Will she Stick Wit U? Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger's relationship 'hits rocky patch'

He's just completed back-to-back Grand Prix races, and she is busy working on the US X Factor.

And now their hectic work schedules are beginning to have an impact on Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton's relationship, according to new reports.
The superstar couple, who were last pictured together in public in August, are enduring a rocky patch, the Mirror claims.

Nicole, 33, is usually a constant presence at her 26-year-old boyfriend's F1 races, but was noticeably absent from his side at the Korean and Japanese events in recent weeks.

Nicole is required in Los Angeles where live shows on the X Factor are about to kick off, but found time to jet to New York last week to appear on Good Morning America.

'Of late, their schedules have proven pretty unworkable and they have not been able to see as much of one another as they would have liked,' a source told the Mirror.

'They still speak on the phone but this isn’t the same as face to face contact and things have been rough for the past six weeks.

'Both want it to work but it’s fair to say things are rocky. But they have rowed before and worked things out. As far as both are concerned, there is still hope.'

The allegations of trouble in the couple's relationship comes after a stressful few months for Nicole, in which she was criticised as a 'downgrade' from the judge she replaced on X Factor, Cheryl Cole.
A number of high profile TV critics ravaged Nicole's skills after her first appearance on the talent show last month.

'In the premiere [Cole] just kind of disappears midshow, without much explanation, and suddenly Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is in her chair,' Neil Glenzinger of the New York Times wrote at the time.
'
It’s a downgrade. Ms Cole showed glimmers of being interesting; in two seasons as a judge on The Sing-Off on NBC, Ms. Scherzinger was a pretty face but, judicially speaking, not much more than a seat warmer. '

Last month, Hamilton denied that dating Nicole and the celebrity lifestyle that comes with it was a reason for his 'roller coaster' season.
'I'm not searching for it, but I still love doing that stuff,' he told Jonathan Ross.

'It's still awesome when you hang around with people like that. I still feel exactly the same way about them, the way I did before I met them, even though I know them now.

'I'm still a little starstruck, in admiration. I still see them on television, exactly as I did then. But it's strange when you look at your phone and think "I can call that guy".

'There will be more things in the future, but at the moment there are more important things to do. That is somehow to get this Formula One career at its peak because I don't feel it's at it's highest.

'I don't feel the performances are at their best, and that's what I am really trying to focus on most of all.'
A spokesperson for Hamilton denied the couple had split up, insisting they were very much together.

Source: DailyMail

Hamilton to end long distance relationship

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton and his pop star partner Nicole Scherzinger have endured a long distance (trans-Atlantic) relationship over the past few years but are on course to change by settling together in Europe.

Speaking to Bild am Sonntag, Hamilton revealed, “Nicole and I are currently busy with our careers. It is still not the right time in our relationship to get married. Just as it is now, we are happy.”

However the 2008 Formula 1 world champion confirmed, “A long distance relationship is hard. The time zones, the miserable long flights. But now we are planning that Nicole moves in with me and we want to build a house together.”

Hamilton says that Scherzinger, now a solo performer after being part of the Pussycat Dolls until 2010, will be based in Europe “There are good recording studios here. Her last album was recorded in Nice [France]” Hamilton said.

Source: YallaF1

Mark Webber: No Reason To Be Mates With Seb

Mark Webber has once again highlighted the non-existent relationship between himself and his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel

Despite claiming to bury the hatchet after last season's troubles to focus on this year's campaign, it seems very little has changed at Red Bull Racing.

Although they have yet to clash out on track this season, one has to wonder if it's only a matter of time as the relationship between Webber and Vettel is far from amicable.

"No. Why? There is no reason for it," Webber told Bild when asked if he ever spoke privately with his team-mate.

"Let's put it this way: I'm 34 years old, I read my daily newspaper so why ask him for his opinion. We have too many different opinions on things.

"I'm really not an expert in many things but I am very interested in what happens around, which includes world affairs. If someone is not interested in the same things why should I still talk to him?"

Pressed more about his team-mate, the Australian said: "Why must we already talk about Sebastian Vettel? If you want to know about him ask him yourself. Let's talk about something else."

But while they may not be friends, Webber respects Vettel's talent out on track.

"He is doing a very good job this season but then he did the last two years as well. He has always been a strong driver."

Source: Planet-F1

Jenson Button on life with Lewis Hamilton: We get on, but want to beat each other. I'm up for that...

Let's get one thing straight. Jenson Button wants to win a second world championship just as much as Lewis Hamilton.

Button may have more experience than his team-mate, a smoother driving style and a more level - headed personality. But he still wants to win a second world title just as much as Hamilton

As for his life away from the track, from the outside, Button does not appear to want for anything.

He is super-fit, has a stunning model for a partner, an idyllic lifestyle on Guernsey and millions in the bank. Despite all that, he still wants to win a second world title just as much as Hamilton.

Button is universally recognised as one of the most planted, jovial and balanced drivers in Formula One. Of course, such contentment is helped by the fact that every aspect of his life appears to be in perfect harmony.

It also stems from experience and the fact that, against the odds with Brawn, a team that came perilously close to going bust, he became world champion

But those who would suggest such achievements, personal and professional, have dulled Button's motivation would be very wide of the mark. One glance into his wild, staring eyes following his remarkable win in the Canadian Grand Prix should tell you as much.

'I don't know if we are all the same but I think we will always want more than we have got,' reasoned Button. 'For someone to be content with what they have is very unusual and, if they have that, it is a quality. I am not there yet.

'If I didn't win another championship I wouldn't leave Formula One and feel I had missed out, that I hadn't achieved what I wanted to. But, at this moment in time, I would love to fight for another championship. I am not going to give up until I either get bored of racing around in circles in Formula One cars or I am not quick enough.'

The determination is there all right, it is just that Button, 31, has learned to appreciate what he has. Whether the same can be said of Hamilton is a moot point. But the way Button's team-mate is thrashing around race tracks and flying off the handle in interviews certainly suggests that the younger man is struggling to find some inner peace.

Hamilton, 26, could do worse than listen to his team-mate discuss the important things in life as he ponders whether his future remains at McLaren and wrestles with the nightmare scenario that he may never win a second world title.

'I realise that I am doing something that I absolutely love,' said Button. 'I feel very happy about what I have achieved and I also feel very lucky to be in the position I am, to be in a great team and also to be good at what I love doing.'

The McLaren duo's coming together in the pouring rain of Montreal may also put some strain on the relationship between the two British drivers. Despite predictions that such a pairing would be a disaster, they seem to get along just fine, however.

Button's apology after squeezing Hamilton into the pit-wall was a smart move on two counts. Not only did it serve to defuse any tension in the McLaren garage, it also helped make up the stewards' minds that the collision was purely accidental. Even with Sunday's remarkable drive fresh in Button's memory, the minute details of his victory in such a chaotic race, understandably, remain something of a blur to him.

Button's report goes like this: 'Five stops, a drive-through penalty, different sets of tyres, all over the place, a collision with Alonso, and then I found myself in 21st trying to chase down the field behind a safety car, and they restarted it without me, and then I won the race.

'It was very different from my normal driving style. I was ragged, a few times I almost put it in the wall. It was a lot of fun because it was all or nothing. I didn't want to finish second, I wanted to win.'

Button continued: 'Fighting through from the back, from 21st and last to winning in a few laps, not a lot of people have done that.'

Not a lot of drivers would manage to smooth matters over in such swift fashion after ploughing into their team-mate during a race.

'Obviously I'm very sorry I collided with Lewis,' Button said. 'We spoke about it and it's one of those things. I didn't know he was there. He was one of the first people to congratulate me after the race.'

So what is the secret to maintaining harmony with two such fierce competitors under the same roof?
'
We don't spend any time together,' said Button. 'It is the easiest way, really.'

That is not a snotty attitude. It is just that Button's only real common denominator with Hamilton is their passion for motor sport.

'We get on,' said Button. 'But we still want to beat each other and that is always going to be the way. We are very competitive people.

'For me, coming to this team, it was exciting to work with Lewis because he is one of the fastest drivers Formula One has ever seen.

'That is a challenge and I am strong enough to take that challenge. If I didn't feel comfortable with my ability I wouldn't have made the move to McLaren.'
Button has no doubt he is with a team that can consistently offer him the chance of securing a second world crown.

That said, he has managed to extract some mental serenity from the fact that he has already won the title, while all it seems to have brought Hamilton is mental torment.

'I don't think it will ever feel long ago,' said Button reflecting on his 2009 triumph. 'Even when I am old and grey it will still feel like yesterday. Those memories will always be there.

'But I am still young and I still want to fight for more championships.

'You do not see Rafa Nadal or Roger Federer giving up when they win a grand slam.'

Given that, when the time comes to hang up the helmet and gloves, would he not feel unfulfilled without another world title to his name?

'There wouldn't be a nagging doubt,' he insists. 'I am a world champion.'

It is precisely due to such a healthy sense of satisfaction that Button stands every chance of being a world champion once more.

Source: Dailymail

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Suzuka and I have a special relationship

Over the last few months there have been mutterings about Sebastian Vettel’s self confidence and he was even labelled a ‘crash kid’. But on Sunday at Suzuka, Vettel silenced his critics, notching up pole position and a dominant victory all in one day. The Red Bull driver reviews his performance…

Q: Sebastian, a great day for you...
Sebastian Vettel: Yes, today was really, really special for me. To have qualifying and race on one day and ending both occasions at the top of the sheet is quite something! My second victory on this track seems to suggest that the track and I have a special relationship. When the car became lighter towards the end of the race it was just sheer fun to drive. To ‘fly’ up the hill and see the fans left and right - awesome.

Q: How would you analyze the race?
SV: I think the start was crucial. Then came the safety-car phase and after the safety car pulled in it was more of a controlled race - I was always looking to keep the gap to Mark (Webber). My reasoning was that a forward escape would be the wrong thing to do, as if there was another safety car you would have needed an extra bit from the tyres and then you stand there empty handed. With no further incident my plan worked out perfectly!

Q: Did you feel pressure from Webber?
SV: He was running in second and trying to put me under pressure, but for me it was basically about nursing the car and the tyres because until the first stop it was not certain when the tyres would fall off and we made the stop at just the right time. Yes, you could have gone for a couple of more laps. After that we were behind Jenson so I was not pushing at all and just waiting for him to pit. Then I was putting in a couple of fast laps and then I was just carrying the car around. It was not an easy day, but it was nice and controlled.

Q: Suzuka seems to be a lucky place for you. How about a town partnership between Suzuka and your hometown of Heppenheim?
SV: Why not? The saying goes three times lucky - so let’s wait for next year! But coming back to the track, it is a fantastic place to race and if you have such a car - it’s even more fantastic! I have to thank the team and the guys back home in the factory - today this track was ours!

Q: What does your win mean for your championship ambitions?
SV: Well, it never looked better than today so of course the ambitions are there. There is a clear upward trend and if I could win all three remaining races then everything would have worked out perfectly. (Laughs) So there you have a clear direction to go and be assured that we will all do our best to get there.

Q: You must be pretty satisfied with your performance…
SV: Well, there have been attempts to meddle with my self-confidence but you build it up for yourself and it was never in any danger. I guess that with all that happened I had the least amount of problems. Of course you never have to bank on anything and you work hard all season long - only then do success and self-confidence come together.

Source: Formula1.com