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Eye injury could end Massa’s career

July 27th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘We don’t know if he’ll be able to race again’ says doctor
• ‘Improving’ Massa visited by Barrichello and Brawn

Felipe Massa’s Formula One career appears to be hanging in the balance following confirmation that he has suffered some damage to his left eye.

Massa is in intensive care at the AEK military hospital in Budapest after suffering a skull fracture following a freak accident on Saturday during qualifying for the Hungarian grand prix.

Although the 28-year-old, still in a medically induced coma, has shown signs of improvement after undergoing emergency surgery, it has emerged that Massa may have sustained eye problems. If that is the case, and the Brazilian is unable to see properly in the future, it will mean his days in motor racing are over.

Professor Robert Veres said: “He has suffered some damage to the eye. We don’t know if he’ll be able to race again.”

Earlier today it was reported that Massa had “a quiet night” as he continued his recovery.

After yesterday’s race at the Hungaroring, Massa was visited by the Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and the Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello and team principal, Ross Brawn.

It was a spring that had worked loose on Barrichello’s car that hit Massa on his helmet at 162mph, causing his injuries and subsequent crash into a tyre barrier.

A Ferrari spokesman said: “Felipe had a quiet night. He is OK, and he is due to have another CT scan today.”

Doctors at the hospital were encouraged by the positive results of yesterday’s first CT scan following surgery and hoped that Massa would continue to show steady improvement.

A spokesman for the Hungarian defence ministry, under whose jurisdiction the hospital is run, has been quoted as saying on local television that Massa is starting to “communicate actively”.

“He reacts when he’s spoken to. We are optimistic a slow recovery is beginning,” said Istvan Bocskai, who also confirmed Massa could move his hands and legs.

FIA president Max Mosley has, meanwhile, asked for an investigation to be launched into recent debris-related accidents in Formula One and Formula Two.

The FIA safety commission, which is made up of medical and technical representatives from all areas of motor sport, will submit a report and recommendations to the world motor sport council.

It follows the incident involving Massa and the death of the teenage Formula Two driver Henry Surtees at Brands Hatch when his car was struck by a wheel which had come off a rival’s car.

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Eye injury could end Massa’s career

July 27th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘We are optimistic a slow recovery is beginning’
• Results of ultrasound show positive progress

Felipe Massa is out of imminent life-threatening danger but the Ferrari driver is being kept under sedation to protect his brain after his accident, doctors said today.

“We can say that the immediate life-threatening condition has been averted but a complication could make it life-threatening again,” said Robert Veres, the doctor who performed surgery on Massa. “Currently he is in a severe but not critical condition and he is stable.”

The Brazilian fractured his skull in an accident during qualifying for the Hungarian grand prix on Saturday when he was hit on the head by a bouncing spring, weighing almost a kilo, that broke free from compatriot Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn car.

Veres said Massa, last year’s championship runner-up, had signs of brain swelling. He said the driver was likely to miss the rest of the season.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who flew to Budapest today to visit Massa, said his main concern for the time being was Massa’s recovery and the team would consider his possible replacement later.

“For us, the first priority is to find out Felipe’s recovery progress and situation,” Di Montezemolo said. “Felipe is a very important member of the Ferrari family not just the Ferrari team. First priority now is to find out the situation with Felipe and then we will see and we will think, without pressure. Only at that moment will we make a decision and if we have to take a decision we will make a good decision.”

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Hamilton deflects credit after triumph

July 26th, 2009 | No Comments

• Driver praises McLaren’s preparations for Hungaroring
• ‘We have caught up quite a bit. The car felt fantastic’

Lewis Hamilton said he and McLaren had never given up hope before winning today’s Hungarian grand prix, their first victory since China in October 2008. The British driver, whose car had underperformed all season, came from fourth on the grid to win, helped by Fernando Alonso, the early leader, being eliminated when a tyre flew off his Renault.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be back here after what feels such a long time away and with such a struggle with me and my team,” said Hamilton, pictured left. “I’m just so proud of the guys, as I go into the factory and I see how hard everyone is pushing. Everyone wants to win just as much as I do.

“They have never given up, which is something very rare to see in such a large group of people. I am very proud of them. We didn’t expect to win this weekend. Undoubtedly we have caught up quite a bit but we never felt we had the pace to win. But the car felt fantastic and it is incredibly special to get back up here, not only on the podium, but to get a win. It’s amazing.”

Hamilton, the reigning world champion, has suffered a deeply frustrating season with a car which, until now, has been woefully off the pace. The Briton’s new competitiveness was confirmed on lap one when he accelerated past Mark Webber, who finished third in his Red Bull, a place behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

“We have made some serious improvements and now it is a much better balanced car,” Hamilton said. “Even though we had fantastic pace today it could have gone either way. The wind direction maybe could have changed and perhaps it would have suited the Ferrari or the Red Bull better than us. But everything just sort of fell into place today… For sure, we hope that we can compete for more podiums but we still have work to do. We have just got to keep pushing.”

It was not such a good day for Jenson Button, whose championship lead was cut to 18½ points after he finished a distant seventh. Button and Brawn GP had been hoping to return to form after two disappointing races. “Today, after four laps, my tyres were destroyed,” lamented Button, who started from eighth on the grid. “I just couldn’t keep up with the cars in front. The plan was to stay with them and then, because I had more fuel on board, go a lot longer and make up places. But I don’t know why we had the problem with the tyres. I don’t think we can blame the weather today.

“You could say that McLaren and Ferrari have improved but the fact is that our car is not what it was to drive two or three races ago. There is obviously an issue and we need to solve it. The only positive for us is that [Sebastian] Vettel didn’t score points and Webber only finished third. We were helped in that respect by McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen finishing second for Ferrari.”

Renault were suspended from the next race in Spain after Alonso had left the pits with an insecure front wheel that fell off on the next lap. Renault have appealed against the decision.

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Hamilton returns to winning ways

July 26th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘It’s been a long time’ says delighted McLaren driver
• Fernando Alonso handed suspension for European grand prix

Lewis Hamilton had almost forgotten the routine for the first three finishers. Today the world champion, for two seasons so familiar with it, had to remind himself of the procedure after winning the Hungarian grand prix and finishing on the podium for the first time in 2009.

“Great to see you. It’s been a long time,” he said as he walked beaming into the conference room along with Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber. Hamilton’s obvious pleasure came from reacquainting himself with spraying victory champagne and appreciating the McLaren team’s efforts in returning him to the podium. “This has been a huge leap for us,” he said. “We definitely deserve this after such a long time and after a season that has been very hard on everyone in the team.”

Once the McLaren engineers had finally established the fundamental faults with a car that Hamilton had, at times, found impossible to drive, the Woking team worked flat out to produce and test new parts, the latest changes to the front wing arriving on Friday. Hamilton rewarded the effort by qualifying fourth but confessed yesterday that he did not expect to win.

“It could have gone either way,” he said. “But everything just sort of fell into place. I had quite a good start. It was very close and I immediately got into a fight with Mark [Webber]. He was very fair and I was able to use Kers to good advantage.”

McLaren and Ferrari are the only two teams persisting with Kers energy retention, a system which was not expected to deliver a significant performance advantage on the twists and turns of the Hungaroring. But Hamilton and Raikkonen, who finished second for Ferrari, used the 6.5sec power boost on the main straight as a means of keeping the opposition at bay.

Hamilton’s cause was helped by Renault’s plans for a first win this season coming apart within 12 laps. Fernando Alonso had claimed pole position by running with a light load of fuel during qualifying and planning to stop three times for fuel as opposed to the two-stop strategy favoured by everyone else. Alonso took the lead as planned but was soon slowed by fuel pump problems. The denouement for the former world champion was more embarrassing when he lost a front wheel shortly after his first pit stop, letting Hamilton into a lead he would not lose.

Renault, world champions in 2006 and 2007, were suspended from the next race in Valencia, a home grand prix for Alonso. The team have appealed. The stewards decided that Alonso was released from his pit in the knowledge that the wheel securing nut was not in position “which resulted in a heavy part of the car detaching at Turn 5 and the wheel itself detaching at Turn 9″. It is perhaps no coincidence that the decision comes a week after Henry Surtees was killed by an errant wheel at Brands Hatch.

“Maybe we would not have won but we definitely missed an opportunity to finish on the podium,” said Alonso, before hearing the stewards’ decision. “The car was quick but there was a problem fitting the right-front wheel at the first pit stop. When I left the pits there was a lot of vibration and it felt like I had a puncture. But then a few corners later the wheel flew off my car. I made it back to the pits for a replacement but a problem I’d had with my fuel pump since lap two returned and I had to retire.”

It might have been Raikkonen assuming the lead had the Finn managed to overtake Hamilton during an eventful first lap as the Ferrari driver elbowed his way past Nico Rosberg’s Williams, the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen and Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull.

“I had a collision on the first corner with Kimi,” said Vettel. “I was on the inside and had a clear run to accelerate, his car came sideways and we touched. He crashed into my car; it can happen. At some point the front-left suspension gave up and we had to retire the car. There are still a few races left this season and the championship fight is still on.”

Vettel dropped to third place on the points standings after Webber finished on the podium for the fourth race in succession. “I think Lewis thoroughly deserved to win today,” said Webber. “It was a good day for the sport to have McLaren and Ferrari back up there.”

Jenson Button, although disappointed with the performance of his Brawn, ought to agree because Hamilton and Raikkonen claimed points that otherwise would have gone to Webber, now Button’s closest championship rival. Button’s team never fully recovered from the setback during qualifying when a rear spring fell off Rubens Barrichello’s car and caused the serious accident involving Felipe Massa. Button’s qualifying was compromised as safety checks were made to his car but the championship leader was not happy from the outset of the race, complaining that he could barely drive the car.

Hamilton had made similar comments about his McLaren during previous races and Button can only hope that his team can recover lost ground during the summer break before the European grand prix on 23 August.

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Hamilton returns to winning ways

July 26th, 2009 | No Comments

• Hamilton scores first victory since October
• Raikkonen faces steward inquiry over crash

Lewis Hamilton produced a faultless display in Hungary to claim his and McLaren’s first grand prix victory of the season, ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

The reigning formula one world champion began the race in fourth place on the grid, but made a superb passing move on Webber to take second place after five laps, before the leader Fernando Alonso went into the pits after claiming pole position with a light fuel load.

Alonso was forced out of the race shortly after his pit stop, when a problem with his right front tyre saw it fly off the Renault and bounce down the track. It was a worrying moment in the race, thoughts of Henry Surtees’ tragic death and Felipe Massa’s accident on Saturday inevitably coming to mind.

But Hamilton, who assumed the race lead when Alonso pitted, maintained his composure to produce the kind of race that have made him one of the most respected drivers on the grid.

There were few threats from other competitors, and he crossed the finish line 70 laps later with Raikkonen and Webber taking second and third positions.

A naturally delighted Hamilton said: “It’s an incredible feeling to be back here after what feels such a long time away and given the struggles for my team. But I’m so proud of them. They’ve never given up, which is so rare to see in a large group of people.

“We didn’t expect to win this weekend. Naturally we’ve caught up, but we didn’t think we had the pace, so it’s very special to win this one.”

Raikkonen could yet be stripped of second following a first-corner collision with Sebastian Vettel that is to be investigated by the stewards.

Webber closed the gap to Jenson Button at the top of the driver’s standings to 18.5 points. The world championship leader had his worst result of the season in the Brawn GP car, finishing in seventh place.

Result

1 Lewis Hamilton

2 Kimi Räikkönen +11.5 secs

3 Mark Webber +16.8 secs

4 Nico Rosberg +26.9 secs

5 Heikki Kovalainen +34.3 secs

6 Timo Glock +35.2 secs

7 Jenson Button +55.0 secs

8 Jarno Trulli +68.1 secs

9 Kazuki Nakajima +68.7 secs

10 Rubens Barrichello +69.2 secs

Overall standings

1) Jenson Button 70

2) Mark Webber 51.5

3) Sebastian Vettel 47

4) Rubens Barrichello 44

5) Nico Rosberg 25.5

6) Jarno Trulli 22.5

7) Felipe Massa 22

8) Lewis Hamilton 19

9) Kimi Räikkönen 18

10) Timo Glock 16

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Massa to stay in coma for 48 hours

July 26th, 2009 | No Comments

• Massa in ‘life-threatening’ but stable condition
• Brazilian’s scull fractured in two places

Felipe Massa will be kept in an induced coma for 48 hours following surgery after fracturing his skull in two places during a freak accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver was struck on the helmet by a part from the Brawn GP car of his countryman Rubens Barrichello on the fastest part of the track, before crashing into a tyre wall yesterday.

AEK hospital medical director Peter Bazso said today that the Brazilian remains in a “life-threatening” but stable condition despite the “reassuring” results of his surgery on multiple skull fractures. Bazso told reporters that Massa would remain in an induced coma for the next 48 hours, but will be woken up periodically during that time. He said the 28-year-old Brazilian did not sustain any neurological damage as a result of the high-speed crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

A Ferrari statement today read: “After undergoing an operation yesterday afternoon, Felipe Massa’s condition remains stable and there were no further complications through the night. He will be given another CT scan today which will provide more precise information.”

The 28-year-old was hit by a spring that had worked loose from Barrichello’s car during the middle 15-minute period of qualifying. The spring was seen bouncing along the Hungaroring track before flying over the front of Massa’s Ferrari that was travelling at 170mph, striking the Brazilian on the helmet just over his left eye. Massa appeared to be knocked unconscious, with his right foot jamming down on the throttle as he drove straight into a tyre barrier.

Photographs emerged showing a fist-sized dent in his helmet, and with the visor up, there was a large cut over the stricken driver’s blackened left eye.

Massa was initially treated at the circuit’s medical centre before being taken by helicopter to Budapest’s AEK military hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

A Ferrari official later described the operation as a “success”. It is now hoped the brain scan later today will confirm Massa is on his way to recovery.

The McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said the accident should be a warning against complacency. “You can never do enough to improve the safety in Formula One,” he said. “Motor racing is dangerous and racing drivers are incredibly brave, and that is something we should all remember. Every time a racing driver goes up the pit lane we become a bit nonchalant about it.

“Sometimes we give them a hard time if we don’t think they are pushing hard enough, but in fact they’re incredibly brave. In Formula One we’ve perhaps concentrated too much on politics. We’ve got to get back to the championship, the fight, the show and safety.”

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Massa suffers skull fracture in crash

July 26th, 2009 | No Comments

• Massa flown to hospital for immediate surgery above left eye
• Fernando Alonso on pole following timing system failure

Felipe Massa was airlifted to a Budapest hospital with a skull fracture as the result of an injury received during qualifying for today’s Hungarian grand prix. The Brazilian was knocked unconscious when a spring, which had become detached from the rear suspension of Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn, struck Massa on the head as he reached 175mph on one of the fastest sections of the Hungaroring.

The Ferrari cut the inside of the left-hand bend that followed soon after, ran straight across a run-off area and embedded itself in a quadruple-layer tyre barrier. The qualifying session was stopped as Massa was removed to the track’s medical centre and stabilised before being flown to hospital, where he successfully underwent emergency surgery. The hospital released a statement last night saying Massa’s condition is serious but stable, adding that surgeons expect him to be awoken this morning after being kept sedated on a respirator overnight.

The spring, weighing around 700 grammes, had somehow penetrated the top of his visor and injured Massa above the left eye, perilously close to the cornea. The accident came six days after 18-year-old Henry Surtees died of injuries received when he was struck on the head by an errant wheel in another freak accident during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.

The Brawn team is trying to understand why a standard suspension part, which had previously given no trouble, should suddenly come adrift. The Brawn of Barrichello’s team-mate, Jenson Button, received a thorough check, the delay preventing the leader of the championship from completing as many laps as he would have liked when the final part of qualifying, Q3, resumed. As this crucial phase of the weekend neared its conclusion, qualifying descended to farce when the electronic timing systems failed.

The nine remaining drivers in Q3 climbed from their cars without knowing who had won pole. Each driver had his individual lap time showing on the cockpit display and it was only by comparing times that Fernando Alonso began to realise he had qualified on pole position for the first time in almost two years. “This was a really stressful qualifying,” said the Renault driver. “There was a yellow flag towards the end of Q1 and, at that stage, I was 15th fastest and in danger of not making it [among the fastest 15] to Q2.

“When the track was clear, I had just one lap to do a time without making mistakes and I managed it. Then, at the end, the timing was not working. I asked other drivers what time they had done in order to get a reference and when everyone was saying times which were slower than mine, I started to get excited.”

Mark Webber did not think he had done enough. The winner of the previous grand prix in Germany was heading for a shower when told he would be joining his Red Bull team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, in the press conference for the fastest three qualifiers. “I made a mistake at Turn 2, so I knew Sebastian was faster,” said Webber. “But I thought I hadn’t been quick enough. I had no idea who was on pole. So congratulations to Fernando; that makes it three Renault-engined cars at the front. And Seb and I are in a position to capitalise on the Brawns not doing so well.”

The problem with Barrichello’s car consigned the Brazilian to the 13th fastest time, five places behind Button. It was not the performance Brawn had hoped for after introducing development parts that should have combined with the tight, twisting circuit to return the championship leaders to the front after disappointing races at the Nürburgring and Silverstone.

“I missed most of Q3,” said Button. “We had a failure at the back of Rubens’s car, so we changed my car and put a new part on. That took time and meant I missed my first run. I therefore had more fuel on board than I should have done when doing my time at the end of the session. Eighth is not great and I’m starting on the dirty side of the track.”

Button is hoping that Lewis Hamilton, fourth fastest, will use the Kers performance boost on the McLaren to overtake the Red Bulls on the downhill run to the first corner. There could also be unintentional assistance from Alonso, who is not expecting to win after qualifying with a very light load of fuel.

“It’s always nice to start from pole, especially here because overtaking is difficult,” said Alonso. “Also, this circuit is special for me because I won my first grand prix here in 2003. But, to be honest, our aim is to get on to the podium for the first time this season.” Rather than thinking about Alonso, Vettel is more concerned about the immediate challenge from behind, not only from Hamilton and the fifth-place Williams of Nico Rosberg, but Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, both of which have the Kers energy retention system.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle, so it’s a bit of a surprise to be on the front row,” said Vettel. “The main thing is that we are ahead of the Brawns. The biggest threat is right behind us and it’s a question of whether they will pass us on the right or the left on the run to the first corner.”

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Massa crashes in qualifying race

July 25th, 2009 | No Comments

• Alonso takes pole with Red Bull duo second and third
• Button qualifies in eighth with Hamilton fourth

Felipe Massa is to undergo surgery following his accident in today’s Hungarian grand prix qualifying.

Although word emerged after a chaotic session that Massa was “okay” after being airlifted to a nearby Budapest hospital, Ferrari later confirmed the Brazilian would need an operation.

A statement read: “After the accident during the qualifying session, Felipe was airlifted to the AEK hospital in Budapest. Felipe was conscious at the arrival of the hospital, and his general conditions remain stable.

“Following a complete medical examination, it emerged he had suffered a cut on his forehead, bone damage to his skull and a brain concussion. These conditions need to be operated on after which he will remain under observation in intensive care.”

A Ferrari official confirmed the Brazilian “was hit by something on the helmet, losing control of the car” in the closing stages of the middle 15-minute session. Both team principal Stefano Domenicali and team spokesperson Luca Colajanni later confirmed Massa was out of the event.

The 28-year-old was struck by a piece of debris deposited by Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP.

Replays showed a part of the car coming off the Brawn and bouncing along the same area of the Hungaroring track where the drama began for Massa. Massa later caught the debris, on one of his hot laps, which then bounced up, striking his helmet and knocking him unconscious. Massa’s feet must have relaxed at that point, one on the throttle as on-screen graphics showed it remained open, the other on the brake as there were skid marks across the considerable run-off area before he ploughed nose first into a tyre barrier. The fact Massa made no attempt to turn out of the impact appeared to underline the fact he was not conscious as he hurtled into the tyres.

With Massa stricken in the car, photographs later emerged showing a fist-sized dent in his helmet, and with his visor up, there was a large cut over a blackened left eye. Massa was soon attended to by trackside medics before being taken to the circuit’s medical centre, then to hospital for further examination 22 minutes after his crash.

To add to the drama, the timing screens went black towards the end of the top-10 shootout, throwing everybody into confusion as not even the drivers had a clue as to who had taken pole. After several minutes, it finally came through that Fernando Alonso for Renault had taken pole, followed by the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, with Lewis Hamilton fourth for McLaren.

It was the double world champion’s first pole since the Italian Grand Prix in 2007, and the 18th of his career. Explaining the chaos at the end, Alonso said: “We were chatting amongst ourselves in parc ferme trying to find out what happened. It was a fantastic effort from the team. We put in some new parts at the Nurburging [German Grand Prix], and we’ve showed we have made a step forward.”

Behind world champion Hamilton will be Williams’ Nico Rosberg, the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with championship leader Jenson Button down in eighth. The heat of Budapest was meant to aid Button’s cause after the cool of Britain and Germany had led to Red Bull one-twos in the last two races. But not even the sunshine could come to Button’s aid, and his 21-point lead in the title race threatens to be eroded further at the Hungaroring.

Behind Button are Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima, with Massa 10th as he naturally took no part in the closing 10 minutes, however, he will be in a position to race tomorrow.

In the 15-minute Q2, the biggest loser was Rubens Barrichello, with the Brazilian failing to make it into the top 10 for the first time this season due to the part that broke off his car.

The 37-year-old will start a miserable 13th, with that failure potentially wrecking his championship chances, which could now prompt Brawn into putting all their eggs into Button’s basket.

Although rookie Jaime Alguersuari became the youngest to take part in a Formula One qualifying session, there was no fairytale for the 19-year-old. Alguersuari had run faultlessly through three practice sessions, at least proving he was anything but “a danger” as suggested by triple world champion Niki Lauda.

In qualifying, however, Alguersuari was undermined by an electrical fault that forced him to pull his Toro Rosso off track in the final sector. Come the conclusion of the 20-minute period, Alguersuari sat at the bottom of the timesheets, in many respects where he was expected to finish even if his car had not let him down.

Grid positions after qualifying

1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1min 21.569secs, 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:21.607, 3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:21.741, 4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:21.839, 5 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:21.890, 6 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:22.095, 7 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:22.468, 8 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:22.511, 9 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:22.835, 10 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.002, 11 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:21.082, 12 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:21.222, 13 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:21.242, 14 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) Renault 1:21.389, 15 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:21.738, 16 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:21.807, 17 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:21.868, 18 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:21.901, 19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.359. Not racing: 10 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari No time

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Lewis Hamilton fastest in practice

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

• Briton unexpectedly tops standings at Nürburgring
• Sebastian Vettel third fastest ahead of Jensen Button

Lewis Hamilton pulled off a major surprise by setting the fastest time in practice for Sunday’s German grand prix. The world champion had the No1 alongside his name, to match that on his car, for only the second time in practice in what has so far been a season to forget.

Hamilton had suggested yesterday that little would change in the wake of a wretched sequence of results which has seen him fail to make the second round of qualifying at the last three grands prix.

With just nine points from eight races to date, Hamilton currently trails the championship leader Jenson Button by 55 points, with McLaren’s focus already starting to switch towards next season. Yet the 24-year-old found himself out in front at the end of the two 90-minute sessions at the Nürburgring – the scene of the worst accident of his career two years ago when he his car ploughed nose first into a barrier at 175mph.

Despite a late spin, Hamilton put up a time of 1min 32.149sec that no-one was able to better in the closing stages, pushing Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel down into second.

Vettel had looked set to cheer his home fans by taking top spot, but the 22-year-old was 0.182sec adrift. Button was third in his Brawn, just 0.220sec down, whilst Mark Webber – fastest in the morning session – had to settle for fourth in his Red Bull, 0.331sec behind Hamilton.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli again fared well in fifth, and with the gremlins taken care of after a truncated morning run, Adrian Sutil was sixth in his Force India. It was an up-and-down day for Force India, as Giancarlo Fisichella, who was also sixth in the morning, crashed out in the afternoon when he spun into a barrier, ripping off his nose cone.

There was also drama in the paddock when German police attempted to impound the team’s assets due to a contractual dispute just before first practice. The situation was swiftly resolved by Force India officials, with the promise their weekend will continue without further disruption.

Behind Sutil, Button’s Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello was seventh, with Renault’s Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet sandwiching Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima in eighth, ninth and 10th.

The Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were 12th and 16th, with the latter’s Finnish compatriot Heikki Kovalainen 17th in his McLaren, 1.575sec behind team-mate Hamilton.

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24 hours in sport pictures

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

The best sports pictures from around the globe in the last 24 hours


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F1 teams revive breakaway plans

July 8th, 2009 | No Comments

• Talks between Fota and FIA president Max Mosley break down
• Teams told they do not yet have entries for 2010 championship

The prospect of a breakaway Formula One world championship was dramatically revived yesterday when the technical directors of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) walked out of a meeting with FIA representatives and said the sport’s future was “in jeopardy”.

After weeks of tense negotiation it had been thought that the eight Fota teams, which include Ferrari and McLaren in addition to this year’s pace-setters Brawn GP, had been edging closer to a deal with the FIA that would see the sport’s governing body secure its long-desired budget cuts by reducing costs on a progressive basis over the next couple of years.

However, today’s meeting, which the FIA president, Max Mosley, claimed was convened simply to agree the final points of detail, ended in acrimony after Fota concluded that the FIA was again attempting to move the goalposts at the last moment.

A statement from Fota said its members had no choice but to walk out when the FIA representative, Charlie Whiting, said that as things stand the eight teams do not have official entries in the 2010 world championship and could not have any input into the rules. This is despite the fact that the FIA has published an entry list including the eight Fota teams and that the rules appeared to have been agreed between both parties last month.

The FIA’s unpredictable behaviour at yesterday’s meeting at the Nürburgring, where Sunday’s German grand prix will be staged, has left the Formula One community guessing over Mosley’s long-term intentions. It may be an attempt to reassert the governing body’s authority and keep Fota talking with the FIA for as long as possible. The longer talks continue, the less likely it will be that Fota will have time to organise a breakaway series for 2010.

In addition to the eight Fota-aligned teams, the meeting included representatives of Williams and Force India, plus those from the three new teams accepted for the 2010 championship, Manor F1, Campos Meta and Team US F1.

The meeting came at the end of a turbulent week for the sport in which Mosley – to Fota’s annoyance – made it clear that the new teams must have as much of a say in the new regulations as the established ones.

“Max really seems to have gone out of his way to wind everybody up on this issue,” said one team insider who preferred not to be identified. “Spelling out that the new teams should have a voice over the new rules was extremely provocative. Most of us think that they should not be allowed a vote on these matters, although by all means let them attend the meetings and listen to what is being discussed.”

It remains to be seen whether the Fota teams will seek more meetings with Mosley over the terms of their participation in the official 2010 world championship or strike out on their own in a bid to establish an independent series.

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Ecclestone pulls out of GP event

July 8th, 2009 | No Comments

• F1 shareholder CVC ‘shocked’ by Ecclestone’s remarks
• Attendance at Sunday’s German grand prix still expected

Bernie Ecclestone has pulled out of an appearance at the opening of a leisure centre at the Nürburgring – location for this weekend’s German grand prix – as the furore over his remarks about Adolf Hitler refuses to abate.

A spokesman said simply that the Formula One figurehead had cancelled his visit. It is understood, though, that Ecclestone will still be attending the race this weekend, but his position has been hit further by a statement from CVC, the private equity group that owns the commercial rights to Formula One, expressing “shock” at comments made by the 78-year-old.

CVC is known to look after investments for a number of Jewish funds. The company bought out Ecclestone for a reported $1bn in 2005, though in practice Ecclestone, who retains a shareholding in the sport, still oversees day-to-day control of its administration.

“CVC was shocked at the comments made by Bernie Ecclestone on Saturday,” the firm said. “And we fully concur with the unreserved apology that was made by Mr Ecclestone yesterday.”

In an interview, Ecclestone described Hitler as a man who “got things done”. He later expressed his regret, saying: “I am extremely distressed and embarrassed that these remarks have been used as suggesting I support Hitler or Saddam Hussein. I would never support such people.”

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Ecclestone sorry for Hitler remarks

July 7th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘I’m just sorry I was an idiot,’ Ecclestone tells Jewish Chronicle
• Remarks had triggered calls for rights holder to resign

Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire Formula One commercial rights holder, has offered an unreserved apology for his controversial remarks suggesting that dictators like Adolf Hitler “got things done”. The remarks, which were made in a newspaper interview last Saturday, have caused a storm of protest in the run-up to Sunday’s German grand prix at the Nürburgring.

In an interview with the Jewish Chronicle, conducted at his Knightsbridge business headquarters, Ecclestone said: “I’m just sorry I was an idiot. I sincerely, genuinely apologise.”

Ecclestone’s remarks triggered a call from the president of the World Jewish congress, Ronald Lauder, for his resignation from his position as the most influential man in international motor racing.

A senior German Jewish official called for Ecclestone to be boycotted by Formula One teams. Dieter Grauman, a vice president of the Central Council of Jews, said: “No team should work with him any more.”

Ecclestone made it clear that he regretted the entire episode. “What I regret is people who have taken this the wrong way and who have been offended,” he said. “I am really, really sad about that because I have done an awful lot for the Jewish community through charities and whatever.”

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24 hours in sport

July 7th, 2009 | No Comments

The best sports pictures from around the globe in the last 24 hours


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Ecclestone explains Hitler comments

July 6th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘Many of my closest friends are Jews,’ says Ecclestone
• Jewish official wants boycott of F1 commercial rights holder

The Formula One commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, says that there has been a “big misunderstanding” over his comments about Hitler, which were published in the press over the weekend.

Ecclestone had said that Hitler was a “man who could get things done” during an interview in which he expressed strong views on dictators, and his comments were met with widespread negative reaction, particularly from the Jewish community. He now insists that he never meant to hurt anybody and added: “Many of my closest friends are Jews.”

Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Ecclestone said: “This was all a big misunderstanding.” He added: “I did not put Hitler forward as a positive example, but simply noted that, before his appalling crimes, he acted successfully against unemployment and the economic crisis.” Ecclestone claimed that it was never his intention to “hurt the feelings of a community … many of my closest friends are Jews.”

Jewish groups worldwide have called on Ecclestone to resign, and he faces further trouble this Sunday at the German grand prix at the Nürburgring circuit. Günther Oettinger, the governor of Baden-Wuerttemberg state, had planned to meet Ecclestone. However, his regional government’s spokesman, Christoph Dahl, said Oettinger decided at the weekend to cancel the meeting after the comments were published.

A senior German Jewish official was quoted by the Handelsblatt daily as calling for a boycott of Ecclestone by Formula One teams. “No team should work with him any more,” said Dieter Graumann, a vice-president of the Central Council of Jews. “A boycott would now be more than appropriate.”

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Ecclestone: ‘Hitler got things done’

July 4th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘I prefer strong leaders,’ says Formula One supremo
• Max Mosley could be a good Prime Minister, he adds

The Formula One commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, has stoked up controversy by claiming that Adolf Hitler was a man who “was able to get things done”, that democracy has not worked out for Britain and that his colleague Max Mosley would make a good Prime Minister.

Ecclestone had previously stirred outrage when he suggested in 2008 that racist comments on a website about the British driver Lewis Hamilton had “started as just a joke”.

Yesterday a spokesman for the board of Deputies of British Jews said: “Mr Ecclestone’s comments regarding Hitler, female, black and Jewish racing drivers are quite bizarre. He says ‘Politics are not for me’ and we are inclined to agree.”

Ecclestone, who has been fighting recently to prevent a damaging breakaway by formula one’s leading teams, said: “In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done,” he said.

He added: “I prefer strong leaders. Margaret Thatcher made decisions on the run and got the job done. She was the one who built this country up slowly. We’ve let it go down again. All these guys, Gordon and Tony are trying to please everybody all the time … Max would do a super job, he’s a good leader.” Apparently referring to the fact that the president of the FIA, the sport’s ruling body, was the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, he added: “I don’t think his background would be a problem.”

He continued: “Politicians are too worried about elections. We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein, he was the only one who could control the country. It was the same with [the Taliban.]“

However, he did appear to row back on his earlier comments about the Hamilton jibes when he said: “If they do it again, I will go and find them and make them come and meet Lewis Hamilton.” And he backed up Hamilton’s controversial decision to move to Switzerland for tax reasons. “I would like to see the people earning most in this country paying less tax as it is an incentive.”

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