Formula One 2011

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Jenson Button believes Red Bull Racing should have every reason to be worried about its own pace now - with the Hungarian Grand Prix winner confident McLaren is now a match for the championship leaders in both qualifying and races.

On the basis that McLaren has won three of the last five grands prix, Button sees no reason why the Woking-based outfit cannot continue its good run of form for the remainder of the season.

And, with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber now being pushed really hard in qualifying - an area where they were dominant earlier this year - Button thinks that the advantage Red Bull Racing had has now been wiped away.

"We are very quick in the race," Button said. "In qualifying it is nice to see we have made some improvements, and nice to see we are up there with the Red Bulls now. They should be worried."

Button thinks that updates planned for the next race in Belgium should allow it to challenge for the win on the high-speed circuit too.

"Spa is a very different race, and I am hoping that we will have a good package for it. I'm looking forward to running it, and hopefully we can fight for another victory. We should do well."

However, despite his optimism about McLaren's run of form, he concedes that recent non-finishes have badly hurt his championship ambitions.

"We won three of the last five races, which is not bad, it is pretty good. But for me it is pretty tough to fight for the championship because of recent reliability issues, but still we are not going to give up.

"As a team we have made it very difficult for ourselves over the last three races with failures, but I am a very positive person.

"I know it is very difficult to fight for the championship. I am taking it one race at a time. I don't look at the numbers. I will just keep my head down and concentrate on doing the best I can at each race."

Button currently lies fifth in the drivers' championship, 100 points adrift of Vettel but only 15 points behind Webber, who is second overall.

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner wants his team to use the summer to get its energy back so that it can arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix ready to make the final push for title glory.

After seeing rivals Ferrari and McLaren win the last three grands prix, the runaway championship leader is facing up to the reality that it may no longer have a comfortable performance advantage.

Horner is not too disheartened by recent form, though, and thinks that Sebastian Vettel's consistent points scoring on difficult weekends is reason to be encouraged.

"All things considered, on a day like today, you have the ability for more things to go wrong than right," he explained. "So to come away second, with Seb having extended his lead in the drivers' championship after the conditions we faced in Hungary, is a really positive result.

"The McLarens were quick at certain stages of the race and we were quick at other stages of the race, and it would have been fascinating had it been dry until the end after that last stop.

"We thought we were looking in good shape. We elected to go down a different strategic route to go onto the prime tyre and then it rained for probably two or three laps. The slick was the wrong tyre to be on, and 50 per cent of the grid came in for an intermediate.

"For those two laps it was the right thing to do, but then the rain stopped, which meant an additional stop for Mark Webber that probably cost him a podium today."

Vettel may well have been disappointed with second place in a race he felt he could win, but Horner sees reasons to be encouraged - and promises a strong response for the Belgian GP.

"It is very tight between three teams at the moment and for Sebastian going into the summer break, to have won six races and to have had four seconds and a fourth; it is a fantastic set of results.

"Obviously there is still a long way to go, and we qualified on pole at every single GP this year, so we are determined to make sure we come out of the blocks recharged in good shape."

Horner thinks that the improved form of McLaren and Ferrari in recent races has alerted his team to the fact it has to lift its game, and he is sure his men know exactly what they need to do.

"Our focus is to turn up and try and win every grand prix. I think that at different stages of the race, the McLaren was quick and we were quick.

"We are in the heart of the development push now and we learned a lot of lessons in the last two weekends that stand us in good stead for the upcoming races."

He added: "It was a very, very mature drive from Seb. He wants to win. He is focused on winning races and he will continue to push. He also knows that on days he cannot win, to finish second is not a disaster."

Ferrari thinks that if it can further improve its form in Q3 then it has the package needed to fight for victory over the remainder of the season.

Although Fernando Alonso has been the highest scoring driver in the last four races, the team feels that its chances in the races are being hurt by the fact that Red Bull Racing and McLaren are able to extract more performance in the final dash for grid positions.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali believes that is the area Ferrari now needs to address, because he thinks otherwise its car is pretty strong.

"I think that we have now a situation where from the performance in the race we are all there," he explained. "This weekend, in terms of the absolute result, there were a lot of things that could have changed the outcome, but in terms of performance - in qualifying, we have to improve Q3 because there is something that is still not there.

"The race pace is not too bad at all, and for these conditions [cool and wet race], the weather is perfect for the McLaren cars and the McLaren drivers.

"But if you look at the last four races in different conditions, always difficult, Fernando was the one that had more points than everyone else."

When asked in what way he felt the team was lacking in Q3, Domenicali said: "I think that we don't get the best out of our performance, independently from the others.

"It is clear that for example looking at Red Bull Racing in Q3, that it is maybe more conservative with some boost or power in Q1 and Q2 and they use it just for the qualifying lap. For sure there is always something more than what we can see looking at Q1 and Q2."

Domenicali also thinks that his team will be better off when F1 gets a return to warmer conditions – because it will help Alonso and Massa get their tyres into the right operating window.

"Statistically sooner or later the hot will arrive – I hope first of all in one week's time because I am on vacation with my family and to have rain there will be worse..." he said.

"But seriously, for sure this is affecting our performance, above all when we have to warm up the tyres in the crucial laps. For sure the hot will come, and we need to make sure that we are pushing the development of the car.

"We will have a track like Belgium, where we can have a good one, and Monza a special package and also do the job. It is the second part of the season where we have to have a good race to get some victories, and then in the end we will see where we can be."

Domenicali has said his team will keep pushing to improve its car, even though Vettel is 89 points ahead of Alonso in the title standings.

"The championship is for sure very difficult, but the only thing we can do is try to win the next couple of races, and then we will see," he explained. "Maybe Sebastian will start to struggle, it is difficult I know but I hope, and if we challenge them then it is still open from a mathematical point of view. Our aim is really to believe in and fight to the end of the year."

Domenicali also said that his aerodynamic department should perhaps learn some lessons from Felipe Massa's experience in Hungary – because the Brazilian set his fastest lap of the race with a broken rear wing following an early off.

"He lost part of the lateral rear plate, and I was just discussing with my engineers because Felipe set his fastest lap time like that. When I hear of aero people who are always looking for things, that this is 0.1 of a second better so can we put it on the car, and then looking at the car how is it, it makes me laugh."

Nick Heidfeld believes that Renault's season will be in 'trouble' if a major update package planned for the Belgian Grand Prix does not deliver a good step forward in form.

Renault failed to build on a strong start to the year that included podiums in Australian and Malaysia, with matters not helped by a lack of early year development progress in the wind tunnel and a mid-season shut down of the facility to upgrade it.

However, the team has unlocked some good improvements at the factory and a lot of the new parts - including wings, bodywork and floor updates – will come on tap for the next race at Spa-Francorchamps.

Heidfeld believes that, on the back of recent struggles, it is essential these updates do bring what is promised, as the outfit bids to try and retake Mercedes GP for fourth in the constructors' championship.

"If it doesn't work, then we are in trouble," Heidfeld told AUTOSPORT about the major update package coming for Belgium. "Let's hope for the best.

"I feel it finally has to work because we have been saying for some races now that we understand the problem, and that we have moved forward. This will be the first time that we really have something big.

"Since we found out our problems we have made some small things. But we have made some big improvements in the wind tunnel now, and it was not that easy to bring all the parts to the circuit yet. So Spa is a very important place for us to go in the right direction."

Renault may continue to experiment with a rearward facing exhaust system in Belgium, but it is undecided about its plan just yet because the big updates coming are built around the forward facing concept.

Cosworth remains convinced that its engine is capable of winning grands prix in the right car, and does not think it will be mired at the back of the grid next season when it is expected to only supply HRT and Virgin.

The engine firm returned to the sport last year with Williams, Lotus, Virgin and HRT as customers - but Lotus moved to Renault power for 2011 and Williams will do likewise next year.

Cosworth general manager Mark Gallagher is sure his company's V8 is a match for the rival units from Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes.

"There is not a lot of difference in performance between the four engine manufacturers in Formula 1 currently," he said.

"We are always listening to the feedback from our teams and looking at ways to optimise the performance of the engine for each race. The Cosworth engine has good reliability and excellent all-round performance, and I remain convinced that it has the potential to win races in the right car.

"We have to continue to work hard with all three teams and also look to future developments; I believe Marussia Virgin Racing and HRT F1 will make another good step in 2012."

Although its two 2012 squads finished at the bottom of last year's championship and currently tend to occupy the back two rows of the grid, Gallagher is optimistic that both Virgin and HRT have the potential to move forward next season.

"Marussia Virgin Racing has recently made key announcements about its technical set-up including the relationship with McLaren Applied Technologies which signal its intent to move up the grid, while HRT F1 has new owners which gives them increased confidence in their F1 programme," he said.

"Both teams have made improvements during the course of this season and are continuing to fight hard to reduce the gap to the midfield. Cosworth aims to push hard on its side to support both teams and to be deeply involved in their progress."

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Mark Webber's new contract at Red Bull Racing is expected to be sorted before the end of the summer break, with team boss Christian Horner seeing no reason why it should be his last deal in F1.

The Australian is due to visit Red Bull's Austrian headquarters early this week to speak to the energy drink's chiefs about his future plans - with it being widely expected that he will be rewarded with another year's extension.

And although comments by Helmut Marko ahead of the Hungarian GP were interpreted as being a sign that Red Bull thinks Webber's 2012 campaign could be his last in F1, Horner sees things differently.

"We are talking to Mark about next year, and I am expecting him to be here next year," explained Horner. "He is a popular member of the team, and he could have another two, three or four years. That is down to him. He is still very competitive and very hungry."

Although Webber's visit to Red Bull prompted talk that he could actually finalise his deal right now, Horner thinks it will be another few weeks before there is firm news.

"We always agreed that at the end of the summer we would sit down and talk, and we are heading into August," he said. "Mark and I have got a very good relationship and conversations with Mark, as you all know, seem to be fairly straightforward.

"Both sides are keen to continue so during the next few weeks we will take the opportunity to sit down, and while we have break in the championship we will look at next year."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says he can now see the "right spirit" in the Italian squad following a difficult start to the season.

The Maranello squad has turned its fortunes around after a poor first part of the year, and now Ferrari has been fighting in front, with Fernando Alonso having won the British Grand Prix and having finished second in Valencia and Nurburgring and third in Hungary.

Montezemolo is adamant Ferrari will be a "key player" in the second part of the season, the Italian expecting there are more wins to come.

"I can see the right spirit in the team after a very difficult start to the season," Montezemolo said on Ferrari's website.

"Domenicali and his crew seem very determined, concentrating fully on their tasks for the second part of the year which I am sure will feature Ferrari in the role of a key player.

"I expect we will pick up wins to add to the important and historically very significant victory achieved at Silverstone."

Ferrari said Montezemolo met with team boss Stefano Domenicali, as well as Pat Fry and Luca Marmorini, to discuss the state of the design of the 2012 car and also look at the overal situation in F1, which the team said is now entering a "delicate phase".

"There is no doubt the sport is approaching a delicate phase, featuring important deadlines and new horizons," said the team on its website.

"Ferrari will be keen to look in depth at certain issues in the most appropriate way, aware of its historically central role in the world of motor sport."

Jarno Trulli has criticised the FIA for not penalising Sauber rival Sergio Perez during the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.

The Italian driver was unhappy with the ruling body after claiming the Mexican rookie jumped the chicane in the early stages of the race in order to regain his position.

Lotus driver Trulli, who retired from the race after 17 laps, believes the FIA should have given a penalty to Perez.

He also told the governing body to pay attention to the back of the field when imposing penalties.

"This time around it's my turn to complain and tell the FIA off, despite my race ending almost immediately," wrote Trulli in his column for Repubblica. "At the start I already had to deal with three incidents ahead of me that pushed me to the back, then Perez arrived with his absurd behaviour and everything was over.

"He was strangely slow, more than my Lotus: I overtook him twice and to regain his position he cut the chicane. The rulebook is crystal clear, he had to move over and give the position back to me; instead he didn't care, he stayed ahead of me.

"He showed a rare kind of rudeness and a unique ignorance of the rules, but I wonder why the FIA did not take any measure. What is it there for? What was it looking at? I understand why a boy would shrug, but the stewards had to intervene.

"I could overtake him only in the slow sector but didn't manage to anymore, he slowed me down and ruined my race before my engine threw a tantrum like at Silverstone and forced me to retire.

"My message is clear: there is only one rulebook and it's the same for everyone: not just for the guys ahead, but also for the people at the back of the grid."

Craig Pollock believes the controversy over the appointment of Gilles Simon to his PURE company is a matter for the FIA to sort out, with teams set to ask the governing body to learn lessons from the situation.

PURE announced last week that it had signed Simon from his role as FIA's director of power train and electronics to be its new technical director with almost immediate effect.

That move left a number of teams and manufacturers unhappy, because Simon knows a great deal about the future 2014 power unit regulations, and has been in discussions with engine makers about their own V6 plans. It is feared that such information could provide a competitive advantage to PURE.

Pollock is adamant, however, that Simon arrives at PURE without any privileged data - and he says it is not his company's fault that Simon was able to leave his position so swiftly.

When asked if he could understand the concerns of teams about Simon having access to business and technical plans of the manufacturers over the past few years, Pollock told AUTOSPORT: "They have not given business plans and they have not given all technical plans. I think that is a slight exaggeration.

"They have all been part of meetings that have been open discussions, and in the open discussions every manufacturer knows what the other manufacturer is doing. But I can understand them. If I was a chassis manufacturer, and I signed up Adrian Newey from Red Bull Racing, then I am sure there would be others who would not be very happy. I think the situation is a little bit like that.

"I am very happy that Gilles is with us. But I would like to make it clear: we are not here to fight against other manufacturers; we are here to work with them to make sure the sport is going to be stronger in the future."

Pollock held talks with manufacturers at last weekend's Hungarian GP to discuss the situation – and especially made it clear to Renault's Rob White, who questioned the Simon situation in an FIA press conference, that any unhappiness should be directed at the FIA.

"I had a long chat with Rob White, and I purposefully pulled him out because he had made a statement in the FIA press conference.

"I can understand what he is saying, and I suggested Rob also discusses that directly with Gilles Simon. Rob has made it clear, however, that the problem does not lie with myself and PURE, the problem actually lies within the system and the FIA.

"If somebody wants to leave a position, then there are certain ways they can do that – and it depends on the contract. Gilles was free to leave the FIA without any blockages, without any gardening leave and it was done all above board."

Several teams said over the Hungarian GP weekend that they planned to contact the FIA to discuss the matter.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "I think it is always a sensitive issue when someone from within the FIA who has access to sensitive intellectual property of the teams or automotive manufacturers is then able to leave the following Monday to a competitor.

"You can imagine it has left a little bit of discussion and we will discuss it with the FIA. It has happened. I don't think you can wind the clock back. We are not going to change that situation, but I think it would be quite useful to have some reassurance for the future."

Renault boss Eric Boullier said: "For me it is an issue. He had access to a lot of IP and a lot of information, as he was talking to a lot of engine people. The FIA should release people at least with a gardening leave period long enough to make sure there is no transfer of technology."

Pollock said he too would be in favour of the FIA tying its staff members down in the future so they cannot make such immediate changes to competitors.

"I have got absolutely nothing against that, but you cannot do something after fact," he said. "Going forwards, whatever is good for the sport I will go along with if it makes sense.

"Everybody is in business to make money; they are not in business to lose money. And it is my need to have a new boy coming in to a manufacturing position to make sure my company is as competitive as anybody else. All I have done is fought for my own company."

Hungarian Grand Prix chiefs are hoping to get the funding in place to resurface the Hungaroring track for next year, following complaints from drivers last weekend.

With the circuit having a firm contract in place until 2016, race organisers are willing to spend money upgrading the facilities and circuit - although it will still need some kind of government support if it is going to happen.

Zsolt Gyulay, the president of the Hungaroring, told AUTOSPORT about the resurfacing effort: "I am fighting for this. We have a plan, but it is impossible to do it - so we need some kind of state support.

"But the resurfacing is the minimum we would like to achieve. There are plans for some big improvements in the next two years that will show people how important motor sport is in Hungary."

As well as resurfacing work, it is understood that efforts will be made into improving run off areas and repainting lines on the track – after the circuit failed to use non-slip paint last weekend.

The plans to improve the venue come after a number of complaints from drivers – who reckoned the track surface had very little grip in the wet, with matters not helped by the paint situation.

Felipe Massa said: "The track was very, very slippery in the rain, but I think the biggest problem in the wet was the lines. It looked like the paint they were using was like ice – it was completely slippery.

"The anti-slip paint was not used here, so it was a big problem. We spoke to the FIA about it and they said it was something they needed to control better."

Jenson Button said that a resurfacing of the whole track would be good because of the difficulties caused by the variation in grip levels throughout the lap.

"The surface in the last corner is different," he said. "It feels when you have a hot tyre, you struggle to get grip through there. I don't know if it is the oil in the asphalt coming through to the surface, but most of the lap is fine. It is when you get there you are skating around."

Button made it clear, however, that he was happy with safety at the circuit, despite a spectacular GP3 accident suffered by Luciano Bacheta, who ended up upside down against the barriers on Friday.

"I think the safety of this circuit is pretty good and I don't think we should be asking them to improve the circuit in any way in terms of safety," he explained.

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Bernie Ecclestone's desire to see a second race in the United States could yet be realised after fresh talks emerged about hosting a street race in New Jersey.

AUTOSPORT revealed in July that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was seriously considering a second F1 race in New York, having already signed a deal to race at Austin, Texas.

On Tuesday, the Mayors of Weehawken and West New York revealed that they are in the preliminary stages of talks with a group of investors, led by former YES TV Network executive Leo Hindery Jr., to hold a grand prix in the area from as early as 2013.

One proposed venue is to run the race along the banks of the Hudson River, using the waterfront and the iconic Manhattan skyline to create a spectacular backdrop.

Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner and West New York Mayor Felix Roque said in a joint statement that they were investigating the feasibility, and potential economic gains, of hosting an F1 street race in New Jersey.

"In these uncertain economic times when every direct and indirect revenue source is vital, our own Formula One race could be a very positive boost to our citizens," the statement read.

"This said, we need to ensure that the financial benefits from the privilege of having these races in our towns are equitably shared and that no tax dollars are used.

"The investor group has already told us that our towns would be substantially compensated annually."

In recent years there have been several failed attempts to host a race in the US, notably in 2010 when a proposed event at Liberty State Park was soon withdrawn amid public protests.

Pirelli has revealed the tyre compounds that it will take to the the next three races in Belgium, Italy and Singapore.

For the Spa and Monza races, the Italian manufacturer will take the medium and the soft compounds, while the Singapore night event will see the return of the soft and super soft combination.

The soft and the super soft were the tyres used in Monaco, Canada and Hungary, while the soft/medium combination has been the most common in recent races like Britain.

"We're learning more and more with every race in our first year of Formula 1, and fine-tuning our compound choices to benefit from the valuable information that we are accumulating," said Pirelli's Paul Hembery.

"We've got three of the most thrilling races on the entire calendar coming up, and we believe that we've arrived at some tyre nominations that are very well-suited to the characteristics of these very different but equally exciting circuits.

"Of course there will always be some unknown factors - such as the weather - but the choices we have made are designed to help teams maximise both their performance and their race strategy."

Williams chairman Adam Parr believes Formula 1 fans should be more supportive of the sport's attempts to reduce its costs, following the controversy generated by the BBC/Sky broadcast deal.

The British network announced last week a deal with Sky Sports that will mean the BBC only broadcasts half the grands prix live in 2012, with Sky Sports broadcasting all the races under its pay-to-view concept.

The decision caused outrage among British fans, who demanded that F1 stays on free-to-air TV.

Parr admitted he hoped that F1 could have stayed off pay TV, but said that fans need to understand the need to cover expenses in the sport.

He insisted that grand prix racing must continue to reduce costs, something he reckons will be beneficial for everybody.

"Since I've been in Formula 1, I have crusaded to reduce the costs of Formula 1, which would be beneficial for everybody," Parr said. "The teams would be more sustainable, we would be able to invest more in young drivers. We would be able to potentially have lower fees from motors, lower fees from broadcasters.

"While it costs, on average, each team let's say £100million a year, £1.2billion a year to put the show on... That money has to come from somewhere.

"What I say to the fans is, we understand how you feel and it's a shame the BBC couldn't sustain that [exclusive coverage]. We are trying to put in place the best possible and most accessible deal we can for British fans.

"Meanwhile, we have to balance the book, which let's face it, not many teams in Formula 1 are doing. And we are trying to keep the quality of the show and everything at the same time.

"I'd like the fans, perhaps, if they felt supportive, to be a bit more supportive of some of the things we are trying to do to reduce the cost in the sport."

Parr believes, however, that fans will understand the quality that F1 offers does not come cheap.

"The fundamental challenge is that Formula 1 is a very, very expensive show. It is not two blokes with a couple of tennis racquets and a pair of plimsolls - all of which was provided free," he added.

"If you go to Cirque de Soleil and you see cutting edge performers in an amazing facility, and constantly updating the show, it costs you £100 for a good ticket, or you can go to your local circus with a couple of mangy elephants and a rather droopy clown and it costs you £10. People are capable of distinguishing."

He reckons one of the solutions to get more revenue for F1 teams is to actually increase the number of races per season.

"I think the number of races can increase a little bit. We might have to look at the format of the weekend but we could do a couple more races. There are ways of increasing revenues."

Renault has been forced to write off Nick Heidfeld's chassis following the fire during last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

The German had to rush out of his car after it caught fire following a longer-than-expected pitstop.

Although Heidfeld escaped injury, his team said on Thursday that it will be unable to use the chassis again because of the heavy damage.

"The incident was highly undesirable, as it has caused us to write off a chassis," said technical director James Allison. "We will take steps prior to the next race to reduce the likelihood of a further fire and to ensure that the air bottle cannot overheat.

"We are in touch with the FIA both to provide them with a full report of the incident and also to explain to them the actions we are taking to prevent a re-occurrence."

He said that after an investigation, the team had found that the explosion that followed the fire had been caused by an air bottle inside the car.

"This was caused by the air bottle which supplies the air valves in the engine. It has overheated in the fire and failed."

Allison admitted several circumstances had combined to cause the fire.

"As with most accidents, several incidents combined to cause the fire that Nick suffered in Hungary," Allison explained. "First of all, we ran a slightly different engine mapping strategy in qualifying, which produced hotter than normal exhausts. We believe that this elevated temperature and caused a preliminary crack in the exhaust pipe.

"We presume that the crack then propagated during the laps to the pitstop - this was not evident to us as we believe that the failure occurred upstream of the place where we have a temperature sensor. We believe that Nick then came in with a partially failed exhaust.

"This pitstop took longer than normal, the engine was left at high rpm for 6.3 sec, waiting for the tyre change to be completed.

"Under these conditions, a lot of excess fuel always ends up in the exhausts and their temperature rises at around 100°C/sec. This temperature rise was enough to finish off the partially failed pipe and to start a moderate fire under the bodywork."

Adrian Sutil believes that the next two rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship in at Spa and Monza will be the strongest of the year for the Force India team.

The 28-year-old German qualified a season's best eighth in Germany and then repeated it in Hungary last weekend before seeing his team-mate Paul di Resta finish seventh in the race.

Sutil thinks that the strong straightline speed afforded by the VJM04's aerodynamic package and its Mercedes engines will make both he and di Resta forces to be reckoned with in Belgium and Italy.

When asked if he was pleased with the momentum currently with Force India after a cagey start to the 2011 season, Sutil said: "Absolutely. It's important for us to see this.

"We planned for a little bit of a difficult start to the season because we changed a few things [on the car] during the winter, and we're aiming for a strong finish. At the moment we're on the right way. We're aiming to catch a lot of points still. Looking to Spa and Monza, these are tracks that favour us. It could get even better.

"It's a good sign that our downforce is improving and the general stability [of the car] too. This will help us at Spa. We are still one of the fastest cars in a straight line. The switch of the DRS is very good, so it should be even better at Spa and Monza than at other races."

Force India currently lies seventh in the Constructors' World Championship, nine points behind Sauber and four ahead of Toro Rosso. Sutil, however, believes that racing against Mercedes - fourth in the standings – should be the aim for the rest of the season.

"They [Mercedes] are always a hard competitor and are difficult to beat, but we showed it was possible at the Nurburging and again, and we always look towards the front," he added.

"But we should not forget about Sauber either. They have a good race pace. It's quite a good grid and nothing really is different to the few last races [in terms of grid order]."

Craig Pollock says he was baffled by the FIA's decision to change its plans over engine regulations from the 2014 Formula 1 season.

Formula 1 was expected to switch to four-cylinder turbo engines from the 2013 season but, after some teams expressed their unhappiness about the plans, the ruling body announced they would be replaced by six-cylinder power units from 2014.

The move was confirmed in late June, nearly two months after Pollock's PURE engine company had announced plans to enter Formula 1 in 2013.

Pollock said he was mystified by the change and admitted PURE's plans were affected by it.

"When the four-cylinder rules were changed it was like I had literally been kicked in the lower parts," Pollock told AUTOSPORT.

"I just thought how can, when you have a World Motor Sport Council unanimous decision, that be overturned? I never thought that could happen. But the proof is, we are in F1 and it can happen.

"It is the second time that something like this has happened to me. The first time was when we had dual-branding with British American Tobacco, which was a Lucky Strike and a 555 car. There was nothing in the rules, and because of BAT pressure, I was pressured into taking them [the FIA] to court.

"We did that, and we lost - even though there was nothing in the rules. It was called an initiation into an exclusive club, so there is no way we would go down that road again. We will just get on with it and work out what is best for the future."

Pollock also expressed concerns about how the V6 units will increase costs in comparison with four-cylinder engines originally planned.

"What I cannot understand is that a lot of people in this sport are saying with 'the V6, it is great, it is fantastic, we are going to be able to contain our costs'," he said.

"Well, it doesn't contain costs. You have got four cylinders and you are going up to six cylinders, so automatically you have six pistons, more valves and it is going to cost more."

He added: "It changes the business plan substantially. When you go to investors and you go with your business plan, you go with one that has been worked out on your project, and the technical people can go forward with a four cylinder engine that is a straight four, it is a turbo, it has a KERS, so it costs X.

"And now, what we are having to do, is go back to the same people and say, 'sorry. That business plan was false, it is now X plus a certain but more.' So we have had to totally remake our business plan. It is the same business but different amounts."

He said that despite the rule changes the project is still on schedule.

"It has been up and down. Initially we were very, very happy and we were designing a four-cylinder engine, which he had finished designing and were ready to push the button and start manufacturing.

"Then a unanimous decision was changed, and F1 switched to a V6. But we are well into that as well. We have hired all the necessary people for the design and development, we are on it and we are on schedule."

Pollock said he expects to announce its first customers during the 2012 season, but he reckons there is no hurry.

"The reality is they don't need to sign until 2013. Now we are in 2011, so I would say any time within the next year," he said.

The Scot also claimed he was not concerned about the possibility of not finding customers for his engines, as he reckons it will be an attractive offer for teams.

"If at the beginning of 2013 we had no customers, then we would have to put a big question mark over the project. But normally speaking it doesn't bother me - it goes down to strategy and how you can convince the teams on the technical side that the engine is going to be performant, and also if it is going to be cost-effective compared to the rest."

[Lineker]

Jenson Button says he is determined to continue to fight for this year's title despite his huge gap to Sebastian Vettel in the standings.

Button scored his second win of the season in last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, but Red Bull rival Vettel finished in second and increased his lead in the championship.

The McLaren driver is 100 points behind the German.

Button conceded it will be a challenge to catch Vettel, but he insists he is not giving up.

"I'm 100 points behind Sebastian, so that's going to be challenging, but we like a challenge," said Button. "I never give up, so let's see what happens.

"I'll take each race as it comes and then look at the points at the end of the year."

Button admitted he was very encouraged by McLaren's progress in the last couple of races, with the team having won back-to-back events in Germany and Hungary.

"Our race pace was very strong, but I don't think there was much between us, Ferrari and Red Bull," he said. "We've won three of the last five races and each of our major rivals has won just one apiece during that time, so we're doing something right.

"To win with Lewis in Germany and me in Hungary proves that McLaren is pushing, developing and challenging the cars around us with genuine pace in the car."

Team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the winner at the Nurburging, is also bullish about his prospects for the upcoming races, the Briton adamant that he can score more victories.

"There are 200 points up for grabs and I enter all of the races believing I can win them," he said. "We're about to visit some really special venues: Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Suzuka and Interlagos are some of the greatest tracks in the sport. You really feel their soul and their history.

"We're going to these tracks with three teams battling with similar pace at the top, it's going to be a competitive and dramatic run down to Brazil and the end of the season."

Williams is not giving up on the 2011 season despite its disappointing campaign so far, according to the team's chairman Adam Parr.

The Grove-based squad endured its worst start to a season this year, only scoring its first points in the sixth round of the championship in Monaco.

Williams has managed just four points in 11 races and it's in ninth place in the standings, 18 points behind Toro Rosso.

Despite the difficult year, Parr says no one in the team is giving up on 2011 yet.

"We are halfway through the season. We just have to do a better job," said Parr. "No one in this team has given up on this year, we will keep going until we do better. It's all one can say."

When asked if the team has started working on its 2012 car, he said: "Absolutely, I'm sure everyone has. But we are not giving up on this year. We will fight to the bitter end."

Parr insisted, however, that Williams is looking at the future with optimism thanks to the deal to use Renault engines and the new people coming in.

"There is a real sense of optimism about the future. Everybody in the team is thrilled to be back with Renault next year, very happy with the new people coming in. I think people needed to feel change. Everyone individually has been doing the best they can.

"It's not that people are disliked. On the contrary, I think everyone likes the people who have been leading the team in the recent past. But there's the sense that we are not getting the results and we needed a change, and people like what we are doing and where we are going."

Parr also said there were no regrets about the team's decision to debut on the Frankfurt stock exchange despite the poor on-track performance.

"The only thing I regret is that we came out this season with a performance we didn't anticipate and which is woefully unacceptable," he said.

"I didn't say we would win the world championship. I believed that we could make progress from where we were last year based on what I saw through the latter half of last year's season.

"I believe we were on a positive trajectory and that we could sustain that. And I was wrong, and we've taken steps to address that. We will deliver. I am confident in what we presented to investors and I am confident we will deliver.

"I'm disappointed in our share price, but it reflects where we are on the track and we have to get that right for a lot of reasons."

Force India boss Vijay Mallya says his team has reasons to be very proud after what he labelled as a remarkable performance in the last few races.

Adrian Sutil secured a season-best sixth place in the German Grand Prix, and that was followed by team-mate Paul di Resta finishing in seventh position in Hungary last weekend.

The results allowed Force India to close the gap to sixth-placed Sauber to nine points.

Mallya admitted he has been delighted with his team's progress.

"It's the result that counts. I'm very encouraged and very happy," said Mallya on Force India's website.

"Development work through the season is obviously paying off. The car is getting better and more competitive and easier to drive. The drivers are highly motivated and clearly they are putting in their very best. In Germany it was Adrian, and in Hungary, Paul."

He added: "We had a slow start to the season, because I think the first few flyaway races were just an extension of our development programme. But once we got going from the European season onwards, particularly from Monaco, we've improved almost every race.

"These last few races, where we have qualified in Q3, say it all. To be in the top 10 in such a fiercely competitive field is quite remarkable, and quite satisfying."

Mallya also believes the nature of the Spa and Monza circuits should mean Force India will continue performing strongly in the upcoming races.

"The car is going to be quick, I think. If you look at the sector maximum speeds in the race in Hungary, in S1 Adrian was the quickest, and in S3, Paul was the quickest," he said.

"So this car has pace. But it also has good downforce to handle the corners as well. I'll be looking forward to Spa, and hopefully a strong showing."

"It was an absolutely fantastic moment to see the car in pole position in 2009 and Giancarlo Fisichella on the podium. But that car could only go very fast in a straight line, and pretty much didn't do very much else! Now it's doing everything that's asked of it, irrespective of the track. I think that's a better position to be in."

Daniel Ricciardo believes he can aim to beat HRT team-mate Tonio Liuzzi and the Virgin drivers by the end of the 2011 season.

The 22-year-old Australian made his grand prix debut at the British Grand Prix, replacing Narain Karthikeyan at the Spanish squad.

The Australian finished in 18th position in the last race in Hungary, having been 19th in the previous two races.

Ricciardo reckons he needs more time in the car before he can set bigger targets for himself.

"The target is to continue learning. I think that will come with time in the car," said Ricciardo. "If I could manage to sneak out a personal best result or edge out Tonio and the Virgins in a few races that would be a strong result.

"I have to aim high because it is only going to help me for the future. I think that for the last few races of the year I can really start to push and aim for it."

Ricciardo also believes it will not be easy to outperform Liuzzi, and even harder to beat the Italian's season-best result of 13th in the Canadian Grand Prix.

"I think the result in Canada was really good, Tonio has proved he is a very capable driver and I think he will be tough to beat," he said. "In Silverstone I was quite off his pace. I knew it would take a bit of time but you always want a bit more. But it was very clear to me that I have a strong team-mate.

"It is going to take my best efforts to really try and get in front of him and to push for a personal best result for the team. I don't think it is going to come through luck; it's just going to be hard work for now.

"I really have to soak in as much information as I can to try and become the driver I want to be and, hopefully, the one who maybe gets a personal best result for HRT one day."

[Lineker]

Lowdon speaks sense.

Virgin Racing CEO Graeme Lowdon believes it will be the fans who will determine if the BBC/Sky deal will be good for Formula 1 next year.

The BBC announced last month that it would share Formula 1 broadcasting from 2012, in an agreement that means only half the races will be broadcast live and on free-to-air TV next year in Britain.

Fans who wish to watch all races live will have to adopt Sky's pay-to-view model.

Although some of the sport's figures have welcome the deal, Lowdon reckons it will up to the fans to judge it.

"I think we are yet to see quite a lot of the detail and the detail is important," Lowdon told AUTOSPORT. "I read in the Sky report that they are planning a fabulous experience for the fans and you have to welcome that kind of thing.

"But I think they also said that's good news for the fans, and I think, with the greatest respect, that is up to the fans to determine. We wouldn't say whether is great for the fans. We have to wait for the fans to respond on that, and I'm sure they will in this day and age.

"From the point of view of the commercial model there are potential mismatches between a broadcasting that maximises viewers and one that maximises revenue.

"Obviously that kind of thing needs to be addressed, but I'm sure it hasn't escaped those who are in involved. What's really important is to see what the fans think."

Lowdon also suggested that teams like his, with a big dependency on sponsorship revenue, may find it hard to secure new deals if the Formula 1 viewership decreases as a result of the deal.

"We are yet to see what it will actually mean, but the vast majority of our revenue - some 90 per cent of our revenue - comes from sponsors and partners, and they are very interested in ensuring that the fans enjoy the sport and are watching in maximum numbers.

"So it's really quite clear. Other teams don't have that kind of split, but everything develops in Formula 1 and I think it's pretty key to listen to what the fans want to see. We really have to see how it pans out."

Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn is adamant his team has reduced the gap to the frontrunning squads, although he concedes it has not been enough to make the outfit as competitive as needed.

Although Mercedes started the season with high hopes of fighting for victories, it soon became clear it was not strong enough to achieve the goal.

The team is in fourth place in the standings, over 300 points behind leader Red Bull, and is yet to finish on the podium this year.

Brawn says Mercedes is still trying its best to reach the top and, despite its disappointing season, he reckons it has closed the gap to the top in terms of laptime.

"Obviously we're still trying very hard," said Brawn. "Interestingly we kind of do an analysis after each race and generally we're clawing it back, slowly - obviously not as quick as we would like because I think there's pretty intense competition at the front so they're working ferociously to improve their situation and we're also trying to catch up.

"But in terms of what we call normalised laptime, where you take account of tyres, fuel, all sort of things, we have reduced the gap, just not enough yet."

Brawn conceded that in hindsight there are things the team should have done differently this year, in particular around the diffuser area.

"We are about six months out of phase," he added. "If we had six months worth of performance developments in the car now we would be looking a lot better. So really that's what we are trying to do."

"There are some things that we would be differently.

"The sort of exhaust plan diffuser, or the technologies around the exhaust we possibly didn't get on to that early enough, in terms of the implications it has, and there are some thing we did to optimise the car without those technologies that perhaps we wouldn't have done with those technologies.

"You are balancing aerodynamics against weight distribution, centre of gravity, all those sort of things."

The team boss is also convinced Mercedes has a stronger structure now, but says it will expand it as far as the Resource Restriction Agreement allows.

"To add people you have to have the structure you need, and obviously one of the big things for the team is Bob Bell joining us," Brawn said. "The infrastructure has to be in place before you can start adding numbers. And I think we've strengthened the structure.

"It's always nice to do well with the smallest number possible, and there is the RRA limit, and we are looking to move to that absolute limit.

"At the same time the other teams are coming down to it because they are still on the glide path down to the RRA limit, so in 2011 the teams who are bigger still have the benefit of that glide path down to the RRA targets."

[Lineker]

Indian motor sport federation president Vicky Chandhok has voiced concerns about the event's proposed April 22 slot on the 2012 Formula 1 calendar which the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone submitted to the teams ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.

Following team principals remarks that they are set to ask Ecclestone for a rethink due to the logistical demands of fly-away back-to-back races at the end of the season, Chandhok believes New Delhi's race could also benefit from a change of date due to the country's hot weather at that time of the year. Temperatures in the region are frequently just below 40C during April. On average only May is a hotter month for Delhi.

"I am not happy with April because it's going to be hot," Chandhok, father of Team Lotus test driver Karun, told Reuters.

"But if we have to go in April we will go. But I really think that the ideal dates for India are when it's cooler. Maybe March or you go to October, November, December."

Chandhok added that he believes New Delhi's debut on the world stage will impress F1 when it hosts India's inaugural grand prix on October 30 this year.

"I have been to every single racetrack in the world," he said. "It's going to be one of the fastest circuits in the world. A 1.2km straight and three corners that have now been redefined - they are following the new FIA guidelines to encourage overtaking.

"I think it's going to be phenomenal. There will be lot of scope of overtaking."

Chandhok also insisted that preparations for this year's event remain on track in spite of FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting delaying his final inspection until the beginning of September.

"He is visiting Korea at the end of this month, on his way back he is flying over Delhi," said Chandhok. "So he will stop over at Delhi as it will make logical sense for the FIA. It's purely procedural and a matter of convenience for the date of inspection."

Ferrari intends to switch its focus of development to its 2012 challenger from the beginning of September, team principal Stefano Domenicali confirmed during the Wrooom Summer 2011 event at the Scuderia's traditional Madonna di Campiglio retreat.

Having recently stated that Ferrari will continue to fight for this year's world championships, in spite of Fernando Alonso's 89-point deficit to Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standing and an even larger 168-point gap between Ferrari and constuctors' table leader Red Bull, Domenicali stated that he wants to ensure the team makes a better start to its campaign next year.

Alonso has been the highest scoring driver over the last four races, but struggled for competitiveness earlier in the season - a similar story to last year where the Spaniard lost the championship partly due to a slow start to the season.

"At the start of September, we will concentrate solely on next year, because we have already defined all the updates for the 150° Italia [the 2011 car], at least up until mid-October," said Domenicali. "Sure, if something was to change, then we would react accordingly.

"In fact, apart from the area that concerns the exhausts, [and] on August 23 the Technical Working Group should shed some light on all the grey areas, the regulations are practically unchanged and therefore, development on today's car can also be useful for next year.

He added in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that the priority for the team must be to improve its starting point in 2012.

"If you have to do some fine-tuning you can do it, but otherwise you will lose a lot of time on development of the new car," he said. "The more time we can spend on the wind tunnel the better. Because for sure what I really want to avoid is another difficult winter like the last two years.

"Last year for instance we had a fantastic second half of the season - incredible - and could have won the world championship. But this year we did not start so well. So this year our priority is to have a much better winter."

Domenicali said the aim for the rest of the season was to keep pushing for victories and pressurising Red Bull.

"If I had to score our season so far, I would mark it a 6+, which represents the mid-point between the terrible start and a great fight back that we saw in the second part," he said Domenicali. "I expect we will continue down this route which has seen Fernando Alonso score more points than any other driver in the last four races, all the way to the end of the season.

"Our aim is to win as much as possible and to have a car that is competitive at the highest level.

"Let's not forget that, last year, while fighting all the way to the end, we were still behind Red Bull in terms of performance. We want to close the gap, which has already been considerably reduced if not almost wiped out in the last few races."

Fernando Alonso hasn't given up on the 2011 drivers' title despite his 89-point deficit to championship leader and world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Speaking at Ferrari's summer press event at the Madonna di Campaglio, the Spaniard said that while the odds were long, it was still possible to close the gap if kept winning and Red Bull's driver ran into a barren spell.

"We must try and win as many races as possible," he said. "We are realistic and the championship situation is what it is, but we have seen so often that there can be sudden reversals. And after all, we are Ferrari and we have a moral obligation, especially for the millions of fans spread around the world, to always think of the maximum goal.

"We can't ever say we will tackle eight races without having the championship in the back of our mind: we will always have an eye on the title, at least until there is no longer the slightest chance.

"Of course we must start winning and we have to hope that Vettel makes a few mistakes or has some problems"

Alonso qualified his remarks by adding that he realised Red Bull was unlikely to lay down and hand Ferrari an advantage - particularly in light of its dominant start to the season - and therefore was not committing to a promise to win the world championship this. Though he added that as a team, Ferrari is well on its way to returning to that status.

"Formula 1 is too complicated a sport to make declarations," he said. "It requires everyone to give their all in order to win and the genius of an individual is not enough. If you look at Adrian Newey, it's not a case of him turning up at Red Bull and at a stroke, creating a winning car with a magic wand. It took years for all the team to reach the level it is at now.

"It takes great people, structures and, clearly a little pinch of genius. I am convinced we too have that genius."

Asked how he rated Ferrari's campaign so far, Alonso said: "A nine or a 10 can go to those who lead the championship, but this has not been such a bad a season for us so far.

"Sure, the beginning was very difficult: we had hoped for a better start but we did not manage it," he continued. "In China we went through what was possibly the worst point, because not only were we not fighting for the win with McLaren and Red Bull, but we were also behind Mercedes and maybe Renault, who had already scored two podium finishes. However, after that, we reacted well.

"We still lack a little something in all areas, including from the drivers, to be at the level of the best. However, I feel much more part of the team than I did a year ago. In terms of driving, I don't think I've ever been this strong."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes that Fernando Alonso is not only the best driver in Formula 1, but that in some ways he is better than Michael Schumacher - who won five world titles with the Italian outfit.

Domenicali, speaking at the Wrooom Summer 2011 event at Madonna di Campiglio, said that Alonso has bonded with Ferrari much faster than Schumacher did when he joined in the winter of 1995

"For me, Fernando is the number one driver in F1 at the moment," said Domenicali. "I see a lot of similarities with Michael Schumacher, a driver who made his mark on our history. In fact, in some areas Fernando is even better, for example when I think of the speed with which he integrated himself into the team and the way he became its leader.

"In this he was much quicker than Michael who took a while to do that."

When told of this Alonso responded: "I don't know what to say, except that I immediately felt comfortable at Ferrari.

"But it would be very difficult to repeat what Michael did, because things are very different now to what they were a decade ago. Having said that, I am currently experiencing the best years of my career and that makes me very optimistic for the future."

Domenicali added that he believed Felipe Massa was also turning his season around, having come in from criticism earlier in the season for not matching Alonso's pace.

"I have seen that he was clearly on the up in the last three races and I am sure he will do very well in the second part of the year," said Domenicali. "Felipe has to stay calm and make the most of his talents, of which there are many: he is a very quick driver over a single lap, but maybe he needs to improve a bit in terms of his consistency in the races.

"It is definitely not easy being paired with someone like Fernando, but that should be a motivation for him not an excuse. For us, it is vital for Felipe to be on top of his game, given that for at least another year and a half, he is one of our drivers."

Alonso added that he was very happy to be driving alongside Massa, but added that he would not be concerned about being teamed with anyone - including his old McLaren nemesis Lewis Hamilton.

Asked what he thought of Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton's remarks that they would not rule out joining Ferrari at some point in their careers, Alonso replied: "It seems a normal thing to say: all drivers want to race for Ferrari. Some might say it openly, others deny it even if they are thinking it.

"For my part, it makes me feel even more privileged, because I am at Ferrari now and I will be for many years to come, at least to the end of 2016. I am very happy to have Felipe as a team-mate and we work very well together.

"If the day arrives when someone else was to come here, that would not be a problem for me, even if it was Hamilton."

Domenicali though said he thought it unlikely that Hamilton would be a part of the Ferrari set-up anytime in the near future.

"I am pleased he said never say never on the subject of Ferrari, in fact it is logical that everyone aspires to come to Maranello sooner or later, given what we represent in the history of this sport," he said. "Having said that, I don't think the question will arise, neither in the short nor in the long term.

"For the Ferrari of the future, I believe the right combination is to have one well established driver with great experience, alongside a talented youngster on the way up. I do not think that, with the pressure we are under, we can consider having two youngsters in the team at the same time."

[maninblack]

Meh, makes sense for Domenicali to talk up Alonso more than Schumacher.

[Lineker]

Ferrari's chances in this year's championship look set to be boosted, with Pirelli having revealed that it is unlikely to use the hard tyre in the remaining races of the season.

The Maranello squad has been known this season for preferring softer tyres that adapt better to its car.

Pirelli announced earlier this week that it would not be using the hard compound in the upcoming three races, and its motorsport boss Paul Hembery says the compound is unlikely to return this season.

"I don't think we'll see the hard compound again," said Hembery. "I think it's probably too hard and that the medium is proving sufficiently robust for the aggressive circuits we've still got to come. So don't think we'll be going the hard route."

Hembery also revealed the hardest tyre is probably not going to be used at all next year, with a new compound likely to be introduced as a bridge between the medium and the soft.

"Probably next season the medium will become the hard," he said. "We'll probably slot something in between the current softs and mediums - We want to keep about one second between each. The super soft and soft gap is about right to be honest, because you've got a 1s speed advantage but you've got a clear degradation and limitation on use.

"If we could replicate that now with a new medium and a new hard then I think we'll be well placed."

He made it clear the company will continue to use vary the tyre compounds from race to race in order to get the better of them at every track.

"Well, I think we have to, because the circuits we are going to are really different again. It tends to be only the street circuits where I think there is a lot of similarity. Singapore has the added question mark of rain, at night, in 40 degrees centigrade, which is a bizarre situation to be in, so that's going to be fascinating.

"I have to say I think we will have some other interesting scenarios and we'll try and throw in some challenges ourselves."

The Briton also praised the job done by Pirelli this year to help improve the show in Formula 1.

"Pirelli has to be delighted," he said. "I think the Pirelli team has done a great job. We had very limited chance to get ready, limited testing opportunities with the teams, and with all those constraints I think we've delivered a great product and added something to the weekend spectacle."

[Lineker]

Force India team boss Vijay Mallya is confident that the essential facilities required for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix will be complete in plenty of time before the 30 October race.

FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting recently delayed his final inspection of the New Delhi venue until the start of September, but Mallya said he had no concerns about the core elements of the build - while conceding that some aspects would be a race against time.

"The promoters of the race, who are also the owners of the track, are very confident that everything will be ready," he said. "Charlie will obviously make the determination himself.

"Everything may not be 100 per cent in terms of the grandstands and the spectator facilities, but the technical areas, the pits, the motorhomes, the paddock club and of course the track itself seems to be almost ready already."

Mallya said the remaining issues related to some of the spectator areas.

"They have designed a huge grandstand with a massively cantilevered roof. All that is taking a bit of time to erect," he added.

"Some spectator facilities might not be fully ready, but there's no reason why the race should not happen."

He also echoed Indian motorsport federation president Vicky Chandhok's worries about extreme temperatures for the proposed April date for the 2012 race, but admitted it may be hard to change.

"It's doable. It's going to be hot, but it's doable. It's in May that it gets into the 40s [degrees], but it certainly will be in the high 30s," Mallya said.

"We'll discuss it at the World Motor Sport Council, the next one is before Singapore, and I guess in the scheme of things, as far as the race promoter is concerned, you take what you get."

Turkish Grand Prix chiefs say that negotiations are ongoing with Bernie Ecclestone for the race to remain on the Formula 1 schedule and that they remain hopeful of winning a reprieve for 2012 after the race was dropped from next year's proposed F1 calendar.

With Austin, Texas, added to the list of races in 2012 and pressure mounting to keep the calendar at 20 events, the Turkish race was missing from the latest calendar unveiled by Ecclestone during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

Turkey's current contract with F1 expires at the end of 2011, and it is understood that circuit chiefs had stalled earlier in the year on agreeing a new deal. All this has now increased the pressure on the track's owners to find a solution. Istanbul Park is little used outside of the grand prix weekend.

Despite the speculation, Ferruh Gundogan, Director of SMEs Department in the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, insists that nothing has been concluded, and the circuit is still hopeful it will win a reprieve for 2012.

"Certainly we are hopeful about the 2012 Turkish GP, but it depends on the result of ongoing negotiations," Gundogan told AUTOSPORT.

"Actually, [the] ultimate 2012 Formula 1 calendar has not been declared yet. Negotiations between the Turkish Ministry of Sports and FOA are ongoing.

"It is hardly possible to say that the Turkish GP has dismissed the opportunity."

Gundogan said that the Ministry of Sport continue to place a high value on hosting an F1 grand prix, and that it was searching for ways to expand the commercial reach of the sport within the country as a means of trying to settle negotiations.

"As president of the investor institution, I paid effort to inform the Turkish government and audience about the importance of Formula 1.

"Sharing the same objectives, the sportife authorities are in close contact with the Ministry of Sport and have high praise of Formula 1 racing.

"We are discussing alternatives to expand the commercial volume of Formula One as an incentive to settle negotiations."

[Lineker]

Mexico is working on a plan to bring a Formula 1 grand prix back to the country after a hiatus of nearly 20 years.

Mexican entertainment company CIE is working in conjunction with Carlos Slim Domit, the son of Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, to get Mexico back on the Formula 1 calendar.

"It's being studied," Slim Domit told the Reuters news agency.

Mexico has hosted 15 world championship grands prix, first from 1963 to 1970 and then again from 1986 to 1992.

The Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, which hosted all the Formula 1 races and is operated by CIE, is being considered as one of the possible venues, although it would need an upgrade to be up to GP standards.

According to Reuters, another option could be a new street circuit in Guadalajara.

The country has its first Formula 1 driver since 1981 in Sergio Perez, the Sauber racer making his grand prix debut this year.

FIA president Jean Todt suggested last week Mexico would be welcome to the Formula 1 calendar.

"Today Mexico has a strong economy and I am convinced that in the future this will be possible," Todt told a news conference in Mexico City according to Reuters.

"We know that racing is costly. There are a series of criteria that need to be met for the event, most importantly security."

Sauber's technical director James Key says the Swiss squad has to react to the charge from rival Force India in order to keep sixth place in the standings.

Force India has enjoyed a series of very strong races over the last few weeks, managing to reduce the gap to Sauber to just nine points.

The Mercedes-powered squad is also expected to be strong in the next races in Belgium and Italy due to the nature of the circuits.

Key believes Sauber needs to raise its game to keep Force India at bay.

"I think Force India have definitely made a step, they look quite strong and they have got some potentially strong events coming up, Spa and Monza, so we need to react a bit to what they've done and we are," said Key.

"We've got packages and stuff on the way. We have to see. I think from our side our consistency isn't brilliant, we go to certain tracks and conditions where we know we are going to have trouble, and other circumstances where it is good and we probably have to keep more consistency to try and fight with Renault and Force India."

Key also admitted Sauber is not dealing well with the medium tyres, something that is likely to affect the team in the upcoming races as Pirelli has announced it will take that compound to Spa and Monza.

"I think with the tracks, as I predicted at the Nurburgring, places like Hungary and Silverstone, where you laterally load the tyre, are far better for us than places that are stop start like Canada for example. Tracks which work the tyres are good for us.

"And with the tyre compounds, we don't get on at all well with the medium tyre, but the soft and the super soft no problem at all and then the hard surprisingly is okay as well.

"But when we have to face the medium its just very difficult. It's very peaky, you can easily go over the top of its working range or underneath, but to be on it seems to be very condition-dependent."

Jarno Trulli says he is 'not panicking' about his future in Formula 1, the Italian claiming he is now focused on trying to turn his season around.

Trulli struggled with his Lotus car in the first part of the season as he tried to cope with his problems with the power steering system.

The Italian was replaced by Karun Chandhok at the German Grand Prix, but returned for Hungary, where a new power steering system lifted his spirits.

Trulli, who has been in talks with Lotus about a new deal, admitted he is now upbeat about his chances for the remaining part of the year, and has vowed to focus on achieving good results without thinking too much about his future.

"As I always say, I'm not panicking about my future because first I have to be quick and second I have to be motivated," Trulli said.

"So now it all looks very different for me, everything looks brighter. I'm not really looking at the future, now I want to build up from now, and whatever will be, will be.

"Some announcement will be done probably in the next weeks, but at the moment I'm happy with the way it is and I just want to focus on my job and the team and my results. I want to enjoy what I'm doing because I wasn't enjoying it much before."

The Lotus driver admitted the issues with his car's power steering made him start asking questions about his own ability.

"The worst was at Silverstone. I was totally lost," he said. "At Silverstone I stepped into the car and I didn't know where I was or where the limit was.

"I was trying to feel it but I didn't have any feeling. I was not in control of it, and sometimes you ask questions, 'is it me?' and you start you have these question marks. So at least I'm happy for myself."

The Italian veteran described the new power steering as a different world for him, and he is confident he will be able to make more progress as the season progresses.

"It's a much better feeling now," he added. "They did a good job with the new power steering system, which is giving me the exact feeling with the car. I think we can still improve the system, but the feeling is okay. For the first time this season I started working with the car and changing many things because many things were becoming very clear for me.

"It's totally another world. The way I drive is totally different. Before I was a passenger in the car. I just hope now I can build up my confidence day after day and move on."

He added: "It's, let's say not my fault, but my driving style. I'm extremely precise. This has been my weakness and also my strength and when we had this power steering the feeling I was getting it was not the real one. What was happening with the car it was not was transmitting to me.

"Because I'm so precise, I was reacting to something that was not true. So I was basically chasing something that was not real. I'm not going to say that I'm going to fly now, but I'm now in control of the situation."

[Lineker]

Channel 4's F1 proposal. Actually looks really good, apart from the lack of a promise of ad-free races.

Elsewhere:

Team Lotus will be a regular midfield runner in next year's Formula 1 World Championship, according to its chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne.

The British-based squad has established itself ahead of fellow 2010 newcomers Virgin and Hispania on a regular basis this year, but has yet to score a point and is consistently still over half a second behind the likes of Toro Rosso and Williams.

Gascoyne, however, believes that a major development on schedule for the Singapore Grand Prix will help close the gap, and that the momentum it - plus the arrival of former Red Bull designer Mark Smith as technical director that will help the team reach the midfield battle next year.

"We said we wanted to be racing in the midfield this year, but we're not," Gascoyne told AUTOSPORT. "We're in a sort of no-man's land.

"But we have made a lot of good progress this year and we're two seconds clear of the other new teams, but we're still a second to a second and a half behind the cars ahead of us.

"It would be nice to be actually racing against those guys by the end of the year and actually picking off the odd Williams and Toro Rosso and then start there [next year] and go on. We can do it, I believe.

"We're shifting the emphasis of development onto next year's car after the summer break, and that should really kick things off.

"Unlike this year's car, which was almost all-new [compared to] to 2010, next year's car will be a development of this year's; same gearbox, same design team, same engine. We'll be able to concentrate on the parts that make the thing quicker rather than having to do it all again."

Gascoyne said that the team, which currently lies 10th in the Constructors' World Championship, will adopt a Red Bull KERS unit for 2012, but is adamant that not running such a system this year was the right decision, despite it costing the T128 pace.

"The only option would have been to run the Red Bull KERS [this year], and look at the problems they've been having. It was the right decision. The resources it would have taken would have been huge for the net gain.

"Next year, when we're in the pack, is when we need it. What's it going to give you? Three tenths [of a second per lap]? That will make no difference to us this year, but next year, when we're in amongst it, it we'll need it.

"We'll use the Red Bull unit next year because we're already using their gearbox, so it's the only logical solution. The box will be a development of this year's but the KERS package will be next year's. We're very happy with that."

Sergio Perez is confident he will have a much stronger second season in Formula 1 next year after a solid debut campaign with Sauber.

Perez, the first Mexican Formula 1 driver in nearly 30 years, has enjoyed a strong first half of the season with the Swiss squad, having scored eight points so far.

The rookie is optimistic, however, that he will be able to build on his first year in Formula 1 to be much better in 2012, both on and off the track.

"I think a lot stronger," he told AUTOSPORT when asked about the prospects for next year.

"Not only on the track, but off the track. When you come into Formula 1 you realise it's a different world, and as a young driver I think it takes some time to adapt to this world.

"I think next year is going to be a lot more normal for me and a lot better season if F1, and this is my aim: to have a much better second season."

He says having secured a deal for next year early has also helped him focus on his job.

"Of course, it always helps to know so early what you are doing next year. Normally as a driver, not that you worry but you want to find the best future for your career, and I think it was always a good idea to stay at Sauber. For me, it was of course a very clear decision."

He added: "I think it has been an up-and-down season. The [Monaco] accident did not help. After Australia, in Malaysia and Shanghai I had some bad luck, but we've been always right there in the pace and this is very important.

"Unfortunately my accident did not help at all because I lost some momentum, and to get back in the proper rhythm as a racing driver is not so easy after such a big impact in the head. Its getting better and I'm getting more comfortable in the car every time, and I'm sure that it was the right decision."

The Mexican admitted the accident he suffered during the Monaco Grand Prix, after which he was forced to miss two races, was a very hard moment to cope with.

"It was very difficult, it was not easy at all," he said. "It was a big shame because it was a very big accident, I could have ended my career early. Fortunately that did not happen, nothing big, and I just missed two races - two important races where the team scored very good points, they were two circuits that suited our strategy mainly quite well.

"Unfortunately I lost some points there and some rhythm, but then I went back in the car in Valencia and it was all okay, I was in the rhythm straight away and it was all fine."

Jerome D'Ambrosio says he is focusing on doing the best possible job this year rather than worrying about his future in Formula 1.

Virgin Racing announced last month that Timo Glock would stay with the team at least until the 2014 season, but said it was in no hurry to name its second driver.

D'Ambrosio, who has a contract until the end of the year, says he is not worrying too much about that at the moment, and that he is in talks with Virgin about a possible new deal.

"Obviously we are speaking, but at the moment I am still highly focussed on what I do now," D'Ambrosio told AUTOSPORT, "and if anything [manager] Eric Boullier and Gravity are working on that."

The Belgian, making his debut this year with Virgin, said he was pleased with how he has progressed during the season, despite the team's difficult campaign so far.

"I'm happy with the progress," he said. "With these conditions obviously, a bit of experience maybe, but quite happy with how things are going.

"As you can imagine as a rookie you take up a lot of information in a short period of time with non-stop races, so it would be good to have these weeks to just back off a little bit, process everything and then come back fresh and ready for Spa."

Virgin CEO Graeme Lowdon praised D'Ambrosio's work this year, but insisted no decision is likely to be made until the end of the season.

"Jerome's doing a really great job, I think he's surprised a lot of people with his maturity in the races as well," he said last month.

"You see with other drivers coming in for the first time, its not an easy formula to adapt to because of everything that's around it, and you cant really talk too highly about Jerome's performance so far.

"So again in terms of just straightforward contractual time then it will be more towards the back end of the season."

[Lineker]

Jacques Villeneuve in bitterness shock:

United States Grand Prix officials have welcome Bernie Ecclestone's decision to move the inaugural Austin race to November next year.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT, Ecclestone circulated a new version of the 2012 calendar during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

The teams, however, expressed concern about the move, with seven races at the end of the season in just 10 weekends and back-to-back events in Japan/Korea, Abu Dhabi/Bahrain and the United States/Brazil.

Although Ecclestone's proposed calendar is not official and will need the approval of the FIA, US GP bosses have welcome the new November date over the original June one.

"I have been hoping for a late-season race date since this project began and see this as a very positive sign from Formula 1 that it wants its US event to be an over-the-top success," said US Grand Prix chairman Tavo Hellmund.

"Mr. Ecclestone has dozens of competing issues to consider when it comes to the race calendar. He has to balance the interests of the teams with those of the promoters and even consider the unique situation of each host country.

"To put our race near the end of the schedule puts us in a prime spot to welcome the world next year - and I could not be more personally and professionally appreciative."

Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas, also praised the new race date.

"The Mayor's input regarding Central Texas' air quality during the summer months was obviously important to Formula 1 management, and to their credit, they listened and have responded," said Sexton.

"First and foremost, we want our fans to have a great experience when they come here. The prospect of milder weather makes that more likely. It also gives us time to better prepare our staff and the thousands of volunteers who will be supporting Formula 1 race week festivities."

Kimi Raikkonen did not deserve the title he won in 2007 and he only secured it because he was lucky, according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Raikkonen took the 2007 title for Ferrari against all odds, after overcoming a 17-point gap in the final two races of the season.

Villeneuve believes Raikkonen's team-mate Felipe Massa deserved the title more.

"If Kimi won the championship, he did it by luck, because he didn't deserve it," Villeneuve told Brazilian website TotalRace after the Canadian competed in the stock car race at Interlagos during the weekend.

"Felipe deserved it a lot more. He was always more capable than Kimi and it was easy to beat him."

The 1997 world champion says he does not understand criticism aimed at Massa for his performances this year, the Brazilian having been overshadowed by team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Villeneuve reckons Massa is performing strongly at the Italian squad.

"The problem is that Alonso arrived and, quickly, became powerful inside Ferrari," he added. "When it happens, it creates an energy that people put inside you, in this case, in Alonso. It seems that, if the car wins, it will be with him. It creates a difficult situation for the other driver, who has a double task.

"That's what Felipe has to do. He has the speed. He is capable of driving strongly, working in the car. I don't have any doubt about that.

"But he needs to do even more, because it's Alonso's team, which is normal, given that he is a double world champion. That's the logic. If your team-mate is a double world champion, it's normal that the team will focus on him.

"He [Massa] has won races and almost a championship, maybe two. He's a great driver. Right now he is driving strongly for Ferrari. I don't get people who criticise him."

Qualifying tyres could return to Formula 1 next year, with Pirelli having offered the teams the chance to bring the short-life rubber back to the sport, AUTOSPORT magazine reports.

Qualifying tyres disappeared from grand prix racing after the 1991 season, when both Pirelli and Goodyear supplied the field with very grippy rubber that performed at its peak during a single flying lap.

The FIA banned that sort of tyres after Pirelli's withdrawal from the sport, when only Goodyear was left to supply the teams.

But Pirelli boss Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT that the Italian manufacturer has offered the teams to bring the tyres back next year and was waiting for their thoughts about the idea.

"We've put the idea of qualifying tyres to the teams and we will get their feedback," said Hembery. "If they don't want to do it, we won't do it.

"It might be a step too far next year and too much for the teams to take on board, but it's something that we have offered."

[Lineker]

Silverstone has submitted its outline planning application for the ambitious development schme to continue to safeguard the future of the circuit.

The application, submitted to the to Aylesbury Vale District Council and South Northants District Council, includes business and technology parks, three hotels, an education campus, and ancillary retail and spectator facilities including a museum of motorsport.

According to Silverstone, the development plan will create around 8,400 permanent jobs in the firms and activities attracted to the site, plus an average of around 550 construction jobs per year throughout the development phase.

"This is the most important initiative that Silverstone has taken in its 60-year history," said Silverstone's managing director Richard Phillips.

"Things have changed dramatically since the early days. Approval of this planning application will help maintain Silverstone's position as a leading global centre for sport, leisure, education and technology and support its vision of becoming a World leading motor sport destination."

Stuart Rolt, Chairman of the British Racing Drivers' Club, added: "The submission of this planning application is a big step forward in releasing the commercial potential of Silverstone and its 760 acre Estate.

"The timing of this planning application is closely linked into the process we are currently undergoing to seek potential investment from third parties that will enable us to move forward with our plans more rapidly."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists that he has no doubts about Sebastian Vettel's strength under pressure as the 24-year-old German bids to secure his second consecutive world championship in the final eight races of the season.

Vettel, who has won six races so far in 2011, is 85 points ahead of his nearest rival, team-mate Mark Webber, in the drivers' championship. McLaren drive Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso are 88 and 89 points adrift respectively.

But although some have suggested that Vettel is weak under pressure, Horner is adamant that he has proved this not to be the case.

"He is hugely impressive under pressure," Horner told AUTOSPORT. "He has not ceased to surprise me in pressure situations.

"Monaco was a clear example in the way that he managed to keep the cars [Alonso and Jenson Button] behind him on tyres that were never envisaged to run that long.

"In Barcelona, in positioned the car in exactly the right place against Hamilton. He soaks up the pressure so well.

"So many times in Q3 you think 'he's got a bit on here' but he has gone on to deliver."

Vettel has finished in the points in all 11 races so far this year, only missing out on a full set of podiums by finishing fourth after a spin in the German Grand Prix last month.

He also lost places late in the race in Canada and China, but Horner does not believe that these reveal any weakness in the German as in each case the race situation meant that the odds were stacked against him.

"He still came fourth in Germany and if you look at his rivals' worst races this year, they have been far worse than that," said Horner. "He's sitting on six victories with two second places and a fourth. That's not a bad scorecard and he has been in a position to win three other races.

"He lost on the last lap in Canada going for it and lost China at the end of the race when on a different strategy. And at Silverstone he was in the lead until the jack failed.

"Nurburgring is the only race this year that he hasn't led, which is a remarkable statistic in itself."

Vettel has been asked regularly during recent race weekends about whether he plans to adopt a more conservative approach now that he has such a large points lead. He would still win the title if he finished third in all eight of the remaining races.

But Vettel has always insisted that he will stick to his "maximum attack" style. Horner is confident that he will do so because the mindset serves his driver very well.

"That's how he goes into each grand prix," said Horner. "He has to attack. He's hungry for wins.

"But he's also sensible enough to know that when he can't win, that's when he needs to be delivering the points. But his mindset is to try and win every grand prix.

Scuderia Toro Rosso can challenge Sauber and Force India in the second half of the season despite slipping to eighth in the Constructors' Championship after last month's German Grand Prix, according to Sebastien Buemi.

The Swiss pointed out that Toro Rosso is still on course to achieve its minimum target of finishing eighth in the championship, but believes that if the team's upgrades in upcoming races perform as expected, it could do even better.

"The objective at the start of the season was to finish eighth in the championship," he told AUTOSPORT. "We were seventh for a long time but now we have lost a place to Force India, so we are now eighth.

"It's really important that we continue to improve the car. This is the key during the second half of the season. If we can bring some new parts that work well on the car, it should be no problem to keep doing what we have been doing so far. If we don't improve the car, it is going to be hard."

Toro Rosso plans to take some upgrades to the Belgian Grand Prix, which follows the mid-season break. He is confident that this will allow it to continue its consistent points scoring record, with top 10 finishes in five of the last six races.

So far in 2011, Buemi has scored 12 points, with team-mate Jaime Alguersuari notching up 10. This means that Toro Rosso is only four points off the resurgent Force India in the championship and 13 behind sixth-placed Sauber.

"We have some stuff coming for Spa which hopefully is going to help us," said Buemi. "So hopefully we will be able to close the gap to our competitors. If we do a good job, it's still very possible to have a strong second part of the season."

Toro Rosso is continuing to expand after having to set itself up as a full constructor ahead of the 2010 season. For the previous four seasons, it had used Red Bull designs, something that was outlawed by the ban on customer cars.

Although Toro Rosso was created when Red Bull took over the Faenza-based Minardi team, which first came into F1 in 1985, it effectively had to build up its facilities to be a full constructor from close to scratch.

Buemi believes that the team is still developing and that it has the potential to continue to climb the grid in the long term.

"It was very difficult with the rule change, but now the team is on the up in terms of infrastructure and development. It takes a long time to get a team working properly together to use all of the tools like wind tunnels, CFD and all of that. So it will keep getting better.

"I can't say how long it will take, but we will keep getting stronger in the future compared to teams like Williams, Sauber and Force India, which have been in F1 for so many years and have big histories.

"Our history of development only goes back to the start of last year and it takes a long time to get the experience. But I strongly believe that it's going to keep improving."

Tonio Liuzzi says HRT's season would be perfect if it managed to overtake Team Lotus in the constructors' championship.

But the Italian is under no illusions about how difficult the task will be given the performance gap to its rivals.

Both Lotus and HRT have 13th places as their best results of the season, but the former is ahead in the standings because it has achieved the result twice.

"We would love to be ahead of Team Lotus but it is not an easy target, especially if you look at where we started in Australia," said Liuzzi.

"But we are on the same points and have half a season to improve and try and achieve a better position in the constructors' championship. We are following the right path and are in the right place."

Liuzzi says, however, that HRT can consider the season a success already.

He added: "I already consider it a successful season but if we could achieve our biggest target of finishing 10th in the Constructors' Championship, then that would be perfect.

"But we have to be realistic and continue pushing to show that we are competitive. We have to improve our pace compared to the leaders from now until the end of the season.

"It has been challenging but we have made good progress since Australia. The steps taken and reliability have been good and we managed to overtake Virgin in the Championship. The development slowed down a little with the changes in ownership but now we are a consistent structure and we are looking strong for the future."

The Italian driver says he never doubted about the potential of the team, and reckons the future is looking good for the Spanish squad.

"A lot of people didn't believe we would come through at the beginning of the year but I have always been really positive. As I have said on many occasions, there are good people involved in this project and the potential is there. If we work in the right direction, I'm sure we can achieve good things.

"I never doubted that there was potential for improvement, obviously we are not expecting to win races but to be where we are already is proof of the strength of the project. If you believe in yourself and in the project then you can achieve anything."

[maninblack]

Geez, Raikkonen isn't even in F1 anymore. What did he do to get JV all riled up?

[Lineker]

JV has always been a sour twat since he lost his seat in F1!

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says the world championship title is still possible for his drivers, despite the gap to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in the standings.

Vettel continues to keep a stronghold on the championship ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver 88 points ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and 100 ahead of Jenson Button, winner of the last race in Hungary.

Whitmarsh, whose team has won the last two races, insists McLaren is not focusing on the championship but rather on trying to win all the remaining grands prix.

He conceded it will be difficult to beat Vettel, but he is adamant that it is not out of the question.

"I think it's though, but it's possible," Whitmarsh told AUTOSPORT. "And winning races is tough, but I think all you can do is try to win every race, and you can't do more than that. It is difficult to pull back the gap, but it's possible.

"Of course people focus on the championship, but I think if you are not leading the championship then you can't worry too much about it.

"I'd like a one-two and it'd be handy if a Red Bull was not the third car on the podium if we get a one-two, and so we'd welcome Ferrari on the podium as well. We never give up. We've never been a quitter and this time isn't one.

"Whatever happens we are going to try to win every race and that's the great challenge."

Whitmarsh made it clear it is impossible to predict how the rest of the season will go, but he is sure his team will give it its best shot.

"If you had asked me in Australia to give you a prediction I couldn't have given you one. What I can predict is that we will be working bloody hard trying to win every race that we can. We have two great drivers, a great team, the car's not bad, we've made some good progress.

"We can keep this momentum and them we can win more races and the championship is possible. Tough, but possible."

Whitmarsh also believes Hamilton is fired up now he has a winning car following a season full of ups and downs.

"I think the positive one is that his head's now in a great place, because he suddenly believes he can win, and there's laptime in that," he said.

"I think Lewis desperately wants to win. I think he's tough on himself. He still takes too much to heart what's said in the media. "He has a little bit too much sensitivity about that. But he will learn. At the same time he is a young man, he gets a lot more attention, a lot more pressure, a lot more expectation.

"We are trying to help, we are trying to work with the media. I'm probably a bit more cynical than Lewis, but the same time I probably don't get quite the battering that Lewis usually gets."

Michael Schumacher insists there are no doubts about his presence on the Formula 1 grid in 2012, the German rubbishing rumours that he will have to make way at Mercedes.

The 42-year-old has endured a disappointing 2011 season so far, with his Mercedes car not proving competitive enough to fight for podiums or victories.

That has kicked off speculation about the seven-time champion's future, despite still being under contract for next year.

However, on Monday, Schumacher again denied having plans to leave the sport before his contract expires.

"Despite some funny rumours and stupid untruthful stories, I keep repeating myself that you will have to see me in 2012, whether you like it or don't like it," Schumacher said in a interview with Mercedes's website.

"I will be there. And the good thing is that I have a lot of support from all around, in particular from the company, in particular from the team, that they all wish me to be there, so I wish to be there, and I look forward to it."

He added: "I'm still fit enough. I'm still mentally ready for it. And I like a challenge."

Heikki Kovalainen says he is very happy at Team Lotus but insists he is not spending too much time worrying about where his future lies.

The Finn joined the team for its debut season last year after having spent two years at McLaren as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate.

Kovalainen admits he is enjoying his stint at Lotus a lot, but concedes he is not spending too much time thinking about what's next for him.

"Who knows about the future. I haven't thought about it that much," said Kovalainen, who looks set to stay at Lotus for another year, when asked by AUTOSPORT about his future.

"I'm very happy here. I think it works very well for me here. I think I'm getting more out of the team and the car than I've done in the past. I have no issues here.

"At the moment I haven't thought about the future at all. We just develop this team now and we wait and see, and then see what the future brings, but at the moment I'm happy here."

The Finn also admitted Team Lotus's decision to switch to Renault engines for this year and Red Bull gearboxes from 2012 is a big boost for the future of the outfit.

"I think in terms of power the Cosworth engine is quite powerful," he said. "Last year it was not just a question of power. The experience that Renault has is completely different. I think it was necessary for us to take that step.

"And for next year we'll fit the KERS that has been in the Renault engines before, and the gearbox that we have from Red Bull. So this is one of the reasons why the Renault engine was very, very important for us.

"The service that we get from them is excellent. The quality of the engine... the degradation of the engine is very, very low. Just generally the package the we get from them I think is the kind of package that we needed for this year."

[Lineker]

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug says the team needs to accept the fact that it will take time before it can challenge for championship glory after two difficult seasons.

"Compared to Red Bull, it took five years to build up that system and the first race was won by Sebastian Vettel in a Toro Rosso, which is a similar car," Haug told AUTOSPORT.

"With all respect and credit to them, it has taken time. We need to accept that it needs building up time.

"I'm not speaking about two years from now, but a longer period of time. If you achieve it [success] in less than five years without throwing money at it, which teams did in the past, then you are really very special."

Mercedes returned to Formula 1 with its own team last year, having taken over the Brawn GP squad, which had won both titles in 2009.

Despite the success of that year, Mercedes has been unable to repeat that kind of performance and, although it had high hopes for this season, the team has struggled to be competitive, having not finished on the podium in 2011.

Haug conceded the expectations ahead of the start of the year were simply too high.

"You could argue that our anticipation from the beginning was not exactly spot on," he said, "and we had this cooling issue we had to concentrate on resolving, so once the train had started and you need to run behind the train, then it's quite difficult [to catch up].

"But in a way, if we were in the same position it would be worrying if the gap became bigger and bigger. There is an intense rhythm of development. Speak to Ferrari, speak to McLaren, speak to Red Bull and they will admit that they have upgrades at each and every race."

He also believes that one what he reckons to be the strongest field in F1 history is making Mercedes's job to catch up an even harder-than-usual task.

"We've certainly this year, had it tough, a tough group with very strong competitors, probably stronger than ever in the history of Formula 1," he added. "We have three teams that have won races, McLaren was in a position to win more, Ferrari was in a position to win more.

"Of course, Red Bull won most of them, but both of them did quite impressive catching up which depended at times on the nature of the circuit and we have positioned ourselves as number four."

Haug, however, is adamant that Mercedes has closed the gap on the leading teams, even if its not reflecting in the results.

"We have had a very difficult start, especially over the first two races, just, we have been on our left foot, and I think it speaks for the team that in the third race, which is different from the other grands prix, that we were leading for 14 laps.

"It is very difficult if you're carrying a deficit into the season. I think there are some interesting figures we can provide you with. In Australia, the difference to the leaders was 2.3 per cent, in Malaysia 2.0 per cent, in China 1.0 per cent, in Turkey 0.6 per cent - more than half a second - in Spain 2 per cent, Monaco 1.5 per cent, Canada 1.1. per cent, Great Britain 1.1 per cent, Germany 1.3 per cent.

"Anyway, I think it's stabilised in a way. The rhythm that the front cars are having is changing, but we have at least kept the same margin. The target is to start on a higher basis and then go from there.

"I think the most important point is that we are focussed, have a long road ahead of us and we are working very hard."

Adrian Sutil says he has no problems with waiting until the end of the season to sort out his future in Formula 1.

The German has a contract with Force India until the end of the year, but claims he is happy to wait like he did last season in case new opportunities arise.

"It was last year very similar, but you already know a bit before," Sutil told AUTOSPORT. "It's not a bad thing to wait until after the season because it's not all said after the first half of the season.

"Some drivers turn it around in the second half and they're on the way up. Maybe some teams will want them. Sometimes I think it's unusual that the teams get their drivers early in the season, because you have to take an average of the whole season. I don't have that problem."

He added: "It's still mid-season. I don't even want to comment about that because it's such a fast business in F1. One good result and you're a hero. One mistake and you're on the floor. I just try and make the best possible and see what comes."

Sutil made it clear, however, that he is still feeling very comfortable at Force India, having joined the team in 2006, when it was known as Midland.

"I feel very happy here. I've been driving here for a long time and it's always in my heart. It's a great feeling when we have success and when we can see it's going in the points now.

"It's a good job we deliver at the moment. It's not over yet either, so we can still improve ourselves and do even better. It's time to show it at the moment. We had a good season last year. Hopefully it's enough time and enough races to do something."

The German driver also says team boss Vijay Mallya has always been very open about his relationship with him, and Sutil expects to hear any news on his future from him first.

"Me and Vijay have an open relationship," he said. "I can get a bit more information out of him than the press can. I have to keep it quiet, but I can always ask him what he thinks. He's always very honest. I don't think I have to ask a lot of other teams because he's not someone that can tell me the truth. He's a very special person.

"In this business you always have your eyes and ears open to hear anything you can here to estimate what's possible. I'm a loyal person and I like this team, so always as a first option I talk to them and see what they think. If they tell me they want another driver, I know what I have to do."

Mallya said recently that he would make a decision "around December 15".

[Lineker]

Sebastian Vettel should stay with Red Bull for many years to come if he wants to win multiple world championships, according to his former boss Franz Tost.

The Toro Rosso team principal ran the German to his maiden grand prix win in Italy in 2008 before seeing Vettel leave for Red Bull the following year.

He believes that keeping a consistent line-up of drivers and team personnel is crucial to any outfit challenging for race wins and titles and thinks that Vettel, who is committed to Red Bull until at least the end of 2014, is in the best position possible.

"A team is always growing with its drivers, but it also can go down with its drivers. A driver is a very important factor in the team," he told the official Formula 1 website.

"When you look around, the really successful drivers stay with their teams for quite some time because the process of growing together - driver, engineers, car, tyres - all takes time and once you've grown into one single functional unit you want to keep that as long as possible.

"When it boils down to the sheer facts, for me the driver is the key to success."

Tost believes that Vettel has become the best driver in F1 and that he is central to any Red Bull success over the coming years.

"There will never be another Sebastian Vettel, just as there will never be another Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna," he added.

"Sebastian Vettel has become world champion because he has discovered himself - his own capacity and ability.

"The outside world can only provide the necessary environment, but it is always the driver who makes a team's success.

Colin Kolles is adamant that the future of the HRT team is "quite safe" at the moment and that there are many rival Formula 1 teams in a worse position financially.

HRT changed owners at the start of July, with Spanish investment company Thesan Capital taking a controlling stake.

Kolles says his priority with the team has been first and foremost to secure its future, something he reckons he has achieved now.

Despite the team still being at the back of the grid, Kolles claims there are many rivals in worse shape.

"My direction is always clear. You have to secure a team to make it financially viable; to make it safe so it survives," Kolles told AUTOSPORT. "This is one of the first objectives, because if you are not managing this, then you can have a lot of dreams, a lot of fantasies, but they will never come across because you won't exist.

"So the first step is always to secure the team, and then you have to build it up step by step. I think the team is quite safe.

"I think that we are in a much better position than many other teams here in the paddock, and now we have to start to improve this team at full power, as quickly as possible. I know that people are impatient sometimes, especially journalists.

"But you can't say things that are not realistic for me. You have to go step by step and to improve the team, that's all. To have a structure that's stronger and then you can add certain elements which can improve the team."

Kolles also said there were no doubts about his role in the team, despite some speculation suggesting he would leave his position.

"I have been told I'm the team principal of this team and I'm the team principal of this team, there's nothing more and nothing less to say about it. I'm always committed."

The team boss says the team is planning to increase its staff to a reasonable level, but always with the aim of being the "most efficient Formula 1 team".

"We are not going to ramp up to 500 people, because I think that's inefficient, that's for sure," he added. "We will ramp up to be a serious Formula 1 team which is still the most efficient Formula 1 team, even in the future. But to be independent the key is to have either suppliers which are really committed to your team, or to have the structure to do it yourself.

"So it's a matter of mathematics, to see where is the efficiency and to have the right suppliers in place committed to you, dedicated to you, and that they are working harder than maybe some employees could work for you. So it's about having the right people and the right suppliers."

Kolles said HRT is already working on the basis for next year's car, but claimed there are still plans to improve the 2011 machine in order to continue making progress towards the front.

"We are preparing a basis for next season, but we are obviously planning to have upgrades also on this car. But the things which are upgrades for this can you can also take them into consideration for 2012. It's a flow, an evolution. We are not going to say that rubbish now, 'we forget everything and start from zero'.

"Even if you start from zero you start with a baseline. That the car will be completely new is clear. You have new monocoque regulations, you have new nose regulations, everything changes again.

"We are working with several design offices in the UK. The plan was to have one facility in the UK. We are not in a position to have this facility right now, because of maybe political reasons."

HRT is currently in 11th position in the standings thanks to a 13th place in Canada. The team is one place behind Lotus, which has managed the same result twice.

Kolles conceded HRT's pace is not strong enough at the moment, but he believes the team has the ability to benefit from its rivals' mistakes.

"We could have been 12th in Valencia, but we would have needed four or five laps more," he said. "But this is the situation and we have to fight. We know we are not competitive in terms of speed, we are realistic about this.

"But we are maybe competitive in order to have certain races where we can take certain advantages out of the mess others are creating for themselves."

Vitantonio Liuzzi says he is positive about his chances of staying at the HRT team next season, as he claims the full support of the owners.

The 31-year-old Italian joined the Spanish squad for this year, having raced for Force India the previous season.

Although HRT has struggled at the back of the field, Liuzzi is confident he can stay on and see the team make progress.

"I see this is a long-term project and I think the owners are giving me the full support and the full trust, so I'm happy to keep going in this project," Liuzzi told AUTOSPORT.

"As I said many times, I did it with Toro Rosso and Force India, so I think there is a big chance of growing. In F1 you never know, so we'll have to wait a few months, but I'm really positive to stay because I believe in this team."

Liuzzi, whose team has been taken over by Spanish company Thesan, is upbeat about the future, and he reckons HRT will be able to make a significant step next season.

"I have to say that even though there was a chance of owners, the Carabante family did a great job to get this team to where it is now. But even the new owners... they seem to be really motivated and focused on making the team go forward. We still have a big project ahead of us and the biggest step we should do it next year.

"The 2012 car is already going ahead and [technical director] Geoff [Willis] is working really hard on that, so I'm really looking forward to the beginning of next season. But we cannot forget this ongoing season, because we still have a championship to do."

The Italian will take part in the V8 Supercar enduro event at Surfers Paradise in October, but insisted his focus at the moment remains on F1.

"At the moment I enjoy Formula 1 a lot and this is my main focus. But it could be something you do when you are older, so for sure it could be something I might think about."

"We started talking and I was quite interested because my focus is Formula 1 but I also like some different challenges. I did in the past the Speedcar Series and it was great fun, and the V8 Supercar seems to be very competitive in Australia.

"There are a lot of really well known drivers and also for this special event there will be drivers coming from the States and from Europe. I'm looking forward to it. It's a different challenge in the middle of the overseas races. We are free and I like to keep myself busy as much as I can in racing because this is what I love to do."

[Starvinho]

1705: FORMULA 1 - Robert Kubica is scheduled to undergo more surgery later in August as he continues his fight to make a successful return to the sport. The Renault driver suffered life-threatening multiple injuries in a crash at the Ronde di Andora Rally in February. His senior doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli said he will need another operation on his right elbow before he can move into a more intensive period of rehabilitation work.

[Lineker]

That line sounds a little more negative than the actual story, tbh:

Robert Kubica's recovery will accelerate once a final operation to free up his right elbow is completed later this month, according to the doctor overseeing his rehabilitation.

Doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli has admitted that the Pole, who suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash during the Ronde di Andora Rally on February 6, has been held back by the lack of the movement in his right elbow.

But he is confident that the surgery will be a success and allow Kubica's rehabilitation to get underway in earnest because efforts have been made to ensure that as much flexibility has been maintained in the rest of his arm up to now.

"With his elbow blocked, we haven't had the chance to work on a full recovery programme as we would do normally," Ceccarelli told AUTOSPORT.

"However, we have kept the other joints moving as much as possible, with the goal of having as much flexibility as we can and the greatest possible muscular mass available once the elbow is unblocked."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is convinced that the new Buddh International Circuit - the venue of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix – will be ready in time for the race on October 30.

FIA delegate Charlie Whiting recently delayed his final inspection until September, but Ecclestone reiterated recent comments made by Indian motor sport chief Vicky Chandhok and Force India team owner Vijay Mallya that preparations are in hand ahead of sport's arrival.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the circuit is going to be one of the nicest we have and that it's going to be complete on time," Ecclestone told reporters. "We are checking everything all the time, on a daily basis.

"We are very, very happy that everything is on time. There are no problems."

Ecclestone added that the event – to be sponsored by Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel – can make an impact on the Indian public's imagination in spite of its obsession for cricket.

"F1 is obviously new to India. We will never catch cricket, I'm quite sure about that, but we have got to try our best to do that. I'm sure eventually we will get very close," he said.

"We have got to remember that India is one of the top-five most important countries in the world so it's extremely important to be in India.

The date of next year's Indian Grand Prix remains uncertain following concerns by Chandhok and Mallya that the proposed April date will mean the race is run in hot temperatures.

"I am not happy with April because it's going to be hot," Chandhok said earlier this month. "But if we have to go in April we will go. But I really think that the ideal dates for India are when it's cooler. Maybe March or you go to October, November, December."

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug insists "the fire is burning" in Michael Schumacher despite another difficult season for him.

Both the seven-time champion and the team have struggled for competitiveness this year, with the German car not proving quick enough to fight for podiums.

Schumacher has scored just 32 points in 11 races, but has made it clear he has no plans to leave the sport before next year.

Haug admitted Schumacher's qualifying form has not been great this year, but says his race performances show how hungry he still is.

"I think you could admit that in qualifying there is something missing, but his race performance this year, and I'm not speaking against Nico, but over the last five races the race pace was comparable, sometimes Michael is a bit quicker," Haug told AUTOSPORT.

"If you look at the overtaking statistics, Michael is leading, nobody has overtaken more than him. This is quite something, you could say. It'd be difficult for Vettel, starting at the front all the time.

"I think you saw some very calculated braking moves from him in Canada and he is relaxed, and sometimes too ambitious here and there. But he is very ambitious, not too ambitions, but he is ambitious and the fire is burning. Look in his eyes and you will see that."

The Mercedes boss also believes there is no real desire for Schumacher or Nico Rosberg to leave the team despite the failure to produce a winning race.

"Not at all," Haug said when asked if Mercedes was finding it hard to keep Schumacher and Rosberg. "We have a great relationship inside the team, the guys visit our factory and we know each other and tell each other no bu*****t."

He conceded no one in the team expected to have such a tough season.

He added: "If we had told you at our presentation 'well, wait and see, it's gonna end the year with fourth place', you would have said 'come on, this is sandbagging or whatever. This cannot be true'.

"So of course, we expected more, but can you be depressed afterwards? Of course you can, but we're aware of telling ourselves fairy tales, so we're working even harder, we have to have a disciplined approach to it, we have to take the right decisions, we need to understand the car...

"So I do not make announcements or noises, but we are working very hard and this is just the medicine for us that makes us work more and even harder."

Maria de Villota became the first female driver to test for a contemporary Formula 1 team since Katherine Legge in 2005, when she drove a Renault at Paul Ricard earlier this month.

Using a two-year old R29, the daughter of former Formula 1 driver Emilio de Villota, completed more than 180 trouble-free miles in the run, which had been organised to allow her to familiarise herself with the systems and environment of a grand prix car.

"As a female driver, I was very happy to get the opportunity to drive in a Formula 1 car," said the 32-year-old Spaniard. "Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor racing and has always been a dream for me.

"The running went very well, conditions were ideal, and the team made me feel at ease straight away," she added. "It did not take too long to get used to the car and, after I felt comfortable with it, I was able to start pushing and, as a result, really enjoyed the experience."

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said of the test: "We were delighted to offer Maria the chance to drive in the R29. As a team, we pride ourselves on our ability to assess new talents and offer different drivers opportunities with us.

"Maria did exactly what was expected of her; she took things one step at a time, and achieved some very reasonable laptimes, not putting a foot wrong all day."

[Lineker]

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh says his squad will be reinvigorated for the world title fight when the Formula 1 season resumes at Spa at the end of the month.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's triumphs in Germany and Hungary respectively have raised hopes that McLaren might be able to at least delay Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's title celebrations, although the Woking team remains 103 points adrift of RBR in the constructors' standings at present.

"This final stretch of European races will break the back of the calendar, so it's important that we hit them aggressively and confidently before pushing on into the final flyaways," said Whitmarsh.

"The whole team has returned to work feeling refreshed, relaxed and recharged, and I'm confident that we'll see the benefit of that at the racetrack: our engineers and strategists are hungry to get back to business, and our mechanics are fit and ready to continue the excellent progress they have been making all season with fast and reliable work in the garage and the pitlane."

He said McLaren's recent success had given it even stronger motivation and that it had a lot more room and hunger for improvement despite winning the last two races.

"Despite winning three of the last five grands prix, we are still hugely determined to be stronger than before," Whitmarsh vowed. "Time and time again, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has proved its resilience and determination, particularly at this crucial stage of the world championship.

"We are more than ready for this fight and relishing every race."

Hamilton said McLaren's upgrades in the past few grands prix had given both drivers huge faith in the car.

"I think we go into the race weekend in a pretty good place - we've won the last two grands prix and the car feels strong; we've worked hard to improve the set-up, so it's really inspiring confidence at the moment, which means you can push it that little bit further, particularly in qualifying," he said.

Button echoed Hamilton's comments, and added that while his win in Hungary had been achieved in mixed weather conditions, he was sure the car had the pace to win in any situation now.

"It felt great to go into the summer break off the back of the win in Hungary," said Button. "That was a race I think we could just as well have won in the dry as in the damp – which will be worth bearing in mind in Spa, as it'll probably be wet and dry – and everything in between – at some point during the weekend.

"Once again, our aim will be to put pressure on the championship frontrunners, particularly Red Bull. Our car definitely feels really driveable right now, so I don't think this weekend's tyre compound selection will affect us too much. We learnt a lot about the Pirelli medium after the race in Valencia, and I think we've moved on quite a bit since then."

Sauber speak Spa:

Kamui Kobayashi: "Spa is a very beautiful circuit, and one of my favourites. It has a lot of high speed corners which should suit our car well, because it has a similar average speed to Silverstone. Normally the temperatures are not very hot there, so for the tyres it should not be too difficult. But the weather is always very unpredictable, as it was in Silverstone, at the Nürburgring and in Budapest, so this could be another very tricky race. Sometimes you are in a situation where you have to decide for which conditions you set up the car before you are sure what the weather will be like. If they are difficult, we have to stay cool in the race and make the right decisions. Then we can score a strong result."

Sergio Perez: "After quite a long break when everybody was on holiday, it is nice to get back into the car again and to the race rhythm. I'm very much looking forward to the Belgian Grand Prix. Spa is a very special place. I think we can pick up again the momentum from before the race in Hungary, and do well there. It is one of my favourite circuits because I love Eau Rouge and the other fast corners. I won in Spa in Formula 3, and also last year in GP2. Personally the break was good for me to fully recover from the Monaco accident."

James Key, Technical Director: "We're looking forward to getting into the next part of the season and going to Spa, which requires a medium-to-low downforce level. To date it will be the lowest downforce level the teams have run, but a lot will depend on the weather conditions, because they are very unpredictable. As always in Spa, we have to monitor the weather closely over the weekend. The circuit itself is very popular with the drivers, and a great place to engineer a car. The track is primarily high speed with long straights and well known corners. This should suit our car reasonably well. The Pirelli tyres are the soft and the medium compounds. We know from Silverstone that the soft tyre works well with the high speed corners, but we have some work to do with the medium compound. The car will have updates to the front wing and a new rear wing which is Spa specific. After a difficult race in Hungary we're hopeful of a better performance in Belgium."

Sauber's managing director Monisha Kaltenborn said her team is in favour of a return to in-season testing but insists that Formula 1 remains vigilant that the current cost-saving plans stay in place.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT last month, F1 teams are working on a plan that would see in-season testing return in 2012, with FIA president Jean Todt also in favour of the move claiming it is ridiculous teams cannot test during the season.

Kaltenborn says that while any new testing plans should not have a significant impact on the current levels of running costs for teams, it is important that the sport does more to develop new talent.

"For us it is extremely important that this restriction is not given up totally," she told AUTOSPORT. "We do feel, however, that, especially for young drivers, it is quite a challenge to get into Formula 1 because they hardly have any opportunities to try the car.

"So we feel that if you consider allowing them to drive within the existing restrictions, I'm sure we could find a balance there. So as a team we wouldn't oppose such move provided we stay within the parameters of our resource restriction."

Kaltenborn suggested one possible solution would be to move one of the current winter tests to a latter date in the middle of the season.

"I would say giving young drivers the opportunity is a very important factor. I do however also feel that the way testing is currently undertaken with all the tests squashed into a certain period, probably if you could move some into the season in a cost-effective and responsible way, you could get more out of the development without exploding on the costs side."

HRT team principal Colin Kolles says his outfit is also in favour of in-season testing return, but only if it makes sense financially.

"In principle we are in favour. In principle," Kolles told AUTOSPORT. "Then it depends where it is, how it is done, at what point in time it is. The cost factor plays a big role in this. If it's done in an efficient way again, we are more than happy to go testing. It would be beneficial for us.

"But it's a matter of where you do it. I mean, you have a race in Hungary and you have to travel to Jerez or to Paul Ricard, then it's a little difficult.

"But if it makes sense, in the way that you say 'okay, you have a race here and you continue like two, three days of testing' and then you go to the summer break, it's okay. Because it's not huge costs."

HRT boss Colin Kolles says his team has no plans to join the Formula One Teams' Association, having claimed the organisation only serves the interests of the leading squads.

The Spanish outfit confirmed it had left FOTA back in January, with AUTOSPORT understanding that HRT was unhappy about the resistance of larger teams to help the smaller ones.

Although HRT has changed ownership since then, Kolles said the team is very happy as it is without being a part of FOTA.

Kolles also said the body was non-existent "in the real world" and he would consider joining only if it changed to accommodate his team's needs.

"To my knowledge, FOTA is just a name and it's not really existing if you take it in the real world," Kolles told AUTOSPORT. "We are very happy as it is.

"Maybe we can think about things if people would accommodate our needs, but I think we understand our own problems better than the chairman of FOTA, who runs maybe a different structure, so I don't see the need for somebody else to negotiate our commercial deals.

"I think we are good enough and strong enough to negotiate our own deals."