Latest F1 news in brief
- Losing two teams would be 'just fine' for F1 – Parr
- Williams, Sauber, backed Ferrari in team orders hearing
- Hamilton 'far more complete' than Vettel – Lauda
- No Sauber decision until later in 2010 – de la Rosa
- Red Bull, most teams, running stronger floors at Monza
- Schumacher dismayed by altered Monza curbs
Losing two teams would be 'just fine' for F1 – Parr
(GMM) 12 teams is enough for formula one, and 10 would also be a healthy number, according to Williams' chairman Adam Parr.
The Jacques Villeneuve/Durango bid, as well as the Spanish Le Mans team Epsilon Euskadi, have been turned down by F1's governing body after applying for the final 13th spot on the 2011 grid.
"I don't think we should have 13," Parr is quoted by the Texas newspaper American Statesman.
"I think that 12 is a maximum and personally I think we should have a maximum of 10 teams," he said.
Currently, the F1 grid is composed of 12 teams, but there are fears about the financial situations suffered by several of them.
"I think it's a very real possibility that we could lose a couple of teams," Parr admitted.
"Part of the evolution of formula one is that teams come in and they go. Since 1970 we've lost, I think, 55 teams. It's sort of a brutal competition and not everyone makes it.
"If things fall out so that we have 10 teams competing next year, personally I think that would be just fine," he added.
Williams, Sauber, backed Ferrari in team orders hearing
(GMM) Owner-bosses of the Williams and Sauber teams provided letters of support for Ferrari's team orders hearing in Paris earlier this week.
The existence of the letters emerged after the FIA released the full reasoning for its decision not to further penalize the famous Italian team.
According to reports, the letters – written by Sir Frank Williams and Peter Sauber – were presented to the session by a Ferrari lawyer.
"The judging body of the World Motor Sport Council was made aware that there was clear support for team orders in some quarters," confirmed F1's governing body.
The letters contributed to the Council's decision to order the review of Article 39.1 of the sporting regulations because of the "uncertainty and complexity" that surrounds the issue.
And the FIA admitted there are difficulties in "detecting and policing" the deployment of team orders.
1992 world champion and former Williams driver Nigel Mansell, now occasionally a F1 steward, backed the review.
"Team orders were in F1 from the start and they exist in sports cars and at Le Mans, where a team can switch drivers if one of their cars breaks down," he is quoted by the Express.
"If it is all out in the open, everyone will know what's going on and that's better for F1," said Mansell.
Renault's Robert Kubica agrees: "At least then teams would not need to make strange comments on the radio."
Asked if he would move over if ordered by his team, the Pole told Spain's El Pais: "I don't see a problem.
"Sometimes in life you have to do things you don't like. Many kids don't want to do their homework, but they have to."
Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa has a similar opinion.
"Team orders have always existed, they still exist and everyone has been using them when they were banned. For me it's important that we're telling the truth because at the moment we're deceiving people," he said at Monza.
Hamilton 'far more complete' than Vettel – Lauda
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel is making the same sorts of mistakes seen in Lewis Hamilton's early career, according to triple world champion and pundit Niki Lauda.
"Sebastian is very fast but he needs time to learn not to make so many mistakes," the Austrian is quoted in an interview with Spain's El Pais.
Asked whether the Red Bull youngster's mistakes can be compared with Hamilton's a few years ago, Lauda answered: "Perhaps, but now Hamilton has matured a lot and makes not many mistakes despite being incredibly aggressive.
"Today, Lewis is far more complete."
Lauda thinks Vettel, but particularly Mark Webber, has the best chance of winning the 2010 title.
"Red Bull has had many ruined races, especially with Sebastian, but their car is the best and they're the team to beat.
"McLaren has been too inconsistent, Ferrari as well."
Lauda also said he rates Fernando Alonso very highly, despite recently being embroiled in an argument with Ferrari after issuing some critical comments.
"I don't have a problem with him at all. First, from my point of view, he is the best driver currently in F1. There's no-one like him — not Vettel, or Hamilton, or any of the others.
"The only criticisms I've had is when he was at McLaren, and now with the team orders at Ferrari.
"You can't do what he did after Germany — when he came out and said he knew nothing about what happened on the track.
"He tried to convince people that he had no idea what his team had done from the pitwall. That's all I've criticized," explained Lauda.
No Sauber decision until later in 2010 – de la Rosa
(GMM) After his teammate was confirmed for the 2011 season, Pedro de la Rosa has admitted he might not still be driving a Sauber next year.
"I don't know if I'm staying," the Spanish veteran confirmed to Spanish radio Cadena SER.
"First I just want to enjoy this season," said the 39-year-old, who returned to racing in 2010 after many years as a test driver.
"In October or November it will be decided, but now I just have to keep doing the best job," added de la Rosa.
He also insisted it is too early to say the world championship is now a straight duel between McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Mark Webber.
"When there are 25 points for the winner, the differences at the moment are not so great," he said.
"Hamilton and Webber are in a good position, but we can't forget about Alonso and Vettel," added the Spaniard.
Red Bull, most teams, running stronger floors at Monza
(GMM) Red Bull has had to modify the design of the floor of its 2010 car in order to comply with stricter flexibility tests debuting at Monza this weekend.
Although it is Red Bull's allegedly flexing car primarily in the spotlight, McLaren admitted last week that it – alongside most other teams – will have to run more a more rigid floor from now on.
And a look up and down pitlane at Monza show that McLaren's prediction is right, with many cars either featuring visibly sturdier front floors, or additional 'stays' to prevent them from bending at high speed.
And Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed that the RB6 is featuring "small changes to the underbody" at Monza.
He added: "I would be surprised if this affects our performance in any way."
Schumacher dismayed by altered Monza curbs
(GMM) Michael Schumacher has expressed dismay about the changes to Monza's curbs for the Italian grand prix this weekend.
The FIA ordered the changes, to the area behind the apex curbs at the famous chicanes at turns 1 and 4, to prevent a car becoming airborne after running over them.
But the new ramped concrete sections are not universally popular, particularly with Schumacher expecting Mercedes' W01 to struggle on the high speed layout.
"It's a pity the curbs and not what they used to be. Our car is good at riding over the curbs, but now we – and anyone else – cannot have this advantage," he is quoted by German media.
Schumacher also defended his countryman and friend Sebastian Vettel, after the Red Bull driver was heavily criticized for some recent mistakes.
"He made a mistake. Why attack him like this?" the German said at Monza.
"The guy wants to be world champion, so he attacks, and you make mistakes sometimes. I don't think there should be a big deal made out of it," added Schumacher.