Some news tidbits from the world of Formula 1:

Hamilton, Massa Scrape Walls In Final Practice: Both Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa narrowly avoided damaging their cars during the final practice session in Montreal prior to qualifying. On Saturday morning at an overcast and grey Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where damp patches meant the beginning of the hour-long session was very quiet, the pair both scraped the layout’s famous concrete walls in separate incidents. Ultimately just twelfth quickest, Ferrari’s Massa returned to the pits at one point informing the Italian team that he had hit a wall. Replays showed sparks rising from the left of his F10 at the point of impact, but he was able to return to the track with no serious damage incurred. Hamilton, meanwhile, topped the timesheets, but not before fairly harmlessly scraping the side of his McLaren along a concrete wall. Lucas di Grassi’s Virgin was not so lucky, after he lost control under braking for the hairpin. The British team confirmed that the contact with the wall means mechanics are currently replacing the left rear corner and floor in the gap before qualifying. Nico Rosberg’s W01 missed most of the session with a broken clutch, which the German team has already fixed, while Karun Chandhok’s HRT did not even make it out of the pitlane before an hydraulic problem struck.

Canada GP To See Pit Stops After Three Laps – Haug: The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday may host the bizarre situation of normal tire-change pit stops within the first three laps of the Canadian Grand Prix. After the overly ‘green’ surface chewed up the tires on Friday, before overnight and morning rain washed away the rubber on Saturday, the extreme graining and degradation is now likely to feature throughout the Montreal event. The prospect of a normal one-stop race has been ruled out, while it might seem prudent that drivers will qualify with the more durable ‘prime’ tire in order to ensure a better product for the first stint of the race. However, while only lasting a few laps, the softer option is likely to still be used by many competitors in qualifying, Mercedes’ Norbert Haug has revealed. “I think most will go with the soft, because in qualifying it simply means a better starting place,” he told German television Sky. Haug acknowledged that the soft tire, which must be used at least once during the race by every competitor, will not last long on Sunday. “If the track does not pick up a lot more grip, then probably already from laps, three, four, five you will see very early pit stops,” said the German.

F1 ‘Shouldn’t Have Left’ Sell-Out Montreal – Ecclestone: This weekend’s Canadian GP is now officially a sell-out. The popular event dropped off the calendar last year due to a squabble between F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and then promoter Normand Legault. “We felt sorry (to leave), but at the end of the day, as an organizer, you have to pay the price,” said Mercedes’ Norbert Haug said. But a new deal with new promoter Francois Dumontier means Canada is now back in F1, and Ecclestone on Friday admitted he is happy. “It is wonderful to be back in Montreal, and to be honest, we shouldn’t have left in the first place,” he said. Dumontier said earlier that he is expecting 300,000 spectators to attend over the three days. Indeed, there are no more tickets available to buy, but those now attempting to attend this year’s event are being invited to book a seat for 2011. “We are very pleased with the public response,” Dumontier said.

Buemi Must Earn 2011 Seat At Toro Rosso – Marko: Sebastien Buemi must up his game if he wants to secure his place in Red Bull’s F1 plans. That was the warning issued in Canada by Helmut Marko, the energy drinks company’s consultant and right-hand man of owner Dietrich Mateschitz. Swiss youngster Buemi, 21, impressed the F1 world throughout his Formula One debut with Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso in 2009. He saw off the challenges of his teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Jaime Alguersuari, but in 2010 the Spanish rookie Alguersuari has shown much better alongside Buemi. “I must admit that, this year, it has not gone as well as I would have liked (for Buemi),” Marko told the French language Swiss daily Le Matin. “During the races, Sebastien has been really unlucky so we cannot draw any conclusion. But in the sessions, he has not been as quick as last year in comparison with his teammate. It’s a little disappointing.” Buemi had been considered a shoo-in for a future role at Red Bull Racing, but the premier team has now locked in its 2011 lineup of Mark Webber alongside Sebastian Vettel. Marko said of Buemi: “It’s time for him to prove his talent. If he does, this will ensure his place next year at Toro Rosso. It’s a very good team for a young driver to learn the trade, especially since they had to produce their own car this season, giving more importance to the role of the driver.”

Teams Discuss ‘Overtaking Wing’ Trick For 2011: F1 is considering a radical innovation for 2011 in order to make overtaking much easier. Technical bosses of the twelve teams met at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday, where it was agreed that the adjustable front wings will be scrapped at the end of the season. Instead, drivers will next year be able to adjust the angle – by a factor of 50mm – of the rear wings, meaning that straight-line speed can be dramatically increased when the cars are not negotiating corners. The intriguing twist, designed exclusively to boost overtaking, is that only chasing drivers will be able to adjust their cars’ wings. A green light will shine in the cockpit when a car is close enough to the rear of his rival, thereby allowing the driver to trigger the rear wing button. The systems will not be available to drivers during the first three laps of a race, but the wings may be triggered after a safety car period. “Why do we need KERS now?” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. “The overtaking wings will be enough!”