F1 news in brief

Ferrari only need two-tenths boost – Domenicali
Schumacher rules out job as F1 team boss
Ferrari chose Massa for 'speed and harmony'
Brundle tips Grosjean criticism to fade
Vettel could join Ferrari for 'challenge' – Schumacher
2014 delay for New York race set for Friday confirmation

Ferrari only need two-tenths boost – Domenicali
(GMM) Two tenths of a second could ensure Fernando Alonso is able to win the 2012 world championship.

"We need to find at least two tenths," Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Although Alonso's fastest race lap in Korea last time out was four tenths off the fastest Red Bull, Felipe Massa was just two tenths adrift the ultimate pace in the sister F2012.

Reports have indicated the Brazilian was at the wheel of a new exhaust layout that will be added to Alonso's red car in India next weekend.

Domenicali said the step needed by Ferrari to compete with Red Bull and track down Sebastian Vettel's 6-point lead is small.

"We do not need to reinvent our car," said the Italian.

Red Bull's advantage has looked significant at the last few races, but designer Adrian Newey is cautious.

"It is not certain that we will maintain this advantage over Ferrari," he is quoted by Italy's La Stampa.

"No team this year has dominated for more than two consecutive grands prix," added the Briton. "In Korea we were very concerned about the excessive consumption of tires."

Alonso is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace: "Five races ago McLaren was the favorite to win everything else this year but in Korea they were almost out of the points.

"We are six points behind but there are still 100 in the game. We have a good chance of winning the championship."

Schumacher rules out job as F1 team boss
(GMM) Michael Schumacher has ruled out swapping his helmet for a berth on the F1 pitwall as team boss.

"No, certainly not," he told Der Tagesspiegel newspaper. "That's not an option for me."

The 43-year-old has announced his retirement from the F1 grid at the end of the season, and also ruled out lower categories like DTM and Le Mans.

"I will probably do some go-kart racing again for fun, but that's it," he insisted.

The great German also said he is likely to join his wife Corinna in some Western horse-riding competitions.

"My wife has already picked a horse for me," Schumacher smiled.

Early next month, he will travel to Frankfurt to be crowned by his native country as a "legend of German sport".

"It's a nice honor, no question," said the former Ferrari driver. "It's also nice to live to see it myself!"

Ferrari chose Massa for 'speed and harmony'
(GMM) Ferrari has defended its decision to keep Felipe Massa at the famous team beyond 2012.

Earlier this year, it seemed certain the Maranello outfit would replace the struggling Brazilian for 2013, with Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez among the touted candidates.

But Massa, 31, has enjoyed a surge of form in recent grands prix, securing at least an eighth consecutive season at Ferrari next year.

The decision has been criticized in some quarters.

But a news item at Ferrari's official website insists Massa was not chosen because of a "lack of alternatives", or because Fernando Alonso wanted his current teammate to stay.

"Ferrari alone chooses its drivers," the report reads.

"Many knocked on the doors of Maranello, some were considered, but in the end … there is no one better than Felipe to deliver the speed, talent and capacity to work for the good of the team," it added.

Ferrari also insisted the fact "harmony reigns within the team" at present was another factor.

Brundle tips Grosjean criticism to fade
(GMM) Martin Brundle is tipping the furor surrounding Romain Grosjean's antics to calm down in the coming weeks.

In Korea recently, the Frenchman was notably cautious on track, amid suggestions he faced multiple race bans if he got himself into yet more trouble.

Grosjean has been involved in several incidents near the start of races so far this year, and was banned at Monza.

But former McLaren driver and British commentator Brundle backed the 26-year-old, insisting: "You can make a fast driver more cautious, but you can't make a cautious driver faster.

"Romain just needs a few races under his belt without incident, then the criticism will subside," he is quoted by the German-language Speed Week.

Vettel could join Ferrari for 'challenge' – Schumacher
(GMM) Michael Schumacher has admitted his former protege and friend Sebastian Vettel might accept the "new challenge" of a Ferrari cockpit.

Felipe Massa's new contract for just 2013 has only intensified speculation that the Ferrari door for Red Bull's double world champion is wide open.

Some think the 25-year-old German has signed some sort of 2014 'option'.

Schumacher is quoted in Berlin by DPA news agency: "Seb speaks in high tones about Ferrari, but I don't know what the future holds."

Schumacher, returning to retirement at the end of the year, is Ferrari's most famous and successful driver, having won five consecutive championships with the Italian marque.

Also as a two-time champion with a different team, Schumacher agreed to join the then-struggling Ferrari as a 26-year-old in 1996.

Referring to the Vettel rumors, Schumacher added: "At some point, it may be that he is looking for a new challenge too."

2014 delay for New York race set for Friday confirmation
(GMM) Next year's inaugural New York grand prix is definitely off, the Jersey Journal reports.

Bernie Ecclestone has said consistently of late that the New Jersey race, scheduled to take place on the streets of Weehawken amid the famous Manhattan skyline, will probably not happen next year due to contractual issues.

Citing the information of "two mayors with knowledge of the plan", the Jersey Journal reports that the F1 chief executive is indeed delaying the race at least until 2014.

Nj.com said Weehawken mayor Richard Turner confirmed the news, saying it will be confirmed officially on Friday morning.

The mayors reportedly said race organizers are behind schedule on road repairs and obtaining event permits for the waterfront streets.

The 'Grand Prix of America' has a provisional June 16 date on next year's official FIA calendar.