F1 Merchandise Christmas Bazaar @ East Coast Park

Fancy getting a Christmas gift with style but amazing prices ??

We are back with a Christmas edition of our F1 Merchandises Bazaar.

Making way for the 2010 collections we are giving out specials deals on Ferrari Merchandise. Also clearing stocks of Mitsubishi Race team, Vodafone McLaren and many more. Do come early as quantities are limited and most prices will be rock bottom...

There will also be other booths selling fashion goods, home goods, football clubs apparels too. Else just go for a family picnic or rent a bike.....but do Spread the word and click Share this event!!!

Check out our facebook page for more informations

Schumacher's Back ? or not ?

Mercedes will lure Schumacher back

Michael Schumacher is certain to make his Formula One comeback with Mercedes' new team in 2010 his fellow countryman Timo Glock said at yesterday's launch of the new Virgin Racing team. And as Ferrari made it clear that they will not hold Schumacher to the consultancy contract he has held since his retirement from racing at the end of 2006, the whispers about his return were turning to shouts within the Formula One world.
"The flame is still there, it's still burning," said Glock, the former Toyota driver who will be partnered at Virgin by the Brazilian rookie Lucas di Grassi, "and it will be great if Michael returns. For me, it is quite obvious he is coming back. There's still a lot of speculation, but in the end he is a crazy race driver and he wants to come back to racing. It's not enough for him to just do kart races, or to go to the Race of Champions at the end of each year."
Ferrari's president, Luca di Montezemolo, scotched suggestions that the Italian manufacturer would not release Schumacher from his contract yesterday: "It is not binding. It is 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. But I still haven't spoken to Michael about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member."

Schumacher tried to return in July as stand-in for Ferrari's injured Felipe Massa, but his neck, injured in a motorcycle race in February, proved unable to withstand the high G-forces imposed by an F1 car. It is now believed that these problems are behind him, and he recently won one of the kart races organised by Massa in Brazil. Though the cornering forces are lower in a kart, it is clear that his competitive spirit is undiminished.
It is also thought that events in his personal life have made him consider a return to his "comfort zone" of wheel-to-wheel competition.

There has been no reaction from Schumacher's representatives beyond a spokeswoman's comment last month: "Michael is enjoying his life. A return to Formula One is not a subject for debate at the moment." But it may be telling that fellow countryman Nick Heidfeld, believed a likely candidate for the second Mercedes seat alongside Nico Rosberg, was also hedging his bets as a possible driver for Lotus until they announced their pairing of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen on Monday.
Recently Germany's Bild newspaper reported that Mercedes have formally offered the seven-time world champion a relatively modest salary of €7m (£6.3m) to join their line-up. Any contract, however, is likely to be subject to a clause that Schumacher first completes a successful test in January.

Can Button match Hamilton ?

Andrew Benson
Jenson Button's decision to sign for McLaren means he will head into his world title defence facing the toughest challenge of his career.
Button joins Lewis Hamilton in an all-English line-up that will have those watching F1 salivating. Some will be attracted by two such appealing figures in the same team - not to mention the glamour that will be provided by their respective girlfriends. Others will be fascinated to see how the two drivers match up on the track.
And that is where the risks for the McLaren new boy are immense, even though Button has seven years' more experience than his new partner.
As I explored in my blog on Monday, Hamilton is considered by many observers to be the fastest driver in F1. Button may be the reigning world champion, but he has not yet proved to be quite in the same league as Hamilton, or the new Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.
The issue is not Button's pure pace when everything is to his satisfaction. At times like that, there are few, if any, faster than him, as he proved with his glorious run to six victories in the first seven races of 2009, the foundation of his title campaign.
The problem Button will face is that, as one former F1 driver put it on Wednesday: "He needs a perfect car - that's been obvious throughout his career."
When he is not happy with his car, Button can struggle - and Hamilton provides a sterner challenge than any of his team-mates so far.
Complicating the issue at McLaren next year will be that Hamilton and Button like very different things from their racing cars.

Hamilton likes a rear end that moves around a lot - he uses the rapid change of direction that provides to pitch him quickly into the corner and get him pointing in the right direction for the exit as soon as possible.
It is an unusual style, for the simple reason that it makes the car unstable - but Hamilton does not worry about that, he simply corrects the slide he knows is coming and carries on.
Button's style is completely different. He likes a stable rear end, using subtly changing pressure on throttle, brake and steering to alter the car's direction. Give him a loose rear end, and he struggles.
Can McLaren provide two cars set up in such different ways? Even if they can, will they want to, given the two varying development paths to which each approach may lead?
These concerns might sound esoteric to the average sports fan, but they are absolutely critical to an F1 driver's performance on the track. And that is why so many observers worry for Button at McLaren.
Button himself is obviously not concerned - he surely would not have signed up if he was. Underneath that laid-back exterior is a highly competitive man who clearly thinks himself more than capable of handling whatever Hamilton can throw at him. Only time will tell if he is right.
Just as fascinating is how the world champion has ended up leaving the team with whom he won the title.
This situation carries echoes of 1996, when Damon Hill lost his Williams drive despite becoming world champion.
Hill was only left with scraps after Williams told him late in the day that he would not be keeping him, and he ended up 'defending' his crown in an Arrows-Yamaha. Predictably, it did not go well.
Button, by contrast, has been the master of his own destiny, and he appears to have plumped for what he believes will be the most competitive car - a decision presumably based on McLaren's strong end to the season and Brawn's dip in competitiveness, as well as, he revealed on Wednesday, his new team's historic position as one of F1's few consistent success stories.
A bigger question hangs over how Button's former team have managed to let the man who won them their first world title slip through their fingers.
That is a complicated question, the answer to which at least partially lies in Mercedes's takeover of Brawn, which was announced on Monday.
There are lots of conflicting rumours doing the rounds. The most common one is that Brawn/Mercedes did not offer Button the salary he wanted, and that he preferred both McLaren's offer, and what he perceived to be a likely more competitive car.
But some media outlets have quoted "Brawn sources" saying they were offering Button £10m, which is almost certainly at least as much as he will get from McLaren.
Equally, there are rumours that Mercedes, the new owner of Brawn, was not that bothered whether Button stayed or not - and that, to keep the unions and anti-F1 members of the company's board happy, they were not prepared to offer him big money.
This is in the context of Mercedes's decision to end their part-ownership of a perfectly good F1 team to take a bigger share of another.
As ever, F1 is a tangled world - and that extends to another piece of news that broke on Wednesday.
Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, will not be racing in F1 next year having failed to reach an agreement with McLaren.
The fact that the Finn could not finalise a deal with a team that made moves to sign him as long ago as August is at least partly down to the fact that Raikkonen wanted more money than McLaren were prepared to pay.
Raikkonen is being paid millions of pounds not to drive for Ferrari next year after the Italian team decided they preferred to have Alonso.
Yet it seems Raikkonen was determined to be paid what he and his management team deemed a wage reflective of his status as a former world champion - and the deal fell down because, while McLaren were offering the Finn a very substantial salary, it was not what Raikkonen had in mind.
As Raikkonen's manager David Robertson put it to me this morning: "It wasn't in his interests to race for the sum they were offering."
For now, Raikkonen and Robertson are viewing it as a year away from F1 to have some fun in the world rally championship. But, unless Raikkonen shifts his expectations, it may well turn out to be a rather more permanent arrangement than that.
F1 might not miss Raikkonen's android-on-Mogadon news conferences, but the man behind the wheel is another matter.
When he is in the mood, Raikkonen is one of the very finest drivers in F1 - arguably, with Hamilton and Alonso, one of only three who can win a race in a car that does not deserve to.
For a driver of that calibre to slip out of F1 in such an unsatisfactory manner is sad indeed. Hubris can be a dangerous thing.

Formula 1 teams plan joint 2010 season launch

All 13 Formula 1 teams plan to unveil their cars for the 2010 season together at a joint launch.
The teams are expected to present their cars ahead of the first pre-season test in Valencia at the end of January.
Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry said: "We've agreed among the teams to do a joint launch. It's a demonstration of how we're working together."
The teams are understood to have agreed to the idea as part of a continued effort to cut costs.
Fry added that the teams will discuss the details of the launch in Monaco, where their representatives are meeting this week.
"I wouldn't wish to spill the beans on exactly what we are going to do but I think it is going to be very innovative," he stated.
"We're not all just going off and doing our own individual launches. We can do something which is a lot more customer friendly."

However, a common launch could mean not all the teams will be able to launch track-ready cars.
Lotus F1 team principal Tony Fernandes said a proposed January launch would come too soon for his new team, who plan to have their car ready in early February.
"I won't have a car at that time. I could come with a Matchbox car," he quipped.
Fry, who was speaking at a motorsport business forum, refused to be drawn on who will line up with new recruit Nico Rosberg at Mercedes when the season begins in Bahrain on 14 March.
Retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has been linked with the German team at the age of 40.
And Fry commented that the return of the former champion, who had been set to replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari last summer before a neck injury ruled out a comeback, would add spice to the sport.

Fry, who helped guide Brawn to the constructors' crown before their buy-out by Mercedes, said: "Can a 40 or 41-year-old compete against someone who is 24 years old?
"I think that would add another fascinating aspect. It is irrelevant whether it is Michael or [Canada's 1997 champion] Jacques Villeneuve.
"I was joking with [1998 and 1999 champion] Mika Hakkinen the other day that maybe he should throw his hand in.
"We learned very clearly this year that you've got to have two drivers capable of scoring points in every single race.
"With the lack of testing it's very difficult to expect a younger driver to do that, so clearly highest on our list are people with F1 experience."
Fry said an announcement on the second driver could come before the Christmas holiday but was more likely to be made early next month.
Team representatives were also gathered in Monaco for the F1 Commission meeting.
It is the first time the group, which is comprised of representatives of the teams, the governing body the FIA, commercial rights holders, circuit owners and sponsors, has met for four years

Sebastien Loeb 'denied super licence for Abu Dhabi'

Sebastien Loeb will not be able to compete in next week's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to reports in France.



The Frenchman, who is attempting to win a sixth consecutive World Rally Championship title at this weekend's season finale in Wales, has not been granted the requisite super-licence by the FIA, world motor racing's governing body.
Loeb had remained hopeful of making a cameo appearance in Abu Dhabi after testing a GP2 car earlier this month and there were rumours in the paddock that Toro Rosso might be prepared to give the Citroen driver a run in place of Jaime Alguersuari.

Loeb, 35, impressed Red Bull in a one-off test last winter but finished last in the GP2 test in Jerez, more than two seconds off the fastest lap.
Alain Prost said that "common sense" had prevailed. "It would have been unique and incredible for all fans of motor sport," said the four-time Formula One world champion, "but such a shame to risk his reputation.
"It would have been absolutely impossible for him to be competitive on a circuit which he doesn't know, when all he has done is rallying throughout his career.
"That is not to put him down, on the contrary, but Formula One is not just any old thing. It is a completely different mountain to climb."
Loeb goes into the first day of Rally GB on Friday trailing Ford's Mikko Hirvonen by a single point in the standings.
Meanwhile, the FIA has confirmed that next year's Monaco Grand Prix has been moved forward by a week to May 16.
The change means that the famous street race takes place one week after the Spanish Grand Prix, and creates a two-week gap between Monaco and Istanbul.
F1 teams had been concerned that it would not be logistically possible to transport their equipment from Monte Carlo to Turkey in the one-week gap listed on the provisional calendar.
The Canadian and British GPs still have question marks over them, with Donington given until tomorrow to guarantee it has the finance for its revamp to go ahead.
The 2010 calendar will be ratified by the World Council in December.

By Tom Cary

F1 Community salutes Jenson Button

The world of Formula 1 has paid tribute to Brawn GP's Jenson Button as the Englishman won the 2009 world drivers' championship in Brazil.
Button started from 14th on the Interlagos grid and weaved his way through the field with a scintillating drive to finish fifth in Sao Paulo.
He now has an unassailable 15-point advantage going into the season's final race in Abu Dhabi on 1 November.
Button also helped his Brawn GP team to become the first Formula 1 team to win the constructors' championship in their debut season.



Former F1 driver and BBC pundit David Coulthard:
"Anyone who doubts he's worthy of being world champion just needs to watch that. It was an attacking drive, a really great drive."



Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello:
"I am pleased for Jenson, as a friend, and as a great champion, and if I didn't win, he should have won it, so well done to him.
"Jenson deserved to do it, but he won it on the first six races, and I think the second half of the championship was mine.
"It is a hell of a team that deserves to win and we will have a great night tonight. I feel part of this, especially the constructors' championship."
Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn: "Jenson's drive today was the the drive of a world champion."
"He's a fantastic racer. Today he had a great race; he knew what he had to do."
"We've lost a little bit of pace in the car over the last few races and he's stuck with it and he's deserved everything he's got."



Red Bull driver Mark Webber:
"JB is such a consistent driver and, unfortunately for us, this year he was also blisteringly quick at the start of the year as well, and he got the results.
"Brawn and Button came out running really well at the start of the season, he was on top of the car and that is where he put a big hit into the championship.
"We pushed hard and other teams arrived in the middle and the back end of the season, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen in particular, which made it hard for him to close the deal. But he is a deserved champion."



McLaren's 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton:
"Big congratulations to Jenson, I have to say incredible job to him and I am really happy for him and his family.
"I can't take anything away from Jenson he did the better job this year, but I plan on taking it back at some stage, who knows when, but I really hope that we can give it a good challenge next year from the start."



BBC Formula 1 pundit Eddie Jordan:
"Why should we not be in total homage to Jenson Button?"
"He has the most points and he did that before the end of the season with a race to go, he is a totally deserving world champion, never in question."
Formula 1 legend and three-time world champion Niki Lauda: "When you are world champion there is nothing to criticise. He is one of the world champions now and he did a perfect job.
"He was very conservative in the middle of the season, trying to protect his lead, and he did manage to protect it.
"He drove a really aggressive perfect race in Brazil, so he can do both sides. You have a really good world champion back in England again."



Jenson's mother Simone Lyons:
"I'm just cried out! I was just crying and sobbing as he was crossing the line, and those last three laps were the longest ever. I always believed he'd do it and I expect he did as well because he knows the effort he puts into it."



Prime Minister Gordon Brown:
"I want to send my warmest congratulations to Jenson Button for clinching the Formula 1 drivers' championship today in Brazil, on the same circuit that Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' championship last year.
"We can be proud that Jenson is the 10th British driver to win the title.
"His performances over the season with the new Brawn team have excited Formula 1 fans in Britain and across the world, and we look forward to his continuing success in the seasons ahead."



Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time F1 world champion:
"I know the feeling, and to win your first world championship is always a bigger thrill."
"He came through the field magically actually. I mean, he picked up nine places, there were a few accidents that helped him on his way, but he got through those without a scratch and without damaging the car.
"I'm thrilled for him because it's the first time in 40 years that we've had a British champion back-to-back, first Lewis Hamilton and now Jenson Button. It's great."



Brawn GP chief executive Nick Fry:
"As the chief executive I have to do the tough job of contract negotiating and I think Jenson's share price has gone up a bit today. He is making my life even more difficult!"



BBC F1 analyst and former driver Martin Brundle:
"Jenson answered any critics he might have without any doubt with that drive today. He is the world champion with one race to spare.
"It's a bit of a British thing, we like to knock ourselves, but we should pump ourselves up a little bit. Jenson Button is a very worthy world champion."



Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP race engineer Jock Clear:
"It is all about Jenson Button, and what he did on the track today.
"Everyone complains about not enough overtaking, but Jenson won a championship by overtaking today, and that's what we all want to see.
"It was a brilliant, brilliant drive from him. I take my hat off to him."

BBC.com

Vettel wins Japanese GP to boost F1 hopes

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish to win Formula One's Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, reviving his championship hopes.
Vettel finished ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Driver's championship leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP was eighth, a place below teammate Rubens Barrichello.
Brawn GP all but sealed the constructors' championship. Only a one-two finish by Red Bull in both the remaining races and Brawn finishing pointless can prevent a Brawn championship in its first season.
A post-race stewards hearing had the potential to seal the constructors' title, but fifth-place finisher Nico Rosberg was cleared of charges that he did not slow when yellow flags were waved after a late crash. Had he been demoted or disqualified, the Brawn GP cars would have had enough points for the title.
In the drivers' championship, Button's lead over Barrichello was cut by one point to 14, with Vettel just two points further back.
"It can still be done and its looking much better now," Vettel said of his chances in the championship. "Shame there's only two races to go, but that's life. Anything is still possible and it can change quickly."
It was Vettel's third win of the season, and first since the British Grand Prix in June. The German started from pole position and got a strong start to keep the KERS-power boost cars behind him.
He had built a 12.5-second buffer over Trulli before the late emergence of the safety car following a spectacular crash by Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari, who crashed through a trackside advertising board into a tire wall.
Even with the running order compacted, Vettel emerged strongly when the safety car was removed, and his victory was not threatened.
Trulli started second but was overtaken into the first corner by Hamilton, with the aid of the KERS-power boost in his McLaren.
However Trulli stuck behind Hamilton and after his second pitstop, emerged in front of the McLaren, which had lost a malfunctioning KERS system shortly beforehand.
Toyota has finished second in successive races, but still has not broken through for its first F1 win, meaning Trulli was less than exuberant when he climbed from the car, even as Japanese fans reveled in Toyota's strong showing.
"I am happy to be on the podium, but I have had many podiums," Trulli said. "What we are missing at the moment is a win."

Button's eighth place came under threat in the four-lap dash to the finish after the safety car went in, but he defended well to hold off BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica.
Button has not won in eight races, but has collected points in each and still remains in a strong position to clinch the drivers' title in either Brazil or the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Still, the Briton will be mindful that compatriot Hamilton led by 17 points with two races to go in 2007 and still did not take the title — something Vettel reminded him of post-race.
"Everyone said to Lewis it would not be a problem, sitting in one of the most competitive cars, just get a couple of points," Vettel said. "But as we can see, sometimes things don't go your way."
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished in fourth place, ahead of Rosberg and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

Fernando Alonso agrees three-deal Ferrari F1 deal

Formula One finally has a rivalry to match Ayrton Senna v Alain Prost after it was confirmed that Fernando Alonso will become a Ferrari driver in 2010.

Renault's two-time world champion, the most successful driver presently on the grid with 21 career victories to his name, joins the Scuderia on a three-year deal worth in the region of £32 million a season with an option to extend.
Race fans will already be salivating at the prospect of a resumption of hostilities with his former team-mate, McLaren's 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Formula One's two best drivers, one in a Ferrari the other in a McLaren, going head to head with a bit of history between them. It does not get better.

Alonso, who described himself as "very happy and very proud" to be joining Ferrari, replaces Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello, with the Finn's return to McLaren expected to be confirmed shortly.
Raikkonen, too, will be motivated to beat Alonso, having fended off questions about the Spaniard's potential arrival for nearly two years.
Alonso almost signed for Ferrari in 2002, only to change his mind at the last minute and join Renault. It led Ferrari team principal of the time, Jean Todt, to vow that Alonso would never drive for the team while he was there.
Yet despite being Formula One's worst-kept secret, the timing of the announcement actually caught out most observers. Ferrari were expected to say something officially on Thursday, the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend, but in the end opted to send out a press release at 11pm local time last night.
"As chairman [Luca di] Montezemolo said recently, all the great champions want to come to Maranello sooner or later," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said.
"Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari: in his first year with us, he managed to win the drivers' title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari's history and he played a vital role in our taking of the constructors' title in 2007 and 2008.
"Next to Fernando we'll have Felipe Massa, who is recovering very quickly to his best physical condition, with Giancarlo Fisichella as the surrogate driver. We believe that this is the best possible couple for a team like ours: Fernando and Felipe are two victorious drivers and they integrate very well with each other and with the team."
Alonso told Ferrari's website: "I'm very happy and very proud to become a Ferrari driver. Driving a single-seater for the Prancing Horse is everybody's dream in this sport and today I have the opportunity to make this dream come true.
"We already had an agreement this summer starting in 2011, but then, in the past few days, the picture changed and we decided to anticipate my arrival in Maranello by one year."
Raikkonen, who is understood to have reached a financial settlement with Ferrari over the remaining year of his £31 million-a-year contract, said he was "very sad" to be leaving. His move to Woking is understood to be underwritten by Santander, the Spanish banking giant which now sponsors both Ferrari and McLaren.
Jenson Button's 2010 seat at Brawn-Mercedes looks a little safer with rumours that Rubens Barrichello is close to agreeing a deal to join Williams. Nico Rosberg is moving the other way as part of the deal that will see Mercedes take a controlling interest in Brawn. Williams declined to comment on the speculation.

Our visit to Williams Motorhome in Singapore

Many Thanks to Phillips Singapore, for we had the pleasure to be invited to the Williams Team Motorhome during last week Formula1 Grand Prix in Singapore.

Also invited was famous Singaporean Blogger "Mr Brown"

To help the AT&T Williams team get geared up for the race in Singapore Philips has decked out the team motorhome with an array of the best PHILIPS LIFESTYLE Products that provides an immersive experience around the concept of health and well-being. It provides a dream motorhome that showcases Philips Lifestyle consumer products for keeping the whole Williams Team in peak physical and mental condition for the race.

On our guided tour of the Motorhome we were introduced to the various zones that caters to the Team.

The dining and relaxation area : where team members, drivers can have a snack, drink, or just sit down for an interview and coffee, watch TV etc.. equiped with the latest Philips Lighting controls like LivingColours LED Lamps, TV, DVD blu RAY player, air purifiers.

The Food preparation area : The Kitchen run by Chef Adam Dixon, showcases some of the best food processing equipments Philips has to offer to guarantee Healthy cooking for both drivers and the whole team.

The driver's personal zone : This room is designed for the drivers personal comfort. There you will find a physio bench for massages, the suits hanging beofre the Race, some personal effects etc... This room is also equiped with Air purifiers, Go LITE blu system and Micro system wireless Music player as well as Philips Infracare HP3641 ( infrared light to soothe aching muscles)

Team Office : There you will find PC's and workstation for those who need to keep in touch with familly or just browsing the net !

The tour was conducted by Patrick Overwijk, Global Sponsorship Manager for Philips Consumer Lifestyle.

Right after that we were invited to a very restricted area : The Team Garage....

Holding on Nakajima's actual race seat

Here we were explained the various part of the garage , like the Gearbox departement, the engine room, the computer analysis contol room, and the main garage where the team assemble and disassemble the car during the race week-end.

The Philips GolLITE BLU is also used in the garage to keep the drivers and engineers acclimatised to the Singapore Time Zone.

And now a short video from Mr Brown :

http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2009/10/mrbrown-goes-to-the-grand-prix-episode-9-nico-rosberg-and-att-williams-f1.html

That rounded up a very interesting Friday afternoon . Our thanks goes to Pamela Phua
(Account manager for "Text 100 Public Relations") for arranging this tour on Behalf of Philips Singapore.

S'pore retailers and restaurants hoping to cash in on F1 excitement

The excitement over the Singapore Formula One night race is increasing, with the race less than a week away. Numerous retailers and restaurants are cashing in with attractive offers.

With products from a variety of teams is the F1 Merchandise Shop at the Shangri-La Hotel, where some products are proving more popular than others. "We have a resident customer who is very enthusiastic. And she probably bought half the merchandise that is in this shop. She bought everything in every size," said Shatz Gillet, Public Relations Marketing Officer,
1st-Formula 1.

The Screening Room, an entertainment venue in Singapore, will be holding week-long screenings of Formula 1 Season Review 2008. It will be hosting driving simulation competitions and serving several F1-themed drinks as well. Over at the Fairmont Hotel, F1 fans can opt for an ultimate dining experience for four with a 61-course meal that reflects the 61 laps of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix circuit. The meal which will include a wide selection of seafood, meats and vegetables is priced at S$5,000. With so much action on and off the race track, the Singapore Tourism Board is confident that it will achieve its target of S$100 million in tourism receipts from the upcoming night race.

By Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia

Disgraced F1 pair could face S'pore extradition

This year's Formula One race in Singapore could see more than its fair share of excitement - not all of it welcome.

There's talk that two former Renault team principals could possibly be extradited to Singapore to be charged for their part in fixing the outcome of last year's Grand Prix here.
If so, the resulting media attention and the possibility of a long trial would draw more attention to the disrepute that's already currently associated with this race - an outcome which can't bode well for this year's race, which is already seeing less interest than last year's, due to the dismal economic climate.
The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that Renault F1 managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds - who resigned, as the team announced that it would not contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix - could face legal repercussions in Singapore.
It said Singapore could possibly request the extradition of the pair and charge them on extradition crimes, related to their involvement in last year's race.
When asked, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry S Iswaran said yesterday that he had not heard any indication that Singapore was seeking the extradition of the former Renault team principals. But lawyers whom we spoke to say an extradition is a possibility.
Briatore and Symonds have been accused by former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr of asking him to crash in last year's inaugural F1 race in Singapore - in order to help his team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso win the race, which the latter eventually did.
Briatore and Symonds are due to go before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Paris next Monday. The FIA (the world governing body for Formula One) could impose sanctions and other penalties on Renault, including excluding the team from the championship, if it finds the team guilty.
And, now, there's the possibility that Briatore and Symonds could face criminal charges in Singapore too.

Lawyers whom we spoke to say it is possible the pair could be extradited and charged here for their alleged attempts to fix the race, but that it would depend on two key points.
"One, are they based in countries with which Singapore has an extradition treaty? And, two, is what they've done considered an extraditable offence?" says lawyer Nicholas Narayanan, who runs his own practice.
Briatore is reported to be an Italian citizen, while Symonds is a British citizen. Singapore has an extradition treaty with the UK, but not with Italy.
As for whether the pair could be accused of an extraditable crime, lawyers point to the list of offences in the Extradition Act in Singapore.
Mr Narayanan says Briatore and Symonds, if they did ask Piquet Jr to intentionally crash his car, could arguably be considered guilty of the following offences cited in the Act:

Malicious or wilful damage to property; Acts done with the intention of endangering vehicles, vessels or aircraft; or Criminal conspiracy to commit a serious crime, where the serious crime is transnational in nature and involves an organised criminal group.

Another lawyer - who has advised on extradition issues, but asked not to be named - felt, however, that it would be "a stretch" to say that Briatore and Symonds committed the aforementioned extraditable offences, even if they had instructed Piquet Jr to crash his car, and that it would be correspondingly difficult to extradite them to Singapore on such grounds.
Also, even if Briatore and Symonds could arguably be considered to have committed an extraditable offence, it would be up to Singapore to decide if it even wants to have the pair brought here and charged.

Observers have said that Singapore is unlikely to make such a move, given the negative publicity it would throw up.
Mr Iswaran also said that "this is a matter between the FIA and the teams".
"We are a host. Our job is to make sure we put on a good show so that the visitors enjoy themselves, have an eventful experience. In that regard, we did a good job last year and that's our target again this year.

Jet sellers, party hosts try to rev up Singapore F1

The race for tickets and views for Singapore's Formula One grand prix has slowed this year after the country's worst recession, but restaurants along the street circuit are still putting the champagne on ice.
Investment banks in the Asian financial center have scaled back parties for clients for the September 25-27 race after seeing earnings battered by the financial crisis.
Tickets for practice runs and the race have yet to sell out, with the buzz from the sport's first ever night street race in Singapore in 2008 not evident this time, though the event is attracting attention from a scandal over last year's result.
Singapore officials are confident the allegations will not hurt the event, and marketers hope rich fans will still show up.
The Annix Group is organizing an exhibition that will showcase goods including 70 watches worth over S$15 million ($11 million), as it targets 35,000 high net-worth individuals expected to attend, the event's marketing director Prita Leenheer told Reuters.
The F1 will see the launch of a invitation-only club called "O" -- half of whom will be Lamborghini owners and others will be picked from among models, designers, movie stars and royalty.

MillionaireAsia magazine's private aviation show will be returning to Singapore, after $150 million worth of aircraft orders and sales generated by last year's show during the F1.
"As we prepare to exit the economic crisis, we hope that the show will help increase jet sales by at least 10 percent," the magazine's managing editor Brian Yim said.
But banks such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, which sponsors the Williams F1 team and has been part-nationalized by the British government, will be significantly cutting its hospitality this year, said its country executive Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Restaurants in the center of town near the floodlit course, which weaves through the business district and historic landmarks, are ramping up efforts to revive last year's race fever, with F1 themed cocktails, champagne buffets and parties.

Gourmet restaurant Le Saint Julien, located at a bend on the circuit, is again offering a package including free flow of champagne -- but at prices half last year's.

Hotel Ritz Carlton will play host to party The Podium Lounge, auctioning a Fernando Alonso autographed replica F1 vehicle.
Last year's Grand Prix in Singapore, won by Renault's Fernando Alonso after a pitstop blunder finished the chances of rival Ferrari's Felipe Massa, is still a talking point.

The ramifications of the Singapore race fixing verdict

Andrew Benson The decision to give Renault only a suspended sentence for the team's attempt to fix last year's Singapore Grand Prix seems lenient at first glance.

And, all in all, Renault probably will be breathing a sigh of relief, even if they know they will be disqualified for two years if they commit a similar offence in the future.
As their employers, Renault could have been held responsible for the actions of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, yet there has been no fine and no points deduction. Looked at in the context of what happened to McLaren in 2007's spy scandal, when the team were thrown out of the constructors' championship and fined $100m (then £49.2m) - Renault do appear to have got off lightly.
But governing body the FIA has obviously concluded that it would have been wrong to punish Renault for something that it seems it knew nothing about, even if one has to question the culture of a team in which this sort of shocking event could be considered.
Assuming Nelson Piquet Jr fulfilled his promise to tell the truth in return for immunity from prosecution, then the guilty parties in this case were not Renault but former team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds, who the Brazilian said proposed the plan.
They have been dealt with heavily by governing body the FIA, with Briatore banned for life from attending race tracks and Symonds excluded from any participation in F1 for five years. Although whether such bans are enforceable under law is another matter
There is, of course, the wider question of Renault's decision to hire Briatore as team boss in the first place.
The company's bosses knew full well his reputation when they took him on in 2000 when they bought and renamed the Benetton team. The Italian's combination of a mysterious past, uber-ruthless business ethic, and the ostentation with which he boasted of his wealth have long made some uncomfortable.
His actions in this affair merely serve to underline the air of amorality that has tended to follow him around.
It can be argued that a company with Renault's global presence should have been less eager to get into bed with such a man. But although Renault were ultimately responsible for Briatore's actions, that is not the same as saying they should be thrown out of the sport because of them.
And Renault, it should also be remembered, have been involved in F1 for more than 30 years, and until now have an unblemished record - which is more than can be said for many people or organisations who spend that long in such a politically charged environment.
In that context, this decision is certainly expedient.
In the wake of the decisions by Honda and BMW to quit F1, the sport could ill-afford to lose another manufacturer and engine supplier.
For that reason, F1 will breathe a sigh of relief that the FIA has not come down harder on Renault. Likewise, few will mourn Briatore's departure.
There has been more surprise expressed at Symonds's involvement. He is one of those super-clever and understated F1 technicians who always give the impression of being straight-laced and above board, even if at the same time they are extremely cagey about giving away any knowledge about the inner workings of their teams.
Those who remember the dark days of 1994, though, would not consider anyone who was with the then-Benetton team at the time whiter than white.
That leaves the drivers.
The FIA has concluded that Fernando Alonso was "not in any way involved in Renault F1's breach of the regulations".
Not everyone will share that view. Some, including it seems Piquet's eponymous father, believe the double world champion must have known of the plan.

This argument says that a driver as intelligent and involved as Alonso would have questioned the strategy devised for him by Renault's engineers for the race in Singapore, so would have had to be told why they had decided on it.
Others are not so sure. The strategy Renault adopted for the Spaniard was sellable without him needing to know about the crash. And if you were to try to pull off something like this without anyone finding out, you would surely want to cover yourself by having as few people in on it as possible.
Having questioned all parties, the FIA's own investigators came up with the second conclusion. And, at the risk of appearing naïve, I have to say I'm inclined to believe that, too.
This morning, I re-watched the tapes of the immediate aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix, when Alonso is joined by Briatore in an ante-room on their way to the podium ceremony.
It is impossible to hear the entire contents of the brief exchange, but it was the Spaniard who brought up the subject of the safety car and he did so with a sense of what I at least read to be genuine surprise. Sort of: "Wow, that safety car was a lucky break, wasn't it?"
Piquet Jr was granted immunity for blowing the whistle on Renault, and it is perhaps surprising that the man whose actions have been questioned the least in all of this is the man at the centre of the whole thing.
F1 will not miss Piquet. One reason for that is that he did little in his season and a half in the sport to suggest that he deserved his place on the F1 grid. But more importantly, by his actions in Singapore, he has brought shame on himself and his sport.
Yes, he was young, and yes he felt vulnerable that he might lose his job. But possibly the single most shocking thing about this whole scandal is that a man whose job it was to drive grand prix cars was prepared to deliberately crash one at the request of his team.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said that "beggars belief". And it certainly feels as if F1, which is not exactly known for its saintly moral code, has plumbed new depths with this.
However shaky was Piquet's position at Renault, clearly the right action in the circumstances was to refuse the request of Briatore and Symonds.
Piquet, who issued an apologetic statement on Monday, clearly regrets what he did. It's just a shame he was not able to see things as clearly at the time.
Piquet must take responsibility for his actions, and it should be borne in mind that he was put in that position by the appalling ethics of his team bosses. But he was also there as a result of the entire culture of the sport.
There is a climate of fear within F1 - the teams fear the FIA, and the drivers fear their teams. Few people are prepared to speak out when something is wrong, or even express an honest opinion on a matter of controversy, for fear of repercussions from whichever entity it is that holds power over them.
Ultimately, that is what has led to this appalling turn of events and if the FIA wants to stop something similar happening in the future, then it must look much deeper than simply one team's ill-advised actions on the morning of one race last year.

Renault handed suspended F1 ban

Renault have been given a two-year suspended ban from Formula 1 for their role in fixing last year's Singapore Grand Prix.
The team were called before governing body the FIA to answer charges they had asked driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win.
Former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned from FIA sanctioned events for an unlimited period.
Ex-engineering director Pat Symonds has also been excluded for five years.
Briatore and Symonds parted company with Renault last week at the same time as the French car giant said they would not contest the charges.
The FIA agreed not to pursue action against Piquet in return for his role in uncovering the details of the scandal.

Alonso, who attended the hearing in Paris, was also cleared of any involvement in the race-fixing scheme and the FIA thanked him for "cooperating with enquiries".
The World Motor Sport Council ruled that Renault was guilty of breaking its sporting code, finding; "breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity.
"They not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself.
"The WMSC considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.

"However, in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1's disqualification until the end of the 2011 season."
FIA president Max Mosley added: "The blame has been placed where it should be placed and it's the right decision.
"The penalty that we've imposed is the harshest one we can but because Renault have demonstrated that they have no moral responsibility for what took place, it would be wrong in the circumstances to impose an immediate penalty."
The hearing was an attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore scandal despite the departure of Briatore and Symonds.
Renault explained that its internal investigation found that Briatore, Symonds and Piquet Jr had conspired to cause the crash with no other team member involved.
After conducting its own investigation, the FIA agreed with Renault's findings and decided to hand the French team a more lenient suspended sentence.
Renault, who will pay the cost of the FIA investigation, as well as contributing to its safety-related projects, said it accepted the council's decision.
Renault's F1 president Bernard Rey
"We are very sad to find ourselves in front of the Word Motor Sport Council," a team statement said.
"We apologise unreservedly to the F1 community in relation to this unacceptable behaviour.
"We sincerely hope that we can soon put this matter behind us and focus constructively on the future. We will issue further information in the next few days."
The FIA imposed further sanctions on Briatore, who ended his nine-year reign as Renault team principal last week in the wake of the scandal.
The Italian has been banned indefinitely from attending any FIA events. A route back into F1 was made more difficult for Briatore as the FIA declared it would not grant a licence to any team he was involved with or renew an F1 Superlicence granted to any driver associated with him.
Renault's double world champion Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber are both managed by Briatore while McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen also has ties with the Italian.
Symonds was banned from all FIA events for five years but the FIA noted his communication to the hearing "that it was to his 'eternal regret and shame' that he had participated in the conspiracy".
The fateful conspiracy was brought to light by Piquet after he was sacked by Renault following July's Hungarian GP.
The 24-year-old Brazilian said after the hearing: "I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given. I wish every day that I had not done it."
During last year's Singapore night race Piquet crashed on lap 14, two laps after Alonso had stopped for fuel and tyres, and a safety car was deployed to control the field while the debris from the accident was removed from the track.
Having already pitted in the race, the timing of the safety car - necessary while Piquet's wrecked car was removed from the track - was critical to Alonso's victory in Singapore.
It meant that when the safety car came out, he was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres and it promoted him into a position from which he was able to win.
The FIA's ruling on the race-fixing behind the Spaniard's victory has been reached in the same week that Formula 1 returns to Singapore for this season's race.

Briatore has been banned from any involvement in F1
While the majority of the Renault team flew out to Singapore over the weekend, the long-term future of the French team remains in doubt.
The team's main sponsor, Dutch bank ING, had already decided to withdraw its support at the end of the season while Renault itself reported losses as a result of falling car sales in the first half of the year.
Two major car manufacturers have pulled out of F1 in the last nine months, with Honda quitting last December and BMW announcing in July they would stop at the end of the year.
There have long been rumours that both Renault and Toyota, who have said it will not sign off its 2010 F1 budget until November, could follow them out of the sport.
If Renault and Toyota pulled out, the only two car companies left in F1 would be Mercedes and Fiat through its Ferrari brand.
As the car companies supply engines to the entire grid this year, that could be a major problem, notwithstanding the return of privateer engine company Cosworth next season as supplier to the new teams Lotus, US F1, Campos and Manor.
"Formula 1 can't afford another major manufacturer with such a proud history to walk away," said the BBC's James Munro in Paris.
"So some may accuse the FIA of that having influenced their decision."

88% of F1 tickets for Singapore Grand Prix already sold

The Singapore Formula One race is slightly more than a week away and while it was a sold-out inaugural race last year attracting some 100,000 spectators, that will not be repeated this year.

Organisers are only offering 83,000 seats this year, and as of today, 88 per cent of tickets have been sold.

With the poor economy, race organisers were already expecting slower ticket sales this year. Despite that, they managed to ramp up sales, which are picking up as the race approaches. Five categories, including the walkabout tickets, have been sold out.

Last year, the very last ticket was sold on race day on Saturday and organisers are hoping the same this year.

Tourism is another area affected by the economic downturn, but the authorities are cautiously optimistic.

Lynette Pang, director, Entertainment, Sports & Arts, Singapore Tourism Board, said: "We are keeping our target the same as last year, in terms of tourism receipts, which is really the important key performance indicator for us - as Singapore Tourism Board.

"We are looking at S$100 million in tourism receipts which is the same as last year. Likewise in terms of visitor attendance, we are keeping it the same as last year at 40 per cent of the total attendance of the three-day race."

Actually, tourism receipts hit S$168 million in 2008 and an estimated 40,000 spectators were foreigners.

In absolute terms, the latest targets will still be a challenge due to the slower response. However, the tourism board hopes to draw more foreign fans using targeted marketing and hitting different demographics.

The situation is not common to Singapore, as many races around the world see a decline in interest after the second year onwards.

Similarly, it will be a challenge for Singapore to drive fans to support the Singapore GP, at least for the next three years, when the current five-year deal ends in 2012.

Briatore & Symonds out of Renault F1 Team

Flavio Briatore has left his position as boss of the Renault team after they decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Executive director of engineering Pat Symonds has also left the team.

Renault were summoned by governing body, the FIA, after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso's race.

An FIA spokesperson confirmed a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Monday would go ahead.

Renault have been called to answer charges that they "conspired with Nelson Piquet Jr to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso".

The hearing will attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore "crash-gate" despite the news that Briatore and Symonds have left Renault.

The FIA could still impose sanctions if Renault are found guilty, including excluding the team from the championship, although that must be considered unlikely given the two people Piquet said were responsible have now left the team.

Piquet crashed in Singapore two laps after Alonso had come in for a routine pit stop.

That meant that when race officials sent out the safety car to clear up the debris from Piquet's car, Alonso was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres.

Renault's double world champion went on to take the chequered flag at Formula 1's inaugural night race and claim his first victory in two years.

At the time, Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error, but after being dropped by the team after July's Hungary GP the race-fixing allegations emerged.

The Brazilian has since testified to the FIA that he was instructed by Briatore and Symonds when and where to crash.

Renault's response was to accuse the 24-year-old and his father Nelson Piquet of false allegations and blackmail, going as far as saying they would begin legal action against them.

But on Wednesday the team said in a statement they would "not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix."

The statement added: "The team also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team."

BBC pundit and former team boss Eddie Jordan said he was surprised by Renault's announcement but believes it was effectively an admission of guilt.

"By suggesting they are not going to contest the allegations is in itself an admission," Jordan told the BBC.

"I don't know what goes on in teams and certainly in the Jordan team you would contemplate all sorts of things but you certainly couldn't contemplate that."

It remains to be seen whether this latest controversy, and the departure of Briatore and Symonds, will affect Renault's decision to stay in Formula 1.

Briatore had denied speculation that the French team's future was under threat and the team have signed a new Concorde Agreement to stay in F1 until 2012.

But this latest controversy, coupled with a decline in cars sales, could yet have repercussions for the staff of around 700, who are are employed at the team's headquarters in Enstone, in Oxfordshire, and Viry-Chatillon in Paris.

Former grand prix winner John Watson told the BBC: "The fact that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team was the only solution to Renault.

"A company on the scale of Renault, a world-scale motor company could not afford to have a scandal of this magnitude rattling around in the boardroom."

As it is, Renault's statement draws the curtain on two of F1's best-known protagonists.

Briatore became Benetton team principal in 1991 and when Renault bought Benetton in 2000 to run under its own moniker, the 59-year-old Italian was chosen to lead the team.

Symonds joined the Toleman team, which morphed into Benetton and Renault, in the 1980s and worked his way though the ranks becoming executive director of engineering in 2001.

Briatore was also heavily involved in the teams' association Fota, as it sought to reach an agreement on the future of the sport with the FIA this season.

Barichello wins Italian GP.

Button back as Barrichello wins

Rubens Barrichello headed Jenson Button to a Brawn one-two in a tense Italian Grand Prix as the Englishman scored his first podium finish in six races.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole but was beaten on strategy, lost third place when he crashed on the last lap trying to chase down Button.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the place ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Brawn's title rivals Red Bull had a bad day as Mark Webber crashed on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel was eighth.
Button has had his championship lead cut by two points to 14 from second-placed Barrichello, while Vettel sits 12 points behind the Brazilian with Webber 2.5 points behind his team-mate in fourth.
Forty points remain available with four races remaining.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard throughout the race to finish fifth, just ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

After starting back in 15th, Nick Heidfeld did well to score two points for struggling BMW Sauber with a seventh place.
Hamilton was eventually classified in 12th after crashing out on the exit kerb of the first Lesmo on the last lap having been breathing down Button's neck for the final third of the race as he desperately tried to get in a position to overtake his compatriot.
The 13th grand prix of 2009 was a tale of two races within a race - pole-sitter Hamilton trying to gain enough time to stay ahead of the Brawns knowing he needed to stop twice, while they competed against each other while making sure to keep Hamilton at bay.
In-form Barrichello - who claimed his second win in three races - made a brilliant start, jumping into fourth from fifth as Kovalainen slipped down the field before consolidating that with an aggressive first lap.
That period was also critical for Button who produced a clever manoeuvre on Kovalainen, whom he overtook on the inside of the second Lesmo to put him back in a position to challenge for a win throughout the rest of the race.

Seven out of last 10 Italian Grands Prix have been won from pole position but, while Hamilton opened up a decent gap before his first stop of the race using his Kers power-boost button on the long straights, the Brawns stayed in touch as they ran solidly in fourth and fifth place.
Hamilton's car did not ultimately have the pace of the Brawns whose strategy - fuelling heavier in qualifying to use just one stop in the race itself - proved to be a shrewd move.
When he made his quick second pit stop on lap 34 he came out behind Button still in contention, with Barrichello leading, but - despite making up four tenths of a second on the championship leader during some laps - he could not get close enough.
The veteran Brazilian, meanwhile, was firmly in control in the latter stages with a relatively safe gap between himself and Button - while his decision to stick with an engine which had briefly caught fire at the last race in Belgium was fully vindicated.
"It feels great. I have no words," he said.
"I had a tough night, we didn't know if the gearbox would be OK and there are some concerns. But it should last

"It was great to have such a good start. The first lap made my race. There will be times when we don't have to worry about the Kers [energy power-boost button] cars, but with the straight lines here you do."
The championship battle now looks to be a two-man battle between two team-mates - a rare thing in a sport where one driver is usually favoured over the over as the season pans out - after a poor race seemed to blow any title hopes for struggling Red Bull.
Webber, who started 10th, went off at the Della Roggia turn after tangling with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in what the Australian described as a 'racing incident' - meaning it was not the Pole's fault as he was genuinely challenging for position.
"This gives my championship chances a blow, for sure," said Webber. "I haven't scored points in three races, though this is my first DNF of the season.
"We've still had a great middle run in the championship but we need to bounce back from this. We need to finish the season as strongly as we can but it's been a tough period for us."

Button's finish, with clinched Brawn's fourth one-two of the year, was a decent response to critics who have been constantly questioning whether he has been struggling to deal with the pressure of leading the championship after a relatively barren recent run.
"It's nice to be back up here," he said.
"I'd like to be where Rubens is sat but he did a better job today. I've lost two points to Rubens but gained seven on Vettel.
"We're going to take it I'm sure right down to the wire...for me it was a great result."
German driver Sutil collected his first points of the season by finishing fourth while also handing increasingly-impressive Force India a consecutive second place over the past two races.

Interview with Mark Weber

Mark Webber hopes to turn F1 losses into winning formula for Red Bull

Mark Webber started the season with a badly broken leg but the Red Bull veteran could become the most unlikely of Formula One champions

Wisdom comes from adversity," Mark Webber says coolly, his matter-of-fact Australian accent making him sound less like an aspiring sage than an old drinking buddy becoming suitably philosophical at the end of a long night. But, deep into the third hour of our own session, Webber remains brilliantly clear-headed and engaging. It helps that, over lunch at his home high up in the rolling hills above Nice on the Côte d'Azur, French sunshine and soft cheese take the place of a dimly lit bar and hard booze. Webber also has a permanent bump the size of a golf ball at the base of his right leg as a reminder of his own adversity over the last year.
His central role in a remarkably unpredictable Formula One season was almost obliterated when he suffered a severe break to his leg and fractured his shoulder after he was hit by a car while cycling in his own charity challenge last November. But even as he rubs his damaged leg, still held together by a metal rod that will only be removed after the final race in Abu Dhabi this November, Webber's thinking stretches further back.
"You don't learn much when you're winning," he says with a grin, acknowledging that his first victory in Formula One only arrived in his 131st race, and eighth year of trying, at the German Grand Prix in July. The preceding years had been a lonely grind in the middle or near the back of the grid as Webber drove hard for a variety of struggling teams.
"If you drive poor cars for two or three years there's a danger you'll be gone from the sport," Webber stresses. "It's a merciless business but, of course, there are guys who have the talent and the resilience to hang in during those difficulties. Those are the drivers that survive and grasp the opportunity when it comes. Look at Mika Hakkinen – who went a hundred races and then won a world championship. Maybe that's what's happened to Jenson [Button] and me this year. We've survived some tough times and we're now in the hunt for the title."

In contrast Lewis Hamilton, the reigning world champion, has endured a disappointing year, with the initially woeful performance of his McLaren being accompanied by an admission that he had lied to race officials in Australia. His predecessor as world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, has also raced fitfully and his and Ferrari's season has been overshadowed by the freakish accident that almost ended Felipe Massa's career. There have been numerous other problems off the track, from the usual controversy surrounding Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley to a new accusation that last season Renault ordered Nelson Piquet to purposely crash his car to stop a race.
The sporting duel between Button and Webber, and their unheralded teams at Brawn and Red Bull, has been much more uplifting. Webber's win at the Nürburgring came in the midst of an exhilarating surge which took him on to the podium in five out of six successive races and made him a serious contender for the drivers' championship. The streak has since broken and he finished ninth, and pointless, in the last two races preceding today's Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Webber is 21.5 points adrift but the surprising nature of this season continued as Button, looking increasingly twitchy, finished seventh in Valencia and crashed early at Spa.
Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel, the respective team-mates of Button and Webber at Brawn and Red Bull, have enhanced their own title aspirations. The season, with five races left, has boiled down to a battle of fascinating uncertainty.

"It's incredible how it's swung back and forth," Webber says, "but in the middle of the season I scored more points than anyone and that was a fantastic phase. We've now got to do it at the juicy end of the year. One of us four will win the title but we're also racing Kimi and Lewis. The points are going to be more evenly spread and, with Ferrari and McLaren coming back, it's harder to close the gap on Jenson. But if you have a great weekend and some of the other guys have a rough one then it can swing back your way. It's still wide open."
Today, after qualifying 10th on the grid, with Button starting sixth, Webber has to replicate his mid-season dazzle to have a realistic chance of remaining in the championship race. "Monza is important and, with their teams being the only two to have Kers, Kimi and Lewis could be potent. But we'll do OK and, whatever happens, I just hope I'm in with a sniff going into the last race."
The pressure on Button, meanwhile, is increasing. In a telling illustration of the doubts swirling around the British driver, Massa suggested that Button has buckled. "Jenson has gone down because of the pressure," Massa said while recovering in São Paulo from his life-threatening accident. "It's the only reason. The pressure has had a big impact on his mind."
Webber, intriguingly, believes differently. "I've always said Jenson won't lose the championship by blowing it. If anything the team will lose the championship. Brawn are stretched with their smaller resources and, bloody hell, it's amazing how quickly we forget where they came from. It's incredible they've led the whole season in a white [sponsor-less] car."
Brawn were born out of the despair of Honda's sudden withdrawal from Formula One. That shock departure left Button, Barrichello and Ross Brawn, their team principal, facing the prospect of being shut out of racing until just a few weeks before the season started. But they found a way to race again and, as Webber explains: "Ross and Adrian Newey [Red Bull's technical director] are better than anyone at adapting to the new regulations that came in this season. Brawn were incredibly quick at the start."
Button won six of the first seven races but Webber accepts that the psychological balance has shifted. "Jenson is very experienced, but the dynamics have changed. Part of him must think he can only go backwards and it would be disastrous to lose a once massive lead. Maybe the length of time he's been leading has become a factor."
Webber nods at the suggestion that Button would be haunted forever if he lost this championship. "Of course. It would be very unusual. But it's still hard to believe Jenson won't get some podiums before the year is out. If he does that then it's obviously going to be very difficult to beat him."
Such candour is typical of Webber – one of the warmest and most unaffected professional sportsmen you are ever likely to meet. His rounded personality has also helped him deal with the variable moods of his team-mate, the gifted but prickly young Vettel. Their relationship did not begin well when, in 2007, while Vettel was driving for Toro Rosso, the German shunted Webber off the track during the Japanese Grand Prix. Webber was furious because, despite having vomited inside his helmet earlier in the race, he had swept into second place behind Hamilton.
"It's kids," he ranted afterwards, venting frustration at Vettel's inexperience. "They fuck it all up."
The 33-year-old Webber, in the warm sunshine of his French retreat, grins wryly. "I was massively disappointed in him and he was petrified. But we eventually had a chat about it and he's grown up a lot since then."
Vettel still sulked a few months ago when Webber outdrove him in Turkey to finish second behind Button. "He was pissed off but since then he's learnt to deal with someone who can do a better, or similar, job to him. That's a credit to him – but we're both competitive beasts and we've had some tough meetings.
"Red Bull have done a phenomenal job backing us both but it does create some stress. Imagine how it is for the engineers as well. My engineers are for me. His engineers are for him. And in the middle we've got the mechanics doing all the pit stops. My gearbox guy does Sebastian's fuelling so we have to stay sensible and not do anything that would hurt the team."
At Spa, a mistake from one of Webber's team forced him to incur a time penalty after an "unsafe release" from the pit lane. "That drive-through really cost us," he says with a sigh. "I drove really well and we were on course for quite a few points. But with the field being so tight now you can't easily recover a 15-second penalty. But as long as they don't make the same mistake twice, and it's not intentional, I can live with it. Of course I don't want any of these other three guys to become world champion ahead of me but if it does happen then I'm not going to make a shopping list of excuses. Excuses get you nowhere."
That blunt determination helped Webber after his leg fracture last November, which was so bad it drew comparison with the injury that nearly ended the Arsenal player Eduardo's career in football. "The bone in my leg was not jutting out as far as Eduardo's but they were similar fractures," he admits. "If I had been a footballer I would still not be playing now. I would have been out at least a year."
Webber's rise this season seems even more remarkable – for that accident happened just 11 weeks before he returned to pre-season testing. "Naivety is a great thing because you really don't know what you're taking on," Webber says. "I just knew this was a bloody important season, with Vettel coming and the car looking competitive, and so I forced myself back. The leg was nowhere near healed but I had to put on a front. It was exhausting and, at night, once I closed that hotel door, it was really tough. The surgeons had taken out one of the screws, to stimulate the fractured side, and I couldn't walk properly. I probably should have been on crutches getting to and from the car. But that would've been a disaster. The messaging is all wrong."
Yet, for a sport that shuttles between beleaguered controversy and bloodless politicking, there could hardly be a better message than a driver as amiable and intelligent as Webber racing for the championship. His unlikely tilt at the title is one of the sporting stories of the year, and it would become unforgettable should he remain in contention for the rest of this strange but compelling season.
"I'm trying, mate," Webber says, laughing softly. "I'm trying real hard."

Renault may quit Formula One over new cheating claim

Nelson Piquet Jr has been accused of crashing his car in the 2008 Singapore race to help team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The FIA examination of last year's Singapore grand prix could lead to Renault quitting Formula One if their team is found guilty of interfering with the result of the floodlit race's inaugural running.

Although not mentioning Renault by name, the sport's governing body is likely to take a closer look at the race following the acquisition of fresh evidence. During the broadcast of Sunday's Belgian grand prix, the Brazilian network Globo TV reportedly said it had received information that Nelson Piquet Jr had been asked to crash on purpose and trigger the sequence of events that led to his team‑mate, Fernando Alonso, moving from the back to the front of the field and scoring a win that went against form in the previous 14 races. A spokeswoman for the ING Renault F1 Team said today that there would be no comment.
Renault have been at the forefront of rumours that they would be the next to pull out of F1 following the withdrawal of Honda and BMW. The French manufacturer was considering quitting last year but Alonso's win in Singapore, and victory at the next race in Japan, secured the team's short-term future. Renault's best finish this year has been fifth place in Spain, an unsatisfactory result that could accelerate the decision to pull out should an inquiry find against the British-based team. If the FIA feels there is a case to answer, Renault could be called before the World Motor Sport Council and, if found guilty, face a heavy fine or even expulsion.

When Piquet crashed on the 14th of 61 laps and sprayed debris across the track, the incident prompted the appearance of the safety car and caused every team bar Renault to immediately rethink their pit-stop strategy. A period of slow laps behind the safety car is the ideal time to refuel without losing an excessive amount of time. Renault were the exception because Alonso had refuelled three laps before Piquet's crash and rejoined at the back of the field. As the 18 cars running ahead of the former world champion made their pit stops, Alonso moved to the front.
The question is: was Piquet ordered to crash or was the accident a handy coincidence for a team under pressure to score their first win of 2008? If it was the former, then Piquet was either incompetent or extremely brave. The heavy collision with the concrete wall lining the street circuit destroyed the right-hand side of the Renault and risked injury. Had Piquet wished to prompt the safety car, it would only have required a slightly more dramatic version of the incident employed by Michael Schumacher in 2005 when he parked his Ferrari against the barrier in Monte Carlo and hampered the progress of rivals during the closing minutes of qualifying. Schumacher was demoted to the back of the grid. A spokesmen for Piquet said he would be making no comment.

The investigation comes less than two weeks after an angry Piquet referred to Flavio Briatore as his "executioner" after being sacked by the boss of Renault F1 and replaced by the Frenchman Romain Grosjean. Ferrari were accused of interfering with the result of the 2002 Austrian grand prix when Rubens Barrichello was ordered to move over in the final 100 metres and allow Schumacher to win. Ferrari were not reprimanded but the FIA banned team orders. The Singapore incident, if deliberate, is much more serious due to the risk of debris injuring other drivers and, possibly, spectators.

Could Kimi make a shock return to McLaren?

With the political rows that have dominated this Formula 1 season more or less over apart from a few late skirmishes, attention in Valencia has turned to the driver market.

The key move this season is Fernando Alonso's prospective switch to Ferrari. This has not been officially confirmed yet, but it is considered a given. And it will trigger a series of swaps that will significantly change the look of the F1 grid next season.
Among the top teams, only Red Bull are not changing their line-up and there are attractive seats available at Ferrari, McLaren and Brawn.
In the wake of Alonso's move, the key men in the market place are Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica.

Assuming Jenson Button stays at Brawn - which is not 100% certain, but looks very likely - they are the A-listers who will be top of most teams' shopping list.
The driver market is always complicated - but the injury suffered by Felipe Massa has made it more Byzantine than usual this summer.
Ferrari have actually got themselves into a bit of a pickle. Alonso's arrival means they have three of the top drivers in F1 for next season and only two cars to put them in, as both Felipe Massa and Raikkonen are under contract until the end of 2010.
They intended to partner Alonso with Massa, but the Brazilian has a fractured skull following his accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Although he is expected to make a full recovery, in terms of living a normal life, it is impossible to know right now whether he will be able to race in F1 again, even if Brawn driver Rubens Barrichello and Massa's race engineer Rob Smedley, probably the two people closest to him in the paddock, are optimistic.
Massa is talking about an emotional return for the Brazilian Grand Prix in October, but many feel that may well be over-optimistic, even allowing for the traditionally astonishing powers of recovery of F1 drivers.
And if Massa cannot drive until after the end of the season - which means he might not be able to do so until January, because of the testing restrictions in December - that makes getting rid of Raikkonen less immediately appealing.
Despite that, it does appear that the Finn will be the one to leave Ferrari, for whom one solution would be to gamble on Massa being fit and, if he isn't, take one of the experienced drivers who may be left standing after the game of musical chairs finishes.
Jarno Trulli looks certain to leave Toyota - whose entire future in F1 may be in doubt - and the futures of Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld are all up in the air. All would make a more than decent one-year stand-in.
In that eventuality, the question is where Raikkonen will end up.
There are a number of interesting possibilities. His advisors are known to have had talks with Brawn, which interests him, and Toyota, which does not. And another obvious possibility is Renault, who need a top-liner to replace Alonso.
And there is one intriguing possibility that I have not heard discussed on the paddock rumour mill - could Raikkonen make a shock return to McLaren?

It comes a bit out of left-field and might seem outlandish, but bear with me on it for a moment.
Lewis Hamilton is locked in there until 2012, but the second seat is open. Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen is under pressure because of his unconvincing performances in races and there has been talk of Nico Rosberg moving over from Williams.
But, if you were McLaren, why replace one guy who is not as quick as Hamilton with, in Rosberg, another who isn't either but might be more disruptive?
Raikkonen, on the other hand, is well known by McLaren having driven for them from 2002-6, and he is low maintenance - he just gets in the car and drives and couldn't care less who his team-mate is.
Rosberg is known to be wary of facing Hamilton in the same car - he was his team-mate in karting and knows how quick he is - and Kubica has a reputation as hard work and demanding.
Raikkonen is the total opposite. He would not be bothered about the team's focus on Hamilton. He would just do his job and go home - just like he always has.
Not only that, but he left McLaren largely because he fell out with Ron Dennis, but the former boss has no involvement in the F1 team any more.
So a fresh link with Raikkonen could be an appealing idea for McLaren - and vice versa.
And read this quote from team boss Martin Whitmarsh after Sunday's European Grand Prix: "Kimi's really raised his game and all weekend has done a great job and Heikki has always been a fantastic team player and a good asset in our team but his race pace hasn't been good enough."
Of course, all of that might be hugely wide of the mark, in which case Raikkonen will probably end up at Brawn or Renault - at both of which Kubica must be considered a contender.
The Pole has been strongly linked with a move to Williams following BMW's decision to quit F1. But this weekend he has opened negotiations with Brawn, which would surely be a more appealing option considering the two teams' respective performance this season.

It is a difficult decision for Brawn. Given that Raikkonen has been a little off the boil in the last couple of seasons, Kubica is arguably the best driver on the market this season.
But he has a reputation for being disruptive inside a team and Ross Brawn might prefer not to disturb the equanimity of Button, the man who still looks likely to be world champion this year.
On top of that, Kubica is understood to want a one-year contract so he has the ability to move on for 2011 if a better drive becomes available, while Brawn would almost certainly want him to sign for two seasons.Traditionally, early September is the time the big pieces in the driver market puzzle begin to fall into place. But given the inherent complications, this season it could be a good deal later than that.

Andrew Benson