Luca Badoer (Left) will get a two-day stint at the wheel of Ferrari's 2009 car this week. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Schumi Has A Ticket To Ride, Into Space: Michael Schumacher is the latest to have reserved a $200,000 ticket for a seat aboard Richard Branson's forthcoming commercial space-airline Virgin Galactic, set to blast off in 2011. Niki Lauda and Rubens Barrichello have also bought tickets.

Burti - Visor Safety Can Be Improved: Helmets have been improved in the last eight years, but more work could make them even safer, according to former Grand Prix driver Luciano Burti. The 34-year-old Brazilian had a huge accident at Spa-Francorchamps in 2001, surviving a head-on shunt into the barriers in his Prost. On his official website, Burti has now revealed photographs of the damage sustained to his helmet in the crash. A frontal angle depicts a gaping hole in the chin section. "After Felipe's accident at the Hungaroring, I can see the helmet's evolution since my accident in Belgium 2001," he said, referring to his countryman Massa who sustained head injuries when struck on the helmet by debris in a qualifying incident nearly two weeks ago. Burti was in Budapest at the time and was reportedly one of the first to visit Massa in hospital. "Looking at the pictures of my helmet, we can see that if it was made of carbon fiber, like they are today, the damage would have been less significant. "This shows the merit of the FIA and helmet constructors on improving drivers' safety," he added. Burti however said he believes visors, although in the case of Massa's Schuberth design are apparently bulletproof, should be better secured to helmets. "You can see on my helmet, even with the strong front impact against the tire barriers, the visor remained attached because it was fixed by four screws, different than most helmets which have two screws only to reduce weight." He said that with Massa's visor coming loose after being struck by the steel suspension spring, the Ferrari driver was lucky not to have been injured even more severely.

Valencia Thinks Alonso Ban To Be Lifted: Organizers of the European grand prix are confident the ban on local hero Fernando Alonso's team Renault will be lifted before the circus converges on the Valencia city circuit later this month.The FIA's International Court of Appeal is not due to hear the matter until next Monday, meaning whether the suspension stands or not will not be clear until mere days before the Formula One event. Organizer Valmor Sport reacted to the ban, imposed because Renault allowed Alonso to exit the pits with a loose wheel that ultimately fell off in Hungary, by claiming it will unfairly penalize the Spaniard's supporters. But the company's operations director Carlos Moreno-Figueroa sounds confident the 27-year-old double world champion will actually not miss the race. "I call on all those who are doubting whether or not to buy a ticket depending on the presence of Alonso to do so, as we are being told from every side that he will be in Valencia," he is quoted as saying by the local Costa Levante News.

Best Buy To Join YouTube In Sponsoring US Team?: Another major American brand is being linked with the new-for-2010 formula one team US F1. Chad Hurley, the co-founder of YouTube, has been mentioned as a major investor of the Charlotte-based outfit headed by journalist Peter Windsor and technical expert Ken Anderson. Now, it is believed the American electronics store Best Buy is interested in also getting involved, after its chief marketing officer Barry Judge revealed on his Twitter page that he recently met with US F1 officials. "Thoughts on how a Best Buy partnership would help our entry into Europe?" he wrote. His reference to Europe is that Best Buy recently announced plans to open stores in the UK and other European countries for the first time in 2010. Judge also said YouTube's Hurley was at the meeting and is indeed the "big investor" of the US F1 team.

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