Formula One News — August 2010

Lewis Hamilton has escaped a conviction but was fined the maximum Australian $500 (just over $US 440) for his 'hooning' episode in Melbourne.

Renault will run an F-duct for the first time at the Belgian GP this coming weekend and Robert Kubica thinks it may change the approach to Spa.

Former FIA president Max Mosley has told a German newspaper that Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa should lose the points they scored in the German Grand Prix last month, when Ferrari was adjudged to have flouted F1's ban on team orders.

The Formula One group, which runs the commercial side of the sport, has announced that the Swiss financial institution UBS is to become a Global Partner of the sport.

Legal battles between Italian aerodynamics company Aerolab and Force India are ongoing after it was revealed that the High Court in London has issued an order compelling Force India to pay more than 1m euros.

Three times world champion Niki Lauda thinks that Ferrari will be heavily punished when the World Motor Sport Council considers the German Grand Prix team orders debacle on September 8, two days ahead of the Italian GP meeting at Monza.

Nick Heidfeld has completed Pirelli's first two days of evaluation testing prior to the Italian company's three year F1 control tyre supply, which begins in 2011.

Former BMW and Toro Rosso boss Gerhard Berger, in a mid-term assessment of the German F1 contingent for Auto Motor und Sport, believes that Sebastian Vettel is still very much a world championship contender but has underestimated Red Bull team mate Mark Webber.

The Mercedes GP team has announced today that it has released Nick Heidfeld from his contract as reserve driver so that the German can join Pirelli as it's official test driver.

The Bahrain Grand Prix organizers have announced that they will go back to the original circuit layout for the 2011 race.

Nico Rosberg is the latest F1 driver to follow in the footsteps of Jenson Button and use his summer break down time to compete in a Triathlon.

A week or so ago, British ex-F1 drivers Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick were performing pivotal roles at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Amid F1's summer break they were together again, doing a high performance motorbike course at the Ron Haslam Race School, based at Silverstone.

Mark Webber, recharging his batteries in the south of France during F1's summer break, has been in contact with Red Bull director Adrian Newey to wish him a speedy recovery from his shunt in a Ginetta G50 race at Snetterton last Sunday.

Interlagos is the latest circuit to come under fire from F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone.

Reigning world champion Jenson Button has not headed for the beach during F1's summer break. Instead, he has taken part once again in the London Triathlon, the largest of its type in the world, attracting more than 10,000 entrants.

Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey was hospitalised for check-ups after being T-boned in a Ginetta supporting race at the British Touring Car Championship round at Snetterton in England.

Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey was involved in an accident at Snetterton, and was taken to hospital for "precautionary checks".

Some may have mocked Ron Dennis's vision of Grand Prix success and a legacy to match that of Enzo Ferrari, but McLaren has taken the latest step to matching Ferrari's brand exclusivity when it announced a showroom at London's newest and most exclusive development, One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge.

Adrian Sutil, rumoured to be strongly in the frame for a Renault seat alongside Robert Kubica next year, says he is keeping an open mind about 2011.

Michael Schumacher would have been black-flagged for his aggressive defence of 10th place against Rubens Barrichello in the Hungarian Grand Prix had there been more laps of the race remaining.

The FIA has announced that the World Motor Sport Council will meet on Wednesday, September 8 to look into the controversy surrounding Ferrari team orders at the German Grand Prix.

The FIA is to introduce more stringent load tests on front wings at the Belgian Grand Prix later this month in an attempt to settle the flexi wing controversy that is causing increasing paddock disquiet.

Hungarian GP - Race Report

Michael Schumacher has been given a 10 place grid penalty on the grid at the next race in Spa for illegitimately impeding Rubens Barrichello as they fought over the last point in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The FIA stewards for the Hungarian Grand Prix have fined the Renault and Mercedes teams US$50,000 each for unsafe releases during the Safety Car period today.