Latest F1 news in brief
- Baldisserri laments missed Turkish one-two
- Ferrari already has no.1 driver – Ralf
- Villeneuve wins first race since F1 title
- A1 GP reveals F1 Ferrari for new season
- Barrichello contract talks not on yet – Fry
- Heidfeld 'annoyed' by Kubica defeats
Baldisserri laments missed Turkish one-two
(GMM) Ferrari sporting director Luca Baldisserri has admitted to disappointment that the Italian team did not secure a one-two finish in the Turkish grand prix.
Although happy with Felipe Massa's Istanbul win, Baldisserri suggested that he would have liked to have seen the Brazilian driver prevent Lewis Hamilton – on a three-stop strategy – from overtaking him so easily on lap 23.
If Hamilton's progress had been slowed, Baldisserri believes Kimi Raikkonen would have managed to finish second.
"This victory is an excellent outcome, but I am not entirely happy, because if Felipe had kept Hamilton behind him for two laps more then perhaps Kimi would have finished second," the Italian is quoted as saying by RAI.
26-year-old Massa, however, insists that Hamilton's light car made the Briton "very strong and I couldn't hold him".
Video replays of the pass show Massa defending the inside line as Hamilton set up his move, but in Ferrari's official post-race release, he is quoted as saying he did not take "too many risks" in his defense.
He said in a news conference: "I saw him on my inside and I thought 'okay, go, and we will see at the next stop how it is going to be'."
Ferrari already has no.1 driver – Ralf
(GMM) Despite Felipe Massa soaring to his customary Turkish grand prix win on Sunday, Ralf Schumacher believes Ferrari has in place a clear 'number one' driver — and it is not the Brazilian.
For the eleven years between 1996 and 2006, Ralf's elder brother Michael was the Maranello outfit's undisputed team leader, with the likes of Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Massa playing the supporting role.
But with Kimi Raikkonen now the reigning champion at Ferrari, Ralf Schumacher – who moved from formula one to German touring cars this year – believes the Finn is clearly in control.
"Ferrari usually has a set number one and I think that is the case now," the German said in his post-race analysis for the German publication Bild.
Officially, Ferrari is adamant that its current policy is of total driver equality until late in the season, when logic dictates that the weight of the team's resources support the mathematically strongest teammate.
Massa's Turkey win means that he, like McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, is now 7 points behind Raikkonen in the drivers' chase.
After the race, the Brazilian insisted that he is very much in the title fight.
"It's important to be competitive and then in the last three races you're going to see who is going to have the greater chance to win," he told reporters.
Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen – a further 7 points behind the leading points battle – also believes it would be wrong to discount Massa.
"I think it would be stupid to overlook Felipe," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph. "He looks very strong."
Villeneuve wins first race since F1 title
(GMM) Jacques Villeneuve on Sunday secured his first win since his world championship year – 1997 – in formula one.
The French-Canadian, who left the sport's premier category two years ago, raced to victory for Peugeot in the 1000 kilometer Spa-Francorchamps round of the European Le Mans Series in Belgium.
37-year-old Villeneuve's teammates were Ferrari test driver Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian.
Villeneuve said: "The weekend was excellent preparation for the Le Mans 24 hours and it was also very nice to win a race again.
"My last victory dated back to the 1997 Luxemburg grand prix!"
Also competing at Spa, in another Peugeot 908, was Honda's F1 reserve driver Alex Wurz, who had to miss the Turkish grand prix as a result.
He retired after a heavy crash.
A1 GP reveals F1 Ferrari for new season
(GMM) The new car to be raced in the next A1 GP series later this year is based on Ferrari's ultra-successful formula one single seater of 2004, the series announced on Monday.
The self-styled 'World Cup of Motorsport' also provided to the media a computer-rendered image of the Ferrari-designed and V8-powered car, which will be tested for the first time at Silverstone on Friday by F1 legend John Watson.
"The chassis is based on the design of the highly successful F2004 chassis", a statement confirmed, referring to the Rory Byrne car that in the hands of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello won 15 of the 18 grands prix that season.
The A1 GP version will be built in the UK, "with Rory Byrne acting as a consultant", A1 added.
Barrichello contract talks not on yet – Fry
(GMM) Honda has not yet commenced talks with Rubens Barrichello about the renewal of his contract beyond 2008.
The Brazilian veteran on Sunday became the most experienced driver in formula one history as he raced for the 257th time.
Barrichello, 35, said in Turkey that he would like to keep going beyond his 300th race, meaning that he will need a deal not only for 2009, but also 2010.
But Honda team CEO Nick Fry insists that whether or not Barrichello can reach the mantle depends solely on whether he is quick enough to stay.
"If he is fast, he'll be here next year. And if he's not fast, he won't.
"It's as simple as that," the Briton is quoted as saying by Reuters.
Fry added that Barrichello is quick enough to be part of Honda's race lineup "at the moment".
He said contract talks have not begun yet.
"It's not a priority at the moment," Fry explained.
"Because we've worked together now for two and half years and have extended his contract once, it can be renewed very easily. It's not going to be the subject of prolonged negotiation," he added.
Heidfeld 'annoyed' by Kubica defeats
(GMM) Nick Heidfeld insists that he is not under pressure from BMW-Sauber to up his game, despite in Turkey once again being outclassed by teammate Robert Kubica.
The 31-year-old German said the fact that his Polish colleague seems to have a slight edge on him at the moment is "annoying", but not particularly a worry.
"He is only four points ahead of me," Heidfeld told the German news agency SID.
"The season is long. I will get him.
"I will work on my driving, and warming up my tires faster.
"But there has been no criticism by my employer," he clarified.