Latest F1 news in brief
- No pressure on Heidfeld – boss
- Hamilton changes mind about Monaco furor
- Rain would be Monaco 'nightmare' – Alonso
- News briefs from Monaco: Thursday
No pressure on Heidfeld – boss
(GMM) Amid speculation about the struggling Nick Heidfeld's future at BMW-Sauber, team boss Mario Theissen vowed to keep the internal pressure off the 31-year-old German driver.
In the Monte Carlo paddock, BMW motor sport director Theissen insisted that Heidfeld is working hard to bridge the deficit to his teammate Robert Kubica, who similarly struggled one year ago.
"Last year we put no pressure on Robert and it is the same now for Nick — pressure would not help," he is quoted as saying by the newspaper Financial Times Deutschland.
Theissen explained that BMW engineers are also taking responsibility for helping Heidfeld to get more comfortable with the F1.08, which the driver has described as more difficult to pilot than its predecessor.
Heidfeld acknowledged: "Formula one is my life so this is not a situation that I am enjoying."
Hamilton changes mind about Monaco furor
(GMM) A year after sparking the famous Monaco 'team orders' furor, Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday said he now believes McLaren was right to asking him to settle for second place in 2007.
The angry Briton said in the post-race press conference last year that he duly followed then teammate Fernando Alonso to the checkered flag because he is the "number two driver".
In reaction, F1's governing body launched an investigation into whether McLaren had broken the rules about illegal team orders.
A week after the race, the British youngster defended his comments: "I just said what I felt. Sometimes your feelings need to be expressed."
On the sidelines of his second grand prix on the Principality's streets, however, Hamilton has revised his perception of the 2007 saga.
Referring to his second place at Monaco as a rookie, the 23-year-old said on Wednesday: "I think anyone would have been happy with that.
"Looking back, I don't have any regrets, and the team did the right thing," Hamilton said.
He added: "You learn a lot when you are behind someone anyway, but I just had to look at it and say 'I'm here in formula one, and it is my first Monaco grand prix'."
Rain would be Monaco 'nightmare' – Alonso
(GMM) Rain is often a great performance leveler in formula one, but former double champion Fernando Alonso is not hoping for a slippery Monaco grand prix.
Many race fans are crossing their fingers that wet weather forecasts for the Monte Carlo weekend are right, but already several drivers have expressed nervousness about the prospective combination of water, the tight and oily street circuit, and the absence of electronic aids.
Alonso was asked by the Spanish press on Wednesday if he sees the adverse weather forecast as an opportunity to race and beat the usual 2008 pacesetters this weekend.
"Last year we did a practice session in the wet (here) and it was virtually impossible to drive the car, even with all the driver aids.
"This year it would be a nightmare, although I suppose a good result is possible because many cars might crash.
"But I don't have a good feeling about it, so I hope it stays dry," he admitted.
Williams driver Nico Rosberg agreed: "Last year the wet tires didn't work.
"If the same thing happens, now that we don't have traction control, it will be … interesting," he added.
News briefs from Monaco: Thursday
(GMM) McLaren's topsy-turvy garage allocations in 2008 has continued in Monaco, with the team slotting in between Red Bull and Williams in the Principality's pitlane.
Despite finishing the 2007 championship last, the Mercedes-powered team began the season in the fifth slot following an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone.
For Bahrain and beyond, however, FIA president Max Mosley ruled that McLaren should be returned to the last garages to properly reflect the team's exclusion from last year's constructors' championship.
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Fernando Alonso has rejected rumors that his Renault team is planning a very aggressive qualifying fuel strategy this weekend in a bid for a high grid position at Monaco, where overtaking is nearly impossible.
"According to what I was told last week, we will not do anything overly strange," the Spaniard told reporters on Wednesday.
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Michael Schumacher returned to the F1 drivers' football team earlier this week as they took on a celebrity team compiled by Monaco's Prince Albert.
Also playing at the Stade Louis II stadium on Tuesday evening for the 'Nazionale Piloti' were Felipe Massa, Jarno Trulli, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Giancarlo Fisichella.
The F1 drivers won.