Ferrari accuse Brawn of arrogance

• FIA set to announce hearing verdict on Thursday• Jenson Button's grand prix wins likely to stand An official ruling over the legality of Jenson Button's Brawn-Mercedes, the winner of the first two races this season in Australia and Malaysia, was expected tomorrow after an uncharacteristically turbulent meeting of the FIA's international court of appeal in Paris today.Most formula one insiders believe that the Brawn's so-called "double diffuser" – a key aerodynamic accessory which dramatically enhances tyre grip at the rear of the car – will be decreed to be legal. But even if the verdict does go against Button and the Brawn team, it is expected that the formal verdict will amount to no more than a "rule clarification", prohibiting its use in the future but leaving the results so far this season to stand.Certainlytoday's court of appeal hearing combined emotionally passionate outbursts and strong words in equal measure – unusual for debates about technical issues which usually grind away with a degree of formality bordering on the dull. However, when Ferrari's lawyer, Nigel Tozzi QC, opened the proceedings with an electrifying attack on Ross Brawn, accusing the team principal of being "a person of supreme arrogance", it was clear that this was going to be an unusually feisty exchange.Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Renault and BMW Sauber were all appealing against a decision by the stewards at the Australian grand prix last month rejecting their protest that the diffusers on the Brawn – and the new Toyota and Williams as well – did not conform to the regulations. They claimed that if the diffusers were deemed to be legal, the FIA would effectively be creating a "two tier" formula one with three teams in a position where they could consolidate a significant performance edge while the end of the field were left catching up.Tozzi's opening address brought wry smiles to the faces of many who recalled that the British engineer was the key technical driving force behind the five of Michael Schumacher's seven world championship titles which were won with the famous Italian team. Tozzi eventually concluded his 90-minute speech by returning to his original theme. "Only a person of supreme arrogance would think he is right when so many of his esteemed colleagues would disagree," he said of Brawn.The arcane technical arguments relating to the legality of the diffusers centred on the positioning of certain apertures in the undertrays of the cars in question. But Tozzi railed: "Anyone with a command of English will tell you it's a hole, so do not let someone attempting to be clever with words defeat the express purpose of the rules. The appeal is not because we have not made the most of an opportunity, but because Brawn, Toyota and Williams have not acted within the regulations."The Ferrari lawyer's argument was backed up by the contention of the Renault team representative Andrew Ford who claimed that the French formula one team had abandoned such a diffuser design last year when the FIA deemed it illegal. Back came Tozzi, still not mincing his words. "The position of the FIA is baffling," he told the panel of judges. "We urge you to save the FIA from itself."He also criticised the FIA race director, Charlie Whiting, for "getting it wrong" and "not understanding the point". Tozzi argued that the credibility of Max Mosley, the FIA president, would be badly damaged in the event of the court dismissing the appeals. "If the appeal is dismissed, then the claims by the FIA that they want to make the sport more attractive and reduce costs will sound hollow," he said.But a defiant Brawn said: "We didn't consider this to be a radical new design. It was an innovative approach of an existing idea, and formula one is all about innovative design. It's a cornerstone and objective of the sport."Despite the appeal, all the protesting teams admit they have been developing their own "double diffuser" just in case its legality is upheld. "We are developing a similar solution despite thinking it does not comply with the idea of the rules and it costs a lot of money," said Mario Theissen, the BMW motorsport president."We don't want to go down this path, but we have no choice. We have to develop it in case it is declared legal."BrawnJenson ButtonWilliamsToyotaFormula oneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

New beginnings as F1 heads to Barcelona

With Formula One teams returning to Europe, they know that Round 5 represents a new start to the season, as such teams as Ferrari and BMW arrive at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona with heavily modified cars.

Ferrari and co in pursuit of Brawn

Brawn and Red Bull blaze an early-season trail as the big guns play technical catch-upAt 8am yesterday, two hours before practice was due to begin for tomorrow's Spanish grand prix, a large red box was unloaded by forklift from a delivery truck with an Italian registration. The flat packing case, measuring 3 metres by 1.5 metres, was manoeuvred into the Ferrari area where the latest car parts were swiftly unpacked.It was part of a never-ending development process that has been accelerated by lessons learned in the first four races of the season. After grands prix in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain the teams have been able to return to their European bases for two weeks of work. Ferrari, along with McLaren and BMW, were the pre-season favourites but, instead of leading the way in the season's opening leg, all three have been forced to play catch-up thanks to the unexpected level of competitiveness displayed by Brawn, Red Bull Racing and, to a lesser degree, Toyota.Development has always been part of a routine that exists from the moment a new car first turns a wheel. When McLaren gave Lewis Hamilton a car capable of winning the championship in 2008, they made approximately 3,000 changes, some so small they were invisible to the untrained eye. But this year's schedule of improvement has increased in significance because of the far-reaching revisions to the technical regulations for 2009 and their successful interpretation, particularly by Brawn.The blessing conferred by the sport's governing body on the diffuser used by Brawn, Toyota and Williams has prompted the burning of midnight oil as McLaren, Ferrari and the rest introduce the aerodynamic device which is alleged to be worth as much as half a second a lap. Brawn say there is more to their car than merely the diffuser, a fact supported by Red Bull winning a race without one, but such an uncomfortable truth has done little to stem the frantic reworking of the cars at Ferrari and elsewhere."The first race in Europe usually represents something of a second start to the season," said Mario Theissen, BMW's director of motor sport. "For the BMW Sauber F1 Team, this applies more so than usual this year as we cannot be satisfied with the first four races. After our positive winter testing, all of us envisaged a rather different start. The car is not fast enough and we have only one podium finish – Nick Heidfeld's second in Malaysia."We are approaching this challenge in a positive way and we are working intensively to get back to our old form. We have brought an extensive aero­dynamics-focused development package to Barcelona and we are already working on further upgrades."BMW finished a strong third behind Ferrari and McLaren in the 2008 constructors' championship thanks in part to Robert Kubica scoring BMW's first win in Canada. BMW are sixth with a mere four points, less than a tenth of Brawn's tally. McLaren are marginally better off with 13 points thanks to Hamilton scoring in the past three races and a fifth place for Heikki Kovalainen in China.Unlike BMW, McLaren recognised immediately that their 2009 contender was off the pace and began a series of upgrades that were introduced during the so-called 'flyaway races' outside Europe."The schedule for the first four races was very tough for everyone," said Hamilton. "So coming back to Europe almost feels like a fresh start. After such a positive performance in Bahrain, we're fully aware that the characteristics of the Barcelona track won't suit our car so well. In addition, we won't have the bigger upgrades of some of the other teams as we already introduced several new parts during the opening flyaways, so it will be interesting to see where we sit in the order."Nevertheless the engineers are optimistic that our new diffuser and front wing will once again help us to make progress towards the front of the grid."If BMW have made the most wide-ranging changes, then Ferrari are not far behind with heavily revised aerodynamics, a factor that is more critical on the Circuit de Catalunya than anywhere else. Brawn may have made comparatively few changes thanks to having already used up most of their limited resources and, more important, the car being quick in the first place but, as their team principal, Ross Brawn, points out, there is no room for complacency."The team had to make a tremendous effort simply to have two cars on the grid for the first race in Melbourne," said Brawn. "The success we have achieved has been a well-deserved reward for all our hard work, which has been supported by the commitment of our engine partner Mercedes-Benz. The short break since returning from Bahrain has enabled the team to regroup in Brackley and spend time reflecting on our first four races."The field has compressed considerably since Australia and the performance margins at the front are now very tight indeed. Whilst we have been away racing over the past few weeks, the factory has been working extremely hard on our upgrade package for the car."The true value of such concentrated effort across the board will not become apparent until the end of 66 laps tomorrow afternoon. The chances are that, despite the remarkable endeavour, the status quo will remain.Formula oneMcLarenSauberFerrariBrawnRed BullMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Vettel wins British grand prix

• Sebastian Vettel's second win of the season• Jenson Button finishes in sixth after poor startSebastian Vettel has won the British grand prix for his second race win of the season, with Mark Webber behind him for a Red Bull one-two, and Rubens Barricchello in third. The world championship leader Jenson Button started and finished in sixth, but he still holds a healthy 23-point lead from Barrichello, who has 41 points. Vettel's win keeps him in third place, now two points behind Barrichello.It was the final FIA grand prix to be staged at Silverstone, although the current stand-off between the Formula One controllers and the teams means the track could yet be called into action as part of a rebel series next year. Vettel won from pole and made a strong start, unlike two weeks ago in Turkey when an early error allowed Button into first place, a position he did not relinquish for the rest of the race. In fact it was Button who started poorly this time, boxed in and immediately slipping three places to ninth.Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso overtook each other to renew their old rivalry, but unlike the 2007 championship, the two were well down the field. Hamilton eventually finished in 16th position.2009 British grand prix results1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1hr 22mins 49.328secs2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:23:04.5163 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:23:30.4834 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:23:34.3715 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:23:35.2436 Jenson Button (GB) Brawn GP 1:23:35.6137 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:23:57.6358 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:23:58.9509 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:23:59.15110 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:24:00.85011 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:24:03.35112 Nelson Piquet Jr (Bra) Renault at 1 Lap13 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 1 Lap14 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault at 1 Lap15 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber at 1 Lap16 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren at 1 Lap17 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India at 1 Lap18 Sébastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 LapNot Classified: 19 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 37 Laps completed, 20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 36 Laps completedWorld championship standingsDrivers: 1 Jenson Button (GB) Brawn GP 64pts, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 41, 3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 39, 4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 35.5, 5 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 21.5, 6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 16, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 15.5, 8 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 13, 9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 11, 10 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 10, 11 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 9, 12 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 6, 13 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 4, 14 Sébastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 3, 15 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 2, 16 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2, 17 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 0, 18 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 0, 19 Nelson Piquet Jr (Bra) Renault 0, 20 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 0Manufacturers: 1 Brawn GP 105, 2 Red Bull 74.5, 3 Toyota 34.5, 4 Ferrari 26, 5 Williams 15.5, 6 McLaren 13, 7 Renault 11, 8 BMW Sauber 8, 9 Scuderia Toro Rosso 5, 10 Force India 0Formula oneRed BullJenson ButtonBrawnFerrariMcLarenRenaultForce IndiaSauberToyotaWilliamsToro RossoLewis HamiltonMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Formula one teams to break away

The Formula One Teams' Association has sensationally confirmed it is to form a breakaway series, causing the greatest upheaval in the sport's 60-year history.Following a meeting of the eight teams that currently form Fota - Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - they have all declined to enter F1 for 2010.Despite weeks of negotiations with FIA president Max Mosley, the two bodies have failed to find a compromise, leaving the sport in total chaos.The FIA had issued a deadline of close of business today to enter next year's championship unconditionally to McLaren, Toyota, Renault, BMW Sauber and Brawn GP in particular.As far as the FIA are concerned, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso are contracted to enter, hence the reason they were given an automatic entry by world motor sport's governing body last Friday.Ferrari have stated that contract, signed in 2005, was invalidated by the FIA when they failed to recognise the Scuderia's right of veto over the new regulations.Mosley unilaterally announced the introduction of a voluntary £40m budget cap at the end of April without consulting the teams, most notably Ferrari.The FIA will point to the fact discussions over cost control were first aired with the teams as far back as January 2008.At that stage the likes of Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn and Toyota Motorsport president John Howett were in favour, although not Ferrari.But it was Mosley's 'publish and be damned' attitude that has most angered the teams, and has now resulted in the greatest shock wave to hit F1 since the championship first began in 1950.While Fota have now confirmed their intention to stage a breakaway series, the actual implementation is another matter.Significantly, Ferrari face being embroiled in a legal wrangle that could last months, especially as Ecclestone has already stated his intent to sue for millions of pounds should they quit F1.Any series without Ferrari will be hard to sell to television companies and race tracks around the world, the most renowned of which are signed up with Ecclestone.Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, both owned by the energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, also face being embroiled in similar litigation as to Ferrari.As for F1, their series as it stands today comprises Williams and Force India, who were forced to break with Fota due to their own contractual obligations, and three new entrants in Campos Racing, Team US F1 and Manor F1 Team.The FIA will steadfastly refuse to accept the stance from Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso.But in the absence of the other five they will today likely name a quintet of new entrants as replacements as they do have other teams waiting in the wings, ready and willing to race under a cap.Significantly, Lola - who were surprisingly not given one of the initial three new entries - announced on Wednesday they no longer wished to be considered by the FIA for the 2010 championship.The suggestion is they are to join Fota's new series, along with former BAR team principal David Richards' Prodrive organisation, who, like Lola, were surprisingly overlooked by the FIA a week ago.One other scenario, although unlikely, is that Mosley will today back down from his previously staunch position and allow the Fota eight to enter for 2010, with a prospect of further talks taking place in the near future.Outlining the major differences with the FIA, and confirming their intentions, Fota released a statement which read: "Since the formation of Fota last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone), to develop and improve the sport."Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community."Fota is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport."In particular, the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the Fota initiatives."The FOTA teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future."Following these efforts, all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012."The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide Fota."The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006."Despite this, and the uncompromising environment, Fota has genuinely sought compromise."It has become clear, however, the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship."These teams, therefore, have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners."This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders."The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."Formula oneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Fine Vettel celebrates grand prix win

• Red Bull one-two gives team first formula one win• Lewis Hamilton's McLaren finishes sixth in the wetSebastian Vettel led from the off in wet conditions in Shanghai to help Red Bull to their first formula one victory, ahead of team-mate Mark Webber. Current leader of the standings, Jenson Button, had to settle for third, while Lewis Hamilton came home in sixth for McLaren.The result leaves Button with 21 championship points, six ahead of fellow Brawn driver Rubens Barichello, who finished fourth. Vettel's win sees him join Timo Glock on 10 points. Meanwhile there was more misery for Ferrari, who remain without a point after Kimi Raikkonen finished 10th and Felipe Massa retired.With the weather forcing the gird to start behind the safety car, the race came down to a tactical battle between Red Bull and this season's pace-setters Brawn. Although both Barichello and Button had been quicker in qualifying once fuel load was taken into account, Vettel in particular tore around the circuit as the teams played cat and mouse through successive pit stops.Button briefly led, but Vettel soon regained the front when the British driver went in for refuelling, and never looked like relinquishing the lead as he and Webber built a commanding advantage over the rest of the field.Lewis Hamilton fought his way up after starting down in ninth, but span on more than one occassion to allow McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen to eventually take fifth. The point-scorers were completed by Timo Glock's Toyota and the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi.Button conceded Brawn GP were simply outpaced. His hopes were dealt a blow when clouds gathered for the first time this weekend before rain fell steadily a few hours before the race. Consequently, organisers decided to start the grand prix behind the safety car. That left Webber and Button vying for second."They seemed to be very strong from the word go," said Button. "It was a very difficult race today and I am so pleased that we got both cars to the end of 56 laps and scored as many points as possible."The conditions were pretty crazy with rivers of water all over the circuit which changed every time you encountered them. Mark Webber and I had a good fight for a few laps but I just couldn't stay with him. However to finish the race today is an achievement in itself and to be on the podium is fantastic. We couldn't have beaten the Red Bulls and congratulations to Sebastian and Mark on a great result."Brawn GP had been unable to do any testing in the wet prior to the start of the season and the struggle with the car's tyres in the conditions today is a cause for concern for Button. "I don't know if anyone else struggled but Rubens and myself struggled quite a bit," he added."I don't know what reason for that is. Obviously the car is working in a different way, but we will solve those problems I hope in the future because we can't have these guys that far in front. We just couldn't challenge these two guys [Vettel and Webber] today, who were immensely quick. But it is great to score six points and that's important so that we can keep the consistency."Lewis Hamilton meanwhile was left to rue what he saw as one of his worst ever drives in the wet. The 24-year-old traditionally thrives in wet conditions but struggled in Shanghai, coming off the circuit five times on his way to sixth at the chequered flag."I love racing in the wet and I would say that was one of my worst wet performances," he said. "I generally have good wet races but this was incredibly tough. I didn't have any downforce on this car and it was a real struggle but I am glad I got some points for the team.""All weekend I have been pushing that car beyond its limits but today just proved that I wasn't able to avoid the oversteer moments. It was a little bit fun at the beginning when I had some grip but as always I don't know if it is my driving style or my car, but I seem to destroy my tyres early on."Final race order1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1hr 57mins 43.485secs2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:57:54.4553 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:58:28.4604 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:58:47.1895 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:58:48.5876 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:58:55.3517 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:58:57.9618 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:58:59.9249 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:59:07.79410 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:59:15.23511 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:59:17.64112 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:59:19.31913 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:59:30.33814 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India +1 lap15 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams +1 lap16 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) Renault +2 laps17 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India +6 lapsNot Classified: 18 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams +13 laps19 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari +36 laps20 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota +38 lapsChampionship standingsJenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 21ptsRubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 15Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 10Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 10Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 9.5Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 8.5Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 4Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 4Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 4Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 4Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 3.5Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 3Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1Formula oneRed BullBrawnMcLarenJenson ButtonLewis HamiltonMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds