Latest F1 news in brief
- Renault to review Ferrari pitstop data
- Renault unlikely to win in 2009 – Alonso
- Klien wants to keep BMW test seat
- Aguri tester to go racing in US
- Schu to test Ferrari again at Monza
- Bourdais sees no end to struggle with car
Renault to review Ferrari pitstop data
(GMM) Reports in the Spanish press have raised suspicions about a pitstop involving the Ferrari of world champion Kimi Raikkonen during the Hungarian grand prix.
The reports, in the daily newspapers Diario AS and also the sports publication Marca, marvel at how the Finn managed to make such a quick stop to leapfrog Spain's Fernando Alonso, who had battled on track during the Hungaroring race.
'AS' said Renault is investigating how Raikkonen's refueling was completed so quickly, given that the standard Intertechnique fuel rigs deliver petrol to the cars at a uniform rate.
"I don't know how they did it," Alonso is quoted as saying. "We will carefully study the data and see if they have something that allows them to fill up faster."
Renault unlikely to win in 2009 – Alonso
(GMM) Fernando Alonso on Tuesday said he is unsure Renault will be able to return to the front of the formula one field in 2009.
"From one year to the next it is difficult to improve so drastically," the former double world champion is quoted as telling the Spanish radio El Larguero program.
"It may be difficult for Renault to step up to the level of the top teams in 2009," explained Alonso, who is contracted to stay with the French squad next year but also able to switch to a rival team.
Speculation in recent days hints at a deal with Honda, but the 27-year-old is also rumored to see a role at Ferrari as part of his future.
Some teams are viewing the sweeping regulation changes for next year as an opportunity to improve their relative competitiveness.
Alonso acknowledges this, but explains: "Never has a team gone from being one of the worst to winning (in one year)."
He is expected to decide his team for 2009 in September.
Klien wants to keep BMW test seat
(GMM) Christian Klien has this week said he sees retaining his test seat at BMW-Sauber as his best opportunity for 2009.
The Austrian, a former race driver at Jaguar and Red Bull, has often expressed his desire to get back to the F1 grid, but he ruled out again making a bid for a Force India cockpit.
"As it is I would rather test for BMW-Sauber than race with them.
"Of course, a lot of good people are with Force India, but with their car, you can basically only show your talent when it rains," he said in interview with motorline.cc.
It is expected BMW-Sauber will decide its full driver lineup for next year in August or September.
"I would like to stay with the team," Klien said, ruling out taking a step back into the GP2 series but remaining open to the idea of contesting the Le Mans 24 Hour race again in 2009.
He also ruled out going to America's oval-predominated IRL series, because it is "too dangerous".
Aguri tester to go racing in US
(GMM) James Rossiter, formerly a test driver for the defunct formula one team Super Aguri, will race at least the next two races in the American Le Mans Series.
The 24-year-old Englishman is to team up with another former Super Aguri driver, Frenchman Franck Montagny, for the Andretti Green Racing squad at upcoming races in August.
"He's a promising young talent and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do here," said team co-owner Michael Andretti.
Schu to test Ferrari again at Monza
(GMM) Former seven time world champion and occasional Ferrari test driver Michael Schumacher will be back in action for the Italian marque at the group Monza test later this month, reports in Germany on Tuesday said.
Championship leader and McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton is quoted as saying: "I think Michael's presence at Ferrari is a compliment to us."
The 23-year-old said he doesn't mind sharing a test circuit with the legendary German driver.
"I think it's cool to be on the track at the same time as him," Briton Hamilton said. "I just see it as a challenge."
In the specialist Italian media, meanwhile, it is said Kimi Raikkonen was lucky to finish Sunday's Hungarian grand prix in third position, as he was protecting a failing component in the rear suspension.
His Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa led the race near Budapest until his 2.4 liter V8 engine failed.
Bourdais sees no end to struggle with car
(GMM) Sebastien Bourdais on Tuesday said there is no immediate end in sight to the problems he is experiencing at the wheel of the latest Toro Rosso chassis.
The French driver, a multiple title winner in recent years of the American open wheel category Champ Cars, has since the introduction of the STR3 struggled to match the pace of his highly-rated young teammate Sebastian Vettel.
"I do not feel very good with this car," Bourdais is quoted as saying by the French-language 'RMC'.
"There is no technical solution," he goes on. "It is a characteristic of the car that does not fit with me at all."
The STR3 is a Ferrari-powered version of the Adrian Newey-penned car also raced at grands prix by senior team Red Bull Racing.
"The problem is that, of the four drivers, I am the only one complaining (about this issue), and at Toro Rosso it is not for us to talk about the (car's) development," Bourdais, 29, said.