Webber urged to stay up good work

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hopes Mark Webber's presentation at Valencia is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

Webber is second behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship, but he has struggled to give the reigning World Champion a run for his money this year. Vettel has won six out of eight grands prix and has ongoing ahead of Webber in seven of those races.

Webber, though, put up a much enhanced display at the European Grand Prix and he rated his third-place finish as "probably the best of the season".

Horner agrees with Webber's sentiments and is pleased that he is starting to bridge the gap to his team-mate.

"It was Mark's best race of the season in terms of his performance on those tyres," Horner is quoted by Reuters as saying. "It's the closest he has been to Sebastian all season. He drove well this weekend. Nobody is taking whatever thing for granted."

Horner is also hopeful that the Australian will continue to improve as he's finally coming to grips with the new Pirelli tyres.

"I hope he keeps building up the impetus from this weekend," he said.

"He's made no covert of the fact he's struggled more on these tyres than Sebastian. I think he's understanding them better now.

"If you look at the time dissimilarity between the guys during the race he was never more than four or five seconds away for 90 percent of the race, which is the best we've seen all year.

"He'll take a lot of self-assurance out of the weekend."

Elías takes positives from Assen top-ten result

In Friday’s tough qualifying session Elías was not talented to make the most of the softer rear tyre, qualifying 16th on the grid, but the Spaniard made another strong start from the last row and in spite of the slippery conditions of the Dutch asphalt the Moto2 World Champion kept his steady rhythm until the end of the race. Now Elías and his squad will move on straight to Italy for the crowded Mugello GP this weekend.

Toni Elías:

“As I said many times previously this is not the position I was dreaming of, but allowing for the rear grip issues and these difficult asphalt conditions I am very pleased about this race. I took another good start from the last row concluding the first lap in 9th position. Suddenly Abraham stopped in front of me and I risked crashing into him, so I lost a couple of seconds there. If the race would have been wet I could have fought for a better position but I cannot protest now. We still have many things to regulate in the dry and we will see what the weather is going to be in Mugello.”

Lewis Hamilton: I'll get my season back on track in Valencia

Lewis Hamilton says he wants to get his season back on track and 'consolidate' in Valencia next weekend, after two concerned grand prix.

The McLaren star's title bid has gone off the rails in recent weeks, starting with a disordered Monaco event that saw him twice penalised for colliding with rivals, and then making contentious comments about the race officials, for which he later apologised.

He hoped to make compensation with a great result in Canada, only to punt Mark Webber into a spin at the first bend, run wide while dicing with Michael Schumacher, and then retire with crash damage after a tangle with his team-mate Jenson Button - who went on to pull off a brilliant last-gasp victory.

Hamilton is therefore aiming for a calmer weekend in Spain to resolve things down again.

"For me, Valencia will be a weekend of consolidation after two disappointing results in Monaco and Canada," he said.

"Those two races were chiefly frustrating for me because we showed we had the pace to win both of them, yet I only came away with eight points."

He said the Spanish street track used for the European Grand Prix was one of his favourite venues, so would be the perfect place to mount a resurgence.

"I've always gone well at Valencia, finishing second there in every race, and I really enjoy offensive the track," said Hamilton.

"It's a hard circuit with no let-up, but that won't deter me as I'm really keen to get back on track and get back in the points.

"This race will be our third street circuit in a row, so expectantly it'll give me the chance to reverse the bad luck I've encountered in the previous two."

Hamilton added that he was now certain McLaren had the pace to beat Red Bull in a straight fight, after he hounded Sebastian Vettel to the flag in Spain, and given that Button came close to charming in Monaco and then pulled off his epic Montreal triumph.

"We've debatably had the fastest race car in the last three races, and that's really encouraging because I know that, when it's put to best use, I should be able to finish at the front," said Lewis.

Ducati's Mugello test tops with Rossi back on the GP12

Ducati’s Mugello test ruined with a beautiful, sunny day and ideal conditions. On Wednesday was Valentino Rossi’s turn back on the Ducati GP12, as he finished his third day of testing with the bike by turning 80 laps between 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., when the Tuscan circuit closed.

Franco Battaini finished a series of tests with both the GP11 and the G12, while Vittoriano Guareschi followed Valentino’s progress from the box, along with Filippo Preziosi.

“It was another positive test,” said Rossi. “We had a number of things to try, counting a new step with the frame that I liked. The all-purpose feeling was good. I was already happy with the engine the first time I tried it, and now we’re also manufacture progress with the rest of the bike. Naturally, we’ll have to see when the others try their 2012 bikes, but as far as we’re worried, for the moment we’re pleased; our bike is previously good. Riding at Mugello is always a enjoyment. On top of everything else, the conditions today were ideal, so in addition to the good work we carried out—because I did 80 laps—I enjoyed my time riding. Compliments to the circuit for the new trappings; the main grandstand is actually nice, and of course I hope to see Mugello overflowing with fans for the race.”

“For this test we brought an efficient frame for Valentino to try,” echoed Filippo Preziosi, “along with several other interesting things, and I’m satisfied to report that we received positive feedback. The lap times were better than at the last test, which is added confirmation that we’re working in the right direction. A big thank-you to Valentino and Nicky, to all the guys on the Team, and Ducati, where they’re tremendously committed and are working really hard.”

Kubica could go back for season finale

The Pole is undergoing remedy following his horrific accident during a rally in Italy in February. He spent two months in hospital after anguish life-threatening arm, leg and hand injuries.

The 26-year-old's upturn is going well, according to his manager Daniel Morelli.

"Recovery is moving ahead positively," Morelli told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. "The right leg is fine: if that was the problem, then Robert would roughly be ready. No, that's not our worry."

Morelli also insists there is a chance that Kubica could drive in the final race of the season.

"The Italian GP is held in September, so it's in just three months' time, but we can imagine about the final race of the season," he said.

"In any case, when Robert gets in the simulator, he'll right away recognize whether he's able to come back, how and when, without the need of a stop-watch."

Meanwhile, Renault team boss Eric Boullier says they will only start creation plans for their 2012 driver line-up once they know if Kubica will be able to drive again.

"Robert is the key to this," explained Boullier. "We clearly are 100% committed behind Robert, and I have offered to put in place all the rehabilitation on the racing side for him to be contented before making the decision.

"We are now having debate with his management to see how we can do it. There is not always the same concern for everybody, but I would like to wait to see Robert's choice to see if he is back or not, and then work out if we go to a different plan or not."

He added: "I have been told he will be starting his full treatment in August, which is late. But we have to make a decision around then."

Hayden fourth, difficult sixth for Rossi

Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi ended the Air Asia British Grand Prix race fourth and sixth, correspondingly, with the Italian restrictive damage in a challenging weekend, while the American posted the fastest lap of the race and ended just off the podium.

With the help of his team, Nicky Hayden found a good setup for the wet race, the only restriction causing him to lose contact with the battle for the podium were the particularly unfaithful conditions of the early laps, when he came close to crashing his GP11 on a couple of occasions.

Despite starting from the last row and not being completely contented with his bike’s setup, Valentino Rossi made up several positions and rode a proscribed race, collecting ten valuable points to retain fourth place in the series standings.

Nicky Hayden:

“To be honest, I really liked my chances for a podium in the rain today; if you’d have told me before the race that I could have fourth, I’d have said, ‘No thanks, I can do better,’ but I’m not dissatisfied with my ride. I didn’t get a great start because the clutch was jumpy, and for the first few laps, it was hard to see and to get heat in the tyres. I had a big instant on the exit of Turn 1 and actually jarred my shoulder pretty good, but I tried to hang in there. I saw Colin in front of me for the podium, and I really pushed. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever had the fastest lap on a Ducati, which is kind of cool even if you don’t get points for it. Full respect to Colin a week after breaking his collarbone, but I still don’t like him beating me for the podium! Thanks to the team. It hasn’t been an easy weekend for us, but we reserved trying and got a pretty good chunk of points. We’ll take it and move on.”

Valentino Rossi:

“Without a doubt, this weekend was the most hard so far this season, but we at least managed to do a good job of limiting the damage. Considering how we came into the race, sixth place is a fairly positive result that helps us to stay not too far from the top of the standings in fourth, which isn’t bad. We knew that my lack of experience here compared to the others would hurt us, but it’s also true that we haven’t managed to get better our setup as well as we should have. In fact, today Nicky managed to have a nice race and ride well, even setting the fastest lap, which demonstrates that the Ducati is spirited in the wet. We didn’t get better enough though, and that made it hard for me, as the bike was difficult to ride and I couldn’t push hard. We’re all in charge - me, the bike, and the team - so together we’ll try to improve and return to the level we were at in Le Mans and Catalunya as soon as probable, and then take another step forward.”

Enthused Button wins Canadian GP marathon

Jenson Button rushed a sensational victory from Sebastian Vettel on the final lap of a Canadian Grand Prix that took four hours to whole and featured a red flag and four safety car periods.

Pole-sitter Vettel led almost the entire distance through both segments of an strange race that was bifurcated by a rain delay lasting almost two hours. But when the final safety car period set up a 10-lap sprint to the finish on an almost-dry but still treacherous track, Button reeled in Vettel at a prodigious rate and harassed him into an uncharacteristic slip-up halfway round the last lap.

It capped a excellently tenacious, never-say-die drive from the McLaren driver, who overcame all manner of setbacks that necessitated six pit visits, including a drive-through penalty and collisions with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the final causing a punctured tyre.

Vettel improved from his last-lap miscue to finish a contented second, the top step of the podium eluding him for only the second time this season.

Mark Webber spent the whole race in recovery mode after get in touch with with Hamilton on the opening lap left him mired deep in the midfield, but the Australian gradually worked his way back up to an eventual third place.

He only just kept a charging Michael Schumacher at bay as the seven-time world champion put in the most persuasive performance of his Formula 1 comeback, holding second place at the final restart before falling victim to DRS-assisted passes.

The stirring finish was a fitting reward for the typically stoic and passionate Montreal fans, who endured the lengthy safety car and red flag periods, not to talk about teeming rain for much of the day.

Although it wasn’t raining a lot at the scheduled start time of 1pm and there was no substantial standing water, the officials left nothing to chance and deployed the safety car to give the drivers an opportunity to measure the conditions.

Silverstone press meeting previews Round 6 action

Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow were there at Thursday’s Silverstone press conference to preview the sixth round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship – the AirAsia British Grand Prix.

The official AirAsia British Grand Prix press meeting took place at the Silverstone circuit on Thursday, with the most frenetic part of the MotoGP season happening with the first back-to-back race weekends of 2011. The race is the second visit to Silverstone since the British circuit was reinstated on the calendar in 2010.

Last year’s race winner and defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is eager to regain some of the pace he knowledgeable here when he landed a stunning victory from pole position in his first outing at the circuit in his title-winning campaign.

“I raced aggressively; technically it was the best race of last year. I think this year we are lost some tenths, so maybe at this track I can recover (them).”

Casey Stoner, winner of the last GP race in Catalunya, described his presentation at Silverstone last year.

“Last year I really enjoyed this circuit, I had a pretty good pace but unhappily I had a clutch problem at the start and I didn’t know if I would be able to finish the race at the start, so I was a little too cautious,” said Stoner. “ultimately by the end of the race I was able to catch up, but I had I had some arm pump issue at the end which exaggerated me. But we showed that other than Jorge, we were the fastest out there.”

Hamilton eyes strong result

Hamilton was forced to make a handful of apologies in the wake of his controversial sixth-placed finish in the principality 10 days ago.

Initially Hamilton "made peace" with the four-man panel of stewards after suggesting, via an obvious joke that badly backfired, that his skin color lay at the heart of their choice making.

The 26-year-old vented his frustration against the stewards after being penalized three times over the path of the weekend, and five times in six races this year.

Hamilton was given drive-through penalties - one looking back - for causing a collision with first Felipe Massa in his Ferrari and then Williams' Pastor Maldonado, the latter at a time when he was on course to score his first points for the team.

The McLaren star described the Brazilian and Venezuelan as "ridiculous" during his post-race outburst, later apologizing to both men via his Twitter account on which he had also been ill-treated in the aftermath of what unfolded.

Hamilton has already made it clear a invasion in one of his favourite races, the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, will help put the stigma of what happened in and after Monte Carlo behind him.

Aiming for a third win in five races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Hamilton said: "Montreal is a very special place for me.

"It's where I took my first Formula One pole location and won my first race. I also won there last year from pole.

"I've always got on actually well with the track as the layout seems to suit my driving style.

"Perhaps even more prominently the fans in Montreal, and everyone in North America who makes the trip to the city, are some of the best in the world.

"They are so positive, helpful and friendly. My trips to the city have been some of my favourite experiences in Formula One.

Lorenzo holds slight advantage as Silverstone beckons

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) leads the standings in the MotoGP Championship as the premier class heads to Round 6 of the 2011 season, the AirAsia British Grand Prix.

The battle for the title ensues as the season moves on to the next round at Silverstone, with Lorenzo caption up the Championship and the top contenders changing after the fifth round in Catalunya saw Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) move up to just seven points behind the Mallorcan in second. But Lorenzo is ready: he likes the Silverstone circuit and conquered the proceedings last year with pole position, race win and fastest lap, calling the 2010 race at Silverstone one of his best.

Stoner has been on form, winning the last two races of this season. If Stoner wins at Silverstone he will be the first Honda rider to win three succeeding MotoGP races since Valentino Rossi in 2003. The Australian will also be making his 150th Grand Prix start at the British GP.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) finished second on the podium last year at Silverstone and is equipped to shoot for another podium finish at the British circuit, one he enjoys and is certain on. The Italian sits third in the Championship standings.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) missed the British GP last year due to the injuries suffered in his crash at Mugello. He has finished in the top seven in all sixteen races since recurring from injury at the German GP last year. Rossi’s team mate Nicky Hayden crossed the line fourth last year at Silverstone, after qualifying and concluding one place higher on the grid than his then team mate Casey Stoner.

Mark Webber doubts rescheduled Bahrain GP will happen

The Australian, 34, said: "Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly astounded if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year."

Bahrain was due to be the season-opener on 13 March but was called off due to unrest and pro-democracy protests.

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, agreed generally on Friday to restore the race to the calendar on 30 October.

Webber, writing on his official website, added: "In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its choice in the hope of being able to rearrange it in 2011.

"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's place on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues."

The government has cracked down hard on resistance activists during 11 weeks of martial law and military trials of mostly Shi'ite dissidents are continuing.

The FIA's choice to reschedule the race - with India moving to a December date - was a move strongly criticised by human rights campaigners and also opposed by teams.

"It's obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a choice but sadly I feel that they still haven't made the right one," said Webber.

Stoner races to glory in Spain

Casey Stoner sustained to hunt down defending champion Jorge Lorenzo, claiming his third win from five starts in the MotoGP series in Barcelona on Sunday.

The Australian passed the Spaniard on the opening lap of the Catalunya GP to take the lead from Lorenzo, tapering the gap at the top of the championship standings to just seven points.

The victory adds to Stoner's wins in Qatar and France previously this year.

And it seems the power of Stoner's Honda is starting to anxiety Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who admitted post-race he didn't feel he could have beaten the Australian.

"The key was the start - I made a superior start," Lorenzo said.

"But I knew Casey could pass me in a few laps. He made it, and when he made it I tried to hang about with him for the maximum laps possible.

"This race was very vital for me to finish and keep leading the championship.

"So I think we have done our goal."

Stoner was more disturbed by forecast wet weather than his rivals, relieved that light rain on the track didn't turn into an all-out downpour before the race finish.

"I was starting to get very tense," the 25-year-old said.

"There was more rain falling in some parts, and each lap you came by there was a little bit more or a little bit less and you didn't actually know which corner it was going to be raining heavily on.

"I didn't really know what pace to run, I didn't know how bad the conditions were.

"So I pretty much coordinated myself to the people behind, and it seemed to work. But it was a high pressure race and to stay at the front was a little bit nerve-wracking.

Bahrain set to learn Grand Prix decision

The Gulf kingdom was planned to host the opening race of the 2011 season but it was called off amid civil unrest.

Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have asked Formula 1's governing body to rearrange rather than cancel its race.

However, driver Mark Webber has voiced opposition, writing on Twitter: "When people in a country are being hurt, the issues are better than sport."

Red Bulls' Webber, third in the driver standings, continued: "Let's hope the right choice is made."

Former world champion Damon Hill has also said that the race should not go ahead, although the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club stated that he was not talking in an official capacity.

"This crisis is an chance for Formula 1 to show it cares about all people and their human rights," said Hill.

"True peace has nothing to do with creating calm through the use of aggressive repression.

"Bahrain has restored order but the methods have been questioned by many dependable journalists and human rights organisations.

"If Formula agrees to race in Bahrain it will forever have the disfigurement of association with repressive methods to achieve order.

"True peace can only be achieved peacefully. The right thing to do, in my view, is to not race in Bahrain until these doubts have been detached."

Rossi and Hayden inspired for Catalunya

The Ducati Team riders are keenly anticipating this weekend’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, at a circuit they both enjoy.

Both Ducati Team riders like the Catalan Grand Prix, citing both the track’s layout and the large crowds that forever heat up the Spanish races. Valentino Rossi, who did not take part in the 2010 round due to injury, has scored wins at the track in every class, collecting an inspiring nine victories and a further four podiums. Nicky Hayden also made the podium in 2006, on his way to the MotoGP title.

Valentino Rossi:

“The Catalan Grand Prix is one of the nicest of the season, for a number of reasons: Barcelona is a beautiful city, the track is really nice – almost certainly my second-favourite after Mugello – and finally, as is always the case at Spanish races, the grandstands are packed with enthusiastic fans. I’m really happy to return to the track, since I had to watch the race from my house last year. I’ve always been quite strong at the track, so I have many nice memories, the most recent of which is the 2009 win after a great clash with Lorenzo. We’re very aggravated and we’re working really hard on the bike; step-by-step, we can see that we’re making progress. We know there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we need to keep annoying to get closer to the front.”

Nicky Hayden:

“Any race in Spain is huge, and Catalunya is no exemption. It’s a good track. I made the podium there in 2006, although I haven’t gotten the results I’d like there in recent years, particularly last season. I’m looking forward to it. The two weeks off have been okay, but I like this part of the season, with back-to-back races. The next month and a half is leaving to be busy, because this is when the season really gets going. Even though our end result wasn’t a lot better in Le Mans, I absolutely think we were closer to the front. Ducati hasn’t stopped functioning over the last couple of weeks, and we’ll see at Barcelona if we can keep going on the right path.”