Fernando Alonso win delights Ferrari

• Spaniard leads Felipe Massa in team 1-2 on debut• Sebastian Vettel loses out to exhaust problemA sweeping one-two victory for the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the Bahrain grand prix could not obscure the overall dullness of a contest in which, for the first time since 1993, the drivers were not allowed to refuel their cars. A processional race was brought to life only when the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel, a convincing leader for the first hour, developed an exhaust problem which reduced the power from his engine, allowing the Italian cars to pass and relegating the young German driver to an eventual fourth place behind the McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.Even the new lightning-fast pit stops to change tyres failed to add to the excitement, partly because they were too brief to provoke much in the way of incident. Most of the drivers made only one mid-race stop and spent most of the time on their radios, talking to their race engineers about the best way to achieve a safe balance between tyre wear and fuel consumption.Add the unwelcome addition of fiddly new corners which turn the Sakhir circuit into a giant go-kart track and this was the recipe for an unsatisfactory start to the most eagerly anticipated season for years. Apart from the Scuderia Ferrari, overjoyed by their success after the travails of 2009, the team gaining most pleasure from their afternoon's work were probably Lotus, rewarded for their Malaysian-backed efforts to revive a famous name by having their two cars classified as finishers, albeit at the tail of the field in 15th and 17th places. The other new low-budget teams, Hispania and Virgin, saw their cars retire.For the McLarens, which finished third and seventh in the hands of Hamilton and Jenson Button, and the new Mercedes outfit, for which Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished fifth and sixth, there will be some head-scratching among the engineers after their failure to match the leaders' pace. Hamilton found encouragement in his podium place but Button was unable to get past Schumacher over the last 15 laps which he spent on the tail of the seven-times champion.Nothing, however, could dim the excitement in the Ferrari pit, where a new regime came under severe criticism after suffering disaster after disaster last season. Following the example set so successfully 12 months earlier by their former technical director Ross Brawn, they abandoned last year's hopeless car midway through the season and concentrated their efforts on preparing for 2010. Today their new F10 showed the kind of reliability that underpinned five of Schumacher's championships and enough speed to be in the right place when Vettel faltered and the Red Bull's 4sec cushion started to shrink.For Alonso, watched from the grandstand by the King of Spain, this was the best possible start to his career with his new team, making him the sixth driver – after Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Raikkonen – to win his maiden race for Ferrari. Starting from the third slot on the grid, behind Vettel and Massa, he slipped past his team-mate between turns one and two on the opening lap and was in position to take advantage of the pole man's misfortune with 15 laps to go."It's even more special because of the history of the team and the expectations of those who drive for this team," he declared, articulating a sentiment guaranteed to endear him to the numberless fans of the Scuderia around the world. "The guys here at the track and back at the factory in Maranello worked day and night to make this car and we've arrived here very well prepared."There was an extra surge of emotion inside and outside the cockpit of the second Ferrari as Massa crossed the line 16sec behind his team-mate on his return to racing after the accident that almost took his life in Hungary last July. "It's fantastic to be here," the little Brazilian said. "I didn't get a good start and lost a position to Fernando but the race was great and the car was perfect."The day's biggest disappointment was endured by Vettel, whose pole position had been achieved with a lap that won praise from his rivals. "It seems something broke," he said, "but luckily we could continue and finish fourth, but we should have won today. It was positive all weekend, except for the exhaust failure."What became clear today was that Formula One is the new Premier League, with a Big Four whose cars finished in the top eight positions followed by a group of worthy midfield runners (Force India, Renault, Williams and Sauber are the equivalents of Spurs, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton) and a sweaty bunch of relegation contenders. Despite spinning his Force India on the opening lap while blinded by a cloud of oil smoke from Mark Webber's Red Bull, Adrian Sutil looked the most likely to disturb the established order.The last time Ferrari opened a series with a 1-2 win was with Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in Australia in 2004, prefacing the most crushing of the German's championship seasons. Vettel will win races this season and so will Massa and Hamilton but the intelligent and consistent Alonso, with 25 points to his name under the new scoring system against Massa's 18 and Hamilton's 15, must be feeling optimistic about the prospect of a third title.Formula OneFerrariMotor sportRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Schumacher sets sights on eighth title

• German signs one-year contract with Ross Brawn's team• Schumacher will be 41-years-old upon return to trackMichael Schumacher believes he can win an unprecedented eighth Formula One world championship next season after confirming that he will come out of retirement to drive for Mercedes.Schumacher, who will be 41 on 3 January, has signed a one-year contract, with options for a further two seasons, to partner Nico Rosberg at the former Brawn team. Brawn GP collected the drivers' championship, through Jenson Button, and the constructors' title last season and Schumacher is targeting identical success for the rebranded squad."I have won it seven times and I'm with the team that won both titles last season, so what do you expect?" he said. "You can't expect anything else other than to go for the world championship and that's what we are aiming for."Schumacher secured the last of his championships with Ferrari in 2004 and has not raced in Formula One since 2006. The German will be the grid's oldest driver. Button, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, three likely title rivals, will be 30, 25 and 22 when the season starts.A neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident in February ruled out Schumacher's proposed comeback for Ferrari last season as a substitute for the injured Felipe Massa. But he has no doubts about his fitness or competitiveness in joining the Mercedes team run by Ross Brawn, who managed Schumacher's seven world championships at Benetton and Ferrari."I am absolutely confident I can do what's necessary," Schumacher said. "When I returned to the go-kart [for a recent race against F1 drivers in Brazil], I straight away was on the pace. Now I have to prove it in the real car and go wheel to wheel with many of those guys."The motivation is pretty straightforward. I got a call from Ross at the beginning of November asking me to race again, telling me Mercedes were going to be involved. That seemed pretty good to me. I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006 and three years' absence gave back all the energy that I'm feeling right now. Having played around with motorbikes and go-karts, I feel ready for some serious stuff."Before I gave a final OK, I had to be sure 100% that there were no further issues with my neck. Unfortunately it was too close to the accident in the summer when I considered going to Ferrari after Felipe's accident. But the time is enough now to heal [the injury] completely. I have tested everything that I can and I have no problem whatsoever now."Brawn said the renewal of his association with Schumacher did not come at the expense of Button, who has joined Hamilton at McLaren for 2010. "We made a big effort to keep him but it wasn't possible in the end," he said. "I had a loyalty to Jenson but, when that started to look difficult, I started talking to Michael."Brawn said he had let Schumacher answer questions about his motivation and speed following a long absence from such a competitive arena. "I trust him implicitly and he told me he can do it. He has always been his own best critic, the man himself knows what he is capable of. I am very comfortable and confident and put my trust in Michael, and it won't be misplaced."Schumacher's lengthy list of records includes the most world titles, most race victories (91), most pole positions (68) and highest number of wins in one season (13 in 2004). His return with Brawn severs a 14-year connection with Ferrari, Schumacher having spent the past three years as a consultant and ambassador there."The only reason I seriously thought about my return is because it is old friends that have asked me. Working with Ross and Mercedes is now possible and I'm happy to give something back that Mercedes gave me in the early days," he said, referring to its support for his career before he reached Formula One.Hamilton welcomed the chance to race Schumacher, whom he described as "a legend". He said: "I used to watch Michael race when I was in the junior categories and I always hoped that I would be in F1 while he was still around. I'm really looking forward to seeing him on the track and back at the top. It's brilliant news."Michael SchumacherMercedes GPFormula OneMotor sportMaurice Hamiltonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Brawn rules out Schumacher return

• Nico Rosberg confirmed as first nominated Mercedes driver• Fellow German driver Nick Heidfeld likely to join RosbergMichael Schumacher's return to Formula One was effectively ruled out today when Nico Rosberg was confirmed as Mercedes-Benz's first nominated driver for next season's world championship.From the moment Jenson Button, having won the title for the team as Brawn, signed for McLaren last week there had been mounting speculation that Schumacher, who will be 41 next year, was considering a comeback to spearhead the official return of the "Silver Arrows" to grand prix for the first time since 1955.However, Ross Brawn, the Mercedes team principal, made it clear that Schumacher would not be picking up the threads of a full-time Formula One career that ended in 2006, even though he gave serious consideration to taking the role of temporary stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari this year. This plan was thwarted by a neck injury sustained earlier in the year in a motorcycle testing crash."The issue now haunts the media, I know," Brawn told the German newspaper Bild, "but there is nothing in it. The media are trying to put together a dream. Michael would have returned to the cockpit for Ferrari but only temporarily. He has no ambitions to start a new career."If we get a combination of two equally strong drivers, then the strategy will be different than if you have a winner like Michael. Following Button's move to McLaren, we will think differently. My desire is to find two experienced drivers. Nico Rosberg has more than three years in Formula One, so I count him to be experienced."Brawn seemed to be steering speculation in the direction of Nick Heidfeld, another German driver, and one with 167 grand prix starts under his belt. "I do not want a novice who must find his way around racetracks because we have very few opportunities to test drivers now. Performance without much practice is therefore the task. The good thing is we are not in a hurry."Formula OneMichael SchumacherBrawnMotor sportAlan Henryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Jordan predicts Schumacher comeback

Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named Mercedes team for next season.

Vettel claims Bahrain pole

• Vettel beats Massa and Alonso into second and third• Lewis Hamilton fourth, Michael Schumacher seventhRed Bull's Sebastian Vettel will start the first race of the 2010 season on pole position after edging out the Ferraris in qualifying for the Bahrain grand prix. Last year's championship runner-up put in a stunning lap in the closing 10-minute qualifying session at the Sakhir circuit to beat the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso into second and third, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton fourth and the returning Michael Schumacher down in seventh place.Vettel, who finished the 2009 campaign by winning two of the final three races, was brilliant throughout all three sessions, finishing second in the opening 20 minutes, before topping the middle 15-minute stint and then coming out on top at the end. The young German ultimately finished with a lap of one minute 54.101sec, with Massa 0.141sec adrift and Alonso a further 0.4sec down.Hamilton won his first battle of the Britons with team-mate Jenson Button at McLaren as the world champion struggled during the course of the afternoon and will start eighth directly behind seven-time champion Schumacher. The 41-year-old, on his comeback after three and a half years in retirement, was again bettered by his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, as he was in all three practice sessions.Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber starts sixth, with Robert Kubica in his Renault ninth behind Button, and Force India's Adrian Sutil a fine 10th.In the dying moments of Q2, Button managed to scrape his way into the top 10, edging out his Brawn team-mate from last season in Rubens Barrichello, now with Williams, by 0.162sec. Behind the veteran Brazilian will be Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi and the second Williams of promising German rookie Nico Hulkenberg, who was only half-a-second down on Barrichello.The Saubers of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi will start 14th and 16th, with Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi splitting the Spanish and Japanese drivers. On his debut, Renault's Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov knows the task he now faces after seeing team-mate Kubica's performance as he will start 17th, finishing a yawning 1.7sec behind the Pole at the end of the session.It was no great surprise to see the three new teams occupying the bottom six positions come the conclusion to the initial 20-minute session. And it was Virgin who were best of the newcomers thanks to Timo Glock, and that after seeing a wheel roll off his car in final practice earlier today due to a loose nut. The German will start 19th, edging the Lotus Racing pair of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen into 20th and 21st places, with just 0.6sec separating the trio.Glock's team-mate Lucas di Grassi was a further 0.2sec adrift, leaving Hispania Racing's Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok bringing up the rear of the now 24-strong grid.Positions after qualifying1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 54.101secs, 2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:54.242, 3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1:54.608, 4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:55.217, 5 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:55.241, 6 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:55.284, 7 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:55.524, 8 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:55.672, 9 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 1:55.885, 10 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:56.309, 11 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams 1:55.330, 12 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 1:55.653, 13 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams 1:55.875, 14 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber 1:56.237, 15 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:56.265, 16 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber 1:56.270, 17 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 1:56.619, 18 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:57.071, 19 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 1:59.728, 20 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus F1 1:59.852, 21 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus F1 2:00.313, 22 Lucas di Grassi (Bra) Virgin Racing 2:00.587, 23 Bruno Senna (Bra) HRT-F1 2:03.240, 24 Karun Chandhok (Ind) HRT-F1 2:04.904Formula OneMotor sportSebastian VettelRed Bullguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Michael Schumacher returns to F1

• Formula One legend to stand in for Ferrari's injured Massa• Fitness not a problem despite three years in retirementMichael Schumacher has put his retirement on hold to make the most dramatic Formula One comeback since Niki Lauda's return to the sport in 1982. Ferrari confirmed today that the seven-times world champion, who retired in 2006, will make a sensational return to the sport as a stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa. Subject to passing a medical, the 40-year-old German will return at the European grand prix in Valencia on 23 August.Schumacher has made it clear that he is stepping in only to help the team for which he won five of his titles and, in particular, Massa with whom he struck up a close friendship during their 2006 season driving for the Italian team.It is expected that Schumacher, who will not be able to drive the Ferrari before the first free practice session at the Spanish track due to the ban on testing during the racing season, will partner Kimi Raikkonen in the seven remaining races this season."The most important thing first is that, thank God, all the news concerning Felipe is positive," said Schumacher in a statement. "I was meeting this afternoon with [Ferrari principal] Stefano Domenicali and [company president] Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe."He added: "Though it is true that the chapter of Formula One has been completely closed to me for a long time, it is also true that for loyalty reasons to the team I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation. But as the competitor that I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."Massa, who suffered head injuries during qualifying for last Sunday's Hungarian grand prix, continues his recuperation. The Brazilian has been moved out of intensive care, and his doctor, Dino Altmann, believes Massa will race again. "The improvements have gone beyond our wildest expectations," Altmann said.Former world champion Lauda believes Schumacher will thrive on his return. "Michael coming back is absolutely the best, most fantastic thing to happen in Formula One this season," Lauda said. "He will have absolutely no problem with physical fitness, because he has maintained his fitness to a very high level. When I was away from racing for two and a half years I did nothing but fly aeroplanes, not doing any training at all. Michael is different. He will be competitive, easily, for sure."The world champion, Lewis Hamilton, will realise a long-held dream when he races against Schumacher. In his autobiography, My Story, Hamilton remarked: "I was asked which former driver I would most like to race against, and I went for Michael Schumacher. I got a laugh by saying I was disappointed that he had bailed out the year I got to Formula One."Formula OneFerrariFelipe MassaMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds