Auto Racing Capsules: Vickers takes pole at Chicagoland
JOLIET, Ill. — Brian Vickers won yet another pole, his fifth one this season coming at Chicagoland Speedway.
Now the Red Bull Racing driver wants one of those starts to help get him to Victory Lane.
Vickers ran a lap of 184.162 mph on Thursday for his fifth pole this year and 10th in 191 career Cup races. Throw out races where qualifying laps were rained out, and Vickers has won the last three Sprint Cup poles.
"It was an amazing lap," Vickers said. "I didn't expect it to be that quick. I knew we had a really good car, and it was just up to me to mess up or finish the job."
The same could be said with his race day finishes.
Vickers doesn't have a win to show for his strong qualifying efforts in the No. 83 Toyota. He hasn't finished higher than fifth this season and hasn't won a Cup race since 2006.
"I'm very frustrated to not be in Victory Lane," he said. "Winning poles is one of our goals. Winning races is the other. If I had to pick between the two, I'd pick wins over poles, but we'll take whatever we can get."
Vickers' Red Bull Racing teammate Scott Speed, who needed to qualify on time, was second at 182.958. Three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was third.
Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer round out the top five.
Points leader Tony Stewart was 32nd. Jeff Gordon, who trails Stewart by 180 points, was seventh.
"I knew we weren't going to beat Vickers. He's in another category," Gordon said. "They definitely have their act together in qualifying."
Speed, who has a rocky relationship with Vickers, posted the best start of his career. It helped Red Bull Racing claim both front row starting positions for the first time.
"Brian's lap was incredible," Speed said. "I didn't really think that we had a shot to beat that, but I knew we had a shot to be at the front. But we also have to make the race. You've got to be smart about it."
Speed was the last driver to attempt a qualifying lap under the lights.
Next up for Vickers is signing the contract extension he verbally agreed to with Red Bull months ago. Vickers, who is 17th in the points standings, said signing the contract was tabled when the economy soured. Still, Vickers says both sides are still in agreement on the terms, and he has thought several times to be on the brink of putting his name on the deal.
He's not sure why there's a holdup.
"For why, I can't answer," he said. "It's a really strange situation. Normally in these circumstances, if you agreed on them, you sign them."
Vickers said he's excited about staying with Red Bull Racing and his potential for success with the organization.
Busch says Stewart ‘dumped him' at Daytona
JOLIET, ILL. - Kyle Busch hasn't mellowed following his last-lap accident at Daytona that sent him into the wall, and then the infield care center - even as points leader Tony Stewart says all is fine between the two former teammates.
Busch claimed Stewart "dumped him," or, caused him to wreck, and questioned if drivers should be allowed to win if they cause an accident that lets them take the lead.
"I think NASCAR can take a step in looking at it, and if the second-place driver bumps the leader, then black-flag (him)," Busch said Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway. "He doesn't get the win."
At Daytona, Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap and tried to fend off a hard-charging Stewart. He successfully blocked Stewart once, but when he tried to do it again Stewart hooked Busch's right rear fender instead, sending Busch into the wall a few hundred yards from the finish.
Busch had no problems with a driver bumping the one ahead of him out of the way if it doesn't cause an accident.
"I gathered my stuff up and tried to block high and it was too late," Busch said. "Tony was already alongside."
Stewart called the accident a part of racing and said the two often-fiery drivers were on the same page following a 30-minute conversation about the circumstances of the wreck earlier this week.
Same page? Busch came out Thursday and made it seem like he wasn't even in the same book.
Stewart declined to address Busch's comments, and said he only was going to judge Busch's view of the incident based on their earlier conversation. When Stewart was asked if his maneuver was considered a "dump," he said, "I'm not biting."
"Nobody wants what happened on the last lap to happen," Stewart said. "Nobody wants to be in that situation because we all respect each other as drivers so much."
Other drivers came to Smoke's defense.
"I certainly would not say that he got dumped," four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon said. "If Carl Edwards would have said that, I would have said the same thing. It's not getting dumped when the guy has got a fender or bumper inside you and you turn and come across."
Added Kasey Kahne: "It was a long way from a dump in my mind. I'd say they were both battling for the win. It's Daytona, Talladega, those kinds of tracks you do that stuff."
It marked the second time a crash has marred the end of a restrictor plate race this season. Edwards went flying into the catch fence at Talladega this spring while trying to block Brad Keselowski in a mad dash to the finish.
"This isn't something that's new to this sport, it's more frequent because guys are getting better at the aspect of it and instead of having two cars up in a pack, now there's 32 cars in the pack," Stewart said. "That's really the only variable that's changed. It's not the car, it's not restrictor plates. This has been a topic forever and it's just part of it."
-- Dan Gelston
Jeremy Mayfield considers selling race team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Unable to find funding since his suspension for failing a random drug test, Jeremy Mayfield is considering selling his race team.
Shana Mayfield said Thursday she and her husband are considering selling their remaining inventory because they don't have the cash to field a race team. Mayfield transferred ownership of the No. 41 Toyota to his wife following his May 9 suspension.
"We are looking at all options at this point, since we cannot get sponsorship," Shana Mayfield said.
Jeremy Mayfield told ESPN earlier Thursday that he had a meeting scheduled with a potential buyer on Monday when NASCAR summoned him for a drug test. It was the first indication he might not bring Mayfield Motorsports back to the track.
A federal judge issued an injunction last week that lifted the indefinite suspension and allowed Mayfield to return to competition. But Mayfield has not traveled to the two races since the ruling.
NASCAR, which has said Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamines, has asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen's decision and impose the suspension.
Mayfield said after Mullen's ruling that he intended to travel to last weekend's race at Daytona International Speedway. He instead issued a statement hours before the start that said the tight turnaround left him unable to prepare a car in time to make it to Daytona.
He said he was "working around the clock" to get the team to Chicago.
"Shana and I, as well as everyone at Mayfield Motorsports, will do everything in our power to race next weekend."
John Buric, an attorney for Mayfield, said Mayfield won't make it to Chicago. He said the driver has been viewed as a "pariah" since his suspension and can't find sponsorship or a team owner willing to give him a ride. Without funding, Buric said Mayfield doesn't have the money to get his team up and running.
"You need employees, people to do the work for you, people to get the car to the track, food and lodging for the people you bring to the track," Buric said. "With no sponsor, that's not something he can do right now. Not when you are spending a ton of money on lawyers in a fight against NASCAR."
Mayfield said in an affidavit he's laid off 10 employees since the suspension, borrowed money from family and sold personal assets to meet his living expenses.
He's also being sued for $86,000 by Triad Racing Technologies for parts, pieces and chassis work he allegedly owes the company.
It's not clear what Mayfield has to offer a potential buyer. He only started his team in January and said at the season-opening Daytona 500 he only had 15 employees. He leases his shop space, and likely doesn't have anything to sell beyond cars and the points he earned from the 11 races he entered.
Shana Mayfield entered J.J. Yeley in the two races following Mayfield's suspension, but she has not sent the car to the six events since then.
-- Jenna Fryer
Mayfield case puts spotlight on NASCAR drug policy
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Although NASCAR contends it has the best anti-doping procedures in sports, some experts see flaws in the policy and question whether drivers are getting a fair shake in the lab or a safe ride on the track.
The debate between outfits that run Olympic-style testing programs and leagues that enforce their own — NASCAR, baseball and the NFL among them — has been going on for a while, but it's taking on new relevance in the wake of Jeremy Mayfield's case against NASCAR.
NASCAR suspended the 40-year-old driver May 9, eight days after failing a random drug test. NASCAR has said Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine, but he has denied ever using the illegal drug.
Last week, a federal judge issued an injunction and overturned the drug suspension to let Mayfield to compete. NASCAR is appealing the judge's ruling, saying that allowing "a proven methamphetamine user" back on the track could lead to fatal consequences for other competitors and fans.
The Mayfield case "will be used as Exhibit 1 of what can go horribly wrong when you don't have an effective policy in place," said Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees America's Olympic athletes.
"The truly clean drivers, frankly, should be outraged," Tygart said. "Because you either have a drug user who got off on a technicality due to poor policy, or you have a clean athlete who is falsely accused. Either way, I'd be scared to death if I were a driver."
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston conceded the policy wasn't perfect, and that NASCAR is always looking for places to make improvements.
But nobody, he said, should question the intent. A big difference between NASCAR and other sports is NASCAR must be on the lookout for drugs that enhance performance and those that impair it.
"Our sport is different, and that's why, again, maybe the whole issue is so simple it confuses people," Poston said.
Despite being cleared to race, Mayfield couldn't find a ride for last weekend's race at Daytona, and on Thursday, his attorney said he would not be in Chicago for this weekend's race.
Experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Anti-Doping Research lab in Los Angeles joined Tygart in flagging a number of elements in the NASCAR policy that don't conform to standards used by Olympic sports.
Among the flaws, they said, was NASCAR's lack of a published list of banned substances for drivers.
"Unfathomable," said Gary Wadler, who helps design WADA's list of banned substances. "I can't conceive of any athlete who was going to be drug tested and not know what drugs they can take and are not allowed to take. It makes no sense to me. The whole program is a nonstarter without a list."
NASCAR disputes that, saying there is, in fact, a list that was distributed to teams at the beginning of the season when they were required to have their crews drug tested. That list was nowhere as detailed as the list WADA puts out, but NASCAR has a reason for that, as well.
"I wish someone would look up that WADA list and attempt to tell me if it educates them on what they can or cannot take," said David Black, CEO of the Aegis Sciences Corp., which runs NASCAR's program. "Every participant has my cell phone number. Any participant is allowed to call me about any issue related to a supplement, a prescription. I do speak with them. They're all given that opportunity."
Tygart also said testing programs should be transparent, independent from the sport, and should include effective sanctions that are clearly spelled out, along with a fair process for those who are being punished.
NASCAR's 5½-page policy lays out a path to reinstatement for banned drivers but calls only for "indefinite" suspensions, with no specific time frames. Cases run by WADA and USADA call for a two-year ban on a first offense and a lifetime ban on a second, with a clearly defined appeals and arbitration process, along with opportunities for reductions due to unusual circumstances.
Don Catlin, the founder of Anti-Doping Research who used to lead the WADA-accredited lab at UCLA, agrees with NASCAR in saying that WADA standards aren't the only ones that are acceptable. But he said he finds it troubling whenever a sport administers its own drug-testing program.
Aegis, based in Nashville, Tenn., tests samples and advises NASCAR on its policy. Final decisions are made by NASCAR officials in consultation with Black.
"Programs need to involve people who don't have a stake in it, who don't really care and will try to see the facts as they are," Catlin said. "Independence is the word. You go back to the Mitchell Report, with baseball. In there, you find a lot of justification for independence."
Black, however, said he has never seen a conflict of interest between the recommendations he gives NASCAR and the decisions NASCAR makes. Though NASCAR's drug policy became more widely publicized this year when it added random testing, the racing circuit has been testing drivers on reasonable suspicion for two decades, Black said.
"In the 20 years I've consulted with NASCAR, I have never sensed that there is anything other than a sincere desire to put in place the best possible program," Black said. "I've never run into a disagreement with NASCAR with regard to application of the policy, no matter who the person was that was determined to be the drug user."
Now, however, some possible flaws are being exposed as the Mayfield case winds its way through the federal court system.
When athletes sue, judges almost always refuse to take cases involving WADA rules because the clearly defined appeals and arbitration process ends at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Cases decided there are, like any, subject to lawyering, but are normally decided by people with more background on doping issues than most state or federal judges.
"They've opened this Pandora's box, and now they're stuck with it," Catlin said. "They can play it out in whatever court it's going to play out in. There are people who can sort it out for them, but the way the program is structured, I don't see anyone sticking their neck out to get involved."
-- Eddie Pells
Earnhardt says he'd like to race in Indy someday
INDIANAPOLIS - Dale Earnhardt Jr. would jump at the chance to drive in the Indianapolis 500 if there were not a conflicting NASCAR race on the same day.
Rain washed out his plans for a ride in a two-seat Indy car on Thursday. Instead, he strapped himself behind the wheel and received a 10-minute, stationary lesson in Indy driving from former 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
"Any time you're around a race car and there's a driver that has driven that car, you're going to ask what it drives like, what it feels like, what it does, how it works," Earnhardt said. "I picked his brains as hard as I could."
He said driving at Indianapolis "definitely interests me."
"I'd love to drive one (Indy car), to go to the track and put some laps in," Earnhardt said.
But he said he would not try to race both at Indianapolis and in NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C. on the same day.
John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart have done the Memorial Day weekend double, racing at Indianapolis in the morning and flying immediately afterward to North Carolina, but that option was effectively removed several years ago when the Indy 500 delayed its start time two hours for better TV coverage.
"Should the schedules work out one day, I think you'll find a lot of (NASCAR) guys interested in coming here and running the Indy 500," said Earnhardt, who was at the track to promote the July 26 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Earnhardt's best finish at the Brickyard - a race his late father won in 1995 - was sixth in 2006. Now he's gone 39 straight races without a victory and stands 21st in Sprint Cup points this season, still adjusting to a change in crew chiefs seven weeks ago.
"I would no way categorize my attitude as satisfied, but it seems like that we're going in the right direction and we're making gains," Earnhardt said.
New crew chief Lance McGrew was brought in by car owner Rick Hendrick following a 40th-place finish at Charlotte, ending Earnhardt's longtime working relationship with his cousin, Tony Eury Jr. Earnhardt didn't mention Eury specifically and declined to lay blame for his performance this season.
Earnhardt also made his first tour of the track's Hall of Fame Museum said he was inspired by the open-wheel history of the Speedway.
"I remember when they first brought stock cars here to practice, it was a realization for a lot of people, including myself, that I may have a chance to race at Indianapolis that otherwise I didn't think I would have," he said. "To win at this race track, regardless of the series, is great for any driver's resume."
Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion, called Earnhardt a great competitor.
"Obviously, he's very busy, but you never know," Wheldon said of the possibility of Earnhardt someday driving at Indianapolis. "We all understand the significance of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and we all love it."
Eury Jr. calls split with Junior the right one
JOLIET, Ill. - His race day results with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a steady decline, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. lost confidence in his setups and strategies.
He quit talking with Earnhardt on the radio because every brief conversation was dissected by critical fans and media.
Earnhardt can feel the weight of NASCAR and its fans on him at times as the sport's most popular driver. And when he failed, it was his cousin and loyal crew chief who often took the often unfair hit.
When team owner Rick Hendrick pulled the plug on the unproductive relationship in late May, Eury was ready to move on.
"At some point in time you have to weigh it and say, 'Is it worth it?'" Eury said. "And it wasn't."
Eury was back at the track Thursday for the first time since the longtime duo were separated with Earnhardt in the midst of one of the worst starts of his career. He'll be crew chief for Brad Keselowski's Hendrick Motorsports team for Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway — a less pressure-packed position than working with Earnhardt.
Eury was excited, relaxed and talked about racing with "nothing to lose" this weekend, a sharp difference from his final races with Earnhardt.
Earnhardt and Eury signed with Hendrick last season in one of the most ballyhooed acquisitions in NASCAR history. All Hendrick got for his money was one victory in 48 races and endless speculation about the state of the cousins' relationship.
Their season morphed from slow start to prolonged slump, to a series of mistakes and distractions that forced Hendrick into shuffling the lineup. Eury was moved into a research and development role, and Lance McGrew took over as Earnhardt's crew chief.
He's shown flashes of improvement, but his final results haven't been much better since the switch, as Earnhardt has gone from 19th in points to 21st.
"A lot of people put him on a pedestal he doesn't need to be on," Eury said. "They put a lot of pressure on him to be somebody he's not going to be."
While Eury remained positive he could spark Earnhardt into a Chase for the championship contender, the results showed it was time for a change. He had mixed feelings about the decision. On one hand he was ready to leave the daily scrutiny that comes with the job. On the other, Eury felt he let down his cousin by not living up to the lofty expectations.
"Dale Jr. is a great race car driver, but I just think that he's got so much pressure on him that he doesn't enjoy it right now," Eury said. "I told him, 'Man, you just need to start enjoying yourself more.' That's kind of where I was at."
So Eury escaped the weekly grind of the NASCAR circus, not even watching Cup races his first few weeks off. He spent time "chilling a lot," but was thrilled when the chance came to call the shots for a promising prospect in rookie Cup winner Keselowski.
Eury's father is Keselowski's crew chief in the second-tier Nationwide Series.
When Tony Eury Sr. won the Nationwide race with Keselowski at Dover International Speedway, he became choked up as he defended his beleaguered son.
Eury Jr. and Earnhardt exchanged some texts and emotional phone calls after the move, but their more recent talks have been about anything but racing. They planned hunting trips and other activities far removed from the track.
"In no way, shape or form, am I going to let this sport get in between me and Dale," Eury said.
Neither one appeared to handle the barrage of media coverage and fan dissatisfaction as well as they could have. Eury blamed the media pressures several times for Earnhardt's erratic performance, and said he eventually tired of what he felt was nothing but negativity.
Earnhardt told The Associated Press in an interview last month that it was hard for the pair to get beat up so much from the outside.
"There's a lot of journalism out there that disappoints you, and there's a lot of stuff that was really, really hard on Tony Jr. and affected him personally," he said.
What pained Eury even worse was the idea that he failed his father and the late Dale Earnhardt as the DEI leaders.
"They wanted me and Dale Jr. to go racing and we wanted to be the front of the company," Eury said. "Them two wanted to retire and kick back and watch us. Losing Dale Sr. was a big hit on all three of us. We were trying everything we could to make Dale Jr. successful and it just wasn't enough. I kind of felt like I let everybody down, to a point."
On Thursday, Eury returned to a more gracious reception. He was applauded and cheered by some former crew members of the Dale Earnhardt Inc. organization when he finished a media session.
The maligned crew chief knows a solid finish this weekend with Keselowski could offer a small dose of redemption.
"I'm just glad Rick put me in a position where I could have a little bit more fun and do a little bit more," he said.
-- Dan Gelston
Johnson loosens up with video, crack at Phelps
JOLIET, Ill. — Jimmie Johnson's latest happy hour is taking a spin at comedy.
The three-time defending Cup champion is trying to put the breaks on his corporate image with a video spoof on FunnyorDie.com that shows Johnson offering humorous tips on how to succeed in life and on the race track.
Johnson must have found his inner stand-up comic during the shoot.
He cracked a one-liner Thursday when asked about sharing a top male athlete ESPY nomination with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
"Would Phelps make it in our sport? Would he pass the (drug) test?" he said to laughter.
Phelps was photographed earlier this year smoking from a marijuana pipe.
Johnson pitches a three-disc DVD set that will "nurture and encourage your inner top dog." He's also helped in the video by his celebrity teammates. Instead of Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, Johnson's guest stars include former NFL star Jason Sehorn, singer Nick Lachey and cheerleaders who gleefully spell his name.
"It was something outside of my comfort zone and really a lot of fun to do," Johnson said at Chicagoland Speedway. "Ultimately, the fans will decide if it's funny or if it should die."
Johnson is shown playing football and holding off tacklers by sticking his hand on their heads and shaking them off his leg. The would-be tacklers are kids.
Johnson also beats a senior citizen in arm wrestling. No, it wasn't the 50-year-old Martin.
"It's just a bunch of stupid stuff that makes it funny and different," Johnson said. "I don't claim to be a comedian, and I'm sure there are funnier pieces that run on there. But it's had a very warm reception and it was fun to do."
-- Dan Gelston
Nationwide crew chief fined $2,500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Nationwide Series crew chief Randy Hood was fined $2,500 for using a non-standard transmission at Daytona International Speedway.
Hood, the crew chief for the No. 01 Chevrolet driven by Danny O'Quinn Jr., was penalized on Thursday because the transmission did not meet the minimum weight specifications for the July 3 race at Daytona. The infractions were discovered during post-qualifying inspection.
Formula One
F1 breakaway series remains alive
NUERBURGRING, Germany - Formula One's leading teams revived their threat to form a breakaway series on Thursday despite the sport's governing body insisting that a deal to end the long-running saga over regulations could be reached in days.
F1's fragile peace was thrown into doubt again Wednesday when the Formula One Teams Association walked out of a meeting with the FIA after being told they had not been entered into the 2010 championship and would have no say in finalizing cost-cutting measures.
"We cannot sit back and wait. We have to keep all options open," BMW Sauber motorsport director Mario Theissen said Thursday from the site of the upcoming German Grand Prix. "And that means we have to look at the other points as well. We have to prepare for all possibilities."
Earlier, FIA issued a statement - titled "Setting the Record Straight" - in response to the teams' walkout in which it said that ongoing negotiations would yield a solution quickly.
"I would call (that) optimistic," said Theissen, who added that negotiations were ongoing. Although there had been progress "there are still some irritating efforts that have surprised us."
The irritation appears to be FIA president Max Mosley, whose insistence on possibly running for a fifth term could be a stumbling block.
In negotiating a solution last month, the teams signed on to reduce costs to 1990s levels if the 69-year-old lawyer agreed to stand aside until his term ended in October. But FOTA's rush to celebrate that coup appears to have stirred Mosley and thrown everything into doubt.
Teams did not come out and say it, but it seemed that a solution would entail Mosley sticking to the original deal.
"The commercial rights holder understands what is required to get our signatures," said Toyota president John Howett, "and the agreement with them is very close."
FIA said Thursday that Mosley had twice made Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo aware that the five teams who had signed up unconditionally to 2010 regulations - Williams, Force India, US F1, Campos Meta and Manor Grand Prix - would set those rules.
Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP all lodged conditional entries that they considered validated once they were admitted, which would allow them to vote.
"The entered teams have a contract with the FIA not even the General Assembly or World Council can abrogate," FIA's statement read. "Anyone with an elementary knowledge of motor sport governance knows this. To suggest FOTA were only made aware of this during the meetings of yesterday is quite simply untrue."
Theissen didn't expect a solution at the Nurburgring, and said negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone would continue even though the commercial rights boss praised Adolf Hitler's leadership in an interview.
"Obviously wrong," Theissen said in reference to the comments, which Ecclestone has since apologized for. "Disgusting. Apparently he was shocked himself when he was confronted with what he said."
F1 drivers were also losing interest in a saga spawned out of the global financial crisis that has turned into a long-running soap opera of mudslinging proportions.
"You lose interest reading these stories. Things seem to go up and down all the time," Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen said. "It changes every day."
-- Paul Logothetis
Alonso denies Ferrari link but leaves switch open
NUERBURGRING, Germany - Fernando Alonso denied that he had any agreement in place to swap Renault for Ferrari, although the two-time world champion left the door open for a switch after this season.
Italian and Spanish media reports earlier on Thursday said Alonso had agreed to a two-year contract with Ferrari starting in 2011, although it could be brought forward to next season.
"They are only rumors. They have been happening in the last four or five years," Alonso said Thursday as he prepared for this weekend's German Grand Prix, before making it clear there had been no contact between the two sides.
Alonso suggested, however, that talks could happen in the future.
"We are in the beginning of July and normally after the summer it is time to talk with people - if you are interested in something outside of your team," the Spaniard said. "Obviously I am very happy with Renault. Obviously everything is open, but there is no hurry at the moment."
Alonso finished 14th at last month's British Grand Prix - the Renault driver's worst placing since he was 16th at the same race in his rookie season in 2001. Alonso believes the adversity of the past two seasons has made him a better driver.
"I am missing winning, there are no doubts," said the 27-year-old driver, who won titles with the French team in 2005 and ‘06. "I want to win and to have a performing car as soon as possible, but I also understand that this is sport and it happens everywhere, not only in motor racing."
Since an acrimonious year at McLaren in 2007, Alonso has spent a season and a half back at Renault in a car that has shown promise but not on a consistent basis, and certainly not this season.
"We saw with Michael (Schumacher), maybe the greatest driver ever, two world championships in Benetton and then five years in Ferrari waiting because this is not only the human part, it is also the team and the package," Alonso said. "So, I put myself in that part of my career, in standby, and I am preparing myself very strong physically and mentally."
The underachieving form of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who hasn't won since April 2008 - a span of 22 races - has also spurred on the reports.
"It's the same thing with every race. Nothing changes. I have a contract for next year," Raikkonen said. "For sure I'm going to carry on next year."
-- Paul Logothetis
