Mosley rejects talk of FIA crisis

FIA president Max Mosley has rejected talk of crisis within the governing body, responding to a number of leading automobile clubs who have called for his resignation.

The 24 clubs wrote a letter to Mosley saying the FIA was in a 'critical' situation, asking the Briton to step down in order to avoid damage to its image and credibility.

"We strongly believe that the only respectable way forward for the FIA, and for yourself, is to have an orderly transition, with an immediate agreement and your commitment to step down," the letter from the clubs said.

The clubs also said that Mosley's refusal to accept a compromise deal to leave in November had left the governing body in a crisis.

"We deeply regret your refusal to accept the proposal by the members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism to reach an agreement for you to step down at the General Assembly in the coming month of November," the letter added. "This is a constructive effort to facilitate an orderly transition within the FIA and to find a solution to the present crisis."

Mosley, in a letter sent to the 24 clubs, said on Thursday that accepting the deal would have been "the worst possible solution" for the FIA.

The governing body's head also labelled as "nonsense" talks of crisis within the FIA and insisted he has received more calls to stay than to quit.

"I did not accept the proposal from some (but not, as you incorrectly suggest, all) members of the Mobility World Council because it was the worst possible solution," Mosley wrote.

"I would have resigned, yet still spent the summer carrying out all the day-to-day work with neither the time nor the authority to complete the major outstanding tasks. Better to stop immediately than accept this muddled compromise.

"Your suggestion of a 'crisis' is nonsense. Although I am personally embarrassed and greatly regret that this affair has become public, no one fails to call for roadside assistance because of it.

"As I said in my earlier letters, the communications I received from club presidents were overwhelmingly in favour of my remaining as president. I therefore had no choice but to submit the question to the FIA membership as a whole. I certainly could not have simply ignored the majority and resigned."

Mosley also said that some of the clubs that have called for his resignation already wanted him out before the revelations about his private life.

"Some of the larger clubs among those who have signed your letter have previously contradicted their claimed commitment to the FIA," he added. "See the sample responses of the AAA, ADAC, ANWB, JAF, and TCS to the FIA Survey of 5 February 2008 attached. These same clubs have, of course, been trying to change the structure of the FIA since well before the events they now seek to exploit.

"As stated in my letter of 23 May, several of these same clubs have formed groups separate from the FIA from which the wider FIA membership is excluded. Worse, they have obstructed our efforts to improve cooperation between all clubs.

"Combined with a complete lack of transparency, I believe these activities are contrary to the interests of the FIA."

Mosley also claimted the stance adopted by Bernie Ecclestone in his letter on Friday was different to that which he has previously indicated.

"Mr Ecclestone is willing to continue working with the FIA because he has a binding contract to do so. In his letter to the clubs, he says he is now willing to live with this contract. That is a sudden and major change in position.

"Together with other member clubs of the FIA you will be free to express your views to the Assembly next Tuesday."

Mosley is set to face a confidence vote in an Extraordinary General Assembly on June 3rd.

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Russian federation joins clubs’ plea

Russian federation joins clubs' plea

The Russian motorsport federation has joined calls for Max Mosley to step down as president of the governing body.

In a brief letter sent to the FIA head on Thursday, R-FAST president Igor Yermilin said he strongly supported the opinion of the other 24 clubs who wrote to Mosley yesterday to ask him to resign.

"Hereby, Russian Federation of Auto Sport & Tourism (R-FAST) strongly supports the common opinion of the 24 FIA Member Clubs stated in the letter of the 28th of May," Yermilin wrote.

The letter sent on Wednesday was signed by representatives from America (AAA and AATA), Singapore (AAS), Germany (ADAC), Finland, (AL), Canada (CAA), Brazil (CCB), Denmark (FDM), France (FFA), India (FIAA), Japan (JAF), the Netherlands (KNAC), Sweden (M), Hungary (MAK), Israel (MEMSI), Austria (OEMTC), Spain (RACC and RACE), Belgium (TCB) and Switzerland (TCS).

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Plans approved for new Silverstone pits

Silverstone's planning application for a new pitlane and paddock to be built was approved by the local council, clearing the way for the circuit to raise the standard of its facilities to meet Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's demands.

Under the current proposal, which it is hoped will safeguard the future of the British Grand Prix, the pit and paddock complex would be moved from its current location between Woodcote and Copse to the straight between Club and Abbey.

Those two corners would be reconfigured, with a new pitlane, garages, a race control building, media centre, hospitality, and paddock all constructed on the site.

Future plans for Silverstone's development also include the construction of a business park, a sport and leisure complex, a manufacturer test centre and a university campus over the next 10 years

Silverstone's managing director Richard Phillips said: "We're absolutely delighted that AVDC's planning committee have unanimously voted in favour of this proposed development.

"This is a turning point for Silverstone and a bold commitment towards the BRDC's support for motorsport in the UK and retaining the British Grand Prix. The current programme provides for work to start on site later this year."

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Renault admit development dilemma

Renault admit development dilemma

Former world champions Renault admit they are facing a dilemma in splitting their resources between improving this year's car and accelerating development on next season's.

With a radical overhaul of Formula One's technical regulations coming next season, some teams like Honda Racing have decided that their main focus should be on getting the most from the 2009 machine.

However, for a team like Renault who are battling hard for position in this year's constructors' championship, the choice of where to put resources is not so easy.

Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds told the team's official podcast: "It is always difficult and the level of difficulty depends on two major factors - one is where you are sitting in the current championship, how threatened you are and what you can achieve.

"If you are in a solid third place and unlikely to get second but unlikely to drop to fourth, more or less as we were last year, you can think about turning your attention to the following year. If you are fighting, like we are doing this year, then you have got to keep the development."

He added: "There is nothing wrong with keeping the development going if it is all applicable to next year's car, unfortunately this time there is very little that is applicable to next year's car. Next year's car is a very, very different animal, completely different aerodynamic rules, the KERS system, slick tyres - lot of things that will make it a very different car. So it is all the more important that we start early on it.

"And it makes it a very hard for us to do. We are a big team but we are not big enough to handle two major projects and some of the people who are maybe struggling this year, for example Honda, are pushing a lot more effort into next year than we have been able to. We may see a little bit of a shake-up of the establishment next year."

Although Renault currently lie seventh in the constructors' championship, Symonds has faith that development work first introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix will see them come good.

"We have gone from Australia where we had a car that was definitely not the car we wanted, nor the car we needed, to a car that is a great deal better," he said.

"All the things that were put in place to make the car better are still in place and still producing results, so in terms of performance I feel very confident.

"But I am a little bit more concerned by the fact we are not finishing races for various reasons and that is where we have to concentrate as well."

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Mosley declines compromise deal

A determined Max Mosley has refused a compromise deal that, in exchange for him stepping down as FIA president this November, would have guaranteed a confidence vote for him in next week's General Assembly meeting.

Mosley is facing a vote of confidence in Paris on June 3 on whether he should carry on as FIA president after the sex scandal that has erupted following a News of the World story in April.

Following recent moves by the FIA's Automobile Mobility and Tourism chiefs to try to convince him to step down, the FIA's deputy president Franco Lucchesi and Region 1 president Werner Kraus tried to put a deal on the table that would alleviate fears of the FIA being damaged in next week's vote.

Japanese Automobile Federation chief Setsuo Tanaka warned in a recent leaked letter: "The World Council has unanimously agreed that we should avoid (a) vote of confidence at the Extraordinary General Assembly on 3 June, because if President Mosley would get no-confidence, it would mean disaster to him, and on the contrary, if President Mosley would get confidence, it would mean disaster to the FIA."

Now, Lucchesi has written to members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism claiming that the compromise deal was offered to Mosley to try to get the matter sorted before next week's secret ballot.

The letter, distributed earlier this week and seen by autosport.com, said: "The compromise would have implied a renewed and unanimous confidence declaration towards President Mosley, together with a written communication from the President himself announcing his intention to resign starting from November 2008.

"The President would have left almost all public representation of the FIA to the two Deputy Presidents. This compromise would have prevented us from being divided on a confidence vote that the WCAM&T members esteemed to be negative in any case."

Lucchesi says he and Kraus explained the situation to Mosley, who, as autosport.com predicted, made it clear that he was not interested in the compromise offer and that he fully intended to stay on as FIA president until the end of his mandate in 2009.

The letter added: "Though acknowledging the worries expressed and the proposed solution, President Mosley reiterated his intention of requesting a confidence vote for reasons already summarised in the recent letter he sent to all the FIA Club Presidents. We could do nothing but take note of his determination."

Mosley wrote to FIA Club Presidents before the Monaco Grand Prix warning them that the governing body risks losing control of F1 if he is forced out.

He said it was vital he stayed on board to continue negotiations with F1's commercial rights holders - and made it clear he would hand over public duties to his Deputy Presidents anyway.

His refusal to accept the Lucchesi compromise indicates both his firmness to carry on, and his belief that he will win next week's vote without the need for such deals being put in place.

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Sutil vindicates Mallya's faith

Force India team owner Vijay Mallya believes his faith in Adrian Sutil has been vindicated by the German's outstanding performance in the Monaco Grand Prix.

According to the Indian billionaire, Sutil has earned his place in Formula One after nearly scoring the team's first points with an extraordinary run to fourth place in the rain-affected Monte Carlo race, before he was hit by Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari.

"Adrian Sutil has a lot of ability and talent, and we're glad and proud to have him in our team," said Mallya.

"Some people started questioning my decision to keep him when he didn't finish a few races at the start of the season, but I think he has more than redeemed himself."

Mallya also paid tribute to his team and cited their one-stop strategy as a key contributing factor to what was, by far, Force India's most competitive performance to date.

"The race strategy was right, the set-up was right, and to see a Force India car running fourth in Monaco was a great pleasure while it lasted," he said. "We were seven minutes from home. It was unfortunate, but I guess that's what racing is all about.

"I can't say that I'm not feeling sad, because I am, but we'll get over it and we'll take away a lot of positives."

"Our strategy was one stop, we filled ourselves up with fuel," he added. "I told both drivers to stay out of trouble on lap one. We have normally started very well and had incidents on the first lap, so I said stay right out of trouble, take your time, you're going to go for a one-stop strategy, bring both cars home.

"We knew that we were good in the wet, Adrian has demonstrated that before as well, and everything worked to perfection until that fateful moment."

Mallya admitted that the sight of Sutil trailing back to the pits with a broken rear suspension brought tear to his eyes.

"I was [nearly crying], and so were many of us actually." he said. "I've had quite a lot of SMS messages and phone calls from supporters in India, all of whom are I think highly emotional. But such things happen in racing, that's what I've been telling everyone. F1 wouldn't be F1 if it wasn't as unpredictable as it is."

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Vettel not judging new car's pace yet

Sebastian Vettel thinks it will take another two races to gauge how much of a step forward Scuderia Toro Rosso can expect with their new car, despite his point-scoring finish in Monaco.

The Faenza-based outfit introduced their new STR3 for the first time in Monaco and, after recovering from a difficult time in practice getting to grips with its characteristics, Vettel scored a fifth-placed finish.

But although the team had a better than expected start with the new machine, Vettel believes that it will take the Canadian and French Grands Prix to give his team an indication of just how competitive they can be.

"I was very pleased with the pace in Monaco," Vettel told autosport.com. "It was the first time with the new car, and I think we managed better and better with it.

"The race was very chaotic, so it was hard to judge the car's performance. So we will see this more in the next race, and at Magny-Cours, which is the next proper circuit."

Vettel said the key to his points-scoring finish in Monaco was simply staying out of trouble on a day that many of his rivals hit each other or hit the barriers.

"It was extremely difficult," he said. "The conditions were really tough, but it's a good result for us. It was all about staying on the circuit and not making any mistakes."

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Q and A with Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato was left heartbroken and without a racing seat following the demise of the Super Aguri team.

The Japanese driver admitted that even the sound of the racing cars running near his home at Monaco made him sad.

But Sato is determined to fight back and find a way to return to F1.

Autosport.com heard from Sato during his visit to the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend.

Takuma Sato: "There is no specific announcement today but since the Spanish GP I have been out of sight so I thought it may be an opportunity to meet again, but since I have no pass any more it was made possible by Bridgestone.

"I am ok, but of course I am disappointed that I can not race here. For two and a half years I had been with the team, right from the beginning and it is pure sadness I feel now. However I would like to let you know I am not intending to retire, but in what form I can come back in I do not know yet."

Q. What have you been doing since the demise? Where have you been?

TS: "After Barcelona, I was talking to Aguri san on a regular basis and through my manager Aguri san contacted me on Monday to say that there would be a conference (in Tokyo) where he would announce that he would stop the racing operation. Until then I did as much as I could to help.

"I am sure it had been really hard for Aguri san, and I really felt the hardship he had been going through so I did not have any words to say to him. I just had to accept the decision, I could not even ask why at that stage, that would not have helped anything.

"During the weekend Turkey, I came home to Monaco but the historic cars event was on in Monaco so the whole place was live with it, and it reminded me too much of racing so I decided to stay with some friends for joint birthday parties for the kids in Nice. Until now so I have just been spending time with my family.

"At that point the harsh reality had not hit me that I am not racing any longer, and really it was only when I heard the cars that it hit me."

Q. What did you discuss with [Honda's operating officer Hiroshi] Oshima san? Anything specific about the future?

TS: "That was the reason I went there. No plan as yet. It is a blank sheet of paper. I did feel they would like to be associated with me but that does not necessarily relate to their F1 project. I have my own ideas and before I went over to see him (Oshima) I did already tell him of my feelings but I wanted to see him in person.

"I believe I can bring out my best performance. I proved what I could do with Aguri. I am still competitive so I am looking for a way to come back to F1."

Q. Any contacts from anyone else so far?

TS: "For the past two years I have been putting everything into Aguri, so nothing from F1 but contacts have been made. There has been quite a few offers from non-F1 categories, but like I said, I would like to concentrate on F1. My manager will take care of it. I have been working with Honda for some time and O would like to continue."

Q. How soon are we talking about? This year? 2009?

TS: "If there is an opportunity I want to race now! But I am not that desperate to race at any cost this season. If there is a chance I would like to, but if 2009 is better opportunity I will wait. I would not like to rush out to make a hasty decision. I would like a proper opportunity, and if testing is required (for 2009) then I am prepared to test."

Q. There have been rumours linking you with Renault? Any truth in that?

TS: "As a driver I do welcome such rumours. I think this time last year I was going to replace Ralf in Toyota. When I am ready I will let you know."

Q. What is the criteria for your return to the F1 cockpit?

TS: "Personally I would like to use the experience. The Aguri team was about to jump into the next level and at least I would like to be in a position where I can get some points. If my desire can coincide with the team's desire that will be great, but at the moment, there is nothing concrete."

Q. Aguri was very tearful and emotional in the Tokyo conference...

TS: "Yes, I have been told. Aguri san by nature is a cheerful guy, with a dry sense of humour and I am sure that is how he has behaved with you for all these years.

"But the nature of the conference in Tokyo was quite serious. I think he did try his best not to show his emotions but as a member of the team I know how hard it had been so I do feel how he must have felt, so I have no words to say to him. I really don't know what to say.

"About 100 of us joined him in his dream to start a team, and if I think about every member of the team, one by one, my emotions are really overwhelmed. It is not only a matter of racing or not.

"Yes, I am unhappy that I can't race, but looking at an even bigger picture, I think about all these people losing their precious job, and their means to live... and I do feel that if I was the one who had decided to retire it would be a different story but it is not.... These people who once shared the dream together are left in the lurch and that I cannot do much about it. It does really hurt."

Q. Should there be an offer to test for Honda, would you take it?

TS: "It depends on the conditions, it is not my target to test. If there is a possibility to get a regular drive then I will be prepared to test. It is how I feel at the moment."

Q. Are you more motivated than before?

TS: "It cannot go any higher. My motivation was high enough already. I don't know how to express it. When I saw (the announcement), it was not exactly the sadness, I got more frustrated. But is it not the frustration I experienced being the last one on the grid. It was not a pleasant sensation."

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Q and A with Adrian Sutil

Q. Can you put into words your feeling on that? To be so close to such a great result..

Adrian Sutil: I am just disappointed. It is hurting so much. We did a great race and we made no mistakes. We did a perfect strategy, everything went well. We did fastest laptimes during the race, and the performance was great for this car. For Force India this was an absolute highlight over the past few years.

So it just ended very, very sadly. Everybody was close to crying because it is just such a bad situation. Kimi had problems and crashed into my rear and destroyed my race. All the work we did in the race was for nothing in the end.

Q. Did Kimi talk to you about what happened?

AS: He apologised, so he is a great sportsman. He is a very good driver and I have to accept it. It was not done on purpose and it can happen to everybody. I have to live with it and just go on to the next race.

Q. Was it just a racing accident?

AS: Yes, it was just a racing accident. Absolutely. It was not like he was braking too late and crashing into my car. He lost the car, the conditions were very tricky so we cannot say he made a mistake. He just lost the car.

Q. What were you thinking before the accident? That you were going to be in the points?

AS: Exactly. I just thought to myself that there were seven minutes to go - just bring it home and take these points. I thought it was close to happening. But it didn't.

Q. After the disappointment of the last few races, this must give you some encouragement though?

AS: Yes. Still, it was a big boost and a very good boost for me. I started the season with some problems. The last races went better and better, especially here in Monaco – my favourite track. Everyone was perfect. Qualifying was not that great but better than the last races – and the race was just fantastic.

Q. Did you think when you drove the car around to the pits that you might be able to continue?

AS: No, the rear suspension was broken – so there was no chance to go on. After the chicane, after he hit me, I thought I could go on. But then suddenly the rear suspension was broken and I had to try and get the car back to the pits.

Q. What was the feeling when you got back there and it was over?

AS: It was just incredible. And you cannot believe it. You think it is just a bad dream that you are in – but it is reality and it really hurts.

Q. What will you do tonight?

AS: I don't know yet. I have to go in my room and think about everything. I am still disappointed.

Q. Did you realise that Kimi Raikkonen was closing in on you?

AS: On the braking, you are more concentrated to get the corner. The braking was difficult for everybody – the tyres were cold and the car felt quite oversteery on the braking. In the end, I saw suddenly a red mirror and it was too late. He crashed into me as I had no chance to go anywhere else.

Q. Were you scared?

AS: During this incident? Well it was a surprise really because when I turned into the corner I didn't expect he would hit me. I saw something red and thought it was normal. But he was too fast and he crashed into me.

Q. Monte Carlo seems to be a good track for you?

AS: Yes. I was first in free practice last year. I have good memories here, and I still have the F3 record here when I drove with Lewis in 2005. It is one of my favourite tracks, especially in the rain. It is just a driving circuit here, you can show your potential even with a slower car. That was the case today and I think we did quite well.

Q. Do you think there is more chance of points in the future?

AS: These were special conditions. I think it will be very difficult again in normal conditions in the dry – we don't have a chance at the moment and we need to find some updates to improve the car. That is where we have to concentrate on. Just try to forget this race. There were many positive things, go on with our work and try to get to the front.

Q. Is it a boost to your confidence?

AS: For sure, yeah. This was an amazing race for myself and it was a big boost. It was like last year, but this one was even better. I had so many laps, I was racing other cars and doing fastest laps. It was one of my best races.

Q. Do you take some heart from the fact that the crowd were applauding you when you got back to the paddock?

AS: Yeah. It is nice. I think my fan club was here! They were very happy about it, so it is nice. In this situation you need the fans, you need the help to survive and to come up again. I think our team is strong, we are holding together and it is confident.

Q. Will it be easy to move on from this?

AS: I have to go on. I have no other choice. For sure in the next week I will think about, and will be very sad about it. I have to try and forget it and take my next chance.

Q. Do you think you could have kept Kimi behind you?

AS: Yes, I think so. Actually, my pace in the dry was quite competitive and there was just a dry line. So you could not go side-by-side. If you try to overtake, you go on the wet and you lose the car. I think we would have brought it home for sure – there were only seven minutes, five laps to go.

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TV Unilaterals

Q. Lewis, an eventful day from start to finish. Let's begin at the beginning. It was a good start into P2 and then a little bit close to the wall at Tabac corner.

Lewis Hamilton: I was able to get a good start and felt comfortable at the beginning. I knew that I had a good car underneath me and I knew that I would be able to challenge Felipe at some point. I could not really see anything, so I just stayed in second because there was so much spray, so you can't see if it is raining more or less. Through turn 12, Tabac, there was a sort of river coming through and as I was catching Felipe I hit this river and just oversteered and just slid across into the barrier.

I couldn't believe it and I knew I had only just touched it and I had a rear puncture and fortunately I was able to tell the team quickly and they were able to react as quickly as possible and get out. They did a fantastic job and without them I wouldn't have been able to do it today.

Q. And then two other events took place. The safety car came out shortly afterwards which allowed you to regain some of that time and then you were able to switch strategies and as the weather changed that played into your hands.

LH: It did. When the weather is like this, when it starts to rain and we had an idea it was going to start to dry, the important thing is to keep it on the track but I can't explain how difficult it was for all of us. You were aquaplaning all the time and you were tip-toeing almost.

But fortunately the strategy, obviously we had to change it, and it worked into my hands. The pace I had was ridiculous. I had one second on people for the majority of the race and it was quite easy and so I was comfortable setting that pace and I was asking the team 'do I need to go quicker' and they said slower. There was a point when I was 40 seconds ahead and I just said ‘ok, 20 more laps, keep the gap the same.' Then the safety car came out.

Q. It was by no means over as you still had a decision to make about whether to go to dries or perhaps to stay on intermediates. Then the Nico Rosberg incident with shards on the track, potential punctures, and then the restart behind the safety car.

LH: I said it was going to be an eventful race. I hope Nico is okay. The team came over the radio and said he should be okay. For sure that looked like a big shunt. But with the safety car coming out near the end I lost that big back, but fortunately with the tyres I was on, the team came across the radio and said you still have 13 laps and I was thinking the track is getting drier and there is a long way to go. But I managed to look after them and I think that is what gave us the win. I could stay on them for as long as I wanted.

Q. And what was it like at the restart with the pressures and temperatures down a bit?

LH: I seemed to do a good job. I am used to it. Remember last year in Canada I had to do the same thing, so it was no sweat. I think everyone probably struggled getting the tyres back up to temperature but I was fortunate enough to build a good gap and I just kept it nice and cool at the end. But I was counting down the laps and it took a long, long time.

Q. Robert, a great drive for you and leading the race for a long time. But basically on that two stop strategy it was difficult I guess to compete with Lewis who effectively switched to the one stopper.

Robert Kubica: I mean we started the race by fighting too low pressures and I was struggling a lot with the first three or four laps. Fortunately then I was much quicker than Kimi Raikkonen but I couldn't overtake. When you are running behind some car you can't see anything. Then Felipe had a little mistake in corner one, so I was leading.

In the second stint I got a lot of graining on the rear tyres and Felipe just came out after his one pit-stop in front of me and he was much heavier although he was pulling away and then the graining on the rear tyres got better and I was lapping two to three seconds quicker than him, but couldn't overtake him.

Fortunately Timo Glock was in front of us with grooved tyres and when I saw he was much quicker than us I just called the team to change tyres and fortunately we did it quicker than Felipe and I managed to overtake him. I think it is quite a lot of miracles that I finished the race. It was a very hard race for me and I think second place was the maximum with our performance this weekend. I am very happy.

Q. Felipe, you liked turn one in qualifying where it did the job for you but in the race not so lucky.

Felipe Massa: For sure, a lot of us had a little moment there. In a race like that it is so easy to have a small off through concentration or whatever. I just braked over the line and I couldn't stop the car because you have the line going out from the pits. I just braked a little bit over the line and I just couldn't stop the car. From then I had a very difficult race as I lost the radio for 20 laps and I couldn't talk to my team, I was just looking to the board and it was not so easy to know what was going on in the race.

In the first stint, even with this moment, I was so quick and able to put down a very good pace compared to Lewis and Robert. I knew that the strategy was working well and the car was perfect. Then suddenly we changed to one stop and put fuel to the end of the race. That was the big mistake because the track was getting drier and drier and we expected some more rain coming which the team told me but it didn't come.

Then by the time Robert stopped I wanted to stop again but it was a pretty difficult conversation with the team and me and it just took too long to come back again and change the tyres because I had fuel to the end of the race. It was a shame that we made a little mistake on the strategy but it is good to be on the podium.

The championship is long and I am happy with the result even though I expected the victory because we had a great car in the dry and a great strategy as maybe I was the last car to stop. I had a great car yesterday in qualifying and the race itself but unfortunately the strategy did not work.

Q. You were on the softest of the two Bridgestone at the restart. Did that give you a small advantage do you think?

FM: You mean on the dry? Q. Yes.

FM: I don't know. By that time the race was finished anyway. I just took the softs because in parts the track was still a little damp. Maybe the tyres were a little bit better to warm up and everything but I don't think there was a big difference between the soft and the hard range.

Q. Lewis, a clean sweep now - F3, GP2 and F1. You love this place. What does this victory mean to you?

LH: This has got to be the highlight of my career and I am sure it will continue to be the highlight for the rest of my life. I remember on the last few laps I was just thinking that Ayrton Senna won here a lot of times and to win here would be amazing. But I know anything can happen here and I have to just keep it out of the barriers.

But I have to say a big thank you to all of my team back home and over here. You did a fantastic job. And to all my fans – I know I have got a lot of fans here and also back home – I did it for all of you and especially my family who have been here supporting me all weekend and to my mum, lots of love Mum.

Press Conference

Q. Lewis, what's it like to win the Monaco Grand Prix?

LH: Incredible. An incredible feeling, very emotional. The last 20 laps were very emotional and I was just trying to keep emotions in and keep the car on the track and just believing I can do it, I can do it. No more safety cars and just bring it home and as I have already said time and time again I have got a lot of belief in myself and the team but here you just need to have things going the right way and today it went my way, so I am very, very fortunate.

Q. Does this rank right at the very top of them?

LH: This is the best win ever, for sure. Even if I was to win here again, which I plan on doing, this is the best one. The first one. Just getting to F1 and going to Monaco and winning the Grand Prix. Even though I didn't get pole position I just stayed optimistic and brought it home. The guys did a good job as you could see and it was the most fun I have had in a race ever.

Q. It was fun in spite of all of the interruptions and the difficult conditions?

LH: Yeah, the wet was tough, it was so tough in the wet. As you could see I hit the wall and I couldn't believe it. I was easily in second and easily good enough to win the race from there and I touched the wall but fortunately the team reacted so quickly, as I told them when I was in turn 12 at the time. I told them straight off and they got everything ready and it was a very smart bunch of guys who reacted. Just incredible.

Q. Were you surprised that you just lost three places?

LH: I was but I sort of had the feeling that because the people were behind us they wouldn't be able to see anything because I couldn't see anything and I was just behind Felipe. But for sure I was surprised as you don't know what is going to happen and I didn't know if I was going to come back in tenth or maybe worse. But I came back in fifth or something like that. I didn't really know the gap at the front and I was also a lot heavier, so I was just doing the best job I could to look after the tyres and keep it on the track.

Q. For the sake of clarity, you obviously took fuel on and what tyres did you come out on?

LH: When I came in for my first stop which was the forced error stop we went to standard wets – the same set of tyres – and we fuelled obviously very heavy, so we could have gone a lot longer if we needed to. But we took our time at the end. As the track dried out they said there was no need to come in this lap as I have got plenty of life in these cars, so we can continue and that's what we did. We came in, went back out and I had 40 second lead and I just took it easy. It was so easy to get excited and push and push and push but I just had to take it easy. But I was enjoying it.

Q. Robert, you had quite a few battles with Felipe during the whole race.

RK: Yeah, we started from the third row and the car was okay, but nothing fantastic. The first few laps I was struggling a lot as we were not expecting so much rain. I had the pressure as Fernando Alonso was trying to overtake me and I was struggling a lot but then once the tyres started working I managed to close the gap to Kimi and I was around one-and-a-half seconds quicker but I couldn't overtake him and behind him it was impossible to overtake him.

Unfortunately for him Kimi got a drive-through penalty, so I had a free track. I was lapping a bit quicker than Felipe and when he did the mistake I was leading the race. It was really, really difficult as the car was sliding everywhere but I think for everybody it was the same, so I was just trying to do as less mistakes as possible. After the first pit stop I was struggling with graining on the rear tyres and Felipe managed to stay ahead of me after his first pit stop.

He was much heavier even though he was pulling away, then suddenly the tyres started working again and I closed massively the gap to Felipe, in two laps something like five seconds. I was much quicker but again I couldn't overtake. I was lucky that Glock came out from the pits with grooved tyres and as soon as I saw that he was lapping two seconds quicker I told the team to put grooved tyres which we did and that's why we overtook Felipe in the pit stops.

Q. About the time that everyone changed to dries, there was a weather warning that it was going to rain in seven minutes. How confusing was that?

RK: Yeah, I didn't know this and I was pretty upset with the team. I was nearly shouting because I wanted to stop even earlier because when you see that Glock (was pulling away) by nearly two seconds a lap and I was racing with Felipe, at that time I didn't even know that Lewis was still in front of us, so for me, I was fighting for first place.

I was just intending to stop and we did, we stopped earlier than him, I think a couple of laps earlier, that's why we overtook him and then I saw on the board that Lewis was leading, but he was miles in front. At that point, we were happy with second place and it was a great race.

Q. Felipe, you had a couple of battles with Robert, you caught one another two or three times during the race.

FM: Yeah. I think the main thing about the race was that we took a gamble. As you said, we had some warning about the rain in twenty or twenty-five minutes, but by that time the track was drying, before my first stop and then we filled up the tank, so I basically had the strategy for one stop. Because I was very heavy, I was able to stop on lap 30-odd, I was able to fill the tank to go to the end of the race.

We put on new fresh rain tyres, waiting for the rain because the weather had been pretty correct before, so we were waiting for the rain, with the right strategy to finish the race, and with a good chance of finishing in front. But then I was pretty heavy, the track was getting drier and drier. I picked up a lot of graining on the tyres. They had very worn tyres already because they stopped earlier than me and then I lost all chances of fighting for victory, seeing that Lewis was pretty light with nice tyres for those conditions, a dry line.

I had a lot of graining, so I lost all chances of fighting with him. And then Robert stopped one lap before to put on grooved tyres. I was still in discussion with my team to see if it was going to rain or not, because I wanted to stop as well. But I think it was a little mistake on the strategy today which didn't help us fighting for victory but at the end of the day, it was a good result to finish third and bringing home six points in a very difficult race like that, so I'm happy.

Q. But after yesterday you were hoping for better?

FM: Yeah, after yesterday with a very heavy car to get pole position, it was surely one of the best pole positions of my career, and today everything was in the right direction to fight for victory as well. We were fighting, because I was very very quick at the beginning when it was very wet and I was even pulling away. Then I knew that Lewis had a problem but then everything turned when the track started to dry and we had a lot of problems when we stopped and put a lot of fuel in the car.

Questions From The Floor

Q. (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) Two things, Lewis. First of all, you were very hoarse, your voice sounded as if it had gone, so I wondered what had happened on the slow-down lap, were you doing a lot of shouting on the way round, and what were you thinking when you hit the wall? Did you think your chance of victory had gone then?

LH: Yeah, my in-lap... or rather from the last corner onwards, I was screaming my head off basically, making sure the radio was off, but just so happy that I was able to pull it off. When I hit the wall, I guess it's just basic instinct, you still remain optimistic and I still thought, OK, I can still win. It was just unknown, you know?

I just had to come in, didn't lose too much time on the lap, and then I came into the pits and I came out still in fifth or fourth, so I was thinking ‘OK, well, we can still do it, just don't do it again.' I don't believe that it was down to luck in the incident that I didn't do any more damage.

I wasn't pushing that much and I only just tapped the barrier with the rear tyre and so it was only the rear tyre or the rear rim that had gone but for sure, at this sort of track you need to have a bit of luck, you need to be in the right place at the right time and obviously, exactly that happened. I had to come in, went back out and I was in the right place at the right time, where I was able to utilise that, use my tyres, use the fuel that I had to get out in front.

Q. (Frederic Ferrett – L'Equipe) Lewis, on Wednesday when you arrived, you said that you would do everything to win today. What were the other things you did during this weekend to clinch the win?

LH: Well, I do everything to win all the time but as I came into this weekend, I said to you all that this is my favourite circuit, this is the one that I would want to win more than any other race in the world.

That's just because I have been watching it for years and watching the old races and as I said earlier, Ayrton won here so many times and I've always wanted to… if he could win here, that means the best drivers have been able to win here, so I wanted to be able to do the same. The team did an even better job than they always do and I think that even though I touched the barrier, I think I did a better job than I have done in the past.

Q. (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Lewis, you talked about Ayrton and the memories you have. Would this be the one single dream, from the time you were a boy, that you saw yourself living out, when you were a six-year old, seeing yourself going round these streets and winning?

LH: Definitely, definitely. Even when I was younger, this was the favourite track, just because you had the tunnel, you had coming through the swimming pool, I think it just looks spectacular and so automatically it became my favourite race, not knowing that street circuits were the best, and then I got here and then experienced it for the first time in 2005 and I was like ‘wow, this is by far the best track.'

Obviously I won in 2005 and I knew I could do it then, 2006 and very very close to it last year, but we qualified third and I remained optimistic and I believed that it was possible but with the rain, we didn't know what was going to happen. As we saw last year in China, your tyres go bald and you can go off easily or you can hit the wall as I did today. I guess just everything went right.

Q. (Jason Barlow – Top Gear) Lewis, I asked you 24 hours ago if, if it was a wet race, were you going to modify your driving style. Did you do that, and exactly how difficult was it out there?

LH: Yeah, we automatically modify our driving styles for the wet. You can't brake anywhere near as late, you have to adjust the brake balance, you can't downshift at the same point, you have to look for the driest line, you're constantly aquaplaning and you've got spray in your face, so you can't even see where the rivers are.

You're just trying to be as sensitive as possible and pick up every little movement of the car. Usually when it's dry, you can rely on the car being stable in most places, but it was very tough. Everyone was in the same boat. Until my shunt, my touch of the barrier, Felipe had probably done a better job up until then, but once I came out of the pits, I think I got my act together and pulled my socks up.

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Lewis, you mentioned Ayrton. He effectively owned this track during his time in racing. Do you believe that, with this win now, you can start a similar era here perhaps?

LH: It would be great but I think that this weekend has shown that anything can happen. I'm not going to say that next year I'm going to win it. Next year I'm going to aim to come back and win it, but again, anything can happen. I hope this is the start of something very special, yeah.

Q. (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Felipe, last year we saw that McLaren was unbeatable here in Monaco and today you said you had a good chance to win the race. Do you think in Canada Ferrari will be stronger than last year?

FM: Yeah, yeah, because today they were not unbeatable. We had a great pace in the rain, in the dry as well, but with all the circumstances, we were not able to fight with him, also because we made a kind of mistake on the strategy and we were waiting for the rain which didn't come. It was a little bit of a gamble.

Sometimes a gamble on this track works perfectly, sometimes it doesn't work and the weather forecast had been perfect most of the time, and it didn't work when we really expected that it would rain again. I don't think they were unbeatable here and we have the same feelings for Montreal, so the championship is very open. We have a good car, a good team and it's not this race which will change our possibilities to fight.

Q. (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Lewis, will you be DJ-ing tonight, will you be on the decks?

LH: It depends what the conditions are like. I think we're going to have some fun. As I said, I've got my family here, so hopefully we will go to dinner and hopefully with all the team. A funny thing: Ron came on the radio…

My engineer said ‘drinks are on you tonight' and I was just about to reply and say ‘no problem' and then Ron said ‘don't worry, I'll pay for the drinks.' Even better! So tonight we're going to have a good time, but bearing in mind we need to remain focused for the next race, as we want to continue, it's always good to continue with the momentum you have.

Q. (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) Robert, you have a mathematical chance to be leader of the championship in Canada, but do you see yourself in the title championship and do you think you can keep this gap small until the end of the championship?

RK: Well, I'm trying to do my best. We also have to see that if in Australia I had finished, we would have at least six points more and the worst race result would be fourth place, so I don't think that's bad. But to be honest, we are there with such a lot of points because we are the most consistent team and driver in the championship. I have been taking the maximum from the car in every race, I think and maybe some qualifying laps like the second run here was not the best one, but I still managed to stay very close to McLaren and Ferrari, which was not easy.

I think our car here was not what we were expecting, at least what I was expecting, looking at last year's performance, last year's experience. I would even risk saying that we had a better car here last year than this year. But still, the circumstances were good for us. I did a very good race, I think with a lot of miracles to bring the car home and second place is a great result for myself and for the team.

Q. (Frederic Ferrett – L'Equipe) Lewis, winning here in the rain and in the circumstances, does it give you more feeling and more happiness than a straightforward win in the sun?

LH: Yeah, I think winning a race here from pole position and just walking away from it, is definitely not as good as starting on P3, with wet conditions with all the dramas that went on throughout the race: probably one of the most exciting races that I've experienced and especially with the incident that I had, it definitely makes it even more satisfying to win.

Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) You said it was the race of your life, Lewis. I wonder if you have any commiserations for your friend Adrian Sutil who also had the race of his life this afternoon but ended up without any points at all.

LH: (Details are explained) Really? Shoot. Really? So they were both out. Jeez. I didn't know that. What I can say? Adrian's a really good friend of mine. He's very well known for having a very strong head on his shoulders, so I'm sure he will bounce back from that. He needs good showings like that, and I very much support him and hope that he continues the momentum he has now, and tries to improve.

Q. (Richard Williams – The Guardian) Lewis, you got a very good start, but the first five laps, until you brushed the wall, Felipe seemed to be easing away from you. How did you feel at that time? Did you think you had the speed or the strategy to win the race?

LH: I felt that we had the speed. I was right behind him and almost all over him. I thought it was better to ease off and take my time, because I didn't really know what the track was like, so for the first few laps I was quite happy.

And then he started putting the hammer down and I realised ‘yeah, we need to pick up the pace,' and as I began to do that I started to close the gap and then I touched the wall and that was your dreams all down the drain for a split second but I remained optimistic and came into the pits and I was just shocked that I came out in such a good place. I wasn't disheartened by it. I knew I was able to still compete, at least. I wasn't down in tenth and driving in eighth place for one point. I was up there with the top guys.

Pedrosa blames tyres for race slump

Q and A with Stefano Domenicali

Raikkonen laments lost track time

McLaren bullish on chances for Monaco

Sutil hailed as the 'hero' of Monaco

Adrian Sutil has been hailed as the 'hero' of the Monaco Grand Prix by his team boss Colin Kolles after nearly scoring the best result of his F1 career.

Sutil looked on course for a sensational fourth-placed finish on the streets of Monte Carlo when he was forced out of the race after being hit from behind by Kimi Raikkonen just a few laps from home.

And although he and several team members were reduced to tears by the heartbreak of the incident, Kolles has no doubts that Sutil's performance was the star show of the afternoon.

"After the race he was in tears," Kolles told autosport.com. "But it was not only him (crying), there were a lot of people. I told him: 'You are the hero of the race'. That's my opinion and I think people will recognise this."

Sutil's performance in Monaco could not have come at a better time, with questions being asked about the German's abilities after a difficult start to the season.

However, Kolles insists the team never had any concerns about Sutil's performances in the first few races.

"Adrian started the season a little bit of a difficult way," explained Kolles. "But he had always had the backing of the team and me personally, so there was no uncertainty.

"We knew that he had to catch up in certain things and he built it up. And Monaco is one of his favourite tracks, so if the conditions were right then something special could happen. And we were very, very close to something special."

When asked if he felt that the Monaco performance could act as a spring board to improved results in the future, Kolles said: " Oh yes, for sure. Obviously we have to push for a better car. We cannot hope that every race will be wet.

"We still have Canada, which could be a potentially good race, we have Spa, we have Fuji. There are some more races to come for sure and we hope we can have a better car."

And Kolles also refused to criticise Raikkonen for the crash - with the Ferrari driver having lost control of his car on the first lap after a safety car restart.

"I don't have to blame Kimi. He did a mistake, it's a race incident and there's nothing more to say. It's unfortunate that it was Kimi, who is a friend, and that it happened with him. But what can I say, that's life."

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Senna proud of Monaco victory

New Valencia track secures GP2 race

Sutil reprimanded for passing under yellow

BMW predict strong race in Monaco

Monaco Sunday quotes: Honda

Rubens Barrichello - 6th: "It feels great to be back in the points today and I'm really happy for myself and for the team. We had a good race, however it was unfortunate that I was held up by Trulli for so long early on, otherwise it could have been even better.

"I'm glad to get the monkey off my back in terms of scoring points as it has been quite a wait, but I never lost the faith. We are capable of good points results and I hope this is the start of a stronger period for us. We just need to keep our heads down and keep pushing forward."

Jenson Button - 11th: "My race today was really disappointing. I had a bad start and dropped a couple of places after getting caught on the inside of turn one. I got round the outside of Rubens in the hairpin and Webber after the tunnel going into the chicane.

"I was alongside Heidfeld through the Swimming Pool when he overshot the corner. On the exit, I thought there was enough space for me to go down the inside but there wasn't and I touched his rear wheel with my nose, breaking my front wing and damaging the bargeboards. So unfortunately that was my race compromised on the first lap.

"Later in the race, I got hit from behind by Kovalainen which damaged the rear and spun me off at the chicane. So it was a messy race and I'm disappointed as we should have come away from here with some points given the pace of the car. However Rubens had a good drive and stayed out of trouble to bring points home for the team, so well done to him."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "Today's race was full of incident and attrition with Rubens doing a splendid job to keep clear of all the trouble and drive a very disciplined race into sixth place. Jenson's race had a setback when he collided with Heidfeld towards the end of the first lap, and as the race evolved, there was no opportunity for him to get back into the points despite showing great speed at times. It is satisfying to score points once again and our pace this weekend deserved it.

"We had a relatively incident free weekend which is always welcome at Monaco and set the stage for a good performance. Throughout practice we made good progress with the car and were competitive in all conditions. The disappointment was obviously qualifying where neither car made the top ten because of the yellow flags which resulted from Coulthard's accident.

"The wet race provided the drama we needed to get a car into the points and we are thankful for that. We now move on to Montreal which is a very different type of racetrack. We will have a new low downforce package and a number of new parts therefore we look forward to improving the car a little further.

Kawasaki riders rue disappointing results

Senna name wins again at Monaco

Theissen backs Heidfeld to fight back

Monaco preview quotes: BMW

Sutil reprimanded for passing under yellow

Force India driver Adrian Sutil has been cautioned for overtaking under yellow flags during the rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix.

Sutil and the team's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne were summoned to the steward's office after the race, and the German was reprimanded for passing Rubens Barrichello, Kazuki Nakajima and Nelson Piquet on lap 13.

A statement read: "The stewards do warn the driver of car no.20 as to his future behaviour in relation to appendix H, Chapter 2, Article 4.1.2b of the International Sporting Code."

Gascoyne also indicated to UK broadcaster ITV that he had contacted the stewards in relation to the incident that eliminated Sutil from the race.

The 25-year-old was heading for a career-best fourth-placed finish when Kimi Raikkonen collided with him after losing control under braking for the chicane.

Grosjean accepts stewards’ penalty

Sutil relieved after blackmail attempt

Fisichella eyeing point in 200th F1 race

Q and A with Kimi Raikkonen

Monaco Sunday quotes: BMW

Robert Kubica - 2nd: "I am very happy with the result. I didn't expect us to have the pace to finish second. It was a great race with very difficult driving conditions, and we did not expect such heavy rain. I had visibility and tyre problems throughout the whole race. I was trying to do as few mistakes as possible, as it is very dangerous if you make a mistake here."

Nick Heidfeld - 14th: "After the awful qualifying yesterday the early laps of the race went very well for me, despite the tricky track conditions. I was up to fifth, but unfortunately Fernando Alonso made a mistake and crashed into the side of my car. This caused heavy damage to the left hand side of my car, and due to a puncture I had to pit. I was then last and, because of the damaged car, I had no chance at all to improve. It is a Sunday to forget. But this is not too easy."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "We expected a drama here in Monaco and the Weather God gave it to us. It was essential to continuously adjust our race strategy according to the weather and the incidents on the track. With Robert this worked perfectly, so he was able to move up from fifth on the grid to second. Nick had an exceptionally good start and had fought his way through to fifth when his car was damaged in a collision. This dropped him out of the points. It was our fourth podium in 2008 and a strong performance from the team."

Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "This was not a race for the nervous. The conditions at the start were very difficult. Because of the uncertainty over the weather it was crucial to make the right tyre decision for the first stint. Robert stayed cool and, even during the period with the worst visibility, he didn't make any mistake. We continuously had to adapt our strategy, so it was a true challenge for the engineers on the pit wall.

"Nick gained a lot of places after the start, and was doing well in the race in fifth when he was the victim of a crash and ended up at the back of the pack in a hopeless situation. After the fourth podium this year we are quite happy with the amount of points we have scored in the first third of the season."

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Senna proud of Monaco victory

Rossi confident of good race pace

Monaco Saturday quotes: Bridgestone

Monaco preview quotes: BMW

BMW predict strong race in Monaco

Q and A with Kimi Raikkonen

Q. Has it been a bad grand prix for you from the start?

Kimi Raikkonen: Yes. It was not one of the best races, but that is racing - sometimes it goes right and sometimes it goes wrong. I made some mistakes and the team made some mistakes, and we paid the price. But we will go to the next race and hope to do better.

Q. What about the incident with Adrian Sutil?

KR: Basically I just think my brakes were a bit too cold and I locked the rear. I nearly lost the car but unfortunately I hit him – and it is sad for them because they are not very often in the position to finish in the points. So, I feel a bit sorry for him – but I could not do anything. I tried to slow down but there was nowhere to go and nowhere to slow down – and I lost fifth place.

Q. It was a bad race for Ferrari, in terms of finishing positions and the fact that Lewis Hamilton is now leading the championship once again...

KR: Yeah, I mean it has not been a perfect weekend for us, and we are not leading the championship any more. But we have been in much worse situations before and it is not the end of the world. There are so many races to go, and so many things can happen still. I think we have good speed in the car as long as we get everything right – and today everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It is a shame, but that is racing.

Q. Did you misjudge your braking distance with Adrian?

KR: I don't think so. It was just a racing incident. I just locked the rear brakes on the bump and you cannot really slow the car after that. There was nowhere to go, and not enough space to try and avoid him.

Q. There was also the incident at the beginning of the race with your tyres. What happened there? Was it a late call?

KR: It wasn't a late call. We started to put the tyres on earlier than the others, but unfortunately they had some problems with the wheel nut on one of the rear wheels and they could not get the wheel nut on. By the time they got the new one on it was under three minutes, so from that moment on it started to go wrong. And after that, everything went wrong. It was a shame that we lost four points, because it can make a big difference, but these things happen.

Q. Why was your race pace so far off today?

KR: I just couldn't get the tyres working. After the safety cars, unfortunately we had the drive through and that made it difficult again. It just wasn't a very easy day.

Q. Do you feel sorry for Adrian about what happened?

KR: It is the same in my career. I would also like to have had the four points but as I said, he is not often going to be in that position to score a fourth place and for sure it was more painful for him than it was for me, and I am sorry for it. But for sure if I could have, I would have preferred not to hit him.

Q. Was this one of the worst races of your life?

KR: Well, I don't think it is the worst race. I did good races and others where I didn't finish one lap. So today, many things happened and it went wrong already in the first part – but unfortunate things happen. I made a mistake and we made a mistake together.

It is not what we wanted, but it is not the end of my life. I am not going to start crying and shouting. This is an early part of the season and so far the season has been pretty good, and at some point you are going to have bad times. But at least we had a little bit of gap to the others so it didn't hurt too much really – I am only a few points behind Lewis. It is the early season still and last year we were much further away.

Q. If you could say something to Adrian Sutil, what would you say?

KR: I said it already – I said I am sorry for him and his team because probably they are not going to be often in the position to score a fourth position. Plus it was in Monaco. So it was harder for him than for me, but it was a racing incident and I could not go anywhere. There wasn't much space and I could not slow down.

Q. Have you spoken to Adrian?

KR: No, I haven't seen him but when I see him I will say sorry. So probably a bit hard for him, but it is racing and you learn from it.

Q. Without traction control, how was it out there?

KR: It was difficult in wet conditions, but for me at least it was difficult to get the tyres working in the beginning. But you need to be careful, and unfortunately I made some mistakes.

Soucek to stand in for Herck at DPR

Drivers hit by penalties in Istanbul

Raikkonen not thinking of title yet

Sutil reprimanded for passing under yellow

Raikkonen: trouble-free practice is key

DC gets five-place grid penalty

David Coulthard is to be moved back five places on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix as the result of a gearbox change required after his qualifying crash.

The Red Bull Racing driver suffered a high-speed accident on the entry to the chicane after the tunnel - when his car snapped right as it crested the brow in the braking zone.

The RB4 clattered the wall, losing a wheel in the process, and Coulthard spun down the escape road before hitting the barriers at the end. Although banging his elbow in the crash, Coulthard escaped any serious injury and has been passed fit to race.

However, the damage to his car was sufficient for him to require a new gearbox – which means he will be moved back five places from the 10th place he secured in qualifying.

Coulthard is the third driver to be hit with a gearbox penalty – with Scuderia Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel and Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella also being given five place penalties.

Zuber faces 15-place grid penalty

Coulthard silent over F1 future

Kovalainen philosophical after unlucky day

Q and A with Timo Glock

Monaco Saturday quotes: Bridgestone

Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development: "Today was difficult for teams, drivers and Bridgestone as we had mixed weather conditions, although this has given us data for a variety of possible situations for tomorrow's race.

"In the morning, teams were able to run with the wet tyre, which is a different compound from that we have used elsewhere. Competitors could also confirm extreme wet tyre performance. The track surface is still relatively green here and there is not as much rubber down as we would have seen if there had only been dry running.

"Abrasion was worse than we saw on Thursday, and we are now analysing the wear rate, however initial predictions are that this will not be a problem for the race.

"Congratulations to Massa on taking his second consecutive pole position this season. On this circuit qualifying position and initial fuel load is very important, and I think we will see an exciting race."

Suppo stays positive despite problems

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Turkey Saturday quotes: McLaren

Monaco preview quotes: Honda

Prost worried about power struggle in F1

Four times Formula One world champion Alain Prost says he is concerned that grand prix racing could face troubled times if there is a power struggle over its control in the wake of the Max Mosley affair.

With tensions between Mosley and F1's commercial rights holders Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners having been made evident in letters to FIA members, there are concerns that strains between them could lead to difficulties in the future.

And Prost fears that such trouble could actually damage the sport if matters are not kept in check.

"It could be a danger if you have a big fight," Prost said during a visit to the Monaco Grand Prix, the first race that Mosley has attended since the News of the World made revelations about his private life.

"Because now is a perfect time to take the right decision for the future of Formula One. If there is a big problem, a big fight, it would not be good for the future, for sure.

"I could be worried [about a fight between Mosley and Ecclestone], because when you need to make the right decision in the next few weeks, there will be a big problem if there's a big war. That would not be good for the sport."

Prost has ruled out any interest in becoming FIA president himself, although said a role in a body that dealt purely with motor racing , and not automobiles, would be considered.

"Especially with all the manufacturers being involved, I think they should separate it, that has always been my idea," said Prost. "Then I could see myself finding a way of supporting the FIA on the sports [side].

"If there was only the sporting side, then I could see my job. I know what the FIA is, I know all about the World Motor Sport Council and the F1 Commission. But not [dealing] with the political side with all the countries around the world. Everything is possible because I still love and have the passion for the sport."

Prost said that the political side of F1 will always be an integral part of the sport, and cannot be ignored.

"Formula One cannot be less political because there is too much money and too many manufacturers involved," he said.

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Bernie Ecclestone's letter in full

22 May 2008

To all FIA Club Presidents

Dear President

The FIA President wrote a letter to you on 16 May 2008 (the Letter) in connection with the FIA Extraordinary General Assembly called on 3 June to consider allegations published about his private life.

The Letter makes statements that could lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate conclusions being drawn. We, the Formula One commercial rights holder (the CRH), are writing to you to ensure that you understand our position on matters raised in the Letter insofar as they relate to Formula One.

The CRH and the FIA

We support the FIA and recognise that it is, and should remain, the sole body governing International motor sport which governs the sporting organisation of the FIA Formula One World Championship (the Championship).

We recognise the obligation conferred upon the FIA by you, its membership, to safeguard its authority over all safety, sporting and technical matters relating to the Championship, as well as its traditional values.

We support and concur with the requirement of the European Commission that regulatory functions relating to international motor sport be separate from the associated commercial interests and that the FIA's role in Formula One should be that of the sporting regulator, uninvolved in its commercial exploitation.

We believe it is to the benefit of Formula One that the FIA should have a transparent and robust governance structure and that it should discharge its regulatory responsibilities in a fair, impartial and non-discriminatory manner, without external influence or interference, led by a credible and respected President (who should be chosen by the FIA's membership only).

We intend to continue to manage exclusively the commercial exploitation of Formula One within the established frameworks of the existing FIA Formula One Commercial Agreement and, in due course, the 100 Year Agreements.

100 Year Agreements

You will recall that this set of agreements (the 100 Year Agreements) was entered into between the FIA and SLEC Holdings Limited in April 2001. Those agreements are valid and binding on the parties and will in all material respects become operative in 2011.
They do not need to be altered or renegotiated unless both parties wish to do so.
There are some ambiguities in the drafting of these agreements, however, and we have sought discussions with the FIA President to clarify these points and to avoid unintended consequences.

We have also raised with him a number of other issues which we considered would improve the agreements without damaging the FIA' s interests, but we accept that is a matter for the FIA to judge, it is not obliged to make those concessions to us and should it consider it is against its interests to do so, we would be content to the leave the agreements in their present form and when the time comes, to operate within their existing scope, without amendments.

Formula One regulations

The CRH does not wish to have control over the Formula One regulations. We believe that the Formula One regulations should be drawn up by the Formula One Technical and Sporting Working Groups, subject to the approval of the FIA Formula One Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council. To the extent any changes to the Formula One regulations may have a material commercial impact on the CRH and its interests, such changes should be discussed and agreed with us.

Imprudent changes to the Formula One regulations, if adopted, could have a dramatic adverse impact on the attractiveness of the sport, to promoters, to broadcasters, to sponsors and to the fans; they could add significantly to the cost of participating in the Championship at a competitive level; they could also undermine or depart from the Championship's traditional values. We believe that a clear regulatory framework would minimise the risk of such problems.

The FIA should be solely responsible for policing and enforcing the Formula One regulations fairly, transparently and without bias.

Concorde Agreement

There has been a Concorde Agreement since 1981.The most recent Concorde Agreement expired at the end of 2007 and we desire that it be renewed, not as a way for the CRH to exercise control over the sport, but because it will provide the financial and regulatory stability desired by the Formula One teams and the motor manufacturers who sponsor and invest significantly in them.

The commercial and financial arrangements, including the distribution of the annual prize fund, have been agreed between the CRH and the Formula One teams, with the full knowledge of the FIA. The CRH is willing to sign immediately a new Concorde Agreement substantially based upon and containing the same regulatory provisions as the previous Concorde Agreement, amended only to reflect the commercial and financial arrangements agreed with the teams.

Formula One

There is no financial crisis in Formula One. On the contrary, Formula One is in robust health, it enjoys the support of most of the world's leading automotive manufacturers and is sponsored by many of the world's other most prestigious brands. Revenues continue to grow, television ratings are high and demand from countries to promote a new Grand Prix continues to exceed the number of places on the calendar.

The cost of operating a successful Formula One team has risen to an unsustainable level and this is being addressed. The Formula One teams have agreed upon some cost-cutting measures, making it more viable to participate at a competitive level and with a robust and stable regulatory framework, further efficiencies should be possible. We will continue to support such initiatives.

Formula One continues to be of tremendous benefit to the FIA. It derives in excess of US$ 25 million each year from Formula One (not including fines, which are often substantial sums) which subsidises other aspects of the sport. The FIA Foundation was founded with the substantial sum paid to the FIA by the CRH for the 100 Year Agreements.

We intend to continue our successful relationship with the FIA. We believe it benefits Formula One as a whole. We have no reason to undermine the FIA or its President, on the contrary we believe a strong FIA led by a respected President is good for all key constituents of Formula One: the fans, the teams, the sponsors and suppliers, the promoters, the media companies and us, the CRH.

None of these issues have any bearing on the reasons the FIA Senate has called the forthcoming Extraordinary General Assembly, which we regard to be an internal FIA matter. You may be assured that whatever decision you should make on 3 June, we look forward to continuing our long-standing and constructive relationship with the FIA and its President in pursuit of a stable and successful Formula One.

Yours faithfully

Bernie Ecclestone
Chief Executive Officer
Delta Topco Limited and its subsidiaries
(including SLEC Holdings Limited, Formula One Administration Limited and Formula One Management Limited)

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Rosberg aiming to beat BMW in Monaco

Nico Rosberg believes his Williams team can pose a challenge to BMW Sauber at the Monaco Grand Prix following a strong start to the weekend.

The German driver finished this afternoon's practice session in second position, only behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.

And although Rosberg admits he will not be fighting for second during the remaining part of the weekend, he is hopeful his team can beat BMW on the street of the principality.

"Definitely," said Rosberg when asked if he was confident for qualifying. "It is not going to be a second place but it is going to be very difficult to beat McLaren and Ferrari, but possibly we can beat a BMW. That would be a great thing already."

Rosberg said Williams still have more performance in store after the FW30 seemed to suit the slow and twisty Mediterranean circuit.

"I'm happy, it has been going well today for us," he added. "I was looking forward to the weekend because I hoped the car would go well on this track and it seems to be the case today.

"It is a pretty good performance from me and the team, so I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend. We didn't have the best set-up on the car and we still have some reserves up our sleeves, we will do it on Saturday and see what we can do."

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Alonso not planning aggressive strategy

Fernando Alonso says he does not expect Renault to adopt an unorthodox fuel strategy in an attempt to vault the former double world champion further up the Monaco starting grid on Sunday.

The Spaniard, who has struggled to make an impact on the top three teams since returning to Renault, qualified on the front row for the Spanish Grand Prix by running an aggressive, light, fuel strategy in Barcelona.

But while he has frequently pinpointed Monaco as a track that can go some way to equalising the current performance gap between Renault and rivals Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, Alonso doesn't think that running light on fuel will pay dividends at the Principality.

"I don't know what strategy we will choose for Saturday, but I think here the fuel effect is too little to gain much," he said. "In some circuits 10 kilos (less fuel) can put you right in the fight, or at least on the front two rows of the grid.

"Here you gain maybe 0.15s, so you need to remove 20 or 30 kilos and then you will go 20 laps less than the others and this is not good. There is not much play with the strategy here in Monaco, even if it seems as if you should always go light to qualify in front, or fuel heavy and have confidence for the race.

"At the end of the day we always choose a two-stop strategy and the teams always seem to stop more-or-less on the same laps so there is nothing special."

Alonso, who won the Monaco race last year, ended both free practice sessions on Thursday in seventh position, nearly 1.2s off the pace of Lewis Hamilton. He admitted afterwards that he was expecting that kind of performance gap this weekend.

"I think we are in the position we deserved," he said. "And in a position that needed changing in the last three races. But for sure when you arrive in Monaco you think maybe things are different because it is a special track, and you hope that the car will perform differently on a completely different track.

"But that was only a hope, today is more real."

Both Alonso and his team-mate Nelson Piquet had brushes with the wall on the first day's practice, and while the Spaniard refused to accept that the lack of driver aids had made things more difficult, he did concede that the Renault R28 was tricky to drive on the Monaco streets.

"Yes it is difficult to drive," he said. "Nelson was P18 in the first practice and P15 in the second, and I was struggling as well. We had more difficulties than some of the other guys, but I think we have room to improve, and we have some ideas to change the car on Saturday and prepare for qualifying.

"This is very important here, the race is not so important, qualifying is the main goal for this weekend."

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Ecclestone: Silverstone must meet demands

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned that the British Grand Prix will be dropped from the calendar in 2010 unless Silverstone's owners agree to his financial demands.

With talks ongoing between Ecclestone and the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), a deal has been put on the table that will cost Silverstone £11.2 million for 2010, rising at a rate of five percent each year after that.

That proposal was sent back to Ecclestone with queries, prompting a stalemate scenario that leaves the future of the British GP in doubt - even though Silverstone are ready to make the improvements to the circuit that have been demanded.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Ecclestone said he was not optimistic of a settlement being reached.

"I suppose they could come back to me. They could get the building done in six months. But I would not put any money on it," he explained.

"The BRDC know the terms. If they meet them, then we are in business. But at the moment they can't and therefore there is no race in 2010."

Read more about the future of Silverstone in autosport.com's The Weekly Grapevine.

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