Formula 1 roundup: Booing goes on

This week in quotes

* Lewis Hamilton was among those who spoke out against the booing being directed at Sebastian Vettel during the past few podium ceremonies. Believing that the jeers are partly because of his competitor\'s highly successful run over the last three years, the Mercedes driver said: \"No one should be booed for their success, no matter how easy or hard it has been for them to get there. Booing is so negative, especially when someone works so hard to be a success. I tried to imagine what it would be like if I was winning races as easy as he has been winning them. It\'s every driver\'s dream to have a car to be able to fight.\" He added, however, that the Red Bull ace\'s style of running away from the pack isn\'t something he wishes to emulate. \"Me, I don\'t want to be that far ahead. I want to be able to fight with him, or whoever. But this is the way it is. It\'s definitely not a positive thing to hear he has been booed. He\'s on his way to his fourth world championship, and he needs all the credit he deserves.\"

* \"He doesn\'t give Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton a chance; he\'s as dominant as Senna or Schumacher in certain periods,\" was Bernie Ecclestone\'s take on why the defending world champion--to whom he appears to be quite close--is not popular with the sport\'s viewership. The bright side is that the Formula 1 supremo thinks the German\'s reign could come to an abrupt conclusion next year, and what Bernie wants, Bernie gets. \"His domination will end, maybe in 2014,\" he told German publication Bild. \"We\'re going to have completely new cars, new engines, new rules. That will be the chance for Ferrari and Mercedes to catch up with Vettel. Next year, it might not be the best driver but the best car that wins the title.\"

* Amid cries of outrage from the fans, Singapore GP race steward Derek Warwick defended the decision to reprimand Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso for their involvement in taxi-gate. \"It is not health and safety gone mad. A driver could easily have been hurt,\" the former F1 driver pointed out. \"I hope we\'re not seen as killjoys. We have become a bit sterile in many ways in Formula 1. But we cannot put drivers at risk. If it had been done in a safer manner, then it might have been viewed differently. You can\'t have cars parked in the middle of a corner.\"

* Soon-to-be Ferrari dropout Felipe Massa expressed interest in exploring the German touring-car scene should his attempts to secure an F1 drive for next year fall through. \"It would be interesting to race in [DTM], but I would like to have a good opportunity to be competitive. If it\'s too late to get that in DTM, maybe I would wait one year,\" he said. As luck would have it, he might not have to wait that long for such an opportunity, because Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff looks keen to give him a shot: \"Somebody like Felipe can always be an asset for DTM or for any other racing series. Definitely he is an interesting guy, and we must consider him.\"

 

This week in numbers

* 120 minutes: The length of first Friday free practice in 2014, up from 90 minutes this year. Other changes for the said practice session include an additional set of dry tires and the chance to change drivers within the two-hour period, but McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted that leading squads would likely forgo the latter. \"I think that you\'d probably end up [changing drivers] if it was forced--because none of the big teams would do it unless the regulations actually prescribed and required you to have a young driver or whatever the definition [driving the car in first practice]. Frankly, from our perspective, you\'d go to work thinking how you can use that half an hour to do aerodynamic testing.\"

* 57: The number of points Romain Grosjean has so far pocketed in 2013, versus Lotus teammate Kimi Raikkonen\'s tally of 149. Still, Lotus believes the Frenchman should be able to handle being the lead driver for next season. \"He\'s just been getting better and better and better,\" observed trackside operations director Alan Permane. \"[In Singapore] he had a difficult Friday when he had a few car problems and didn\'t run a great deal, [then had] an excellent Saturday. We knew we had the potential to do well, and he delivered. I think for him--for his head--that will be very, very important. He\'ll know that he can do it.\" Among those in contention for the second Lotus seat are Massa and Nico Hulkenberg.

* 2.5sec: The apparent advantage of the Vettel/Red Bull package over the rest of the grid, and Permane is of the opinion that Vettel is going to carry some of that advantage over into next year despite the upcoming regulations overhaul.

 

This week in tweets

* For @alo_oficial and me to receive reprimands for our actions after the race it is comical to say the least. Great moment, and fans loved it.
* And while I\'m at it, contrary to reports, there was no interaction at all with any track officials after we put the fire out.
* Looks like even one of the Singapore stewards has done it... #C\'estlavie
--A series of tweets put out by Mark Webber (@AussieGrit) showed that he was not happy at all about his Singapore GP reprimand. He even published a photo of race steward Derek Warwick accepting a taxi ride from Gerhard Berger at the 1988 Japanese GP.

* Ey @AussieGrit! Ready for Hollywood..?
--Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial), meanwhile, thinks the whole incident is worthy of the silver screen. Rush has received a very positive reception, after all.

* Maybe @alo_oficial could have stopped in a slightly safer place but still think it\'s a bit harsh...
--Jenson Button (@JensonButton) weighs in on the issue.