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Issue No 124 MONDAY JULY 11, 2011
EVERY MONDAY AROUND THE MOTORSPORT WORLD
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Ferrari wins on
60th Anniversary ...
... as Red Bull dives
into controversy
again
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Webber ignores team orders ...

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ISSUE 124 JULY 11, 2011
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60 years after Ferrari won its first British GP, they did it agin.
Peter Windsor analyses a fascinating race
Is Maverick Viales the next Valentino Rossi? Michael
Scott looks at the Next Big Thing ...
EDITOR: ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS
adam@hay-nicholls.com
Assistant Editors
Naoise Holohan, Kate Walker
MotoGP Editor: Michael Scott
michael@gpweek.com
Rally Editor: Martin Holmes
martin@gpweek.com
Production Artist (Australia):
Cedric Dufour,
Asstistant: Callum Branagan
Photography
Sutton Motorsport Images
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Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com
Publisher
Chris Lambden
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F1 NEWS
>>
AN extended period of relative calm
and peace was shattered at Red Bull
on Sunday after Mark Webber publicly
admitted to ignoring team orders to
maintain position in the closing stages of
the British Grand Prix.
Webber ran behind Vettel throughout
the race but while consistently closing
on the German during the final stint he
was repeatedly radioed by team principal
Christian Horner to maintain the gap.
Speaking to the press directly after
the race, Webber revealed that he had
been told probably four or five times
to hold station behind Vettel, but never
responded to the call and kept battling
hard with his team-mate.
I am not fine with it. No. Thats the
answer to that, said Webber.
If Fernando retires on the last lap we are
battling for the victory so I was fine until
the end. Of course I ignored the team as I
want to try and get another place. Seb was
doing his best and I was doing my best. I
dont want to crash with anyone, but that
was it.
I tried to do my best with the amount of
conversation I had. One-way conversation
obviously, as I wasnt talking too much
back. There was a lot of traffic coming to
me, but I was still trying to do my best to
pass the guy in front.
Red Bulls call on Webber to maintain
position came at an uncertain time in
the debate on exhaust-blown diffuser
regulations, with engine supplier Renault
having been publicly worried about the
reliability of their engine as a result of the
rules run in Silverstone. With the collision
involving their drivers at last years Turkish
Grand Prix still in the back of their minds,
Horner defended his decision to attempt
to impose team orders.
At the end of the day the team is the
biggest thing, and no individual is bigger
than the team, began Horner.
I can understand Marks frustration
in that, but had it been the other way
around it would have been exactly the
same.
It happened a couple of years ago
in Turkey when exactly the same thing
happened with Sebastian, so it makes
no sense from a team point of view to
risk both of your cars. It was obvious that
neither was going to concede. ... it made
no sense from a team point of view to
allow them to continue to fight over those
last couple of laps.
Horner revealed that he and Webber
would hold talks in private on his
decision to ignore the orders, but the
entire controversy will do little to end
rumours linking the Australian with
2012 options away from the reigning
champions.
Red Bull calm shattered as
Webber ignores team orders
IN recent days, F1 fans have been treated
to a series of U-turns on the off-throttle
blown diffuser regulations. But the
2013 now 2014 engine regulations
have seen enough U-turns to make the
manufacturers dizzy.
In the run-up to the British Grand Prix,
the FIA issued a statement clarifying the
2014 engine regulations in the light of
a World Motor Sport Council vote on 29
June.
Following consultation with the various
Formula One stakeholders and the current
Formula One engine manufacturers, the
WMSC has ratified the adoption of a V6
turbo engine to be used in Formula One
from 2014 onwards, the statement read.
This required changes to the
regulations initially adopted by the
World Council on 3 June 2011. The full
regulations applicable to the 2014 season
will be published in due course.
According to the FIA, engine efficiency
requirements remain unchanged,
but the rev limit has been updated
from 12000rpm to 15000 rpm to allow
engineers more flexibility in power and
energy management. However, as a
consequence of the new architecture (V6)
and the change in rev-limit, the engine
will sound different, but will remain
representative of Formula 1.
The rpm limit will not alter fuel
consumption, the FIA says, as the
fuel flow limit will stay the same. The
technologies are the same and as a
consequence any increase in rpm will
constrain the engineers to work harder on
reducing friction and gaining on engine
efficiency. The challenge will be even
bigger than originally planned and will
therefore enhance the technological lead
of Formula One.
The FIA acknowledges that the
revised engine regulations will affect
manufacturers who had signed up to
develop the 4-cylinder engines originally
agreed.
To our knowledge, five manufacturers
were working on the proposed 4-
cylinder engine, the FIA said. They
will all need to adapt their project and
this will surely involve some additional
costs, depending on how advanced each
project was. This evolution has been
proposed and supported by all four
engine manufacturers currently involved
in Formula One.
The new specification will see 1600cc
V6 combustion engines rev-limited to
15,000 rpm with controlled fuel flow, a
single turbocharger, and a direct fuel
injection of up to 500bar. Kinetic energy
recovery will continue to be a key aspect,
with exhaust energy recovery linked to
the turbocharger and up 120kW of kinetic
energy recovered from the rear wheels
under braking.
FIA clarifies new engine regs

nEagle-eyed Formula One fans present

at Silverstone at the weekend might have
noticed a minor change to the sign above
the Ferrari pits. Despite having announced
an extension to their sponsorship deal
with tobacco giants Phillip Morris in the
middle of June, the Italian racers have
reverted to the Scuderia Ferrari name,
quietly dropping the Marlboro. If only it
were as easy for people to quit cigarettes...
nAfrica is Formula Ones lost continent,
the biggest landmass without a race. The
circus last visited Kyalami in 1993, and talk
of a rebooted South African Grand Prix has
been a vital part of the paddock rumour
mill for the past two decades. This week,
talk of a Cape Town Grand Prix gathered
pace once more. Bernie Ecclestone has
long hoped for a return to South Africa,
but the local motorsport federation
has revealed that there is a long list of
conditions that must be met before a race
can be approved, including a local driver
on the grid. Given that there are currently
no South African racers in GP2 and GP3,
the proposed Cape Town race is probably a
little while off.
nThe Friday afternoon team principals
press conference is usually a technical
affair, but the Silverstone edition proved to
be the highlight of a soggy day with little
in the way of action on track. With the off-
throttle saga still in full force, McLarens
Martin Whitmarsh and Red Bulls Christian
Horner got a little heated. After a few
snippy comments back and forth over
who had the best understanding of the
clarified rules and just who had gained
an advantage as a result Tony Fernandes
poured oil on troubled water, stating I
dont understand anything that these
two have just said; God knows about all
the spectators over there, so thats just
something I wanted to add, as someone
relatively new to the sport.
nThe Silverstone paddock is a great
place for celebrity spotting. It all kicked off
in the Virgin motorhome on Friday night,
with a party celebrating the premiere of
Cars 2 in British cinemas next week. BBC
Radio 5 Live recorded their show live
from the paddock, and presenter Colin
Murray was in attendance all weekend.
Tamara Beckwith and Prince Harry soaked
up the hospitality on Sunday, while Sir
Patrick Stewart and Freddie Flintoff were
also spotted enjoying the racing, and Ron
Howard was talking up his F1 movie plans.
Short
Straights
HOW many U-turns does it take to go full
circle? How about twice?
Heads were reeling in the brand new
Silverstone paddock as the FIA issued
directive after contradictory directive in
an attempt to establish a set of off-throttle
rules that worked for all the teams.
Engine manufacturers were pitted
against each other as they all sought
a solution that would not put their
customers at a disadvantage to their
rivals on track. Ferrari and Cosworth were
largely uninvolved, as the real politicking
took place between Mercedes-Benz High
Performance Engines Ltd., who supply
Mercedes, McLaren, and Force India, and
Renault Sport F1, who power Red Bull,
Renault, and Lotus.
The Renault and Mercedes engines
manipulate exhaust gases in different
ways, and the FIA were tasked with limiting
the use of off-throttle blown diffusers by
all teams without putting either engine
manufacturer at a significant disadvantage.
Speaking in the paddock on Friday
afternoon, McLaren team principal Martin
Whitmarsh acknowledged the difficulty
of satisfying all of the stakeholders with a
single directive.
I think theres been about six technical
directives on the subject so far, and its
moved around, and when the goalposts
are moving partway through a practice
session it makes it quite difficult, he said.
With the benefit of hindsight, it would
have been better to make changes at year
end, with which I think Christian will agree.
To do this and do it in a fairly cloudy
and ambiguous and changing way I think
inevitably in a competitive environment
every team feels its been hard done by,
Whitmarsh concluded. At the moment I
think potentially lot of teams will end up
making arguments to cold blow. Renault
have been in that domain for some time,
other teams havent, and dont have that
experience. Were talking a very substantial
performance benefit here.
By Saturday, it looked as though the
FIA had stuck with the decision to allow
the Mercedes-powered cars to use their
fired over-run, while denying a similar
concession to the Renault engine users on
the grounds that their claim that their off-
throttle use was a reliability issue had been
received too late to be confirmed by the
FIA.
But following an extraordinary
meeting of the Technical Working Group
on Saturday morning, a new technical
working directive was issued that read
During Saturday mornings Extraordinary
Technical Working Group meeting, the
members discussed the viability of
returning to the pre-Silverstone set-
ups and strategies. If the teams are in
unanimous agreement, the FIA is prepared
to adopt this arrangement until the end of
the current season.
Both Ferrari and Sauber two Ferrari-
engined teams largely unaffected by the
off-throttle ban declined to add their
representatives signatures to a letter
accepting a return to pre-Silverstone
set-ups.
While there will be a further round of
meetings to decide the issue before the
German Grand Prix in two weeks time, the
FIA have warned teams that indecision will
mean that the current 10 percent open-
throttle regulation will stand for the race at
the Nurburgring.
FIA indecision leads
to off-throttle chaos in
Silverstone paddock

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F1 NEWS
>>
Horner ends Hamilton to RBR speculation
SINCE Lewis Hamilton was spotted having
a private chat with Christian Horner in
the Montreal paddock, there have been
endless rumours that the British driver
would soon be moving to Red Bull.
But during a pre-British Grand Prix media
day at their Milton Keynes factory, Red Bull
team principal Horner brought an end to
the gossip.
History dictates that two world-class
drivers in the same team has not always
been the best pairing, Horner told the press.
You only have to think of Senna-Prost, Piquet-
Mansell, or even Alonso and Hamilton.
We are hugely happy to have Sebastian
committed to the team long term, and with
Mark [Webber], were very pleased with
the job he is doing [ED: This was before
Sundays team-orders controversy!]. Our
focus at present is on those two drivers
rather than looking to change anything.
I think it would be difficult to envisage
a driver of Sebastians calibre and that
of Lewis under the same roof, Horner
continued.
Lewis is a wonderful driver and you
can understand why he might want to
drive a Red Bull. Its obvious. But would it
be the best thing for us? We have severe
reservations it would be.
LAST week Virgin announced that
they had signed a deal with McLaren
Applied Technologies that would give
the younger team wind tunnel access, a
radical departure for the all-CFD outfit.
Andy Webb, CEO of Marussia Virgin
Racing sees the arrangement as an
indicator of his teams long-term
commitment to Formula One.
Our technical partnership with McLaren
is very exciting indeed, he said. McLaren is
one of the most prestigious and successful
marques in Grand Prix racing history, with
an enviable record of success over many
years. We can benefit enormously from
McLarens far-reaching techniques and
capabilities and I have no doubt that this
partnership will see us take the technical
steps necessary to make a significant leap
forwards.
In an interview with Autosport, sporting
director Graeme Lowdon called the
McLaren deal a statement of intent.
This is a real statement of intent that
we want to be in the pack as quickly as
possible, and get to a situation where we
are really challenging in races.
The prime focus is going to be the 2012
car, as it is for most teams in the paddock
now, but we think that there will be some
benefits for the 2011 car kind of by
osmosis as opposed to a specific focus.
Its not a case of just forgetting whats
happening in 2011. We certainly want to
improve where were at with the 2011 car,
but the main realization will be from 2012
onwards.
Virgin on the
McLaren Applied
Technologies link

Silverstone seeking private investors

ONE of the biggest stories to emerge
in the run-up to the British Grand Prix
was confirmation of the rumours that
Williams and Renault had reignited their
legendary and championship-winning
partnership.
For Williams, it has been a strategic
priority to align ourselves with world-class
automotive companies, chairman Adam
Parr said at the teams Grove headquarters.
Just two months ago we announced our
partnership with Jaguar to create the C-
X75 supercar together a project that we
both expect will lead onto a more general
collaboration on high-performance road
vehicles.
Today, we have announced a
partnership with Renault, Parr continued.
They are not only making a championship-
winning engine, but they are independent,
totally committed to Formula One and, of
course, there is a resonance and heritage
to Williams-Renault that creates a real
buzz for both of us. So, in a short period
we have signed two critical partnerships
which will (literally and figuratively) power
us forwards in coming years.
This partnership is for the long-term,
Parr asserted. It will see Renault provide
Williams with its championship-winning
RS27 V8 engines for 2012 and 2013.
Meanwhile, we are already working on
an extension for the new engine formula
which arrives in 2014.
Bernard Rey, president of Renault Sport
F1, was pleased to note that his operation
will power one-third of the paddock in the
2012 season.
From 2012 onwards the fact that we will
have four partners puts us ahead of other
engine manufacturers in terms of market
share, but off track it will also enable us
to further use Formula 1 as a marketing
platform for our parent company, Renault,
to try to bring a bit of this association to
our fans and our customers worldwide.
Of course theres also a great pride in
reviving the Williams-Renault name, Rey
added. Together, we produced racing
cars that are recognised for their technical
innovation and it is still Renaults most
successful period in F1 to date. Its a
hugely exciting opportunity for both
Renault and Williams.
Williams-Renault back in business
THE British Racing Drivers Club has given
up on the idea of government funding for
the British Grand Prix, its representatives
told GPWEEK at Silverstone.
Despite the benefits of the motorsport
industry to the British economy, the way
in which it publicly promotes engineering
to a wider audience, and the tens of
thousands of jobs it provides, successive
governments have balked at the notion
of contributing to the cost of hosting
the best known event on the British
motorsport calendar.
Having spent years trying to convince
politicians of the wisdom of supporting
Silverstone, the BRDC will now be looking
for private investors to help the track
develop further.
The next stage of development will see
the construction of two on-site hotels, a
museum, and whats being referred to as
an entertainment infrastructure.
BRDC chairman Stuart Rolt said: We are
seeking investor partners to move forward
with the next part of the development,
which should go before planning
authorities at the end of the month. But
we have stressed via a legally binding
proviso that Silverstone must always be a
centre for motor racing.
10
F1 NEWS
>>
Its been a hard two months in which to
be Lewis Hamilton. The British driver has
faced rounds of criticism ever since the
Monaco Grand Prix, and former drivers have
been using the press to comment on his
attitude, his future, and his chances at the
championship.
Last week, Hamilton hit back.
Asked how he was dealing with the
seemingly never-ending round of critiques, the
British driver said he really couldnt give a toss.
You get tough, the McLaren driver said. Its
like if you fall down and bruise your knee, you
get up and get stronger. But it doesnt affect my
life what people say - it has no bearing. What
Niki Lauda thinks about me, I really couldnt
give a toss about it.
When he first arrived in the paddock,
Hamilton was Ron Dennis golden boy the
ingenue of Formula One and his glowing
press coverage mirrored his results on track.
Its the way the world works, everyone loves
you when youre doing well, Hamilton said.
If Michael Schumacher was winning
races now, everyone would be praising him,
wanting to be around him, the same if it was
Heikki Kovalainen or whoever. At the moment
Sebastian Vettel is winning and so everyones
loving him. Just because of what people say
and how they act, that doesnt make me any
worse a driver.
Lewis hits back at his detractors
LEWIS Hamiltons public image has
taken something of a beating in
recent weeks, but the media took full
advantage of the British Grand Prix
week to really stick the fire-retardant
Nomex racing boot in.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Jonathan
McEvoy (pictured right) performed a
character assassination on the McLaren
driver, damning with faint praise in the
manner perfected by the red-tops.
The events of this season ill-judged
jokes, visiting a rival team to ask for a
drive and ragged performances at the
wheel have given us cause to rethink
the veneration we lavished upon him,
McEvoy wrote. Is he the man? No, he is
still a man-child: prone to petulance, surly
in defeat and deluded by his own well-
developed sense of entitlement.
The piece which acknowledges
Hamiltons prodigal talent goes on
to castigate the McLaren driver for his
celebrity entourage and lack of focus,
while reminding readers of his childhood
on a Stevenage council estate.
His friends are P Diddy, Rihanna
and Ice-T, he has a Pussycat Doll for a
girlfriend, a tax-haven home in Zurich,
a music mogul for a manager, a steady
stream of return tickets to Los Angeles,
and two diamond-encrusted earrings,
McEvoy writes.
Deep down he is the boy from
a council estate in Stevenage,
Hertfordshire, living in a surreal world.
Whatever the truth in McEvoys
words, the only aspect of Hamiltons
upbringing that is even remotely relevant
to his racing career is the years of sheer
dedication it took to build a career in the
high octane world of Formula One.
but Britains Daily Mail crucifes him
Daily Mai writter
Johnathon McEvoy
11
Technical Update: British GP
After a handful of mixed-requirement tracks, Silverstones spaces spelt AERO as
GPWEEK Technical Editor Paolo Filisetti explains
After Valencia, the Silverstone track represents a
return to the tradition in terms of real track.
The Silverstone circuit, the home of the
British Motorsport, represents one of the most
challenging and demanding tracks on the
calendar. While It is well known as a very fast
track, the new layouts frst sector is dramatically
slower than the old track, as it is a redesign of
the Complex section of the old track, featuring
a couple of very slow corners after a fast right
hander.
Due to the aforementioned characteristics,
Silverstone is an aero track aerodynamics here
is paramount to be competitive. For this reason
all the teams introduced new aero packages on
their cars, especially the top teams.
Ferrari introduced a massive aero package,
plus tested the rear suspension new layout
that was already tested in Canada and Valencia.
While this solution was not totally satisfactory,
on the other hand the new aero package, that
included a new rear wing, that now doesnt
features any longer a central pillar, ofered
a high rate of efciency both providing an
adequate downforce level in the slower section
of the track, and less drag compared to the
previous version.
As well, Ferrari modifed the exhaust position
slightly so to increase the efciency of their
blown difuser, also taking into account the new
constraints that were adopted for this race by
the FIA.
McLaren developed a similar solution
compared to Ferrari, regarding the rear wing.
In fact it features a completely fat main profle,
and no pillars, so mimicking a Red Bull style for
this item. The new wing was kept throughout
the weekend, but it didnt appear to bring better
performance to the car.
In particular, McLaren looked not particularly
fast in every single sector of the track in
qualifying, showing a better race pace.
For your daily dose
of Formula 1 news ...
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1
NOT enough overtaking in MotoGP?
Complaints generally focus on the 800cc
machines, their elaborate electronics,
or the control tyres. Casey Stoner has a
different view. It is the riders that cause
the problem.
The high level of the riders, to be precise,
he explained, in a typically frank interview
released by his Repsol Honda team.
I think it's not the bikes that are
reducing the passing, he said.
I think it's just become such a
professional sport that riders don't make
mistakes like they used to.
He recalled a time when riders would
be smoking cigarettes before going to the
grid, and they werent tired at the end of
the race. Everyone has to train their butts
off now just to ride these bikes. Physically,
they take a lot more out of you.
I think the level, in comparison with
another era, has just picked up. Everyone
knows what you need to do now, so
youre not seeing people run wide and
other people duck up in the inside.
They're making the line, they're hitting
their points, and they're not having the
problems like they used to.
So, I don't really think it's going to
change a lot.
I think racing in general was always
going to go in this direction. Even in
motocross, you're struggling to see people
pass each other anymore.
Its the same in MotoGP. You have to
take a big risk to get past now, because
motorsport has just gone that little bit
further.
Stoner had no words of comfort for
anyone hoping that next years 1000cc
sanction, with torquier machines, will
revive the jousting of the earlier 990
years.
Having had the chance to compare the
current 800 with Hondas prototype 1000
for 2013, there wasnt a huge difference.
The main thing you notice is in the higher
gears. In fourth or fifth on the 800, you
don't have a lot of power to spin, so
you've got to be on the edge of the tyre.
But with the 1000 you're still able to spin,
even when you pick the bike up it's still
trying to spin a little bit. That part will be
slightly different, he said.
I blame the riders for boring racing
Stoner:
1
Moto GP news
>>
THE only running prototype for next
years new CRT (Claiming Rule Team)
machines came face to face with current
MotoGP bikes at the post-Mugello tests
and with ex-MotoGP rider Mika Kallio on
board, the Suter-BMW was woefully slow.
A best lap of 153.668 was 6.3 seconds
off the pace a yawning gap, even
compare with the slowest of the regular
MotoGP riders Hiro Aoyama, at 149.412.
That is against this years 800cc MotoGP
generation: next years 1000cc machines
will be faster again.
Its too soon to judge, but its not a
promising start, commented one MotoGP
engineer, watching the progress with
interest.
Kallio was riding the Marc VdS prototype,
powered by a BMW engine in a Suter-
built chassis: the machine is a joint project
between the Marc VdS Moto2 team
(fielding Kallio and Scott Redding) and the
Swiss chassis manufacturer.
Marc VdS is one of the teams accepted
for next seasons CRT class, but manager
Michael Bartholemy has been wondering
out loud whether it would be possible
to be competitive enough, or whether it
would be better to lease a factory bike.
The same question is facing Moto2 star
Andrea Iannone, who had a first outing on
a MotoGP bike at the tests. Iannone rode
a Pramac Ducati, and in the course of 31
laps he was better than 1.2 seconds faster
than Kallio. His SpeedMaster team also has
an approved CRT entry.
The Italian pushed aside questions of
his future, but was excited by the outing,
especially the level of grip, and the fact
that as soon as you open the throttle the
bike takes off. I have to admit it was a little
scary, he said.
HONDA had the track virtually to itself
at post-race Mugello tests, but for a
handful of satellite Ducatis and a single
Suzuki and leading Repsol rider Casey
Stoner made the most of it, smashing
the lap record set the day before, and
comfortably under his own pole position
time for Italian GP on the previous
weekend.
Stoners best time, set testing new
Bridgestone tyres as well as a revised
swing-arm and rear suspension for his
factory Honda, was 147.326; Lorenzos
race lap record was 148.402, with pole
at 148.034. It came at the end of a 47-lap
day which began with a crash at the first
corner in the morning Stoner blamed a
dirty track.
His only rival was San Carlo Hondas
Marco Simoncelli, just one tenth slower
than the Australian, with second Repsol
rider Andrea Dovizioso in third, another
six tenths down. Pedrosa, who only did
26 laps to Stoners 47 and hard-working
Simoncellis 83, was sixth-fastest, behind
the Ducatis of Hector Barbera and Karel
Abraham.
The new front tyre, testing compounds
for next season, was little different from
that used now, he said, but the back-end
update was more productive:
We tested a new swing arm and had
positive feedback. We found more traction
and some more grip delivered a little
earlier, so I don't need to pick up the bike
so much. This could help us in a track like
Sachsenring where you spend a lot of time
on the edge.
The absence of Ducati was expected,
but Yamaha withdrew only the week
before, having early promised that their
1000cc 2012 bike would be out at the tests.
A major engine failure during dyno-testing
was reported to be the cause of the last-
minute change of mind.
Footnote: In spite of the empty track,
Stoner and class rookie Karel Abraham still
managed to get tangled up and it nearly
ended in a fist fight after the aggrieved
Czech rider marched into the factory
Honda pit to confront Stoner. According
to Abraham, Stoner had deliberately run
into him. Stoners version had the Ducati
privateer repeatedly trying to tag on
behind him: there is nothing he hates more.
Their respective pit crews managed to
prevent a full-scale brawl. Abraham, who
has impressed so far, ended the day badly
knocked about after a massive high-side
crash.
Honda dominates sparse
post-Mugello test
new Claiming rule bike
six seconds off the pace
Doubt over new category as Iannone tests Ducati
Ducati and Yamaha stay away
1
Capirossi come-back
to access a HUGE
global audience
ADVERTISE in GPWEEK
THE oldest rider on the MotoGP grid,
triple World Champion Loris Capirossi,
is planning a heroic come-back at next
weekends German GP, three weeks after
dislocating his shoulder and breaking
ribs in a crash in qualifying for the Dutch
TT.
The 38-year-old Italian was struck by
his Pramac Ducati, and the injuries were
thought severe enough to rule him out
of at least the next two races, and French
former MotoGP rider Sylvain Guintoli was
brought in to take his place.
But, even as Guintoli tested at Mugello,
Capirossi decided that he could not
bear to miss any opportunity to race his
MotoGP bike in what is likely to be his last
year of competition.
"I feel better, but my physical condition
is still not acceptable, he said. But he
believed that daily physical therapy
sessions at home in Monaco would have
him ready to ride at the Sachsenring.
I already missed two races, with Mugello
the most important for me. I want to ride
my bike as soon as possible, he said.
HIGH
SIDES

nRace director Paul Butler has told
Dani Pedrosa to move on from the
Le Mans incident that left him injured
and his title hopes in tatters. Pedrosa,
still recuperating after missing two
more races, chose his Mugello return
to deride Simoncellis ride-through
penalty as totally inadequate
punishment, but his complaints to
officials fell on deaf ears.
nGrand Prix riders honour was
satisfied at the World Superbike
round at Brno, where rostrums in
both races were filled with the same
ex-MotoGP trio. Marco Melandri won
the first race, Max Biaggi the second,
with Carlos Checa joining them each
time.
Superbike riders had not taken
kindly to remarks in GPWEEK by ex-
companion Cal Crutchlow about the
generally lower standards of riding.
nThe only Indian rider in bike GP
racing has been retired for the rest
of the season by his Team WTR-Ten10
125 squad. Sarath Kumars place has
been taken for the past two races
by Norways Sturla Fagerhaug. Now
Fagerhaug will stay, to allow Kumar
the chance for full recovery from
injuries.
nNicky Hayden is having second
thoughts about racing the Ducati
GP11.1 at his home GP, after Rossi
found no significant benefit at Assen
or Mugello. The 11.1 is next years
bike with the engine shrunk; Hayden
has the Step Two chassis introduced
at Le Mans, but wanted the 11.1 for
Laguna Seca.
Going to my home race on a bike
Ive never ridden before and doesnt
seem clearly better Im not sure its
the right thing to do, he said.
nWhile Yamaha struggles after a
reported engine failure prevented
their 1000cc prototype from making
its debut at post-Mugello tests,
Honda is readying the Mk2 version
for post-Brno tests in mid-August.
The second version will have engine
modifications and a new chassis/
swing-arm combination for Stoner
and Pedrosa to test.
Veteran ousts replacement Guintoli
1
Capirossi come-back
AFTER Yamahas won the last
two races, ending Hondas
dominant run of four in a row,
defending champion Jorge
Lorenzo believes the Yamaha
package has now become
competitive. But next
weekends German GP will be
a severe test, at a track where
Honda has the best record in
the MotoGP era.
Lorenzos second win of the
year closed him to within 19
points of overall leader Stoner,
and his title hopes have been
rekindled.
Now we have a competitive
bike, and I hope to keep this
pace. I am more motivated and
confident for the future, he
said after winning at Mugello.
He described it as one of the
most demanding races in my
career.
The Martillo (Hammer) is
back, he said.
But Stoner sees no great
improvement to the Yamaha,
he told Britains MCN. I think
Jorge is just riding with more
confidence ... I don't see the
bike working any better, he
said. I've been behind it a few
times and it seems to be pretty
much the same.
People dont realise there
is not a big step between the
bikes, he continued. All the
bikes out there are capable of
winning and doing well.
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Issue No. 146 March 16 -22 2010
WHINCUP
IN A
FORMULA 1
CAR AT
ALBERT PARK REIGNING CHAMPS SET FOR F1/V8 CAR SWAP NEXT WEEK FULL DETAILS INSIDE!
POWER
PLAY!
Aussies fight it out
in IndyCar opener
and Will wins!
EXCLUSIVE!
Moto GP news
>>
REIGNING Moto2 champion Toni
Elias has two more races to redeem
his reputation and save his job with
the LCR satellite Honda team, as the
atmosphere in the pit worsens race
by race.
But the difficulty lies in finding
a credible replacement. The team
has already been turned down by
John Hopkins, while rumours that
Garry McCoy might take over seem
far-fetched.
A former premier-class GP winner
and spasmodic rostrum finisher, Elias
was indomitable in Moto2 last year,
but his return to the big class has
been disastrous. While the Hondas in
general dominate the class, Elias has
been last or close to last in almost
every race.
Asked by GPWEEK whether he
thought a year in Moto2 had spoiled
his style, he denied it. My problems
are many grip is one, but not only that. I dont know why my
results are worse than previously, but I think every year looks like
it is more difficult.
In fact, Elias struggled somewhat in the previous year, as the
rider worst affected by the switch to control Bridgestone tyres. His
extreme style and light weight had previously meant he used softer
tyres than almost anyone else, but these were no longer available.
This year, Elias has been at odds with the machine and also his
team technicians, unable to agree on a setting direction to find
improvement.
For the next race, according to team spokesman Oscar Haro,
we will return to the set-up suggested by HRC and our team
leader, and Toni will assume his role as pilot. The RC212V has
proved to be very competitive. The only bike that is not at the
front is ours.
Slow-coach elias under threat
Yamaha revival to face Sachsenring test
Of all the Hondas, only ours is uncompetitive team spokesman
1
Eighteen in February, 125 champion Marc Marquez brings a maturity to his racing
beyond his years. He arrived in Moto2 at the top of the time-sheets. Is he Spains next
big thing? He spoke to MICHAEL SCOTT
5 MINUTES WITH ...
MARC MARQUEZ
GPWEEK: Whats the hardest thing going
125 to Moto2?
MARC MARQUEZ: In the beginning the
most difficult change is from two-stroke
to four-stroke. Its quite a big difference. It
was not difficult to get good confidence
in the bike even with the extra weight, but
engine braking is the most difficult also.
Hard to find the brake point, because there
you have the engine braking and with the
two-stroke you have nothing.
You were really fast in testing, without
crashing. Then when racing started you
crashed out of the three first races before
winning the fourth. Why so?
At the test Im alone; I have all the day to
find the best set-up. In one race weekend,
you have just 45 minutes each for three
free practice and one qualifying session.
And then in the race you have many riders
there, you have to pass many riders with a
full tank. Also that was a little bit difficult
for me in the beginning, because 18-20
litres feels quite a lot and this is quite
difficult.
In Qatar I had maybe too much
confidence, push too much. In Jerez, Le
Mans, I was unlucky. Portugal was different.
I pushed Redding because I made a
mistake in the brake point. And then I
improve step by step.
And that huge crash in Silverstone
morning warm-up, when your bike went
on without you to smash itself to bits on
the pit wall.
It was so easy to crash in the rain. While
I was sliding I saw my bike was completely
upright, going along alone. When I saw
it hit the pit wall I thought: No, its not
possible.Then when I saw the bike I
thought:Okay, this race we dont start.
But the mechanics made a perfect job,
though of course the bike was not the
same: another chassis, another swing-arm,
everything different. But I could do the
race.
Whats the difference, 125 to Moto2, in
the racing?
In 125 if you need to pass another rider,
its easier. You can pass maybe in every
corner. In Moto2 you need to be very
clever. And also the biggest difference is
in the beginning of the race. In 125, you
dont feel a lot between the full tank and
nearly empty. But in Moto2 from the
beginning to the end of the race the bike
changes quite a lot. The tyre wear and the
fuel weight change everything, and you
need to adapt your riding style to your
bike.
In 125 from the beginning to the end its
completely the same: every lap you can
make what you want and you dont need
to change nothing of your riding style.
Is it scary in Moto2 so many bikes, all
about the same speed, big groups of
riders?
Yeah, this is most difficult, because all
the bikes are the same and all the riders
more or less are the same in weight. Or
the weight makes no much difference.
For example some riders are more
than 20 kilos more than me, but when I
follow them I dont have any advantage,
because I open the gas and the bikes are
the same.
Passing is so difficult. You need to work
a lot with the team for find a good set-up
and make the difference on the corners.
Is there one rider you like passing more
than any other rider?
No, all are too strong and everyone so
fast, so I want to learn, for sure from
Simon, Luthi, Bradl, Takahashi, because
they have more experience than me.
How long before you go to MotoGP?
No, I never think about this. Just I want
to concentrate in Moto2 and then if
someday I have the level to go to MotoGP,
for sure its one of my dreams. But first I
want to do my job in Moto2.
So many strong riders from Spain how
did the system work for you?
The Spanish federation works a lot on
the base, and this is the most important.
When you start. My family doesnt have a
lot of money and it was difficult to start,
but the Spanish federation, the Catalan
federation helps the fathers and makes a
cup, so its cheaper for everyone.
And you can start there, and there the
teams find the riders. Its a place where
everyone can show his talent and his level.
This is the most important for sure.
In my case, I was very lucky, because
one team, when I was nine years old, saw
me, and from then everything was free. If
that team hadnt taken me, maybe now
I would be in motocross or something
similar.
Youre just 18 and already a World
Champion. Does that change you? What
are your home circumstances.
No change. I still live at home with my
parents and my younger brother Alex.
Is he a racer?
Yes, he is racing in the Spanish
championship now. In the Catalunya Caixa
Repsol team like my team, but the junior
team. Hes 15 years old.
Whats your idea of the best weekend
away from racing?
If I can go with my brother to make
motocross or supermotard, I enjoy it a lot.
No other special hobbies. I like cycling a
lot, especially mountain bikes.
What was the last movie you watched?
Pulp Fiction. I liked it. Its difficult to
understand.
And the last song you listened to on your
iPod?
I dont know. Maybe I like a lot The
Offspring.
1
MOTO CHAT
>>
1
Webber is ready to walk

Email us
Something to say?
Email us at
mail@gpweek.com
Time to call it a day?
Seriously, when is Michael Schumacher going to
stop the charade and give it up?
His move on Kobayashi was simply clumsy
and his performances all year are mostly bad by
today's rookie standards. Rosberg's proving it's
not the car. Ask in a few years who Schu's greatest
rivalries have been with and you can add Petrov,
Kobayashi and Alguersuari to the Hill, Mika and
Alonso list.
John Bagusauskas, Adelaide, Australia
tn_ralliart2600@hotmail.com
Taking one for the team?
Another great race good to see Alonso and
Ferrari win.
Webber is DEFINITELY #2 driver Horner said
it was for the TEAM?? If it was for the TEAM why
didnt they tell Vettle to let Webber through
for more points to help get second in the
championship as well as first?
Ash Sparks
Upper Hutt, New Zealand
Here we go again
Flashback to last year: "We allow our drivers to
race," said Christian Horner shortly after Golden
Boy has taken out Webber in a desperate dive at
Turkey..
Fast-forward to Silverstone 2011: "It made no
sense from a team point of view to allow them to
continue to fight over those last couple of laps."
I know that team orders have now been
legalised, but again this is a clear insight into the
team and its pro-Vettel approach.
Mark, if you've got something else half okay
on offer for 2012, I don't mind if it is Ferrari or
Renault, take it and go somewhere where you
know the team will be for you, on equal terms
with your team-mate, rather than against.
Matt Kingsbury
Henley-on-Thames, UK
Can he or can't he?
I'm starting to wonder whether the 'he can't
overtake' (Vettel that is) critics might not be right.
The defending champion pulled out of an inside
pass into the old Becketts corner very, very early
during his dice with Lewis I think, whereas, the
old German stager, Michael, was still prepared to
throw it up the inside on the same corner.
I guess we'll find out either way when the
young German eventually has a qualifying
problem and has to start somewhere other than
the front row.
Looking forward to the day F1` arrives here!
Dominic Freestone
Kansas, USA
Its funny how cyclical these things
can be. Last year, at Silverstone, Mark
Webber was complaining that Red
Bull were playing favourites. Having
had his new-spec wing detached
from his RB6 and given to team-mate
Vettel, who then stormed to pole, he
told us in the Saturday afternoon
press conference conspiratorially: I
think the team is happy with the
result.
He punctuated his point by taking
a sip of water and then slamming the
glass down on the table, drenching
most of the front row.
Yesterday afternoon Mark was
more subdued. I asked him if he was
fine with his boss, Christian Horners
message to maintain the gap and not
race Seb in the closing stages of the
British Grand Prix.
Im not fine with it, no he said,
with little trace of emotion, and then
described how he had received four
or five of these messages and had
ignored them all.
His calm but firm demeanor
suggested that he expected team
orders to come, and that he is spoiling
for a fight with the management,
which will take place behind closed
doors. I would love to be a fly on that
blood-splattered wall.
Webber has a curious (and, in many
ways admirable) psyche. I believe
he is a man driven by conflict. He
needs a dark force to rally against. If
one doesnt exist, he will go out of
his way to create one. He thrives on
being the underdog. On the face
of it, this suggests he makes his life
unnecessarily difficult, but its what
makes him perform at his best.
They love him in Milton Keynes, the
Red Bull gang. They like that hes so
approachable, and that the guys on
the shop floor can call him up and go
for bike rides. Mark has a close bond
with them, too. But his perception
rightly or wrongly that hes the ugly
sister in Salzburgs annual Golden Boy
beauty pageant has caused him to
rebel against the Red Bull brass. The
rift between he and Christian Horner is
turning into a chasm.
Last year the points difference
between he and Vettel was much
o
p
i
n
i
o
n
ADAM
HAY-
NICHOLLS
GPWeek Editor
Theyll be burning the midnight
oil, down there at Ducati Corse
HQ, in its secret underground lair
in an extinct volcano, after yet
another downbeat result at home at
Mugello last weekend.
Their engineers, always with a
charismatic leader (current chief
resident genius Filippo Preziosi is
the latest heir to dynasty founder
and desmodromic pioneer Fabio
Taglioni) have a tradition of defying
convention.
But right now that tradition is
biting them badly on the bottom.
Ducatis heresy is most prominent
in the arcane art of desmodromics.
An intricate piece of engineering
espoused by nobody else. But it goes
far beyond that beautifully wrought
springless valve gear.
Their engine layout is as perverse. A
90-degree vee offers perfect balance.
But it also makes a longer engine.
A longer engine in turn means a
shorter swing-arm the opposite of
MICHAEL
SCOtt
MotoGP Editor
o
p
i
n
i
o
n
Ducati and the Law of Diminishing Returns
0
Webber is ready to walk
GPWEEK OPINION
>>
the ideal. It is not only to be different that
Ducati pivots its rear suspension from the
gearbox casing. It also saves a precious
few centimetres in a quest to overcome an
intrinsic design limitation.
The talking point this year has been
Rossis problems with their pioneering
chassis-less design.
Where the thoroughly conventional
Japanese rivals imitate one another with
variations on the twin-spar theme, Ducati
have eliminated this element altogether.
The engine is the main chassis, joined
to the steering head by a carbon-fibre
airbox that does double duty as front sub-
frame. The rear suspension (as mentioned)
hangs off the back of the engine casing.
Economical and elegant: an exercise in
advanced engineering.
The trouble with employing advanced
engineering in racing, however, is that you
are up against conventional engineering
that has been developed and polished to
a very high degree. While you are casting
about for the right solution to problems
nobody else has yet faced, they are
winning races.
The questions hanging over Ducati is not
whether they can make their mini-frame
flex and feel the way it should, but how
long will it take them? And how long have
they got?
In the way of these things, the answer
to how long it will take depends on how
much Ducati is prepared to spend. Its a
little company compared with Honda,
Yamaha and Suzuki; and Rossis crew have
already commented that the speed of
supply of upgrades or new designs also
lags noticeably by comparison.
How long have they got? Im sure Rossi
is man enough to overcome difficulties
far greater than he faces now. Im less sure
that he will be able to find the enthusiasm
for long enough. His contract is until the
end of next year.
Theyd better get it right well before
then.
closer, and so some friction was to be
expected. This year, Vettel is running away
with it and, you could argue, its correct,
even at this mid-point in the season, that
Horner should put all his chips on the
favourite. Sebs odds are that good.
Therefore the team principal will be angry
that Webber didnt adhere to the direct
order, because it could have compromised
the result. He may even be thinking that its
time to dispense of Marks services, due to
this discipline issue.
I was thrilled to hear that Mark raced to
the finish. Good on him. Thats what you
want from a racing driver. But does he really
think to hell with the consequences? Maybe.
To walk away from the best car is a decision
not many drivers take. Can this be wise?
Fernando Alonso did so at the end of 2007,
and Alonso is in many ways a hero, as well as
a friend, to Mark. If the Australian leaves Red
Bull, there is persistent speculation that he
will join his chum at Ferrari, and to arrange
this Felipe Massa will be bought out of his
contract.
Ferrari will only do this, though, if they
have a protg lined up in the wings. Mark
Webbers shelf life is two or three more
years. By then, Sergio Perez should be ready.
But, at Ferrari, Mark would have number
two embossed on his business cards. And
hes not going to like that.
Ducati and the Law of Diminishing Returns
21

Mark Webber was emphatic about it on

Saturday evening: Either Fernando or
me will win this one. Ferrari are strong;
theyve got the pace.
That pace was clear and bright on
Saturday morning, in Free Practice Three
(FP3) when the sky, too, was kind of
clear for the first time in what seemed
like aeons. I was watching at Becketts, at
the entrance to the dramatic left-right-
left-right high-speed sequence that still
spells Silverstone. Michael Schumacher
was out first, piercing the dry line in his
Mercedes and then came Mark Webber,
all reflexes, flashes of blue and yellow and
rasping Renault throttle. The RB7 was the
standard; it always is when seventh-gear
corner entries give way to quick snicks
down to sixth or fifth.
Then came Felipe Massa, flat in seventh
on metres of road over which Mark had
been feathering, his Ferrari glued to the
newly-lain surface as if it wasan RB7.
Could it be? Was it real? Surely Felipe had
been on Pirelli options.
Fernando Alonso was a little tentative
at first, feeling, as he was, the dry grip for
the first time that morning; but then he
settled down and began to sculpt. He was
flat through Maggotts and then flat into
the first right-hander, extending the full-
throttle moment a few metres more even
than Massa. The Ferrari sat square and
evenly-balanced, riding an inside kerb as if
it were a Fiat Punto and allowing Fernando
room even for a late-ish apex as he finally
left the complex.
And this time we knew, for we had
remembered to spot the tyres: the Ferrari
was indeed on Pirelli primes.
A new world was upon us, bringing with
it a concept that was about as plausible
as Fernando Alonso suddenly forgetting
how to correct an oversteer moment:
to wit, the Ferrari F150th at Silverstone
seemed to be right there with the RB7 on
fast corners.
The Ferraris were quick on those Pirelli
primes, too; that was the underscoring
thing. Most of the opposition picked
up a good 1.5 to 1.8 sec per lap when
they bolted on the options on Saturday
morning; Ferrari found but 1.2 sec and
that wasnt because they were slow. Their
margin of improvement was healthily
small because their prime tyre base line
was abnormally good. Pirelli confirmed
that.
Yes, Red Bull Racing would go on to lock
out the front row in qualifying. This time,
though, it was a close-run thing. Mark
Webber on primes in Q1: 1min 32.670 sec.
Felipe Masa on primes in Q1: 1min 32.760
sec. Seb Vettel on primes in Q1: 1min
32. 977 sec. Fernando Alonso on primes
in Q1: 1min 32.986sec. RBR-Ferrari-RBR-
Ferrari - all on hard tyres. With no-one else
in sight. The Spanish GP might just as well
have been an age away. Pat Frys new aero
programme is working
In the end, on options, Fernando
qualified third, beaten only by the margin
of a tenth or so. Mark took the pole on this
occasion, following Seb V on his first run
in Q3 and beautifully managing a scary
millisecond at Becketts, when his DRS was
a fraction late with downforce on entry.
For his part, Seb V was again visually clean
and compliant but blew it with a mis-
timed upshift out of the last corner: he
hit the rev-limiter in third and was thus a
fraction late with his paddle-shift to fourth.
And then it rained. He had lost the pole by
0.032sec.
Fernando was a near-perfect third but
Felipe made an error or two on his Q3
blast, which left him fourth; still, though,
he qualified comfortably ahead of the
fastest McLaren-Mercedes. For that, you
can probably cite the weekends politics
a non-stop farce in innumerable acts
that may or may not have defined the off-
throttle mapping regs for the remainder of
the season.
McLaren seemed to need to make more
exhaust/diffuser layout changes than
most teams in response to the latest (top
secret!) TDs (Technical Directives) that
flowed freely from the FIA and so took
a decision on Saturday morning not to
compromise their race prep with a last-
minute change. The latest, race-defining
TD wasnt due until about 11.30 at the
earliest and so they locked themselves
into the best possible happy medium.
As it turned out, the set-up was unhappy
and rare rare in the sense that McLaren
were strangely far away even from Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton came to Silverstone
looking for a change in fortune; instead,
he would look at nine cars ahead of him
on the grid, his first Q3 run additionally
spoiled by a non-new set of options. (They
had done one, drizzly lap in FP3 and so for
banker-lap tyres they were perfect; thing
is, there were no hot laps in the closing
minutes of Q3 thanks to the rain.)
Thus Marks comments about the likely
two winners. He didnt include Seb Vettel,
of course, because @aussiegrit was not
going to finish behind Seb at Silverstone
in 2011; that was about as clear as the
upcoming weather forecasts for race-day
showers.
Said precipitation left the grid sunny
and dry but the northern end of the
circuit Luffield, Woodcote, Copse,
Becketts rooster-tail wet. Sergio Perez
mowed down a bollard or two on his
reconnaissance lap. That spooked
everyone into starting on blue-lettered
Pirelli intermediates. Everyone. (I was
astonished, I have to admit: I thought
someone down the back would at least
Sixty years after Ferrari won its frst grand prix at Silverstone, another
scarlet Formula One car triumphed at the old airfeld. PETER WINDSOR
unstitches a suitable vintage battle.
A
N
A
L
Y
S
I
S
PEtEr
WINDSOr
F1 Columnist
F1 BRITAIN
>>
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
2
take the gamble or play conservative,
depending upon how you looked at it.)
Mark Webber was later to say: Oh yeah.
The start. I think in those greasy conditions
it was probably better not to be on the
clean side of the road. Not that it made any
difference. What happened at the start had
no impact on the result
What might have made an impact, as Mark
again trudged slowly way from another pole,
fiercely won, was the sight of that pesky Seb
Vettel again disappearing into yet another
early-lap lead. It was one thing to be slow
away; it was another again to have to follow
that superbrisk kid of a team-mate
That was for later in the afternoon,
however; for now, it was Seb V where we
invariably see him ahead of the rest, the
master of the F1 universe. Mark fell into a
familiar back-up role, heading the Ferraris
and the McLarens, amongst which Lewis
Hamilton was aggressive and fast, especially
where visibility was low and the grip level
poor.
Then the track then began to dry and the
sun to shine. The capacity crowd stirred. Pit
stops loomed.
Still the RB7s led the race. Lewis rose to
third, fighting hard to subjugate Fernando,
who was cautious in his first laps on slicks
(Pirelli options). Then Fernando found his
rhythm and sparred back. Close enough at
the hairpin to use DRS on the club straight,
Fernando must have smiled as Lewis moved
left, onto the wet, to protect the inside line
under brakes. Annoyed with himself, Lewis
immediately stopped early (lap 24) for his
second set of options.
It was a decision that would define the
race.
Mark Webber stopped for his second set
of options on lap 26 (no primes would be
raced thanks to the opening-lap phase on
intermediates). That left Fernando in second
place, 5.8 sec behind Seb V. Close enough, in
other words, to be able to track him.
Fernando thus followed Seb into the
pits on lap 27. He pulled carefully into the
Ferrari box. Ahead, Vettels RB7 was already
on its jacks. Fernando sat quietly, awaited
his signal and then perfectly engaged
hand clutch against revs. Then he was
momentarily distracted: ahead of him, to his
very pleasant surprise, he could see Sebs car
still up on its jacks.
The rear jack had gone in slightly at an
angle and had sheared against the undercar
stop. As is their way, the RBR boys went into
back-up mode. A second, spare jack was
rapidly inserted. Seb was out, accelerating
neatly, with only eight seconds lost. This
seen in recovery was an F1 team at its
slickest.
Even so, youd have thought that Mark
Webber would now be leading. He had
been ahead of Fernando; his pit stop had
been the usual Kenny Handkammer blur of
movement and speed.
Mark, too, had lost time, however. A
massive slide at Becketts coloured his in-lap;
and then, in the pit lane, maybe he dumped
the clutch too hard, or gave it too many revs
or maybe there was another tyre warmer
issue, as in China; whatever, he just sat there,
once the jacks were released, spinning his
rear wheels. He was back in fourth place, still
behind Seb, by the time this pit stop cycle
was complete.
Which meant that Fernando was in a
dream position: Seb V had rejoined just
behind Lewis Hamilton, whose options were
good and hot now because of that early
stop. Seb, looking for grip, could do nothing
in early response.
It wasnt until around lap 33, by which
time Fernando was a good eight seconds
in front, that Seb was close enough really
to annoy Hamilton. And this time, of
course, Lewis was not going to make the
same mistake. He stayed right on the dry
line as they braked for Luffield: Seb, he
knew, would try nothing down the inside
on the still-damp Tarmac. On one lap, so
relatively good was the RBRs traction out of
Woodcote, Seb was right up and alongside
Lewis as they blasted down towards Copse.
Millimetres from contact, Seb eased his right
foot a little. The capacity crowd was exultant.
For Seb, though, the race was quickly
disappearing.
All that was left, then, was for Fernando
to continue to shine, like Silverstone in the
afternoon sun, on this special day for Ferrari.
RBR pulled Seb in early for his final stop,
giving him some new track position and
front wing angle but the call was only half-
right; behind Lewis, the feedback had been
turbulent. The front wing adjustment made
little or no difference. He undercut Lewis
okay, but the mountain ahead was steep:
Seb, needing to gain about 12 seconds in
10 laps in order even to catch the Ferrari,
backed away to finish a safe second.
Except that Mark Alan Webber had a
different perspective. He had won the pole
and he had had his fair share of dramas. Now,
in these dying stages, he could see that he
was catching Seb with relative ease. Who
knew what could happen? Maybe Fernando
would have a problem. Maybe the race with
Seb would be for the lead.
He quickly closed a four-second gap,
oblivious to frequent radio instructions
to hold position. Seb knew only of the
diminishing margin; he imagined that Mark
would catch him but would then hold
station.
It erupted as Mark began to dart off-line
over the last two laps. Seb suddenly realized
that he was racing Mark just as Gilles
Villeneuve appreciated too late at Imola,
1982, that Didier Pironi was not playing
games. And it made uncomfortable viewing
from the RBR garage. On neither car were
the Pirelli options in great shape. Mistakes
could be made just as Seb made an error
on the last lap in Canada.
Seb defended beautifully on this occasion;
Mark attacked creatively and like that they
finished. It could, though, have been ugly.
Hours afterwards, the drivers and the RBR
management were still behind locked doors,
hammering away at an issue that has been
around since the day RBR decided to sign
the two quickest drivers they could find.
There was a skirmish in the closing laps,
too, between Felipe Massa, who had been
racing for much of the afternoon with a
debris-damaged floor, and Lewis Hamilton.
Felipe pulled off the pass as they braked for
the last, tight left-hander but then Lewis
retaliated by giving Felipe a nudge as they
exited Club. They were separated by 0.4 sec
as they crossed the line, Lewis ahead with
the Stewards, surprisingly perhaps, quickly
deeming the touch a racing incident. Flags
and caps against a still-blue sky.
And so Mark Webber was right: Fernando
won. The signs were there in FP3 and
qualifying, when Ferrari were so good on
fast corners that Fernando now thinks they
need to work on their slow corner grip, for
Petes sake; and the win was consummated
when Seb Vettel, for once, had a pit stop
drama, albeit an amazingly organized one.
The win came, too, on the 60th
anniversary of Jose Froilan Gonzalezs first
victory for Ferrari at Silverstone, in 1951.
Fernando drove Gonzalezs sister car (the
Alberto Ascari chassis) on Sunday morning
at Silverstone, sliding it into oversteer drifts
that would have brought a smile to the face
of the tough old Pampus Bull, who at 88 was
watching the TV feed live in Buenos Aires,
courtesy of Fox Deportes. For once, despite
the years of politics and commercial issues,
the F1 industry had allowed a famous circuit
to touch its famous past.
For once amazingly F1s heritage had
won the day.

take the gamble or play conservative,

depending upon how you looked at it.)
Mark Webber was later to say: Oh yeah.
The start. I think in those greasy conditions
it was probably better not to be on the
clean side of the road. Not that it made any
difference. What happened at the start had
no impact on the result
What might have made an impact, as Mark
again trudged slowly way from another pole,
fiercely won, was the sight of that pesky Seb
Vettel again disappearing into yet another
early-lap lead. It was one thing to be slow
away; it was another again to have to follow
that superbrisk kid of a team-mate
That was for later in the afternoon,
however; for now, it was Seb V where we
invariably see him ahead of the rest, the
master of the F1 universe. Mark fell into a
familiar back-up role, heading the Ferraris
and the McLarens, amongst which Lewis
Hamilton was aggressive and fast, especially
where visibility was low and the grip level
poor.
Then the track then began to dry and the
sun to shine. The capacity crowd stirred. Pit
stops loomed.
Still the RB7s led the race. Lewis rose to
third, fighting hard to subjugate Fernando,
who was cautious in his first laps on slicks
(Pirelli options). Then Fernando found his
rhythm and sparred back. Close enough at
the hairpin to use DRS on the club straight,
Fernando must have smiled as Lewis moved
left, onto the wet, to protect the inside line
under brakes. Annoyed with himself, Lewis
immediately stopped early (lap 24) for his
second set of options.
It was a decision that would define the
race.
Mark Webber stopped for his second set
of options on lap 26 (no primes would be
raced thanks to the opening-lap phase on
intermediates). That left Fernando in second
place, 5.8 sec behind Seb V. Close enough, in
other words, to be able to track him.
Fernando thus followed Seb into the
pits on lap 27. He pulled carefully into the
Ferrari box. Ahead, Vettels RB7 was already
on its jacks. Fernando sat quietly, awaited
his signal and then perfectly engaged
hand clutch against revs. Then he was
momentarily distracted: ahead of him, to his
very pleasant surprise, he could see Sebs car
still up on its jacks.
The rear jack had gone in slightly at an
angle and had sheared against the undercar
stop. As is their way, the RBR boys went into
back-up mode. A second, spare jack was
rapidly inserted. Seb was out, accelerating
neatly, with only eight seconds lost. This
seen in recovery was an F1 team at its
slickest.
Even so, youd have thought that Mark
Webber would now be leading. He had
been ahead of Fernando; his pit stop had
been the usual Kenny Handkammer blur of
movement and speed.
Mark, too, had lost time, however. A
massive slide at Becketts coloured his in-lap;
and then, in the pit lane, maybe he dumped
the clutch too hard, or gave it too many revs
or maybe there was another tyre warmer
issue, as in China; whatever, he just sat there,
once the jacks were released, spinning his
rear wheels. He was back in fourth place, still
behind Seb, by the time this pit stop cycle
was complete.
Which meant that Fernando was in a
dream position: Seb V had rejoined just
behind Lewis Hamilton, whose options were
good and hot now because of that early
stop. Seb, looking for grip, could do nothing
in early response.
It wasnt until around lap 33, by which
time Fernando was a good eight seconds
in front, that Seb was close enough really
to annoy Hamilton. And this time, of
course, Lewis was not going to make the
same mistake. He stayed right on the dry
line as they braked for Luffield: Seb, he
knew, would try nothing down the inside
on the still-damp Tarmac. On one lap, so
relatively good was the RBRs traction out of
Woodcote, Seb was right up and alongside
Lewis as they blasted down towards Copse.
Millimetres from contact, Seb eased his right
foot a little. The capacity crowd was exultant.
For Seb, though, the race was quickly
disappearing.
All that was left, then, was for Fernando
to continue to shine, like Silverstone in the
afternoon sun, on this special day for Ferrari.
RBR pulled Seb in early for his final stop,
giving him some new track position and
front wing angle but the call was only half-
right; behind Lewis, the feedback had been
turbulent. The front wing adjustment made
little or no difference. He undercut Lewis
okay, but the mountain ahead was steep:
Seb, needing to gain about 12 seconds in
10 laps in order even to catch the Ferrari,
backed away to finish a safe second.
Except that Mark Alan Webber had a
different perspective. He had won the pole
and he had had his fair share of dramas. Now,
in these dying stages, he could see that he
was catching Seb with relative ease. Who
knew what could happen? Maybe Fernando
would have a problem. Maybe the race with
Seb would be for the lead.
He quickly closed a four-second gap,
oblivious to frequent radio instructions
to hold position. Seb knew only of the
diminishing margin; he imagined that Mark
would catch him but would then hold
station.
It erupted as Mark began to dart off-line
over the last two laps. Seb suddenly realized
that he was racing Mark just as Gilles
Villeneuve appreciated too late at Imola,
1982, that Didier Pironi was not playing
games. And it made uncomfortable viewing
from the RBR garage. On neither car were
the Pirelli options in great shape. Mistakes
could be made just as Seb made an error
on the last lap in Canada.
Seb defended beautifully on this occasion;
Mark attacked creatively and like that they
finished. It could, though, have been ugly.
Hours afterwards, the drivers and the RBR
management were still behind locked doors,
hammering away at an issue that has been
around since the day RBR decided to sign
the two quickest drivers they could find.
There was a skirmish in the closing laps,
too, between Felipe Massa, who had been
racing for much of the afternoon with a
debris-damaged floor, and Lewis Hamilton.
Felipe pulled off the pass as they braked for
the last, tight left-hander but then Lewis
retaliated by giving Felipe a nudge as they
exited Club. They were separated by 0.4 sec
as they crossed the line, Lewis ahead with
the Stewards, surprisingly perhaps, quickly
deeming the touch a racing incident. Flags
and caps against a still-blue sky.
And so Mark Webber was right: Fernando
won. The signs were there in FP3 and
qualifying, when Ferrari were so good on
fast corners that Fernando now thinks they
need to work on their slow corner grip, for
Petes sake; and the win was consummated
when Seb Vettel, for once, had a pit stop
drama, albeit an amazingly organized one.
The win came, too, on the 60th
anniversary of Jose Froilan Gonzalezs first
victory for Ferrari at Silverstone, in 1951.
Fernando drove Gonzalezs sister car (the
Alberto Ascari chassis) on Sunday morning
at Silverstone, sliding it into oversteer drifts
that would have brought a smile to the face
of the tough old Pampus Bull, who at 88 was
watching the TV feed live in Buenos Aires,
courtesy of Fox Deportes. For once, despite
the years of politics and commercial issues,
the F1 industry had allowed a famous circuit
to touch its famous past.
For once amazingly F1s heritage had
won the day.
F1 BRITAIN
>>
For more F1 Words of
Wisdom from Windsor,
CLICK HERE to check
out his website:
www.thefyinglap.com
2
FERNANDO Alonso reckons it
would have been difficult for
him to win yesterdays British
Grand Prix had he not been
gifted the lead when Sebastian
Vettel hit problems at his final
pitstop, costing the German eight
seconds and another potential
race win. Vettel had led every lap
of the race until then but dropped
behind Alonso and Hamilton,
consigning him to second place at
the finish.
Vettel and Alonso pitted
together on lap 27, but a problem
getting the left-rear tyre onto
Vettels car cost the German dearly
as Alonso slipped through to take
the lead. The reigning champion
was then stuck behind Hamilton,
losing even more time, and
eventually got by when he pitted
one lap early for the final time.
At the pit stop we had a problem
the car was already back on the
floor, but then we had to lift it back
up again. By then I had lost the
lead and came out in third, said
Vettel. I struggled to pass Lewis, I
thought I could go much quicker,
but I never really had the chance.
Once I was very close, but it didnt
work.
We got him at the pit stop, but
by then Fernando was already
gone. It was a good result for us,
but we had some problems and, if
youre not at your optimum, then
theres always someone there to
beat you. Ferrari was very quick all
weekend and they deserved the
victory today.
When asked if he thought victory
would have been possible without
Vettels problems, Alonso wasnt so
sure.
I think it is difficult to have any
prediction of what could have
happened without the problems
of Sebastian, began Alonso. For
sure [it would have been] more
difficult and you need to overtake
on the track and when you are
talking about two or three-tenths
different pace in favour of them
or us it is not easy to overtake as
we saw with the McLaren and for
Sebastian it was the same when he
tried to overtake Lewis.
It is not easy to overtake so the
pit-stop problems for them was a
help. But [its] the same every race.
Slow Vettel pitstop hands victory to Alonso
MCLAREN believe Jenson Button could
have finished on the podium had he not
been forced to retire with a loose right-
front wheel. The Briton was running
fifth up until his final pitstop, but he was
released from his box before the offending
wheel had been secured, as the mechanic
had been changing wheel guns when
Button was released.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh refused to
heap blame on the pitcrew, explaining that it
had been a simple case of human error.
Jenson drove an excellent race combative
yet disciplined and I think he could well
have bagged a podium finish had it not
been for the pitstop mix-up that prematurely
ended his race, said Whitmarsh. Our pitcrew
has done a fantastic job all year but on this
occasion they released Jenson before his
right-front wheel had been properly attached.
It was a case of human error in the heat of
the moment but, as I say, and as I want to
stress the point, our pitcrew has completed
dozens of faultless pitstops under extreme
pressure this season and todays error was
therefore totally atypical.
Button stayed out one lap longer than
those ahead of him before pitting for the
final time, and believes he could have come
out ahead of Webber after his pitstop. Such
an outcome would likely have put Button on
the podium, as team-mate Hamilton coped
with saving fuel.
Before my final stop Id had great pace,
and Id caught Lewis, Sebastian and Mark.
When they peeled off into the pits, I stayed
out for one more lap and I think I would
have come out alongside, or even ahead
of, Mark after the stop, said Button. But, as
I turned out of the pitlane, my right-front
wheel came off and I was forced to stop
immediately.
The guy on the front-right lost the
wheelnut and turned to take another; as he
turned, I think his hand moved and the guy
on the front jack felt that that was the trigger
to lower the car. Then the lollipop lifted.
Hopefully, we wont have that sort of issue
again.
McLaren were subsequently fined 5,000
for releasing Button without the wheel
being secured.
Missing wheel nut costs
Button potential podium
Team fned for unsafe release

F1 BRITAIN
>>
Slow Vettel pitstop hands victory to Alonso
MCLARENS Lewis Hamilton was
delighted with the reception he got from
Silverstones 122,000-strong race-going
crowd after finishing fourth on Sunday,
having come out on top in a thrilling last-
lap battle with Ferraris Felipe Massa. After
starting tenth, Hamilton was up to fifth
by the end of the second lap, but had to
conserve fuel heavily in the final stint.
Hamiltons fuel-saving cost him a place to
Webber on lap 46 and with Massa closing
in at a rate of over two seconds a lap, the
Briton was given a reprieve on the final lap
when he was able to return to full-power,
allowing him to keep fourth by just 0.024
seconds.
Before the end, I had to start saving fuel:
you have to lift and coast, which means the
brake temperatures drop. So I had no brakes,
and thats why I kept locking up, said
Hamilton. On the final lap, the team gave
me the order to push as hard as I could, but
Felipe had already closed the gap by that
point, so it was difficult to defend. That last
lap was as close as its ever going to get!
In the final corner I stayed on the inside
and braked as hard as I could. Fortunately,
we both got around the corner in one piece
and I just pipped him at the finish.
Hamilton had been forced to save fuel
because of his better-than-expected pace,
but had conserved enough fuel to allow
a full-speed final lap. Going into Vale, the
penultimate corner of the race, Massa
overtook Hamilton around the outside but
the pair touched lightly, allowing Hamilton
retake the place and crossed the line
fractionally ahead.
Despite having criticised Hamiltons
driving in previous races, Massa had
nothing against the Briton on this occasion.
Well there is nothing really to say, he
said. I was close to Lewis going into the
last corner. He went to the inside, I went
outside, I went to brake after him and I was
able to turn a little bit in front of him and he
touched me a little bit, but I dont think it
was anything really wrong, in my opinion.
Hamilton delighted
with fans reaction
to fourth
Beats Massa by 0.024s in
fnal-lap tussle
MCLAREN believe Jenson Button could
have finished on the podium had he not
been forced to retire with a loose right-
front wheel. The Briton was running
fifth up until his final pitstop, but he was
released from his box before the offending
wheel had been secured, as the mechanic
had been changing wheel guns when
Button was released.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh refused to
heap blame on the pitcrew, explaining that it
had been a simple case of human error.
Jenson drove an excellent race combative
yet disciplined and I think he could well
have bagged a podium finish had it not
been for the pitstop mix-up that prematurely
ended his race, said Whitmarsh. Our pitcrew
has done a fantastic job all year but on this
occasion they released Jenson before his
right-front wheel had been properly attached.
It was a case of human error in the heat of
the moment but, as I say, and as I want to
stress the point, our pitcrew has completed
dozens of faultless pitstops under extreme
pressure this season and todays error was
therefore totally atypical.
Button stayed out one lap longer than
those ahead of him before pitting for the
final time, and believes he could have come
out ahead of Webber after his pitstop. Such
an outcome would likely have put Button on
the podium, as team-mate Hamilton coped
with saving fuel.
Before my final stop Id had great pace,
and Id caught Lewis, Sebastian and Mark.
When they peeled off into the pits, I stayed
out for one more lap and I think I would
have come out alongside, or even ahead
of, Mark after the stop, said Button. But, as
I turned out of the pitlane, my right-front
wheel came off and I was forced to stop
immediately.
The guy on the front-right lost the
wheelnut and turned to take another; as he
turned, I think his hand moved and the guy
on the front jack felt that that was the trigger
to lower the car. Then the lollipop lifted.
Hopefully, we wont have that sort of issue
again.
McLaren were subsequently fined 5,000
for releasing Button without the wheel
being secured.
2
Kobayashi collision costs
Schumacher points
MERCEDES Michael Schumacher was hugely
disappointed to score just a single point for his
effort at Silverstone on Sunday, after copping
a 10 second stop-and-go penalty for colliding
with Saubers Kamui Kobayashi in the opening
ten laps of the race. He had been running
ahead of team-mate Rosberg at the time, and
with Nico having finished sixth, Schumacher
thinks he could have finished as high as fourth
or fifth.
The German collided with Kobayashi at the
end of the DRS zone on lap 9 into the Brooklands
corner, damaging his front wing and sending
Kobayashi spinning. He was subsequently
dealt a 10-second stop/go penalty effectively
ending his chance of a high points score, but
he nevertheless worked his way back up to 9th,
having dipped as low as 17th.
He admitted afterwards that the collision with
Kobayashi had been entirely his fault, and added
that he deserved to be penalised.
My result today is a bit of a shame, and of
course I am not happy about it. I think fifth or
even fourth place would not have been out
of question today, said Schumacher after the
race. I would so much have wished to bring [the
team] some decent points this evening when
we go back to the factory for a BBQ with their
families. But unfortunately, and due to my fault,
I cannot.
Having used DRS for the first time in the
race, I was arriving at the corner with over-run.
Underestimating the effect, my braking was not
good and this is how the collision happened. It
was right to get a penalty... Anyway, the good
thing is that step-by-step, the hard work of our
team is paying off more and more, and this is a
good feeling heading towards our next home
race.
Pitstop blunder consigns Scot to 15th
PAUL di Resta endured a character-
building debut British Grand Prix at
Silverstone after a slow pitstop meant he
was unable to take advantage of his best
ever qualifying when he secured sixth on
the grid. Di Resta was running seventh
when he pitted for the second time on
lap 24, but he lost some 20 seconds
because his tyres had not been ready for
his stop.
Di Resta had been pleased with his pace
up until then, having done an admirable
job in holding onto the back of Jenson
Buttons McLaren, and was leading the
pack behind the leading sextet of Red
Bull, Ferrari and McLaren when the pitstop
blunder happened.
Its extremely disappointing to end my
first British Grand Prix in P15, said a visibly
dejected di Resta. I had a good first part
of the race; we seemed quite competitive
and I was able to hold on to Jenson
[Button] as I concentrated on looking
after my intermediate tyres. I think we
made the switch to dry tyres at the right
moment and we were running well.
The Scot explained that the team had
prepared for a pitstop for team-mate Sutil,
meaning his mechanics had to sprint back
to the garage to retrieve Pauls tyres.
I got a call to come into the pits again,
but when I got there the team were
expecting Adrian, so there was obviously
some confusion, he continued. It cost
me quite a lot of time because the boys
had to run back in the garage and fetch
my tyres. That cost us about 25 seconds,
which pretty much ended my chances.
Downtrodden di Resta laments luckless debut home race

F1 BRITAIN
>>
FOrMULA 1 round 9 GrEAt BrItAIN
Points Drivers: Vettel 204, Webber 124, Alonso 112, Hamilton 109, Button
109, Massa 52, Rosberg 40, Heidfeld 34, Petrov 31, Schumacher 28, Kobayashi
25, Sutil 10, Alguersuari 9, Perez 8, Buemi 8, Barrichello 4, di Resta 2
Manufacturers: Red Bull 328, McLaren 218, Ferrari 164, Mercedes 68, Renault
65, Sauber 33, STR 17, Force India 12, Williams 4
Pos # Driver Team Laps Time Grid
1 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 52 1:28:41.196 3
2 1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 52 +16.5 secs 2
3 2 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 52 +16.9 secs 1
4 3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 52 +28.9 secs 10
5 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 52 +29.0 secs 4
6 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 52 +60.6 secs 9
7 17 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 52 +65.5 secs 12
8 9 Nick Heidfeld Renault 52 +75.5 secs 16
9 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 52 +77.9 secs 13
10 19 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 52 +79.1 secs 18
11 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 52 +79.7 secs 11
12 10 Vitaly Petrov Renault 52 +80.6 secs 14
13 11 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 51 +1 Lap 15
14 12 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 51 +1 Lap 7
15 15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 51 +1 Lap 6
16 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 50 +2 Laps 20
17 25 Jerome dAmbrosio Virgin-Cosworth 50 +2 Laps 22
18 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 50 +2 Laps 23
19 22 Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 49 +3 Laps 24
Ret 4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 39 Wheel nut 5
Ret 18 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 25 Acc damage 19
Ret 16 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 23 Oil leak 8
Ret 21 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 10 Oil leak 21
Ret 20 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 2 Gearbox 17
MExICOS Sergio Perez lies 14th in the
drivers championship this morning after
scoring his first points in Silverstone
since his high-speed accident in Monaco.
Starting 12th, the 21-year-old was one of
the last two-stoppers to pit for the final
time, allowing him to rejoin just behind
Rosberg. Despite pushing the German
hard for sixth place in the final stint he
was unable to get by, but was nonetheless
delighted to get his second points finish.
I think it was a good race and a very
good result for the team. In the beginning
the conditions were quite difficult, but we
managed to stay out of trouble, said Perez.
The strategy was good and my pit stops
were perfect.
He spent almost 20 laps tucked up behind
Rosberg, regularly staying within 1 second
and set a fastest lap that was four tenths
quicker than the German. As had been
expected prior to the weekend, the DRS
overtaking zone on the Wellington straight
failed to help Perez get by.
Unfortunately I couldnt overtake Nico.
I was very close but he was too fast on
the straights, continued Sergio. Overall I
am happy and now the difficult times are
behind me. After the accident it took me
time to get back into the rhythm of the
season, and find the momentum I had
before it. In two weeks time I shall be even
stronger.
Perez scores
frst points
since Monaco
crash
FUTURE Red Bull star Daniel Ricciardo
made his Formula One debut this
weekend, and it provided three days
of mixed results for the Australian
rookie.
Given that the young driver
was losing his cherry with HRT,
expectations of a debut podium
were not exactly high. Speaking
in his first F1 press conference on
Thursday afternoon, Ricciardo said
that for the race, his aim was to try
to finish and just get the miles under
my belt and the experience at this
level of my career. ... If I can try and
be competitive compared to Tonio
[Liuzzi] he is very experienced and
I am sure I can learn something from
him so we will see how I go.
Initial results were promising. In FP1,
Ricciardos first time behind the wheel
of the HRT, he was 1.2s slower than his
teammate. But on Friday afternoon, the
young Australian was 0.2s ahead of
the more experienced Italian. Saturday
afternoon saw Ricciardo ahead in the
team-mate wars once more, this time
with 0.3s on Liuzzi.
But it was a different matter entirely
during Sundays race. Ricciardo
managed to finish unscathed, but
suffered the indignity of being lapped
by Liuzzi, who was driving an identical
car.
Speaking to the media on Thursday,
Ricciardo admitted that he had never
run in an F1-length race, and said
that it might take him some time to
acclimatize to the physical and mental
demands of an F1 Sunday.
Tough debut for Ricciardo
Slowed by Rosberg
in fnal stint
2
Team-By-Team: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
McLaren were hit hard by the clarification
in the exhaust-blown diffuser rules over the
course of the weekend, as they struggled
to keep pace with Ferrari and Red Bull
ahead. Qualifying 5th and 10th, Button and
Hamilton trailed the lead quartet at the start,
but slowly reeled them in and Button could
have finished on the podium had he not
retired with a loose wheel nut. Hamilton had
to save fuel in the final stint and just about
held off Massa for fourth at the death.
As in Canada, Red Bull lost out on victory
through another mistake, this time in the
pitlane when Vettel lost seven seconds with a
delay on the left-rear tyre. Red Bull enjoyed a 1-
2 for the first half of the race, but with Alonso
upping his pace from mid-distance and Vettels
pitstop problem, the reigning champions
had to make do with a 2-3 finish. Webber lost
the lead to Vettel from pole and went against
team orders to challenge him for second in the
closing laps, but without success.
Renault endured another challenging weekend
as Nick Heidfeld came home with the teams
only points in eighth place, although it was still
a vast improvement on their qualifying pace.
Heidfelds progress began by picking up two
places at the start, before gradually climbing
through the field on a two-stop strategy.
Petrov was unlucky to miss out on points after
being involved in a three-way battle for tenth
with Alguersuari and Sutil. He finished 1.5
seconds adrift of the final point.
Mercedes weekend should have yielded
much more than sixth and ninth places after
Schumacher was hit with a 10-second stop/go
penalty, robbing the German and his team of at
least four more points if not significantly more.
He had been running strongly until tangling
with Kobayashi, earning him the penalty and
dropping him down the order. He recovered
to ninth as Rosberg fended off Saubers Sergio
Perez in the fight for sixth, but Schumacher
believes he could have challenged for fourth or
fifth had things gone to plan.
Poor pace on the intermediate tyre in the
first phase of the race proved to be an
insurmountable challenge to Williams as they
failed to capitalise on Pastor Maldonados
best qualifying of the year in seventh. The
Venezuelan had dropped to 13th by lap 6 as
he struggled to keep the car on the road and
fell further behind on his three-stop strategy.
Barrichellos two-stop strategy allowed him to
leapfrog his team-mate, crossing the line in
formation in a disappointing 13th and 14th.
Alonsos first victory of 2011 could scarcely have
come at a better time as he fights to stay in the
title hunt and made for an apt celebration of
the 60th anniversary of Ferraris first F1 victory,
at Silverstone in 1951. Although he struggled
initially on the switch over to slicks after the
stint on intermediates, once his tyres were up
to temperature Alonsos pace went unmatched
and he got the break he needed when Vettel
was delayed in the pits, before romping clear
to a 20-second lead. Massa took fifth after just
missing out in a battle with Hamilton.
30
F1 EUROPE
>>
Team-By-Team: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
Force India failed to score points for the
fifth time this season after a massively
disappointing debut home Grand Prix for
Briton Paul di Resta. The Scot qualified a
stunning sixth and was looking strong for
seventh until losing 20 seconds with a pitstop
fumble. The team had Sutils tyres at the ready,
meaning they had to rush into the garage
in search of di Restas, ending any chance of
points. Sutil three-stopped to 11th, missing out
on a point by just six tenths.
Jaime Alguersuari recorded his third
consecutive points finish for Toro Rosso, finally
moving him ahead of team-mate Sebastien
Buemi in the standings after a top quality drive
from 18th on the grid. He stopped twice and
was disappointed not to get by Schumacher
and Heidfeld in front, despite feeling he was
quicker. Buemi was set for a three-stopper in
the sister Toro Rosso but contact with di Resta
after his second stop caused a puncture which
forced him into a trackside retirement.
Sauber declared Sergio Perez to be back in
action after scoring his first points finish since
his high-speed accident in Monaco over a
month ago. Starting 12th, the Mexican two-
stopped his way to seventh and was unlucky
not to finish sixth after putting intense
pressure on Nico Rosberg throughout his
final stint. Kobayashi on the other hand had
a race to forget after touching Maldonado in
the pitlane, incurring a stop/go penalty and
retiring with an oil leak on lap 24. The team
was happy with his race pace however.
Virgins Timo Glock enjoyed a lonely race at
the back of the field, taking advantage of the
double Lotus retirement to win the battle of
the new teams by over 25 seconds. He led the
battle from the first lap and easily pulled clear
of team-mate dAmbrosio who was locked in a
battle with Liuzzi. Glock was pleased with the
pace of the car, while dAmbrosio struggled
with a front-left tyre that was offering little to
no grip in the final stint.
F1 rookie Daniel Ricciardo achieved his aim
of reaching the finish of his first ever F1 race,
albeit at the back of the field three laps down.
With no prior experience of the HRT, Ricciardo
was able to stay relatively close to Liuzzi on
intermediates early on but quickly fell behind
as the blue flags waved to let the leaders
through. Liuzzi stayed ahead of dAmbrosio
for the first stint, but fell behind at two-thirds
distance. He failed to get the place back and
finished 18th, 2 laps down.
Team Lotus recorded their first double
retirement in almost a full year after both
Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli fell by the
wayside within 10 laps of the start of the race.
After getting through to Q2 on Saturday and
qualifying 17th on the grid, Kovalainen failed
to make it past the first lap when he lost fourth
gear and was forced to retire. Trulli made it
until lap 10 but had to retire with an engine oil
leak. He had been trailing Glock in 20th place
at the time.
F1 BRITAIN
>>
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F1 BRITAIN
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Moto GP FEATURE
>>
YOUTHFUL
After two wins in eight races , bike racings latest young upstart has
big shoes to fill ... by Michael Scott
HEROES

M
otoGP captures 99 percent of
the attention on GP racing.
This is in line with Dornas
marketing thinking: in order to be more
like F1 there should be only one class
that really counts.
The smaller classes still do matter,
however. And something (actually
someone) of significance appears to be
happening right now in the smallest of
the. Most of last years 125 stars have
moved up to Moto2, a small teenager
has arrived. And he looks like a shooting
star.
His name is Maverick Viales. He
is from Spain (do I hear you say: Of
course.). And he won only his fourth
grand prix.
The kid from Figueres north of
Barcelona close to the French border (for
art lovers, the home of Salvador Dali)
has all the hallmarks of greatness. Its a
bit early to say that, I suppose, but in his
first eight races, hes won two of them,
been on the rostrum for two others and
two-thousandths off it in a third, and lies
third overall.
The youngsters face has a hardness
beyond his years, but his size reveals his
youth. And his riding style: tucked in and
ultra-aggressive. But theres lots of kids
who ride, in the vernacular, as though
they stole it. It is Vialess speed that
also goes beyond his years.
Well have to wait and see what
happens next, for a few years. Its looking
pretty damn good so far.
If you look back, you cannot escape
the fact many of the greatest names
in the sport arrived as shooting stars.
Not all of them, however. Examine the
statistics and there are great names
that prove the rule, and several notable
exceptions.
We are nowadays accustomed to
extreme youth in international sport.
Professionals in all spheres invariably
started at primary school. Previously,
when the bottom age limit of the 125
class was 15 (its been restored to 16
since then) the youngest-ever race
winner was Scott Redding. He was 15
years and 120 days old when he won the
British 125 GP in 2008. (Since then, no
more and waning Moto2 performance
this year has the rider and his backers
increasingly concerned.)
Yet more often than not major success
later in a riders GP career has been
preceded by precocious early race wins.
Freddie Spencer, for instance. Hed
only raced in Europe for the first time the
year previously, but in his debut 1982 GP
season he won his sixth GP. Hed been
twice on the rostrum already, and would
win one more, before defeating Kenny
Roberts in a classic 1983 championship.
That first victory, at Spa Francorchamps,
made Freddie the youngest-ever premier
Top: Not every day you get a
hug from the boss, especially
when its Paris Hilton.
Opposite Right: Celebrating
victory at Le Mans after a
spectacular pass, right.
Moto GP FEATURE
>>
class race winner aged 20 years and 196
days; in 1983 he became the youngest
champion, aged 21 years and 258 days.
And Kevin Schwantz. Hed run a handful
of GPs in 1986 and 1987, but in his first
full-time season he won the opening
round at Suzuka. He would win another
race that year, in a total of 25 overall.
But precocious success doesnt always
prelude greatness. Kevin Magee won his
third GP as a full-time rider defeating
Eddie Lawson at Jarama in 1988. The bluff
Australian would never win again. And,
proving the exception from the other
side, his compatriot Mick Doohan ran 28
grand prix before he took his first victory,
in Hungary in 1990. And just look what
happened to him.
Hah. One important difference. All of
these were in the 500cc class. The kid
Viales is only on a 125.
So lets compare him to another rider
who started at just 17 in the 125 class.
Valentino Rossi won only once in his first
season, and had to wait until the 11th
race to do so.
The last two examples, Doohan and
Rossi, rather argue against the flash-
in-the-pan fast starter. But there is
another who stands alongside Spencer
in achieving success very fast, and who
towers above him in having sustained
that success for years, including a double
TT-winning comeback well into his forties.
Most of the earlier names of racing
have been wiped off the youngest-ever
top ten charts because of the modern
penchant for starting out much younger.
That of Mike Hailwood survives. He is still
number six in the list of 250 champions
a list headed by Dani Pedrosa. Hailwood
was 21 years and 168 days when he won
the 250 championship on a Honda in
1961.
Prior to Spencer, Mike was the
youngest-ever champion from 1962 until
1983. He was just 22 years 160 days when
he took his first premier-class title. Since
then, Stoner has slotted in between the
two to put Mike third. He remains sixth
in the list of youngest 500-class race
winners, taking the Senior TT on a Norton
in 1961, aged 21 years 75 days. He was
only deposed from that position in 1980,
by Randy Mamola.
Mike had already achieved 250 records.
At 21/168 hed become the youngest-
ever 250 champion on a Honda. He was
deposed in 1999 by Rossi: the two now
lie fourth and sixth overall, with Pedrosa,
Lorenzo and Melandri all ahead.
Viales has a lot to live up to. By
making such an impressive start he has
shouldered a heavy burden. It should
be worth watching how well he carries
it for the rest of his first year. Its not too
far-fetched to imagine he might even
become the first debut-season World
Champion since Kenny Roberts in 1978.
The greatest 1000
Lakes of them all?
There have been some
brilliant WRC rallies in
Finland, but the 1983 event
provided one of the great
comeback wins by one of
rallyings greats.
Martin Holmes explains
WRC feature
>>
F
inland plays host to the World Rally Championship as it
enters the second half of the season, and with it come
memories of legendary drivers and tense competition.
When it comes to world championship statistics, drivers of the
generation of Hannu Mikkola fall between two stools, because so
many of their greatest achievements happened before the start
of the championship, in 1973, and are less frmly etched into the
records.
Hannu Mikkola had many such successes, like winning the
amazing London-Mexico marathon in 1970 and scoring a 1000 Lakes
hat-trick in 1968-1970. Marcus Gronholm is fresh in the mind as a
seven-times winner of Finlands most celebrated rally, but few recall
that Mikkola won the event seven times as well. In this story Hannu
tells us about what was, for him, his most unforgettable victory, his
last win in the Jyvaskylan Grand Prix and the turning point towards
his greatest achievement of all, winning the world title at the record
old-age of 41.
Finland is a place of much daring-do in rallysport, but this tale
seems to top the lot!
I suppose I had three favourite events: the 1000 Lakes in Finland,
the RAC in Great Britain and the Safari in Kenya.
I liked these three very much for diferent reasons. In the case
of the 1000 Lakes it was my countrys event and it was always the
fastest rally. On this event you have to be really quick and accurate,
fast and brave to drive at the required speed.
The 1983 1000 Lakes Rally was signifcant not only because
of what happened on that event, but personally because of the
circumstances in my career. It was my third full season with Audi, I
was already 41 and had for some time been trying to win the World
Championship but things never went in the right pattern. So often I
had a good half year and then the other six months nothing.
I got good results in the autumn and then the following spring but
never in a spring and autumn of the same year! 1983 started well
and we were in a good position after four rallies but then it started
to go wrong again, retiring in Corsica, Greece and New Zealand. I
won in Argentina but I needed a good result in Finland to get my
championship hopes back on course again. It had already been a
busy season with a lot of pressure and I felt quite tired already at that
time but I was confdent that I could do a good result because I knew
the roads and I had already done the event many times.
It immediately seemed that another disaster was going to happen:
On the frst stage, on the frst jump, the gearbox broke and
we had to change this on a short road section after that. Time
penalties dropped me immediately nearly two minutes behind the
leaders. After Stage 2 we were in 143rd position, 1m51s behind Stig
Blomqvist! Even in those days, two minutes on the 1000 Lakes was
in a sense too much, but we wanted to win and so I really started to
fght!
I told Arne Hertz, my co-driver, Now we do everything we can, we
have nothing to lose but a lot to win. I went fat out all the time and
when we came to the frst night rest halt I was getting closer, seventh
overall and 93 seconds behind the leader, Markku Alen in his Lancia.
We were getting quite confdent and reckoned maybe we could
catch up.
When we started the very long second part of the rally we had
problems with the fuelling system. Our teammate Michele Mouton
already lost a lot of time with this problem and in fact her car caught
fre. Then fuel started to leak on our car as well. The problem was
there was no time to fx it properly. My favourite mechanic patched
things up and got ready to replace it all later on. Patching up is not
the normal Audi way at all, but it did the job.
The next stages were close to our
private summer house and we were
now going very quickly, doing much
better times than the others and when
we came to the fnish of the stage the
mechanics were ready with a new fuel
injection gallery which they had to
replace. The job should have taken 12
minutes but it took 20 odd minutes
We calculated we had to average
122kph on the road section, well over
the maximum speed allowed on the
small Finnish roads, if we were not to
lose any more road penalties. I knew
the road quite well, there were a lot of
jumps and brows, but could we risk it?
Lasse Lampi, who was driving a private
Quattro on the rally was now running in
front of me and we asked him to check
carefully if there was any sign of people
checking speeds on the road sections.
He radioed back that was no problem
on the road, so it was safe for us to
come.
I thought, okay well take the risk,
well go for it. Meanwhile Lasse had
been warning the other cars to move
on the side because he knew that we
were about to arrive at high speed. We
arrived at the start of the next stage on
time with only fve seconds in hand.
Over the next stages, everything
seemed to look good again. When we
reached the Kalpalinna midnight rest
halt I was leading by one second over
Stig, so I was now relaxed in my mind.
We still had a long way to go but then
on the next stage I went over one jump
and an engine mounting broke. On an
Audi this moved the engine just enough
to pull of the turbo pipe. So I had to do
half the stage without proper pressure
and I lost again nearly one minute. Here
I knew there would be police activity
along the rally route so we chose
another road completely, went flat out
over that road to get enough time to
have the engine mounting changed.
My only worry was that somebody
would protest our deviation!
We had built up enough time to
change the engine mounting without
penalty. In the early hours the rally
headed westwards around Tampere,
an area which had not been used for a
long time, and we set about the others
once more. We had the rest of the night
and the following morning still to go. I
was trying really hard but we suddenly
realised just couldnt make significantly
better times than the others drivers. It
didnt add up.
Top: Mikkola and co-driver Arne Hertz celebrate victory at the 1983 Rally of 1000 Lakes.
Below: Mikkola changing a broken Fuel Injection Pipe.
Top Right: Mikkola at his home rally in 1983.
Below Right: Quite possibly one of the earliest examples of the term, Flying Fin.
WRC feature
>>
One of our trusted mechanics opened the
bonnet and checked the turbo pipes really
carefully, and noticed there was a leak no
bigger than a needle hole. It wasnt leaking
enough to drop the turbo pressure, but it
was enough to stop the engine responding
quickly. He changed it and from then on it
was a completely diferent world. The car
was fying once again. When we reached
Jamsa in the morning for the fnal breakfast
halt I was 24 seconds behind Stig. We had
fve stages to go and Markku Alen was
already 13 seconds behind me.
The next stage was Vaheri, and I have
to say I had tears in my eyes when I came
to the fnish. It went just so fantastically.
It was a 8.66 kilometre long stage and it
took 4m24s to drive, so the average speed
was almost 120kph and immediately we
were eight seconds faster than Stig and
nine than Markku. It didnt sound a huge
diference but over such a short stage it
was a lot and I thought maybe we could
win this rally after all!
But it wasnt over even now. With two
stages to go the waste-gate failed and I had
to regulate the pressure with the throttle,
for fear of blowing the engine completely.
But still I was quite a lot quicker than
others, and I passed Stig into the lead
again on that one. I drove the last fnal
stage without any turbo pressure control,
came to the fnish and won the rally!
I think it was the hardest ever drive
of my rally career. It was the frst time
I could see the light at the end of the
championship tunnel, but it still wasnt
over.
I went on to retire in Sanremo and it
wasnt until the fnal round of the season,
in Britain, that I was fnally the champion.
My memory from Finland was just how
hard it can be to collect yourself again
after having problems and to fght, fght,
fght all the time.
Did Blomqvist make it easier in the later
stages for Mikkola to win? Was this a case
of team orders? Nobody knows, but for
certain in those days before split timing
and poor communications there would
have been very little room for tactical
manoeuvres because Alen was always
very close behind. Audis 1-2 result on this
event was critical as the manufacturers
title was very closely fought, with Lancia
fnally beating Audi by only two points at
the end of the season.
Blomqvist had supported Mikkola
through the season and fnally got a
victory on the fnal round, the RAC Rally
and the following year himself became the
World Champion.
41
V
Ws candidate team driver Joonas Lindroos who had
been invited to drive a VW sponsored Skoda Fabia S2000
on the forthcoming Neste Oil Rally Finland as an ofcial
Guest championship driver, eligible to score SWRC points, has
been de-selected.
Lindroos. a member of a third generation Finnish rallying
family, claimed that he had not realised that Guest driver
status banned him from private pre-event testing, which
negated the object of VWs evaluation plans. He will therefore
start the NORF as a non-championship driver, alongside
Andreas Mikkelsen in the other VW team Skoda and PG
Andersson (Impreza R4).
M
-SPORT has announced two extensions to the
successful Fiesta rally car brand, fulflling their
intention of providing the current Fiesta model as a
continuous sporting stepping stone from grass roots to World
Rally Car level.
In addition to the existing three Fiesta rally car models (the four
wheel drive World Rally Car and normally aspirated Class 2 Super
2000, and the Class 6 two wheel drive R2), plans have now been
made to make available a Class 1 new generation Super 2000 and
a Class 9 R1 car.
The frst model is being labelled the Regional Rally Car.
This car will in fact be an existing World Rally Car model but
marketed together with a kit which will downgrade the car
from the WRC Class to Class 1, while the second car labelled
MS1 represents a concept which enables the basic car to be
converted in stages from national championship formulae
through R1 and up to R2.
FIA rules specify that the current World Rally Cars have frst
to be homologated as new generation Super 2000 cars before
being up-rated to WRC status. In the case of Ford (and also the
Citroen DS3) the procedure was carried out backwards, so that
the base Super 2000 car could be approved in the best basic
specifcation that would allow the required World Rally Car then
to be homologated.
In the RRC project the car supplied will be a current World
Rally Car version from which the ofcial kit of World Rally Car
parts can be removed and replaced by standard S2000 parts,
in the way the FIA originally planned the new formula. These
parts include front bumper, rear aileron, brake air ducts, 30mm
turbo restrictor. This year the sporting opportunities in FIA
championship events of these cars is limited, but the cars are
already widely available for use in national championship
events where rules are defned by the relevant federations, and
next year in FIA championship events.
The MS1 project is much more wide-ranging. Currently a
prototype is undergoing durability tests to identity what parts
should be included in the FIA homologation to make the car
suitable for both asphalt and gravel rallying under Class 1 rules
form. No frm date is yet available for FIA R1 homologation. A
wide range of engine options is being considered ranging from
the basic 130 horsepower in R1 form up to the 170 in R2. Many
basic specifcation alternatives including gear ratios and brakes
as well as suspension modifcations are under consideration,
to make the Fiesta suitable for a wide range of sporting
applications. At the moment the only homologated R1 car is the
Renault Twingo.
And fnally, what is the reason why M-Sport propose their
Class 1 car should be called Regional Rally Car, a working name
used by FIA when they frst conceived the original Super 2000
regulations? An M-Sport source said it sounded nice, makes a
clear distinction with World Rally Car. Nothing more to it than
that!
M-Sport expands Fiesta Rally Car range
Lindroos says Nooo ...
P
rovisional details of the route
for the 2012 Rallye Automobile
Monte Carlo show a retro feel,
with competition spread over fve
instead of the usual three days, two
locations for the central service
park and nighttime stages over the
traditional Turini loop.
Marking the return to the world
championship after three years absence,
there will be a short fnal daylight Power
Stage over the lower level hills north of
the Principality, in an area not used on
the rally for many years.
Once again the emphasis on the rally
will be the two days spent on stages in
the Ardeche region with Valence the
epicentre of events. Then the rally moves
through the Drome region down towards
Monaco. Encouraged by the FIA, the
format of the event breaks further away
from established WRC formats by ending
with a new Sunday morning time for the
Power Stage.
N
ext weekends non-championship
Rally Estonia will provide a rare
chance to determine the relative
performance of the new World Rally Cars
compared with cars of the previous WRC
formula.
Mads Ostberg will drive Fiesta WRC and
Kris Meeke a Mini John Cooper Works WRC,
facing competition from Markko Martin in
an old formula Focus WRC. Furthermore
Jari Ketomaa drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
X as a chance to evaluate the performance
of the new R4 cars against the Old
Generation Super 2000 cars, headed by
Martin Prokop, which are internationally
grouped together class-wise.
The event which is based at Martins
home town of Tartu, has also attracted
many competitors in the forthcoming WRC
Neste Oil Rally Finland as an authorised
chance to set-up their championship cars.
WRC news
>>
New versus Old in Estonia
Retro route for 2012 Monte Carlo
4

GPWEEK PArting Shot

>>
4