Opinions on Schumacher return

NIKI LAUDA, Three-time F1 world champion
"The return of Michael Schumacher is such a massive sensation that Bernie Ecclestone should pay him half his wages. Has there ever been anything more exciting in motor racing?
"I am not saying that Michael will win because that depends on the speed of the car but I have absolutely no doubts about his ability to perform as well as ever.
"I was 33 when I came out of retirement and he is 40 - but you are what age you want to be. I have no concerns about his reflexes. He will be brilliant.
"The most interesting thing will be to see him up against Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari - who will be faster? Put it this way: Kimi has to get his act together or be shown up.
"After all the politics, the return of Michael Schumacher is the best thing for him, Ferrari and Formula One. Watch him get in and go."
JOHNNY HERBERT, Former F1 driver and Le Mans 24 Hours winner
"He looks after himself anyway, so I'm sure his fitness level will be to a high performance anyway but it's the extra little thing he needs to do before he gets back into a car.
"Also, at least he's doing from Valencia to the end of the year so it'll give him time to get back into the situation or driving an F1 car and everything that comes with at the race weekend.
"He's got everything to gain - Ferrari haven't a won this year so if he comes out of retirement and wins for them this year, he'll be the biggest god in Italy for sure.
"It'd be awesome if was able to do that, but I think it'll be very hard - he's got a very tough team mate to have in Kimi Raikkonen, it might wake him up.
"The other guy who was disappointed when he retired in 2006 was Lewis Hamilton, he always wanted to go against him, now he's got the chance."
MAURICE HAMILTON, BBC Radio 5 Live F1 analyst
"Schumacher's canny racing brain, his ability to think of several things at once while driving at 175 mph, will be as sharp as ever but his fitness will not.
"No amount of graft in the gym will act as a substitute for time spent in the cockpit.
"That burning competitiveness, which clearly has not been extinguished by racing a motorbike and frequently falling off it while being an also-ran, will play havoc with Schumacher's pride if, as suspected, his presence motivates Kimi Raikkonen like never before.
"In the past, the driver in the other Ferrari was number two, even if he dared to be faster, and knew his place. It would be a brave man who suggested to Raikkonen that he should fall into line.
"It is a splendid story for sport, for motor racing, for F1 - but not necessarily for Michael Schumacher in the long run."
MURRAY WALKER, F1 broadcasting legend
"It's a gigantic mountain for even him to climb.
"I have no doubt that he will be physically fit and I don't doubt that he's mentally on top of it.
"It's just that he's bound to be rusty and he's got very little time to catch up."
JONATHAN LEGARD, BBC F1 commentator
"You've got to remember that Michael Schumacher just loves competition. I spoke to him last year about him racing bikes and it was clear that he did it mainly for the competition.
"The temptation was clearly too great. Once you're a racing driver, you're always a racing driver - you always have that competitive instinct.
"The cars have changed and are different to what he left in October 2006 but I can't believe that it will take him too long to blow away a few cobwebs. Whether he can be a winner is another matter."
EDDIE JORDAN, Former F1 team boss and BBC pundit
"Michael Schumacher is absolutely hard core.
"I think whether he is 20 or 40 years old makes little difference.
"His reactions may be a millisecond away but then he was a millisecond better than everyone else previously so I think he's just levelled it out.
"Well done to Ferrari for making this happen but especially well done to Michael because he has nothing to gain out of this and a lot to lose.
"I've been massively critical of Kimi Raikkonen and I think this is going to be the big wake-up call for him.
"You will see a new Raikkonen because he will not want to be disgraced by Michael.
"In fact, it could rejuvenate the whole of the Ferrari team, which has been a bit lacklustre this year."
JODY SCHECKTER, Former F1 world champion
"Niki Lauda came back and won the world championship, so it's not impossible.
"He's been trying to become competitive on motorcycles, which is probably more stupid. You've got to say he's probably the greatest of all time in F1 so I would think he'll be competitive pretty quickly."
JOHN WATSON, Former Brabham and McLaren driver
"Michael will spend a lot of time in the Ferrari F1 simulator between now and Valencia.
"He's not race fit but that simulator is almost as good as the real thing. Believe me, he will not go to Valencia unless he thinks he has not only a chance to pick up points for the team but also that he can win the race.
"There's every chance he will be there for the rest of the season. Michael will be the best available to Ferrari - and he might be so good that they will offer him a drive for 2010."


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Hamilton delighted to race alongside Schumacher

Reigning F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says it will be "an honour and a privilege" to race against seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
The German is coming out of retirement to drive for Ferrari while Felipe Massa recovers from a crash and will return to racing at the European Grand Prix.
"He is one of the sport's greatest competitors, a legend - it'd be great to compete against him," said Hamilton.
"The whole world will be watching his return to the cockpit in Valencia."
Schumacher, 40, retired at the end of 2006 but has remained closely involved with Ferrari.
The German will now cover for his former team-mate Massa while the Brazilian recovers from the serious injuries he suffered when he crashed in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was won by Hamilton.
The English driver has previously spoken of his regret at never having had an opportunity to go head to head with Schumacher, but at the next grand prix, on the street circuit in Valencia, he will finally get his chance.
"It will not only be fascinating to see how he readies himself for his grand prix comeback, but also an honour and a privilege to race against him for the very first time. I wish him well," added Hamilton.
This season's championship leader Jenson Button also said he was pleased at Schumacher's return.
"Everyone is saying he can only lose because if he wins it will be expected, and if he doesn't, they'll say he's lost it," said Button.
"It's a tough position for him to be in but I'm happy he's taken up the challenge and it's very brave of him.
"He's still young - 40 is not old and he'll still be competitive.
Brawn driver Button leads the championship by 18.5 points after a sensational start to the season, winning six of the first seven races.
But he has gone off the boil recently, without a podium place in the last three races, and at the next race he will also have Schumacher to contend with.
And Button does not expect the man who has already won 91 grands prix to just to make up the numbers.
"His reactions will still be there and I'm sure he's fit enough," he said.
"He tested in winter and was quick, he jumped in and on the first run he was competitive."
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen said he is looking forward to working alongside Schumacher.
"If it really happens I will be happy to partner him, even though it may not have much effect on my own performance," said the 30-year-old Finn, who was the 2007 Formula One world champion.
Since retiring from racing, Schumacher has remained in touch with the sport as well as taking part in motorcycle racing.
However, he suffered neck and back injuries in a bike accident in February and must now go through a rigorous training regime to prove his fitness.
"I hope he's up to it physically and he can pass the tests that must be administered for the neck muscles, which he hasn't used in a while," said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
"But already, the entire team is working to prepare him. On Friday, he'll have his first tests on the track."
The Valencia circuit has been modified since Schumacher retired, while the ban on in-season testing could also count against the F1 legend, who must rely on Ferrari's simulators to prepare him for his first drive in a 2009 specification Ferrari.
"This will be a big problem, at least for the first race, because he's going to find himself on a circuit he's never driven on, with a car he's never driven, and with technology he doesn't know," Montezemolo said.
"But, unfortunately, this is the price we have to pay"

BBC
Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Eddie Jordan: We will see a new Raikkonen

Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher's shock return to Formula One will serve as "a big wake-up call" to Kimi Raikkonen.

The Finn has not been on the pace in his Ferrari since winning the 2007 world title, appearing disinterested and far from in love with the sport.

Many believe this is Raikkonen's last season, despite the fact he has another year remaining on his contract.

But with Ferrari and Schumacher taking a gamble, Jordan feels Raikkonen will suddenly be reinvigorated.

Jordan said: "Well done to Ferrari for making this happen, but especially well done to Michael Schumacher because he has nothing to gain out of this, and a lot to lose."

Ferrari confirmed on Wednesday that Schumacher will be ready in time for the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23rd.


ITN
By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
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Schumacher makes shock return to F1 in place of Massa

Michael Schumacher will make a shock return to Formula 1 to replace injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.
The seven-time world champion, 40, retired at the end of 2006 but has agreed to drive at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 23 August.
Massa fractured his skull in Hungarian GP qualifying and may be out for the rest of the year.
Schumacher, who is a Ferrari advisor said; "For team loyalty reasons I can't ignore this unfortunate situation."
His spokesman Sabine Kehm told the BBC on Tuesday that although Schumacher was not willing to make a full-time return to F1 he would not rule out standing in for Massa.
Now, the German racing legend has decided to come out of retirement and make a sensational return despite admitting: "It is true that the Formula 1 chapter has long been closed for me.
"The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive, and I wish him all the best again.
"This afternoon I met with team principal Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe.
"As the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."
The German racing legend has not driven an F1 car since April 2008 and now has just over three weeks to prepare himself for Valencia.
The ban on in-season testing means Schumacher will not be able to turn a wheel of the 2009 specification Ferrari before first practice on Friday 21 August.
However, the team have chosen Schumacher ahead of test drivers Marc Gene and Luca Badoer to drive for Ferrari whilst Massa continues to recuperate.
"Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa's car for as long as the Brazilian driver is not able to race," a statement said.
"Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific programme of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship starting with the European Grand Prix."
Schumacher will undergo an intensive training programme to determine whether he is fit enough to return to the rigours of F1 racing.
Since retiring the German has occasionally taken part in motorcycle events but in February he suffered neck and back injuries in a bike accident.
Those injuries could affect his ability to drive an F1 car which places huge pressures on the neck because of the varying G-forces.



By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
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BMW to leave F1 at the end of 09 season

BMW will withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of this season.
The German car manufacturer, who took over Sauber in 2005, have cited "current developments in motor sport" as the reason for their decision.
BMW are the second major manufacturer to leave the sport in eight months after Honda's withdrawal in December.
BMW had given themselves three years to win the world championship and won their first race in 2008 but have amassed only eight points this season.
The team, who currently have Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld as their drivers, held a meeting on Tuesday where they made the decision to quit the sport.
BMW began the season determined to challenge for the world championship but the car they designed to meet 2009's major technical rule changes has been uncompetitive.
"Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years," said team boss Mario Theissen.
"But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective.
"We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula 1 racing."
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1's commercial rights holder, believes the team's inability to match their title ambitions is behind their withdrawal.
"It has not quite been like that so perhaps that's why they've [decided] to stop," Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"When you consider how much money they've spent and the results they've got, it's probably not such a good investment.
"They were quite sure that they were going to win the championship within three years, and I was hoping they would."
However, the sport's governing body, the FIA, said it was not surprised by BMW's decision given the difficult global economic climate.
"The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula 1 but is not surprised by it," a statement said.
"It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis.
"Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula 1 when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer."
There has long been speculation that BMW could quit F1 along with fellow car manufacturers Toyota and Renault because of the effects of the economic downturn on car sales.
Ecclestone claimed on Wednesday that Toyota and Renault were among the remaining teams that have signed a new version of the Concorde Agreement, which is expected to be finalised by the FIA this week. The new legal and financial agreement commits teams until 2012.
The FIA has been pushing to cut costs but its plans to cap spending to £40m a year led to the Formula 1 teams' umbrella group, Fota, threatening to walk away to form a rival series.
While that dispute has now been resolved, the FIA says the teams could have prevented teams quitting F1 by accepting their proposals.
"This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically," a statement added.
"Had these regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW and further such announcements in the future might have been avoided."
Fota, which represents all teams on the grid with the exception of Williams and Force India, pledged to offer its continued support to BMW.
A statement said; "Fota teams have immediately consulted each other and are ready to assure all the necessary support to BMW, whose membership in the association is confirmed, to continue its involvement in the F1 sport."
The BMW Group have decided to divert their resources into other areas, although they plan to stay involved in other strands of motorsport.
"Of course, this was a difficult decision for us, but it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment," said Dr Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management of BMW.
"Premium will be increasingly defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead.
"Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us."
BMW's takeover of Sauber in 2005 saw them enter their own team in 2006 and in their debut season they were fifth in the constructors' championship before being promoted to second in 2007 after the exclusion of McLaren-Mercedes.
They put up a strong challenge in 2008 with Kubica scoring their first win at the Canadian Grand Prix and the team finished third behind Ferrari and McLaren.
BMW first entered Formula 1 as an engine supplier to Brabham in 1982 and the first victory of the pairing came in 1983 when Nelson Piquet won in Brazil on the way to claiming the drivers' crown.
But BMW pulled out as an engine supplier in 1987 before returning in 2000 as engine partners to Williams.
The duo were together for six years and ended up as constructors' championship runners-up in 2002 and 2003, while winning 10 grands prix and taking 17 pole positions.
Following their decision to withdraw from Formula 1, BMW will now focus on the touring car series, Formula BMW and the American Le Mans series.

By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Schumacher won't Rule out returning for Massa's drive

Michael Schumacher is not ruling out the possibility of standing in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.
The Brazilian fractured his skull in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying and may be out for the rest of the year, while Schumacher, 40, is a Ferrari adviser.
"The whole thing will be considered by Ferrari. If they approach Michael, then he will consider it," the seven-time champion's spokeswoman told BBC Sport.
"But there is no reason for him to step into their discussion."
Schumacher, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of the 2006 season, told the BBC in an interview at the German Grand Prix two weeks ago that he was not interested in returning to F1.
However, his spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said that was a reference to a permanent return.
"Usually, I would say he's not interested because he's fine with his life and he doesn't miss anything but now the situation is so different - it's very hypothetical - and Michael doesn't want to step into that [discussion]," she stated.
She added that Schumacher still trained every day but that she did not know whether he was fit enough to race an F1 car again.
"Michael had a motorcycle accident in February when he had a neck problem - and I really can't tell you if his neck would be fine to drive an F1 race," she said.
"If Ferrari asked him whether he would consider driving, he would have it checked - and remember he is a 40-year-old man, too."
Schumacher's manager Willi Weber insists the German will not drive for Ferrari in the next race - the European Grand Prix in Valencia in Spain on 23 August.
"Michael will not sit in a car in Valencia, this is out of the question," Weber told Germany's SID news agency.
"What would we expect from Schumacher if he stepped into a Formula One car? To win. The expectations from both sides would be too high."
Massa has had surgery on a fractured skull sustained when a spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn hit him on the helmet at more than 160mph during qualifying in Hungary on Saturday.
He is in a "severe but not critical" condition, according to the hospital that is treating him in Budapest and there is also concern about damage to his left eye.
The surgeon treating him, Robert Veres, revealed it was "too early to say" whether Massa would be able to compete again.
But he will almost certainly not be able to drive at the next race in Valencia and probably not for the rest of the year either.
That means Ferrari need to find a team-mate for Kimi Raikkonen for the Valencia race.
Schumacher, who won a record 91 grands prix in his career, is under contract to the team after taking on a consultancy role following his retirement.
The German is close to Massa, who was his team-mate in his final season, and has taken a close interest in the Brazilian's career.
But he has not driven an F1 car since April 2008 and may consider that he has nothing to gain from a temporary return.
A number of other drivers have been mentioned as possible replacements for Massa.
Among them is Renault's Fernando Alonso, who is expected to move to Ferrari in 2010 anyway - although the team have not confirmed that report and the Spaniard has denied it.
Renault have been banned from the Valencia race after allowing Alonso to return to the track with a loose wheel following a pit stop.
The wheel and its fairing both became detached from the car as he toured slowly back to the pits - an alarming sight only 24 hours after Massa's accident.
Renault have appealed against the decision to suspend them and a hearing of the court of appeal of governing body the FIA is expected in the next couple of weeks.
It has been speculated that Alonso's move to Ferrari may simply be brought forward - but that would leave Renault without a recognised top driver for the rest of the season.
The team were on the verge of sacking Alonso's team-mate Nelson Piquet before the Hungarian race and while Alonso, a two-time world champion, qualified on pole in Hungary, Piquet qualified 15th and finished 12th in a similar car.
Ferrari have two reserve drivers, the Spaniard Marc Gene and the veteran Italian Luca Badoer.
Spaniard Gene - who raced intermittently for Williams as a stand-in during 2003/2004 and has competed in 36 races with a best result of sixth - is the more likely to be given the drive.
Badoer has been a test driver for Ferrari but has not raced since 1999 and has never scored a world championship point.
A number of other drivers have been mentioned as possible stand-ins.
The most qualified, Schumacher aside, is BBC F1 pundit David Coulthard, who won 13 grands prix before retiring at the end of last season. He is under contract to Red Bull, who would need to give him permission to race if Ferrari approached him.
Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, who was sacked by the Toro Rosso team before the Hungarian Grand Prix, has been mentioned as he has the same manager as Massa - Frenchman Nicolas Todt.
And last winter, Italian Formula Three champion Mirko Bortolotti reportedly impressed Ferrari in a test. The 19-year-old is racing in Formula Two this season.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Surgeon concerned over Massa's racing future

Felipe Massa's condition is "severe but not critical" after surgery on his fractured skull in Hungary.
Surgeon Robert Veres said that Massa, 28, suffered damage to his left eye when he who was hit by a spring from Ruben Barrichello's car on Saturday.
"He has suffered some damage to the eye. We don't know if he'll be able to race again. It's too early to say about his future," added Veres.
"But the immediate life-threatening condition has been averted."
Massa is able to communicate "actively" and move his hands and legs but cannot speak.
A Ferrari spokesman said: "Felipe had a quiet night. He is OK, and he is due to have another CT scan today (Monday)."
A Hungarian hospital spokesman said they are "optimistic" that a "slow recovery is beginning".
"He's woken up [from sedation] more often and is able to communicate actively," added Istvan Bocskai, a spokesman for the Hungarian defence ministry, which administers the Budapest hospital where Massa is being treated.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo flew to the AEK military hospital on Monday to be at Massa's bedside, alongside the driver's father, mother and pregnant wife, who have all flown in from Brazil.
Di Montezemelo staged a joint news conference with Massa's doctors and said the team were focused on their driver's recovery, and not on considering any possible replacements.
"For us, the first priority is to find out Felipe's recovery progress and situation he is a very important member of the Ferrari family not just the Ferrari team.
"First we will find out the situation with Felipe and then we will see and we will think, without pressure.
"Only at that moment will we make a decision and if we have to take a decision we will make a good decision."
Massa was injured when a spring from fellow Brazilian Barrichello's car struck his helmet during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver then hitting a tyre wall.
Following Kimi Raikkonen's second-place finish at the Hungaroring on Sunday, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali dedicated the result to Massa.
"At this time all our thoughts are with him and his family, and I think this sentiment also applies to those who are close to him and to fans all over the world," said Domenicali.
"We got the best result we were capable of but please allow me on behalf of everyone at Ferrari to send our best wishes to Felipe. We love you and we are all thinking of you."
Race winner Lewis Hamilton extended his goodwill to Massa following the Briton's first victory of the season.
"Maybe I can speak for all the drivers but Saturday was quite a sad day and we missed Felipe," said the defending world champion.
"I'm just glad the surgery went well and we're just going to keep him in our thoughts and prayers, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
"He's got a child coming, so he needs to get back into top shape so when he's finally a dad he can do the job well."
After being struck on the helmet by the 1kg spring from Barrichello's car, Massa's feet are believed to have come to rest on both the throttle and brake and his car ploughed head-on into a tyre wall at about 125mph.
Massa was swiftly attended to by trackside medics before being taken to the circuit's medical centre, after which he was airlifted to hospital.
Meanwhile, Barrichello revealed his thoughts were with Massa, even during the race.
He conceded: "I would love to see him because he is a friend, not just because the spring came from my car.
"It is for the fact that I know he would have done the same for me. But at the same time I have to think of my kids, of my family, and to be there for them, so it is a bit of an emotional moment.
"It is burning a little bit in my stomach, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't thinking of him in the the middle of the race."
Massa's accident came days after Formula Two driver Henry Surtees, 18, was killed in what was described as a freak accident during a race at Brands Hatch.
The son of motorsport legend John Surtees was struck by a wheel that flew off a competitor's car.
Barrichello has led the calls for more stringent safety measures to be looked into. Referring to Surtees, the veteran refused to believe the two incidents were coincidental.
"I honestly don't believe in coincidences in life," he said on Saturday. "Things happen for a reason and I think this is the second message.
"Imola [where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died in 1994] was a message and the cars were improved. Unfortunately, we lost a boy [Surtees], which is tremendously sad.
"It is not a coincidence something happened right now. In the Grand Prix Drivers' Association we talked quite a lot about it yesterday - and something needs to be done. Absolutely.
Button and Barrichello's team boss Ross Brawn said the team are still investigating why the spring came loose from the car.
"We had a problem with the back of the car and we are still investigating," explained Brawn.
"We haven't had the piece back from [motorsport governing body] the FIA yet so once we get it back we can understand what occurred.
"It's the first time we've really had a problem with the car as it has been so reliable.

By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
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Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix to take his first victory since October last year and complete a remarkable turnaround for McLaren.
The Englishman took the lead after pole-sitter Fernando Alonso's Renault made an early pit stop and dominated ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Red Bull's Mark Webber was third with Brawn's Jenson Button down in seventh.
The Australian replaces team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who retired, in second place in the world championship.
Vettel, who suffered a front suspension failure while running eighth on lap 27 of 70, slips to 23 points behind the Englishman with seven races remaining and a maximum of 70 points available.
Nico Rosberg was fourth for Williams ahead of Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, Toyota's Timo Glock, Button and the second Toyota of Jarno Trulli.
Red Bull, who dominated the last two races in Britain and Germany, put in a surprisingly uncompetitive performance but they were in much better shape than Button.
The Englishman qualified eighth, but was starting on a heavy fuel load and was optimistic he would have a strong race. Instead, he was unable to make any impression on the cars at the front.
For the first time this season, that meant McLaren, whose form here confirmed that the revised aerodynamics they introduced in Germany two weeks ago have transformed the car.
McLaren started the season with an uncompetitive car, struggling in most races to even get into the points. Hamilton, the reigning world champion, had not even managed to finish on the podium until winning this race.
But a new front wing, diffuser and engine cover introduced at the last race have improved the car's pace by about 0.8 seconds a lap
Hamilton qualified fourth, but used his Kers energy storage and power-boost system to challenge the leaders at the start.
Alonso got a good start from pole position and retained first place but Hamilton briefly got up into second place at the first corner before being repassed by Webber.
The Red Bull was expected to be the strongest car in the race but, while Alonso initially built a small gap, Webber found himself under pressure from Hamilton, who passed him on lap five and proceeded to pull away and close on the Renault.
Alonso, who had planned to do a three-stop strategy in contrast to the two stops of most of the rest of the field, pulled in for his pit stop on lap 11.
He was released a fraction too early before the right front wheel was fully attached and it parted company with the car part way around the lap and was forced to retire with the consequent damage and a fuel pump problem.
By the time all the front-runners had done their stops, Hamilton had a six-second lead over Raikkonen and he was able to control the race from the front.
Webber slipped behind Raikkonen after a problem with a front wheel at his pit stop and he was also passed by Toyota's Timo Glock as he rejoined.
Red Bull chose the opposite tyre strategy from the other front-running teams, running the harder of the two tyre options for the first two stints of the race before switching to the softer for the final stint.
Whatever the reason, the Red Bulls lacked their recent pace but Webber drove consistently well to the final podium position and make it a good race for him from a championship point of view.
By contrast, his team-mate Vettel had a disastrous weekend, making a poor start from second on the grid and running eighth in the early laps.
He was running behind Rosberg when he suffered a front suspension failure on lap 27 and was forced to retire.
Toyota, both of whose drivers qualified outside the top 10, used a long first stint to put themselves in contention for the minor points places.
Button finally showed some pace in the closing laps once the track was coated in rubber and he was back on the softer tyres after using the harder ones in the middle stint.
That lifted him to seventh from eighth, but he will still be concerned at a third consecutive uncompetitive race.



By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Watch F1 live online for free here: Hungary Grand Prix

Link to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix live online for free! (uk only)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8168922.stm


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
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Fia to investigte Massa skull fracture incident

Formula 1 is to conduct an investigation into the accident in which Ferrari driver Felipe Massa suffered a fractured skull.
The probe will attempt to discover the causes of the incident and whether any changes are required to improve safety.
Brazilian Massa was hit on the helmet by a spring that had fallen off Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP car during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
Massa, 28, is stable after surgery and will undergo a further scan on Sunday.
His accident came six days after 18-year-old Henry Surtees was killed after being hit on the head by a wheel from a crashed car in a Formula Two race in England.
The investigation into Massa's incident will be conducted by F1's governing body the FIA and the Brawn team. Barrichello's car suffered a failure in its rear suspension as the Brazilian, one of Massa's closest friends, went through Turn Three of the Hungaroring during final qualifying.
The spring came off the car and bounced along the track until Massa's Ferrari came on to the scene four seconds later.
The spring hit the front left-hand side of Massa's helmet when he was travelling at 162mph. His feet were on both the accelerator and the brake before he hit the barrier at Turn Four, at which point he had slowed to 62mph.
Insiders believe Massa's life may have been saved by the latest generation of carbon-fibre helmets, which were introduced four years ago and are approximately twice as strong as their predecessors.
The stronger helmets are one of a number of improvements that have been made in recent years to protect drivers' heads. Cockpit sides have been raised and the drivers wear a head and neck restraint device to protect them from the high G-forces involved in accidents.
Brawn team boss Ross Brawn described the incident as "a freak accident" and said F1 needed to fully investigate what had happened before deciding whether changes needed to be made.
"We need to keep a perspective on it - from what's been seen last weekend and this, we need to have a proper study to see if we need to do anything," he said.
"We need to digest what's happened and understand it properly.
"It is time to look at the whole thing and take a balanced approach. You can have covers or canopies but you have to be able to get at the driver and extract him if there is an accident.
"And you don't want anything that collapses down on a driver.
"It is something we will look at. In the history of F1 it is a fairly rare occurrence, but we must take it seriously and see what we can do.
"If there's a need to react, I'm sure F1 will promptly. But we must make sure we don't do something that makes the situation worse."

By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Massa out of emergency surgery: "life threatening" but stable

Felipe Massa's condition has been described as "serious but stable" following emergency surgery after he suffered skull damage and concussion.
The Brazilian hit a tyre wall after a spring from Rubens Barrichello's car flew up and hit Massa's helmet during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
The Associated Press news agency quoted a hospital spokesman as saying Massa's condition was "life-threatening".
But Ferrari denied the reports, insisting the operation was "positive".
The Italian team said Massa will remain under observation in intensive care and Ferrari will make a further statement on his condition on Sunday.
AEK military hospital medical director Peter Bazso added: "At the moment he's under anaesthetic and will be woken up on Sunday."
AP quoted a statement from the Hungarian defence department as saying: "At the time he was admitted to hospital his condition was stable and he was breathing and blood circulation was normal.
"During the course of his examination they established that he suffered a serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull."
Barrichello said on his Twitter feed that he had visited his compatriot Massa in hospital and the surgery "went very well. Now he is asleep waiting for a new scan tomorrow".
The incident comes days after Formula Two driver Henry Surtees, 18, was killed in what was described as a "freak" accident during a race at Brands Hatch.
The son of motorsport legend John Surtees was struck by a wheel which flew off a competitor's car.
Massa - winner of 11 grands prix in his career - did manage to briefly apply the brakes as went off the Hungaroring track before his car ploughed head on into a tyre wall at around 125mph.
The 28-year-old was swiftly attended to by trackside medics before being taken to the circuit's medical centre after which he was airlifted to hospital.
Barrichello later led the calls for more stringent safety measures to be looked into.
Referring to Surtees, the veteran Brazilian refused to believe the two incidents were coincidental.
"I honestly don't believe in coincidences in life," he said. "Things happen for a reason and I think this is the second message.
"Imola [where Ayrton Senna died in 1994] was a message and the cars were improved. Unfortunately, we lost a boy [Surtees], which is tremendously sad.
"It is not a coincidence something happened right now. In the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) we talked quite a lot about it yesterday - and something needs to be done. Absolutely.
"But I don't know what. We need to sit down and have a look at it. I think the cars are a hell of a lot safer, really a lot safer, but there is no coincidence on this and something needs to be looked at."
Lewis Hamilton described the crash as "very scary" and said it must be looked into, while Jenson Button said it proved there "is still more we need to do on safety".
Button and Barrichello's team boss Ross Brawn said the team were "naturally concerned" about Massa's condition.
"We had a problem with the back of the car and we are still investigating," he added.
"We haven't had the piece back from [motorsport governing body] the FIA yet so once we get it back we can understand what occurred.
"It's the first time we've really had a problem with the car as it's been so reliable."
McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh added: "What happened today was a shock.
"We've got to make sure we do everything we can to make F1 as safe as it can be.
"But a spring coming off and being in a collision four seconds later is an incredible circumstance and coincidence.
"You have to remember that motor racing is dangerous and that racing drivers are incredibly brave. It's all too easy to become blase about that."
Related to this story:
David Coulthard column (25 Jul 09 | Formula 1 )
Alonso grabs shock Hungary pole (25 Jul 09 | Formula 1 )


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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VIDEO: MASSA CRASH - Unlikely to take part in Sundays Race

VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8168855.stm

Felipe Massa is unlikely to race in the Hungarian Grand Prix after being hurt in a high-speed accident during qualifying session two on Saturday.

The Ferrari driver applied his brakes but went head on into a tyre wall at Turn Four after a piece of debris on the track appeared to hit his helmet.

He was treated by medical teams before being airlifted to hospital, as is standard procedure in Formula 1.

Ferrari confirmed that Massa was "stable" following the incident.

He had suffered a cut above his left eye, but a Ferrari spokesman described that as a "superficial" injury.

The incident delayed final qualifying by 20 minutes but Massa - who is provisionally 10th on the grid - took no part.

The 28-year-old - winner of 11 grands prix in his career - went off the Hungaroring track at around 200kph, with reports suggesting the debris had fallen off the rear of compatriot Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP car.

Barrichello told BBC Sport that he believed a rear bar or rear spring had fallen off - "something broke" - after qualifying in 13th, but made no mention of Massa's crash.

Brawn later confirmed that Barrichello's car was missing a part, or parts of its rear suspension.

Massa's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen said: "Felipe was just very unlucky. It was just an unlucky situation."

The incident comes less than a week after Henry Surtees, 18, was killed in a what was described as a "freak" accident during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.

The son of motorsport legend John Surtees was struck by a wheel which flew off a competitor's car.

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Shocking photo: Massa After Accident

Photo of Filipe Massa's injury having been struck by wht appeared to be a piece of metal tubing at over 200 kph, believed to be off the back of the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello





By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
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Latest: Massa crash

Felipe Massa has been stretchered into the Hungaroring medical centre following a bizarre crash during the Formula One Q2 qualifying session.

The Ferrari driver did not steer before slamming head first into a conveyor belt covered tyre barrier at high speed.

The rumour in the wake of the crash was that the Brazilian may have been struck by debris, although speculation he was unconscious at the point of impact seems wide of the mark given the tyre marks in the asphalt run-off area.

Massa, 27, was taken by ambulance to the medical centre and the beginning of the Q3 session, which he was due to participate in, delayed.

He was conscious when taken into the circuit facility, and his countryman Rubens Barrichello visited him and reported afterwards that Massa was talking.

Marshals were seen on the circuit in the wake of the crash, scanning for debris that may have struck Massa.

FIA officials ushered cameras out of the Brawn GP garage during the delay, as the rear suspension of Barrichello's car was inspected.

The Brazilian veteran confirmed that "something broke on the back of the car", and slow motion replays show Massa was indeed struck by something at speed.

The Brawn team confirmed that a piece of the rear suspension was missing.

Former team boss and now BBC commentator Eddie Jordan said one of his unnamed "paddock spies" believe Massa, to be helicoptered to hospital, is only mildly concussed following a blow to the chin.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Alonso on pole in Hungary

Fernando Alonso grabbed pole position for Renault in a delayed final qualifying session for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
The session was significantly delayed when Ferrari's Felipe Massa crashed head on into a tyre wall.
Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished second and third in a chaotic qualifying session in Budapest.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton qualified in a season's best fourth position while Brawn's Jenson Button was eighth.
Williams's Nico Rosberg was fifth fastest at the Hungaroring ahead of Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen who was sixth.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday's Grand Prix in seventh while Brawn's championship leader Jenson Button goes from eighth after his worst qualifying performance of the season.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
-- Post From My iPod Touch

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Massa injured in Hungary high speed crash

Felipe Massa was involved in an accident during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying which caused the final session to be significantly delayed.
The Ferrari driver applied his brakes but went head on into a tyre wall at Turn Four after a piece of debris on the track appeared to hit his helmet.
He was treated by medical teams before being airlifted to hospital, as is standard procedure in Formula 1.
Race officials confirmed that Massa is "OK" following the incident.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Hamilton and McLaren top P2 in Hungary

Lewis Hamilton clocked the quickest lap of the day during the second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren's world champion left it late with a lap 0.047 seconds faster than team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, who had topped the morning timesheets.
A low-key day for Brawn's Jenson Button ended with the championship leader posting the 13th fastest time.
Red Bull's championship-chasing duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were fourth and sixth fastest respectively.
Williams put in another solid practice performance as Nico Rosberg recorded the third fastest time with team-mate Kazuki Nakajima fifth quickest in the second practice session.
Brawn's Ruben's Barrichello was seventh while Toro Rosso's Formula 1 debutant Jaime Alguersuari avoided any major incidents in 20th.
Less than two seconds separated all 20 drivers in bright and sunny conditions at the Hungaroring just outside Budapest.
Kovalainen was running with a new diffuser and front wing in Hungary and he was quick to make the most of the updates which gave Hamilton's car a performance gain of about 0.8 seconds a lap in Germany two weeks ago.
McLaren have now set the pace in the the last four practice sessions and will be aiming to end a barren spell of 10 races without a podium finish on Sunday.
Red Bull's Mark Webber was asked after the sessions if he thought McLaren were as competitive as their practice performances suggested. "Yes" was the reply.
"It's not just McLaren though, it's Brawn, Ferrari, Toyota. There's loads of guys. It's a short track and it's very repetitive in terms of corners. It won't be this tight in Suzuka where the good cars have a chance to use their aerodynamics.
"We're in the hunt, for sure. I don't think we're off the pace. We're part of the pace. But as expected here it looks like there's a few more boys coming to the party."
Track temperatures climbed to 44 degrees in the afternoon session and several drivers appeared to struggle for grip.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa lost control on a couple of occasions and ended up deep in the gravel at Turn Nine, before cutting along the grass to rejoin the action.
In the first session Vettel - who has won races in China and Great Britain this season - was heard on Red Bull team radio team saying: "The temperature of the tyres is sky high and there is no grip at all."
Webber admitted that tyre wear was an issue but said the Red Bulls were coping better with it in Hungary than they had earlier in the season in Monaco.
"It went OK on the soft tyre. I would like to have done a few more laps, but we had a hydraulic problem.
"Looks a bit more difficult on Sebastian's car and maybe it would have got to that point if I had done more laps. So wear is not trivial. It's there for sure."
Championship leaders Brawn arrived in Budapest with a major upgrade package which includes a new diffuser, rear wing and bodywork and they used Friday's first session to test their new parts with race fuel loads.
"There's still some work we need to do to be really competitive," said Button.
"But our pace is good, and the direction we are taking with the car is the correct one, and I'm happy with the balance."
"I don't know where we stand after today. I was 13th, but we're quicker than that."
The high temperatures which have hampered Red Bull at the Hungaroring could play into the hands of title rivals Brawn, who have struggled to get optimum tyre temperature in the cool conditions of the last two races.
Practice performances are rarely the most reliable guide to race results as most teams use Friday's sessions to analyse and assess any developments and modifications they have made to their cars.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was running with the new front wing that helped team-mate Felipe Massa get onto the podium at the Nurburgring.
All eyes were on Toro Rosso rookie Jaime Alguersuari at the start of Friday's first practice session as the 19-year-old debutant put in his first tentative laps in an F1 car.
The Spaniard traded fastest lap times with team-mate Sebastien Buemi in a quiet opening half hour and improved his lap time by over six seconds, but he still finished the session in 20th position, one place behind his team-mate.
Both drivers were looking to benefit from a major overhaul of the Toro Rosso as the team ran with the new diffuser, front wing, nose and top bodywork that has served sister team Red Bull so well since Silverstone.

BBC
By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Kovalainen tops P1 in Hungary

McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen snatched top spot from Nico Rosberg with a last-gasp flying lap in a tight first practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Finn continued McLaren's recent recovery by clocking one minute 22.278 seconds to make the most of his car's new diffuser and front wing.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Brawn's Jenson Button was 10th, while title rival Sebastian Vettel struggled with his Red Bull's tyres down in 15th.
Less than half a second separated the top six drivers in bright and sunny conditions at the Hungaroring just outside Budapest.
Practice performances are rarely the most reliable guide to race results as most teams use Friday's sessions to analyse and assess any developments and modifications they have made to their cars.
All eyes were on Toro Rosso rookie Jaime Alguersuari at the start of Friday's first practice session as the 19-year-old debutant put in his first tentative laps in a Formula 1 car.
The Spaniard traded fastest lap times with team-mate Sebastien Buemi in a quiet opening half hour and improved his lap time by over six seconds, but he still finished the session in 20th position.
Both drivers were looking to benefit from a major overhaul of the Toro Rosso as the team ran with the new diffuser, front wing, nose and top bodywork that has served sister team Red Bull so well since Silverstone.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Brawn ready to fight back in Hungarian Grand Prix

Brawn GP insist they can banish the "frustration" of the past two grands prix in Hungary this weekend.
Red Bull eclipsed Brawn with one-two finishes in Britain and Germany to close the gap in the team standings.
But Brawn are bullish that further upgrades will help Jenson Button extend his 21-point lead in the title race.
"We have significant upgrades for Budapest which will bring performance gains but we face a fierce battle," said team principal Ross Brawn.
"The last two races at Silverstone and the Nurburgring have been frustrating for the team.
"We have not been able to achieve the full potential of our car at the same time as our competitors have taken a good step forward.
"However, the problems that we faced were unique to the circumstances of those races and we are confident that the inherent performance of our car has not disappeared.
"Our focus is to maximise the performance that we know is in the car whilst continuing to develop improvements to maintain our championship challenge."
Championship leader Jenson Button and his Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello struggled to put enough heat in their tyres amid colder temperatures in Britain and Germany, leaving their Brawn cars less responsive than they had been at previous races in which they had largely dominated.
Button, 29, is now looking forward to seeing an improved performance in the hotter conditions predicted at the Hungaroring.
"Hungary is always one of my favourite races and even more so this year as it should finally be a return to some real summer temperatures," he said.
"I've been at home in Monaco for the past week concentrating on my training but I know that the guys at the factory and at Mercedes-Benz have been working really hard on our latest upgrade package and I just can't wait to get back in the car."
Button, who has won six of nine races so far this season, finished fifth as Mark Webber led home team-mate Sebastian Vettel for a Red Bull one-two in Germany.
The Englishman said after the race: "This is hurting now. If Vettel had won here that would have been a disaster for me."
Barrichello was leapfrogged by both Red Bull drivers in the championship standings after finishing sixth at the Nurburgring.
The Brazilian launched a blistering attack on his own team after a muddled pit stop ruined his podium chances but he insists the team are now focused on the task in hand in Hungary.
"We will be looking to start the second half of the season afresh this weekend and focus on getting the maximum performance from the car and our upgrades," he said.
"It's not that easy to overtake through the slow corners here [in Hungary] so it places the emphasis on having a good qualifying session on Saturday and being able to start from high up the grid as possible.
"The feedback from the factory is that our upgrades should be a step forward so we are feeling positive going into the weekend."



BBC website
By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Ferrari to stop developing 2009 car

Ferrari are poised to cease development of their 2009 car despite an improved showing at the German Grand Prix, team boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed.
Felipe Massa finished third on Sunday to secure the team's second podium of the season, but Domenicali is close to writing off the current campaign.
"We've already started work on the new project and in the next couple of weeks we will move on to that," he said.
"We want to start with a different pace compared to this year."
With both Massa and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen out of contention in the drivers' championship, and Ferrari a long way adrift in the constructors' standings, it is no surprise they are already looking beyond this season.
"A podium is always important, and third is a good result for us, but we cannot say it's our return," said Massa after his third place at the Nurburgring.
Domenicali admitted the recent political infighting in Formula 1 had been a major drain on his time and energy and he was looking forward to getting involved in car development again.
"To be honest, I would have preferred to have been more balanced for the team," he stated.
"But it was a very critical moment for F1 and we have had to make sure we were doing our job.
"Being the team principal of Ferrari, with all that Ferrari means for F1, I also felt a responsibility."


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Bordais threatens legal action against Toro Rosso

Sebastien Bourdais is threatening legal action against the Toro Rosso team, who sacked him following a string of poor results in this year's championship.
Bourdais has scored only six points in 27 grands prix for Toro Rosso.
But he said: "I consider that Toro Rosso has breached contractual duties. Nothing in my behaviour would legitimise a decision to terminate.
"I have instructed my lawyers to review the situation including the possibility of issuing legal proceedings."
Bourdais' place in the Hungarian Grand Prix on 26 July is expected to go to Spain's Jaime Alguersuari, who, at 19, would become the youngest ever Formula One driver.
Bourdais added: "I am even more frustrated by the team's decision considering that the latter has been taken immediately before the Hungarian Grand Prix, where a new highly-competitive racing package will be introduced in order to try and overcome current difficulties.
"I am convinced that if I was given the chance to race with such a new package I would have had the opportunity to achieve satisfactory results."



BBC website
By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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German Grand Prix 2009: pre race weights

(in starting order)

1. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 661kg
2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 647
3. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 644
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 661
5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 654.5
6. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 664.0
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 678.5
8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 673.5
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 674
10. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 676
11. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 681
12. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 668.2
13. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 683.6
14. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 683.7
15. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 689.6
16. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 673.5
17. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 674.5
18. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 662.5
19. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 689.5


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Hamilton tops first practice in Germany

Lewis Hamilton surprisingly clocked Friday's fastest German Grand Prix practice lap in his modified McLaren at a cold and gloomy Nurburgring.
Red Bull's Mark Webber was quickest in the morning but the struggling world champion beat his time in the afternoon with one minute 32.149 seconds.
Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Brawn's Jenson Button were close behind as the track temperature finally rose.
Button leads the drivers' championship with chasing Vettel 25 points adrift.
The 22-year-old German, who won the last Formula 1 race at Silverstone and has claimed two races victories in 2009 to Button's six, was eighth early on after his Red Bull suffered electrical problems - but delivered the day's second-fastest lap in the afternoon.
Webber was fourth in the second session while Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Toyota's Jarno Trulli came in third and fourth in the morning, when track temperatures struggled to rise above 15 degrees.
Though practice is rarely, if ever, a true indicator of potential race or qualifying form, the aerodynamic tweaks that Ferrari have made looked to be working smoothly with Kimi Raikkonen sixth in the morning, just one tenth of a second behind Massa.
Hamilton, who sits 11th in the 2009 drivers' world championship just one season after becoming the youngest ever world champion in F1, was also driving in a car with fresh developments.
Although the Kers (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) failed early on, his McLaren ran with a new front wing, diffuser and top bodywork while Heikki Kovalainen - who did not run with all the updates - finished down in 18th and 13th.
"We managed to make a few set-up changes and it seemed to help a little bit but we can't underestimate the pace of the other guys," said Hamilton.
"We may be in the top 10 [in qualifying ] and if we do it's a fantastic job from the guys in the team. To see all the hard work they do come to the circuit and to be stepping in the right direction, they must be very proud."
McLaren engineering director Paddy Lowe also told BBC Sport: "It's always great to be at the top of the time sheets especially at Mercedes' home grand prix.
"The job now is to translate that into some points. Unfortunately, we did not have enough of the new parts to give the same package to Heikki."
Some teams have brought significant adjustments to their cars in Germany as they bid to reign in championship pace-setters Brawn and Red Bull at the season's half-way point.
Yet Fernando Alonso was 10th in the morning as his Renault, which has a revised front wing, spent time in the garage having the front suspension looked at, before he came in eighth in the second session.
Chasing his first GP win after 129 race starts Webber - second at the British GP and fourth in the drivers' championship - posted the quickest morning lap fairly early to top a practice session for the first time this season.
"There's similar conditions [to Silverstone], maybe even cooler here, so hopefully we can give Brawn a good run again," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
"It's got its own little microclimate here, because the altitude's quite high, so anything can happen at any time.
"Both drivers are pretty pumped up and all those Schumacher fans seem to be turning into Sebastian Vettel fans, so here's got a lot of local fans.
"But Mark for me is a real dark horse here. It would be great to see him win a race. He needs to get that monkey off his back."
The third and final practice session is on Saturday at 1000 BST followed by qualifying at 1300 BST.



By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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F1 teams continue to plan breakaway series

Eight of the major Formula 1 teams are continuing with plans to set up a breakaway championship next year.
F1 was thrown into confusion when the eight teams in the rebel umbrella group Fota were told on Wednesday they were not entered in the 2010 championship.
"We have to keep our options open," said BMW F1 boss Mario Theissen. "We are working in both directions.
"It is part of the ongoing negotiations and we can only hope it will be sorted out," he added.
Theissen said the teams had been caught by surprise when FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting told their engineers in the meeting that they could not have an input into a discussion on finalising next year's rules because they did not have entries.
Whiting's statement contradicted an announcement by the FIA's world council on 24 June which listed the eight Fota teams - McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, BMW, Toyota, Brawn, Red Bull and Toro Rosso - as confirmed entries.
That statement had come after Max Mosley, president of F1's governing body the FIA, had reached a compromise deal with Fota chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.
As part of that agreement, the outline of next year's rules was set, the teams agreed to commit to F1 until 2012, Mosley's plan for a £40m budget cap was replaced with an agreement to reduce costs to "mid-1990s levels" by Fota's methods and the FIA president agreed not to stand again for the governing body's presidence in October's elections.
Theissen said: "It's somewhat confusing to have been accepted as an entrant and then suddenly it looks different again."
Fota said in a statement after Wednesday's meeting that the FIA's new stance had "put the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy".
But after the FIA put out a lengthy statement on Thursday detailing its side of the argument, the bosses of the Fota teams were taking a more conciliatory line as they arrived at the Nurburgring ahead of Sunday's European Grand Prix.
Theissen described the FIA's latest move as "irritating", but added: "I wouldn't exaggerate it."
It is understood that the teams are trying to negotiate a new commercial settlement with CVC, the venture capital group that owns the commercial rights to F1, at the same time as finalising with Mosley and Ecclestone a new Concorde Agreement, the document that binds them to the sport and which enshrines their rights.
The FIA statement ended by saying: "At present, it seems probable that a final draft of the 2009 Concorde Agreement will be agreed and be ready for signature in the coming days."
But Fota insiders insist they will break away from F1 if Mosley tries to renege on what was agreed in Paris last month.
After the Fota teams left the meeting on Wednesday after it was made clear to them that they would not be allowed to participate in discussions, the remaining teams rubber-stamped all the rules that had been proposed and agreed by the F1 Teams' Association.
Those left at the meeting were current teams Williams and Force India and the three new teams - Manor, US F1 and Campos.
Manor technical director Nick Wirth, who has a close relationship with Mosley, told BBC Sport: "The five teams left, all agreed it unanimously. I can see, despite hubris, that there is commonality on the technical side.
"There is discussion about a new Concorde Agreement but the fact is the technical regulations are an appendix of the Concorde Agreement - so if you want a new Concorde Agreement, you need to agree technical regulations. It's almost like a chicken and egg (situation) at the moment.
"There is a lot of tension and antagonism but I hope everything will calm down.
"Actually, I am quite confident it will. I'm confident on technical agreement - we will not have two sets of rules - and I hope and believe we will have progress in the next few days."


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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New Fota row threatens future of F1.. Again!

The eight members of the Formula 1 Teams Association (Fota) walked out of a meeting with the sport's governing body, the FIA, on Wednesday.
The meeting, at Germany's Nurburgring, was held to discuss next year's rules and Fota's proposed changes to them.
But the Fota teams left when told they had not entered the 2010 championship and therefore had no voting rights on technical and sporting regulations.
A Fota statement said the row "puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy".
It is the latest incident in a bitter, long-running argument between Fota and the FIA over planned budgetary and technical changes which has threatened to tear the sport apart.
The eight Fota teams - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP - insist they have entered the 2010 championship.
"It will be remembered all eight active Fota members were included on the 'accepted' entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on 24 June," said Fota.
The association added that because it was now being claimed they had not entered, they had "requested a postponement of today's meetings".
Fota continued: "This was rejected on the grounds no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.
"However, it is clear to the Fota teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.
"As endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June 'the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April, 2009'.
"At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed.
"To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy.
"As a result of these statements, the Fota representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.
"The Fota members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula 1."
The FIA insisted in a statement of its own that it had wanted to discuss proposals for 2010.
The FIA added: "Unfortunately, no discussion was possible because Fota walked out of the meeting."
The long-running row between Fota and the FIA appeared to have been resolved in June, when an agreement was reached between F1's governing body and the Fota teams to prevent a breakaway series.
Under the terms of that deal a proposed budget cap was postponed and the teams won significant concessions on rule changes and the governance of the sport, while Max Mosley agreed not to stand for re-election as president of the FIA.
Wednesday's truncated meeting was attended by Williams and Force India, who are suspended from Fota after applying for unconditional entries to race in 2010 at the height of the budget cap crisis.
Formula 1's three new teams, Campos Grand Prix, Manor and US F1, also attended the meeting at the Nurburgring ahead of Sunday's German Grand Prix.

BBC website

By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Fuji raceway pulls out of 2010 F1 Season

The future of the Japanese Grand Prix has been thrown into doubt by Fuji Speedway's decision not to host the race in 2010.
Toyota, the track's owner, has blamed cost-cutting needs amid the global economic downturn for its decision.
Fuji had hosted the race for the last two years but was next due to host it in 2010 after starting a swap deal with Honda-owned Suzuka, its previous home.
Suzuka has not said whether it would be prepared to host the race every year.
Toyota, the world's largest car company, suffered a record £2.8bn loss in the year to March 2009 and is expecting its finances to be worse this year.
"It has become extremely difficult for us to host the F1 Grand Prix as we face the deteriorating economic environment and see few signs showing a swift economic recovery," Fuji Speedway said in a statement.
A spokesman added: "It is not clear at this moment whether a 2010 race in Japan will be hosted by others or if a race will be held in another country."
Circuit president Hiroaki Kato described the decision as "heart-wrenching".
Japan's grand prix is only one of the races under pressure for its place on the calendar as F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone looks to new markets where race organisers are prepared to pay higher fees.
Japan's neighbour South Korea is one country where the 78-year-old is hoping to establish a race.
Fuji first hosted the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 but was removed from the calendar after two spectators were killed when the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve crashed into the crowd during the race in 1977.
The race returned to the calendar in 1987 at Suzuka, which hosted the event until 2006, before a revamped Fuji took over for the last two years.
Suzuka has undergone an expensive revamp for its return to the F1 calendar this season.

By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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First glimpse: giant Audi sculpture at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009

This is the incredible sculture to Audi at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed which starts tomorrow I can't wait to visit it tomorrow even if it does mean a 4am start to get there on time!


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Preview: What's on at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009

Try summarising the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the uninitiated and you could get it badly wrong. Calling it a car show risks conjuring up visions of vehicles marooned on show stands, awaiting intimate inspection by strange men with unkempt beards and a whiff of WD-40 about them. You could say it's a race meeting, but when did the drivers at a race meeting last do burnouts in the middle of the track for the crowd's amusement, then hang out with spectators, drinking Pimm's? So what is it,...

Lukily for me I'm about too find out! I've been lucky enough to get my hand on a set if tickets for this years festival and will be posting all my photos on here when I get bak so I your interested please check back on my photography handy work.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
-- Post From My iPod Touch

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