No alonso?

No Alonso.

No Alonso.

No Alonso?

No, Alonso doesn't need to prove anything - placing 2nd with an underperforming car is a good effort.

TBH you can discount Michael aswell Ken I think.

I know Michael and Seb are signed up for ROC wonder if Lewis and Nico would care to enter.

However i have a feeling Ross brawn has a clever gadget up his sleeve for next years cars that they have demo'd to lewis to persuade him to leave Mclaren. Having said that i think Renaults engine will dominate when we get the Turbos back. So all change for the front runners i think and Ferarri will be left by the wayside having entirely focused on V8,V10 & V12's. I can see a VW/Audi engine being thrown into the supplier mix at somestage, but not for a few years yet.

As far as anyone can tell, Niki Lauda was the influencing factor in Lewis' decision - he sold Lewis on a "super team" headed by Ross with Niki in the mix also, although what Niki brings to MB is anyone's guess.

There's another facet to Lewis Puzzle. Money are better and he will be doing 1/3 or less sponsorship duties compared to Macca contract. He was complaining about it recently and was looking forward to "having a life again". Niki sold Merc to him on a basis of a challenge - Schuey couldn't pull the same trick with Mercedes as he did with Ferrari, 7-times world champion! Now, Lewis, do you think you have a pair to face such challenge? Talk to LH like that and he will do anything

although what Niki brings to MB is anyone's guess.

Here you go

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102896

No Alonso?

No Alonso; a mixture of blind luck, favourable to you tyre rules and low cunning have nothing to do with how much raw pace you actually have.

No Alonso; a mixture of blind luck, favourable to you tyre rules and low cunning have nothing to do with how much raw pace you actually have.

Are you referring to Seb?

All in the same car, it`ll be between Alonso and Lewis first over the line, Kimi close behind. Then Seb, then Nico afterwards. Alonso and Hamilton are just quick, raw pace, even when the Mclaren was a dog as the Ferrari has been all year they still pull the car up near the front. I`m hoping Lotus get the car under Kimi next year, I think he could be a real surprise.

All IMO of course. I`m a Button fan, so not bias towards either of the above. It is difficult to tell, drivers in different cars, on form off form, cars suited to some tracks more than others blah blah blah. We`ll never know, since they`ll never be in the same car. Although it`d be VERY entertaining IF Vettel did go to Ferrari. I suspect Alonso would hand him his arse on a plate.

Ferrari considering a protest over Vettels overtake on the toro rosso.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...rmula1/20531638.

Ferrari considering a protest over Vettels overtake on the toro rosso.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...rmula1/20531638.

As much as I'd rather have had Alonso win than Vettel, it's over now, let it lie. I don't want to see a championship change winners to that kind of circumstance days after the event.

It'd leave a bitter taste in fans' mouth no doubt about it. It is also about huge amount of money...

It'd leave a bitter taste in fans' mouth no doubt about it. It is also about huge amount of money...

Speaking about money i was gob smacked to hear that the difference between caterham finishing 10th and 11th overall was about £10million.

Jeepers, how much money do the top teams get for winning?? ANyone have a breakdown of how the winnings are allocated??

Bruno Senna's been shown the door too. Shame as he was pretty good.

Its official just heard on the news ferrari have launched a protest. Im torn if this is a good or bad idea. No doubt Ferrari fans will back the move, however its not gonna win them anymore fans is it seams a bit sour grapes although rules are the rules. As long as the FIA don't botch the investigation i will support the decision i think although it does detract from a pretty good season in my opinion.

Bruno Senna's been shown the door too. Shame as he was pretty good.

He was categorically beaten by Maldonado though.

Speaking about money i was gob smacked to hear that the difference between caterham finishing 10th and 11th overall was about £10million.

Jeepers, how much money do the top teams get for winning?? ANyone have a breakdown of how the winnings are allocated??

It's all governed by the Concorde Agreement which is very tightly guarded document. Some details are known about the latest Concorde Agreement in that the actual prize fund, as such, is based on the profitability of F1 - 47.5% of the profit is shared between the teams, but new bonuses introduced mean an extra 7.5% will be shared between the top three teams of the past three years, plus 5% for Ferrari due to its historical status.

Also under the new agreement the teams can quit F1 if the underlying profits fall below $715m a year (they're currently at $1.17bn) and Ferrari can quit if control of the company changes and profits drop by 25% in the next two years.

It's all governed by the Concorde Agreement which is very tightly guarded document. Some details are known about the latest Concorde Agreement in that the actual prize fund, as such, is based on the profitability of F1 - 47.5% of the profit is shared between the teams, but new bonuses introduced mean an extra 7.5% will be shared between the top three teams of the past three years, plus 5% for Ferrari due to its historical status.

Also under the new agreement the teams can quit F1 if the underlying profits fall below $715m a year (they're currently at $1.17bn) and Ferrari can quit if control of the company changes and profits drop by 25% in the next two years.

It really is crazy amounts of money but i suppose thats what keeps it exciting as the rewards are so great. I used to wonder why some of the bottom teams even used to bother but now i realise why they do it as even at the bottom end there is serious doh on offer.

It really is crazy amounts of money but i suppose thats what keeps it exciting as the rewards are so great. I used to wonder why some of the bottom teams even used to bother but now i realise why they do it as even at the bottom end there is serious doh on offer.

Although some low end teams do seem to go out of their way to make themselves into jokes; I mean, did "Hispania Racing Team" really not ask what else HRT might mean?

"Police had to be called to Formula One team HRT’s Madrid headquarters after a brawl erupted when eight British mechanics angrily confronted members of HRT’s staff, according to reports in Spain.

The British mechanics were en route back from the final race of the season in Brazil, and arrived drunk at HRT’s offices on Tuesday after a 12-hour flight back from Sao Paulo, the report in El Mundo claims.

The fracas apparently erupted as the disgruntled mechanics were collecting their final pay cheque and pay-off from the troubled team.

According to the Spanish newspaper, a member of HRT’s staff claimed the mechanics started, ‘threatening, pushing, and hitting. A violent situation which required us to call the police.’

The report also claimed that HRT had pressed charges against three of the mechanics involved.

Formula One’s only Spanish team has not performed well this season and is currently desperately searching for a buyer as it faces up to the prospect of going out of business."

From Daily Mail (!)

"Police had to be called to Formula One team HRT’s Madrid headquarters after a brawl erupted when eight British mechanics angrily confronted members of HRT’s staff, according to reports in Spain.

The British mechanics were en route back from the final race of the season in Brazil, and arrived drunk at HRT’s offices on Tuesday after a 12-hour flight back from Sao Paulo, the report in El Mundo claims.

The fracas apparently erupted as the disgruntled mechanics were collecting their final pay cheque and pay-off from the troubled team.

According to the Spanish newspaper, a member of HRT’s staff claimed the mechanics started, ‘threatening, pushing, and hitting. A violent situation which required us to call the police.’

The report also claimed that HRT had pressed charges against three of the mechanics involved.

Formula One’s only Spanish team has not performed well this season and is currently desperately searching for a buyer as it faces up to the prospect of going out of business."

From Daily Mail (!)

No great loss. They were mince and miles off the pace.

BBC are reporting that Ferrari have written to FIA seeking clarification on Vettel's pass.

Autosport are reporting that the FIA states there is "no case" to answer in the situation and that the move was totally legit.

The BBC claim "The situation is complicated because the track-side warning lights and flags and Vettel's dashboard display appear as if they may have contradicted each other."

It's not complicated as the rules state that the flags take precident.

The reason HRT were so bad was because they were based in Spain and not the UK where all the F1 engineering and design talent is. If you want them to move to Spain you have to pay a lot more and they still might not be any good.

Nothing will happen, Vettel will still be champion and even if it comes out he did overtake under yellows I'm sure the Toro Rosso would have a "problem"

BBC are reporting that Ferrari have written to FIA seeking clarification on Vettel's pass.

Autosport are reporting that the FIA states there is "no case" to answer in the situation and that the move was totally legit.

The BBC claim "The situation is complicated because the track-side warning lights and flags and Vettel's dashboard display appear as if they may have contradicted each other."

It's not complicated as the rules state that the flags take precident.

Definite facts:-

1. Shunt was on turn 3 exit, and that post was displaying yellow.
   
2. Turn 4 was displaying green
   
3. There is a marshal post at the pit exit merge between 3 and 4, and after the shunt, so it should have been displaying green
   
4. The in-car stuff is an aid, and the trackside flags and lights take presidence
   
5. Charlie Whiting et al have real-time updates on the flag statii of all marshals posts.
   

After a rethink i have decided I think they should strip vettel of the championship (impose drive through) for being such a petulant child and ignoring the calls of his team to slow down and take it easy due to the damage. (he could hear them they couldnt hear him) Afterall there is no reason to do a risky overtake on vergne who is effectively a team mate. He could have breezed past him on the straight un impeded without risking a yellow flag debacle. This Golden Boy thinks rules only apply to the other drivers and thinks the lesser mortals should move out of his way. Very Schumacher-esk!

After a rethink i have decided I think they should strip vettel of the championship (impose drive through) for being such a petulant child and ignoring the calls of his team to slow down and take it easy due to the damage. (he could hear them they couldnt hear him) Afterall there is no reason to do a risky overtake on vergne who is effectively a team mate. He could have breezed past him on the straight un impeded without risking a yellow flag debacle. This Golden Boy thinks rules only apply to the other drivers and thinks the lesser mortals should move out of his way. Very Schumacher-esk!

Thankfully you are speaking in jest as i doubt anyone would be so arrogant as to speculate on what a 3 time world champion should do and even go as far as comparing his petulant behaviour to a 7 times world champion. After all what would they know about motor racing in comparison to you? Who on earth do they think they are? Nigel Mansell.