Hamilton makes Monaco a home race

Lewis Hamilton has made his move before the start of the Formula One season and can now call Monaco a home race as well as his favourite grand prix

McLaren's 2008 world champion has left Switzerland, his home for the past few years, for a new base in the Mediterranean principality where he will have several F1 drivers as neighbours.

"I just fancied a change," the 27-year-old told reporters, adding that he had moved in "a week or so ago".

"It was a bit boring where I was living before, not many people around, so it was good to move," added the Briton, who had lived most recently in Zurich after a spell in Geneva.

"Where I've moved to there are quite a lot of people that I know there, quite a lot of the drivers are there. So there's a bit more of a social life, there's better weather, it's by the sea, overall just a bit better.

"It's kind of cool that you get to be at home whilst a grand prix is going on. I think it will be pretty neat," said the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix winner and 2007 runner-up.

"I can meet up with quite a few of the drivers if I want to do training, and my trainer is also just up the road. I've settled down quite well there.

"I still have loads of boxes to unpack, but I'm sure I can get someone to do that for me."

HOT LAPS

Hamilton limbered up for the season, which starts in Melbourne next week, by driving reporters around a track in southern England in McLaren's fearsome MP4-12C GT3 race-spec sportscar.

He looked sharp, hungry to be back behind the wheel and determined to focus on the future.

The championship opens with four long-haul races but the Briton, who had a nightmare season last year while trying to keep alive a transatlantic relationship with American singer Nicole Scherzinger, intends to be more settled in 2012.

He said he now planned to spend much more of his time at home when in Europe.

Hamilton won three races last year but ended up beaten overall by team mate Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, in a championship dominated by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

Testing times can be misleading but the title battle already looks like being much tighter with McLaren, who were playing catch-up this time last year, looking quick and tipped to take the battle to Red Bull right from the start.

Hamilton was clearly pleased with how the winter tests in Spain had gone.

"I kept a nice amount of fuel in the car for all of my tests. I wasn't really bothered with positioning. What matters is when we get to the first race," he smiled.

"It looks like it could be a bit different to the past couple of years where we've had the Red Bull just much quicker than everyone else.

"The Lotus looks like it can be really quick, a couple of the teams have different exhaust solutions. Us, Ferrari and Red Bull generally have a similar exhaust solution. The others, like the Lotus have a different solution, so do Mercedes and they still seem to be quick," he added.

"So it will be a battle as to which of those designs has the longest road of development, and how far ours can go."

Source: Reuaters Sports

McLaren still favourite for Jenson Button

An option on its side of their current contract suggests that McLaren has a head-start when it comes to securing the services of Jenson Button for 2012

Despite attracting covetous glances from Maranello, Jenson Button is still likely to remain at McLaren next season, with both sides apparently keen to cement a deal.

The Canadian Grand Prix winner's future has been at the centre of much speculation of late, having admitted earlier this month that driving for Ferrari remained the only 'dream' of his childhood that he has yet to achieve. With the Scuderia appearing uncertain whether Felipe Massa is the right man to partner Fernando Alonso beyond the end of the 2011 season, Button's name has been thrust into the spotlight as a potential replacement for the Brazilian, despite McLaren having first call on his services for 2012 and Massa being tried to Ferrari for another year.

While not yet confirmed at Woking for a third season, Button's contract contains an option on the team's side, and it is infeasible that he will not be snapped up after two strong seasons in silver, culminating in that thrilling victory on the streets of Montreal just over a week ago. Although it understands that there may be some negotiation before both sides are happy to carry on, the BBC claims that it is almost inevitable that Button and McLaren will be together again next season.

Should Ferrari's courtship prove too much of a temptation, a degree of compensation would no doubt be winging its way to Woking, otherwise the Briton could find himself mired in the sort of contractual 'tug-of-love' that marred his early career, when Williams and BAR both laid claim to his services with the driver wavering in between.

The British tabloid media claims that Button and Ferrari have met to discuss possible scenarios, despite the hurdles that both would have to cross for a union next season.

"There has been a lot of talk within Ferrari about getting Button - they have already checked to see if he would be available," a Ferrari source has told The News of the World, "The team realise they need a stronger partner for Fernando Alonso than Felipe Massa if they want to win the title again. They've seen Jenson prove at McLaren that he can consistently win or get on to the podium."

Button currently enjoys a £6m-a-year deal with McLaren and only recently said that he would be happy to see out his career at the Woking team, but recanted that claim last week by insisting that he would not be looking to follow the lead taken by Alonso and Sebastian Vettel by signing a long-term deal with anyone. The weekend's latest rumours suggest that the Briton would be able to command a significant pay rise - perhaps as much as £4m a season - should he move to Ferrari, giving McLaren food for thought as it plans its approach.

Should the current pit-lane speculation prove true, McLaren could be left without either of its current drivers at the end of next season, despite being keen to retain both Button and Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 world champion sparked a media frenzy when he was spotted in conversation with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in Canada, although the BBC believes that Horner was as much taken by surprise as anyone by the meeting. Hamilton has another year to run on his current deal with McLaren and has since said that he is happy to remain with the team that nurtured his junior career.

Should it lose either one or both of its British stars, however, McLaren is unlikely to find itself short of suitors for 2013, having showed itself to have the fastest car in race conditions since the Spanish Grand Prix in May. The BBC claims that Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has made no secret of his interest in one of the seats at Woking, while there are sure to be other drivers, both established and ambitious, who would relish the chance to slide into a race-winning machine.

Source: Crash.net

Webber won't take his foot off the gas

Mark Webber is adamant that he is only thinking of victories between now and the end of the season, despite his 14-point lead in the drivers' championship.

The Red Bull star insists that he will not rest on his laurels, and that nothing less than wins will be good enough in the final three races, starting with the inaugural Korean Grand Prix next weekend.

"No, I can't think like that [about playing the percentages]," Webber said. "It won't be enough. I need to keep racing hard and going for victories.

"Clearly, of course, if my rivals have a rough weekend it makes it a bit harder for them and it gives me a bit more scope, but I'm not looking to abuse that because it can all go pear-shaped very fast.

"Having a lead is great, but it only counts when you get to the last race and we haven't got there yet, have we?"

The Australian played down his chances by claiming that he does not see himself as the favourite for the title. "It makes no difference to me to be in the lead," he said. "We all have to go there and see the track and get on with the job and it is the same for everyone. I may be in the lead, by a few points, but I don't think I am the favourite.

"I think we're all pretty even. It can change pretty quickly - in a good way or a bad way for me. It's on a knife-edge, but I'm very relaxed. It's another race for me.

"I'll give nothing, leave no change on the table and do the best I can. The points will look after themselves. Like I said, you need to be leading the championship at the last race, not now."

Source: ESPNF1

Fernando Alonso accepts 'favourite' tag as F1 title race accelerates

Fernando Alonso has won the past two grands prix and believes Ferrari have got their timing just right in the F1 title race

When Fernando Alonso clambered from his Ferrari at the conclusion of the British grand prix in July, it would have been safe to assume that the Spaniard's mood was not the brightest. Fourteenth-place finishes are not where world championships are won from and that result had left him fifth in the standings, 47 points off the pace. Yet Alonso felt a sense of optimism, and not simply because Spain were playing in the World Cup final that evening.

"After Silverstone," Alonso said here after being asked when he felt he could fight for the title. "We had made some improvements to the car and it felt good. Before that we had some up and downs, but the car was feeling OK, although not at the level of Red Bull Racing. After Silverstone, knowing it was a difficult weekend for us with the characteristics of the circuit being very good for Red Bull, we were still quite competitive there. With that car I had much more confidence in fighting for the title than before. So after Silverstone I was more optimistic."

A fortnight later in Germany Alonso won for the first time since the season's opening race in Bahrain. The victory at Hockenheim was not without controversy as it was gifted to Alonso after Felipe Massa was clumsily ordered to cede the lead to his team-mate in a blatant breach of the rule banning team orders. The result, however, put the Spaniard right back in the championship reckoning with enough races left to fight for the title. Having also won the last two grands prix, in Italy and Singapore, Alonso lies second, 11 points behind Mark Webber, in the five-way scrap to be crowned the 2010 world champion, with four races to come. To many in the gated community of the Formula One paddock the 29-year-old Spaniard is now favourite to add a third world title to his collection. Does he agree?

"I think if you see the last two races, yes, because you arrive in a good moment," he said. "It seems that you need to keep the momentum now for more races, but we saw this year that people that win two races, or have two or three podiums in a row, then they have some bad results and then they come back good. No one had consistently six or seven races in a good level for different reasons, so we expect there will be difficult moments for us.

"What we need to do is be prepared for those moments, not panicking, and score as many points as possible at every race. We know sometimes it will be a podium, sometimes maybe a fifth position – it is in those moments when we need to be united and not panic."

Of the protagonists Alonso is the only one with the full weight of his team behind him. Despite some mid-season signs to the contrary, most notably at Silverstone, Red Bull are splitting their effort evenly between Webber and Sebastian Vettel, as are McLaren with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. On the other side of the Ferrari garage from Alonso sits the slighted Massa and the pressure is now on the Brazilian to produce the goods in support of his team‑mate.

"I have waited for Felipe with great perseverance in the last four races," said Ferrari's president, Luca di Montezemolo, this week. "I want a strong Massa who will shave points off the rivals. In Singapore he had some bad luck, but he is in good condition to win. Those who race for Ferrari don't race for themselves, but for the Ferrari team colours. One who wants to race for himself will have to face his team."

Di Montezemolo continued: "The decision to focus on Alonso has been proven to be right. He is extremely strong and very close to the team, and has been able to blend in well from day one. It has been a strange season. We won the first race, then we had some problems with the development of the car. The victories at Monza and Singapore have rekindled hope."

The decision to promote Alonso ahead of Massa at Hockenheim cost Ferrari a $100,000 (£63,000) fine and an appearance in front of the World Motor Sport Council, as well as the seeming alienation of the Brazilian a year to the day after his life-threatening accident at the 2009 Hungarian grand prix meeting. Massa has received assurances that from the start of next season he will once again be treated as Alonso's equal; until then he must act as the double world champion's wing man, however reluctantly.

All the teams in title contention are in a constant battle to improve their cars but Ferrari seem to have got the pace of their development just right and now appear to have the strongest all-around package, though on the evidence of today's running here at Suzuka they will struggle to match the pace of the Red Bulls on Sunday having been almost a second off the pace in practice and finishing in fourth and fifth.

The team principal, Stefano Domenicali, has admitted that Ferrari got distracted in focusing too much attention on their F-duct system, but they ran an improved version in Turkey and since then the upgrades have come on stream at a steady rate; the exhaust-blown diffuser appearing in Valencia and a new floor at the last race in Singapore. The team promise that there is more to come.

"The hard part is still ahead of us," Alonso said in a call to arms for his team. "Now it starts getting serious. We will have to experience some pain, and it is time for everyone to give their all without taking a single backward step." He will hope that Massa gets the message.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

Mark Webber Q&A: I am the title leader, but I’m not the favourite

In comparison to his title rivals, at 34 years-old Red Bull’s Mark Webber is the ‘old man’ of this year’s championship fight. But with age comes experience, and the relaxed way in which Webber is wandering around the Suzuka paddock ahead of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix suggests his maturity could make the difference. After he emerged unscathed from his clash with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at the last round in Singapore, the Australian also seems to have luck on his side…

Q: Mark, in Singapore you were very lucky, whilst your rival for the title wasn’t…
Mark Webber: Yes, and believe me I take every bit (of luck) that I can come across. Everybody has an element of luck now and then, and it looks like I was lucky in Singapore.

Q: Do you feel that the other drivers respect you more with that extra bit of luck on your side?
MW: No, I don’t think that other drivers change their approach just because they think you’re lucky - or unlucky. What is important is that you don’t test your luck too often. It’s like being a base jumper. The more you base jump, you eventually might get into problems. So don’t base jump all the time!

Q: There is the perception that Lewis Hamilton is a bit more aggressive when he is overtaking than others. He clearly overtakes a lot more than some others do - is (what happened in Singapore) the price you have to pay?
MW: Lewis is a great competitor and I would not expect anything less from him because in the end that’s what racing is all about. When people try to fight into the same corner, and when you have two guys who are reasonably competitive, then I would say that contact can happen. I think that both of us knew that there was only a limited chance that we would both get through that corner - and in the end we didn’t. That’s what happened on that day. Lewis, I would say, races hard and fair and that’s what I hope we will continue to do until the end.

Q: If you were in a similar situation again, would you act in the same way?
MW: I think both of us would do the same thing again as we both thought that it was the right point on the limit. We were both at a critical point of the race and it was important for both of us in terms of the race result.

Q: Would you have done the same if you were in his position? Would you have taken that risk?
MW: Probably yes - because it was maybe one of the only opportunities. That puts you in a vulnerable position, as we all know that things like that can happen.

Q: Did it happen because all the other title aspirants have to beat you? Are you in a position where just finishing the remaining races high up in the points could be enough?
MW: No, that wouldn’t be enough. I still have to race hard and go for victories. I am probably in a slightly better position, but I’m not abusing that because it can very quickly turn the other way around.

Q: What does an 11-point lead mean for the championship?
MW: I don’t know what it means. If it was the last race it would be a nice thing to have. But it isn’t!

Q: How big an advantage to Fernando Alonso is having team mate Felipe Massa’s on hand to support his championship?
MW: It certainly is not a disadvantage.

Q: Is it unfair?
MW: Well, I don’t think so. I think it is the way it turned out for them as a team. Felipe had a good start, but the mid season was not so great for him, so he is behind quite a number of points. And I don’t know if we will see Fernando benefiting a lot from Felipe’s support again. It depends how it plays out on the track. I don’t think that Fernando needs a lot of help from Felipe.

Q: He could hold the field up…
MW: Then I would be annoyed. But I don’t think they would do that. That is not part of the game. What is part of the game is probably changing positions. We have seen that a long time ago, when you go back to the Schumacher-Irvine days.

Q: Going back to Singapore, when you go into a corner with one of the other championship contenders, do you think of the title and weigh up whether you should still push as hard?
MW: No, not it all. It is just as it is with any other driver - it might as well have been Adrian Sutil, or I was with Kamui Kobayashi for a few laps - so that is not an issue.

Q: From what you’ve seen, will Ferrari give you a hard time here?
MW: They weren’t quick in Turkey but were at Silverstone. Their car has changed a lot since the middle part of the season, so I expect Ferrari to be in the hunt also here. All three (leading) teams will be quick.

Q: Given the kind of track that Suzuka is do you think you might have an advantage?
MW: We hope so. But hoping doesn’t mean much so we have to do it on the track.

Q: You are the championship leader, which makes you the favourite for the title. How do you deal with that pressure?
MW: I am not the favourite!

Q: Who is?
MW: We are all pretty even and it can change pretty quickly. In a good way for me - and in a bad way for me. It’s on a knife edge. But I am very relaxed.

Q: Are you ready for the title?
MW: I don’t even think of it. This weekend is just another Grand Prix - just another car race. The other stuff will take care of itself. Maybe in the end I will have a few more points than anyone. If it was a 15-race championship I would be the champion now. But there are still races to go and you need to lead the championship after the last race - and not now.

Q: At the moment you seem to be the flavour of the moment…
MW: Ah, but that changes with the wind so don’t take it too seriously!

Q: How do you like this track here at Suzuka? Do you expect to win?
MW: It is a wonderful track. I really like racing here. And of course you always come to a race with the intention to win.

Q: Your team mate Sebastian (Vettel) won the race last year. Can that be an advantage?
MW: Yes he did - and do you mean for the team or for me personally? Because winning is not the end of the world for me either!

Source: Formula1.com