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

Massa: These things happened for a reason

While one is destroying the environment and the other almost cost him his life, Felipe Massa believes BP's oil spill and his Hungarian accident both happened for a reason.

Visiting a Shell oil rig, the FPSO Fluminense, between grands prix, the Ferrari driver shared his perspective on both the huge BP oil spill that is threatening coastlines and ecosystems as well as last year's Hungarian GP accident, which threatened his own life.

"For sure, I think these things happen for a reason," he told the Daily Telegraph with regards to BP's Deepwater Horizon explosion.

"Sometimes you see incredible things happen and we don't know why. It's the same as my accident. It was so incredible but it happened for a reason."

Asked to expand on what the possible reason was, he said: "Maybe it was a lesson not to take things for granted. I used to look at accidents and bad things and think they only happened to other people."

Turning his attention to this year's Championship and the recent debacle in Turkey, which saw Sebastian Vettel crash into his team-mate Mark Webber, Massa believes F1 followers and the media alike can be rather fickle in their opinion of drivers.

"I think sometimes people don't know what they are talking about," he said. "I mean, look, nobody cares about Mark Webber, then he wins two races and all of a sudden he is amazing.

"Now Sebastian is 'crumbling under the pressure'.

"After two races people change their minds very quickly. The fact is there are lots of drivers who are capable of winning the Championship."

Source: Planet F1

Red Bull only fears Alonso and Hamilton - Marko

In one fell swoop, Dr Helmut Marko has dismissed the title threat posed by figures including reigning champion Jenson Button, the 2008 runner-up Felipe Massa, Mercedes' works team, and seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Red Bull's motor racing adviser told APA news agency that the energy drink owned team only fears the challenges of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

"There are two people that we fear for this world title," said Marko. "They are Fernando Alonso, because he is at his absolute peak, and Lewis Hamilton.

"What the others are doing bothers us not so much," revealed the Austrian.

Red Bull's RB6 car has been clearly the fastest among F1's class of 2010, so Marko thinks the Milton Keynes based team is rightly the championship favourite.

"With the package that we have, we clearly have to be going for the championship -- and in the coming years.

"We have the people we need and the necessary tools to adapt to changes. We have had a winning car also in 2008 and 2009, so you can't say that it's a fluke when you're building a top car in three consecutive years," he added.

Source: Motorsport

Vettel diaries, Friday: making tracks to Spain

In this weekend’s Friday diary, Sebastian talks travel, aerodynamics and the Spanish circuit…

"We’ll start with the good stuff: the journey to Barcelona was way easier than the ones to Melbourne or Shanghai. The lack of volcanic ash obviously helped.

I’m really looking forward to the race at the Circuit de Catalunya, the track should be perfect for our cars, which are great wherever we race, but high aerodynamic tracks like Barcelona make them even better.

The conclusion after the first four races is pretty simple: three out of four possible pole positions for me prove that we definitely have got speed. Of course, the races weren't without errors and we could have won more than just the one in Sepang, but at the same time I'm glad I’ve only had one retirement so far. All in all it could have been a lot worse.

At the moment we need to focus on what's ahead and make up the 15 point gap. And if you bear in mind that each win is worth 25 points, it really doesn't sound impossible anymore.

As for every race, we’ve also made some modifications to our aerodynamics. On Sunday we have to show that we’re able to transform these changes into victory.

It was great to be fastest in practice this afternoon and reward for everyone who had put in so much effort to updating the car. We managed to get all the parts on and adapt everything in time: in the end it all came together and the car's just great.

All in all we had two really good sessions, though I would have loved to have driven a few more laps, especially towards the end. But we can definitely be pleased with the day's results. Tomorrow won't be as easy and I think McLaren will improve.

But we’ll just have to wait and see…”

Source: Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Red Bull ‘F-duct’ close

The fastest man on the grid but no championship lead - it’s a mathematical equation Sebastian Vettel is struggling to understand. But the German youngster is putting on a brave front, hoping that this Sunday will be his turn again. Speaking to the media in Spain on Thursday, Vettel tackled this and a variety of issues, including Michael Schumacher’s media profile and the latest developments on Red Bull’s RB6…


Q: Sebastian, new game, new luck - or is the Shanghai race still a lump in your stomach?
Sebastian Vettel: Well, to start from pole and end P6 is not as intended by the inventor, but it was a very turbulent race and on top of that we weren’t fast enough at some parts of the race and probably lost the race in those moments. It also might be argued that strategically we could have done better in some situations, but to have a clear vision and judgement is always easy in hindsight…

Q: How do you see the fact that the RB6 was by far the fastest car in the first three races but not in the fourth race?
SV: Well, I think that Sunday in Shanghai was a hot pot - and I don’t mean that in terms of temperature. The conditions were extremely unpredictable - like obviously also this weekend here in Barcelona. Five minutes ago it was raining, now the sun is out again. I hope that is no sign for Sunday! Generally I don’t see anything to worry about because our car has the right pace and we’ve some upgrades on the car, so let’s hope that will do for the race. Hopefully better than P6!

Q: The first European race almost feels like a new start to the season. What have those four flyaway races taught you so far?
SV: One race felt really good: Malaysia was ours. At two races we’ve been en route to the top spot on the podium, but something came between the trophy and the RB6. And then there was that race in Shanghai that was rather chaotic, with a kind of fluctuation in the positions that we weren’t able to use to our advantage. In the end we were able to pocket the points for P6. Shanghai was one of those races where in the end you are just happy to finish and to collect points.

Q: What you’ve just said was a narration - but not an interpretation…
SV: The interpretation I’ve given before: the car is fast and there is no reason to worry. The season is still very young and there are many opportunities for wins ahead. Sure, it’s about time that the car delivers on Sunday and we have a smooth race ahead.

Q: How happy are you that the European season has finally started?
SV: The biggest difference for sure is the distance to the venues. There is no real change in the conditions this weekend, so I was told. It is pretty cold for Spain at this time of the year and there is even a chance of rain on Sunday. But let’s see what the weekend brings.

Q: You are still talked about positively in the media commentaries, in contrast to Michael Schumacher. Is that something that you follow and do you think these commentaries as just?
SV: I think it a bit unjust. Sure, people expected a lot but if would be fairer to give him more time. Sure, everybody has his own window of time so I don’t want to add another commentary to this discussion. All I can say is that I am sure that he knows what he is doing and it is always difficult to comment on internal team matters from the outside. But I am sure that if there is someone to pull it off after three years of sabbatical then it is Michael. I am sure that we will see him fighting for the front in the next couple of races.

Q: If you look at the current pecking order in the paddock - Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and so on - do you think that this will change in the near future to the advantage of Mercedes? Or is the situation rather stalled?
SV: It is possible. If you are able to make a huge leap in development - more than all the other teams - then it is within reach. But of course I don’t believe in a real revolution in the hierarchy of the pecking order. If you bet money on the big four you sure can’t go wrong.

Q: How far along is the development of Red Bull’s ‘F-duct’ system? Wouldn’t that be the huge leap you just mentioned?
SV: We are developing and planning to introduce it at one of the next races, but that’s not so easy as people might think. The chassis are homologated since the first race and to add it to a fully designed chassis does not happen in the twinkling of an eye - but we are close.

Q: A leap forward in a personal way: how huge will your jump be on Sunday? When looking at the standings is there already some sort of pressure when it comes to the championship?
SV: I don’t think that 15 points behind is the end of the world if you get 25 points for a win!

Source: Formula1.com

Jury out after 2010 refuelling ban debut

Michael Schumacher does not believe F1's new no-refuelling era is going to spice up the sport.

The German, who completed his F1 return in Bahrain by finishing in sixth place behind his teammate Nico Rosberg, believes the 49-lap race was an indication of how the 2010 season is going to unfold.

"It's the start and then just sort of 'go your pace' and not do mistakes," the seven time world champion told the BBC.

"Overtaking is basically impossible, other than if somebody makes a mistake -- that's the action we are going to have with unfortunately this kind of environment of race strategy," Schumacher added.

Lewis Hamilton, who finished third, said the new format - where drivers start the race carrying a huge fuel load and look after the tyres - had made his race slightly frustrating.

"It definitely didn't make the racing more exciting in terms of overtaking. I wasn't able to follow in the first third of the circuit.

"But it is an interesting season ahead of us. Everyone is learning how to use tyres more -- try to understand the tyres, conserve the fuel load, when to attack and not to attack," added the Briton.

Quadruple world champion and Bahrain steward Alain Prost believes F1 will benefit from the refuelling ban, which was last in place when he won his final title in 1993.

"The drivers have never experimented with that before, so they are a bit confused, even the teams," said the Frenchman.

"They need to get used to it. It may take some races but it will be better."

Indeed, Jenson Button acknowledged that he had nursed one of his sets of tyres too much, while Felipe Massa said he was forced to conserve fuel for 30 laps.

Prost is confident the current generation of drivers will adjust.

"They have got used to a sprint -- in free practice, qualifying, race. And having 60kg of fuel or 10kg makes no difference," he said.

"When you start with 160kg you have to think differently, and they are not used to that," said the 55-year-old.

"After a few races, I am sure the good drivers, the top drivers, will like it."

Fellow Grand Prix veteran David Coulthard agreed that F1's new formula needs "time to settle down".

Source: Motorsport

Domenicali urges caution after boring opener

Stefano Domenicali on Sunday has urged caution amid suggestions the sport needs to react immediately to a new crisis.

After a mainly processional beginning to F1's new no-refuelling era in Bahrain, FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh said the teams should consider mandating a second pitstop per driver.

It is also suggested that Bridgestone's selection of tyres could help contribute to making less processional races now that the strategy options are so limited.

Drivers including Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton warned after the Sakhir race that other events this year could follow a similar pattern to Sunday's processional opener.

And race winner Fernando Alonso added: "The qualifying and the starts are maybe the two key points this year.

"After the first corner more or less the positions will be settled," said the Spaniard.

But his Ferrari team boss Domenicali replied: "We should wait. I can understand his (Alonso's) opinion, but let's first wait and see how the races develop.

"There could be other situations so I would only want to give my opinion after a few races. We should wait to see a few more scenarios before we make a judgement about the way it really is," added the Italian.

Source: F1 Complete

Bernie: Vettel will make it five Champs

Bernie Ecclestone has reiterated his belief that by the end of this season there will be five World Champs on the grid as Sebastian Vettel joins the mix.

Ecclestone has made no bones about the fact that he is a member of the Vettel fan club and is firmly tipping the Red Bull racer to win this year's title.

And should he do so he will join Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the ranks of F1 World Champions.

"Sebastian should have won the Championship last year," Ecclestone told the official F1 website.

"So he is competitive , the team looks good, he looks in good shape, so I hope he doesn't let me down this year!

"But in the end I'd like four or five to win. I just think that it should be his turn."

Source: Planet F1

FIA announces official F1 entry list

Click to enlarge

Source: FIA