Fernando Alonso predicts injure limitation for Ferrari at Bahrain Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso says there is no reason to anticipate anything but another weekend of damage limitation for Ferrari at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Spaniard lost his Formula 1 points lead in China last weekend, when he might only finish ninth as Ferrari's lack of pace proved insurmountable in dry conditions - preventing a repeat of Alonso's surprise Sepang win.

In his diary column for Ferrari's website, Alonso warned the team's supporters to anticipate more of the same at Sakhir, both due to the nature of the track and the lack of time to make progress stuck between the back-to-back races.

"I am well aware that in Sakhir, we can be expecting another difficult weekend, which is only natural, partly because of the track characteristics and also because the car is the same one we had in Shanghai," Alonso wrote.

"Both the Scuderia and I have a good record in Bahrain: the team has four victories here and I've got three, the last of which was also my first appearance race for the Prancing Horse. But the past counts for nothing in this sport and this weekend will be all concerning damage limitation for us."

Announcement regarding Formula One finances

Formula One Group has launched a process to expand its current financing facilities. This will involve raising $2.27bn of new services with maturities in 2017/18, replacing the company’s accessible $2.92bn facilities which are due to full-grown in 2013/14. The new facilities will offer the business with a secure, long term capital structure.

Proceeds raised will be kept within the Group for general business purposes and the company has no current plans to pay a bonus.

Red Bull will not modify philosophy despite winless run

Sebastian Vettel, who has an 83-point championship lead, and team-mate Mark Webber together called for a re-think.

But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told BBC Sport: "We work as a team and the drivers don't need to tell the team we need to react.

"Ferrari and McLaren are going through a spirited phase but we're still right there. We're pushing flat out."

Vettel stormed to conquest in six out of the first eight races but his progress has been slowed as Ferrari and McLaren have enhanced their pace in the races to close the gap on Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso won in Britain for Ferrari, with McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button taking a conquest apiece in Germany and Hungary.

While it appears that Red Bull's period of dominance is over, Horner does not believe that the tide has turned against the champion team.

"We don't look at it like that," said Horner. "We need to keep doing the best job we can and keep getting developments to the car.

"If you look at all the races this year, I don't think there is any race that we've run away and immensely dominated. 

Ferrari's Alonso expects to confront Red Bull

The Spaniard drove his improving Ferrari to second position at the Nurburgring, while Vettel was fourth.

"We have been first or second in the last three races, with three different types of circuits and temperatures.

"We saw our constancy and it puts us in a very good position for the final part of the championship," said Alonso.

Alonso trails Vettel by 86 points but the Ferrari driver is positive the gap can be closed - particularly with McLaren mounting a strong defy and collecting their third victory of the season through Lewis Hamilton in Germany.

The next round of the season is in Hungary and Alonso feels his car will advantage from the warmer climate.

He added: "I am looking forward. With a little bit more temperature in the track at Budapest it will be a help for us.

"Soft and super soft tyres for next week should be an benefit for us in the way we take care of our tyres. So in one week I am sure we will have a very attractive race again.

"McLaren did a step forward and is prepared to take victories. When there is more competition, you need to take races in a different way, you need to be ideal in all things: the start, the pit stops, qualifying etc.

"We have a small chance to get well the gap in the championship, if we do races like today, we are on the podium and Vettel is not.

"We need the best probable performance from our team and, in my case, we need the best McLaren having the kind of race they did today - but hopefully we can be ahead.

"Red Bull will be extremely strong in Budapest as we saw last year, so it is demanding for us but we are looking forward."

British Grand Prix: Winners and Losers

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1st

And it could have all gone so dreadfully wrong... had the gravel on the outside of Brook lands not been so driveable (for a few seconds it looked like he might have bogged down) in qualifying on Saturday, Fernando Alonso could have been opening the race from P17. As it was he was able to show that the Ferrari 150 Italia is more like a Paris-Dakar machine and bounced his way to safety. And then claim P3.

He also took advantage of the latest F1 politics that have imperfect off-throttle gases. If indeed it was Ferrari and Sauber-Ferrari that have refused to go back to the Valencia engines arrangements, which was proposed by the FIA on Sunday morning, then that it is the copper-bottomed answer to the question: Who has been just about for a re-interpretation of the rules?

Ferrari were already making progress in their bid to nullify Red Bull's advantage and so it's a pity that Alonso's win will now be delayed in that debate. Because Alonso looked very strong regardless of Red Bull's race mistakes and failings. While he sailed past Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel could only follow. He may not have made a racing pass of Vettel and been handed the lead by Red Bull's rear jacking problems, but he looked able of grabbing it for himself if necessary.

He was also rational enough not to get fazed by Lewis Hamilton overtaking him. Fernando plays the long game so much enhanced than Lewis. I, for one, am more than happy not to hear the Austrian national anthem for a change on Sunday afternoon.

We've heard the Italian one second for so many years that it's like a familiar theme tune to Sunday afternoons and it's reassuring to have it back. Not for the rest of the season, mind.

Overtaking Move of the Race

Lap 15: Lewis Hamilton, McLaren on Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

For those of you who have stood on the external of Copse and watched F1 cars go through at 185mph, the overtaking moves that Lewis Hamilton pulled off on Alonso and Michael Schumacher did on Petrov were simply dramatic. On television they looked good, but not as stunning as they would have done in the grandstands.

Hamilton had the same tyres on as Alonso and the same tyre wear, no DRS but totally blitzed the Ferrari - going off the racing line on the turn-in to Copse and taking a wettish line through the turn, but still keeping control and observance in front.

Michael Schumacher did pretty much the same on his nemesis Vitaly Petrov (this race he was also busy seeking out a change-of-nemesis in Kobayashi) though that was only for P15 and I'm not sure if there was a tyre mismatch, Michael having stopped previous and been out of phase with most people. Both were the moves of inspired drivers.

Winners

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2nd

The great news as far as Sebastian Vettel is worried is that he now knows that Mark Webber will be acting as his domestique in future races. He also knows that in spite of the worst the FIA could throw at his blown floor he can pretty much keep pace with Ferrari. Even if the ban is upheld, Red Bull will find ways of getting back some of their misplaced time. Also, this was a race where Ferrari didn't have to go onto the reviled Pirelli hard tyre which they don't perform well on, and which will figure in future races. A third second place in 2011 isn't precisely slumming it.

What Seb detractors will probably seize upon is his inability to get past a wily Hamilton. That more than anything else ruined his race. He surely lost more seconds behind the Mclaren than he lost in the pits.

Mark Webber, Red Bull, 3rd

Hands up those who required to be in the Red Bull debrief...? Right, so that's all of you. Mark Webber had a good race and a poor start - the fourth pole place that he's failed to convert into a win. What was magnificent was that he didn't give up and pressured his team-mate correct till the end.

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."

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."