F1 news briefs: Saturday

(GMM) Team bosses have criticized the loss of the usual August break – a lull in grands prix and testing – on next year's formula one calendar, that has expanded from 18 to 19 races.

"It really is tough on the mechanics," said McLaren executive Martin Whitmarsh. It is suggested that, to avoid 'burn-out' among the travelling F1 fraternity, teams may have to start employing back-up crews to deal with the sport's ever-increasing demands, even though the extra race does deliver more commercial revenue.

"We've been through this before," said Honda team principal Ross Brawn. "I think it's a shame."

–

Like Jarno Trulli, who on Friday crashed at the same place during Silverstone practice, Felipe Massa was also taken to the medical centre for checks following his big accident at Stowe. "The shunt was more than 25Gs, but I didn't feel like it was a big shunt. I did all the tests possible, and I am 100 per cent for the rest of the race," the Ferrari driver said.

–

Repsol, the Spanish oil company, has denied internet reports that it wants to back a switch for Fernando Alonso to Honda in 2009. Repsol officials contacted the Spanish newspaper Diario AS, saying the reports are untrue.

–

Fernando Alonso has urged his F1 employer, Renault, to improve the reliability of its engines. Following his failure down the Hangar straight on Friday, the French team said the risk of failures was less in the actual race-spec – as opposed to the separate Friday 'test' – engines. "We are investigating what is going wrong. It is almost always the same thing that breaks," Alonso told El Pais. "There is no reason to panic, but reliability is an important thing."