Sutil involved in nightclub brawl

Adrian Sutil has apologised after it emerged that he was involved in a row with Eric Lux that left the chief executive of Genii Capital in need of stitches

Out celebrating Lewis Hamilton's Chinese GP victory with the McLaren driver at the exclusive M1NT nightspot in Shanghai, a fight erupted between Sutil and Lux.

Although little has been revealed about the incident, it has emerged that Lux was left bleeding from a neck wound that required a trip to the hospital for stitches.

"At the event, which I attended as a private person, something happened which was a very unfortunate action on my part. I injured another person completely unintentionally," Sutil told the Daily Mail.

"I regret the incident very much and have apologised. As it is a private matter with no connection to F1 or my job as an F1 driver I hope you will understand that I will not answer any more questions on this."

Sutil's F1 team, Force India, refused to add any details regarding the matter, saying: "It is a private matter between the parties involved and we don't have any information on that, so we don't want to make any comment."

The FIA have been made aware of the incident but, according to the newspaper, are leaving the 'matter in the hands of the protagonists.'

Source: Planet-F1

Valencia: Sutil on top, fiery start for Massa

Adrian Sutil notched up the fastest time yet in this year's pre-season tests, while Felipe Massa's year got off to the worst possible start

Having taken over testing duties from Fernando Alonso for the final day of racing in Valencia, Massa was only able to get 12 laps under his belt before a gas leak caused a fire to breakout in the engine of his F150.

Just half an hour into the session, the Brazilian spun at turn five, and while he was able to collect the car, spoke billowed out the back of his Ferrari followed by flames. The Brazilian then entered into another spin after which the car came to a halt, Massa promptly exited the vehicle and the marshals will called to extinguish the blaze.

Needless to say, that was the last that was seen of Ferrari for the morning.

Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher all began their first full day of testing in rather less dramatic fashion, with Button and Schumacher impressing.

After two days fraught with problems, matters look to be improving for Mercedes GP, with Schumacher posting the third fastest time of the morning session with a 1:14.537, 0.108 faster than team-mate Nico Rosberg's quickest lap yesterday.

Beaten out by only Sutil and Button, Schumacher's time was the fastest by a team racing their 2011 challenger.

Schumacher's compatriot in the Force India was the quickest throughout the day, following the lead set by Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta on previous days by showing there is plenty of life left in the VJM03.

Sutil (1:13.201) and Button (1:13.553) were by some way the fastest on track, with Button in second nearly a second faster than Schumacher in third.

One man who will be slightly disappointed with his early running is Mark Webber, with the Australian notching up a 1:14.701, nowhere near as pacey as team-mate Sebastian Vettel was on Tuesday. Webber will certainly be hoping for more in the afternoon session.

There was more furstration for Team Lotus, with the steering problem that put a premature end to their day yesterday, preventing Jarno Trulli from posting a lap time.

Unofficial Times:
01. Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes 1:13.201 43 laps
02. Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes 1:13.553 0.352 34 laps
03. Micahel Schumacher Mercedes 1:14.537 + 1.336 35 laps
04. Mark Webber Red Bull Renault 1:14.584 + 1.383 44 laps
05. Pastor Maldonado Williams Cosworth 1:14.860 1.659 47 laps
06. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso Ferrari 1:15.107 1.906 31 laps
07. Timo Glock Virgin Cosworth 1:15.613 + 2.412 67 laps
08. Felipe Massa Ferrari1:15.650 + 2.449 12 laps
09. Sergio Perez Sauber Ferrari 1:16.198 + 2.997 33 laps
10. Narain Karthikeyan HRT Cosworth1:16.997 + 3.796 35 laps
11. Robert Kubica Renault 1:27.813 + 14.612 13 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Sutil and Buemi to drop five places on Brazil grid

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Force India’s Adrian Sutil have both been handed five-place grid penalties for next month’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

FIA stewards decided Buemi caused an avoidable accident when he collided with Virgin’s Timo Glock at Turn Three on Lap 30 of Sunday’s Korean race. The Swiss driver has already apologised to Glock, saying: “I braked late and locked the front wheels, so I could not turn and ended up going straight on and hitting Timo. I am sorry for him.”

Sutil, meanwhile, was given the same penalty for colliding with BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi at Turn Four on Lap 47. Sutil was additionally fined $10,000 after admitting he had been aware of brake problems throughout the Yeongam race.

The Brazilian Grand Prix will take place at Interlagos from November 5-7.

Source: Formula1.com

The Secret Life of Adrian Sutil

You will definitely know he is a Force India driver. You should know he’s German. You probably know he’s clinched 35 of his team’s 47 points this season. And if you’re a big fan you may even know he could have become a professional pianist. But we bet there’s still plenty you don’t know about Adrian Sutil, including his fear of spiders, his obsession with perfection and his penchant for pens. Sutil reveals all in the latest instalment of our Secret Life series…

Q: Are you the kind of guy to have a ‘Plan-B’?
Adrian Sutil: Sometimes. I like to do things that are planned and organized properly. But if I want to get a bit more adventurous, I stop following ‘Plan-A’ and move on to ‘Plan-B’. Overall I prefer everything to be very organized and straightforward, with irritations kept to a minimum.

Q: Apart from driving a Formula One car, what is your favourite buzz?
AS: My life is very much centred on cars. Even when I get home I drive my own cars. I am probably a bit of an adrenalin junkie even away from work. Recently I did some skydiving and that gave me a huge thrill.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
AS: I always look forward to entering our motor home - especially recently, as the motor home is all new and very chic. We have a laidback atmosphere in there and everyone in the team is like my extended family.

Q: Who is your dream date?
AS: If it is with a female date, I’d say it would be with a good-looking, smart, lovely lady. If it was with someone I have always wanted to meet and speak to, then it would be with Sean Connery! I am not sure if it will ever happen, but if it does I will grab the chance. He was the best James Bond ever!

Q: Which film last made you cry?
AS: I am not a cry baby. For a film to get me close to crying then it would be because I was crying with laughter. It hasn’t happened recently.

Q: What are you afraid of?
AS: I am afraid of spiders. I live in an old house and you sometimes come across them. They drive me crazy, especially when they have long legs!

Q: What was the last book you read?
AS: I am not a big reader. I am a movie guy. The last book I had a look at was about sailing.

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
AS: To be at home on my own, listen to some music, look out of the window and empty my head. Sometimes I don’t want to see anybody - I just want to be on my own.

Q: Name five things that you hate?
AS: Spiders and insects. Disorganisation and messy places - I cannot live with them. What else? I hate dirty cars. I am a fanatical car cleaner! When I am home alone, and don’t know what to do, I start cleaning my car. Then I don’t want to drive it anymore. Tidiness is very important for me. The shoes at the bottom of the bed have to be positioned perfectly otherwise I cannot sleep. Does that sound a bit mad? Probably. I want everything to be perfect.

Q: Have you ever dyed your hair?
AS: No, not really! Once in Formula Three I had a little blond streak of hair. In those days I thought it was cool - which it wasn’t. But at least I’ve tried it!

Q: What was the first CD you bought?
AS: It must have been a tape, and it must have been Michael Jackson. It was probably ‘Thriller’.
Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
AS: No I don’t like tattoos or piercings.

Q: What did your teachers say about you in your school reports?
AS: I was in trouble with my teachers a lot. I was always dreaming during lessons. I was in my own world. Physically I was in the classroom, but mentally I was miles away. I have achieved my dream so it must have worked well for me.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
AS: They were mostly movie stars. They were probably Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, or Sylvester Stallone as Rocky or Rambo. I was into action heroes.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
AS: When I eat sweets at home I always feel bad. But I still do it sometimes. It makes me happy but I also know that I have to watch my weight. Sweets are on my mind everyday.

Q: Do you collect anything?
AS: Yes, I collect pens and model cars. I only started the pen collection last year because exceptional pens are quite expensive so I couldn’t afford them before. My most exclusive one is called a Taj Mahal. I bought it after my good race in Malaysia as a treat.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
AS: I miss the place where I live. It is very quiet there and green.

Q: What was your worst buy?
AS: I hate to waste money on things that I don’t need, so I am the last person to go shopping without a reason. When I buy things, I buy things that I need, so there is not one big thing that was a ‘worst buy’. It’s probably only when I go to a restaurant really hungry and order too much food. You order three plates and then you can only eat one. That is a waste and I get upset with myself because there are so many people hungry in the world.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
AS: Black with a little sugar.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
AS: Sleep in until ten, have brunch, take my car and drive around in the mountains.

Q: What was your first vehicle?
AS: It was a smart roadster. It was very cool and was the envy of my friends.

Q: What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made?
AS: Oh I still remember it very well. There were people just in a street taking photos for a magazine for German teenagers. They asked me if I would mind joining in the photo shoot. I almost immediately regretted it! There was a stupid story that went alongside the pictures and everybody at my school read it. I was a laughing stock for about a month.

Q: What is the best thing you can cook?
AS: I am not bad at cooking pasta. But I’m not a great cook. I can do a really good Kaiserschmarrn, which is an Austrian dessert.

Source: Formula1.com

Vettel: "Too early to say Ferrari are ahead"

It is too soon to say Ferrari has stolen a march on its formula one rivals with the impressive F10 car.

That is the belief of Sebastian Vettel, after the recent eight days of testing at Jerez - and the previous test at Valencia - showed that the red car is arguably the best of the 2010 field.

The German, who drives for Red Bull, said his team as well as Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are likely to be "close" together when the circus meets in Bahrain for next month's season opener.

"Ferrari has looked pretty strong," the 22-year-old told Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

"But all the top teams are making improvements to the cars, so there is more to come," said Vettel.

"It is still too early to assess how strong everyone really is," he added.

But while definitive conclusions might be premature, there are signs emerging about the teams' likely form.

McLaren's Jenson Button followed the new Mercedes car for a time at Jerez last week, and is quoted by Bild am Sonntag as revealing the rear of the W01 as "somewhat nervous" and locking under brakes.

In a form guide, the German newspaper gave full marks to Ferrari, adding that Red Bull is the next-best team followed by McLaren, Mercedes and Force India.

"I would put money on us," Adrian Sutil is quoted as saying, while Sauber, Renault and Williams have also impressed at times.

Peter Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick that Toro Rosso "made a strong impression" on him at recent tests with its new STR5 car.

"I think we're (going to be) between 8th and 12th, 8th and 15th," the Faenza based team's Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari told AS newspaper.

The teenager tipped Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren to be currently at the head of the pecking order.

"I think we are together with Renault, Sauber. We never know what are Mercedes' fuel loads; they can be three or four seconds off the best and sometimes the fastest," added Alguersuari.

Germany's specialist Auto Motor und Sport said the pre-season hierarchy in formula one is as "balanced as it has ever been".

"Even after the third of four tests, no clear favourite for the title has emerged," read a report.

Mercedes' Schumacher said: "Barcelona will be an important test for everyone and give us more information about the performance of our cars."

Source: F1 Complete

Jerez: A Brazilian battle as the track dries out

Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa tussled for top honours in the morning session at Jerez, where thankfully track conditions improved to allow for plenty of dry running.

A dull and dreary start to the final day of testing saw the Formula One drivers having to contend with the light drizzle at the start of Saturday's Jerez test.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel set the pace in the opening hour, clocking a 1:27.764, before running into problems. The German brought out the red flag when he car ground to a halt and had to be recovered to the pits on the back of a flatbed truck.

The twenty minute break, though, did provide some good news as the rain finally stopped.

With the track drying out just a bit Lewis Hamilton leapt from the bottom of the timesheets into the P1 slot, clocking a 1:26.833, before that was overhauled by Rubens Barrichello.

The Brazilian continued to pile on the pace, extending his advantage before Ferrari's Felipe Massa nipped ahead of him with a 1:27.645.

With conditions improving, Force India reported that it is "dry in Jerez for now. Adrian says it's on the verge of being dry enough to switch to slick tyres."

And that's exactly what he did a short while later. However, Sutil wasn't the only driver to swap to slicks.

Massa also parted ways with his disintegrating intermediate tyres and went quickest by some margin. The Brazilian brought his time down to a 1:23.976.

"Finally we can run on dry tyres..." Ferrari reported on Twitter. "Already 66 laps completed by Felipe who is currently doing a long run."

Massa's ever-improving pace, which eventually saw him drop to a 1:22.641, had the chasing pack swap over to the slicks with Barrichello the next to lead the way with his 1:22.319.

Robert Kubica moved up to third place behind the battling Brazilian's, however, finished the morning 2.054s off the pace while Vettel was fourth.

Pedro de la Rosa and Jaime Alguersuari were next in line, ahead of Hamilton, who completed just 19 laps during the morning session while Sutil was eighth, as Force India opted for an early lunch during which a "planned exhaust change" took place.

Meanwhile, after a brief run in the first hour, during which he set a 1:29.768 and completed seven laps, Schumacher retreated to his Mercedes GP garage where the German waited for conditions to improve.

There was little sign of the seven-time World Champion over the next three hours as he completed only four additional laps, dropping down the order to finish P9.

"Michael will be out again in the not too distant future with the track now looking much improved as thankfully it has stayed dry," his team said.

The final runner of the day, Lucas di Grassi, didn't complete even a single timed lap as he spent all but five minutes of the morning session in the Virgin garage while the team worked on the car.

And working on the car is something Ferrari will have to do as ten minutes before lunch, the Brazilian brought out the red flags when he stopped out on track.


Unofficial Times
1. R. Barrichello Williams FW32 1:22.319 39 laps
2. F. Massa Ferrari F10 1:22.641 +0.322 95 laps
3. R. Kubica Renault R30 1:24.373 +2.054 23 laps
4. S. Vettel Red Bull Racing RB6 1:24.588 +2.269 52 laps
5. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:25.039 +2.720 52 laps
6. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:25.756 +3.437 67 laps
7. L. Hamilton McLaren MP4-25 1:26.023 +3.704 21 laps
8. A. Sutil Force India VJM-03 1:27.606 +5.287 37 laps
9. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:29.768 +7.449 11 laps

Source: Planet F1