Now the creator of Alonso's fiasco-strategy talks

Dyer who got sacked by Ferrari defends his actions in the season's last race last year.

Dyer worked as Ferrari's strategist in Abu Dhabi GP where Fernando Alonso's pit strategy failed because he came in too early for his pitstop.

Dyer focused on keeping Alonso ahead of Mark Webber but he didn't count on Alonso getting stuck on the track behind Renault's Vitali Petrov. Hence Alonso lost the WDC to Sebastian Vettel.

Dyer returned to the F1-paddock in Monza.

- We are a team and make decisions as a team. In the end the boss is always responsible, Dyer told Spanish Marca-paper.

- We are not stupid, we don't make decisions just for fun. At that moment the decision in question felt right. We believed it would offer best possibilites for the result we wanted, Dyer said.

Dyer sees that it's possible he will be seen on the F1-paddock next season.

- I have got many job offers but I can't sign any contract until only at the end of the year, Dyer said.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Video: BBC - Lewis Hamilton hopeful of McLaren one-two at Italian GP 2011

Lewis Hamilton believes McLaren can secure a one-two at the Italian GP after he and his team-mate, Jenson Button qualify second and third respectively on the grid.

However, despite finishing ahead of his team-mate Hamilton says Button is in the "best position" to start strongly at Monza because he is on the cleaner side of the grid.



Source: SixtyBuckss

Vettel Takes P1 In Monza. For A Second Time

As Sebastian took pole this afternoon the first thing on most people’s minds was that this track, and that race in 2008, are rather special to him

But the differences between his maiden P1 for Toro Rosso and today are huge. The weather conditions, his team, his status as a driver and the manner in which it was executed are all far from similar. Then he was younger, it was wet and he wasn’t world champion.

But nevertheless, it is another pole position for Vettel (his 25th to date) and one which his closest rival, Lewis Hamilton was frankly incredulous about in the subsequent press conference.

Mark opted to complete one flying lap in the final session, making his run plan perhaps less easy, but the advantage is there are more tyre options open for tomorrow.

But for Christian, who has never won here as team principal, and who stated that the Italian Grand Prix and victory at Monza is on his F1 To-Do List, getting one of his drivers on the front row was a giant step in the right direction.

In fact, it was more than that: “To achieve pole position in Monza is unbelievable and completely unexpected,” said Christian. “It was a phenomenal last lap from Sebastian to achieve pole with an almost staggering margin. Mark elected to adopt a different strategy for Q3 and maybe, with hindsight, two runs would have been preferable. However, he retains a new set of tyres for the race and we hope to have a very good race day. It’s testimony to all the hard work that’s gone into this Monza package at a track that’s been notoriously tough for us and it’s a perfect start to the weekend.”

And for the reigning world champion, ever the master of the understatement, he said: “This year, the car is very good and I’m very happy.”

Source: Red Bull

Räikkönen’s team hit with penalty

Kimi Räikkönen's ICE 1 Racing will play no further part in the battle for the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title following its exclusion from the series due to its no show on Rally Australia

The Citroën Racing Technologies-managed operation had contested six rounds of this year’s world championship with Räikkönen at the wheel of a DS3 WRC, scoring manufacturers’ points on each occasion. Heading to Rally Australia, the squad was fifth in the table with 48 points.

ICE 1 had lodged an entry for ex-Formula One world champion Räikkönen and co-driver Kaj Lindstrom for Rally Australia but notified organisers that it wouldn’t be taking part on the Coffs Harbour-based round due to logistical and organisational difficulties. Its failure to take part was in contravention of article 7.3.8 of the WRC’s sporting regulations.

A decision taken by the Rally Australia stewards on Thursday ordered the Finnish-backed team to pay the entry fee to the event organisers and a fine of 16,200 Euros to the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body. It also excluded ICE 1 from the classification of the manufacturers’ championship.

Despite the punishment, Räikkönen is still committed to the WRC with this entry already submitted for round 11, Rally de France Alsace, which takes place from 28 September-2 October. He is also due to contest the rounds in Spain and Great Britain.

Source: WRC

Practice Three: Vettel sets the pace

Sebastian Vettel was the man to beat on Monza, as he pipped Mark Webber to the P1 slot in the final seconds of practice

Despite many predicting that Monza could be a bogey track for the Red Bulls, the defending Champ proved to have the better pace on the both the medium and soft Pirelli compounds.

With drivers focussing on longer runs in the first 40 minutes of the session, Vettel topped the timesheets with a 1:24.000, putting him just ahead of Webber.

And when they all switched to the soft compound in the latter stages, it was again Vettel who had the better pace.

The German posted a 1:23.170 to finish 0.364s ahead of his team-mate Webber while Felipe Massa was third ahead of the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Report: With the sun out and the track temperature at 29'C, the Italian GP's final practice session got underway with Jerome D'Ambrosio leading out the field for their installation laps. The Belgian, driving a heavily revised Virgin MVR02, also set the first time of the morning, a 1:32.578.

Heikki Kovalainen and then Jarno Trulli led the way before Michael Schumacher crossed the line with a 1:26.943. Nico Rosberg took over from Schumacher at the front with Jenson Button and Mark Webber second and third. Schumacher put in a 360' at the first chicane, hitting the controversial speed bumps.

Lewis Hamilton slotted into third place on his first attempt while Button improved to first before losing it to Webber. Sebastian Vettel was fifth before two fastest sector times saw him jump to the front with a 1:24.000.

Halfway through the session, Fernando Alonso emerged in his 150° Italia, which was fitted with a higher downforce front wing. The Spaniard's first time was a 1:26.027, two seconds off Vettel's time. But by the end of his first run he was P7 with Felipe Massa just ahead.

Rosberg headed out on the softer option Pirellis and put his Merc GP into first place, 0.125s up on Vettel. Sergio Perez, also on the options, improved to ninth while his team-mate Kamui Kobayashi visited the gravel at the second Lesmo. Schumacher climbed from 14th to third on the soft tyres.

Webber overhauled Schumacher only for the Merc GP driver to bounce right back while Alonso improved to fourth. With almost everyone out on the softs for the final few minutes, Button moved up to second, Webber went quickest, Massa took second, Hamilton sixth, Webber bettered his time, Vettel moved up to third before going straight on at the chicane, Hamilton took third off him and Vettel went quickest with a 1:23.170, 0.364s up on Webber.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m23.170 18 laps
02. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:23.534 + 0.364 19 laps
03. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:23.668 + 0.498 14 laps
04. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.741 + 0.571 17 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.787 + 0.617 16 laps
06. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.875 + 0.705 22 laps
07. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:24.114 + 0.944 20 laps
08. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:24.133 + 0.963 14 laps
09. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:24.543 + 1.373 21 laps
10. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:24.581 + 1.411 22 laps
11. Bruno Senna Renault 1:24.853 + 1.683 20 laps
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:24.889 + 1.719 19 laps
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.948 + 1.778 22 laps
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:25.261 + 2.091 21 laps
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:24.319 + 2.149 19 laps
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.426 + 2.256 19 laps
17. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.439 + 2.269 22 laps
18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1:25.539 + 2.369 19 laps
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1:27.328 + 4.158 19 laps
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1:27.491 + 4.321 21 laps
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:28.186 + 5.016 23 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1:28.441 + 5.271 22 laps
23. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:28.962 + 5.792 17 laps
24. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1:30.316 + 7.146 16 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen maintained the driver's points

Kimi Räikkönen's ICE1 Racing -team was excluded from the teams WRC-serie on Friday. Räikkönen was 5th in this serie with 48 points

The judges in Rally Australia registered that Räikkönen had skipped the race and according to the rules the team doesn't fill the requirement to participate in at least two remote rallies outside Europe anymore.

Räikkönen has skipped Australia, Mexico, Sardinia and Argentina. From the remote rallies he has only taken part in Rally Jordan. After Australia he has France, Catalynia and Great-Britain left.

Australia was in Räikkönen's original WRC-schedule but he decided to change his plans after Rally Finland. Instead of a rally trip Kimi has been on a holiday with his wife Jenni.

The hosts in Rally Australia gave Räikkönen a penalty since he didn't show up there to race. The sum is the registration fee (16.200 euros). On top of that FIA gave the driver a penalty of the same amount.

In WRC the racing for Manufacturer's championship is not the same as it is in F1. The price-money is remarkably smaller. That's why even losing the 5th place isn't such a big deal for Räikkönen financially.

What is special is that Räikkönen's one-car -team has more WC-points than the driver has. ICE1 Racing had time to gather 48 points whereas Räikkönen is 8th in the driver's serie with 34 points. The difference is only due to the fact that in some rallies all teams haven't got any WC-points.

The penalty from Rally Australia concerns only the teams WC-serie. Therefore Räikkönen is still 8th in the driver's serie. According to his original plan, Räikkönen will drive normally the three last WRC-rallies in the serie and think after that what he will be doing in 2012.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Video: Fernando Alonso - Test drive special in the 458 Spider

Right before the start of the race weekend of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Fernando Alonso wanted to try the new 458 Spider, which will be presented at the IAA Frankfurt next Tuesday. The Scuderia Ferrari driver enjoyed the potential of the 8-cylinder mid-rear engine from the Prancing Horse - with hard top and fitted with the same most advanced technological content as the multi-awarded 458 Italia and now available in an "en plein air" version - on the roads around Maranello.

Alonso was extremely satisfied with the perfect combination of high performance, exceptional handling and the engine sound the 458 Spider is able to deliver.

Source: ferrariworld

Sebastian Vettel F1 Blog: Monza | 'Bella Italia'

Monza holds special memories for Sebastian Vettel even if it has not been a particularly happy hunting ground in recent years for Red Bull Racing...

by Sebastian Vettel, Sep 9, 2011

If I had to write down everything I love about Italy, this would be the longest blog ever! Fact is, I love nearly everything about this country. It has an amazing track, some beautiful surroundings and very nice people.

My Italian isn’t fluent, but I can handle small conversations, including the most important thing: ordering food!

Every time I return to Monza I relive my first victory back in 2008. It's great to have such a nice place linked to one of the most important events in my life and it's true that it feels almost like yesterday.

Maybe I feel like that because I haven't changed that much since then. I still know a lot of the guys from Toro Rosso and feel just like I did back then.

I would absolutely love to be on the top step on Sunday and I will do everything it takes to get there.

But it's not going to be easy. After all, Monza hasn't been our best circuit in the last two years. We'll have to wait until the first practice session to see where we are.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Seb

Source: Red Bull

Kimi Räikkönen excluded from WRC standings

Finland's Kimi Räikkönen (Citroën) has been excluded from the World Rally Championship standings after he decided not to take part to the Rally Australia this week end.

Ice 1 Racing, Kimi Räikkönen’s private rally team, is classified among the WRC Teams (in opposition to the private entries), and is therefore forced by the rules to take part in a minimum of seven events during the season (that he nominated before the beginning of the season), including two races outside Europe.

Kimi Räikkönen’s absence in Australia means that the former F1 champion will not be able to start his second event outside Europe, as he only took part to Rally Jordan this season. As a consequence, Raikkonen has been excluded from championship’s classification, and will also have to pay to the FIA a fine of 16 000 euros.

The former Ferrari F1 driver will be allowed to take part to the last WRC event this year (France, Spain and Great-Britain), but he won’t appear in the final standings.

Source: Auto123

Turun Sanomat: Long feud

It has become a tradition in F1 that once a year Peter Sauber invites long-time reporters from the paddock in smaller groups by countries for an evening snack to his VIP-premises

Now the invitation came on Thursday night. One Finn, two Dutch, two Belgian, one Japanese, four Brazilians and four Mexicans accepted the invitation.

So it was quite a mixed group.

It has always been a habit with Peter Sauber that the talk at some point turnes into Kimi Räikkönen's time in the Swiss team and how it has gone after that.

I asked Sauber wouldn't it be nice if Räikkönen would come back to F1-tracks. Surprisingly he shook his head and said that it isn't the same Kimi anymore.

As a matter of fact Sauber went right away 10 years back in a time machine to the stage when young Räikkönen was shining in his car and helped the team come in 4th in the WCC-serie.

– Kimi made a mistake going to McLaren. After that he was never the same Kimi who left our team, Sauber claimed.

The comment was so stunning that I had to ask for more clarification. Then what should Räikkönen had done then?

– Ron Dennis promised to make Kimi the all time youngest WDC in McLaren. He promised a lot but nothing was given. For Kimi those 5 years went down the drain and he was never the same driver he was before, Sauber justified.

The aged team manager admitted that for many drivers that McLaren-seat would have been really good - but not to such a talent as young Räikkönen was.

According to Sauber switching to Ferrari for season 2007 was okay. He got the WDC but Ferrari would have got an even better Räikkönen at an earlier stage - without the frustration from the McLaren-years.

Sauber was fuming with anger back then when Dennis snatched Räikkönen. He will probably never forgive it...

Back to the original question about how fascinating Räikkönen's possible comeback would be, Sauber did say later on that it would be a really juvenating thing for the sport.

Turun Sanomat, Monza

Courtesy: Nicole

Video: BBC - Italian GP - McLaren in strong position to challenge Red Bulls - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says McLaren are "in a strong position" after topping the timesheets in first practice and being just behind Sebastian Vettel in second practice for the Italian Grand Prix.

The 2008 world champion believes McLaren will be able to challenge the Red Bulls for victory at a circuit where he is yet to win in Formula 1



Source: SixtyBuckss

Practice Two: Vettel tops Hamilton at Italian GP

Sebastian Vettel took the lead at Monza in second practice but only be a mere 0.036s over Lewis Hamilton

The session once again saw the top six in the Championship battle it out for the top six positions. However, it always looked as if Vettel and Hamilton had the edge.

And although they were dropped when Michael Schumacher headed out for a soft tyre run, when they put the Pirelli softs on they were back in front.

Vettel topped the session with a 1:24.010 with Hamilton 0.036s behind. Schumacher was third, 0.337s off the pace.

Report: Bright sunshine and a track temperature of 41'C awaited the drivers at the start of Friday's second practice, which saw Jaime Alguersuari lead out the field for their installation laps. The Toro Rosso driver stayed out to post a 1:28.705. Others followed suit and it wasn't long before half the field had put their names on the boards.

Vitaly Petrov, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton took turns leading the way before the yellow flags came out as Sebastien Buemi crashed. The Toro Rosso driver lost control at the Parabolica, hit the barriers, causing significant front and left side damage. Jenson Button moved to the front with a 1:25.905 with Mark Webber second and Sebastian Vettel third.

In soon proved to be another tussle of the top drivers with the top six positions belonging to the top six drivers in the Championship. Vettel hit the front with a 1:25.635 while Fernando Alonso moved up to fourth ahead of Felipe Massa and Hamilton. Massa improved to second place only for Vettel to extend his advantage. Alonso then took second off his team-mate.

With the drivers focussing on long runs with heavier fuel loads, the timesheets had a break, however, there was still plenty of action as the drivers pushed hard and at times too hard on the high speed circuit. This meant they either took to the gravel or they ran over the kerbs.

Michael Schumacher was the next to hit the front with a 1:24.816, 0.046s ahead of Vettel. Sergio Perez was another on the up as he took third place ahead of Hamilton, Bruno Senna and Webber. Hamilton returned to the front, three-tenths up on Schumacher. Vettel took second and then improved to first with a 1:24.010.

The final few minutes saw Hamilton run without DRS, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes GP do a pit stop simulation, Alonso complete a pit lane time-loss test and Daniel Ricciardo venture back out.

The session ended with Vettel in the P1 slot ahead of Hamilton and Schumacher.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.010 37 laps
02. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.046 + 0.036 21 laps
03. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m24.347 + 0.337 39 laps
04. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.366 + 0.356 33 laps
05. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m24.433 + 0.423 31 laps
06. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m24.468 + 0.458 32 laps
07. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.508 + 0.498 30 laps
08. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.097 + 1.087 39 laps
09. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.182 + 1.172 37 laps
10. Bruno Senna Renault 1m25.325 + 1.315 38 laps
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m25.450 + 1.440 31 laps
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m25.496 + 1.486 39 laps
13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m25.683 + 1.673 37 laps
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.758 + 1.748 29 laps
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m26.202 + 2.192 36 laps
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m26.353 + 2.343 40 laps
17. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.347 + 4.337 5 laps
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m28.559 + 4.549 32 laps
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m28.605 + 4.595 32 laps
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m28.804 + 4.794 25 laps
21. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m29.162 + 5.152 34 laps
22. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m29.184 + 5.174 29 laps
23. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m29.622 + 5.612 34 laps
24. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m29.841 + 5.831 7 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Top five battle it out at Italian GP

It was a battle of the big five in Italy as the top five drivers in the standings fought over the top positions on the timesheets

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel was the first of the front runners to claim the P1 slot but lost out to Lewis Hamilton.

Behind the McLaren driver, Vettel, Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso tussled for second place, which changed hands several times.

But in the end it was Button who was the closest to matching his team-mate, finishing 0.921s adrift of Hamilton's 1:23.865.

Vettel was third quickest, 1.366s off the pace, while Webber was fourth. Alonso, stuck in the pits after cutting one of his tyres, dropped to seventh behind Adrian Sutil and Vitaly Petrov.

Report: With the sun shining down on the Monza racetrack, Practice One got underway. Heikki Kovalainen led the field out for the standard installation laps while Jerome D'Ambrosio, driving a heavily revised Virgin MVR02, put the first time on the board, a 1:43.577.

Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg and Jaime Alguersuari each had a turn in the P1 slot, lowering the benchmark to a 1:27.224 before the big guns came out to play. Sebastian Vettel hit the front with a 1:26.381 with Felipe Massa third, Mark Webber fifth and Fernando Alonso 13th.

Problems for Sebastien Buemi, who ran off at the the Ascari chicane, sliding through the gravel trap before working his way back onto the track. Karun Chandhok returned to the action after an earlier electronic problem sent him into the pits.

It soon became a battle of the big boys with the top five in the Championship occupying the top five positions on the timesheets. Vettel lowered the benchmark and Lewis Hamilton took second before overhauling the German. Webber went second ahead of his team-mate, Alonso took fourth, Hamilton bettered his time and Button made it a McLaren 1-2.

Michael Schumacher, down in 17th place, one position ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg, joined the list of those running off the track as took to the gravel at Parabolica. Meanwhile, Heikki Kovalainen parked his Team Lotus car on the side of the track having reported a gearbox problem.

Vitaly Petrov was the first to mix it up with the leading five, overhauling Alonso, who did not venture back out as a cut was found on the left rear tyre allocated for the morning session. Hulkenberg put his Force India up into seventh place ahead of Massa and Kamui Kobayashi. Vettel split the two McLarens and D'Ambrosio called it quits with an engine issue.

There was plenty of action in the final ten minutes with drivers putting in their final runs. Button moved up to second place, Hamilton improved his P1 time, Adrian Sutil claimed fifth place and Sergio Perez put his Sauber up into eighth.

Times
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.865 18 laps
02. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:24.786 + 0.921 19 laps
03. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:25.231 + 1.366 25 laps
04. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:25.459 + 1.594 24 laps
05. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:26.550 + 2.685 23 laps
06. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:26.625 + 2.760 20 laps
07. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:26.647 + 2.782 20 laps
08. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26.676 + 2.811 24 laps
09. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.694 + 2.829 28 laps
10. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:26.696 + 2.831 15 laps
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:26.699 + 2.834 21 laps
12. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:26.826 + 2.961 21 laps
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:26.836 + 2.971 25 laps
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.996 + 3.131 29 laps
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1:27.365 + 3.500 25 laps
16. Bruno Senna Renault 1:27.385 + 3.520 23 laps
17. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:27.433 + 3.568 25 laps
18. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.492 + 3.627 24 laps
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1:29.539 + 5.674 10 laps
20. Karun Chandhok Lotus-Renault 1:30.148 + 6.283 19 laps
21. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1:30.609 + 6.744 27 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1:30.619 + 6.754 24 laps
23. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:31.052 + 7.187 12 laps
24. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:31.899 + 8.034 22 laps

Source: Planet-F1

The Ferrari elephant at Monza for Telethon

On the Thursday of the Italian Grand Prix, the strange sight of a life-sized baby elephant, in the colours and sporting the emblem of the Maranello Scuderia. Created in Maranello, it is all in aid of the Elephant Parade, a famous event in Milan, supported by the local cultural department, with the aim of highlighting the threat of extinction to the Asian Elephant. “Nello T” is the name of the elephant model and it was paraded in front of the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality area, where it was signed by the drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, team principal Stefano Domenicali and all team members working in the garage.

Previous editions of this event have been held in Rotterdam, London, Antwerp and Amsterdam and this year’s in, Milan will be one of eighty created by popular artists and designers. Taking its inspiration from the Ferrari drivers’ race suits, Nello T weighs 65 kilos and is 1m 60 high. Chosen as a symbol of originality and technical worth, it will be on display in the Piazza Liberty in front of the Ferrari Store, from 16 September, before then being sold at auction on 22 November. Part of the proceeds will go to the Asian Elephant Foundation, with another going to Telethon’s support of research into genetic diseases, underlining the close links between Ferrari and Telethon and its efforts in supporting research.

Source: Ferrari.com

Lewis Hamilton insists his focus is on F1

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed suggestions his celebrity lifestyle is proving a hindrance to a Formula One career he admits is failing to hit the heights.

The Belgian Grand Prix 10 days ago proved to be another low point for Hamilton in what has so far been a rollercoaster campaign.

Hamilton took full responsibility for crashing into a barrier after colliding with Kamui Kobayashi in his Sauber, his sixth accident in a race this year.

Unsurprisingly, the legends have again had their say as Sir Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda have both reminded Hamilton this week of the old motor-racing adage: to finish first, first you have to finish.

A week later Hamilton was appearing on Jonathan Ross' new chat show on ITV - uncomfortably reviewing the crash at one point - alongside pop star Adele and Sex In The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

In dating pop star girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, employing a high-profile management company in XIX Entertainment and amassing an A-list telephone directory on his mobile, it has been suggested Hamilton has become too easily distracted.

Over the years the 26-year-old has been photographed with the likes of rapper P Diddy and producer Pharrell Williams, and appearing at movie and music awards, and various after-show parties.

Asked by Press Association Sport, prior to his appearance on Ross' show, whether it was a scene he was now pulling back from, Hamilton replied: "No. I'm not searching for it, but I still love doing that stuff.

"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."

Hamilton is naturally grateful for the lifestyle he has, however there are moments when he would love to savour normality.

Hamilton felt he briefly experienced that with Scherzinger during the summer break when they were able to walk on a beach together, unhurried and hassle free.

"It didn't seem like we had all eyes on us. We were treated like normal, regular people, and it felt pretty awesome," said Hamilton.

"Not that I would ever give up what I am doing. People look from the outside and say 'I would give anything to be in his position'.

"That is absolutely right because I would give anything to be in my position as well.

"But it doesn't matter how much money you have, you can't have everything, and I do sometimes miss some small moments of my past.

"They're not big enough to want to go back completely, but it's nice to be able to taste them now and again.

"It's a different part of reality, a different life."

It is back to reality this weekend for Hamilton with the Italian Grand Prix, and an opportunity to put behind him the embarrassment felt with his latest shunt which has left him trailing Sebastian Vettel by 113 points in the drivers' standings.

Asked as to what goes through his mind when he steps from a wrecked car, Hamilton replied: "That I'm not going to see the end of the race.

"You have a lot of anger. I just feel angry at myself. I don't think it's something to be ashamed of when you make mistakes.

"Sometimes you are in situations and you don't know how they've come about, but it is what it is and you just deal with it.

"It can be embarrassing if you're walking away in a race you know you should be leading.

"It's embarrassing for your family at home, for your guests, for your friends, so it probably has more of an impact on you inside."

Source: The Independent

Italian Grand Prix Press Conference Schedule 2011

No surprises that Italian duo Tonio Liuzzi and Jarno Trulli as well as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will face the press at Monza on Thursday

All times are local (Italy is GMT +2)

Thursday, September 08 - 15h00:
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
Tonio Liuzzi (HRT)
Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Jarno Trulli (Lotus)
Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Friday, September 09 - 16h00:
Giorgio Ascanelli (Toro Rosso)
Eric Boullier (Renault)
Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari)
Tim Goss (McLaren)
Peter Sauber (Sauber)

Saturday, September 10 - post qualifying: Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, September 11 - post race: First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Massa's Blog: Important to do our job perfectly

Since the Belgian Grand Prix, I spent some time at the factory having meetings and working on the simulator and apart from that, I have been at home in Monaco. On Wednesday, I head back to Maranello for some promotional work and the World Premiere of the new 458 Spider, before taking the short drive down to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. I’m sure I don’t have to add that this is a weekend I am really looking forward to. I first raced in Italy way back in 2000, the year I was competing in Formula Renault. Italy definitely feels like my country, starting with the fact that I have Italian roots, going back to my grandfather who was born in the south of the Italy. My family has always had a very Italian tradition at home in Brazil, so it was a natural thing for me to move to Italy to pursue my career and my dream of being a Formula 1 driver. I remember everyone said that you need to go and race in England, because if you don’t do that then you will not get to Formula 1. But I took a different direction, having a career in Italy. It seems to have worked because not only did I become a Formula 1 driver, I became a Ferrari Formula 1 driver! Italy is therefore a very important country for me and I love to go there, especially to race. It is a big part of my life and combined with the fact that this weekend is the home race for the whole team, clearly the Monza weekend is something really special for me.

I can still remember my first race at Monza: I was competing in Formula Renault and had two races, one on Saturday in the Italian series and the other on Sunday in the European championship and I won them both. In fact, it was not my first ever race in Italy, which actually took place at Mugello and I’m pleased to say I won that one too. When I first came to Italy, I lived quite close to Monza, in a place called Erba. I lived there for a year, as I had a place just opposite the workshop of the team I raced for, living in the house that belonged to my team boss. So this weekend is very much a second home race and one where I usually meet plenty of people from my racing past in the Monza paddock.

Back to 2011 and of course this is a very important weekend for us. Not in the sense of it being a last chance for us this year or anything like that, but because we really want to produce a great result for ourselves, for the team and most of all for the fans. Spa was not fantastic for us and the cold weather accentuated our tyre problems, but this weekend, we have the same tyre compounds but hopefully much hotter weather. We will need a car with good top speed. Like all the teams, we will have a low downforce set-up unique to Monza, with small wings and in free practice you need to make sure the car is well balanced with good traction to pull out of the slow chicanes and that it is able to deal with jumping the kerbs, which is vital for a quick lap time, especially in qualifying.

As for the race, I think we will see a lot of overtaking, because of the high speed nature of the track and the fact we will have two zones where we can use the DRS. I’m not saying it will be an advantage to be lying second coming into Parabolica on the last lap to overtake the car in front, because if you have a good car, it’s probably a better strategy to pass before then and pull out a gap that is bigger than one second. However, if you are fighting right down to the last lap, that could be the case, which would make for a very exciting race. At this point of the season, it is not difficult to predict that Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren and of course Red Bull Racing will be the main contenders. However, Mercedes have shown they have possibly the best top speed on the straight out of all of us and as that is so important at this circuit, they could also have some influence on the final result.

Monza is our last weekend of racing in Europe this year and, because this season has not gone so well for us, it will be even more important to do our job perfectly and try and get the result that we and all the tifosi want and deserve. For my part, I can’t wait to drive through those historic gates of the Monza park on Thursday morning, then start driving on Friday, leading up to trying to improve on my third place from last year. Standing on that incredible podium which hangs over the pit lane, looking down at the crowd, is a great experience and I want to do it again on Sunday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Vettel might retire before he turns thirty

Sebastian Vettel has refused to rule out hanging up his formula one helmet long before his thirtieth birthday.

As a 21-year-old rookie three years ago, the German became F1′s youngest ever grand prix winner at Monza at the wheel of a Toro Rosso.

Now, he is cruising to his second consecutive title, having signed up with Red Bull’s premier team for the next three years.

But beyond 2014, he is refusing to commit.

“My contract is until then and I am not really looking much further right now,” Vettel told the German edition of Playboy.

“Maybe in four or five years I will have no more desire for formula one and will want to do something different.

“At the moment I can’t imagine it but you should never say never,” he added.

“The feeling I get when I’m racing is that it’s so much fun and gives me more satisfaction than anything else in life.

“You have the tremendous forces on your body when you step on the brakes and turn the wheel, your brain screams ‘Stop, that’s impossible! But then the car shows you that it can be done.”

The magazine said Vettel, despite his considerable earnings, has inexpensive tastes — like his DVD collection and the fact his favourite vehicle is a VW bus.

Why the VW?: “Because you can do everything with it. You can even plug a freezer into the cigarette lighter,” Vettel laughed. “There is really nothing on which I need to spend very much money.”

Source: YallaF1

Video: Lewis Hamilton On The Jonathan Ross Show

Source: AttitudeEra90

'Alonso & Schumi the only leaders in F1'

Stefano Domenicali reckons there are only two leaders in F1, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, although Seb Vettel is heading that way

In an interview with Bild, the Ferrari team boss spoke about what makes a team a great team and one of those aspects is having a true leader at the helm.

But, out of 24 drivers on the grid, he believes Formula One currently has just two leader drivers, Alonso and Schumacher.

"Really, there are only two and they are Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. I see no others," Domenicali said.

Asked about Sebastian Vettel given that he won the title with Red Bull last season, Domenicali said: "Vettel is still not a leader.

"He is on the way there but he is still not as far as Michael and Fernando. He is simply too young and still has to gain experience."

Pressed as to what makes a good leader, he said: "Look at Michael and Fernando. I see many parallels. Both are fighting like lions to get their team to the front.

"They take care of details that others don't notice. And of course people listen to them because they have a lot of experience.

"Sebastian is close but right now there are only two."

But whether Domenicali considers Vettel to be a leader or not, Ferrari are still being beaten by the German this season in what is looking set to be the second year that Red Bull take the double.

Asked for his thoughts on that, Domenicali said: "Not very pleased.

"But with all due respect, they have a title, we have 16. If Red Bull wins half as many as we have then perhaps we need to rethink.

"The question is who has the better foundation. We are currently building a new Ferrari and then we'll start a great period."

He added: "We are between 70 and 80 percent. Our advantage: we have not last any key people like other top teams."

Source: Planet-F1