Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has spoken of his fears for the future of Formula 1, just days before the FIA releases the official list of entrants for next season.

In a video interview on Ferrari’s official website, Schumacher says he finds F1 unimaginable without the participation of the iconic Italian marque and other major car manufacturers - and argues that the big teams should not have to accept the radical agenda being pursued by the FIA.

The legendary German driver believes the current disputes over cost-capping and governance will have to be settled on the manufacturers’ terms if the sport is not to lose its core appeal.

“It’s not a very exciting situation that we’re facing - especially the sport that I have participated most of my life in and that I really love,” said Schumacher.

“To see what’s going on there, it’s not very great.

“At the end of the day, if you think of Ferrari, the name is so important, it’s so big in this sport.

“It became big due to the sport but it actually grew the sport at the same time.

“You can’t see Formula 1 without Ferrari or without the other manufacturers that have participated for so long.

“So I really believe that somehow they must find a solution - and the solution can only be that it suits those teams that have built up Formula 1 to the state that it is now.”

The Formula One Teams’ Association - which currently comprises eight of the 10 F1 teams - is pushing for the FIA to abandon plans for a €45m budget cap in favour of tweaks to the existing regulations.

Schumacher thinks a gradualist, consensual approach is the only way forward.

“You cannot expect drastic changes to be accepted by such important manufacturers,” he said.

“Yes, you have a target. Yes, you want to reduce costs.

“But you have to do it step by step. You can’t turn the world around in one day - that’s impossible.”

The FIA is due to announce the list of confirmed 2010 entrants this Friday.

The FOTA teams have lodged conditional entries, which they say will be invalid unless the FIA modifies its current plans.

The governing body’s president Max Mosley has since urged them to drop their conditions, sign up to 2010 and seek unanimous support for modifications to the rules from the inside. 

Ferrari team boss Domenicali talks about the Kers system

The Formula One Teams' Association has agreed to abandon the energy storage and recovery system (Kers) for the 2010 season, BBC Sport understands.

The optional Kinetic Energy Recovery System can give cars a power boost, but only Ferrari and McLaren are now still using it seven races into the season.

Fota will drop it because of its poor uptake - and pressure from motorsport's governing body, the FIA, to cut costs.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said it was a "logical decision".

We have invested a lot of money in it and it's difficult for the public to understand how there are cars with Kers and cars with no Kers Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali

When asked by BBC Sport F1 pundit Eddie Jordan ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday if Fota teams had agreed and signed by democratic decision to abandon Kers next season in an earlier meeting, Domenicali confirmed that was the case.

"That is our position jointly," he said. "Of course we are the ones that are using it now with McLaren.

"We have invested a lot of money in it and it's difficult for the public to understand how there are cars with Kers and cars with no Kers.

"I think in the view of helping new teams to get into F1, and in order to save money, that is a logical decision - even if we have invested a lot of money in that project."

Under the rules at the start of this season, Kers - which provides drivers with an extra boost of power for 6.7 seconds per lap - would also be in place at the start of 2010.

The power - 80bhp - was also due to be increased next year, meaning all teams would have had to have had it in order to remain competitive.

But that will no longer be the case.

BBC Sport understands that Ferrari are desperate to drop their system because it has been so unreliable for them, while McLaren's package developed by Mercedes has proved more successful.

Though McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is a fan of Kers, for a variety of reasons, he accepts that dropping it may be the only way forward.

"F1 has to demonstrate it has some green credentials," he told BBC Sport. "But, at the same time, in this economic climate everybody is looking to save costs.

"It has been a huge effort talking about new entrants and making sure these smaller teams stay in F1.

"McLaren's position is we would like to see Kers retained - but we also accept that we have to be responsible members of the F1 community and if the majority don't want to have Kers, or can't afford Kers at the moment, then we have to be realistic."

BMW Sauber and Renault both ran with Kers, which adds extra weight to the car, at the start of the season but both teams stopped experimenting with it after little success.

Championship pacesetters Brawn GP have no plans to introduce Kers to their cars.

Source: BBC

Turkish Grand Prix result - 58 laps

1.  BUTTON       Brawn         
2.  WEBBER       Red Bull      +6.7s
3.  VETTEL       Red Bull      +7.4s
4.  TRULLI       Toyota        +27.8s
5.  ROSBERG      Williams      +31.5s
6.  MASSA        Ferrari       +39.9s
7.  KUBICA       BMW           +46.2s
8.  GLOCK        Toyota        +46.9s
9.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       +50.2s
10. ALONSO       Renault       +62.4s
11. HEIDFELD     BMW           +64.3s
12. NAKAJIMA     Williams      +66.3s
13. HAMILTON     McLaren       +80.4s
14. KOVALAINEN   McLaren       +1 lap
15. BUEMI        Toro Rosso    +1 lap
16. PIQUET       Renault       +1 lap
17. SUTIL        Force India   +1 lap
18. BOURDAIS     Toro Rosso    +1 lap
R.  BARRICHELLO  Brawn         +11 laps
R.  FISICHELLA   Force India   +54 laps

Another Jenson Button win which he gained the lead half way around the first lap after a slight Vettel mistake saw the Briton win for the 6th time this season after another predictable and quite honestly, boring race. Button looked safe all afternoon and Barichello who had a dismal start had a bad afternoon trying to make his way through the grid. Red Bull duo Webber and Vettel came 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Meanwhile, Ferrari had a dismal race with Felipe coming home in 6th, Raikkonen 9th. Not really challenging for the entire race.

We head to Silverstone in 2 weeks time. Stay Tuned for time sheet and pictures which will be available soon.

Virtual Lap

Sebastian Vettel may be starting from pole position but Jenson Button is carrying more fuel than the Red Bull driver. Button’s Brawn is fuelled around two laps longer than Vettel and Mark Webber, fourth on the grid, is fuelled even further. Fuel weights in full below. Both Ferrari's are relatively heavy with similar fuel loads to everyone infront. Perhaps Ferrari CAN challenge for a podium if they get past TRULLI quickly.

Kimi and Felipe will start from the third and fourth row respectively, after they drove lap times of 1:28.815 and 1:28.858 respectively in the third part of the qualifying for the Turkish GP. Pole position was gained by Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull with a lap time of 1:28.316; next to him Jenson Button with Brawn GP will start into the race. Behind the two drivers in the front row there is Button’s Brawn GP teammate Rubens Barrichello.

Now the information as far as the fuel loads are concerned, communicated in a couple of hours, will play an important role.

Pole position shootout
1.  VETTEL        Red Bull      1m28.316s

2.  BUTTON        Brawn         1m28.421s

3.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn         1m28.579s

4.  WEBBER        Red Bull      1m28.613s

5.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m28.666s

6.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m28.815s

7.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m28.858s

8.  ALONSO        Renault       1m29.075s

9.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m29.191s

10. KUBICA        BMW           1m29.357s

2.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m27.195s

3.  BUTTON        Brawn         1m27.230s

4.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m27.349s

5.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m27.387s

6.  WEBBER        Red Bull      1m27.416s

7.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn         1m27.418s

8.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m27.418s

9.  KUBICA        BMW           1m27.455s

10. ALONSO        Renault       1m27.473s

Knocked out:

11. HEIDFELD      BMW           1m27.521s

12. NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m27.629s

13. GLOCK         Toyota        1m27.795s

14. KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m28.207s

15. SUTIL         Force India   1m28.391s


Qualifying 1

2.  BUTTON        Brawn         1m27.355s

3.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn         1m27.371s

4.  WEBBER        Red Bull      1m27.466s

5.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m27.508s

6.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m27.517s

7.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m27.529s

8.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m27.556s

9.  NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m27.691s

10. KUBICA        BMW           1m27.788s

11. HEIDFELD      BMW           1m27.795s

12. ALONSO        Renault       1m27.988s

13. GLOCK         Toyota        1m28.160s

14. KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m28.199s

15. SUTIL         Force India   1m28.278s

Knocked out:

16. HAMILTON      McLaren       1m28.318s

17. PIQUET        Renault       1m28.582s

18. BUEMI         Toro Rosso    1m28.708s

19. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m28.717s

Felipe Massa concedes Ferrari has to realistically aim for a solid points finish in Turkey, rather than another podium, after only qualifying sixth and seventh.

The reigning world champion team had been bullish about its prospects about fighting for a first win of the season at Istanbul Park after making huge strides with its F60 in Spain and Monaco.

However, while Massa topped the final practice session, the team’s bid for the front fell flat in qualifying with Kimi Raikkonen and the Brazilian only able to reach the third and fourth row respectively.

Massa admits he can’t dream of a fourth consecutive Turkey win from seventh on the grid and believes the team’s focus has to be on scoring a solid two-car points haul.

“Even the podium won’t be easy, so we need to think about good points,” he told reporters after qualifying.

“If you are starting seventh you are, for sure, not in a position to say ‘yes, we are going to fight for the victory'.

“So first of all we need to think about good points and then if it’s something more then it’s always welcome.”

Massa had seemed destined for a stronger qualifying position after finishing fifth and third respectively in Q1 and Q2, but the Brazilian says his F60 became harder to drive after his race fuel was put in for the final phase.

And rather than putting the struggle down to the fact he may have been carrying a lot more fuel compared to the front runners, Massa believes the car just simply was working better in lighter trim.

“I think it is more the balance,” he said.

“The car with low fuel in Q1, Q2 was quite good – good balance, good grip.

“But when we put the fuel in the car in Q3 we just lost the balance, the car became completely oversteering and it was a bit difficult to drive.

“So it was difficult to put a lap together – I think that’s the only explanation.”

Full time sheet and fuel loads will be posted when available

Q3 Results:
1. Vettel
2. Button
3. Barichello
4. Webber
5. Trulli
6. Raikkonen
7. Massa
8. Alonso
9. Rosberg
10. Kubica

Out in Q2 are:
11. Heidfeld
12. Nakajima
13. Glock
14. Kovalainen
15. Sutil

Out in Q1 are:
16. Hamilton
17. Piquet
18. Buemi
19. Fisichella
20. Bourdais

Istanbul Park master Felipe Massa served notice of his ambitions for qualifying by setting the final practice pace on Saturday morning.

Massa, who has won the past three Turkish Grands Prix from pole position, underscored Ferrari’s resurgence and his own expertise around the demanding 3.3-mile circuit by dominating the hour-long session.

Intriguingly, however, Massa set his best time on the harder of the two tyre compounds, while his closest rivals extracted more pace from the softer rubber.