Sauber retained same driver lineup for 2012

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The Sauber team will retain the Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi and the Mexican, Sergio Perez in an unchanged driver line-up for next year.

The Swiss team confirmed the news on Thursday, after agreeing to the new contracts with the pair, on the eve of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Peter Sauber, the team principal, said: "Kamui has grown into his role extremely well this year. Though it is only his second full Formula One season, he is already taking on the responsibilities that naturally fall to the more experienced driver.

"We had an option of working with him in 2012 and there was never any doubt that we would take it."

Perez already had a contract for 2012 after agreeing a multi-year deal before he signed. Sauber said that the Mexican's pace - and recovery from his big accident at the Monaco Grand Prix - had shown he was right to have faith in him.

"After the accident in Monaco he [Sergio] demonstrated that he can handle difficult situations too.," Sauber said. "With a rookie that always entails a certain risk, of course, but clearly it has paid off."

Perez said: "It is very good to have continuity and this way I can intensively prepare with my race engineer for what will be my second season. The summer break will be very good for me because since my accident in Monaco it has been a busy time."

The Mexican driver Sergio Perez also commented of considering Austin US Grand Prix just like the home race in 2012.

"I think it is going to be full of Mexicans. It's going to be a very nice grand prix for me. It's almost my home race."

"I get a lot of support from Mexicans, I think I'm one of the most popular (sportsmen there) at the moment because I'm in the top level of my sport."

In a statement during the first practice session on Friday, MD of Sauber, the first Female F1 MD, Monisha Kaltenborn, commented, "We were very clear about the driver line up for 2012."

"We had no doubt in our driver line up and announcement is just the formality and were already determined to keep our all three current drivers."

On being asked about giving a racing seat to Esteban Gutierrez, reserve driver of Sauber, for 2012, she said, "There are no plans to run Esteban in 2012 but there may be some future plans."

F1 pirate to drive in V8 Supercars event

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Vintantonio Liuzzi, the Grand Prix racer nicknamed 'The Pirate', leads a V8 Supercars raiding party headed for the Gold Coast in October.

The Italian, 29, will co-drive with Ford's Tony D'Alberto in the Wilson Securities Falcon in the V8 Supercars event at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit from October 21-23.

It will come during a busy period for the former Force India driver.

Liuzzi will race at the Korean Grand Prix on October 16 before flying to Australia, then heading to India for round 17 of the Formula One season a week later.

He said his experience would help make it easier to adapt to the V8 Supercar.

"There isn't much difference in size between myself and Tony and our seat position should be comfortable together. We will be a good team," Liuzzi said.

"I don't think it will take me long to adapt to the car. The one-day testing before will be good. I have experience with powerful saloon cars and I really enjoy driving them. I see the V8 Supercars being very similar."

Vitantonio Liuzzi is the lead driver for Hispania Racing F1 Team.

VW planning to join F1 in 2018

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Volkswagen, the third largest automaker in the world, may consider joining Formula 1 in seven years' time, the car maker's head of motorsports Wolfgang Duerheimer has said.

"I could imagine involvement in Formula 1 in 2018, when the company is at the forefront of the industry," Duerheimer told Auto Motor und Sport magazine.

"We have enough brands that could do that."

The car maker had said last year that Formula 1 would need more stability and a better image before the company considered joining the sport.

That came after Volkswagen revealed in 2009 that it was evaluating the potential benefits of F1 when new engine regulations are introduced from the start of 2014.

Volkswagen's line-up of brands also include Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda, Bugatti and SEAT.

The company is aiming to be the largest automaker by 2018.

Bernie admitted to paying Gerhard Gribkowsky £14m

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Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he paid only $23 million (£14m) to a former German bank executive rather than the $44m (£27m) which has been alleged, and repeated his assertion that the money was not a bribe. According to a press release sent out by the Munich state prosecutor’s office last week, F1’s 80-year-old chief executive paid $44m "in bribes" to Gerhard Gribkowksy who, as chairman of Formula One’s holding company SLEC, oversaw the sale of the sport to current owners CVC Capital Partners in 2005. (Read the complete news)

Gribkowsky, then chief risk officer at Bayerische Landesbank, one of three banks which had a stake in F1 at the time, has been charged with breach of trust, tax evasion and being in receipt of corrupt payments.

Ecclestone initially denied any knowledge of the payments. However, he has now admitted to paying Gribkowsky $23m after being "shaken down" by the German.

Gribkowksy, he says, threatened to make life difficult for him with the Inland Revenue by making “false claims” regarding the running of the Ecclestone family trust Bambino Holdings.

If the UK tax authorities had launched an investigation at the time, Ecclestone claims it could potentially have cost the trust billions so his lawyers advised him to pay.

Singapore unveils off track entertainment package

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This year's Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore will see loads of action off the track - with some S$5 million being spent on entertainment alone.

The Music

Besides American rockers Linkin Park, fans can also catch Glee actress and singing sensation 'Charice'. There is also 80s pop star Rick Astley and Grammy-winner Shaggy. Meanwhile, trip hop fans can also look forward to a DJ set from Massive Attack's Daddy G and 3D.

FROM BROADWAY TO BOLLYWOOD

For the first time ever, race-goers can catch two full-fledged musicals both in Zone 1 and Zone 4. Hindi music fans can shake their booties in a mass ‘Jai Ho’ dance with the cast of BOLLYWOOD EXPRESS (Esplanade Outdoor Theatre – Friday, Village stage – Saturday and Paddock Club Lifestyle Stage - Sunday), a colourful musical featuring cult favorites such as ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’, among others. The 45-minute song-dance affair is conceptualized by the celebrated producers of Merchants of Bollywood, a sold-out production in London and Singapore last year.

Just for laughs, indulge in some truly Wicked sport with cult New York show FORBIDDEN BROADWAY (Village stage – Friday & Sunday), a satirical revue that does hilarious spoofs of contemporary Broadway shows from The Phantom of the Opera to Rent, Les Misérables and Hairspray. New York’ longest-running musical comedy revue, Forbidden Broadway promises to have you in stitches from the start!

Visual Art

Announcing these acts on Thursday, organisers said there will also be many visual arts performances, roving performers, as well as the wildly popular Brazilian samba girls. More acts are expected to be announced soon.

Michael Roche, executive director of the Singapore GP, said: "We know nostalgia sells. We know we need big picture acts. You can't put a wonderful eclectic - let's say like Adele or someone like that, you know, if she comes on solo and a very acoustic set - in an F1 environment; it doesn't work.

"It's got to be colourful, animated, got to be sing-along. We know the Wailers worked fantastically, the Backstreet Boys and Mariah (Carey) - because people need that familiarity. We're not trying to be per se, a music festival."

Meanwhile, ticket sales for the F1 race itself have been good, with over 80 per cent of targeted sales already achieved, said organisers.

Join It With SOTC

Kuoni India’s outbound travel brand SOTC announced the launch of an exclusive 4 days package for travellers to feel the adrenaline rush at the Formula 1 this package is designed to experience Singapore Grand Prix weekend festivities at its best. Travelers can witness the city with electrifying parties, thrilling race themed events and the splendid art, culture and architecture of the city.

SOTC offers a variety of tailored 4 days 3 nights’ packages for the travelers. The basic packages include accommodation stay and Zone 4 walkabout pass to Marina Bay circuit starting for INR 27000 per person. The premium packages include accommodation in selective hotels with options of hospitality suite combined with passes for Pit and other grandstands. SOTC heightens the Grand Prix experience with entry to the exclusive after race F1 party at Amber Lounge and the most awaited Linkin Park live concert on 25th September post the main race event. The package includes return airfare, hotel accommodation, meals as per itinerary, access to the most happening after race parties and private return air transfers in Singapore.

For this action packed Grand Prix weekend SOTC also offers a special corporate package for groups including accommodation in luxurious Swisstotel and Fairmont Hotel with private hospitality suites and rooms facing the track . These packages will be customised according to the size and preferences of the traveling groups and calls for groups planning a perfect racing weekend get together.

Hungarian GP - FP2 - There is no stopping for Hamilton at the moment

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Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest - Free Practice Session 2, Friday

Lewis Hamilton continue to dominate at the top with scoring fastest lap in both the practice session. Mclaren is looking even more stronger after the German Grand Prix win.

All the teams tested for Super soft option tyres and Hamilton got with 1min 21.018sec which was a sec slower than last year best practice time.

Track Talk

Track Temp: 26deg Cel. and Air Temp: 21deg Cel.

Tyres tested by teams were Soft and Super Soft Option Compound.

Red Bull is either hiding their true speed due to heavy fuel levels or have gone behind Mclaren and Ferrari. Both the Red Bull drivers finished 4th and 5th with world champion Sebastian Vettel again lagging behind Mark Webber. However Mark Webber is running on a newer front wing.

B'day Boy Fernando Alonso squeezed between the two Mclarens at 2nd position and was only 2tenth of a second slower than Hamilton.

Ferrari and Mclaren both practiced for longer runs in the second half of the 2nd session with Alonso completing a massive 40laps which is not bettered by any other driver but equalled by teammate Felipe Massa who finished at 6th and Paul Di Resta for Force India F1 at 9th.

Felipe Massa took an early spin in the first 15mins in Turn 12 after losing on the DRS Zone but recovered well with no damage done.

Both the Mercedes struggle for pace in the soft tyres and finished 7th and 8th on super soft more than a second behind the fastest man Hamilton.

Adrian Sutil in the second Force India F1 finished 10th behind his teammate.

The top 8 slots were occupied by the best 4 with Force India occupying the next two slots bettering Sauber and Renault.

Happy Camp Sauber was at 11th and 12th.

There will be battle for last points scoring positions between Force India, Sauber and Renault over the weekend.

Rubens Barrichello in heavily upgraded Williams was only 13th fastest. His car was running with new rear wing. Earlier they have bought new suspension, new front wing to upgrade their aerodynamics performance.

Nick Heidfeld in the leading Renault could finished only 14th followed by second Williams of Pastor Maldonado.

The Toro Rosso sandwiched the second Renault of Vitaly Petrov behind Maldonado.

At the back, scenario continues with Team Lotus ahead of Virgin and then followed by HRT at the back.

But only this time Lotus driver Jarno Trulli beating teammate Heikki Kovalainen for 19th and HRT driver Daniel Ricciardo beating teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi for 23rd.

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mclaren - Mercedes	1min 21.018sec		29
2	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1min 21.259sec	0.241	40
3	Jenson Button	Mclaren - Mercedes	1min 21.322sec	0.304	34
4	Mark Webber	Red Bull - Renault	1min 21.508sec	0.490	35
5	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull - Renault	1min 21.549sec	0.531	31
6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1min 22.099sec	1.081	40
7	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes GP	1min 22.121sec	1.103	36
8	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes GP	1min 22.440sec	1.422	36
9	Paul Di Resta	Force India - Mercedes	1min 22.835sec	1.817	40
10	Adrian Sutil	Force India - Mercedes	1min 22.981sec	1.963	37
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber - Ferrari	1min 23.030sec	2.012	34
12	Sergio Perez	Sauber - Ferrari	1min 23.399sec	2.381	37
13	Rubens Barrichello	Williams - Cosworth	1min 23.679sec	2.661	34
14	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	1min 23.861sec	2.843	28
15	Pastor Maldonado	Williams - Cosworth	1min 24.181sec	3.163	39
16	Jaime Alguersuari	STR - Ferrari	1min 24.182sec	3.164	26
17	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1min 24.546sec	3.528	21
18	Sebastien Buemi	STR - Ferrari	1min 24.878sec	3.860	35
19	Jarno Trulli	Lotus - Renault	1min 24.994sec	3.976	38
20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus - Renault	1min 25.447sec	4.429	39
21	Timo Glock	Virgin - Cosworth	1min 26.823sec	5.805	33
22	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin - Cosworth	1min 27.261sec	6.243	28
23	Daniel Ricciardo	STR - Ferrari	1min 27.730sec	6.712	31
24	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT - Cosworth	1min 28.255sec	7.237	25

Hungarian GP - FP1 - Hamilton continues to lead from Red Bull and Ferrari

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Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest - Free Practice Session 1, Friday

First practice session went good for all as they collected data for their cars, track information, pitlane practice and much more. But for Mark Webber, the day just started on a bad omen, as he hit the barriers - damaged the front wing, punctured left front tyre and spin the car. Webber managed to get back into the pits with the call of the session for him. Although, he had made enough progress to remain 4th on the time sheet.

Track Talk:

The track was still damped as there was rain overnight. The slick and soft option compounds were tested by the teams. Track Temp was 22deg Celsius and Air Temp was 20deg Celsius as the morning session started.

Birthday Boy:

Fernando Alonso turned 30 today. Finished the session 3rd nice and easy. But there is lot of work to do in the Ferrari camp, if they want to make his 30th b'day memorable.

Lewis Hamilton continues to lead from the Red Bull and Ferrari while Jenson Button, fellow teammate continues to struggle. Lewis set the fastest time of the morning session with 1min 23:350sec with World Champion Sebastian Vettel find it difficult to better and finished 2nd with over 2tenth of a slower to the Mclaren.

Lewis Hamilton was in the racing mood as he tried to overtake Jaime Alguersuari in the dying moments. He even was hard on the brakes and went off the track as he locked his Mclaren once.

Fernando Alonso sliced between the two Red Bulls in 3rd and Mark Webber set enough time to finish 4th before hitting the barriers and damaging his RB7.

Jenson Button was 5th overall followed by the second Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

The top three teams were then followed by Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Schumacher had some problem in the end and he back off from his last flying lap. The two Germans were 1sec behind the Mclaren of Hamilton.

There was a happy camp in Sauber team as they had made their drivers announcement yesterday for 2012 season. They have retained their all three drivers including the reserve driver. MD of Sauber, first female, Indian Monisha Kaltenborn commented as they were already focused for their 2012 driver lineup and are happy to announce the same. Sergio Perez finished 9th and Kamui Kobayashi finished 11th in the second Sauber.

Vitaly Petrov was 10th for the session.

Force India drivers finished 12th and 13th with Di Resta ahead of reserve Nico Hulkenberg. Rubens Barrichello in the leading Williams was 14th.

Bruno Senna, nephew of Late Ayrton Senna, was on the track for the first time this season in Renault and finished the session 15th, 0.8sec slower than his teammate. Bruno Senna drove for HRT in 2010.

He was followed by the two Toro Rosso and the second Williams.

At the back, the scene is almost same with Team Lotus ahead of Virgin and HRT.

There were not much incident involved except for Webber. All the drivers were on the soft tyres for their final run and the times depict their faster times with soft compounds.

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mclaren - Mercedes	1min 23.350sec		19
2	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull - Renault	1min 23.564sec	0.214	24
3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1min 23.642sec	0.292	29
4	Mark Webber	Red Bull - Renault	1min 23.666sec	0.316	12
5	Jenson Button	Mclaren - Mercedes	1min 23.772sec	0.422	20
6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1min 24.115sec	0.765	25
7	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes GP	1min 24.250sec	0.900	22
8	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes GP	1min 24.369sec	1.019	20
9	Sergio Perez	Sauber - Ferrari	1min 24.620sec	1.270	24
10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1min 25.093sec	1.743	22
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber - Ferrari	1min 25.113sec	1.763	21
12	Paul Di Resta	Force India - Mercedes	1min 25.336sec	1.986	22
13	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India - Mercedes	1min 25.357sec	2.007	17
14	Rubens Barrichello	Williams - Cosworth	1min 25.836sec	2.486	24
15	Bruno Senna	Renault	1min 25.855sec	2.505	25
16	Sebastien Buemi	STR - Ferrari	1min 25.890sec	2.540	28
17	Jaime Alguersuari	STR - Ferrari	1min 26.099sec	2.749	36
18	Pastor Maldonado	Williams - Cosworth	1min 26.124sec	2.774	25
19	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus - Renault	1min 26.878sec	3.528	26
20	Jarno Trulli	Lotus - Renault	1min 27.352sec	4.002	21
21	Timo Glock	Virgin - Cosworth	1min 28.533sec	5.183	30
22	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin - Cosworth	1min 28.903sec	5.553	22
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT - Cosworth	1min 29.059sec	5.709	24
24	Daniel Ricciardo	STR - Ferrari	1min 29.904sec	6.554	26