Mercedes in talks to buy Brawn GP shares

Car giant Mercedes-Benz is in talks about buying a shareholding in championship leaders Brawn Grand Prix.
The German company, which owns 40% of McLaren, is considering taking a major interest in Brawn.
Brawn refused to comment and Mercedes were unavailable. McLaren said they were "supportive of our partner's plans re engine supply of other teams".
Brawn are leading the drivers' championship with Jenson Button heading into this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
BBC Sport understands that the deal, if it happens, would not be a threat to Mercedes's continued relationship with McLaren.
A McLaren spokesman added: "Mercedes-Benz's engine supply contract with McLaren is a very long-standing one - it's in its 15th consecutive year, in fact - and it will continue to run for many years to come.
"However, we're supportive of our partner's plans re engine supply of other teams in Formula 1 and we were delighted earlier this year that a Mercedes-Benz engine supply deal was able to be done with Brawn, thereby saving that team from likely extinction.
"Force India, too, has blossomed as a result of its engine supply/engineering consultancy collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and McLaren - as Giancarlo Fisichella's impressive second place in the recent Belgian Grand Prix showed all too clearly.
"Both McLaren and Mercedes-Benz remain extremely satisfied with our F1 collaboration, which has netted three drivers' world championships and one constructors' world championship as well as dozens of grand prix victories.
"As ever, we'll be aiming to add to that win tally together at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix - although we never underestimate our opposition and the competition will undoubtedly be tough."
Mercedes were instrumental in the establishment of the Brawn team, which was set up out of the ashes of Honda after the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of F1 last December.
The apparent desire of Mercedes to extend its commitment to F1 is in contrast to the behaviour of several other road-car manufacturers.
As well as Honda, BMW last month announced it would quit F1 at the end of this season, and Toyota is waiting until November to sign off its F1 budget for 2010.
And Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore has rejected speculation about the future of his team in the sport.
It is not clear what effect any deal with Brawn might have on the other F1 teams supplied with Mercedes engines.
New rules allow engine manufacturers to supply up to three customer teams next season, so in theory Mercedes could continue with McLaren, Brawn and Force India, while adding a fourth team in Red Bull, who are known to be keen to switch to Mercedes in 2010.
But sources say Mercedes may be less keen to supply Red Bull, who are Brawn's main title rivals this season, if the Brawn shareholding deal is sealed.
The supply of Force India, who use Mercedes engines and have a technology transfer deal with McLaren, may also come under scrutiny.
The talks between Mercedes and Brawn come as the team heads into a tense climax to the F1 season.
Button and Brawn dominated the early part of the season, with the Englishman winning six of the first seven races.
But Button failed to get on to the podium in the succeeding five grands prix and heads into the final five events of 2009 needing to regain his form.
He leads Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello by 16 points, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel a further three points adrift. Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber is 20.5 points behind Button.
There are a maximum of 50 points available in the remaining five races of the season.


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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Rossi did consider Ferrari place for Monza

Valentino Rossi has claimed that he held talks with Ferrari about driving for them at the Italian Grand Prix.
F1 veteran Giancarlo Fisichella joined the team from Force India last week while Felipe Massa continues his recovery from serious injury.
But MotoGP champion Rossi told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I talked with Ferrari about Monza, but to enter Formula One without testing is more risky than fun.
"You can't go there and do everything to understand the car in three days."
F1 rules aimed at cutting costs prevent teams from testing their current cars during the season.
Bikes legend Rossi has tested for Ferrari in the past and expressed a serious interest in switching from two wheels to four, in both F1 and rallying.
But he told Gazzetta he had doubts about his ability to cope physically with a one-off Grand Prix.
"I don't know if I could have finished the race with my neck," said the 30-year-old.
"Also, because we (Yamaha) are fighting for the MotoGP championship, the race at Monza would definitely have been a big stress, and it's better to stay in MotoGP."
Fellow Italian Fisichella, 36, will race for Ferrari for the rest of the season, beginning at Monza next weekend.
He replaces test driver Luca Badoer, who struggled in his two races after coming in for Massa.
Badoer only filled in because original choice Michael Schumacher had to abort his comeback plans because of an injury to his neck, which needs to be strong to cope with the G-forces involved.
Rossi is battling team-mate Jorge Lorenzo for the MotoGP world title, and has cast doubt on his long-term future with the Japanese outfit.
"I don't know (if I'll change team). I have a year of my contract still to run and then I'll decide what to do," he said after clocking the fastest time in first practice for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.
"The end of this season and all of the next one risk becoming a torment."


By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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New F1 Scandal! Renault race fixing?

Formula One's governing body has summoned Renault to a hearing to answer charges that they fixed the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The French team are accused of plotting with driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the race to deploy the safety car.
The incident aided Piquet's team-mate Fernando Alonso, with the Spaniard going on to claim victory.
If found guilty, the team face severe sanctions which could include expulsion from the current F1 world championship.
"Representatives of ING Renault F1 have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday, 21 September 2009," read a statement on the FIA website.
"The team representatives have been called to answer charges, including a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso."
Renault said they would not make any comment until after the hearing.
The FIA first started investigating the matter after the initial claim of fixing was made by a Brazilian TV station during the Belgian GP in August.
Alonso won the Singapore GP in 2008 when Piquet crashed two laps after the Spaniard had come in for a routine pit stop.
That meant that when race officials sent out the safety car to clear up the debris from Piquet's car, Alonso was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres.
At the time, Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error, but he was dropped by Renault after July's Hungarian Grand Prix and has since been outspoken in his criticism of Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said earlier this week that both Renault and Piquet Jr would be in serious trouble if the investigation uncovered any type of race-fixing activity.
He said the negative publicity might lead Renault to pull out of the sport, following the departures of manufacturers Honda and BMW Sauber.
The Brazilian specifically cited unequal treatment between himself and two-time world champion Alonso as the source of his discontent.
Former world champions Renault have already been in the FIA dock this season.
They were banned for one race after a wheel flew off Alonso's car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, the suspension, which would have ruled Alonso out of his home race in Valencia in August, was lifted on appeal.


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

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Fisichella makes Ferarri move

Giancarlo Fisichella will drive for Ferrari for the rest of the 2009 Formula 1 season before taking a new role as their reserve driver in 2010.
The Italian, 36, will replace Luca Badoer as stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa for the final five races.
"It has always been an ambition," said Fisichella, who has been released from his contract with Force India.
Force India are yet to name a replacement for Fisichella with reserve driver Vitantonio Liuzzi the favourite.
Fisichella, who formerly raced for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Renault and Sauber, will begin his Ferrari career on home soil at the Italian Grand Prix on 13 September.
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali confirmed the appointment saying: "We considered what could be his role inside the team in the near future, also taking this year's experiences into account. He will be the reserve driver in 2010.
"We have chosen Fisichella because we can expect him to make a valuable contribution in this final part of the season.
"He has shown, throughout his long career, that he is fast and competitive and we are therefore proud to be able to run an Italian driver in our home race."
Force India team principal Mallya had insisted on Tuesday that he would turn out his regular team for Monza.
But after extensive discussions with Ferrari, Mallya has agreed to release Fisichella from his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season.
"For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception," Mallya said. "No-one should stand in the way of this.
"The agreement will secure Fisichella's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this.
"We would like to stress that we have not agreed any financial settlement with Ferrari and would like to thank Giancarlo for all his help over the past one-and-a-half seasons and for our first world championship points."
Fisichella's parting gift to Force India was second place at the Belgium Grand Prix, handing the team their first podium and points in their second season in F1.
Even before his impressive performance at Spa-Francorchamps, the 36-year-old had been tipped to replace Badoer, who has struggled since his promotion from Ferrari reserve driver.
Badoer was drafted in to replace Massa, who suffered serious head injuries at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after legendary seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher was forced to shelve his comeback plans.
While Massa is targeting a return in 2010, the Italian team ran out of patience with Badoer, who qualified last at both the European and Belgian GPs.
While Kimi Raikkonen claimed Ferrari's first win of 2009 in Spa, his team-mate trailed in last, nearly 48 seconds slower than the driver in front.
"We wish to thank Luca Badoer for the team spirit he demonstrated in these circumstances," added Domenicali.
"It is a shame he was unable to show his true worth in these last two races, tackled under conditions which anyone would have found difficult."
Fisichella, a veteran of more than 200 grands prix, will be expected to be much more competitive as Ferrari prepare to race in front of their enthusiastic home fans in Monza.
"I am grateful to Vijay Mallya for allowing me this opportunity," said Fisichella, a three-time race winner.
"For Vijay to have allowed it to become a reality is very generous and I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow up and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions."


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

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