Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

I'm back on track people ....Here is some serious News Round Up :

Ross Brawn denies Mercedes's DRS system is expensive to copy (05/04):
Ross Brawn has hit back at suggestions that Formula 1 teams will face an expensive development race if his Mercedes team's DRS system remains legal and they have to copy it. A number of Brawn's rivals have suggested that it would cost a fortune for them to incorporate a DRS-activated F-duct system on to their cars - at a time when teams are facing budget concerns. But Brawn has dismissed such claims – and reckons that as well as the DRS system being cheap to create, he says major outfits will not face any more expenditure because they are already limited in spending due to F1's Resource Restriction Agreement."The system is actually very cheap," explained Brawn on Thursday. "It is a very simple cheap system, but not so easy to implement if you haven't integrated it into your car. This is perhaps where some of the frustration of some of our opponents [is coming from]. "People talk about the huge cost, but there isn't really a huge cost. You all know that there are a couple of carbon pipes running down the car, and the man on the street will tell you that they cost a few thousands pounds – they are not millions of pounds.
"The benefit we have gained is because we have thought about it and designed it into our car, and that is not so easy for people who have not go it – and that is why some of the opposition is so fierce. It is the recognition that it is quite a difficult thing to do if you haven't designed it from the beginning. That is the nature of F1 ".Although rival teams are awaiting further clarification from the FIA about the legality of the system, Brawn says he remains convinced the governing body will stick to its stance that the passive system is allowed. "We are confident the system is legal. As far back as 2010, in working group meetings, the FIA was stating that it considered such a system to be legal, because they were questioned on it as a matter of record.
"We will obviously be extremely disappointed once someone took a different view, but I think the FIA has been fairly consistent in their position, so we have faith that they will maintain that consistency."

Deputy technical director Naoki Tokunaga leaves Lotus F1 team (05/04 ) :
Lotus deputy technical director Naoki Tokunaga is to leave the team so he can take up a position as technical director of Renault's 2014 engine project. Tokunaga originally joined the Enstone-based team in 2000 as a vehicle dynamics engineer, before being promoted to head of control systems in 2002 and then deputy technical director in 2010.
The role of deputy technical director will not be filled for the foreseeable future. "We would like to thank Naoki for the tremendous contribution he has made to our team during the 12 years he has been with us and we look forward to the performance he will bring us (and all of Renault Sport F1's client teams) in his new role."

Lotus F1 team committed to name despite end of title sponsor deal (06/04) :
Lotus has terminated its title sponsorship deal with sportscar manufacturer Group Lotus, but remains wholly committed to keeping the famous name in Formula 1 for the future. On the back of financial uncertainties for Group Lotus, which was recently sold along with parent company Proton to Malaysian automotive conglomerate DRB-Hicom, Lotus F1's team owner Genii Capital has ended its formal relationship with the marque. Genii owner Gerard Lopez recently agreed a deal for the title sponsorship deal, which was originally put together in 2010, to be cancelled, as well as an old option that Proton had to buy 50 per cent of the team annulled.Speaking about the situation, Lopez sayd "The sponsorship agreement and the obligations of Lotus have been terminated. There is no option from Group Lotus to buy into F1 now - that option was taken over by us. There was one, but we have taken it over now."
Although the end of the Group Lotus sponsorship tie-up means a change of plans for the team, Lopez says that he remains committed to the Lotus name. "We are happy to carry the Lotus name as we believe it is a good name for F1," he explained. "We funded the team last year and the year before for whatever delta was missing. We would prefer to have sponsors up to the full amount - but if we have to fund it then we will fund it. "When we changed the name from Lotus Renault to Lotus [for this year], it opened up the door for a title sponsor. So if you take into account the fact we signed Unilever, probably the biggest sponsorship agreement this year in F1, and we signed Microsoft, which is huge news as it is a brand that has never been in F1 before, we have a wide space for sponsorship.
"If we sign a title sponsor now, we will end up with a better cash flow situation than this team ever had before."

Sebastian Vettel still confident about Red Bull's title defence despite tough start to 2012 Formula 1 season (06/04) :
Sebastian Vettel is convinced that Red Bull Racing can still win the world championship this year, despite its difficult start to the campaign. Admitting that the start to the year has not been what the team wanted, Vettel is optimistic that the situation will improve for both himself and his team. Looking ahead to the remainder of the campaign, Vettel added: "We now have 18 more races ahead of us and we will do all we can to defend our titles. I have total faith in the team, the car and myself. There's still much for us to do, but together as a team we can accomplish anything."

Barrichello open to Ferrari return (06/04) :
RUBENS BARRICHELLO says he would be happy to return to Ferrari’s Formula One team should they ditch struggling Felipe Massa. The 39-year-old Brazilian, who is driving in the IndyCar series after losing his place in F1, made the comment after topping a poll carried out by an Italian racing mag. He was named first choice to replace Massa ahead of Jarno Trulli and Malaysian Grand Prix sensation Sergio Perez. Barrichello, who lost his Williams seat after 19 years in F1, called the accolade “unexpected”. But he said he would consider returning to Ferrari if he was offered a contract, even though he was unhappy at being forced to play second fiddle to Michael Schumacher during his spell with the Italian giants.
Barrichello – twice runner-up to Schumy in the world championship – told a Brazilian TV channel: “I’m completely open about it. It would be something to think about.” Barrichello said he had no hard feelings towards Ferrari, despite his problems in the past. He added: "If they call me today to go drive for them I would go.
“It was the best team I've ever driven for in terms of support, of creativity. But there were definitely some spicy episodes."

Damon Hill says Formula 1 cannot afford to be 'indifferent' about Bahrain situation (07/04) :
Formula 1 risks damage to its reputation if it does not react to the increasingly tense political situation in Bahrain ahead of the scheduled grand prix later this month. That is the view of former world champion Damon Hill, who thinks with a fresh wave of protests on the streets and a worldwide focus now on the fate of jailed activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who has been on hunger strike for 58 days, F1's chiefs must not act like they do not care.
"I think at the moment it is hotting up, which is not a good state of affairs to be wanting to go to Bahrain, when it is actually getting more inflamed," Hill told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday. "We have the human rights president Alkhawaja in a serious situation, with two weeks to go. It is a very difficult call and my concern is that F1 is perceived to be indifferent, and that would be really damaging for F1 ". Earlier this week Hill urged a rethink about the race going ahead, because of the ongoing situation in the Gulf state - and he has reiterated his belief that it would be wrong for the event to be used for political means by Bahrain's rulers. "I think under the right circumstances it would be OK," he said. "I don't doubt that they could hold the grand prix, but if they held the grand prix and in order to hold the grand prix they have to impose very serious security measures to prevent protestors making their point, then it would appear that the event is taking place on one side of the argument. That is the worry for the reputation of the sport; that it is actually taking political sides."
Mary Lawlor, director of human rights group Front Line Defenders that Al-Khawaja represented after setting up the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, believes that F1 cannot be isolated from the situation. "If Abdulhadi Alkhawaja dies in the run up to the grand prix due to take place in Bahrain on 22 April, it will increase the instability and unrest," she explained. "The Bahraini authorities clearly want to present an image of business as usual but their seeming indifference to the plight of Abdulhadi, risks tragic consequences for Bahrain. "Those involved in Formula 1 must consult with independent journalists, community leaders, human rights groups, to get a good sense of what is going on - to see for themselves the situation in the gulf kingdom. From observing protests last week in Bahrain, it is clear that Bahrain is not safe for Bahrainis."
Nabeel Rajab, the current president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, told BBC Radio 4 that he believed suggestions the Bahrain Grand Prix would unify the country were wide of the work.
"This is a dictator who is saying that. But that is not the people saying that," he said. "The dictator is benefiting from that, the dictator wants to tell the outside world that the whole thing is back to normal... they want to come back from isolation and say that everything is back to normal. "But on the other hand they are killing people, detaining people, torturing people. Everything is not back to normal and F1 should not help Bahrain's leaders to [think it is] so."

Jacques Villeneuve to drive Ferrari at ceremony to mark Gilles’ death (08/04) :
Ferrari will mark 30 years since the death of Gilles Villeneuve in an event at the Fiorano circuit next month. Villeneuve’s son Jacques will drive the 312T4 raced by his father when he finished second in the 1979 season.
Villeneuve was killed in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.
The team said: “His memory is still vivid and alive in the minds of many at Maranello; his talent, his speed, his bravery which bordered on recklessness, all go to make his name still hugely popular with our fans, even among younger ones who have only been able to see him on replays of his races or read about him in stories written by journalists.”
“It will be a fitting occasion to evoke the memory of a man who has and always will have a place of honour in the history of Ferrari.” The event will take place on May 8th, exactly 30 years since Villeneuve was killed.

Bernie Ecclestone: We can't force teams to race in Bahrain (10/04) :
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that he cannot force teams to race in the Bahrain Grand Prix if they do not want to go, amid growing concerns over further unrest in the troubled Gulf state. F1's teams have so far backed the FIA and the Sakhir circuit chiefs to make the right decision as to whether the event should take place on April 22, and to ensure the safety of attending personnel. However some teams are known to have concerns about racing in Bahrain at this time. Ecclestone, who has reportedly met with protest leaders and proposed they hold a press conference on the weekend of the grand prix, told The Times on Monday that he sympathised with the teams' situation and said: "If the teams don't want to go, then we cannot make them."
According to Ecclestone, the decision to cancel or postpone the race must come from the FIA, the event organisers or the Crown Prince of the kingdom. The fate of the Bahrain GP seems set to overshadow this weekend's race in China, with the FIA stating that it is closely monitoring the situation. Concerns heightened on Monday, when a homemade bomb was detonated at a protest in Manama - injuring seven policemen. The incident came amid increased tension caused by the fate of jailed activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who has been on hunger strike for two months.
Meanwhile, John Yates, a former assistant commissioner in the London Metropolitan Police Service who now works for Bahrain's Interior Ministry, has warned that protestors planning to disrupt the event's running would be dealt with harshly.

Ferrari is still almost a second off the ultimate pace says technical director Pat Fry (10/04 ) :
Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry believes the team is still almost a second off the pace in normal dry conditions, even though Fernando Alonso is leading the Formula 1 world championship. Alonso took a shock victory in the damp in Malaysia, and finished fifth in Australia - despite Ferrari struggling for speed. Fry said Ferrari owed its position to both Alonso's heroics, and the Sepang weather working in its favour. "I certainly wasn't expecting to have one driver leading the championship," he said. "From quite early on in testing, we realised we had quite a few issues we needed to sort out.
"Everyone at the factory has been working hard at that, as we still have a long way to go. I think our dry qualifying performance is still around 0.8s off the best while we want to be the best ourselves.
"Damp low grip conditions suit our car and flatter some of the issues we have with the F2012 at the moment. You could see that in Melbourne on Friday and again in the race in Malaysia."
He added that Ferrari was trying to accelerate its development to get out of its current plight, and would have some upgrades for China this weekend then a major package in Spain next month.
"We are constantly working on improving the issues we have," said Fry. "New parts are coming through and we are trying to get them to the racetrack as quickly as possible - we will have five updates for China, some are quite visible, others less so. Then there will be a bigger upgrade package for Spain.
"It would be nice to have them earlier, but we have already brought forward some parts we were developing for Spain and we should have them in China."

Bahrain chairman Zayed Al Zayani says 'scaremongering extremists' are the cause for alarm over the Sakhir event (10/04) :
Bahrain Grand Prix chairman Zayed Al Zayani has blamed 'armchair observers' and 'scaremongering extremists' for creating alarm over the Sakhir event, which is due to go ahead on 22 April. Amid increasing calls for Formula 1 not to race in the troubled Gulf state, the Sakhir venue issued a statement in which Al Zayani insisted that those with first-hand experience of conditions in Bahrain saw no reason for it to be called off for a second year.
"What has been happening is that armchair observers - who have not been sufficiently interested or committed to investigate the situation for themselves - have been driving this debate, at the expense of those neutral parties who have taken the trouble to investigate the situation at first hand," said Al Zayani.
"This, combined with the scaremongering tactics of certain small extremist groups on social networking sites, has created huge misconceptions about the current situation. "We have welcomed a number of people to Bahrain over the last few weeks, who have all been able to find out for themselves that the Kingdom is ready to host Formula 1 next month. I therefore urge all stakeholders in the sport to listen to those with an informed, educated view of the situation and to form their views on the facts of the situation, as presented by neutral first-hand observers." The statement quoted a report by two representatives of the Lotus F1 team who visited the circuit recently to assess the situation.
The extract from the Lotus report read: "Yes there is a need to keep the circuit and the teams secure and they are doing this and they feel very comfortable about the arrangements. If there is going to be protestation then it will be confined to peaceful protests - you will maybe see some banners being waved and maybe some tyres on fire but that is all that they expect.
"We came away from Bahrain feeling a lot more confident that everything is in hand and to be honest if it wasn't for a few more police you wouldn't know any difference from the last year we were there."

Formula One Teams' Association says that decision over Bahrain GP is down to FIA (11/04) :
Formula 1 teams insist that it is not their call as to whether the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead, with the FIA now being looked at for a final decision. Amid increasing concern about safety in Bahrain on the back of protests supporting jailed activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who has been on hunger strike for two months, the fate of the race is now the main talking point in F1. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights holder, had said on Monday that if teams had concern then they would be free not to go - although they could face commercial consequences for doing so. However, in a statement issued by the Formula One Teams’ Association, the onus has been firmly shifted on to motor racing’s governing body to decide what the appropriate course of action is.
"There’s been some media speculation recently to the effect that the teams may seek to cancel this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix," said the FOTA statement. "That wouldn’t be possible. Teams are unable to cancel grands prix.
"We race in an international series called the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and it is therefore for the FIA to offer the teams guidance on these issues."

McLaren waiting for “clarity” on Mercedes DRS (11/04) :
McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe says the team will wait for a clarification on Mercedes’ controversial DRS before deciding whether to create their own version.

Susie Wolff joins Williams as development driver (11/04) :
Williams has announced Susie Wolff has become one of the team’s development drivers.
Wolff (nee Stoddart) has raced in the DTM since 2006. Her best result is two seventh places scored in 2010.
Team principal Frank Williams said: “Susie is a talented, successful and highly professional racing driver who competes in one of the world’s most fiercely-contested racing series. “Susie will join Williams as a Development Driver, in which capacity she will assist us with the development of our simulator and other technical challenges. Susie will also undertake some aerodynamic testing of the FW34 and a full track test in the coming months. Susie will also attend a number of races with us. “I should add that, as Susie is married to Toto Wolff, a Director of Williams, her appointment was carefully considered and then approved by the Board, with Toto recusing himself from the process.”
Wolff said: “I would like to thank Sir Frank for giving me this opportunity both on and off the track. I must also thank Mercedes Benz AMG and HWA for supporting me to take up this new experience with Williams.

FIA reassured Bahrain Grand Prix will be safe (12/04) :
The FIA has been reassured that Bahrain will be safe for next weekend's grand prix, despite concerns about the situation there. Ahead of crunch meetings between teams and Formula 1 bosses in China this weekend to discuss whether or not the race goes ahead, FIA president Jean Todt has been told that matters are not as bad as some have portrayed.
In a letter that was sent to him on Wednesday by former UK head of counter terrorism John Yates, Todt was informed that there was no major worry. Yates, who is an advisor for the Bahrain's Ministry of the Interior, wrote: "I am aware of the very real concerns that those involved in F1 may have regarding the holding of the fixture here in Bahrain next week.
"I have listened to the recent exchanges on the UK BBC Radio 4 Today programme and read related stories in the media with interest. It is clear from this and other reporting that the real picture of life in Bahrain and the very real reforming efforts being made at a number of levels are not reaching the ears of those that matter.
"I am particularly concerned that those intimately involved in F1 - drivers, teams, sponsors, media and supporters wishing to attend – are being presented with a distorted picture. This picture is being shaped by a huge amount of inaccurate and often deliberately false information being spread through social media forums."
Yates did say, however, that there were some troubles in the Gulf state – but these were isolated incidents.
"Some troubles do still exist," he said. "The almost nightly skirmishes that take place in certain villages are a potential block on progress and are putting those involved in their policing and innocent members of the public in significant danger. However, in spite of how these events may be portrayed through the medium of YouTube and other outlets, their significance should not be overplayed. "These are now lawful protests, which are permitted, but violent conduct by a very small minority – often groups of 15-20 young men. These are criminal acts being perpetrated against an unarmed police force who, in the face of such attacks, are acting with remarkable restraint.
"These people are intent on causing harm to the police and the communities in which they live. They are not representative of the vast majority of delightful, law-abiding citizens that represent the real Bahrain that I see every day. Along with my family, I feel completely safe. Indeed, safer than I have often felt in London."

FIA confirms DRS zone for the Chinese Grand Prix (12/04) :
The FIA has confirmed a single DRS zone for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit.
The DRS (Drag Reduction System) will be allowed on the back straight, with the activation zone located before the halfway point of the straight, after Turn 13, just like in 2011. Like in the previous race in Malaysia, there will only be one DRS zone this weekend.

Hamilton to take five-place grid penalty in China (12/04) :
Lewis Hamilton’s run of pole positions is almost certain to end as he is set to be penalised five places on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton revealed on Thursday the team have had to change his gearbox for this weekend’s race.
Hamilton said the damage to the gearbox was only picked up in last 48 hours. Drivers are required to use the same gearbox for five consecutive races. The McLaren driver started the first two races of the year from pole position.

Showers forecast for Chinese Grand Prix weekend (12/04) :
The local weather appears to be running true to form, presenting cool conditions and a recurring threat of rain over the next three days. The forecast radars show bands of rain passing across the area from west to east.
There is a chance of light rain during Friday practice, and the forecasts for rain on Saturday are higher, though there is a good chance it will fall after qualifying. Sunday is currently expected to remain dry.With overcast conditions, temperatures are predicted to remain a cool 10-13C throughout the weekend.

Brawn disappointed Mercedes' wing debate is dragging on for third straight race (12/04) :
Ross Brawn has said he is disappointed that the row over the Mercedes rear wing has dragged into a third race, with Lotus having now lodged a protest against it. Speaking before a scheduled meeting with race stewards to discuss the legality of the DRS-activated F-duct on the W03, Brawn said he believed the matter should have been cleared up earlier in the campaign. "I think it is disappointing after three races that we are still in this situation," he explained before being notified of Lotus' protest.
"The system hasn't changed and the FIA's position hasn't changed, and as far as I understand their arguments haven't changed. So if they protest now, why didn't they protest in Australia? There is nothing new."
Brawn said that he was baffled about why rival teams had got so worked up over the system - especially because he reckoned its benefit was marginal.

Vettel to use older exhaust layout in practice for the Chinese Grand Prix (12/04) :
Sebastian Vettel will revert to an older specification of exhaust layout for first practice at the Chinese Grand Prix as his Red Bull Racing team aims to unlock more pace from the RB8. The reigning world champions introduced a Sauber-style exhaust layout for the final two days of pre-season testing at Barcelona, but Vettel has not been as happy with that configuration as the version used at the beginning of testing.
Although the team is convinced that the update package delivers an improvement in laptime, it has elected to experiment with a different configuration for Vettel in Shanghai on Friday to try and understand the situation better.
While Vettel will run the design that blows the exhausts over the beam wing, team-mate Mark Webber will run with an updated version of the concept that uses the exhausts to channel blown air around the rear area of the car and down on to the floor. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said that with no opportunity to test the two concepts side-by-side, the only chance was to run them in China practice.

Lotus protest against Mercedes wing rejected by FIA (12/04) :
Lotus's protest against the legality of Mercedes's rear wing has been rejected by the FIA, Formula 1's ruling body.
Lotus had lodged a protest on Thursday ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix as it believes the DRS system used by Mercedes goes against the regulations. Lotus believed the wing was in breach of rule 3.15 of the technical regulations.
"With the exception of the parts necessary for the adjustment described in Article 3.18, any car system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited," the rule says. On Thursday evening, however, the FIA said that stewards had agreed unanimously to reject the Lotus protest, meaning Mercedes will be able to continue using it over the grand prix weekend.

Lotus will not appeal stewards' decision on Mercedes rear wing (12/04) :
Lotus has elected not to appeal against the FIA stewards' decision that the Mercedes DRS system is legal, after its protest about the design was rejected on Thursday night. Following a lengthy meeting in the Shanghai paddock between the FIA and representatives of the Lotus and Mercedes teams, the four race stewards at the Chinese Grand Prix threw out the protest that had been lodged earlier in the day. Although Lotus was reminded of its right to appeal the decision, sources at the team have confirmed that it will not challenge the ruling - which means that the team must now decide if it is worth devoting resources to create its own version of the double DRS.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

brudgon wrote:SHANGHAI, April 12 - Lewis Hamilton will be penalized five places on the grid Sunday at the Chinese Grand Prix: the McLaren driver had gearbox problems and mechanics have had to replace. Start the evil Chinese adventure of Hamilton, winner last year on the Shanghai circuit, and starting this year at least relegated to the third row. But the tax rules introduced in 2010 are: you can not replace in return except after four races, having five programs available for each rider.

I'm sorry for Lewis fans, but for me is great news.

Probably the most exciting in recent years in F1, has been some races with a bad start on his part and to see how Lewis went back to the top, lap by lap. Currently he is the pilot which take more risks overtaking other drivers (in the past, do you remember Montoya?). Lewis has put the spice in some years extremely dull.

Anyway, not always the faster is the best and I think he is not the best, but I'm sure he is necessary for the F1.

9° GP Chinese Grand Prix – Shanghai circuit (first edition 2004)
This is another track designed by Hermann Tilke, like Sepang, and many others, often with a similar layout. This circuit has two long straights, one of which is extremely long, over a kilometre, but there are also slow-medium and fast speed corners particularly in the second sector. The curves more difficult and demanding for tyres are the number 1(very long right-hander) and number 13. The exit from this long right-hander is crucial for speed along the back straight. It will be difficult to find the right set-up. Tyre degradation is less severe than in Malaysia and the time of the pit stops is quite short. Probably the strategy, for top teams, will be on three pit stops rather than two. Last year despite the pole position Vettel finished second due to wrong strategy (only two pit stops), while his team-mate Webber(three pit stops) from 18 th place in grid, arrived third under the checkered flag. This year however the disparity between the different tyre compounds should be less than last year. There will be a single drag reduction zone(DRS) in the same position as 2011, on the longest straight.
tyre choice: medium (prime, white) and soft (option, yellow)
in 2006 at the Chinese GP, Schumacher was up on a F1 podium for the last time(until now) That was his 91st victory.
Podium 2011 Lewis Hamilton – Sebastian Vettel – Mark Webber – fastest lap on race: Mark Webber – pole position : Vettel time 1'33''706
Podium 2010 Jenson Button – Lewis Hamilton – Nico Rosberg – fastest lap on race: Lewis Hamilton – pole position : Vettel time 1'34''558
Podium 2009 Sebastian Vettel – Mark Webber – Jenson Button – fastest lap on race: Rubens Barrichello – pole position : Vettel.
Chinese GP: victories for current pilots: Hamilton(2) Schumacher Raikkonen, Vettel, Alonso and Button (1).
Webber: best finish 2° th place at Shangai circuit
Chinese GP: pole position for current pilots: Vettel (the last three editions) Alonso and Hamilton(2)
Schumacher, Button, Raikkonen and Webber: never in pole position here.

SHANGHAI, April 12 - Lewis Hamilton will be penalized five places on the grid Sunday at the Chinese Grand Prix: the McLaren driver had gearbox problems and mechanics have had to replace. Start the evil Chinese adventure of Hamilton, winner last year on the Shanghai circuit, and starting this year at least relegated to the third row. But the tax rules introduced in 2010 are: you can not replace in return except after four races, having five programs available for each rider.

Jacques Villeneuve 9th April 1971
(F1 World Champion 1997)
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Happy Birthday to your 41st anniversary

traveling between Sepang and Shanghai
Mc Laren: very fast in qualifying (always in pole position); in dry conditions during the race, Hamilton and Button appear to have the best car. In Malaysia have probably suffered the damp track conditions or maybe they had a tyres pressure not optimal.
Red Bull: After the ban of the diffusers blown; in this season they have some trouble, above all in qualifying. The car seems quite slow on straights, maybe it has a high coefficent of drag. But the RB8 has an excellent downforce and however a good race pace
Team Ferrari has many difficulties. Traction out of slow corners and lack of straightline speed. Another weak point is in qualifying with a little fuel. Better during the race in the first stint, but when the car gets lighter, problems increase.
Mercedes is very fast on single lap. In qualifying the possibility of using the DRS without limitation and passive f duct make this car very competitive. But during the race, tyre wear is too high. They are not able to use in correct way the Pirelli tyres. They have to solve this problem to improve performance.
Lotus good beginning of the season for Raikkonen. The former world champion scored the fastest lap of the race in Malaysia. In this ranking the Finn is in third place all time with 36 fastest laps in the race. But above all the Lotus seems to be the third or the fourth faster team at this moment. Unfortunately there is also bad news: they have lost their main sponsor.
good performance also for Sauber. Interesting the position of the exhaust pipes and the whole rear zone These solutions could be copied by other teams. (In Malaysia extraordinary Perez, both with intermediate tyres that on slick)
Happy Easter to All

gp china numbers and statistics

EDITIONS 7 - 7 are the Gp of China played in the history of Formula 1. The race on Sunday will be the 8 th edition of the Chinese Grand Prix, entered in the calendar in 2004.

WINNERS 7 - No driver has ever won two times Chinese GP: in fact for a successful head Barrichello, Alonso, M. Schumacher, Raikkoken, Hamilton, Vettel and Button.

4 WINNING TEAMS - but I have 4 teams that won at least one Grand Prix of China: 3 Achievements for Ferrari, two for McLaren, Renault and Red Bull for one.

4 Pole man - There are 4 riders who started from pole position in previous editions of the Chinese race: 2 Pole to head for Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel, Barrichello for a ..

6 PILOTS WITH GPV - The rider to have recorded in excess of GPV history of the Chinese GP is Hamilton, with 2 GPV. A head for GPV M. Schumacher, Raikkonen, Alonso, Massa and Barrichello.

4 POLE WIN + - In 4 occasions who started from pole then won the Grand Prix: it happened to Barrichello, Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel.

1 HAT TRICK - Only Lewis Hamilton (2008) was able to start from the pole, win the race and score the fastest lap.

5 DRIVERS WITH 7 OF 7 - Of the 24 drivers on the track Sunday, 5 are the drivers to have competed in every edition of the Chinese GP: Button (best result of the victory of last year), Webber (2 nd in 2009), Massa ( 2 nd in 2008), Alonso (1 ° in 2005) and Barrichello (1 ° in 2004).

ROOKIE 4 - Of the 24 starters, the four pilots who have never raced a GP to China are the rookie season of 2011, ie Maldonado, Di Resta, Perez and D'Ambrosio

OTHER DATA - In 2005, Renault claimed their first Constructors' title. In the same year, last race in Formula 1 for BAR, Minardi and Jordan. In 2006, 91 th and last F1 victory for Michael Schumacher. In 2009 the first double victory in Formula 1 for the Red Bull.

SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT - Designed by Herman Tilke, the 5.451 km track China's long with 16 curves (8 right, 8 left). 56 the laps scheduled for a total of 305.066 km. Pole Position 2010: S. Vettel 1:34.558 (Red Bull-Renault).

News round up from last week till today part 2 :

Jaime Alguersuari signed as Pirelli's test driver alongside Lucas di Grassi (30/03)
Jaime Alguersuari will join Pirelli as one of its test drivers from this year alongside Lucas di Grassi, the Italian company has announced. The Spanish racer was left without a drive for this season after being dropped by Toro Rosso, with which he was expecting to race this year in Formula 1. Alguersuari will join di Grassi at Pirelli's test team, the Italian manufacturer having two permanent test drivers for the first time.
Pirelli will be using a 2010 Renault R30 for its testing programme, which includes four tests at Jerez, Spa, Monza and Barcelona. The tests will be aimed at defining the 2013 range of Pirelli tyres.
"I'm very happy indeed to have this fantastic opportunity," said Alguersuari, who has joined the BBC as a commentator for this year. "A week ago it was my birthday, when I turned 22, and now Pirelli has given me the best possible present.
"I can't wait to get started with this very important and challenging job of developing the new tyres for the future, which I'm looking forward to a lot. I have a huge desire to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car again and return to competition, so this is a brilliant chance for me."

Lucas di Grassi believes Pirelli test job keeps his driving sharp for possible racing seat (30/03)
Lucas di Grassi believes that continuing in his Pirelli test role will keep his driving sharp so that he is ready for a racing return in F1 if the chance arises. The ex-Virgin driver was set to join Peugeot's sportscar programme this year, but was left without a seat when the French marque pulled the plug on its programme. As well as hoping for an F1 shot, he also expects the Pirelli mileage to keep him in the frame for a drive in another category.
"Just driving a car for so much mileage per year is good preparation in case there is an opportunity in F1," sayd di Grassi .
"But even if there isn't an F1 chance, I saw when I tested for Peugeot last year that driving an F1 car keeps you in a good condition if there is a chance to race elsewhere in Le Mans cars, IndyCar or wherever.
"My original plan this year was to race for Peugeot and to continue the development work with Pirelli that I enjoyed last year. It's good to get mileage in an F1 car and it's crucial to keep you in shape. I also learned some more technical skills that I didn't have when racing."

France still working on deal to secure the return of Formula 1 to the country (30/03)
France is closing in on a deal to hold a Formula 1 race again, the country's prime minister said on Friday, but work still needs to be done before a contract can be finalised. During a visit to the Paul Ricard circuit, Francois Fillon said attempts to resurrect the race, which was last held at Magny-Cours in 2008, were progressing but there was still further negotiations needed in terms of finalising financial terms as well as a venue to share the event with.
"It is not possible to organise a grand prix every year [in France]," he was quoted as saying by the local media. "We are working on the idea of organising a grand prix every other year at Castellet [Paul Ricard] and every other year in another country." Fillon said that a provisional deal had been agreed with Bernie Ecclestone, but there was still a gap in the finances of approximately two million Euros between what F1's commercial boss wanted and what race organisers were willing to pay". "The organisers [Formula One Management] have approved F1, but without saying what the other country will be," explained Fillon, amid ongoing speculation that the French GP could alternate with the race in Belgium. "The proposals are quite reasonable, but it is not done yet."
Until the deal is finalised, Fillon explained that no date could be given for when the French GP could be slotted into the calendar - which means the race may not even happen until 2014.
He also made it clear that any French GP plan would not receive financial backing from the government – so must support itself. "The state will give its support, because it must do that, but we will not go any further," he said


Ecclestone: Media ‘made up stories’ over Bahrain Grand Prix (30/03)
Bernie Ecclestone has no doubts about holding Bahrain race . “The problem is people like you who make the concerns not the teams and not the people in Bahrain. Seriously, the press should just be quiet and deal with the facts rather than make up stories.”

Pressure for cancel Bahrain GP increases (01/04)
The pressure on the international automobile federation FIA for the Bahrain Grand Prix to cancel has increased considerably, after a death has occurred over the weekend at a protest was aimed specifically against the holding of the race.On Friday came in several places in Bahrain young people together to demonstrate against the race. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to the young people from drifting apart, but at a demonstration in central Salmabad, just over twenty kilometers from the Bahrain International Circuit, were real bullets fired . The 22-year-old Ahmed Ismail Abdul Samad, who according to eyewitnesses was filming, was hit in the thigh by one of the bullets . He got a here on an arterial hemorrhage( bleeding), which he died of in hospital. This led to new protests on Saturday and Sunday.

Lotus confident it can emerge as third fastest team behind Red Bull and McLaren (02/04)
Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean are ready to emerge as McLaren and Red Bull Racing's main threat for victory, reckon their Lotus team, if the duo can finally enjoy a trouble-free weekend. The Lotus E20 has shown promising potential in the first two races of the year - especially in qualifying – but it has not been able to prove just how good it is in the races yet.
Grosjean retired early on in Australia and Malaysia following crashes, while Raikkonen's form has been hindered by getting knocked out in Q1 at Albert Park and then suffering a gearbox penalty at Sepang.
Those circumstances mean that Lotus does not yet know for definite how quick it is, but trackside operations director Alan Permane has reason to believe that the potential is there for the team to be best of the rest behind the leading two teams.
"It would be nice to have a straightforward race with no penalties, and no crashes from Romain after the first couple of corners," sayd Permane ."I think it is McLaren and Red Bull Racing at the front, and then I think we are there. I know Mercedes were third on the grid in Malaysia, but their race pace is nothing special. "We saw [Nico] Rosberg pit for some new inters in Malaysia when we were racing him, and I thought we were going to be in trouble there. But his pace was then the same, if not worse than ours. Mercedes will get on top of it, but at the moment their race pace isn't a threat.
"And although Ferrari did a great job in the race in Malaysia, if they are going to be qualifying 10th or 12th, while we are third and fifth and a second ahead of them in qualifying, it is going to make a difference. "It will not take them long to improve, and they will throw everything that have got at it, but we have got stuff coming as well ".
"It's going to be a good battle. To be in a development race with them, Red Bull Racing and McLaren – who are proper big boys – means it will take everything we've got to stay with them."

HRT name Cuqurella as technical director (02/04)
HRT have promoted Toni Cuquerella from engineer to technical director. The post has been unoccupied since Geoff Willis left the team in September. Team principal Luiz-Perez Sala said: “Toni Cuquerella has been a key figure in the team since its inception and, above all, in this new stage.
“The transition from the previous project to this one hasn’t been easy and a lot of work has been carried out that without vital figures such as him wouldn’t have been possible. The position of technical director was vacant and the development of the F112 was carried out at the technical office in Munich. “But now, with the car already on the track, it was important to take control and count on someone influential at the head of the technical office. And because of his experience, judgement and knowledge, Toni’s profile fitted in perfectly”.
Cuqurella said: “Until now there was a lot of dispersion from within the technical team and that had its repercussions in the concept and quality of the F112.
“My priority is to solve the current car’s problems to then develop it to its maximum potential, whilst also unifying and expanding the technical department, but I’m confident that we have a good work base and a clear direction to advance and have a good project for the future”.







Kimi Raikkonen sure Lotus just needs better luck to be at front (03/04)
Kimi Raikkonen believes Lotus has what it takes to race at the front this year, even though it has not been able to show that form in the first two grands prix. The new Lotus E20 has shown good flashes of speed in qualifying and the races, but incidents have meant neither Raikkonen nor team-mate Romain Grosjean have yet shown what the car is fully capable of.
Raikkonen though has faith that the potential is there - and that a weekend of no penalties or misfortune will finally allow him to deliver. "I think we've got off to an encouraging start," Raikkonen told the Lotus website about the first two races. "It's been frustrating sometimes with the chassis issues in testing, the qualifying mix-up in Australia and the gearbox change in Malaysia, but we've shown we can deal with any problems and come back stronger.
"It feels like I've never been away; the team has done a good job and I'm working well with them which makes things easier. The car feels good and we clearly have the pace to be at the front; we just need some better luck."
Raikkonen also says he already feels fully at home at Lotus – and that the atmosphere at the Enstone-based team is helping him shine.
"I feel comfortable here which helps me to focus on racing; I guess that's why people seem to think I'm a different person, but I'm just as focused and motivated as before." says Kimi

Pirelli announce tyre options for Bahrain, Spain and Monaco (03/04)
Pirelli have chosen their tyre compounds for the next three races on the F1 calendar.
Teams will have the choice of soft and medium tyres for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will be the first time Pirelli has supplied tyres for an F1 race there.
Pirelli’s options for Spain and Monaco are the same as last year, although the soft and hard compounds are softer than they were 12 months ago.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Our nominations this year are designed to push the envelope of performance, as can be seen from our latest choices.
“Only the super soft tyre is the same compound as last year: the other compounds are softer and therefore faster, designed to encourage closer racing as well as a wider variety of strategies.”

The Tyres will be :
China Soft Medium
Bahrain Soft Medium
Spain Soft Hard
Monaco Super-soft Soft

Schumacher going to coach Mercedes- talents (03/04)
Michael Schumacher has given a job by. The seven-time champion is to work as a mentor with the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team, which this year has the Canadian Robert Wickens, the German Christian Vietoris and Spaniard Roberto Merhi .
Schumacher himself made in 1990 and 1991 part of the talent program of Mercedes. "I have had a lot of my time with the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team. I learned how best to cooperate with the engineers and how in a professional manner handlewith the media ," said the 43-year-old German. "I'm very curious how Christian, Roberto and Robert will develop this year. I'm sure they will have a great time. I've met them in Barcelona and I gave hem some few tips
Wickens, Merhi and Vietoris come from all three this year in the DTM in 1990 and 1991 part of the talent program of
Mercedes. "I have had a lot of my time with the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team. I learned include how best to cooperate with the engineers and how in a professional manner with the media can handle," said the 43-year-old German. "I'm very curious how Christian, Roberto and Robert will develop this year. I'm sure they will have a great time. I've had them here in Barcelona and I gave them few tipsBeing part of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team is something to be very proud of. I will be watching/monitoring their performance this year and wish them success. "Wickens, Merhi and Vietoris come out all three this year in the DTM

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Let me get back on track ( after being distracted by a beautifull ,nice, sexy ,natural looking young woman named .... ) with a News round up from last week till today part 1:

Jenson Button takes blame for crash with Narain Karthikeyan in the Malaysian GP ( 25/03 )
Jenson Button accepted complete blame for the collision with Narain Karthikeyan that cost him a shot at Malaysian Grand Prix victory. The Melbourne winner looked set to emerge in the race lead, ahead of Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, after timing his change to intermediate tyres perfectly at the restart following the red flag.
But while trying to fight back through the cars that had not pitted yet, Button slid into Karthikeyan's HRT and damaged his McLaren's front wing, forcing an extra pitstop. "I was struggling to keep the tyres up temperature and it was totally my fault," Button admitted. "I hit the brakes, I lost the rear. I was struggling to get the car slowed down. I tried to get around the corner but I couldn't do anything but hit him really."
Although Button was the fastest man on the track by some distance for a while later in the race, an additional pitstop as he struggled with his tyres helped consign him to 14th place at the flag.

Felipe Massa says he is not disturbed by Sergio Perez's performance in Malaysia (25/03)
Felipe Massa said that he does not feel under any more pressure at Ferrari as a result of Sergio Perez's second-placed finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Sauber driver Perez, who is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, put race-long pressure on the Italian squad's lead driver Fernando Alonso and eventually finished 2.3 seconds behind to claim the first podium finish of his Formula 1 career. The Mexican finished over 1.5 minutes ahead of the Brazilian. Massa, whose Ferrari deal expires at the end of the year, has not taken a podium finish for 23 races while in the same period Alonso has made the top three on 12 occasions and won twice.
But the Brazilian said after the Malaysian race - in which he finished only 15th - that Perez's performance did not change his situation within Ferrari. "I'm happy for him and for his team, but [how] disturbing [is it for me]? Zero. I'm looking more for myself, my driving, my work," Massa said.
"I'm never looking for the others and whether them doing well is a problem for me or the opposite. I'm not like that. I'm happy for him because he did a great job."

Sauber denies suggestions that Perez was ordered to not attack Alonso in Malaysian GP (25/03)
Peter Sauber has denied any suggestions that Sergio Perez was ordered to not attack Fernando Alonso for victory in Malaysia - because it would prevented engine partner Ferrari taking an important win. Perez was closing in on Alonso for the lead of the race in Sepang when a call came on the radio late on for him to take care. His engineer told him: "Checo, be careful, we need this position, we need this position" . Shortly after that order was made, Perez ran off the track and lost valuable time – which cost him any chance of overhauling Alonso for a shock win. That radio message prompted wild conspiracy theories that Ferrari may have requested Perez to back off to protect Alonso's chances – but Sauber has rubbished such talk. "We told him, be careful – we need the result – because behind us, all of our competitors scored points," Sauber said when asked about the situation. "It was because we needed the result, not the position, so there is some misunderstanding. Behind us our competitors, all the midfield teams, scored points and it was so important that we kept the result not the position."
When asked if there had been any discussion with Ferrari about the situation, Sauber said: "One hundred per cent nothing. We had no discussion about Checo and we had no discussion about the position."

Chairman Adam Parr leaves Williams F1 team (26/03)
The Williams team has announced that chairman Adam Parr will leave the outfit at the end of this week.
Parr, who was seen by team founder Frank Williams as his natural successor, had joined the British outfit in 2006 as chief executive officer. He was promoted to chairman during the 2010 season. On Monday morning, however, Williams announced that Parr will leave the team on March 30. He will be replaced by Nick Rose, ex-CFO of Diageo and currently a Non-Executive Director of WGPH, who will act as non-executive chairman.
Frank Williams will continue to oversee the company.
I asked Adam to join Williams at the end of 2006 to support me in the running of our team," said Frank Williams. "Over five years, Adam's achievements have surpassed my expectations and I must thank him for his service.
"Not least for the decisive role he played in the technical changes made last year which are beginning to show through in the team's improved competitiveness this season, and for leading this company to a successful IPO.
"Adam leaves us on good terms to pursue a better balance in his life for which I wish him and his family well. He has left us in good shape and I have every confidence that the Board and senior management team at Williams will continue to drive the business forward into a promising future." The team did not specify what Parr's next plans were.

Ferrari boss Domenicali vows to protect Massa after difficult start to F1 season (26/03)
Ferrari needs to rally around Felipe Massa in order to lift his performances in future grands prix, according to team principal Stefano Domenicali. Massa finished only 15th in Malaysia on Sunday, more than 95 seconds adrift of his winning team-mate Fernando Alonso. The result extended his streak without a Formula 1 podium to 23 races.
With Ferrari Academy driver Sergio Perez - who has already been linked with a race seat with the Italian team in 2013 - finishing second, the speculation surrounding Massa's future has continued to grow. But Domenicali refused to condemn his driver, instead insisting that it was up to the team to help re-establish the Brazilian's confidence behind the wheel and to improve the F2012 car that he has to drive. 'We need to stay close to Felipe in this moment," he said. "It's a difficult moment and we need to find a way for him to get confident in his car.
"We saw, for example, one step that was in the right direction in qualifying because we saw there was an improvement compared to last weekend. Now we need to understand what happened today in terms of his race pace and in terms of his performance. "In my view the problem is that this car is quite difficult, not easy. It can be very good and it can also be quite difficult. We showed this today that in certain conditions you have to have a certain driving style and you can be very, very good, and in other conditions you can destroy the tyres.
"The priority for me and what I need to make sure is that Felipe has around him the protection of the team that tries to work hard with him. And on our side we need to make sure he's confident to drive the car on the limit, without overdriving it, where the situation could be as bad as not being able to reach the limit."

Stefano Domenicali says Malaysian GP win a boost for Ferrari (26/03)
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali hopes that Fernando Alonso's surprise victory in Malaysia acts as a spur for his team to do even more to develop its car. Although Alonso drove brilliantly to deliver a win at Sepang, the outfit is under no illusions that its F2012 needs to be improved a lot before it is a genuine match for title favourites McLaren and Red Bull.
The team is expected to bring some updates to the next race in China. But its major focus will be on big upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix, with the car set to feature a new sidepod, exhaust and rear bodywork solution.
Domenicali insists that there will be no easing off now that Ferrari has won a race, and if anything it should actually result in an even bigger push from the team. "As you can imagine I'm very happy about the result of today, because considering that we have not been at all happy about the level of our performance, you look at the numbers and we're leading the championship with Fernando, which is really great news," explained Domenicali. "But the result doesn't change what we're doing at home, because we need to improve the performance of this car. And what I urged to my people is to make sure this happens as soon as possible" .

Ferrari is still feeling the burden of its car's lack of pace, despite Malaysia win (27/03)
Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry says the pressure on his team to deliver much-needed improvements to its car has not eased, despite Fernando Alonso's victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Alonso's success at Sepang on Sunday has lifted him to the head of the world championship standings after the opening two races of the campaign. But despite the encouragement that comes from the situation the team is in now, Fry says there is no escaping the reality that the outfit must deliver big gains in performance if is to launch a serious world championship bid with its troublesome F2012.
"I think the pressure is on the team to try and get the car performing," said Fry, who is working on a raft of updates to the car that should be ready for the Spanish Grand Prix. "Here [in Malaysia], if anything, we had to do the best we could to make the most of the situation. In these situations our car is quite reasonable. But if it had been a completely dry race it would have been a totally different story." Ferrari's rivals know that the weather did play a major part in allowing Alonso to overcome the current deficiencies in his car, but they concede that tyre factors do appear to be helping Ferrari as well.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali says Massa's poor start to 2012 can be overcome (28/03)
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali says Felipe Massa's performance during the 2008 season should act as a reminder that the Brazilian's poor start to 2012 can be overcome. Massa failed to score a point in the first two races of 2008, but then went on to fight for the title until the final grand prix of the season, where he lost out to Lewis Hamilton by just one point.
The Ferrari driver has not been on the podium since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and he has endured a tough start to the season, having not scored any points yet to his team-mate Fernando Alonso's 35.
Massa has decided to cancel a trip home after the Malaysian Grand Prix in order to travel to Ferrari's factory in Maranello to try to get to the bottom of his problems. Domenicali said the Brazilian needs the support of the team, as is convinced Massa is still capable of much more. "I well remember that, four years ago, in fact right after a Malaysian Grand Prix, which was won for us by Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe was more or less in the same situation as today," said Domenicali on Ferrari's website. "The papers were demanding his immediate replacement and he managed to react in the best way possible, thanks to support from the team, which saw him win two of the next three races.
"We remember how that particular season ended, with the Brazilian actually world champion, even if it was just for a few seconds, while we took our 16th constructors' title.
"Felipe has changed his plans and, instead of heading home to see his family in Brazil, he will be in Maranello tomorrow to work alongside the engineers to calmly analyse everything that happened in these past two races, trying to identify why he was not able to deliver what he is capable of. "That's the right spirit and we are here, ready to help him."

France moves closer to return to Formula 1 calendar (29/03)
The French Grand Prix's return to the Formula 1 calendar is expected to move a step closer on Friday, with the country's Prime Minister Francois Fillon planning to make an announcement at Paul Ricard about the event. On the back of months of talks about a return of the French GP, which has been absent from the F1 schedule since 2008, media have been invited to the circuit in the south of France for a press conference to talk about the future of the race. Fillon will be joined by Hubert Falco, president of the local Toulon province .Although it is not clear how far advanced the negotiations are, there is mounting speculation that Fillon will announce that France is now ready to host an F1 race again as soon as next season.
Any deal that may have been agreed with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone would need ratification by the FIA later this year when the 2013 calendar is announced, but this would likely be a formality.
Paul Ricard last hosted an F1 race in 1990, before the French GP moved to Magny-Cours. Financial problems in funding the race fee meant that the event dropped off the calendar in 2009.

Felipe Massa admits difficult start to F1 season has hurt (29/03)
Felipe Massa has admitted that his difficult start to the season has 'hurt', but he has full faith that he will turn his situation around. The Brazilian cancelled plans to return home after the Malaysian Grand Prix so he could spend time this week at Ferrari's factory, to undertake a detailed analysis of the first two races. And after running through matters with race engineer Rob Smedley plus technical director Pat Fry, he wrote on Ferrari's official website on Thursday that he believed there was cause to feel positive about the future.
"I am disappointed, there is no denying it: not scoring any points in two races hurts, but now it's time to turn the page," he said." It's the not the first time I've gone through a difficult moment like this and I know well that things can change quickly, but now is the moment to do my utmost because I want this negative period to come to an end.
"I want things to return to normal, to a situation in which I can show my talent as I have always done and as the team knows I can do."
Massa says he has also been boosted thanks to the support of his Ferrari bosses, who have spoken in public about their support for him. "I was very happy to read and hear what was said by President Montezemolo, our boss Stefano Domenicali and my team-mate Fernando," he explained. "Their words did not come as a surprise, because I know I can count on the support of what is a real second family for me, which is what Ferrari has been to me for all these years.
"I feel there is confidence around me, that the team is united in its support for me and that is very important. Now I want to transform that into results to pay back all this support."
Massa will spend the weekend at his apartment in Monaco before returning to Maranello next week for further engineering meetings and to spend time in the simulator.


Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Jack Brabham 2nd April 1926
(F1 World Champion 1959,1960,1966)
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Happy Birthday to your 86th anniversary

Marc Gené 29th March 1974
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Happy Birthday to your 38th anniversary

SEPANG sensation Sergio Perez has poured cold water on rumours he is set for a shock switch to Ferrari – but that won't stop the speculation.

The 22-year-old Mexican, a product of Ferrari's young driver academy, relentlessly stalked winner Fernando Alonso before finishing a close second in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

He looked set to leapfrog Alonso until a dubious late race call from his Sauber team, who get their engines from... Ferrari.

Perez, known as Checo, was told: "We need the position."

Many F1 fans interpreted that as a coded signal to let Alonso win unchallenged , though Sauber chiefs fiercely deny it.

But after Perez recorded the team's best-ever result, there was instant speculation he could be parachuted into Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa, who had yet another wretched race in Sepang.

Perez dismissed the talk as "only rumours". [Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig][Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]


Alonso with a dirty victory and Perez with a lie !???

I don´t know but the pressure on Massa is not less in the next race !

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Fri 13 April 2012
Practice 1 10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2 14:00 - 15:30
Sat 14 April 2012
Practice 3 11:00 - 12:00
Qualifying 14:00
Sun 15 April 2012
Race 15:00

27/03/1971 david coulthard former scottish f1 driver
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