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From GMM

Team boss Christian Horner stepped up his attack on Red Bull's engine supplier Renault after the Austrian grand prix.

At the debut of the energy drink company's very own grand prix at the Red Bull Ring, the premier Renault-powered team was not only uncompetitive, but world champion Sebastian Vettel was struck yet again by technical trouble.

The home soil failure, with German Vettel retiring voluntarily to save engine mileage, came among swirling paddock rumours Red Bull is on the cusp of approving a project to build its very own F1 engine.

Vettel, meanwhile, effectively wrote off his chances of winning a fifth consecutive title in Austria.

"You don't have to be a genius. I'm not scoring points while Mercedes is doing a flawless job," the 26-year-old, referring to the mathematical unlikelihood of a successful campaign this year, is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

In utter contrast, Red Bull's blunt Dr Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper the weekend had been "an absolutely disastrous" home race for the team.

Retirement of Sebastian Vettel at the Red Bull Ring. (Photo: WRi2)

And boss Horner made clear in what direction Red Bull's frustration is pointed.

"Reliability is unacceptable, performance is unacceptable. There needs to be change at Renault," he said. "It can't continue like this. It's not good for Renault and it's not good for Red Bull. Something needs to happen."

The big rumour in Austria was that Red Bull is on the verge of giving up on Renault and instead teaming up with Austrian companies like Pankl and AVL to build its own Infiniti-funded and branded bespoke F1 engine.

Sources indicate that a project like that would need to begin immediately in order to be minimally ready for the 2016 season.

Renault figures revealed at the weekend that Red Bull is in fact contractually tied to its French partner until the end of 2016, but Horner told Sky that Renault will only "maybe" still be in the rear of the car beyond next year.

"A team like Red Bull isn't short of choices, but we want to make sure we're competitive for the long term," Horner said.

Even Renault's own advisor Alain Prost, a four time world champion like Vettel, admitted the ball has been hit swiftly from Red Bull's side of the court.

"This does not look good," he is quoted by Der Spiegel, "and I know that something must change."

From GMM

One of Michael Schumacher's personal sponsors is ending its deal with the embattled F1 legend.

For years, advertising campaigns for the bottled mineral water brand Rosbacher have regularly featured a bare-chested Schumacher in various sporting poses.

Photo: Rosbacher

Earlier this month, as the seven time world champion remained in intensive care in the wake of his late December skiing fall, parent company Hassia Gruppe's chief Dirk Hinkel said he continued to back Schumacher.

"We remain committed to him and his family, and send him our best wishes," he said.

Dirk Hinkel said at the same time that the more than eight year collaboration with Schumacher had led to "a much higher awareness" of the Rosbacher brand.

But the Swiss Sunday newspaper Sonntagsblick reports that Dirk Hinkel has apparently had a change of heart.

Just as it emerges that Schumacher has left intensive care in France and transferred to a Swiss rehabilitation hospital, the report claimed the great 45-year-old's Rosbacher contract will not be extended beyond 2014.

"After that, our advertising will be with the product alone," a spokeswoman confirmed.

Citroen's C4 Cactus is more than just another compact car. It's a manifesto on wheels for the brand's move down-market as parent PSA struggles to return to profit.

Pictures See all 27 pictures 22 Jun, 2014

From press release

Audi has won the Nürburgring 24 Hours exactly one week following the brand's 13th success in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Phoenix Racing with the Audi R8 LMS ultra celebrated a hard-fought victory in its home round in the Eifel. Ernst Moser's squad had previously taken the honors in the race through the ‘Green Hell' with Audi's GT3 sports car in 2012. With 159 laps the R8 LMS ultra set a new distance record this year.

Photo: Audi

For the first time ever, a Nürburgring winner covered more than 4,000 kilometers - the successful Audi squad completing exactly 4,035.102 kilometers.


“Sincere congratulations to the winners and a sincere ‘thank you' to our customers for their appearance at the Nürburgring,” said a pleased Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.

Photo: Audi

“We saw a true classic this weekend in which all the qualities of endurance racing were crucial: first-class technology, reliable drivers, a good strategy and a solid team performance.

“I'm happy that we managed to clinch our second victory in three years against such fierce competition in one of the world's toughest endurance races.”

Photo: Audi

Race results - Nürburgring 24 Hours

1 Haase/Mamerow/Rast/Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS ultra), 159 laps

2 Bleekemolen/Simonsen/Menzel/Arnold (Mercedes), + 2m 59s

3 Zehe/Hohenadel/Bastian/Engel (Mercedes) - 2 laps

4 Henzler/Dumbreck/Ragginger/Imperatori (Porsche) - 2 laps

5 Mücke/Turner/Lamy (Aston Martin) - 2 laps

6 Klingmann/Baumann/Hürtgen/Tomczyk (BMW) - 2 laps

7 Primat/Götz/Heyer/Rehfeld (Mercedes) - 3 laps

8 Stuck/Sandritter/Brück/Rostek (BMW) - 5 laps
9 Baumgartner/Werner/Biela/Kaffer (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 6 laps

10 Busch/Busch/Lauck/Landmann (Audi R8 LMS ultra) - 7 laps
(...)

From GMM

Daniil Kvyat has his fingers crossed his growth spurt is over.

A cursory look at the Russian's formative career, including his GP3 title last year, shows that the then lanky teenager was 175cm tall.

But other, perhaps more up-to-date F1 resources are showing the impressive Kvyat at 180cm -- the 5cm difference meaning he is either an average 5 foot 9, or a quite-tall 5 foot 11.

Dr Helmut Marko, in charge of Red Bull's driver development programme, has been quoted as saying the young Russian is indeed growing very quickly.

It has raised fears Kvyat might keep growing and hurt his career by no longer fitting easily at the wheel of today's F1 cars.

"Of course yes," he told Speed Week, "I am one of the taller drivers.

"But there were others taller than me in the past, like Mark Webber and Gerhard Berger.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso STR9 (Photo: GEPA Pictures)

"I have had a growth spurt, but it's over now, I think," Kvyat added.

Marko has also suggested that Kvyat, while clearly the standout surprise among the latest F1 rookies, has been lucky to make his debut in 2014 rather than perhaps a year earlier.

"Daniil Kvyat is a very good driver," he told the Guardian. "But he's young and if he jumped in last year's car he would not have finished a grand prix without being completely exhausted.

"Now he can finish because the demands are so much lower," Marko added.

From GMM

Dietrich Mateschitz has played down claims he is set to approve a bespoke engine project to power his formula one team Red Bull from 2016.

The rumours have been fuelled by none other than the billionaire's F1 right-hand-man Dr Helmut Marko, who said links with renowned Austrian companies like Pankl and AVL mean: "You should never say no.

"We are looking at all alternatives."

Mateschitz, rarely seen in the paddock, is attending this weekend's Austrian grand prix at his very own Red Bull Ring.

He said he is coping with Red Bull's struggle in 2014, following four consecutive years of title dominance.

"This is sport," Mateschitz is quoted by the Austrian press. "During the past four and a half years, we have won almost everything.

"But it can't be that way forever. And we know why we are behind," he added.

Helmut Marko, Dietrich Mateschitz (Photo GEPA Pictures)

Mateschitz's last statement is an obvious reference to Renault, Red Bull's underperforming engine supplier.

The team is obviously keen to match the field-leading Mercedes in a straight line, but obviously unable to switch to the V6s supplied by its arch-rivals.

Mateschitz, however, played down the reports of a bespoke 'Red Bull' engine.

"We are not a car manufacturer," he said. "Our primary expertise is not the construction of engines."

The 'Red Bull engine' rumour might therefore be just a stark wake-up call for Renault.

"Red Bull has high standards," agreed the French marque's engine boss Rob White. "So we understand the reasons for the statements of Helmut Marko and other team members," he told motorline.cc.

"We want to satisfy Marko and the others so it is important for us to improve. But I don't see any conflict between Renault and Red Bull," White added.

From press release

Race 1 of the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario goes to Tristan DeGrand, his 5th victory in a row.

Caitlin Johnston led the field to the green after a very impressive qualifying session earlier today. She was pipped by DeGrand on lap 1 but had a spectacular race and was involved in some major battles.

DeGrand did not have things as easily as the last event and could not lose the pack of 6 cars in tow, challenged at times by Johnston, Jeffrey Kingsley and had to fend off a major charge from teammate Max Hanratty over the latter stages of the race.

At lap 5 there was a bit of a scare for Bruce Kitchen. He had a slight off in corner 3, knocking the body loose along with the fuel line. He got going again, only to notice by corner 5 that he was on fire. He stopped at the marshal's stand, and the fire was quickly put out.

The race resumed on lap 9 with Hanratty chomping at the bit to snag his first win. He hounded DeGrand over the last 3 laps but came up just short. Hanratty was followed by Caitlin Johnston in 3rd, Jeffrey Kingsley in 4th and Chase Pelletier in 5th.

Pelletier had a wild first couple of laps going side by side with Kingsley through corner 2 and losing some spots and almost spinning in corner 10 after being put onto the grass in a battle with Reid Arnold. He did post the fastest lap of the race however, and will be a factor in tomorrow's race.

In the B Class battle Connor Wagland and Graham Lobban traded the top spot several times, with Lobban getting back by on the next to last lap. Amy Castell got the final step of the podium followed by Keith Lobban and Mike Lee.

Day two at the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario gets under way with practice at 9am.

From press release

Valtteri Bottas achieved his first ever Formula One podium with Felipe Massa finishing fourth after a competitive race in Austria. 


Massa led from Bottas at the end of the first lap and maintained a gap to the chasing Mercedes until the first round of pitstops.


Both Mercedes were able to get ahead of the Williams during the pitstops, but a quick pit stop helped Bottas get ahead of his teammate.

Valtteri Bottas (Photo: WRi2)

"It's difficult to explain how I feel right now. That was the best champagne I've ever tasted," said the Finn after his maiden F1 podium.

"All the hard work that the team puts in shows in moments like this. I had one pitstop that really put in me in the fight and that changed my race, so well done to the boys for that.

"I had put in a good lap before that and so I got in front on Felipe and from there I could manage my pace with the cars in front.

Williams scored a valuable 27 points to move up to fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

From GMM

The word in the paddock of the Austrian Grand Prix is that Red Bull is hosting an F1 venue at a discounted price.

After the A1-Ring last held a grand prix in 2003, Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz bought the Spielberg venue and spent dozens of millions refurbishing it.

As the 'Red Bull Ring', the race has returned in 2014.

Some traffic chaos aside, Austria's return to the schedule has been warmly welcomed.

It is not known what annual fee Mateschitz is paying to Bernie Ecclestone, but the 83-year-old admitted it is less than some of the newer venues on the calendar like Abu Dhabi or Sochi.

Red Bull Ring (Photo: GEPA Pictures)

"There is a difference (between them) and the traditional races," he said.

Ecclestone said he is happy with the rejuvenation work at the Red Bull Ring. "The old track was not nearly as good as it is now," he said.

"It's amazing what Dietrich has done here."

Ecclestone also said Austria is an important gateway for F1 to nearby "Slovenia and Croatia".

Even Niki Lauda, of Red Bull's arch rivals Mercedes, admitted on Saturday he is happy to see F1 back in his native country.

"Didi (Mateschitz) has done a great job here," said the triple world champion.

"It was important to have this race back," Ecclestone is quoted adding by the German daily Bild.

"It's good for the region and for formula one."

The newspaper said the Red Bull Ring has a new contract with F1 that runs until 2020 -- precisely the same length of Mateschitz's commitment to the sport with the reigning world champion team Red Bull Racing.

But Ecclestone said: "As long as Dietrich and I want it, the race will be here.

"We plan our calendar for the long term," the Briton is quoted by APA news agency.

"We need stability with regards to venues and dates," Ecclestone explained. "In the next five years, the calendar will be relatively stable."

From GMM

Renault has tipped rumours about its future to eventually "disappear".

In the paddock at Red Bull's own circuit this weekend, rumours have been swirling strongly that the reigning champion team is planning to dump struggling Renault in order to build its own bespoke F1 power unit.

And a related rumour is that, if that does happen, Renault could simply quit F1 altogether.

Responding to the rumours in Austria, Renault Sport F1 chief Jean-Michel Jalinier insisted: "We have a three-year supplier contract with Red Bull Racing, which runs to the end of 2016.

"The cooperation between the two technical teams is going very well," he told Speed Week. "We are developing this year's engine to catch up with the competition.

Renault is sticking with Red Bull (Photo: GEPA Pictures)

"But at the same time, we are putting a lot of work into the power unit for next year. I am convinced that we will catch Mercedes this year, and that we will have a very competitive car next year in conjunction with the chassis.

"Then these rumours will disappear," Jalinier said.

However, it has been suggested that the only way Renault will be able to appease Red Bull, and end all the suggestions about a bespoke engine, is to ditch the flawed 2014 package and start afresh for 2015 -- perhaps with a Mercedes-like concept.

But Jalinier insisted: "It (the 2015 engine) is more evolution than revolution. But of course, we use the entire scope of the regulations to promote our development."

From press release

Despite pressure from Williams, Mercedes took another 1-2 victory in Austria, led by German Nico Rosberg.

The weather was warm and dry at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring as Rosberg claimed his fourth win of the season and eighth consecutive podium after starting third on the grid. Aboard the sister W05, Hamilton finished second after gaining seven places, securing the team's sixth one-two finish in the 2014 season.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

Both drivers ran two-stop strategies, running a tire choice of option/prime/prime.

"We chose the aggressive way to pit earlier and to overtake the Williams that way and that worked out quite well," said Rosberg.

(Photo: WRi2)

"We had to look after our brakes, which was a big job for the whole race. Also this worked out perfectly for me. Before the weekend, my target was to extend the lead in the championship, which I achieved."

The 28-year-old now leads the championship by 29 points over Hamilton.

(Photo: WRi2)

"After what happened yesterday in qualifying, today was all about damage limitation for me, so I'm as happy as I can be with a P2 finish," added the Briton.

"I have had the pace in the car all weekend here but I wasn't able to capitalize on that, so getting second place from a bad weekend is pretty good, I guess. I had a rocket start - it's something we've be working hard on all year and it was one of the best I've ever had.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14-T (Photo: WRi2)

"I managed to put the car in all the right places and climb to P4 by the end of the first lap."

Race results* - Austrian Grand Prix (roung 8 of 19)
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 71 laps 1.27'54"967
2 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1"932
3 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 8"172
4 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 17"358
5 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 18"553
6 - Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 28"546
7 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 32"031
8 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 43"522
9 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 44"137
10 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 47"777
11 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 50"966
12 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1 lap
13 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1 lap
14 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1 lap
15 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 2 laps
16 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 2 laps
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 2 laps
18 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 2 laps
19 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 2 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'12"142 by Sergio Pérez

(Photo: WRi2)

Retirements
Jean-Eric Vergne
Sebastian Vettel
Daniil Kvyat

Drivers' championship
1.Rosberg 165; 2.Hamilton 136; 3.Ricciardo 83; 4.Alonso 79; 5.Vettel 60; 6.Hulkenberg 59; 7.Bottas 55; 8.Button 43; 9.Massa 30; 10.Magnussen 29; 11.Perez 28; 12.Raikkonen 19; 13.Grosejan, Vergne 8; 15.Kvyat 4; 16.Bianchi 2.

Constructors' championship
1.Mercedes 301; 2.Red Bull-Renault 143; 3.Ferrari 98; 4.Force India-Mercedes 87; 5.Williams-Mercedes 85; 6.McLaren-Mercedes 72; 7.Toro Rosso-Renault 12; 8.Marussia-Ferrari 2.

*Unofficial scoring

TI Automotive's hedge fund owners that include Oaktree Capital Group LLC will reap a $435 million dividend by saddling the longtime auto supplier with more debt for the second time in two years.

How much do women in China love BMW's Mini? Perhaps a bit too much for Mini's comfort. So the company is taking pains to give its cars more masculine connotations.

Lexus dealers are cheering the brand's having expanded a cap that had limited retailers to owning no more than six Lexus stores.

Hyundai-Kia's first-ever first-place showing in the 2014 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study is a significant milestone for a Korean manufacturer that once struggled with quality.

Volvo will reverse its downward sales trend in the second half of the year as new four- and six-cylinder engines and connectivity features become widely available.

The Rally America championship has revealed the full entry list ahead of this year's Mount Washington HillClimb, also known as the "Climb to the Clouds", round 5 of the season.

The famous 7.4 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road that was first opened in 1861 was last used in competition in 2011 when Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins demolished the previous Hillclimb record with a time of 6:11:54.

For those interested in attending the event, spectator areas are available along the course on both Saturday and Sunday, June 28th and 29th. For additional information including advanced tickets, schedule information and a complete list of all entries for the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb, visit www.climbtotheclouds.com.

Provisional entry list - Mount Washington Hillclimb (June 26-29, 2014)
David Higgins/Craig Drew (2014 Subaru WRX STI) - Open
Travis Pastrana/Chrissie Beavis (2014 Subaru WRX STI) - Open
Adam Yeoman/Jordan Schulz (2007 Subaru WRX STI) - Open
John Cassidy/David Getchell (2003 Subaru WRX STI) - Open
Ryan Wilcox/James Beliveau (1996 Subaru OBSTI) - Open
Don Kennedy/Matthew Kennedy (1993 Subaru Impreza) - Open
Dillon Van Way/Andrew Edwards (2013 Subaru WRX STI) - SP
Nick Roberts/Rhianon Gelsomino (2014 Subaru WRX STI) - SP
Martin Egan/Jarrah Lankas (2006 Subaru WRX STI) - SP
Andrew Comrie-Picard/Ole Holter (2014 Ford Fiesta ST) - 2WD
Troy Miller/Steve Harrell (2011 Ford Fiesta R2) - 2WD
William Petrow/Jeremy Neyhart (1991 Nissan 240SX) - 2WD
Panos Karpidas/John Hall (Ford Fiesta R2) - 2WD
Cameron Steely/Preston Osborn (2014 Ford) - 2WD
Erika Detota/Mary Osborn (1995 Subaru Impreza) - 2WD

From GMM

Red Bull will "definitely" be powered by Renault in 2015, Dr Helmut Marko insists.

Reports emerged at the scene of the reigning world champions' new home race on Friday that Red Bull really is considering splitting with its current engine supplier and building its own turbo V6.

According to Marko, it's not as far-fetched as it sounds.

"We have a lot of very skilled companies (in Austria) concerning engines," he said at the impressive Red Bull Ring, the totally refurbished former A1-Ring.

"Pankl is about 30 kilometres from here," explained Marko, referring to Renault's existing turbocharger partner, "and AVL is 70 kilometres (away)."

Asked specifically by Martin Brundle if Red Bull is considering supplying itself with a F1 engine, Marko answered: "You should never say no. We are looking at all alternatives."

Renault engineers banging heads together (Photo: WRi2)

But even though it seems Red Bull has set this weekend's Austrian grand prix as the deadline for Renault to prove it is up to the task of matching the field-leading Mercedes, Marko clarified: "We will definitely go with Renault in 2015."

Germany's Bild newspaper, however, said Red Bull is serious in its contemplations about a bespoke engine.

"There are massive poaching attempts by Red Bull among the engine makers of the Silver Arrows (Mercedes)," a report in the daily newspaper claimed.

Renault, however, is not giving up. A new fuel supplied by partner Total is making its debut at the Red Bull Ring, reportedly delivering several additional horse power.

The French marque's Remi Taffin warned in Austria, however, that - because of the homologation rules - Renault's scope to make vast further improvements in 2014 is limited.

"It's not that we have switched to next year," he said when asked about the 2015 project, "just that we have a lot more freedom" when it comes to 2015.

"We know what we would like to change," Taffin explained. "We have to fix some aspects of the engine, but it cannot be done in two or three months."

From GMM

Since buying the defunct A1-Ring in 2004, Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz has ploughed a quarter of a billion euros into the Austrian grand prix, the local Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper claims.

"Millions more of his personal fortune," read the report, "he invested in local infrastructure, such as hotels."

While most have hailed the success of the impressive new 'Red Bull Ring', many say the traffic chaos so far this weekend has been a palpable downer.

But FIA president Jean Todt insists: "You have to acknowledge what Dietrich Mateschitz has done (for the sport): two teams, a great track.

"Because he's a perfectionist, the Austrian grand prix will also be perfect," he added.

Photo: WRi2

Even so, not everyone is magnanimous. Mercedes, whose bookings at a newly Mateschitz-owned local hotel were reportedly cancelled just a few weeks ago, is not exactly playing ball.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have steadfastly refused to call the circuit in Spielberg by its official energy drink-sounding name.

And Mercedes-Benz advertising hoardings near the Red Bull Ring feature the sole word 'Heimspielberg', meaning 'Home-game Spielberg' -- undoubtedly a cheeky fly-in-the-ointment of Red Bull's PR masterstroke.

"That's Mercedes' style," said a sardonic Dr Helmut Marko.