Red Bull always had something in reserve.

"The last race I really struggled on the first lap and lost a lot of places so I wanted to redeem myself here," said Button. "I got a good start to get up to second by turn four and then it was just basically trying to hang on to Sebastian. His pace was very good, he didn't seem to make any mistakes and every time through the pit stops we gained a little bit, I don't know if it was the stop itself or after the stop but on tyres when I came out of the box I felt very good and very competitive and that was when I could really close the gap down.

Sebastian Vettel cruises to Indian GP victory ahead of Jenson Button

Sebastian Vettel strolled to his 11th victory of the season at the Buddh International Circuit to become the winner of Formula 1's first ever Indian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver's latest triumph was one of his most straightforward of his ultra-successful year. As his front row partner and team-mate Mark Webber was attacked by Jenson Button's McLaren and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari at the start, Vettel was free to pull clear.

He sat on a four to five second lead for most of the distance, as he led every lap and completed a perfect performance with the fastest lap of the race as well.

Button got through to second at the first corner, as Alonso twitched under braking and ran wide, letting Webber keep third. The Australian mounted some vigorous attacks on Button over the opening laps, before the McLaren managed to escape and head off for an ultimately uncontested second.

Sebastian Vettel secures 13th pole position of the season in India

Sebastian Vettel swept to the 13th pole position of his dominant 2011 season with another commanding performance in qualifying for Formula 1's inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver was quickest in Q2, and carried that form into Q3 with a 1m24.437s provisional pole on his first flying lap.

No one managed to beat that, but Vettel improved to 1m24.178s anyway to firmly cement his pole.

It will be an all-Red Bull front row, as although Lewis Hamilton was second quickest for McLaren, his three-place penalty for a yellow flag infringement in practice will drop him to fifth and elevate Mark Webber from third to second.

Vettel goes fastest in final practice in India

Sebastian Vettel beat Jenson Button to the fastest time in a late battle for the top spot in the final practice session ahead of Indian Grand Prix qualifying.

Just under four tenths of a second separated the Red Bull and McLaren at the end of the hour, with their respective team-mates Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton third and fourth, ahead of the Ferraris.

The Red Bulls had been in command for the majority of the session, with Webber the first of the big guns to set a quick time, before Vettel hit the front and went ever faster until establishing a 1m26.311s benchmark.

 

Felipe Massa tops second Indian Grand Prix practice

Felipe Massa put Ferrari on top as the Formula 1 teams continued to get to grips with India's Buddh International circuit in the second free practice session ahead of this weekend's inaugural grand prix in the nation.

While the Ferrari's new front wing continued to prompt distinctive showers of sparks as it vibrated again the track surface, the revised car showed promising pace, with Massa lapping the dusty track in 1m25.706s 18 minutes before the end of the session to claim the top spot.

His team-mate Fernando Alonso also showed well in third, 0.224 seconds off Massa's pace.

They were split by champion Sebastian Vettel, whose Red Bull had been quickest for the majority of the afternoon, until Massa's fast time saw the German pipped by 0.088s.

Hamilton and Perez hit with three-place grid penalties

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have both been slapped with three-place grid penalties at the Indian Grand Prix for ignoring double-waved yellow flags during the first practice session.

The incidents occurred towards the end of the session when marshals were on track at turn 16 recovering Pastor Maldonado's stricken Williams. Drivers are supposed to slow down significantly under double-waved yellow flags and be prepared to stop in order to protect marshals on the circuit. But after reviewing the two drivers' data with Hamilton and Perez present, the stewards ruled that both had ignored the flags.

Perez's incident was timed at 11:29 local time, which according to the FIA was "while a car was being recovered in close proximity to the track", while Hamilton's infringement was at 11:31 local time when "marshals were in close proximity to the track".

Both drivers will be demoted three places on Sunday's grid.

Lewis Hamilton fastest in first free practice for Indian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton waited until the last possible moment to lead the way in an eventful first free practice session for the Indian Grand Prix

Red Bull looked to have made the perfect start to the weekend, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber having covered the first and second positions in the final moments, but that was until Hamilton's charging 1m26.836s lap put him top. Though there was some suspicion that yellow flags had been waving when he set it.

The McLaren of Jenson Button was fourth fastest ahead of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes.


Perhaps appropriately it was Adrian Sutil's Force India that was the first Formula 1 car on track for the dry, sunny - and still dusty - opening session. He was followed out by the country's home-grown talent Karun Chandhok.

But no sooner had they got out on track but they were back in the pits again as the session was red-flagged to retrieve the canine.

The track was live again after five minutes and initially it was Chandhok, and his Indian rival Narian Karthekeyan who initially squabbled over the top spot. That was until Michael Schumacher came out and set an initial benchmark of 1m38.658s. That mark was set to shrink by 12s before the end of the session.

Indeed Schumacher lopped four seconds off it himself just before the half-hour mark.

Jaime Alguerusari moved to the top not long after Schumacher set that lap and would then spend the next 15 minutes improving his time as he fought off the attentions of Rosberg and Sebastien Buemi.

Eventually Button emerged from the pit for a proper run at half distance moving the goalposts significantly with a 1m30.794s. This seemed to trigger a flurry of activity from the top men as Vettel also joined in. But the world champion's attempt was scuppered by a trip off-track at the Turn 5/Turn 6 section – something that would happen to several drivers as they learned the new layout.

Button remained top through the second half hour as several drivers joined the fray, but Fernando Alonso wasn't one of them. The Ferrari driver managing just four laps before he parked up off track, sidelined by an engine problem.

Hamilton moved to the top with 25 minutes to go with a 1m27.515s lap, as Vettel too moved ahead of Button. Webber's arrival in second then bumped the Englishman to fourth.

The last 15 minutes saw the Red Bulls move into familiar position as Webber kept his foot in to set a 1m27.428s, only to then watch the world champion steal his thunder with a 1m27.416s.

Things may have changed again, but a dramatic ten minutes which saw Alguersuari thump the Turn 10 barrier with the rear of his Toro Rosso and engine problems for Pastor Maldonado render the circuit a yellow zone for much of it. Sergio Perez too made a run across the grass.

It was in the aftermath of all this, as the track finally cleared that Hamilton set his lap, with flags still apparently waving in the area of Maldonado's smoky Williams.

Behind the top six Felipe Massa was seventh fastest in the only operational Ferrari, sparking his way around the track with a new front wing. Sutil ended up eighth ahead of Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi in the Sauber.

Of the Indians in the field, Chandhok was 19th fastest for Lotus in the end, but was more than 1.6s off the pace of team-mate Jarno Trulli, while Karthikeyan was 22nd.

Track 'in perfect condition' - di Resta

 

 Paul di Resta says that the track at the Buddh International Circuit is "in perfect condition" ahead of the Indian Grand Prix.

Di Resta has been preparing for the inaugural race by using the Force India simulator before arriving in India, with his first view of the track in the flesh coming courtesy of a track walk on Thursday morning. Di Resta said that there was a lot more information he could gather by walking the track, but that it was clear the circuit was fully ready for racing.



"Obviously because you've done the simulator you know which way you're going, but the first time I did the simulator there wasn't even maps or anything out, so it was kind of you just drive out and didn't really know where the track was going," di Resta said. "Whereas when you go out you can actually see where it is, you can see the off-camber, you can see the kerbs and as I said I think they've done a mighty job. Even to the point down to where the kerbs are I think it's in perfect condition ready to go."
With a number of undulations and blind approaches to corners, di Resta said that was one of the more unique challenges to the circuit, but that he was still unsure as to how difficult the turn 10 and 11 complex would be.

"They're always tricky; they're more tricky as well when you're in the car because you're a lot lower. Having been on the simulator they were quite hard to see and get a feeling for, but I suppose that's one of the bits that stick out and you've got to work hard at.
"[Turns 10 and 11] is a bit like Turkey but the other way round, I'm not so sure how much of a challenge it will be but it is going to be quite a quick corner ... it's a different way of looking at it, it looks more like a double apex as opposed to the four that are in Turkey."
Di Resta also said that he expected a big difference in lap times on Friday as teams tried to work out the optimal car setup for the track.

"Within one run they'll know the track. On a new track it's all about what you need from the car, what test items you'll have, because I think you'll see a big variation tomorrow with it being new; with not having any experience in terms of downforce levels. It just really depends, and on the track surface as well nobody knows what the car needs, whether it'll be front-limited, rear-limited, it's a big challenge. And I think you'll see people out very early although the track conditions will improve massively over the weekend. Pirelli's tyre strategy has changed as well so the work over the two sessions will be quite a bit different to normal."

India preview - a new dawn near New Delhi

It has one of the longest straights in Formula One, a big corner like Istanbul Park’s, goes up and down in places, and has a 62 percent capacity for DRS in qualifying that mirrors Spa-Francorchamps. Small wonder that the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit outside New Delhi has everyone very excited this weekend.

Narain Karthikeyan, who will take over Vitantonio Liuzzi’s HRT for the weekend, expects a great race in his homeland.

“This is going to be one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. The texture of the tarmac is exceptionally smooth compared to most circuits on the calendar, so I think that’s a plus. The lap time difference between the hard and soft tyres is going to be huge, maybe in excess of two seconds a lap. I’d expect the teams to use the hard as little as possible: maybe just a short final stint in the race as the benefits in lap time produced by the soft tyre should outweigh its shorter life as the track surface isn’t abrasive at all and track temperatures I think should be under 40 degrees during the weekend.

“The long pit lane will play a part in strategy as well with teams trying to get through the race with as few stops as possible. The layout itself is going to put tremendous energy through the tyres - especially the banked Turn 10, which is a long, multiple-apex right-hander, somewhat similar to Turn Eight in Turkey. The front-left will definitely experience a lot of load through there - and there are a couple of slow-speed corners that will challenge the rears on exit. So overall it will be a great challenge for the tyres and it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. I am so looking forward to it.”

The range of slow and fast corners, and the long straights, will make the compromise between downforce and straight-line speed even harder to determine. 

On current form Sebastian Vettel has to start favourite. “By the time we race in India, I’ll have done several laps of the track on the simulator,” Red Bull’s world champion says. “What I know so far is that the track is 5.1 kilometres and in the industrial town of Noida, about 50 minutes by car from New Delhi. The track is a combination of slow corners and high-speed straights which flow into each other. The altitude difference is extreme, rather like in Spa or Turkey, which will give the driving an additional element.

“Incidentally, we’re expecting the track to have the second highest average speed of the season after Monza. That means that we’ll be completing a lap at an average speed of 235 km/h, so there should be plenty of good opportunities to overtake. I’m really looking forward to India; I always do when we drive on a new track.”

The McLaren drivers aim to upset the German’s equilibrium, however.

“It’s too early to say how quick we’ll be,” Lewis Hamilton says, “but I think we’re set to be competitive at all of the final three races. We were quick at Singapore, Japan and Korea - and I think the pattern at the front has sort of settled down now as we reach the end of the season. I think we have a car that can be quick anywhere, so I’d like to think we’d be in the hunt again next weekend.

“India’s a sport-mad nation - mostly, it’s about cricket, which is understandable because they’re a very successful cricketing country - but I really think the people of India are going to take Formula One to their hearts. The reception we’ve had in the last few years has been greater than I could ever have predicted and I think the whole country is ready for something new and something exciting.”

Jenson Button says: “The track has quite a nice mix of corners - the start of the lap is pretty stop-start, there are a couple of long straights mixed with tight hairpins, but it’s the end of the lap that’s more interesting: there are some pretty high-speed changes of direction through the esses, and some gradient change.

“One of the things that looks really interesting is the double-apex banked corner at the back of the circuit - that’s pretty unusual. It’s sort of a mix between Turn 13 at China and Korea’s Turn 11.

“I always look forward to the next Grand Prix. The word is that people in India are really excited about Formula One and the event - it’s important for the sport that we make a good first impression and I really hope we have a fantastic race. Our car's been pretty competitive recently and we'd like to win more races before the end of the season.”

Adding to the unpredictable nature of the race is that everyone starts in the dark, especially Pirelli, when it comes to what exactly they can expect, though they have all done their simulation homework. That’s why the Italian tyre supplier have gone for the combination they brought to Silverstone, the P Zero Silver hard tyre - making its final appearance of the season - and the P Zero Yellow soft. 

But this time the soft tyre has been nominated as the prime choice, with the harder compound as the option. This means that the teams will have more of the softer tyres than the harder tyres at their disposal during free practice on Friday, which will give them their first opportunity to run on the 5.125-kilometre track. In addition they will also get an extra set of soft tyres that day, allowing them to maximise their running and provide Pirelli with some valuable information for the future.

Pirelli expect considerable circuit evolution over the course of the weekend as more rubber gets laid down and the level of grip changes. This effect is also caused by the new track surface cleaning, before the oils in the bitumen dissipate and the asphalt begins to age.

“We’ve opted for a deliberately conservative nomination in selecting the hard tyre alongside the soft,” says motorsport director Paul Hembery, “simply because on a brand new circuit you are never quite sure of the exact race conditions you will encounter. But we’ve structured the allocation in such a way that we think the teams will run more on the softer tyres. 

“This will help us to make some decisions about our strategy for next year, particularly after we saw the excellent durability of the softer compounds. It’s too early to talk about the number of pit stops we expect this weekend, but we anticipate a reasonably significant lap time difference between the two compounds.”

Simulations suggest a lap time around 1m 27s, an average speed of 210 km/h, but with the longest pit lane in the business teams may opt for the minimum number of pit stops during the race. There are two independent DRS zones for the race, one on the start-finish straight and the other on the long back straight. The detection point for the first is just after the penultimate corner, while that for the second is just ahead of the Turn Three hairpin that leads on to the straight.

The weather should be reasonably settled throughout the weekend, with partial cloud and an ambient temperature of 29 degrees Celsius expected on each day.

Friday’s opening practice session will see two Indian drivers on track, with Lotus tester Karun Chandhok joining compatriot Karthikeyan for FP1. Lotus took the tough call not to give Chandhok another race outing for his home Grand Prix, choosing instead to stick with their experienced line-up of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli as they bid to secure tenth place in the constructors’ championship.

Sunday’s race will run over 60 laps and starts at 1500 hours local time, which will be five and a half hours ahead of GMT.

Two DRS zones for India’s Buddh International

Drivers will get two chances per lap to use DRS in this Sunday’s 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, the FIA has confirmed. It follows the use of two zones in the Canadian, European and Italian races earlier in the year.

Like Monza, the all-new Buddh International Circuit will have independent detection points for each of its two zones - unlike Montreal and Valencia where both zones shared one detection point.

The first zone’s detection point is 10 metres after the penultimate Turn 15, with its activation point just 36 metres into the start-finish straight, which should ensure plenty of passing into the third-gear right hander that is Turn One.

After flowing through the gentle, left-hand curve known as Turn Two, the second zone’s detection point comes 16 metres before the Turn Three hairpin. Drivers can then activate DRS 510 metres into the New Delhi circuit’s back straight, which is one of the longest on the calendar.

That heads into a low-speed, second-gear right hander (Turn Four), which again should present a good overtaking opportunity.

New front wing for McLaren in India

 After an encouraging last two races in Japan and Korea, McLaren is looking to further close the gap to rivals Red Bull by introducing upgrades in India, particularly regarding a new front wing.












"We are bringing some new aerodynamic pieces to this event," said team technical director Paddy Lowe in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. "We have a new front wing, so that's the main thing and something we hope to take forward through to the last few races of the season. But we are winding towards a close with what we'll bring in terms of updates this year. But things like the front wing will carry forward to next year as the regulations on the front are exactly the same."

Although the technical regulations regarding front wing configurations are unchanged for 2012, a possible loophole discovered by Mercedes has received widespread coverage regarding winglets that divert airflow to produce a 'blown diffuser' effect and increase performance. But according to Lowe, although McLaren have looked at the innovation, it is not something they are immediately concerned with.

"We are aware of that, there has been quite a lot of coverage. We're not feeling desperately excited about it but we'll see. We're not singling it out against many other things we're constantly reviewing that people are coming up with. It's in the nature of the sport. You need to work on your own ideas but not have your head in the sand relative to what other people are doing."
As for the challenge of the new Buddh circuit, Lowe thinks that the similarities to Korea will produce another strong performance.

"It looks like a very exciting circuit and it looks like it as many similarities to Korea where we've just been in the sense that you have a first section with long straights and slowish corners and then the second half of the circuit is dominated by a lot of high speed sequences. So how we will fare relative to our competition I see being reasonably similar to how we were in Korea.
"Obviously it was great there - we got a pole position with Lewis for the first time this year, which was fantastic. So I think we are very hopeful we can deliver the same level of performance this Saturday. In the race it seemed a lot more even between the top three teams and we'll have to see how that pans out but we're confident."

Buddh circuit under capacity for first race

The inaugural Indian Grand Prix is set to receive a crowd of over 80,000 people, race organisers have confirmed ahead of Sunday's showpiece.

Although the capacity of the new Buddh circuit is 120,000, it is still hoped that more tickets will be sold at a discounted rate in order to further fill the circuit.

"We have sold close to 80,000 tickets which is pretty encouraging considering that its the first F1 race ever in the country," confirmed a spokesman for race promoter Jaypee. "Of course we would have been happier had we sold off 90 per cent tickets because ticket sales are the only source of revenue for us. But there are still a few days to go and we are keeping our fingers crossed."

Meanwhile, drivers and teams have offered mixed reaction after landing in preparation for the weekend's racing.

"I had a bit of a feeling that the Indians didn't really want to see us," Virgin driver Timo Glock told Germany'sT-Online. "I hope the fans take us closer to the heart than the local immigration authorities did."

It also emerged that fellow German Nico Rosberg was initially denied entry to India and Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen added that the entry process was unnecessarily complicated.

"I had to fill in about 70 pages of paperwork. It's unreal how complicated it was," he said.

Chandhok won't race in India

 Karun Chandhok will not race in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix after Lotus confirmed to ESPNF1 that it is sticking with its usual driver line-up.
Chandhok had hoped to join Narain Karthikeyan on the grid for the first race in India, with Jarno Trulli the man most likely to be replaced as had been the case for the German Grand Prix earlier this season. However Lotus has decided that it will not change its race drivers as it focuses on securing 10th place in the constructors' championship.





While any points are unlikely, Lotus, HRT and Virgin are all ranked according to their highest finishing position. Lotus currently holds 10th by virtue of two 13th-placed finishes to HRT's one, and so needs to maximise any opportunity to improve on that result.
Chandhok will still drive in Free Practice 1 on Friday, however, and said he understood the team's decision.

"I am very excited about driving at the new Buddh International Circuit in FP1 in front of my home crowd and while I am obviously disappointed that I won't have the chance to race on Sunday, I accept the team's decision to opt for the experience and talent they have at their disposal with Jarno and Heikki,"

Chandhok said. "This is a team that is still young, still growing, and I know that they have to do their best to secure their future in the sport - sometimes the hard decisions have to be made, and in this case it must have been a very difficult choice, but I understand that this isn't about me.

"It's about the team and everything the 254 people on track and back at the factory are doing to build for the future. For me, I believe that I have grown as a driver in and out of the car this year with my role in the Friday practice sessions and I'm looking forward to playing my part in helping the team have another strong weekend on track."

Reiza Studios Announces New Ayrton Senna Game

 

With Brazil-based Reiza Studios‘ first racer, Game Stock Car, under its belt, the studio has just announced a new partnership with Ayrton Senna Institute to develop a new game for Windows PC.

According to the press release, “The new project will see Reiza going beyond, combining a brand new game engine with a meticulous research process, passion and technical perfectionism in the best Senna style, to recreate in all its details a magic era in racing, when Ayrton wrote his history.”

Ayrton Senna was a three-time Formula One world champion. While not explicitly stated in the press release, one can imagine this will probably be a Formula One style racer. This news comes right after Reiza has released a Formula car update to Game Stock Car.

“The new Reiza project will also have a social purpose,” states the press release, “as part of the revenue will be destined to the various educational programs developed by the Ayrton Senna Institute all over Brazil, which every year benefits over 2 million children and youngsters with quality public education.”

The Ayrton Senna Game is currently under development and is predicted to be released at the end of 2012.

Pirelli 'conservative' for India

 Motorsport director Paul Hembery said that Pirelli has been "conservative" with its tyre choices for the Indian Grand Prix due to the unknown of racing on a new circuit.
Pirelli has been widely praised for improving the quality of racing this season with its rapidly degrading tyre compounds, and for the last race in Korea it took what it called an "aggressive" strategy in supplying both the soft and supersoft compounds. For India, however, Pirelli has aired on the side of caution, taking the soft and hard compounds, and Hembery admitted a lack of previous information had forced the approach.


"We've opted for a deliberately conservative nomination in selecting the hard tyre alongside the soft, simply because on a brand new circuit you are never quite sure of the exact race conditions you will encounter," Hembery said. "But we've structured the allocation in such a way that we think the teams will run more on the softer tyres, particularly because we are bringing an extra set of soft compound tyres for Friday."

Hembery said that the combination should help Pirelli analyse what will be the optimal two compounds for next year's race, but that at present even the most likely strategy this weekend was still unknown.
"This will help us to make some decisions about our strategy for next year, particularly after we saw the excellent durability of the softer compounds. It's too early to talk about the number of pit stops we expect this weekend, but we anticipate a reasonably significant lap time difference between the two compounds."

Narain Karthikeyan, however, believes the hard tyre will barely be used due to the smooth track surface and a "huge" difference in the tyre compounds.
"The lap time difference between the hard and soft tyres is going to be huge, maybe in excess of two seconds a lap. I'd expect the teams to use the hard as less as possible: maybe just a short final stint in the race as the benefits in lap time produced by the soft tyre should outweigh its shorter life as the track surface isn't abrasive at all and track temperatures I think should be under 40 degrees during the weekend. The long pit lane will play a part in strategy as well with teams trying to get through the race with as few stops as possible."

Ecclestone admits he had concerns over India

 As recently as two weeks ago, Bernie Ecclestone feared the inaugural Indian Grand Prix might have to be called off.
The F1 chief executive and other officials have sworn for months that the new Buddh International Circuit would be ready for its late October race date. But Ecclestone admitted to the Guardian: "I was pessimistic a fortnight ago. I was sent pictures of the track and I thought Christ, we're not going to get it finished in time.
"But what they have done in the meantime - and I've been sent more recent pictures - is incredible. The people there are very anxious to be sure they're doing a good job and they are very passionate about their sport."

And Ecclestone believes the racing at the remaining three races could be some of the best all season.
"I'm really looking forward to [next] Sunday's race," he added. "And I think here, and in Abu Dhabi and Brazil, the racing will be even keener than it has been this season. The drivers have been concerned about finishing second or third or fourth, because of the state of the championship. They have been anxious not to fall off the road. But now they don't care. Now these guys will be racing to win."
ey don't care. Now these guys will be racing to win."

Ecclestone would welcome Mosley back

 

Bernie Ecclestone says he would welcome the return of Max Mosley as FIA president in the future, calling his decision not to stand by him in 2008 as "one of the worst things I've done in my life".

Mosley lost his position in 2009 after a News of the World sex scandal, with Ecclestone at the time calling for Mosley to step down having previously worked closely alongside him. With Jean Todt having since taken over as president, Ecclestone told Auto Motor und Sport that he would welcome Mosley back because his misdemeanours were "nothing to do with Formula One".
"One of the worst things I've done in my life - and for which I am ashamed - is to not defend Max Mosley when he had his big problems," Ecclestone said. "There's no excuse. I made the mistake because so many people - executives and decision-makers from big companies and banks - convinced me that Max must go in the circumstances. But I was influenced very strongly and badly not to support him."

Despite his apparent preference to see Mosley return, Ecclestone insists he has no problem with Todt.
"I have apologised personally to Max and also publicly before the FIA World Council ... I have nothing against the present incumbent, Jean Todt, but I would welcome Max's return."

Hamilton expects to be competitive

 

 Lewis Hamilton expects McLaren to be competitive in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix next weekend.

Formula One visits India for the first time to race on the new Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. Despite only being able to simulate how well suited the MP4-26C will be to the circuit, Hamilton says McLaren's competitiveness in the last three grands prix leads him to believe it will be fighting for victories on every circuit until the end of the season.
"It's too early to say, but I think we're set to be competitive at all of the final three races<" Hamilton said. "We were quick at Singapore, Japan and Korea - and I think the pattern at the front has sort of settled down now as we reach the end of the season. I think we have a car that can be quick anywhere, so I'd like to think we'd be in the hunt again next weekend."
Hamilton also thinks that India will embrace Formula One, having experienced the number of fans that turned out to watch him carry out a demonstration run in September.

"I've been a few times before - we've done a few Vodafone promotional days there. The last time was just crazy - just after Singapore, we did a demo run in Bangalore and were expecting 5,000 people to turn up. On the day, there were around 40,000 fans - it was just incredible. "You can't believe how many people are aware of Formula 1 and how many are looking forward to the race next week. There's already a great deal of knowledge about the sport - I think it's going to be a big deal.

"India's a sport-mad nation - mostly, it's about cricket, which is understandable because they're a very successful cricketing country, but I really think the people of India are going to take Formula 1 to their hearts. The reception we've had in the last few years has been greater than I could ever have predicted and I think the whole country is ready for something new and something exciting. I really hope India will get turned on to Formula 1 in a big way - it would be amazing to have an entire continent supporting you - and I really hope we can put on a fantastic race!"

Liuzzi to give up seat for Karthikeyan in India

Tonio Liuzzi will not drive at the Indian Grand Prix after being asked by HRT to make way for Narain Karthikeyan, who is returning for a one-off race in front of his home crowd.

The original plan had been for Daniel Ricciardo to step aside, but on Saturday HRT revealed that it had asked Liuzzi to stand down for one race only. Karthikeyan brings added sponsorship to the team and at the time of writing is the only Indian confirmed on next weekend's grid.


"Having Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian driver in F1 history, and Tata with us makes it feel like a home race," HRT team principal Colin Kolles said. "Narain is a talented driver and we are proud to be going down this path with him. For this single event, Narain will be driving alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
"I have asked Tonio Liuzzi to step aside for the Indian GP in order to allow driving programs with Ricciardo and Karthikeyan to be completed. I have to thank Tonio for his professional approach and attitude. After the positive performance the team had in Korea, I hope that we will keep on that line in India. Although Narain has already driven around the track and given us a positive feedback, we really don't know what to expect but we are looking forward to it."
Karthikeyan is looking forward to the event, which he hopes will encourage young Indian racing drivers to aim for F1.

"Driving in front of the home crowd cheering on is going to be a surreal experience," he said. "A once in a lifetime experience and I feel extremely fortunate. There is a huge buzz around the Grand Prix already and I'm sure that it'll be a resounding success that will motivate more youngsters towards the sport and give us the future F1 drivers. Making it into F1 at the time I did was a seriously uphill task and the thought of being able to compete in the inaugural Indian GP was non-existent. But it is finally here and I'll be on the grid.
"It is going to be one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. There are points at which, if you're in an F1 car, you will see nothing but the sky. The layout itself is going to put tremendous energy through the tyres and the strategy will play a key role in the final result. For sure I'll race hard and try to get a good result for myself and the team. I would like to express my gratitude towards Tata Group and the rest of sponsors for their continued support and belief throughout my career."

Simoncelli dies from injuries suffered in Malaysian GP crash

Marco Simoncelli has died from the injuries he sustained in a crash on the second lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix. He was 24.

Simoncelli was fighting for fourth with Alvaro Bautista when he lost the front of his bike and slid across the circuit, into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, both of whom appeared to hit the Honda.

Simoncelli lay stricken on the track after the crash, his helmet having come off during the incident.

He was taken by ambulance to the circuit's medical centre, but at 4.56pm local time it was announced he had succumbed to his injuries.

The death was the first fatality in MotoGP since Daijiro Katoh, also a Gresini rider, passed away as a result of injuries sustained in the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix. The last fatal accident in the world championship series came when Moto2 rider Showa Tomizawa was killed at Misano last September.

Simoncelli had established himself as one of the most exciting new stars in MotoGP this season, his second year at the top level with the Gresini Honda team.

A former European 125cc champion, Simoncelli was a race winner and frontrunner during three years in world championship 125cc racing before coming to the 250cc series in 2006.

He spent four seasons with the Gilera team, with the breakthrough coming in 2008 when he not only became a winner for the first time, but charged to the title, beating Alvaro Bautista.

Simoncelli stayed on in 250cc to defend his title in 2009, although he narrowly lost the crown to future Gresini MotoGP team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama after an early-season injury left him playing catch-up.

He secured a MotoGP seat with Gresini for 2010 and became ever more competitive as his rookie season went on.

That earned him a factory specification Honda this season, and he took full advantage to get among the frontrunners from the outset.

Pole positions at Catalunya and Assen came amid a run of six straight front row starts, although incidents in races meant he could not deliver the results his speed promised - and led to rows with other riders.

But Simoncelli calmed his style as the season progressed, finally taking his maiden MotoGP podium at Brno, and achieving a career-best second in Australia just a week ago. He had also secured works Honda equipment again with Gresini next season, ensuring he would have started 2012 as a potential MotoGP winner.

Webber knows 85% of track

 With the grand prix the first event to be held on the circuit in Greater Noida, the teams are only able to base their setups and expectations on simulator work. Webber said he has experienced the track in the Red Bull simulator, which has given him a fairly thorough understanding of the track, but that the little subtleties will come together once he finally gets to drive it.
"We have completed some good simulator work," Webber said. "But in terms of the kerbs and other subtle final details, these will obviously come into place right at the end, so I'd say we have an 85% understanding of what the track is going to be like. It's always nice to drive at a new venue and in the simulator it looks like quite a quick flowing track, very rewarding."

Webber also said that the weather could cause issues for the rapidly degrading Pirelli tyres.
"It's going to be pretty warm, which is going to be a challenge for the tyres. I've never been to India before. There are some amazing cricket players from India - it's their number one sport and I'd love to watch Australia play cricket there someday. I'm looking forward to the weekend."
"

Kubica 'months' away from return

 Robert Kubica is still "a few more months" away from being able to return to Formula One, according to his doctor.
Kubica has missed the whole of 2011 following a rally accident in Italy in February which left him with life-threatening injuries. Having begun rehabilitation, Renault team principal Eric Boullier said that the team would keep a seat for Kubica if he was ready to return, but that he needed to be able to make a decision by mid-October.
While Renault has since pushed that deadline back, it appears Kubica will not be able to give the team confirmation any time soon, with Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli saying that progress is slow, even though he does still aim to be able to return.

"Our goal is to get him back in F1," Ceccarelli told Lucca television. "But he will still need a few more months of rehabilitation. The cuts were so bad that many colleagues and specialists had ruled out a return to the wheel for Robert. But, clinically, little by little everything has improved and the hope to see him driving as soon as 2012 is becoming more and more concrete."

New Jersey set to host F1 race in 2013

New Jersey will host a Formula One race in 2013, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Earlier this year the townships of West New York and Weekhawken announced their interest in bringing F1 to the city, with plans for a street race set against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. The latest report says an announcement is due on Tuesday which will see the race hit the streets in June 2013.

The reports suggest the New Jersey race will run alongside the US Grand Prix in Austin, which is set to make its debut on the calendar next season.

In August, the mayors of Weehawken and West New York released a joint statement saying the race would be privately funded, with Leo Hindery Jr, a former chief executive of the YES TV network, reportedly leading the group of investors.

"In these uncertain economic times when every direct and indirect revenue source is vital, our own Formula One race could be a very positive boost to our citizens," mayors Richard Turner and Felix Roque said in a joint statement last August. "This said, we need to ensure that the financial benefits from the privilege of having these races in our towns are equitably shared and that no tax dollars are used. The investor group has already told us that our towns would be substantially compensated annually."

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has been in talks with various promoters to bring a street race to Greater New York over the years but the plans have never reached fruition.

Haug wants Mercedes stability

Mercedes director of motorsport Norbert Haug says the team needs stability to start challenging for race wins in the coming seasons.

Mercedes is yet to win a grand prix since taking over Brawn GP at the end of 2009, despite the outfit in its previous guise having won both the drivers' and constuctors' championships in the previous season. With the team having strengthened its technical department with the acquisitions of Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis in recent weeks, Haug said the process to move towards the front would be a slow one.
"We are going to keep establishing our new Silver Arrows works team in Formula One," he told Eurosport Deutschland. "Our development and our learning will bring us upwards gradually, step by step, from the fourth power at the moment to third, second and ultimately to position number one. This can be achieved only through years of hard and focused work. The current world champions (Red Bull) took five years before their first success."

Haug also said that the current drivers were integral to the team, and that both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg would win races when the team is able to challenge at the front despite Schumacher's current deal running out at the end of 2012.

"We are completely satisfied with them, as once we give our drivers a winning car, they will win with it. Michael is a motivator through and through. He has a plan just as he had one at Ferrari, where he fought for five years for his first (Ferrari) title. He has the same bite as ever and remains one of the very best drivers in the field."

Mosley urges further driver safety

Former FIA president Max Mosley says the governing body should look in to the possibility of cockpit canopies in Formula One, but that it "needs careful investigation".

Mosley was integral in improving Formula One safety following Ayrton Senna's death at Imola in 1994, and there has not been a fatality in the sport since. However, following the IndyCar crash that killed Dan Wheldon on Sunday, Mosley said that there are still dangers that need to be investigated by the FIA.

"You're always in danger, in an open cockpit, of objects striking the driver," Mosley told CNN. "It (the canopy) might also help if it's reinforced with another roll bar, in things like the Dan Wheldon accident. But that's something that needs careful investigation."

Mosley did admit that such a solution could have a number of downsides such as higher speeds, visibility problems and the time it could take to extricate the driver in an accident, but backed the technical working group to thoroughly assess the option.

"One of the troubles is that it would probably make the car quicker, which is just what we don't want. But there are other means of slowing them down... All of that will be looked at by a technical working group if it turns out the thing would protect the driver better. What I do know is we've got some very clever people, looking full-time at these problems."

FIA to help with Wheldon investigation

The FIA will assist IndyCar in the investigation in to the crash that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon.

A full investigation is to take place in to the multiple car incident which occurred at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. With the FIA having overseen improved safety in Formula One since Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, IndyCar has asked for its assistance, as well as the help of another US organisation, the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS).

"We hope to have preliminary findings to report within the next several weeks," an IndyCar statement said. "In the meantime, it would be inappropriate to comment further until the investigative team has had the opportunity to conclude its work."

Any findings could impact on Formula One, with the dangers of open cockpits highlighted in 2009 when Felipe Massa suffered serious injury after being struck by a loose spring from another car during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Former FIA president Max Mosley has since called for the possibility of cockpit canopies to be investigated.

Runner Up Position Arise for Webber

Red Bull team rider, Mark Webber, an opportunity to revive the fight over the position of the runner to end the 2011 season. Webber, who took the third podium in F1 series South Korea last weekend, managed to cut the difference in points from McLaren driver Jenson Button and Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso, who finished behind Webber.

In the standings, Webber was fourth, Alonso in third, second and Button. Currently, the difference in points between Webber and Alonso are three points adrift of Alonso and 13 points adrift of Button. With three races remaining, the third rider can still be neck and neck for third place.

"I want to perfect victory Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull team as world champion by winning second place. I will fight hard to realize that ambition," said Webber, Tuesday (10/18/2011) in Seoul, South Korea.

However, Webber also expect full support from Red Bull team to realize his ambition. Errors pit stop strategy that makes Webber failed to take the second podium of Hamilton are expected not to happen again in India, Abu Dhabi, and Brazil.

Ferrari Must Improve Qualifying Performance

Fernando Alonso insisted that Ferrari must improve its performance during qualifying at the remaining three Formula 1 series this season. As such, they can be booked at least one victory.

Statement of 2005 and 2006 world champion was referring to his appearance in Korean Grand Prix at the weekend. At that time, Ferrari is very competitive when fighting in the long straight tracks. However, this Spaniard a chance to fight on the podium to be very thin because he was starting from a lower grid (including a bad start).

Speaking after the race, Alonso said sure that Ferrari will still need to work harder to improve the speed, especially on a single race on Saturday (qualifying).

"We have speed at the end of the race, and that's true. With soft tires, we rather quickly. At the beginning, I was almost up, so do not think that the conditions of freedom, I can do what is far better than has been done."

"This is a consequence of poor qualifications. This is something that we experienced on Sunday. The speed was better than on Saturdays, but always, performance is not very good qualifications."

"We need to improve performance on Saturday, trying to start better on Sunday because we know, for whatever reason, our speed is the same with them. We entered the finish line with the group so it was confirmed once again that on Saturday, our little difficulty, and on Sunday we have made little progress. we are trying to fix it. "

US GP organisers on the hunt for home-grown talent

Organisers of the 2012 US Grand Prix are on the hunt for the next American Formula One driver and will offer three finalists an introduction to the sport at the inaugural race in Austin next season.

Tavo Hellmund, the man behind the US Grand Prix, is willing to give three up-and-coming drivers the 'Ultimate Pit Pass', which will set up meetings with F1 team owners, mechanics, drivers and journalists. Those selected must be between the age of 14 and 20 years old on January 2012 and will be picked "from a pool reflecting talent across all forms of racing including karting, stock cars and open wheel", according to a press release.

"This is an opportunity that can serve as a tremendous benefit and career booster for a potential future Formula 1 driver," Hellmund said. "Most young drivers only dream of having firsthand access to experience what the world's top teams and drivers go through during a typical grand prix weekend. Until now, this kind of opportunity has only been available to young drivers who have either already worked their way up the racing ladder or are in a team/driver development program."

Formula One has not always struck a chord with race fans in the USA and its popularity was dealt a critical blow when only six cars contested the 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. A home-grown talent would significantly boost the sport's popularity, but the last American to race in F1 was Scott Speed and the last world champion was Mario Andretti in 1978. Hellmund said getting an American on the grid is part of the promoters' wider plans in F1 and has the backing of Bernie Ecclestone.

"Bernie is a big advocate for America growing our talent pool for Formula One," Hellmund added. "This opportunity aligns with his goals and mine to build an active presence with home-grown talent."

And Ecclestone said the 'Ultimate Pit Pass' competition presented a good opportunity for young drivers in the USA to experience F1.

"I think this will be a good opportunity for young American drivers to see what one day they may get to experience," the F1 CEO said. "Hopefully one of them will progress and perhaps someday join us in Formula One."

Horner expects tougher 2012

 Christian Horner said that Red Bull will find it even harder to win titles next season as Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes redouble their efforts.
Red Bull clinched back-to-back constructors' championships on Sunday with first and third at the Korean Grand Prix, ensuring the team has secured the 'double double' as Sebastian Vettel also took the drivers' championship in 2010 and 2011. Horner said that 2012 will be a bigger challenge for the team, believing that the consecutive titles will have "upset" its rivals.
"It never gets easier, that's for sure," Horner is quoted by Sporting Life.

"It would be foolish to underestimate the likes of Ferrari, who are a phenomenal team with tremendous pedigree, or the likes of McLaren and Mercedes Benz.


We are not foolish or arrogant enough to think that this kind of performance is normal. It's abnormal and takes a superhuman effort to try and achieve.

"We know our competitors are going to be pushing hard over the winter because to do what we've done once they could probably tolerate, but to do it twice probably upsets a little."

Red Bull's determination to make it a hat-trick of championships was evident in Korea by the absence of chief technical officer Adrian Newey as he continued working on next season's car, and Horner said the rest of the season will also be used as an extension of pre-season testing.

"Focus has started moving towards next year, with less than four months to design and build a completely new car. It's why Adrian elected not to attend this race, but is busy back in the UK focused on our RB8.
"The remaining races are the only track time we've got, other than a young driver test between now and when the new car is effectively born. So we'll look to learn everything we can out of the track time we have available, which means pushing right up to the chequered flag in the final race in Brazil."

Webber prioritising race wins

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 Mark Webber has said he would rather win a race this year than finish as the runner-up in the drivers' championship.

After Sebastian Vettel wrapped up his drivers' title in Japan and Red Bull secured the constructors' championship a week later in Korea, team principal Christian Horner said that the aim was now to get Webber in to second place in the standings. Webber, however, said that he would be targeting the race wins rather than a championship position.

"To get on top of that podium again is a beautiful feeling and I'd probably take the wins over second place (in the championship) to be honest," Webber is quoted by AAP. "But anyway if we get second I still haven't done that before, so it would be good."
Webber also said that he has a much better relationship with Vettel this season due to the lack of a championship fight, but that he hoped that would change in 2012.
"The relationship is fine. It's a lot easier than it was last year because it hasn't been much of a battle so, hopefully, we can have a more interesting relationship next year... Let's hope it's tighter than this year, that's for sure, and I'm pretty sure it will be, but the usual suspects (will fight for the title)."

Vettel admits he was 'stupid'

 Sebastian Vettel said that he was "stupid" in chasing the fastest lap at the end of the Korean Grand Prix.
Despite Vettel having won 10 races this season and having had the fastest car over one lap in qualifying 12 times, he had only set the fastest lap of the race on one occasion before the grand prix. As a result he pushed hard on the final lap to secure the accolade, even though any accident would have left Red Bull having to wait to seal the constuctor's championship.
After the race Vettel admitted that it was stupid to go for the fastest lap having been told by the team to take it easy, especially as he said the only reward was for his ego.

"I think they will kill me now," Vettel said. "On the radio they initially said 'you didn't get the fastest lap' which obviously isn't true. Then they came back on the radio and said 'idiot, you got it'.
"It's really stupid. I think in other races it doesn't really make sense, but on the last lap I had a good feeling, and yeah, I was pushing a bit harder to get the fastest lap. It's a small thing. It's probably more to do with the ego because there are no points, so it's really stupid from my side, but now I've got one, I'm happy."

Domenicali questions FOTA future

 

The FOTA members - which includes every team except HRT - have been disagreeing over the implementation of the Resource Restriction Agreement, which is aimed at keeping costs down, by certain teams. The future of the association is important for the teams as they try to get the best deal out of the next Concorde Agreement, with Bernie Ecclestone preferring to negotiate with each team individually. Domenicali, however, admits that the current issues could be the end for FOTA.
"In terms of the cost cutting (disagreement), we can no longer afford to continue like this," Domenicali told AFP.

"If there is no trust, there is no need to go forward. We know why FOTA was put together so we need to understand whether we still need it. What are the objectives for the future of FOTA, if it has a future?"

Christian Horner agrees that the future of the association is in danger, telling Reuters: "If we can't find agreement within FOTA on that then what is the purpose of FOTA?"
FOTA president Martin Whitmarsh, however, said that the teams need to continue to work together, even though there will always have to be compromise.

"I think we have got to improve [the RRA]," Whitmarsh said. "I think we have got to work together to enhance trust and mutual respect in the process. Will we ever reach a stage where everyone is very comfortable, has no concern, no accusation? I doubt (that), but I think it has been the right thing for the sport and I think we have got to continue to persevere with it."

Hamilton and Button lead Wheldon tributes

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have led the tributes to British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, who was killed in the Las Vegas 300 on Sunday.

Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15 car pile-up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, just hours after Sebastian Vettel had won the Korean Grand Prix. Many of the British drivers had either raced against Wheldon or closely followed his progress as he took a career path in the United States, and Hamilton described him as "inspirational".

"This is an extremely sad day," Hamilton said. "Dan was a racer I'd followed throughout my career, as I often followed in his footsteps as we climbed the motorsport ladder in the UK. He was an extremely talented driver. As a British guy, who not only went over to the States but who twice won the Indy 500, he was an inspirational guy, and someone that every racing driver looked up to with respect and admiration.

 

 "This is a tragic loss at such a young age. My heart goes out to his family and friends during this extremely difficult time."

Button, who used to race against Wheldon in his early career, used Twitter to express his feelings.

"Just woken up to the most horrific news. Dan Wheldon RIP," Button wrote. "I have so many good memories of racing with Dan in the early 90's, a true fighter. We've lost a legend in our sport but also a great guy. I can't begin to imagine what his family are going through and my thoughts are with them at this very difficult time."

With the Formula One paddock travelling from the Korean Grand Prix at the time of the incident, many other drivers used Twitter to give their thoughts, with Rubens Barrichello saying: "Just got out from the plane and got the terrible news about the death of our friend Dan Wheldon... Will always remember the great times we had at karting in Brazil my friend. Rest in peace."

Mark Webber added: ""Rest in Peace Dan. I remember our early days in the UK 95/96. Miss ya."

Whitmarsh lauds 'inspirational' Hamilton

Martin Whitmarsh said that Lewis Hamilton's drive to second place in the Korean Grand Prix was "utterly inspirational" and "worthy of the great champions".

Hamilton lost out to Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap of the race at Yeongam, but when racing resumed on lap 20 after a safety car period he spent the rest of the race defending from Mark Webber. With the Red Bull the quicker car on the day, and DRS proving effective in other battles, Hamilton impressively kept Webber at bay, and Whitmarsh was full of praise after the race.

"I think Lewis' drive was utterly inspirational," Whitmarsh said. "He may be downplaying it, because he's a perfectionist and he wanted to win, but to withstand such enormous pressure, for lap after lap, from a faster car, was a drive absolutely worthy of the great champions. His finishing position may only go down in the history books as another second place, but, make no mistake, this was a fantastic drive; beautifully assured and perfectly judged."

Whitmarsh said that an odd problem was also costing Hamilton performance and giving him a lot of understeer, which made the drive even more impressive.

"To cap it all, the data showed that he was losing a significant amount of downforce from his front wing. After the race, we inspected Lewis's front-wing and discovered that the left-hand slot-gap had become filled with congealed tyre rubber, doubtless a result of the marbles on the track. As a result, he was suffering with masses of understeer, which further hurts the tyres. In the circumstances, his was an absolutely fantastic drive because it would have been all too easy to have gone backwards when faced with such massive, and constant, pressure."