Latest F1 news in brief
- Dennis slams affidavit leaks
- Two racers back Hamilton to fight back
- FIA clears Hamilton to race
- Montezemolo urges calm in Hamilton hype
Dennis slams affidavit leaks
(GMM) Ron Dennis at the Nurburgring slammed the leaks into the media of suspended McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan's sworn affidavit.
Ahead of Thursday's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council to assess his team's involvement in the espionage saga, McLaren chairman Dennis accused some of the privileged few of improperly giving selected and inaccurate quotes attributed to Coughlan to the Italian press.
He did name Ferrari specifically, but hinted that there will be "legal implications" for the source of the leaks.
"There is a way to go through life, and that is to follow the correct procedures," he told reporters in Germany after qualifying for the European grand prix.
Two racers back Hamilton to fight back
(GMM) Two fellow formula one drivers have backed Lewis Hamilton to bounce back from his horror qualifying crash with a shining European grand prix on Sunday.
The championship leader may use his undamaged race engine in the spare McLaren and take tenth on the grid at the Nurburgring, after he was cleared to race during a medical check with the FIA's Gary Hartstein at 9.30am.
A CT scan at a Koblenz hospital also gave him the all-clear on Saturday, before team boss Ron Dennis amusingly cleared a path for him as he returned to the paddock in the afternoon.
Martin Brundle, the veteran of 150 grands prix and now a commentator for British television, told the Times: "He is so young and determined that I think it will be water off a duck's back."
22-year-old Hamilton's best friend on the grid, meanwhile, also backed the Briton to quickly shrug off the high-speed crash that initially left him attached to an oxygen mask and drip.
"Lewis is a fighter," said fellow rookie Adrian Sutil, who races for Spyker.
"It was a brutal Crash," the German told Bild, "but he is tough. So as he didn't break any bones or anything, he will be pushing like mad to race."
FIA clears Hamilton to race
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton may start the European grand prix today following a medical examination at the Nurburgring by the FIA's Gary Hartstein at 9.30am local time, McLaren confirmed in a statement.
Montezemolo urges calm in Hamilton hype
(GMM) Luca di Montezemolo has urged caution in assessing the early formula one career of rookie and current championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
The Ferrari president said he has been impressed with the 22-year-old's near record-breaking run of nine podiums so far in 2007, but insisted that it is still too early to compare him with sporting greats like Michael Schumacher or Maradona.
"I would like to see a moment of calm," Montezemolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport when he was asked about the media's reaction to the McLaren driver.
"Everyone is searching now for the new Schumacher. And before that they wanted a new Senna, and the same is true for Maradona and Pele with football.
"For sure, Hamilton is a lad who has had a brilliant beginning, but above all he has demonstrated the ability to never make errors.
"He is consistent, fast and talented, but saying this I would prefer a moment of calm.
"Certainly I have never seen a rookie so able to drive on a fast and consistent level, so he is displaying all the characteristics of a great driver.
"But time will be the final judge."