Brawn GP can lead a 'clean fuel' revolution in Formula One, British entrepreneur Richard Branson said on Saturday after his Virgin Group agreed a sponsorship deal with the sport's newest team. The Virgin Atlantic owner, whose interests range from space travel to soft drinks, told a news conference at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that a Virgin-backed company had developed a clean fuel that could change Formula One's dirty image.
British entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Group has agreed a substantial sponsorship deal with the new Brawn GP team, both sides announced at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Williams defended their young and inexperienced Formula One drivers
The Briton, who started his career working for the Hesketh team in 1977, died in Melbourne of a pulmonary embolism, it said.
Lewis Hamilton won a dramatic Russian Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday to take a huge step towards his third world championship after Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg retired with throttle failure.
Lewis Hamilton has hailed Max Verstappen's stunning success in Formula One and called on those criticising the Dutch teenager's driving to keep a sense of perspective.
With a British flag proclaiming 'Great Button' draped over his shoulders, Jenson Button stood and repeated over and over again four of the sweetest-sounding words in the English language.
However, McLaren's David Coulthard warned Button not to be under any illusions.
The Brazilian lapped a three hundredths of a second quicker than Fernando Alonso in the dying seconds of the final qualifying session.
The Finn revived Ferrari's spirits with the fastest laps in free practice for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Security has been stepped up for Sunday's British Formula One Grand Prix, which will be watched by 100,000 people.
Lewis Hamilton has suggested he is mentally tougher than Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.
Earlier in the day, Russia was banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles but its players will still be allowed to compete at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events.
McLaren boss Ron Dennis called time on 43 years in Formula One on Thursday when he handed complete control of the company's racing affairs to team principal Martin Whitmarsh. McLaren said in a statement that Dennis would become executive chairman of McLaren Automotive, effectively walking away from the world of grands prix to lead the British-based company's new sports car business.
Retired British driver David Coulthard is on standby for a Formula One comeback if either of Red Bull's drivers are unable to race in the first two Grands Prix of the season, the team said on Wednesday. A spokeswoman said the 37-year-old Scot, in Melbourne as a pundit for BBC television, was their official reserve driver for Sunday's Australian season-opener and the following race in Malaysia.
The 30-year-old Indian shuttler had an impressive run in the $75,000 BWF Tour Super 100 tournament before caving in tamely 14-21, 10-21 to Shesar in 28 minutes.
The ace batsman, who is recovering after surgery on his shoulder, is hoping to play in India's tri-series involving Sri Lanka and South Africa.
ICC Cricket World Cup and Wimbledon went down to the wire.
Fernando Alonso won the Italian Grand Prix while teammate Lewis Hamilton finished close on his heels on second.
The 22-year-old said the attention of paparazzi photographers could drive him to seek sanctuary overseas.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton led the Hungarian Grand Prix from start to finish on Sunday to stretch his championship lead over unhappy team mate Fernando Alonso to seven points.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won the French Grand Prix on Sunday, leading Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa in a Ferrari one-two to end McLaren's winning streak.
MotoGP: KTM's Oliveira powers to victory in Barcelona thriller
The team blamed driver error for the accident with 22-year-old Hamilton braking late and spearing into the tyre wall at Sainte Devote.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen made a flying start to the Formula One season on Friday with the fastest times in free practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
Variously described as F1's first black or Anglo-Caribbean driver, his debut is probably the most eagerly-awaited of any in recent years.
Jenson Button is relishing the prospect of climbing into the Formula One world champion's number one car for the first time this week.
A gearbox glitch cost Lewis Hamilton a place in the history books as Formula One's youngest world champion, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis said.
The Spaniard, who trails team mate Lewis Hamilton by four points, said he would need some strange results and some very lucky moves to be champion for a third year in a row.
Lewis Hamilton feels McLaren want him to win the Formula One title more than team mate Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard took pole position alongside team mate Lewis Hamilton in an all-McLaren front row for the Italian Grand Prix.
A puncture slashed Lewis Hamilton's championship lead over McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso to five points.
Fernando Alonso is no longer on speaking terms with British rookie Lewis Hamilton after the Hungarian GP.
His British team mate Lewis Hamilton will start alongside on an all-McLaren front row, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa qualifying third.
The 26-year-old, who made his Grand Prix debut with Minardi this season, will have his first test with the Toyota-powered team at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain on December 7.
Honda will name their new team for 2006 in agreement with future sponsors.
Officials switched from electronic to manual timing which resulted in a time of 9.53 seconds -- 0.25 of a second inside the official world record at the London Grand Prix.
