Vettel prepares as Formula One rows rumble on

Nuerburg,GERMANY - Sebastian Vettel heads into this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring looking to further close the gap to championship leader Jenson Button but also with one eye on the ongoing row threatening the very future of Formula One.

The unsteady truce between the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) and motorsport’s ruling body, the FIA, that had lasted since agreement was reached between the two groups on June 24, was broken Wednesday when eight members of FOTA walked out of a meeting with the FIA at the German circuit.

The deal reached with the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris just two weeks ago involved Max Mosley standing down as FIA president at the end of his current term and an end to plans for a budget cap, while also requiring the manufacturers to reduce costs and sign up to F1 until 2012.

However, this accord now looks in serious doubt after FOTA issued a statement saying the FIA was refusing to treat its members as confirmed entrants for next year’s championship and was denying them any input into the 2010 rules.

“To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula One in jeopardy,” said FOTA in a statement.

Vettel’s Red Bull team is one of the eight FOTA members involved in the walkout but the German and his Austrian team are now going to have to put the controversy behind them and prepare for a race on home ground in otherwise very favourable racing conditions.

The 22-year-old comes to the Nuerburgring in confident mood after registering his second victory of the season at the British GP to cut the gap to Brawn GP’s Button to 25 points with nine races remaining.

Vettel is now also only two points adrift of Button’s teammate Rubens Barrichello.

“I’d say it’s like a football match when you are playing at home,” said Vettel. “You always give 100 per cent, but in a home race you’re even more motivated, because at home you feel especially comfortable.”

Victory Sunday would see Vettel become the third German driver to win an F1 race at the famous circuit after seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and his brother Ralf.

Vettel’s rise to the upper echelons of F1 means the Nuerburgring is expecting more fans through the turnstiles than the 311,000 in 2007, something circuit CEO Walter Kafitz is grateful for in these straitened economic times.

“It’s like a gift from God, to have a guy with his winning mentality coming here,” Kafitz told the German Press Agency DPA.

While Vettel can count on strong home support and the backing of teammate Mark Webber, championship leader Button remains confident that his Brawn team while be in a position to challenge Red Bull.

“The Nuerburgring is a tricky circuit but there are two key characteristics which should be good for our car. It is a relatively slow circuit with a lot of medium-speed corners which are one of the strengths of the BGP001,” he said.

“My last stint at Silverstone showed that the pace of the car is really competitive so we’re confident that we can turn it around at this race.”