'Alonso win would be frustrating after Hockenheim'

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has said that a championship win for Fernando Alonso would be ‘frustrating’ for his Milton Keynes team this season, following the Spaniard’s aid to victory at Hockenheim in July.

With Ferrari having decided in Germany that Felipe Massa should give up the race lead for Alonso, the Oviedo man picked up an extra seven World Championship points – an amount Horner would find difficult to comprehend, should the title winner of 2005 and 2006 earn the crown by less than that amount this season.

“It would be frustrating because we've obviously worked under the auspices that team orders have been illegal,” the Englishman told BBC Sport.

“The FIA made the ruling that they did and that's it, it's clear for all. We've just got to get on with it and try and do our talking on the circuit.”

However, Horner is confident that Red Bull – with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel now 11 and 25 points in arrears of Alonso, respectively – can bounce back.

“Both drivers still have a good chance, particularly Mark, to lift the big trophy at the end of the year,” he added.

Source: GP Update

Vettel: I'm the last person to give up!

Whilst he left Korea 25 points adrift of the world championship lead rather than atop the standings as he arguably should have been but for his cruel late-race engine failure, Red Bull Racing star Sebastian Vettel insists he can still claim the F1 2010 crown


His F1 2010 World Championship hopes might have been rocked by his late-race engine failure whilst in the lead of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix last weekend, but Sebastian Vettel has warned his title rivals – and, likely most significantly, his Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber – that he is 'the last person to give up'.

Had Vettel triumphed in Korea as he looked all-set to do after expertly dominating proceedings from qualifying and all the way through the race in treacherously difficult conditions, then he would now be leading the drivers' standings by seven points from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, and by eleven from Webber – margin enough, F1's conspiracy theorists might argue, for the energy drinks-backed outfit to elect to throw their full weight behind the young German's bid for glory at the expense of the Australian's.

As it, is, with Alonso inheriting the top spot on the podium in Yeongam County, it is the Spaniard who now holds an eleven-point advantage over Webber – who crashed out early on in Korea – and 25 points over fourth-placed Vettel, equivalent to a race victory with only 50 points remaining up for grabs.

Whilst admitting that his cruel ill-fortune – far from the first time he has lost valuable ground through poor reliability this season – was hard to swallow, the 23-year-old Heppenheim native is adamant that he will keep on fighting right the way to the end, comforted by the knowledge that the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in F1 2010 have tended to swing one way and then the next.

“I am the last person to give up,” Vettel is quoted as having said by British newspaper The Sun. “My chances? They are how they are, but as long as I have a tiny chance... We still have two races to go, and we saw in Korea how quickly things can change. The race for the title is not over yet, so let's wait to see what the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi brings.

“[The engine failure] was such a hard moment. With Mark's crash it was hard as a team, but the reason for the failure was not my fault. There was no sign from the engine of any defect; in Turn 17 I lost a row of cylinders, and I could then count down to when it would break. We have engines with little mileage, though, so I'll be fine for the remaining two races.”

What's more, the eight-time grand prix-winner has received a boost after RBR team principal Christian Horner confirmed that notwithstanding the Milton Keynes-based squad's first double DNF in over 50 races in Korea leaving them under pressure heading next to Brazil, Vettel will not be asked to support Webber's challenge for the laurels, despite many opining that such a tactic would be the only way to prevent Alonso from effectively cruising to the crown.

“We have two fantastic drivers, and we will continue to support both equally in-line with Red Bull's credible sporting ethos,” the Englishman stressed.

Source: Crash

McLaren ‘supporting Button fully’ in Brazil

McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has vowed to continue supporting Jenson Button for a second World Championship title, despite the current holder all but admitting that his chances of retaining the crown are now over after Korea.

Following his non-scoring race at Yeongam, Button lies 42 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso with a maximum of 50 remaining on the table; this means that that third place or lower at Interlagos next weekend would confirm that Formula 1’s Champion has failed to retain his crown for the fourth year running.

“He has vowed to fight on and we will be supporting him fully next weekend,” Whitmarsh is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “Jenson knows you can't lift the title without being a resolute fighter.

“That's exactly why we hired him; he’s a great driver and we will be supporting him fully next weekend.”

Source: GP Update

Webber has blown title chances, says Brabham

Mark Webber has blown his chance of becoming Australia's first Formula One world champion since Alan Jones back in 1980 according to the country's most famous driver, Jack Brabham.

Webber had the destiny of the title in his own hands going into the Korean Grand Prix but the pressure appeared to take its toll as the Red Bull driver crashed out of the race. According to Brabham, the mistake has cost Webber his only chance of lifting the title.

"It would mean a lot to me and it would mean a lot to Australia, but unfortunately I think his real opportunity has been blown last weekend," Brabham told the AAP news agency. "I'm really there behind him in the hope that he gets there but if he doesn't do it this year, I don't think he ever will."

Brabham, who won three drivers' titles in 1959, 1960 and in 1966 with his own team, admits to being a big fan of Webber but says time is not now on his side against the likes of Fernando Alonso and his own team-mate, Sebastian Vettel.

"People like Alonso are young and Mark's getting a bit too old really now. He can probably go one more year but every year that goes by now he's getting older and this is a young man's sport. He's racing against 21-year-olds or 22-year-olds and he's got the job in front of him."

Source: ESPNF1

Button will help Hamilton voluntarily - Whitmarsh .

As the Yeongam paddock emptied on Sunday night, the only talking point was the title contending teams' driver strategies for the now two-race run to the championship crown.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said it is a "no brainer" that Jenson Button should now back his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, whilst announcing that Sebastian Vettel still has a green light to push for the title.

"For us, the strategy is clear," McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. "We don't really have to say anything to our drivers. "Jenson will offer his help to Hamilton voluntarily, because he knows that we have treated him fairly throughout the year. And because he knows that he will win now only with a miracle," added the Briton.

Red Bull's Mark Webber and Vettel are separated by a smaller points margin, but Whitmarsh said "logic dictates that all the eggs are now put in the Webber basket". "But this team's heart beats for Vettel," he insisted. "There has been so much unrest that I am not expecting a clear statement from them."

Source: F1 Complete

Webber won't take his foot off the gas

Mark Webber is adamant that he is only thinking of victories between now and the end of the season, despite his 14-point lead in the drivers' championship.

The Red Bull star insists that he will not rest on his laurels, and that nothing less than wins will be good enough in the final three races, starting with the inaugural Korean Grand Prix next weekend.

"No, I can't think like that [about playing the percentages]," Webber said. "It won't be enough. I need to keep racing hard and going for victories.

"Clearly, of course, if my rivals have a rough weekend it makes it a bit harder for them and it gives me a bit more scope, but I'm not looking to abuse that because it can all go pear-shaped very fast.

"Having a lead is great, but it only counts when you get to the last race and we haven't got there yet, have we?"

The Australian played down his chances by claiming that he does not see himself as the favourite for the title. "It makes no difference to me to be in the lead," he said. "We all have to go there and see the track and get on with the job and it is the same for everyone. I may be in the lead, by a few points, but I don't think I am the favourite.

"I think we're all pretty even. It can change pretty quickly - in a good way or a bad way for me. It's on a knife-edge, but I'm very relaxed. It's another race for me.

"I'll give nothing, leave no change on the table and do the best I can. The points will look after themselves. Like I said, you need to be leading the championship at the last race, not now."

Source: ESPNF1

Vettel: If Webber wins again, we're all in trouble

Japanese Grand Prix-winner Sebastian Vettel has acknowledged that his objective now must be to repeat that feat in Korea, Japan and Abu Dhabi - fearing that if his Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber triumphs again in F1 2010, the Australian will put the title beyond reach

Sebastian Vettel has acknowledged that he needs to keep on notching up the victories like he did in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka last weekend if he is to achieve his goal of F1 2010 World Championship glory, conceding that if Red Bull Racing team-mate Mark Webber wins again, 'it will be difficult for all of us'.

For the second year in succession, Vettel was unbeatable in the Land of the Rising Sun – something he hopes may be 'a good omen' for his title ambitions – and his sublime triumph has allowed the young German to move up to equal-second in the drivers' standings with Ferrari rival and previous man-of-the-moment Fernando Alonso, the pair 14 points in arrears of Webber.

However, the fact that the Adrian Newey-penned Red Bull RB6 is presently the class of the field is both a blessing and a curse for Vettel, given that if he is successful with it – as was proved in Japan – Webber generally will be, too.

Whilst Alonso has opined that podiums will now be enough to lift the laurels, the Heppenheim native fears that should his team-mate raise his game sufficiently to ascend the top step of the rostrum for a fifth time this season in one of the remaining three grands prix as he has vowed to do – for the first time since Hungary back in August – the Australian might just establish an advantage that is too much for any of his pursuers to claw back in.

“His 14 point lead is of course an advantage,” mused the 23-year-old. “If he wins again, it will be difficult for all of us – but anything can still happen.

“Without sounding arrogant, I would say I always had Mark under control [at Suzuka]. I could see him all the time – he was one, two or three seconds behind. Every time he came a bit closer, I went on the gas a bit more. It's looking okay. If I win the next three races, everything will be fine, so that must be my goal.”

Source: Crash

Red Bull rivals increase off-track title pressure

With just under two weeks until the action resumes in Korea, F1's title contenders have reverted to the media to step up their sparring.

Lewis Hamilton said recently that "mind games" towards the end of a championship battle is entirely "normal" in Formula One.

But it is his own McLaren teammate Jenson Button who fired the first salvo, with help from most major British newspapers who faithfully reproduced his comments.

Most columnists see the Briton's prediction of a win for Sebastian Vettel over his Red Bull teammate and championship leader Mark Webber as an obvious piling of pressure on the pair.

"Vettel has to beat Mark twice more to be on the same points," he said. "And going into the last race with equal points, I'd say Vettel has the legs (on Webber) in qualifying," said Button.

In the Spanish tongue, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - who like Vettel is 14 points behind Webber - is also deviating from his usual style of defensive media management to fire a few quotes in Red Bull's direction.

"They are the favourite for all the remaining circuits and all the ones beforehand," he is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

"But in 16 races they have only managed three doubles (one-twos), so I doubt they can do three more," added the Spaniard.

Alonso, a two-time world champion already, is therefore stacking the odds in his favour.

"The most important thing is that the points situation has been coming my way. Now it has to continue.

"There are still three races to go and I know I can do it," he said.

Italy's La Stampa quotes him as adding: "Three more podiums should be enough."

The Ferrari-loving Italian press at large is also in on the action, sensing a tension at Red Bull and noticing that Webber was only present for Vettel's team victory photo in the form of a cardboard cut-out.

Corriere dello Sport said their apparent reluctance to fight one another at the head of the Suzuka field revealed a 'gentleman's agreement' had been reached.

Spain's EFE news agency quotes boss Stefano Domenicali as talking up Ferrari's title chances.

"If we do a better job than them in qualifying, we can beat them on race pace. We knew Suzuka was a difficult circuit for us so it was good to see the result," he insisted.

"Now the world championship is very, very open. We have three races left in which anything is possible," added the Italian.

Source: Motorsport

Webber expects two-horse title fight

Mark Webber reckons it's only a matter of time before this year's World Championship race becomes a two-driver tussle.

The start of the 2010 Formula One season has seen an intriguing battle for supremacy both on the track and in the Drivers' standings. While five drivers have claimed victories in the first eight grands prix, five have led the Drivers' Championship - and not the same five.

The most recent to lose his grasp at the top of the table was Red Bull's Webber, who fell to third place following McLaren's 1-2 in last Sunday's Canadian GP.

In contrast, Lewis Hamilton's Canadian GP victory saw him climb from third to first, taking a three-point lead over his team-mate Jenson Button.

His P1 prompted the 2008 World Champ to recently state: "You can see how tight this Championship is, and I don't know if it's dependent on the new points-scoring system, but this year is so close.

"It's the ultimate challenge I think I've experienced in Formula One, perhaps in Formula One history maybe."

However, Webber does not believe it will remain a "tight" battle for much longer.

"Last year, Jenson won many races at the beginning. But that is not what usually happens," the Red Bull racer told Auto Moto und Sport.

"It is more often the case that until mid-season there are three or five drivers all together.

"With about 70 percent of the Championship gone there will only be three and with a few races it will becomes a duel.

"Perhaps the Champion will even be known before the last race."

Looking ahead to next weekend's grand prix in Valencia, Webber has denied that McLaren have the upper hand, saying that although Red Bull did not win in Canada, they were not trounced.

"We were on the pace throughout it even if we did end up behind Ferrari and McLaren at the end," said the 33-year-old.

"In Valencia we have a good chance but I do not think it will be an easy win."

Source: Planet F1

Fry: title not lost for Schumacher

Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry insists that Michael Schumacher is still able to challenge for the 2010 title, despite being 75 points and the exact equivalent of three race wins off the Drivers' Championship lead following the first eight rounds of the season.

Halfway through next weekend's European Grand Prix, F1 will hit the half distance point for the 2010 campaign, with Schumacher having made his return in Bahrain three months ago.

However, despite being hit by a run of helpless misfortunes early in the season, critics have slammed 7-time Champion's latest Montreal performance.

Notably, ex team-mate turned BBC television pundit Martin Brundle labelled the Canadian Grand Prix as the German's 'worst ever' - an agreed feeling with on-screen colleague Eddie Jordan, whose team presented Schumacher with a first F1 drive in 1991. Despite the heavy criticism, though, Fry defends his driver.

"I'm surprised people have reached those conclusions," he told The Guardian on Wednesday. "He was in a good position until the puncture but, when something like that happens, you get out of sequence.

"We also put him on the Option (softer compound) tyre slightly earlier than we maybe should have done, otherwise he would have been able to defend better than he did, but certainly from inside the team we see things in a totally different perspective.

"We don't really see any significant difference in performance between Nico (Rosberg) and Michael - one is getting the breaks and the other isn't at the moment.

"In sport, what goes around comes around. For those who have a run of luck, that frequently comes to an end and the opposite happens. So we're very comfortable with Michael's performance and I can't see any reason why he won't come good. He continues to improve and he is going make a good job of it."

Asked if title chances are shelved for this year, Fry's response was clear: "Absolutely not. It's all part of the learning process. I think he, and we as a team, will continue to work hard this year and do the best we can. We still want to be in the top three. Red Bull and McLaren are fairly dominant but Ferrari have had a mixed season."

Source: GP Update

Vettel: Things can change very quickly

Sebastian Vettel is convinced this year's Formula One World title race will be a dogfight down to the wire.

It was third time lucky for Vettel in Malaysia on Sunday as the 22-year-old Red Bull driver secured his first win this season.

Vettel had led in Bahrain and Australia after starting from pole, only for technical gremlins to deprive him of victory.

But the young German is now embroiled in a remarkable early season scrap for supremacy as nine points separate the top seven drivers, with Felipe Massa leading the way despite being yet to win.

Asked if it will remain as tight all season, Vettel replied: "Yes, for sure. We've seen how quickly things can change from one race to another.

"In Malaysia we had the pace and we deserved the (one-two) result, especially after the first two races."

Vettel believes Red Bull's domination on Sunday was a reminder to their rivals of how strong the team is this year when everything falls into place.

"I would say that we have proved what our car can do when it holds together," added Vettel, who suffered a spark plug issue in Bahrain and a wheel problem in Melbourne.

"To be fair, the failures we had at the first two races were very rare and unlucky, so it feels good to be back.

"We don't need this kind of motivation in the team as everyone loves what they are doing, but still, these results remind you why you are here."

Source: Planet F1

Alonso: Title against Michael 'has more value'

Fernando Alonso says victory on an F1 grid including Michael Schumacher will be worth more to a driver

Fernando Alonso says that victory during the 2010 F1 season will have 'more value' due to the return of Michael Schumacher.

The most successful driver in the history of F1 makes his return to the sport after a three-year absence this year, with Schumacher's comeback being one of the main points of interest for the season opener in Bahrain this weekend.

Double champion Alonso secured both of his titles while Schumacher was still competing and the Spaniard – going into his first season with the German's former Ferrari team – said he felt that victory with the seven-time champion on the grid was worth more for a driver.

“Yes, if I said that, it's because I really think that,” he said when asked if he was still of the view that Schumacher is the best driver in F1 history. “If you see the World Championships that Michael has it's something that is impossible to repeat and part of the history in our sport, as I said.

“Looking at the numbers, Grand Prix wins, pole positions, championships etc, I think we all agree that Michael is the best ever, so I'm happy that he's here and as I said, hopefully winning a championship or winning a Grand Prix with Michael on the track has more value, so we will try.”
Alonso also denied that he felt Ferrari as one of the 'top two' teams heading to Bahrain, arguing that at least four teams should be considered as contenders at Sakhir.

“We are not comparing too much the times in winter or making many predictions for these first races,” he said. “We have just been concentrating on our programme to try to be as prepared a possible for the first race. I think the four teams - Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari - any of the four teams can be a favourite for this race and for the first part of the championship with, I am sure, some teams also like Sauber and Force India, they will have a very good race as well. I think we will do our best.

“We are well prepared for this start of the season but we want to be World Champions in November, not in March. We will do our best but the goal is to win the championship and we know this is not easy at all and we need to work very hard for ten months, so it is only the start.”
Source: Crash.net

Alonso tips Red Bull as Bahrain favourites

Fernando Alonso is not ready to place a bet, but his tip as the favourite for Sunday's 2010 season opener is Red Bull.

"I think Red Bull were a little bit ahead at the last test," said the Ferrari driver, who has been named as the Bahrain favourite by some of his own rivals.

The Spaniard said during an interview with Cadena SER radio that Red Bull, with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the wheel, are "perhaps very strong now, but Bahrain is an unusual track so it's hard to bet on a winner".

Beyond this weekend's race, 28-year-old Alonso predicts a close battle for the title.

"There will be four or five drivers in the fight. I'd like to know who it will be," he smiled.

Alonso insists he will not be personally disappointed if he is not able to commence his new tenure with Ferrari by adding to his two world titles.

"This is sport, not everything is two plus two," he said. "Winning a world championship is not a logical thing and it would not be a disappointment, even if we will work hard so that we do not disappoint our fans."

Source: F1 Complete

Schumacher: Mercedes can fight for F1 title

F1 returnee Michael Schumacher insists Mercedes can fight for the title with the new W01

Michael Schumacher says he is confident that the new Mercedes GP W01 is good enough to fight for the 2010 F1 title.

Schumacher makes his return this season with Mercedes after the team completed a buy-out of Brawn GP, and will be partnered by Nico Rosberg for his first year of racing since retiring from F1 at the end of the 2006 campaign.

While he admits that it is difficult to judge how the field is shaping up after the first two tests of pre-season, Schumacher insisted he was confident that Mercedes has a car to challenge for the title even if he has no experience from last year to work with.

“I am fully convinced that we have a car that is able to fight for the championship,” he told the official F1 website. “Where we are exactly is hard to say. This is especially true for me as I don't have the data from last year's car.”

Schumacher added that he was enjoying the experience of being back behind the wheel of a modern F1 machine and was more than ready for the challenge of the year ahead.

“To drive a car like this again, it was just that great old feeling I know so well,” he said. “Nothing comes close. I love that sensation, I always did. It was just that my batteries were empty at the end of 2006 that I retired. I would not have wanted to go on. Now my batteries are fully loaded again!”

Source: Crash.net