Bruno set to make in Formula One

Bruno Senna is confident "one way or another" he will be racing in Formula One next season despite negotiations being overshadowed by teams' financial worries.

Senna has been forced to bide his time and look on from afar this year as it appeared at one stage he would be driving for Honda.

Although the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of the sport and re-emerged in the guise of Brawn GP, the team opted to re-sign Rubens Barrichello for this season, leaving Senna kicking his heels.

Senna, who has competed in endurance racing in the Le Mans Series this year to keep his hand in, is firmly entrenched in talks with four F1 teams for 2010.

One of the three new entrants in Campos Racing are understood to be leading the chase, while Manor, as well as established names such as Williams, Toyota and Force India, have also been mentioned.

Senna, though, concedes times are hard in F1 as the teams attempt to address their budgets, including what to pay their drivers.

"At the moment we're negotiating for a Formula One seat with quite a few teams - some more advanced than others," Senna said at a GAME event to promote EA's Need for Speed: Shift.

"Unfortunately, we're still a bit far away from actually bagging anything, but we're going forward.

"It's because Formula One is in a very difficult moment, and this is not really helping my case very much.

"Some teams are struggling financially, to know where they're going to be next year, which engine they're going to use.

"There are many doubts for all the teams, even for those people would not imagine having problems, they are in a bit of difficulty.

"It's definitely not the easiest time in Formula One."

Yet the 25-year-old nephew of legendary three-times champion Ayrton Senna rates his chances of being on the grid for the opening grand prix of next year in Bahrain as "pretty high".

Senna, though, appreciates beggars cannot be choosers when it comes to the honour of being a Formula One driver.

"We've been dealing with some of the teams and we know which one is the best option," added Senna.

"The fact is it's better to be with a team currently there, knowing the team will continue growing, rather than starting from zero.

"Obviously what I would like is to be with a team currently in F1, but that might not be the case.

"We're trying, and if not, we should be there with one of the new teams. We're definitely working hard and hopefully we'll get it.

"One way or another we'll be there, and hopefully next year I'll be racing in at least 18 grands prix."

You would be forgiven for thinking it is his name alone that is able to open doors, and while it is true it does carry weight, the talent he possesses is not to be overlooked.

The 2008 GP2 Series runner-up remarked: "Fortunately I'm in a position where both my talent and name count quite a lot.

"The teams want me because they believe I'm good enough, and all the teams believe in potential for sponsorship and for commercial opportunities.

"So being successful in motor racing and having the surname are helping me a lot, especially if there is competition from other drivers from GP2, or in Formula One right now."

Lewis Hamilton ready to make Suzuka debut

Lewis Hamilton is hoping to maintain the momentum from his victory in Singapore when he makes his Suzuka debut at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

The 24-year-old has endured a frustrating season in which he has failed to mount a successful defence of the world championship title.

Sunday's victory under the lights at the Marina Bay street circuit was Hamilton's second of the season and provided him and his McLaren team with some hope that they can be competitive heading into the final three races.

While Hamilton has raced twice before in Japan since his debut season in 2007, this will be his first time at Suzuka, with the track making a return to the calendar after a two-year absence.

And the Briton admitted the circuit is one he has been desperate to race at ever since breaking into Formula One.

"I have never been to Suzuka but I have heard that it is, apart from Monaco, the best circuit," he said.

"Just growing up watching television with Ayrton (Senna) and Alain (Prost) and Fernando (Alonso) and Kimi (Raikkonen) racing there, I always wanted to go there.

"I am very excited to go. I am sure it will be a very tough weekend and undoubtedly it will be very tough to learn that circuit and master it in one weekend but I will do all I can.

"Going with the momentum we have from this race, hopefully we will have a competitive car there."

Despite Hamilton's optimism, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes it will be hard for the team to repeat the success they enjoyed in Singapore.

"Along with Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka is one of Formula One's greatest circuits, and one that every driver relishes," he said.

"We go to Japan knowing that overall victory will not be easy to achieve, but the improvements we evaluated in Singapore, particularly some useful changes to the floor, should give us a competitive boost and it will be interesting to see how our pace translates against that of our rivals."

J.Button should push hard - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton urged fellow Briton Jenson Button to "keep pushing" for the world championship after the Brawn GP driver emerged from a testing weekend in Singapore.

Button had gone into the weekend in confident mood as he looked to significantly increase his lead over team-mate Rubens Barrichello with an overdue victory.

However, the 29-year-old produced a disappointing qualifying performance and lined up 11th on the grid for yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix.

That gave Barrichello, who started two places ahead of Button, and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel the chance to make up crucial ground in the race for the championship.

Neither could make the most of their advantage, however, as Button finished fifth and extended his lead by one point to 15 over Barrichello with three races remaining.

But Hamilton warned his compatriot not to let his escape lead to complacency.

McLaren driver Hamilton himself threw away his first shot at the world title two years ago, when he was edged to the championship by Kimi Raikkonen in the final race.

"Let's not forget, I was leading by 17 points with two races to go and I lost it," Hamilton said.

"It's very, very, very tough, right up until the last moment, so I just suggest that they all keep pushing and we will see over the next few races, but he's done a fantastic job up until now, so I wish him all the best."

Hamilton bounced back from a disappointing race at Monza earlier this month by claiming a second victory of the season under the lights at the Marina Bay street circuit.

Hamilton remains in Asia this week as he prepares to make his debut at the Suzuka circuit in next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Suzuka has been off the calendar since 2006, the year before Hamilton made his debut and as a result he is relishing the chance to test himself on a circuit he saw many of his idols race on before his break into Formula One.

"I have never been to Suzuka but I have heard that it is, apart from Monaco, the best circuit," he added.

"Just growing up watching television with Ayrton (Senna) and Alain (Prost) and Fernando (Alonso) and Kimi (Raikkonen) racing there. I always wanted to go there.

"I am very excited to go. I am sure it will be a very tough weekend and undoubtedly it will be very tough to learn that circuit and master it in one weekend but I will do all I can.

"Going with the momentum we have from this race, hopefully we will have a competitive car there."

Hamilton is hoping F1 audiences can now appreciate exactly why he has the number one on his car.

Although Hamilton only has three more races as world champion, with the crown likely to pass to Button, the 24-year-old feels he and the team have justified their status.

"I'm very satisfied because we could easily have had a year where we'd been at the back the whole time," Hamilton explained.

"For me, that wouldn't have felt great at all because I was world champion last year, and I know I'm good enough to be at the front.

"So to go straight to the back would have been difficult for a lot of people to understand, and my achievements would have been under question.

"So I'm glad I'm back at the front now, and that people can see the number one on my car was well earned. It's on our car for a reason."

He added: "To be number one and to finish number one is the best thing that can ever really happen. I was so happy because I just love winning.

"It was a very physically demanding race. We didn't have too much pressure from behind, but winning is never easy, so when you do it to perfection, it's so satisfying.

"To now have two victories is a great achievement considering where we were at the start of the year.

"I wasn't happy with the end result of the last race in Monza, so to come here and correct things was really satisfying.

"Now I really hope to be able to challenge for more wins in the next three races."

Brawn GP duo have open relationships

Ross Brawn is adamant the relationship between Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello has not been damaged by the fact the two Brawn GP drivers are battling each other for the world championship.

After Button's superb start to the season in which he won six of the first seven races, the 29-year-old has struggled for form since, making just one appearance on the podium at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month.

Barrichello, meanwhile, had been the in-form Brawn driver in the build up to yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix, with two wins from the three previous races.

After a poor qualifying performance, Button recovered yesterday to claim fifth place while Barrichello finished one position behind in sixth.

That means Button increased his lead in the championship to 15 points with just three races remaining this season.

There have been suggestions that the fact the two are battling so close for the world title could lead to one withholding information from the other.

But team principal Brawn stressed that no such tactics are taking place and both drivers enjoy an honest and open relationship with each other.

"I can assure you the information is all there on the data screens and each engineer is free to look at the other driver's data," he said.

"I don't think the drivers ever tell each other the nuances of how they brake or steer into a corner. I have never seen that happen before, and I am sure I will never see it happen again.

"You don't get the apprentice and master style approach, but this is as good as I've ever seen it in terms of two drivers trying to beat each other in a championship. They are very open and very honest with each other.

"There is no pressure from outside the team and we just want to do things as openly and as fairly as we can.

"Something may happen where one driver gets upset with the other, or gets upset with the team, and we cannot predict that. All we can do is be as straightforward as we can."

Meanwhile, Brawn stressed the outcome of the championship would not influence his decision on who drives for his team in 2010, adding that a decision will not be made until after the season has finished.

"We've got this championship going on at the moment and discussions are going on, but nothing will be announced until much later," he said.

Jenson Button closer to Title - Martin Whitmarsh

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh feels Jenson Button can now cruise to the Formula One world title after good fortune again smiled on the Briton under Singapore's lights.

Button heads to Japan this weekend knowing he can be crowned world champion if he finishes five points ahead of Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

With the way his luck is going, there is every chance the 29-year-old will become Britain's 10th F1 king at Suzuka, underlined by the events that unfolded around the Marina Bay street circuit.

After initially qualifying a miserable 12th, Button's first break came when nearest rival Barrichello was demoted from fifth to 10th when his car required a gearbox change.

Button was then promoted to 11th at the start after Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber was found to be underweight after qualifying, with the German relegated from seventh to the pit lane.

In the race, as Button drove steadily to fifth, those ahead of him suffered as Williams' Nico Rosberg incurred a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line upon exiting the pit lane.

Then Sebastian Vettel was also handed a drive-through for speeding in the pits, eventually finishing fourth when second was in the offing.

Vettel's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber slid off the track with brake failure, whilst Barrichello suffered a further gearbox issue when it slipped into neutral at his second stop.

The latter enabled Button to leapfrog his team-mate and claim four precious points, with Barrichello a place and three seconds behind.

With three races remaining, Button now has a 15-point lead, and is limping his way towards the finish line rather than grabbing the title in a blaze of glory.

"It is not the most exciting way to win the championship, but I think you have to score the points," Whitmarsh said.

"Jenson is under a lot of pressure, and when you have not won a world championship there is enormous pressure there, especially if it is your team-mate who is challenging you.

"I think he did a solid job here and one has to say, I don't think it is mathematically done yet, but it looks like he has got the championship, which is a fantastic achievement."

Whitmarsh, though, can recall only too painfully what happened to Lewis Hamilton in 2007 when he led by 17 points with two races to go, yet still missed out.

"I am sure he (Button) will go away from this event feeling more relaxed, but he will still have some tension," added Whitmarsh.

"It's very easy to crash out at the next event with Rubens winning, which will be a 10-point swing - and we've been there, the last two seasons have been like that for us.

"He just has to stay calm, and if he does not make any mistakes he will win, but that in itself brings tension to you."

After Button's flying start to the campaign when he won six of the first seven races, Whitmarsh feels he has "wavered a little" since, finishing on the podium just once in the last eight grands prix.

Whitmarsh, though, appreciates pressure has played a part as he said: "He has been around some time, he is a very smooth driver, an intelligent driver.

"All he had to do was keep his head and he was going to win the championship given the start he had.

"With a championship, particularly for someone like Jenson who has been around a long time and may feel this is his one opportunity in his life to fulfil his childhood ambition, that is enormous pressure.

"But I am pleased for him. It will be great for him to relax, and I am sure he can cruise to the championship win."

Alonso set for Ferrari move

Fernando Alonso could be confirmed as a Ferrari driver as early as next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

The worst-kept secret in Formula One appears as if it will finally be revealed within the next seven days.

Alonso and Ferrari have been kept waiting whilst the outgoing Kimi Raikkonen has resolved the destination of his own future.

The Finn, who has a year remaining on his Ferrari deal, is poised to return to McLaren with whom he spent five seasons from 2002-06.

Alonso, speaking after giving Renault their first podium of the year with his third-placed finish in yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix, said: "This doesn't change anything.

"I made a decision already...and soon we will know."

Renault's temporary managing director Jean-Francois Caubet has indicated the double world champion is on his way.

"Renault will remain his family. We will miss him, but he will miss us," said Caubet of the 28-year-old Spaniard.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, meanwhile, has suggested all the speculation could be brought to a close at some point in Japan.

"I think that as soon as we are ready we will let you know. We don't want to wait too long," said Domenicali.

Referring to the possibility of an announcement at Suzuka, he added: "It is a possibility, but it is not guaranteed."

The seat left vacant by Alonso will then be filled by Robert Kubica from next year, with the Pole to leave BMW Sauber.

Hamilton claims Singapore win

Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish to capture his second victory of the season at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver had downplayed his chances in the build-up to the weekend but secured a surprise pole in yesterday's qualifying.

He then carried that form into Sunday's race under the lights at the Marina Bay street circuit and victory rarely looked in doubt for the reigning world champion with only Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel briefly threatening his lead.

Toyota's Timo Glock secured a career-best second while last year's winner in Singapore Fernando Alonso took third in his Renault.

"It was a very, very tough race," said Hamilton. "I got a good start and I just managed to bridge a big enough gap.

"I have to say a big thank you to my team for doing a great job as always."

Vettel had to settle for fourth after his challenge for first ended when he was hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit-lane. There was added disappointment for Red Bull as Mark Webber failed to finish the race when he crashed out due to a braking problem.

Jenson Button produced a good performance after a disappointing qualifying session to finish fifth and actually extended his lead in the championship.

The 29-year-old had started 11th on Sunday but drove well throughout to finish one place ahead of Brawn GP team-mate and title rival Rubens Barrichello.

Button leads the Brazilian by 15 points with three races of the season remaining.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen claimed seventh place while BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica took eighth.

Hamilton was straight out of the blocks and shot clear of the field while Williams' Nico Rosberg moved ahead of Vettel to take second.

Renault's Romain Grosjean was the first casualty of the race when he was forced to return to the pits early in the race due to a problem with his breaks.

Hamilton, meanwhile, continued to increase his lead at the front as he set the fastest time in lap 10 to climb into a 2.2 second lead ahead of Rosberg.

But Rosberg's challenge was to come to an end when the German made his first pit stop in the 19th lap but was too quick exiting the pits and bounced over the pit-exit line, resulting him being hit with a drive-through penalty.

Force India's Adrian Sutil and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, who had started from the pitlane after being relegated to the back of the grid when his car was found to be underweight following qualifying, were then involved in a collision that ended both their races.

That brought the safety car out and Button profited, re-emerging in eighth after he, Alonso and Kovalainen had made a pit stop,

Midway through the race, Vettel had begun to make his challenge for the lead and after 35 laps he was just eight tenths of a second behind Hamilton, waiting to pounce on any error.

But instead it was the German who committed a costly error when he entered the pits for his final stop on lap 40. Vettel re-emerged in seventh place but was found to have driven too fast in the pit-lane and was hit with a drive-through penalty as a result.

From then on the race was Hamilton's to lose and though Glock had climbed up to second he was over eight seconds behind the race leader with three laps remaining.

As a result Hamilton calmly drove out the remaining laps to comfortably claim the 11th victory of his career.

Alonso dedicates to Flavio Briatore

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso dedicated his third-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix to former Renault team principal Flavio Briatore.

Briatore has been handed an indefinite ban from all involvement in international motorsport for his part in the 2008 Singapore race-fixing scandal.

The team had been keen to put the incident behind them with a good performance this weekend and they got that as Alonso secured a return to the podium for the first time this year.

The Spaniard, who won at the inaugural night race in Singapore last year, hailed his team for their efforts in getting his car competitive, but reserved special praise for his former boss.

"The team has been fantastic," said Alonso. "All season, we have had a fantastic team. The mechanics and engineers, everyone in the factory, did the maximum, and sometimes we got some good results and sometimes were a bit unlucky.

"It has been a difficult time for the team, now we put it behind us and we concentrate on the remaining races.

"I dedicate this podium to Flavio. He is at home but he is part of the success we had today."

Bob Bell, who has replaced Briatore as acting team principal for the remainder of the season, hopes Alonso's success will give the team the strength to go into the remaining three races full of confidence that they can compete at the front of the grid.

"Today was absolutely fantastic," he said. "It's wonderful to get a podium at any time but to get one after what the team has just been through is really positive and gives us great strength to move on now.

"Everybody in the team will now go to the final three races very buoyed by this result because it shows that the team can fight for the podium."

But despite the result, Alonso's future at Renault remains very much in doubt as he refused to commit himself to the team, although confirmed he has made a decision on who he will drive for next season.

"This podium doesn't change anything," he said. "I have made a decision already. Soon we will know."

Battle of the Brawns

Jenson Button admits he is enjoying his tussle with Rubens Barrichello as the Brawn GP team-mates prepare to resume their world championship duel in Singapore this weekend.

Button leads Barrichello by 14 points in the drivers' championship with four races remaining, although it is the latter who is in the best form at the moment with two wins from the last three races.

Button, meanwhile, is without a win since capturing his sixth of the season at the Turkish Grand Prix in June.

Consequently, Barrichello has made up significant ground on his team-mate in recent races although the challenge of Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber has faded.

And Button revealed he prefers to be challenging with Barrichello due to his better understanding of the Brazilian's tactics.

"I understand Rubens a lot more than Sebastian and Mark, and obviously he has the same equipment as me," said the 29-year-old.

"I need to finish as close to Rubens as I can in every race if I am thinking about the championship.

"As long as I qualify well and finish close to him then it is fine.

"However, as every driver will say, they don't want to do that, they want to go out and win and I have come to Singapore to challenge."

Button stressed the title battle has not damaged his relationship with Barrichello.

"The only way of going about it is fairly and we both understand that," he added.

"We both have the same tools so it is whoever does the best over the season that comes out on top.

"We both respect each other and it is exciting within the team. The atmosphere is good at the moment."

Despite his strong position at the top of the standings, Button is refusing to entertain thoughts of a world title just yet.

In 2007 fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton looked certain to claim the championship with a dominant lead heading into the final two races of the season only to be pipped to the title by Kimi Raikkonen at the final race.

"As Lewis said a couple of races ago, he had 17 points going into the last two races and lost it by a point," Button added.

"We just have to stay positive and take it as it comes.

"I am not going to drive slower or anything this weekend, I just have to do my own thing and get a good result."

Renault sponsors back off the tracks

ING and Mutua Madrilena have curtailed their sponsorship deals with scandal-hit Formula One team Renault.

The team has been handed a suspended disqualification from F1 over the plot involving team principal Flavio Briatore, executive director of engineering Pat Symonds and driver Nelson Piquet Jnr to cause a crash in last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

All three individuals implicated in the scandal have since left Renault, but the changes have arrived too late to save two of the team's key sponsorships.

ING, Renault's principal sponsor, confirmed earlier this year that it would not be extending its backing beyond the 2009 season.

However, in the wake of the World Motor Sport Council's verdict on the case on Monday, the Dutch financial group announced earlier today that it had opted to terminate the contract "with immediate effect".

A statement from the group added: "ING is deeply disappointed at this turn of events, especially in the context of an otherwise successful sponsorship."

Earlier today, Spanish insurance firm Mutua Madrilena announced it would end its backing due to the "substantial breach" of F1 rules by Renault.

"The behaviour of the relevant people in the team was extraordinarily serious and compromised not only the integrity of the sport, but also the lives of spectators, drivers and circuit personnel," read a statement from Mutua Madrilena.

"This is something that can affect the image, reputation and good name of the team's sponsors."

Mutua Madrilena added, though, that it will continue to back Renault driver Fernando Alonso, fuelling rumours that the Spanish ace could be about to switch to Ferrari.

Aggression is the key - Jenson Button

Jenson Button is hoping to find the right blend of caution and aggression as he looks to wrap up his maiden world title in the remaining four races of the season.

The 29-year-old made a fine start to the year as he won six of the first seven races to storm to the top of the drivers' championship standings.

However, he has not won a race since and only made a return to the podium at Monza earlier this month, finishing second, with Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello claiming his second win in three to cut Button's lead to 14 points.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher recently backed Button to fend off Barrichello's challenge and win the championship.

And while Button knows a circumspect approach in the final four races could still yield him the title, he believes a certain amount of positive driving will also be necessary.

"It is a great position to be in and I am very privileged to be leading the championship but it is also a tricky one as a driver as you are here to win and challenge for victory," Button said.

"But you can also think that I only have to finish just behind my team-mate in every race now and I would still win the championship by six or eight points.

"It is a difficult one but I think as soon as you start backing off and taking it easier that is when problems start.

"You have got to go out and be aggressive but it is always in the back of your mind about finishing the races and being consistent.

"I am looking forward to the next four races as they are all circuits I love. They suit our car and suit me."

Button's title bid continues at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix as Formula One looks to put behind it the latest scandal that has hit the sport.

Renault were on Monday given a suspended ban from Formula One following the revelations that Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to crash at the inaugural night race in Singapore last year.

Button refused to get drawn into the controversy, insisting he is focused solely on events on the circuit rather than those off it.

"I am an individual so I can't speak for the sport and for the spectators but it is obviously sad," he added.

"The good thing is, it is over and done with now and we can move on. For us the most important thing is good racing and that is what I care about.

"What happens off the circuit is down to the people that are involved but what goes on on the circuit has been fantastic over the last couple of years and long may it continue."

Hamilton tags 2009 as "character building"

Lewis Hamilton has refused to look upon the current Formula One season as a failure and instead labelled the whole experience as "character building".

The McLaren driver is unable to defend the world championship title he won last year after a disappointing season in which he has managed just one solitary victory.

Hamilton trails championship leader Jenson Button by an insurmountable 53 points meaning he has nothing but pride to race for in the remaining four races.

McLaren arrive in Singapore for this weekend's night race with one final upgrade in place for their current car before the team turn their efforts towards developing for next season.

And though Hamilton is understandably disappointed at having to relinquish the world title, he is confident the experience has made him stronger as both a driver and a person.

"I am always pushing and I am always trying to improve as a driver and as human being," he said. "I always try to improve in all kinds of areas, not just on the track but also off it.

"I must never forget where I have come from, to be sitting here with number one on my car and having the title of world champion I can never forget where I have come from and how hard it was to get to where I am.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to have the title. I was not given the chance to defend it this year so I have had to sit by and try to do the best job I could with what I had.

"We have had many ups and downs but it has been character building and a great experience and I plan on coming back next year stronger than ever. I am pushing my team to make sure that happens."

Formula One will be hoping for a great spectacle at this weekend's race in Singapore as the sport looks to move on from the 'Crashgate' scandal.

Hamilton finished third at the inaugural race at the Marina Bay street circuit last year and is relishing the chance to race on it once again.

"It feels great to be back, the weather looks good and the track looks great so I am very excited," he added.

"I love street circuits, so every time we have one come up it is exciting. With this being such a new circuit as well there is still a lot to learn.

"Last year went well, it has changed a little bit since last year but we should be able to come back with knowledge from the last race and do better this time.

"The last four races gives us a great opportunity to hopefully compete for wins and it will be great to get some more pole positions. We will just wait and see what we can do."

Fernando Alonso determined to continue despite scandal

Fernando Alonso is keen to draw a line under the Singapore race-fixing scandal and instead concentrate on this weekend's race, insisting things are back to normal at Renault.

The Spaniard was cleared of any wrongdoing at the FIA hearing on Monday where his team were handed a suspended permanent disqualification from F1 after it was revealed members of the team ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash during last year's race in Singapore, creating the opportunity for Alonso to win.

Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team while Bob Bell has been appointed acting team principal for the remainder of the season and Alonso is eager to move on from the incident.

"I was in Paris to co-operate with the FIA and help in the investigation," he said.

"I am happy that everything is clear now and I am also happy it is clear that I was not involved in the incident.

"It has been a difficult time for the team but it is the past and behind us and now we move on.

"Everything is completely normal. Pat (Symonds) and Flavio (Briatore) are not here but there are another two people doing similar jobs so for the team there is no difference at all compared to any other race.

"We concentrate now on this race and then the next in Japan and life continues."

Alonso's own future at the team remains in doubt, however, and speculation that he is set to move on increased this week after Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo indicated Kimi Raikkonen may not remain at the team for next season.

And when asked who he will drive for next year, Alonso said: "That is a good question to answer. Hopefully I will know soon."

Alonso's success in Singapore last year was quickly followed by his only other win in an otherwise frustrating season at the Japanese Grand Prix and the two-time world champion is confident he can once again be competitive under the lights at the Marina Bay street circuit.

"My expectations are quite high for this track to be honest," he added.

"We were quick in Hungary and quite quick in Monaco and Singapore is like a combination of these two tracks.

"We really believe we can be competitive on this track so we will give our maximum effort for a good qualifying and then have a good race and hopefully improve on our best result so far this year."

I couldnt defend Briatore - Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed his friendship with Flavio Briatore has suffered in the wake of the Singapore Grand Prix race-fixing scandal.

Briatore was handed a lifetime ban from all FIA-sanctioned events over his role in the conspiracy which resulted in Nelson Piquet Jnr deliberately crashing his Renault in Formula One's first night race last year.

The 59-year-old Italian has also been told no driver he manages will be granted a superlicence - which is required for them to compete in F1 - should they continue to work with him.

F1 supremo Ecclestone, who was part of the 26-man World Motor Sport Council which sat in judgment on Briatore in Paris on Monday, feels the punishment was too severe.

Speaking to autosport.com during a media event with F1 partner LG Electronics in Singapore, Ecclestone was asked how former Renault team principal Briatore was handling the situation.

The 78-year-old, who co-owns Coca-Cola Championship side QPR with Briatore, said: "He's not talking to me, I don't know.

"He thinks I should have defended him, which I couldn't."

Ecclestone, however, feels he could have had more influence when it came to the severity of the sanction.

"If you look at it sensibly, the people at the top had not the slightest idea," said Ecclestone.

"The people in the Renault F1 team had not the slightest idea. There were three people who knew what was going on and that is it. No-one else was involved.

"Those people have been dealt with, in my view quite harshly in Flavio.

"I don't think it was necessary, but I was on the commission so I am probably just as guilty as anyone else.

"On reflection it wasn't necessary. It was too much. Definitely too much."

Ecclestone, though, believes Briatore only has himself to blame as he should have admitted his guilt, along with Piquet Jnr and Pat Symonds.

Symonds, the team's former executive director of engineering, was only banned from FIA events for five years after owning up to his part in the conspiracy, and apologising profusely to the Council.

"Firstly he (Briatore) was invited to appear (in front of the WMSC) and his lawyers wrote and said the FIA have no jurisdiction as far as he is concerned, which was probably right," added Ecclestone.

"But it was not the right thing to say. It would have been just as easy to go and say 'I was caught with my hand in the till. It seemed a good idea at the time, and I am sorry.'

"There is an organisation that works very, very well on that idea, where people go to a box and confess.

"Honestly, I am a friend of Flavio's. He has just handled the whole thing badly.

"He could have handled it in a completely different way, and they would have said 'You were a naughty boy' and that would have been the end of it."

Ecclestone will at least do all he can to deter Briatore from taking the matter further as he is understood to be considering legal action.

"It would be stupid of Flavio to do that," asserted Ecclestone.

"He should ask to be heard by the court of appeal. He should appeal to the FIA.

"If he goes to a civil court I don't think he would win because the FIA would have to defend and somebody will say he sent a young guy out to what could have been his death.

"So it wouldn't go down too well."

I had total trust in Renault - F.Alonso

Fernando Alonso has insisted he had complete faith in the Renault team ahead of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Renault have been handed a suspended permanent disqualification from F1 after it was found members of the team ordered Nelson Piquet Jnr to deliberately crash his car during last year's race, creating the opportunity for Alonso to take the win.

An aggressive race strategy mapped out by Pat Symonds, the team's former executive director of engineering, was key to Alonso's victory as it meant he had taken his first pit stop before the safety car was deployed following Piquet Jnr's crash.

Alonso was called before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday to state he was completely in the dark over the plan between Piquet Jnr, Symonds and former team boss Flavio Briatore.

And the two-time champion insists he saw nothing strange in the race strategy put to him by Symonds.

"I did not know anything about the incident," asserted Alonso when questioned by FIA president Max Mosley.

"About the strategy, I completely believe and trust the engineers, who normally have a lot of computer simulations which tell you the optimum lap to stop.

"Sometimes it's short fuel, sometimes long fuel, but I completely trust them.

"In that particular case it was no different. I completely trusted them with regard the lap on which I was told to stop, and I drove to my maximum as a driver."

Mosley then said: "You didn't say to them at any point, 'This seems unusual. Why are we stopping so early?'

Alonso replied: "Not really, because we had a fuel pump problem in qualifying on Saturday.

"I qualified 15th with more or less good pace, in a good car that weekend.

"We know if you have the same strategy as the others around you, and you are in position 13 or 14, it will be difficult to overtake them.

"So the team chose a strategy that was different. I was not really worried about anything.

"It was an aggressive one (strategy), and I was ready for it."

In all, Alonso's appearance before the Council lasted just two minutes, arguably a short and unnecessary detour en route to the return of the scene of Piquet Jnr's 'crime'.

With Briatore and Symonds resigning from Renault prior to being given lifetime and five-year bans respectively from motorsport following the hearing, the team have acted quickly to replace the disgraced 58-year-old Italian.

Bob Bell has stepped up from his role as technical director to take on the position of team boss on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

With Renault determined to draw a line under what their counsel, Ali Malek QC, described as "a black day" in the manufacturer's history, Alonso knows many will look to him to help turn the tide in Singapore this weekend.

Whilst a repeat of his race win is extremely unlikely, the Spaniard is not ruling out the possibility of finishing on the podium, saying: "The car is working well at most circuits so I believe we are competitive enough to get close to the podium, which has to be my target this weekend."

Korean GP inches forward to Formula 1

South Korea this week moved a step closer to holding a grand prix.

The state government and the opposition party both passed the 'F1 Act' supporting the construction and management of the circuit.

The legislation is historic in Korean politics as it is the first time such an act has been created in support of motor sport.

The government will provide the funds to finish the construction of the track sited in Yongam in the South Jeolla province beyond the finances already raised through private investment.

Young-Cho Chung, CEO of race promoters Korea Auto Valley Operation, said: "With the passing of the F1 Act and the construction of the circuit well above its progression rate, the dream of having an international motor sport circuit has become a reality for the motor sports community.

"By maintaining strong co-operative relationships with the central government and with the support on a national level we will do our best to make the 2010 F1 Korean Grand Prix an event of unprecedented success."

Although the Korean officials are talking of a race next year, it was not on the provisional calendar that emerged last month.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the World Motor Sport Council are due to announce the official calendar in October.

M.Schumacher backs Button for world championship

Michael Schumacher is backing Jenson Button to become Formula One world champion this year.

Button heads to Singapore this weekend with a 14-point cushion over Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

The veteran Brazilian led home the Briton in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza nine days ago to effectively see off the challenge of Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

Schumacher's German compatriot Vettel is 26 points adrift with four races remaining, with Australian Webber 28.5 points down, and with Red Bull's woes compounded by engine failures recently.

Seven-times champion Schumacher believes Button has the title in his hands as he said: "Looking at the situation, I would pretty much expect Jenson to win this title.

"It's very hard to take it away from him, particularly knowing the problems and reliability issues they have had at Red Bull.

"It's going to be a challenge, but the points difference is usually too big."

Although Vettel might be out of the equation, he can be proud of his debut year at Red Bull after switching from sister team Toro Rosso over the winter, winning two races.

Schumacher feels he can follow in his footsteps and be crowned on numerous occasions, although he believes the 21-year-old should very much be allowed to be his own man.

"As I proved every two weeks in Formula One, he is showing his qualities now," added Schumacher.

"He has all the ingredients to do so (become a multiple world champion).

"But I never wanted to be compared to anybody else because I wanted to be myself, as he wants.

"Everybody should quite rightly respect that."

Nelson Piquet glad everything is in the open

Nelson Piquet Jr feels the "true character" of Flavio Briatore has come to light following the FIA's investigation into the crash that has stained Formula One.

The World Motor Sport Council has permanently disqualified Renault from F1, albeit suspended for two years, following breaches of the rules of "unparalleled severity" in last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

The 26-man Council, spearheaded by FIA president Max Mosley, found Briatore to be complicit in the conspiracy that resulted in Piquet Jr deliberately crashing his Renault to the advantage of team-mate Fernando Alonso who went on to win the sport's first night race.

The WMSC has effectively banned Briatore from motor sport for life as they will not sanction any event involving the 59-year-old, nor grant a competition license to a team should they employ him.

Briatore's management career is also at an end as no driver will be granted a Superlicence - the document that allows them to compete - should they continue to associate themselves with the Italian.

Briatore currently has Alonso, Mark Webber, Heikki Kovalainen and Romain Grosjean, as well as Piquet Jr, under his wing, whilst he jointly runs GP2.

Piquet Jr has naturally expressed deep remorse for his role in the affair, one he will forever be tainted with, but is glad the events are now out in the open.

The 24-year-old, who has never disguised his disgust for Briatore - not since his sacking in early August when he described the former Renault team principal as his "executioner" - again pulled no punches.

"I am relieved the FIA investigation has now been concluded," said the Brazilian.

"Those now running the Renault F1 team took the decision, as I did, that it is better the truth be known and accept the consequences.

"The most positive thing to come from bringing this to the attention of the FIA is nothing like it will ever happen again.

"I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given. I wish every day I had not done it.

"I don't know how far my explanation will go to making people understand because for many being a racing driver is an amazing privilege, as it was for me.

"All I can tell you is that my situation at Renault turned into a nightmare.

"Having dreamed of being a Formula One driver and having worked so hard to get there, I found myself at the mercy of Mr Briatore.

"His true character, which had previously only been known to those he had treated like this in the past, is now known.

"Mr Briatore was my manager, as well as the team boss. He had my future in his hands, but he cared nothing for it.

"By the time of the Singapore GP he had isolated me and driven me to the lowest point I had ever reached in my life.

"Now that I am out of that situation I cannot believe that I agreed to the plan, but when it was put to me I felt I was in no position to refuse.

"Listening now to Mr Briatore's reaction to my crash and hearing the comments he has made to the press over the last two weeks it is clear to me I was simply being used by him then to be discarded and left to ridicule."

Piquet Jr, who has grounds to extricate himself from the contract he has with Briatore, appreciates forgiveness from the F1 community will not be easily forthcoming, but is hoping to be granted another chance to prove his worth in F1.

"I have had to learn some very difficult lessons over the last 12 months and reconsider what is valuable in life," added Piquet Jr.

"What has not changed is my love for Formula One and hunger to race again. I realise I have to start my career from zero.

"I can only hope a team will recognise how badly I was stifled at Renault and give me an opportunity to show what I promised in my career in F3 and GP2.

"What can be assured is there will be no driver in Formula One as determined as me to prove myself.

"As my final words on this matter, I would like to repeat that I am so sorry to those who work in Formula One - including the many good people at Renault - the fans and the governing body.

"I do not expect this to be forgiven or forgotten, but at least now people can draw their conclusions based upon what really happened."

Flavio Briatore quits Renault

Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have quit Renault.

The news comes as the team have decided not to contest the recent allegations made against them, that they conspired with then driver Nelson Piquet Junior to cause a crash at last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Despite Briatore's assertion during last weekend's Italian Grand Prix of no wrongdoing, the departure of the team's managing director and executive director of engineering would now appear to point to their guilt.

Despite this latest twist in the 'crashgate' scandal, the extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council scheduled for Monday at the FIA's headquarters in Paris will still go ahead.

Although Briatore and Symonds have fallen on their sword, and their actions will be taken into account, the WMSC may still impose severe sanctions on the team now they have chosen not to launch a defence.

The FIA charged Renault with "conspiring with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jnr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso''.

Alonso went on to take the chequered flag at Formula One's first night race, his first victory for two years, and at a time when Renault were considering quitting the sport.

The French manufacturer will almost certainly plead for clemency from the FIA as they will claim the actions of two men should not affect the employment of nearly 700 other staff within the team.

The FIA have the power to exclude Renault from the championship, although it is anticipated such a strict penalty will not be administered.

The welter of evidence against Briatore and Symonds was damning in the wake of Piquet Jnr providing the FIA's investigation team with two statements detailing what transpired in Singapore.

The 24-year-old claimed that, in a meeting with Briatore and Symonds a few hours before the race, he was told to crash his car, and, in a further discussion with the latter, at what point on the circuit.

Piquet Jnr, fearing for his future with the team, followed through with the order on lap 14, and at turn 17 of the Singapore track, a point where no crane was on hand, so forcing the intervention of the safety car.

As Alonso had pitted two laps earlier, the safety car period played into the double world champion's hands, allowing him to claim the victory.

Although suspicions were roused at the time, the matter did not start to surface until just over a fortnight ago at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The claim is Nelson Piquet Snr, in the wake of his son being axed by Renault after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of July, informed the FIA of what unfolded.

The FIA's investigations led them to offer Piquet Jnr immunity against prosecution in return for his testimony.

Telemetry data was especially significant as it showed Piquet Jnr accelerating into the crash, rather than braking as a driver would ordinarily do.

It is understood the FIA also offered Symonds immunity; however, it is now clear he declined, opting instead to follow Briatore out of the exit door.

Briatore's departure brings to an end the career of one of the sport's most colourful characters.

The flamboyant 58-year-old Italian started out at Benetton in 1988, overseeing Michael Schumacher's world title triumphs in 1994 and 1995, again in the role of managing director.

In 2005 and 2006, as team principal at Renault, Briatore helped the French manufacturer and Alonso become world champions.

The return of the Lotus

The historic marque of Lotus is to return to Formula One for the first time since 1994.

Motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, have granted Lotus the 13th slot on the grid from next season.

Although the team is based in Norfolk, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory, it is funded via a partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs.

Lotus, which competed in F1 from 1958 through to 1994, was awarded its place ahead of BMW Sauber and Epsilon Euskadi following an intensive selection and due diligence process conducted by the FIA.

Despite what the FIA describe as "an impressive application'' from BMW Sauber, the fact the German manufacturers are withdrawing from the sport at the end of the year, left "uncertainties regarding the future ownership of the team".

However, the FIA noted that considering BMW Sauber's application is "of high quality", they "would constitute a competitive participant in the championship".

The FIA added: "As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship, meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid.

"In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams.

"The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first grand prix in 2010.''

It is Lotus, though, who will definitely be on the grid next year, spearheaded by team principal Tony Fernandes, who is the founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the Air Asia airline.

Mike Gascoyne also returns to F1 as the team's technical director, with 20 years experience in the sport after working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and most recently Force India.

The team will use the RTN facility in Norfolk, which was built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

However, the team's future design, research and development, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit.

Lotus, who used eight different engine suppliers during their previous 37-year stint in the sport, have agreed a deal with Cosworth.

The team contested 491 grands prix, winning 79 en route to seven constructors' titles, helping Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi become world champions.

BMW Sauber sold

BMW Sauber have secured their future after agreeing a deal for the purchase of the team with Qadbak Investments Ltd.

BMW confirmed several weeks ago they were withdrawing from Formula One at the end of the season for financial reasons.

Since then the German manufacturing giants have actively pursued a buyer with the hope of saving the team based in Hinwil in Switzerland.

Qadbak Investments Ltd is a Swiss-based foundation representing the interests of certain Middle East and European-based families.

Both parties have now signed contracts confirming the deal, with the hope now the team will line up on the grid for the 2010 season.

News of BMW Sauber's salvation comes hours after motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, confirmed Lotus as the 13th team for next year.

However, the FIA stated given "the high quality" of BMW Sauber's application they would award the team the '14th place' should a vacancy arise, or even seek a rule change to accommodate 14 teams.

BMW are hopeful the team will be in F1 from next season as they said: "A strong investor has...been found.

"We are pleased to confirm that the FIA has indicated that we may have a place in the 2010 Formula One World Championship.

"The team expects to line up on the grid for the first race of the 2010 season."

Canadian Grand Prix back on

Canadian Grand Prix organisers have confirmed the race will be on next year's Formula One calendar after reaching an agreement with supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

A financial dispute between the two parties resulted in one of the most popular events being omitted from this season's schedule for the first time in 22 years.

Lengthy negotiations to resolve the matter have since proven successful, and the Montreal race will take up its initial provisional slot for 2010 of June 6.

"I am ver happy and fully satisfied with this outcome," said Normand Legault, the CEO of Grand Prix F1 du Canada.

"I have always been confident of being able to resolve the dispute, given the in-depth understanding I have had to develop of the Formula One racing situation in Canada.

"I am especially pleased that an announcement is forthcoming to the effect the Canadian Grand Prix will be back on the FIA calendar as of 2010.

"I never doubted the Canadian race would regain its rightful place on the FIA schedule, and my discussions with F1 management led me to believe the event would return soon.

"The race is important not only for Formula One, but also for the teams, manufacturers and spsors.

"I am also happy for the Canadian Grand Prix's many fans because they are true F1 enthusiasts who appreciate the real value of the spectacle and the competition."

Lewis Hamilton expects fair title fight

Lewis Hamilton is convinced Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello can fight fair for this season's Formula One world title.

Hamilton effectively relinquished his crown in the most dramatic of circumstances on Sunday with a heavy last-lap crash in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza when chasing Button for second.

The 24-year-old is now 53 points adrift of Button, who was back on the podium for the first time in six races in finishing runner-up to Brawn GP team-mate Barrichello.

It would now appear a clear two-driver, in-house race for the championship, with Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber a distant third and fourth in the standings as they are 26 and 28.5 points behind respectively.

Hamilton knows only too well the feeling of competing against a team-mate for the title, as he did with Fernando Alonso in 2007.

The dynamics of that battle, though, were very different to the Button-Barrichello scrap given the far more harmonious relationship that exists between the Brawn duo.

"Team-mates can clearly race for the championship, as we saw in 2007," said Hamilton.

"But I can tell you, it's going to be hard battle because they're both doing a fantastic, solid job.

"Their pace was incredible over the weekend. They're unstoppable, with Rubens having pulled some serious speed out from somewhere.

"They are both going to be applying pressure to each other, so it is open to both of them."

Barrichello has out-scored Button 22 points to 10 over the last three races, with the Brazilian requiring a similar tally from the next three if he is to take it to the wire in Abu Dhabi on November 1.

"I guess it will come down to who is the most consistent," added Hamilton.

"Their times were almost identical over the weekend, it just so happens Rubens was ahead.

"If it had been the other way around, then Jenson would have won.

"So my guess is as good as yours as to who will win it because they both look as consistent as each other."

Unlike in his rookie season when he was going for the title and he needed to be mentally strong, Hamilton feels Button and Barrichello are old enough and wise enough to know what is required.

"They are both extremely experienced drivers. They both know what to do," insisted Hamilton.

"I wouldn't say it's all in the mind. They've just got to get on with their job, which I'm sure they will do."

Rubens Barrichello led home Brawn one-two

The fight for this year's Formula One world title is effectively a two-man battle after Rubens Barrichello led home a Brawn GP one-two at the Italian Grand Prix.

In taking his second win of the season and 11th of his career, the 37-year-old Brazilian has now closed the gap on team-mate and championship leader Jenson Button down to 14 points.

With Mark Webber crashing out on the opening lap and Sebastian Vettel claiming a solitary point, the Red Bull duo are 26 and 28.5 points adrift of Button with four races remaining.

Lewis Hamilton should have joined Barrichello and Button on the podium, only to dramatically crash out on the final lap at Monza as the reigning world champion chased down his fellow Briton.

With Hamilton currently 53 points behind Button, it means his reign is at an end, with nothing but pride to race for in Singapore, Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton's second successive smash after his opening-lap drama in Belgium two weeks ago elevated Kimi Raikkonen into third for Ferrari.

That was naturally to the delight of the home fans, with the Finn finishing narrowly ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil as the German collected his first points for the team.

At the start, it appeared to be an extraordinarily slow getaway from from Hamilton as he seemed to have too much wheel spin once the five red lights disappeared.

But the fact close friend Adrian Sutil was hardly like lightning out of the box either in his Force India appeared to come to the Briton's aid.

With Raikkonen directly behind him, and with only one option but to go to Hamilton's left and onto the grass, he quickly realised such a plan was never going to work.

It allowed Hamilton to control the field from the front on approach to the opening Rettifilio chicane, and from that moment the race was destined to all come down to pit-stop strategy.

For this race different tactics were being employed, with Hamilton, Sutil and Raikkonen opting for two trips into the pits, in contrast to Barrichello and Button who were running 'one-stoppers'.

McLaren's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was ultimately the big loser at the start as he was unable to keep the Brawns at bay on the opening lap.

Starting from fourth and also heavy on fuel, Kovalainen was beaten into the opening chicane by Barrichello and then overtaken on the first lap by Button, which was ideal scenario for the duo.

In his first stint Hamilton set about putting in fastest lap after fastest lap, and by the time of his initial stop after 15 laps, he was 20.4 seconds clear of Button.

It was not enough to get him ahead of his compatriot, but it was close enough to leave him in contention for a crack at the win.

It was then the turn of the Brawn duo to eke out their advantage over Hamilton, and on laps 28 and 29, it was Button and then Barrichello in for their one and only stops.

The Brazilian's team managed to turn around Barrichello half a second quicker than the man who is still searching for his seventh win of the season after emerging victorious in six of the opening seven races.

It was now a case of whether Hamilton, regaining the lead, would be able to open up enough of a gap to make his second stop and be in and out ahead of the Brawns in order to take the win.

It was not to be, though, as he came in again on lap 34, but with only a 21.4secs cushion over Button.

When he re-emerged, Hamilton was just 100 yards down on Button, and that was game over.

Although he managed to close to within a second, it was clear Hamilton was pushing until the bitter end, paying the price as he simply put his front-left wheel on the kerb at Lesmo, sending him into a spin and a heavy impact into a tyre barrier.

Ferrari's fans erupted as they realised Raikkonen would then be on the podium, and it was the usual mayhem on the start-finish straight as thousands invaded the track.

Barrichello said: "It feels great. "On the chequered flag at the end, I had no words.

"But it was a tough night because I didn't know if we would have to change the gearbox (which would have led to a five-place grid penalty), but I think it's now going to last the final four races.

"The race was then great. It was really good to see all the public out there (as he sprayed the champagne) even if they were more red than white."

Remarking on tactical guru Ross Brawn's policy of a one-stop plan, Barrichello added: "It was a great decision yesterday.

"The guys with KERS had 20 litres (of fuel) on us at the start, but luckily we had a good start, and the pace was then good enough to be ahead of them by their second stop."

On the podium for the first time in six races, Button was also smiling as he said: "It's nice to be back up here with second position.

"I'd rather be where Rubens is, but he deserved it because he did a great job, and he's now my closest rival after taking another seven points out of Vettel."

Despite Hamilton's late charge, Button felt he had the edge on the 24-year-old anyway, despite his late crash.

"Lewis started pushing on the final three laps, but I think I had him pretty much covered because it's difficult to pass here, even with KERS," added Button.

"I don't know what happened to him at the end, but it's a great result for me."

Renault's Fernando Alonso, Kovalainen and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld were the other drivers to collect points for fifth, sixth and seventh.

Hamilton secures pole position at Monza

Lewis Hamilton stormed to the 15th pole position of his career ahead of Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion saved it until the final moment as he was the last to cross the line in a hotly-contested final 10-minute showdown, deposing Force India's Adrian Sutil from top spot.

There was a possibility Hamilton could be penalised, though, as he appeared to impede Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi late on in the initial 20-minute Q1.

However, given Buemi was never going to make it into the next session, it was hard to imagine the stewards penalising the McLaren star.

Behind another unusual front row, given Sutil's performance, Kimi Raikkonen again gave Ferrari something to cheer.

He will start third, with the 2007 world champion joined on the second row by his fellow Finn, McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

The Brawns, clearly back in form after their recent struggles, are on the third row, with Rubens Barrichello starting fifth and Jenson Button sixth, the Brazilian outqualifying the Briton for the third successive race.

On his debut for Force India, Tonio Liuzzi gave the team another historic moment as he will start seventh, the first time they have managed to get both cars into the top 10.

Renault's Fernando Alonso starts eighth, followed by the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, their title hopes fading further.

BMW Sauber suffered a wretched Q2 as both Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica retired, with engine trouble.

Heidfeld, who had looked strong in practice and was poised for a high grid slot, was the first to exit early in the 15-minute run.

Approaching the opening Rettifilio chicane, Heidfeld slowed and took the short cut.

The German then weaved through the polystyrene barriers before pulling over on a safe part of the track, with a wisp of smoke emerging from the rear as he did so giving the game away.

Just a few minutes later and Kubica also slowed as he hurtled down the start-finish straight, pulling onto the grass 100 metres short of the Rettifilio.

Kubica will start 13th and Heidfeld 15th, with the man to split them being Giancarlo Fisichella on his debut for Ferrari.

The 36-year-old has clearly struggled to adapt to the car in the wake of his move from Force India nine days ago, notably crashing it this morning in final practice.

Fisichella will at least have the honour tomorrow of being the first Italian since Ivan Capelli in 1992 to drive a Ferrari at Monza.

However, it would appear he has foresaken the prospect of winning the race for taking up such an honour with the Maranello marque given the performances of Sutil and Liuzzi.

Toyota's Jarno Trulli will start from 11th, with Romain Grosjean a semi-respectable 12th for Renault bearing in mind his car has KERS on board this weekend.

Williams' fears regarding this circuit were certainly realised as both Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg failed to make it out of Q1.

For Rosberg, who had qualified in the top 10 in 11 of the previous 12 races this season, the 24-year-old will start from his lowest position of the year in 18th, one place behind Nakajima.

Toyota's Timo Glock was another unable to find the downforce and power required for Monza as he starts 16th, with the Toro Rossos bringing up the rear.

Buemi will line up 19th, with Jaime Alguersuari 20th, the young Spaniard's five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change after final practice not counting for anything on this occasion.

After claiming his second pole position of the year, and pipping close friend Sutil, Hamilton said: "It was a very close qualifying session, and I'm very happy to see Adrian up here.

"Since Formula 3 it's been a long time since we've been in a press conference together, and on the front row.

"But it was such a great feeling to put a great lap together.

"People need to understand, you have one shot at it at the end, so to pull it off is amazing.

"I don't think we anticipated being just as quick as we are this weekend, so it's a bonus to everyone in the team."

Sutil could not hide his delight despite missing out on pole by less than 0.2 seconds.

"It's a great moment, a great day," beamed Sutil.

"The whole weekend has been a big success. The car is amazing.

"This is a continuation of the work we did at Spa, and the good feeling of being a race driver is back. It's a great feeling."

Reflecting on Fisichella possibly regretting his move after the Roman started from pole and finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix, Sutil added: "He has been saying he doesn't have as strong a car as he did.

"But it's been his dream to drive a Ferrari in Formula One. Anybody would have made his move.

"He's had a difficult weekend so far, but 14th is not so bad."

Raikkonen, who has finished on the podium in the last three races, is confident of making it four in a row.

"It wasn't perfect, but it shows us again once we put the fuel in the car it's as strong as the others. It always seems to struggle on low fuel in Q2," remarked Raikkonen.

"Overall, on race pace and with race fuel, the car is running well and I'm happy with it.

"It was one of our best qualifying sessions, which has put us in a strong position in the race to give us another chance of finishing on the podium.

"Hopefully we can give the Italian fans a good result, and for ourselves. That's our aim."

Button looking to extend his championship lead

Jenson Button delivered the perfect response to the critics who had started to question his world championship credentials.

Sixth on the grid for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix may not appear to be much of a riposte, but when you consider Button is running a one-stop strategy, he is in the mix for the victory.

Joining Button on the third row at Monza and matching the Briton on a 'one-stopper' is his closest championship rival in Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

Ahead of the two title protagonists are pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil in his Force India, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen.

The quartet will all be stopping twice, whilst Hamilton, Raikkonen and Kovalainen have the benefit of KERS, the power boost system.

Hamilton is predicting the most exciting race for many a season at this track, whilst Button is anticipating a grandstand finish.

Regardless, for all those who believed Button was starting to crack under the pressure, his qualifying performance suggested otherwise.

"It's been a positive day. I'm up in P6 with the Red Bulls behind and with Rubens alongside me, so it should be a fun race tomorrow," said Button.

"All weekend the car has worked reasonably well, but tomorrow is the important day.

"I don't just want to score some points, I want to have a good race and finish as high as I can.

"But there are a lot of teams fighting at the front, which is great for F1, it just makes it more complicated and difficult for Red Bull and ourselves.

"It's clearly an exciting season, and every single race and point is going to count until the end of the year.

"But I'm not nervous. It's an exciting situation to be in, one I've never been in before in Formula One."

Even though Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are ninth and 10th on the grid, damaging their own championship hopes, Button is refusing to write off either driver.

"There are 50 points still to play for, so it's still very easy for them to challenge us," added Button.

"But it's good they are behind us. I know I'm in a reasonably good position for the race."

Providing Button and Barrichello avoid the mayhem that can often occur at the opening Rettifilo chicane, both should then be in a position to score points and maintain their title feud.

"We're not stupid," remarked Button, who is 16 points clear of the Brazilian.

"We both know we want to score points here, and both of us want to score more than the other. That's the way it is.

"In starting from fifth and sixth, I don't know which position is better.

"We'll have to wait and see, but we're in a good position to fight for a result."

That sentiment was echoed by Barrichello, who is also predicting a mouthwatering battle given the different pit-stop strategies.

"We had the ability to be on pole today, but strategically we had to consider the pace of the KERS cars off the line," said the 37- year-old.

"So we put a lot of fuel in the car and focused on what was right for our race. I'm really pleased we got everything possible out of the car.

"I'm confident we're in a good position, and as I just love racing here, I'm now really looking forward to the race tomorrow."

Just an hour after qualifying ended the heavens opened, too late for Vettel who is hoping for something similar on Sunday a year after he famously won here in the wet for Toro Rosso.

"I'm not happy," bemoaned Vettel, who is 19 points behind Button.

"Today the rain came too late. It would have helped us. Tomorrow, who knows, but it would help us."

Vettel claimed the picture was "not as bad as it looks", adding: "We are there or thereabouts and it's not a disaster.

"It's a long race, anything can happen. There's not a lot missing."

Webber, who is 20.5 points down on Button, said: "We are just off the bubble of the pace that we need.

"But we can't think about the championship. It's a one-off race, it's Monza. You can't do all this maths in your head."

With Sutil second, Force India again made history as Tonio Liuzzi qualified seventh on his debut for the team to give them two cars in the top 10 for the first time.

Giancarlo Fisichella, who crashed heavily in third practice, will start from 14th in his maiden outing for Ferrari, with potentially an envious glance towards his former team in Force India.

Alonso keeps focus on Italian GP

Fernando Alonso is adamant everyone within Renault is 100 per cent focused despite the damaging effects of the last two days.

The 'crash-gate' furore has dominated Formula One over the last 48 hours, notably via the leaking of confidential documents and in the wake of the team commencing criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Jnr and his father, Nelson Piquet Snr.

Mercifully for Renault and team boss Flavio Briatore, their focus was on events on the circuit on Saturday, with Alonso qualifying eighth for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Despite the issues, Alonso insists he and the team are giving their all as he said: "The determination is always the same.

"I've been very determined and focused all season, and here in Monza is no different for me, and there's no difference in the team.

"Everybody is very professional, giving 100 per cent for the team, for Renault, as they have done all through the season.

"I've not seen any big difference here."

Even though Renault reintroduced KERS for this track, double world champion Alonso insists he could not have done any more.

"We've not been competitive all weekend, so we didn't expect to be any better than eighth," added Alonso.

"When you look at the times and you see another half a tenth (of a second) would have put us fifth, there is disappointment.

"But we have to be happy. It's what we deserved this weekend.

"As for the race, we think KERS will be a benefit. The start will be a big opportunity to see if it helps or not.

"If we don't make up any places at the start, then we have to say that bringing KERS here gave us no advantage.

"But if we do make up places, it's something we need to consider for the coming races.

"Tomorrow is the day to see if the choice to bring KERS here was the right one or not."

Felipe Massa talks about lucky escape

Felipe Massa has talked for the first time about the horror accident that almost claimed his life.

The Ferrari driver was left in a coma in July when a flying spring smashed into his head during practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Massa, talking to the Guardian, admits his injuries could have been much worse.

"You need to think about luck in different ways. I was actually very unlucky with the spring in my face. But I was very lucky as well. Every doctor said the same.

"If the spring had gone one millimetre to the right I would have lost my sight. One millimetre to the left and who knows? I could have been brain damaged. So I was very lucky. And this is more important because it is my life."

Massa says what happened at the Hungaroring hasn't dimmed his passion for the sport, or given him any doubts about wanting to get back behind the wheel.

He said: "For me, the worst thing that happened was not being able to race. If you can't drive that's terrible.

"But my wife has already asked me, at least 10 times, 'Are you sure you don't feel any doubts or worries?' Always, I say, 'No - because this is what I like to do.' If I don't drive then I am not the same person.

"Ever since I was a small boy this is my life. This is what I like to do. So I really hope, and expect, nothing will change inside of me when I go back into the car and start pushing myself to the maximum again."

The images of Massa's accident disturbed many, but they didn't have a massive impact on the driver himself

"I first saw it when I got home on television - just like you. But I had other accidents that disturbed me a lot more.

"When I lost the brakes in Monaco in 2002 it was a huge crash. And I crashed twice in Barcelona because I had a problem with my suspension - and that was an accident that made me think.

"But this accident in Hungary is like something I never even saw. So my wife was only asking gentle questions, like, 'You don't think maybe ... ?' And I say, 'No, I am racing again.'

"My mother also knows me a lot. Sometimes she is looking at me and thinking but she knows not to ask."

Vitantonio Liuzzi replaces Fisichella

Force India have confirmed Vitantonio Liuzzi has replaced Giancarlo Fisichella for the remainder of the season.

Liuzzi has been promoted from his role as test and reserve driver with the team, a position he has held since the start of 2008.

The 28-year-old will now make his race debut with Force India in front of his own fans at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Liuzzi, who last drove in Formula One at the end of the 2007 season with Toro Rosso, appreciates he has been given his chance courtesy of the chain reaction sparked by Felipe Massa's accident.

"I can't wait to get back into the car in race trim, particularly at my home grand prix in Monza," said Liuzzi, who competed in 39 grands prix over three seasons from 2005 to 2007.

"I really appreciate the opportunity Vijay (Mallya) has given me, particularly now Force India has a great car that's performing very well.

"I am confident I can carry on our progress. I'm very motivated, in good shape and hungry to get some more points on the board.

"Although it's unfortunate this came about as a direct result of Felipe's accident, this is my opportunity to show people what I can do, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Team owner Vijay Mallya, who released Fisichella to Ferrari last week, is confident Liuzzi will not let down the team.

"I'm delighted to give Tonio the opportunity to get back into a race seat, which I know he has been itching to do for the past two years," said Mallya.

"Force India is now in a very competitive position and we need a driver who can continue this momentum.

"This will be the chance for Tonio to demonstrate to both the team and the field he has the commitment, speed and professionalism to perform, and I am sure he will seize this opportunity."