France return draws nearer

Speculation is mounting that an announcement confirming France's return to the Formula 1 calendar could be made as early as Friday.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon is due to visit the Le Castellet circuit on Friday and it is reported that he will give an update on the situation when he speaks to the media at a press conference in the company of Hubert Falco, president of the local Toulon province.

Le Parisien newspaper reported that Le Castellet will be confirmed as the venue for the 2013 French Grand Prix with the venue set to alternate with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.

The French Grand Prix race was last held at Magny Cours in 2008 but funding issues resulted in the race being dropped for 2009.

Le Castellet (Paul Ricard track) last hosted a Grand Prix in 1990 but the circuit's strong links to Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone made it the clear favourite to alternate on a bi-annual basis with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.

There are currently three French drivers on the grid - Romain Grosjean, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic - and their presence has boosted the country's hopes of returning to the Formula 1 calendar.

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Fry: Lot of work to do for Ferrari

Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry believes there would have been a vastly different outcome to the Malaysian Grand Prix had heavy rain not interrupted proceedings.


Ferrari's ongoing struggles with the F2012 was clear to see over the course of the weekend and while there was some improvement both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa warned that the team were in for a difficult weekend in Sepang.

However, the weather gods appeared to be on their side with the Malaysian race stopped after just nine laps due to a heavy downpour. When the race got resumed 50 minutes later Alonso benefitted from the McLaren's both entering the pits but he was made to work hard to hold off the challenge of Sauber's Sergio Perez. Despite taking a surprise win Alonso admitted Ferrari still had a lot of work to do on the F2012 and Fry has backed up his driver by warning that the team will have to delivered major improvements to have any chance of fighting for the world championship.

"I think the pressure is on the team to try and get the car performing," said Fry."Here, if anything, we had to do the best we could to make the most of the situation. In these situations our car is quite reasonable. But if it had been a completely dry race it would have been a totally different story."

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Vettel hails unbeatable Button

German full of praise for Briton after opening victory in Melbourne

 

Sebastian Vettel admitted he was powerless to prevent Jenson Button's win on Sunday, describing the Briton's performance in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as "unbeatable".


So often last year Vettel left his rivals trailing in his wake, claiming a record-breaking 15 poles from which he won 11 races and his second Formula One world title.


Over the course of the weekend at Melbourne's Albert Park, the shoe was very much on the other foot as it was Vettel and Red Bull who were found wanting.


In qualifying Vettel could only manage sixth, his worst grid slot for 25 races, 24 of which he had been on the front row.

The 24-year-old German at least went on to finish second, but was no match for Button who led for 57 of the 58 laps after passing McLaren team-mate and polesitter Lewis Hamilton on the run to the first corner.

"Jenson deserved to win, he was out of reach for us, unbeatable," said Vettel. "I'm very happy with second, especially after the difficult day we had on Saturday. "At least it was good to finally go racing again and stop all the talk, to see some results. "In winter testing we said McLaren looked very strong. They had a very solid winter with no issues with the car. - http://www1.skysports.com

 

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Fry downbeat on Ferrari

Technical director expects Italian team to struggle in Melbourne

Ferrari technical director Pat Fry admits his team will struggle even to get on to the podium in the opening race in Australia later this month. 

The Italian team has been one of the big disappointments of the pre-season testing campaign, although Fernando Alonso did post the second fastest time on the final day in Barcelona. But Fry was not particularly bullish when asked if he thought there was a chance of a positive result in Melbourne. He said, on Ferrari's website: "In the hunt for the podium in Melbourne? At the moment I'd say no.

"We are disappointed with the performance level seen at these tests and I think we have a lot of work ahead of us."It will only be in Melbourne that we will get a clear answer as to whether we have to be very disappointed or just a little, how far we really are off the front runners and consequently how much ground we have to make up to get there."Clearly the decision relating to the exhausts that we took last week meant we took a few steps backwards in terms of development. How much? Difficult to say right now." - http://www1.skysports.com/

 

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Grosjean talks up Lotus hopes

Romain Grosjean says there is a good feeling within Lotus after he recorded the fastest time in testing for the second day running.



The Frenchman had impressed during a race simulation earlier on Friday, the E20 seemingly out-performing Fernando Alonso's Ferrari in preserving its tyres towards the end of the run.Grosjean then clocked the fastest lap of the day with his time of one minute 22.614 seconds during the closing stages of testing, which was extended by half an hour due to fog on Friday.

Having initially had chassis problems which cost them four days worth of testing, Lotus seem to have got a car which could be a surprise package for the new Formula 1 season. Grosjean is certainly optimistic about what the 2012 campaign can bring after a second good day of testing in Barcelona.

"The race simulation was very interesting, it's been a long time since I've done that long in a car," said Grosjean. "We are quite happy with that. We're very happy that the car was reliable from the run no problem, so that was good, and it's very encouraging for Melbourne." - http://www.setanta.com/

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 1/06

No rust on Schumacher

Seven-times champion says Mercedes need "another small step"

Michael Schumacher insists he is no longer "rusty" and reckons that Mercedes need to take only "another small step" forward to challenge F1's pacesetters.

The seven-times world champion, who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Tuesday, has struggled since coming out of retirement a couple of seasons ago, although he showed a marginal improvement last year.

Schumacher has finished below team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship in both of the last two seasons, but his overall position in the end-of-season standings has risen from ninth to eighth.

He appeared to prefer the Pirelli tyres introduced last season to the Bridgestone rubber used in 2010, but Mercedes are still searching for their first win as a constructor.

The Brackley-based team have not sampled such success since their 2009 world championship win, but Schumacher thinks both he and his team are not too far off.

"I know the team better and I am more involved... at first I was a little rusty. Things are better now and I am convinced Mercedes and I will succeed," he is quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We need another small step and then we can make it to the top."  -http://www1.skysports.com/

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 1/04

Di Resta eyes Vettel challenge

Force India ace Paul di Resta has revealed he would love another crack at double world champion Sebastian Vettel on equal terms.

The two enjoyed a tussle as team-mates at ASM Formula 3 in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series with the Scot coming out on top on that occasion, although it was Vettel who moved straight into Formula One with Di Resta initially trying his hand in the DTM touring car series.

Vettel joined BMW Sauber as the reserve driver, making his debut in the US Grand Prix following an injury to Robert Kubica, becoming the youngest points scorer in F1 history with an impressive eighth-placed finish at the age of 19.

The German had a two-year spell at Toro Rosso before joining Red Bull in 2009, where he has reached the pinnacle in successive seasons.

Di Resta has paid tribute to his former team-mate's achievements but insists that he has had a huge helping hand by the fact he has the best car.

"We were team-mates in Formula 3 in 2006 and we had the same equipment," di Resta told the Daily Star.

"Fortunately, I came out on top that year and we had a great battle that went right down to the wire.

"I'd like to be racing him at the front of Formula One. I have a lot of respect for what he's done.

"You can't take away what he's achieved this year or diminish his success, but he's been in the best car." - http://www.setanta.com/

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 1/03

Rosberg happy with test delay

Nico Rosberg does not feel that Mercedes will be unduly affected by missing the first test of the season.

The team will take no part in the Jerez test on February 7-10, preferring to work on the development of its new W03 machine, and the German hopes that such fine-tuning will help Mercedes competiveness when the new season starts.

"It is just the choice that they have made and I am happy with that," Rosberg told Autosport.

"It is the compromise between testing early enough and having enough time to develop. And they need to find a middle way - and they have decided that that is the best way to do it."

"With the way the factory is going now, I am confident," he added.

"This year we would not have managed to do the first race if we had run the car that late, but with the way the factory is now optimised, I am confident that we can quite happily make it happen and the car can race very soon after the first test - with just a few bits and pieces that need to be sorted out. That shows already that the team is a big improvement." - http://www.setanta.com

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 1/2

Liuzzi unsure over future

Vitantonio Liuzzi has admitted that he is uncertain as to whether he will be driving in Formula 1 in 2012.

Liuzzi signed a two-year deal with HRT before the beginning of last season, but is unsure if he will kept on by the team, following a change of ownership.

"I have a contract to race next season with HRT, but the agreement was concluded with the previous owner [Jose Ramon Carabante] and now the future is uncertain," he told TotalRace.com.

HRT's team boss Luis Perez-Sala recently revealed that the squad have held talks with several drivers, but that they have yet to decide on who will partner Pedro de la Rosa in 2012.

It is thought that 30-year-old Liuzzi is in a battle with Jaime Alguersuari and young Spanish driver Dani Clos for the second race seat. - http://www.setanta.com

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 1/1

VETTEL RIVALS 'NEED PERFECT CAR' Vettel to break Schumacher's Record for wins in a season?

Three-time world champion Niki Lauda feels Sebastian Vettel's rivals "will need a perfect car" to deny him a title hat-trick next year.

Vettel and Red Bull were in a class of their own this year as the 24-year-old won 11 races en route to securing his second consecutive championship.

The German will no doubt start the 2012 campaign as the man to beat, and Lauda believes that those who want to deny Vettel another title will need to have a car that is impeccable.

"In 2011, Sebastian's self-confidence increased immensely and he made no mistakes," he told the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

"Next year he will be the man to beat. Whoever wants to beat him will need a perfect car."

Lauda also backed Red Bull to take another big step forward despite the ban on the exhaust blown diffusers.

"Logic tells me that Red Bull will move further forward," he said.

"The only rule change is the modified exhaust and diffuser. The loss in output is compensated by even better aerodynamics.

"Those who can build on a very good car already have an advantage. Red Bull can further develop the success, which is easier than to start over.

"Mercedes must build a completely new car to get there. There is the risk of going in the wrong direction. But Mercedes have employed more technicians. McLaren and Ferrari are in a similar situation. But the real standard for 2012 can only be assessed after the first tests."- http://www.sportinglife.com/

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 12/27

Rookie of the Year: Paul di Resta

The season brought another clutch of unobtrusive baptisms, although comparing the arrivals of Di Resta, Sergio Perez, Maldonado, Jerome d'Ambrosio and Daniel Ricciardo to the stellar ones of Vettel and, in particular, Hamilton is not entirely fair.

None of the fivesome (Ricciardo only completed a part season) appeared out of his depth, although Di Resta and Perez caught the eye the most - if for no other reason than they were in the best machinery.

Perez would have finished seventh in his very first race were it not for the fact the rear wing of his Sauber broke the rules. The 21-year-old Mexican had the speed to match Kamui Kobayashi (they were equals in qualifying) but without his team-mate's adventurousness. Whatever one thinks of the Japanese driver's approach, though, it yielded more points than that of Perez.

Experience also won out at Force India, where Adrian Sutil bested Di Resta - and just shaded him in terms of qualifying pace too. When comparing the benchmarks, however, it should be remembered that Sutil was contesting his fifth full season - all with the same team - whereas Kobayashi's was just his second.

And we should also bear in mind that, while Di Resta took part in a number of free practice sessions last season, he had spent the four previous seasons concentrating on the German DTM series - a rather different discipline than single seater racing.

Di Resta is staying put next season and assuming Schumacher does indeed call it a day for a second time at the end of 2012, then another good year, not to mention the long-time backing of Mercedes-Benz, will place the 25-year-old Scot right in the frame for a move. - http://www.sportinglife.com

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MOTORSPORTS news 12BET update 12/25

Ferrari hint at Vettel interest

Luca di Montezemolo has hinted that Ferrari may be interested in signing Sebastian Vettel at some point in the future.

Ferrari president di Montezemolo heaped praise on double-world champion Vettel, suggesting that the German may become a target for the Italian squad.

"Vettel is a brilliant driver," said the 64-year-old. "He’s young, but seems very intelligent in the way he carries himself. He has a great future, let’s see. I like drivers who use their head more than their right foot.

"But (a move) would be on the condition that we don’t upset the balance within the team. Today we have a balance. I don’t want drivers who will have a problem with each other."

Vettel's current contract with Red Bull is set to expire at the end of the 2014 season. - http://www.setanta.com

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12BET Motor Sport - F1 - Korea Grand Prix Race 10/14

 

Ecclestone Encouraged By Korea Progress 

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone was all smiles following an inspection of the latest venue to join his sport’s growing empire.The Korea International Circuit was only granted a safety licence on 12th October, and cosmetic touches are today still being applied ahead of Sunday’s inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

The Korean army have been drafted in to help with the completion of the erection of a number of grandstands that on Sunday will house a crowd between 90,000 and 100,000.Ecclestone, though, always believed the organisers would deliver, and he is delighted with the end product.“Considering what it was and what they’ve had to do, and this event has not been easy to do, I think they’ve done a good job,” said Ecclestone.
“It’s all there. If they hadn’t have had their bad weather then it would have been done a long time ago.
“But I wasn’t worried because I had some information they would get it done, and they’ve got it done.
“It would have been bad for Korea if it hadn’t have happened, so they have made sure it happened.
“When you look at these facilities, and you look at some of the places we go to, and have been in the past, you can see what it took to build Formula One to what it is today.”

One of the areas sorely lacking is accommodation with a number of less-than-salubrious motels being employed to house teams, media and fans.That today prompted an apology from Chung Yung-cho, the CEO of organisers Korea Auto Valley Operations.“For the last couple of months we have worked hard, day and night,” said Chung.“If you are not 100 per cent satisfied please accept my apologies. I will do better for next year.

 

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12bET Tips Sebastian Vettelvs Mark Webber 10/9 2PM GMT+8

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel snatched pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday as he closes on back-to-back Formula One world titles.The Red Bull driver, who has dominated the season and needs just one point to reclaim his driver's crown, timed quickest in qualifying ahead of McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who will start second and third.Red Bull's Mark Webber secured sixth place on the grid 0.69sec slower than his teammate while fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo was 22nd for HRT.

 

Vettel, winner of the past two races at Suzuka, claimed his 12th pole of the season with a time of 1min 30.466secs, edging Britain's Button by just 0.009sec.The pole was the 27th of Vettel's career and kept Red Bull's perfect 2011 qualifying record intact with a 15th first-place start for the team in as many races this season.The 24-year-old needs to finish just 10th or better on Sunday to become the youngest Formula One driver to win consecutive world titles.Vettel can also clinch the championship if Button doesn't win Sunday's race.Vettel was ecstatic to bounce back from a difficult start to the weekend after his crash in the final minute of the opening practice session on Friday.

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