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Adam Parr has been become chairman of Williams as founder and team principal Sir Frank Williams takes a further step back from frontline responsibilities.

The 45-year-old Parr joined the team as CEO from mining firm Rio Tinto four years ago.

In a team statement Frank Williams said: “Adam joined Williams in 2006 as Chief Executive Officer. He has taken the lead in putting the team on a stronger financial footing, developing new businesses and building our social responsibility programme. These initiatives have seen us partnering with such outstanding organisations as Porsche and Cambridge University Press respectively in hybrid technology and education.

“I have now asked him to step up to Chairman in my place to give him both the responsibility and the authority to ensure the good running of all aspects of the team and the company.”

MeanwhileParr commented: “It is both a great honour and a big responsibility to take over Frank’s role as Chairman of Williams. Frank remains our controlling shareholder and Team Principal and he will always be the name, the face and the inspiration of this team. My aspiration is to ensure that the team and the company are run to the high standards that Frank and Patrick Head have always demanded, both on and off the track. In this, I am fortunate to count on dedicated partners, a strong board and, above all, a great team of dedicated and talented people at Grove.

 “I am also pleased to announce that Alex Burns steps up from the role of Chief Operating Officer to that of Chief Executive Officer. In addition to his responsibilities for the production side of Williams F1, Alex chairs Williams Hybrid Power Limited and the Williams Technology Centre in Qatar.”

Last winter saw the first change of shareholding in the company since 1977 when Frank Williams and Patrick Head took on an outside investor.

Ferrari will use this logo from the start of 2011

Ferrari has revealed a new logo for 2011 which in effect replaces the controversial barcode. It will be used on the car and personnel from January 1.

Unveiling the logo, team boss Stefano Domenicali said that the team would continue to be called Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, adding that the graphic changes had been made in conjunction with Philip Morris.

“All the activities related to the activities of the racing department will use this logo,” said Domenicali. “It will be on top of the cars, on the uniforms, on the drivers’ overalls, on the Ferrari Driver Academy activities, and all the other things that we will do in the future through the racing department of F1. This belongs to our team and is a trade mark of Scuderia Marlboro Ferrari.”

The cynical view might be that it looks even more like a cigarette packet than the barcode did…

ART has announced on its website that it has withdrawn its bid for a 2011 entry. The news opens up the race as ART had been logical favourites, and it also heads off inevitable charges of nepotism should the organisation co-owned by Nicolas Todt have got the nod from the FIA.

A statement from the team blames unfavourable economic conditions but says that ART had forged good relationships with potential partners. It also says that the bid has been postponed, meaning the team might try again some time.

The reality is of course that potential sponsors and investors have seen how hard life has been for the new  in 2010.

This time last year potential entrants were able to cite Brawn GP as an example of what an ‘independent’ team could do, not withstanding the millions poured into the team by Honda.

Kubica will stay on for two more years at Renault

Another piece in the jigsaw puzzle fell into place today when Renault confirmed that Robert Kubica will stay with the team until 2012, an announcement that had been expected for some time.

Earlier this year there was speculation that the Pole would go to Ferrari, but the extension for Felipe Massa put an end to that. With no obvious or better alternatives on the horizon – at least for next year – Kubica has decided to stay where he is and try to build up a championship winning team around him, following in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher (1994-‘5) and Fernando Alonso (2005-‘6).

It seems likely that the top five teams will be unchanged next year, with questions marks only over the second Renault seat. 

In a team statement Kubica said: “It was a straightforward decision for me to continue with a team where I feel at home. What’s important for me is to be in the right atmosphere, with a good group of people, where everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is what we have tried to build from the beginning of my time with Renault. “I think we have already achieved a lot together, and I believe that with plenty of effort, time and the right approach, we can move even further forward. That is certainly our target, so we will keep working hard and pushing on every front, not just for the rest of this season but also for next year when there are more big rule changes on the way. I am really looking forward to the challenge.” Team boss Eric Boullier added: “We are delighted that Robert will remain with us for the next two seasons and I would like to thank him for the faith he has shown in this team. There have been many rumours surrounding his future in recent weeks, which were a tribute to how well he has driven this year, and we are very happy to have agreed a multi-year deal. “Our clear goal is to become title contenders over the next two years. To do so, we need a driver of Robert’s calibre: somebody who is fast, totally committed and doesn’t make mistakes. His performances during the first half of the 2010 season were flawless, and we hope to achieve great things together in the future.” E

Red Bull Racing has given Adrian Newey a fully operational 2009 RB5 and a set of spares as a thank you for his contribution to the team.

Newey had already been given the chance to drive the car at Goodwood this weekend before he knew that he would be taking the car home with him.

In a statement team boss Christian Horner said: “I was delighted to hand over this RB5 on behalf of Red Bull to Adrian today.  It’s a really significant car for us, as it’s the first model type that won six races for Red Bull Racing  last year. Adrian’s made a mess of his lawn with several different cars from his collection, but this  one will definitely tear the grass up!

“Hopefully he will look after it carefully and enjoy driving it up  the hill at Goodwood today. We’re happy to hand it over with the relevant crash helmet and  overalls to make sure he’s safe; we’ve also given him a set of spares, just in case!”

“I’m overcome actually,” said Newey. “The guys have obviously put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing the car for me. You can see it – the paint and the lines are absolutely perfect, the work that’s gone into doing the helmet and everything else is incredible. Also, the fact that the  guys have given up a weekend to come down here and run it for me is fantastic.

“I was nervous before my first run, as I’d never driven a car with a hand clutch before and had  never left-foot braked expect in a go-kart – but it’s really fantastic to drive. A slight fright was that I  wasn’t prepared for how long first gear is, so as I was pulling out of the paddock it was pushing me on a lot. I was saying to myself ‘hand clutch, hand clutch’, but the automatic reaction is to go  for the left foot! We went up the hill on wet tyres, so it was a gentle drive. It’s just so great to be in  the car and it’s such a great noise from the inside.

“The plan now is to club together with some other guys I know who are lucky enough to have cars  and hire a circuit, preferably a modern one with a bit of run-off where I can enjoy driving the car without worrying about having a spin in front of a crowd!”

The FIA will hold an Extraordinary Meeting of the Sporting Working Group at Silverstone next Wednesday, to discuss issues arising out of the European GP.

Chaired by F1 race director Charlie Whiting, the meeting will give the 12 team managers a chance to air their views on some of the controversies surrounding the safety car period in Valencia, and equally will allow Whiting to explain the FIA’s viewpoint.

Among the key issues to be discussed are the time it takes to confirm penalties, and cars getting stuck behind the safety car before being waved by.

Although tweaks are possible for this year, major changes to the system are unlikely to be introduced in the short term. However the meeting could be a springboard for new rules for 2011.

That could include the possibility of having the pit exit open throughout the safety car period, which would avoid the scenario suffered by Michael Schumacher, who caught the red light as the field was coming past. Those coming out of the pits would then blend into the queue at the safety car line.

There is also the question of a return to having a closed pit entry until the field is bunched up. That was tried for a couple of seasons but created problems for those who were coming to the end of their fuel loads and were forced to pit anyway and take a penalty.

With refuelling no longer an issue, there is no obvious reason why a closed pitlane couldn’t happen other than the fact that it could see pretty much the entire field enter at once, and there is an argument that not all pitlanes have sufficient space to safely cope with that.

In addition the rules would have to allow cars with punctures or damage to pit without penalty.

One thing which is unlikely to change is the specific reason why the two Ferraris were held up. They were not allowed to pass the safety car until after the Mark Webber accident scene because the safety car was itself following the medical car. The FIA regards protecting the medical car from race traffic as a key safety requirement.

Heikki Kovalainen insists that he was not at fault in the collision that sent Mark Webber flying, despite some observers suggesting he should not have tried to race the quicker Red Bull.

The accident happened after Webber dropped down the field following an early pit stop, and got caught behind the Lotus.

Kovalainen had been lapping approximately 2.3s slower than the Australian had been managing in traffic, but about 3.5s slower than the pace that leader Sebastian Vettel was demonstrating that the RB6 could run at.

The Finn says he braked 5m earlier than he normally would as he was in the centre of the track and was thus off his normal line while trying to defend his position.

“He ran into me, that’s all I can say,” Heikki told this blog. “I knew I was racing him, so I defended a little bit, not even very aggressively. I went a bit more than half way. Then I hit the brakes and he missed his braking. I think I was just over 5m earlier than my normal braking point, which is about half a tenth something like this before my normal braking point, because I was obviously off line.

“I felt him climbing over me and then I hit the wall head on. I saw him flying and obviously I thought it was pretty nasty, but it was good to see he walked out of the car. It was another good example of what the FIA have done about the safety, it’s fantastic.”

Heikki says he discussed the incident with Webber when they met shortly afterwards.

“I saw him in the medical centre when I had to go and do the checks there. He just said he didn’t know if to go left or right, and said he was surprised that I braked so early.

“In any case I think when you come to the braking zone you commit to the inside or the outside, not necessarily straight behind. I was trying to make him go outside, and I was expecting that he can quite brake late anyway, so I might struggle to keep him behind. As I’m racing for Lotus I need to have a go at him, of course. There’s nothing more that I have to say really. It’s just a shame.”

To say Felipe Massa was frustrated on Sunday night in Valencia would be an understatement, after the Brazilian finished a lowly 14th on the road. Even 5secs penalties for other drivers only pushed him up to 11th.

Massa was furious that both he and Fernando Alonso were trapped behind the safety car, which he claims was travelling unusually slowly before it waved them by after the accident scene. The delay in getting back to the pits meant they tumbled down the order after their stops.

This was Massa’s third consecutive failure to score, and he still lies just eighth in the World Championship, 60 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.

“It was a very bad day,” said Massa when asked about his race by this blog. “I think we had a good car, and a good possibility to fight. We were third and fourth. And then we had a very difficult moment when we had the big accident. We didn’t see any yellow flag for the safety car until the main straight, when we were on the main straight we saw it. And then I saw everybody stopping behind me.

“And apart from this we had the safety car at the end of the straight, and it was Lewis, Fernando and me behind the car, and then suddenly the car has yellow lights, doing the normal line. And then suddenly I saw that Lewis passed the car, and it was Fernando and me behind. The car was very, very slow, and we lost completely the whole race there.

 “Suddenly we got the green light to pass the safety car in Turn 14, after the accident. So it destroyed completely our race, for me because of the safety car which is not supposed to be so slow like that. But also we lost the possibility to fight.”

Like Alonso, Felipe made it clear that he was not happy with the drive through penalty that ultimately cost Hamilton no positions.

“Lewis passed the car with the yellow lights, and they gave the drive though after 20 minutes, and he didn’t lose anything in the race. Today everything that happened was wrong.

“What’s happened with the decisions from the race director today, and from everybody who works on the decision, was completely wrong. They cannot do that, because what happened today was a big thing.

“When you are behind the safety car and the safety car has a yellow light, doing the normal line, you cannot pass it. The minimum you need to get for that is a time penalty. The minimum. And not after 20 minutes.”

Nevertheless, the bullish Massa says he has not given up on his title hopes: “Until the mathematics is not there, I will push, and try to be there for fighting. That’s my style, and I will push.”

Webber walked away unscathed from the spectacular crash. Photo: Cooper

When Mark Webber emerged from the Red Bull energy station after the race his cool demeanour belied the fact that an hour and half beforehand he had experienced the biggest crash F1 has seen since Robert Kubica´s off in Montreal in 2007.

Webber thanked his Red Bull RB6 for keeping him safe, and to his credit, made only subtle references to Heikki Kovalainen´s attempt to race him with a less competitive car.

“The cars are very safe, and I was very lucky obviously as it was a very dangerous crash,” said Webber. “Obviously I was out of position, coming back through, and I caught Heikki. I was a lot faster than him. I wasn’t sure… At the middle of the straight I thought maybe he’s letting me go, then I thought no now he’s starting to fight and defend, because obviously it’s for points. Then a long, long way before the braking point, he braked. You’ll see it in the telemetry, it was 80 metres [earlier than expected].

“At that point I’m a passenger. And I was worried about the bridges. I didn’t know how high the bridges were, and obviously if I made contact with the bridges, it’s a big problem for me. But the car, thank God, was very safe, and I’m OK. I lose some points, but in the end, when I’m up there I’m not worried about points, I’m worried about that I’m OK. I’m happy I’m OK, and I’ll be ready for Silverstone.

“When you are in that situation you cannot control where the car is going, and how hard the hits are going to be. Of course the hits were pretty hard. It’s my Monte Carlo and Barcelona winning chassis, a lot of pole positions, so this chassis has been good to me. But also good to me today, because it saved me from some injuries.

“I’m not 100% at the moment, but I will be by Silverstone. For sure I’ve taken a few hits here and there. But I’ve been through a little bit, so I’ll bounce back.”

Webber had got into the situation that led to the crash after being bundled down to ninth on the first lap. The team pitted him early in an attempt to find a clear track, but a stuck wheel dropped him behind Kovalainen.

“I had a very difficult start, and then got a little bit out of position at the chicane. And then also out of the second chicane, it concertinaed into the next one as well, so that on the to Turn 8 I was a bit out of position having a fight for I think sixth or seventh at that point, and then I got touched I think by a Williams, which pushed me wide.

“It was a little bit of a punching bag in the first sector. But anyway that’s the start of when you’re out of position and then you need to come back through. In my opinion the accident should never happened. There’s a point obviously when you’re racing for position, and also a point when you’re five seconds a lap slower than someone, and you’re not racing really.”

Webber had scored points in every race prior to Valencia, and conceded that his streak was bound to end at some stage.

“It’s the first race I lose points, I’ve scored points every race this year, so now I join all the other drivers in not scoring at every Grand Prix. I remain incredibly positive. We go on. It’s half way through the championship – bloody hell, let’s get on with it, and I’m looking forward to it.

“I got 50 points in eight days not that long ago. There’s a long, long way to go in this game. You never want non finishes, but they’re inevitable in a 19-race championship. It wasn’t a little brush with the wall, a non-finish like that, it was a spectacular incident, and I’m just happy that I’m here.

“And also what’s good is that it’s a good result for the team, Seb won. He’s a rival of mine as well, but at least the team got some more points with him.”

Jenson Button admits that a mistake on the final corner of his qualifying lap cost him valuable time, and lost him a potential fourth place on the second row alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Instead Button will start seventh, and he has two Ferraris and Robert Kubica’s Renault between himself and his team mate. Ironically Hamilton also didn’t get his final lap in after an error of his own.

“Just frustrated really,” said Button. “Qualifying was going really well in Q3. My last lap in Q3 was really good, I was really happy, until the last corner. Then I lost a couple of tenths, locked up and ran wide and lost all the time. The times are so close here in Q3 that it was quite a few places that I lost. Frustrating, but I can’t do anything about it now. We’ve just got to look forward to tomorrow.

“We know we’ve got a quick car, quicker than maybe we expected. I think when you looked at the times this morning there were a lot of competitive cars, competitive teams, but I think we proved today that the car is more competitive than probably most people thought in the pit lane. And we’ve just got to have a good race tomorrow. I need a good start, I’m on the clean side, which is positive, and I think we’ve got to be a little bit aggressive with our strategy.”

Meanwhile team boss Martin Whitmarsh says he was happy to at least have Hamilton in third, given that other teams had updates for this race.” 

“I think both guys did a good job,” said Whitmarsh. “They’ve worked hard with their engineers this weekend. A lot of our competitors have come here with really big, comprehensive upgrade packages. It was very easy to panic when we saw their pace.

“They both did a fantastic job to keep their head in the right place, and work hard with their engineers, and pull through. In qualifying you’ve got to push. Both guys made minor errors on their last lap in Q3, and Jenson without that would have been on the second row with Lewis. That’s a shame, and it’s frustrating for Jenson and for us.”