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ALONSO TARGETS 'PERFECT' QUALIFYING

Fernando Alonso knows he will have to be perfect on Saturday if he and Ferrari are to end Red Bull Racing's qualifying domination.

Alonso offered a glimmer of hope on Thursday that Red Bull might not have it all their own way around the streets of Monte Carlo after finishing quickest at the end of both practice sessions.

The Spaniard had previously only topped one of 15 practice periods over five grands prix this season, but would now appear to have a genuine shot at repeating his 2006 and 2007 victories.

Red Bull, though, have been in a league of their own on Saturday, claiming pole at all five races and locking out the front row in three of those.

But Alonso found a rhythm and is hoping he will again be in the groove following the traditional day off on Friday.

"This is a circuit where you need to get confidence as soon as possible," said the double world champion.

"It is a circuit you need to feel okay in the car and to maximise the potential.

"So it was very good to start in such a way because we now don't need to go crazy, to completely change the set-up or find a miracle for tomorrow.

"We now just need continuity with the set-up and the way we do our runs.

"Overall I think we found a very good car from the beginning that is very easy to drive.

"But we know it will be close in qualifying as we saw yesterday, with just three tenths of a second separating seven or eight cars.

"So we cannot afford any mistake on our side or with the set-up. We need to be perfect tomorrow."

Like most of the drivers fighting it out for pole, Alonso is just as concerned at the prospect of traffic that could scupper his hopes.

With 24 cars on track during the opening 20 minutes of qualifying, the battle to scrape into Q2 will likely be a fraught, frantic affair.

"It will be difficult for everybody, a challenge for all of us," added the 28-year-old.

"It is a challenge for the drivers to get the space to do a lap and not destroy anyone, and a challenge for the team to find the right time to send us out and with the right strategy.

"Q1 will be the time to focus, concentrate and put a lap together.

"We maybe won't need a super lap, but just enough to be in the first 15 to 16, and we should be able to do that."




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ROOKIE PETROV SEEKS IMPROVEMENT

Vitaly Petrov has dismissed claims from his own Renault boss that he has done a sterling job this season.

In contrast, Petrov has been far from impressed with the start to his rookie season that has seen him collect just six points from the opening five grands prix.

Petrov was forced to retire in the first three races, suffering a suspension failure in Bahrain, spinning out in Australia and then a gearbox issue in Malaysia.

Seventh place and his first points followed in China, with the 25- year-old Russian only just missing out on another top-10 finish in Spain on Sunday when he came home 11th.

Although Petrov has displayed speed and bravery, notably taking on Lewis Hamilton at Sepang, he is far from happy.

"I've had too many mechanical problems," was Petrov's assessment ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

"If I had finished the first five races then I would have been much more prepared for here.

"From a personal perspective it's been okay, more difficult than when I was in GP2 last year, but it's Formula One so you need to adapt.

"But I'm relaxed. I don't like to feel under pressure, although I know I must always be in Q3 and to finish in the top 10, that is the target."

Petrov has discovered driving a car in GP2, in which he finished as runner-up last year, compared to F1 is almost like chalk and cheese around Monaco's twisty street circuit.

"It requires far more work," added Petrov.

"In F1 everything is different - driver style, braking, movement, it is more complicated, much quicker, so you must work harder, faster, be more concentrated, not make any mistakes.

"If I want to try something to go quicker, it is difficult because of the barriers.

"So you have to drive at 95 to 99 per cent. You cannot drive at 100 per cent all the time."

As to how that will translate in qualifying tomorrow remains to be seen after the Russian finished 11th quickest in practice yesterday as F1 cars do not run in Monaco on a Friday.

"We will see what happens tomorrow, but we all know how important it is to qualify well here," said Petrov.

"In first practice I was not so good, then in second practice I was better, but not fantastic, so we need to work hard.

"Confidence in the car is very important here. You have to trust in your engineers and believe in what your car can do."





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Rally Finland

29/07/2010 -

Petter Solberg top

Norwegian Petter Solberg (Citroen C4) took the lead of Rally Finland by winning the opening stage held Thursday night on asphalt and land near Jyvaskyla

This route of 4.19 km, it has a full second ahead of Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, who won the rally last year and Jari-Mari Latvala, both on Ford.

Both official drivers Citroen, the French Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Ogier are respectively 4th and 6th place.

Currently leading the world rankings with a comfortable lead over Hirvonen Ogier and Loeb was credited with the same time that Latvala, 1.6 sec Solberg.
 

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Hungarian Grand Prix
29/07/2010 -

Barrichello instructions cons

Rubens Barrichello (Williams), who has long suffered from team orders when he was at Ferrari was upset Thursday in Budapest orders given by Ferrari of Felipe Massa in the final Grand Prix of Germany to promote his teammate Fernando Alonso.



Warwick Steward

Derek Warwick (GBR), 56 years, 71 participations GP 1983-93, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1992, will be representing pilots colleague in stewards, this weekend in Hungary.
 

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Sebastian Vettel took pole position for the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix with Red Bull team-mate and championship leader Mark Webber alongside him on the front row.

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Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will line up together on the second row of the grid in third and fourth places respectively for what could be a wet race on Sunday.

McLaren's world champion Jenson Button, the fifth title contender who is 31 points adrift of Webber, qualified only seventh after struggling to get heat in his tyres on the slippery surface.

"With so little running yesterday and this morning, it was a pretty good achievement," said Vettel of his ninth pole of the season.

Webber is 14 points clear of double world champion Alonso and Vettel, with two races remaining after Yeongam. Hamilton is a further 14 points adrift.

The championship leader must start on the dirty side of an already very dusty track but, after shaking Vettel's hand and congratulating him on a job well done, he played down the significance of that.

"Fernando will probably be pretty solid off the line but its not going to make or break the world championship," said Webber, who will have a fresh engine for the race unlike his opponents.

"I'm very happy to be second," added the Australian, his forced smile and carefully measured tone telling an entirely different story.

Webber will at least have one of the stewards rooting for him, even if rules are rules, with compatriot and former world champion Alan Jones one of the four officials for the weekend.

Vettel's pole was also Red Bull's 14th and the team's eighth front row lockout. The last driver to rack up so many poles in a single season was compatriot Michael Schumacher in 2001.

The 23-year-old, who took victory from pole in Japan two weeks' ago, has however only converted them into three wins so far.

While Alonso appeared resigned as he removed his helmet, he knew also that he had a good chance of cutting Webber's lead come race day.

"We knew we had a little possibility but not too much because Red Bull are normally quicker than us in Q3 (the third phase of qualifying," said Alonso.

"P3 (third) is our maximum potential today which in a way is good news because qualifying is not our strong point so we are in good shape for the race."

Button was the big loser of the afternoon, with the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Felipe Massa between him and his rivals, and faces an uphill battle to stay in the title hunt beyond Sunday.

"I think it's disappointing. The track temperature was quite cold and that worked against us," said team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

"It was difficult to get tyres up to temperature and the length of the track here meant you had to push hard to get two laps in. But we have got a fast race car and we are going to give it our best shot."
 

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DOMENICALI FEELS THE PAIN

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has admitted to suffering a considerable amount of pain after what he believes was his team's worst performance of the year on Sunday.

The Ferrari garage and paddock building at the Yas Marina circuit were more representative of a morgue in the wake of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Fernando Alonso failed to win the drivers' title.

Ferrari's bungled tactics resulted in Alonso finishing a miserable seventh when fourth was all that was required in light of new champion Sebastian Vettel's race victory, his third in four grands prix.

Domenicali has admitted "a mistake" was made, which may yet result in changes within the Ferrari hierarchy, and which may yet take a while to forget.

"What I feel inside is a lot of pain," said Domenicali. "When you arrive at our situation and see you can do it, only to miss out, then you feel very painful.

"For sure it was the worst race of the year for us, so that is why it hits you very strong in your head.

"But after a moment like this the only thing you can do is try to disconnect, breathe a lot and recharge the battery to push people to do a better job next year.

"We have all the elements to do it. We know we can count on a group of people who have grown, but who need to grow again."

Domenicali, however, could not help but offer sympathy to the man he felt most deserved it after coming so close yet finishing so far away from the prize of what would have been a third title.

"I have to say I feely sorry for Fernando. He did a fantastic year, always pushed the people to work and never gave up," added Domenicali.



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VETTEL REDISCOVERS INNER DRIVE

Sebastian Vettel believes his positive response to mid-season criticism was vital to him becoming Formula One's youngest world champion.

The German Red Bull driver found himself in the firing line after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa when a bungled overtaking manoeuvre on Jenson Button culminated in the 23-year-old spearing into the side of Button's McLaren.

The criticism that followed was particularly ferocious and it seemed at that stage Vettel was still too young and too raw to put together a season good enough to earn him the F1 drivers' title.

That incident, however, proved a turning point for both drivers as it was the beginning of the end for Button's title hopes.

For Vettel, however, it forced him to re-evaluate his situation, to seek out those he could trust for support and guidance believing he would be able to repay them at some point.

So it proved with Sunday's victory in Abu Dhabi, bringing with it the ultimate prize in motor sport.

"Coming into the year I had a clear goal, to win the championship, and I was very focused on that, working very hard, harder than before," said Vettel.

"Maybe mid-season, I don't think I lost focus but maybe I became a bit tense as it wasn't always easy to come back after the way some of the things had gone and the way some races had developed.

"After what happened in Spa I got a lot of bad press in particular.

"It wasn't easy at that time, with a lot of people saying bad things and trying to knock us down.

"But that's when you realise who your friends are, who belongs to you and who is supporting you.

"It was important to invest my energy into them, in order to get it back.

"At some point I accepted the fact that sometimes things don't go your way, but in the long term there's something called justice.

"That is what has happened, at least in my calculation, and it has turned out to be right. Sometimes it goes that way."

In finding such a sense of well-being within himself and around him, Vettel was able to focus again on what mattered and that was simply to enjoy his driving.

There were still hills to climb, such as in Korea when his engine blew nine laps from home, handing the victory and initiative in the championship to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

But overall Vettel has emerged a worthy champion, claiming 10 pole positions and five grand prix wins this year, three of them in the final four races.

"It's important to be who you are and not try to be someone else," added Vettel.

"You just have to enjoy yourself because being happy at being able to do what you do reminds you of who you are."

If there is a piece of advice Vettel could pass on to anyone, no matter who they are or what they do, it would be "to find something you enjoy".

He added: "It doesn't matter if it's motor sport or football, if you find something where your head can switch off and you enjoy yourself no matter what you do, that's the key.

"You also need heart and passion, but the main thing is to have fun and just enjoy."

Vettel will revel in his moment of enjoyment, one that will carry him into next year and beyond as he has the opportunity at such a tender age to become one of the sport's greats.

"This season I kept believing in myself, in the team and I got a lot of positive energy from the people around me," said Vettel.

"As I've said, sometimes it's important to keep a cool head, and we knew what we had to do and what we wanted to do.

"With a bit of luck we achieved it."




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HORNER - WE DID IT OUR WAY

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner feels fully vindicated for not bowing to pressure and implementing team orders over the course of the Formula One season.

In standing by his principles, Horner was able to watch Sebastian Vettel become the youngest world champion in Formula One history.

At various stages, such as after Belgium when Vettel crashed into Jenson Button, and again following the Korean Grand Prix when the 23-year-old's engine blew nine laps home when poised for victory, Horner was asked if Webber would be given preferential treatment.

Horner, though, refused to tread the path taken by Ferrari earlier in the season in Germany when Felipe Massa was ordered to allow himself to be overtaken by team-mate Fernando Alonso.

There was scope for Horner to do so in Brazil, which would have resulted in a one-point gap between Alonso and Webber going into Sunday's title-decider in Abu Dhabi, but it was an option that was never considered.

So come the conclusion of the race at Yas Marina, with Webber one place behind Alonso, and with Vettel taking the win and ultimately the title, there was naturally a sense of pride from Horner.

"We did it our way," said Horner. "That's not to say one way is right or wrong. We chose to back both guys. Obviously there is no crystal ball and ultimately it could have cost us.

"But we stuck with it. We believe in the principle of backing both equally. With the guys so closely matched it would have been wrong to artificially remove one from the chance of winning.

"In the end it all came down to what happened on the circuit, not interference from the pit wall and not interference from team orders.

"It's the Red Bull way, the sporting way and ultimately I think it's prevailed. It was vindicated."

In adding the drivers' crown to the constructors' championship won in Brazil last weekend, all in the space of just six years after the team were formed from Jaguar's failure, Horner feels Red Bull has "come of age."

In also taking a swipe at the establishment in McLaren and Ferrari, Horner added: "It is a very young team and I am just very proud to represent them. I believe they are the best team in the world."





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RED BULL BOSS BACKS WEBBER

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is convinced Mark Webber will return a stronger driver and character after his experiences this season.

In the wake of Sebastian Vettel's triumph in becoming the youngest world champion in Formula One history on Sunday, Webber very much emerged as the forgotten man.

It had all been so different in the build-up to Sunday's race in Abu Dhabi as Webber trailed Fernando Alonso by eight points, and with much of the debate focusing on whether Vettel would at some point come to the Australian's aid should the opportunity arise.

Webber, though, trundled home eighth behind Vettel, and whilst the party raged outside in the team's garage and paddock building, the 34-year-old tucked himself away in his room.

The suspicion now will be that Webber has missed out on what is likely to be the best opportunity of his career to become champion.

Horner, however, fully expects Webber to make an impact next year after watching him claim five pole positions and four race wins for his best season in F1.

"Take nothing away from Mark, he's had an unbelievable year," said Horner.

"Mark can be very, very proud of what he's achieved. We're all very proud of what he's done. He's been an awesome competitor.

"He's taken this championship into the last race. He led during the summer, and he could well have won it himself at different stages of the year.

"Overall, he's been a big part of the success of this team, and he has pushed Sebastian to the limit. They've been so close on so many occasions."

Horner appreciates Vettel's success will not sit easily with Webber, in particular given his comments at various stages of the season when he felt the team were more supportive of the young German.

Horner maintains nothing could be further from the truth, and once Webber is over his obvious disappointment, he will be determined to come back fighting.

"It's tough for Mark. He will look across at the jubilation on the other side, but he knows he's had equal equipment all year," added Horner.

"He knows the support he's had from the team, so I've told him he should hold his head high and be proud of what he's achieved this year.

"I'm sure given a few days to digest things, to reflect he will come back even more motivated and stronger for next year."




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PETROV: IT WAS A NORMAL RACE

Vitaly Petrov feels Ferrari and not himself should have been the target for Fernando Alonso's anger after the Spaniard missed out on becoming a three-time Formula One world champion.

Petrov produced his best drive of the season in Abu Dhabi, one that may yet result in the Russian being retained by Renault for 2011.

Petrov managed to keep a frustrated Alonso behind him for the final 40 laps after Ferrari made a mess of their pit-stop strategy.

It resulted in Alonso finishing a wretched seventh, when all that was required was fourth behind winner and new champion Sebastian Vettel.

When Alonso finally caught up with Petrov on the slow-down lap, the 29-year-old gesticulated furiously towards him as if to say 'what were you doing?'

Alonso later accused Petrov of being aggressive, a remark he has vehemently dismissed as he said: "I did my race, the maximum that I could. I cannot let one car pass me because it is racing.

"Look at Sebastian in 2008. He was behind (Lewis) Hamilton, who was going for the title, in the final race in Brazil.

"But he passed Lewis, who almost lost the championship. He was also not thinking about who he was battling with.

"So I didn't do anything other than I kept pushing. I like battles and things like this, but I wasn't aggressive.

"That was a normal race. I won't let anybody pass easily. I want to show I am not here to just drive around for fun.

"I am here to work, so I don't want to lose this opportunity. I was not aggressive. It was simple, easy and nothing special."

Despite Alonso's gesture which Petrov witnessed, he opted not to confront the double world champion after the race.

"He was angry so there was no reason to talk to him," added Petrov.

"I would be angry if I was in his situation, but he should be angry with himself or his team because they maybe did the wrong strategy or something.

"If he had got close enough to attack then maybe I wouldn't have fought with him too much because I wouldn't have wanted to have touched him as he was fighting for the championship.

"But only once was he close enough to attack. I closed my position and then I drove normally around the circuit.

"He did not have another opportunity to pass as this is a circuit that does not give you that chance."

Although Petrov has had an indifferent debut season, there may now be an opportunity to continue alongside Robert Kubica next year in light of such a fine performance.

Whether it was enough to save him remains to be seen, although he has admitted he is optimistic of staying on.

"Soon we will know what we are going to do," said Petrov.

"We have been going forwards, forwards, forwards, everything going in the right way. We have done a good job."





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MARKO TAUNTS RIVALS

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has taunted McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh by telling him to resolve his own team's problems before commenting on those of others.

Marko, right-hand man to owner Dietrich Mateschitz, was naturally in an ebullient mood after witnessing Sebastian Vettel become the youngest world champion in Formula One history on Sunday.

Marko has made no secret of his favouritism towards Vettel over the course of the season, notably siding with the 23-year-old following his collision with team-mate Mark Webber in Turkey.

So after Vettel's moment of glory in Abu Dhabi, Marko was able to gloat, in particular when asked about Whitmarsh's comments after the Belgian Grand Prix in August when Vettel crashed into Jenson Button.

Whitmarsh remarked that Vettel's driving was more reminiscent of junior formulae than Formula One.

Standing on firm ground on which to strike back, especially given Lewis Hamilton's accidents that followed in Italy and Singapore, Marko said: "Whitmarsh was trying to put a lot of pressure on us.

"But he should look to try and keep Hamilton on the road instead.

"I think it would have been better for his team instead of looking at others and making comments which were not justified."

Marko did not stop at Whitmarsh with his comments as he also claimed Fernando Alonso was fortunate to still be in the hunt for the title come the last race.

The Austrian was referring to the fact Alonso inherited two of his five wins from Vettel, initially in Bahrain when a spark plug issue dropped the young German from first to fourth.

Most significantly there was Korea when Vettel's engine blew nine laps from home, and not forgetting in Germany where Felipe Massa pulled over to allow by Ferrari team-mate Alonso.

"The way we have gone with Red Bull is straightforward," added Marko.

"We won won in a very sporting way, never with any tactics. Both drivers had the same chances.

"Of course, this was a risky strategy because we could have lost the title to Alonso, who was always lucky.

"Whenever we had problems he was the one benefiting, so now we are very happy. These two titles (Red Bull also winning the constructors') are more than I could have hoped for."

Marko is convinced the team and Vettel will now go from strength to strength, with the aim to repeat the feat next year and further put the noses out of joint of established marques McLaren and Ferrari.

"Sebastian will become more mature, more relaxed, and as for the team, everyone is so committed," said Marko.

"When the boss (Mateschitz) said in 2004 he was going to buy an F1 team, but that we had to win, I knew it would be difficult but possible.

"But to win both championships in a relatively short period of time means the whole team, the whole approach of everyone was right, and there is a lot of satisfaction.

"Everyone is now focused on repeating this next year, that is what we are going for - but hopefully not in the last race!"





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MASSA TOPS TESTING

Felipe Massa finished fastest on the first day of the Pirelli tyre test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The Ferrari driver topped the timesheets after 94 laps on tyres provided by the Italian manufacturer, who will replace Bridgestone as F1 sole tyre supplier from the start of next season.

All 12 F1 teams were in attendance at the circuit for the start of the two-day test session, and the top of the order soon took on a familiar look with Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren setting the pace.

Massa finished the day with a best time of one minute 40.170 seconds, over three-tenths faster than new world champion Sebastian Vettel, who completed 77 laps on the new Pirelli rubber for Red Bull.

The German suffered a right-rear tyre failure with two minutes remaining in the session, forcing a red flag. It was the first failure of the new Pirelli rubber since the company's testing programme began.

McLaren test driver Gary Paffett was third, seven-tenths down on Vettel, while Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi was fourth from Renault's Robert Kubica and the Williams of sixth-placed Rubens Barrichello.

Britain's Paul Di Resta was seventh for Force India after setting a time over a second quicker than team-mate Adrian Sutil, who lost time with an exhaust problem this morning and finished 10th.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was eighth with Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso ninth.

Last season's new teams took their customary place at the back of the grid, with Virgin's Timo Glock ahead of Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) and Pastor Maldonado (Hispania).



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ALONSO ENDS PIRELLI TEST ON TOP

Fernando Alonso was the man to beat as the second and final day of the Pirelli test reached its conclusion in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The Spaniard ventured to the top of the timesheets during the morning session with a 1:40.529, which proved to unbeatable.

Alonso also amassed the most laps, 105, which is the equivalant of two race distances at the Yas Marina circuit.

Michael Schumacher put in a late charge to take second place with just 15 minutes remaining in the session. The Mercedes GP driver finished 0.156s adrift of Alonso.

Schumacher's rise saw Sebastian Vettel drop to third place, as like Alonso he failed to better his time from the morning. Vettel, the new Formula One world champion, completed just 66 laps.

Red Bull's head of race engineering Ian Morgan said: "It's been interesting to work with different tyres here and it was good to have the opportunity to get information using a car we know well - the RB6 - before starting to work with the new car next year.

"Overall we have done everything we planned to and we're looking forward to working with Pirelli in the future.

"It's sad that this is the last day of running for the RB6 - it's a car that we have enjoyed a great deal of success with this year - but we're looking forward to 2011."

Rubens Barrichello finished in fourth place ahead of Robert Kubica, Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey.

Paul di Resta, who was responsible for the first red flag when he broke down an hour before lunch, completed the top eight.

The only other stoppage on Saturday belonged to Pastor Maldonado, who was in action for Hispania Racing. He spun and stalled during the final hour of running.

Times
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:40.529 105 laps
02. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:40.685 74 laps
03. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:40.825 66 laps
04. Rubens Barrichello Williams 1:41.294 100 laps
05. Robert Kubica Renault 1:41.614 91 laps
06. Gary Paffett McLaren 1:41.622 46 laps
07. Oliver Turvey McLaren 1:41.740 30 laps
08. Paul di Resta Force India 1:41.869 35 laps
09. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:42.110 43 laps
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:42.145 97 laps
11. Tonio Liuzzi Force India 1:42.416 46 laps
12. Sergio Perez Sauber 1:42.777 46 laps
13. Jarno Trulli Lotus 1:44.521 83 laps
14. Pastor Maldonado Hispania 1:44.768 65 laps
15. Timo Glock Virgin 1:44.783 82 laps




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VETTEL GETS HUGE WELCOME HOME

Sebastian Vettel was 'knocked out' as an estimated 15,000 fans braved the cold on Sunday to welcome him home to Heppenheim.

Fans arrived in droves, waiting for hours, to catch a glimpse of Vettel a week after he became the youngest F1 Champion at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

The Red Bull racer, who was greeted by cries of 'Sebastian, Sebastian!' as he came onto the stage, was honoured in his home town by Heppenheim's mayor Gerhard Herbert, who handed him the golden book of the town, which has a population of just 25,000.

"When I was standing up there and saw all these people and they were all screaming and chanting, that knocks you out," the 23-year-old said.

"I didn't expect to see so many people, this makes me really proud as a Heppenheim boy.

"I have got goose pimples, this is better than Abu Dhabi, because there weren't so many people there."

The Red Bull driver became World Champion at the age of 23 and 135 days. The previous youngest was McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in 2008, aged 23 and 301 days.





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DE LA ROSA STILL HOPEFUL OF SEAT

Pedro de la Rosa is still chasing a 2011 Formula One race-seat - although admits a lack of finances is hampering his efforts.

De la Rosa returned to F1 racing with Sauber this season, swapping his McLaren test driver role for a full-time race-seat.

But his stay was short-lived as Sauber dropped after the Italian GP in favour of signing Nick Heidfeld.

The Spaniard, though, is determined to find a place on next year's grid.

"At the moment, to be honest, I have no idea what I will do next year," he told Autosport.

"Obviously I'm talking to everyone that might have a seat available. But the question really is that it will always be my decision where I can go.

"I'm not sure at this point what will be best for my future. It very much depends on what is the project behind each team."

Asked whether he had spoken with Hispania Racing, he said: "I have, yes. For me, everything will depend on what their sporting project is. If it's interesting, I will go for it. Or if it's not, or I perceive it as not being, I will not waste my time.

"Whatever I do, I always do 100 percent. I put a lot of passion into things. Whatever I do, I will do it with passion. And if I go to Hispania, I would want to feel the same."

However, the 38-year-old revealed that a lack of financial backing is hampering his efforts.

"What I know for sure is that if I had money I would 100 per cent be able to be racing. It's always been like that, but I would say next year is one of the worst I've ever seen in terms of how the teams are selling their race drives.

"But we will see, it's still early days and I'm not in a rush. Whatever I do, I want to do it properly. I don't want to be rushed into anything."






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SUTIL SET TO STAY WITH FORCE INDIA

Adrian Sutil has agreed a new deal in "principle" with Force India, according to the German's manager.

Sutil entered Formula One with Force India back in 2007 when the team was still racing under the Spyker name and remained through the change ownership to Vijay Mallya.

The German, though, has been linked to several rival teams in recent months with reports claiming he could replace Michael Schumacher should the German opt to quit Mercedes GP while others suggested that he is on his way to Renault.

However, it now appears Sutil isn't going anywhere as his manager, Manfred Zimmerman. has told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that he has agreed a new contract in "principle" with Force India.

"Once a contract is signed we will communicate this," Zimmerman added. "This should happen within the next two to three weeks."




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BARRICHELLO LIKES WILLIAMS' STYLE

Rubens Barrichello says Williams are adopting an "aggressive style" of design for their 2011 Formula One car.

The 38-year-old Brazilian, who was recently retained by the team for next season, says he's feeling positive about Williams' prospects and thinks they can do better than this year.

Barrichello finished 10th in the 2010 drivers' championship with 47 points.

"I feel good. I feel that the team is doing a good job on what they're doing for next year," the Brazilian told Autosport's website.

"It's an aggressive style - the approach for next year's car seems to be quite aggressive, which is good. I'm up for it, I like it."

Even so, Barrichello warned against expecting too much and insisted it is still much too early to tell whether Williams will make a marked improvement.

"We can never say that, because if you talked to every team right now they would sell you a winning car for next year," he said.

"It's a bit on the fantasy side right now. Some (new cars) are going better, some are going even better.

"But ours in the tunnel seems to be going okay. We just need to keep our feet on the ground and work with it."

Barrichello, who is about to embark on his 19th season - making him the most experienced driver in F1 history - also believes the improvement Williams showed during the latter stages of this season shows they are on the right track.

"I think the turnaround was after Istanbul, where we sort of got to the bottom of the problem," he added.

"There was a change in the characteristic of the downforce coming onto the car, so we had to change the wind tunnel for that, and it made it better.

"After that it was an improvement all the way through - bang, bang, bang. Even though it has been very down in terms of results the whole year long, the team conquered a lot and progressed.

"We over-performed in qualifying a little bit on new tyres, but we still had pretty decent races."



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HORNER: WEBBER WILL FIGHT AGAIN IN 2011

Christian Horner is adamant Mark Webber will be up for the fight next season despite losing out to his Red Bull team-mate in this year's Championship.

Webber had his best Formula One season to date in 2010, finishing third in the Drivers' Championship after challenging for the title all the way to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

However, in the end, despite claiming four victories and an additional six podium results, he lost out by 14 points to his team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

And although some have raised doubts as to whether the 34-year-old has another title fight in him, Horner insists he does.

"Absolutely, I don't see any reason why not," Horner told Autosport when asked whether Webber has another title push in him.

"He is driving tremendously well. This year he has performed in an exceptionally hard year and I think there are lessons that he will take out of 2010 that he will build on in 2011.

"I think he'll take a little bit of time to reflect, but when he looks back in the cold light of day at this year, he can be very proud of what he has achieved.

"He has won four grands prix, he has won the jewel in the crown at Monaco, where he was absolutely supreme, he was in the Championship battle right until the last race."



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People power - McLaren reveal MP4-26 with Berlin’s help 04 Feb 2011
Bit by bit, part by part, McLaren unveiled their 2011 car on the streets of Berlin on Friday. Aided by title sponsors Vodafone, and members of the public carrying components through the streets, the British team assembled the brand-new MP4-26 in the famous Potsdamer Platz in the heart of the German capital.

Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button joined proceedings as the car gradually took shape before an ever-growing crowd of enthusiastic onlookers. For both men it was their first sight of the finished machine.

"We've seen it in the wind tunnel quite a lot, but it looks even better full-size," said Hamilton. “It’s great to see how many fans braved the Berlin weather to come to the event. I hope it’s been an exciting day for everyone. I think people saw a unique way of revealing our 2010 car, something that’s never been done before. I hope the car proves just as innovative once we take to the track.

“I head into 2011 in a relaxed but determined frame of mind. I’ve spared nothing during my winter fitness preparations and, in many ways, I feel as fit, focused and refreshed as I did ahead of my first season in Formula One in 2007. So my aim for this year is to ensure that everything comes together in the best possible way and that, like last year, I’m able to fight for the title right down to the final race.”

Team mate Button wass equally excited after his first glimpse of his new charge: “Today really marks the beginning of our 2011 season after what seems a very long time away from the track,” he said. “It’s been a really exciting event for all the fans who attended, and now I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of MP4-26 for the first time next week.

“It’s strange to think that this is only the start of my second season at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, because I’ve felt so comfortable since joining the team last January. Even so, I’d still consider 2010 something of a building year, albeit, with two victories, a pretty solid one! For the new season, I’ve not only got a year’s Vodafone McLaren Mercedes experience under my belt, but I’ve also been able to offer input into the design and development of the new car - something that I was naturally unable to do last year. Now I really feel I know how Vodafone McLaren Mercedes goes racing, and I’ll be driving a car that’s been fully developed around Lewis and myself - that’s a very empowering feeling.”

The new car boasts a range of aerodynamic features designed to take advantage of new rules that significantly limit the amount of downforce that can be derived from the car’s underbody. It features distinctive U-shaped sidepods - to feed air more efficiently to the car’s rear end - and an electronically adjustable rear-wing system, introduced for 2011 to increase the potential for overtaking.

Beneath its skin, the car houses an all-new electric hybrid KERS system. McLaren, with engine partners Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, were the first Formula One team to win a Grand Prix using a hybrid device in 2009, and this new system is expected to further refine that race-winning package.

“I think today’s innovative launch demonstrates the enthusiasm within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to engage the general public; to show them that our sport is intense and exciting, and that we’re very keen to showcase Formula One to the wider world,” said team principal Martin Whitmarsh. “The MP4-26 is the result of an incredible amount of hard work, innovative thinking and dynamic teamwork.

“Under the leadership of (technical director) Paddy Lowe, (engineering director) Tim Goss and (director of design and development programmes) Neil Oatley, our design department is more integrated than ever: in fact, I’m particularly proud of the contributions made by our project engineers, many of whom have taken on leadership roles for the very first time and who had worked so well together to create this very striking and individual-looking car.”

After their near miss in 2010, McLaren hope the Mercedes-powered car will see the team take their first constructors’ championship since 1998 and first drivers’ title since Hamilton’s success in 2008.The team finished last season second overall, behind rivals Red Bull, with 454 points and five victories to Red Bull’s 498 points and nine wins.

Following Friday’s launch, McLaren tester Gary Paffett will shakedown the car during a private session at Spain's Idiada Proving Ground on February 8 before the team begin track testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on February 10.
 
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