INDIA in F1

Category: Formula 1

  • All teams should be represented in F1 Commission: Bob

    TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – James Key  (Toro Rosso), Toto WOLFF (Williams), Bob Fearnley (Force India), Jean-Francois CAUBET (Renault Sport F1), Martin WHITMARSH (McLaren) Tony FERNANDES (Caterham).

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    James, welcome back, new shirt, you’ve had your feet under the desk for a week or two now, what have found at Scuderia Toro Rosso? What are the strengths and weaknesses?

    James KEY: Thanks for the welcome Bob, I think – it’s early days obviously – but I think one of the big strengths I noticed very quickly in the team is the enthusiasm everyone has and the ambition to make it succeed. Everyone is desperate for it to work, there’s a real passion there, as you can imagine, being Italian in the team’s origin. Primarily it’s a very good atmosphere to work in, something a little bit familiar to me in a way, there’s a bit of family atmosphere because it’s a small team that’s grown very rapidly. As a result of that with the rapid growth it means that it needs a little bit more gluing together in a way. There’s still separate departments doing a very good job but it needs to come together – and everyone recognises that. It’s just a case of going through that process. So, the strength, I think, is the will and the ambition of everyone. On the weakness side, I think it’s just still a team that’s growing. There’s no lack of effort from everyone, it just needs to be given direction. There’s certainly some work to do on the aero side, which is very clear and mechanical, for that matter, from a technical point of view. There’s some pretty clear steps. Some of it takes time, some of it’s fairly obvious for next year.

    And what can you do for this year’s car? What can you do for next year’s car? Can you still put your stamp on next year’s car?

    JK: I think for this year, obviously time is short, and this is a time of year when you’ve really got to prioritise and so we’re doing what we can with this year’s car. What we can do now is obviously carried over to next year too. I think for next year, the architecture and a lot of the suspension geometry was already defined before I arrived, so it’s a case of picking up what I can, together with the guys in Faenza and at our wind tunnel in Bicester from this point forward. I’d say there’s probably 40 per cent of the car still to go, so certainly we can work on that. But I have to say a lot of very sensible decisions have already been made for next year’s car, exactly what I would have done. Which is good. So, we’re all aligned in our direction and we’ll do everything we can in between now and Melbourne.

    Toto, obviously a very competitive car this year: we’ve seen it in the top ten in qualifying quite a lot and of course it’s won a race as well. How easy is that to preserve and to keep on, and improve on for next year?

    Toto WOLFF: I think that most of the teams are going to have a carry-on car for next year. It’s not going to be a massive development because everybody is looking forward to 2014, which is a big change. So, I hope we can carry the momentum and keep the good base of the car and then carry it over for next year.

    And looking at your drivers but particularly one you have an interest in, what is Valtteri Bottas’ future?

    TW: I think Valtteri Bottas’ future is Formula One. We have not decided yet where we are going to head to because we go on to give maximum support to the two current drivers. He has been with us for a couple of years now, so he is definitely part of our thoughts – but no decision has been made until now.

    Bob, first of all, I think you’ve moved on already to next year’s but already you car looks very competitive here. Last year here we saw Paul Di Resta do a phenomenal run of 31 laps on the soft tyre. Is this looking like a good result for you here? What are your thoughts? It’s very early days I guess.

    Bob FEARNLEY: It is early days. You don’t know what fuel levels everybody else has been running on today. But it is reasonably encouraging for the first two sessions.

    Looking at Jules Bianchi, his performance in the Magny Cours test. What’s his future with the team?

    BF: We’re looking for stability for 2013 with all drivers, that’s our first goal. But I think from the young driver test, it just goes to show how beneficial running the FP1 programme was, because Jules was very quick all three days, particularly in the Force India car. So I think it’s a testament to the team’s effort to having a reserve driver who is really up and running and competitive all the time.

    Jean-Francois, I’m sure you’re expecting a question about alternators. What is it about Sebastian Vettel that it seems to happen to him and nobody else?

    Jean-Francois CAUBET: First of all we started to have a problem in Valencia with two drivers Sebastian Vettel and Romain (Grosjean). It was not easy to detect or find because both alternators were completely melted and destroyed. So we were thinking it was an electric problem and probably the levels of power in the car, so we decided to change a bit the levels of power in each car. Spa was OK but again in Monza we have a problem with Sebastian two times and another driver also. We had a bit of fortune because we stopped the Lotus car just maybe some problem with the alternator and at the end it was not an electrical problem, it was a mechanical problem, a bearing probably. So, we are trying to change something. It is not easy because we detect that a few days but I think we are quite optimistic. The problem we have is that we are running the new solution in the dyno but only the race will give us an answer.

    Do you think the heat is going to be a factor here?

    J-FC: I don’t know. P1 was OK, P2 was OK. We cross our fingers for P3, qualifying and the race.

    Recently, you lost Monsieur Arbiteboul to Tony over here. How important a loss is that and what can he expect from his new CEO?

    J-FC: I think it is good news for Tony. I was working with Cyril for eight years. He was working with Flavio in the team. We sold the team. We built a new strategy on the engine side. I think after eight years at Renault I think this is a fantastic opportunity for him to do something probably more concrete, more challenging but why not he will be back one day in Renault no?

    Q: Martin, there’s been a lot of speculation about the team, how much of a distraction has it been?

    Martin WHITMARSH: No, I don’t think it has been. I think over the last three races we’ve got stronger and more focused. I assume that the distraction you refer to is Lewis but I think anyone who knows Lewis and witnessed Lewis last weekend (in Italy) and actually also this weekend would say he’s very very focused on doing the job. I think he realises that this year we have a strong opportunity to win a World Championship and I think we all realise that the right thing to do is focus and improve the car, don’t make mistakes and maximise the points you can get from each race. I think that’s what we’re very much focused on. I know that there are stories and speculation that swirl around and I guess that’s Formula One and I think we’re content to get on with the job quietly.

    Q: Excellent performances in the last three races; you must be favourites to win a World Championship even though there is that huge gap, and there are seven races to go.

    MW: I think you’ve got to be cautious. I think we were firm favourites going into the season, we were firm favourites coming out of Australia and it can change. I think we’re very pleased that the last three events have been on very different circuits and we’ve been competitive at all of them. I think we’re cautious here. Hopefully we can be competitive. What we haven’t done is just pile in the points that we should have done, given the competitiveness of our car. I think after 12 or 13 races, I think we’ve been on the front row eleven times. We’ve clearly got a strong package and therefore we should be disappointed in the number of points that we don’t have rather than the points that we do have. But you don’t look back, you look forward. I think we’ve got quite a good development momentum so we’re making the car quicker. I think we’ve got two great racing drivers who are very much focused on trying to win races and other things, so we’re hopeful that we can get a result here and keep the pressure on. You’ve got to say that Fernando’s done a great job to be where he is and that’s going to take some effort to overhaul but it’s certainly do-able and we’re going to keep pushing as hard as we can.

    Q: Tony, you’ve got a new CEO in Cyril Abiteboul, what was the thinking behind hiring a CEO when you seem to have a lot of chiefs already?

    Tony FERNANDES: Well, I think we’re evolving into a little bit of an auto group with the cars division and technology division that we’ve put together which Riad (Asmet) is looking at, and I am not as involved so the team needs leadershi. Cyril has been someone that I’ve courted for a while and we’ve finally persuaded him – with Renault’s blessing – to come over to Caterham. It provides us with a (inaudible) for the F1 team going forward.

    Q: So will he be the team principal?

    TF: Not at the moment, no. I will still remain in that job for a while. Eventually, maybe.

    Q: And your thoughts on your drivers for next year; is Heikki staying? What’s the situation with Vitaly?

    TF: Well, it’s… I don’t know. We will have to have a discussion at some point and we also have options on that front. I would like Heikki to stay, very much. He’s been great for us over the last three and a half years. We’ll have to sit down and decide where we go from here.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Paul Weaver – The Guardian) Martin, you described as fantasy reports that Lewis might be joining Mercedes. Do you still describe that as fantasy or did you seriously under-estimate the situation?

    MW: I don’t remember that but…

    Q: (Paul Weaver – The Guardian) I do.

    MW: …good! I think if you told me that he had signed the deal as you said that was fantasy so in answer to the same question I would give the same response to that.

    Q: (Simon Cass – Daily Mail) Martin, do you accept that Lewis has had an offer from Mercedes?

    MW: I suspect that Tony here has made him an offer as well, he’s a very good racing driver.

    TF: I haven’t!

    MW: He’s not ambitious enough, you see.

    Q: (Benjamin Hunt – The Sun) Martin, you risk losing a driver, potentially; have you started even thinking  about a replacement yet?

    MW: No, as I said earlier, I think we’re very focused on trying to do a good job here.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) To Bob and to Tony: there’s a possibility that the regulations from next year onwards will be decided by the six top teams as opposed to the Formula One Commission. How do you people, as team principals of teams that don’t fall within those six, feel about that possibility?

    BF: I think that we would like the stability to stay where it is, with all teams being represented at the F1 Commission, Dieter, so I don’t think there’s any doubt about where we would like to be. Tony will have to speak for himself, but I think it’s a much better balance when the teams are fully represented.

    TF: I share the same v

    Fie photo of Bob Fernley, A Sahara Force India photo.

    iew obviously. The one thing is though… the key is that all of us have to find a way of standardising regulations and having less changes and less irregularities but I think there is a danger that the six teams are hyper-competitive and sometimes things go on and on and on, so I do think that there could be an imbalance here but the key to me is not whether there are six teams or twelve teams or two teams, the key is to have simple regulations that won’t have a tremendous amount of debate and we just will go racing.

    Q: (Byron Young – Daily Mirror) Martin, why has it taken so long to solve Lewis’s situation? Even by Formula One standards it seems to have taken an age.

    MW: I think it seems a long time because of the speculation that people have made, but when you sit down and seriously put your mind to entering into a new contract it doesn’t take too long. I think it’s a question of priorities and other things we’ve been doing.

    Q: (Simon Cass – Daily Mail) Martin, are you actually trying to pay him less money for his new contract?

    MW: I’m sure he will want more money and I’m sure we will want to pay less – that’s how business normally works.

    Q: (Matt Coch – pitpass.com) Tony, you’ve moved into the new Leafield facility, an immense complex. It’s much bigger than what Caterham as a Formula One team is. What’s the long term plan with the spare capacity there?

    TF: I think over the next few months details will evolve as to what we’re planning. It’s not a hidden secret that I got into Formula One to manufacture cars and Lotus was my initial objective which went spectacularly wrong in many ways, shape or forms but the ambition and the vision is still the same and Leafield will play a part in that vision. The brand may have changed but the vision and the idea of what we’re trying to put together still exists. I think we are putting all the infrastructure in place to have a reasonable Formula One team. We have a reasonable car now, we just have to optimise it as much as possible. I think we’ve got some good people together, we’re in a facility in a location which attracts other people into it, plus with our other two divisions it will all come together. I think in the next few months you will see some clarity as to what we’re trying to achieve.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) Jean-Francois, certain people continue talking about retaining the current V8s for an additional year or two after 2014. In addition to that, you’d said that you people wanted to possibly supply six teams with your 2014 technology. Where do you stand on these two points please?

    J-FC: I think the V6 will be on the track for all the teams in two years. I think Mercedes, Ferrari and us are all changing our dynos from V8s to V6s so now it’s impossible to make a change. For the teams, the strategy is to keep four teams and I don’t know if it’s possible to do more. I think that if you want to have good reliability, good performance you need to keep four teams, but if there will be a need for more, we don’t want to close the door.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Martin, I can understand why you would want to laugh through some of the questions facing Lewis and put on a bit of a brave face but is part of you seriously appreciating the fact that there could be life without Lewis from 2013 onwards?

    MW: As I said earlier, it’s not a question of putting on a brave face, it’s a question of focusing on doing our job, and we’re concentrating on this year’s championship. I think speculation on next year is something that we don’t need to entertain or respond to so we’re focusing on the here and now.

    Q: (Bryon Young – Daily Mirror) So does that mean there won’t be an announcement until after the end of the season, because you’ve got to focus on all the races haven’t you?

    MW: We might wait until then, you never know.

    Ends

     

  • Australian GP: FIA Thursday press conference

    DRIVERS – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing), Daniel RICCIARDO (Toro Rosso), Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari), Kimi RAIKKONEN (Lotus), Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Gentlemen, welcome. Let’s start with you Mark. There have been a couple of retirements from the sport, so you’re the oldest man on the grid this year – don’t worry, you don’t look it just yet.
    Home race to start the season. Pretty much everyone here apart from Kimi has a home race. Is it good to get one out of the way first of all, all the pressure and extra attention that goes with it?

    Mark WEBBER: I think it’s just great to come to Australia at any stage let alone for a race, so we’re all looking forward to finally getting racing. There’s a lot of testing that goes on in Spain and we can all get down to what we all enjoy doing and that’s racing the cars. So, yeah, all the teams, drivers come here with a little bit more anxiety let’s say just because it’s the first grand prix of the year, whether it’s pit stops or whatever department you’re in, it’s a fresh challenge for the new year. For sure around round six, round seven everyone is more comfortable with their jobs but it’s the same for everyone. It’s a great event and looking forward to getting into the car.

    Daniel, I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting into the car as well for what is your home grand prix. It’s your second full season at Toro Rosso – extra pressure that goes with that? You against Jean-Eric Vergne. Is it a shootout between the pair of you? How do you see your season coming?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Just hanging out for it to start, actually. Obviously I’ll try and take the experience I learned from last year and bring it into this season; a bit of extra confidence and whatnot and then just try to get some better results and start to creep up the order a bit. That’s really the plan. You always want to try to beat the team-mate. That’s always there, but I’m definitely focused on myself and just do than usual, not doing any dramatic changes.

    I’m not sure there’s anything that’s pretty much usual for you Lewis. New team. Melbourne might be familiar but Mercedes still not quite the familiar team that McLaren would be. How much different is your life at the moment with your new outfit?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s not that much different. It’s put me in a better place. Just settling into the team pretty well. It’s still a Formula One team and they still exist to win. The guys are doing a fantastic job and I’m really excited about the season and excited to get back in the car.

    More excited after Barcelona? It went well that final weekend for you and for Nico.

    LH: Not particularly any more excited I think. You can’t really take too much from the tests.

    With that in mind Kimi, let’s reflect on yours and Lotus’ chances for this season. A slight touch of unreliability in the tests but a lot of people are saying you, the team are genuine contenders for the title this year. Is that accurate?

    Kimi RAIKKONEN: It’s difficult to say but we will see after maybe two or three races where we are. We had a few small issues and unfortunately the issues just took a long time to fix. That happens. I think we should be OK. There are always things that can go wrong but I think we are more or less, speedwise, similar to where we were last year when we started and like I said it’s difficult to say exactly where we will be. We’ll see a bit tomorrow.

    Do you believe, going into you second full season since your comeback, that you’re a better driver this year – that the rustiness you had maybe at the start of last year is gone?

    KR: I don’t think it’s going to really change. I know the team so it should be a bit easier to start the year but there is no promise that this will give you better results. It’s another year and we’ll try to do as well as we can.

    For you Fernando, another year but a much better car than this time last year – 200 times better I think you said, the Ferrari in 2013. Is this your best chance to become a world champion at Ferrari?

    Fernando ALONSO: We’ll see. I think it was not difficult to start better than last year because it was difficult to start any worse. We were a little bit too far behind and the winter has been much better than the last year, understanding the car and working with the car and getting the results we more or less expect. That will give us much more confidence and optimism to start the season, but who knows. I think it will be a very interesting championship, very challenging first part of the championship with Australia, Malaysia. Difficult circuits, difficult weather as well – changeable. So we need to start on the right foot and hopefully scoring some good points for the championship.

    And Sebastian, three consecutive titles. How much difficult is a fourth title in a row now that you’ve got those three in the bag or does it make no difference whatsoever?

    Sebastian VETTEL: I don’t think it makes a difference. I think every year we start again from zero. I think everyone has the same chance. As we said, testing obviously this year was probably not as conclusive as previous years, so we arrive here not knowing what is going to happen. But I think it is very exciting so as every year, excited to start.

    Not knowing what’s going to happen, does that make it even better for you – that the challenge could be tougher ahead?

    SV: I think it’s going to be a long year. Obviously we’re looking forward to this weekend and this is the first of many. But I think we’ve seen in the last couple of years, last year in particular, that it’s a long season and every race is very important. So this is the place we start but then there are many other places coming.

    Nineteen races ahead and lots of questions to answer. Bob, I’m sure we’ve got a few hands raised among our media delegates here with some questions for the drivers.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all drivers: during the winter tests tyre temperatures didn’t go over 60 maximum Celsius and the temperatures here approach the temperatures indicated by Pirelli. Are you afraid that the handling of the car can be completely different to what you got in the winter tests?

    SV: I think in winter testing we all suffered the same problem: the tyres didn’t last. It was extremely difficult for us to do a lot of laps on the same set of tyres, to test certain things. We hope it gets better here. Otherwise it could be quite funny.

    FA: Nothing to add. Let’s hope it’s different than the tests, with the temperature.

    The guys at the front, Daniel, probably have a touch more downforce on their car than the Toro Rosso. Do you feel the effect of the tyres that much extra in the midfield?

    DR: I don’t know. We’re probably not afraid of what the weekend is going to be. We’re probably more excited. It was a little bit frustrating at times, so I think we’re excited about what it’s going to bring here, so I’m sure it’s going to better. Looking forward to it more than anything else. There are still some answers that need to be found. We’re all in the same boat, so I think that’s going to make it exciting.

    (Gabriel Polychronis– F1plus.com) This one is for you Mark. Do you feel that the recent criticism from Helmut Marko on your performances acts as a motivator for you to prove yourself throughout the season.

    MW: I’ve answered this question a few times in the last six weeks and as I said, he has his agenda and I’m not part of it, so that’s fine. Everyone can have their opinions. I’m always pretty good for motivations.

    It doesn’t make your motivation any less though?

    MW: Of course not.

    (Ian Parkes – PA) Sebastian, after winning three titles in a row now, coming into this season, how do you approach it? Is your motivation any different to the past three seasons when you’ve gone on to win the title? And if it isn’t, how do you build yourself up, keep yourself going, keep yourself focussed.

    SV: Well if there is a secret I think it’s not to think about what happened the last three years. I think the first title was very, very special. After that I don’t think you have that pressure any more. You’ve proved to yourself more than to anyone else that you can do so. After that obviously we had two fantastic years again. Very different to each other. But as I said, you probably don’t think about what happened last year or the last three years. We are here, we have zero points on our side at the moment, the same as everyone else. So everyone has the same opportunities. The cars didn’t really change. Last year we saw it was very close so I don’t expect it to be any different that last year. If anything maybe a little bit tighter. So it will be crucial to make the most out of every single race – but in terms of motivation… it was a long flight but I’m happy to be here now and very pleased to start again.

    (Trent Price – Richland F1) Question for Lewis. Obviously we can’t take a lot from testing but obviously Mercedes did quite well towards the end of the times. Are you pushing quite hard to get time out of the car or are you feeling comfortable with it? Are you feeling quite snug?

    LH: I feel comfortable in the car. I feel we’ve definitely made some really good steps forward. We’ve still got a lot of work to do. Obviously, normally when you go to a new team it takes a while to get settled in but I’m still working as hard as I can to make sure that feels as comfortable as possible. I think it just takes time and as time goes on I think I’ll get even more and more comfortable in the team.

    What’s been the one thing that you’ve appreciated more than anything since you’ve moved to Mercedes? What have the team done or allowed you to do that’s made you feel more comfortable?

    LH: Just a little bit more time at home. Training and to spend with family and friends. It’s been good.

    (Manuel Franco –  Diario AS) Question for Fernando. Ferrari can win this race?

    FA: I think difficult to know. No-one knows who can win this race at this moment. We have to wait and see for answers to some questions that winter testing doesn’t answer. I think there are top teams with a little bit of advantage. Maybe it’s not the same as last year where we saw seven different winners in the seven first races. It was a little bit mixed on the grid. I think this year with the consistency in the rules I expect the five top teams to have a little advantage and not to have many, many surprises in the first races. But from these five top teams I think it’s very difficult to see really after winter testing who has this extra two- or three-tenths that can make you win. At the moment I think it’s very close and very difficult to choose one favourite.

    So, would you say ten drivers go into this race with a realistic chance of winning on Sunday?

    FA: I think so. I think Mercedes, McLaren, Lotus, Ferrari and Red Bull show up some potential in different days in testing and different parts of races last year. I think difficult to choose.

    (Carlos Miguel Gomez – La Gaceta) Question for Fernando. After Barcelona, we see in Barcelona you have the best time in the last sector. With these conditions could this track be very good for the Ferrari?

    FA: I don’t know. I think winter test, as we’ve said many times, very difficult and dangerous to make any conclusions. I think in terms of sector times and things like that, a lot of different tyres for every team, a lot of different fuel loads etcetera and different moments of the race. We are happy with the job we have done in the winter. We more or less did the programme that we planned – even though we had some weather changeable on some days – and we arrived here with our hundred per cent of the potential at the moment in the car. We don’t really miss anything, that was a problem before. So, hopefully it’s enough to be competitive and this circuit in particular I like a lot. I have been always very comfortable here and with good performance, the same in Malaysia, these first two races can be a good opportunity for us to score some good points. But I don’t know how quick we can be.

    (Richard Fowler – motorsportretro.com) Mark, it’s the 60th anniversary of the race here at Albert Park. What would it mean for you to win at home and join the likes of Jack Brabham and Alan Jones as a winner of the Australian Grand Prix?

    MW: Any grand prix victory is special. I’m lucky to have had that feeling a few times now, which is great: Monaco, the British Grand Prix, those are very prestigious races. This is for sure up there in the top three of events a driver wants to win: your home grand prix is for sure very special. It would be a sensation feeling to be able to do it. But as you say, all that, anniversaries and the nice, fuzzy stuff, is not really going to make it easier for me. I realise I’ve got to put together a clean weekend and pull it all together and make all of the right decisions. We’re capable of it but we’re also mindful that it’s a very tricky weekend to execute – especially with it being the first event and things like that. But looking forward to it.

    (Kate Walker – Girl Racer) Question to any of you who want to answer it. We’ve heard a lot about the new tyre compounds that Pirelli have provided but the new tyres also have different weights, which has affected the front-rear balance of the car. To what extent has that affected your handling on track, downforce, things like that please?

    KR: I think everybody has similar issues with the tyres. All winter, conditions, they wore out very quickly but I thought they had better grip on one lap than last year but then they go off more quickly. But it’s difficult to say with the conditions we’ve been running over the winter testing, so it might be a completely different story here. Balance-wise they are quite similar to last year.

    Lewis?

    LH: I don’t really have much more to say about it. The tyres are a little bit different, it’s not a big drama, everyone’s in the same boat so it’ll be interesting to see how long the supersoft tyre lasts, if there’s a little more graining than there was last year. But again, everyone’s got the same tyre. I haven’t seen any discrepancies between each tyre.

    On the subject of supersofts, do you enjoy the challenge Seb, of having to go with a tyre that has never been used here before?

    SV: We didn’t use it in winter testing either; we haven’t used that tyre. I think generally, as Kimi said, it will be interesting to see whether the temperatures make a difference or not at all. We are keen to find out and then we’ll know a little bit more.

    (Ian Parkes – PA) Fernando, you’ve agonisingly missed out on the title twice in the last three years. Do you carry the pain of those near-misses into this season? Does it serve as motivation for you to drive you on this season?

    FA: Well, I think I feel privileged to fight for the world championship two times in the last three years. Not many people have the opportunity to be on the podium and to enjoy the podium ceremony in Formula One and even less people have the opportunity to win races and very few people have the opportunity to fight for a world championship. So I feel lucky and privileged to have those opportunities. Sure, we lost two times in the last three years, in the last race and we want to have again the possibility once again to fight for the world championship, hopefully this year and hopefully this year change the final result. But this is just a normal thing for the sport and this is maybe some extra motivation for me and from the team, to really have one happy result at the end.

    Q: (Michael Wittershagen– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) Question to Sebastian and Fernando: could you please tell us what you think of each other as a person and as a driver? 

    FA: Well, I think as a driver, really not much to say: three times World Champion beating all the records in terms of wins and fastest laps and pole positions etc. 2011 was nearly a record championship and this is not only about the car or about the package. You need to perform, even when you have the car that is available. Seb has won everything perfectly in the past years and for that he is World Champion and he’s a tough rival and contender for the next couple of years. As a person, we obviously don’t spend much time together. We are of a different generation. We didn’t race together in go-karts or anything like that. He’s a normal – or looks like a normal guy – and nothing more so all good.

    SV: Thank you very much. I think, as a driver, I don’t have to introduce Fernando. I think he’s one of the most respected and most accepted drivers in the world. I think in all circumstances he has the ability to be on the limit. I think he’s a very intelligent driver and I think that’s the reason why he was always fighting for the championship until the end, in many years of his career. Fortunately we had the upper hand in the last couple of years but surely he’s trying his best to give everyone a  hard time again this year, and as a person, as he said, we don’t spend that much time together, hardly with any of the drivers. It’s probably what people think or expect from the outside but there’s obviously not a lot of time during the weekend but in private – I don’t drink coffee so I’m  not inviting you for a coffee but I can invite you for a Red Bull if you want to talk.

    Q: At least you’re on one each other’s Christmas card list now for the future.

    Q: (Alex Popov – Russian TV) There is strong opinion about the new qualifying, in Q2 especially, because there are fewer cars and the tyres are very soft, so maybe it’s better to preserve the tyres than get into Q3? Do you agree?

    MW: In Barcelona we were still qualifying all together. Just start the race. The tyres at the back of the grid… don’t worry about Q3, we don’t worry about Q1 or Q2 either. You need the tyres to finish the race.

    Q: Can any of you see an advantage there in missing out on Q3, potentially in the first few races?

    SV: I don’t think so. I think you always want to start from the front. There’s the odd example here or there where people maybe had a bit of a benefit putting on that extra set at the end of the race but on average I think if you can chose, you go for the front (of the grid).

    Q: Same for you Daniel?

    DR: Yeah, I’d like to! I’d like to. Obviously if I was in the position to do that as well I would definitely go for starting at the front. Starting in the mid-pack and taking that risk to save tyres is obviously putting yourself in a bit more of a tight situation potentially on the first lap with more cars around. The thing is, if you’re able to fight for the front row you go for it, that’s the logical one for me.

    Q: (Gary Meenaghan – The National) Is there such a thing as an ideal size of field; we’ve lost a team, obviously, over the break? Are we now the ideal size, should it be higher, less?

    MW:I think that’s a nice number; twenty is probably getting a bit low so between 26 and 20 is a nice little number. More than 26 is probably too much on some tracks – Monte Carlo, whatever – in qualifying. I think that’s a good number, certainly in a nice window but that level of numbers – I think what’s important is the level of the teams, that’s the thing we’ve got to keep an eye on, keep the level of the teams at a high level in Formula One, not to have cars on the grid that are properly not at the level, so we just need to keep an eye on that in the future.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Start with me, finish with me: Sebastian and Mark, the new test for the front wing and forbidden to use DRS on many parts of the circuit; how do these changes affect your team particularly?

    MW: Look, we’ve had a lot of different front wing regulations in the last few years. It’s normal in Formula One that we have to adjust technically around new rule changes, sometimes within the season itself, not just at the start of the season: January, February. We obviously make the car fit within those regulations and we will have to adjust the car around the findings of how that front wing will form in those new regulations, so that’s fine. In terms of the DRS, it’s not a big thing for us. I think that we have been OK in qualifying in the past, also quite strong in races so the effect of the DRS, the delta of the DRS, all those type of things which is not something that we’re having a huge eye on, we’re not disappointed that the DRS is less in qualifying. For example, Sebastian and I are very happy; we pushed quite hard to have DRS dropped down in terms of volume on Saturday afternoon so we’re quite relaxed with that one.

    SV: I think most of the changes to the front wing came in trying to stop us so something that we maybe did better or that the others couldn’t do and then there’s just one more thing, so it’s not a new situation.

    An Aussie GP file picture from Pirelli.

    Ends

  • Pirelli review of final F1 pre-season Barcelona testing

    Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing team on the 3rd day of the 3rd Barcelone test on Pirelli orange. A Pirelli photo.

    Barcelona, 3 March 2013: With just two weeks to go before the 2013 Formula One season gets underway in Melbourne, the final four-day test took place in Barcelona, with two days of wet weather followed by two days of dry running. This enabled the teams to sample the entire range of 2013 Pirelli tyres, including the Cinturato Green Intermediate and Cinturato Blue full wet. With Barcelona being an extremely familiar venue, particularly off the back of last week’s test at the Circuit de Catalunya, the teams were able to carry out some useful comparison work between all the compounds and assess the final upgrades to their new cars.

    Testing Quote:

    Paul Hembery (Pirelli motorsport director): “It was a useful four days of running in Barcelona, although the weather conditions were still too cool to be typically representative of what we will face over the rest of the year. Consequently degradation was still high as the tyres were not able to operate within their intended working range for most of the test. This, however, is a familiar situation for both us and the teams, as it was exactly the case in pre-season testing last year too, so this is not of any great concern. The wet weather over the first two days gave the teams a valuable opportunity to assess the intermediate and wet tyres, which have been evolved to offer better traction this year, and to evaluate crossover points. Generally speaking, everyone was happy with the wet weather tyres, which shows that our work in this area has paid off. As this was the final test session, it was useful for the teams to have the opportunity to run through every tyre in the range as they complete their preparations. Now we’re looking forward to getting to Australia, where our tyres will be able to function properly within their working range, and we hope to see an exciting race with between two and three pit stops per car.”

    Testing Facts:

    • The teams are allocated 100 sets of tyres per year for testing purposes, with 35 sets available for the final test in Barcelona. The supersoft and medium tyres have been nominated for the opening grand prix of the season in Australia, so many teams focussed on these two compounds as part of their race preparation. Most of the work concentrated on the medium compound though, as Barcelona is not suited for the supersoft.
    • Temperatures were once again cool for the final test, with ambient temperatures peaking at 18 degrees centigrade on the last two days of the test. Ambient temperatures did not exceed 10 degrees centigrade during the rain-soaked first two days of testing.
    • The fastest time of the test, set by Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg on day four (1’20’’130) with a new set of soft tyres, was significantly faster than the benchmark in Barcelona last week, and about a second and a half faster than the best testing times in Barcelona last year.
    • Many of the teams with new parts concentrated on aerodynamic testing of the new components, while some teams also carried out race simulations – especially those running new drivers this year – as well as qualifying simulations with the supersoft tyre.

    More Testing Facts:

    • Once again, the time difference between the slick compounds was in the region of half a second per lap, confirming the results seen at the previous Barcelona test, although the performance gap in Australia should be slightly bigger. The teams also assessed wet weather crossover points on a drying track and carried out pit stop practice.
    • While the weather was not always favourable, this was a test that challenged the versatility of the car-tyre package to the utmost. Not only did the cars run in an extremely wide variety of conditions, but Barcelona also assesses every aspect of a car technically, thanks to its demanding circuit layout that contains every type of corner. The tyres on the left side of the car are the most stressed, due to the quantity of high-energy right-hand turns such as turn three.
    • The total amount of kilometres carried out in pre-season testing: 36,970kms.
    • Most laps of Barcelona: Rosberg (Mercedes): 251 laps; Alonso (Ferrari): 222 laps; Hamilton (Mercedes): 230 laps

    Testing numbers:

    • Total number of sets brought to Barcelona: 451 sets which equals 1804 tyres
      – of which supersoft tyres: 35 sets
      – of which soft tyres: 119 sets
      – of which medium tyres: 123 sets
      – of which hard tyres: 112 sets
      – of which intermediate tyres: 38 sets
      – of which wet tyres: 24 sets
    • Total amount of sets used: 363
      – of which supersoft tyres: 22 sets
      – of which soft tyres: 104 sets
      – of which medium tyres: 119 sets
      – of which hard tyres: 63 sets
      – of which intermediate tyres: 34 sets
      – of which wet tyres: 21 sets
    • Longest run: 19 laps on the hard compound
      30 laps of the medium compound
      19  laps on the soft compound
      14  laps on the supersoft compound
      47  laps on the intermediate compound
      48  laps on the wet compound
    • Lowest / highest ambient temperature over four days: 6 °C (Day 4) / 18 °C (Day 3+4)
    • Lowest / highest track temperature over four days: 8 °C (Day 1+2+3) / 26 °C (Day 4)

    Testing Times:

    Day 1

    1. Webber 1’22’’693 Soft New
    2. Hamilton 1’24’’348 Medium New
    3. Vergne 1’25’’017 Medium New

    Day 2

    1. Grosjean 1’22’’716 Soft New
    2. Button 1’23’’181 Medium New
    3. Maldonado 1’23’’628 Soft New

    Day 3

    1. Hamilton 1’20’’558 Soft New
    2. Massa 1’21’’266 Supersoft New
    3. Sutil 1’21’’627 Soft New

    Day 4

    1. Rosberg 1’20”130 Soft New
    2. Alonso 1’20”494 Soft New
    3. Button 1’21”444 Soft New

  • Nico Rosberg sets fastest time on last day of testing

    Barcelona, 3 March 2013: Nico Rosberg completed the final day of pre-season testing for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. With twelve days of track action completed over three tests, the team will return to base to make the final preparations for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in two weeks time.

    Meanwhile, Sahara Force India wrapped up its winter testing programme in Barcelona today with Paul Di Resta completing 112 laps in the VJM06.
    Day Four Numbers:
    Chassis: VJM06-03
    Laps: 112 laps
    Mileage: 521 km  
    Fastest lap: 1:21.664
    Classification: P6 of 13
    Paul Di Resta: “My last day in the car before Melbourne and we made the most of it. The race distance this afternoon was straightforward and there were no red flags while we were running. The weather was much warmer today and that gives us useful tyre information, which we can compare with the data we have from Adrian’s work yesterday in similar conditions.”
    Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer
    “Winter testing comes to an end with another full day and a race simulation for Paul. Combined with the race distance for Adrian yesterday, we’ve achieved our mileage target and have a much better understanding of the performance windows of the tyres. Two weeks today we will be racing in Melbourne and we are feeling positive and pretty well prepared. Our reliability has been good and we’ve made steady progress through the job list. As always at this time of year, it’s a case of all hands on deck, both at the track and back at base, but everybody has played their part to ensure a smooth winter programme over the last few weeks.”  
    AMG Mercedes Press Re

    Paul Di Resta on the last day of Barcelona testing on 3 Mar 2013. A Sahara Force India Photo.

    lease said:

    • Nico’s programme today focused on set-up evaluations over short runs in the morning and longer runs this afternoon
    • His fastest time of the day was set during the morning session on the soft compound Pirelli tyres
    • Nico completed 131 laps, just under two race distances, which was the highest mileage recorded today

    The F1 W04 has completed 5224 km over the three tests, with Nico and Lewis totalling 2640 km & 2584 km respectively.

    Nico Rosberg 
    I’m pleased with our pre-season testing programme. We have achieved a lot of mileage and I can feel that the balance of the car is good. I have the general feeling that we are in a better position than in the second half of last year but this is testing not racing, of course. The conditions in the first race will be completely different to here as it will be much hotter in Melbourne and Sepang so we need to wait and see. Thanks to the team here at the track and back home at the factory for all their hard work over the last month. I hope it pays off and we can look forward to a positive season ahead together.

    Ross Brawn 
    With the conclusion of our testing programme, I am pleased with the progress that the team has made over the last month and the steps forward that have been made with the car. We have achieved our objectives for the test programme and the mileage that we have been able to complete has been very satisfying. Lewis has settled into the team extremely well and everyone has enjoyed working with both him and Nico throughout the three tests. We now have one final week back at the factory to complete our preparations; both drivers will be at the factory this week and, as always, there is a lot of work to do in a short space of time. We’re realistic about our performance here and our position once we get to Melbourne, and we look forward to the challenge of a new season ahead.

    Pos. Driver Car Time Laps
    1 Nico Rosberg MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS 1:20.130 131
    2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:20.494 120
    3 Jenson Button McLaren 1:21.444 122
    4 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:21.541 118
    5 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:21.658 50
    6 Paul Di Resta Sahara Force India 1:21.664 112
    7 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:22.415 42
    8 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:22.514 100
    9 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:22.524 31
    10 Charles Pic Caterham 1:23.115 116
    11 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:23.167 62
    12 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:23.628 91
    13 Max Chilton Marussia 1:24.103 49

     

  • Finally, Adrian Sutil gets Sahara Force India drive

    Barcelona, 28 Feb 2013: In an official statement today, Sahara Force India said it was pleased to announce that Adrian Sutil would complete its driver line-up for the 2013 season.
    The 30-year-old German will race alongside Paul Di Resta, recreating the successful partnership that raced together during the 2011 season.
    The 2013 campaign will be Adrian’s fifth racing season in the colours of Sahara Force India and his sixth year of Formula One competition.
    Adrian will test for the team this week in Barcelona, driving on Friday and Saturday. Paul Di Resta will be back in the car on Sunday.
    Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “The decision over our driver line-up has not been an easy one and we have given it great consideration over the last few months. It was a close call, but ultimately we felt that Adrian’s experience and historic links to the team gave him the edge, and will provide us with the best possible chance of realising our ambitions for the coming season. If he can rediscover the exceptional form he showed in the second half of 2011, I’m confident that we can pick up where we left off at the end of 2012. As for Jules Bianchi, he has impressed us enormously with his speed and work ethic, and I’m hopeful we can continue working with him this year to help him develop into a future Grand Prix driver.”
    Adrian Sutil: “I’m delighted to be back in Formula One, especially with a team I know so well. I’m very happy and I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me a second chance. Having been away from the sport, I’m even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula One. Things went really well at the Barcelona test last week and it almost feels as though I’ve never been away. Driving the car felt so natural and I was able to get back in the groove quickly and find the limit. Now my focus is on making the most of the final test session this week, working with the team in the simulator and getting myself in the best possible shape for Melbourne.”
    A Sahara Force India photo of Adrian Sutil in the car.

    ends

  • Di Resta does 82 laps for Tyre work and Aero programme

    Circuit de Catalunya, 19 Feb 2013: Sahara Force India began its Barcelona test session on Tuesday  as Paul Di Resta spent the day in the VJM06 and clocked up 82 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya getting a mileage of 382 kilometres and notched up his fastest lap at 1:24.144. He was classified 8th of the 12 drivers that took to testing on the first day at Barcelona as F1 world moved from Jerez testing to Barcelona.
    However, there is no word on the second driver.  Reliable sources rubbished the news of Narain Karthikeyan having any chance of getting into Sahara Force India team.  Sources also said that Karthikeyan has complained to the Editors of the newspaper in Chennai (India) that the report about him, suggesting a move to Sahara Force India, was in bad taste as he was not contacted at all. International Media reports  put Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi in contention for the lone seat available for the 2013 season.
    Paul Di Resta: “The first day of running was mainly about tyre work and making some comparisons with Jerez. I was running on the hard and the mediums and we got a good feel for them once again. We also did an aero programme this morning, which is part of the correlation work as we evaluate some of the new parts going on the car. The plan is for more of the same tomorrow.”
    Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer
    “It has been a solid first day of work in Barcelona with Paul. We’ve put into effect what we learned in Jerez and made some useful comparisons, especially in terms of tyre evaluation. After the aero programme this morning, we did some shorts runs with new aero components and then moved to longer runs later on. The track conditions were not at their best this morning, but from midday onwards things started to improve and the cloud cover kept the track temperatures relatively low. With Melbourne less than a month away the team is gelling nicely and the new personnel and structures we have put in place are working well.”
    Paul di Resta in the VJM06 on Day One of the F1 testing at Barcelona on Tuesday. A Sahara Force India photo

    ends

  • British PM Cameron visits Caterham’s Leafield Centre

    Leafield Technical Centre, UK 19 Feb 2013: David Cameron was given a tour of Caterham Group’s Leafield Technical Centre on Friday 15th February by Caterham Group Co-Chairman Tony Fernandes.

    Leafield Technical Centre has been home to Caterham F1 Team since the team moved its factory base and over 200 staff from Norfolk to the site in Oxfordshire in August 2012. Caterham Cars, the roadcar division of Caterham Group that recently unveiled a unique 50 / 50 partnership with Renault to build a new range of cars, will also move its base to Leafield in due course, creating more jobs and significant revenue for the UK economy. The site is located in Cameron’s constituency.

    David Cameron MP: ““This is the dream investment for any constituency. Caterham F1 is bringing high-end jobs, engineering and manufacturing to West Oxfordshire. Not only will it create jobs but it will be a real boost to our local economy. On a national scale, it is great to see Britain designing and selling more cars. It is businesses like this which are helping to lift our economy out of a very difficult time and making sure that Britain thrives in the global race. I am so excited to welcome this great business to Leafield and I wish them every success.”

    Tony Fernandes, Caterham Group Co-Chairman: “It was an honour to give Mr Cameron a tour of Leafield Technical Centre and to demonstrate the cutting edge technology and innovative thinking that is at the heart of Caterham Group. Representatives from each of the arms of Caterham Group were on hand to demonstrate to Mr Cameron how Caterham Cars, Caterham Technology and Innovation (CTI) and Caterham Composites are setting new standards for innovative thinking and cutting edge technology across a wide range of industries.

    “Caterham Cars and Caterham Technology and Innovation are now working in close partnership with Renault to produce a new range of sportscars that will soon showcase our world class technology to automotive customers worldwide. CTI and Caterham Composites are also in a very exciting phase of their development. Both companies are working across a wide range of industries, including automotive, aircraft, marine, sports and leisure, bringing their specialist knowledge of innovative technological solutions and composite materials to set new standards in their fields. For example, CTI and Caterham Composites are now into the development phase of a revolutionary lightweight aircraft seat. Using their specialist knowledge of composite materials and cutting edge design and manufacturing skills, they will soon demonstrate how the inter-connected businesses within Caterham Group can combine to revolutionise one of the key global industries.

    “The specialist knowledge we have within our group all began when we launched our F1 team in 2009. Since then, in just over three years, we have built a range of world class businesses that complement one another perfectly. Having the opportunity to demonstrate this to Mr Cameron was a very rewarding experience and I am sure he found the visit extremely interesting. We are extremely proud of what Caterham Group has achieved in such a short time, and Leafield Technical Centre is the perfect environment to showcase just how far we believe Caterham Group can go.”

    ends

    Tony Fernandes (left) presents a memento to British Prime Minister David Cameroon after taking him on a tour of Leafield Tech Centre on 15 Feb 2013. A Caterham F1 team photo.

  • Pirelli nominates tyres for first 4 races of 2013 F1 season

    Milan, 13 Feb

    Full range of Pirelli tyres for the first four races of 2013 F1 season nominated. A Pirelli photo.

    2013 : For the start of the 2013 Formula One World Championship season, Pirelli has nominated its slick P Zero compounds for the first four races in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain.

    In Australia, the P Zero White medium and P Zero Red supersoft tyres will be nominated: the first time that Pirelli has nominated the softest compound in the range for Melbourne. The full step in the compound choice should ensure a performance gap between the cars that allows strategy to come into play.

    The choice of the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium for Malaysia – the two hardest tyres in the range – will cater for the high temperatures and abrasive surface that is a well-known characteristic of the Far Eastern track.

    The P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres are nominated for China: the best choice for the comparatively high degradation expected as a result of the demanding track layout, which leads to close racing.

    Like Australia, Bahrain has a brand new nomination this year compared to last year: P Zero Orange hard and P Zero Yellow soft. This is designed to ensure plenty of speed in qualifying coupled with the durability needed for the race, which is again often held in high temperatures.

    The rules stipulate that under normal circumstances each team will receive six sets of the harder compound and five sets of the softer compound for the race weekend. Pirelli will also bring its Cinturato Green intermediate tyre for damp track conditions (four sets per driver) as well as the Cinturato Blue rain tyre (three sets per driver) to each race.

    The tyre choices so far:

    P Zero Red P Zero Yellow P Zero White P Zero Orange
    Australia Supersoft Medium
    Malaysia Medium Hard
    China Soft Medium
    Bahrain Soft Hard

     

  • Jerez testing Day 2: Grosjean on top; Good run by Paul

    Lotus

    Romain Grosjean ended the second day of testing at Jerez as comfortably the fastest man on track as the team continued its evaluation programme with the E21.

    Under blue skies with occasional cloud coverage, Romain completed 95 laps; many of which dipped into the 1min 18s. He ended the day with the best time set thus far this week – a 1min 18.218secs – with no other car running under 1min 19.000secs.

    Fast Facts:

    • Chassis: E21-01
    • Weather: Sunny, ambient 5-22°C, track 7-28°C
    • Programme: Systems checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package, tyre performance assessment.
    • Laps Completed: 95.
    • Classification: P1, 1:18.218.
    • Interruptions: Stopped out on track on lap 96 (fuel).

    What’s Next?

    Kimi Räikkönen will take to the wheel of the E21 for the first time tomorrow, before wrapping up the opening test on Friday.

    Romain Grosjean: “It was good today; the programme went to plan and we showed we have good reliability. For me, the whole test has gone well which bodes well for the year ahead. My feeling in the car is good and it was great to be at the top of the times. Even if it doesn’t mean anything during testing, it’s still good to be at the front. We used the soft, medium and hard compounds and whilst we’re not 100% yet on the differences between each we have a good idea. Kimi will be working on this area for the next two days so we’ll have a better understanding when we head to Barcelona. It’s not easy to understand everything about the car and tyres yet, but I think we’re working quite well and it’s up to us to find the best solutions.”

    Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “I’m very happy with today’s performance. The pace looks good and we haven’t had any issues with reliability meaning we could complete all of our programme without interruption. We focused on learning more about the 2013 Pirelli tyres and ran with the soft, medium and hard compounds with a variety of different set-ups, both mechanical and aerodynamic, to understand how they react. This combined with a good mileage today to give us some very good data to work through ahead of Kimi getting in the car tomorrow.”

    Sahara Force India

    Sahara Force India enjoyed another productive day in Jerez as Paul Di Resta and James Rossiter split driving duties in the VJM06

    Day Two Statistics:

    Chassis: VJM06-02

    Laps: Paul = 95 laps / James = 19 laps

    Mileage: Paul = 421 km / James = 84 km

    Fastest lap: Paul = 1:19.003 / James = 1:21.273

    Classification: Paul = P2  / James = P10

    Paul Di Resta: “I managed to do 95 laps today, which was a good effort, and we got through the programme without any issues. We did some more good aero work this morning and then tried some set-up changes on the car. Testing is a good chance to make bigger changes than you would make during a race weekend and that’s allowed us to really see how they affect the car and has given us valuable data on tyre performance. The handling of the car so far is good and I’m feeling comfortable after two days in the car.”

    James Rossiter: “It felt great to be back in a Formula One car and I was impressed with the performance straight away. It’s only the second day of running, yet the car already feels quite nicely balanced with a lot of potential. Having already done work on the team’s simulator, it’s good to get a feel for the real car and get acclimatised today so that I can really make the most of my running tomorrow morning.”

    Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer: “Another very productive day of work as we completed a similar technical programme to yesterday with aero passes, balance work and longer runs after lunch. Paul’s feedback and consistency have given us lots of direction for improving the set-up and with 114 laps completed we are gathering lots of data to continue understanding the tyres. We put James in the car late this afternoon to give him time to acclimatise ahead of tomorrow. He’s doing a lot of simulator work for us back at the factory so it’s important that he has a good understanding of the real car to be able to make a valid comparison.”

    Ferrari

    Driver: Felipe Massa; Car: Ferrari F138

    At the wheel of the F138, Felipe Massa continued the work of acquiring data on the car’s behaviour which began yesterday. Also on the day’s programme was an assessment of various configurations of exhaust and some long runs.

    Felipe completed a total of 78 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.19.914.

    Felipe Massa: “Today, we concentrated 100% on the aerodynamic side and on the exhausts.

    In the morning, I didn’t even do a flying lap because we used the time available to do constant 
    speed runs and to analyse various aerodynamic solutions. All the changes to the car took longer than planned, but in the afternoon, I managed to do three long runs which were very important in order to understand which direction we need to follow in the coming days.” Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with the Brazilian driver on track.

    Mercedes AMG Petronas

    Lewis Hamilton’s first day of testing for Mercedes AMG Petronas was brought to an early conclusion today by a technical problem on the F1 W04.

    • Lewis completed 15 laps this morning before suffering a loss of rear brake pressure
    • The front brakes enabled him to slow the car however he could not avoid hitting the barrier
    • The problem was traced to the hydraulic brake line connecting to the right-rear calliper
    • The team did not go out for the remainder of the day as work continued to complete the required repairs

    Nico Rosberg will be back at the wheel of the F1 W04 tomorrow for the third day of the test.

    Lewis Hamilton: We had a good start but then unfortunately we had a failure which brought our day to an early end. These things happen and it’s all part of testing. Of course, it’s better that we get these small issues out of the way sooner rather than later, and the guys are working really hard to overcome them. From the few short laps that I completed this morning, my general feeling was very positive. I got a good understanding of where the base of the car is and, whilst we need to do work in certain areas, it was good to have some laps to get a feel for what those areas are. I’ve told the guys that we just need to keep pushing and I know that we all will be doing that.

    Caterham

    Driver: Giedo van der Garde, car #21
    Chassis: CT03-05
    Total laps: 88
    Best lap: 1.21.311

    Giedo van der Garde, car #21, chassis CT03-05: “Giedo van der Garde, car #21, chassis CT03-05: “Another solid day on track and with 88 laps completed we can be pleased with what we’ve achieved today. For the second day running we didn’t have any real issues and we’re working through the program so the team on track and back in Leafield have a lot of data to work on.

    “In the morning session we ran through a number of aero programs and then switched to comparing setup options on a variety of the tyre compounds. I think we found a good direction in the last run in the afternoon so now the team can keep making progress in the next two days. The other important thing for me is that I’m getting more and more comfortable in the car. The time I spent on track last year with the team was obviously a big help and it’s meant I’ve come into this test knowing my way around the team, and to have completed over 150 laps in my first two days of testing is very positive.”

    Sauber

    Jerez de la Frontera, 6th February 2013 – The Sauber F1 Team had a productive second day of testing. In the morning, when the track’s temperature was still cold, the team concentrated mainly on aerodynamic tests. Later in the morning and in the afternoon – in better track conditions – the engineers and Nico started with some basic set-up work, and then made some runs on heaviear fuel loads. The car ran without any technical problems all day. At the end the team did a fuel system check, and Nico ran out of fuel.

    Driver: Nico Hülkenberg

    Weather: Sunny all day, air 7-20°C, track 7-28 °C

    Chassis/engine: C32-2/Ferrari 056

    Laps today: 99 laps

    Fastest lap : 1 :19.502 min

    Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering : “It was a very good day with Nico achieving all our goals. Nico is building up a good working relationship with the engineers, which is important. We continued our  work on understanding the Pirelli tyres. Without doubt the temperatures will be different once we go racing, but we still got to understand them well. The car was, again, very reliable, which gives us a solid basis. 

    Nico Hülkenberg : “For the second day in a row it was pretty successful. We went through a lot of test items and did a comparison of the compounds – soft, medium and hard – which was quite interesting. Otherwise I was able to continue my familiarisation with the car and I did some long runs. Like yesterday, it was a positive day.“

    What comes next: This was the final day of testing for Nico in Jerez. Tomorrow and on Friday, Esteban Gutiérrez will take over.

    Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

    Driver               Sergio Perez

     Location           Circuito de Jerez

     Track length     4.428km

     Laps                 81

     

     Km covered      359

     Best laptime     1m19.572s

     Programme      After yesterday’s encouraging start, today’s focus switched to preparing Sergio for his first run behind the wheel of a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

    The  morning kicked off with a continuation of yesterday’s aero calibration work, carried out across a number of shorter runs. Attention then turned towards acclimatising Sergio to his new office, running through a prescribed programme of mechanical and aerodynamic adjustments with MP4-28 to give him a greater understanding of the inherent feel of the car and the way it reacts to set-up changes.

    The  acclimatisation session continued throughout the afternoon, concluding in a number of longer runs. Sergio racked up 81 laps – a positive start to his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes career.

    What’s next      Jenson returns for his second and final day of Jerez testing, continuing the aero and mechanical work that has been established over the past two days.

    Pos      Driver                           Constructor                              Best time          Laps

    1          Romain Grosjean           Lotus-Renault                                    1m 18.218s                         95

    2          Paul di Resta                    Force India                                         1m 19.003s                       95

    oss Brawn with Hamilton on 2nd day of pre-season F1 testing at Jerez track on Wednesday. A Mercedes photo.

    3          Daniel Ricciardo            Scuderia Toro Rossa                       1m 19.134s                      83

    4          Mark Webber                  Red Bull Racing                                 1m 19.338s                      101

    5          Nico Hulkenberg            Sauber                                                  1m 19.502s                       99

    6          Lewis Hamilton              Mercedes AMG                                   1m 19.519s                      15

    7          Sergio Perez                    Vodafone McLaren Mercedes      1m 19.572s                      81

    8          Felipe Massa                    Ferrari                                                    1m 19.914s                      78

    9          Pastor Maldonado         Williams                                               1m 20.693s                       71

    10         James Rossiter                Force India                                        1m 21.273s                       19

    11         Giedo van der Garde     Caterham                                            1m 21.311s                       88

    12         Luiz Razia                          Marussia                                              1m 23.537s                      31

     

    ends

     

  • Button fastest on Day One of pre-season test at Jerez

     Jerez, 5 Feb 2013: Jenson took the wheel for the first track run of the new MP4-28 and by the end of the first Day of Formula 1 pre-season testing he was the fastest followed by Red Bull’s Mark Webber and early pace-setter Romain Grosjean of Lotus.

    Button’s morning’s running was compromised by a mechanical fuel-pump issue, which cost a couple of hours’ track-time, but the problem was quickly rectified and the team was able to run productively for the remainder of the afternoon.

    Button spent the first part of the day’s programme running a lower-lip rake to complete some aero mapping work. The end of the day saw the team evaluate the effects of a series of mechanical set-up changes, using both the Supersoft and Hard Pirelli tyres.

    Both the aero mapping and the balance changes fell in line with the team’s pre-test expectations. Button set his fastest time of the day on the Hard compound.

    What’s next      Sergio Perez gets his first opportunity to drive a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car tomorrow (Wednesday). The knock-on effects of this morning’s fuel-pump issue mean that he will begin his day by continuing today’s initial aero and balance checks.

    The aim for tomorrow afternoon is to conduct a series of longer runs – possibly incorporating live pitstops into the mix if the team is satisfied with the day’s initial progress.

    Sahara Force India

    Sahara Force India was back in action  as Paul Di Resta completed a busy first day of testing in the VJM06 in Jerez, Spain. Paul completed 89 laps with a best time of 1:20.343 to finish fourth on the timesheets.
    Day One Statistics:
    Chassis: VJM06-02
    Laps: 89 laps
    Mileage: 394 km
    Fastest lap: 1:20.343
    Classification: P4 of 11
    Paul Di Resta: “A positive first day and we managed to cover lots of laps – so that’s the most important thing. I felt very comfortable all day and we managed to get through the programme as we focussed on collecting aero data and understanding how well the car correlates with our simulation tools at the factory.  We also started trying to learn as much about the tyres as possible so that we can carry that into tomorrow and optimise the set-up. The new compounds are quite different with the new construction and I’ve already felt a difference with the balance of the car in the low and high speed parts of the lap.”
    Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer
    “As first days go, we are pretty satisfied with how things went today. From the install lap onwards we managed to keep to the programme, even with the disruptions for the red flags. In the morning we focused on aero data collection before moving to baseline set-up work just before lunch. For the afternoon Paul completed some longer runs as we started to get an understanding for the 2013 tyres, especially the medium compound, and how they perform. All the while we made good progress with our system checks and we are in good shape ahead of tomorrow.”

    Lotus Renault:

    Lotus F1 Team’s 2013 car, the E21, took to the track for the first time with race driver Romain Grosjean at the wheel under bright blue skies in Jerez, Spain.

    Romain was the fastest man on track for much of the day, ending the afternoon with the third quickest time. 54 laps were completed as the team went through its first day programme of shakedown and assessment.

    Fast Facts:

    • Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km
    • Chassis: E21-01
    • Weather: Sunny, ambient 7-26°C, track 6-21°C
    • Programme: Systems checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package.
    • Laps Completed: 54
    • Classification: P3, 1:19.796
    • Interruptions: Ballast redeployment and KERS battery change in afternoon.

    What’s Next?

    Romain will complete his E21 running at Jerez tomorrow, before handing the car over to team-mate Kimi Räikkönen for the Thursday and Friday sessions.

    Romain Grosjean:
    “The feeling is good from the E21; it feels very similar to the E20 from behind the wheel, even if it does look different from the outside. Once again Enstone has produced a car that is quick from the very first lap. We spent a little bit more time than ideal in the garage today, but that’s normal in testing. I’m happy we completed 54 laps, and even happier that all of them were quick. We now have a good idea of the new tyres and we’ll have some challenges from them; the grip level is there but performance does fall away with graining. That said, Jerez is a very specific track in this regard. The speed came easy today and we didn’t respond to the other cars going faster in the afternoon. We should go even better tomorrow.”

    James Allison, Technical Director:
    “It’s great to see the fruits of our labours take to the track for the first time here in Jerez. Everything has looked positive so far. The feedback from Romain has been encouraging and on the engineering side there have been no particular dramas of note. Overall it was a promising first day for this car and we hope to continue in this vein for the next days of testing.”

    Mercedes – Nico Roseberg

    Nico Rosberg began the first pre-season test for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS today, following the launch of the team’s new car and a filming day in Jerez yesterday.

    • Nico completed three runs this morning before an electrical problem caused the car to stop on track
    • Unburnt fuel in the exhausts subsequently ignited but did not cause any serious damage
    • Further investigation identified that the fault originated in a wiring loom
    • The necessary modifications are now taking place ready for tomorrow

    Lewis Hamilton is due to drive on Wednesday for his first day of track testing with the team.

    Nico Rosberg: 
    At the start of winter testing, you often encounter small issues because the car you’re running is a brand new design. We had an electrical problem this morning and, once we had found the root cause, chose to modify the parts to make sure it didn’t happen again. Of course, at this time of year all you want to do is spend time in the car and get a feeling for how it’s working, but these hiccups are just part of the game. During the laps I completed this morning, I had a good feeling with the car and it felt solid.

    Paul Di Resta on Day 1 of Pre-season testing at Jerez on Tuesday. A Sahara Force India photo.

    Test dates        Four days (February 5-8)

    Pos      Driver                           Constructor                              Best time          Laps

    1          Jenson Button              Vodafone McLaren Mercedes   1m 18.861s       37

    2          Mark Webber                 Red Bull Racing                        1m 19.709s       73

    3          Romain Grosjean           Lotus-Renault                            1m 19.796s       54

    4          Paul di Resta                Force India                                1m 20.343s       89

    5          Daniel Ricciardo            Scuderia Toro Rossa                 1m 20.401s       70

    6          Felipe Massa                Ferrari                                       1m 20.536s       64

    7          Nico Hulkenberg            Sauber                                      1m 20.699s       79

    8          Nico Rosberg                Mercedes AMG                         1m 20.846s       11

    9          Pastor Maldonado         Williams                                    1m 20.864s       84

    10         Giedo van der Garde     Caterham                                  1m 21.915s       64

    11         Max Chilton                   Marussia                                   1m 24.176s       29