Programme on Governance in the Arab Region. Amnesty International. The Fund for Global Human Rights. Human Rights Education Association. http://www.arablaws.org/article By Alan Baldwin LONDON - The new Malaysian-backed Lotus team have dashed Takuma Sato's hopes of a Formula One comeback with them next year, the Japanese driver's management said on Sunday. "We know Taku has not got Lotus, we found out yesterday," his commercial manager Mathew Winter told Reuters. "He has now come off the list." Lotus F1, run by AirAsia airline entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, are due to announce their driver line-up in Kuala Lumpur on Monday with Italian Jarno Trulli with Italian Jarno Trulli on pole position for one of the two race seats. Finland's Heikki Kovalainen, replaced by world champion Jenson Button at McLaren, will get the other one, Finnish regional daily Turun Sanomat reported on Sunday. Sato, who still ranks as Japan's most successful Formula One racer, had been mentioned among those on a shortlist along with Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy who is expected to be test and reserve driver. Winter said former Jordan and Honda driver Sato, whose last F1 race was with now-defunct Super Aguri last year, was disappointed but had not completely given up hope of a return. "We don't know what the criteria was ," he explained. "We thought he was a very strong contender, you don't get more Asian than Taku. "We haven't given up. There are still a few seats open and we are trying to hunt them down," he added "His options are running out so we don't know if he is going to be in Formula One next year." Sato tested for Toro Rosso last year but that Red Bull-owned team opted instead for Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, who was then replaced by Jaime Alguersuari. The Spaniard has yet to be confirmed by the team for 2010, although he is expected to be. Renault have yet to name a second driver, with the future ownership of the team still to be decided, while late entries Sauber and newcomers US F1 both have two seats to fill. Manor GP, who will become Virgin Racing next year, are expected to complete their line-up on Tuesday with Brazilian Lucas di Grassi joining Germany's Timo Glock. Spanish-based newcomers Campos Meta have Brazilian Bruno Senna signed up and have been linked with well-funded Russian Vitaly Petrov and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Lotus_reject_Sato_eye_Trulli_Kovalainen.htm 29th Dec,2009 MARANELLO, Italy – Felipe Massa's return to racing continued on Sunday when Ferrari said the Brazilian driver will get behind the wheel of a Formula One car in the "next few days." Massa, who hasn't raced since sustaining life-threatening injuries in a crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, will drive an F2007 model fitted with demonstration run tires. The Italian team says Massa won't drive until at least Tuesday due to the unsettled weather in the area. Massa says he wanted "to jump into a Formula One car before the end of the year, so I made the most of being in Maranello to do it." Massa, who was attending Christmas festivities on Sunday, last drove a Ferrari F1 car in October. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Massa_to_drive_Ferrari_F1_car_in_coming_days.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON - Felipe Massa will drive a Ferrari Formula One car again this year as the Brazilian continues his recovery from life-threatening head injuries suffered in July, Ferrari said on Sunday. The Italian team said on their website that Massa would drive one of their 2007 cars, with demonstration tyres, at the Mugello circuit some time in the next few days. "I wanted to jump into a Formula One car before the end of the year, so I made the most of being in Maranello to do it," said the Brazilian, who was at the team's factory for Ferrari's Christmas party. Massa, who also drove the 2007 car in October to test his recovery, joined the team's test drivers Luca Badoer and Marc Gene in dressing up as Father Christmas for the Ferrari employees and their families. The Brazilian attended Ferrari's Christmas lunch on Saturday and heard the team president Luca di Montezemolo hold him up as an example for a team that won just one race in 2009 and lost the constructors' title. "This has been a very bad year, not up to Ferrari's usual standard," said Montezemolo. "None of us is happy with the ways things went -- we were hardly ever competitive enough to fight for the win and that is not our style. "However, every one of us has the will and the ability to react and get back, not just to being very competitive, but also to winning," he added. "The symbol of our desire to fight back is really Felipe, who knew how to deal with a very difficult and dramatic situation and all of us can take that as our example next year." Massa, overall runner-up in 2008, will partner Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next year. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Massa_to_drive_Ferrari_F1_car_again_this_year.htm 29th Dec,2009 KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Jarno Trulli of Italy and Finland's Heikki Kovalainen were unveiled Monday as drivers for the new Malaysian-backed Lotus team in its debut 2010 Formula One season. The third driver for the team, run by Malaysian aviation mogul Tony Fernandes who founded budget carrier AirAsia, will be Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy who is shifting from A1 Grand Prix. "The appointment of Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz as our race drivers is a testament to the quality of our team, to our ambition and drive, and above all to our long-term vision of success in Formula One," Fernandes said. The Lotus team beat off competition from BMW Sauber to be named in September as the 13th team to compete in next year's Formula One World Championship. The new outfit is backed by a public-private partnership involving a string of top Malaysian entrepreneurs, as well as national automaker Proton. Trulli, a veteran driver who was with Toyota in the 2009 season, told a press conference that he hoped his long experience with multiple teams would be a boost for the fledgling outfit. "We should not underestimate the task in hand. Formula One in 2010 is an exciting prospect with brand new teams, established manufacturers fighting back and of course other young teams looking to repeat their 2009 success," he said. Kovalainen drove for McLaren Mercedes alongside Briton Lewis Hamilton in 2009, but his contract was not renewed. "I believe that appointing two drivers with the experience Jarno and I have shows how determined the team is to go racing in a truly competitive way, and our pairing sends out a very strong message to our competitors," the Finn said. Malaysian officials said Lotus was making good progress in getting its car ready for the 2010 season. "Mid-January we are getting the build of the car ready and by mid-February the vehicle will be tested in the UK and will then be ready for shipping to Bahrain," said Lotus F1 Racing CEO, Riad Asmat. "We have the first race in March 2010 in Bahrain, the second in Australia and the third in Malaysia." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Formula_One_Lotus_unveil_Trulli_Kovalainen_as_2010_drivers.htm 29th Dec,2009 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will race for Lotus when the Malaysian-backed Formula One team returns to the starting grid next season. Both former Toyota driver Trulli and Kovalainen, who was replaced by F1 champion Jenson Button at McLaren, have signed three-year contracts, Lotus boss Tony Fernandes said Monday. Fernandes, an airline mogul who is backing the team declined to provide financial details. Lotus last raced in 1994 and will join four other new teams for the 2010 F1 season _ USF1, Campos, Sauber and Manor, which will compete as Virgin Racing. "We're facing a hard task (but) this is also a thrilling challenge," Trulli told reporters. "It's a brand new team. We are all extremely committed and ready to face a difficult task," especially in the first part of the season. Trulli, 35, was left without a drive following Japanese team Toyota's exit from F1 last month in order to cut costs and focus on its core auto-making business. Kovalainen said he signed up because he believes Lotus "has a lot of potential and a very good chance of being a successful team in the future." Fernandes said Malaysia's Fairuz Fauzy will be the team's third driver, adding that the 2010 Lotus race car is expected to be ready by mid-January and rolled out in February. Lotus' target is to be the best of the five new teams next season, Fernandes said. Kovalainen, 28, warned that Lotus' return to F1 "will not be easy and we will have tough times at the beginning." "We have to be realistic and keep the focus on developing the team to a state where we can operate like any other current top F1 team," the Finn said. Trulli, a former Jordan and Renault driver, has competed in 216 races since his debut for Minardi in 1997. The Italian's lone victory came at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2004. Trulli finished on the podium three times last season, scoring 32.5 points to finish eighth in the drivers' championship. He spent just over four seasons with Toyota. Kovalainen began his F1 career in 2007 with Renault before switching to McLaren in 2008. His only win came at the 2008 Hungarian GP. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Lotus_signs_Trulli_Kovalainen_for_2010_season.htm 29th Dec,2009 * Lotus names Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen as drivers * Target next season is to be the "best among the new teams" * Mid-January engine start with car rollout in early February By Razak Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 - Italian Jarno Trulli and Finn Heikki Kovalainen will drive for Lotus in the 2010 Formula One season, the new Malaysian-backed team announced on Monday. Experienced Trulli had been strongly linked to the team after Toyota pulled out of the sport, while Kovalainen was freed up after being replaced at McLaren by world champion Jenson Button. Malaysian Fairuz Fauzi was named as the team's third driver. " will bring us a lot of experience to develop the team, and Heikki is a young driver but has phenomenal experience so I think we have two fantastic drivers with Fairuz as well," team principal Tony Fernandes told reporters at a ceremony in Malaysia's parliament. "It's a wonderful mix of experience, youth and passion and shows our seriousness to be a world championship contender." Trulli, who has managed one grand prix win at Monaco for Renault in 2004 in a 12-year career, spent the last five seasons at Toyota. At Lotus, Trulli will be reunited with former Jordan, Renault and Toyota technical head Mike Gascoyne. "We are pretty confident that the car will not only be ready but will be reliable and good enough to be fighting for good positions," said Trulli, 35. Kovalainen has also won one grand prix -- in Hungary last year -- and will be looking to rebuild his confidence at Lotus after being overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. "We all are ready for a tough start and a difficult few weeks and months ... but we can progress all the way throughout the season and establish our name and the team so that we earn the respect of everybody else on the grid and I think we can achieve good results in the medium term," said the 28-year-old. Lotus are one of four new teams entering the sport next season in an expanded 26 car starting grid. AirAsia airline entrepreneur Fernandes said he had set an initial goal of being "the best among the new teams" in 2010. "We are not setting any big targets, we want to at least be the best of the new teams, but I think it shows our seriousness today by announcing two really world class drivers," Fernandes added. The team's target was for a mid-January engine start and for the car to roll out by the first week of February, said Fernandes. The Lotus F1 team, which was set up in September, is supported by the Malaysian government as part of Prime Minister Najib Razak's "1Malaysia" initiative to promote racial unity among Malaysians. The government has said that it would not invest in the team except through national carmaker Proton , which owns Lotus. (To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Motor_racing_-Trulli_Kovalainen_to_drive_for_Lotus.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON - The private equity arm of Britain's bailed-out Lloyds Banking Group has taken a stake in the new Manor GP Formula One team due to compete next year as Virgin Racing. Lloyds TSB Development Capital said in a statement on Monday that Manor represented an attractive investment opportunity. "The investment is consistent with LDC's core investment principles of seeking out unusually attractive market segments, and then backing British business, proven management teams and of continuing to invest throughout the business cycle," it said. Manor will be one of four new teams, with their entry listed by the governing FIA as Virgin Racing. Virgin are due to unveil the new team in London on Tuesday. Manor have confirmed Germany's Timo Glock as one driver with Brazilian Lucas di Grassi expected to be the other. Alex Tai, a former senior director of Virgin Group, will be the chief executive with Manor founder John Booth the sporting director. Etienne de Villiers, formerly a Walt Disney Studios executive and ex-chairman of the ATP World Tour and BBC Worldwide, will be team chairman. The Financial Times said the LDC deal was believed to be worth around 10 million pounds. "Together with a unique commercial and sponsorship strategy that is expected to produce strong revenues, this talented team is well-placed to capitalise on the huge commercial opportunities presented by F1," said LDC. "LDC believes that an investment now in a F1 team is most attractive as the governing body, the FIA, has moved to ensure that an already very attractive industry will be made more viable in the future." Formula One teams, some of whom have been burning through as much as $300 million a year, have committed themselves to reducing the costs of competing to the levels of the early 1990s. Lotus F1 boss Tony Fernandes last week put his 2010 budget at 55 million pounds. Manor have a strong track record in junior series, with Formula One world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen among their past drivers. Former Simtek owner Nick Wirth's WR Technology rather than conventional wind tunnel testing. LDC said Manor would be creating more than 100 new jobs in Britain. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Lloyds_Bank_s_LDC_takes_stake_in_Manor_F1_team.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Gavin Jones ROME - Ferrari will not stand in Michael Schumacher's way if the seven-times Formula One world champion decides to come out of retirement and race for Mercedes, president Luca di Montezemolo told Reuters on Monday. The 40-year-old German has worked as a consultant for the Italian team since retiring at the end of 2006 but reports say he is close to signing with Mercedes, who have taken over world champions Brawn. The Mercedes team is run by Ross Brawn, the former Ferrari and Benetton technical director who helped Schumacher to all his titles. Schumacher announced in September that he would work as a consultant for Ferrari for another three years. Asked if Ferrari would enforce the deal, Montezemolo said: "No, not binding." "It's clear that if he decides to take another road our agreement will no longer be valid, that is logical. You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time," Montezemolo told Reuters in an interview. "I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars." Schumacher was forced to abort plans for a Formula One comeback with Ferrari because of fitness concerns in August. NECK INJURY He was due to replace the injured Felipe Massa but pulled out following medical checks on a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier this year that caused him pain during testing. Ferrari had talked about including him in their 2010 lineup as a possible third driver but those plans came to nothing with the arrival of new teams and the expansion of the starting grid from 20 to 26 cars. Germany's Bild newspaper reported on Saturday that Schumacher was close to a deal with Mercedes, whose sportscar team he raced for before entering Formula One in 1991. Mercedes GP chief executive Nick Fry said last week that a Schumacher comeback would be good for Formula One while German driver Nico Rosberg, who has signed for Mercedes for next season, said he would welcome him as a team mate. "I hope that my team mate will be sorted out pretty soon and at the moment the rumours are very strong for Michael Schumacher," he said in a promotional video for Mercedes filmed in Abu Dhabi on Monday. "I have no idea if it is true or not but obviously if he would join that would be an absolutely fantastic move," added the 24-year-old, who overlapped for one season with Schumacher in Formula One. "It would be a big challenge, a great experience and so I think it would be a good thing," he said of how it would feel to race against Schumacher. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Ferrari_will_not_block_Schumacher_deal.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON (AFP) - – The momentum behind a possible return to Formula One by Michael Schumacher gathered pace on Monday when Ferrari announced they would not stand in the seven-time champion's way. Schumacher has acted as a consultant for Ferrari since his retirement in 2006, a position he would have to relinquish if he took up the reported seven million euro deal to drive for Mercedes in 2010. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the 40-year-old German's role was "not binding," a statement that removed yet one further obstacle to what would be a dream return not only for new outfit Mercedes and F1 fans but also for the sport's organisers. Di Montezemolo, in comments on the BBC's website, added: "If he takes another road our agreement will no longer be valid. "You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time. "I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars." Schumacher was all set to return to the fast lane in August as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari, only for his comeback to be thwarted by the neck injury he sustained in a bike accident in February. Schumacher's neck injury is now understood to have fully healed. On Sunday reports from Germany suggested Schumacher had agreed a deal to drive alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, the team that powered Jenson Button to the drivers' title racing as Brawn GP. Mercedes bought out the British-based outfit which rose from the ashes of Honda, with as its guiding light Ross Brawn, Ferrari's former chief engineer. Rosberg, who has already been signed up for Mercedes, is excited at having Schumacher as his teammate, the drive having become available with Button's move to McLaren. "I hope that my team mate will be sorted out pretty soon and at the moment the rumours are very strong for Michael Schumacher," the 24-year-old said. "I have no idea if it is true or not but obviously if he would join that would be an absolutely fantastic move." Former world champion Damon Hill weighed in to the 'should he shouldn't he' debate over a possible comeback by Schumacher at the weekend - urging the 41-year-old to go for it. "If I can win a race when I was 37 in a Jordan, then Michael can definitely win a race in a Ross Brawn car at 41," the Briton who won the title in 1996 wrote in The Times on Saturday. If he did return Schumacher would be by no means the oldest driver to start a race - that distinction is held by France's Louis Chiron, who was 58 years and 288 days when he lined up for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. And should he return and actually win a race then Schumacher will be some 12 years younger than Luigi Fagioli, who was 53 years and 22 days when he won the 1951 French Grand Prix. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Schumacher_gets_Ferrari_green_light.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON (AFP) - – New Formula One team Manor GP is to be rebranded as Virgin Racing following the announcement here on Tuesday of a sponsorship agreement with Sir Richard Branson's business empire. Branson is an enthusiastic follower of motor sport and scored a major publicity coup this year when he did a sponsorship deal with Brawn GP at the start of a year which ended with the team winning both the driver's and constructor's titles. "Our first year in F1 was tremendous for the Virgin brand, so why not go in again with a new team from scratch," Branson told a press conference. "If you look at the history of Virgin we've loved supporting technical breakthroughs, great engineers, and there's something like 120 engineers working away on this project." Branson said Virgin Racing would operate on a budget of under 40 million pounds per year, making it one of the smallest spenders in Formula One. The new team's principal, John Booth, said he hoped to be testing cars by the end of next month. "I've been asking the question all night as to how we managed to arrive here. But the budget restrictions have allowed us to get involved, and at the moment I'm on cloud nine. "We're the new kids on the block and we need to earn our place on the grid." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Branson_backs_new_Formula_One_team.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON - Richard Branson launched his Virgin Racing Formula One team on Tuesday with a plan to make money where others have burnt through billions. "We haven't put a lot of money in, we've put our brand in," the British entrepreneur told reporters after the team presented Brazilian rookie Lucas di Grassi and Germany's Timo Glock as their driver line-up. "On the back of the brand, the team are managing to get a lot of sponsors. Our involvement is the naming of the team and some money." The team first secured their place on the 2010 grid as Manor Grand Prix when slots were made available to new entrants earlier in the year. Branson's Virgin Group sponsored champions Brawn this year. "We had an incredible season, we loved being the David versus Goliath," said Branson of a team who emerged from the ashes of departed Honda to win both titles and then be taken over by Mercedes. "Brawn were very much the David. At the end of the season they became the Goliath," said Branson. "So we searched around for another great team and we think we have come up with some brilliant engineers and drivers. "They are very much another David, we'll see how it goes." NEW ERA Virgin, billed as "a new team for a new era," will have a car designed by former Simtek owner Nick Wirth using only computational fluid dynamics rather than wind tunnel testing. Some, such as Williams co-founder Patrick Head, have publicly questioned the wisdom of relying exclusively on computer models but Wirth said he had no doubts. Manor founder John Booth will be the sporting director while Alex Tai, formerly director of special projects for the Virgin Group, will be team principal. Etienne de Villiers, the former president of the men's ATP tennis tour, will be non-executive chairman. Tai said cost-cutting measures and budget caps had changed the Formula One landscape. "It is possible to have a Formula One team that actually makes money," he said. "With this limiting to the budgets, we find ourselves on a level playing field. That is the opportunity for us to actually have a profitable Formula One team. "Richard and Virgin do not go into business to lose money," he added. "This is a very valuable marketing tool for the Virgin Group, it's a very valuable marketing tool for our partners." Virgin have lined up 10 sponsors for 2010 and Tai said they were fully-funded for the season ahead. He added that the cars would be in Virgin's black and red livery and the team was in for the long term. "We're the new red car on the block...hopefully we will be here for 60 years to come and making money during that time and not pouring money into it," he added. Glock, who raced for now-departed Toyota last year, recognised the size of his challenge. "I know it is the right way to go for me," he told reporters. "The first year will be tough...I am prepared to have a year where we are maybe not fighting for the top positions." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Virgin_aim_to_make_a_profit_from_F1_team.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Dec 15 - Richard Branson challenged aviation rival Tony Fernandes to a Formula One duel on Tuesday with the loser having to dress up as an airline stewardess. AirAsia's Fernandes, who once worked for Branson's music business, told Reuters last week that his new Malaysian-backed Lotus F1 team had to beat Branson's Virgin Racing operation next season. "Number one we have to be ahead of Branson, otherwise I will retire and kill myself," said the Malaysian. Branson, speaking at the launch of his team, suggested a less painful alternative. "Having come from a music background, I suppose we might be able to choose the music for the funeral," joked the Briton. "But I like Tony a lot so I hope he doesn't have to kill himself. "At the same obviously we would like to beat him. Maybe we can think of another challenge. He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess. "We will make sure that the stewardess outfit is perfect. I suspect that he might ask us to reciprocate," added Branson. "I'll have to check how fetching his stewardess outfits are but I'd be game to do it while totally confident of winning." Branson and Fernandes join Force India's Vijay Mallya, who controls the Kingfisher airline, as a trio of aviation entrepreneurs challenging the established players in the skies and on the Formula One starting grid. "It's a very friendly personal rivalry," Branson said. "And it's fun. "What I discovered last year is that there are a billion people that watch Formula One and the people that watch it are fanatical. "For us to be involved in Formula One is good for the brand. Formula One is a sexy beast and we are going to try and make it a little bit sexier. "We love supporting an underdog but we like that underdog to have some pretty good qualities." (Editing by Ed Osmond; To query or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Motor_racing-Branson_offers_Lotus_F1_boss_a_stewardess_challenge.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON - Richard Branson challenged aviation rival Tony Fernandes to a Formula One duel on Tuesday with the loser having to dress up as an airline stewardess. AirAsia's Fernandes, who once worked for Branson's music business, told Reuters last week that his new Malaysian-backed Lotus F1 team had to beat Branson's Virgin Racing operation next season. "Number one we have to be ahead of Branson, otherwise I will retire and kill myself," said the Malaysian. Branson, speaking at the launch of his team, suggested a less painful alternative. "Having come from a music background, I suppose we might be able to choose the music for the funeral," joked the Briton. "But I like Tony a lot so I hope he doesn't have to kill himself. "At the same obviously we would like to beat him. Maybe we can think of another challenge. He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess. "We will make sure that the stewardess outfit is perfect. I suspect that he might ask us to reciprocate," added Branson. "I'll have to check how fetching his stewardess outfits are but I'd be game to do it while totally confident of winning." Branson and Fernandes join Force India's Vijay Mallya, who controls the Kingfisher airline, as a trio of aviation entrepreneurs challenging the established players in the skies and on the Formula One starting grid. "It's a very friendly personal rivalry," Branson said. "And it's fun. "What I discovered last year is that there are a billion people that watch Formula One and the people that watch it are fanatical. "For us to be involved in Formula One is good for the brand. Formula One is a sexy beast and we are going to try and make it a little bit sexier. "We love supporting an underdog but we like that underdog to have some pretty good qualities." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Branson_offers_Lotus_F1_boss_a_stewardess_challenge.htm 29th Dec,2009 ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry hopes Michael Schumacher will return to Formula One and drive for the German team next season. German media reported last weekend that a deal had been struck to bring the country's seven-time champion back to F1 with Mercedes, though Fry would not elaborate Tuesday. "I can't tell you at this stage, unfortunately," Fry said when asked point-blank about Schumacher. "The view from inside Formula One, not just in my team, is that they all hope it will happen. "On Saturday night in Germany, the news that Michael might return was the first thing on and the Copenhagen climate talks was second. Not sure if they have their priorities right, but it shows the impact." Ferrari, where Schumacher is now under contract as a consultant after winning five titles with the team as a driver, cleared the way Tuesday for him to make a comeback to the sport. Fry made it clear that the 40-year-old driver was at the top of Mercedes' wish list for next season, saying he would be "very good for our team." However, he added: "A number of drivers are still available if Michael were to decide not to drive. Then there are alternatives that we would be happy to go with." Schumacher retired in 2006 but flirted with a comeback in August to replace Felipe Massa after the Ferrari driver sustained life-threatening injuries in a crash at Hungary. Schumacher abandoned plans for the temporary return because of a neck injury from a motorcycle crash. But with neck pains no longer a problem, German press reports over the weekend signaled the deal to pair Schumacher with newly signed Nico Rosberg was done, creating an all-German lineup that Fry labeled "formidable." Fry also took a moment to let Rosberg know it was time to step up after a move from Williams to the new Mercedes team, which will replace Brawn GP next season. "He's done his apprenticeship and now he needs to start winning races," Fry said of the replacement for world champion Jenson Button. Fry's relationship with Button was "cordial" after the Briton left the Mercedes-powered Brawn GP to partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. "I don't fully understand his motivation," said Fry, who was speaking at the Arabian Sponsorship Forum. "(But) Jenson did want a new challenge. He was driven to win the championship and he'd achieved that." Fry still works with Button at the team's headquarters at Brackley, England, since he is under contract with Brawn through Dec. 31. "I think he's got a mighty task ahead of him and, in all fairness, good luck to him. To compete against Lewis on home territory is a big (thing) to take on," Fry said. "Lewis will have the advantage, he knows everybody while Jenson will have to try and settle into the team very quickly in the next few months. He still has to fit into a very complex environment." Fernando Alonso left McLaren after one season because of an acrimonious relationship with Hamilton, feeling slighted by what he saw as favoritism toward the British driver. Hamilton won the championship after the Spaniard returned to Renault for the 2008 season. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Mercedes_hoping_for_Schumacher_comeback_to_F.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON - German driver Timo Glock is convinced compatriot Michael Schumacher will make a Formula One comeback with Mercedes next season and is looking forward to racing against him. "There's still a lot of speculation but at the end he's just a crazy race driver, I would say, and wants to come back," the former Toyota driver told reporters at the launch of his new Virgin Racing team Tuesday. "I think it's just not enough for him to just drive go-kart races or the Race of Champions at the end of the year. The flame is just still there, still burning in him and it's great for Formula One if he is coming back. "I think it is quite obvious that he is coming back, for me as my personal feeling." Glock made his Formula One debut as a stand-in with Jordan for four races in 2004, the year Schumacher won the last of his seven titles before retiring in 2006 with a record 91 wins. He said it would be great to race him properly, with the sport's most successful driver 41 years old next year and likely to be far less dominant than in his heyday at Ferrari. "For Formula One and the fans it's just a big boost again if a seven-time world champion comes back after three years out. It's just a mega highlight. A German driver in a German car, great for everyone," said Glock. Ferrari, who have a consultancy agreement with Schumacher, said Monday they would not stand in his way of he wanted to race for Mercedes. The Mercedes team -- formerly champions Brawn -- is run by Ross Brawn, the former Ferrari and Benetton technical director who helped Schumacher to all his titles. Schumacher was forced to abort plans for a Formula One comeback with Ferrari because of fitness concerns in August. He was due to replace the injured Felipe Massa but pulled out following medical checks on a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier this year that caused him pain during testing. Germany's Bild newspaper reported Saturday that Schumacher was close to a deal with Mercedes, whose sportscar team he raced for before entering Formula One in 1991. Mercedes GP chief executive Nick Fry also said last week that a Schumacher comeback would be good for Formula One. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Glock_sure_that_Schumacher_planning_F1_comeback.htm 29th Dec,2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON - Nick Wirth lives in a world where Formula One drivers test cars that have yet to be built and that will never see a wind tunnel. The technical brains behind newcomers Virgin Racing has produced the first entirely digitally-designed grand prix car, using computational fluid dynamics in a direct challenge to the old way of doing things. He has no doubt it is the way forward even if others, including highly respected Williams engineering chief Patrick Head and Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes, have their reservations. " very convinced that is the way forward, that you can do it all with CFD," Fernandes told Reuters last week. "I am from the aviation business, mate. You can't. You've got to have a wind tunnel." Former Simtek owner and Benetton chief designer Wirth rebuffed any suggestion he could be heading for a fall, pointing to his successes in America with similarly-designed cars. "Obviously Patrick's used to falling because he's fallen from winning," he said after a team presentation in London. "And obviously he's invested unwisely in two wind tunnels which are a bit archaic. "I think we've done enough due diligence on this programme, both in developing in Indycars and sportscars. There's no doubt it works, no doubt the technology is right," added Wirth. "I can tell you how fast our car will go around Barcelona. I won't, but I can. We know exactly where we are. What we don't know is where everyone else is going to be." DECADE AWAY Wirth is returning to Formula One after leaving, disillusioned, a decade ago. The Simtek -- short for simulated technology - team folded in 1995, the year after his Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger crashed and died in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, and Wirth became Benetton chief designer before quitting in 1999. An agreement among teams to reduce costs to the levels of the early 1990s, rekindled his enthusiasm. "At the end of 2008 started talking about this idea of a budget cap...I thought 'This is our world'," he said. "I had suffered as Benetton chief designer in 1999 with all the expectations because we were world champions back in 1995. "The reality is that we had a Mecachrome engine and went through three chief executives in 18 months and one of them spent more money on his office suite development than aerodynamics that year." Wirth said he had been shocked by the wastage in Formula One, with teams throwing away tens of thousands of dollars a day on making failed parts for wind tunnel testing. His way of doing things worked out at about a fifth of the cost. "We also have done a lot of work on driving simulators. Getting guys to come and drive cars before they exist is key to our technology. We are really excited about bringing it to Formula One," he added. Wirth said everything was going well with the car, with crash tests passed. "We are well ahead, the parts are coming through and the build is on schedule. We will fire the car up on about the 25th of January and will go testing at Silverstone unless it's snowing," he added. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Virgin_designer_has_no_time_for_tunnel_vision.htm 29th Dec,2009 PARIS - Renault will stay in Formula One after selling a large stake in their team to Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, the French carmaker said in a statement on Wednesday. "Renault has decided to maintain its commitment to Formula One and welcomes the perspective of a strategic partnership with Genii Capital, a Luxembourg-based firm specialised in new technologies, brand management and motor sport," it said. "Following the proposed sale of a large stake of Renault F1 team to Genii, both partners will operate the team together. The letter of intent signed by the two companies should be concluded in early 2010." The company said the team would stay as Renault and maintain the "core ingredients" that took them to championships in 2005 and 2006. Renault, one of three manufacturers remaining in Formula One after the departure of Honda, Toyota and BMW in the last year, will continue to supply engines to the British-based team as well as this year's championship runners-up Red Bull. "I am delighted to welcome Genii Capital as our new strategic partner as I am sure that their enthusiasm and business expertise will create a new dynamic for the team, the staff, and our partners," said team president Bernard Rey in the statement. "Altogether, we look forward to competing again at the highest level in Formula One. "Today's announcement also confirms Renault's commitment and trust in the sport's governing bodies to improve the green credentials of Formula One." Rey said Renault intended to use the sport to show off the company's skill in developing high-performance, fuel-efficient cars. Genii capital's chairman is Gerard Lopez, whose technology investment company Mangrove Capital was an early investor in Skype. His main rival to take over the Renault team was the Prodrive company run by Aston Martin chairman and former Benetton and BAR team boss David Richards. "Together with Renault, we intend to run the team with the same values as any of our other investments, prioritising ambitious performance targets without neglecting cost efficiency," said Genii CEO Eric Lux in a statement. "We strongly believe that on-track performance can be compatible with business performance, and we will use all our entrepreneurial spirit and commercial know-how to achieve this goal." Genii said they would also "explore opportunities for synergies between companies in its investment portfolio and the Renault F1 Team." "Formula 1 has an extraordinary level of global awareness that can be used to develop new business-to-business opportunities in traditional and developing markets, and there are exciting new revenue streams to be explored," said Lopez. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Renault_to_stay_in_F1_after_selling_stake.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON (AFP) - – Renault confirmed Wednesday they are to remain in Formula One after selling off a large part of the team to Luxembourg company Genii Capital. After weeks of uncertainty about their future, the French car manufacturer issued a statement revealing their link-up with Genii Capital, a company led by businessman Gerard Lopez. Precise details of what percentage Genii Capital will hold were not given but it is reported to be in the region of 75 percent. "Renault have decided to continue their commitment to Formula One with the support of a new strategic partner, Genii Capital, a Luxembourg company specialising in new technologies, image management and motor sport," the team said in a statement. "Renault should transfer to Genii Capital a large part of the Renault F1 Team and the two partners will look after the management together," the statement continued, adding that the deal would be finalised early 2010. This partnership will help "improve the cost-effectiveness of Renault's investments" at a time when the "automobile industry is going through a major crisis", the team said. The agreement allows Renault to retain their name and identity which helped them become world champions with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006. The teams engines will continue to be supplied from the factory at Viry-Chatillon, outside Paris, with the manufacturer also announcing a renewed commitment from Red Bull Racing for 2010. Renault recorded losses of 2.7 billion euros in the first four months of the year and were considering their future in a sport which costs about 100 million euros a year. There has been speculation over Renault's future in F1 ever since the FIA, motorsport's governing body, issued a lifetime ban in September to their former team principal Flavio Briatore for ordering Nelson Piquet Junior to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Pat Symonds, Renault's former chief engineer, was banned for five years. Both men are currently appealing against their respective punishments. Even without the fall-out from that scandal, worldwide economic problems have also called into question Renault's continued involvement in the sport during a 12-month period where other volume car manufacturers such as Honda, BMW and Toyota have all pulled out of Formula One. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Renault_to_stay_in_Formula_One_after_selling_team.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON, Dec 16 - Lotus F1 principal Tony Fernandes has risen to Richard Branson's challenge for the loser of the two Formula One team owners next season to serve as a stewardess on the winner's airline. Fernandes, the founder and CEO of AirAsia, said last week that his new Malaysian-backed team had to finish ahead of Branson's Virgin Racing "otherwise I will retire and kill myself". Branson replied at the presentation of his team on Tuesday by suggesting a less painful solution. "He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess," he said, adding that he would be "game to do it" if Virgin finished behind Lotus. "Bring it on, the sexier the better," Fernandes told the Lotus team website on Wednesday, beneath a mocked up photograph of Branson in an AirAsia outfit. "It's quite fitting, don't you think? Our passengers will be delighted to be served by a Knight of the Realm," he added. "But, knowing Richard, the real challenge will be to prevent him from asking our guests 'coffee, tea or me?' That would be scary." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Motor_racing-Lotus_F1_boss_rises_to_Branson_challenge.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON - Lotus F1 principal Tony Fernandes has risen to Richard Branson's challenge for the loser of the two Formula One team owners next season to serve as a stewardess on the winner's airline. Fernandes, the founder and CEO of AirAsia, said last week that his new Malaysian-backed team had to finish ahead of Branson's Virgin Racing "otherwise I will retire and kill myself." Branson replied at the presentation of his team on Tuesday by suggesting a less painful solution. "He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess," he said, adding that he would be "game to do it" if Virgin finished behind Lotus. "Bring it on, the sexier the better," Fernandes told the Lotus team website on Wednesday, beneath a mocked up photograph of Branson in an AirAsia outfit. "It's quite fitting, don't you think? Our passengers will be delighted to be served by a Knight of the Realm," he added. "But, knowing Richard, the real challenge will be to prevent him from asking our guests 'coffee, tea or me?' That would be scary." http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Lotus_F1_boss_rises_to_Branson_challenge.htm 29th Dec,2009 BERLIN (AFP) - – Formula One team Mercedes GP said Wednesday they will reveal the identity of their second driver at the start of 2010 with rumours rife it is set to be seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher. "We have already recruited the excellent driver Nico Rosberg and we will know at the start of the year who his team-mate wil be," Dieter Zetsche, boss of car manufacturer Daimler which owns Mercedes, told website motor-sport.com. "We want to see the best drivers in our cars. "To see Nico Rosberg in our team is a good thing. "It is certainly a big attraction to have at least one German driver under contract." The German press here is full of speculation the next Mercedes driver named will be Schumacher, three and a half years after he retired in 2006, who will turn 41 on January 3. With 91 Grand Prix wins to his name, Schumacher's signature would be a huge boost to the new team which was known as Brawn last season. The German nearly returned to Formula One in the summer with his former team Ferrari, but a neck injury prevented him from racing. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Mercedes_GP_set_to_name_second_driver_in.htm 29th Dec,2009 MILAN - Felipe Massa complained of a sore neck on Wednesday after completing two days of tests in a 2007 Ferrari Formula One car. The Brazilian has been out since suffering life-threatening head injuries in an accident at July's Hungarian Grand Prix. "I had a bit of neck pain, above all in the quick corners. But the rest went fine and there was no difference compared to before the accident," Massa told reporters at the Mugello circuit before jetting back to Brazil for Christmas. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Massa_complains_of_sore_neck_after_test.htm 29th Dec,2009 ROME (AFP) - – Ferrari driver Felipe Massa admitted his neck hurt after a second day of testing at the Mugello track near Florence on Wednesday. On Tuesday the 28-year-old had made his return to the seat of a Formula One car for only the second time since a horrific crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July ended his season. Massa, who had completed a couple of laps at the Fiorano test track in October, spent the morning behind the wheel of Ferrari's F2007 model as F1 regulations forbid the testing of current models. And before flying home to Brazil to spend the Christmas period with his family, Massa admitted it had been physically challenging. "Even though I trained a lot over the last months, certain muscles important for driving were a bit sleepy," he said. "I had a bit of pain in my neck, especially on the fast corners which make this one of the toughest tracks. "As for the rest I felt good and felt no difference from before the accident." Massa will be partnered by former world champion Fernando Alonso next season as Finnish 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen has left the team to compete on the world rally circuit.v http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Track_return_a_pain_in_the_neck_for_Massa.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON (AFP) - – Japanese Formula One driver Kamui Kobayashi was on Thursday signed up to drive for the Sauber team, a move that has put on hold his intended plan to return to work for his father's sushi restaurant. The 23-year-old appeared certain to be handed a drive for Toyota in 2010 after performing well when replacing the injured Timo Glock in Brazil and Abu Dhabi last season. But with Toyota's decision to quit the sport his future in F1 looked bleak, until Thursday when he was confirmed as one of Sauber's drivers. Team owner Peter Sauber said in a statement: "In the final two grands prix of last season he was granted an unexpected chance to show his skills, and he made impressive use of it. "Particularly in the Abu Dhabi race he demonstrated not only that he can drive fast and aggressively, but also his ability to successfully implement a strategy. "I am convinced he has a great deal of potential and will be able to make the most of it in our team." Kobayashi, who has previously competed in Formula Renault, Formula Three Euro Series, GP2 and GP2 Asia, winning the latter title last year, is thrilled at landing the job. "Ever since the start of my career I have dreamed of racing in Formula One," said Kobayashi. "Now this dream has come true. I am very happy that my two races in 2009 have earned me a cockpit place. "I will do my very best for Peter Sauber's team, and I am proud to be able to carry on flying the Japanese flag in Formula One." Sauber are filling Toyota's place on the grid next year. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/Formula_One_team_Sauber_sign_up_Kobayashi.htm 29th Dec,2009 LONDON - Inexperienced drivers drafted in by Formula One teams as replacements during the 2010 season will be allowed a day of testing before they race, the governing FIA has decided. A rule change posted on the FIA website said drivers who had not taken part in a race during the previous two calendar years would be allowed one day of testing at a circuit not on the current calendar. Testing is banned during the season, which meant Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari entered his first grand prix weekend with Toro Rosso in Hungary this year having only previously driven the car in a straight line. http://www.arablaws.org/article/Article/F1_teams_allowed_to_test_stand-in_drivers.htm 29th Dec,2009