Latest F1 news in brief

Title support from Button 'would be fantastic' – Hamilton
RBR messed up 'great opportunity' in 2010 – Alesi
GPDA pushes for more influence in F1 decisions
Alonso not expecting to win title in Brazil

Title support from Button 'would be fantastic' – Hamilton
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted it "would be fantastic" to have his teammate's support in his quest to win a second drivers' title in 2010.

Fellow McLaren driver Jenson Button is the reigning world champion, but with a bad race in Korea last Sunday his points deficit fell to 42 points with just two races to go.

In the sister MP4-25, Hamilton is 21 points off Fernando Alonso's championship lead, sparking suggestions the time is nigh for Button to play a Felipe Massa-like supportive role for the rest of the season.

Woking based McLaren, however, operates a strict policy of driver equality, even though boss Martin Whitmarsh said before leaving Korea that a team strategy will be discussed internally "before we get to Brazil".

When asked about his and Button's approach with now just the Interlagos and Abu Dhabi rounds to go, Hamilton said: "We both push as hard as we can to score as many points as we can for the team.

"Clearly we're both far behind, him further than me. I'm 21 points behind, so I've got to get a lot of points.

"I don't know what will happen. You will have to speak to Martin on what he thinks he will have to do.

"All I know is I have to get as high as possible and it would be fantastic to have Jenson with me," added the 25-year-old Briton.

Button said in Korea that he will only voluntarily fall in line behind Hamilton when he is "mathematically" no longer in the hunt. He also said he is confident he "won't be asked" to support Hamilton until then.

"Lewis is still very much in the hunt. Mathematically, it's not impossible for Jenson, but it looks quite tough, very difficult for him," said Whitmarsh.

RBR messed up 'great opportunity' in 2010 – Alesi
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel sounds unlikely to voluntarily fall in line behind Mark Webber as Red Bull pushes for its first ever drivers' world championship.

Although heading for the championship lead in Korea before his engine failure, Vettel is now 25 points off Fernando Alonso.

It means Ferrari's Spanish driver is the favorite for the title, with Vettel's Australian teammate Mark Webber the most likely challenger due to his 11 point deficit.

But Germany's Bild newspaper said it sounds unlikely that Vettel is going to give up.

"Nothing is going to change in my approach to the final two rounds," he is quoted as saying. "My (engine) failure makes everything more interesting and difficult. But it is still possible.

"I am going to fight until the end," Vettel vowed.

Like McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh who is in a similar situation, Red Bull chief Christian Horner said before leaving Korea that team strategy will be discussed internally before the season's penultimate event in Brazil.

Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi thinks Red Bull made a big mistake by not establishing a hierarchy some time ago.

"They needed to take advantage of the fact they had the best car," the Frenchman told CNR Media. "It's doubtful they will have the same advantage next year, so you have to say they have mismanaged this season.

"I think they've missed a great opportunity," added Alesi.

Joan Villadelprat, a veteran F1 team manager who now operates his own Le Mans team Epsilon Euskadi, agrees.

"There has been a lack of solidarity at Red Bull, who have not been able to manage their superiority and are now giving the title away to Ferrari," he wrote in his El Pais newspaper column.

"When a double world champion like Alonso takes the kind of advantage he has now, he does not fail," the Spaniard added.

GPDA pushes for more influence in F1 decisions
(GMM) The union of formula one drivers, the GPDA, revealed in Korea last weekend their push for more influence in the sport's decision-making processes.

According to the German magazine Speed Week, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association – now headed by president Rubens Barrichello – met at the Yeongam circuit with FIA president Jean Todt.

"We want a permanent dialogue with the governing body," Brazilian Barrichello, accompanied to the meeting by fellow GPDA directors Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, is quoted as saying.

According to another German language report in motorline.cc, Barrichello and his colleagues believe some of the problems in Korea – like troublesome curbs and the dangerous pit entry – would not have been encountered if the drivers were more seriously canvassed.

"It was ok," Barrichello said after the meeting with Todt.

"We discussed three or four things and he was very open. All we want is for the GPDA to be able to contribute more to the future of the sport," he added.

Alonso not expecting to win title in Brazil
(GMM) Fernando Alonso is not ready to relax despite leaping into a strong points position with just two races left to run in 2010.

It is true that, now with an 11-point lead over Mark Webber, if the Spaniard wins in Brazil in two weeks and his Australian rival is fifth or lower, Alonso will secure his third drivers' world championship with a race to spare.

But McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh, whose drivers are also still mathematically in the hunt, said: "There is little doubt now the championship decider is going to be in Abu Dhabi."

Alonso agrees that he cannot rely on another Korea-like outcome before then.

"Red Bull showed us again in Korea that they are stronger than us, and that will be the same in Brazil and Abu Dhabi as well," the Ferrari driver told El Pais newspaper.

"So what we need is another small step forward to be competitive. We must be on the podium. If someone beats us now, congratulations — winning or losing will depend on who is faster, on reliability and on luck," added the 29-year-old.

In comments published by Italy's La Stampa, Alonso said he is not interested in the mathematical possibility of him becoming champion in Brazil.

"Yes, that's true — and if Red Bull miss their plane to Brazil, that's another way to be champion," he joked.

"The odds remain in favor of Red Bull."

Alonso said the only mathematical certainty is that he cannot lose the championship at Interlagos in two weeks.

"In Korea I have only guaranteed to be fighting in Abu Dhabi in the last race of the season," he confirmed.