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Race Recap: 2014 British F1 Grand Prix readjusts the balance of power

Qualifying for the British Formula One Grand Prix was just as much a surprise for fans as it was for teams. Certain team weather radar displays didn't accurately pinpoint storm systems over the track, and in the case of at least two teams, the lack of data was compounded by poor decision making. That's how both Ferraris and both Williams got kicked out of qualifying in Q3 - the drivers already on track took advantage of a dry spell between rains, but Ferrari and Williams waited too long to get back out, and by the time they did it had started raining again.
Rain-induced bewilderment hit the front of the field as well. When all appeared resolved in Q3 but the clock hadn't yet run down to zero, drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo pulled into the pits thinking the day was done. However, a drying last sector of the Silverstone circuit meant the drivers still out could suddenly improve their times by four seconds in just that sector. When the bell tolled, those who fought to the last were those who lined up first: Nico Rosberg in the first Mercedes AMG Petronas, Sebastian Vettel in the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Jenson Button in the McLaren, Nico Hülkenberg in the first Force India and Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren.
Hamilton had fallen all the way to sixth on the grid, a mortifying blow to his race and his championship challenge. He was followed by Sergio Perez in the second Force India, Ricciardo in the second Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso teammates Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne completing the top ten.

Ferrari won't quit F1, says Christian Horner

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Ferrari and Formula One need each other just as much and the Italian glamor team's latest threat to leave after 2020 sounds like bluster, Red Bull principal Christian Horner said on Friday. Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne last week warned that his team could walk away, when current contracts expire, if they disagreed with the direction the sport was taking under new U.S.-based owners Liberty Media. Ferrari have made similar threats in the past under different management and Horner, whose team were champions for four years in a row between 2010-13, was skeptical about the fresh warning. "They'll bluster that they don't need Formula One, but what other form of motor racing is going to give Ferrari the platform that Formula One does?," Horner told Sky Sports F1 after first practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix. "The two go hand-in-hand together and have done since the beginning of the championship (in 1950). Nobody wants to lose Ferrari. And I don't think Ferrari can afford to lose Formula One," added the Briton. "So there'll be a lot of brinkmanship and chest-puffing at the moment. But I think when the music stops, they'll be there." Horner suggested also that Marchionne's response was part of a bigger picture that includes possible changes to the distribution of revenues. Ferrari currently receive a bigger share than any team due to their historic status as the sport's oldest and most successful entrant, and will be resistant to taking any reduction. Former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who dealt with Ferrari for decades under late founder Enzo and then Luca di Montezemolo, told Reuters this week that Marchionne's words should be heeded however. "The difference is that Sergio wasn't the guy in control before," said the 87-year-old, who was ousted by Liberty in January. "If he decides that's what he's going to do, that's what he'll do." "The world is changing an awful lot. So things that you would say would never happen, may happen." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by William Maclean)Related Video:

Model waves checkered flag too soon at F1's Canadian Grand Prix

MONTREAL — Formula One said on Sunday it will review its procedures after the Canadian Grand Prix ended in confusion and embarrassment when a celebrity waved the checkered flag a lap too soon. The gaffe did not affect the outcome of the race, which was won by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, but the German said he was left double-checking his lap counter while checking in with his pit before carrying on to run the full 70 laps. "Fortunately we had radio, fortunately I had the lap count in the car, and the pitboard was accurate — but if you lose radio and maybe the pitboard is not there, then you back off," said Vettel after notching his 50th career win. "I was just worried, I told them also on the last lap, then people don't jump on the track, waving flags and celebrating, because we're still going at full pace." The official results were later determined based on the 68th lap to avoid any impact the early flag might have had. Formula One race director Charlie Whiting said the error was caused by simple miscommunication between the official starter and crew in the starter's tower, which resulted in model Winnie Harlow — a friend of Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton — waving the flag prematurely. "It was a miscommunication between the start platform and the guy they call the starter here," explained Whiting. "He thought it was the last lap and asked them at the top to confirm it, they confirmed it. "They thought he was making a statement when in fact he was asking a question. "He told the flag waver to wave it a lap early. It was as simple as that, it wasn't anything to do with the fact it was a celebrity flag waver. "The celebrity was not to blame." Celebrities are often given the honor of waving the checkered flag at motor races, which has occasionally resulted in unintended flubs. Brazilian soccer great Pele famously reacted too late when Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit in 2002, brandishing the flag instead as the later finishers appeared. While the incident on Sunday produced shrugs and even a few chuckles, there were also very real safety concerns, as course workers often come out of their safety areas to stand alongside the track waving flags. "We need to review procedures and make sure we have a very simple procedure for every circuit," added Whiting. "We're dealing with different human beings, different countries, different languages and it's not always absolutely perfect.