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Michelin is to make a last minute pitch to win the 2011 F1 contract in a FOTA meeting with the teams in Istanbul tomorrow.

It had been widely thought that Pirelli had already been agreed upon, and that an announcement would be made this weekend. However the teams could not finalise their arrangement with the Italian company, and Michelin has confused the issue by coming back with a revised offer.

The situation has grown extremely complex of late, with Bernie Ecclestone favouring Pirelli, and Jean Todt supporting Michelin. Most of the teams have been sitting on the fence, although McLaren has been particularly vocal in support of Michelin. Surprisingly perhaps Ferrari is leaning towards Michelin, while Mercedes is said to have moved from Michelin to the Pirelli camp.

The details of the deals on offer are complex, as they involve commercial and technical matters. It’s believed that Michelin wanted to supply fewer sets of tyres per car per season than under the current Bridgestone deal, but the latest offer is said to address that.

A further complication is that not all the teams are as keen as others to have identical contractual arrangements with the supplier. It’s rumoured that there was also some consternation in a recent meeting when it emerged that one top team has been enjoying a different arrangement with Bridgestone than its rivals.

“What’s important is that it’s good for F1,” one team boss told me. “If it’s Michelin or Pirelli, it doesn’t matter.”

Another praised Pirelli for its straightforward approach, whereas Michelin has frequently moved the goalposts. As previously reported, some weeks ago it dropped its price from €5m per team to €1.5m.

Fernando Alonso says he just didn’t have the speed today after qualifying a disastrous 12th in Turkey, and failing to make it out of Q2.

Meanwhile his team mate Felipe Massa got through Q2 in fifth, before claiming eighth in the final order. Alonso had no real explanation for the lack of speed.

“I think the car felt very similar to yesterday, the car balance was OK, I didn’t have any big problem with the car,” he said. “Maybe with the prime tyres were are a little bit more competitive, we feel more comfortable. With the option we had some more problems, but nothing huge, nothing to make us be too much slower.

“In general we were not quick enough. In Q1 we were ninth and 10th and Q2 [I was] 12th. In two or three tenths you can be fourth or 12th, today we were 12th because as I said we weren’t good enough, so tomorrow we have to improve.”

Although Alonso made a very obvious mistake at the end of what should have been his best lap, he says it was already slower than his earlier time.

“In that lap I was worse than the previous lap, so that moment didn’t cost me any time or any Q3 opportunity, because I was one tenth slower. I was trying to push to recover this one tenth that I was behind.”

Nevertheless the mistake comes on the heels of his Monaco practice crash and his jumped start in China, giving critics extra ammunition. However, he doesn’t see any pattern. 

“I think today we were not quick enough, I didn’t consider any mistake today. In Monaco unfortunately we lost qualifying. With another type of accident maybe the chassis it was possible to repair, and we were in qualifying and maybe it was not so obvious the mistake, or not so much talk about it.

“I know that expectations were high for us, every Grand Prix everybody expects Ferrari to be on pole position and win the race. We are not in a position to do that, but I think I’m not doing too many bad things or too many mistakes if I’m third in the championship, three points behind.”

Jenson Button was fastest for McLaren on Friday afternoon in Turkey, but while the World Champion was happy with the overall performance of the car, he’s not kidding himself about his form relative to that of Red Bull.

The dark blue cars were second and third fastest in the session, and Button was less than a tenth clear of Mark Webber.

“We’re still trying to chase the Red Bulls, I don’t think they’re showing they’re hand just yet, so don’t get too excited about our pace today,” said Button.

“I think our car works well round here. I’m happy with the balance. There’s a few things that I have on the car this race and that I’m happy with that are different to previous races. And it seems to work well for me, especially round this type of circuit. The car’s good, but still, the Red Bulls are much quicker than they show. It’s a normal Friday.

“Tomorrow we’ll see where we stand, because you don’t catch up a second over a couple of weeks. The Red Bull is still the car to beat, and we’ve got to hope that tomorrow we get everything together in qualifying and that we can do the best job we can. Maybe that can be enough.”

Button said his day was generally a positive one: “It went reasonably well. We did some back to back work this morning, the opposite way around on the cars with the aero, and we found something reasonably interesting. This morning was reasonably good, and this afternoon was better.

“I felt that I found a better balance this afternoon, and especially on low fuel, the car is working well, which is nice to see. There’s still more to come, as always, after a Friday. The long run pace is good as well, but I just found a lot of traffic out there on my long run. I’m happy with the car at the moment. There’s always a few things that you want to sort out.

“Both tyres are working well, which is the important thing, and we don’t have any issues with graining or damaging the tyre.”

This week’s announcement that F1 will go to Austin, Texas in 2012 came as a huge surprise, even to the sport’s insiders. But promoter Tavo Hellmund had been in touch with Bernie Ecclestone for over two years while trying to put the deal together.

In Turkey on Thursday I spoke to Bernie about the race, and while he wasn’t giving too much away, what he did say was, as ever, fascinating…

Q: Is it fair to say that Tavo’s dad brought F1 back to Mexico in 1988?

“I think together, we did, yes!”

Q: And you’ve been friends ever since?

“Yes, we’ve kept in touch. And with Tavo, I’ve known him since he was born.”

Q: Did the Austin idea come up straight away after F1 finished with Indianapolis?

“No but we’ve been talking about it for a long time.”

Q: What was it that convinced you to go there?

“Well it’s a good place. Texas is a great place, it’s something that suits us.”

Q: But Dallas didn’t work in 1984…

“No, but it would have been nice. Dallas was good.”

Q: Had you been to Austin before this came up?

“No, I only went there because of this.”

Q: What were your impressions?

“Good, it’s a nice place. It’s got all the features that we want.”

Q: What is it about Tavo that convinces you that he can get the job done?

“Well I trust him.”

Q: But it was a difficult job even for Tony George…

“Yeah, but he’s got a different way of looking at things. He knows about F1.”

Q: What’s the biggest hurdle he’s going to face?

“I think he’s going to face hundreds of them. He’ll have to jump over them all as he gets there! Building the circuit, for a start is not going to be easy. But we’ll get it done, no fear. He’s got a lot of help from the government.”

Q: In that sense he’s got a head start compared with Tony George?

“Tony was unfortunate. It was the right and the wrong place. Right place for the type of racing they have, the wrong place for us.”

Q: I mean as far we know, he never got any government help, did he?

“No, not at all. I think everybody thought that Tony didn’t need any help.”

Q: Even in Texas finding $200m to build a circuit isn’t easy…

“He’s done it, otherwise he wouldn’t embark on it.”

Q: And a permanent track is the way to go?

“This sort of facility [Istanbul]. It’s going to look good.”

Q: It’s a better bet that a street race?

“Yes sure, I think we’ve got enough street races now.”

Q: Is it fair to say that street races like Phoenix were not the best way for the American public to see F1?

“I don’t know what the American public want to see in motor sport. I think they’ve seen too much oval racing, so I hope we can wean them off that!”

Q: Do you think he can get a crowd?

“Yes sure. Dallas was good, it was full up.”

Q: In somewhere like Vegas you were always going to get people coming from all over the world. Austin’s not really got the same appeal…

“The difference is that Austin will have a track, and Vegas didn’t have one…”

Veteran circuit designer Hermann Tilke will be responsible for the Austin F1 track, promoter Tavo Hellmund has confirmed to this writer. Hellmund also says the project is also much further along than has been assumed, and the track has already been drawn.

“This has been long in the works,” he told this blog. “Everything is in place.”

Although the former racer told local media yesterday that three possible venues were still under consideration, that suggestion was apparently a smokescreen.

While several alternatives were under consideration, one site was settled on some time ago, and the land – over 800 acres – has already been purchased. Not only that but initial permissions for amenities such as water and waste, which are usually time consuming affairs, have already been granted.

Although Hellmund has yet to divulge details of what he calls a “killer location”, he confirmed that the site is to the east of the city, a few miles from the airport. It is said to be in hilly countryside that has provided Tilke with a good starting point for a design.

The German has been asked to create a fast circuit with challenging corners that resemble those of classic established circuits such as Silverstone, Hockenheim and Spa. It will be over 3-miles in length.

Tilke first sent a representative of his company to Austin around two years ago, and has made personal many visits since. He is currently looking for office space in the city in which to base the project.

Hellmund is adamant that Austin is an ideal location: “Other than New York or LA, which already have 10m people, where are you going to find a place that within 150-mile radius you have three of the top 10 largest markets in the United States? That is the wonderful thing. Our position between Canada and the United States, North, South and Central America, is unbelievable.

“You take that into account, you take into account the draw that Austin is, it’s the state capital, it’s in the hill country, it’s got a huge, huge vibe and tag of being the coolest place.”

As reported previously, the race is set to benefit from the ‘Texas Major Events Trust Fund,’ which is intended to reimburse cities for costs they face when hosting big sporting events.

However, that relates only to specific events and does not have an impact on the cost of building the facility, which is apparently budgeted at $200m. The track build is being financed by private investors, and when completed the venue is likely to be named after either Texas or Austin.

One of the key elements that has helped to generate funding is that aside from F1, the circuit will be used to help develop alternative fuels.

Tavo has known Bernie Ecclestone since he was a teenager. His father was involved in promoting Indycar and TransAm races in Mexico City, and also helped to bring F1 back to the country in 1988. Hellmund Sr was also involved in the 1986 soccer World Cup and in organising music events.

While the Austin project was greeted with some scepticism, Hellmund’s enthusiasm for it is infectious and he certainly makes a credible case for it. It will be fascinating to see what happens next.

New US GP promoter Tavo Hellmund says that he does not yet have a site on which to construct the circuit, but he is looking at three possible locations in Austin.

Hellmund also says no land has been purchased, and a cynic might assume that the price for possible locations may have gone up in the last 24 hours, unless he is further down the road than he is letting on.

With the inaugural race likely to take place in a little over 24 months’ time in June 2012, as part of a double header with Canada, it would seem that time is of the essence.

Speaking to Austin’s Statesman newspaper, Hellmund added that he had been talking to Bernie Ecclestone since 1999 – before the first race at Indy- and had begun serious discussions four years ago. He said that the bid process alone had cost $1m.

“I got 18,000 e-mails in three minutes,” he said of the announcement. “Austin is more of an F1 crowd than a NASCAR crowd. The geography, the tech money, the nightlife, the music. It all just fits with what Formula One is all about.”

Democtratic senator Kirk Watson told the paper: “The economic impact is said to be almost as big as a Super Bowl, and that’s every year.”

The state has a ‘Texas Major Events Trust Fund’ which is intended to reimburse cities for costs they face when hosting big sporting events. Intriguingly Watson was responsible for recently adding F1 to the list of eligible events in a recent bill.

The Statesman also summed up the local response: “The announcement stunned many in the Texas auto racing community and surprised and delighted some political leaders, but it left others wondering about significant details — including where a track would be built, who would build it, how much it would cost, who would pay for it and why would an Austin project succeed where others haven’t?”

Meanwhile the Austin Business Journal underlined the mystery attached to the project:  “City of Austin and Austin Chamber of Commerce officials were unfamiliar with race organizers’ plans and do not appear to have been deeply involved in the deal, according to city and chamber sources. Although Mayor Lee Leffingwell was cited in the news release on the Formula 1 website, a staffer said the mayor was not informed prior to the announcement.”

Eddie Gossage of Texas Motor Speedway has added a note of caution by saying that his facility cost $250m to construct back in 1996.

Hispania Racing and Dallara have decided “not to pursue their collaboration” after a tense start to the season for the two parties.

HRT boss Colin Kolless has made his frustration clear for some weeks. However the team released a statement this morning which carefully steered clear of any controversy, other than a pointed reference to the lack of development from the Italian manufacturer since the start of the season.

The statemenat read as follows: “HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, and Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara Automobili S.p.A have together agreed on amicable terms not to pursue their collaboration. The decision follows talks held over the last few months about the future of their collaboration.

“The two partners experienced a challenging start to the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship season, where everyone at Dallara Automobili S.p.A worked extremely hard in a fight against time to be ready for the season opener at Bahrain International Circuit. Their persistent and determined efforts paid off as HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, pulled up to the starting line of the 2010 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix ready to go.

“The whirlwind of pre season activity at the Italian chassis constructor Dallara Automobili allowed the team, formerly known as Campos Meta 1 prior to its acquisition by Jose Ramon Carabante in February 2010, to meet its tight deadline. Since its inaugural race HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, has completed six rounds of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship despite the fact that in all this time no further chassis development was made by Dallara.

“The collaboration, deemed by many to be an impossible task, resulted in the creation of the team’s Cosworth V8 powered 2010 Formula 1 World Championship chassis, the F110, which was the very first car to be produced in the colours of HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing. Following the completion of six rounds of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship, HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, and Dallara Automobili S.p.A have agreed that what they have achieved in such a short period of time was more than could have been reasonably expected.

“The two parties wish each other the best of luck in all future endeavours. HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing will continue to develop and improve the Dallara designed F110 chassis via its own development program. The details as to the outstanding terms of their business agreement remain confidential, and no further comment will be issued.”

Austin will host the US GP from 2012. It looks good at night...

Bernie Ecclestone has used his website to announce that a US GP will be held in Austin, Texas from 2012 to 2021. It will be the first F1 event held in the state since the one-off race at Dallas in 1984.

The news comes just days after the Monticello facility in New York State told the media that it was pitching for a race.

It had long been assumed that Ecclestone would settle only for a race in California, Florida, Las Vegas or New York, so the Austin deal comes a major surprise.

The Austin event will be promoted by Full Throttle Productions, a company with an involvement in NASCAR via Thunder Hill Raceway, a track 20 minutes south of Austin which hosts a Grand National race.

Ecclestone says a new facility will be built for the race in what is the USA’s 15^th largest city. The Thunder Hill site is on 38 acres, and it remains to be seen whethe that’s where the F1 track will be built. 

The company’s managing partner Tavo Hellmund said in the statement: “We are extremely honoured and proud to reach an agreement with the F1 Commercial Rights holder. We have been diligently working together for several years to bring this great event to Austin, the State of Texas, and back to the United States. All parties involved have a great amount of trust and confidence in each other and are committed to establishing the F1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas as a prestigious global event.

“This is a case of the right timing in the right place. As many Americans know, Austin has earned a reputation as one of the ‘it’ cities in the United States. Austin features that rare combination of ideal geographic location and beauty. Its fine dining, world-renowned hospitality and excellent transportation infrastructure make Austin ideally suited to host and manage an event of this magnitude.

“Few cities if any on America could rival the connectivity of all the key elements needed for hosting an F1 event as well as Austin. Now, many people around the world will have the opportunity to experience a world-class event, facility and city.”

The event clearly has the support of the city and state authorities, something that hasn’e been forthcoming with other potential US GP projects.

Lotus was closer to the pace in Monaco, although neither car finished

Lotus Racing boss Tony Fernandes says he was encouraged by the pace of the green cars in Monaco, even if neither car finished.

Heikki Kovalainen had his most promising run to date before he was forced to retire, while Jarno Trulli collided with Karun Chandhok while recovering from a delay in the pits.

Although the team didn’t get a result, it was far closer to the pace than at previous races.

“You’ve got to take these things when they come,” Fernandes told this blog. “It’s racing. The main thing is that I was really happy with the pace, and I was really happy that we were racing Petrov. To be able to do that is really pleasing. People constantly talk about backmarkers slowing them down, but to see Heikki going for it, when we didn’t have the full aero package on there, was pleasing. And the Renault’s fast.

“It was very encouraging. That’s why I wasn’t disappointed. I was disappointed for Heikki, but he’s such a trooper. He said it was his best race and he enjoyed it the most. If you think Red Bull six years ago was at the back, and they’re now at the front by a long way. We’re making progress and I’m really happy.”

Fernandes says he was happy that Trulli tried to overtake Chandhok, even if it didn’t work: “I support him trying and we were pushing him to try. At the end of the day I think that’s what racing is about, and I applaud Jarno for doing that. Fifty per cent of people say he was right and fifty per cent say he’s wrong, so I don’t know. But at Lotus out style is if you don’t try, you don’t know. We weren’t going to give up anything, we weren’t fighting for a World Championship or anything, so we race.

“The exciting part of the race was at the back, when Alonso was overtaking people. It was a great vindication of why do we have blue flags? Alonso had some great racing with Heikki, with Timo Glock. He picked both of them off, and it was the most fun part of the race.”

Fernandes, Mike Gascoyne and their Lotus colleagues after the Monaco race

Trulli and Chandhok ended their races in a collision at Rascasse

Jarno Trulli was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism after his clash with Karun Chandhok in the Monaco GP, but the Italian says he has no regrets about the move that saw both men bounced out of the race.

Trulli dived down the inside going into Rascasse, and was alongside Chandhok when the latter turned in, and they touched wheels. The HRT driver insists that Trulli would not have had the lock to have made the corner.

Jarno had earlier lost time when Lotus had a wheel gun problem at his pit stop, dropping him back behind Chandhok.

“Unfortunately the pit stop ruined my race basically,” Trulli told this blog. “I fell behind everyone, behind cars which were much slower than me. I was following the HRT until Chandhok slowed down pretty much. I don’t know if he had a problem or what, but that lap when I attacked, he was pretty slow. I went on the inside, we collided, and that’s it.

“You have to try. We are here to race, and obviously my race was spoiled at the pit stop, but I didn’t give up until the end. I knew I could get him. That was the best place because he was braking pretty early and staying very much on the outside line. He suddenly slowed down, and I didn’t know if he was letting me by or what.

“I was completely in. I can’t say I did something crazy. I had to try, which is something that in Monaco not everyone does. But I did.”

Trulli says that while he apologised to the Indian driver, he feels he was right to try to pass.

“I was obviously sorry for the accident because I could have stayed behind, but I wanted to overtake him. And when you want to overtake, you have to take some risks, and we ended up both finishing the race that way.

“But that’s part of racing. It was not a crazy manoeuvre if you look back, nothing dangerous. It turned out to be dangerous because when we collided my tyre hit his rear tyre and my car basically went over him, but it was a first gear corner, nothing really major.

“It was a terrible weekend, but when things happen, you can’t really do much about it.”

A slightly secondhand Lotus is returned to the pits