Some news tidbits from the world of Formula 1:

Horner Hints Red Bull Considering 2011 Engine Supply: Christian Horner has indicated there is no guarantee that Red Bull will still be powered by Renault engines beyond 2010. The team principal is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint as saying he is happy with the relationship between Red Bull and Renault, but he reportedly wants the French marque to be allowed to catch up the power deficit to the leading suppliers. “We’ve shown that we have an excellent chassis, but the engine has maybe 20 or 30 horse power less than the competition. “We are happy with the relationship with Renault,” said Horner, who wanted to switch Red Bull to Mercedes engines this year but was vetoed by the German supplier’s existing customers. Autosprint indicated that Red Bull’s current engine deal expires at the end of the current season.

New Montreal Surface Should Suit F1 In 2010: The F1 world is hoping repairs to the surface of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are suited to the sport’s single seaters this weekend. At past editions of the Canadian Grand Prix, including the most recent visits in 2007 and 2008, the surface broke up during F1 sessions. Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was in Montreal as Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2008, and recalls: “I remember they had problems with the asphalt breaking up and I understand that much of it has now been resurfaced.” Indeed, in F1′s absence last year, the promoter did major resurfacing work in conjunction with Shell Bitumen, whose product has also been used at tracks including Sepang, Sakhir, Singapore, Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. It is believed Montreal’s particularly harsh winters and heavy snowfall has contributed to the track surface problems, but for this weekend’s event the weather will be warm. There is, however, a high chance of rainfall particularly for Saturday’s day of qualifying, with a smaller chance also existing for Sunday. Some experts are predicting McLaren’s F-duct might haul the British team ahead of the fractured Red Bull camp in Canada. But Jenson Button said: “We know there’s still a way to go to beat them on sheer pace.”

Di Grassi Happy With Place At Virgin: Lucas di Grassi insists he is happy with his F1 debut this year, despite grappling at the back of the grid with the new Virgin team. The Brazilian 25-year-old, who slotted into the Renault reserve role late last year, was disappointed to miss out on the race seat in the wake of Nelson Piquet’s ousting. That place went to Romain Grosjean, and then in 2010 to the Russian pay-driver Vitaly Petrov. “In Formula One it’s not always just about talent,” he said in an interview with Formula 1 Race Report. “There are also politics and some decisions you can do nothing about,” added di Grassi. But although now struggling for reliability and pace, and having been outqualified by teammate Timo Glock at every race so far, di Grassi insists he has no regrets. “Without experience in Formula One you have nothing,” said the Paulista. “I am pleased with the progress of my career, because I have followed the right path.” Di Grassi insists that a team like Virgin is a good place to develop as a Formula One driver.

“It means I can also make some mistakes, because we are all in a learning phase,” he added.

Rossi Admits Desire To Race Third Ferrari In F1: Valentino Rossi has expressed interest in driving a third Ferrari in Formula One. The multiple champion of MotoGP racing has long been linked with a switch to F1 with the Italian team, which has been pushing strongly for a change of rules to allow three-car entries. Italian Rossi, 31, is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport as indicating he does not want to enter Formula One as one of Ferrari’s two main drivers. “To have a strong team like Yamaha’s (in MotoGP), Ferrari should hire Sebastian Vettel alongside (Fernando) Alonso,” he said. “I would like to explore the possibility of a third car for myself.”

‘Politics’ Explain Red Bull Crash Blame – Verstappen: Jos Verstappen thinks Sebastian Vettel should receive “the full blame” for the crash with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in Turkey. Dutchman Verstappen, 38, contested more than 100 Grands Prix until 2003, most famously as Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton in the mid-’90s. He wrote in his latest column for De Telegraaf newspaper that Australian Webber was not at fault for the collision on lap 40 at Istanbul Park. “Vettel had the momentum and the slipstream, but he then made a crucial error by moving quickly to the right and hitting his teammate,” Verstappen wrote in Italy, where he is accompanying his 12-year-old son Max at a kart event. “Of course, Webber defended his lead, but that was his right. Everyone races to win, and he gave more than enough space to Vettel, who should have driven straight ahead.” Verstappen said it was wrong of Red Bull team bosses to criticize the behavior of Webber, who had driven to the extremity of the circuit to defend the inside line for the forthcoming left-hand corner. “Maybe it was a bit about politics, and I understand that some may prefer a young German talent to be champion, but Webber has done a good job. Now it’s up to the management to ensure that the incident is put in the past. It is important that teammates can work with one another, but I assume that both Vettel and Webber are professional enough.”

Filippi Reports ‘Nonsense’ – Sauber: Sauber has dismissed as “nonsense” reports that Pedro de la Rosa is on the verge of losing his race seat. The veteran Spaniard has been faced with similar speculation for almost the entire season so far, despite the Swiss team denying it is reconsidering its 2010 lineup. The latest reports say de la Rosa, 39, was almost replaced by Italian GP2 driver Luca Filippi ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix. The Italian source said an agreement may simply have been delayed until the European Grand Prix at Valencia at the end of the month. But the Swiss newspaper Blick, whose correspondent Roger Benoit is historically very close to 66-year-old Peter Sauber, quoted a team source as dismissing the latest rumors as “nonsense.” The newspaper also reports that Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi is set to stay with Toro Rosso in 2011, and in the longer term is a candidate to move up to the energy drink company’s main team, Red Bull Racing.

Domenicali Backs Specific Tire Tests: Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali agrees there should be some specific track testing for F1′s new 2011 tire supplier. FOTA technical chief Ross Brawn said in Turkey that despite the in-season testing ban, there should be some running exempted for the development of the new tires in the “late summer and early winter.” Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld recently put his hand up to do some tire testing this year, as current supplier Bridgestone is set to be replaced by either Pirelli or Michelin for the 2011 season. Domenicali agrees that tire testing will be a priority. “Yes, this is what we have to discuss with the tire manufacturer as soon as we have decided and we know who will be the supplier for next year,” he said. It is suggested that, due to the late appointment of a new supplier, tire tests have become even more necessary, given the short development lead-time and the danger that cars and tires will not be ideally optimized. “Clearly we need to have some specific testing to make sure the tires are sorted properly,” agreed Brawn. “It may take a few iterations to get where we want to be and undoubtedly there will be a degree of conservatism at the beginning because we can’t afford to have any problems with compounds. But we’re all there to help the new tire supplier and I think we’ve got a good chance of success.”

Red Bull Told To Modify Car Part In Turkey: Yet another element of Red Bull’s pace-setting RB6 had to be modified ahead of last weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix. After Monaco, it was reported that McLaren had identified a part of the 2010 Red Bull’s rear diffuser that did not conform with the regulations and had to be altered in the Principality. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport now reveals that an element of the rear suspension was changed at Istanbul Park last weekend. The report said the elements in question, hidden behind six burly Red Bull mechanics on recent Grand Prix grids, were aerodynamically shaped and at a 20 degree horizontal angle rather than the allowed five. In response, Adrian Newey’s design team reportedly shrouded the parts with round tubing in order to nullify the downforce-producing effect.

No Friday Action For Di Resta In Canada – Force India: Paul di Resta will sit out a third successive Friday morning practice on the sidelines of Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next week. Force India’s rookie reserve driver took over the 2010 car for initial practice in Australia, Malaysia, China and Spain. But in the interests of maximizing the regular race drivers’ practice time, the Scot did not drive in Bahrain because of the altered track configuration, or in Monaco “due to the challenging layout of the circuit.” And Adrian Sutil or Vitantonio Liuzzi also did not have to give up their cockpit at Istanbul Park last Friday, because the VJM03 was fitted with “some new development items,” including the F-duct. It has now emerged that di Resta, 24, will also not be in action on Friday ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix late next week. “Paul will be back in the car in Valencia and will also drive at Silverstone,” team manager Andy Stevenson said. “In Canada, we want to give our two regular drivers as much track time as possible. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a very unique track.”

Webber Still Set To Have Contract Renewed: Mark Webber is still set to have his contract renewed by Red Bull Racing. After he collided with teammate Sebastian Vettel while the pair ran first and second in Turkey, team chiefs pointed the finger of blame at the Australian. Championship leader Webber, 33, had been in the throes of a contract renewal, in the wake of his dominant wins from pole in Spain and Monaco. Helmut Marko had been the most strident in his criticism in the wake of the Istanbul crash, but he said on Tuesday that Webber is still set to stay alongside Vettel in 2011. “I would say it is more or less a formality that the ongoing cooperation with Webber will be finalized in the next few days,” he said on Austrian television Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7. But Red Bull advisor Marko clarified that it is only going to be a one-year deal. “Webber is not a youngster,” he insisted.

Red Bull Won’t Use F-duct In Canada – Marko: Red Bull might not test its new F-duct system on the long straights of Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next Friday. The team took its initial version of the downforce-stalling concept off the RB6 after Friday practice in Turkey, after Sebastian Vettel reported that it had not functioned perfectly. “We need to work on getting the right effect,” said the German. It had been expected that the team would test the innovation again during Friday practice in Canada, where the straightline speed boost will be a big advantage on the fast layout. But on Austrian television Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7 on Tuesday, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko indicated that the F-duct will not be used in Montreal next week. “It did not work perfectly,” he confirmed on Tuesday, referring to the Istanbul Park test. “Therefore, we are developing it further. We will bring it again to Valencia.”

Lotus Plays Down Force India ‘Spy Scandal’ Reports: Lotus on Tuesday distanced itself from claims it is involved in a new Formula One “spy scandal.” It emerged last November that Force India was concerned a wind tunnel model of new team Lotus’ 2010 car strongly resembled its own 2009 racer. Silverstone based Force India once worked at the Aerolab facility, leaving behind a scale wind tunnel model. Mike Gascoyne, originally with Force India, now works with Lotus, the Malaysian-backed outfit that also made use of the Aerolab facility. Aerolab initially hit back at the reports, revealing that it was in fact pursuing Force India in the courts after “serious and persistent breaches of contract.” And Gascoyne subsequently said: “It is entirely between the wind tunnel operator and the other team.” It has emerged this week that legal action has been initiated by Force India against Aerolab, with Lotus pulled in as a co-defendant. “These proceedings do not allege any wrong doing on the part of Lotus Racing,” a spokesman for Lotus Racing said on Tuesday. “Aerolab … vigorously denies any wrongdoing and has provided Lotus Racing with a full indemnity in relation to the claim.”

Source: SPEED