The future shape of Ferrari

TEAMCAR - Felipe Massa's victory in Turkey was just what Ferrari needed in the Constructors' Championship but not at all what the company needed when it comes to making decisions about the future driver line-up of the team.

It is very clear that Kimi Raikkonen has a solid contract with Ferrari for next year. This is expected to be announced during the course of the Monza weekend. Felipe Massa may end up being dropped by the team to make way for Michael Schumacher but dropping a race winner, even if it is to put him into a testing role, is not going to generate good publicity.

Ferrari probably does not care about that because it has long adopted a very bizarre way of dealing with the media. But if Massa stays, then Michael Schumacher must be leaving as teams are currently not allowed to run three cars.

This has been hinted at many times in recent weeks, most recently by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who usually knows about these things. Several other very good sources indicate that Michael is stopping but the man himself says that Ecclestone and others cannot know his decision "because even I do not".

There has also been speculation that Michael Schumacher may end up as a Ferrari F1 front man as well, as he does not seem to have any idea what to do with himself if he gives up being a racing driver. The fact that he could do nothing at all does not seem to have entered his head.

Brawn says that the structure will be announced "after the season finishes" because the team is trying to win the World Championships and does not want any disruption at the moment. One can speculate that 2007 will be a transition year with Todt easing out of his role, Brawn on holiday and perhaps Michael trying his hand at a new role before a final structure is created for 2008.

That would leave Raikkonen and Massa to get on with the racing, which might not be a bad idea given the number of mistakes Michael has been making recently.

Massa does the double with Turkish GP win

TEAMCAR - Felipe Massa did the double at the Turkish Grand Prix, following up his maiden pole position in qualifying with his maiden F1 victory. In a thriller of a race Massa drove flawlessly from pole, while Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher and Renault's Fernando Alonso fought tooth and nail behind him. Alonso got the better of his title rival to come home second, with Schumacher third.

Maiden pole position for Massa at Turkish GP

TEAMCAR - Ferrari's Felipe Massa claimed his maiden F1 pole position in qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix, beating teammate Michael Schumacher by nearly four tenths of a second. Massa clocked 1:26.907 for the front of the grid and Schumacher will line up alongside. Good for Ferrari but the Renaults of Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella are looming threateningly on the second row in third and fourth.

It was hot and dry at Istanbul Park on Saturday afternoon, with a track temperature of 51 degrees at the start of qualifying. Renault is minus its mass damper device since the FIA Court of Appeal decreed it illegal last week, while MF1's Christijan Albers and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher will both suffer the 10 place grid demotion penalty after an engine changes.

After Hungary there doesn't seem much point in trying to predict what will happen in the race but barring any peculiarities it looks like the Turkish victory will be fought for by Ferrari and Renault. Or will it? Final top ten classification: Massa, M. Schumacher, Alonso, Fisichella, R. Schumacher, Heidfeld, Button, Raikkonen, Kubica, Webber.

PROTON R3 TAKES POLE AT MERDEKA MILLENNIUM ENDURANCE 2006

TEAMCAR - Reigning champion Proton R3 Racing will have a perfect start to their title defence of the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 after securing pole position in qualifying at Sepang Circuit yesterday.

Driving an enhanced Lotus Exige 300RR winning machine, the partnership of Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel, Faidzil Alang and Australian Damien French clocked an aggregate time of 2 minutes 27.098 seconds seconds to outpace 84 other cars in the seventh edition of Sepang's prestigious 12-hour endurance race.

Amprex Motorsports - featuring top Japanese drivers Genji Hashimoto, Takashi Inoue and Akira Hirakawa - is sensationally out of tomorrow's race after Hashimoto crashed at Turn 1 following an accident between his Lamborghini Murceilago and Team Hayashi's Porsche GT3.

Proton R3 would be joined on the front row by the trio from Thailand - Kamasuta Apathon, Piti Bhakdi and Supaphong Grant who had an aggregate time of 2 minutes 35.187s in their Mitsubishi Evo 5.

2003 overall winner comprising Firhat Mokhzani, Chin Tzer Jinn and Eric Yeo, who drove a Nissan Skyline R34G and prepared SHIFT Race Car Engineering from Japan had the third fastest aggregate time of 2 minutes 37.056 seconds.

TOP TEN QUALIFIERS(Aggregate time of 3 drivers)*

1. Tengku Djan Ley/Faidzil Alang/Damien French (Lotus Exige 300RR) 2:27.098s2.
2. Kamasuta Apathon/Piti Bhakdi/Supaphong Grant (Mitsubishi Evo 5) 2:35.187s3.
3. Chin Tzer Jinn/Firhat Mokhzani/Eric Yeo (Nissan Skyline R34) 2:37.056s4.
4. Mokhzani Mahathir/Tommy Lee/Sven Herberger (Porsche GT3 Cup) 2:37.403s5.
5. Ian Ross Geekie/Dilantha Malagamuwa/ Nick Thomas xnxnxn (Porsche GT3) 2:38.193s6.
6. Ian Lee/Leonardo Tefinkjian/Rhommell Singh (Honda Integra DC2) 2:38.678s7.
7. Hiroki Katoh/Farriz Fauzy/Eddie Lew (Honda Civic) 2:39.002s8.
8. Mok Seng Sun/Tan Ian Mao/Ringo Chong (Porsche GT3) 2:40.155s9.
9. Alan Tan/Chris Tan/Ron Lim (Honda Integra DC2) 2:41.678s10.
10. Choo Yong Choon/Lau Seng Kiat/Siah Woei Pyng (Satria GTI) 2:41.935s

AMPREX’S LAMBORGHINI TO RULE THE MERDEKA ENDURANCE RACE

TEAMCAR - Declaring that his Lamborghini Murceilago R-GT will definitely finish the 12-hour race, former Super GT driver has effectively penned his Amprex Motorsports Racing Team as the hot favourite for the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 at Sepang Circuit tomorrow.

With an average lap time of 2 minutes 15 seconds and some two seconds faster than his fastest rival around Sepang’s 5.543-km long track, Hashimoto had a machine that would be ummatched by any of its rivals in terms of speed and acceleration.

While admiting that his previous attempts were futile until using the fully modified Lotus Exige 300RR machine, Hashimoto insisted that his 2006 campaign would be different and that his team would be at the top of the podium on Sunday.

Famously named the six-hour man of MME, Hashimoto first competed in the MME in 2002 in a mean BMW M3 machine when his team was forced to retire after six hours due to mechanical problems while leading the race.His MME campaign in 2003 in Mazda RX7 GT machine also lasted six hours.

His six-hour ordeal in the 12-hour endurance race continued in 2004 with his Lamborghini Murceilago as Hashimoto again retired after six hours while leading the race.

Introduced in 2000, the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance race features three drivers to a car as they take turns to complete as many laps as possible within the given 12 hours of racing.

The 2006 race would be flagged off at midnight tomorrow by Malaysia Motorsports Commission 84 with nine cars in the open class, 16 in Class A for cars above 1900cc, 35 in Class B for cars between 1601cc to 1900cc and 24 in Class c for the sub-1600cc machines.

In defending his title, Tengku Djan had not only gone separate ways with Hashimoto but also with Riccirdello himself; opting to partner R3 test driver Faidzil Alang and Australian Damien French, winner of the Australian Lotus Kumho Series for 2004 and 2005.*

Back to business in Turkey

TEAMCAR - This coming weekend's Turkish Grand Prix signals the end of the three week summer break and it will be back to business in Istanbul. With both Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher going out of the last race the championship battle still has a 10 point advantage in Alonso's favour, although Schumacher did close the gap with one bonus point thanks to BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica being disqualified.

Turkey made its F1 debut last season and the purpose built, Herman Tilke designed circuit on the Asian side of the Bosphorous won approval from drivers and fans alike. Like Imola and Interlagos, Istanbul is an anti-clockwise track and has a mixture of slow sections and straights, and the already infamous turn eight.

Turkey is expected to be hot -- but then again, so was Hungary -- and the smooth track surface lends itself to medium to soft tyre compounds. "What makes this circuit interesting is that the track surface itself is very smooth similar to Monaco and Montreal and consequently we require a tyre compound which can provide grip as well as durability," said Bridgestone technical manager Hisao Suganuma.

MME 2006 IS AN OPEN AFFAIR

TEAMCAR - Defending champion Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel has declined the favoruites tag for this weekend's Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 (MME); saying that any team is capable of winning the endurance race.

Djan, who would be partnering Australian Damien French and Proton R3 collegue Faidzil Alang for Proton R3 Racing, said until half of the 12-hour race had been completed, no team could claim that they were in a better position than the others.

"We can only evaluate our position and the positions of the other teams after the sixth hour. Then, only we can make any realistic prediction," says Djan, who had his fair share of misfortunes in the MME that traced back to 2000.

Partnering former GT driver Genji Hashimoto and Australian Tony Riccirdello, Djan and the Amprex Motorsports Proton R3 Racing Team completed 279 laps in their modified Lotus Exige 300RR within the 12-hour period to taste his first ever victory in the event last year.

With a total entry of 87 cars, the teams and drivers would be going into qualification tomorrow with the knowledge of only 77 cars would be making the actual grid for the race.

The Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 would be flagged off by Malaysia Motorsports Commission Chairman Datuk Azman Yahya at 12.07am on Sunday, August 27.

Schumacher impatient to be back on track

TEAMCAR - The three week summer break is drawing to a close and this coming weekend's Turkish Grand Prix will see the championship battle rejoined at the Istanbul circuit. Ferrari and Renault had a poor time in Hungary, with title rivals Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso both retiring, although Schumacher was later promoted to one point when BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was disqualified.

With five races left this season the title fight could go either way and Schumacher is eager to be back on track. "We have had a few days off and, naturally, I had a pleasant time," said the German.

"However, I could have done without it as it would have been better to go straight into the Grand Prix of Turkey after Hungary. The title challenge is so exciting that I cannot wait for the next race. The Istanbul weekend is finally about to get underway."

There's 10 points between Alonso and Schumacher and only seven between Renault and Ferrari so both championships could go either way. Schumacher is positive but not about to be over confident as some races this year have been very unpredictable.

Capirossi returns to top step in Czech GP

TEAMCAR - Loris Capirossi took home a fantastic victory in Automotodrom Brno, the scene of the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the twelwth round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP).

The reigning world champion, Valentino Rossi, claimed second after a hard fight with rookie Dani Pedrosa, who took third place at the chequered flag.

Fourth place belonged to Kenny Roberts, Jr. who was followed by Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner.

Standings leader, Nicky Hayden, dropped down to ninth place in the last part of the competition due to tyre problems on his Repsol Honda RC211V. However, Hayden stil holds the lead in the championship with 201 points, followed by Pedrosa, with 176, and Rossi, who has 163 units.

On September 10th in Sepang circuit of Malaysia will see the next action of the Continental Circus.

Rossi takes the pole in Czech Republic

TEAMCAR - Reignning World Champion, Valentino Rossi, grabbed the pole position for the Czech Republic Grand Prix that is taking place this weekend in Automotodrom Brno, for the twelveth round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP).

Rossi set a laptime of 1.56:191 in his last lap of the 25 the Italian used to take the top spot.
Front row was completed by another Italian with Loris Capirossi in second place, at 0.250 of the pole, right ahead of former World Champion Kenny Roberts jr. with another stunning performance with the KR211V, at 0.412.

"We worked well on the bike, especially the tyres, because we have suffered too much this season during the practice sessions and my team and Michelin did a great job today", Rossi commented.

"When I saw Loris' time I thought it was very fast and didn't know if I could beat it but I was very determined and I pushed hard on all three qualifying tyres. In the end the final lap was great and to set a 1'56. 1 was unbelievable!", the World Champion stated about his fight with Capirossi.

Rossi knows that starting from pole position could made him things better for Sunday`s race. The only time this year that Rossi took the pole, he later won. It was in Catalunyan Grand Prix.

Another year for Indianapolis

TEAMCAR - Formula One will return to Indianapolis for the US Grand Prix in 2007 but Speedway CEO Tony George is not yet ready to commit beyond next season. A new one year deal will carry Indy through to the end of the current Concorde Agreement, F1's commercial and organizational structure which is not yet finalized for 2008 and beyond.

"It seemed appropriate to see how things shake out and see what the lay of the land is," George said, according to the Indy Star. "There are too many unanswered questions to commit any longer than that." He added that the general intention was to stay in F1 for the long-term future.

The relationship between F1 and Indianapolis went sour in 2005 when the Michelin teams withdrew from the race due to safety issues with the tyres, with the result that only the six Bridgestone cars competed. Disgusted fans threw objects onto the track and many left before the 'race' was over, vowing not to return.

It was uncertain if F1 would be back at Indy this year but Michelin compensated fans with around 20,000 free tickets and the race went ahead reportedly with similar crowd numbers as previously. A provisional date of June 17th has been pencilled in for Indy in 2007 and details of ticket sales are expected in the coming weeks.

MME 2006 SECURES FULL GRID BUT MINUS FRANZ ENGSTLER

TEAMCAR - The seventh edition of Sepang's prestigious 12-hour endurance race - Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 (MME) has secured a full grid of 77 cars when the race flags off on August 27.

The organisers have so far received 82 entries and are expecting more to come before the actual registration closes on August 24 before scrutineering and inspection of the race machines at the circuit.

Hot favourite German Franz Engstler, the dominant force of Asian Touring Car Championship, who had originally entered his Engstler Motorsports Team for his debut in the event, made a last minute withdrawal; citing that his BMW M5 machine could not be ready in time of the race.

"We know for a fact that some of our regular MME participants have yet to register. We should be having more than the current 82 registered cars in qualifying for the race. In any case, only 77 cars can start the race in accordance to our license," says Datuk Ahmad Mustafa, General Manager of Sepang International Circuit.

Officially opened in 1999 and built with the specification needs of Formula One racing in mind, Sepang F1 Circuit was homologated by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) - the world's motorsports governing body - with a maximum of 77 cars on the grid for a car race.

With the race to be flagged off at 12.07am on August 27, qualifying would be held on Friday (August 25) with 25 cars from a combined Class A and the open class and 26 cars from Class B for cars between 16001cc to 1900cc and another 26 cars from the sub-1600cc machines.

SIC LOOKS AT RECORD ATTENDANCE AT RACES IN VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR 2007

TEAMCAR - With next year marked as Visit Malaysia Year 2007, Malaysia's race promoter Sepang International Circuit (SIC) believes the country's aggressive campaign on promoting tourism would boost the attendance of racing fans and international tourists at the circuit especially for the Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix.

On the same note, SIC Chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Dr Mahathir said that the international events promoted and organised at Sepang would be key to the success of the Visit Malaysia Year programme.

"With 2007 being the Visit Malaysia Year and the Government's new emphasis on sports tourism, the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix and the other international events in Sepang are expected to the country's strongest tools to woo in the foreign tourists," he said at the prize giving ceremony for the recent Japan GT Championship contest.

The grand prize of a Limited Edition Sentra 1.8XGL worth RM102,000 was won by Malaysia Airlines aircraft engineer Tun Mafizal Tun Majid, who along with five others made the correct prediction of the top three winners at the Super GT race in Sepang.

To be staged as the second round of the 2007 Formula One World Championship from 6th to 8th April, Datuk Mokhzani expressed condifence that SIC would beat the highest attendance figures set this year of 107,000 spectators.

"Our biggest test for 2007 will undoubtedly be the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix. With the opening round in Melbourne to be held from 15th to 18th March, we will actually have a grace period of three weeks to make our final push for ticket sales for the local and regional market," he said.

The other major international events would be the Merdeka Millennium Endurance race in August; the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (October); the Malaysian A1 Grand Prix of Nations (November) and the inaugural K4 24-Hour Endurance Grand Prix scheduled on 10th and 11th February.

Webber To REDBULL In 2007

TEAMCAR - Red Bull confirmed on August 7th that David Coulthard will continue with the team next year and will be partnered by Mark Webber. Webber departs the ailing Williams team in the hope of a competitive Adrian Newey designed Red Bull next year.

"It's fantastic to be joining Red Bull Racing," said Webber in a statement. "It's clear that the team is very hungry for long-term success, it has a very talented group of personnel and there seems to be a real sense of team spirit and unity. I believe I'm joining the team at exactly the right time for success in the future."

Red Bull Sporting director Christian Horner commented: "We chose him (Webber) for a number of straightforward reasons. One, he obviously has undoubted speed and ability, and two, he appears to have the determination and motivation needed to succeed."

It's uncertain where Christian Klien, whom Webber replaces, will go. The Austrian is contracted to Red Bull until the end of this season. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Christian Klien for all his hard efforts for the team over the last two seasons," said Horner.

It seemed that the driver market hinged on Michael Schumacher retiring or not but, like the rest of us, apparently drivers are bored of waiting and are forging ahead with their own plans. Williams already confirmed that team tester Alex Wurz will replace Webber next year.

A1 Team Malaysia gets a helping hand in the UK

TEAMCAR - A1 TEAM MALAYSIA GETS A HELPING HAND FROM A1 TEAM IRELAND
A1 Team Malaysia will take part in an A1GP World Cup of Motorsport promotional event this weekend, with a touch of Irish help to get the wheels turning.

Asian Formula 3 driver, John O'Hara, will be behind the wheel of the Malaysian car to promote the Asian team and A1GP to fans and spectators at the Sky Festival, a celebration of the satellite channel's diverse entertainment and sports offerings.

The Malaysian car will feature in an A1GP display and demonstration run in Manchester as part of the Sky Festival. With the regular A1 Team Malaysian drivers unavailable for the event due to their being in KL on promotional work, the team turned to assistance from A1 Team Ireland and O'Hara so that the team's many UK fans could watch the car in action on the streets of the second largest city in Britain.

MALAYSIAN FORMULA ONE RACE ON APRIL 8 FOR 2007

TEAMCAR - The ninth edition of the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang will be staged from 6th to 8th April next year.

Formula One Management Ltd (FOM), the worldwide rights holder for the Formula One World Championship, has formally informed Sepang International Circuit of the provisional 2007 dates in a letter recently. The final 2007 event calendar is only issued by FOM at the end of the year.

The Malaysian round, however, will remain as the second round of the world championship with the opening race of the 2007 season to be held in Melbourne, Australia from 15th to 18th March. Bahrain will stage Round 3 a week after the Malaysian round from 13th to 15th April 2007.

Commenting on the 2007 dates, Sepang International Circuit General Manager Datuk Ahmad Mustafa said Sepang International Circuit was happy that with the three-week gap between the Australian and Malaysian rounds, adding that it would give a longer period for its promotional drive.

In promoting the event, Ahmad said Sepang International Circuit would continue to emphasise on the regional market of Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Phillipines and India as its key markets apart from the traditional European sectors of Britain, Germany, Italy and Finland as well as venturing into South Africa.

The 2007 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix will be the ninth edition of Sepang's F1 race, which traced back to 1999 when it was staged as the penultimate round in October.

SIC TARGETS 65,000 SPECTATORS FOR MARLBORO MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX

TEAMCAR - After three days of buzzing excitement, the opening MotoGP Road Tour cameto a thunderous closed last night at Danga Bay, Johor Bahru as SepangInternational Circuit’s caravan of motorsports now heads to the East Coastin their mission to woo in 65,000 spectators for the 2006 MarlboroMalaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix next month.

Petronas Primax 3Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006, which had grown to become Asia’sBiggest Race with the participation of 77 cars and 231 drivers, hadvirtually secured a full grid of 77 cars with nearly 70 cars alreadysubmitting their entries to date.

The Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, on the other hand, is theworld biggest motorcycling race staged at Sepang Circuit and is eagerlywaited by fans worldwide with the world championship climbing its climaxwith just six rounds remaining.

“We had more than 56,000 spectators for the three days last night. Withall the current excitement, we are confident that the 2006 event will drawa bigger crowd,” he said, adding that the circuit is targeting anattendance of 65,0000 for the Grand Prix this year.

To jointly promote the two events, SIC is offering a special package ofone free ticket for the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance2006 worth RM10 for any purchase of a Main Grandstand ticket for theMotoGP event, which sells at RM50 each.

Singapore to field team for A1 Grand Prix

TEAMCAR - Team Singapore will for the first time send two local drivers to compete in the October season of the A1 Grand Prix, and the 2007/2008 season is likely to include Singapore as a venue.

A1 Grand Prix is the World Cup of motor racing and countries compete in it, unlike F1 where the battle is among car manufacturers.

The A1 Grand Prix rolled off last year with a roar, captivating fans with its country vs country theme.

Denis Lian, Team Singapore's A1 race driver, said: "Malaysia would be a very nice target to aim for. Alex Y00ng last year did very, very well, finished top 5 for Malaysia. He won one race and came in second a couple of time.

It would be a very tall order for us to emulate that but it would be something obviously to aim for." Partnering veteran racer Denis Lian is 22-year-old rookie Hafiz Koh. He said: "Right now we are looking forward to the test in Silverstone.

Once the test takes place, we can identify our strong points and weak points among the drivers and even among the crews." The US$10m funding for the team comes from private investors.

Button, Honda take maiden win at Hungarian GP

MORE NEWS.

Raikkonen claims pole position for Hungarian GP

TEAMCAR - McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen took his second consecutive pole position in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a best time of 1:19.599. The Finn was three tenths quicker than Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who will line up alongside, and Honda's Rubens Barrichello took third. But what of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso?

There was an unexpected twist just prior to qualifying when Michael joined title rival Alonso in being given a two second time penalty. Alonso was awarded his for dangerous driving and overtaking under yellow flags in Friday afternoon's practice and Schumacher got his for overtaking under red flags in this morning's session.

The red flag was due to Jenson Button's Honda engine giving up, so he will suffer the 10 place grid demotion penalty. MF1's Christijan Albers will get the same as he had an engine failure on Friday. Once again it was unseasonably cool with a track temperature in the low thirties at the start of the first 15 minute session.

Seeing as there's little chance of overtaking at the Hungaroring it's possible neither Alonso or Michael will score any points but a lot will depend on strategy. Who knows, for once Hungary might be an exciting race. Final top ten classification: Raikkonen, Massa, Barrichello, Button, de la Rosa, Webber, R. Schumacher, Fisichella, Trulli, Kubica.

Massa top on Hungarian GP Friday afternoon

TEAMCAR - Felipe Massa was the fastest man in the second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Ferrari's best time of 1:21.778 a tenth and half slower than McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen in the morning. Over a second behind Massa in the afternoon was Renault's Fernando Alonso and the Spaniard's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was third.

All Sets for HUNGARIAN Grand Prix

TEAMCAR - The Hungarian Grand Prix follows hot on the heels of Germany and is the last race before the three week summer break and testing ban. The championship battles are getting closer every race, both the drivers' and constructors' titles, and currently Ferrari has the upper hand on track, if not in the points. But can Renault put a damper on the Scuderia charge?

The Hungaroring is a slow, twisty, dusty circuit that rarely produces interesting races, at least from a spectator's point of view. It's been compared to Monaco but only characteristically -- it can hardly be said to have any of Monaco's glamour and atmosphere -- as it has the reputation of being almost impossible to overtake on.

Ferrari's current form looks hard to beat: three straight wins in a row for Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa on the podium in the last three races is impressive. Some people took it for granted in previous years that Ferrari would be impressive but last season the reds' competitiveness bit the dust. Now Schumacher is back in the title fight.

Championship leader Fernando Alonso had a dismal time in Germany and lost six points to Michael -- while Ferrari dominated, Renault suffered blistering tyres and although the absence of the mass damper device was played down by the team, it contributed to the lack of performance. The device will be back in Budapest but will Renault's form be back?

SEPANG TRACK GETS OKAY FOR MARLBORO MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX

TEAMCAR - Declaring the track as ‘in perfect condition’, International MotorcyclingFederation (FIM) Safety Delegate Claude Danis has given Sepang Circuit thethumbs up and that it was ready to host the 2006 Marlboro MalaysianMotorcycle Grand Prix next month.

Danis, who was accompanied by AAM Motorsports Manager S.N. Nanthan for thetrack inspection, said that he was particularly happy with the resurfacingof a 400-meter stretch at Turn 3, which the MotoGP riders had complainedas ‘bumpy’ when they conducted their tests in February.“I would say the track is perfect.

From my point of view, they had done aperfect job in preparing the track especially for Turn 3,” he said, addingthat the deterioration of the track conditions was normal due to aging.

According to Danis, the riders’ feedback on the unstable condition of Turn3 was brought to his attention by MotoGP champion, Valentino Rossi, who isthe riders’ representative on safety issues.

To be held from September 8 to 10, the 2006 Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prixis Round 13 of a 17-round world championship, which is currently taking amonth break before resuming at Brno for the Republic Czech Grand Prix onAugust 20.

Like others worldwide, Danis is anxiously waiting for the resumption ofthe world championship; saying that the battle in the premier MotoGP classis had been very exciting.

“Rossi had some bad luck this season and the young riders like (Nicky)Hayden, (Dani) Pedrosa and (Marco) Melandri) are getting stronger. It hasbeen a very exciting world championship,” said Danis.After 11 rounds, Hayden has opened a 34-point advantage over second placedand Repsol Honda teammate, Pedrosa with 194 points against Pedrosa’s 160.

Rossi is fourth overall in the MotoGP class with 143 points – seven behindMelandri, who has 150.

Kubica to replace Villeneuve in Hungary

TEAMCAR - BMW Sauber confirmed on August 1st that test driver Robert Kubica will replace Jacques Villeneuve for the Hungarian Grand Prix as Villeneuve is not ready to race after his crash at Hockenheim. The Canadian hit the barriers on lap 31 but seemed to be unharmed, although he said afterwards that the impact was quite hard.

Kubica, who will be the first Pole to race in Formula One, has attracted some attention for his performances as BMW's third driver in the Friday practice sessions and has often been at the top of the time sheet. The 21 year-old joined BMW Sauber for 2006 after winning the World Series by Renault title last year.