Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

What was before is this the prelude! But in Sunday begins the real race! Which excludes any accidents and surprises! Let the best win!

Nick Heidfeld 10th May 1977
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Happy Birthday to your 35th anniversary

On this day in 1982: Gilles Villeneuve killed at Zolder
1982 Belgian Grand Prix flashback , Final Part :

Villeneuve’s legacy :
F1 lost the most popular driver of the day on May 8th, 1982. Villeneuve lived for racing, was revered by fans and loved by many journalists who found his plain-spoken style a refreshing antidote to the caustic political environment in early-eighties Formula 1. The terrible circumstances of his death and the events of Imola two weeks earlier meant he was deified after the crash that claimed his life. The number 27, which his Ferrari bore for 19 of his 67 race starts, became a frequent sights on flags and banners at F1 tracks around the world in the years that followed.
Even Enzo Ferrari admitted the effect Villeneuve had on the Ferrari brand: “He made Ferrari a household name and I was very fond of him,” he wrote. Over 5,000 people attended his funeral, including the prime minister of Canada.

The cause of the crash :
Inevitably, some sought out a scapegoat for the crash and blamed Mass – though others were quick to defend the March driver. “I was going down the middle of a straight and saw Villeneuve in my mirror coming up,” was Mass’s account of the crash. “I moved right to let him through, but he came in on the right as well. He touched my right rear wheel and somersaulted.”
Cooler heads divided the blame between both drivers. Niki Lauda saw the accident as follows: “To my mind, when you are coming in, you should either edge out towards the grass verge or clearly adhere to the ideal line, so the the driver coming up behind you knows what’s what. Moving over at the last moment simply takes the man behind by surprise.
“I don’t think Jochen Mass did the right thing but, having said this, I must say that Villeneuve was perhaps the only driver around who would have chosen the risky option of overtaking a slower car going flat out off the ideal line.”
The sport’s governing body FISA saw things differently in a statement issued 13 days after the crash: “The cause of the accident was attributed to driver error on the part of Gilles Villeneuve. No blame is attached to Jochen Mass.”
A hue and cry went up for qualifying tyres to be banned. Villeneuve himself had spoken out against them in the past, and warned of the risks involved in trying to set a fast time on a busy track with two sets of tyres which were only good for one lap. FISA initially appeared to go along with this view, stating: “The enquiry calls for immediate action to reduce the risks posed by qualifying tyres.” But qualifying tyres remained in use during subsequent seasons with multiple tyre suppliers, and were still in use in 1991. In that time there was no repeat of the accident that befell Villeneuve. So how were repeat accidents avoided? Had there been too many cars on too short a track at Zolder? The circuit was longer than most on the 1982 schedule and 30-car qualifying fields were commonplace in the eighties, so we can discount that too. Nor did the performance of the slowest cars relative to the front-runners improve. Mass’s qualifying time was only 5.4% slower than the pole sitter’s – two years later at the same track the back row were over 7% slower.
The narrowness of Zolder was a contributing factor, and the track only held one more F1 race after 1982. Other tracks have had blind crests and corners eased, and new, wider circuits were built with better sight lines.
Better pit-to-car radio communication has also played a role: listen to the team radio channel during a qualifying session today or watch McLaren’s Pitwall transcript on their website and you’ll see how drivers are fed information about the cars around them.



Car and driver safety
Car and driver safety
One week after Villeneuve’s crash, IndyCar racer Gordon Smiley lost his life in a ferocious crash during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. A month later, Riccardo Paletti was killed in a start-line accident at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Later in the F1 season, crashes involving Arnoux at Zandvoort and Mass and Mauro Baldi at Paul Ricard put spectators’ safety at risk. The spotlight turned to the high cornering speeds created by the cars using skirts (such as those on the Renault RE30B, pictured) to create ‘ground effect’, sucking the cars down onto the track.
After the 1982 season, both F1 and IndyCar announced ground effect aerodynamics would be banned for 1983. In order to give F1 teams time to redesign their cars, the South African Grand Prix was moved from the beginning of the new season to the end. Regulations changes and advancements in car design improved the chances of drivers surviving similar accidents in the future. McLaren had introduced all-carbon-fibre construction the year before which offered improved chassis rigidity which benefited performance and safety.
Ferrari were working to catch up and the Harvey Postlethwaite-designed 126C2 raced in 1982 used Nomex honeycomb wrapped around carbon fibre bulkheads. Following the crash Ferrari impact-tested another of the cars plus a 1981 126CK to understand how the structure had deformed. At the Hockenheimring Pironi suffered a similar aerial accident to Villeneuve’s but, crucially, landed with the rear of the car first. He survived the crash, but suffered horrific leg injuries and never raced in F1 again.
By 1983 Ferrari had their own autoclave at Maranello for building a full carbon-fibre chassis. This was used for the 126C3, introduced at that year’s British Grand Prix. While all-carbon-fibre construction became the norm in car design, the sport’s governing body raised safety requirements including requiring the drivers’ feet to extend no further than the front wheel axis.
Villeneuve paid the price for a split-second misjudgement with his life. Today there are several reasons why that error would not happen to begin with, and several further chances to save a driver’s life in the event their car is launched into the air. Mark Webber’s escape from injury in a violent aerial crash at Valencia two years ago demonstrated the progress that has been made.

R.I.P Gilles Villeneuve

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

On this day in 1982: Gilles Villeneuve killed at Zolder
1982 Belgian Grand Prix flashback , Part 2 :

Villeneuve’s crash
Another driver was feeling the urge to beat his team mate much more keenly. Villeneuve had been infuriated by Didier Pironi’s duplicity at Imola two weeks earlier, stealing victory when Ferrari had instructed them to hold position while Villeneuve led. With just over ten minutes left in qualifying, Villeneuve handed his engineer the paper scroll of lap times which had told him Pironi’s 1’16.501 was a tenth of a second quicker than his best. He left the pits with his last set of super-sticky qualifying tyres. As he flashed past at the end of his flying lap, engineer Mauro Forghieri signalled him to return to the pits. With no onboard lap timing, Villeneuve could not be certain that he had failed to beat Pironi’s time, but he probably guessed it. At any rate, he continued to drive flat-out on his way back to the pits – because that was the way he always drove. As he accelerated Terlamenbocht, he was catching the March of the experienced Jochen Mass. Mass was also returning to the pits, but had backed off. He saw the Ferrari coming and pulled right, off the racing line. But Villeneuve had already committed to passing him on the same side, and he slammed into Mass’s right-rear wheel at around 225kph (140mph). The Ferrari reared up into the air, flipped over, and crashed nose-first into the ground. Its nose penetrated the soft earth and the front of the car was wrenched off with enough force to tear Villeneuve’s helmet from his head and throw him driver across the circuit. Mass swerved left as the Ferrari cartwheeled back across the track in front of him, then came to a stop and ran to Villeneuve’s aid. The appalling scene was captured live on television screens, Motorsport magazine’s Denis Jenkinson recalled the circuit commentator “became so hysterical it was sickening”.
The session was stopped and a medical vehicle arrived moments later, followed by Professor Sid Watkins. Villeneuve was rushed to the University St Raphael Hospital in Louvain where he was found to have a fatal neck fracture at the base of his skull. At 12 minutes past nine that evening, seven hours and 20 minutes since the wrecked Ferrari came to a rest, Villeneuve was pronounced dead. The world of motor racing went into shock. It had lost one of its greatest stars.

1982 Belgian Grand Prix grid :
Row 1
1. Alain Prost 1’15.701
Renault
2. Rene Arnoux 1’15.730
Renault
Row 2
3. Keke Rosberg 1’15.847
Williams-Ford
4. Niki Lauda 1’16.049
McLaren-Ford
Row 3
5. Michele Alboreto 1’16.308
Tyrrell-Ford
6. Andrea de Cesaris 1’16.575
Alfa Romeo
Row 4
7. Nigel Mansell 1’16.944
Lotus-Ford
8. Nelson Piquet 1’17.124
Brabham-BMW
Row 5
9. Riccardo Patrese 1’17.126
Brabham-BMW
10. John Watson 1’17.144
McLaren-Ford
Row 6
11. Elio de Angelis 1’17.762
Lotus-Ford
12. Manfred Winkelhock 1’17.879
ATS-Ford
Row 7
13. Derek Daly 1’18.194
Williams-Ford
14. Eddie Cheever 1’18.301
Ligier-Matra
Row 8
15. Bruno Giacomelli 1’18.371
Alfa Romeo
16. Jean-Pierre Jarier 1’18.403
Osella-Ford
Row 9
17. Jacques Laffite 1’18.565
Ligier-Matra
18. Eliseo Salazar 1’18.967
ATS-Ford
Row 10
19. Derek Warwick 1’18.985
Toleman-Hart
20. Brian Henton 1’19.150
Tyrrell-Ford
Row 11
21. Teo Fabi 1’19.300
Toleman-Hart
22. Marc Surer 1’19.584
Arrows-Ford
Row 12
23. Chico Serra 1’19.598
Fittipaldi-Ford
24. Raul Boesel 1’19.621
March-Ford
Row 13
25. Jochen Mass 1’19.777
March-Ford
26. Mauro Baldi 1’19.815
Arrows-Ford

Withdrawn:
Didier Pironi, Ferrari – 1’16.501
Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari – 1’16.616

Did not pre-qualify:
Riccardo Paletti, Osella-Ford – 1’21.784
Emilio de Villota, March-Ford – 1’22.879

Race day
Villeneuve’s death cast a dark shadow over the race weekend and few of the drivers were keen to embark on 70 laps of the circuit. “The fact of having seen him on the ground after the accident troubled and shocked me deeply,” said Prost. “He had a lot of luck in his accidents and one thought nothing could happen to him, which made what happened a greater shock.” Aside from the gap where the Ferrari transporters had been, there was nothing to signify the tragic events of the day before. Jo Ramirez, who was with Theodore at the time, recalled the day in his autobiography: “One of the best racing drivers of the last six years, if not the best, had been killed and yet there was no acknowledgement of it on race day – no minute of silence, no space on the grid, no mention of his name.”
“It was really sad, as if the world hadn’t noticed his absence, and I felt it was dreadfully wrong,” he added.
The Formula Ford 2000 series was one of the day’s support races. Ayrton Senna, whose own death 12 years later rocked the sport in much the same way, started from pole position and led convincingly before retiring.
Renault hit trouble
Had it not been for the dreadful developments on Saturday, the weekend might instead be remembered for a close race that was only decided in the final laps. Rene Arnoux assumed the lead from Rosberg as Prost slipped back to third. But, running true to their 1982 form, the Renault threat faded quickly. Arnoux’s engine faltered on lap four, letting Rosberg by into the lead. He was out soon after, and Prost followed him after dropping further down the order.
Zolder’s narrow start/finish straight had produced predictable chaos at the start. When Nigel Mansell’s clutch failed a crash was almost inevitable. Bruno Giacomelli and Eliseo Salazar collided trying to avoid the Lotus and were out on the spot. Salazar’s retirement meant ATS’s involvement in the race ended on the first lap – team mate Manfred Winkelhock failed to get off the line with clutch failure. Mansell made a charging start to the race before his clutch gave up for good on lap ten – though it probably only spared him being disqualified for a push-start.
Up front Rosberg was leading Niki Lauda, who had Andrea de Cesaris in close attendance. He held the Alfa Romeo driver back until the 30th tour, when they came up to lap Chico Serra.
The Fittipaldi driver spun in front of them and as Lauda braked hard to avoid him, de Cesaris nipped by into second. It was a reversal of the situation in Long Beach, where Lauda had taken advantage of de Cesaris being delayed by a backmarker to take the lead. But just four laps later the Alfa’s transmission failed and Lauda was back into second.
Watson hunts down Rosberg
Meanwhile the other McLaren of John Watson had passed Riccardo Patrese’s Brabham and was up into third place. As Lauda began to struggle with his tyres Watson took advantage, passing his team mate for second at the first corner on lap 47. Rosberg looked on course for his maiden F1 win. But he too was beginning to struggle with his tyres, and Watson gradually reeled him in. He paused briefly in his charge when he spotted Daly’s spun Williams and mistook it for Rosberg’s car, before the pit wall urged him to resume the chase. With three laps to go the McLaren was shadowing the Williams. As they headed into the hairpin on the 68th lap Rosberg braked later and deeper than his tyres could stand and the Williams slithered wide. Watson was through in a flash. Two laps later he brought his car home to score McLaren’s second win in a row – the team having missed the Imola race. But Lauda’s third-placed car was found to be 2kg under the minimum weight limit, and he was disqualified. The team had cut it very fine – Watson’s car was only legal by 1kg.
That promoted Eddie Cheever to third place. His bulky Ligier JS17B had no problem satisfying the scrutineers – it was a whopping 32kg over the minimum limit. Team mate Jacques Laffite had flown to Clermont-Ferrand on Friday after practice to conduct testing on the new JS19. Elio de Angelis moved up to fourth ahead of Nelson Piquet. Serra collected his one and only point for sixth place.
Marc Surer, who had returned from injury for Arrows, was seventh, with Raul Boesel’s March and Laffite the only other runners. Mass had been running in seventh when his engine died with ten laps to go.

1982 Belgian Grand Prix result :
1 :John Watson : McLaren-Ford : 1:35’41.995
2 : Keke Rosberg : Williams-Ford : + 7.268
3 : Eddie Cheever : Ligier-Matra : +1 lap
4 : Elio de Angelis : Lotus-Ford : +2 laps
5 : Nelson Piquet : Brabham-BMW : +3 laps
6 : Chico Serra : Fittipaldi-Ford : +3 laps
7 : Marc Surer : Arrows-Ford : +4 laps
8 : Raul Boesel : March-Ford : +4 laps
9 :Jacques Laffite : Ligier-Matra : +4 laps

Not classified :
Niki Lauda : McLaren-Ford : Disqualified
Derek Daly : Williams-Ford : Spun off
Jochen Mass : March-Ford : Engine
Alain Prost : Renault : Spun off
Riccardo Patrese : Brabham-BMW : Spun off
Mauro Baldi : Arrows-Ford : Throttle
Jean-Pierre : Jarier Osella-Ford : Broken wing
Andrea de Cesaris : Alfa Romeo : Gearbox
Brian Henton : Tyrrell-Ford : Engine
Michele Alboreto : Tyrrell-Ford : Engine
Derek Warwick : Toleman-Hart : Transmission
Teo Fabi : Toleman-Hart : Brakes
Nigel Mansell : Lotus-Ford : Clutch
Rene Arnoux : Renault : Turbo
Manfred Winkelhock : ATS-Ford : Clutch
Bruno Giacomelli : Alfa Romeo : Collision
Eliseo Salazar : ATS-Ford : Collision

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News : 30 Years Ago Today :

Jacques Villeneuve leads tribute to Gilles at the wheel of his Ferrari
The 30th anniversary of the death of Gilles Villeneuve was commemorated today at the Fiorano circuit.
His son Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, took Gilles’ 1979 312T4 out on the track for a demonstration run.
The car was of the same type used by Villeneuve to finish second in the 1979 world championship behind Ferrari team mate Jody Scheckter. Also present were Villeneuve’s widow Joann and daughter Melanie, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and vice president Piero Ferrari, drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, managing director Amadeo Felisa and former technical director Mauro Forghieri. Villeneuve’s first two starts in a 312T4 produced wins at Kyalami and Long Beach. He ended the season with a third win at Watkins Glen, and had two other podium finishes including his famous second at Dijon following a thrilling battle with Rene Arnoux. Afterwards Jacques recalled growing up around his racing father: “The whole family always went to the races and we lived in the motorhome… it was much better than going to school!
“Most of the memories I have are from the race track, sitting down watching the races. So ninety percent of what I remember of my father is him as a driver, not home very often, always on the go and if he wasn’t in a car, then it was a helicopter or a plane. But that seemed normal, he was my father.
“I think I am lucky to be driving at a time when cars are safer, otherwise maybe I’d be dead too, given that like him, by nature, I tend to go always right to the limit.” Asked what his father would have thought of his son’s racing career, Villeneuve said: “He would have been happy, because it was his dream to see me become a racing driver.”
Piero Ferrari said: “Gilles had an aggressive driving style, but was never incorrect in his dealings with his adversaries. Things are very different today, everything is controlled, especially the cars.
“And if today, a driver drives in an aggressive fashion, then he is likely to be slow, because now you need a special driving style to set quick times.”
Mauro Forghieri had this to say about the driver: “He wasn’t taking part in the world championship, he was simply racing in each race and that was it for him.
“He would race with a hastily put-together chassis because, at the time, there were only one hundred and sixty two of us, including commendatore Ferrari and we did not have time to build new cars. These cars were very demanding to drive physically and today, you just could not race with them.”

On this day in 1982: Gilles Villeneuve killed at Zolder
1982 Belgian Grand Prix flashback , Part 1 :

Formula One lost one of its most beloved heroes on this day 30 years ago.
Gilles Villeneuve was killed in a crash during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982.
Villeneuve’s death came in a turbulent and tragic year for the sport which led to wide-ranging safety changes.

Qualifying
It began as a normal weekend in an abnormal year for the sport. Two weeks after more than half the field had boycotted the San Marino Grand Prix, a full entry assembled at the 4.261km (2.648 mile) Zolder circuit.
The previous Belgian Grand Prix had also been struck by tragedy and changes had been made to the pits and paddock as a result. Osella mechanic Giovanni Amadeo was struck by Carlos Reutemann’s Williams in the crowded pits, and died following the race. In response the pit lane had been widened. Reutemann announced his retirement from F1 after losing the world championship in the final round of 1981. He then changed his mind, and returned to Williams for the first two races of the new season. But following the Brazilian round he reconsidered, and returned to retirement. Williams called up Mario Andretti for the Long Beach race but his IndyCar commitments prevented him from continuing with the team.
At Zolder Derek Daly was in the second car alongside Keke Rosberg. Daly had raced for back-of-the-grid single-car entry Theodore at the beginning of the year. Now he was entrusted with giving Williams’ new FW08 its competitive debut.
There was change at Brabham, too, who had returned to BMW turbo power which they last used the first race of the season. BMW demanded the switch, threatening to pull the plug on the project if Brabham did not run their engines at Zolder. The team suffered a string of engine-related problems in practice.
Before qualifying began the field had to be whittled down from 32 cars to 30. As had been the case in every preceding round that year with the exception of under-subscribed Imola, Riccardo Paletti failed to make the cut in his Osella. He was joined by Emilio de Villota (whose daughter Maria is now a test driver for Marussia).
The turbo Renaults were comfortably quickest in qualifying, Alain Prost edging Rene Arnoux for pole position by 29 thousandths of a second. Rosberg delivered on the strong testing promise of the FW08 by setting a time a tenth of a second slower.Niki Lauda, just four races into his comeback and already having won at Long Beach, claimed fourth for McLaren ahead of Michele Alboreto’s Tyrrell. Alboreto was using a different suspension to team mate Brian Henton. But even so the other Tyrrell driver, making his second start for the team, was dismayed by the 2.8s gap between them.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

gilles villeneuve 18/01/1950 08/05/1982
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Gastón Mazzacane 8th May 1975
(Driver In 2000 for Minardi & 2001 for Prost)
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Happy Birthday to your 37th anniversary

08/05/1975 happy birthday to gaston mazzacane argentinian f1 driver
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News Round Up ,Part 3 :

Fernando Alonso says Ferrari must show clear progress at Spanish Grand Prix after Mugello test :
Fernando Alonso says Ferrari 'must' build on a solid week of testing with a step forward in performance at the Spanish Grand Prix if it is to keep its title hopes alive. With the team delivering the first parts of a major update package on the final day of Mugello testing, Alonso says he is under no illusions about the importance of Ferrari's development plans - even though it is too early to judge how much of a step forward it will bring. "We will try to reduce the gap with the leaders at the moment because we were on average eight or nine tenths off the top guys in the first four races between Q1 and Q3," he said. "We need to reduce this immediately if we want to be in the fight for points and the championship.
"In Barcelona, we need to do the first step. We know there is no magic button that in Barcelona we will be on pole position, because everyone will improve their cars as well. But we need to reduce this gap.
"Barcelona has to be the first step, in Canada the second step, and Valencia the third – to be close to them. But the Barcelona one for sure is one of the most important steps that we have to do. We must do it. We cannot be fighting for Q3 if we want to be fighting for the championship." Alonso ran a new exhaust concept and rear bodywork on the final day at Mugello, but has played down the significance of what he tried out - and thinks too much is now being made about exhaust designs. When asked for his feeling on the new exhaust configuration, he said: "Nothing surprising in terms of performance. I think we tried different configurations of exhaust layout and each day we had a different one and different parts on the car. I think it was just to confirm what our thoughts were and what to bring for the next races and for development.
"This year it is not any more important what position you choose [for the exhausts], or how you manage the position. We saw in Australia one of the quickest cars had the lateral exhausts like McLaren, we saw in China two Red Bulls with different [exhaust] positions and we saw in Bahrain, Red Bull with the lateral ones, but the quickest car was Lotus with the straight ones. "So we cannot lose even five minutes on this. There are bigger areas of the car where we need to improve and we try to do it."
What was encouraging for Alonso was the fact that there now appears to be a good correlation between windtunnel figures and Ferrari's track data. "In a way it was a positive week and a positive test, because all the parts we put on, even if they were small in terms of performance, they worked as expected," he said.
"After some problems in the winter and last year, where we brought new parts for testing, six were working and four of them not working, here even if we only brought three or four, all were working as expected.
"So this gives us confidence for Barcelona, of bigger updates and future development. And now it seems we can trust the factory a little bit more."

Alexander Rossi to make F1 debut in practice in Spain :
Alexander Rossi will drive in an F1 race weekend for the first time in the Spanish Grand Prix next week.
The American driver will take Heikki Kovalainen’s placeat Caterham in the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Rossi said: “I am looking forward to getting back into the F1 car in Spain and I want to thank the team for the chance to run in FP1 in Barcelona. “I have a clear goal for the session – make sure I run to the plan set by the engineers, not make any mistakes and learn as much as I can over the whole weekend.”
Rossi previously drove for the team last year – when they were Lotus – in the Young Drivers Test at Abu Dhabi.

Schumacher keeps expectations in check for the Spanish Grand Prix :
Michael Schumacher has warned against high expectations for his Mercedes team at next week's Spanish Grand Prix, despite some encouraging progress made at the Mugello test this week. With Mercedes having shown well at the Circuit de Catalunya in pre-season testing, and its W03 already proven to be a winner, the team is viewed by many as a strong contender for victory at the next race. However, Schumacher is playing down prospects - but says that the team's situation should improve over the forthcoming races thanks to some encouraging feedback from upgrades tested in Mugello. "The positive thing about the test was that we could really concentrate on the developments we were aiming to work on," said Schumacher. "This should give us a good basis for further developments, even if maybe not for the next race to come. "Barcelona is a track we have driven extensively on, and this is why we know that its characteristics do not exactly play fully into our hands. But then, we will definitely go there and try our best and at the same time keep on working for the things to come." Team-mate Nico Rosberg believes that the team could head to Barcelona with slightly more confidence about its competitive situation after the lessons learned from Mugello.
"The test in Mugello this week was very positive for us, and I believe we will arrive in Barcelona with a much better understanding of the tyres and how we need to set our car up," said the German.
"Despite the familiarity of the track, there will still be a lot of work for us to do, and it should be a good challenge.

Raikkonen targets regular podiums for Lotus :
Kimi Raikkonen says Lotus should be able to compete for podium finishes on a regular basis following their two-three finish in Bahrain. Raikkonen said: “I never had any doubts in myself and it is clear we have a good car so in some ways the podium could have come sooner. We had the car already in the first three races to be up there, but we made some small mistakes and it cost us a lot. “I would have been much happier if we had managed to get the victory, but nevertheless it’s a good result and the team deserved it for all their hard work. We have been good in every race so far, so hopefully we will be regular visitors to the podium this season.” Raikkonen has high hopes for the team’s chances in the next race in Spain: “I expect Lotus to be very competitive at Barcelona. It’s going to be very, very close between the top teams.
“This is the only circuit where the teams have already tested with the new cars, and the set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it even more interesting and even tighter at the top.” He did not run in the Mugello test this week but doesn’t expect it will be a problem: “We didn’t have any major new parts to test and we don’t race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn’t test. “I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona.”
Asked about the debate over F1 tyres, Raikkonen said: “No matter what the tyres you always have to make a strategy to suit them best. The tyres are fine for me.
“For the strategy I work with my engineers and we make the best choices we can. Sometimes we get it right, like in Bahrain. Sometimes we get very close, like in Shanghai. “After the race in China and after the qualifying in Bahrain, people probably started thinking that we are idiots and cannot do anything right. But we showed in the race why we did what we did. It was close already in China and this time our strategy paid back very nicely for us.
“It’s all part of racing and the same for everyone.”

Alonso says Massa one of the best drivers in the world :
Fernando Alonso has reiterated his full support for team-mate Felipe Massa and their boss Stefano Domenicali, despite a difficult start to the campaign. With Ferrari's F2012 having fallen short of the team's high expectations, there has been speculation that both Domenicali and Massa could be fighting for their futures if the situation does not improve.
But Alonso is in no doubt that both men are doing an excellent job - and he sees no reason why any thought should be given to change. Writing on his official website in response to questions from fans, Alonso said about Massa: "He's one of the best drivers in the world, and he has shown it during his whole career.
"It's easy to praise when you have a good car but also to criticise when you have a bad one. I lived similar situations during my last stint at Renault, when some of my team-mates were unfairly criticized and now, they are being praised once again." When asked about Domenicali's situation, and whether it would be better to have someone like Flavio Briatore in charge, Alonso said: "Stefano's work is fantastic in every sense and I can't think of anyone better than him.
"As I explained before, it only takes one race to pass from criticism to praise. I'm very good friends with Flavio and we talk frequently. He's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met." Alonso also revealed that he was troubled by severe leg pain at the start of the 2010 campaign. "I think the time I suffered most was at the beginning of last season, when I was suffering from an injury to the sciatic nerve which caused me a lot of pain to the leg towards the end of races," he said.

The President of the FIA, Jean Todt, visits HRT Formula 1 Team’s new facilities :
Today ( 04/05) has been an important day for HRT Formula 1 Team who received the visit of Jean Todt, President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, to its brand new facilities at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. Guided by the team’s CEO, Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, and Team Principal, Luis Pérez-Sala, the head figure of the FIA toured the team’s new facilities. From the management area to the workshop where the mechanics were working on the F112 for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, passing through the administration, operations and engineering areas. Todt also counted with the help of other exceptional guides such as Pedro Martínez de la Rosa, Dani Clos and Ma Qing Hua, who accompanied him during the tour and, once they arrived at the workshop, explained the main upgrades for the race in Barcelona and the work carried out by the team in these brief but intense months.
The President of the FIA attended the Caja Mágica alongside the President of the Spanish Motorsport Federation and Vice-President of the FIA, Carlos Gracia, who already visited the facilities a few days ago and offers great support to the team, and was impressed with the operational facilities. Together with them were the Vice-President of the Spanish Motorsport Federation, Joaquín Verdegay, the President and Vice-President of the RACE, Carmelo Sanz and Andrés Celaya, and the President of the RACC, Sebastià Salvadó.
Also accompanying was Rosario Alessi, President of the FIA Academy, who, along with Jean Todt, is in Madrid to hand the FIA Academy gold medal to His Majesty the King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
Jean Todt, FIA President: "I’m happy to be in Spain today because we are going to give a special award to the King Juan Carlos I. But also because today I’ve got a great opportunity to visit HRT Formula 1 Team’s beautiful and new facilities alongside my friends from the Spanish Motorsport Federation, the RACE and the RACC. The facilities are impressive, modern and functional. You can see that everything is brand new and it will be even better once they’ve spent a couple of months there working. I wish the best for the future of HRT”.
Carlos Gracia, President of the Spanish Motorsport Federation: "It’s the second time I visit the headquarters. I made a brief first visit and the second time round I’ve liked them even more and I’m sure that the third time round it will be even better because this team is doing a fantastic job and are taking giant strides. I think that the facilities are wonderful and that they send an image out of what HRT Formula 1 Team is going to be in the short, medium and long term. It’s important to have the headquarters in Spain and for the team to become more Spanish and hand out opportunities to young mechanics, drivers and engineers from this country. We’re aware that in a Formula 1 team you need to have the best people from the best countries but to have a Spanish base is important looking ahead to the future”.
Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: "We’re very thankful towards Jean Todt for having the courtesy of coming to visit us and we’re delighted to have received him and shown him the new facilities. It was important for him to come and see it personally because on the track all you can see are the cars. You can explain everything that’s behind the scenes but nothing compares to seeing it and experiencing it firsthand to understand the work that is being done. It also gives a chance to explain him the team’s current project and plans to grow in the future. That growth that we’re currently experiencing and will continue to do so is what, with time, will translate into an improvement on the track. I also want to thank the rest of the FIA members, Carlos Gracia and the Spanish Federation, the RACC and the RACE for joining us and I’m very proud that they are also a part of this”.

HRT 'more calm' ahead of Spanish GP after skipping Mugello test :
HRT is approaching its home race in Spain in much calmer state, after spending the time since the Bahrain Grand Prix setting up camp at its new Madrid base, according to team boss Luis Perez-Sala. The Spanish squad elected to skip this week's Mugello test in favour of moving into its new headquarters, and to introduce and upgrade package before the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona. Perez-Sala is confident that HRT will be better prepared for the rest of the season, with performance and reliability being high on the list of priorities.
"After the first four races we're heading into this one with much more calm. We arrive more organized and better prepared after having rested a bit this week," he said.
"We're bringing some updates to Montmelo which we hope will take us one step forwards in terms of performance and reliability." Pedro de la Rosa is also confident that missing the Mugello test was the right thing to do as it gives the team its first opportunity to fully dismantle and reassemble the car since the start of the season.
"Not going to Mugello wasn't an easy decision but it was important to go to the headquarters for the first time and work calmly because it's the first time my car is in Europe," he said.
"For the first time the mechanics have had the time to dismantle the car, build it and assemble it."

Kobayashi upbeat about Sauber updates for the Spanish Grand Prix :
Kamui Kobayashi believes his Sauber team can head to the Spanish Grand Prix with a degree of confidence about its chances on the back of successful upgrades tried out at Mugello this week. The Hinwil-based team has had mixed fortunes in the first four races of the season, but Kobayashi thinks the team can deliver on its full potential at the Circuit de Catalunya. "At the Mugello test I definitely had the feeling our new update to the car is a step forward for us," said the Japanese.
"This is good, of course, but only at the Barcelona circuit will we be able to tell how much of an improvement it really is. Not only because testing never allows for proper comparisons to the competition, but also because the Circuit de Catalunya is special." Sauber's head of track engineering Giampaolo Dall'Ara says that the true benefit of its upgrade is wholly dependent on the amount of progress its rivals have been able to make.
"We tested a major upgrade to the car in Mugello, consisting of a new front wing and new bodywork, including a different exhaust exit and a new diffuser," he said. "The results of the test were encouraging.
"However, all the teams had some upgrades, and only the next race weekend will give us confirmation whether we are able to strengthen our position compared to our competitors. Nevertheless I'm confident that we can have a strong performance in Barcelona."

Webber hopes for repeat of 2010 :
Heading to Round 5 of the 2012 World Championship in Spain, Mark Webber is yet to win a Grand Prix. Having finished fourth in every race so far this season, the Australian now hopes to repeat his Barcelona result of two years ago by leaping back up to the top of the podium. Webber boasts a strong record at the Circuit de Catalunya, having scored two points for Jaguar in 2003 and a front row starting position with Williams two years later. In 2008 came a top five finish for Red Bull, followed by a podium result when Jenson Button won for Brawn GP. However, it was 2010 when he celebrated victory (top). Webber's last podium finish was his 2011 Brazilian victory“It’s the first European race of the season, so it will be all hands on deck after a successful Mugello test,” he says. “It was a tricky start to the test, but it finished off well and we head to Barcelona with good miles on the car and an understanding of some new avenues.
“I like the Barcelona track; we do a lot of (pre-season) work there and it’s a track that’s been good to me in the past. I got pole there for the last two years and converted it to a win in 2010, so I’m looking for a strong weekend. It’s tight amongst the teams, so we’re mindful that we need to get everything right to get a good weekend.”
Ironically, following his quartet of fourth place results so far in 2012, Webber returns to Barcelona after also finishing fourth in the 2011 race there.

Lewis Hamilton believes the Spanish GP battle is wide open :
Lewis Hamilton thinks the battle for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix is wide open, thanks to the unpredictable start to the Formula 1 season. With four different teams having won the opening four grands prix of the season, the former world champion is well aware that no outfit is heading in to the Barcelona event as favourite - even though McLaren has been on the front row at three races this year. "Our performance at Barcelona during winter testing looked promising - but the form of the season is still very hard to read, so it's difficult to predict who'll be at the front next weekend," said Hamilton, who finished a close second behind Sebastian Vettel at the 2011 Spanish GP.
"Nonetheless, we had a great race there last year – I pushed Sebastian [Vettel] all the way to the finish. I think we have a comparatively stronger car this year, so I hope we can have another strong race."
Hamilton's chances of victory last year were hampered by his gear ratio choice - which failed to allow him enough straight-line speed to overtake Vettel in the DRS zone. He believes that overtaking will again be a big challenge this year - which could further complicate tyre strategy and the balance between qualifying form and race pace.
"It'll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year. It's always been a tough place for passing – as I found out last year – but I really hope DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier," he explained.
"I think it's going to be one of the toughest tracks of the year for overtaking, but I'll be hoping for a strong performance in qualifying in order to make it as straightforward as possible in the race."
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh thinks the Barcelona race will provide a more realistic picture of what the formbook will be like over the rest of the campaign - because the conditions will be similar to what can be expected at forthcoming events ". Barcelona should give all the teams a clearer understanding of how the tyres behave in what's likely to be a 'typical' European race climate. But there will still be plenty to learn," he said.

Force India ordered to pay costs in Aerolab court case :
Force India has been ordered to pay £650,000 costs in relation to its legal action against Caterham, Mike Gascoyne and Aerolab over potential copyright infringement. Back in March, the High Court awarded Force India £21,000 in damages after ruling that parts of its 2010 car had been used in the design process of that year's Lotus contender.
However, the judge did not agree with claims that Lotus, as Caterham was formerly known, had 'systematically' copied the Force India car - and instead ruled that the infringements had taken place simply as a short cut in the design process.
In a hearing on Friday, the court ruled that Force India will have to pay Caterham technical chief Mike Gascoyne, who was exonerated of any wrongdoing in the original case, costs on a full indemnity basis from November 2011 and costs on a standard basis before then - which amounts to roughly £400,000.
Furthermore, the 1 Malaysia Racing Team, under which Lotus raced, was awarded costs on a similar basis - but this was estimated to be in the region of £250,000. Force Indisa said its application for permission to appeal "was postponed with a further hearing expected in the coming weeks".
"The appeal relates to the 25,000 Euros of damages that Aerolab and Fondtech were ordered to pay Sahara Force India Formula One Team for misuse of confidential information.
"The interim costs payments awarded to Mr Gascoyne and 1 Malaysia Racing in today's ruling are more than covered by funds already provided by Sahara Force India Formula One Team as security for costs pending the outcome of the case," said a statement.

Horner says he sees no reason why Mark Webber would want to leave amid fresh Ferrari rumours :
Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner says he sees no reason why Mark Webber would want to leave the squad, despite fresh rumours linking the Australian with Ferrari. Webber has been mooted as a potential replacement for Felipe Massa at the Italian team next year - with some rumours suggesting that a deal is already done - but Horner said there had been no movement for 2013 yet, and that he felt Webber would be happy to stay put.
"Every spring seems to be a reciprocal thing that Mark is going to Ferrari," sayd Horner . "He is not wearing red overalls. I think it is inevitable, almost every driver in the pitlane has been linked alongside Fernando [Alonso] next year, but we are focused on ourselves. "Mark enjoys being within the team, he is happy here and we are happy with him. At the relevant time later in the year we will sit down and talk about the future as we have done in previous seasons.
"It's something we will talk about later in the year. I'm not aware of any discussion. I think Mark is happy where he is, he is in a strong position here, but inevitably it's part of this business that there is speculation."
Although Webber has yet to take a podium finish in 2012, his pace relative to Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel has been better than last season, and Horner expects that situation to continue all year.

Alguersuari set for first on-track F1 running as Pirelli test driver :
Jaime Alguersuari will participate in his first on-track Formula 1 running as a Pirelli test driver as the Italian company runs its 2010 Renault R30 for the first time at Jerez this week.
The three day test, which runs from May 7-9, will be aimed at defining the range of 2013 Pirelli tyres. Three further tests are scheduled for Spa, Monza and Barcelona later in the year.
Following its struggles to secure a 2012 test car over the winter, Pirelli has invited teams to send observers to the first running of the R30 in order to ensure no outfit gains an unfair advantage.
Alguersuari, who joined Pirelli alongside Lucas di Grassi in March, said he could not wait to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car again.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News Round Up , Part 2 :

F1 drivers praise Mugello but Petrov says it’s not safe :
F1′s return to Mugello for testing has been praised by many drivers – with the exception of Vitaly Petrov who says the track isn’t safe enough. On Tuesday Mark Webber hailed the circuit as being far more satisfying to drive on than some modern F1 venues: “Did ten dry laps today around Mugello, which is the same as doing 1,000 laps around Abu Dhabi track in terms of satisfaction,” he posted on Twitter. In between runs today Daniel Ricciardo said: “Love driving the beast round here, awesome high speed circuit. Can’t wait to get back in after lunch.”
Sebastian Vettel said: “I’m happy to be here. Unfortunately we don’t have this track on the calendar. It’s an incredible circuit with a lot of high-speed corners. “It’s what you hope for in a Formula One car, because you can really feel the downforce. Once you get into the rhythm it’s really enjoyable.” Nico Rosberg, Bruno Senna and Jean-Eric Vergne also praised the circuit. But Petrov raised concerns about the circuit: “I’m not sure the track is right for today’s F1 cars,” he said yesterday. “You get very close to the walls and it’s maybe a bit small for the cars now, but it’s still a good challenge putting together a quick lap.” He told today: “I don’t think we should have come here. It is not safe and wide enough.”
Unlike most modern F1 venues, Mugello has no tarmac run-off – the track is mainly bordered by grass and gravel traps

Jerome D'Ambrosio convinced of Lotus potential after Mugello test :
Lotus reserve driver Jerome D'Ambrosio says an extremely limited day of running was still enough to convince him of the car's potential. The 26-year-old Belgian took control on the first day of Mugello, but managed just 10 dry laps as torrential rain led to an afternoon washout. D'Ambrosio conceded conditions had been disappointing, but said he was still happy to have time in a car he labelled 'incredible'. "Obviously with the conditions we were very limited in what we could do," he said, "but I could still get a bit out of the day and it is always good to get confident with the car.
"And then I had the feel of the car, which I think is fantastic. I was really limited, but even with 20 laps you know it - we have an incredible car. In terms of stability, how predictable it is, it is very nice to drive." Asked how the Lotus related to the Virgin he drove in 2010, D'Ambrosio added: "You can't really compare – it's in another world. There is a big difference – a very big difference." The Lotus reserve driver added that the rain had proved unwelcome both for him and for Lotus, disrupting the planned programme before Romain Grosjean takes over for the final two days. "Supposing it was going to be dry – and we didn't get anywhere near that – there are things we wanted to try, thing you just don't have time to try on a race weekend. We wanted – we couldn't do it. "The problem was in the afternoon there would have been value in going back out on inters and comparing to the morning, but in the end the condition was just too much rain.
"Of course as a driver you always want to go out, but you're also a professional and if the team doesn't want to go out you don't. The benefits are very limited: if the race was like this it would be stopped straight away. You don't go through these conditions, so there was just no point. "It was definitely [disappointing]. We knew it, and in the end you can't do much about it, but it's disappointing because I should have done about 100 laps in the dry, and I did 20. Not just for me though, there were a few test items we wanted to try."

Fernando Alonso says new Ferrari must produce results now :
Fernando Alonso says a redesigned Ferrari car must give the team a major step forward at the next race in Spain if he is to fight for the title. The double champion, whose car has been uncompetitive so far this year, has this week tested revised rear bodywork, which is part of a major upgrade. "We were on average 0.8-0.9 seconds off the top guys in the first four races," he said. "We need to reduce this immediately if we want to fight for the championship."
Alonso added: "Barcelona is one of the most important steps we have to do. We must do it."
The new bodywork, which also features a revised exhaust position, is just the first step in a series of upgrades due on the Ferrari. New front and rear wings and a revised diffuser are also due for the Spanish Grand Prix on 13-15 May before further changes at the subsequent races in Canada and Valencia. Monaco is between Spain and Canada.
Alonso has won widespread praise for some superb driving that has enabled him to be fifth in the championship, only 10 points off Red Bull's leader Sebastian Vettel, after the first four races, despite having an uncompetitive car.
He has qualified no higher than ninth, having struggled to get into the final top-10 shoot-out in all races, yet he won in mixed conditions in Malaysia and scored points in Australia, China and Bahrain. He said after testing the upgrade at Mugello in Italy: "We know there is no magic button that in Barcelona we will be on pole position because everybody will improve their cars as well, but we need to reduce this gap. "Barcelona has to be the first step, in Canada the second step, Valencia third and then be close to them. "We cannot be fighting for Q3 if we want to be fighting for the championship. "We are curious to see how much we can improve the car and how much the others improve theirs and hopefully our step is bigger." The new Ferrari design makes the rear bodywork, in front of and between the rear wheels, much more tightly waisted than before. It has the benefit of less bodywork obstructing the critical 'coke-bottle' area at the rear, where the bodywork sweeps inwards towards the back of the car.
It also moves the exhaust exits further into the centre of the car, abandoning attempts to gain an aerodynamic benefit from blowing them at the area where the rear wheels meet the floor in an attempt to 'seal' the diffuser and increase downforce. All teams have been exploring different exhaust positions in an attempt to recover performance lost to the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers - last year's must-have technology, where teams boosted downforce by blowing exhaust gases along the rear floor of the cars even when the driver was off the throttle. Alonso said the evidence of the first four races, in which cars with very different exhaust designs have been competitive at different times, suggested continuing to chase this area was a waste of time. "It is not important any more which [exhaust] position you choose and how you manage the position," he said, adding: "I think this year we cannot lose even five minutes on this and there are bigger areas on the car we need to improve and we try to do it." Alonso set the third fastest time on the final day of the Mugello test, despite an excursion off track in the morning which broke the car's front wing.
He ended up 0.328 seconds slower than pace-setter Romain Grosjean of Lotus. They were split by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. Grosjean's fastest time was one minute 21.035 seconds - 0.232secs quicker than Vettel.

Alonso convinced Ferrari an almost perfect team despite struggling to regularly fight for victory :
Fernando Alonso is convinced Ferrari is an almost perfect team despite its failure to produce a car that enables him to fight for victories on a regular basis."I have no doubt. As external factors go, we are by now an almost perfect team," Alonso told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview. Although the two-time champion admitted that pushing his car to the limit was "like walking on a tight rope", he does believe that its recent struggles have made Ferrari much stronger.
"It's like walking on a tight rope at 30 metres above ground, you can never make mistakes," he said. "If you hit a curb in Q1, you're out. Same goes in Q2 if a wheel locks in a turn. But all this makes the team stronger. The mistakes we made in 2010 and 2011 with strategy, pit stops, and driver errors haven't happened anymore.
"That's because the team, by walking on that tight rope, has reached a level of professionalism and confidence higher than you could imagine. The most important thing, the quickest car, is still lacking, but the struggles of these years have made the team improve at double speed compared to a normal year." When asked if Ferrari could win the title without having the strongest car, he said: "Yes." The Spaniard, who is 10 points behind championship leader Sebastian Vettel, says Ferrari has managed to minimise the damage in the first four races of the year, but concedes it must react quickly now the European season begins. He denied, however, that his 2012 title bid would effectively be finished should Ferrari not manage to gain sufficient ground on the leading teams by next week's Spanish Grand Prix.
"We have kind of saved the first four races, but now we must react and take charge," Alonso said. "In any case we never give up. "This is just the first step, we need to consistently make up the gap race after race. If things go bad in Montmelo, it's not like our season is finished." Alonso also reckons his team has been paying the price for the lack of testing in Formula 1, because he says its structure has been based around on-track work.
"We are more penalised than others because Ferrari's development philosophy has always been based on this," he added.

Massa expects Ferrari step in Spain, but admits wins are still far away :
Felipe Massa has backed team-mate Fernando Alonso's view that Ferrari will make a good step forward in form at the Spanish Grand Prix - but thinks it too much to expect its updates to help it fight for victory straightaway.
With a number of developments to the F2012 due to be run by Alonso at Mugello on Thursday, Ferrari should get a first indication of exactly how much progress it will be able to make with its car for the start of the European season.
And with Alonso looking at a top five grid slot, Massa reckons that getting both cars inside the top ten is what he is setting his sights on. "This [both Ferrari's starting in the top ten at Barcelona] is inside my expectation, but we haven't tried all the new parts so we need to see in Barcelona how it will be and how much they improve the car," he said after wrapping up his testing programme in Italy. "Then we can be more realistic, but it is inside my expectations, definitely."
Ferrari's hopes of a step forward very much depend on how much progress it makes over its rivals in delivering more speed from its car – which is why Massa is keeping his ambitions in check. "To close the gap you need to improve much more than the others and they are working and improving," he said. "In three weeks, you see cars improving by two or three tenths, so we need to make a huge step forward. "Definitely it [winning races] is a bit too optimistic but when we have new parts and everything on the car then we can talk better. Without trying the new parts it is difficult to say, but to close the gap to the guys in front and win races is a little bit too optimistic - but we hope."
Although Massa will not get to try out the latest car upgrades before the Spanish GP, he is not too concerned that he will suffer as a result. "It is always better to run the new parts, but the programme was like that for Fernando to try the new exhaust yesterday and for me to try the old one today to do the back-to-back," said the Brazilian.
" We will run some new pieces which are arriving this evening. It won't be everything, as everything will be ready for Barcelona."

F1 team Sauber shifts into "carbon neutral" status :
In a move that will interpreted as an example of either effective green management or shameless greenwash, Formula 1 racing team Sauber has today announced that it has obtained "carbon neutral" status. The Swiss team said that it has signed a deal with UK offset company Carbon Neutral Investments (CNI), which supports a range of emission reduction projects around the world, including wind farms in India, waste heat recovery projects in China, and hydro-electric stations in Brazil. Sauber will purchase credits from these initiatives to cover not only emissions from all its facilities, but also emissions from transportation of freight to race venues and staff travel. It added that it would then also purchase an excess of 30 per cent more carbon offset credits to ensure any emissions that may remain unaccounted for are covered.
The move builds on the team's achievement in gaining ISO 14001 certification for the company's environmental management system in April. "The certification of our environmental management system less than a month ago signified an important step towards our ecological goals and is now followed by a further step with our carbon offset commitment," said Sauber chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn. "The next milestone will be when our solar park goes on stream at the company headquarters in Hinwil this summer." As well as offsetting, Sauber has put in place a carbon cutting policy to keep emissions as low as possible. The team's main building in Hinwil has been supplied by district heating for 20 years, while half of its electricity needs are met by renewable energy sources.

Ferrari begins testing of first step of major upgrade package planned for Spanish Grand Prix :
Ferrari unveiled the first step of its major new upgrade package at Mugello on Thursday, as the team brought in revisions to the exhaust exits and rear bodywork of its F2012. Having made a beleaguered start to its 2012 campaign, Ferrari always planned to use Mugello as the stage in which it would start phasing in significant developments, with further revisions also expected for the Spanish Grand Prix. The very first items appeared late on Wednesday, when Felipe Massa tried out new turning vanes under the nose. On Thursday morning, it was Fernando Alonso's turn to give the first laps to a new rear bodywork structure.Technical consultant Gary Anderson said the changes had the potential to deliver significant gains.
"On the sidepods they've put the exhaust pipes into a more conventional position," explained Anderson. "They are not getting any great degree of benefit, but they’re not getting any negatives either, and I think with a troublesome car that’s the best place to get to.
“Because of the way the letterbox exit for the exhaust was being used for a radiator exit they’ve had to compromise a little. They still have a radiator exit there in the new iteration, but it is much narrower and the coke bottle is much better.
“I think what they have done is a reasonable compromise for where they are. They can exploit it further though by getting rid of the radiator, and I think that will be phase two. “It’s very difficult to quantify the changes in terms of lap time, but I do believe they lost quite a lot of downforce with the letterbox radiator exit system they had. It just isn’t right to feed low speed air from the radiator into an area where you want high-speed flow.
“Potentially you could be looking at two or three tenths from that one change alone."

Sauber rules out double DRS as too expensive :
Sauber is almost certain not to pursue the double-DRS concept pioneered by Mercedes, because of the high costs involved in fitting it to the car.With the Mercedes design, which helps stall the front wing for improved balance and an extra speed boost in qualifying, having been given the all-clear by the FIA, rival teams have been working out if they need to add it to their own cars too.But the relatively limited benefit - believed to be just a few tenths of a second per lap in qualifying – against the high costs of fitting internal piping means that only the big-money teams are likely to pursue it fully. Sauber chief designer Matt Morris said early analysis by his own outfit had left it feeling that it would be better off devoting resources to finding more normal development progress.
"We have done some evaluation on it in the factory, but at the moment it's not really working for us in terms of cost versus performance," sayd Morris ."It doesn't really stack up for us at the moment. And beyond the cost versus performance issue, it's difficult to know exactly the potential benefits and then it's only really useful in qualifying as well.
"It's definitely a few tenths of a second in qualifying, but to get that [benefit] so many parts in the car would have to be changed. That's the problem."Sauber ran with external piping on its C31 during testing at Mugello on Thursday, which prompted speculation that it could have been evaluating the double DRS further.
However, Morris clarified that it was simply measuring aerodynamic forces at the rear of the car.
"We have been running some pressure tappings around the rear, that's what all the pipes were," he said. "It's just pressure measurement, that's all."

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News Round Up, Part 1 :

Barrichello: Massa will have a long career in Formula 1 :
Rubens Barrichello expects close friend Felipe Massa to remain in Formula 1 for many years to come, despite the Ferrari driver's visit to last weekend's IndyCar event in Sao Paulo (30/04 ) fuelling speculation that he could be looking at switching series. Massa is fighting for his F1 future at Ferrari, with he and his team well aware that he must deliver strong results this year if he is to remain with the outfit in 2013. But on the back of scoring just two points in the first four races - 41 less than team-mate Fernando Alonso – there are continued question marks about his position, and the latest speculation is linking Mark Webber with a drive at Ferrari once again. Massa's appearance at the Sao Paulo IndyCar event at the weekend prompted talk that he could follow Barrichello's lead and move to the US-based category – something that has been denied. Barrichello said that he was full of confidence that Massa continued to have a strong future in F1 – and said his visit to Sao Paulo was purely social. "He came here because I invited him," explained Barrichello. "It was a pleasure to receive him."He stayed on the pit wall with the team radio, living a totally different experience compared to F1. And different to what many people think – he was not here looking for a job. This guy will race a lot more in F1."
Barrichello said his conversations with Massa over the weekend did not give him any indication that his fellow Brazilian was worried about his F1 future.

Nico Rosberg says challenge of 2012 Pirelli tyres is great for Formula 1:
Nico Rosberg believes that the challenges being thrown at drivers by the current Formula 1 tyre situation is good news for the sport. The closeness of the field this year has increased the influence of the Pirelli rubber on cars' overall performance. This has resulted in teams' form fluctuating as they work to get the rubber into the right operating window for their cars. The four grands prix so far in 2012 have provided victories for McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, with no team having looked like repeating its success at any other circuit, such has been the vast difference in track conditions at each race. When asked by whether races were becoming too much of a tyre-based lottery based on what has been seen so far this year, Mercedes driver Rosberg said: "No. It's just a very different game.
"We have seen already this year that when you go from one condition to another, one racetrack to another, one temperature to another... different cars are better on the tyres, so there's a very big engineering challenge to understand why, to adapt and to try and be the one to understand the tyres best. That can be a very big key for the season, so we're pushing hard to try and understand that quicker than others. "Personally, I think it's great for the season. We've had four winners in four races, [so it is] all mixed up. It couldn't be better for Formula 1. Also within the races, with the tyre degradation and with lots of overtaking, we've had lots of exciting races."
Rosberg also claimed that the current performance window of the Mercedes, which was dominant in China and off the absolute frontrunning pace elsewhere, was not yet wide enough. "Well we're not the best yet [in that regard], so of course we still need to improve in various areas," he added.
"I think we've progressed a lot recently; we were far off in the first race in Australia and even in the most difficult conditions in Bahrain we were there or thereabouts, beating, for example, McLaren and Ferrari. So we're looking much better, progressing in the right direction. We were the fastest car in China all weekend so we're moving forward very quickly."

Rosberg says test was still valuable for Mercedes despite poor weather :
Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes did manage to make some progress at Mugello on Tuesday(01/05) - despite the terrible weather affecting the opening day of testing. The first proper in-season test for four years was marred by rain, but even so Rosberg thinks that the conditions did allow his team to get a better understanding of extracting performance from their wet weather tyres. "It was good and we learned some valuable things this morning in the wet," said the German during the lunchtime break. "Lately in the wet we weren't that strong. [like] in Malaysia, but we [also] got some dry running in the end and some useful tests there. So we learned something there, which was great and is a good start."
Although Mercedes is targeting a better understanding of tyres as a key element of its challenge going forwards, Rosberg believes it vital that it keeps up a more normal car development process.
"We always have bits and pieces coming for every race, and some things are coming for Barcelona too," he said. "It [in-season development] is an ongoing process and one of the areas where we need to make sure we are strong this year - and we can be strong in that area." Rosberg also reiterated that he did not believe the current debate over tyres in F1, prompted by criticisms about Pirelli by team-mate Michael Schumacher, was worth much thought.
"I don't think it is an issue," he said. "I think it is good. It is a challenge, and a different challenge with tyre management. It is interesting, and it makes the racing interesting, so that is good."

Sauber confirm sponsorship from football team Chelsea :
Sauber have confirmed a new sponsorship deal with English Premier League football club Chelsea. The C31 will race with Chelsea logos from the next round of the world championship in Spain. Team CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said: “A partnership like this between Formula One and Football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies. “In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest – and international – level. The Sauber F1 Team and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas. We are looking forward to exploiting these opportunities, and we congratulate Chelsea on making it to the final of the Champions League.” Sauber dropped hints about the forthcoming deal by running the slogans “Out of the blue” and “True blue” on its cars’ engine covers in the last two races.
The deal will also see Sauber logos displayed on advertising boards at Chelsea’s stadium.

Hembery: Pirelli open to change tyre philosophy if Formula 1 teams want it :
Pirelli boss Paul Hembery says the manufacturer is open to changing its tyre philosophy if Formula 1 teams want it - but insists it has had no indication that there is any unhappiness about its rubber. Speaking at Mugello, Hembery reiterated his belief that the current generation of tyres had helped produce more exciting racing, but said Pirelli was always open to discussion about it's strategy and approach. "We were asked to come up with a certain approach, and that was agreed with teams," Hembery said. "The leader for the teams' views was actually Ross [Brawn], and he told us that Canada 2010 was the model they wanted and that is what we worked on.
"What do we want? One car to disappear into the distance? The public turned away from the sport when that happened, so there was a very clear decision made by the sport to address the racing.
"If the sport decides we are too aggressive we can change though; we can supply tyres that don't degrade and allow you to push, as we did last year when the hard and medium tyres had negative degradation - the loss of performance from the tyre was less than the loss of fuel. "We would [be open to change] for the sport, but its not just the drivers – it's the teams, the promoter. The team principals tend to be quite pragmatic and look at the bigger picture, and I would be very surprised if they asked us to do anything different.
"At the end of the day we do what they want and also the right thing for the sport: it is not us on our own deciding a direction, you have to work together as a partnership."
Asked specifically about Michael Schumacher's criticism of the Pirelli compounds, Hembery said he was sympathetic to the seven-time champion's views. "I can see Michael's frustrations, but it is the sport that asks us," he said. "There is a strange misconception in that drivers don't push. All four winners were pushing and they were also quicker than their team-mates, so it's hard for me to understand that concept.
"We have limited to some extent what they can push but that doesn't mean they don't have an influence: there is no doubt [they count] and that's very important in a sport that should be about the drivers.
"It's hard to please everybody, we accept that. Tomorrow morning we could do something different, but right now that's not really what the majority is asking."

Mark Webber backs tyre impact on Formula 1 show :
Formula 1 drivers should be happy to accept the challenge posed by Pirelli's current generation of tyres because they are helping make the racing more exciting. That is the view of Mark Webber, who reckons that complaints that the high degradation is detracting from the thrill of pushing F1 cars to the limit are not valid.
"Tyres have always been an important part of Formula 1," said the Red Bull Racing driver. "Things were probably a little less punishing in the past to get them right, but now you need to be right there and, if you aren't, it can be quite tricky.
"Everybody has the same stuff to deal with so you have to get on with it. We just drive the cars and do the best job with what we have." The impact of tyres on the racing has become a big talking point after Michael Schumacher criticised the characteristics of Pirelli's rubber after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Webber acknowledges that all drivers would love perfect tyres, but says that the most important consideration should be the entertainment for the fans.
"We would all love to have quicker laptimes and extremely consistent tyres like we did in the old days, but that wasn't the most exciting thing for the racing," he explained. "Trying to find somewhere in the middle is always tricky, but at the moment we have a pretty good show for the crowd. Whether it's by design or not, it's turned out like that."

Raikkonen laps old Nurburgring with Kim Dotcom :
Kimi Raikkonen appears in a new video with controversial businessman Kim Dotcom. The pair and a third driver raced a trio of Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMGs around the Nurburgring Nordschleife for a promotional video.
Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz, is best known for creating file hosting service Megaupload, which was shut down earlier this year following charges of copyright infringement. He said the video was shot over 20 laps of the 20.8km (12.9-mile) track.
It shows Dotcom passing Raikkonen at the end of the lap but he insisted: “I did not win against Kimi. I never could. We had to remove the air from his tires to keep up. And even then it was impossible.” Dotcom calls the video an “homage to the Nurburgring, the CLK DTM and Kimi Raikkonen, one of the best drivers in the world.”
The film, which appeared on YouTube recently, appears to have been shot last year. Raikkonen appears in a Red Bull cap and Dotcom refers to footage from it having being “seized by the FBI during the Megaupload raid” in January.
The Nordschleiefe was last used for an F1 race in 1976 before being dropped on safety grounds following Niki Lauda’s crash in that year’s race. The crash was recently re-created at the circuit by director Ron Howard for his forthcoming film Rush.
be warned the video contains very strong language



Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Ferrari announced the accident suffered by their Spanish driver Fernando Alonso during the 3rd day of tests in Mugello. The Ferrari Twitter profile read, "Fernando running off the track will slow work down today. It will take at least two hours to repair the damage. It's a shame, but these things happen during the tests!"

Here are the times of the 3rd and last day of testing at the Mugello circuit in Italy :

1. Romain Grosjean : Lotus : 1m21.035s laps 66
2. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull : 1m21.267s + 0.232s laps 106
3. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari : 1m21.363s + 0.328s laps 98
4. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso : 1m21.604s + 0.569s laps 117
5. Sergio Perez : Sauber : 1m22.229s + 0.879s laps 118
6. Nico Hulkenberg : Force India : 1m22.325s + 0.975s laps 55
7. Pastor Maldonado : Williams : 1m22.497s + 1.147s laps 63
8. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes : 1m22.579s + 1.229s laps 129
9. Oliver Turvey : McLaren : 1m22.662s + 1.312s laps 99
10. Paul di Resta : Force India : 1m23.002s + 1.652s laps 34
11. Heikki Kovalainen : Caterham : 1m23.169s + 1.819s laps 138
12. Timo Glock : Marussia : 1m23.466s + 2.116s laps 110


Comment of the 3rd day of testing :

Romain Grosjean put the seal on an impressive test at Mugello for his Lotus team by going fastest on the final afternoon.
His best - a 1m21.035s set with two hours of the afternoon to run - was the quickest any driver managed across the three days. The Frenchman had also topped the second day of running at the Italian circuit, Lotus having opted to alter plans and give him both days of testing following the day one washout. Sebastian Vettel's morning best was enough to keep him second for Red Bull, less than one tenth of a second ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had set the early running in a Ferrari featuring revisions to its exhaust exits and rear bodywork, but an hour in he went off and nudged the wall at Turn 12, leading to delays of more than two hours for the Scuderia.Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo closed to within a quarter of a second of Alonso in the afternoon, ending the day fourth fastest. Sergio Perez finished six tenths of a second down the road in fifth, having triggered one of several red flags on the final day when his Sauber stopped on the main straight at the exit of the pitlane. Nico Hulkenberg, taking over from Paul di Resta for the final afternoon, was less than one tenth of a second slower in sixth. Di Resta was initially tucked up behind his Force India stable-mate, but late improvements from Pastor Maldonado, Oliver Turvey and Nico Rosberg forced him down to 10th.
Rosberg (Mercedes) set new bests on his final two tours to jump into eighth, 0.082s behind Maldonado's Williams.
Turvey meanwhile completed a low-key test for McLaren, which opted not to run either of its two race drivers, by finishing ninth ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock. Kovalainen was the busiest driver of the day, completing 138 laps in the Caterham.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News round up will follow this weekend !

Here are the times of the 2nd day of testing at Mugello :

1 Romain Grosjean : Lotus : 1’21.603 laps 97
2 Kamui Kobayashi : Sauber :1’21.603 + 0.000 laps 87
3 Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull : 1’21.825 + 0.222 laps 64
4 Mark Webber : Red Bull : 1’21.997 + 0.394 laps 54
5 Felipe Massa : Ferrari : 1’22.257 + 0.654 laps 106
6 Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso : 1’22.422 + 0.819 laps 65
7 Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso :1’22.588 + 0.985 laps 22
8 Michael Schumacher : Mercedes : 1’23.404 + 1.801 laps 144
9 Charles Pic : Marussia : 1’23.982 + 2.379 laps 46
10 Vitaly Petrov : Caterham : 1’24.312 + 2.709 laps 112
11 Gary Paffett : McLaren : 1’24.480 + 2.877 laps 59
12 Timo Glock : Marussia :1’24.499 + 2.896 laps 37
13 Paul di Resta : Force India : 1’24.749 + 3.146 laps 14
14 Bruno Senna : Williams :1’24.842 100 + 3.239 laps 3.

Comment 2nd day of testing :

Romain Grosjean put Lotus on top as the second morning of in-season testing at Mugello came to a close. In contrast to the torrential weather which blighted the opening day, conditions were dry almost from the outset, allowing teams the chance to catch up with their disrupted programmes. Many therefore opted to run with periscope gauges or various aero sensors rather than chase times. Such priorities would not diminish Grosjean's pace, however, as he pulled clear of the field after barely an hour in and never looked under threat thereafter. He ended the morning on a 1m21.603s.
Mark Webber, in the Red Bull for this morning before handing over to reigning champion Sebastian Vettel for the final day and a half, ended the morning as Grosjean's nearest challenger. Webber had run second for much of the morning, still more than 1.5s adrift of the Frenchman, but in the final hour a medium-tyre run allowed him to close to within four tenths. The pair were the only two to dip below the 1m22s mark. Felipe Massa kept Ferrari near the top by going third fastest, despite a programme which saw him make several low speed runs early on and run with a periscope gauge attached to his roll hoop for almost the duration. Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne ended fourth ahead of Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, with the German managing 74 laps, the most of any driver.
That was in stark contrast to Paul di Resta, who managed just seven laps and failed to set a time in the Force India. The team said an issue with the hydraulics was the most likely cause of its woes, but it remains optimistic of running before the end of the day.The Scot propped up the timesheets as a result, separated from Schumacher by Charles Pic (Marussia), Vitaly Petrov (Caterham), Gary Paffett (McLaren) and Bruno Senna (Williams).

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Ops, I'm late...

Eighteen years ago today, Williams Formula One driver Ayrton Senna died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

The Brazilian, three times F1 World Champion, entered the high-speed Tamburello corner on lap 7, but his Williams car left the track at around 205mph and hit the concrete retaining wall at around 135mph.

He was declared dead hours later at Bologna's Maggiore Hospital, a day after Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger perished during qualifying.

[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

Senna's success in the sport occasionally lifted the darkness which loomed over his country during impoverished times. Three days of national mourning were declared after he died, and an estimated three million people flocked to the streets of his hometown of São Paulo to pay their respects.

Aged 34 when he passed away, Senna's legacy and life-story is one of the most colourful in any sport. He was immortalised outside of Brazil courtesy of Asif Kapadia's superb 2010 documentary.