Sebastian Vettel is 'the nicest guy' in F1

Former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has sprung to the defence of the Red Bull Racing star Sebastian Vettel - arguing that the under-fire German can still claim the 2010 title and moreover is 'the nicest guy' on the grand prix grid...

He may not be receiving much praise from his fellow F1 drivers just now, but under-fire Red Bull Racing star Sebastian Vettel has been labelled 'the nicest guy' on the grand prix grid by former world champion-turned-World Rally Championship convert Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel has been slated by the McLaren-Mercedes team principal Martin Whitmarsh for his 'habit of colliding with the other drivers' and his 'junior formulae' error that removed Jenson Button from contention and quite possibly also from the title reckoning in last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps [see separate story – click here], with the defending F1 World Champion himself arguing that his young German rival 'has made too many mistakes this year to fight for the world championship.

However, Raikkonen – who only a matter of months ago was linked with partnering Vettel at Red Bull in 2011 – begs to differ, insisting that the 23-year-old can still claim the coveted crown in F1 2010 and revealing that the Heppenheim native is to all intents and purposes the only driver from his erstwhile world with whom he still remains in touch.

“I have hardly any contact with the other drivers,” the 30-year-old Finn told spox.com. “Sometimes I play badminton with Vettel – he's the nicest guy of them all.”

Whilst he has hinted on several occasions recently that F1 is now a closed book for him rather than the sabbatical that he had originally anticipated – reasoning that he 'loves' his new career in rallying with the Citroën Junior Team as it is 'very, very exciting and the biggest challenge of my career', and having taken his maiden stage victory on the Rallye Deutschland just over a week ago – Raikkonen has since enigmatically persisted with his 'never-say-never' stance regarding an eventual return one day.

“In F1, there are too many things that are more important than the race” lamented the 18-time grand prix-winner. “It is too political and no-one says what they think because they're afraid about being taken out-of-context. I wouldn't say [I won't return, though]. First, let's take this season right to the end and then clarify some things. Then we'll see...”

Spain's Dani Pedrosa seals Indianapolis MotoGP victory

Spain's Dani Pedrosa sealed his third win of the season with an impressive victory in the Indianapolis MotoGP.

Pedrosa, who fell while leading at the Brickyard 12 months ago, started fifth but had moved up to the second by the lap four.

He then got ahead of pole-sitter and home favourite Ben Spies on lap eight before gradually extending his lead.

He finished 3.575 seconds clear of Spies, who earned his best-ever finish, with championship leader Jorge Lorenzo third and Valentino Rossi fourth.

It was Lorenzo's worst result of the season, but he still leads the standings by 68 points from Pedrosa, with seven rounds to go.

"I shouldn't be disappointed with third place but at the same time I'm not happy with my race," Lorenzo said. "I didn't ride as well as I could have and I didn't get a good start."

Pedrosa said: "It was an especially tough one because of the heat.

"I didn't make the perfect start but I was quite quick through the first few tight corners and stayed close to the leaders.

"When I was out in front it was quite hard to stay focused and at the end of the race I was really tired but I'm very happy because last year I crashed when I could have won and now I have made up for it."

World champion Rossi finished fourth, despite crashing in morning practice, and remains fifth overall, one place ahead of Spies.

Pedrosa's other wins this season have come in Italy and Germany.

The next race on the calendar is next Sunday in San Marino.

Earlier, Toni Elias of Spain claimed his third consecutive Moto2 victory in a race that was reduced to just 17 laps following an eight-rider crash on the opening lap.

Lewis ‘Dickhead’ Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s theatrics landed him in the trouble as he was fined by the police for showboating on a Mercedes-Benz E500 while in the Australia. The British driver, currently in the employment of McLaren-Mercedes Formula one team, was fined US $444 after being stopped by the local police.

The 2010 Australian Grand Prix was surely a race to forget for Hamilton who came sixth and more embarrassingly, 29.8 seconds behind his underdog team mate Jenson Button who claimed the pole. With his off track behavior, the McLaren-Mercedes driver has been dragged into the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

The embarrassment for him doesn’t end here, as the 2008 champion was called a ‘dickhead’ by the Australian Politician Tim Pallas, who happens to be the roads minister for Victoria. The rather blunt title is not down to some deep routed prejudice against the superstars; it is part of a government backed campaign for safe driving which carries the bold slogan ‘don’t be a dickhead’

The driver didn’t personally appear at his hearing in the Melbourne, probably because he had already confessed beforehand to the offense of the reckless driving and was thus convicted with the guilty plea. Thus, an offense that took place back in March has finally been accounted for. It can be argued that such high profile superstars, given their fame and influence, do merit a higher degree of responsibility on their part. Commenting on the whole saga, Hamilton claimed, "I have found this very upsetting because I am passionate about road safety and I do voluntarily carry out activities to promote international road safety, particularly among young adults."

Australian driver and fellow Formula1 compatriot, Mark Webber offered a more empathic front by criticizing the strict laws of Victoria that leave little margin for cutting loose a time or two – ‘A Nanny State’. While some might consider it a bold move standing up for a foreign driver and championship rival; putting the sense of national road security in the backseat was rather naïve of the Aussie driver.

Spies shoots hoops and pre-empts announcement on future

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider took part in the Indianapolis Red Bull Grand Prix basketball themed pre-event, and also said an official announcement on his ride with the factory team for the next season would be made over the weekend.

Ben Spies will be one of the three American premier class riders going for home glory this weekend at Indianapolis, and before the serious on-track business began the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider took part in the official pre-event at the Indiana Pacers’ home basketball court on Thursday.

The rookie met former Pacers centre Rik Smits, an avid motorcycle fan, who gave Spies some tips on how to shoot the perfect hoop. “I’ve had a lot of fun and it’s been great being able to meet the Rik Smits, who was a great player back in the day. I wish I could play a little bit more with him but I don’t want to hurt my ankle any more!” said Spies. “It’s one of the great perks we get to do before the race and business starts tomorrow.”

Having placed sixth at the Laguna Seca five weeks ago in the first of two U.S. rounds on the calendar Spies is targeting a result that would reward the support given by a passionate home crowd.

“This weekend I have American fans behind me so it’s as special this year as Laguna was,” said Spies. “For an American race I want to have my best results of the year in front of home fans. We’ll try as hard as we did at Brno and we just hope everything comes together so the home fans have something to cheer about. We’ll try to do the best we can.”

With Yamaha Motor Racing MD Lin Jarvis having confirmed at the Brno test last week that negotiations were underway for the Spies’ graduation to the factory team in 2011, the rider said that an official announcement would be made this weekend.

“It’s one of those worst kept secret things, but it will be coming out in the next couple of days,” he explained. “There will be an announcement and I look forward to next year for sure, it’s going to be good!”

Alonso 'excited but calm' ahead of Spa

Fernando Alonso looks to impress as the F1 season resumes in Belgium

Fernando Alonso insists that he is both excited but calm ahead of the resumption of the 2010 F1 season this weekend at the Spain.

The Spaniard heads to the Belgian Grand Prix on the back of a pair of top two finishes in the races prior to the summer break, which has brought him right back into the mix in the fight for the 2010 crown.

With just 20 points to leader Mark Webber, Alonso heads to Belgium this weekend looking to narrow that gap even further and the double champion said he was excited about the weekend ahead.

“I really want to get back on track, but in a positive sense, without any feeling of the anxiety, but in a very calm way,” the Ferrari driver said. “I am happy that the return to racing means going to two particularly special venues which host the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. The Belgian track is possibly the most appealing of the entire season, while Monza will be something special for me, given that it will be my race debut as a Ferrari driver in front of the Italian crowd, in addition to the circuit itself having played such an important role in the history of motor sport.

“I have a good feeling following on from the positive results obtained in Germany and Hungary. As the saying goes, we have to keep the momentum and that should be our aim in Spa, to ensure we carry on the way we started just before the holidays. The Hockenheim and the Budapest results were important not just in terms of the classification in both championships, but also for the confidence it has given us. We have to keep pushing on this way.”

Pedrosa targets victory

Dani Pedrosa is targeting victory in this weekend's Indianapolis MotoGP race as he seeks to banish the memory of his crash in the same event 12 months ago.

On that occasion, the Repsol Honda rider appeared in a class of his own at the Brickyard, topping the timesheets throughout practice and qualifying before taking an early lead in the race.

However, disaster struck Pedrosa when he pushed too hard, too quickly and came off his bike.

Although he has no realistic chance of overhauling the 77-point deficit to championship leader Jorge Lorenzo during the balance of the season, Pedrosa says he will be pushing for victory on Sunday nonetheless.

"I'm going to Indianapolis in a very good mood and I'm feeling ready to finish the job we weren't able to complete in the race there last time," said Pedrosa, who finished second behind Lorenzo in the Czech MotoGP a fortnight ago.

"I felt really comfortable riding in Indy last year. I was on top of the timesheets from the first practice, I took pole position and the only mistake I made was in the race. So I hope this time we can put together a strong weekend and take another good result.

"We were fast and consistent at the last race in Brno and we'll be aiming to get straight back on that pace again this weekend."
Risk avoidance

Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo is likely to prove the major obstacle standing between his fellow Spaniard and victory, however, having yet to finish a race this season outside the top two.

The 23-year-old inherited the win at Indianapolis last year and also finished top of the podium the last time MotoGP travelled Stateside to Laguna Seca a month ago. However, he acknowledged that he has no need to take unnecessary risks this weekend.

Lorenzo said: "This weekend will be the second race in this country in 2010 and I am looking forward to it because I would like to repeat the same result as I got in Laguna!

"I just have good memories from America, last month in Laguna and last year in Indy. Last year was amazing, but this time I don't need to take too many risks. We can avoid it!

"Indy is a track that I like a lot and it has amazing history. The team and I are planning to continue our great season there this weekend."

Coulthard: Red Bull to win open title race

Former F1 racer and current BBC pundit David Coulthard says he feels that Red Bull will emerge on top of the pile at the end of the season – although the Scot concedes that the fight for the 2010 title is still wide open.

Just 20 points split the top five drivers - Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso - in the championship standings heading to Spa this weekend, while Red Bull is just eight points clear of McLaren in the constructors' championship – with Ferrari fighting hard to try and bring itself back into contention.

It raises the prospect of a fascinating end to the season but Coulthard said he felt it was Red Bull who would come out on top.

“With the top five drivers all separated by just 20 points, less than the prize on offer for a race win, it's fair to say the championship could go any number of ways come Abu Dhabi on Nov 14,” he told the Daily Telegraph, “and for the British public the dénouement will be especially interesting.

“McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are still right in the hunt; there is the prospect of a first ever title for the Milton Keynes-based Red Bull team. And the return to form of Ferrari just prior to the summer break has added a whole new dimension to the run-in, especially given the fact that the Italian team is the only one openly favouring one of their drivers over the other.

“So who is my money on? As I am fond of saying, racing drivers have balls but unfortunately they aren't crystal. Purely in performance terms, however, I feel both championships are Red Bull's to lose.”

While he added that a number of circuits still to come this season would play to the strengths of Red Bull's RB6, Coulthard was quick to point out that anything could still happen.

“Hamilton, Button and Alonso have all won world championships and that experience will count for a lot,” he said. “McLaren or Ferrari might introduce some new gimmick that throws everything up in the air.

“Luck will play its part too. You never know what is going to happen in this sport. That's why we love it.”

Rossi aims to be “back on good form” at Indy

The reigning World Champion hopes that the steps taken at the Brno test last week can help him to make a return to the podium this weekend.

Valentino Rossi returns to the scene of one of his previous 78 premier class wins this weekend as the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix serves up the next chapter in the 2010 World Championship.

The Fiat Yamaha rider won at the Brickyard in its inaugural MotoGP race in the 2008, an event affected by the Hurricane Ike, but then suffered his only DNF of last season at the U.S. circuit in a reverse of the fortunes.

Now, after a fifth-placed finish at Brno in the previous round, Rossi is determined to get back on the podium as he targets a strong finish to the campaign and an improvement on his current Championship position of fifth in the standings.

“Brno was disappointing but the test helped us to understand what went wrong and so we are hopeful that we can be back on good form in Indy,” said Rossi, who is chasing a second victory of the season after his first-round win in Qatar and subsequent injury troubles.

"Indianapolis is a special place, an amazing track and as always it's fun to race in America. I have great memories from the 2008 when I won in the hurricane, even if it's not something I want to repeat! This year we arrive in a different situation to last year, fifth in the Championship and not at 100% in physical condition, but I am feeling stronger all the time,” added the 31 year-old.

The Italian’s Team Manager Davide Brivio is also expectant after the progress made in the Brno test. He said: “The test after Brno was useful and we hope to be in good shape this weekend. It's always a pleasure to go racing in such an amazing place and we just need to keep working to put Valentino in the best possible position to start fighting for the victories again as soon as possible."

F1 2010 driver salaries revealed – who earns most?

The annual list of the F1 salaries has again been published, with two world champions topping the list and a driver who is not even competing on the grand prix grid this year – coming in at third place.

The report – published by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo and citing information compiled by Business Book GP – revealed that Ferrari star Fernando Alonso is on a retainer of some €30 million, supplemented by his external endorsements.

That is almost twice the salary that the Oviedo native's former team-mate and sworn rival currently Lewis Hamilton earns at the McLaren-Mercedes, whose €16 million pay packet is virtually the same as what World Rally Championship convert Kimi Raikkonen is receiving as the Finn continues to benefit handsomely indeed from his early Ferrari pay-off.

Next up is Felipe Massa on €14 million – notably, less than half of what team-mate Alonso is on – with defending F1 World Champion Jenson Button fifth on €9 million, just ahead of the Mercedes Grand Prix's Michael Schumacher, whose €8 million remuneration is arguably generous indeed for the comparatively poor on-track return that the German legend has provided on his desperately disappointing comeback to active competition thus far this year.

In a laudable policy of equality, however, Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg is on exactly the same retainer with the Renault F1's Robert Kubica – in many observers' eyes, the star of the season to-date – on €7.5 million.

A significant surprise if the findings are accurate, is that both Williams' ultra-experienced veteran Rubens Barrichello is on more money at €5.5 million than either current world championship leader Mark Webber or Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing, with the Australian perhaps similarly unexpectedly receiving more than the German with €4.2 million to €2 million – though both are understood to be on substantial bonus agreements for every victory notched up.

Lotus Racing's Jarno Trulli also outpoints Vettel in the basic salary stakes on €3 million, with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen on a basic retainer of around €2 million, Timo Glock for fellow F1 2010 newcomer Virgin Racing on €1 million and Williams rookie Nico Hülkenberg on €700,000.

Bringing up the rear of the list are Sauber duo Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi on €500,000 apiece, Renault's Vitaly Petrov and Scuderia Toro Rosso pairing Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi on €400,000 each and Force India's Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi and Virgin new boy Lucas di Grassi all on €200,000. The final 'paid' driver, Hispania Racing's Bruno Senna, is on just €150,000 – or, to put it into perspective, roughly 200 times less than Alonso.

The figures make Ferrari comfortably the highest spender of the year in terms of the driver expense, with (€60 million) or without (€44 million) Raikkonen taken into consideration, as the full list below shows. The ranking on the far right is current championship position

Drivers:

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari €30m 5th
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes €16m 2nd
3. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari €16m N/A
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari €14m 6th
5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes €9m 4th
6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes Grand Prix €8m 9th
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes Grand Prix €8m 7th
8. Robert Kubica Renault F1 €7.5m 8th
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams F1 €5.5m 11th
10. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing €4.2m 1st
11. Jarno Trulli Lotus Racing €3m 19th=
12. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing €2m 3rd
13. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus Racing €2m 19th=
14. Timo Glock Virgin Racing €1m 19th=
15. Nico Hülkenberg Williams F1 €700,000 15th
16. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber €500,000 17th
17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber €500,000 12th=
18. Vitaly Petrov Renault F1 €400,000 12th=
19. Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso €400,000 18th
20. Sébastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso €400,000 16th
21. Adrian Sutil Force India F1 €200,000 10th
22. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India F1 €200,000 14th
23. Lucas Di Grassi Virgin Racing €200,000 19th=
24. Bruno Senna Hispania Racing €150,000 19th=
25. Karun Chandhok Hispania Racing €Nil 19th=
26. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania Racing €Nil 19th =

Hayden returns to scene of sole Ducati podium

Despite an impressive start to the 2010 MotoGP season, which saw four fourth-places from the first five races, Nicky Hayden will doubtless be disappointed to be returning to the scene of his debut Ducati podium - at his home Indianapolis round this weekend - without any further top three finishers to his name.

The American has been very close, most notably at the round one in Qatar (+0.011) and Silverstone (+0.217) - and he also beat team-mate Casey Stoner fair-and-square in the first two races they both have finished this season.

But Stoner has regained the initiative with five podiums in the last five rounds and Hayden, who could be confirmed as a 2011 Ducati rider alongside Valentino Rossi this weekend, will be fired up to continue his perfect podium record at Indy - having finished second in 2008 and third in the 2009.

"I really can't wait to get to Indy for the race," said Hayden. "It's such a famous track with so much history and being so close to my home I got a big crew making the trip to support me and my brother [Roger, racing in the Moto2 event].

"The event has really grown a lot in just a few years with the Indy mile dirt track, enduro cross, the stunt shows and all the downtown events, which really gives the fans a chance to make the trip worthwhile."

Hayden chipped his wrist in a practice fall at the previous Brno round, but insists the injury won't be a problem this weekend.

"My broken wrist is better than last week in the Brno, which I am very happy about, so we'll see on Friday just how much better. The weather looks good so I hope to come out strong from the gun on Friday and have a weekend worth remembering. Let's get it!" he declared.

"This is one of the most important races of the year for Nicky and definitely the one he looks forward to the most," added team manager Vittoriano Guareschi. "He finished third last year and considering the big steps forward he has made this season, coming close to the podium on the several occasions, we hope he can be celebrating a similar result."

F1 signs sponsorship deal with UBS

Formula 1 has secured a fresh boost with the major financial services company UBS announcing on Monday that it has chosen to become a global sponsorship partner of the sport.

UBS conducted a detailed evaluation of the worldwide sponsorship opportunities and decided that F1 offered it the best opportunity to fulfil its desire for the global reach and brand awareness.

The deal announcing that UBS has become a global partner will be formally launched at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Oswald Grubel, UBS Group Chief Executive, said: "UBS has been searching for a global sponsorship platform that has appeal to our clients, promotes our brand globally and makes good commercial sense.

"Our new partnership with one of the largest and most popular sporting organizations in the world will fulfil all these criteria, and it constitutes a key element of our newly launched branding activities. The global reach of the F1 complements the many local activities we support."

Lorenzo: Yamaha eager to beat Rossi

Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi's move to Ducati gives him and Yamaha "great motivation" to beat his current team-mate in 2011.

Rossi has signed a two-year deal with the Italian manufacturer and Lorenzo is eager to show that he can defeat the seven-time MotoGP world champion.

"Yamaha will do its maximum to beat him; more speed and engine power will be needed but we will work harder than ever," said Lorenzo. "Next season will be a very interesting championship."

The Spaniard has shared a difficult relationship with the Rossi as team-mates, with a wall separating the riders in the Yamaha garage.

"I didn't like the wall," Lorenzo said. "I would have expected more of the Rossi from the human side, rather than a bigger exchange of technical information. He unintentionally made me a favour, however, because he has made my team even closer together, and I now go even better since I don't have access to his telemetry.

"I've never felt nervous about the idea of fighting against Rossi. I knew I had to learn, improve and work hard. I've watched the races on TV since I was 10 and have learnt something from riders in every class. From Valentino I've learnt how to manage the race on and off the track much better."

Rossi will be replaced at the factory Yamaha team by current Tech 3 rider Ben Spies next year, and Lorenzo predicts that his relationship with the American will be less volatile.

"I can feel we will have a good relationship with Ben," he said. "Perhaps we won't be best friends, but there won't be a wall in the garage and we won't keep our telemetries secret."

MotoGP Rewind: Brno

The best of the tenth round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship – the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic – is all here in the latest free motogp.com video.

Review the action from Brno in the latest motogp.com Rewind instalment and witness once more Jorge Lorenzo’s seventh win of the season, as the attached video offers you a fantastic highlights package of the weekend’s most thrilling moments.

MotoGP Rewind reviews the action after every round of the MotoGP World Championship in the 2010 season.

Rizla Suzuki with plenty to go on from Brno test

The MotoGP team conducted a successful day’s work on the Monday with Loris Capirossi, Álvaro Bautista and Sylvain Guintoli putting the GSV-R through its paces.

Rizla Suzuki completed most of its full test programme and acquired a large amount of data from the Monday’s test at the Brno circuit before rain brought the day’s proceedings to a premature end.

Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista were joined at the Czech Republic track by Suzuki WSBK rider Sylvain Guintoli, who was called up to provide cover for the test if Bautista was unable to participate following his huge crash in the Saturday’s practice.

Capirossi and Bautista were able to test many new and revised parts for the Suzuki GSV-R including two new chassis, new Öhlins forks and updated engine management programmes. Guintoli was able to complete three runs to get some data for his riding style early in the morning. The talented Frenchman was then scheduled to do a longer test run in the afternoon, but the rain intervened and ruined any chance he had of assisting with the further evaluation of the GSV-R.

Rizla Suzuki will now assess the information from the test and hopefully be able to make some important steps and the decisive changes in time for the next round of the season at Indianapolis in America on Sunday 29th August.

Norton to enter MotoGP in 2012?

The upcoming change in the rules to allow the 1,000cc engines in the MotoGP could already be doing its job to ensure the larger grid sizes from the 2012 after Norton was identified as a potential new entrant.

The iconic British marque has a long history of the success in the motor racing, but has been absent from the competition scene for the decades now.

However, having been bought out in 2008 by the UK businessman Stuart Garner, Norton – which is now based at Donington Park - is currently in the process of being re-launched, with plans for a Superbike and the Supersport in the pipeline.

Furthermore, MotoGP is considered an ideal platform to promote the Norton’s new modern image, with Speedweek.ch reporting that Dorna has already accepted a two-rider entry for the 2012.

It is anticipated it would run under the ‘Claiming Rule Team’, which would enable it more fuel and engines for the season than it would as a factory entry.

The decision to change the rules from 2012 has seen a handful of names linked to a MotoGP move, most notably Aprilia and BMW, though only the Italian manufacturer has expressed a modicum of recent interest.

Pirelli 'very satisfied' following 'first step' of F1 return

Pirelli has declared itself 'very satisfied' following the conclusion of its first F1 running in almost the two decades at Mugello this week, as Nick Heidfeld put an unbranded example of Toyota's 2009-spec TF109 through its paces around the Italian circuit to begin the development of the tyres that will be used in the 2011 world championship.

Having been newly-appointed as the Italian manufacturer's dedicated test driver, Heidfeld spent two days sampling the prototype versions of Pirelli's new PZero tyre, which will be used by all F1 teams from the next season onwards according to the terms of a three-year agreement struck with world motorsport's governing body the FIA less than two months ago.

The objective of the test – which was held in largely dry and sunny conditions – was to begin the process of determining the front and rear tyre profile and construction, and Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery hailed it a successful start.

“This was the first step of our return to F1, and we are very satisfied with how the tyres performed and the information we were able to collect,” the Englishman reported. “We concentrated on finalising the profile and the construction of the front and rear tyres, which is a process that we will continue over the next few tests that we carry out.

“A lot of people have made a big commitment to get to where we are today in a very short period of time, and the effort really has been incredible. The Toyota team has also been very professional and to provided a good, reliable car and we are all very happy to begin our relationship with Nick Heidfeld, who gave us a lot of good feedback and suggestions.

“Mugello has quite an abrasive surface, with long and medium-to-high-speed corners as well as hairpins and quick changes of direction, so it is quite a good proving-ground. We are on-target, and we come away from this test with lots of data to analyse, which is exactly the situation we hoped to be in.”

Testing will continue at Jerez, Monza and Paul Ricard over the coming weeks, before the F1 teams get their first run on next year's rubber at the Yas Marina Circuit following the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November. The tyres will be substantially the same as those that will be provided to the feeder GP2 Series, with Ben Hanley having tested alongside Heidfeld at Mugello aboard a 2011-spec Dallara.

Lorenzo makes first run of Aragón on a Yamaha R1

The current MotoGP World Championship leader took to the Spanish track on the Wednesday to gain a first impression of its layout, one month ahead of the Gran Premio A-Style de Aragón.

Jorge Lorenzo visited the Motorland Aragón circuit today (Wednesday) to gain a first impression of the track which will host the 13th round of this season’s MotoGP World Championship.

The current Championship leader spent 80 minutes on the track on a Yamaha R1 divided across two spells, the first beginning at 2.30pm local time and the second at 4.15pm, with both giving him a grounding on which he can base his preparations for the GP on September 19th.

After the session the 23 year-old gave a positive reaction, saying: “It is a fun circuit with very different turns. The first turns are similar to Turkey and others seem like Misano. I hope that people who live close to here come and support the Spanish riders. I’m looking forward to racing here.”

Lorenzo also discussed his role in helping with the development of the M1, which will become a more increased one following the announcement of Valentino Rossi’s departure for Ducati at the end of the current season.

“I don’t preoccupy myself with what people say. Now I have to be especially focused because as well as the fight for the Championship and building on what I have already achieved, I have to develop the bike,” he stated, before adding that he would not be relaxing going into the next round at Indianapolis despite his 77-point advantage at the top of the standings.

Rossi Signs With Ducati for Two Years

Valentino Rossi, the great Italian motorcycle rider, confirmed about the recent rumors that he will be joining Ducati in 2011.

Rossi is the reigning MotoGP champion. But he has been facing strong competition from within his Yamaha team. Jorge Lorenzo, a young Spaniard, is leading the series and appears to be the face of the Yamaha’s future. For the last couple of the years, the team has been unable to conceal the two riders’ dislike of each other.

Rumors about a Rossi move to Ducati have swirled around the MotoGP paddock for the months. But they grew stronger when Ducati rider Casey Stoner announced in July a move from the Italian outfit to the Repsol Honda team. It was all but certain that an announcement from the Rossi about a jump to Ducati would come soon after. The terms of the deal were not revealed, though it is believed to be around $19 million a year.

“Working with Valentino is one of the most exciting things for every engineer, and it’s good to know we will have this great opportunity for the next season,” said Filippo Preziosi, manager of the Ducati Racing.

The last time Rossi switched teams was in 2004, when he moved from the Repsol Honda, then the best team on the grid, to Yamaha, a middling team. Rossi immediately won the championship in 2004 and brought Yamaha back to the prominence, winning four titles with the team.

“Many things have changed since that far-off time in 2004,” said Rossi in a statement describing the improvement in his Yamaha motorcycle, “but especially ’she,’ my M1, has changed. At that time, she was a poor middle-grid position MotoGP bike, derided by most of the riders and the MotoGP workers. Now, after having helped her to grow and improve, you can see her smiling in her garage, courted and admired, treated as the ‘top of the class.’” 

With Heidfeld On Board, Pirelli Begins F1 Testing

Pirelli is wasting no time in preparing for the 2011 Formula One season, its first in more than the two decades.

The tiremaker has hired former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld as its official test driver, and has already begun initial testing of its F1 race tires.

Heidfeld will use the Toyota's F1 car from last year, the TF109, to test the new rubber that all the teams will use from 2011 onwards.

The 33-year-old raced in F1 for the 10 years, scoring 12 podium finishes. He is currently chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Heidfeld will drive the car in a series of test sessions on several different circuits beginning this month, and Pirelli said tire development work will “focus on finding the delicate compromise needed between the performance, durability and spectacle next season.”

Pirelli said all current Formula One teams will get the chance to test its new F1 race tires after the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.

Rossi: “My work at Yamaha is finished”

The Italian has spoken to motogp.com about the reasons behind his decision to make the switch to the Ducati for the 2011 season.

After weeks of the speculation in the MotoGP paddock official confirmation came from Yamaha, Ducati and Valentino Rossi on Sunday at the Brno that the reigning World Champion would make the switch from the Japanese to the Italian factory for the 2011 season.

Speaking about his decision to seek a new challenge in the next instalment of his illustrious career Rossi, who has won four MotoGP World Championships in his time with Yamaha, explained the motivation for his change following a seven-year relationship with the manufacturer.

“I think that here in Yamaha my work is finished,” said Rossi. “The situation within Yamaha has changed a lot since 2004. Now the M1 is maybe the best bike in the MotoGP, Yamaha have great riders, so it looks like they don’t need me any more.”

Rossi has penned a two-year deal with Ducati and is extremely excited at the prospect of linking up with the Bologna factory. “I’m very curious and very motivated for this new challenge and I think it will be very interesting,” he stated.

“I think an Italian rider on an Italian bike will be great for all Italian fans. I think we’ll have a lot of fans cheering for us.”

Attention has already turned to the end-of-season test at Valencia in the November where Rossi hopes to test the Ducati Desmosedici for the first time, but a decision on whether he will be able to due to contractual commitments is yet to be made.

“If Yamaha say no I’ll be very upset and sad,” said the 31 year-old. “Only Honda have said no to me in the past and that relationship was very different to the one between me and Yamaha. If I can’t do it then I don’t understand the relationship between me and Yamaha!”

Berger and Piquet defend Ferrari over F1 'team orders' furore

Whilst the majority of the F1 world was quick to condemn the Ferrari over the last month's crassly-handled Hockenheim 'team orders' controversy, the Prancing Horse has at least found two allies in the shape of the former grand prix aces Gerhard Berger and Nelsinho Piquet, both of whom argue it was the only logical move to make.

Ferrari found itself fined $100,000 for having distinctly unsubtly manoeuvred race leader Felipe Massa out of the way in the German Grand Prix in order to enable team-mate Fernando Alonso to the triumph, thereby boosting the Spaniard's chances of a third world championship crown at the highest level as the season sprints towards its last seven races – but in so doing clearly contravening the ban on team orders in the top flight that had been brought in back in 2002 for a similarly blatant crime, also committed by the Scuderia in the Austria.

The team could yet face further sanctions in front of the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) at a disciplinary hearing in the Paris early next month – but Piquet and Berger contend that in such a tight battle for glory as it is this year, it is only natural to favour the driver who is comfortably the better bet in terms of the title chase.

“It's hard for Massa that Alonso came into the team later but is faster,” acknowledged Piquet – who similarly 'helped' the Oviedo native to the top step of the podium in Singapore two years ago by so famously orchestrating a deliberate crash that brought out the safety car and almost earned Renault an outright ban from the sport – in an interview with Brazilian news magazine Istoe

“Ferrari will not miss an opportunity to give a driver the opportunity to close the gap to the championship leaders. If Massa doesn't want this to happen, then he has to work out a way to go faster than Alonso – there's nothing else he can do. If he had been ahead of Alonso in the championship, it would have been him going past.”

“Let's not kid ourselves – Alonso is clearly the better man in the team, their only chance for the world championship,” agreed ten-time grand prix-winner Berger, speaking to German publication Auto Motor und Sport as he hinted that the 2005 and 2006 title-winner would not have moved to the Maranello on the understanding that he would be anything other than the number one driver there. “[Ferrari President Luca di] Montezemolo went shopping for him, and he is going to play this card as hard as he can.”

Stoner evaluates new forks

The Ducati Team rider noted an improved front-end feeling on his factory Desmosedici GP10 at the Brno test.

Casey Stoner and his Ducati Team worked with a new set of the front forks at the official MotoGP test at the Brno on Monday, but the rain cut short the day’s work as the Australian began to gain a positive sensation and set the second best time.

Seeking a solution to the front-end problems that have affected his machine this season Stoner reported a good feeling with the new part, but commented that he will need further time on them before knowing for certain whether they will improve his overall set-up.

"We tried a new fork today and as far as we could tell the feeling is positive. Unfortunately we were only able to get a couple of the hours in this morning because immediately after lunch it started to rain and we couldn't complete the test,” said Stoner, who is now likely to use the new fork at the next round at the Indianapolis.

“I believe we can use the new forks, whether or not they’re a big improvement I don’t know. We started to get quite a good feeling with them but at the beginning of the season I had a good feeling with the other forks and I crashed when everything felt great.”

“We don’t know if we’ll continue using them or not, we have to get a little bit more data and feedback and see of it’s going to work. Other than that we basically have the same bike as we’ve had all year.”

Rosberg follows Button’s triathlon example

Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg is the latest Formula One driver to catch the triathlon bug. Following the Jenson Button’s recent outing in the London event, Rosberg was in action in the Kitzbuehel, Austria, over the weekend.

In what was his first Olympic-distance triathlon, Rosberg recorded a highly-respectable time of 2h07m23s, which put him 44th overall and 14th in his age group. It compared with Button’s London time of 2h14m14s, though the McLaren driver was recovering from a bout of the tonsillitis.

The Olympic triathlon is considered one of the toughest tests of the sporting endurance and comprises a 1500m swim, followed by a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. The transitions between each stage also form part of the race.

Rosberg completed the swim in 24m43s, the bike ride in 1h02m47s and the run in 36m58s. He admitted the last half of the run was particularly tough, but afterwards described triathlon as his ‘new passion’.

Lorenzo adds Brno to MotoGP win list

The World Championship leader took his seventh victory of the season at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic – his first premier class win at the Brno circuit – and stretched his advantage at the top to 77 points in the process.

Jorge Lorenzo’s phenomenal 2010 form continued at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic on Sunday where the Fiat Yamaha rider won his seventh race of the season. A front row start was converted into a another 25 points by the Spaniard, who maintained his record of having finished inside the top two in every race so far.

The sun was shining in stark contrast to the fears of the poor weather that had preceded the race as just over 148,000 enthusiastic fans packed out the Brno circuit, and Lorenzo engaged in an early battle with the rival Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) – who started from pole position – for the lead.

There were two early fallers as Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) went down inside the opening three laps, the latter managing to avoid the collisions with a number of oncoming bikes while stranded in the middle of the track coming out of turn nine. The Italian rejoined the back of the race but was forced to retire shortly then after.

Lorenzo and Pedrosa exchanged the fastest lap time in the preliminary stages of the race as they set the pace but the Championship leader slowly began to pull away, the pair well ahead of Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) in third place. Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) was another victim of misfortune when his difficulties continued as he crashed out.

The riders became more separated as the race reached its finale, and Lorenzo cruised across the line 5.494s ahead of Pedrosa to extend his Championship lead over his fellow Spaniard to 77 points. The Repsol Honda rider was followed onto the podium by Stoner, who finished third at almost six seconds back and moved into third in the Championship ahead of the Dovizioso.

Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) placed fourth from his first MotoGP front row grid position having made an impressive start, with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) fifth at just over four seconds off the rookie. American duo Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were sixth and the seventh respectively, with Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) and the returning Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) completing the top ten.

Barrichello: Williams F1 renewal 'a natural process'

He might be almost 40 years of age, he might be about to mark his 300th grand prix start in the Belgium at the end of the month and he might be the longest-serving driver in F1 history, but Rubens Barrichello clearly has no intention of hanging up his helmet just yet, as he confessed that to renew his contract with the Williams into 2011 is simply 'a natural process'.

Having made his debut at the highest level with the Jordan Grand Prix all the way back in 1993 – and since then triumphed eleven times, ascended the rostrum on no fewer than 68 occasions and driven for some of F1's most legendary names – the veteran Brazilian now looks set to prolong his record-breaking career into an incredible 19th consecutive campaign next year.

Last month, the Grove-based operation's eponymous founder Sir Frank Williams strongly hinted at an extended relationship with Barrichello into the 2011 [see separate story – click here].

With both sides having mutually benefitted from the collaboration and the Paulista's recent brace of strong points-scoring finishes – a superb fourth in Valencia and an excellent fifth at Silverstone, lifting him to the fringes of the top ten in the drivers' standings – pointing to the sustained progress at the former multiple world championship-winning outfit, it looks like the evergreen, ever-enthusiastic 'Rubinho' will be a fixture on the grand prix grid once more this time next year.

“We have been working together on the 2011 car,” the 38-year-old told Brazilian media, “so I think the [contract] renewal is a natural process. The team has used me in the best possible way. With Williams we have 100 per cent confidence in talking about the car now. From the moment we chose this way, especially in the wind tunnel, everything has improved.

“It is hard to say when Williams will win again, but the trend this year has been very noticeable. The greatest pride is that my information has not only served me, but my team-mate (rookie Nico Hülkenberg) as well. We are on the right track.”

In celebration of the unprecedented landmark he is set to reach at Spa-Francorchamps, Barrichello has commissioned a special commemorative T-shirt – more details of which can be found on his Twitter account – and if anyone is still in any doubt about his continued motivation and the hunger, Williams technical director Sam Michael suggests that his utter determination to overtake former team-mate Michael Schumacher in Hungary earlier this month 'just proved to everyone how completely committed Rubens is'.

Lorenzo instantly on the pace in first Brno practice

The MotoGP World Championship leader was over half a second faster than the remainder of the field in the opening session of the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic, ahead of the Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.

Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he left off as the MotoGP class returned to the action at Brno following a three-week summer break. The Championship leader set the quickest lap of the first practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic with a best time of 1’57.215 on his Fiat Yamaha M1, in a session that encountered rain in its final 15 minutes.

At 0.541s off Lorenzo’s pace was Dani Pedrosa as the Repsol Honda man set about mounting another challenge to the dominance of his compatriot. Pedrosa, who was leading the last round at the Laguna Seca when he crashed, will aim for a step up in pace to enable him to once more push Lorenzo for the win here in the round ten.

Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top three as the reigning World Champion timed in at just six-hundredths of a second off Pedrosa, displaying further progress on his way back to full fitness. Close on his tail was fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), who was the fourth and the final rider under the 1’58” bar in the hour-long session.

Nicky Hayden was the highest placing Ducati on his factory machine at just over a full second off the top time, with Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) completing the top eight on the timesheet. Rookie Simoncelli experienced the only crash of the session early on, which did little to dent his confidence.

Making his return to action less than four weeks after suffering a broken left leg at Sachsenring was Randy de Puniet, with the LCR Honda rider 16th at just under three seconds off Lorenzo

Red Bull chief hospitalised in crash

Adrian Newey was hospitalised for the precautionary checks following an accident during a Ginetta G50 Championship race at the Snetterton on Sunday.

The Red Bull technical director was the latest driver to be given the chance to compete in the series at the wheel of the Ginetta’s guest car, but was involved in a heavy accident that forced the final race of the weekend to be stopped.

Newey was heading a train of four cars when he was tipped into a spin by the car of Julien Draper as he turned into the Sear.

As Newey’s car came out of its spin, it rolled back across the circuit where it was collected by the Speedworks-entered car of Tony Hughes, which briefly caught fire following the collision.

The race was red-flagged while medics attended to the Newey at the scene before he was taken to hospital as a precaution, although he avoided serious injury.

"Adrian has been taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure after being clipped by Julien which caused Tony to have a side on collision with Newey's DynoJet car," Ginetta chairman Lawrence Tomlinson said.

"It's testament to the strength of the G50 roll cage that the car withstood heavy impact and there were no serious injuries.

Vienna welcomes MotoGP spectacle

Riders from all three classes of the World Championship displayed their bikes to the fans in the Austrian capital, as bike enthusiasts turned out in force to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

The streets of the Vienna were humming with the sound of the MotoGP, Moto2 and 125cc bikes on Wednesday as riders from all three categories delighted fans with a display of their machines in the Austrian capital, in an official pre-event ahead of this weekend’s Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic.

Parading their machines from the 125cc category were the Championship leader Marc Márquez along with Bradley Smith and Randy Krummenacher, whilst Moto2 was represented by Toni Elías, Thomas Lüthi and Karel Abraham. MotoGP stars present on their prototypes were Ben Spies, Mika Kallio and Alex de Angelis, as all nine rode down the famous Ringstrasse in the heart of the Vienna.

“I’ve been to Brno before,” said Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Spies, who is currently seventh in the overall standings in his rookie season in MotoGP and now runs on a track he has superbike experience on. “I like the track a lot and I think everyone does. We have had good results for the last four or five races, and now we’ll just continue in that way and see how we go here.”

“We have to try and keep the top privateer spot, and if we can continue the progression and keep doing what we’re doing that will be good. We just have to remain consistent and carry it into next year,” he added.

Fellow premier class rider Kallio explained that after some difficulties in the first half of the season he is now ready to have a positive second stint. “Now I think it’s time to show what we can do,” said the Pramac Racing rider. “We were struggling at the start of the season but now I think we’re on a better course, the last race was better. My confidence is getting better and I think we have some good ideas where we need to go with settings. Now I hope everything is at a good level.”

Moto2 Championship frontrunner Elías stated: “It’s very special with all the fans here, and there are so many of them. Now we go to race and I hope it will be a good one. We’re trying to do a good job, and we will try to win on Sunday. The aim is to finish the second half of the season like we did the first, which would be the perfect. It will be difficult because the Championship is long, but I think we are in a good situation.”

Currently topping the 125cc class and having won the last five races of the campaign before the summer break, Márquez was just as pleased to meet fans and is looking forward to more action. “It’s great to be here at this event,” he said. “The vacations went well, and we will now see if we can continue in the same manner as we did before the summer break. The objective, starting from this race, is to go race by race and see if we can be on the podium.”