According to the report, Senna has ruled out IndyCar because his family would not let him race in that series.

RBR announced in June that they would be leaving NASCAR at the end of the Sprint Cup Series schedule. Since then, there have been no announcements or leaks of who might take over the team. Back when it was announced, there was speculation that Jay Frye, the team’s current general manager, could purchase the team with help from investors. Mark Martin and Ray Evernham were also rumored to be potential owner candidates.

Martin, however, appears to be considering racing part time next season, sharing a Cup seat with Danica Patrick at Stewart Haas Racing.

RBR driver Brian Vickers has also been attempting to line up potential buyers, but nothing has materialized at this point.

MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman said:

We want to thank Cal for his strong contribution to getting Michael Waltrip Racing to where it is today. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. We plan to go forward now with the solid management team that is in place, and bring MWR to the next level.

This announcement follows the news that the team’s director of vehicle design, Mike Coughlan,  left the team to join Williams Formula 1 team. While it appears Wells’s departure was somewhat amicable, Coughlan’s does not seem to be so. MWR filed suit against Coughlan and the Williams F1 team. MWR claims breach of contract against Coughlan and interference of contract against Williams.

MWR is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages for breach of contract from Coughlan and additional damages from Williams for interference of contract. MWR claims that Coughlan’s departure affected MWR’s performance and resulted in lost prize money and potential sponsorship.

Webber was running third behind TRB teammate Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps of the race when he was told over the radio to hold his position. He ignored the call and continued pushing Vettel to the checkered flag.

Afterwards, Webber said that he ignored the order because he wanted to score the best finish possible. He wrote in his column for the Herald Sun:

The last stint was probably my best of the race and I was able to pass Lewis (Hamilton) pretty easily for third place. That gave the team a double podium and extended our lead in the constructors’ championship to 110 points. [Vettel] and I had a good battle late on. The team put in a few calls asking me to maintain the gap, but I kept pushing because you can never give up in F1. If Fernando [Alonso] had retired on the last lap, we would have been fighting for the lead. Obviously the team wanted the points for the world championship – and they got them – but so did I.

The team was worried that Vettel and Webber would crash, if they continued to push each other for position.

Bild called the planto replace Webber with Raikkonen “top secret” and cited a source “at the highest level.”

Raikkonen talked with TRB about a ride last year, and is said to have changed his mind about staying in rallying and NASCAR.

But, according to Autosport.com, TRB owner Dietrich Mateschitz said that there are absolutely no doubts that Webber will stay with the team next year. Mateschitz said:

Mark Webber will re-sign with us. This will happen for sure. He is very popular within the team, he feels very comfortable and it is an excellent relationship. He knows this and we know it. To be honest, Mark has no better choice than the fastest car and we have no better choice for a fast driver.

Mateschitz also said that he was fine with Webber’s actions during the British Grand Prix. He said:

This is no problem for us. Sebastian realized that Fernando Alonso was gone and could not be caught anymore, so he backed down. This let Mark close in. He would be a very bad racer had he not tried to attack and gain a position.

Before joining MWR, Coughlan served as chief engineer for the MacLaren Formula 1 team. The move to Williams will mark his return to F1, and is sure to be controversial.

In the summer of 2007, Coughlan was fired by McLaren after police found 780 pages of Ferrari documents at his home. The team was fined a record $100 million and kicked out of the 2007 constructors’ championship by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, Formula 1′s sanctioning body. Coughlan also received a two-year ban from the sport.

Williams has been struggling this season, and looks to Coughlan to boost the team. Williams has failed to score a point in the first three Formula 1 races this season. Williams is currently 105 points behind leader Red Bull Racing-Renault. Under the F1 points systems, only the top 10 cars in each race are awarded points.

Team principal Frank Williams said:

[Coughlan] left Formula 1 in 2007 because of conduct which he acknowledges was wrong and which he profoundly regrets. His two-year ban from the sport expired some time ago and Mike is now determined to prove himself again. Williams is delighted to be able to give him the opportunity to do this and we are very pleased to have one of the most talented and competitive engineers in the sport helping us to return to the front of the grid.

Coughlan said:

I am grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity. My experience in 2007 was life-changing. Now, I am looking forward to returning to a sport which I love and to joining a team I have admired for many years. I will dedicate myself to the team and to ensuring we return to competitiveness, while respecting the ethical standards with which Williams has always been synonymous.

As part of the team’s shuffle, technical director Samuel Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson both announced resignations that will take effect at the end of the year. At that time, Williams will decide whether or not to promote Coughlan to the role of technical director.

Coughlan will be responsible for developing the FW34, next year’s car. Michael will focus on this year’s car. Because there aren’t many rule changes expect from this year to next, there is a lot of continuity expected between the cars. At the end of the year, the team will evaluate its performance, and will make a decision on the technical director role.

The team hopes to hire a replacement for Tomlinson before the end of the year.

No word on how this affects Coughlan’s status with MWR. The team, however, did confirm that Coughlan is their director of vehicle design.

Raikkonen was quoted in a Finnish paper as saying:

I’m really looking forward to get there to familiarize to the world of NASCAR. I have been following it for a long time. I know, it’s a very tough and open top racing series. I just love the American spirit of racing. It feels just great to get involved with that. Obviously, it will be very challenging and great fun for me.

Raikkonen’s business manager confirmed the news.

Ray Evernham, who worked with the Gilletts when they purchased his Sprint Cup Series team to form Gillett Evernham Motorsports, reacted to the news in an article for Auto123.com. He said:

I really don’t know why Kimi would partner with people who continually fail with sports franchises. I don’t know how they could leave with so many unpaid bills and return to the sport.

Juan Montoya said he would welcome Raikkonen to the sport. He said:

Well, people talk a lot and I’ve heard the story already before, but if he’s definitely coming it would be really good for him and for the sport. He would be very welcome here.

Update: Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that it has signed Raikkonen to drive a KBM Toyota in the Truck Series this season, starting with the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20. Sponsorship details and a schedule of the races Raikkonen will drive have yet to be released.

Team owner Kyle Busch said:

We are honored that Kimi Raikkonen, a former Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion and proven winner, has chosen to start his career in NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports. Adding one of the most talented drivers in the world is a continuation of building a team of proven winners and champions at KBM. I look forward to assisting in Kimi’s transition to NASCAR as both an owner and teammate.

Raikkonen said:

Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing. He has put together an experienced team that builds fast race trucks. I look forward to being a part of a team that has proven to be a winner on and off the race track.

[Busch] would certainly leave the door open to try it out at some point. At the same time, he’s currently focused on winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series championships for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Busch is under contract with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2010. USF1 is planning to go racing in 2010.

The thought of Busch racing in F1 is not that far-fetched. Unlike some other drivers who jump from one type of racing to another, Busch’s potential move wouldn’t be motivated by money.

Instead, I think that Busch would be intrigued to see how he compares to the world’s drivers in a completely different form of racing. It could be a way for him to show just how talented he is.

That’s not to say he will leave NASCAR, but I’m sure the idea is certainly intriguing.

For those of you unfamiliar with F1, learn more about it here.

Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick and Red Bull Racing’s Scott Speed are others who have been linked to the ride. Also hearing that Marco Andretti’s name has been  mentioned, too.

Peter Windsor

Former Formula One team manager Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, a former F1 team engineer, announced that they would start their own team, USF1, based in Charlotte, NC.

While no official announcements were made of drivers, and the team did not mention any drivers they approached, Windsor threw out a few names during the press conference.

He said:

We haven’t made any decision on drivers yet. … All the drivers out there, if one had to take names now … the next generation looks really good. You’ve got Alex Rossi, who obviously won a lot of races in Formula BMW. You’ve got Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden … really three talented young guys. Gabby Chavez is also very good. And if you take a level slightly higher than that, you have Jonathan Summerton, who has won at the international level already in A1GP driving for Team USA .

While those names mean little to NASCAR fans, the next group of names were quite interesting.

Windsor continued:

Scott Speed has Formula One experience. We know Scott. He’s a very talented guy. He’s doing very well in NASCAR right now. It would be interesting to know if he is totally comfortable where he is right now. There are NASCAR drivers out there right now who I really think if they wanted to switch to Formula One, we could groom them and help them make that change. We were chatting with Dave Despain the other night about Kyle Busch for example. What a great star he would be. Formula One would welcome anything like that.

Windsor also added Danica Patrick’s name to the mix.

A report in India says that Anderson would like to offer Patrick the chance to drive. But, no where in the story is Anderson quoted as saying he would like her to.

The news of USF1′s interest in Patrick came as news to her. In an AP report, she said:

You know, it starts with a phone call, and I haven’t heard anything. It’s funny how these things get going. But I’m happy driving in the IndyCar Series, I’m happy in North America.

And, someone has gone so far as to petition fans to get Busch out of NASCAR and into F1.