Timo Glock on Thursday said he expects to be "totally fit" for next weekend's British grand prix. The German had to sit out last weekend's Valencia race with an intestinal infection. But in a media statement issued on Thursday, his employer Marussia said Glock, 30, is "back on the road to recovery" "Generally I am feeling much better," he said. "I still feel a little weak in the legs, but otherwise I am okay. "I am now on my way to a full recovery, although […]

Spa-Francorchamps is no longer part of the proposal to revive the French grand prix. Prior to ex president Nicolas Sarkozy losing the general election, plans to alternate a single annual race between Paul Ricard and Belgium's fabled Spa were well advanced. But with Francois Hollande in power and his sports minister Valerie Fourneyron in the driving seat of the grand prix project, the situation is now very different. French reports this week say Fourneyron has told France's motor racing sanctioning body, the FFSA, that Paul […]

Romain Grosjean on Sunday lost his chance to become F1's eighth different winner. The Frenchman was running comfortably behind eventual winner Fernando Alonso at Valencia when his Renault alternator failed -- the same component that halted Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull charge. "We need to hold our hands up and apologise," said Renault's Remi Taffin. Former F1 driver Patrick Tambay told France's RMC: "It's a shame, because the opportunities for victory are rare and you can't let them pass. "Today it passed for Romain but it […]

Valencia has sold less than 40,000 tickets ahead of next weekend's European grand prix. El Pais newspaper reports that, of the street circuit's deliberately reduced capacity of 45,000 seats, only 85 per cent have been sold. And of the 38,000 tickets sold, 64 per cent of them were purchased by foreign visitors, the Spanish publication added. Spain has been devastated by the European financial crisis, with unemployment at almost 25 per cent and the European Union needing to inject $125 billion to rescue crippled banks. […]

The word 'Grosjean' still ignites emotion in the Sauber garage. Sergio Perez was furious with the Frenchman after a collision in Barcelona, and then Kamui Kobayashi had to retire with suspension damage after the first corner in Monaco. "He deserved a penalty (for Monaco)," team manager Beat Zehnder is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "He drove into two cars. If Schumacher is punished in Barcelona, why not Grosjean (at Monaco)?" Team boss Peter Sauber added: "The guy has both of our drivers on […]

New French sports minister Valerie Fourneyron declared on Tuesday "no formal agreement" exists that will see the country host a grand prix next year. Before former president Nicolas Sarcozy lost the recent general election, Bernie Ecclestone was confirming that Paul Ricard would annually alternate a Formula One race with Belgium's Spa Francorchamps. Everything changed, however, when new president Francois Hollande appointed Fourneyron as sports minister. She met with a Paul Ricard delegation on Tuesday, and will reportedly meet with representatives of the former grand prix […]

France's new sports minister has confirmed there is some doubt the country will return to the Formula One calendar next year. Bernie Ecclestone announced recently that, with a French race having been absent from F1 since 2008, Paul Ricard could - starting from 2013 - share an annually rotating date with Belgium's Spa Francorchamps. But then the French government changed. The new sports minister is Valerie Fourneyron, who told RMC: "There was a remarkable acceleration in this issue recently. "There have been no grands prix […]

(MotoGP) Reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Casey Stoner confirmed on Thursday that he would retire from the sport at the end of the 2012 season. The Repsol Honda rider addressed the media at the start of the official pre-event press conference for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, making a short statement in which he outlined the reasons behind his decision. “After a long time thinking, a lot of time talking with my family and my wife, this has been coming for a couple of […]

Does Formula One have a calendar problem? We take a look.

Narain Karthikeyan has played down reports he could lose his seat at HRT because of a lack of sponsorship. An Indian newspaper this week said the 35-year-old is a million euros short of guaranteeing his place at the struggling Spanish team through November's Brazil finale. "Right now, everything is as it should be," he is quoted by France's autohebdo.fr. "Early in the season, (team boss) Luis (Perez Sala) said that if I was not close enough to my teammate, there is a chance I will […]

Red Bull's team boss has moved to ease speculation Mark Webber could be set to change teams at the end of 2012. The 35-year-old Australian is now on only a one-year contract, triggering reports he has been lined up by Ferrari as a potential successor to the struggling Felipe Massa. But subsequent speculation said Red Bull is in fact close to offering to extend Webber's deal. Team boss Christian Horner ridiculed the Ferrari rumours. "I think it's inevitable," he is quoted by France's L'Equipe. "Almost […]

The French government is dashing to seal the lid on the country's return to F1. Bernie Ecclestone has said a deal has been reached to annually alternate a race between Paul Ricard in France and Belgium's fabled Spa-Francorchamps. But the final signature and official announcement are still missing. David Douillet, the French sports minister, told Le Journal du Dimanche that the chance France will be on the 2013 calendar is "90 per cent". "The contract is going back and forth between the lawyers. I hope […]