Formula 1 News

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WEBBER FASTEST, BUTTON SEVENTH

Mark Webber could yet have an important role to play in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix after topping the timesheets in first practice.

The Australian is no longer in title contention after failing to score in the last five races, but his presence could prove vital to Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who could still catch championship leader Jenson Button.

The British star was only seventh fastest in the opening session.

German Vettel, 22, trails Button by 16 points with two grands prix remaining and ideally needs another victory to follow on from his triumph in Japan 12 days ago to keep him in the hunt.

With Button also fighting Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who is 14 points adrift, Webber could be in a position to come to Vettel's aid should the team ask for his assistance.

The 33-year-old was certainly on the pace throughout the entire 90-minute session around the undulating Interlagos circuit, closing out with a lap of one minute 12.463 seconds.

Webber finished 0.411secs quicker than Barrichello, with Vettel third quickest and Button seventh, the latter 0.678secs down.

Brawn GP chief Nick Fry declared himself happy with Button's work as the team focused on aerodynamics, notably to the front wing.

The McLaren duo of Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton suggested they will be in the mix this weekend as they were fourth and fifth in a session that was hit by two rain showers.

Both were just over half a second off Webber, with Williams' Kazuki Nakajima sixth, narrowly ahead of Button who set his best time of 1:13.141 with the last of his 29 laps.

Nico Rosberg in his Williams, Force India's Adrian Sutil and Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari completed the top 10, followed by Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld in his BMW Sauber.

Sebastien Buemi was 13th for Toro Rosso, but ended up breaking his right-rear suspension in sliding into a tyre barrier at a time when the second shower had hit the circuit and the track was greasy.

Romain Grosjean propped up the standings, finishing 1.710secs down on Webber, and causing the only red flag 55 minutes into the run.

The Frenchman, unlikely to be retained by Renault for next season, ploughed into a polystyrene sign, sending white bits all over the track and forcing marshals into a five-minute clean-up operation.

Times:
01 M. Webber Red Bull 1:12.463 28 laps
02 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:12.874 31 laps
03 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:12.932 26 laps
04 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:12.989 24 laps
05 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:13.048 24 laps
06 K. Nakajima Williams 1:13.067 21 laps
07 J. Button Brawn GP 1:13.141 28 laps
08 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.147 23 laps
09 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:13.232 22 laps
10 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:13.321 23 laps
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.326 26 laps
12 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.464 27 laps
13 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.503 24 laps
14 R. Kubica BMW 1:13.563 24 laps
15 G. Fisichella Ferrari 1:13.619 23 laps
16 F. Alonso Renault 1:13.787 28 laps
17 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 1:13.829 26 laps
18 K. Kobayashi Toyota 1:14.029 27 laps
19 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:14.040 38 laps
20 R. Grosjean Renault 1:14.173 23 laps



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I PAID FOR MY TRAVEL - BUTTON 2010 Drivers Championship: Button, J 9/1

Newly-crowned Formula One champion Jenson Button has revealed he paid for the majority of his flights from race to race this season.

The Brawn GP driver secured his first F1 title at the Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend when a fifth-placed finish opened an unassailable advantage over his rivals with just the final round in Abu Dhabi remaining.

It was a remarkable achievement for the rookie team, which rose out of the ashes of Honda's decision to pull out of the sport last December.

Button, 29, took a £5million pay cut to ensure his drive with the fledgling team and, on his return to Britain on Tuesday, admitted he had flown between Grands Prix on budget airlines paid by himself.

"I paid for pretty much all my travel this season," he said.

"I went on a lot of smaller airlines, but it wasn't a big deal. We all give up certain things when times get tough.

"And, to be fair, when you get a chance to drive the car I'm driving you'd give up pretty much anything."

Button enjoyed a rare extravagance following his title success in Sao Paulo after his Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello offered to fly the Briton back to his homeland to celebrate on his own private jet.

"I'm not that materialistic but it was nice of Rubens to let me use his plane," Button said.

"It was so I could spend some time with the team."

Button is yet to sign a new deal with Brawn but after meeting his fans at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on Tuesday, he admitted he would like to defend his crown with Brawn GP.

"The most important thing in my career is to be in a great car that's competitive. This year is the first time I've really been in that position," he added.

"I'm not looking to join a new team who can pay me a bigger amount of money. I want to go out and win races again.

"I want to stay with Brawn, we just haven't discussed it during the season. Now we can sit down and discuss it."


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BRANSON TIGHT-LIPPED OVER BRAWN 2010 Drivers Championship: Button, J 9/1

Sir Richard Branson will decide after the final race of the Formula One season whether his Virgin Group will continue as a sponsor of the victorious Brawn GP team.

Virgin agreed to sponsor the team just before the season began in March, just weeks after Brawn had secured their survival in the wake of Honda's decision to pull out of the sport.

The decision paid off as Jenson Button took the drivers' championship for Brawn, with his efforts and those of team-mate Rubens Barrichello also enough to take the constructors' title.

The season concludes on November 1 in Abu Dhabi, and Branson said on Wednesday that Virgin would consider whether to renew their deal for next season and beyond.

He told BBC Radio Five Live: "It was the perfect relationship. Virgin loves to support an underdog but they are now one of the most expensive teams out there and certainly not underdogs any more.

"But we will make an announcement in the next month but at the moment we just want to celebrate a magnificent season with the Brawn team, Jenson and Rubens Barrichello, who did fantastically also.

"We were absolutely delighted to get involved with them when they didn't have any money before the Melbourne race.

"It enabled them to prove that they had a great car and great drivers and they've obviously gone on to fantastic things."

The team's success has come as a pleasant surprise to Branson, who added: "I don't think in our wildest dreams we thought this would happen. I knew they had a good car, as I happened to know one of the test drivers.

"But when I got on a plane to Melbourne with some Virgin stickers in my bag, having just shaken hands and given them some money, the last thing I expected was a first and second in the championship race."


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MONACO GRAND PRIX DATE SWITCHED

Next year's Monaco Grand Prix has been moved forward by a week to May 16 and the FIA have agreed in principle to switch the dates of races in Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

The penultimate race of 2010 is currently due to take place in Abu Dhabi on October 31, with the final race in Brazil on November 14.

However, the FIA have approved in principle a proposal to swap those dates, pending agreement with the promoters of both events.



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CHAMPION ADVICE FOR BUTTON

Lewis Hamilton has warned Jenson Button to expect the unexpected after taking up the mantle as the new Formula One world champion.

Hamilton's reign came to an end on Sunday as Button's fifth-placed finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix was enough to see him crowned.

The 29-year-old is Britain's 10th world champion, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, and of course, Hamilton.

It is also the first time in 40 years Britain has enjoyed back-to-back success since Hill and Stewart in 1968 and 1969, although no Briton has ever successfully defended the crown.

Whilst naturally urging Button to slowly savour the moment, the 24-year-old also knows just what the demands of being world champion can bring.

"Becoming world champion is a strange and unreal feeling," said Hamilton.

"I heard on Sunday Jenson kept on saying 'I'm champion, I'm world champion', and I kind of knew exactly what he meant.

"It's all too much to take in at once, especially in one day.

"For me, I still don't really think of myself as world champion. Of course, when I first saw the number one on my car, it really meant something.

"Then when I arrived in Melbourne for the first race it also meant something new to me, but I still have the same determination to succeed I've always had.

"My only advice for Jenson would be to let it slowly sink in, and to enjoy it.

"Being champion will pull you in directions you hadn't previously thought about, and it's all about resetting your balance, finding calmness and refocusing for the new challenges ahead.

"But it's also an incredibly uplifting feeling, a total relief and it brings something special to your life.

"You couldn't really have asked for Jenson to do any more this season.

"He's won six races and he's always been in control of himself and been a great asset for the Brawn GP team.

"He will make a great champion. I'm proud of what he's done, both him and his team."

Hamilton is rightly proud of the fact he and Button continue to keep the motor sport flag flying for Britain.

The McLaren star is looking to maintain the fight at the front he has enjoyed with Button throughout the second half of this year into next season, with the hope the title remains in this country.

"He knows I've been supporting him all year, and I've seen him and given him my congratulations," added Hamilton.

"I've been saying for months he'd be a worthy world champion, and I think he'll be a great ambassador for our sport.

"It's great the title will stay in Great Britain for another year.

"I'd like to think we'll both be up there next year fighting alongside each other to ensure we keep bringing it back home to home soil."

Before then, Hamilton is expecting a great showdown with a now stress-free Button in the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

"He'll go to Abu Dhabi with that weight off his shoulders and ready to make a real race of it," insisted Hamilton.

"It would be fantastic for Britain if we could get a great double result at the last race of the season."




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BUTTON DESERVES THE TITLE WORLD CHAMPION

"I am the world champion baby! I am the world champion!"

It was a phrase Jenson Button repeated countless times after savouring the greatest moment of his life following what was, in his opinion, the greatest drive of his career, and with some justification.

Part of it was perhaps down to self-validation, an end to the angst he admitted he has suffered over the past few tortuous weeks as the races ticked by, as the wins dried up.

Part of it was also perhaps one in the eye for the critics, those who had suggested over the years he did not have what it takes to be worthy of a place in Formula One, never mind be world champion.

To those, too, who had suggested this season he was choking under the pressure of failing to close out the title after a dramatic start that yielded six stunning wins from seven dominant races.

But Button is world champion, and a worthy one at that because no matter how you paint the picture, a champion is a guy who has more points than anybody else come the end of the season - and that guy is the 29-year-old from Frome.

How dare people suggest he is undeserving. Why? Because he has not won a race since early June in Turkey when his explosive start came to an end.

Let's put that one to rest once and for all because there are many examples of drivers winning the championship with far fewer wins than Button has achieved this year.

Keke Rosberg is the most famous example as he took the chequered flag just once in a 16-race campaign en route to capturing his one and only title in 1982 with Williams.

The critics have carped on about the double diffuser row early in the year, that Brawn GP had an unfair advantage over their rivals.

Admittedly, it was a technical minefield as Ferrari, Renault, BMW Sauber and Red Bull contested that Brawn GP's interpretation of a body part that aids aerodynamics contravened the regulations.

If you recall, though, Brawn were not the only team defending their rights as they were joined by Toyota and Williams in the dock.

The trio had discovered a loophole, expertly threading a technical needle through it, forcing the other teams to play catch up.

Naturally, there was unhappiness at the FIA International Court of Appeal's decision, yet the fact Brawn were not alone underlined the argument of their being more than one way to skin a cat.

And where are Toyota and Williams now? They had exactly the same idea, saw the rule in the same way, yet they both currently lie over 100 points adrift in the constructors' championship.

That tells you all you need to know that Brawn's success boils down to more than just a creative piece of engineering regarding a body part.

Yes, the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, and Red Bull in particular, reeled in Button and Brawn after their triumph in Turkey, perhaps ensuring they found their level over the second half of the year.

But then what transpired during that period was a very different test of Button's character as he fought with the stress and strain of leading from the front, of being the guy in everybody's sights.

That brings with it a new variant of pressure, and there were times when he handled it well, and times when, even by his own admission, he struggled.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man, as we witnessed on Sunday at Interlagos, just as everybody was clamouring for him to produce a champion's drive, so Button delivered.

From 14th on the grid following a mistake by the team in atrocious wet-weather conditions in qualifying on Saturday, Button's back was against the wall, especially with team-mate and title rival Rubens Barrichello on pole.

Button told his mum via a text message that night he would kick some butt, and that is exactly what he did, notably those of Romain Grosjean, Kazuki Nakajima, Kamui Kobayashi and Sebastien Buemi via superb overtaking manoeuvres.

The emotion that followed, the tears and the smiles, flooded to the surface such was the dam he had built inside over the preceding weeks and months as he celebrated becoming world champion.

And is Button worthy? You bet your life he is.

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Max Mosley's 12-year reign as president of the FIA will finally come to an end on Friday - so too a bitter campaign battle to succeed him.

As Ari Vatanen and Jean Todt have vied and jostled to become the most powerful man in motor sport, there have been accusations of behind-the-scenes chicanery and threats of legal action.

Arguably, it was to be expected, just as many are expecting Todt to canter into office and take up where Mosley left off.

But if rumours are to be believed, it might just be a lot closer than people think.





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BUEMI STAYS AT TORO ROSSO

Toro Rosso have confirmed Sebastien Buemi will stay with the team next season.

The 21-year-old was the top rookie last year, making some notable performances and taking six points in the championship.

"I can confirm that we've signed Buemi for next year," said a Toro Rosso spokesman.

The outfit are yet to name their second driver, although Spanish 19-year-old Jaime Alguersuari is expected to remain at the Ferrari-powered team after replacing Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais in July.

"Dietrich Mateschitz bought this team to give young drivers a chance, and this is our philosophy," team principal Franz Tost told the autosport.com website.

"We have to stick to this philosophy, and I'm quite confident that from the middle of next year onwards we will have a good driver line-up, because then Alguersuari will know all the tracks, and Buemi is increasing his performance already."

New Zealander Brendon Hartley will also be tried out by Toro Rosso in December, when teams will only be allowed to test young drivers.


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BRAWN SET TO LOSE VIRGIN DEAL

Ross Brawn does not expect his team's cars to carry the sponsorship of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group next season.

Virgin agreed to sponsor the team just before the season began in March, just weeks after Brawn had secured their survival in the wake of Honda's decision to pull out of the sport.

The decision paid off as Jenson Button took the drivers' championship, with his efforts and those of team-mate Rubens Barrichello also enough for Brawn to take the constructors' title.

But team principal Brawn has conceded that he does not expect the Virgin partnership to continue as his all-conquering team look to repeat their success in 2010.

"We had a great year with Virgin but they have different ambitions next year so it's unlikely you will see their name on the car next year," he said.

"They had the faith or good luck to be with us from the start and won a championship with us but it doesn't look like they will continue."

Brawn also hinted that a link-up with engine manufacturers Mercedes-Benz was not far away from being finalised.

The German car giants have been linked with taking a 75 per cent stake in the Brackley-based team which could provide the financial backing required to again see off Ferrari and McLaren.

"Mercedes is a very important part of our team and without the engine we would not have won the championship," said Brawn.

"It was the best engine in Formula One and we have formed a great partnership together.

"We are looking at all opportunities for the future but it is too early to announce anything yet.

"But it is an amazing contrast we have been through as a team this year.

"We were in the depths of despair last winter when we didn't know if we would have a team at all and then to win the World Championships was amazing.

"It has been an incredible journey but now we must focus on next year."

Brawn revealed the team have been working hard in order to ensure their continued progress next season.

"We are in good shape for next year," he added.

"We were fortunate to get a big lead early on and that allowed us to start on next year's car early.

"We could consolidate and concentrate on finishing races and picking up the points to wrap up the title and our design team have been working flat out on the 2010 car since the summer."



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BRAWN UPBEAT ABOUT F1 FUTURE

Ross Brawn believes the future of Formula One racing remains bright despite the decision by Toyota to pull out of next year's championship.

The Englishman led his Brawn GP team to both the drivers' and constructors' World Championships this year at the first attempt, less than a year after he salvaged the team when Honda decided not to race.

BMW and Toyota have since joined the list of manufacturers pulling the plug on their Formula One adventure, while question marks hang over the future of Renault.

But Brawn believes the arrival of the Lotus, US F1, Campos and Manor teams on the grid in 2010 prove that the sport has a long-term future.

He said: "The economic situation has not been good for car manufacturers but it seems to have turned the corner now and most of them are reporting increased sales.

"There are lots of encouraging signs but there is a lag in time for companies to react as it takes a lot of money and time to commit to an F1 team so we may not see them return for a while.

"But there has always been a core group. Ferrari and Mercedes have ridden a few storms over the years but have always been involved and I don't see that changing.

"Some teams are leaving but they are being replaced and we still have a queue of smaller teams wanting to come in.

"I have been in F1 for over 30 years and have seen it go from privateer teams to big factories and back again and I think the future of the sport is strong.

"Some manufacturers use F1 just for the gains they get from it and others are in it for the long haul and we are seeing now who is who."

Brawn refused to be drawn on the future of world champion Jenson Button, who has yet to sign a contract to stay with the team.

The 29-year-old is believed to be seeking a return to the salary he commanded at Honda and has been consistently linked with a move to partner fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

Brawn said: "There is still a 99 per cent chance that Jenson will be staying but we have nothing more to say at this time.

"But the team have been working flat out on the 2010 car since the summer so we are in good shape for next year and we expect to be in a real battle for the title again."



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BUTTON SILENT OVER ROSBERG TALK Formula 1 2010 Season

Jenson Button is remaining coy on rumours that Nico Rosberg will be his 2010 Brawn GP team-mate.

With Rubens Barrichello on his way to Williams and Rosberg having left the Grove-based team, rumours claim the German is heading to Brawn GP.

Button, though, is refusing to confirm whether the reports are true.

Asked by the official F1 website if he'll be seeing Rosberg more often next season, perhaps as a team-mate, Button said: "How many races will we have next season? 19? Then I will see him 19 times."

The reigning F1 World Champion also didn't give the game away when asked if himself and Rosberg would make good team-mates.

"A team-mate must be two things. He must put you under pressure and he must be willing to bring the team forward together," said the Brit.

"That was the case this year with Rubens (Barrichello) and me. What was also important was that we both learnt a lot together when we both had a really bad car."

Team-mate rumours are not the only stories making the rounds regarding Brawn GP. There is also speculation that Mercedes, the team's engine supplier, could buy into the team.

Once again, though, Button wouldn't confirm or deny.

"That's a question for Ross (Brawn) to answer. We don't know what will happen next season. All I know is that we should cherish the moment."




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DOMENICALI BACKING DUO

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali reckons next year's championship will once again see Brawn GP and Red Bull fighting at the front - but with Ferrari added to the mix.

In an unusual turn of form, Formula One's two powerhouses, Ferrari and McLaren, struggled throughout the first half of the 2009 campaign while Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing came to the fore.

And although both Ferrari and McLaren put up a fight at the season progressed, they were left to battle it out for third place in the Constructors' Championship, which McLaren took by one point.

But looking ahead to next year's Championship, Domenicali is refusing to write off the challenges from Brawn and Red Bull, confident that both outfits with carry this year's form into next season.

"I respect them a lot," he told ITV.

"Brawn had such a huge advantage at the beginning that for sure - without saying - they will have swapped development to their new car a long time ago.

"I know Ross (Brawn) very well and for sure he is doing that.

"With regard to Red Bull, I think they did a great package - a really great package - for sure they will be there next year too."

The team boss, though, believes Ferrari will be up there fighting with them as in the past the Scuderia have proven they do bounce back from their disappointments.

"In 2005 we suffered like hell like this year, we had the lone win at Indianapolis and that season was very difficult," Domenicali said.

"The memory is very short, but we have these periods and we are used to getting out of them with the Ferrari spirit and the Ferrari resources."


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BRIATORE: MOSLEY OUT FOR REVENGE

Former Renault team principal Flavio Briatore will claim Max Mosley was "blinded by an excessive desire for personal revenge" when his appeal against a lifetime ban from motor sport is heard in Paris later this month.

Mosley, the former president of the FIA, motor sport's governing body, chaired the panel which handed down the punishment to Briatore for his role in the scandal that led to Nelson Piquet Jnr deliberately crashing his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

According to documents seen by the Guardian newspaper, Briatore will bid to have his ban from involvement in all FIA-endorsed events overturned and demand damages of just over £900,000 when his case is heard at the Tribunal de Grande Instance on November 24.

The newspaper also claims that Renault's former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, also implicated in the Crashgate scandal, will join Briatore's appeal in an effort to have his five-year ban overturned.

Briatore will claim at the hearing that the FIA did not have legal grounds to issue him with a wholesale ban from motor sport, and that the extent of Mosley's role in the matter breached European laws concerning fair trials.

"The decisions to carry out an investigation and to submit it to the World Council were taken by the same person, Max Mosley, the FIA president," read a statement by Briatore reproduced in part by the Guardian.

The statement added that Mosley "assumed the roles of complainant, investigator, prosecutor and judge" in what Briatore claims was a breach of the "most basic rules of procedure and the rights to a fair trial".

Briatore's claim that the FIA World Council chaired by Mosley was "blinded by an excessive desire for personal revenge" stems from his involvement in plans for a breakaway series, an issue that rumbled on through much of last season before an agreement was reached for manufacturers to stay in Formula One.



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GASCOYNE: WE'RE ON COURSE

Lotus F1 Racing's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne is confident the outfit will be the best of Formula One's new teams despite their late addition to the 2010 grid.

Campos ****, Manor GP and US F1 were joined by a fourth addition to the 2010 grid in mid-September when it was announced the historic marque of Lotus was to return to F1 for the first time since 1994.

The FIA granted Lotus the 13th slot on the grid from next season ahead of BMW Sauber and Epsilon Euskadi following an intensive selection and due diligence process.

Gascoyne returns to F1 with 20 years of experience in the sport behind him after working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and most recently Force India.

He is aware of the challenges facing Lotus over the winter, but is confident the team will be in good shape when it competes in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 14.

"We can't hide from the fact that we are late to the party but we have already made good progress since our entry was confirmed in September," Gascoyne said.

"We already have a model running in the windtunnel, we have just laid up our first chassis and our nose box is going through its first crash tests, but we still have a lot of recruitment to undertake between now and the start of the season.

"It is not only the challenge for developing the car, but we need to establish an entire race team, which is no small task."

He added: "Our initial aim is to be the best of the new teams and I would like to think we are already on our way to achieving that goal.

"We have to be realistic but our aim during 2010 will be to head the group of new entries and continually reduce the gap between our performance and those of the established teams."

A privately funded project, Lotus will be jointly owned by Malaysian companies Tune Group and Naza Group, and a baseline annual budget of around £55million has been confirmed.

Lotus contested 491 grands prix from 1958 to 1994, winning 79 en route to seven constructors' titles, helping iconic names such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi become world champions.

The team is re-entering the sport during a 12-month period that has seen major manufacturers Toyota, BMW and Honda all withdraw their involvement.

Gascoyne believes the entry of new independent teams will be crucial as Formula One attempts to adapt to its changing circumstances.

"Recent economic trends have forced all businesses to rethink their approach and all Formula One teams - and manufacturers - have taken big steps in recent years to reduce their budgets," he added.

"The result of these efforts has allowed new independent teams to enter the sport, irrespective of the recent unfortunate decisions by some car manufacturers.

"Adaptation to changing circumstances is the key to long-term survival and I think this is the sort of evolution process that Formula One is experiencing at the moment."




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FIA CONDEMNS LEAKS


The FIA has hit back at "the selective leaking of extracts" from Flavio Briatore's statements to the Parisian courts in his case against world motorsport's governing body.

The former Renault team principal is seeking to have his lifelong ban from Formula One and all FIA-endorsed motor racing activities lifted as well as €1m in compensation for damage to his reputation.

On Thursday, The Guardian published extracts of Briatore's statements to the courts, in which he accuses former FIA president Max Mosley of being "clearly blinded by an excessive desire for personal revenge".

According to the leak, Briatore will also claim the FIA did not have grounds to issue him with the ban, and that the extent of Mosley's role in the World Motor Sport Council's decision breached European laws concerning fair trials.

The FIA later responded to the leak with a statement condemning it and claiming the allegations made by Briatore are not true.

"The FIA condemns the selective leaking of extracts from Mr Briatore's pleadings to the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris," the statement read.

"The FIA rejects the allegations made in these leaks and confirms that the decision to impose a sanction against Mr Briatore was made by an overwhelming majority of the attending World Motor Sport Council members.

"In respect for the authority of the French Court, it would be entirely inappropriate for the FIA to comment further on this matter in advance of the hearing."

Briatore's hearing against the FIA is scheduled for 24 November and will be heard by France's high court, the Tribunal de Grande Instance.

He received the ban after the WMSC decided he and Renault's former executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, had ordered driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash during last year's Singapore Grand Prix to benefit team-mate Fernando Alonso.




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PRAGUE TARGETS F1 SPOT

Prague could be set to host a Formula One Grand Prix, with the Czech Republic expressing a strong interest in the sport.

A new circuit is expected to be located outside Prague city centre, with plans for the venue already well underway.

Circuit promoter Toni Charouz has revealed that work on the track is expected to begin next year as planning is "90 per cent complete".

F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke has drafted the layout of the track, which will run through the streets of the city and include a 1.3-mile permanent section.

However, before F1 arrives, the venue could stage a round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series.

"F1 is the ambition," Charouz told Autosport.

"If we put on a good show with the DTM, then maybe we can have a grand prix, but we've got nothing on paper yet.

"This track will be very central in a city of 1.5million people. This type of track is the future of motor racing."




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MANOR GP SIGN GLOCK 2010 Drivers Championship

Timo Glock has been confirmed as a driver for the new Manor Grand Prix team's Formula One debut next season.

The German had also been linked with Renault after after the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP two weeks ago, but he has opted to join one of the new teams on the grid.

Manor GP have now confirmed they've secured the German's signature for next season, although did not specify the length of the contract.

"I had several options for 2010, some of them with more established teams," said Glock.

"Every driver has the same overall objective - to win the World Championship one day - but the way I want to succeed is to be part of the process of building a team and to play a key role in developing the car

"This is why the opportunity with Manor Grand Prix is so exciting for me. I have spent a lot of time with Nick Wirth, John Booth and other members of the team and what I liked most is that this a real racing team run by true racers.

"The team may be small and new but it has big ambitions and a very impressive car and development programme. I am confident that I can play a big role in terms of my technical input and that's a fantastic opportunity for me.

"I can't wait to start testing the new car early next year."

Manor GP technical director Nick Wirth has welcomed Glock's signing, and is confident the 27-year-old's experience will go a long way towards developing the team's first-ever F1 car.

"I'm absolutely delighted that Timo has chosen to drive for our team," said Wirth. "It has always been my recommendation that we have at least one driver with experience of the 2009 cars to help our development programme.

"But to get a driver that has not only achieved podium finishes in 2009 but has such proven talent and the potential to take us forward for many years is very exciting.

"The fact that he has come and seen all aspects of the project before making his decision speaks volumes about what we have achieved so far.

"Progress on our new car continues to be very encouraging. The first fully-finished monocoque was completed a week ago, and we've been crash testing all areas of the car since May.

"I think we'll have the bulk of the official FIA tests done by Christmas, bang on our schedule. Now we just can't wait to get Timo into the new car once track testing begins next year."



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DONINGTON RETAINS GRAND PRIX HOPE

Donington Park is still hopeful of staging a grand prix in 2011 even though the company holding the lease over the circuit entered administration.

The affairs of Donington Ventures Leisure Limited (DVLL) are now being handled by partners Nigel Price, John Kelly and James Martin from the Birmingham office of corporate recovery specialists Begbies Traynor.

"This need not be the end of Formula One racing at Donington," Price said in a statement on the circuit's official website, www.donington-park.co.uk.

"We are certainly hopeful that a 2011 Grand Prix could take place at the site. We are looking for a purchaser for the business and the potential opportunity to bring Formula One to this part of the Midlands by funding the work that needs to be carried out to the circuit."

The news is the latest setback for the Leicestershire circuit since DVLL secured a 17-year contract to host Formula One's British Grand Prix in July 2008.

Simon Gillett, chief executive of DVLL, which leases the track from the owning Wheatcroft family, had signed the deal with Formula One's commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone.

However, Gillett's ambitious plans to raise the £135 million required to redevelop the circuit hit the rocks as banks shied away at a time when the global credit crisis was at its worst, and Ecclestone confirmed last month that there would be no British Grand Prix at Donington Park in 2010.

Work has already begun to redevelop Donington Park to F1 standard, and while the circuit is currently unusable Price believes it still represents a strong opportunity for potential investors.

"It still remains a fantastic location - next to an airport and main motorway connections," he added.

"It needs people of vision to get the dream to the starting grid and we would be very interested in talking to interested parties."

Begbies Traynor is still assessing how much is owed to creditors, and with a deal yet to be agreed with Silverstone, the 2010 British Grand Prix remains in the balance.




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BUTTON FACES HUGE TEST

A bold and decisive statement of intent or a foolhardy venture into the lions' den?

However one might choose to view Jenson Button's decision to link up with Lewis Hamilton and form a British 'super team' at McLaren from next season, one has to admire his courage.

Going up against Hamilton in the same machinery is sure to represent a monumental task for Button, whose stock has never been higher following his world title triumph in Brazil last month.

But reputation alone will not guarantee the Briton a single championship point next season.

"Life is all about challenges and, most important of all, it's about challenging yourself," Button said.

"I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges."

Button certainly cannot be accused of having taken the easy option.

If at the start of the year he was wondering if he had a future in F1 after Honda pulled the plug, citing the global economic crisis, he has now put himself in direct competition with one of the most talented drivers on the circuit.

He takes on the challenge, though, as the sport's number one, having sealed his first world title with Brawn GP.

The fact he is champion is testimony to those who burned the midnight oil over the winter months in a desperate attempt to save the team, chief among them team principal Ross Brawn.

After two years of driving the F1 equivalent of a milk float, salvation was at hand for Button in the form of a car that was quick out of the box.

In fairness, Button played an admirable part, taking a £5million pay cut to guarantee himself a ride - and what a ride.

Assisted by the International Court of Appeal judges who determined the diffuser on their car was legal after Button had triumphed in spectacular fashion in Australia and Malaysia, there was no-one to touch the Briton over the first seven races.

With the rest of the field playing catch-up, including team-mate Rubens Barrichello, Button found himself in a class of one and made hay whilst the sun shone brightly down upon him.

From those opening seven races, as his smooth driving style symbiotically fused with a car that caressed its way around a race track, Button was a joy to behold as he triumphed on six occasions.

It really was a case of man and machine in perfect harmony, assisted by the brute force of a Mercedes engine that last year powered Hamilton to glory.

It was the kind of car Button had waited for since his debut in 2000, when many expected him to be the next big thing.

The fact he has had to wait 10 seasons to fulfil his potential has partly been down to the decisions of others, partly of his own making.

For instance, although under contract with Williams, they turned their back on Button after a positive debut year, preferring another emerging talent in Juan Pablo Montoya.

Two dispiriting seasons followed at Benetton/Renault under Flavio Briatore's guidance, the Italian causing outrage when he dropped the Briton in favour of a rising star in Fernando Alonso.

Briatore, who said at the time there were "too many contracts, too many things in the background" for his decision to release Button, also insisted time would tell if he would be proven correct.

Alonso's world titles in 2005 and 2006 would seem to bear testimony to his apparent foresight on that occasion.

And it was during those two years that Button lost his way, developing a 'playboy' reputation as he seemingly partied harder off the track than he drove on it.

Yet his talent was still recognised, although in joining the BAR team in 2003, what followed were flashes of what could be, notably in 2004 when he was the best of the rest behind the Ferraris.

Again, though, there were contract issues behind the scenes that culminated in Button paying Williams around £20million towards the end of 2005 to extricate himself from a deal he had signed with them the year before.

At least over the second half of 2005 and throughout most of 2006, when the team were then fully owned by Honda, Button shone, never more so than in Hungary in August of the latter year when, at the 112th attempt, he finally savoured the sweet taste of victory.

Little did he know then it would be another two-and-a-half years before he would again stand on top of the podium, a case of after the famine coming the feast as he rattled off win after win.

But as others caught up in the design stakes, Button and Brawn lost the winning habit.

Critics also questioned Button's drive as there were occasions when he appeared to have lost the cutting edge.

After the sixth of his victories in Turkey, Button mustered a paltry 11 points from the following five races, culminating in a first-lap crash in Belgium.

But as he floundered, so did his pursuers as Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber all fell over themselves in a bid to bridge the gap.

And in Brazil Button duly completed his stumble over the finishing line.

If Button found that hard, though, it is likely to be nothing compared to what he has now signed up for.

Opting to go head-to-head with Hamilton is certainly a brave choice. Only time will tell if it is a foolish one.





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BUTTON HAD NO CHOICE - JORDAN

Former grand prix team owner Eddie Jordan believes Jenson Button had no option but to sign for McLaren following the Mercedes-Benz takeover of Brawn GP earlier this week.

On Wednesday McLaren announced the signing of reigning world champion Button on a "multi-year deal" that will see the Briton paired with Lewis Hamilton from the start of the 2010 season.

The move followed weeks of speculation over Button's future, with reports suggesting talks to extend his stay at Brawn collapsed owing to his financial demands.

However, Button's reported salary at McLaren of £6million a season over three years is, if accurate, far below what has been commanded by other world champions in recent seasons, and Jordan believes there was never a deal on the table for Button to drive for the rebranded Mercedes Grand Prix team.

"We're all assuming Jenson had the opportunity to drive at Brawn [Mercedes]," Jordan told BBC Radio 5Live.

"I don't believe that is the case and my inside information is that Mercedes released him and advised him to take employment elsewhere."

Mercedes' takeover of Brawn on Monday gave rise to reports the new owners were seeking to bring together an all-German line-up for 2010.

With Nico Rosberg already signed up, Nick Heidfeld became the front-runner for the second seat, leaving Button out of the picture.

"I think that Mercedes...want a German team. I didn't think that there was going to be a place for Jenson there," Jordan continued.

"It is a pity - I would have liked to see him defend his title in that team, which gave him the chance to be champion. However, that wasn't to be.

"The dice changed against Jenson and he was left really with only McLaren, and he should consider himself quite lucky to be there because it's a very strong team."

Jordan warned, however, that Button would have his work cut out to compete alongside Hamilton, who has spent his entire F1 career with McLaren having been groomed for stardom by former team principal Ron Dennis, and won the world title for them in 2008.

"It's a team that was built for Hamilton and it's clear that the whole team are behind him," he said. "However, Jenson will bring a different feeling - two world champions in the same team.

"[But] if any team is capable of handling this kind of ego and talent, then McLaren are the team, so from that point of view there is no danger."

Three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart was less enthusiastic about the move, however, and believes Button could have stayed on to contest Mercedes' maiden campaign.

"I think it's a mistake," the Scot told 5Live. "If I had been Jenson, I would have wanted to do a deal with Brawn because I know the culture of the Brawn team, I have a high respect for [team principal] Ross Brawn, I know the mechanics.

"There's a totally different culture in McLaren - something that he might not have experienced before.

"They have a very clinical culture which doesn't have the emotion or drive in the same passionate way than Brawn would have had with him as the reigning world champion."

Stewart echoed Jordan's view that McLaren is very much Hamilton's team, and pointed to the failure of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to settle at the team during Hamilton's 2007 rookie season as a good example of the power he wields.

"I believe the McLaren car next season will be one of if not the best car on the grid, so therefore he's going to a team that wants to succeed," he continued.

"But I think it will be difficult for him to take on Lewis Hamilton.

"It will be like walking into the lions' den because Lewis has had three years with McLaren now, he has it his way and he has already disposed of one driver that came in there in Alonso.

"Fernando Alonso couldn't cut it against Lewis Hamilton, and I think Hamilton will want to retain his position of prominence in that team. He will be a tough guy."





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KIMI RAIKKONEN TAKES A YEAR OUT

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is taking a year out after failing to agree a move to McLaren.

Raikkonen's manager claims the Finn was McLaren's first choice to be paired alongside Lewis Hamilton next season.

But failure to agree terms on a deal paved the way for reigning champion Jenson Button to get the nod finally.

McLaren, for whom Raikkonen contested 88 grands prix between 2002 and 2006, were viewed as the 30-year-old's sole option to stay in the sport next season following his release from Ferrari, but the negotiations came to nothing.

The Finn's manager Steve Robertson confirmed Raikkonen would take a sabbatical from Formula One in 2010 as he is unprepared to join a team that could not mount a realistic world championship challenge.

Robertson said of the failed McLaren talks: "Kimi was definitely their first choice.

"We've had many, many meetings with them. But they realised and we realised that we couldn't find common ground.

"Then they started to look at other drivers."

Raikkonen's deal with Ferrari netted the Finn around £25million a year according to conservative estimates, and failure to reach a financial agreement with McLaren was part of the reason for the deal stalling, according to Robertson.

"We had many meetings with McLaren but we couldn't find common ground on certain issues, and that is the reason he will not be racing in Formula One next year," he told Sky Sports News.

"Obviously, financial [issues] were part of it, but there were certain other issues that I can't really go into that didn't enable us to do a deal with McLaren."

With the McLaren deal dead in the water, Raikkonen's options for 2010 were limited - and bleak.

Seats were up for grabs at each of the new-for-2010 teams - US F1, Lotus, Campos **** and Manor Grand Prix - but were viewed as too much of a gamble for a former world champion.

Possible openings at Renault, Force India and Sauber were also unattractive to the Finn, while any chance of a move to Toyota evaporated when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of F1 earlier this month.

Mercedes-Benz's takeover of Brawn on Monday opened up another avenue of opportunity, but Raikkonen has nevertheless elected to walk away.

"Kimi feels that McLaren offered him the best chance to win the races and compete for the championship next year," Robertson continued.

"He didn't feel another team that's available out there gives him that same opportunity.

"Kimi doesn't have to do anything - he's financially secure, he can pick and choose what he does, and he didn't feel that outside of McLaren, the other teams that were available could give him the same opportunity."

Raikkonen's plans for 2010 could include involvement in the World Rally Championship following his impressive debut in the series in a one-off outing earlier this year, while he has also been linked with a drive in the annual Le Mans 24-hour race.

The Finn could return to F1 in 2011, with Red Bull Racing already being touted as a possible destination.




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