Formula One 2011

[Lineker]

Nick Heidfeld is adamant Renault has the potential to move forward this season, the German denying next week's Canadian GP will be the team's best chance this year.

The team started the season strongly with two podiums finishes but has failed to repeat that kind of performance since then.

With Renault being one of the teams with the highest top speed, the Montreal race is seen as one of the best chances for the team to run closer to the front.

But Heidfeld believes Renault has "a lot" of potential to make progress in the other races, even if its radical blown diffuser could be banned by the FIA.

"No, I don't think so," said Heidfeld when asked if Canada was the team's best chance for the season. "If it is disallowed [the blown diffuser], it is disallowed for everybody, for us that is the first thing.

"I don't know why it should be because according to the people I speak to in my team it is perfectly legal, which is why everybody has it.

"And secondly if I look at our development plans and what will come in the next week sand months, there is a lot of potential to move forward so I don't view this race as the best chance of the season."

Virgin has parted company with technical director Nick Wirth following its disappointing start to the season.

The team had targeted reaching Q2 on a regular basis this year, but has failed to start any higher than the tenth row during the first six races of the season. As a result, Wirth Research is no longer a part of the operation.

Former Renault director of engineering Pat Symonds has overseen the review of Virgin, and is understood to be heading up plans for its 2012 car in his capacity as a consultant.

"The decision has been taken that the team will take greater control of its own destiny," said Marussia Virgin CEO Andy Webb in a statement to AUTOSPORT.

"Accordingly, having consulted with our existing technical partner during the course of the past few weeks, we have been obliged to terminate our relationship with them.

"I believe that the steps we are taking in terms of our technical leadership and operational excellence will provide us with the robust foundation required to go on and achieve our performance objectives in the years ahead. These are bold but positive steps that will enable us to move forward with confidence."

Despite the change in technical direction, the team already has a raft of upgrades and developments that have been signed off by Wirth Research that it plans to introduce in the coming months. It is hoped that these will allow it to close the gap to Team Lotus.

But there is also desire to trial run new development directions with the current Virgin MVR-02 in the latter stages of the season. This could lead to major revisions later in the campaign.

"At this time of year it is commonplace for all teams to start looking ahead to the following racing year, whilst continuing to develop the existing car for the remaining races of the current season," said Webb.

"The upgrades we have planned for the summer races are now passing from the design phase to the production stage and more and more of our focus is turning to 2012.

"In light of our long-term plans we will continue to aggressively pursue this strategy, but as next year's regulations contain few changes we hope that some of the development work aimed at the MVR-03 may also find its way onto the current car."

AUTOSPORT understands that the team is well-advanced with plans to establish its own technical base, with the ex-Arrows and Super Aguri facility at Leafield among the facilities it has evaluated.

There have also been reports that Virgin is seeking a technical partner, with McLaren among the options. This would likely lead to a partnership along similar lines to the one that helped to propel Force India from the back of the grid into regular points scorers over the past two-and-a-half years.

The team would not comment in detail on its new technical structure, but confirmed that these changes have been in the pipeline since emerging Russian sportscar manufacturer Marussia Motors bought into the team last year.

"In November 2010, sports car manufacturer Marussia Motors acquired a significant shareholding in the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 Team, securing the Team's future and underlining the marque's long-term commitment to Formula One," said Webb.

"Over the past six months, Marussia and the Board of Directors have undertaken a comprehensive review in order to ensure that Marussia Virgin Racing has the strongest platform, team of people and resources in place to achieve its long-term ambitions.

"Integral to this review has been an evaluation of the technical direction of Marussia Virgin Racing. Marussia's goal remains to be in a position to be able to challenge for a podium finish at the inaugural Russian Grand Prix in Sochi 2014.

"With this in mind, it is readily apparent that the team must take major steps in order to accelerate its rate of improvement.

"Looking ahead, we will now be pursuing an alternative technical path and look forward to announcing our plans in more detail over the coming weeks."

Virgin is also set to drop its all-CFD development strategy, which was key to it being able to afford to move into F1 in the first place. Now an established team in its second season, it is expected to start a windtunnel testing programme alongside ongoing CFD work.

"At this stage I would like to underline our continued commitment to a cost-efficient commercial model," said Webb. "We maintain our absolute belief in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) as a technology, especially since it continues to become more cost-effective with every year.

"Naturally, we will continue to use every means at our disposal to improve the aerodynamics of our car with immediate effect."

Felipe Massa is hoping his Ferrari team can keep its momentum going into the upcoming races after one of its strongest performances of the year in Monaco.

The Maranello squad endured a disappointing outing in Spain, where even fifth-placed Fernando Alonso finished a lap down despite having led the event.

The Spaniard, however, was fighting for victory in Monte Carlo, and Massa reckoned he could have finished in fourth had it not been for a clash with Lewis Hamilton.

Monaco's race completed a series of disappointing races for the Brazilian.

"Those three races in May did not go well for me," wrote Massa on Ferrari's website. "I failed to pick up points and my biggest regret came in the last of the three, in Monaco. As Fernando showed, by fighting at the front right to the end, we had a very good potential there and I think I could have finished the race in fourth place.

"Unfortunately, there was the accident with Hamilton, which put me out of the running: a real shame, but there's little point in going over it again. I said what I wanted to about the incident after the race and now it's not worth wasting more time over it, so it's better to look ahead."

The Ferrari driver was upbeat about his team's form in Monaco, however, and he is hopeful it can continue to fight near the front in the upcoming races in Canada and Spain.

"There was at least one positive aspect to the weekend and that is the fact our car was much more competitive than we had seen it at the previous race," he added.

"Finally, we could fight all the way to the end, even if circumstances meant that only applied to one of us. Our pace was very good and I hope that will also be the case in Canada and Valencia.

"We should have some new technical updates there, which along with the softer tyres, should be a help, on paper at least and then we will see what the actual situation is, starting on Friday in Montreal."

So much for the CFD-only approach. A McLaren link-up would be interesting for sure.

[maninblack]

Thanks for the updates!

[Lineker]

Pleasure

Bahrain is back on the calender for this season - which means a December finish. I feel really sorry for the desgin teams etc. - no winter break for them!

The Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead this year after Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, voted in favour of reinstating the race on Friday.

The race was scheduled to open the 2011 season in March, but was postponed due to the unrest in the country.

A decision was expected on May 1, but the FIA decided to give Bahrain until today before making a decision on the future of this year's race.

On Friday, the governing body's World Motor Sport Council met in Barcelona to vote, and gave the green light for the Bahrain Grand Prix to take place this year.

The event has been given an October 30 date, which is likely to mean the Indian Grand Prix moves to December 4 or December 11, the latest finish to a season since 1963, although the FIA did not confirm the date for the race.

Indian GP officials said they welcomed the season finale slot.

The season will also comprise a record 20 races.

The FIA said in a statement that the WMSC had "unanimously" agreed to reinstate Bahrain.

"Following a fact-finding mission undertaken at the request of FIA President Jean Todt, FIA Vice President Carlos Gracia visited Bahrain on 31 May 2011 to assess the situation in the country," said the statement.

"Meetings were conducted with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Bahrain Motor Federation and Bahrain International Circuit, as well as other national and international organisations including Mr. Tariq Al Saffar at the National Institute of Human Rights. It should be noted that the recent announcement by the King of Bahrain has established a political dialogue and reconciliation process.

"After considering all the factors and taking into consideration all stakeholders' concerns, the WMSC unanimously agreed to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.

"This decision reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain, which is evident from the strong support the race receives from the Government and all major parties in Bahrain, including the largest opposition group, all of whom endorse the Formula One Grand Prix and motor sport in the country.

"The WMSC feels that reinstating the Grand Prix is a means of helping to unite people as the country looks to move forward, and also recognises the commitment made by the Formula One teams, their employees and families, and personnel associated with the Championship including the local team of volunteers who are so vital to the event."

The Bahrain International Circuit welcomed the FIA decision.

"This is welcome news for all of Bahrain," said Zayed R. Alzayani, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit. "As a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned; with businesses operating close to normal, the State of National Safety lifted and countries removing travel restrictions.

"Collectively, we are in the process of addressing issues of national and international concern, and learning lessons from the recent past. By the time the Grand Prix arrives we will be able to remind the world about Bahrain at its best.

"The Bahrain Grand Prix has always been a source of national pride and it is an event than transcends politics. Not only does it receive strong support from the Government, but also from all major parties in Bahrain, including our largest opposition group, Al Wefaq, who yesterday endorsed both the BIC and motor-racing in Bahrain.

"Importantly, it will also offer a significant boost to the economy. The Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors, supports 3,000 jobs and generates around $500m of economic benefit. Its positive effect will be felt throughout the country.

"On behalf of Bahrain, I would like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and the FIA and the rest of the motorsport community for the support and understanding they have extended to us this year."

Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn revealed earlier this week that Formula 1 teams had informed Bernie Ecclestone that a December 11 finale was "totally unacceptable".

"I think it is unacceptable and we've told Bernie that and he knows our opinion," said Brawn. "If we continue to take those sort of approaches then we will run into problems because our people cannot be expected to work in that environment and situation, so I think it is totally unacceptable."

Red Bull said in a short statement that the Formula One Teams' Association would discuss the decision internally.

"Red Bull Racing has acknowledged the FIA World Motor Sport Council's decision to go ahead with the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We will go through the correct channels and discuss this decision within the appropriate forum with the other F1 teams and our fellow FOTA members."

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Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the decision about whether the Bahrain GP will be back on the calendar or not has nothing to do with money.

The FIA is to decide on the future of this year's event today, having already postponed the decision at the start of last month.

Ecclestone has said several times that he is hoping the race goes ahead, although it would mean finishing the season on December 11 after rescheduling the Indian Grand Prix to fit Bahrain.

The Briton said, however, that the decision will not be influenced by financial aspects, even if the sport faces a $40 million loss.

"Nothing to do with money at all. Nothing, in any shape or form," Ecclestone told Reuters Television in Barcelona, where FIA's World Motor sport Council is meeting.

"This has to do with whether people... I don't know, to be honest, with this occasion whether people are concerned with their safety if they go or whether people are concerned with what has happened in the past.

"What has happened in that whole area, in all those countries, is not good in any way, so we will have to wait and see."

This year's 20-race calender won't hold the record for very long at all, however. Nothing is being dropped next year as it stands.

The FIA has announced a 21-race calendar for the 2012 Formula 1 season.

All 20 events on this year's series are retained, with the new United States Grand Prix at Austin in Texas added in mid-June. The calendar features six pairs of back-to-back events where grands prix take place just a week apart.

There had been question marks over the future of the Turkish GP, and this event appears with an asterisk and a "subject to confirmation" note.

The Bahrain GP is returned to its position as season-opener after this season's postponement due to the political unrest in the country.

Date   Event          Venue


11/03  Bahrain        Sakhir

18/03  Australia      Melbourne

01/04  Malaysia       Sepang

08/04  China          Shanghai

22/04  Korea          Yeongam

06/05  Turkey         Istanbul*

20/05  Spain          Barcelona

27/05  Monaco         Monaco 

10/06  Canada         Montreal

17/06  United States  Texas

01/07  Europe         Valencia

15/07  Britain        Silverstone

29/07  Germany        Hockenheim

05/08  Hungary        Budapest

02/09  Belgium        Spa-Francorchamps

09/09  Italy          Monza

30/09  Singapore      Singapore

14/10  Japan          Suzuka

28/10  India          New Delhi

11/11  Abu Dhabi      Yas Marina

25/11  Brazil         Interlagos[/code]


Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says his company remains more committed than ever to Formula 1 following the verdict over the naming row with Team Lotus.


A British court ruled out that Team Lotus could continue using its name in Formula 1, while granting Group Lotus full rights to use 'Lotus' and its roundel both in the sport and outside of it.


Despite Bahar insisting that having two Lotus in Formula 1 will be confusing, he says his company remains fully committed to its partnership with Renault.


"The judgement grants Group Lotus the rights to use the name 'Lotus' and the Lotus roundel on their own within F1, we are, therefore, even more committed than ever before to our long term plan within the sport," said Bahar in a Group Lotus Q & A released on Thursday.


"The Judge also found that Team Lotus, run by 1Malaysia Racing Team, has the right to continue to race in F1 under the name Team Lotus and using the Team Lotus roundel.


"As a consequence, it is inevitable that the similarity of the names Lotus and Team Lotus will cause confusion not only amongst F1 supporters and the wider public, but also amongst F1 commentators who use the word 'Lotus' interchangeably for both teams as demonstrated throughout the season so far.


"With the full support of our parent company, Proton, we are seeking leave to appeal so that this point can be clarified for the benefit of all interested in F1.


"With regards to our involvement with Lotus Renault GP, as Lotus we stand united with Genii Capital and have every confidence in the future success of Lotus Renault GP."


He also said all of Group Lotus's ambitious plans in motorsport have now full financial backing thanks to the help from parent company Proton.


"One of the most critical elements of this support has been assisting us in securing the funding for our future plans," Bahar added.


"I am happy to confirm that this is now all complete thanks to Proton's help and, together with Proton, we can focus on completing the five year business plan to return Group Lotus to profit.


"We have an incredibly strong relationship with Proton, they support us 100 per cent and frankly this is really important for a company like ours.


"Part of the business plan is the joint development of a global small car platform meaning that for the first time in the Proton Lotus history, the relationship will be mutually beneficial. This alone should demonstrate how close we are."


He added: "Everyone always asks about F1 but for us, it's not just about F1, given that motorsport in general is a key ingredient to our marketing strategy. We have always been and will always be an automotive brand that is associated with racing.


"We want to win though, not just participate. But we don't expect everything overnight, we start slowly and gradually build up our presence in a way that makes sense for our business. Look at our involvement within IndyCar, we started last year with one car, now we have three and from next year onwards we'll be offering engines. People always question the cost but, believe me, if we couldn't afford it we wouldn't do it."


The FIA has left the door open for the introduction of its 2013 Formula 1 regulations, which include the controversial 1.6-litre turbocharged engines, to be delayed.


The World Motor Sport Council today approved the rules, which include aerodynamic regulations based on those currently in use alongside modifications designed to achieve the target of a 35 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. However, an FIA statement does allow for the possibility of the timing of the rules' introduction to be changed by vote.


Such a vote would be held by the WMSC, but only if F1's stakeholders, which includes the teams and engine manufacturers, demand it.


The statement read: "In consultation with the main stakeholders, and following the outcome of this consultation, a fax vote by the WMSC could be considered by 30 June latest to redefine the implementation date of these technical regulations."


Although the FIA approved the 2013 engine regulations last December, the likes of Ferrari and Cosworth have raised concerns about the cost of developing the power units. At the Turkish Grand Prix, FIA president Jean Todt insisted that the new powerplants would be introduced, although he did allow for a change in policy if some new evidence were to be presented.


The regulations as approved by the WMSC today include an increase of minimum weight to 660kg and a restriction on the height of a car's nose for safety reasons.


The statement listed the rules as follows:


- Power units will be four cylinders, 1.6 litre with high pressure gasoline injection up to 500 bar with a maximum of 12,000 rpm, with extensive energy management and energy recovery systems (now known as ERS), reflecting the decision taken by the WMSC in December 2010


- The aerodynamic regulations have been based on 2011 rules, with modifications in order to improve the aerodynamic efficiency: together with the power train rules, this will enable a 35 per cent reduction in fuel consumption


- The height of the tip of the nose will be limited to ensure better compatibility in a T-bone style accident


- A limitation on transmissions (gear ratios, number of gearboxes) in order to decrease costs


- The overall weight of the car must be no less than 660kg


Jenson Button believes his McLaren team can start to "dictate race pace" if it can improve its qualifying speed in the upcoming races.


Button finished in third position in the Monaco Grand Prix, although he looked like the favourite to win the race at same stages of the event.


The Briton is confident that if McLaren can raise its game in qualifying, it can start to win races from the front.


"There's a real momentum within our team at the moment - I think we had a race car good enough to win in both Spain and Monaco; with a little improvement to our qualifying, I think we can start to dictate race pace, which was something we were briefly able to show at both of the last two races," said Button in a team preview.


"I'm still very pleased with my performance in Monte Carlo. It wasn't a win, but it was nice to lead the race and to be able to pull away comfortably.


"Even if the result didn't match it, that sort of thing is always nice to keep at the back of your mind."


Button is also upbeat about his chances for the Canadian Grand Prix, where he reckons McLaren will have the speed to win.


"I've never won in north America and I think we have the pace, the development and the momentum to have a good shot at changing that next weekend. I'm really looking forward to it."


Team-mate Lewis Hamilton is also confident about the team's prospects for Montreal.


"Our car should be well suited to this track; we have a great engine, the best KERS Hybrid system in the sport and excellent traction out of slow corners," he said.


"All in all, it's set to be another good weekend for us – I'll be looking for a strong result on Sunday."


Formula Renault 3.5 front-runner Robert Wickens has joined Virgin as a Formula 1 reserve driver.


The 22-year-old Canadian, whose Carlin FR3.5 car has carried backing from Virgin sponsor Marussia Motors this year, joins Sakon Yamamoto on the team's reserve roster.


"I am delighted to be confirmed as a reserve driver with Virgin Racing. It's an exciting time for me and Canadian motorsport," said Wickens.


"The support of Marussia Motors and the Marussia Virgin Racing team has been fantastic, and I am dedicated to repaying that faith in me by contributing everything I can to assist the team's objectives in Formula One this year."


Wickens, who was formerly part of the Red Bull Junior programme, was the runner-up in GP3 last year with Status Grand Prix and in Formula 2 in 2009. He is currently second in the FR3.5 points.


No announcement has been made on whether Wickens will take part in any Friday free practice sessions during the F1 season.

[Lineker]

Renault says it has been given clearance to run its current livery in next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix by the Quebec authorities after discussion over whether it complied with the region's anti-tobacco legislation.

As part of Renault's title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus, the team carries a black and gold colour scheme inspired by the original Lotus Formula 1 team's 1970s and 1980s livery - when it was backed by cigarette brand John Player Special. Although JPS does not feature anywhere on the 2011 Renault, there were concerns that the colour scheme still carried implicit tobacco overtones.

Team boss Eric Boullier said the Quebec officials had accepted that the 2011 livery had no tobacco connection.

"We're delighted to be able to race in Montreal in our usual colour scheme," he said. "The Quebec authorities noted that the current livery makes a reference to images from the 1980s when the car was sponsored by the tobacco industry, but it has also accepted the fact that Lotus Renault GP receives no direct or indirect financing from the industry in question. We would like to thank them for acknowledging our good faith.

"We are fully aware of the stringent restrictions imposed by the law in Quebec on promotional associations with tobacco. As a result, we will use all means available to dispel any misconceptions that our identity and that of our partners is somehow associated with this industry."

But a Renault statement left the door open to livery adjustments for next season's Montreal race.

"However, the team has agreed to work with the Quebec authorities on a more noticeable way to keep complying with the local legislation in 2012," it said.

Vitaly Petrov says he now has no concerns at all about his fitness for the Canadian Grand Prix as the pain he initially felt after his Monaco crash has eased.

Although the Russian was always confident he would be able to race in Montreal, he admitted the day after Monte Carlo that he was still in a lot of discomfort from his crash in the Swimming Pool section near the end of the race. Petrov initially feared he had broken a leg in the impact.

But he said he was now feeling a lot better and had no worries for Montreal.

"Physically I'm feeling fine with no problems," said Petrov. "I'm feeling better than I was after the race in Monaco. My ankle is fine and I don't see any problems for the race here in Canada."

He remains frustrated that the accident - which was a chain reaction tangle also involving Jaime Alguersuari, Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Sutil's slowing car - cost him a chance of at least a top six finish.

"Up until the incident, things were going really well, fantastically well in fact given what our qualifying positions were beforehand," said Petrov.

"We could have finished third or fourth I think. Third would have been a real push but fourth was not beyond possibility, because my pace was not bad and I managed to save the tyres.

"I had some bad luck and there was a lot of traffic in front of me. Pastor [Maldonado] and Adrian [sutil] were both slow, and it was very difficult to overtake them. Everything else on the day was going to plan, so it's just a shame we could not have had more success with the final result."

Renault team boss Eric Boullier said the quick improvement in Petrov's condition had come as a relief after the accident.

"Firstly, I was relieved to learn that Vitaly had not broken or fractured anything after he was caught up in the crash," said Boullier.

"It was a worrying moment when it happened but we were glad to learn soon afterwards that there was nothing seriously wrong at all.

"After that, came the disappointment of missing a good opportunity to score points. Vitaly was in a strong position to finish in the top three or four so we view that as a missed opportunity, but we also need to work on our qualifying to give ourselves a better chance each Sunday afternoon."

Boullier added that the fact Petrov had no ill effects from his crash - and that Sergio Perez only sustained relatively minor injuries in his massive qualifying crash - was a vindication of Formula 1 car safety, though he backed calls for attention to some areas of the Monaco track.

"I can understand the views of some drivers when they see the dramatic crashes like we saw in Monaco," said Boullier.

"However, I think we need to keep a cool head on this issue. Our sport - in fact, any sport including speed – can be dangerous, and what has been impressive is that when there have been serious crashes, most drivers have emerged from the car without injuries.

"That, in itself, is a clear indication that our sport is quite safe. Formula 1 and the FIA have really raised their games in the last twelve months in terms of safety; there has been a lot of work on improving track design and car safety.

"I think that we now need to start working on more specific areas like the exit to the tunnel in Monaco. If we do this, there won't be so much drama in the future."

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has expressed his disappointment at the decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 2011 Formula 1 calendar, and says he 'does not feel comfortable' with the prospect of racing in the country in October.

The FIA announced yesterday that the race - postponed from March due to the political situation in the Gulf state - would take place on 30 October, with the inaugural Indian GP moved to the season finale slot in a new December date to make space for it.

But Webber is still sceptical over whether the Sakhir race will even go ahead.

"My opinion is unchanged since I was first asked about this in late February," he wrote on his personal website.

"Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly surprised if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year."

On the eve of the FIA's meeting, Webber had expressed his concern on his Twitter feed, writing: "When people in a country are being hurt, the issues are bigger than sport. Let's hope the right decision is made."

And in his website column, he reasserted this position, saying returning to Bahrain this year did not reflect well on the sport's morals.

"In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its decision in hope of being able to re-schedule it in 2011," Webber said.

"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's position on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues.

"It's obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a decision but sadly I feel that they still haven't made the right one. Like it or not, F1 and sport in general isn't above having a social responsibility and conscience. I hope F1 is able to return to Bahrain eventually but now isn't the right time."

The Australian added that he fears F1's presence in the country will only exacerbate the political tensions.

"As a competitor I do not feel at all comfortable going there to compete in an event when, despite reassurances to the contrary, it seems inevitable that it will cause more tension for the people of that country," he said.

"I don't understand why my sport wishes to place itself in a position to be a catalyst for that."

[Lineker]

Watch BBC2 tonight @ 8pm (although it may end up starting slightly later due to the tennis over-running) - 'Murray Walker: Life in the Fast Lane' is on. Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Mansell contribute to a portrait of the great man, as cameras accompany him to this years season opener in Melbourne. It should be a brilliant watch.

Former FIA president Max Mosley says the decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 2011 world championship calendar "will cost Formula 1 dear" unless it is reversed.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council agreed on Friday that the Sakhir race, which was postponed from March due to the political tension in the Gulf state, should be rescheduled to 30 October, with the inaugural Indian GP moved to December to make room.

Writing in a column for the Daily Telegraph, Mosley said he accepted that global sports had to visit countries whose actions attracted the disapproval of other nations.

"There are several reasons for this," he wrote. "First, to apply the highest standards of human rights you would have to exclude a very large number of countries from international sport, including at least one close ally of the United Kingdom.

"Secondly, if you were to apply anything less than the highest standards, you would be faced with endless debate about where to draw the line.

"Third, it is not the function of a sporting body to seek to dictate to governments what they can and cannot do. Politics should be left to the politicians.

"A sports administrator is elected to run a sport. Anyone who wants to be a politician should stand for election in politics, not sport."

But he argued that in the case of Bahrain, F1 was being actively used to send out a message about the state of the country.

"Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions," Mosley wrote.

"If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government. If Formula 1 allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime's guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters."

After recounting some of the Bahrain government's actions during and following the protests which sparked the crisis in February, Mosley added: "Having carried out these horrific acts, the Bahrain government wants to clean up its image. That's where the grand prix comes in. By running the race they hope to show the world the troubles were just a small, temporary difficulty and everything is now back to normal.

"By agreeing to race there, Formula 1 becomes complicit in what has happened. It becomes one of the Bahrain government's instruments of repression. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula 1 dear."

Mosley was president of motorsport's governing body from 1993 to 2009, when he chose not to stand for re-election for a fifth term and was succeeded by former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt.

I'm finding myself agreeing with Max Mosley

[maninblack]

Bah, Mosley probably would have opted to have the Bahrain race rescheduled, if he was still FIA President.

[Lineker]

Rubens Barrichello says that Formula 1 drivers are seeking assurances about the safety implications of racing in Bahrain this year, amid a growing backlash against the FIA's decision to reinstate the event on the 2011 calendar.

The FIA announced last Friday that the Bahrain Grand Prix would be rescheduled for October 30 this year because it believed the political turmoil that had forced its postponement earlier this year had eased.

That decision has been heavily criticised in the last few days with senior figures, including former FIA president Max Mosley and Mark Webber, warning of problems for F1, and Bahrain activists now planning a 'Day of Rage' for the race date.

Barrichello, who is head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, has also spoken out - claiming drivers are uneasy about the situation they may find themselves in by racing in the country.

"I would like to make it clear that I love the track and the event itself," Barrichello said in an interview with the Brazilian Totalrace website.

"Therefore, I want to be sure that we will be safe there. In the GPDA meetings, all of the drivers showed concern and demanded safety to race in Bahrain.

"Of course we will have more travelling and work. The teams will have much more work to do. But for us, the drivers, what really matters is safety. The rest is not important."

F1 drivers are not the only ones concerned about safety, with teams also believed to privately express reservations about the implications of racing in the Gulf island state amid ongoing trouble.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said that his outfit would be happy to race in Bahrain if the safety of its personnel could be guaranteed.

"Lotus Renault GP acknowledge the decision made by the FIA World Motor Sport Council," he said. "That decision is likely to be discussed internally within FOTA, and a more detailed joint position may be defined after those discussions have taken place.

"I have already spoken at length about our team's position recently: we are happy to go to Bahrain as long as our safety and the security of the people living there is guaranteed."

With Mosley having warned over the weekend that a running of the Bahrain GP will 'cost F1 dear', Britain's Minister of Sport Hugh Robertson has equally warned of a 'disaster' for the sport.

"You cannot have a situation where politics overtakes sport," Robertson told the Daily Telegraph.

"If that happens, you have a disaster on your hands. You can understand why opposition groups might want the race to go ahead if they are planning protests around it and this is a danger."

The Bahrain GP was postponed earlier this year in the wake of protests sparked by a 'Day of Rage' in February, and now activists plan to hold another one on the October 30 date to highlight their continued opposition to the Bahrain government.

Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said that protests would be extensive.

"It is a very sad moment to hear that Grand Prix feels that their benefits and their interests are more important than the human rights of people in this region," he said.

"The people are very upset and already they have called the day of that racing as a 'Day of Rage', where you come out everywhere and in every city of Bahrain to show anger towards the Bahrain government; what the Bahrain regime is doing towards their own people."

F1 teams are expected to discuss their response to the Bahrain situation this week, prior to travelling to Montreal for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

FIA president Jean Todt has left the door open for a potential rethink on the Bahrain Grand Prix returning to the calendar this year if having the race there proves too 'risky' for Formula 1.

With the governing body's decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix onto the 2011 schedule having drawn widespread criticism, and with drivers and teams seeking assurances about the safety of themselves and their personnel if the race does go ahead, Todt says that the FIA will continue to monitor the political situation in the build-up to the race.

"If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration," Todt told the BBC.

Despite suggesting the situation remains fluid, Todt says the FIA is happy that Bahrain is now safe enough to hold the race - having sent Spanish motorsport federation chief Carlos Gracia there for a recent fact-finding mission.

"Our special envoy had meetings with the human rights people responsible in Bahrain," said Todt. "He met many people before the report was submitted and unanimously agreed."

Todt's view on Bahrain is in conflict, however, with human rights campaign groups, which insist that the situation is far from the picture of normality that is being portrayed.

The international Avaaz organisation has secured almost 450,000 signatures for a petition to be presented to world champion outfit Red Bull Racing calling on it and other teams to boycott the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Campaign director Alex Wilks was quoted as saying by the BBC: "Claims that calm has been restored and life is back to normal in Bahrain are completely untrue.

"In the last week the police have continued to use tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to break up peaceful marches, killing and injuring dozens of people."

He added: "On Monday, 47 Bahraini doctors and nurses who simply provided treatment to injured protesters have been charged by a military court with attempting to topple the kingdom's monarchy.

"Whitewashing these abuses is an insult to the hundreds of protesters jailed and dozens killed in their struggle for change. The FIA's decision to go ahead with the race based on one blinkered account of the situation shows how money has prevailed over morals.

"The main organisation that has provided this information, the Bahrain-based National Institute of Human Rights, is closely associated with the Bahraini Government and it appears the FIA investigator failed to contact any of the other key human rights organisations on the ground.

"Now it is up to the teams to stand up for what is right and boycott the race."

Pirelli is hopeful that the battle for victory in Canada this weekend will be just as close as it was in Monaco a fortnight ago, even though tyre strategy will be very different this time out.

Sebastian Vettel took a hard-earned victory in Monaco on a one-stop strategy - fighting off the best efforts from Fernando Alonso on a two-stop and Jenson Button on a three-stop.

However, tyre degradation is expected to be much higher in Montreal - which could make the event a very different kind of race to that witnessed in Monte Carlo.

Pirelli's director of motorsport Paul Hembery said: "Monaco was a fantastic race, with three drivers battling closely for the win even though they were using three very different strategies.

"From the data we can see that Sebastian Vettel's tyres would have gone the distance if he had continued to drive on them in the same way that he had been doing up to the red flag period. This means that he could have covered 62 laps, the equivalent of more than 200 kilometres, on the PZero Yellow soft tyre, with an extremely close finish.

"The characteristics of Canada mean that we're unlikely to see a one-stop strategy this weekend, but we're hoping that the racing will be just as close and that the opportunities for overtaking will give teams even more possibilities than Monaco in terms of race strategy."

As well as intrigue caused by the high-degradation often witnessed in Canada, Pirelli will give teams two additional sets of its new medium compound tyre to test during Friday's free practice sessions.

Williams will test a new front wing and tweaked diffuser at the Canadian Grand Prix as it bids for another points finish in Montreal this weekend.

The Grove-based outfit ended its points drought in Monaco, with Rubens Barrichello taking its first top 10 finish of the season, and it is hoping for more this time out.

Williams technical director Sam Michael said on Monday that the team will trial new modifications at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to help its progress.

"We will have a new front wing, brake ducts, barge boards and modified diffuser to test during practice, as well as the obligatory new rear wing for the lower drag level required in Canada," he said.

With uncertainty about how Pirelli's tyres will work in Montreal, and the FIA trying out two DRS zones, Michael expects thrills.

"The Montreal circuit is a great layout for overtaking and never fails to produce an exciting race," he said. "With the new tyres and DRS on two straights, I think this year’s race will be no exception. Set-up is geared towards aero efficiency on the straights and maximising traction out of the slow speed corners."

Renault has given the green light for investment in a state-of-the-art simulator at its Enstone base, as part of an upgrade of its facilities.

The team has fallen behind rivals in terms of its simulator technology in recent years, with frontrunning teams like McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari having spent heavily in this area.

Now, however, Renault's new owners have agreed to fund the costs of a new simulator that it hopes to have up-and-running by the end of the year.

As well as the work on the simulator, Renault has recently completed an upgrade of its windtunnel, which includes upscaling it to 60 per cent size, as well as an overhaul of its Supercomputer technology.

The investment in improving its facilities comes in the wake of wild rumours over the Monaco weekend that the team had been struggling to pay its bills.

Team principal Eric Boullier told AUTOSPORT, however, that the speculation was incorrect and the outfit was fully up-to-date with payments.

"Like any business, we have some loans for our own business and our own investment, but we don't have any debt now to Renault in 2011," he said.

"We have a multi-year contract and a special agreement between us and Renault, like when you pay your mortgage back. We have some pending loan payments for the future, but that is for the future - it is not for this year. We have absolutely no issue at all. Everything is fine, perfectly fine."

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The uproar to Bahrain's reinstatement continues:

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has written to the sport's chiefs stating that its members do not want to race in Bahrain on the new October 30 date, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

With ongoing controversy about the FIA's decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix on the calendar, and move the inaugural event in India to December 11, F1 teams have been holding talks over the past 36 hours to discuss their response to the situation.

Although there has been no official public statement about the matter, AUTOSPORT understands that a letter has been sent to the FIA, Formula One Management and the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers outlining FOTA's position.

It is understood that FOTA has made it clear that its members do not want to race in Bahrain on October 30, and instead it requests that the Indian GP be put back to the slot it originally had in the calendar.

Despite its stance on the October 30 date, FOTA has not closed the door totally on a return of the Bahrain GP at some point and has said it is willing to discuss a future date when the race could be rescheduled - although it is believed to favour this not happening until 2012.

The desire to return the Indian GP to its original October 30 date comes just hours after F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested that that was what he wanted to see happen.

In an interview with The Times on Tuesday, Ecclestone said: "The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen.

"Better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go. If they are not, then we don't go and there are no problems."

As well as teams being unhappy about the logistical problems of rescheduling travel arrangements and seeking guarantees on safety in Bahrain, there are also now believed to be issues relating to the manner in which the FIA changed the calendar without the unanimous support of the competitors.

Former FIA president Max Mosley suggested to BBC Radio that the governing body was in breach of its own International Sporting Code in the way it shifted the date of the Indian GP at its World Motor Sport Council meeting last week.

Article 66 of the ISC states: "No amendments shall be made to the Supplementary Regulations after the beginning of the period for receiving entries, unless unanimous agreement is given by all competitors already entered, or by decision of the stewards of the meeting for reasons of force majeure or safety (see Article 141)."

FOTA would not confirm what its official response to the Bahrain situation was when contacted by AUTOSPORT.

However, a spokesman said: "Action has been taken through the appropriate channels."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is calling for a rethink over the calendar reshuffle after the backlash that has been caused by the reinstatement of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Amid a wave of criticism about the decision to reinstate Bahrain, plus concerns voiced by teams and drivers about safety in the Gulf state if the event goes ahead, Ecclestone has now called for changes.

With the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) expected to make clear its stance towards the Bahrain situation later today, Ecclestone is now suggesting that India be reinstated to its original October 30 date.

That would allow Bahrain to be given a date in December, which could much easier be ditched if the political situation in the country does not leave it safe for the race to go ahead.

Ecclestone told The Times: "The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen. Better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go. If they are not, then we don't go and there are no problems."

Although FIA president Jean Todt justified the decision to reinstate the grand prix on the back of a report issued after a fact-finding mission by representative Carlos Gracia, the viability of that has been called into question.

Campaign group Avaaz suggested that human rights groups consulted by the FIA had close links to the government, and Ecclestone himself now has doubts that the situation in Bahrain is as good as the report suggested.

"We listened to that report from the FIA and that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain. But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful."

Although F1 teams have kept quiet in public so far, it is understood that there is widespread dissatisfaction at several aspects of the Bahrain decision - including the questions about safety and the fact that calendar is now scheduled to run until shortly before Christmas.

Former FIA president Max Mosley believes that there is 'no chance' of the Bahrain Grand Prix going ahead this year, after suggesting the governing body cannot change the calendar without unanimous approval of the teams.

Amid growing controversy about the reinstatement of the race in Bahrain on this year's schedule, Mosley thinks the situation is far from settled.

And he suggests that the FIA has no right to change the calendar, by moving India to December to make way for Bahrain, without getting support from every team on the grid.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, Mosley said: "I don't think there is the slightest chance the grand prix will actually happen.

"Apart from anything else, you cannot change the calendar in the way it is proposed to change without the unanimous agreement of the teams."

He added: "The teams that participate, if there is going to be a change, for example by moving the Indian event, [then] there has to be unanimous agreement. It is absolutely part of the rules - it is Article 66 of the International Sporting Code. Until the written agreement of the teams is forthcoming, you can't change the date - it cannot be done."

Article 66 of the FIA's International Sporting Code states: "No amendments shall be made to the Supplementary Regulations after the beginning of the period for receiving entries, unless unanimous agreement is given by all competitors already entered, or by decision of the stewards of the meeting for reasons of force majeure or safety (see Article 141)."

FIA president Jean Todt has continued to defend the decision to reinstate the Bahrain GP, and insists that not only was there unanimous support within the World Motor Sport Council, but that the F1 teams' representative, Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali, voted in favour.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Diario Sport, Todt said: "To me it is important to be very precise. We haven't made this decision lightly. We have followed the situation of the country, delaying the final decision twice, and in Barcelona we had to make a decision.

"We sent Carlos Gracia, president of the Spanish federation and vice-president of the FIA, who met with several members of the government, of human rights organisations, bankers, businessmen, track marshals, and his report was 100 per cent positive.

"The FIA has made the final decision unanimously and even the teams' representative in the meeting said they were in favour of racing in Bahrain this year."

Gracia's report formed the basis for Todt pushing for the Bahrain event to be reinstated, but Mosley is unsure about the quality of the information that the head of the Spanish motor sport federation provided.

"The problem there was they sent someone to look at Bahrain but the gentleman they sent, a very, very nice man called Gracia, speaks no English and, as far as I know, speaks no Arabic.

"He was then taken around by the representatives of the government and had no knowledge of what was really going on, and above all didn't ask to see the people who a human rights lawyer would like to see."

When asked about suggestions Gracia did speak to opposition groups, Mosley said: "Apparently they are very close to the government and I don't think he would have been allowed to speak to them if not."

Jean Todt has also piped up today:

FIA president Jean Todt says there is "absolutely" no way the 2012 season will have 21 races, despite the provisional calendar published by the governing body.

"Absolutely not," Todt told Diario Sport in an interview when asked if there would be 21 races in 2012.

"There are 21 dates, but the championship will be 20 grands prix."

The ruling body's World Motor Sport Council revealed a calendar with 21 events last week, but the Turkish Grand Prix appeared with an asterisk and a "subject to confirmation" note.

Despite that, Todt admitted it was still not clear which event would be dropped from the calendar.

"We don't know which one will go, but the championship will be 20 races," he added.

FIA president Jean Todt has confirmed that he may be willing to consider postponing the introduction of new 1.6-litre turbo engines in Formula 1 from 2013, even though Renault's future in the sport is said to depend on it.

The FIA announced last week that the door was open on a deal to delay the switch in F1 power-units providing there was unanimous support from stakeholders about the situation.

Although Renault is determined to push ahead with the change of rules, other manufacturers like Ferrari, Cosworth and Mercedes-Benz are less keen on making the expensive switch.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Diario Sport on Tuesday, Todt said that he planned to speak to the engine makers again in the next few days to find out what their feelings were on the situation.

"It was them who proposed the rules that FIA has accepted," he said. "The proposal didn't fall out of the sky, but instead we had 11 meetings with all the representatives from the engine makers involved.

"If I talk to Renault, they say that if we don't introduce this engine for 2013 they will leave F1; if I talk to Mercedes and Ferrari, they ask me to delay the introduction for a few years. They aren't against the rules, they just wanted them postponed.

"Over the new few days I'll be in contact with them individually to know the stage we are at."

When asked about the possibility of the rules getting postponed, Todt said: "The official introduction is scheduled for 2013, but if we find enough reasons then there could be a postponement. But as of today, the introduction will be in 2013."

An update on the condition of Sergio Perez:

Sergio Perez has no doubts that he will be fit for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, after making a good recovery from his Monaco crash.

The Mexican spent two days in hospital in Monte Carlo after a high-speed accident in qualifying left him with concussion and a sprained thigh.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's event in Montreal, Perez said that he was confident he would pass the mandatory FIA medical tests that he will have to take on Thursday.

"Everything is fine," he said in an interview with Mexico Today. "I hope I will be able to race this weekend in Montreal and I am looking forward.

"It was quite a big shunt but it is part of the game and luckily nothing big happened. I lost consciousness in the accident but I am looking forward to the next race."

He added: "I'm perfectly fine, just some pain - but now it is going away and I really recover quite quick. The accident? I can't believe it was only a few days ago but I am very motivated now."

When asked about his confidence of getting the green light from the FIA, Perez said: "I just have to do an exam, and I feel I will be 100 % for the tests.

"I am looking forward to my next grand prix. I am looking forward to get some points, get some points for the team, and get a good momentum. I am ready for it."

Looking back at the causes of the Monaco crash, Perez also revealed that he had drifted slightly wide going through the tunnel after adjusting some settings in the cockpit.

"I was changing some stuff through the tunnel and I ran a bit wide to the wall. I think I ran onto the dirty side of the track, so when I braked I lost the rear end of the car and there was nothing else I could do.

"During the accident I was just thinking to be able to race the next day. Unfortunately it did not happen as it was a good opportunity."

The full interview with Perez can be seen

And elsewhere:

Ferrari technical director Pat Fry is confident that the Maranello outfit is on course to cure the problems it has had in using Pirelli's hard tyres this year.

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have both struggled for speed at circuits where the hard compound has been available - and the issues were highlighted at Barcelona when Alonso led in the early stages on the soft before losing a lap when he switched to the hards.

Ferrari has been working on the matter, and Fry told the team's official website that he believes progress has been made in the area.

"I think you need to look at the nature of the tracks and the tyres that are there," he said in a video interview. "Barcelona is a very challenging track: downforce is key there along with car balance, and you need to generate good tyre temperature.

"Trying to makes the hard tyres work is quite difficult and, if you look at some of the smaller teams, they could not get the hard tyre working at all, so you have quite a large spread of the speed of various cars and that grows as the tyres get harder.

"We had a few issues that we were working on last week and we now understand. They were giving us particular issues that exaggerated the problems that people have on the hard tyre, and hopefully we have an understanding of it now, and we have been working on fixing it."

Ferrari is set to bring a few developments to its car for this weekend's Canadian GP, which Fry hopes will deliver a further step forward in form.

"It is a normal constant stream of updates, and there are a few different parts coming through - a few little bits on the diffuser and a few bits on the rear wing," he said. "A reasonable performance step hopefully, if everything goes to plan.

"Hopefully we are still closing the gap to the other teams. There has not been a lot of time between Monaco and Canada, but the nature of the tracks are relatively different in terms of what you need for aero, so we have specific rear wings for those circuits and it is the normal push to get downforce on the car."

Although tyres are again expected to be a dominant factor in Montreal, Fry believes that this weekend's race will not prove as difficult for teams as last year's was.

"I think it is certainly going to be a challenging race," he said. "It is a bit like Monaco I suppose, where it is all about traction and braking. The braking is always a challenge there compared to Monaco. The traction and how cars uses tyres at corner exit will be key for how the rear tyres wear out.

"It is the same two compounds as it has been in the past but, if anything, I think it will be slightly less trouble than last year because the compounds are a bit harder."

Former world champion Damon Hill is to step down as President of the British Racing Drivers' Club, after five years in the role.

Having played a key part in helping secure the long-term future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the track which is owned by the BRDC, Hill believes it is now time to step aside so he can focus more on his personal interests.

He will officially relinquish his position at the club's Annual General Meeting on August 25.

Speaking about his decision, Hill said: "It has been a great privilege and honour to serve as BRDC President since 2006.

"As a Club and business, we can be immensely proud of everything we have achieved for British motor sport over the past few years.

"The BRDC and Silverstone face a stable and exciting future, so the timing is right for me to hand over the reins and devote more time to my family, my own interests, and the racing career of our son, Josh. However, I remain a committed Member of the BRDC and look forward to watching the Club go from strength to strength."

Former grand prix driver Derek Warwick has been singled out as the leading candidate to replace Hill.

BRDC chairman Stuart Rolt said: "The Board is delighted that Derek is willing to offer himself for election as BRDC President, to take over from Damon. In Derek we have another hugely experienced, yet down to earth, genuine racer.

"In addition to his on-track success and recent work as a Director of the BRDC, Derek has been heavily involved in the management of the BRDC SuperStars and he very much shares Damon's passion for supporting young British drivers."

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The president of the Spanish motor sport federation, Carlos Gracia, has defended his report on the Bahrain situation after it was leaked to the public, but pressure continued to grow on Formula 1 after more criticism following the decision to reinstate the country's grand prix.

Gracia, an FIA vice-president, was the man in charge of assessing the situation in Bahrain, writing a seven-page report that was leaked on Tuesday evening.

Gracia had already come under the spotlight on Tuesday morning, when former FIA president Max Mosley had said he was a "very, very nice man called Gracia, [who] speaks no English and, as far as I know, speaks no Arabic."

The Spanish federation boss defended his report, saying he found the situation in Bahrain to be completely normal.

"I can only speak about what I saw and that was complete quietness," Gracia was quoted as saying by AS newspaper.

"I had official visits and interviews, but I also walked down the street and I was in shopping centres, always with a feeling of complete normality. There were people shopping or working. Nothing that caught my attention."

He added: "What I found was an open government that offers the opposition the chance to speak."

Campaign group Avaaz's executive director Ricken Patel was highly critical of the FIA report, however, warning that the sport's reputation will be "forever tarnished" if the race goes ahead.

"Reading the FIA's Bahrain report is like stepping into the Twilight Zone," said Patel in an Avaaz statement.

"While FIA's sham report says that no human rights have been violated, at least 31 Bahrain citizens have been killed and hundreds more tortured and imprisoned.

"Formula 1 based their decision to race in Bahrain on this dangerously irresponsible report, a decision now universally opposed by the F1 teams.

"Formula 1 must pull out of Bahrain immediately or have their reputation forever tarnished."

The statement added that Gracia "did not confer with credible human rights groups, and did not talk with injured people, torture victims, or families of the people who have died."

Maryam Al-Khawaja, from the independent Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was also quoted in the statement as saying that the report "is disastrously unbalanced."

"The FIA has chosen to turn a blind eye to the ongoing violations in Bahrain. The government should allow independent human rights groups to do their work in Bahrain," Al-Khawaja added.

The Avaaz report added: "Independent journalists and human rights organizations confirm that at least 31 people have been killed since the protests began on 14th February 2011, and more than 800 arrests have been made, including 108 members of the Grand Prix Circuit's permanent staff.

"At a trial yesterday of 47 Bahraini medical staff who were arrested for treating injured people at protests, it was revealed that detainees are being tortured."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the Bahrain Grand Prix is unlikely to go ahead this year despite the FIA giving the green light to the event last week.

As criticism continues about the decision by the ruling body to let the event go ahead, Ecclestone told the BBC on Wednesday that the race was "not on" despite the World Motor Sport Council's call last Friday.

Ecclestone admitted the calendar is now unlikely to change because it would need all the teams to agree on the move.

"Hopefully there'll be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, but of course it's not on," Ecclestone told BBC Sport.

"The schedule cannot be rescheduled without the agreement of the participants - they're the facts."

As revealed by AUTOSPORT this week, the Formula One Teams' Association wrote to the sport's chiefs stating that it does not want to race in Bahrain on October 30, the date assigned for the race by the FIA.

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Sauber driver Sergio Perez has received medical clearance to compete in Canada following his massive Monaco accident.

Perez had to sit out the Monaco Grand Prix following his violent qualifying crash, when he hit the chicane barriers side-on at speed after losing control of the way out of the tunnel.

He received concussion in the incident and had to pass medical tests in Montreal today before being given the green light by FIA medical delegate Jean Charles Piette to return to the cockpit from practice tomorrow morning.

"I just went to do the examination and all the tests again with the FIA, and everything was fine," Perez said. "We gave them our results from the doctors and everything is fine to race again this weekend."

The Mexican added that he had already felt well enough to get back behind the wheel of a go-kart earlier this week.

"After Monaco I flew to Zurich to do one check-up with clinic there, and then went back to Mexico," said Perez. "I had some days at home which was very positive for me, then went to do karting on Monday and Tuesday so was already okay."

The FIA has asked Formula 1's commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone to resubmit a calendar proposal for the 2011 season in the wake of the controversy regarding the reinstatement of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

With the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) having written to the FIA stating that it did not want the calendar changed at such a late notice, the governing body has now responded and said it will react.

In a letter to FOTA published on the FIA website on Thursday, president Jean Todt said: "I have listened to your last-minute objections and have asked the Commercial Rights Holder to re-examine his calendar proposal, and if necessary, to resubmit a revised proposal to the World Council."

Despite his willingness to listen to the teams' concerns, Todt makes it clear in the letter that he believes the blame for the current situation lies not with the FIA but with Ecclestone having not sorted out the situation satisfactorily before last week's World Motor Sport Council meeting.

Todt wrote: "The Formula One World Championship is regulated by the Concorde Agreement, the provisions of which supersede the provision of the International Sporting Code (ISC).

"Under the Concorde Agreement, the responsibility to set the calendar and submit it to the FIA for approval rests solely with the Commercial Rights Holder (art 10 and Schedule 9 of the Concorde Agreement). Consequently, it is the responsibility of the Commercial Rights Holder to perform all necessary prior due diligence to secure his calendar proposal to the World Motor Sport Council."

Todt added that the issue of the Bahrain Grand Prix was also not a new problem - because it had been on the agenda since March 8.

Furthermore, Todt said that as well as Ecclestone proposing the changes to the calendar that have caused such upset, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali also voted in favour of it.

He wrote: "It was the representative of the Commercial Rights Holder (who also represents the Formula One Constructors) who proposed the changes to the calendar.

"The delegrate of the F1 Commission, in which all the Teams are represented, approved the decision that you are now challenging."

Todt said that he hoped a solution to the controversy could be reached 'promptly.'

The full letter from Todt to FOTA can be found here.

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) told the FIA that its proposed rescheduling of the Bahrain Grand Prix was logistically unrealistic, an exchange of letters published by the governing body has revealed.

After the FIA's World Motor Sport Council announced last Friday that Bahrain would take the Indian GP's 30 October date on the 2011 calendar, with India moving to a new December date, FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh and vice chairman Eric Boullier stressed the teams' objections to the "unrealistic" new schedule in a letter to FIA president Jean Todt, Formula 1 commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone and the Bahrain circuit officials on Tuesday this week.

"Whilst we support the idea of racing in Bahrain - a country that has always hosted us with enthusiasm and warmth - once the security conditions have been fully reestablished, we feel that there are fundamental issues linked to the logistics of reintroducing such a race as proposed that have to be considered," the letter read.

FOTA argued that the calendar shuffle would have a negative impact on India's prospects of making a success of its first F1 race.

"As we have been planning around the 30 October as the date for the Indian Grand Prix, a change of this date would severely undermine our scheduled transport plans," it said. "Similarly, our sponsors, international media and fans have organised travel and accommodation for the Indian Grand Prix and changing it now would cause an unacceptable degree of disruption and cost.

"Most importantly, the addition of the Indian race to the calendar for 2011 was a fantastic development for the sport and it is critical that we do not undermine its success by these changes.

"With regard to holding a race in Bahrain this year, we also have been warned that insurance coverage could not be necessarily granted and this is an additional cause of concern for us.

"We would also like to highlight that an extension of the 2011 F1 season in December could also prove unbearable for the staff of a vast majority of the Teams and it would conflict with our other internal activities already scheduled for that month."

The teams also underlined their belief that a calendar change at this stage without their agreement was not permitted under the International Sporting Code.

The FIA has now written to Ecclestone asking him to submit an alternative calendar proposal.

Williams chairman Adam Parr says it is too late to change the Formula 1 calendar to find a place for the Bahrain Grand Prix, casting even more doubt about the possible return of the race.

The FIA decided to reinstate the Sakhir race, scheduled to be the first race of the season, and give it an October 30 date, which was originally reserved for the inaugural Indian GP.

The Indian race is expected to take place on the December 11 weekend if Bahrain goes ahead.

Parr said, however, that it is impossible to change the calendar now and added that there is "nothing more to talk about".

For the calendar to change, all teams must agree unanimously on the move.

"It's not about whether the race goes ahead, it's about whether we change the calendar at this stage of the season and that's what we've written about it," Parr told Reuters.

"The issue that we're concerned about is that fans, sponsors, teams, have made logistic arrangements to be in India for a particular weekend, the 30th of October, and we've been presented with a calendar where it's on December 11.

"How do you say to people who have booked a two-week holiday in India to take in the Grand Prix, 'sorry you'll be in India but we won't.'

"We've explained our position...and there's nothing more to talk about. It's just too late to change it."

Williams driver Rubens Barrichello admitted he was shocked that the FIA had reinstated the race.

"During the season, there was talk we could have it after one or two races but as the problem progressed I really thought there was no way for us to get back to Bahrain," Barrichello told Reuters.

"So it was a shock when I saw that we kind of accepted as Formula 1 to go back there."

FIA president Jean Todt has said that Lewis Hamilton will escape any sanctions for his post-Monaco Grand Prix outburst, after the McLaren driver wrote to apologise to the governing body for his comments.

Hamilton was furious that he was punished in Monaco following collisions with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado - and even made a joke that perhaps his skin colour was an explanation as to why he kept getting called in front of the stewards.

However, after Hamilton apologised in person to the Monaco GP stewards and then wrote to the FIA itself, Todt said on Thursday that the matter would not go any further – even though he thought the driver's comments were not correct.

"I am trying to maintain a good harmony amongst everybody," Todt was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "I have tried to avoid controversy. I could have leaked the letter but it's between him and the FIA.

"My office was next to the stewards. Every time I went to see them I avoided making any comment. For me what Lewis said was unacceptable but I didn't want to overreact.

"I could have asked our judicial court to address the problem but we never officially opened the case. He went to the stewards to apologise. He went with his father.

"Maybe it would have been better to put him in the court; to ban him for six grands prix. But he wrote to me and I wrote to him and the thing is over."

As well as apologising to the stewards, Hamilton said sorry for his comments on his Twitter feed after the Monaco event.

Lewis Hamilton says he has now reflected on his actions during and after the Monaco Grand Prix and is keen to write it off as a 'bad day at the office' and move on.

The McLaren driver was penalised on raceday for collisions with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado, and hit out at the stewards' actions in a television interview afterwards.

He subsequently wrote a letter of apology to FIA president Jean Todt, and said in Montreal today that he regretted his criticisms of the officials and would learn from what happened in Monte Carlo.

"Last week, coming back from the grand prix I had some time to reflect on my behaviour and my weekend, and just a feeling of it being a bad day in the office," said Hamilton.

"I wrote a letter to the FIA to apologise and spoke to the drivers [Maldonado and Massa]. I felt that was necessary to do, and it was the right thing to do, to put it behind me.

"This is racing... when you are competitive and this is the pinnacle of motorsport... it is not easy to overtake, so every move you make is questionable, sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't. It is inevitable - sometimes it will be right, sometimes not.

"The stewards are doing a great job, and since I am in F1 it has been improving, been much more consistent - and it makes it much better.

"While I would prefer not to be in the stewards' room too often and I am trying, my whole life I was always in the headmasters' office, so I am used to it and try and learn from situations I get myself into."

Although Todt hinted that Hamilton's letter had helped him avoid a ban for his actions, the Briton said averting further punishment had not been his motivation for writing to the FIA.

"I had time to reflect on the weekend and I wrote a sincere apology letter to Jean and to the FIA, and I got a great letter back," he said.

"After that I was able to put it behind me and I am very grateful to be here. I do want what is best for the sport and I want to be able to contribute to improving the sport and making it great."

He added that he had also cleared the air with Massa and Maldonado.

"I know Felipe really well, I've known Felipe since [i was in] F3 and maybe GP2, having such a good relationship with him, so with him I gave him a call and he had calmed down also and he was able to understand the position," said Hamilton.

"With Pastor, I've seen him, known him for many years, and he is doing a fantastic job. He was very quick that weekend and I am not wanting to put anyone out of the grand prix."

Hamilton admitted that he had perhaps let the pressure get to him at Monaco as his weekend unravelled.

"I think it is a combination of many things," he said. "We all know what it is like to be under pressure and to put pressure on yourself to succeed.

"We all have good and bad days in the office, and that was definitely one of the worst weekends in the office.

"But that is motor racing, that is life and you learn from those situations. I have gone back and had a few days at home, training and I feel completely refreshed and looking forward to a more positive weekend."

Hamilton also expects McLaren to be particularly competitive in Canada. Asked if it was his best chance to beat Red Bull, he replied: "I would like to think so, but they have been fast at every circuit, they have been incredibly successful on all the circuits so far, so you have to assume they will be very quick here as well.

"But perhaps, as in the last race, the gap will be a little bit closer compared to places like Barcelona. I am expecting to see that through a lot of the field.

"I would definitely say looking at the next few races this is one of the better ones [for McLaren]."

But the 2007 and 2010 Montreal victor stopped short of declaring himself the favourite to win this weekend.

"I never like to go into a weekend as favourite and I don't like to be too upbeat - I am not Muhammad Ali and saying this weekend is going to be the best weekend ever.

"Coming off a very tough weekend, I feel I am racing against some very, very taalented drivers who are going to be quick as well. I would rather do my talking on track, I feel the car will work well and feel I am in a good head space so I hope that will add to a good result."

[Lineker]

Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have now given up on their hopes of holding a Formula 1 race this year, leaving the way open for India to have its October 30 date reinstated.

After a dramatic six days since last Friday's decision by the FIA to slot the Bahrain GP back in the calendar and push India to December 11, chiefs at the Sakhir circuit acknowledged on Thursday night that the race was now definitely off.

Earlier in the day FIA president Jean Todt said he had asked Bernie Ecclestone to resubmit a calendar in the wake of complaints from teams about the logistical problems of racing in Bahrain and extending the season into December.

With that decision leaving the way open for Ecclestone to remove Bahrain from the calendar, chiefs from the Gulf island state acknowledged that there was no chance of the race taking place this year.

Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed R Alzayani said that, with teams unhappy about the calendar reshuffle, there was little point in pushing for an event that would lead to problems for F1's competitors.

"Whilst Bahrain would have been delighted to see the grand prix progress on October 30th in-line with the World Motor Sport Council's decision, it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision," he said in a statement.

"Bahrain has always sought to play a positive role in the continued development of Formula 1, from pioneering F1 racing in the Middle East, to helping other countries in facilitating their own races in new territories, as well as providing our own unique experience and universal welcome to grand prix supporters."

He added: "Bahrain has absolutely no desire to see a race which would further extend the calendar season [and] detract from the enjoyment of F1 for either drivers, teams or supporters. We want our role in Formula 1 to continue to be as positive and constructive as it has always been, therefore, in the best interest of the sport, we will not pursue the rescheduling of a race this season.

"We look forward to welcoming teams, their drivers and supporters back to Bahrain next year and would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our supporters, including staff, volunteers, sponsors, private businesses and the general public, for whom I know this year's decision will be a disappointment.

"We would also especially like to thank the FIA, FOM, the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) and the teams for all support and understanding they have extended to us at this time."

It is not clear when the official revisions to the calendar will now be made, but with India set to be return to its October 30 date, the 2011 season will now finish in Brazil on November 27.

Formula 1 chiefs should have handled the situation surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix much better, claim leading team bosses, amid claims that the controversy about the attempted rescheduling of the race has been damaging for the sport's image.

Although it is now almost certain that the Bahrain event will finally be dropped from the 2011 schedule, after FIA president Jean Todt invited Bernie Ecclestone to provide a revised calendar to the governing body, the way the affair has been played out in public has not gone down well among senior paddock figures.

And despite both Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner and Renault's Eric Boullier welcoming the FIA's response to FOTA's desire for India to be reinstated to its original October 30 date, they still have some unease about the events of the event week.

Horner said: "It's an unfortunate situation. Obviously with the way things have been handled, with the uncertainty, maybe it could have been handled better, but we are where we are."

Boullier, when asked about whether the Bahrain affair had been damaging for F1, said: "Obviously, yes. I am a young inexperienced team principal, but I am pushing hard to do my best to help to build F1 for the future, and obviously it is never good when you get such reactions when things like this happen.

"F1 is a non-political sport. We cannot do whatever we want, because there are issues like this. We need to be a little bit more cautious."

The final decision on the cancellation of the Bahrain GP will now rest with Ecclestone, with Todt having written to the teams on Thursday saying that its decision on the calendar was made on the advice of the sport's commercial rights holder - who would now be asked to submit another revision to the current 2011 plans.

There appears to be no doubt, however, that India will revert back to October 30, with AUTOSPORT understanding that Delhi race organisers having written to the FIA expressing their unhappiness about moving to scheduled December 11 slot.

Todt refused to answer questions about the Bahrain GP situation during an appearance at Le Mans on Thursday.

Horner said that the teams were happy that the Bahrain matter now appeared to be heading towards a solution that would satisfy the teams.

"The situation with Bahrain is becoming fairly clear," he said. "At the end of the day we are just a racing team that signs up to compete in the championship, and obviously we rely on the governing body and the commercial rights holder to make the right decisions for the sport and the teams.

"The teams have now been consulted through FOTA, FOTA has voiced their opinion and that's fairly clear for all to see now."

He added: "Formula 1 is a sport. It's not there to be used as a political tool. Our position as a racing team is that we're here to race in F1.

"Bahrain is a great circuit and we've always been made to feel very welcome. It's unfortunate the issues that are currently going on there, but it's not down to Red Bull to judge, and we rely on the FIA and the commercial rights holder to make the right decisions."

Boullier said that one of the few positives to come out of the affairs of the last week was that FOTA had acted so strongly when it stood up against the FIA's plans for Bahrain.

"It was very good. It is the way it has to be. Out of the political situation, FOTA I think will get better out of this because it shows that we can stick together and have the same way of communication and the same wish together."

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner expects 'straightforward' talks with Mark Webber about a contract for next year when they sit down to discuss it over the next few months - after revealing that the Australian has told the outfit he wants to remain on board in 2012.

Webber has been on a rolling year-by-year contract at Red Bull Racing, and both team and driver have said they are in no rush to discuss their future plans before finalising what to do about next season.

However, ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Horner said that the team had had the first indication from Webber that the Australian was keen to extend his career in F1 with the outfit.

"When we decide to sit down and talk about it we will do so," said Horner when asked about the timescale of contract talks with Webber.

"We have only completed six grands prix out of probably 19, so probably some time a little bit later in the summer we will sit down and discuss next year.

"Mark has made it clear that he wants to drive next year, and conversations with Mark tend to be quite straightforward."

Horner acknowledges that Webber's form this season has been affected by him struggling to adapt to the new Pirelli tyres as well as team-mate Sebastian Vettel, but he has no overall worries about what the Australian is delivering on track.

"Mark on points has had the best start to an F1 campaign to date," he said. "He has obviously struggled with the Pirellis more than Seb, and he is working hard to get to grips with that.

"But he is still a fierce competitor and he is still pushing very, very hard - as we saw in Barcelona a few weeks ago where he achieved his first pole position.

"As far as the future is concerned we agree to take things one step at a time and at the appropriate time we will sit down and talk about the future."

When asked why the talks about a contract would not take place until later in the campaign, Horner said: "There are obviously several factors. But at the end of the day it is down to the team and Mark to decide if they want to continue that relationship, and we just wanted to see whether he has still got the motivation and desire that he clearly has.

"He has had these issues with the tyres that he is working hard to get on top of, but we are very happy with him in the team."

Felipe Massa says he stands by his belief that Lewis Hamilton was in the wrong during the Monaco Grand Prix, but the Brazilian vowed to leave the matter behind.

Massa was critical of Hamilton after he crashed out of the Monaco race when battling with the Briton, whom the Ferrari driver reckoned was driving too hard.

The Brazilian, who called for more penalties for Hamilton for his driving, said on Thursday he stood by what he had said in Monaco.

"Everything I said it was what I think, but he called me, and he said sorry," Massa told reporters in Montreal. "The most important thing is that he understood what he did, and this is fine.

"We now look forward - you don't gain anything or learn anything looking backwards. So I couldn't finish the race, I couldn't score points and that is already what has happened to me, but now we look forward - and I hope he understands everything that happened in the race."

Massa, however, made it clear he was angry about Hamilton's driving in Monaco but was okay with the Briton's style.

"I don't think it is what he is doing wrong, it is what he did wrong in the last race. He tried to pass in an impossible place, but that is it."

Fernando Alonso is hopeful his Ferrari team will be closer to its rivals in the Canadian Grand Prix, although he admits it will be very difficult to fight for the podium.

The nature of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit means there is a smaller dependency on aerodynamics, which is why Alonso is expecting the gap to Red Bull and McLaren to be reduced this weekend.

But the Spaniard reckons Ferrari's current form means fighting for a place on the podium will still be very hard.

"We perform a little bit better with this type of tyre, and aerodynamics are less important here because there are less high-speed corners," Alonso told reporters on Thursday.

"We know from an aero point of view we are a little bit behind our main opponents and maybe here we will be a little bit closer. But cannot forget that Red Bull has been very quick in all types of circuits and McLaren has also been very quick on tracks like Monaco or Barcelona.

"I think we can be closer to them and have a chance to be on the podium or to fight, but it will be extremely difficult, as it has been in all of 2011."

The Ferrari driver said also that he is open about the weather for Sunday, with rain expected to hit the track.

"I don't have a preference for the weather. It's true that with our position now in terms of championship points we are quite far behind the leaders, and in terms of performance we are not as quick as our opponents.

"If it's wet, for us it's not a big problem because it's not like in a normal, perfect race we will win it. That's not possible at the moment for us.

"So any strange factor it can help us, but we know how wet races are. It's a bit of a lottery so you need to gamble to win. If it rains we'll see if we make the right calls."

Jenson Button has tipped rival Mercedes GP to cause a surprise at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix - as he expects it rather than Red Bull Racing to be McLaren's main threat.

With the long straights and lack of high-speed corners expected to not allow championship leaders Red Bull Racing to stretch its legs, many believe that it is McLaren who is favourite for another win in Montreal.

However, Button suspects that the advantage that Mercedes GP has with its straight-line speed, especially when it uses its DRS, could allow the Brackley-based team to deliver a stronger performance than many people expect.

"I think qualifying is going to be pretty tricky," said Button in Canada. "I think we will be a lot closer to the Red Bulls if not quicker than the Red Bulls, but you have to look at what Ferrari has got with their DRS and also Mercedes.

"There are a lot of straights here and we are very good at using our DRS. The system we have for using it is very good, we seem to be able to use it in more places than other people.

"But, with the long straights here - I think they can get about 20 km/h with DRS, the Mercedes, and I think most other teams are about 12 km/h. It is a massive difference around here, so in qualifying they are going to be very, very quick.

"They [Mercedes GP] are possibly our biggest competitors I would say, which I think is a little bit of a surprise to most people - or will be. They will be very competitive here."

Button is confident, however, that McLaren now has the race pace to match Red Bull Racing - even if qualifying remains an uncertainty.

"I think the last two races, we have been very close to beating Red Bull - and especially in one I think we should have, but they won the race.

"Our pace is as good as them in a race situation it seems, and here you have two DRS zones so it makes it very interesting that even if you cannot get pole position you can still challenge for a race win."

With Button on a high after his strong showing in the Monaco Grand Prix, the former world champion says he feels more comfortable in his car now than he has felt all season

"There is a lot that has changed at the rear of the car, in terms of the diffuser and the front wing. Lots of different areas have changed, and for me in Monaco the car felt the best it has all year.

"The rear stability was very good on entry which meant you could carry a lot of speed into corners.

"There are a lot of positives with the car, but also a lot of negatives - and when I was racing with Seb and Fernando [in Monaco] I could see there were weaknesses with our car. That is a good thing about having races like that; you can find the areas where you are weak."

Red Bull will be able to fight for victory in the Canadian Grand Prix despite many expecting the team to struggle at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, according to world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The team has never won in Canada, with David Coulthard's third place in 2008 its best result, leading many to tip two-time Canada winner Lewis Hamilton to set the pace for McLaren.

Last year, Vettel and Mark Webber finished fourth and fifth after opting to qualify and start the race on the harder prime Bridgestone rubber.

But the 23-year-old German believes that the decision to run the slower tyre compound in qualifying shrouded Red Bull's real pace and that there is no reason why he can't fight for a sixth win of the season on Sunday.

But this does depend on the team understanding the performance of the tyres better than it did here in 2010.

"I'm quite confident," said Vettel. "Last year, we had a good car here but were no on the podium. We started the race on a different strategy that turned out not to work, which was a surprise for us at the time.

"We learned our lesson. This year, we will see how the tyres work and how long they last, but in terms of pace we should be okay."

Vettel admitted that the circuit configuration in Montreal, which features long straights and only slow and medium-speed corners, does not favour Red Bull and its Renault engines.

But he warned that the team has further upgrades to introduce to the car that he expects will allow them to be in contention.

"We know that long straights are not always in our favour," said Vettel. "Our car is very good in fast corners, but we don't have any of those around here. So we will see.

"We have been working hard and have brought some new bits here. They are not massive, but little steps, and we will see tomorrow where we are and how we are working the tyres.

"It's difficult to say on paper that we should be first, second, third...it can work out differently. But this is one of the most difficult weekends here because the track is very different and the asphalt is very smooth, so tyres will be important."

Vettel added that despite building up a 58-point championship lead, he is still targeting victories rather than taking a conservative approach.

The German has won five races this year and finished second once, to Hamilton in China, but is not planning to settle for points finishes because he knows that there will be bad races to come.

"We take every race as it comes and we want to win," said Vettel. "I could have said two weeks ago in Monaco 'let's take a solid third and finish the race'. But I was hungry, I wanted to win and I knew that my only chance to do that was to stay out on the same tyres.

"There is still a long way to go and there will still be races where we struggle. Maybe I will make a mistake, or the car has a problem, and it will be important in those races to finish in the points.

"But we want to win every time. That has to be our target."

Thursday's press conference:

DRIVERS - Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren), Pastor MALDONADO (Williams), Sergio PÉREZ (Sauber), Vitaly PETROV (Renault), Adrian SUTIL (Force India)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Adrian, talk about this circuit as you have said it is one of your favourites.

Adrian SUTIL: Yeah, this is a very nice circuit. I like it here. I like the atmosphere here and it is a kind of street circuit. We have long straights here, some chicanes and there is always something happening in the race. It is usually good to overtake but also Montreal as a city is a nice place so I really enjoy the whole weekend.

Q. In terms of the car what sort of modifications have the team brought here for you to address the special qualities of this circuit?

AS: We are still trying to improve our upgrade package that we took to Barcelona. It is not easy to make it work, the blown diffuser, at the moment, the way it should be. But we are working on it. In Monaco I think we ran it for the first time in the race. We are not sure if it really was a big advantage but I am sure it was a little. But there is still more to come. We need now just time on the circuit to understand a lot of things and we also have some other updates on the car, not only the diffuser, especially for this race here. It should be good for us. We have a big straight-line speed. It is a very fast car on the straights. This circuit has fast straights and a few slow speed chicanes and hairpins so it is not such an aerodynamic circuit here.

Q. The last couple of years the Force India has always been good on low downforce circuits. Is that still the case?

AS: Yeah, I think so. It suits us better than a circuit like Barcelona for example. Last year was a very good performance here and very strong qualifying with both cars. Hopefully it will be a little bit better here as qualifying is our main issue. The race is always a bit better but still we want to be somewhere else in the field.

Q. Vitaly, the last time we saw you, you were immobile in the car. How are you now?

Vitaly PETROV: I am fine, thank you. It looks now everything is good. When I went to the hospital they prepare for me the bed close to Sergio but at the moment everything is fine.

Q. Were there are any lasting injuries? Anything that lasted for some time?

VP: Not really.

Q. The race was stopped so when you were in the car what was the problem?

VP: The problem first of all was my legs were stuck inside the cockpit. At the same time I tried to move them and I didn't feel them. This is why I decided it is better to wait for someone to help me as I tried to feel my fingers on the leg and I couldn't feel them. This is why I didn't want to do some bullshit. I just wait for the people who can help me to do something. I thought it was broken to be honest but I was lucky it was not.

Q. Coming to this race, how do you think the Renault is going to perform?

VP: I think we bring some good parts here. We hope it will work and I hope it will be much, much better than last year.

Q. You didn't have a good race here last year?

VP: No.

Q. There are a lot of different parts coming for the Renault here.

VP: Yeah, we have a lot of parts here and it should be very helpful for this track. This track we need low downforce but also good brakes and we need very good speed on the straights. We have a good package and tomorrow we will see how it works.

Q. Pastor, you were heading for a good result in Monaco. Was it very frustrating not to have got that good result?

Pastor MALDONADO: Yeah, for sure. Finally I was doing a really good race. The car improved and I am getting better and better with the car. I am more confident. In Monaco I think I show our performance and I hope it was so great because of the pace. The pace was so good during the race. The team did a very good job on the strategy, everything was running good, but at the end I think with Lewis it was race contact, nothing more.

Q. You have been so good in Monaco, not just two weeks ago, but in previous races there as well. How can you transfer that sort of form, that sort of performance, to just conventional circuits?

PM: I think it is a very difficult circuit, especially mentally during the race. You must take some risks. I know very well the track. I know where to put the car and for me maybe it is a bit easier than the other circuits. I really enjoy driving there. I enjoy every single corner, every lap in Monaco and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Q. You haven't been to Canada in F1 but you have been here before in karting. When you were how old, 12 or 13 or something?

PM: Yeah, something like that.

Q. Do you remember Canada?

PM: Yeah, I remember. For sure it is my first time here. The track seems amazing. Let's see what we can do. For sure at the beginning it will be a bit difficult especially tomorrow for me. I need to learn the track. We have a new aero package so I need to understand the new parts in the car. It is going to be a difficult day but anyway it is my job and I will do my best and let's see what we can do.

Q. Lewis, you have an incredible record here. If you look at your record in qualifying and the race it just goes one, one, one, one, one and then a collision with Kimi Raikkonen. But up until that moment it is a tremendous record so obviously a circuit at which you excel.

Lewis HAMILTON: Firstly, it is great to be here. It is a fantastic place. The weather is great here. I really don't have an answer for you exactly why I have been so successful here. I am sure it is a combination of the climate, the atmosphere. I think the fans here are spectacular. I think this is one of the top grands prix of the year when the city is packed full of people. It is a great place to be. The track also has a great history. Gilles Villeneuve was pretty spectacular here and for us it is a bit like a street circuit. I regard it as a street circuit. It is quite bumpy. It is a little bit like a go-kart track. We have to take the kerbs so I particularly enjoy it and I am looking forward to this weekend.

Q. Your win last year meant that McLaren have won 11 times here, as many as Ferrari, so it is obviously a good circuit for the team as well?

LH: Yeah, again not quite sure why we are generally so quick here but I think our car is always quite good over kerbs. We have got reasonable high speeds and end-of-straight speed and I guess you have got to be quite close to the walls here which I particularly like doing. Not too close this weekend. It is great that I was able to contribute to those wins for the team and hopefully we can maybe take a step ahead of Ferrari at some stage.

Q. Looking back at the last race. Was that part of the pressure perhaps of being in the World Championship fight, wanting to be in the World Championship fight. Is that what we say the motivations is? Is that the result of that?

LH: I think it is a combination of many things. All of us drivers here know what it is like, even you guys know, to be under pressure and to put pressure on yourself to succeed. We all have good and bad days in the office. That was definitely one of the worst weekends in the office but that's motor racing, that's life. You learn from those situations. It has been great, I have gone back and I have had a couple of days back home training and refreshing my mind and coming back here I feel completely refreshed and really looking forward to definitely a more positive weekend.

Q. Sergio, nice to see you here. What's the latest news from the FIA doctor.

Sergio PÉREZ: Thanks, I just went to do an exam and do all the tests with the FIA and everything was fine. We gave them our results from the doctors and everything is fine to race again this weekend.

Q. So you are clear to go, that's good news?

SP: Yes.

Q. What have you been doing since Monaco to get yourself back fit again?

SP: They released me from hospital on Monday. I stayed in Monaco for two or three days, just working and recovering from the accident. Then I flew to Zurich to do another check-up with a clinic there and after that everything was okay. Then I went back to Mexico, which is very close from here. I was some days at home, which was very positive for me. Then I went to do karting on Monday and Tuesday so I am already okay.

Q. The karting was just to get yourself up to speed again?

SP: Yeah, of course. It always helps after a big crash to at least drive something.

Q. Do you feel this is a little bit of a home race as it is on the same continent?

SP: Yeah, of course. It is the nearest one to my home so I think there are a lot of Mexicans around. I hope it will be a very special grand prix for me.

Q. A new circuit for you. Have you driven it on the simulator or just on the PlayStation?

SP: I have played it on PlayStation but I could not use the simulator as I was planning to do after Monaco but it was not possible to go. I have seen a lot of on-boards. I think it is a very special circuit. You are always very close to the walls and to do a good lap around here you have to really push a lot to get the maximum out of the car and out of the lap.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

(Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Lewis, you said you were good on the track and McLaren is good also. Is it your best chance at the beginning of the year to beat the Red Bulls as they are not so good in Montreal?

LH: I would like to think so but again they have been fast at every circuit. I think they have been incredibly successful on all the circuits so far, so you have to assume they will be very quick here as well. But perhaps, as in the last race, maybe the gap will be a little bit closer compared to places like Barcelona. I am expecting to see that through a lot of the field. I would definitely say, looking at the next few races, that this is definitely one of the better ones for us.

Q. (Dave Stubbs - Montreal Gazette) Lewis, this race will feature two DRS zones. How is that going to change the complexion of this race as you see it?

LH: We use the DRS in qualifying, so we use it everywhere we can. I think the great thing here is you see quite a lot of overtaking here. You have the great long straight coming out of a hairpin. I definitely think it is not always easy to follow through corners still as you still need downforce. But the DRS, having it in two places, I think will enable people to get even closer. It is a long, long straight. I don't know where they put the DRS zone exactly for those straights. I think it will just make racing even better. Of course the FIA will assess if it is too easy or not too easy. I think we will work together with them to make sure the zones are set in the right place so we don't just whizz past people halfway down the straights. I think so far this year it has been fantastic for racing and enabled people to get close to actually make safe manoeuvres, so I think this weekend you will probably see that as well.

Q. (Dave Stubbs - Montreal Gazette) Still regarding the two DRS zones, do you think it would be maybe a more exciting show to have the second zone at the Wall of Champions, so that whoever gets past in zone one can try to fight back in zone two.

LH: Yeah, I guess it will make it much tougher. When you overtake one person you overtake them but then they are able to use DRS in the next zone. It is going to make it much harder as when you make an overtaking manoeuvre usually you are able to pull a little bit of a gap by the next lap so hopefully they are not right behind you but here you won't have. They will be right on your tail so I guess strategy and depending on where you use the DRS and the way you overtake it is going to be interesting, I would assume everyone would probably wait, just stay behind them and not even bother overtaking on the first DRS zone and wait for the last one so for the rest of the lap they are able to pull away.

Q. (Francois Drabli – Pole Position Magazine) Lewis, yesterday you were driving Ferraris at Mont Tremblant race track in the Laurentians, so do we see a trend there?

LH: No, no, no. I was just at a friend's house and they were the only cars that he had, so I had a little bit of a go.

Q. (Francois Drabli – Pole Position Magazine) Did you have fun go-karting at the same time there ?

LH: I didn't do any go-karting. I had planned to go there and just have some fun and he has a lot of cars, so I was going to get to drive a McLaren – the GTR longtail – but I thought it was probably just wise to just drive a road car around a couple of laps, so I only did a couple of laps, but I will definitely be going back at some stage to make sure I can use all the rubber that he has and all the brakes he has and it's free, so it should be fun.

Q. (Marco degli Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, we have learnt that there has been an exchange of letters between you and President of the FIA about the issues in Monaco. What's your mood now, don't you think that you are too often a sort of target for a lot of criticism for your behaviour, not necessarily as a driver? Don't you feel a little under permanent judgement?

LH: No. Well, last week, coming back from the Grand Prix, I had some time to reflect on my behaviour and my weekend and again, just a feeling of it just being a bad day, a bad weekend in the office, so I wrote a letter to the FIA to apologise, and I also spoke to the drivers. I just felt it was necessary to do that, I think it was the right thing for me to do and to be able to put everything behind me. This is racing, you know. When you're competitive – and this is the pinnacle of motor sport – and it's not easy to overtake in this sport, and so every manoeuvre you make is definitely questionable. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't. So it's inevitable when I do quite a lot of overtaking quite often, so sometimes it's going to be right, sometimes not, but I think the stewards are doing a great job. Since I've been in Formula One, it's been improving, the consistency of the rules, the approach of the stewards with the new racing driver, I think it makes it much better so while I would prefer not to be up at the stewards' office so often – and trust me, I'm trying my hardest to stay out of there – my whole life I was always in the headmaster's office so I'm used to it. I would just try to improve and learn from the situations that I get myself into.

Q. (Martin Samuel – The Daily Mail) Question to you all: Rubens Barrichello, speaking as the chairman of your association, said today that the drivers were not opposed in principle to racing in Bahrain. Can I ask you gentlemen if that is true and if so, why is it not a matter of principle to race in Bahrain?

AS: I think that for me, I would say, as long as it's safe, I could race there, but I'm not in charge of that, so the FIA and the FOTA is doing that and I think they will find a solution. But for me, as long as it's safe I'm happy to race. It's a good place to go, I always like this circuit so that's all I can say about that.

VP: I think the question is just about the safety. The FIA knows what to do. If they see that it will not be dangerous, we will go. If it's still dangerous I think it's better not to go.

PM: Ok, let's wait for the FOTA decision. I think we are drivers who enjoy racing. For sure it's a difficult time there but I think we need to wait and see what they decide.

LH: I think the drivers mostly commentated on things (already). Hopefully the teams and the FIA and the drivers will collectively make the right decision and us as drivers, we just have to rely on them that the right decision will be made. We want to race, not just for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others as well.

SP: Well, first of all for me it was important to recover after the crash so I'm not very aware of the news. I will speak to my team and see what is the latest news. I don't know if everything is clear to race there but for me, if it's one race more or if my team agrees and all the drivers and teams agree, then I think there's no problem to go if everything is safe again.

Q. ( Fulvio Solms – Corriere dello Sport ) Lewis, referring to your Monte Carlo issue, do you think it's correct to compare your behaviour to the young Schumachers' and the young Alonso's?

LH: Well Schumacher is not really young any more – oh, when he was younger. I would hope not. I think I'm a passionate driver. I can't emphasise just how passionate I am about racing and about winning and the pressure that I put on myself, with the pressures that go with the job and the admiration for what you do, I think that inevitably sometimes you say the right and the wrong things. Like Gilles Villeneuve and like Ayrton, they were also very, very passionate racing drivers, so I prefer to hopefully one day be referred to someone similar to them.

Q. (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) Lewis, Todt said that, had you not written, he was thinking about a six race ban, so was that in your mind when you wrote, and do you think you're lucky not to have had that sort of thing?

LH: It wasn't in mind, no, but just as I said earlier, I just had time to reflect on the weekend and I wrote a sincere apology to Jean and to the FIA and I got a great letter back, so after that I was able to put it behind me and I'm very grateful to be here. I do want what's best for the sport and I want to be able to contribute to improving the sport and making things great here.

Q. (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) And when you say you've spoken to the drivers, does that include the man behind you, Mr Maldonado and Mr Massa, Mr Massa being the one who said that he thought that a ban would be appropriate because it would teach you a lesson?

LH: I know Felipe really well, I've known Felipe since Formula Three, maybe GP2 and so have a relatively good relationship with him. I gave him a call and he had calmed down also and he was able to understand the position and I've seen him... I've known him for many years, actually. We've known each other for quite a few years, him and his family. You know he's doing a fantastic job, he was very quick that weekend and was obviously not wanting to put anyone out of the Grand Prix. It's one of the toughest Grands Prix to overtake, but I think the drivers understand and it's easy, in the heat of the moment, to say the wrong things but afterwards to realise that, OK, you probably were not in the right position to make the manoeuvre, so I felt it important for me to just make that clear to them and apologise for my statement afterwards.

Q. (Dave Stubbs – Montreal Gazette) Sergio, was there every any doubt at any point that you would be fit to race in Montreal and can you tell us a little bit what kind of tests the FIA gives you to determine that you're fit to race this weekend?

SP: After the accident, everything was planned to leave the day after, but I felt a bit dizzy so I stayed there one more day and there was enough time, we were always very positive that there was enough time to recover after the accident. All the doctors were very positive that nothing was damaged, no problem at all, so it was just a matter of time to get back to normal life, and I got back very quickly. They did all their examinations – actually they are very good examinations. They checked all my bones, my reactions, my memory, that everything is fine and that I don't feel sick or have a headache and they saw all the results from the doctors, so that's what they did.

Q. (Peter Windsor – Clarcksport) Lewis, going back to Monaco again, first lap at Monaco, when Michael passed you into the hairpin, can you just talk us through that? Presumably you thought you had a puncture or something, but it looked like… I don't know. Can you tell us what happened? The opening lap, going into the hairpin. Michael got you down the inside in a very easy way.

LH: The opening laps? Yeah. He just caught me sleeping really. Yes. I was keeping an eye on the guys in front because everyone was bunched up. Everyone was going particularly slowly and Michael went for a gap that was there. I noticed very late that he was there and I didn't turn in, I gave him enough room to let him past. The race is not won on the first lap. I think that experience also led me to believe that overtaking was possible there so that's why I tried to do a rather opportunistic overtaking manoeuvre, but I wasn't luck enough to have as much space as Michael.

Q. (Peter Windsor – Clarcksport) Adrian, can you just talk us through the incident with Kobayashi?

AS: Yeah, well the only thing that I could feel at this stage was that he hit me a little bit on the rear tyre and then I lost control of my car. I caught my car again but he got past me so the incident was looked at by the stewards. I think he got a reprimand for that. I'm OK with this. At this stage I was a little bit slower because of something with my tyres, so he tried it. It's difficult to pass in Monaco and let's say it was on the edge but I have no problem with it.

Q. (Terry Jones – Edmonton Sun ) Adrian, Lewis, earlier you made reference to your thoughts about how much you enjoy this race in Montreal. I wonder if you could both expand on it in terms of the context of the Canadian Grand Prix and Montreal compared to other events on the F1 circuit?

AS: Well this is more like a street circuit, as I said, and it's always nice and enjoyable, a little bit different to all the normal circuits where the run-off areas are big and you can probably get away with some mistakes. So here there's a wall and you have to be very careful when you're driving but it's also a great circuit just to have a race and to overtake, to make some manoeuvres. Strategy is quite important here and I would say that overall this weekend is special. OK, sometimes you have more like a normal race weekend where it's all about the racing. Of course, that's here for us as well but you can feel this atmosphere and all the fans around the circuit. It's close to the city, it's in the city which is why I like it here, that's why it's always something special and a little bit of a different place than a normal permanent race track.

LH: First and foremost, the city is one of my favourite cities in the world. I think it's very cosmopolitan and great restaurants, the weather's generally been fantastic every time we've been here. I've not been here when the Grand Prix has not been here but every time we've been here with the Grand Prix, it just seems incredibly lively. They put on a great show and great hosts for all the fans that come. And then you come to the circuit which is on a tiny island, with great history, as Adrian was saying. I think street circuits are my preferred circuits, they are the riskiest, the trickiest circuits to race on and it's a great place to drive. It's one of those circuits where downforce is not the most important thing. It's a combination of high speed as well, end-of-straight speed, so you can overtake. It has that massively long back straight here which you don't have at a lot of circuits and the fans…I've never been here when the grandstands have not been completely packed. You go to circuits sometimes where there are a couple of thousand people and the atmosphere is just nowhere. But you come here and you immediately feel the huge buzz, as I'm sure do the people who are watching, because you can see all these people in the crowd, passionate about motor racing. It's spectacular.

Q. (Andy Benson – BBC Sport) Lewis, you sounded quite downbeat about your chances here just then…

LH: That's a misunderstanding.

Q. (Andy Benson – BBC Sport) Yeah, I was going to say because on the face of it, this has got to be a circuit that favours you almost more than any so far, hasn't it? Don't you go into the weekend as favourite?

LH: I never like to go into the weekend as favourite and I don't like to be too upbeat. I'm not Muhammad Ali. I'm not going to come here and say this weekend's going to be the best weekend ever. I'm coming off a very tough weekend where I had good pace. I'm racing against some very, very talented drivers who are going to be quick as well and I'd rather do my talking on the track, so I'm hoping that our car works well here. I feel like I'm in a good head space so hopefully that will add to a good result.

[Fry_4000]

Vettel adds his name to the wall of champions

[Katsuya]

Perez isn't feeling well after FP1, so he is being replaced for the rest of the weekend by Pedro de la Rosa. Which makes very little sense, since I'd have thought they'd ship Gutierrez in, but maybe he wasn't available. Weird that Pedro was in that case though

ETA: Ah. Pedro is McLaren's reserve driver it seems, or at least for this weekend. Gutierrez is in Mexico, so for some reason Sauber decided that they could manage without a reserve this weekend even with Perez a doubt. Whitmarsh has given them a loan, then, which makes sense given that Pedro was in the car last year.

[Lineker]

It has to do with Gutierrez not yet having a superlicense I believe.

Nico Rosberg highlighted Mercedes GP's position as a dark horse for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, topping the times in the opening practice session on Friday.

But the big news of the first day of action was Sebastian Vettel's crash, the Red Bull driver starting his weekend on the back foot after a costly driving mistake.

The session had to be red-flagged with around 33 minutes to go when Vettel crashed into the "Wall of Champions" after his car jumped over the kerb at the final corner.

The right side of the Red Bull car was heavily damaged and the world champion, who had managed just eight laps before that, was unable to return to action.

Rosberg, meanwhile, enjoyed a trouble-free day to finish ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and his own Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Felipe Massa was fourth fastest, with Jenson Button completing the top five ahead of McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

With the teams testing new parts, and with the track very dirty at the start of the session, it took several minutes before a time was set, with Toro Rosso's reserve Daniel Ricciardo becoming the first driver to complete a full lap over 20 minutes after the start.

Alonso quickly removed the Australian from the top spot, the Ferrari driver going four seconds quicker despite a scare at the exit of the hairpin. His time of 1m22.1s was bettered on the next lap, the Spaniard lapping in the 1m19s before heading back to the pits.

Schumacher took to the top with less than an hour left, the Mercedes driver going over a second faster than Alonso, with Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari also setting fast times to relegate Alonso down to fourth.

Hamilton was next to move to the top with a time of 1m18.395s, a benchmark that lasted until Massa moved into the 1m17s with some 45 minutes of the session left.

Once the session was restarted following Vettel's accident, it was Alonso who returned to the top of the times with a lap of 1m17.102s, relegating his team-mate to second. The Spaniard went even quicker moments later, by a full second, to become the first man to lap in the 1m16s.

With 13 minutes to go, Rosberg jumped to first place, outpacing Alonso by over a tenth of a second on his 28th lap of the day. The Mercedes driver stayed on track for several minutes and posted a 1m15.591s with seven minutes remaining.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov was one a few drivers with problems, the Russian not managing to set a time until there were less than 10 minutes of the session left.

FP1


Pos  Driver                Team                    Time               Laps

 1.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m15.591s            32

 2.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m16.139s  + 0.548   27

 3.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                1m16.549s  + 0.958   30

 4.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m16.658s  + 1.067   26

 5.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m16.676s  + 1.085   20

 6.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        1m16.842s  + 1.251   19

 7.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1m16.990s  + 1.399   28

 8.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m17.294s  + 1.703   26

 9.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault                 1m17.445s  + 1.854   28

10.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes    1m17.549s  + 1.958   20

11.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari          1m17.662s  + 2.071   27

12.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        1m17.820s  + 2.229   30

13.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m18.458s  + 2.867   31

14.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 1m18.506s  + 2.915   15

15.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m18.648s  + 3.057   35

16.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        1m18.852s  + 3.261    8

17.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       1m18.932s  + 3.341   20

18.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault           1m19.274s  + 3.683   29

19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m19.422s  + 3.831   30

20.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          1m19.577s  + 3.986   26

21.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth         1m19.838s  + 4.247   31

22.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth            1m19.960s  + 4.369   23

23.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         1m20.520s  + 4.929   21

24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth            1m20.839s  + 5.248   27


All Timing Unofficial[/code]




Pedro de la Rosa will race for the Sauber team in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix after Sergio Perez was forced to withdraw from the event.



Perez had massive a crash during qualifying in Monaco and was unable to compete in the race.



The Sauber driver, who suffered concussion, was given the green light to race in Canada on Thursday.



However, the Mexican rookie felt sick following the first practice session in Montreal, and Sauber has decided to draft in McLaren's reserve Pedro de la Rosa.



The Spanish driver raced for Sauber last year before he was dumped with five races to go and replaced by Nick Heidfeld, now at Renault.



"Of course I wanted to drive and I had no doubt I was alright," said Perez. "But apparently this is unfortunately not the case. I am deeply disappointed.



"I spoke to the team after the session and told them that I'm not a hundred per cent fit. I only want to drive when I'm a hundred per cent well. I need some more time to recover."



Peter Sauber added: "This development hit us by surprise, because Sergio underwent thorough medical checks, first in the hospital in Monaco, then in a hospital in Zürich, and finally, the FIA doctors gave him the green light this Thursday in Montreal. Nobody could have foreseen that he would feel unwell. Maybe we are being overly cautious, but when it's about the health of our drivers we take zero risks.



"We want to thank Pedro de la Rosa and McLaren for helping us out in this situation."



Pedro de la Rosa had just 10 minutes warning that he would be racing for Sauber in Canada, after receiving a call-up to replace the unwell Sergio Perez just before second practice.



With Perez having complained of feeling sick after the first session in Canada, Sauber drafted in McLaren reserve de la Rosa for the remainder of the Montreal event.



And although there had been contact between Sauber and McLaren earlier in the week about de la Rosa being on standby in case Perez had any complications caused by his Monaco GP crash, the final call only came at lunch time on Friday.



"I was finishing lunch when Monisha Kaltenborn [sauber CEO] showed up at McLaren and asked me, 'are you ready? It's very likely you will have to get in the car'," explained de la Rosa. "I checked my watch and it was ten to two and I said 'but there's 10 minutes to the start of the session!'



"From then it was a crazy race to get my helmet, my overalls, my things at McLaren, sit in the car, and set up the pedals where I wanted. But we couldn't do it, and we had to go out with the pedals where they were. But you don't have to be nervous. It's an opportunity and we have to enjoy it."



De la Rosa said he had arrived in Canada aware that Sauber could need him, but was sure that Perez was fit enough to race.



"Martin Whitmarsh had told me that Sauber had called in case there was a chance, but told me not to get carried away. So I arrived here thinking it was impossible. I knew Sergio was fine and I was sure I wouldn't get in the car, until ten to two."



As part of the contingency plan for de la Rosa, Sauber had one of the Spaniard's seats from last year - which he said was crucial to him being able to get in the car.



"We could use my seat from last year which was absolutely very, very important and vital," he said. "As far as all the rest is concerned, I went out with my McLaren overalls, boots, helmet. We also did a quick fix on the ear pieces to match the system from Sauber."



Although Sauber hopes that using the experienced de la Rosa will help its chances of scoring points, he is keeping his ambitions in check.



"Let's be realistic. I have a lot to learn yet. I need a lot more discipline with the buttons, the KERS, the DRS, because I'm used to a car with the buttons on the opposite side.



"So I have to look at the buttons and then push it. It doesn't came naturally yet. We'll be fine. I have to improve step by step, but I'm happy because I didn't expect it."



Fernando Alonso set the pace for Ferrari in the second practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday, in an incident-filled 90 minutes of action in Montreal.



The Spanish driver moved to the top of the times halfway through the session and stayed there until the end with a best of 1m15.107s, outpacing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by nearly four tenths of a second.



Ferrari enjoyed a very positive start to the weekend, with Felipe Massa finishing in this position ahead of the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.



Vettel showed missing the majority of first session was not a big problem for him, the German setting the fastest time of the weekend at the start of the session. His lap of 1m15.476s was over a tenth of a second quicker than the best set by Rosberg in the opening session.



Alonso outpaced the world champion with 48 minutes to go, the Spaniard setting the benchmark with a la of 1m15.205s using the soft tyres.



A new best time was set by the Spaniard with eight minutes to go, when he went for his first run of super softs.



Second practice was also red-flagged with some 30 minutes remaining when Kamui Kobayashi crashed into the wall at the first chicane when he ran too high over the kerbs. His Sauber impacted straight into the wall and the Japanese could not return to the track.



Just minutes after the restart, Virgin's Jerome D'Ambrosio lost control of his car at the same spot and also crashed heavily against the wall, causing another red flag. The Belgian rookie emerged from the car without assistance, but his car was heavily damaged.



Hamilton suffered a puncture right after that, probably caused by debris from D'Ambrosio's crash.



Adrian Sutil was the protagonist of another incident during the session when he crashed against the wall coming out of Turn 7. His Force India's left front suspension was damaged and the German had to miss the last 35 minutes of action.



The session saw several other small incidents as drivers outbraked themselves throughout the 90 minutes, with 'offs' especially at the last chicane and at Turns 8-9.



Pedro de la Rosa, who is replacing Sergio Perez this weekend after the Mexican felt unwell following FP1, managed to hit the track following the stoppage caused by his team-mate Kobayashi, with some 20 minutes left, but his first run was interrupted by the second red flag.



The Spaniard, still wearing McLaren overalls, eventually completed 14 laps and finished 18th quickest.





[code]FP2


Pos  Driver                Team                    Time              Laps

 1.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m15.107s           34

 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        1m15.476s + 0.369   29

 3.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m15.601s + 0.494   33

 4.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        1m15.977s + 0.870   26

 5.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m15.989s + 0.882   25

 6.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m16.089s + 0.982   34

 7.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        1m16.102s + 0.995   28

 8.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 1m16.324s + 1.217   32

 9.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault                 1m16.422s + 1.315   32

10.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1m16.687s + 1.580   28

11.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1m16.905s + 1.798   16

12.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       1m16.941s + 1.834   39

13.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m17.051s + 1.944   32

14.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m17.684s + 2.577   34

15.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          1m17.757s + 2.650   20

16.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault           1m18.470s + 3.363   33

17.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m18.482s + 3.375   38

18.  Pedro de la Rosa      Sauber-Ferrari          1m18.536s + 3.429   14

19.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m18.601s + 3.494   38

20.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                1m19.209s + 4.102   28

21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         1m19.810s + 4.703   25

22.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth            1m20.284s + 5.177   31

23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth            1m20.311s + 5.204   38

24.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth         1m20.922s + 5.815   26


All Timing Unofficial

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has formally requested to the FIA that the 2011 calendar be put back to its original schedule, with the Bahrain Grand Prix set to be officially removed from the schedule.

After a week of controversy about the FIA's decision to reinstate the Bahrain GP and move the Indian race to December 11, Ecclestone said in Montreal on Friday that he expected a final change to the calendar to reverse that plan be made in the next few days.

When asked by AUTOSPORT about the latest situation regarding Bahrain, with FIA president Jean Todt having asked Ecclestone to submit a new calendar, Ecclestone said: "We will be back to normal.

"We will put out a request to the World Motor Sport Council in the next few days. I sent something this morning, so it will be quick."

Although team bosses have been critical of the way the sport's chiefs have handled the Bahrain affair, with the sport having been on the receiving end of major criticism about the decision to race in the Gulf island state amid ongoing political trouble, Ecclestone said he did not see a problem with what had happened.

"What was negative?" he responded. "I don't know about that. I haven't read anything. I don't read the newspapers, to be honest.

"The truth of the matter is that we put the calendar together, and the teams race on the calendar. The only thing there was that we were trying to help Bahrain, who have been helpful to F1, and we were trying to stay there as long as we could.

"I hoped we could get it sorted. I don't know if there is peace there or not - the FIA sent someone out to check and they said it would be all okay, but the teams had different information. They have the right to say they don't want to change the calendar."

When asked if he agreed with Todt's suggestion in a letter to FOTA that he should take responsibility for the affair because it was up to him to sort out the calendar, he said: "Absolutely. 100%. Of trying to help Bahrain? Yes, that is for sure. I was hoping everything would be fine."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone made a last-ditch bid to keep the Bahrain Grand Prix on the calendar just hours before the Gulf state abandoned efforts to hold the race, the FIA revealed on Friday.

After a week of controversy about the attempted reinstatement of the Bahrain GP on the calendar, the sport's governing body delivered a fresh twist to the saga by claiming that Ecclestone made an 11th hour attempt to have the race moved to December 4 rather than be dropped.

This came despite Ecclestone having said earlier this week that he thought the race was off after a backlash against the decision to put the event back on the calendar.

Having clear knowledge that the teams were unwilling to move India from its October 30 slot and that they did not want the calendar expanded into December, Ecclestone asked the FIA as late as Thursday that he wanted to move Bahrain to become the season finale.

In a detailed chronology of the events surrounding the Bahrain GP saga that was published on the FIA website, it reported that on June 9 (Thursday): "The commercial rights holder (FOWCL) proposed to the FIA that the GP of Bahrain be rescheduled for 4 December, with the GP of India reinstated on its original date of 30 October.

"The FIA replied the same day, asking FOWCL to provide guarantees that any new date proposal is acceptable both to the teams and to the organisers in Bahrain."

Within hours of the FIA replying to Ecclestone's request, however, the Bahrain organisers issued their own statement stating that they had given up on holding the race because of the logistical problems that teams were facing.

The release of the information by the FIA casts fresh intrigue about Ecclestone's involvement in the decisions surrounding the Bahrain GP - with the governing body having insisted that it was only ever following his suggestions for the calendar proposal.

With the Bahrain organisers having given up on the race, Ecclestone was eventually forced to concede that the race could not take place – and requested on Friday morning that India revert to October 30 with Bahrain abandoned.

The FIA has confirmed it received the latest request from Ecclestone, and it has asked the members of the World Motor Sport Council to approve the calendar changes no later than midday on Tuesday.

The full chronology of events surrounding the Bahrain GP that was published by the FIA can be found here.

Timo Glock has backed the Virgin team's decision to part company with Wirth Research.

The ex-Toyota driver, who has raced for Virgin since it came into Formula 1 in 2010 but has not finished higher than 14th in his 25 races driving for it, believes that the end of the partnership with former technical director Nick Wirth after the Monaco Grand Prix will allow the team to progress in the long term.

"It is the right move," Glock told AUTOSPORT. "We all want to move forward and the team wasn't happy with the performance of the car so they made the decision.

"A change like this is never the easiest, but to move on in the long-term it is very positive."

Virgin is currently working on a plan to create its own design and development base, a process being overseen by consultant Pat Symonds.

While the team is some way off establishing such a base, during the coming races car upgrades signed off by Wirth will be introduced. Glock believes that the team must now prioritise development work for the 2012 car, using the rest of this season to work on ideas for the MVR-03 where possible.

"Next year is the main target," said Glock. "We know that we cannot find three seconds in a couple of months, then it becomes the changeover point for 2012. We have to try to get a bit out of this year and put all of our focus onto next year.

"The rest of the season will be fine for us. We managed through such difficult times last year and at the beginning of this year. That proved we can deal with them. We have a good plan, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Glock is hopeful that the new technical structure will allow the race team to have a bigger influence in the development direction of the car. Previously, Wirth Research was responsible for the design of the car and delivering upgrades.

The German regards the racing side of the Virgin operation as one of the team's biggest strengths and thinks giving it more input into the car will accelerate the rate of progress.

"I think it will be much easier for us," Glock told AUTOSPORT. "We can make even quicker decisions in terms of development for the future. The engineers on the track know what the car needs so if they can do it directly it's good.

"The team has what it needs for the future, but it just takes time. We did everything right from last year to this year in terms of the structure of the race team, making the right changes and putting the right people in the right places. That has paid off.

"We can still improve, but this is one of the strengths of the team."

Formula 1 needs to address some 'fundamental problems' if it is to deliver what is best for fans and teams, claims Williams chairman Adam Parr.

Ahead of what are expected to be intense discussions to try and frame a new Concorde Agreement from 2013, Parr thinks that the sport needs a major rethink about how to make the best of itself to maximise revenues and deliver a better product for its followers.

"The way F1 is consumed is going to change over the next few years," said Parr, during a Fans' Forum hosted by the Formula One Teams' Association in Montreal.

"There's so much content that you should be able to enjoy. Bernie [Ecclestone] has two or three cameras on every car, and then there are all the circuit cameras. There's an astonishing richness of material and we're not really touching that at the moment."

He added: "There are two things that Bernie thinks about. First, he likes to control the amount of material that's available. He believes that rarity is an important characteristic of our sport.

"Second, he believes that if he sells the rights to the BBC in the UK, for example, they should have the rights to everything. They can re-play it on their iPlayer system; they can do the internet; they can do everything. He thinks that's the way to maximise revenue.

"The problem is that our total TV revenues as a sport are less than $500 million. By comparison, the NFL is $4.2 billion and Turkish soccer is a little bit more than us. I think it's time that we challenge him.

"This is an incredibly expensive sport to put on as a team. We're not giving you what you want and we're not getting what we want either. There are a few fundamental problems that need to be addressed and we need to change a few things."

FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh echoed thoughts that F1 could have done a better job in promoting itself, but had been held back by internal disputes.

"I've been involved in the sport for 23 years and so I'm criticising myself when I say we haven't done a very good job at managing the sport," said Whitmarsh. "We haven't worked together.

"Historically, the teams spent most of the time fighting each other seven days a week, not only on the racetrack but in court - everywhere! McLaren and Ferrari have been through 30 years of fairly bloody conflict at times, but we've wised up. We both have very similar business models and we're passionate about F1.

"We will be here in five years time, 10 years time and 20 years time. It is our core business; it's the heart and passion for both companies. We desperately want to beat each other on Sunday afternoons, and that's how it should be, but away from that we can work together.

"There will always be the tendency between highly competitive F1 teams to get into squabbles about legality of cars and other issues, but we've got to try and rise above that. We have to work harder to make the sport more sustainable and to reach out to new fans.

"As for the ownership of the sport, the commercial rights holder will want to keep as much money as possible and the teams will want to have as much as possible as well. But while we're squabbling about who gets how much of the pie, what we ought to be concentrating on is growing the sport and making the pie bigger."

Nico Rosberg has played down the chances of Mercedes GP causing a surprise in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix unless the team can get on top of its tyre degradation issues.

Although Mercedes GP has shown strong form in qualifying, and its good straight-line speed should be useful in Montreal, its form in races has suffered because the car is too hard on its tyres.

Rosberg says that the tyre issue is now the key concern for the team - and the high degradation expected in Canada will be a big test for the outfit.

"Our car just destroys the tyres in the race," said Rosberg before first practice, where he was quickest. "It has generally been a bit of an issue this year.

"Even in Malaysia and Istanbul, we qualified third and then really struggled with rear tyres in the race. So it has been a general problem.

"In Monaco we suffered very, very badly. There were also some circumstances that didn't go perfectly, so all of it came together and it was a very bad race for us.

"This is why it is going to be important for us here because this is a track that is very difficult with rear tyres. It will be important that we make some changes so we don't get similar problems, and we improve the situation."

When asked to respond to Jenson Button's suggestions that Mercedes GP could be pace-setters this weekend, Rosberg said: "We need to see if we can sort out the race. The speed in qualifying is going to be okay for us I think. I am pretty sure, but in the race we need to see what we can do."

Although Mercedes GP has not delivered on its promising finish to pre-season testing, Rosberg still believes that the team can achieve some positive things this year.

"The targets are still there - we want to move up and get closer. We have seen glimpses of potential in the car - like in Istanbul qualifying, or the Shanghai race that we could have won.

"The potential is still there, we just need to find our way and make some good developments in the future. The developments haven't worked out so well, or maybe they have and we haven't seen them as we have had other problems or whatever.

"It is just a matter of digging away and it hasn't been ideal there. We are pushing very hard to progress in the next few races."

Felipe Massa is hopeful that Ferrari is close to rectifying the problems it has had with the hard tyres this season - as he believes the outfit is now making good progress with its car.

On the back of Fernando Alonso challenging for victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, Massa is upbeat that Ferrari is now in a position to repeat that form and feel confident that it will not be hindered at future races when harder compound tyres return.

"I hope we have a competitive car, and I hope we can be in a good direction with Red Bull and McLaren, especially looking at what we did at some races where we were competitive and fighting with them," he said.

"When we have a race where our car is working with the tyres we are competitive, even more in the race than in qualifying, so I hope this can be another track that we are able to fight in the good direction in the race."

When asked about comments from Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry that the team had got a better understanding of the troubles it has faced with the hard tyres this season, Massa said: "For sure we still have a little bit of time until we race again with the hard tyres, which will be Silverstone.

"It is a direction that until there we need to improve the car and make it a bit better with more downforce to work on these tyres. I hope we can see that."

Renault boss Eric Boullier says his team's poor showing in the Monaco Grand Prix a fortnight ago acted as a wake-up call for it to find out why it has not built on its strong start to the season.

The Enstone-based outfit had high hopes of fighting amongst the leaders in Monaco but neither Nick Heidfeld nor Vitaly Petrov figured prominently in the event.

Boullier says that the poor showing in Monaco helped serve as a catalyst for it to make design tweaks to its car to address its weaknesses. And having made changes to its blown floor concept and diffuser, plus tweaked its DRS wing for Canada, Boullier has said that he believes things will now improve.

"We had a strong first two races, quite strong, but then we slowed down a little bit compared to the competitors," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.

"Monaco was a big wake up call for us because we could not find exactly what was wrong, or what was the reason why we could not perform as we were expecting.

"I think the guys at the factory did a good job, they started to figure out what were the reasons for that and I am pretty confident we are now back on the right slope."

Boullier said that the car's struggles on the slow-speed Monaco circuit had helped highlight where its issues were.

"Obviously we were expecting much better. We know our car is good but we didn't perform well. We were already looking for the reasons why, but the Monaco specific layout helped us to understand why."

Williams believes it will take a step forward in Montreal this weekend after being very pleased with the performance of its upgraded car in practice.

Rubens Barrichello was seventh and 10th in today's two sessions as Williams introduced new front and rear wings, and a new diffuser.

"We seem to be in better shape here and that might give us a couple of positions over the weekend," said Barrichello. "We will still have to work hard to make it into Q3 tomorrow, but I think it is achievable."

The team's technical director Sam Michael was very satisfied with how Williams's upgrades looked in practice.

"Even with the red flags, we had a really productive day with both cars," said Michael.

"We evaluated front wings, rear wings and diffusers throughout both sessions and happily all of the new parts are working well."

Virgin is building up a new car for Jerome d'Ambrosio around a spare chassis after he crashed during Friday afternoon's free practice session ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Belgian lost it in the middle of the right/left combination at Turn 4, slamming into the outside wall and prompting a second red flag of the 90-minute session.

The impact broke the nose mountings of his chassis, forcing the team to call the spare into service.

F1 regulations prohibit complete spare cars, but teams are allowed to build a new car around a spare chassis and he will return to the track for tomorrow morning's third free practice session.

"The day was going pretty well today. I had a good feeling with the car and I really enjoy driving here. But then I made a mistake in turn 3, which pushed me wide on to the kerb at Turn 4," said the Belgian.

"I couldn't turn in and so I ended up hitting the wall. It's a shame to finish the day like this but I was happy how the car was behaving on the circuit so I'm sure we can bounce back tomorrow, I'm just very sorry for the team as the guys now have a lot of work to do tonight."

Hispania Racing is quietly confident following a day of testing which saw its competing closely with Virgin Racing at the tail end of the timesheets.

Italian Tonio Liuzzi was 0.5 seconds faster than Virgin's Timo Glock in first practice, before both Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan outpaced Jerome D'Ambrosio in the second session, although the Belgian's running time was limited by his Turn 4 shunt.

Team Principal Colin Kolles was encouraged by the progress the team made with the new parts it has brought to Montreal.

"We had a lot of upgrades on the car today and it seems like there is some improvement but we still have to evaluate the data," he said following the day's sessions. "Today we worked on the set-up for the race; now let's see if we can make another step forward in FP3.

"We are feeling more positive this weekend than in Monaco, we have all the new parts we planned and it looks like there is some improvement"

Both of Kolles' drivers were pleased with the steps the team has taken so far in Canada, too.

"We had a lot of new parts on the car: the diffuser and the rear wing which was specifically made for this track amongst others, so we have to fine-tune this. But it is a positive step," said Karthikeyan.

"We have to find a good balance and mechanical grip for tomorrow because you need to save your tyres here," he added. "Tomorrow we have to wait and see what the weather conditions will be and hope to improve from here."

And Liuzzi was in similarly high spirits, calling the experience "not a bad day at all."

"We had to test the aero upgrade, the new exhaust, and our new rear wing. We found that we improved our balance and overall speed a bit, now we need to work on tuning the exhaust system. I'm happy about taking another step forward in our competition against our nearest rivals and I think tomorrow's qualifying will be interesting."

"Overall we can be positive about the rest of the weekend," he enthused.

Don't get too enthused about a massively DRS-filled quali as rain is forecast by most of the teams.

[Katsuya]

Some very grey clouds but no rain at the moment as they build up to qualifying...will definitely be interesting to see who comes out on top though. It looked like Ferrari and Rosberg definitely had the advantage going in to qualfiying right up until Vettel decided to smash them to pieces at the end of FP3; surprisingly, McLaren don't seem to quite be on the pace. Force India seem to have a good package though as do Renault, so they look like they're going to be fighting between themselves to get in to Q3.

Shame for dlR that he's not going to really get a chance in the Sauber on a "good" weekend, since the car doesn't seem to be suited to this track at all. Whether they've not brought many updates or they're just not good, I'm not sure, but I seem to recall they had a bad weekend here last year too.

I'd also forgotten just how much I love this racetrack. I think it's up there with Albert Park and Interlagos as one of my favourites, actually.

[Lineker]

Sebastian Vettel fired a warning to his rivals in final practice for the Canadian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver setting the pace ahead of qualifying in Montreal.

The world champion finished with a time of 1m13.381s to outpace Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by over three tenths in a session that finished a few seconds ahead of schedule because of a crash by Pedro de la Rosa.

Nico Rosberg was third quickest for Mercedes, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fourth and the McLarens of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton in fifth and sixth.

De la Rosa, replacing the unwell Sergio Perez at Sauber, caused a red flag with less than a minute left after crashing against the well at the exit of Turn 9. The session was not restarted.

Mark Webber had another disappointing day after being hit by KERS issues, the Australian unable to leave his garage as mechanics continued to work on his car.

The Mercedes duo were the early pace-setters, with Rosberg shooting to the top of the times with a lap of 1m15.034s. He was followed by team-mate Michael Schumacher initially, but Button, Vitaly Petrov and then more drivers relegated the German down to seventh with some 40 minutes left.

Button moved to first place minutes later when he became the first man to lap in the 1m14s, but he did not last long there, as Vettel showed his speed and stopped the clock on 1m14.126s with the soft rubber.

Rosberg also made a significant improvement to place himself in second, less than a tenth behind the world champion.

On the following lap, Rosberg moved to the top again thanks to another run with his super softs, the Mercedes man lapping in the 1m13s for the first time this weekend.

Alonso went for his first qualifying simulation with 17 minutes to go but, despite using super soft tyres, the Spaniard could not beat Rosberg's time. He came as close as possible, however, the Ferrari driver setting the exact same time as the Mercedes racer - 1m13.919s.

Alonso completed a second flying lap with the same set of super softs, but was nearly a tenth of a second slower, like team-mate Massa just seconds earlier.

On his third lap, however, the Spanish driver outpaced Rosberg with a lap of 1m13.701s as the sky become very dark and threatened rain for qualifying.

Vettel started his first run on super softs with five minutes remaining, but the German aborted his first attempt because of traffic. On the second lap he moved to first place, however, lapping over three tenths quicker than Alonso.

FP3


Pos  Driver                Team                    Time               Laps

 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        1m13.381s            21

 2.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m13.701s  + 0.320   21

 3.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m13.919s  + 0.538   29

 4.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m13.956s  + 0.575   20

 5.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m14.335s  + 0.954   18

 6.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        1m14.469s  + 1.088   16

 7.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                1m14.488s  + 1.107   23

 8.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 1m14.917s  + 1.536   23

 9.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1m15.217s  + 1.836   18

10.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m15.243s  + 1.862   17

11.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       1m15.312s  + 1.931   19

12.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault                 1m15.350s  + 1.969   22

13.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m16.138s  + 2.757   17

14.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m16.145s  + 2.764   19

15.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          1m16.236s  + 2.855   21

16.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1m16.438s  + 3.057   21

17.  Pedro de la Rosa      Sauber-Ferrari          1m16.706s  + 3.325   22

18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m17.093s  + 3.712   21

19.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault           1m17.523s  + 4.142   24

20.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth            1m18.910s  + 5.529   20

21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         1m19.073s  + 5.692   19

22.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth            1m19.213s  + 5.832   22

23.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth         1m20.475s  + 7.094   19

24.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        No time


All Timing Unofficial[/code]




Sebastian Vettel secured yet another pole position this season after finishing on top in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.



It was the sixth pole in seven races for the Red Bull driver and also the 21st of his career.



Vettel's time of 1m13.014s put him in first place ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, the Italian squad enjoying its strongest outing of the year so far.



Mark Webber had to settle for a place on the second row of the grid after securing fourth.



Despite being tipped as one of the favourites to fight for pole and victory, the McLaren team endured a rather low-key day, as last year's winner Lewis Hamilton could only secure fifth position. Team-mate Jenson Button was seventh, behind Mercedes's Nico Rosberg.



Michael Schumacher was eighth.



Both Renaults made it into the top-ten shootout this time, with Nick Heidfeld qualifying in ninth position and Vitaly Petrov down in 10th.



Paul di Resta qualified in 11th position for Force India, the Scot enjoying another strong qualifying after finishing ahead of team-mate Adrian Sutil, 14th today.



Another rookie, Pastor Maldonado, also outqualified his more experienced team-mate Rubens Barrichello, the Venezuelan four places ahead of the Brazilian in 12th position. Kamui Kobayashi will start from 13th place, in front of Sutil and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi.



Pedro de la Rosa, replacing the unwell Sergio Perez at Sauber, put on a decent performance despite his lack of running, making it to Q2 and finishing around three tenths of team-mate Kobayashi in 17th place.



The first qualifying segment began under very cloudy skies, but the rain held off for the whole hour despite that.



Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari endured a disappointing day after he was knocked out in Q1, being relegated to 18th position by a last-gasp effort from Kobayashi. The Spanish driver struggled for grip and with his brakes, although he admitted there was not a lot of time to be found.



Jarno Trulli outqualified Lotus team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, as both men were again out in the first qualifying segment. They were joined Tonio Liuzzi in the Hispania, who managed to outpace both Virgins, with Timo Glock in 22nd and Jerome D'Ambrosio last behind Narain Karthikeyan.



Belgian D'Ambrosio failed to qualify for the race after finishing nearly half a second off the 107 per cent time.



He could still be allowed to race by the stewards, although the Virgin driver only ran within the 107 per cent of the fastest time in the opening practice session on Friday.



[code]Qualifying


Pos  Driver                Team                 Time         Gap   

 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m13.014s

 2.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m13.199s  + 0.185

 3.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m13.217s  + 0.203

 4.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m13.429s  + 0.415

 5.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m13.565s  + 0.551

 6.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m13.814s  + 0.800

 7.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m13.838s  + 0.824

 8.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m13.864s  + 0.850

 9.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault              1m14.062s  + 1.048

10.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault              1m14.085s  + 1.071

Q3 cut-off time: 1m14.467s                                  Gap **

11.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m14.752s  + 1.321

12.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth    1m15.043s  + 1.612

13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m15.285s  + 1.854

14.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m15.287s  + 1.856

15.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m15.334s  + 1.903

16.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth    1m15.361s  + 1.930

17.  Pedro de la Rosa      Sauber-Ferrari       1m15.587s  + 2.156

Q3 cut-off time: 1m16.229s                                    Gap *

18.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m16.294s  + 2.472

19.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault        1m16.745s  + 2.923

20.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault        1m16.786s  + 2.964

21.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth         1m18.424s  + 4.602

22.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth      1m18.537s  + 4.715

23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         1m18.574s  + 4.752

24.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth      1m19.414s  + 5.592


107% time: 1m18.989


* Gap to quickest in Q1


** Gap to quickest in Q2

Pirelli may be delighted that it has put the 'emotion' back in Formula 1 tyre talk this year, but it has revealed it is ready to take a step back from being so aggressive with its tyre choices to further help make the races better.

Although the Italian tyre manufacturer says it has hit its targets in improving the spectacle in 2011, it thinks that having four-stop races like Turkey and Spain turned into were a step too far.

That is why Pirelli will now work hard to ensure that its tyre choices for grands prix are aimed at achieving its aims of two stoppers - which will likely mean having just one step difference between the compounds at some races from now on.

"We have said we wanted to make sure that we stick with two to three pitstops per car, and the average we have got so far this season is 2.5 - so we are actually overall in line," Hembery said when asked by AUTOSPORT about Pirelli's future strategy.

"We appreciate for the tougher circuits, and we saw signs of that in Barcelona, that we are getting up close to four - and we don't want to be in that ballpark.

"The only way we can bring that back is to go a little bit more with the life of the tyre, which is what we want to do for Silverstone, and we want to run with the medium in Valencia because we want to get a race under our belts before then.

"Silverstone is one of the tough tracks. It is obviously fast and it can be chilly, but it can also be extremely warm and it can be very abrasive. So we prefer to go with something in a more conservative way – we have done enough of being aggressive."

The initial trials of the medium compound in Canada proved a success on Friday – and Hembery believes that bringing that tyre into use alongside the latest version of the hard will help it achieve it aims.

"It is something we can mix and match," he said. "We felt at the extreme level that we were missing the hard tyre as it wasn't giving us the life. We saw the hard at a number of races earlier in the season, but its life span was too similar to the soft so it didn't operate as it should do.

"Now we have changed that, but the gap between the soft and hard was too big in terms of performance so we needed to get the medium in and working to plug that gap."

Pirelli's decision to be aggressive with its tyre choices this year has helped make it one of the main talking points of 2011 – something the company said had been one of its main aims in opting for that tactic.

"I think the biggest compliment is that we know a number of our competitors are looking at what we have done and are surprised at how we have managed to get the tyre into the race weekend.

"People always ask me about control tyres versus open competition, and the answer really is that with open competition they only talk about tyres when you are losing, because they blame you, or if you have an Indianapolis type situation.

"With a control tyre if you do too good a job, as we did in WRC and the previous supplier in F1 did, people only talk about that if you do have a problem now and again.

"The midway for me was to get us involved in the strategy for the weekend but not to be the defining factor in the overall result, which we are not because the best car and the best driver has won this year."

When asked if there was an element of bravery in having taken that tactic, because of the risk of facing criticism for the high degrading tyres, Hembery said: "It was brave for me because if it hadn't worked I wouldn't be here anymore! We obviously had some back-up plans, and we could easily have switched to super conservative overnight if people were not embracing it.

"The biggest message we wanted to get across was the emotional aspect. Pirelli has been fortunate or clever over the years in creating a brand that has been able to go outside the box.

"We are a brand that can be seen in the best places and I think the way we approach F1 was to bring emotion and Italian flair to the sport. We want to be here to give it value.

"The teams are our partners and customers, and they want the sport to look upon us as someone who has given them something, not just turned up and plastered our advertising around the circuit and think that is job done.

"We have tried to give the sport something. They might come to us with a different request, they might want us to do something completely different, and if that is the case we will do that as well."

Formula 1 drivers have backed the decision by the FIA to experiment with two DRS zones at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix - even if it proves to be a step too far.

Although overtaking has never been too difficult in Montreal, the FIA has elected to try out having a zone out of the final hairpin and another along the start-finish straight.

There are fears that the two zones could make overtaking too easy, but leading drivers reckon that it is worth seeing what impact it makes so the FIA knows what is possible to do in the future.

Renault's Nick Heidfeld told AUTOSPORT: "You could argue that it is probably too much to have two DRS zones, but it is a good idea to at least try it once and then afterwards we will know.

"We might not go back to it, we might. I think one would have been enough – but why not try?"

Heikki Kovalainen added: "Rather than the hairpin being the main overtaking place like in past years, I think it will probably be into Turn 1 or probably the last chicane.

"I think there could be a significant difference compared to previous years. I am very interested to see how a double DRS zone works on back-to-back straights. I think it will be good.

"I think it is an area that the FIA should definitely explore and not be afraid of doing something, even if it sounds in theory a little bit crazy. Let's see what happens because it is a new thing and I don't think everyone understands fully, but here we have an ideal place to try it."

Jenson Button was one driver who said that while the double DRS zone would definitely help overtaking, it would not necessarily make the grand prix a better spectacle.

"I am not sure how the DRS is going to work here, because on the first DRS zone it should be easy to overtake," he said. "Then, as you exit the chicane across the start-finish line, you can DRS again so you pull away from the guy you have overtaken - and they cannot fight back.

"It is not like I thought it was going to be where we had two activation zones, it is just one activation zone at the hairpin. So you can use it all the way down the straight and use it out of the chicane. It is going to help the overtaking but I don't think it is going to help the racing."

Virgin will introduce its final major upgrade package of the 2011 season at next month's British Grand Prix as it switches its focus onto next year's car.

The team parted company with technical director Nick Wirth after the Monaco Grand Prix, and is currently working on establishing a new design and development base.

The Silverstone package was signed off by Wirth before he stopped working for the team, and the package is currently in the production phase. By opting against further major upgrades, the team can pour all of its resources into its new technical hub and the 2012 Virgin MVR-03.

"Up to Silverstone and that will probably be it," said team boss John Booth when asked by AUTOSPORT what upgrades are in the pipeline. "There will be small things after that, but nothing major.

"We want to race this year and we want to qualify for every race. We want to do the best we can, but it's difficult for a team with our resources to have two programmes going at once. Even the big teams struggle with that and have a cut-off point.

"Of course, we have the technical working group next week with the decision on the blown diffuser and we may have to take a view on our development programme when that decision has been made."

Booth confirmed that the team has no plans to appoint a new technical director "in the immediate future" but that the new design and development base must be up and running soon.

Former Renault director of engineering Pat Symonds, who is a consultant to the team, is currently overseeing the establishment of the new facility.

"We need to establish it within a month," said Booth. "It will be in England, but it's unclear at the moment. The Silverstone area may be a possibility because it's fairly central for attracting people from a wide area."

Booth confirmed that the decision to part with Wirth was down to the team's disappointing level of performance this year.

Virgin had targeted appearances in Q2, but Timo Glock and Jerome d'Ambrosio have yet to threaten to make it out of the bottom seven during qualifying and have only been able to outpace the HRTs.

Although a plan whereby Wirth could continue to be involved in the team as CFD provider was among the courses of action evaluated, it was decided that a clean break would give the team the best chance to achieve its competitive goals in 2012.

"The decision was made because what we have now was not working," Booth told AUTOSPORT. "We have made no secret of the fact that we expected to be much more competitive this year than we were last year and this has not been the case.

"We are in exactly the same place as last year and you could argue that we are slightly worse. Now is the time of year when we have to commit ourselves to the 2012 car because there didn't seem to be any point in doing the same again.

"We spent months deliberating and looking at every possibility. It wasn't a decision that we arrive at overnight. All options were looked at."

Richard Branson says he is still fully committed to his involvement in Formula 1, despite Virgin Racing's difficult start to the season.

With the outfit having not made the step forward in pace that it expected this season, and parting company with technical chief Nick Wirth after the Monaco Grand Prix, there had been speculation that Branson could scale back his involvement to leave the way clear for a takeover by Marussia.

However, speaking in Montreal, Branson made it clear that F1 was still an important part of his Virgin company's portfolio.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he was as committed as ever to being in F1, Branson said: "Yes, I thoroughly enjoy Virgin's involvement with the team and the sport, and hope it will be for a while.

"This isn't my team, we're effectively a sponsor, but for as long as we're helpful to Marussia and the team then we will stay involved."

He added: "We're not an auto builder, but having Virgin on the car is great for all the Virgin companies. I watched the Monaco Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago and we were getting great coverage, so we're still very happy."

Branson welcomed the fact that Virgin Racing had shown it willingness to react to its performance situation by splitting with Wirth, and said he was excited by future technical plans that Pat Symonds is putting in place.

"Reliability has been much better [this season], but everybody accepts that performance needs to improve. The team have made tough decisions, and they've one or two quite exciting things they've told me about - which I can't talk about - but will hopefully see them go up the grid over the next year or two.

"Marussia are fantastic owners, they've the kind of deep pockets the team need, and they're very committed to it. I think going forward, there's only one direction they can go."

Speaking about the decision to part company with Wirth, Branson said: "I think when we first got involved there was talk of the FIA getting rid of wind tunnelling and getting costs right down. I think a lot of that push to get costs down seems to have gone by the wayside somewhat.

"So, I think one of the tough decisions our new chief executive has had to make is on the technical side. I think it was the right decision and from what he has confidentially told me he has some exciting plans ahead on that front. If something is not working it cannot carry on indefinitely."

Sebastian Vettel is expecting a close fight for victory in the Canadian Grand Prix after securing yet another pole position on Saturday.

The Red Bull driver will start from the top spot for the sixth time in seven races, after beating Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in today's qualifying.

Vettel secured pole despite the Montreal circuit expected to be the least favourable for Red Bull this season.

The world champion reckons, however, that the race will be very difficult.

"I think we made up some ground from last year. We know this is not our strongest track, we love high-speed corners. But we had the fastest package today so we can be confident.

"The runs we had were very confident. Surely it is never easy and it will not be easy tomorrow, like in the last two races. We are ready to fight so we will see what happens tomorrow."

He added: "At this stage everyone looks after themselves and in qualifying you know it is between you and your car. Tomorrow is a different ballpark.

"We have seen in the last two races in particular that it will be close, and we don't expect anything other than that. Tomorrow is a new day and a new adventure."

Vettel also conceded that Red Bull cannot afford to have any KERS issues in the race if he is to fight for victory, after team-mate Mark Webber was forced to missed final practice because of problems with the system.

"If I have a problem then I have no choice, I cannot stop them. This weekend I had no problems and it looks as good as it can be. With our KERS there is a bigger risk than the Ferrari engine blowing up, but Mark had a problem this afternoon. I think they can be able to fix it tonight but we have to wait and see."

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were pleasantly surprised with the pace of their cars on Saturday, after qualifying second and third respectively ahead of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

The duo trailed only the championship leader Sebastien Vettel in the final qualifying session.

"We are two tenths, 1.5 tenths behind RBR, which is a much better result than we expected and a much better result than the first six races," Alonso said after qualifying.

"We are happy with the performance of the car, it has been very smooth the whole weekend and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

"The car felt competitive from yesterday and today," he added. "It is a good feeling being back to the top positions, close to fighting for pole, and having Felipe in the top three too is a nice team result."

Massa, who lines up third as he continues his most impressive weekend of the 2011 season so far, was similarly enthusiastic.

"It was a good qualifying for us straight away," he said. "It looks like we are competitive compared to other teams who were in front of us before, like McLaren.

"We have seen that our car is competitive and that we're much closer to Red Bull, compared to previous races, so it was a good qualifying, a good day for us. We need to be ready and we hope we can have a good day tomorrow as well.

The strong performance in qualifying was partially down to McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton being compromised by their wet-weather set-up. But Alonso was unconcerned by the possibility of being caught out by rain in tomorrow's race.

"The forecast so far is for rain tomorrow and we haven't run in wet conditions with the whole field together," he pointed out. "We cannot forget McLaren, despite their qualifying position, with the set-up they have and the speed they have, they have a lot of downforce and in wet conditions they could be very competitive."

"Conditions are likely to change, so maybe this was one of the less important qualifying sessions of the year, but tomorrow everybody's cards are on the table and we definitely have a chance to win the race."

[Rich]

Vettel is boring me too much

[Twist]

Vettel is killing F1 for me. (N)

[LUKIE]

The top 8 are less then a second apart...

It's not like Vettel is .5 in front of the next two, then a full second in front of everyone else.

[Sam]

It's just the case he is always on pole and always wins. If you take him out of the equation the championship race looks incredibly exciting, instead we're heading towards a Schumacher style dominance, which just like those times isn't because Vettel is by the far the best driver but because he has the superior technology under him. Webber on the other hand keeps getting fucked over by his team, his KERs won't be working again off the start so expect him to drop back like a stone off the start even if the run down to the first corner is incredibly quick.