Ferrari

I’m jumping far ahead of things, so you’ll have to forgive the atypical optimism.

I’ve been thinking through the announcement that DTM is going to try to operate a 12-race series in the U.S. beginning in 2013, basically with NASCAR. (Half the races run at NASCAR events, half at the NASCAR-owner Grand-Am series.)

What might it mean for NASCAR? What could it do for or against the Formula 1 USGP? What does it say that DTM would come to NASCAR and not Indycar? (It reinforces where both series are in term of popularity and influence, sadly to Indycar and its fans.)

And then this idea crossed my mind: With the DTM announcement, plus the USGP (fingers crossed) coming in 2012, is there any possibility we are at the front end of a renaissance for motor racing in the U.S.?

Before you answer, add to the mix Le Mans’ profile rising, and lifting with it ALMS. (ALMS seems the hands-down winner of the F1B staff poll for “best racing in America.”) Rallying has a bit of a boost among x-treme sports. And we’re getting a Top Gear. (Plus amateur weekend racing might be as strong as ever.)

Could the pendulum be swinging back to the days of Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill and racing that actually mattered to many Americans? When Ford’s quest to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans captivated the country? Back to times when Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney and Hill would be on the cover of Sports Illustrated?

And, if so, what would it take to push that pendulum into full motion?

Your View: What would it take for American to experience a motor racing revival?

Christian Horner seems to be the man of the moment, mostly because he refuses to make one of his two drivers the man of his team.

Horner maintains his stance that there won’t be team orders favoring one of his drivers in a Q & A at the official Formula 1 site. But what’s more interesting (on a day empty of interesting news) is how he answers a questions related to Mark Webber and his manager, Flavio Briatore:

Q: Webber’s manager Flavio Briatore has asked for team orders to help his driver as he is the one leading the championship. How do you answer such a demand?
CH: What else should he say as Mark’s manager? My answer is a clear ‘no’. Of course, I can imagine that Flavio would prefer it if we go the Ferrari way and put our efforts behind only one driver, but that would be wrong, as both are right in the middle of the fight for the title. The only thing we expect from them is that they don’t hamper each other.

OK, so I’d call that a little shot at Ferrari since, at this point, Maranello does just have one driver “right in the middle of the fight.” But that certainly wasn’t true back in Germany, was it?

Horner — as we’ve been covering here — has been lobbing these minor grenades at Red Bull’s two rivals fairly consistently this week. It’s during these competitive moments that you might think the existence of FOTA — or at least its harmony — is most tested.

Well, you tell me. Does this sound like there is a problem with the teams association? Probably totally unrelated to Horner, but… maybe not? Maybe as the competitive juices flow the good-natured collaboration starts to fray?

Q: The last two races have seen a lot of discussions between team principals. Is the unity of the teams still strong?
CH: Yes, but it is facing huge challenges. I cannot say more than that at the moment.

What the heck kind of answer is that? Hey, Christian! Come join us over in F1B’s patented and trademarked “Media 101 Training Cockpit.”

Hi Christian. Thanks for stopping by. We say your answer to the question about FOTA and (dope slaps him upside the head) what were you thinking? You don’t answer a question like that and then say something open-ended — unless that’s your intent. Stop with “Yes.” Remember, less is more. Especially when there’s no other news out there.

Or… if you have to bring up challenges, don’t then retreat into a “well, I can’t talk about that” crouch. That’s dry kindle for fans, bloggers and Martin Brundle. You let that trial balloon go, you have to give it some wind to stay aloft.

Alright, go back to keeping Mark and Seb from ripping each other’s faces off.

Well, those are the two highlights of this Q & A. Here’s a few more bits and pieces, to top the thing off:

Q: So how will you handle the situation with both your drivers fighting for the championship?
CH: We have a luxury problem. For the team it is fantastic that we have two drivers eligible for the title. And we don’t need to dig too much into psychoanalysis to understand that if two guys are fighting for the most prestigious title in motorsport then tension is part of the game. We have to make sure that neither feels disadvantaged.

Q: How difficult was it after the crash in Istanbul?
CH: That has a huge challenge that grew even bigger the more it was speculated upon in public. But we have solved that issue.

[snip]

Q: Webber is the hunted, Vettel the hunter. What is your strategy for the three remaining races?
CH: Sebastian has to fight for every single point. But after his Japan win the pressure has eased a bit because in the end he has nothing to lose. Mark has to do a balancing act. He must not drive too defensively but on the other hand must keep his margin over his competitors.

Q: Can Vettel still make it?
CH: Of course. There are still 75 points to be allocated. I promise that the team will not interfere in the race for the title. But you should also consider that we are heading for tracks that suit the Ferraris and McLarens better. I am a bit concerned about the Abu Dhabi race. McLaren was doing very well there last year, even though their car was not as good as ours, and it is a fact that we have a bit of a horsepower disadvantage. That could make a difference in Abu Dhabi and probably also in Korea.

[snip]

Q: Vettel was heavily criticised after making two mistakes. How did he deal with this?
CH: For someone as young as he is, he is very remarkable. He is his biggest critic but also has a huge amount of self-confidence. Even when the media wrote him off and the other teams tried to put him under pressure, he always fought back. He has a very strong character.

Q: If he wins the title it would make him the youngest-ever world champion. Is he ready for it?
CH: Yes, he is old enough for the title.

A lot of questions about Seb. Is that a sign that F1 thinks he’s the more marketable world champ?

Is it just me or does Ferrari seem to be constantly sending out mixed messages? On one side you have Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and on the other you have team principal Stefano Domenicali. I use to think this was a calculated good cop/ bad cop routine from the team that is the master of head games and PR but this Massa routine is making me think that its just barely organized chaos over there and right/ left hand aren’t really on the same page.

As you may remember prior to the Japanese GP Luca di called out Massa and told him to get his crap together and start helping Ferrari out (read: Alonso) or he could find himself a new job. (only slight paraphrase) The this week Stefano comes out and says the team is behind Massa and full prepared to help him become the winning driver.

Now this could be an attempt by Luca to frighten him into success ala The Flav school of management or it could just be Luca being Luca and just spouting off the first thing that comes into his mind. It could also be a sign of disagreement between him and the F1 team. It has been said more than once out there that Luca was the reason the Ferrari dream team left the organization or at least without Todt et all around Luca is free to “manage” the team how ever he wants.

And that’s before we even mention the spring to the head incident (Spring Cheese Incident, perhaps?) and the real effect that’s had on Massa if at all. Agreed that it would have been a PR nightmare for Ferrari to drop Massa right after the incident, but now its been long enough that they could drop him and maybe Luca is just laying the groundwork? (more good cop/ bad cop)

All I know is that it continues to make Ferrari sound a bit schizophrenic. Maybe this is how the team was pre-Todt et al and maybe its just Luca’s style, but whatever it is – they should knock it off. There’s a title fight going on and public discussion of Massa’s driving ability should happen behind closed doors and after the season is over. Unless you really don’t plan on keeping him around that long.

After two days of circuit inspection, the Korean Grand Prix will go ahead as planned in twelve days time. The FIA’s Charlie Whiting issued a “green light” for the circuit after examining the safety and condition of the track according to the race organizers via Mr. Noble at AUTOSPORT.

“We are delighted that all works are now finished to the complete satisfaction of the FIA, and we join the whole of Korea in welcoming the Formula 1 fraternity to the Korea International Circuit for the first time,” he said.

“The KIC has been constructed to the highest standards, and will become the epicentre of motorsport in the country. We believe the Korean Grand Prix will be the catalyst to ignite enormous interest in the sport across the nation.”

According to the organizers, Whiting said he would issue a circuit license to (ASN) KARA and that he was satisfied with the results of the inspection.

There have been many concerns over the preparedness of the circuit and while the infrastructure appears to be in varying degrees of completion, it would seem that Whiting feels the actual track and safety structures are in place and capable of hosting a grand prix.

Korea is making a bid for large events such as the G20 summit as well as the 2018 Olympics and a cancellation of the race would have reflected very poorly on the country as well as organizers. It would have also had a negative impact on F1 as well and while we are all delighted the show will go on, we are also reticent of some of the difficulties that could be experienced with a hastily completed circuit.

Whiting certainly knows what he is looking at and how to host a grand prix…he’s seen a few in his day so I take comfort that the safety systems are in place and that this will be a successful event even if the amenities are quite spartan in appeal. All eyes will be on the asphalt as it was laid last week and the forces of the cars in the heat of battle are immense.

The big question now is, who will the circuit favor? Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren?

Unless there are major mishaps and surprises during the final stretch of the Formula 1 season, the race for the drivers title is now down to three men: Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Webber leads the hunt with 220 points, while Alonso and Vettel are tied at 206 points, a piece. (The McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, our last two champs, have fallen farther back. Hamilton has 192 points and Button 189.)

Of course, Webber’s lead would be seven points more had he managed to get around Vettel. Sitting at 227 to Alonso’s 206 would be a much nicer cushion — he could DNF a race and as long as Alonso didn’t win, he’s still have the title lead.

But Webber didn’t manage it. And the team — by what we can see, i.e. how they finished — didn’t order Vettel to let him by, either.

The question, harkening back to the Alonso/Felipe Massa pass earlier this season, is whether the team should have.

In the aftermath of the race, Webber is saying he has to win one of the final three races to secure the title:

“I need to win again in the future. I’m very confident I can do that,” he said.

[snip]

“All in all a good day for all of us [at Red Bull] and I am very happy with my position,” added Webber.

“Two weeks ago it was Lewis [Hamilton struggling], then it was Fernando [Alonso].

“It [the championship scenario] is chopping and changing, but the most important thing is that the gap is going the right way.

“But reliability can still yet play a role, many things, lots of different circumstances. Obviously these guys have a bit less because they’re a few behind, but in the end, [I'm] confident.”

He sure had a close call at a win on Sunday. Just how big will that second off Vettel be? We’ll see.

Another way to think of this comes courtesy of Alonso (also from the BBC story linked above):

“I still think that [three more] podium finishes will be enough [to win it],” he said.

“On paper this was the perfect Red Bull track and we finished the weekend with three points lost to the leader of the championship, so we have to be happy.

“Of the 16 races of the championship, 15 were Red Bull circuits – and they won only seven.

“They did three times finishing first and second; and 12 times they didn’t.

“So in the remaining three races it will be difficult for them to be one-two in every race, because something always happens.

“If something happens, we need to take the opportunity. If not, it will be hard because in terms of speed there is no doubt that the Red Bull car has been dominant in 2010.”

I’d emphasize this from Alonso: “we finished the weekend with three points lost to the leader of the championship.” I wonder if he’d be saying the same thing had he lost 10 points.

So, raising the specter of the old “team order” debate, should Red Bull have made a choice this weekend and thrown its drivers title chips to Webber? Or is the team best off letting its two drivers battle it out? And is it, ultimately, the fair thing to do — and the one that gives fans the best racing and most honest competition?

Before you answer, I’ll toss in a final thing to consider: Alonso arguably has an extra seven points thanks to that pass of Felipe. If Alonso claims the championship by fewer than seven points, well… what will hindsight be telling Mark and Red Bull then?

As one of Formula 1’s most memorable circuits, Suzuka once again delivered a classic Japanese Grand Prix.

2010 driver and constructor championship point standings continued to stay close and tight as Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso finished 1-2-3. As they took and held their places at the front of the grid, wasn’t it refreshing to see the FIA cameras capturing more of the mid-field action and battles during the race?

What are your thoughts about the winners, finishers, mishaps and overall coverage yesterday? Was the penalty on Petrov fair?

From post-race interviews, do you believe that Ferrari backs Massa for strong finishes in the final three races of the season? What do you predict for him next year?

What did you think of Kamui Kobayashi and his show for the home crowd? Do you agree with those who saw glimpses of “the” Michael Schumacher as he battled Nico Rosberg and had one of his best finishes of the season?

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton had their struggles. Have McLaren and their drivers lost their edge? Will they be contenders or have they started to fade?

Your wishes for a dream season in 2011. What circuits would you add to the calendar? Which would you eliminate? Would you restructure teams? If so, how?

Finally, there’s Korea. A brand new circuit and brand new asphalt. Virgin territory. (No pun intended.) Your predictions? Advantage anyone?

Join us for our weekly #F1Chat on Twitter this evening at 4:00 p.m. Eastern US/Canada, 5 p.m. Brazil, 9 p.m. UK. Follow and participate in the chat by including the hashtag #F1Chat in your tweets. If you are not on Twitter you are invited to share your comments and opinions below and follow the feed here.

Sebastian Vettel won pole for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix in a dominating way, posting the fastest time halfway through the final session and shaving more time off at the end.  It was a qualifying session of will-they, won’t-they? as rain pelted the Suzuka circuit Saturday, delaying qualifying until a sunny and dry Sunday morning.  Mark Webber completed the Red Bull speed duo to start second, with Lewis Hamilton will start five grid positions behind his qualifying position of third, due to a gearbox change before qualifying.  Robert Kubica showed some Renault development to post the fourth fastest time with Fernando Alonso rounding out the fastest five.  They will start third and fourth with Jenson Button starting fifth after his teammate’s penalty.  Both Mercedes cars and Williams teammate qualified in Q3, with Nico Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, and Michael Schumacher the top ten qualifiers.  Felipe Massa was unable to progress beyond Q2 and qualified twelfth eleventh.  Both Ferraris had issues with the softer tires unable to improve their times dramatically, as is usual, from the harder compound.  Button will start on the harder tire with a qualifying strategy gamble.

Speculation over the status of qualifying began during the rain-soaked final practice, one where only Jaime Alguersuari and Timo Glock set times.  All drivers left the garage, but only those two went around the entire lap.  Vettel and Red Bull led the two dry practices, marked mainly by Hamilton’s absence after a crash that required extensive repairs, bleeding into the second practice sessions.  Kubica was quick in both sessions, with the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa “improving” dramatically from the first to second session, as per usual.

Fifteen minutes before Q1 was to have begun on Saturday, the FIA announced that the session start would begin a half hour late, with a track test and further announcement ten minutes before the later start time.  After the SC made it’s check, Whiting announced that there would be a further half hour delay, moving the session back by an hour, and another delay indicating that qualifying would then just be postponed to Sunday, as there would then not be enough time to finish qualifying before night fell.  It was not to be, as another half hour delay was announced, with yet another decision to come ten minutes before the newly scheduled start.  A half hour after qualifying was to have begun, the announcement came that it was delayed until Sunday morning.  Sunday dawned with the rain having stopped and the sky turning bright blue, for a Sunday filled with both qualifying and race, a test of endurance for any mechanic unlucky enough to have a driver damage his car early in the day.

Q1:
Petrov was the first man out onto the dry but still damp in spots circuit for the twenty-minute Q1 session, followed by both Virgin Racing drivers, the Williams, Lotus, Senna, and Button while the rest of the field waited to let them dry off the track.  McLaren had returned to their older wing configuration with too little running time on Friday to determine its effectiveness.  Very quickly, though, all but a knockout zone’s worth of drivers were circulating.  Hulkenberg was the first to post a close to competitive time (1:35.352), though he was eclipsed by Sutil, Massa, and Petrov before returning ot the top position finally down into the 1:32s, though still a second and a half off of Vettel’s fastest time in the second Friday practice.  Schumacher and Barrichello were quick early on as well, with Barrichello, Hulkenberg, Heidfeld, Schumacher, Massa, Sutil, Liuzzi, Alguersuari, and Kobayashi the top ten with twelve minutes left int the session.  Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, and Kubica had yet to set a time, finally joining the fray at almost the halfway point.

Alonso’s first time put him at tenth fastest as fastest Hulkenberg was still a second off Vettel’s Friday time of 1:31.465.  The Spaniard picked off a couple of positions as Hamilton began his first fast lap, one that was fourteenth fastest, until Button went eighth fastest on his.  Vettel and Kubica had yet to set a time with just under eight minutes left, though Webber was twelfth fastest.  Hulkenberg still led, with Barrichello, Rosberg, Massa, then Alonso the fastest five.  Vettel went straight to seventh on his first flying lap, then fastest on the next as Webber went fourth fastest.  With six minutes to go, Vettel led Hulkenberg, Barrichello, Webber, Rosberg, Massa, Alonso, Hamilton, Heidfeld, and Schumacher with Kovalainen, Trulli, di Grassi, Yamamoto, Senna, Glock, and Kubica, who still had no posted time in the knockout zone.  A minute later and everyone was on the track, but di Grassi, Yamamoto, and Glock.  Kubica’s first lap took him to thirteenth and dropped Buemi into the knockout zone.  Alonso took fifth fastest from Rosberg as Petov demoted his teammate to fourteenth, then Kubica dropped to sixteenth, and myriad other times changes occurred in the final three minutes, though the knockout zone remained the same.  Vettel bettered his time to 1:32.035 without really needing to before heading to the garage to wait until Q2 with a minute left, as did Barrichello, whos time was bettered by Rosberg, dropping him to fourth.  Many of the top ten runners aborted their final laps of the session, while the new teams and Toro Rosso battled to make it to Q2.  In the final times, it was Buemi who joined the new teams on the sidelines for Q2 and Q3 while the fastest ten in the first third of qualifying were Vettel, Hulkenberg (+.176), Rosberg, Barrichello, Webber, Schumacher, Alonso, Button, Massa, and Kobayashi.  Hamilton as twelfth fastest, a thousandth slower than Kubica.

Drivers Knocked Out in Q1:
18. Buemi 1:33.568
19. Trulli 1:35.346
20. Kovalainen 1:35.464
21. di Grassi 1:36.265
22. Glock 1:36.332
23. Senna 1:37.270
24. Yamamoto 1:37.365

Q2:
The Ferraris were the first out in Q2, followed by the surprisingly quick Barrichello and Hulkenberg, with Kubica, Liuzz, Alguersuari, Petrov, then Webber following.  Two minutes into the session and only Vettel of the title contenders wasn’t out, along with the Mercedes drivers.  Vettel very quickly joined in as Alonso was already starting his first fast lap of the fifteen-minute session.  Massa was the first with a time (132.573), but Alonso was literally right behind him, only with a 1:31.819.  Hulkenberg and Kubica separated the Ferrari drivers before Webber went fastest of all.  Button soon took Alonso’s second fastest time as Hamilton slotted into fourth.  Five minutes in and Webber (1:31.455) led Button Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Kobayashi, Kubica, and Massa, though the bottom half of the top ten wouldn’t stay that way for long.  Sutil, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Petrov, and the Mercedes drivers without times were in the knockout zone with nine minutes left in Q2.

The five men with a chance at the championship remained the fastest five for a few minutes as they began returning to the garage for adjustments.  Rosberg went seventh fastest with his first fast lap; Schumacher tenth and on the bubble with his.  Massa was in the garage with everyone else and knockout zone with just over five minutes left, joined by Kobayashi, Petrov, Sutil, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, and Liuzzi.  Ferrari was again the first one back out for a final run in Q2 and both drivers on soft tires according to the team on Twitter.  Barrichello was the fastest non-title-contender with just under three minutes to go, only .22s off Hamilton’s fastest time.  Massa had a big wiggle through the Esses, which could keep him out of Q3.  Webber still led Button, Vettel, Alonso, and Hamilton as the fastest five while Massa, Kobayashi, Petrov, Sutil, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, and Liuzzi were in the knockout zone as one minute remained.  Vettel was fastest in his sector one, with Webber fastest in sector two.  Vettel was fastest overall with a 1:31.184, and Webber bettered his own time, but remained five hundredths off the pace of his teammate.  Hamilton moved up to third fastest from fifth as Heidfeld posted a time better than Schumacher to removed himself from the relegation zone, though Schumacher returned the favor on his final hot lap after the flag.  Massa could not improve his time and was knocked out,  to qualify twelfth.  Vettel led Webber, Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Barrichello, Rosberg, Hulkenberg, Kubica, and Schumacher as the fastest ten.  Hamilton had to qualify very well in order to scrape out a decent starting position with his five-place gearbox-change penalty.  Interestingly, Ferrari tweeted that “Fernando remained 5th but could not improve his lap time on soft tyres, just matched the one on hards.”  Both Ferraris were having difficulty making the soft tire go quickly and last.

Drivers Knocked Out In Q2:
11. Heidfeld 1:32.187
12. Massa 1:32.321
13. Petrov 1:32.422
14. Kobayashi 1:32.427
15. Sutil 1:32.659
16. Alguersuari 1:07133.
17. Liuzzi 1:33.154

Q3:

Hamilton and Alonso were the first out for the final ten minutes of qualifying, joined by Barrichello then Schumacher and Kubica, then Webber and Vettel, with Button and Hulkenberg not onto the circuit until well into the ten minutes.  Hamilton and Alonso’s first fast times were slower than both Red Bulls’ during Q2, with Vettel 1.3s faster in the first sector alone.  Webber took fastest first, but lost it to Vettel, who managed a 1:30.792, the fastest lap of the weekend by far.  Four minutes to play and Vettel and Webber led Hamilton, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Rosberg, and Schumacher, with neither Button nor Hulkenberg having posted a time.

Button went out on a hard tire, just after Hulkenberg.  With two and a half minutes to go, everyone but Hamilton, Kubica, Button, and Hulkenberg were in the garage.  Button went fourth fastest on those hard tires his first fast lap, five hundredths off Hamilton’s pace.  Webber’s fastest time was nearly four tenths off Vettel’s blistering lap while Alonso nearly languished in fifth.  Hulkenberg’s first lap put him sixth fastest as Alonso tried out the soft tires for his final run.  Vettel wasn’t sitting on his time, posting a fastest of all first sector after Hamilton did so in his third, moving up to second fastest while Kubica moved up to fourth fastest.  Webber took back second, and Button aborted his final lap in favor of pitting.  Vettel took another seven thousandths off his fast time to put Red Bull back in the pole-winning business.  Though Hamilton posted the third fastest time, he will start Sunday from eighth after a gearbox penalty.

Provisional Starting Grid for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix:
1. Vettel 1:30.785
2. Webber 1:30.853
3. Hamilton 1:31.169
4. Kubica 1:31.231
5. Alonso 1:31.352
6. Button 1:31.378
7. Rosberg 1:31.494
8. Barrichello 1:31.535
9. Hulkenberg 1:31.559
10. Schumacher 1:31.846

Ah, it’s good to have a engine deal with Maranello.

Sauber’s new driver (for next year, of course), Sergio Perez — also known as the man whose name can stump Todd, Grace and Paul (I haven’t forgotten) — is joining Ferrari’s young driver’s school, officially known as the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Here’s what Ferrari had to say:

Maranello, 8 October – The Ferrari Driver Academy welcomes another new talent to its midst: Sergio Perez, the twenty year old driver from Guadalajara (Mexico) joins the ranks of Scuderia Ferrari’s programme which was launched last year and which already has six drivers on its books. The news comes just a few days after Sergio was announced as a race driver for the Sauber team in 2011: the young Mexican will thus make his Formula 1 debut in a car powered by Ferrari.

Born on 26 January 1990, Sergio began his single-seater career in the United States, racing in the National Skip Barber Championship. In 2005, he made the trip to Europe, competing in the German Formula BMW series for two years, before upholding the colours of the Mexican team in the A1 GP championship in 2007. That same year, he embarked on a campaign in the British Formula 3 series, winning four races in that category in 2008, finishing fourth overall in the championship.

At the end of 2008, he made the move to GP2. He has four wins to his name in this category, the most prestigious coming in the feature race in Monaco. Sergio currently lies second in the 2010 championship, with just one round remaining in Abu Dhabi to close the season.

I don’t see word at Sauber’s site yet. Maybe that will come… after the check officially clears.

With all of Ferrari’s simulators, engineers, etc., this seems like it can only be good for both Perez and and Sauber.

Also, as we have discussed here, Perez’s addition to the grid could be good for the United States Grand Prix. Perez likely will be the closest thing the race has to a hometown favorite, and that isn’t getting past race organizer Tavo Hellmund. Here’s what he had to say to SpeedTV:

“I have followed Sergio’s career closely and have been impressed by his work ethic and his ability to win at every level,” said Hellmund. “I am ecstatic that he will be a Formula One driver next year and I congratulate Sergio on this great accomplishment. I look forward to following his career at the highest level of motorsports and assisting in any way possible.

“I spoke with both Carlos and Sergio and we all agree that the 2012 Formula One United States Grand Prix will be like a home race for Sergio. In 2011, we will have a driver for the Americas with Sergio and in 2012 we will have the Grand Prix of the Americas with the United States Grand Prix. We all look forward to working together to maximize this wonderful opportunity.”

If I were Tavo, I would try to have Perez in Austin (or somewhere close in Texas, maybe an even bigger city) sometime next year — decked out in Ferrari gear and driving a new Italia, if they haven’t all been recalled by then. Have him highlight a weekend of events to pump everyone up for the next season.

I might even try to get him to town before this season is over for a little something. (Again, not because I think Perez will be a big draw from the United States, but because Ferrari will be. Which probably means it is more likely to get him in Ferrari gear this year.)

Sebastian Vettel continued his dominance of Friday practice in the likely final bits of dry running before a forecast rainy Saturday, again leading teammate Mark Webber and followed by Robert Kubica.  Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa improved their Ferrari times from the first session to round out the fastest five.  Jenson Button did nearly the entirety of McLaren’s legwork after Hamilton’s crash in the first session to post the sixth fastest time (Hamilton would only get eight minutes of running time and a thirteenth fastest lap time), with a quick Vitaly Petrov, then Michael Schumacher, Adrian Sutil, and Nico Hulkenberg the end of the top ten.

It was a Red Bull runaway in the first practice session, with Vettel (1:32.585) leading teammate Webber by less than a half-tenth of a second.  Kubica was the closest challenger, a half second off Vettel, with Sutil and his perpetual fast times in Friday practice putting him fourth fastest and the first of a number of drivers a second off the fastest pace.  Hamilton rounded out the fastest five with a time posted in the first half of the session and within nine running laps as a trip over the kerbs forced him into the tire barrier at Degner, damaging the left front suspension of his McLaren.  Teammate Button was twelfth fastest at the end of the session, just slower than Massa, and faster than Alonso with the usual Ferrari mid-pack times for the first session.  Barrichello and Hulkenberg continued the hopes of Williams with sixth and seventh fastest times, Schumacher, Heidfeld (continuing his replacement of Pedro de la Rosa at Sauber), and Rosberg rounding the top ten.

The second practice session began withAlguersuari again the first driver onto the circuit, followed by Kobayashi.  The sky had gotten cloudier, but there was no forecast of rain until Saturday, when it is supposed to pour.  Liuzzi and Vettel led a good portion of the field out for their installation laps and presumably more running times than posted in the first session.  Hamilton was in the McLaren garage, waiting on the repairs to his damaged car.  Times began to be posted less than five minutes into FP2, with Alguersuari, Liuzzi, and Kobayashi the first to do so, despite only seven drivers remaining  in the garage.  Heidfeld took fastest with a 1:35.053, over two seconds slower than his FP1 time, and three seconds slower than Vettel’s.  Times continued to drop as the drivers got to the business of setting times and checking set-up.  Hulkenberg was faster, then Kubica, then Alonso with a 1:33.159 and only eight minutes gone in the session.  Both Renaults were quick this early in the session as well, with Petrov second, Hulkenberg, Kubica, and Barrichello rounding out the fastest five just ten minutes in.  Soon thereafter Schumacher was second fastest, a tenth and a half off of Alonso’s time, which was a second faster than his time in the first practice and six tenths off Vettel’s from then.  On his first proper run, Webber went straight to fastest with a 1:43.574, already faster than his and his teammate’s FP1 times.  Vettel was third fastest on his first run, then fastest, by .073 on the next lap.  He bettered his time again the next time around as most of the drivers were back in the garage.

One third of the way through the second practice session many of the cars were back out, though only four of the top ten were on the circuit.  Vettel led Webber, Alonso, Petrov, Schumacher, Massa, Kubica, Hulkenberg, Button, and Barrichello as that fastest ten.  Kubica went for a short stint through the gravel backwards at Dunlop, but managed to get it back onto the track.  Hamilton had yet to join the fray, with mechanics still working on rebuilding.  Things seemed to settle down a bit through the middle third of the session, with drivers and teams working on various set-ups, fuel loads, and keeping a thought for the forecast Saturday rain.  Petrov was the first driver out on the softer tire, moving ahead of Alonso’s time, with Ferrari subsequently tweeting, “Time for soft tyres is getting closer…”  At the session halfway point, Vettel still led Webber (by two tenths) with at 1:32.210, then Petrov, Alonso, Schumacher, Massa, Kubica, Hulkenberg, Button, and Barrichello the fastest ten.  Hamilton had yet to leave the garage, though reporting from the pit suggested he would resume running with a half hour in the session.

Teams began switching to the softer tire, moving Sutil up through the field to fourth on “a qualifying simulation,” according to Force India on Twitter.  Similarly, Massa jumped right up the order to third fastest on his first soft tire run.  Alonso similarly moved up to fifth fastest on his softer tires, as Webber took fastest from Vettel, by a whopping three tenths with a 1:31.860.  Massa was third fastest, nearly seven tenths slower than Webber, then Petrov and Alonso as the fastest five with a half hour to go.  The top eight were all within a second of Webber, much closer than in the first session.  Button finall moved into the top five with the fourth fastest time as Ferrari noted that “Not a perfect first lap for Fernando, who improved only by 3 tenths.”  He soon moved up to fourth fastest, with Kubica faster by three tenths, after Vettel displaced Webber.  Massa was slower than his teammate, but faster than Button, Petrov, Schumacher, Sutil, and Rosberg with twenty-five minutes left.

Five minutes later, Vettel had improved his lap time to 1:31.465 as most drivers were heading into their garages for last minutes changes as Hamilton finally climbed aboard his McLaren to possibly head out for a few laps.  Hamilton had yet to go out when only fifteen minutes remained, as the Vettel still led Webber, Kubica, Alonso, then Massa, Button, Petrov, Schumacher, Sutil, and Hulkenberg, with the top four within a second of Vettel, and the top eleven (completed by Rosberg) a second and a half behind the Red Bull drivver.  Kobayashi was another six tenths behind Rosberg in twelfth.  Schumacher had his own gravel experience at Denger after going on the wrong side of the kerbs, though he, too, kept his car out of the tire barrier.  Hamilton was finally out of the garage with eight and a half minutes, leaving only Sutil, Barrichello, and di Grassi the only men still there.  Hamilton’s first time only took him to eighteenth, likely indicating a race heavy-fuel setup instead of a qualifying one, especially with rain indicated for Saturday, and the wind having picked up at Suzuka, the temperature dropping.  Barrichello was the only driver not out with time in the session for a lap or two more.  According to Williams on Twitter, “Rubens’ practice ended 10 mins early with an engine issue, mechanics investigating cause now.”  The top twelve had yet to change from earlier as Hamilton moved up to thirteenth with time for one more lap, though he would not improve his position.

Final Times for FP2:

	Driver	Time	Gap	Laps
1.	Sebastian Vettel	1:31.465		32
2.	Mark Webber	1:31.860	+.395	29
3.	Robert Kubica	1:32.200	+.735	32
4.	Fernando Alonso	1:32.362	+.897	34
5.	Felipe Massa	1:32.519	+1.054	35
6.	Jenson Button	1:32.533	+1.068	28
7.	Vitaly Petrov	1:32.703	+1.238	32
8.	Michael Schumacher	1:32.831	+1.366	27
9.	Adrian Sutil	1:32.842	+1.377	26
10.	Nico Hulkenberg	1:32.851	+1.386	26
11.	Nico Rosberg	1:32.880	+1. 415	26
12.	Kamui Kobayashi	1:33.471	+2. 006	31
13.	Lewis Hamilton	1:33.481	+2.016	8
14.	Rubens Barrichello	1:33.564	+2.099	16
15.	Nick Heidfeld	1:33.697	+2.232	33
16.	Sebastien Buemi	1:34.005	+2.540	32
17.	Jamie Alsguersuari	1:34.055	+2.590	37
18.	Tonio Liuzzi	1:34.310	+2.845	33
19.	Heikki Kovalainen	1:36.095	+4.630	37
20.	Jarno Trulli	1:36.333	+4.868	33
21.	Lucas di Grassi	1:36.630	+5.165	28
22.	Timo Glock	1:36.834	+5.369	28
23.	Bruno Senna	1:37.352	+5.887	33
24.	Sakon Yamamoto	1:37.831	+6.366	34

No, it isn’t Rubens!

Buried deep in the Formula 1 official site’s transcript of today’s press conference with drivers, one of the journalists gets around to asking this:

Michael, with your experience, if you were having a bet where would your money go on the championship, among the five contenders now?
MS: If you want to lose money, you bet on one of those guys because none can be right and can be correct. If you look at this year, I think it has been a very exceptional year: for the reason to have so many drivers still in the championship and for the fact that there have been so many up and down happenings, retirements and so on, that I don’t think you could have expected, so I wouldn’t bet any money on anybody. I cross fingers for one that I’m good friends with, but that’s about it.

Drum roll, please. And who is that “one that I’m good friends with”?

MS: I’m good friends with Sebastian (Vettel), so my fingers are crossed for him.

Quick, fire up the “Michael and Ross’ three-year plan for Mercedes is to get Michael a winning car that then, in year four, can be turned over to Vettel” rumor.

Speaking of that plan, Michael was asked about it, as well:

It’s a question for Michael. Before, you talked about a longer period project for Mercedes and you mentioned Benetton and Ferrari. In those days, you were in your mid-twenties and then in your mid-thirties. Now you are a little bit older. Is there any risk that time will run out before you find the target and is there any risk that you can work and somebody else can reap the fruits of your work, like Nico (Rosberg) for example?
MS: That’s why, right from the beginning, we talked about a three-year situation. I hope that within this time I can collect the fruits of it. Certainly we are on the right path. If I see modifications and mistakes and the learning curve – all what has been done to improve next year makes me very confident and comfortable and again, the target is to reduce what used to take four to five years to reduce it in time, so that I take the benefit from it.

[Media critic note: It's never good when your question is as long, or longer, than the answer.]

That answer, actually, probably satisfies my lingering… shall we say interest in Schumacher’s comeback. I can accept that it would take him some time to get back, I can accept the car doesn’t fit his style and I know he took some time to gel everything at Ferrari (along with a lot of other people working on that, of course). I still would have liked to see him a little closer to Nico Rosberg, though.