Bob Barnard Track Engineering

This mid season summer break is getting old, and it is not half way through. Ross Brawn says it is the best idea ever, and then tells us what we all suspect. They can close the factories but cannot shut off the brains. Thinking on the beach gives Ross some inspiration, gets that ingenuity rebooted, and Mercedes need it. The "will he won't he" questions and "should he retire" advice keeps coming about Michael, and he admits that he is a part of the problem and not the solution. Now I admit a certain animosity to Michael, but I think he has had a fair go in his life, it is time to give di Resta a chance in that car, he has shown he deserves it. Nico seems wedded to Mercedes, and why not. I am sure he is paid well, it is a revered marque, and Ross will sort it out.

India needs sorting out. Those pesky farmers are not giving up and are now threatening to go and dig the track up if their demands are not met. No point in going after the stands, they won't be done anyway according to VJ.

Other than this there is the MotoGP at Brno this weekend where the Stoner/Lorenzo show will resume. The bikes silly season is off and running, with Divizioso looking like the one to miss out on a works Honda ride when the music stops. He's off to that satellite Gresini team, and rumors are that Simoncelli will go to a Ducati. Let's see if he can stay on that. There are a lot of even sillier rumors that I will wait and see over rather than bother you with.

As I said news is in short supply so we are interviewing F1 identities about the riots in England, why they should have any special insight I don't know. Bernie is worried that cancelling soccer matches will send the wrong message. Burning buildings and cars don't really get the message across eh Bernie?

It seems tracks come and go. Austin is coming, but not quite as fast as was predicted. The latest report is 24 months to build, and they are not scheduled to start until December, and there are planning issues hanging over that date, so that puts us into 2013 for the first race. The way Bernie is going there will be a race in Bangladesh by then.

Edmonton is going, or gone according to reports. It seems the airport wanted to keep one runway open during the IRL race and this required a couple of million to be spent to adjust the track layout. It seems the IRL and the promoter assumed the City would just roll over and cough up, but no. In the US and Canada getting Governments to pay for racetracks is much harder than say Mongolia, or Spain.

McLaren and Red Bull will both let their drivers race this weekend, so we will see if Massa will roll over for Alonso at his home GP. What will we see if Massa is in front of Alonso?

The anticipated shuffle of engineers and team bosses appears to be underway at Mercedes with new race engineers to be brought in to the team next year for both Nico and Michael. Ross Brawn's role is to be "defined."

The rumors are that De La Rosa is going to HRT, with Williams gearbox, next year, and they say they now have a chassis "based" on this years unraced Toyota. HRT must have found some money.