Adam Cooper F1

Felipe Massa says Mark Webber’s decision to turn down Ferrari and re-sign for Red Bull has not had any impact on his thinking about his future.

The Brazilian remains in limbo as the Maranello team considers its options for 2013 and beyond.

“Of course I keep an eye on what is going on with other drivers, just as anyone likes to know what is going on in whatever work they do,” Massa told the Ferrari website.

“But the only thing that is important for me is that I keep performing in the same way I did in Silverstone. In the two Grands Prix prior to that, in Montreal and Valencia, I should have been entirely capable of finishing in the top five or on the podium, but for various reasons – a spin in Montreal and a problem with the floor of the car in Valencia – that did not happen.

“Without that, since Monaco, I would have been fighting for the top five at every race. I’m sure that driving the way I am now is the only thing I can do and need to do to ensure my future. What happens in the drivers’ market does not have a significant effect on my position. If I carry on performing the way I did in Silverstone, then I don’t feel too worried about my future.”

Massa says the season isn’t as tough as it might look from the outside.

“In my situation, I have had some strong races recently and our car is getting better all the time, so you want to keep racing, because you have in mind that your performance can get even better. In our case, I expect that trend to continue all the way through to the final round of the championship.

“But if you are struggling, having hard races, then you really have to dig deep and in those circumstances, it can seem like a long road, although even then, you have the incentive to work hard and look ahead to every race in the hope of doing better.

“It’s human nature that you have to push yourself harder when times are tough. Thankfully, at the moment, we are not in that position and I’m looking forward to all the remaining races, so the fact it is a long season is fine for me. Twenty races is definitely a long championship, but I am enjoying the fact that we have many races remaining to get some good results.”

He remains confident that he can move up the championship table: “For sure, the Drivers’ is still important to me. Looking at where I was just before Silverstone, I am aware that are a lot of points still available over the coming eleven races. It is very important for me and I want to fight to get back into the top six or top five. That might be a difficult target to achieve, but you always need to set yourself a hard challenge. In addition, the Constructors’ Championship is very important to us and the better I do in the Drivers’ the more I help Ferrari.”

Pirelli is taking its experimental new hard tyre to Hockenheim after rain meant it wasn’t possible to try it at Silverstone.

Drivers will have two sets of the hard to try on Friday alongside their regular allocation of softs and mediums for the race weekend. The extra sets will be very handy as they will guarantee extra running at a track no one has seen since 2010.

“After a wet Silverstone, we hope to give the drivers the chance to run on the experimental hard compound tyre during free practice at Hockenheim,” said Pirelli motor sport boss Paul Hembery. But the weather in Germany at this time of year can be almost as unpredictable as it is in England: when we were at Hockenheim for the GP3 Series two years ago we saw plenty of rain, although it’s been very hot in the past too.

“The new hard tyre is not a big evolution, but it has a slightly wider working range, which should make it easier for the teams to get the tyres up to temperature and maintain them in the correct operating window.”

Pirelli has no plans to introduce the new hard as a race tyre during the 2012 season, although it is open minded should the teams agree to try it.

“We’re running them in Friday free practice only as with the championship so finely balanced, we feel that it would be unfair to suddenly alter one of the fundamental parameters that the teams have made a lot of effort to understand and get the most out of. But we enjoy a very productive dialogue with them, and we will always take into account the wishes of the majority.

“It’s certainly going to be interesting hearing what they have to say about the new tyre, and seeing if their impressions match up to the conclusions that we have drawn from our private testing. Coming to a circuit that is new to us always holds a different challenge, as we don’t have any of our own previous data to compare it with.”

Fernando Alonso’s engineer Andrea Stella says that hard work and a positive attitude has helped to ensure that Fernando Alonso is top of the World Championship table as the half way mark approaches.

Stella conceded that it the current scenario seemed very unlikely just a few months ago.

“At the start of the season it would have required one to be extremely optimistic to imagine such a situation,” he told the Ferrari website. “But in this sport, things can change very quickly and we have always maintained a positive attitude. The current situation is the result of this attitude combined with a lot of hard work.

“We simply adapted the aerodynamic development of the car and progress also came as we gained a better understanding of the tyres. In fact, the tyres have been a major challenge this year, as well as optimising the aerodynamics, the latter because of the change of rules in this area compared to last year.

“However, another important challenge we all face this year is not so much a technical one, but stems from the fact that the performance level of many of the cars is extremely close.”

Stella sees no reason why the F2012 should not be competitive in Hockenheim.

“The car was good in Valencia, it was also good in Silverstone. And as Hockenheim is a mix of the slow speed of Valencia and high speed of Silverstone, I would expect Ferrari to be competitive in Germany.

“In the past in Hockenheim, managing the tyres was difficult, especially the front left and sometimes we also saw blistering on the rear tyres. So it could be an interesting weekend from the tyre point of view.”

He also said that he now has a good understanding with Alonso.

“The relationship is more solid and we know each other much better. From my point of view and that of the other engineers, it is important that we know what the driver wants and what he requires to go fast and this aspect has improved in the two and a half years I have been working with Fernando. At the moment, things are going well, so let’s hope it stays like this.”

Caterham has started work on its new Leafield base in preparation for the arrival of the F1 team at the end of the month.

The race cars, now en route to Hockenheim, will return to Leafield rather than Hingham after the Hungarian GP.

Leafield was formerly the home of the Arrows and Super Aguri teams, and its location puts the team into the UK’s ‘motor sport valley,’ with greater access to technical  talent.

All three teams that joined the grid in 2010 have now moved from their original locations.

“The F1 and GP2 teams will be first in place in Leafield, and Caterham Cars will be moving its HQ to Leafield in due course,” said team boss Tony Fernandes. “Caterham Composites will remain in Norfolk and CTI (Caterham Technology and Innovation) will retain its offices in Germany whilst expanding production into the Hingham site to join Caterham Composites at the base we have owned since ’09.

“The first task is to refurbish the whole site and prepare it for a long and successful future. While that work is taking place the F1 team’s race trucks have left Hingham with our 2012 race cars for the last time. The next time they are back in the UK they will go straight to Leafield and that is excellent news for everybody associated with Caterham Group.

“More than 200 of the F1 team staff are making the move to Oxfordshire over the next few weeks and when we have finished the refurbishment, in late October 2012, we will have a facility that will put us on a par with the teams we are trying to catch in F1. Importantly, it will also give us the base we need to allow Caterham Group to achieve the impossible for many years to come. This is why I am so excited about what we have ahead of us, and this is why I am now dreaming of bigger, better and more ambitious plans than ever before.”

Technical director Mark Smith underlined the handicap of the Hingham location: “One of the immediate benefits of the move is in attracting people to come and work with us. Since I joined the team in 2011 I have been aware that there have been people we wanted to bring to Norfolk who were reluctant to move their families out of ‘motorsport valley’ where all the UK based F1 teams, and their associated supply chains and partners, are based.”

Marussia says that Maria de Villota’s accident at Duxford Airfield was not caused by any issues with the car – but the team has stopped short of saying that her sudden acceleration was due to driver error as the Spaniard attempted to bring the car to a halt after her first straightline run.

The team conducted its own analysis, which was backed up what it described as an “external forensic investigation.”

The team noted: “As would be normal procedure, the Team’s findings have been shared with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the independent UK regulator which acts in the public interest in respect of work-related accidents.”

Team principal John Booth said: “We are satisfied that the findings of our internal investigation exclude the car as a factor in the accident. We have shared and discussed our findings with the HSE for their consideration as part of their ongoing investigation.

“This has been a necessarily thorough process in order to understand the cause of the accident. We have now concluded our investigatory work and can again focus on the priority, which continues to be Maria’s wellbeing. In that regard, we continue to support Maria and the De Villota family in any way we can.”

Marussia has issued a positive update on the condition of Maria de Villota, some eight days after her accident at Duxford.

The team says that her condition is improving, and that she is no longer under sedation.

A statement said: “Following two successful surgical procedures in the days following the accident, last Saturday the medical team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital began to gradually reduce the level of Maria’s sedation. By Sunday morning, Maria was awake and able to speak to her family, which provided a very important – albeit early – indication that there were positive signs for Maria’s recovery.

“Since that time, Maria has been making small but significant steps. She was moved out of the Neurological Critical Care Unit on Monday and is no longer receiving sedation. Her family remain by her side and she is communicating freely with them and the medical team. Medical assessments are ongoing to monitor Maria’s improving condition.”

Red Bull has issued an intriguing Q&A with Mark Webber, who confirms that he turned down Ferrari.

Q: Was signing with Red Bull Racing for 2013 an easy decision?

MW: In the end, yes it was. It’s been an interesting few months, but overall the continuity and desire for me to continue at Red Bull Racing was very strong. My main focus is on this year’s Championship, which is very important. In addition it’s an amazing bunch of guys and girls at Red Bull Racing and I really, really like working with them. That has a huge effect on me and how I perform in the car and it helped me in my decision.

Q: You mention the people, what else is it that you like about the Team and Red Bull?

MW: Well, we have gone through plenty together here. We went from the days when Red Bull had not long owned the team to what it is now. The team really changed when we started to get successful, in terms of getting the balance right between being extremely professional on all fronts to still keeping that laid back and approachable attitude that the team still has within reason. It is just one nice big family now in many ways and we have grown so much. We’ve come a long way and I think it’s clear that I fit well here and that’s what I really like about it.

Q: Were you tempted to think about moving elsewhere?

MW: There were discussions with Ferrari, but my decision was to stay here.

What’s the benefit of staying with Red Bull Racing?

MW: I virtually know everyone’s shoe size! I know everyone’s names, I know how everyone ticks and I know all the departments which is very, very important for a driver. There’s a whole raft of factors.

Q: And how is working with the Team and with Sebastian (Vettel)?

MW: Very good. Obviously with Seb, we’ve worked very, very close together for a long period of time now. I think no-one would really have envisaged how long we have worked together, so that’s probably been a bit of a surprise. There are not many team-mates staying together for that long in Formula One, but it’s proved to be a successful partnership with both of us working very hard with the key technical members of the team. It’s been a potent operation. We’re still competitive when we hit the track, no question about it, especially in 2010 and this year. Last year there wasn’t much racing between Sebastian and I, but in 2009, 2010 and this year, there have been some great battles. That’s been enjoyable for the team, sometimes stressful too as it’s not easy for both of us to be at the front and I can understand that, as both of us are thinking about ourselves sometimes, but ultimately we know that we need to get the cars home and get the best results for us and the team.

Q: Does it help to have contracts sorted earlier in the season?

MW: Yes it does and that’s another reason to just get it to bed. I’ve been hearing different rumours and reasons for a long time now. At the end of the day I know everything that has been going on. You want to make sure your focus is clearly on driving the car and the guys that you’re working with. It’s important the team knows you’re 100% with them, which, of course, I am.

Q: Will 2013 be your last season in F1?

MW: I’ve been asked this question for the past four years and my answer remains the same. It’s a results-based sport at the front of the grid so the future lies in my own hands. It’s down to me to deliver the on-track results.

Red Bull has confirmed Mark Webber will be staying with the team for 2013, ending speculation about his future.

Webber said in a statement: “I’ve been with Red Bull Racing since 2007 and have achieved nine grand prix wins during that time. I’m high on confidence at the moment and firing on all cylinders. I know the Team well and I’m very comfortable here; we have grown together over the years and it feels like absolutely the right thing to stay with Red Bull for another season.

“The Team is constantly working hard to improve in all areas and we’ve shown that together we can win races. It’s great to be able to make this announcement off the back of the win in Silverstone at the weekend and I’m looking forward to competing on the edge and pushing myself in every race again next season.”

Christian Horner added: “Mark has driven very well in the first nine races of this season and his performance has been impressive. Much of his Formula One success has been during his time with Red Bull Racing and together we have achieved 10 poles, nine wins and 31 podiums.

“As there was a strong desire from both sides to continue the partnership, it was a logical decision to extend our relationship and it is with great pleasure that we confirm Mark will drive for us in 2013.”

Christian Horner has stressed that Red Bull is hoping to finalise a contract extension for Mark Webber for 2013, despite ongoing suggestions that the Aussie is hoping to end his career with a spell at Ferrari.

Webber has been on a series of one-year deals in recent times, but any suggestions that he might retire have been dispelled by his current strong form.

“Very simply we have a great relationship with Mark,” said Horner. “I think Mark wants to be in the team next year, and therefore as we’ve always stated during the summer we’ll sit down and talk about his future. That period of time is obviously coming a bit closer, over the next few weeks we’ll be talking about 2013.

“As always with Mark things are pretty straightforward. He’s been with the team for seven seasons, he’s had all his success in F1 with this team, and we’d like to see that continue.”

Horner doesn’t expect the mooted Ferrari move to happen.

“Inevitably there’s an awful lot of speculation surrounding Ferrari. We can only focus on ourselves, we can’t control what other people say or do. I think Mark feels comfortable in the team, and over the next few weeks we’ll sit down and talk about his future.

“Mark’s given me every indication that he’s happy here. You can see that in his driving. I think he’s driving very well this year. He’s wintered well and he’s driving very well. He’s won two big races now, the Monaco GP and the British GP, and I think his drive today was excellent, it was inch perfect.”

Christian Horner says he has no worries about a repeat of the problems Red Bull experienced in 2010 now that Mark Webber  and Sebastian Vettel are both serious title contenders.

In a similar situation two years ago there was considerable tension in the camp, highlighted by the Silverstone wing saga and their clash in the Turkish GP.

“It’s a nice headache to have,” said Horner when asked by this blog. “As we always do we’ll do our best to support them, and ultimately it’s down to what they do on the track. At the end of the day Mark won this race because he deserved to win this race, and he drove a great GP.

“I think 2011 was a very tough year for Mark, but credit to him, he’s gone away and reflected on that season and come back and got himself in great shape. I think he’s very comfortable in his approach and in his mind, and possibly some of the regulation changes have helped as well. He’s very much a championship contender. We’re in a fortunate position where we’ve got both of our drivers as genuine championship contenders.”

Horner says the relationship between Webber and Vettel is better than it was.

“I think they’ve spent more time racing each other. They sit in 100s of hours of meetings together working on developing the car, they work as team members, and then it’s down to what they do on the track. I think there’s a genuine respect between the two of them.

“Sebastian’s achieved a huge amount in a short space of time, but he knows in Mark he’s got a very genuine competitor. Mark knows Sebastian is the benchmark or has been the benchmark for the last few years. It’s a healthy situation for the team.

“I think they have more experience, the team has more experience. We’ve seen them race closely at previous races and I’m sure there will be close racing between them in races to come.”