Formula One 2010

[donsaeid]

هميلتون: وقت قهرماني در كانادا جي*پي است


قهرمان فرمول يك خود را بخت مسلم قهرماني در مسابقات اتوموبيلراني بريتانيا و كانادا مي*داند.



به نقل از رويترز لندن، لوئيس هميلتون براي رقابت*هاي دور كانادا تمرينات زيادي از پشت سر گذاشته و به نظر اكثر كارشناسان بخت اول قهرماني است.

اگر هميلتون به قهرماني دور كانادا برسد، به عنوان جوانترين بريتانيايي در تاريخ كانادا جي*پي اين افتخار را كسب خواهد كرد. پيش از وي مك*كارتي 48 ساله با اتومبيل فراري به اين مقام دست پيدا كرده بود.

فرناندو آلونسو، راننده اسپانيايي مك*لارن شايد جدي*ترين حريف هميلتون در رقابت*هاي بريتانيا و دور كانادا باشد. حاميان مالي بسياري در پي به دست آوردن بخت تبليغ پشت سر او هستند.

[Rasputin]

F1 statistics for Sunday's US Grand Prix at Indianapolis:

Hamilton

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, 22, became the youngest British driver to win a Grand Prix when he triumphed in Canada last weekend.

The previous youngest Briton was Ferrari's 1958 world champion Mike Hawthorn at the age of 24 in the 1953 French Grand Prix.

The youngest race winner in F1 history remains Hamilton's Spanish team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso, with Renault in Hungary in 2003 at the age of 22 years and 27 days.

Hamilton is also the first black driver to win a F1 race.

He has finished his first six races on the podium, an unprecedented feat in F1.

If the Briton finishes in the top eight again on Sunday, he will be the first driver to score points in all of his first seven races.

Only two Britons have previously racked up seven successive podium finishes - Jim Clark with nine in 1963 and Nigel Mansell with seven in 1991/92.

Retired Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher holds the record with 19 consecutive podiums in 2001/02.

Hamilton has led every race he has started and was on pole position for the first time in Canada.

His victory made him the first rookie winner since Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya with Williams in 2001, and only the ninth in F1 history.

Wins:

Hamilton's win was McLaren's 151st in Formula One.

Ferrari have won 195 races and Williams 113. Renault have won 33.

Podium

The Canadian Grand Prix ended McLaren and Ferrari's exclusion of all others from the podium this season, with Nick Heidfeld (Sauber) and Alex Wurz (Williams) finishing second and third.

It was the first race without a Ferrari driver on the podium since the Hungarian Grand Prix last August.

Wurz's podium was the first by a Williams driver since the European Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring in 2005 with Heidfeld finishing second.

Indianapolis

Ferrari have won six of the seven Grands Prix held at Indianapolis since the return to the Indiana circuit in 2000. McLaren won in 2001 with Finland's Mika Hakkinen.

Honda's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello is the only current driver to have won at The Brickyard (with Ferrari in 2002 when Schumacher controversially gifted him the victory).

Indianapolis is the only circuit on the calendar that has yet to see Alonso on the podium. His best, and only, finish there remains fifth place last year.

Takuma Sato's third place for BAR in 2004 equalled the best result by a Japanese driver in F1.

[Rasputin]

The day starts early in Indianapolis. Doors were scheduled to open at 7am in preparation for the traditional Thursday pit walk at 8am. This presents punters with an opportunity to peek behind the curtain of grand prix racing, to get hands on in the engine room of Formula One.


Tough crowd: race fans like these at the Indy 500 have traditionally been leery of Formula One
Earlier this week the monument at the centre of Indianapolis, a tribute to the fallen during the American Civil War, shared the city's main square with assorted examples of automotive majesty, including the modern grand prix car. The parade of hot metal formally opened the racing week, attracting random interest as well as the target audience of car enthusiasts.

The race organisers understand the need for intimacy; America has been slow to fall for F1's charms. The exclusivity inherent in the brand does not connect readily with the good-ol'-boy culture that pervades racing in the United States, where motorsport is broadly a blue-collar phenomenon and is affordable. That is not the model driving F1 in the 21st century. With governments in the Far East, Australia and even the municipal authority in Valencia prepared to throw public money at the event in order to buy space on the global marketing map, races promoted independently struggle to compete without subsidies.

There is no public money propping up the United States Grand Prix. It has to wash its own face through ticket sales and merchandising or fail. Commercial-rights holder Bernie Ecclestone is a personal friend of promoter Tony George, but that might not be enough to secure F1's return to Indianapolis next year after the present contract expires.

Ecclestone claims there is interest elsewhere in America. In a fortnight he plans to return for further talks with the undisclosed bidders. There is nothing like the threat of competition for sharpening the senses of the man in possession. If a deal can be struck with George and Indianapolis when Ecclestone touches down tomorrow, the notional rivals will have served their purpose.

"I hope we can strike a deal," Ecclestone said. "The problem is that in the States we don't have that many sponsors, there are no teams and only one driver. There is no mainstream TV coverage and only four races are shown live. Of course F1 would like to be in the United States, but it is not vital. There are bigger markets in other parts of the world."

That is the case for some of the sport's major stakeholders, such as McLaren title sponsors Vodafone, but not others. For car manufacturers like BMW, an American presence is vital.

"The two races in North America carry a lot of weight for the BMW Group," BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen said. "The US was the most important single market in 2006, with sales of 314,000 BMW and Mini cars. BMW, therefore, has a large fan base in the country, and we also feel the strength of this popularity as a team."

In the absence of an American focal point around which to build the marketing, Indianapolis is in need of a selling point. Indifference runs deep in some quarters. A member of the Red Bull Racing team was asked how 'Schumi' was doing this year as he collected his hire car at the airport. The Hertz attendant was not talking about Ralf. The cavalry rides in to the rescue today, though. Lewis Hamilton is the cavalry.

Victory in Canada last Sunday came too late to print publicity material. Not for the internet. "Next Stop For Super-Rookie," screams the banner on the Indianapolis website. As we have seen, the appeal of Hamilton is irresistible. In Canada the fan-draped-in-Union-Jack returned to the F1 scene for the first time since Damon Hill was king 11 long years ago. Hamilton galvanises the neutral like none before. The organisers will be hoping for a significant walk-up as word of Hamilton spreads. The future of the race depends on the numbers adding up this weekend. In that respect Hamilton could make the difference - especially if he wins.

Thus far his only sighting of the circuit has been via his desktop. Not that inexperience is any bar to progress with this chap. "I go to Indy with great confidence," Hamilton said. "It still hasn't really sunk in that I have won my first race - it was an amazing weekend for me and it is fantastic that we are racing again this weekend.

"The Motor Speedway is another tough circuit on the cars. I've seen the track only on computer games. I don't really know what to expect. I've watched the previous races and onboard footage and looked at data. But I'll be going there with an open mind and having to do the same sort of job I did in Canada."

[Rasputin]

Meet Lewis Hamilton, the newest racing star in the Formula One Firmament.


Very new.

Fans around the world already know his name and his face, thanks to the global popularity of F1 and its international television coverage.

But the first black man to race in the 61-year history of F1 is a stranger to most Americans.

That's not surprising, since the man on the street in the United States would be hard-pressed to name even one current F1 driver, especially now that seven-time champion Michael Schumacher has retired.

F1 insiders are hoping that will change this week at the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis, where the 22-year-old Hamilton will make his U.S. debut.

"I don't know if he will make any new Formula One fans in the States," said three-time world champion Jackie Stewart. "But this kid is the best young talent to come along in F1 in many years. I hope people watch."

Hamilton, who comes from Stevenage, England, has burst onto the F1 scene unlike any rookie before him.

In his first six starts, the Mercedes McLaren driver has finished in the top three every time, culminating with a win from the pole Sunday in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. And the victory appeared to be no fluke as Hamilton led all but three of the 70 laps and was never really challenged.

Now he heads for the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway leading teammate and two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso by eight points at the top of the standings.

The comparisons to Tiger Woods are inevitable.

Like Tiger, Hamilton has been a winner at every level on the way to the big time. And, like Woods, the slim, well-spoken Englishman is mature beyond his years and seems to produce best when under pressure or in the spotlight.

Woods is from mixed parentage -- African American and Thai. Hamilton's paternal grandparents came to Britain from Grenada in the 1950s, and his mother, who separated from his father when Hamilton was 2, is white.

Like Woods and his father, Hamilton and his dad, Anthony, are practically inseparable.

"We're a close family," said Anthony Hamilton, whose other son, 15-year-old Nicolas, has cerebral palsy. "We have always spent a lot of time together and we still do. Lewis hasn't really changed. He's just doing what he's always wanted to do."

After his big win on Sunday, Hamilton was asked how he would celebrate.

"I'll spend some time this evening with my dad and some friends and we'll enjoy this for a while before we start thinking about Indy," he said.

In his short time in F1, Hamilton has already fielded just about every question one can imagine.

After winning his first pole last Saturday in Canada, he was asked if the feeling was better than sex.

Hamilton grinned, saying, "I think it's completely different. You can't compare it to sex."

Then, he paused a moment to consider and said, "Actually, no, I'll say it is better than sex," which drew a gale of laughter from the assembled media.

With stardom, though, comes scrutiny, and Hamilton is certainly in the spotlight, getting lots of attention from Britain's tabloids and the world's sporting press.

He caused quite a stir last month when he said after finishing second to Alonso at Monaco that the team told him to take it easy and not push his teammate at the end. FIA, Formula One's governing body, investigated and cleared McLaren of any wrongdoing.

"We never issue team orders," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who signed Hamilton to a development contract at the age of 13. "We had a racing strategy to come first and second at Monte Carlo. That's what we're there to do, and that's what we did. To achieve that, you have to cover every eventuality, and that's what we did."

As for the uproar that followed when Hamilton spoke about being told to slow down, Dennis said he has no problem with the youngster's reaction.

"I think both drivers are highly polished in and out of the car and, obviously, Lewis makes the odd mistake when dealing with the ferocious nature of the media," he explained. "But he's learning quick and he's becoming very professional at dealing with the inevitable efforts of the media to get the sound bite.

"I'm very happy with the way everything is going and we're just so lucky to have two such talented drivers on the team who have mutual respect for each other and who clearly enjoy the challenge they each represent to each other."

Team orders weren't an issue for Hamilton and Alonso in Canada. The Spaniard suffered through a miserable day as he finished seventh and fell out of a tie for the points lead.

Hamilton smiled when he was asked about all the media attention he gets now wherever he goes.

"I'm just trying to take it in my stride, really," he said. "It's all really a new experience for me and already there's been a lot of attention.

"But, at the end of the day, I get to race a Formula One car around the track and it's just an amazing feeling. So, anything else that comes into it doesn't matter."

[Rasputin]

This much we know: Michael Schumacher will not win the U.S. Grand Prix Sunday.

That alone is a big change for this event. The F1 superstar won five of the first seven U.S. Grand Prix races (actually six since he deliberately gave one away to his teammate, but who's counting).

Schumacher is off in retirement Shangri-La, enjoying his vast fortune and lovely family.


Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images

Michael Schumacher won four straight U.S. Grand Prixs before retiring.
The enormous skills of the German racer were a joy to witness, but it was getting a little boring at the U.S. Grand Prix.

Instead of Schumacher dominance, we could see a historic moment if Lewis Hamilton takes the checkered flag.

The 22-year-old Brit, who starts on the pole, would become the first black driver to win here in almost a century of racing at the Brickyard.

He also could become the last F1 driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Whether the event returns to Indy is uncertain.

This is the final year of the contract -- a deal that some people thought would end early after the debacle of 2005. Only six cars started the race because of tire issues, a ridiculous political mess that never should have happened.

Fans were furious, many of whom said they never would return. But most of them did return.

Attendance for the U.S. Grand Prix has gone down since the inaugural F1 race at Indy in 2000 when more than 200,000 watched Schumacher's first U.S. victory.

Over 100,000 spectators are expected Sunday, and more than 75,000 showed up for qualifying Saturday. That's far more than Indy 500 Pole Day or Card Day had in May.

Having 100,000 people in the stands doesn't look like much at a facility with 257,000 seats, but it's still one of the biggest crowds F1 has all season.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone isn't impressed. He has gone into full posturing rhetoric, his normal modus operandi when the time comes to renegotiate a contract.

Ecclestone said this week that F1 really doesn't need a U.S. race. India is waiting and so is South Korea, both of which have government backing to help absorb enormous sums of cash Ecclestone demands for the right to kiss his F1 ring.

F1 is all about money. Just ask any F1 team. Aguri Suzuki is team principal for Super Aguri, one of the lower tier F1 organizations. Suzuki also owns the car Kosuke Matsuura races in the IndyCar Series.

"Our budget for the Indy car is between $7 million and $8 million a year," Suzuki said. "Our budget for Formula One [two cars] is between $90 million and $100 million a year."

And that's a low-end budget in F1. Ferrari spends close to $500 million annually. Now you know why Ferraris are so expensive.

We kid, but playing in this league takes a huge pocketbook, along with playing along with Ecclestone's mind games.

Ecclestone has hinted he might take F1 to the streets of Las Vegas, one place that could afford his outrageous asking price.

The man who looks like a geriatric Harry Potter wants at least $10 million a year to stay at Indy. It's a cut-rate deal compared to some venues that pay over $25 million.

But IMS owner Tony George, who met with Ecclestone Friday, has to decide if it's worth it. IMS president Joie Chitwood said Saturday they are trying to find a way to work it out, but need to make a decision by July 12.

Since the U.S. Grand Prix moved to mid-June, IMS now has more than 750,000 seats available to sell over a two-month span. That includes the Indy 500 Memorial Day weekend and the Allstate 400 Nextel Cup race at the end of July.

No easy task, so it's remarkable most of those seats are filled.

George spent an estimated $50 million to build the road-course layout and revamp IMS to fit F1 standards. It was a great facelift for the old place, but the race itself has recorded two of the most embarrassing moments in F1 history.

The first came in 2002 when Schumacher decided to do Rubens Barrichello a big favor on the last lap. Schumacher slowed down to allow his Ferrari teammate to catch up and move next to him on the frontstretch.

They coasted to the finish line as Barrichello edged ahead to win the race. The Ferrari boys got a laugh out of it, but many fans didn't. Nothing like paying your money to watch a race where the outcome is staged.

Schumacher was paying Barrichello back for obeying team orders earlier that season. Barrichello allowed Schumacher to pass him for the lead and claim the victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. It led to team orders being banned (officially, at least) in F1.

But the truly dark moment for the U.S. Grand Prix came two years ago when the 14 drivers with Michelin tires elected not to race.

[Rasputin]

Meet Lewis Hamilton, the newest racing star in the Formula One Firmament. Very new. Fans around the world already know his name and his face, thanks to the global popularity of F1 and its international television coverage. But the first black man to race in the 61-year history of F1 is a stranger to most Americans.

That's not surprising, since the man on the street in the United States would be hard-pressed to name even one current F1 driver, especially now that seven-time champion Michael Schumacher has retired.

F1 insiders are hoping that will change this week at the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis, where the 22-year-old Hamilton will make his U.S. debut.

"I don't know if he will make any new Formula One fans in the States," said three-time world champion Jackie Stewart. "But this kid is the best young talent to come along in F1 in many years. I hope people watch."

Hamilton, who comes from Stevenage, England, has burst onto the F1 scene unlike any rookie before him.

In his first six starts, the Mercedes McLaren driver has finished in the top three every time, culminating with a win from the pole Sunday in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. And the victory appeared to be no fluke as Hamilton led all but three of the 70 laps and was never really challenged.

Now he heads for the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway leading teammate and two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso by eight points at the top of the standings.

The comparisons to Tiger Woods are inevitable.

Like Tiger, Hamilton has been a winner at every level on the way to the big time. And, like Woods, the slim, well-spoken Englishman is mature beyond his years and seems to produce best when under pressure or in the spotlight.

Woods is from mixed parentage _ African American and Thai. Hamilton's paternal grandparents came to Britain from Grenada in the 1950s, and his mother, who separated from his father when Hamilton was 2, is white.

Like Woods and his father, Hamilton and his dad, Anthony, are practically inseparable.

"We're a close family," said Anthony Hamilton, whose other son, 15-year-old Nicolas, has cerebral palsy. "We have always spent a lot of time together and we still do. Lewis hasn't really changed. He's just doing what he's always wanted to do."

After his big win on Sunday, Hamilton was asked how he would celebrate.

"I'll spend some time this evening with my dad and some friends and we'll enjoy this for a while before we start thinking about Indy," he said.

In his short time in F1, Hamilton has already fielded just about every question one can imagine.

After winning his first pole last Saturday in Canada, he was asked if the feeling was better than sex.

Hamilton grinned, saying, "I think it's completely different. You can't compare it to sex."

Then, he paused a moment to consider and said, "Actually, no, I'll say it is better than sex," which drew a gale of laughter from the assembled media.

With stardom, though, comes scrutiny, and Hamilton is certainly in the spotlight, getting lots of attention from Britain's tabloids and the world's sporting press.

He caused quite a stir last month when he said after finishing second to Alonso at Monaco that the team told him to take it easy and not push his teammate at the end. FIA, Formula One's governing body, investigated and cleared McLaren of any wrongdoing.

"We never issue team orders," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who signed Hamilton to a development contract at the age of 13. "We had a racing strategy to come first and second at Monte Carlo. That's what we're there to do, and that's what we did. To achieve that, you have to cover every eventuality, and that's what we did."

As for the uproar that followed when Hamilton spoke about being told to slow down, Dennis said he has no problem with the youngster's reaction.

"I think both drivers are highly polished in and out of the car and, obviously, Lewis makes the odd mistake when dealing with the ferocious nature of the media," he explained. "But he's learning quick and he's becoming very professional at dealing with the inevitable efforts of the media to get the sound bite.

"I'm very happy with the way everything is going and we're just so lucky to have two such talented drivers on the team who have mutual respect for each other and who clearly enjoy the challenge they each represent to each other."

[Rasputin]

Now the 22-year-old Briton has arrived in Indianapolis for today's U.S. Grand Prix, and the only thing that has kept him from being the hottest racing story in the country is Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s joining Hendrick Motorsports to team with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

On one hand, e-mails accuse me of ''playing the race card'' and not letting Hamilton soar purely on his driving merits. On the other, bloggers complain that U.S. media have not paid nearly enough attention to the significance of Hamilton's race.

Bob Varsha, the play-by-play announcer for F1 telecasts on Fox and Speed, says his feedback has indicated ''people seem to be split, some saying it's significant and ought to be recognized and others saying, 'No, we should be past that.'''

The other divide Varsha has found has been on ''whether he's overrated. And I suppose his race is probably a corollary to that. The implied subtext is that 'You're only saying good things because he's a minority.'''

The idea that Hamilton is overrated has become all but untenable now that he's leading the standings, threatening to become the youngest world champion ever and running near the front every week. He has yet to miss a podium in an F1 race. His worst career finish was third, in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

''I've also heard pro and con on things like the Tiger Woods analogy,'' Varsha said.

But the Hamilton phenomenon is at least as profound as the Woods one a decade ago because automobile racing -- especially its pinnacle, F1 -- is even more socioeconomically exclusive than golf.

So we should mention Hamilton is black, and learn a great deal from it. That he is English rather than American is beside the point.

The ordeals and triumphs of black people are global, universal. Hamilton acknowledges he grew up in a poor area in England. His father is the son of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Grenada and his mother is English.

If you think it's economically challenging to buy into -- and be accepted into -- a country club, and then to afford equipment and lessons in golf or tennis, try auto racing, where engines and chassis are vastly more expensive than golf clubs.

For example, T.J. Patrick, Danica's father, reckons he left more than $500,000 of family life savings in England, spent on the grueling and cruel ''schooling formulas'' for open-wheel drivers. And Danica didn't really complete the training.

Financing a path into Formula One is easily a multimillion-dollar proposition. Climbing in American racing, to NASCAR or IndyCars, isn't as expensive, but it isn't cheap. There are teenagers running short tracks this year on $500,000 budgets.

NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program has young minority drivers in the pipeline, but they are years away from high-level, milestone success. And every one of the minority drivers has suffered, to some degree, from a dearth of financing. NASCAR hasn't exactly broken its banks to fund the program.

But NASCAR has raised the issue of race in racing in North America, and opened the door for Lewis Hamilton to roar onto this continent and onto the front pages.

To the enormous credit of Ron Dennis and Norbert Haug of McLaren-Mercedes, they spotted Hamilton at age 13 and signed him at 14 to a long-term development contract. The millions of pounds-sterling were provided, so Lewis' father, Anthony Hamilton, could stop spending after Lewis' go-kart racing.

So F1 has roared into Indianapolis bringing proof beyond doubt that if you level the financial playing field, you get not only diversity in participation, but diversity in great success and star power.

Were it not for the fortuitous Earnhardt-to-Hendrick publicity smoke screen, NASCAR would have been hit right between the eyes, on its home ground, with the clear truth: If you want diversity, stop throwing chicken feed out the back door and put the megabucks up front. Then let the talent find its own level. Gestures and lip service just won't do it.

Lewis Hamilton as a pure race driver is a nice story indeed, but really just another star story for the world media. Lewis Hamilton as a black man from a poor neighborhood romping through a filthy-rich and once-exclusive realm -- because he got an even chance -- is a social lesson for all of sport and all of civilization.

''We'd like to think we're past it, but this is a legitimate news story,'' Varsha said. ''As Hamilton himself said, 'This is history.' And rightly so.''

Ed Hinton covers auto racing for the Orlando Sentinel, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.

[Rasputin]

Lewis Hamilton's exciting assault on the Formula One world championship this year is helping the sport to ride a wave of bolstered TV ratings.


Even in the wake of Michael Schumacher's absence in 2007 - not to mention the loss of other big names including Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve - almost all Grand Prix broadcasters around the world are recording higher figures in each race.


"What we have now is even more exciting than anything Michael Schumacher gave us and he gave us a lot," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis.


Unsurprisingly, Britain's ratings boost has been the most impressive, with 7.7 million tuning in to ITV for Hamilton's maiden win in Montreal compared with 5.4m for the same race one year ago.


When the McLaren driver won again at Indianapolis a week later, 7.3m were watching - a full 2 million higher than in 2006. Monaco and Spain, meanwhile, were both 1 million spectators higher than last year.


The increase in Germany is more modest, but - considering the popularity of the retired Schumacher - significant. The biggest audience for RTL's free-to-air coverage of a race last year was 7.3 million, yet the US Grand Prix attracted 7.7m Germans to their television sets.


Even in Fernando Alonso's home country, the ratings are growing. 5.3 million Spaniards watched Telecinco's Indianapolis coverage, compared with 2.7m for the Primera Division football match between Seville and Villarreal.

[Rasputin]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George is hopeful that the US Grand Prix will remain on the Formula One calendar and on his famed track following talks with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The two met twice ahead of Sunday's US Grand Prix, won by British star Lewis Hamilton, and discussed a new contract for the race to return. The first deal signed in 2000 expired last year when a one-year extension was signed. George wants a long-term deal while Ecclestone has said a US race was not vital to F1. Both have agreed upon a July 12 deadline to strike a new deal.

"We still don't know the future but I'm hopeful that we'll be able to announce soon that we'll be continuing," George said. "I am positive about the discussions we've had. I just wish I could control all of the aspects of it, which I don't. I genuinely think that Bernie and 90 percent of the people involved in Formula One would like to see it work out so that we can continue here."

George wants long-term assurance that the race will stay at Indianapolis so that he can build upon the framework established since it was revived there in 2000 on a specially-made course incorporating some of the famed facility's 4km oval.

"I'm not just talking about the economic impact, but it would be a terrible thing to lose it," George said. "There's more to it than just that, more to it from our standpoint, from Formula One's standpoint. We want the community to embrace this race and we want to give it the kind of attention it deserves, but we need to know where we are. We can't just keep going and we need to know what it is we're building on. The United States is trying to understand Formula One more and Formula One is trying to understand the United States more. It has been a challenging seven years but a very worthwhile seven years. We've learned a lot and I think we know what we need to be successful and now we need just to pull all the pieces together so that we can be successful in the future."

George said a reason for not making a longer deal sooner was to see how the F1 series would handle other issues, such as shifting race venues and a rival bid to stage a world-class race series.

"If they didn't want to work with us they wouldn't have had to," George said. "Everybody wants long-term because it's good for planning purposes, but in this case we wanted to see where things were going and they recognised that. I'm happy to work with them and I think they're happy to work with us."

[Rasputin]

www.motorsportvision.co.uk/autoglym, or call the ticket hotline on 0870 950 9000.

For your chance to win a passenger ride in a Minardi two-seater F1 car, answer the following question and complete the tie-breaker in no more than 12 words. The two-seater Minardi ride will take place at Brands Hatch in October. Age, height and medical restrictions apply.

Question: in which year did turbocharged F1 cars first appear?

Tie-breaker: "1966 to 1985 were the glory days of F1 because..."

Please send your answer, with your full name, address and daytime telephone number, and clearly marked "Minardi competition", either by email to motoring.competitions@telegraph.co.uk or by post to The Motoring Editor, The Daily Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT, to arrive no later than June 29.

The entrant who answers the question correctly and, in the opinion of the judges, completes the tie-breaker in the wittiest way will win the Minardi ride.

The winners will be notified as soon as possible. Normal Daily Telegraph competition rules also apply; copies are available from the Motoring Editor.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

F1 champions Renault say they have turned the tide

London, June 26: Formula One champions Renault say they have turned the tide after a poor start to the season and expect to be more competitive in Sunday's French Grand Prix.

Renault scored as many points in the last two races in Canada and the United States as third-placed BMW Sauber, although the latter team were without Poland's Robert Kubica at Indianapolis after he crashed in Montreal. However, engineering head Pat Symonds said on Monday the trend was still positive for Renault.

"I think it's indicative of the fact the tide is turning, we are very close to BMW now and racing them hard," he said in a team preview for Magny-Cours.

"Without a doubt we have upped our game and pulled out of the midfield bunch we were in, to stand on top of it, and there's still more to come.

"We take a lot of comfort from the fact that after a poor start to the year, we are pulling it back so rapidly," added Symonds.

"Other teams are not having a great season and not pulling it back as we are. There is plenty to be proud of in what we are doing."

Renault, winners of both titles with Fernando Alonso for the past two years, have not had a driver on the podium following the Spaniard's departure to McLaren at the end of 2006.

They are fourth in the constructors' championship with 25 points to BMW Sauber's 39. McLaren lead with 106 and Ferrari are second on 71.

However, Finnish rookie Heikki Kovalainen was fourth in Canada and fifth in Indianapolis while Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth in Monaco.

Symonds said there was more to come in France and at Silverstone the weekend after that.

"As we better understand the problems we have been suffering from, we are able to improve the car," he said.

"There will be enhancements for France and Britain, and that's in addition to continuing the push with our normal development processes. There are a lot of new bits coming for the car, and you can be certain we will keep on fighting."

Renault were runners-up at Magny-Cours with Alonso last year after winning in 2005.

[Rasputin]

Ferrari F1 employee denies sabotage

Former Ferrari technical manager Nigel Stepney has accused the Formula One team of waging a dirty tricks campaign against him amid legal proceedings and allegations of sabotage.

"I have confidence I'll be cleared by the legal process that is now taking place," the 47-year-old Briton told the Sunday Times newspaper.

"It is just part of a dirty tricks campaign and everything is in the hands of my lawyer, so we'll wait and see what happens."

Ferrari said on Thursday that they had started court action against Stepney, who remains an employee, but declined to give details. A spokesman said they had also started internal disciplinary procedures against the Briton.

Stepney said in February that he was open to offers after expressing unhappiness at management changes following the departure of technical director and compatriot Ross Brawn.

He was moved to a new role, in charge of team performance development and away from the racetrack, before the start of the season in March. The Briton has also been linked to a possible switch to struggling rivals Honda.

Stepney had previously played an important role in leading the pit crew at races after joining Ferrari in 1992 as chief mechanic. His time at the team coincided with Michael Schumacher's golden period there.

Italian and British newspapers have mentioned a mysterious white powder that was allegedly found in the petrol tanks of the Ferrari race cars six days before this year's Monaco Grand Prix.

The Sunday Times said Italian police had also searched Stepney's house near the Maranello factory and left with a small container.

A Ferrari spokesman refused to comment on the speculation on Sunday, other than observing that "clearly there are a few papers that are very well informed".

Stepney, holidaying in the Philippines with his partner and child, dismissed suggestions that he had fled the country.

"Why would anyone say I am not contactable," he told the Sunday Times. "I booked the flights through the Ferrari travel office. They know where I am."

[Rasputin]

Sutil will challenge Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton's main competition in the future will come from Spyker driver Adrian Sutil, according to the team's boss Colin Kolles.


Hamilton, who leads the Championship from McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso by 10 points following his record-breaking start to the season, drove alongside Sutil for the ASM team in the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2005.


Sutil finished second to his team-mate that season, after Hamilton dominated by achieving a record-setting 15 race wins from 20 starts, compared to Sutil's two victories.


The 24-year-old German driver, who spent 2006 racing in Japan and won the domestic Formula 3 Championship before joining up with Spyker - then known as Midland - first joined up with Kolles in 2004, driving for Kolles Racing, Germany's most successful Formula 3 team.


And Kolles believes Sutil will be able to challenge Hamilton, who has shot to fame following a dream start to this year's World Championship with victories in Canada and America.


The 39-year-old Spyker boss said: "In Adrian Sutil we have the number one challenger to Lewis Hamilton.

"But we have to provide our drivers with a better car so they can challenge.


"Adrian was Lewis Hamilton's former team-mate in Formula 3 so they know each other's strengths and they know each other's weaknesses.


"He is a promising young talent for us, but we have to be realistic with where we are at the moment in terms of the car.


"We are always working on improving the car and we need to provide him with a better car to compete against the best teams and drivers. Adrian is a big asset for the future.


"I believe in the future Adrian will be a big rival on the track to Lewis Hamilton."


James Key, who has been technical director at the team since 2005, admitted he has been shocked at the quick rise to fame of Hamilton during his rookie season in F1.


He said: "I don't think anyone expected him to be as competitive straight out of the box as he has been.


"And also to be taking on his team-mate, who is obviously a very highly-respected driver.


"So I think it has been a surprise for everyone, but it's a good thing as it's sparked a lot of interest, so it can only be a good thing for F1."


Asked whether he believed whether Hamilton could become an F1 legend like Michael Schumacher, after winning the last two races in the Championship, Key added: "I think it's too early to tell.


"You have to do several seasons really and keep that consistent performance level up and then be established as a superstar.


"This is something which obviously Michael Schumacher did year in year out, it takes a lot of stamina to do that.


"I think it's too early to tell, but obviously all the indications at the moment are very good. So I think we'll have to see how he goes on this season."


But Key admitted the success of Hamilton can only be good for leading constructors McLaren and for F1 racing on the whole.


He said: "It's made a positive impact in the UK, I think it's been good for F1 in general really because it's sparked a lot of interest.


"For McLaren I think they have probably the quickest car so I think McLaren have probably helped him a bit more than the other way around, because I think it's a very very good car.


"But it's doing them a lot of good as well."