Red Bull Racing are confident that Mark Webber will be on the grid for the season-opening grand prix in Melbourne next year after he sustained serious injuries in a cycling accident this weekend.

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has been seriously injured and hospitalised after colliding with a car while taking part in a bike challenge on the Tasmanian Peninsula.

The Australian was taking part in his own charity challenge, the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge when he hit a 4WD Nissan near the historic Port Arthur Township.

Ross Brawn admits Honda will have to make some tough decisions regarding next year’s driver line-up following impressive auditions from Bruno Senna and Lucas Di Grassi during testing at Barcelona this week.

Senna and Di Grassi were given an opportunity to earn their wings behind the wheel of the Honda RA108 prompting speculation that the Anglo-Japanese outfit is looking to replace Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello next year.

F1’s technical revolution kicks off in Barcelona;

Sato leads the way for Toro Rosso as new litter of drivers battle it out for 2009

Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya bore witness to a sea of change today as the Formula One teams returned to action to prepare for what is expected to be a ground-breaking 2009 season in the context of sweeping regulation changes.

Attempts to rescue the Canadian Grand Prix and reinstate the event on next year’s calendar have taken a nosedive with Montreal officials unable to afford a marked increase in the promotion fees.

The Montreal race, characteristically one of the most exciting events of the season, was axed from the 2009 calendar in early October with little in the way of explanation from the FIA.

Brazilian veteran of more than 270 races contemplates future amidst speculation Honda will replace him next year

Under pressure veteran Rubens Barrichello has said he would rather retire than opt in to a lesser motorsport series should he find himself without a race seat in 2009.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has joked that he wants Kimi Raikkonen’s slower and less motivated ’stunt double’ to step aside in 2009 for the real Raikkonen.

The Finn, who only a year ago was wallowing in championship glory having beaten Lewis Hamilton to the title in Brazil, endured a trying season this year, his apparent lack of speed and motivation mid-season triggering speculation about his future at the Italian squad.

Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at anti-racism campaigners who reacted angrily to his denial that Formula One has a race problem.

Nonsense

The Formula One Chief Executive dismissed the abuse that Lewis Hamilton received in Spain and Brazil this year, as well as on the internet, as “nonsense”, saying that the events stemmed from sporting dislike of Hamilton rather than real racism.

British racing legend welcomes ‘exciting’ Hamilton as youngest World Champion but says he should never have won the title;

McLaren defend ‘disciplined’ Brazil tactics

Lewis Hamilton may have secured the 2008 F1 Drivers’ Title on Sunday, but he narrowly missed out on winning his dream car, the McLaren F1 LM.

In March, The Sun newspaper reported that Ron Dennis had promised Lewis the factories own car, on the basis he won both World Championships.