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Nelson Piquet has today issued the following statment:

I have received notice from the Renault F1 team of its intention to stop me from driving for them in the current F1 season. I want to say thanks to the small group who supported me and that I worked together at Renault F1, although it is obviously with great disappointment that I receive such news. But, at the same time, I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver. I am a team player and there are dozens of people I have worked with in my career who would vouch for my character and talent, except unfortunately the person that has had the most influence on my career in Formula 1.

I started racing at the age of eight and have broken record after record. I won every championship I raced in go-karts. I was South American F3 champion, winning 14 races and getting 17 pole positions. In 2003 I went to England, with my own team, to compete in the British F3 championship. I was champion there as well, winning 12 races and getting 13 pole positions. In fact I was the youngest ever champion. I raced GP2 in 2005 and 2006, winning five races and scoring six pole positions. I had a great season in my second year, only missing out on the championship to Lewis Hamilton due to technical mistakes of our team, which I take as my own as well, including running out of fuel during a race. I set the record in GP2 for the first driver to have a perfect weekend, scoring the maximum points available, in Hungary 2006. No-one matched that until July 2009 when Nico Hulkenberg did in at Nurburgring.

The path to F1 was always going to be tricky, and my father and I therefore signed a management contract with Flavio Briatore, who we believed was an excellent option with all the necessary contacts and management skills. Unfortunately, that was when the black period of my career started. I spent one year as a test driver, where I only did a handful of tests, and the next year started as a race driver with Renault. After the opening part of the season, some strange situations began to happen. As a beginner in F1, I could only expect from my team a lot of support and preparation to help me in getting up to the task. Instead, I was relegated as “someone who drives the other car” with no attention at all. In addition, on numerous occasions, fifteen minutes before qualifying and races, my manager and team boss (Briatore) would threaten me, telling me if I didn't get a good result, he had another driver ready to put in my place. I have never needed threats before to get results. In 2008 I scored 19 points, finished once on the podium in second place, having the best debut year of a Brazilian driver in F1.

For the 2009 season Briatore, again acting both as my manager and team boss of Renault F1, promised me everything would be different, that I would get the attention I deserved but had never received, and that I would get “at least equal treatment” inside the team. He made me sign a performance-based contract, requiring me to score 40% of Fernando Alonso's points by mid-way through the season. Despite driving with Fernando, two-time world champion and a really excellent driver, I was confident that, if I had the same conditions, I would easily attain the 40% of points required by the contract.

Unfortunately, the promises didn't turn into reality again. With the new car I completed 2002km of testing compared to Fernando's 3839km. Only three days of my testing was in dry weather – only one of Fernando's was wet. I was only testing with a heavy car, hard tyres, mostly on the first day (when the track is slow and reliability is poor), or when the weather was bad. Fernando was driving a light car with soft tyres in the dry, fine conditions. I never had a chance to be prepared for the qualifying system we use. In Formula 1 today, the difference between 1st and 15th position is sometimes less than a second. It means that 0.2 or 0.3s can make you gain eight positions.

In addition to that, car development is now happening on a race-to-race basis due to the in season testing ban. Of the first nine races that I ran this year, in four of them Fernando had a significant car upgrade that I did not have. I was informed by the engineers at Renault that in those races I had a car that was between 0.5 and 0.8s a lap slower than my teammate. If I look at Germany (where I out-qualified my teammate despite that), if I had that advantage in qualifying I would be fifth and not tenth. If we had that difference in the race, I would have finished ahead of my teammate, which I did in Silverstone, despite him having upgrades that I did not have.

I believe without doubt in my talent and my performance. I didn't get this far by getting bad results. Anyone who knows my history knows that the results I am having in F1 do not match my CV and my ability. The conditions I have had to deal with during the last two years have been very strange to say the least – there are incidents that I can hardly believe occurred myself. If I now need to give explanations, I am certain it is because of the unfair situation I have been in the past two years. I always believed that having a manager was being a part of a team and having a partner. A manager is supposed to encourage you, support you, and provide you with opportunities. In my case it was the opposite. Flavio Briatore was my executioner.

Being under pressure is not new to me. I have had criticism throughout my career, and have also had a lot of expectations put on me due to my name. Up until now I always met those expectations – surpassed them even. I have never before felt the need to defend myself or fight back from rumours and criticism because I knew the truth and I just wanted to concentrate on racing – I didn't ever let it affect me. Fortunately, I can now say to those people who supported me through my career that I'm back on the good tracks and considering the options for a new start in my F1 career in a fair and positive way.

azward

Aug 5 2009, 12:15 PM

it's even worse in the second post....

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Universal Music Group International and its JV company All The Worlds is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Formula One Administration Limited creating F1 ROCKS™, a pioneering and electrifying new global entertainment platform.

F1 ROCKS™ fuses the world’s most popular annual sporting series with the most iconic music stars to create an unrivalled experience for F1™ and music fans alike. At the core of F1 ROCKS™ is a series of spectacular multi-artist live music events from glamorous Formula 1™ race locations around the world. The combination of live performances from the world’s biggest acts together with stars from the world of movies, sport and fashion will create TV shows & Digital content that will be broadcast and streamed to a global audience.

“The partnership between the world's most thrilling sport and the world's biggest music company is one of the most exciting entertainment initiatives to be launched anywhere,” said Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group International.

“The combination of music, megastars and motor sport will create a groundbreaking, all-new entertainment spectacular, channeled through the multiple platforms open to our two global brands. I'm very much looking forward to working with Bernie. He had the imagination to see the potential in F1 Rocks from the very beginning, and we want to make it a huge success on a global scale."

Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One Group added: “I have always said that we are in the entertainment business and this deal marks a new dimension for Formula One. It is the result of many months of discussions with Lucian and I am very pleased we are now ready to go. Universal are the biggest players in the music industry and we have high hopes for what we can achieve together.”

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A push by Ferrari to allow teams to run three cars in Formula 1 next year could yet allow Michael Schumacher to return to the sport.

That was the firm hint dropped by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on Tuesday night, just hours after Schumacher's F1 comeback was called off for now because of a neck injury.

Di Montezemolo believes that Schumacher has plenty to offer F1 still, even though he is 40-years-old, and he has said he will not ease off in his efforts to get the rules changed so Ferrari can run three cars next year - with Schumacher a possibility to fill for as many races as he wants.

In an interview that will appear in La Stampa on Wednesday, di Montezemolo said that there were clear reasons why Ferrari opted for its former champion rather than a young driver when it came to finding a replacement for Felipe Massa.

"Well we're talking about Michael Schumacher," said di Montezemolo. "He is 40 years old, but he's still from another planet.

"I prefer the champion, even if matured, to the mediocre driver, even if he's young. Our circus needed some great input.

"We're continuing to fight until every team has the right to start with three cars in the next season (and one I'd have handed over to Michael with pleasure). I prefer three McLaren and three Renault to three "whatevers". With BMW gone, there's not much to say but lots to do."

Di Montezemolo said he was 'very disappointed' by the news delivered on Monday night that Schumacher's neck injury from a motorcycle crash had not healed enough to allow him to race in F1, but said there was no point in pushing the German to try to get in the car.

"They found something that still didn't work," said di Montezemolo. "So it's better not to insist. We wouldn't do that at all. He had the small motorcycle accident in February and on the first laps at Mugello he felt that something was wrong. You shouldn't joke with your health."

Di Montezemolo also revealed that Schumacher himself was unhappy about the development that has kept him out of the F1 cockpit for now.

When asked how Schumacher reacted to the news, di Montezemolo said: "What do you think? He answered with such an enthusiasm to my request; the enthusiasm of a boy and not of a retired champion.

"He lost four kilos; same weight as in October 2006 when he raced for the last time in Brazil. You can imagine how he took it."

And di Montezemolo said that Badoer's chances of keeping the race seat beyond the European GP would very much depend on the job he did.

"[We have] faith in Luca Badoer, who's one of us," he said. "Destiny has given him a unique possibility now he has to make the best out of it. We will support him with all we've got."

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Williams has confirmed that it will part company with Toyota at the end of the 2009 season.

The move ends an engine supply deal that began at the start of 2007, and had been anticipated for several weeks, with senior Williams figures openly admitting that the team was reviewing its engine options for 2010.

Team boss Frank Williams thanked Toyota for its support over the last three seasons.

"At a time of great difficulty for us as a team, Toyota stepped forward and agreed to supply us with engines for 2007 through to the end of 2009," he said.

"Toyota has been a very decent partner who have always respected our independence and provided us with a first-rate technical product. We are proud that we have been able to work with such a great company and we are grateful to the team in Cologne for their support.

"I would like to single out for our thanks the Toyota engineers and technicians who have worked within our race team tirelessly for the past three years."

Toyota motorsport boss Tadashi Yamashina added: "We have enjoyed a productive working relationship with Williams and I believe both companies have benefited from that partnership. We respect the wishes of Williams to look for other opportunities and wish them well for the future."

Williams's statement said that its new engine supplier would be announced "in due course."

The team has been linked with both Renault and Cosworth for next season.

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Rubens Barrichello insists he has not yet finalised a 2010 deal, despite reports that Williams is on the verge of announcing him as its new driver.

The Brazilian is now widely expected to swap places with Nico Rosberg, who would move in the opposite direction from Williams to Brawn, joining Jenson Button. GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg is tipped to step up from reserve duties to become Barrichello's Williams team-mate.

Barrichello openly admitted that he was negotiating with Williams, but denied that he had already signed a contract - and said staying at Brawn was also still an option.

"That it's true there are talks with Williams and with Brawn, there's no doubt," Barrichello was quoted as saying by Reuters. "But that I haven't signed any papers, I can also say I haven't."

The most experienced driver in Formula 1 history, Barrichello said he was thrilled to be negotiating with more than one team for what would be his 18th season in the world championship.

"I read about everything that's been said and made it quite clear that this is a very special moment for me in Formula 1," he said.

"Today I feel very honoured that there are teams trying [to sign me for 2010], that there are teams I'm talking to and that my situation is a lot better than for some time.

"I'm at a very privileged stage of my career in being able to choose the car in which I'll compete. I very much want a competitive car for next season."

Barrichello's career looked to be in jeopardy a year ago as Honda evaluated young Brazilians Lucas di Grassi and Bruno Senna as potential replacements. But when the Japanese company pulled out and the team was reborn as Brawn GP, team boss Ross Brawn preferred to retain Barrichello.

With two races to go, Barrichello remains a contender for the world championship, 14 points behind his team-mate Button.