Seb to 'rock Berlin' in 'Randy Mandy'
New World Champion Sebastian Vettel will fulfill another dream on Saturday when he drives his Red Bull Formula One car down Berlin's Fan Mile and in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate.
The 23-year-old, who became the youngest F1 Champ when he won his fifth race of the season nearly two weeks ago, will drive his car - dubbed 'Randy Mandy' - through the German capital.
Vettel's Red Bull team have organised the event which will see Germany's new Champion go full throttle in front of the capital city's most famous landmark.
"When I am World Champion, I want to drive my 'Randy Mandy' along the largest fan zone in Germany," Vettel has said in the past.
"I will rock Berlin."
Vettel will be on a tight schedule: the planned two-hour celebrations in Berlin start at 12pm (11am GMT), but he will then fly to Duesseldorf to team up with Michael Schumacher for the Race of Champions on Saturday night.
Traditionally, Berlin's Fan Mile, between the Brandenburg Gate and Yitzhak-Rabin Strasse in the city centre, is only used when Germany's football team celebrate and was last used when the Germans reached the Euro 2008 final.
Since winning his title in Abu Dhabi, Vettel has been on a whirlwind tour.
Around 15,000 fans cheered on the new Champion in his home town of Heppenheim, 60km from Frankfurt, last Sunday after he flew in by helicopter following two days of tyre testing in Abu Dhabi.
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Oops, Hakkinen never said that...
German publication TZ has been forced to apologise for falsely attributing comments to Mika Hakkinen calling Michael Schumacher "a tragic hero."
Hakkinen, who is well known for not publicly slating other drivers, reportedly told a 'longtime' TZ journalist that Schumacher had made "a ridiculous mistake in Abu Dhabi that almost cost him his life", adding that the seven-time World Champ is "now a tragic ex-hero."
However, it now appears Hakkinen said nothing of a sort and the German publication has had to issue a public apology to all concerned.
"The statements attributed to Mr. Hakkinen corresponding particularly with respect to Michael Schumacher not true and were not authorised," TZ said in a statement.
"We regret and apologize to our readers, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher."
The journalist also got the boot: "As a consequence we have finished working with the staff concerned."
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Team bosses attempting to remain calm
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is preparing for frayed nerves as he fears this season's battle for the World title will boil down to the last lap.
Earlier this season Horner suggested the fight would go to the final race, and has obviously been proven right as the showdown takes place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
A degree of tension has eased given Red Bull won the Constructors' Championship last Sunday, remarkably doing so in six short years after the team was built from the wreckage of Jaguar's failure.
The focus, however, is now firmly on the drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, who find themselves eight and 15 points adrift of Championship leader Fernando Alonso.
The permutations as to what might unfold are many, which is why no-one can call just what will transpire at the Yas Marina circuit for what is undeniably one of the most exciting conclusions to a season in F1 history.
Attempting to manage those tensions that are likely to build within the team as a whole, and on both sides of the garage in particular, is not an easy task.
Taking the situation in his stride, Horner said: "My role, not just with the drivers, but also the engineers, the guys in the garage, throughout the team, is to stay incredibly focused.
"We had an unbelievable weekend last weekend in Brazil. Winning the Constructors' was a huge thing for the whole team.
"It's quite nice to have got that out of the way so there is not the distraction of thinking about that.
"Now there is pure focus on giving the drivers the best possible support we can going into Sunday's race.
"Obviously it's a different situation for us, compared to Ferrari and McLaren, because we've two guys competing against each other for the biggest prize in motor sport.
"To be honest, I've not seen any difference in them so far. They are focused on the job in hand, they both know to beat Fernando (to the title) they have to finish, and to finish ahead of him.
"So they're going about the weekend, as they have the previous 18, and they're pretty focused on getting the most of themselves, out of the car, and then we'll see how things pan out.
"But looking at what has happened this season, this Championship will go down to the last lap, which is a fascinating prospect."
For Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, the goal is simple - one driver, one title on the line, with the sole aim of ensuring he finishes in the top two.
Such a scenario will ensure Fernando Alonso becomes only the ninth driver in F1 history to win three titles, and the youngest ever to achieve that feat.
For Domenicali, it comes down several factors as he said: "You need to be lucky, to keep a cool head and to keep that head up.
"We've seen in the past if you react emotionally at the wrong time and in the wrong way during a race because something has happened, then you make mistakes and it is finished.
"So we have to be very concentrated. We need to do the things we normally do in a weekend and not try to make too many calculations because if you do that then you get lost.
"We need to be focused on giving our best. Clearly we are trying to control the emotion we have inside, but so far everything is okay.''
Let us not forget Lewis Hamilton, 24 points adrift of Alonso and having to win to stand any chance, but who was quickest at the end of today's practice, followed by Vettel, Alonso and Webber.
Of all the drivers he arguably faces the easiest task, as explained by team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
"Lewis has to focus on winning the race, and thereafter if he wins the Championship then it's in the hands of others," said Whitmarsh.
"If you're trying to defend a position, to control the points you get, or the points your rivals get it, becomes more complicated.
"Right now Lewis is relaxed and focused. He wants to win it, but whether he can, we'll start to understand tomorrow afternoon."
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Schumacher expects tougher weekend
Schumacher expects tougher weekend
Michael Schumacher believes Mercedes is slightly further from the frontrunners in Brazil than has been the case recently.
The team has enjoyed a competitive run in the last few rounds, with Schumacher finishing in the top six in both Japan and Korea, but he thinks Mercedes might have to settle for lower positions at Interlagos.
"We had two trouble-free practice sessions today and were able to complete a lot of work with the car," said Schumacher, who was 10th today.
"I would have wished and expected for us to be closer to the top teams but unfortunately the gap seems to be a little bigger than at the last races. All in all, we have to see what we can improve for qualifying tomorrow and we will have a deep look into our data now."
Mercedes' motorsport boss Norbert Haug agreed that the team was a little off the pace, but thinks it will be closer to the front in race trim.
"Today we did not quite achieve the level of performance that we have shown at the last couple of races however we are not too far off," Haug said. "Our high-fuel runs looked reasonable but the single lap performance can be improved further before qualifying."
Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg was slightly more optimistic, and reckons he could star if it rains tomorrow.
"We made some good set-up changes and definitely learned a lot over the two sessions today," said Rosberg. "As a result, I'm confident that we can nail the set-up if it is dry tomorrow.
"However if the predicted rain arrives, then I will look forward to it even more as we should be a little stronger if it is wet and have a better chance of being further up the field."
2010 AUTOSPORT.COM
Brabham: Webber has blown his chances
Three-time F1 World Champ Jack Brabham reckons Mark Webber has "blown" his chances of winning the title after crashing in Korea.
Webber, who arrived in South Korea with a 14 points lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the race for this year's title, left the Yeongam circuit without a single World Championship point.
Lapping in second place behind his German team-mate Sebastian Vettel, Webber lost control of his RB6in the trying conditions, crashing out of the grand prix.
Meanwhile, Alonso went on to win the race, bagging 25 points towards his title campaign and the lead in the Drivers' standings. He now has an 11-point advantage over Webber with two races remaining.
And although 11 points with 50 to play for is not a massive gap, Brabham, who won titles in 1959, 1960 and 1966, believes Webber's chances are over.
He told the Australian Associated Press that Webber winning "would mean a lot to me and it would mean a lot to Australia, but unfortunately I think his real opportunity has been blown last weekend."
The only other Australian to win the F1 title was Alan Jones in 1980.
Brabham, who lives on the Gold Coast south of Brisbane in Queensland state, rarely comments on the state of Formula 1. But he says he fears Webber may have missed a career chance at a title.
"I'm really there behind him in the hope that he gets there but if he doesn't do it this year I don't think he ever will, personally.
"He was there with a (14)-point lead so now he's back in the grid and that's going to make it very, very difficult."
"Mark's actually a very good driver but unfortunately he does make mistakes and the mistake at the weekend has probably cost him the Championship.
"It's a pity, really, because Vettel didn't finish and all Mark had to do was finish in front of Vettel one more time and he was home and dry."
Brabham says the 34-year-old Webber will soon be uncompetitive against the likes of younger stars such as Vettel and Alonso.
"People like Alonso are young and Mark's getting a bit too old really now. He can probably go one more year but every year that goes by now he's getting older and this is a young man's sport.
"He's racing against 21-year-olds or 22-year-olds and he's got the job in front of him. He's got to finish in front of Alonso and also Vettel and it's not going to be easy."
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Alonso playing it cool
Fernando Alonso says he will take a "calm" approach to the inaugural Korean Grand Prix after qualifying third at the new Yeongam circuit on Saturday afternoon.
The Ferrari driver is second in the World Championship, 14 points behind leader Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing, and says that finishing the 55-lap race is the priority with just three Grands Prix remaining in the 19-round season.
Webber, who qualified second to teammate Sebastian Vettel, leads a pack of five drivers separated by 31 points ahead of the last trio of races.
With 25 points on offer for a win, Alonso said a non-finish could end his chances of a third World Championship.
"We cannot be one of those who does not finish," the Spaniard said. "We need to keep scoring points in every race, and I am sure with that we will be very happy with that. We need to be calm and finish the race."
Alonso will start Sunday's race from the cleaner side of the grid, and while he will be looking to pass Webber off the line, he realises that he needs to be cautious.
"We must get a good start without taking too many risks at the first corner because in the race anything could happen and the most important thing will be to get to the chequered flag," he said.
"There are a couple of places (on the circuit) where overtaking seems possible, but we will have to wait until tomorrow to see if that is really the case."
Alonso held provisional pole late in Saturday's qualifying session before being edged out by Vettel and Webber on the final laps by the Red Bull duo.
The Spaniard finished 0.181 seconds behind Vettel, who recorded his ninth pole position of the season, but was encouraged that the gap to the Red Bulls had been reduced since the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka two weeks ago.
"We expected Red Bull to be very strong. It's not by chance they have taken 14 poles from 17 attempts," Alonso said.
"The gap is pretty close, which shows that tomorrow we can be in the fight. (Third) is our maximum potential today, which in a way is very good news because qualifying is not our strongest point."
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Massa surprised by gap to Red Bull
Felipe Massa admits that he was surprised by the margin of Red Bull's superiority over Ferrari after Friday practice ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Massa ended the session fifth overall, just over one second slower than pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.
Team-mate Fernando Alonso was fourth, but still almost nine tenths off the pace at a track where Red Bull was widely expected to be the team to beat.
"Maybe it was a little more than expected," said Massa when asked by AUTOSPORT whether Red Bull's margin at the top of the timesheets was as he anticipated.
"Red Bull was very quick, but many things can happen, especially with the weather forecast for rain on Saturday.
"Then, maybe the race will be dry, so we need to be ready for anything even if Red Bull were quicker than expected. Things can change."
Massa believes that, in dry conditions, it might be more realistic for Ferrari to set beating McLaren pairing Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton as its target for the weekend.
"Maybe," he said of the prospect of racing for best of the rest rather than victory. "Looking at the difference in the laptimes now, it's easier to say that.
"There is a little bit more to come from the car, but not a huge amount."
2010 AUTOSPORT.COM
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