Formula One News — July 2012

Experienced Toro Rosso technical director Giorgio Ascanelli is absent from the pit wall at Hockenheim. The Italian is said to be unhappy with the running of the team in certain areas, with matters believed to have come to a head at Silverstone.

German GP - Practice 2 Report

German GP - Friday Photos

German GP - Friday Press Conference

German GP - Friday Team Quotes

The Mercedes driver will join Lotus's Romain Grosjean in suffering a five place penalty on the Hockenheim grid after he, too, needed a gearbox change for the German GP.

German GP - Practice 2 Results

German GP - Practice 1 Report

German GP - Practice 1 Results

German GP - Thursday Press Conference

After a disappointing British GP in which Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button could only finish eighth and tenth respectively, McLaren's drivers have high hopes of significant aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades to be introduced at Hockenheim this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton says he will base any career decision about his future around driving the most competitive car rather than financial considerations.

Both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg think that Mercedes are potential podium finishers in Mercedes' home grand prix at Hockenheim.

A report in the German Rhein Zeitung newspaper suggests that the circuit-owning Nurgurgring GMbH is on the verge of going into administration after a 13m Euro subsidy from the European Commission, sought by the Rhineland Palatinate state government, was denied.

The Caterham F1 team trucks have left their base at Hingham in Norfolk, UK, for the last time. When they return from the Hungarian GP at the end of the month, it will be to the Leafield Technical Centre in Oxfordshire, the new global base for the motorsport, automotive and technology businesses of the Caterham Group.

With rain at Silverstone scuppering plans to introduce the tyre at the British GP, two sets of Pirelli's new hard compound tyre will be made available to F1 teams on Friday at Hockenheim, on top of their usual quota of 11 sets for the weekend. The race selection, however, remains the medium and soft compound Pirellis.

Two weeks on from Maria De Villota's testing accident at Duxfor Airfield in the UK, Marussia has completed a detailed investigation into the cause of the crash and, without detailing specifics, has ruled out car-related issues being a contributory factor.

The Lotus driver produced one of the best drives of the British GP after his early contact with Paul Di Resta but now must take a five place penalty on the grid at Hockenheim next weekend due to a gearbox issue.

Force India Friday driver Jules Bianchi, a menmber of the Ferrari Young Driver programme, swapped seats from the Ferrari to his usual Force India VJM05 to top the second day of the Magny Cours Young Driver Test.

Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas impressed the team in testing at Silverstone today, completing 120 laps as the team gives the highly rated Finn two interrupted days in the FW34.

Eight days after her awful accident testing the Marussia MR01 at Duxford Airfield, Maria De Villota's recovery is described as 'remarkable' by the team.

Singapore's Today newspaper is quoting Bernie Ecclestone saying that a new five year Singapore GP deal has been agreed until the end of 2017. The news comes in the same week that the iconic Spa circuit is believed to have struck a three-year deal safeguarding the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

Both Marussia-linked Carlin Motorsport GP2 drivers, Max Chilton and Rio Haryanto will test with Marussia at this week's Silverstone Young Driver test on Thursday and Friday.

On the day that he committed himself to Red Bull Racing for a seventh consecutive F1 season and a fifth alongside Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber explained his thinking and admitted there were discussions with Ferrari.

Just 36 hours after Christian Horner said that he would "sit down during the summer" with Mark Webber to discuss the future, Red Bull Racing has announced that the British Grand Prix winner's contract has been extended to the end of 2013. If Horner has found some summer in the UK, we'd like to know where! By Tony Dodgins