Latest F1 News in Brief
- Davidson slams 'useless' Massa
- Donington last hope for British GP – Ecclestone
- Angry Raikkonen pushes over photographer
- Mosley privacy case begins in London
- Press slams Ferrari after British GP
- Hockenheim expects German GP full-house
Davidson slams 'useless' Massa
(GMM) Former grand prix driver Anthony Davidson on Sunday showed no mercy as Ferrari's Felipe Massa had arguably his worst outing ever at a formula one track.
Briton Davidson, whose employer Super Aguri went bust earlier this year, bristled at his former Brazilian rival as Massa spun at least five times, was lapped twice, and finished dead last in the rain affected British grand prix.
Davidson said Massa ignored the blue flags as he was being ordered by trackside marshals to move over for faster cars.
"He's always the first to stand up in a drivers' meeting and complain about what people like me are doing when we get lapped," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Record.
"That's what you get, mate. There's a bit of blue flag action for you. You're rubbish. You are useless at it."
Donington last hope for British GP – Ecclestone
(GMM) If Donington is not ready to host the grand prix in 2010, Britain will fall off the formula one calendar altogether, Bernie Ecclestone has warned.
Some observers have suggested that if the Leicestershire venue cannot fulfill the terms of its new contract by substantially renovating its facility, formula one can always revert back to Silverstone, the event's permanent host since 1987.
"We won't come back," F1 chief executive Ecclestone said at Silverstone on Sunday.
He insists that if Donington runs out of time or money to get up to speed by 2010, he will allocate Britain's annual race slot to a different country.
"I am sure they will be ready but, if not, we will sign with another country. There won't be a British grand prix. Pure and simple," Ecclestone said.
Angry Raikkonen pushes over photographer
(GMM) Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen was photographed and filmed pushing over a renowned formula one photographer on the Silverstone grid prior to Sunday's British grand prix.
According to the Finnish television station MTV3, the Ferrari driver – taking off his helmet after driving to the grid – was infuriated when Frenchman Paul-Henri Cahier got too close before stepping on his equipment to take his photo.
"Photographers should respect the fact that Kimi is about to race and not get too close," Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson reportedly said.
It is understood that Cahier does not intend to take any action against Raikkonen, 28.
Mosley privacy case begins in London
(GMM) Max Mosley's privacy and defamation case against the British tabloid newspaper News of the World began in the London High Court on Monday.
Mosley, the 68-year-old Briton who won his other battle to keep his role as FIA president amid the controversy, was photographed arriving at the court with two lawyers.
His lawyers admitted that their client took part in a sadomasochistic orgy with five prostitutes in a Chelsea flat he rents, but vehemently deny any suggestions of Nazi role-play elements.
Lawyer James Price told the judge, who will rule on the two-week hearings without a jury, that News of the World fabricated the Nazi claims only because Mosley's father was the notorious British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.
"If it had been a story about Bernie Ecclestone, it would not have been a 'sick Nazi orgy'," he charged.
Mosley is seeking compensatory as well as unlimited punitive damages, and has vowed to donate all proceeds to the FIA Foundation.
Press slams Ferrari after British GP
(GMM) The Italian press hailed McLaren and slammed its beloved national marque Ferrari after the British grand prix at Silverstone.
With Kimi Raikkonen's victory challenge thwarted by a pit strategy error, the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport paid tribute to Lewis Hamilton's "perfect" victory on his home turf.
"Ferrari made a large error by not changing the tires at the first pitstop. And Felipe Massa was not the same driver we saw at Magny-Cours," the report added, contrasting the Brazilian driver's win two weeks ago with his plethora of mistakes on Sunday.
Corriere dello Sport described: "Cold shower for Ferrari. The weather forecasting betrayed Maranello, but McLaren is more reactive and flexible in difficult conditions."
La Repubblica described Sunday at Silverstone as a "black day" for Ferrari and mourns the switch to Honda of its former strategy guru Ross Brawn.
"You cannot expect victory at each race, but with Ferrari you somehow get the clear impression that something is not working right. The strategy must be changed," the newspaper said.
Hockenheim expects German GP full-house
(GMM) Hockenheim is expecting a full house of 85,000 spectators on race-day for the forthcoming German grand prix.
The German circuit is to host a major formula one test this week, before the circus reconvenes next weekend for the beginning of the second half of this year's 18-race calendar.
"At the moment we have sold 65,000 tickets. The second place of Nick Heidfeld (at Silverstone) gives us another boost," Jorn Teske, the Hockenheimring's marketing boss, told the news agency SID on Monday.
The three-day Hockenheim test begins on Tuesday.