Latest F1 news in brief
- No plans to name Ferrari favorite – Todt
- Hamilton on UK 'Power List'
- Ferrari can't catch McLaren – Keke Rosberg
- Still no explanation for Hamilton tire problem
- Alonso rules out 2008 sabbatical
No plans to name Ferrari favorite – Todt
(GMM) Ferrari's Jean Todt has ruled out nominating a number one driver with five races to go in the 2007 title chase.
Some observers on Sunday suggested that, with Kimi Raikkonen going into Sunday's Turkish grand prix a point ahead of his teammate Felipe Massa, the Finn should have been cleared a path to win the race.
Pole sitter Massa, however, went on to win in Istanbul and become the highest placed Ferrari driver, even though Raikkonen winning would have closed the now 15-point gap to the McLaren drivers by an extra point.
But with the Italian team's former number one driver Michael Schumacher retired and team orders prohibited, boss Jean Todt said Ferrari will for now maintain a policy of equality.
"It would be something inappropriate for drivers like Felipe and Kimi, doing such a good job, after 12 grands prix with just one point difference," he told reporters after the race.
"At the moment there is not any plan to make any kind of strategy between one or the other one."
Hamilton on UK 'Power List'
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton and his father are now among the top eight most influential black people in Britain, according to a publication.
On the newspaper New Nation's so-called top-100 'Power List', the rookie championship leader and his manager Anthony Hamilton rank eighth.
Apart from premier league footballer Didier Drogba, 'Team Hamilton' are the only British sportspeople on the list, which is topped by businessman Damon Buffini, who runs the private equity firm Permira.
New Nation editor Michael Eboda said: "The Power List explodes the recently-trumpeted myths that African Caribbeans are not achieving anything and that there is a dearth of (black) role models."
Ferrari can't catch McLaren – Keke Rosberg
(GMM) Neither Ferrari driver will be able to close the gap and win the 2007 drivers' championship.
That is the belief of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, who is also the father of Williams' impressive racer Nico.
58-year-old Rosberg guested at the weekend for the German F1 broadcaster Premiere, where he commented that despite Ferrari's dominant one-two in Istanbul, the now 15-point gap to McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton is still too great.
"Ferrari were simply stronger here," the Finn said in Turkey, "but I do not believe that Ferrari can catch up their deficit. It is just too much."
Rosberg explained, however, that the last five races of the season should still be fascinating.
"With the five points between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, their fight will now become a war of nerves."
He also insisted that none of the Ferrari or McLaren drivers were the stars of the piece on Sunday. That honor, Rosberg said, belongs to BMW's Nick Heidfeld, who finished fourth.
"He is praised far too rarely," said Keke, "because he has nothing to do with the title fight."
Still no explanation for Hamilton tire problem
(GMM) Ron Dennis has repeated his suspicion that a tire defect deflated Lewis Hamilton's podium chances in Turkey on Sunday.
The rookie Briton looked set to extend his drivers' title lead even further over McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso at Istanbul until the outer tread on his right-front Bridgestone Potenza product peeled away.
Team boss Dennis is quoted as saying by the German newspaper Bild: "It was probably a material defect."
Officially, however, the Woking based team says the cause of the problem is unknown, even if Alonso admitted that he was also worried about a tire problem late in the 58-lap race.
The Spaniard said his Bridgestones were "not in perfect shape" over the last 15 laps or so in Turkey.
A Bridgestone spokesman said of Hamilton's failure: "It was not a puncture, but other than that we do not know yet.
"The tire is now being sent to Tokyo to be X-rayed."
Alonso rules out 2008 sabbatical
(GMM) Fernando Alonso in Turkey denied that he is contemplating retirement or a 'sabbatical' at the end of the 2007 season.
Amid the reigning world champion's obvious discontent at McLaren this year, it has been suggested that he would be happier to actually sit out 2008 rather than spend another season alongside boss Ron Dennis and British teammate Lewis Hamilton.
But the Spaniard told the newspaper 'Diario As' in Istanbul: "I am certain that I am going to be competing in formula one also next year.
"Right now I am not even contemplating sitting out a season."
26-year-old Alonso would tellingly not, however, confirm that he will still be a McLaren driver next year.
"At the moment all I am thinking about is winning this world championship," he said.
"I do not know where I will race in 2008; all I know is that I can race here at McLaren."