Mateschitz: Bourdais the best option

Scuderia Toro Rosso team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has said that retaining Sebastien Bourdais for another season was the only genuine option to maintain their strong level of performance from 2008.

Bourdais and Takuma Sato were both in contention for a place alongside Sebastien Buemi in the team, but Mateschitz says he valued having a driver return for a second season with them.

"There were no significant alternatives to Bourdais," he said. "Sato was doing well in testing, but he would have started where Bourdais started a year ago.

"Bourdais had some good races and very competitive qualifyings last season, but also some bad luck. When you invest in a driver for one year and he is doing reasonably well, it makes sense to work with him for another year. He has the potential to make the best of his second year."

Bourdais will take over testing duties at Jerez from Buemi tomorrow, which will be the first time he has driven the car since December 10.

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Bourdais glad waiting game is over

Sebastien Bourdais said that he is pleased that the wait to discover whether he would remain in F1 is over ahead of his return to the cockpit with Scuderia Toro Rosso in testing at Jerez today.

The team confirmed that the Frenchman would be staying on for a second season last week, and Bourdais is today driving an F1 car for the first time since December.

"It really feels like the waiting game is over," Bourdais told autosport.com. "To know what I'm going to be doing and to know that we can continue the relationship we started last year is good.

"It's a big deal in your private and professional life, so it's much better this way. It feels good that now the season is nearly started and we can focus on it."

Bourdais, who scored four points last season, believes that he will be able to prove his ability in his second year in F1.

"You always have something to prove," he said. "That's what racing is all about. You can be the king one day and at the next event people have forgotten about it and you have to be strong again. Otherwise they forget what you did the week before.

"But personally I know I can do it, it's just obviously a complex system, in which you don't control everything, and sometimes it works very well and sometimes it doesn't. That's what it's all about."

Bourdais will test for two days in the 2008-specification Toro Rosso, and is looking forward to trying out the team's 2009 car for the first time next month.

"I'm looking forward to driving the new car. The results are going to be very influential on how 2009 is going to go. Obviously a good driver in a bad car is not going to do anything and the opposite is true as well. You need everything to perfectly work together.

"We want to be able to score as many points as we can, just like last year. We had quite a few missed opportunities last year and hopefully we will have better luck this year."

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Sato in talks over reserve driver role

Takuma Sato is in talks with Red Bull chiefs about a role as the official reserve driver for both of the company's Formula One teams this year, autosport.com has learned.

The Japanese driver missed out in the battle for the second Scuderia Toro Rosso race seat to Sebastien Bourdais, but could yet end up working with the outfit.

Autosport.com understands he is currently in discussions about a reserve role for Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, which could see him drafted into action should any of the team's regulars be unable to compete.

Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has confirmed the talks, and admitted that although not chosen for a race seat there was still interest in using the Japanese.

"He has a good reputation in Japan," said Mateschitz. "He could work with us very well".

Sato is currently weighing up his options for 2009, with his priority to return to racing for the first time since Super Aguri folded at the start of last year.

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Donington boss denies debt reports

Donington Park boss Simon Gillett says work on the circuit's revamp is continuing as planned, dismissing reports that his company had debts of up to £66 million.

A report on the Daily Mail newspaper over the weekend said Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd had filed its annual report at Companies House showing a loss of £12.4million last year and a total debt of £66.7 million.

Gillett, however, said on Monday that his company had not filed any reports yet, denying the story and insisting the details of the financial package to pay for the revamp will be revealed next month.

"It's business as usual at Donington Park and absolutely nothing has changed," Gillett told the Press Association.

"Work is continuing on site and all of our staff are completely focused on delivering a full and exciting calendar of events this year ahead of our hosting of the British Grand Prix in July next year.

"Our 2008 financial report has not been filed with Companies House, which leaves me confused as to where certain publications have sourced their 'facts' and figures from.

"We have always maintained we will reveal details of our financial package for the grand prix in quarter one of this year.

"True to Donington Park's belief in delivering on promises, we will make this information available at the end of March."

Despite the doubts about his project, Gillett insisted Donington will succeed when work is completed and the track hosts the British Grand Prix next year.

"The planned developments have the potential to put Leicestershire and the rest of the country on the world map for our motorsport facilities, and that's something I remain passionate about," said Gillett.

"It would be easy to roll over and give in when faced with a constant barrage of scepticism and criticism, but that's not my style.

"If it was, I would never have embarked on this project in the first place. Our plans are not dreams, but vision."

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Massa encouraged despite test delays

Felipe Massa says he has been encouraged by the testing he has done so far this week in Bahrain, despite both days being interupted by adverse weather.

The first two hours of Tuesday's testing were lost because of fog, and Massa completed just 17 laps today before a sandstorm forced the rest of the day's running to be cancelled.

But he was fastest in the little running there was this morning and believes the Ferrari compared well against BMW Sauber and Toyota, who are also testing at Bahrain, despite not running KERS on Tuesday.

"Yesterday we had a reasonably good day, and we didn't use the KERS," said Massa.

"It was fitted on the car, just disconnected because we had a small software issue at the beginning of the day and to change the KERS is taking quite a long time.

"Today we used it, but I think not using the KERS yesterday and having good laptimes compared to the others was quite positive for us.

"We made a good step on the setup to find a bit more stability and I'm quite happy on that. We've learned and we understood so many things in one day that I'm sure we still have a lot more to understand, but I'm quite happy for the moment."

Massa will hand over the Ferrari to Kimi Raikkonen for the third day of the test tomorrow.

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Vettel: GPDA open to licence talks

Sebastian Vettel insits that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) is willing to work with the FIA to seek a solution to its dispute over the superlicence issue - as he plays down talk of a possible strike in Australia.

The GPDA is unhappy about the increases in the fees of the superlicence that have been introduced over the past two seasons, claiming that drivers feel the hike in costs are 'inherently unfair'.

And although FIA president Max Mosley said last week that F1 could brace itself for a quiet Friday at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix if the matter is not sorted by then, Vettel has played down any talk that the drivers are considering a protest.

When asked by the German newspaper Rheinische Post if a strike was possible in Melbourne, Vettel said: "No, I do not see that, because we want to drive.

"Everyone should be careful about how they treat this topic because then we could get headlines saying 'Drivers dissatisfied' or 'Drivers to strike'.

"That (a strike) has never been spoken about. But the fact that we are not happy with how the increases were presented to us has been made clear.

"We are open to cooperate with the FIA. But what happens in the future remains to be seen."

Vettel says that all drivers, including non-GPDA members, are standing firm in the issue as they seek a solution with the FIA.

"This does not only have to do with the GPDA, but it comes from all drivers. The statement we issued summed everything up."

Vettel added that the drivers are upset that the situation has not been resolved despite discussions with the FIA throughout last year.

"Now is the critical phase," he explained. "At the end of last year it appeared that there was nothing else for us to pay, so it annoys us how this whole thing has developed and that it has not been sorted."

Autosport.com understands that the FIA is pressing on with sorting out the superlicence paperwork as normal, despite the drivers saying they will only pay for 2008 and 2009 fees based on the 1690 Euro fee that was levied for 2007.

Teams were reminded as a matter of course this week that the licence applications should be submitted as soon as possible.

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Webber pleased with first day back

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has said his return to the cockpit for the first time since breaking his leg was easier than expected.

The Australian, who broke his right leg in a mountain bike accident in Tasmania three months ago, completed 83 laps in testing at Jerez today, setting the second fastest time for a 2009 car.

"It was much better," said Webber when asked by autosport.com whether he had found it easier or harder than expected. "I wasn't going in pessimistically, but F1 cars can be quite ferocious.

"I knew what to expect, I tried to do what I could and 80-odd laps, which is over a grand prix distance, in my first day back is good."

Webber, who had surgery to have a bolt removed from his right leg last Thursday, admitted that he was relived to have proved to himself that he would be fit enough to return.

"I'm very relieved of course," said Webber. "It has been a tough few months for me, but I've had good people around me and the team have been fantastic as well.

"There were a lot of questions asked going into today. But I answered some questions for myself and it turned out to be ok."

Webber is certain that he will be fully fit in time for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 29.

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