http://www.thef1times.com Catch up on all F1 news, here at TheF1Times.com's RSS Feed! 1 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06014http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06014Thu, 17 May 2012 22:38:01 GMTWilliams will be delighted to be back to winning ways but the question is, what was the biggest contributing factor to their victory? There is no doubt the new appointments and restructuring at Williams have had a positive impact on the team, and have moved them forward. On the other side of the equation the nature of the 2012 season with the ban of the exhaust blown diffusers, and the challenging Pirelli tyres have really opened up the field, and given midfield teams an opportunity to usurp the big guns. So what was the biggest factor? Or was it a combination of both? In any case huge credit has to be given to the whole team. The car worked brilliantly in Spain and they got the most out of the tyres, whilst others didn’t. Nothing can take away from the fact that the race was won on pure merit. There is no doubt that the FW34 is far superior to the FW33, which scored a miserable five points in the 2011 championship. The appointment of Mike Coughlan as technical director is clearly an inspired move. He may be most famous for spygate but look beyond that and he is an extremely talented engineer. He has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to Williams after working for the likes of McLaren, Tyrell and Ferrari in the past. Coughlan, an inspired hiring along with Gillan and Somerville (© Williams, LAT Photographic). The role of Technical Director didn’t suit Sam Michael's (now Sporting Director at McLaren) main strengths and it was said that he was doing far too many jobs within the team. With the appointment of Coughlan plus Mark Gillan (Chief Operations officer) and Jason Somerville (head of Aerodynamics) the team has more brainpower, a better structure, is far more efficient and working together better as a unit. You perhaps wonder why Williams didn’t make these major changes sooner. Having the right people in the senior positions is vitally important, as proven at the teams Ross Brawn and Adrian Newey have worked for as an example. Gillan spoke pre-season to Autosport about the effect Coughlan has had on the team: "Firstly, we had to deal with the situation of the team and he is a clear, no-nonsense engineer who gives a very clear direction of where he wants to take the team technically. That is very welcome from my side." He added: "And he has given very clear direction in areas of the car to make certain technical innovations. Everybody knows where we want to go, there are clear metrics in place to judge how well we are getting there." The team have also switched to Renault engines, which has given them more power and better fuel consumption. They have also refined their innovative gearbox, which they pioneered last season. Williams have had success with KERS outside of F1 (© Williams, LAT Photographic). Williams' activities outside of F1, including Williams hybrid power, have brought funds to the company which in turn has put the team in a better position financially despite the loss of some key sponsors. This will only help the team further when it comes to competing with the big teams. Back in March Williams announced a profit for the fourth year running. Ex-chairman Adam Parr told Reuters: "I am very satisfied with what we have done overall with the business. "I think this is the fourth year in a row that we have produced a profit. We have paid off our debt and built up our financial strength. We've been able to invest in the F1 business and new businesses." Thanks to all these factors Williams have significantly closed the gap to the frontrunners. In normal circumstances this is now a car which is at least at the front of the midfield and able to challenge the big guns from time to time. However so far the 2012 season has not been particularly normal, and a couple of circumstances have led to the form book being ripped up, and contributed to giving Williams their big chance in Spain. First of all the ban of the blown diffuser has taken a big advantage away from the top teams. A couple of the front runners were gaining up to a second per lap from the innovation. Furthermore this is the fourth year of the current aerodynamic regulations which were introduced back in 2009. The disappointing FW33 now just a distant memory (© Williams, LAT Photographic). When you have reasonably stable regulations for this period of time it’s normal to see the time covering the teams close up. The banning of the blown diffuser has further exaggerated that trend this year. Of course the biggest factor of all is the tyres. Pirelli made alterations to their tyres this year, and the simple truth is that all the teams are struggling to understand them. With the grid much tighter this season the tyres have been shaking up the competitive order much more, and good strategy has become even more critical. The key to making them work is getting them in what seems to be a very narrow operating window. If you don’t manage to do that then you are going to have a tough weekend. The challenge for the teams is to develop their cars to widen that operating window. Already this year we have seen teams quick in Friday practice, but then a change in temperature on race day has suddenly seen the pace drop away. Teams like Lotus, McLaren and Red Bull are performing better when the track temperature is boiling hot. The likes of Sauber and Mercedes are finding good performance in cooler track temperatures. Getting the most out of the tyres has become the key decider this year to who will come out on top. This has become as important, if not more, than simply who has the best car on a particular weekend. Tyres have become the determining factor in 2012, the key is understanding them. Martin Whitmarsh said: "They are challenging and there have been times when they have certainly given up. Bahrain was certainly one of those times, where we weren't in the right window of operation and that affected our performance in the race quite dramatically." He added: "But I think it would be wrong to criticise the tyre. I think you've got to look at you as a team and what the drivers are doing and look at how to manage the situation." Williams simply did a brilliant job of getting the most out of their car and the tyres in Spain. Pastor Maldonado did a great job in both qualifying and the race, whilst the team judged the strategy perfectly. Below par performances from their rivals also helped Williams. In qualifying Lotus looked like they would be favourites for race victory. However the decrease in track temperature on race day took away their edge, and they weren't as competitive as expected. Red Bull thought Mark Webber was safe in qualifying but were wrong and he got knocked out in Q2. Had he got through he could have had a crack at the front row of the grid. Sebastian Vettel ran out of soft tyres by the time he got to Q3. Williams also benefitted from the fact Lewis Hamilton got sent to the back of the grid. Lewis was the only man able to run a two stop strategy. He clearly was very happy with the car and the tyres in Spain and probably would have won had he kept pole. For Mercedes it wasn’t their best weekend mainly due to the lack of long straights at Catalunya and also in part to the track temperature. Processional racing in Spain now a thing of the past thanks to Pirelli? If this was a normal season back in the Bridgestone tyre days, which the teams all understood much better, there is no doubt things wouldn’t be so mixed up. There would most likely have been the usual status quo with the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes being the top teams. However Williams would certainly have been at the front of the midfield not too far behind the big teams. The improvement they have made this season is definitely real. Their improved fortunes aren’t just down to the crazy nature of this championship so far. However it is very important to consider that at the end of the day the rules are the same for everyone as are the Pirelli tyres. It’s up to each individual team to get the most out of them. As Pastor Maldonado told BBC Sport the team have been focusing on the tyres: "We have been working so hard trying to understand these tyres and to develop our car around these tyres. "We did a very good step forward for this race." The rules and regulations of previous seasons are irrelevant. In Spain with the 2012 regulations and tyres they simply did a better job than everyone else. They fully deserve their long awaited return to the top step of the podium. Upgrades centered around tyre wear the key? (© Williams, LAT Photographic) It could be that with Williams’ approach of upgrading the car around the tyres that they may be about to out smarten their opposition. We will soon see as we head to the next few races. The team who understands the tyres the best (and quickest) are very likely to come out on top in 2012. Williams could well be that team. In conclusion it has to be said the tyres and underperformance from a few of their rivals were the main factor that led to Williams’ victory. However the fact that they have closed the gap to the front significantly this year, opened up the opportunity to challenge for victory, on a weekend when they got everything right and others didn’t. There is no doubt that the team have turned a corner, and with the new structure, new personnel and improved finances in place the future is much brighter than it was before. It may not be long before Williams' won't be needing a tyre lottery or faltering rivals to win races. Could that even happen at the next in Monaco? Williams were very quick in the twisty final section in Barcelona which is often an accurate indicator for a strong race in Monaco. Maldonado is also a bit of a Monte-Carlo specialist. Maybe we are about to witness a sensation here. You can follow Daniel Chalmers and The F1 Times on Twitter. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06013http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06013Thu, 17 May 2012 18:02:04 GMTJenson Button admits he's confused by the lack of pace shown by McLaren in Spain, particularly on his side of the garage. The 2009 world champion could only manage 11th, whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton secured pole - which was later taken away from him, putting Button tenth. Despite Hamilton's pace on Saturday, Button believes both cars struggled all weekend. "It was a tough weekend, especially on Sunday," he told the Daily Mail. "The most important thing is to understand why I didn't have any pace over the weekend on low and high fuel. Even if qualifying doesn't go well, normally we can get some good points in the race, but I couldn't look after my tyres and I didn't have any pace. It's something that's a concern. "Yes, Lewis did a fantastic job in qualifying, and the team did well to produce a car like that. In the race you can say Lewis again did a good job by finishing eighth, which he should be happy with, but still the pace isn't there. "It was a worse weekend for me, but if you look at Lewis' pace in the race, I still don't think it's where you would expect us to be." The 32-year-old couldn't fathom why cars which have been behind McLaren in the opening races, were suddenly much quicker in the race. "My fastest lap of the race was 2.6secs slower than the quickest overall, which is just strange, and I don't understand why that is. And it wasn't one end of the car I struggled with, it was both. I've never been in a position like that. It was very extreme. "It's not just us. The Red Bulls did a better job at the weekend than us in terms of points, but still they weren't quick when you compare them to Williams, Sauber, Lotus and Ferrari. Five different teams winning five different races, we really don't know what's going on, and I think that's the same up and down the pit lane."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06012http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06012Thu, 17 May 2012 17:49:31 GMTHeikki Kovalainen: "Monaco's the race everyone in F1 wants to win, and it's not just a famous F1 race, it's one of the biggest annual events in the world. For drivers it's a pretty hardcore race, in and out of the cars, but it's a challenge I really enjoy and racing around the streets is one of the real highlights of being an F1 driver. "On track it's one of the races where the pack bunches up a bit and that might give us a chance to do something special. Last year I finished 14th, one of our higher finishes of the season, so hopefully we can improve on that this year. We have KERS this year and a car that has good race pace, and as our car is slightly easier on the tyres than some of the teams ahead, maybe that will help us achieve a high race finish." Vitaly Petrov: "I’ve raced a lot in Monaco, not just in Formula One. I had a podium there in GP2 when I finished second in 2009, which was good. In F1 I’ve raced there twice. The first time wasn’t so great but last year was pretty good, right up until the point I crashed! That was so disappointing, but I couldn’t avoid it. We had a good strategy and I’d had a good race up to that point, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. Monaco is an unbelievable place though. Normally, between Barcelona and Monaco we have just one week and I’d leave Barcelona on Sunday night and drive to Monaco, because on the Tuesday of the race week we have the football match for the F1 drivers, which is always great. "The track itself is always a little bit dirty at the start of the weekend and it’s quite difficult to get tyre temperatures up during the lap. It’s tricky because the walls are so close. If you make one mistake or have a little bit of oversteer, you don’t even get a chance to correct it - you’re in the wall. It takes quite a bit of mental preparation and you need to be totally focused for every single lap of every session. The race itself? The atmosphere in the race is incredible. It’s just an amazing place to drive a racing car and I really love it." Mark Smith, Caterham F1 Team Technical Director: “Monaco is a unique challenge, for the drivers and the teams. The fact we are in very different garage conditions to normal, and in a cramped paddock, makes it a tough race for the truckies, the mechanics and the engineers, but it is a race we all look forward to and one that everyone wants to do well at. “The short length of the lap and the limited high-speed sections means there is much less difference in lap times than at somewhere like Barcelona. We all use high downforce settings, and we have a specific aero configuration we will use in Monaco and probably Hungary, but the days of cars sprouting all sorts of special wings just for Monaco are behind us. The cars may not look hugely different to how they appeared in Spain, but we do have as much downforce as we can find for the whole weekend in Monte Carlo. “The other challenges are managing the brake cooling and tyre wear. Even though it’s a stop – start lap, the brakes are not put under huge strain as the speeds never get as high as a normal track, but there is a real emphasis on making sure we cool the brakes as efficiently as possible, and that is something we worked on at the Mugello test, so we are happy we have a good solution for that. “For the tyre wear we have planned as well as we can, but we have seen so far this season that until we are actually out on track it’s almost impossible to know which teams will be hard on the tyres and which teams will be able to manage the degradation levels well. We have the soft and the supersoft compounds in Monaco, and if the wear rates on the softs are anything like we saw in Spain, strategy will be critical.” Tony Fernandes, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: "Before looking ahead to Monaco I want to talk about what happened after the race in Spain. We performed well in the race itself - both cars ran faultlessly and Heikki and Vitaly put in strong drives, managing their tyres well and getting as much performance as they could from the cars that afternoon. "After the race I was absolutely delighted for Sir Frank and the whole Williams F1 Team that they won their first race in eight years. Williams is one of the cornerstones of F1 today and Sir Frank and Patrick have served as mentors for me in F1 so I owe them a great deal. When I saw what then happened in their garage I was obviously concerned for the safety of my team and all the people from teams up and down the grid who showed incredible bravery, putting themselves in the middle of a very dangerous situation to help a fellow team. "Since the team returned to base I have received a very gracious communication from Jean Todt, thanking our boys for helping put the fire out on Sunday. The actions of the Williams team, people from our team and everyone else who helped out, stopped the situation escalating and it makes me incredibly proud to be part of a sport that shows such bravery and spirit. For us, teams like Williams set the standards we must reach on track, but we showed on Sunday that when faced we adversity we behave like a championship winning team. That spirit is at the heart of our team and it is what we will call on to keep progressing and keep fighting to emulate the teams ahead."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06011http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06011Thu, 17 May 2012 17:44:10 GMTBruno Senna's seat isn't under threat, according to Williams shareholder Toto Wolff, despite some less than impressive results. Speculation has linked Valtteri Bottas to the Brazilian's seat after Williams confirmed he would replace Senna in 15 first free practice sessions this season, whilst Sir Frank Williams has recently been praising the Finn.  Senna's credentials were further harmed following team-mate Pastor Maldonado's pole position and win on Sunday in Spain, whilst Senna qualified in 18th and failed to finish after a tangle with Michael Schumacher. Wolff though, who holds a 15 per cent stake in the team, rubbished the rumours. "We are not replacing anybody," he told Autosport. "We have contracts with two drivers, and we are supporting our drivers as much as we can and as well as we can. "The decision to take on Bruno and Pastor was a very carefully taken one and we will push on - not do some knee-jerk exercise. "With Valtteri, we are going through a development school and the decision to run him on Fridays was very carefully decided. We are not going to burn him up either by putting him in a situation that we think is not appropriate. So the rumours are rubbish."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06010http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06010Thu, 17 May 2012 17:35:30 GMTPastor Maldonado, on the back of his shock win at the Spanish Grand Prix with Williams last weekend, believes he and the team have what it takes to become the first team to win two races in 2012. The Venezuelan drove brilliantly in Barcelona to beat home favourite Fernando Alonso across the line, and he is certain the pace will be carried over to Monaco where he is aiming to secure his second F1 victory. "All the teams and the championship are so close, but we are getting better and better every time," said Maldonado on Thursday. "We don't have the quickest car but we are doing our best." When asked if victory in Monaco was possible, he replied: "Why not? F1 is changing all the time. It's going to be difficult but we will try again." The 27-year-old has put Williams resurgence down to their hard work last season and the raft of changes within the teams structure, which included hiring former-McLaren designer Mike Coughlan. "We did a great step forward because we changed a lot of things here in the factory, and part of that approach when we get to the track is completely different. "I feel a bit more motivated in the team. A lot of things we are putting together in the team to make a real step forward. "It is not a single part we have changed, we have changed everything. I am really happy to be part of that and to keep pushing."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06009http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06009Thu, 17 May 2012 14:28:33 GMTQ. Kamui, once again you have managed to score ten points for the team. What are your thoughts looking back at the race? Kamui Kobayashi: “The most important thing for us was to have confirmation that our new aero package was working well. It is definitely a step forward. After I had a difficult qualifying because of an hydraulic problem, I had to start ninth. I think the race performance as such was better than my fifth place suggests. Traffic in the race makes it more difficult to handle the tyres. If you looked at Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in qualifying, you could also see it wasn’t an easy job for him to improve positions in the race traffic after he was forced to start last on the grid. Overall I am very happy and proud of what a great job the guys back in the factory did to further develop the car and, of course, what the crew at the race track did.”  Q. Does the Sauber C31-Ferrari’s new aero package deliver what you expected? KK: “Yes, I think we have improved in the areas we wanted to. The car is better balanced through the corners now. In terms of stability I would say it is about the same, but stability always depends a lot on the track conditions.”  Q. You had two super overtaking manoeuvres in Spain. Have you regained confidence in the car? KK: “I think so, I definitely had confidence in the car in Barcelona when overtaking. I also feel with the update we can now handle the tyre management better during the race. We had been a bit weak on that side before.”  Q. How do you think the car can perform on the narrow street circuit of Monaco? KK: “It obviously provides an entirely different challenge than that of the Circuit de Catalunya. In Monaco the car is bouncing on bumps, you have understeer and oversteer when you are driving on the limit and the track doesn’t forgive any mistakes. I think our car will be better in Monaco than it was last year because it has improved in slow corners. In 2011 I finished fifth, so the target should be to finish higher up this year. However, even if you are given the best car in Monaco, in the end a lot is down to the driver to get the ultimate tenths of a second out of it.”  Q. You will be attending the Champions League final of Chelsea FC versus Bayern Munich on Saturday. Have you ever been in a football stadium before for such a big match? KK: “No, I have never seen a match of that level. I only attended some games of lower leagues in Italy. Normally I am not a big fan of watching other sports, as I would rather concentrate on my own training. But now after I have decided to be a supporter of Chelsea FC I am very much looking forward to seeing them play in the stadium. This is professional sport at the highest level and I am getting very excited about going to Munich on Saturday!” Q. What are your targets for the forthcoming races? KK: “We have seen five different winners in five races. So you could say almost everything is possible this year. I believe we have a good car and good chances for good results. The final outcome always depends on a lot of factors. But what you have to do for success is to get every small thing perfectly right over the entire weekend. And this is what I’m aiming athttp://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06008http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06008Wed, 16 May 2012 18:07:17 GMTConor Daly will get his first taste of Formula 1 on Thursday after Force India confirmed the American would conduct straight-line aerodynamic testing for the team. Daly, son of former F1 driver Derek Daly, most recently won the Spanish GP3 race at the weekend for Lotus. The 20-year-old attended the teams Silverstone based factory on Tuesday for a seat fitting. The test will take place on Thursday at the Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06007http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06007Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:11 GMTSauber Group CEO Monisha Kaltenborn has been handed a significant stake in the team, after majority owner and founder Peter Sauber transferred a third of the team to the Indian. Peter Sauber will retain the remaining two thirds after buying the team back from BMW in 2010. "When BMW pulled out of Formula 1 in 2009, Monisha was instrumental in the team's survival and since then she has been doing outstanding work in her capacity as CEO," said Sauber. "Transferring one third of the stake to her represents an important step for me in providing continuity. "My desire is to ensure that the company continues to be led as I would want over the long term. Monisha Kaltenborn and my son Alex, who joined the company as Marketing Director in 2010 and has since also been a member of the Board of Management, both embrace this aim. It means we can offer our employees a positive outlook for the future." Kaltenborn added: "For me this step is a mark of the greatest possible trust, which I will do everything in my power to justify."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06006http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06006Tue, 15 May 2012 20:41:58 GMTMichael Schumacher has come under fire following a poor Spanish GP, but it's dreadful luck rather than poor pace that has been his main issue so far in 2012. Much has been made of the fact that statistically Schumacher has made his worse ever start to a season with only two points to his name so far. However when you look beyond the maths, it’s clear to see that his results don’t reflect his actual form. It would also be a bit rich to criticise Schumacher, when apart from his Chinese GP win, team mate Nico Rosberg isn’t actually having that great a season either. Looking at the season so far the seven time world champion's raw pace has been by far the best it has been since his comeback. In Australia he qualified fourth behind the two McLarens and Romain Grosjean. In Malaysia he qualified a brilliant third and was only 0.172 seconds away from pole position. He then managed third on the grid again in China, which turned into a front row start after Lewis Hamilton's five place grid penalty. Despite this good pace a number of misfortunes have prevented Schumacher from getting the results he deserves. Certainly a couple of podiums have been lost. In Melbourne he was running third keeping Sebastian Vettel behind him until he suffered a gearbox failure. In Malaysia Romain Grosjean touched him on the first lap which resulted in a spin, which put him right down the order. A loose wheel nut in China dashed Schumacher chances of a podium (© Mercedes AMG). In China he was running in second place but after his first pit stop his right wheel nut became loose due to a mistake in the pit stop. We will never know what he could have achieved in that race. Chances are Rosberg may not have had things quite so easy. Bahrain was yet another missed opportunity. Due to an issue with DRS Schumacher failed to make it past Q1. On most tracks DRS can be worth over a second on a qualifying lap and more so for Mercedes with their super-DRS, so had it been working normally there is no doubt Schumacher would have easily made the cut. This was a shame as Mercedes had a car capable of challenging for pole position, and Schumacher had an opportunity for a great result from the front end of the grid. From the back (after a gearbox penalty) he could only climb up to tenth. However this is more due to the nature of the tyres. It’s extremely difficult to race through the field and nurse these difficult Pirelli tyres at the same time. In Spain this weekend from a similar position Lewis Hamilton only managed two places better in what was a very quick car. It’s now very hard to drive from the back to the front due to the delicate nature of the Pirelli tyres. In the circumstances these were both brilliant comeback drives from Hamilton and Schumacher respectively. Schumacher runs in to the back of Senna at the Spanish GP, ending both their races. Ultimately in Spain this weekend Schumacher does have to take a fair amount of blame for his race ending incident with Bruno Senna. However throughout his career he has had racing incidents. It’s always been a bit of a weakness. It should also be said it’s the first real error he has made this year. Unfortunately the subsequent five place penalty at the next race at Monaco couldn’t possibly come at a worse track. Therefore Monaco is likely to prove another race where a great result won’t come even if Michael is quick. Whilst Schumacher’s season might be under the microscope after a lack of results, you have to question Rosberg’s performances so far this year. He may have finally won a race in China and in fairness to him he did drive brilliantly throughout that weekend. However that breakthrough race merely acts as a cover-up for what has otherwise been a series of average race weekends. The victory has helped him escape the criticism, that his team-mate has started facing in the aftermath of the Spanish GP. Rosberg may have won in China, but he's been far from perfect in qualifying (© Mercedes AMG). Rosberg also had a chance to challenge for pole position in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain. It was certainly within the car’s capabilities on those weekends. However in each of those qualifying sessions he made costly errors on the decisive lap. In Sepang he locked up going into the first corner, and went a little bit wide heading onto the long back straight. In Bahrain he tried to take too much speed into the final corner and lost a chunk of time putting him down in fifth place. In terms of the actual races both Australia and Malaysia proved a nightmare for Nico. His races in Bahrain and Spain were solid but you certainly couldn’t call them particularly spectacular. To win the championship you need to perform brilliantly consistently throughout the year, not just at one single event. Plus Rosberg hasn’t suffered the miserable luck that Michael has endured so far. It’s certainly fair to say that Schumacher isn’t the same driver as he was at Benetton and Ferrari. The fact that there is far less testing, and the tyres are no longer tailor made for him, have taken away a couple of the factors that made him so successful. Plus there is of course much stronger opposition than he had back in his Ferrari championship winning days. Schumacher's shown strong pace with third on the grid in China (© Mercedes AMG). However he is still a decent driver. On a weekend where the car is working really well (such as it did in China) and everything goes smoothly, there is no doubt Schumacher can get podiums and win a race or two. He has already proved this year that in a decent car he does still have good speed. He is unlikely to win in Monaco (due to the five place grid drop) but he has every chance in Canada and Valencia. Montreal is effectively a series of long straights connected by chicanes. With Mercedes’ super DRS and Michael’s previous in Montreal this writer is predicting Schumacher to win that race. You read it here first! Valencia is another track that features long straights where there will be plenty of DRS usage and where Mercedes can potentially be very strong. Ultimately Mercedes have to ask themselves if Schumacher can win them a championship as that is what the team is striving for. In a great car it’s certainly still very feasible. However he doesn’t seem to be able to transcend a car that is off the pace like he could do in his peak, in the same way we are seeing Fernando Alonso currently achieving at Ferrari. However in fairness looking at the current evidence Mercedes should be asking the same questions of Rosberg too. With every mistake McLaren make the prospects of tempting Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes will increase. There are also the likes of Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg at Force India who have the potential to do very well in a top team, and would be good long term options for the team. However if Schumacher’s luck improves and he can get the results his pace has been promising, there won’t be any reason why he won’t deserve to stay on the grid with Mercedes in 2013. Although you sense that Mercedes are going to have to try to get one of the current proven top drivers like Hamilton if they are to have a better chance at winning the title. Incidentally Lewis has not yet renewed his McLaren contract. If Mercedes want him, now has to be the time to act. A bold and difficult decision may need to be made this year even, if it has to come at the expense of a capable driver. Both Schumacher and Rosberg may need to be looking over their shoulders in equal measure. You can follow Daniel Chalmers and The F1 Times on Twitter. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06005http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06005Tue, 15 May 2012 18:49:33 GMTQ: Mark, how much satisfaction do you derive from Pastor Maldonado’s victory in the Spanish Grand Prix? Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: This is a massive result for Williams and of course it is incredibly satisfying, especially given the tribulations of the 2011 season. However, this business is all about continuous improvement and it is important that we continue to deliver. Q: How would you describe Pastor's personal performance in qualifying and the race? MG: Simply stunning - a master class from start to finish. He was strong all weekend, winning the race from pole despite a strong challenge from Alonso. One can't ask anymore from a driver. Q: Going into the race weekend, were you confident that the FW34 was a race-winning package? MG: We were confident that the FW34 was an improved package but of course you never know what upgrades other teams have made for their European upgrade packages. Q: Pastor did 25 laps on his final set of tyres. How critical was tyre wear during the race? MG: Managing tyre degradation was the key to the race, so a long final stint was a calculated strategy decision, but we were reasonably confident based on our Friday data that this stint length was possible. Q: Bruno Senna struggled for pace relative to Pastor. Did he have any particular technical issues? MG: No there were no technical issues with the car. Q: After the race a fire broke out in the Williams F1 pit. First, is everyone okay? Second, do you know what caused it? Third, what was the extent of the damage? MG: I would like to reiterate our thanks to everyone in the paddock who helped the Williams team on Sunday to control the fire. There were a number of people who attended the circuit medical centre, mostly as the result of smoke inhalation. One team member remains in hospital having suffered burns, but he is in a stable condition and in good spirits and has returned to England today for further medical care. Investigations into the actual cause of the fire are ongoing and are being performed in collaboration with the local authorities and the FIA. The extent of the damage is still being accessed and will not become fully clear until both the cars and equipment have returned to the factory. What is clear is that our garage IT equipment and infrastructure have been badly damaged. Q: Monaco comes next. What chance Williams F1 can score its first win in the Principality since 2003? MG: On the back of a win we go to Monaco with high hopes but there is a prodigious amount of work to be done prior to the event to recover from the fire.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06004http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06004Tue, 15 May 2012 18:05:33 GMTLotus team principal Eric Boullier is adamant that the Enstone outfit will never favour one of its drivers over the other, despite pairing a former champion with a rookie. The team, when it was previously Renault, clearly focused its attention on one driver, but Boullier says things have changed and both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean can expect equal treatment as they vie for the title. "Historically, this team has always pushed for one driver - a definite leader," he told the official Formula 1 website. "But that has definitely changed. It’s a thing of the past. "I want two fast drivers because that is the way you get ahead in the constructors’ championship. So both drivers have the same status." The Frenchman recognises that 2007 world champion Raikkonen has far more experience than Grosjean, but he doesn't believe that should warrant preferential treatment. "Obviously Kimi, with his experience, his character and personality, tends to have a certain degree of leadership," he added. "But in fact it is not leadership but probably more attention. On the other hand Romain is digging a little place for himself nicely and is getting a lot of respect every weekend from the team. "You must not forget that Kimi has done something in the range of 160 Grands Prix and Romain has just finished his twelfth Grand Prix this weekend. "Both know that we will never favour anyone - depending on the individual strategy each of them is on. It is up to them to qualify well and have a good race result. We just give them the tools to deliver on equal terms."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06003http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06003Tue, 15 May 2012 12:06:15 GMTAdrian Sutil is eyeing a return to the grid amid rumours Ferrari may be looking to replace Felipe Massa before the current season is up. The German is confident that an opportunity to return soon will arise, despite no current seats being available. Speculation in the paddock suggests Ferrari may be looking to Paul di Resta to replace Massa, meaning a seat at Sutil's former team, Force India, would become available. Sutil spent much of the weekend in the Spanish GP paddock speaking with the Force India team, fuelling the rumours, but he admitted nothing has been agreed. "I'm always looking, but I have nothing at the moment," he told Autosport. "It feels good to be back in the paddock and to see some people. "That is the key to getting a drive and hopefully very soon. At the moment, there are no seats available and I have to wait. But people know that I am ready and on hold. I have to wait for the call. "I talk to many different teams, but they can't say anything right now. They say that they are maybe interested, but you can't get more. They tell me to hold on, keep fit and then maybe there is an opportunity. I have to believe in it and it will come." Sutil doesn't believe the suspended sentence handed to him in January for assualt will impact his chances. "It's over and there are no restrictions for me, I can travel and I can do everything that I did before," he added. "We had time to check all of that out."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06002http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06002Tue, 15 May 2012 00:02:31 GMTLewis Hamilton believes it's only a matter of time before things start falling into place for him at McLaren this season, following a string of errors. The 27-year-old hasn't put a foot wrong so far, but mistakes during his pit-stops in Bahrain, strategic errors and under-fuelling in Spain, have cost the 2008 world champion a handful of points. Despite this, Hamilton remains upbeat and says he can't really complain considering he's just a few points behind the championship leaders. "Looking at the bigger picture, I can't really complain because despite the setbacks I've had this season I'm still only eight points behind the leader of the Championship," he told the Telegraph. "The team has been working extremely hard and our car is quick, so when things go right I think we'll be in a great position - and it'll come to us before too long." Speaking about his penalty, in which he was excluded from qualifying for a fuel infringement, Hamilton said didn't expect such a severe response from the stewards for what was a minor offence. "I was surprised because the team told me I would have my best lap taken away from me," he said. "So I thought 'OK I can have a [good] race from seventh.' I never had it in my mind that I would start from the back. "I saw people saying that I would have gained time by having less fuel in the car because 10 kilos is worth three tenths here. I only needed a kilo more, maximum, to get back to the pits to provide the sample. "It was not like we tried to go quicker by running less fuel. It was just a very small mistake that could have happened to anyone and we were punished."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06001http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06001Mon, 14 May 2012 17:26:16 GMTWilliams have confirmed that a further two members of their team have returned to the United Kingdom, whilst a third member remains in hospital. The third member suffered significant burns after a fire broke out in their garage following the Spanish GP, but is in a stable condition and will also return to the UK within 48 hours. "Following yesterday’s fire which occurred in the team’s garage after the Spanish Grand Prix, Williams F1 can confirm that a further two team members have now been released from hospital and have returned home having received treatment for smoke inhalation," read a team statement. "One member of the team remains in hospital in Spain having suffered burns in the incident. He is stable and will return to the UK within the next 48 hours to receive further medical care. His family are in constant communication and he is in good spirits." The Oxford based team which returned to winning form for the first time since 2004, confimed investigations into the fire were ongoing and thanked those who lent a hand on Sunday. "Investigations into the cause of the fire are on-going in collaboration with the FIA and local authorities. "The team would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and support over the past 24 hours." Team principal Sir Frank Williams added: "I was pleased to welcome back to the factory the majority of our team this morning. One of our people remains in Spain for further medical assistance, but we are all looking forward to his imminent return. "Everyone at Williams F1 is extremely relieved that this event was contained as quickly as it was and the damage which occurred was, relatively speaking, limited in its nature. While the incident was unexpected and definitely most undesirable, it has demonstrated the genuine cohesiveness, camaraderie and spirit of co-operation that exists within the Formula One paddock. The astonishing response from the teams and other paddock personnel was immediate, unconditional and overwhelming."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06000http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/06000Mon, 14 May 2012 14:10:31 GMTMartin Whitmarsh has admitted he was wrong to allow Lewis Hamilton to complete his final qualifying lap, which would later result in him being excluded. The McLaren driver secured pole position but was told to stop on his in-lap as he didn't have enough fuel to return to the pits and to provide a one litre sample. The FIA took the decision to exclude Hamilton from qualifying which meant he started from 24th and last for Sunday's race. Team principal Whitmarsh says he would have done things differently, had he known what the penalty would have been. "With hindsight I was wrong, but I don't think I or very many people anticipated that, as a consequence, we would be starting from the back of the grid," he said. "With hindsight I could have called it a different way, and he could have just come in at the end of the out lap. But frankly I did not expect the penalty that he received." Whitmarsh explained that he and the team only knew about the fuel problem whilst Hamilton was on-track. "Part way through that last qualifying lap, the data indicated that there was not as much fuel on board as we thought. "We knew there is a black and white regulation that says you have to be able to give a litre [sample] at the end, so I took a call which was: right, that is a black and white regulation, there is no negotiation, let's make sure we can comply," he continued. "We stopped the car and pumped out 1.3 litres as it turned out, but we didn't know that until several hours later. It could have been three litres and I would have been moderately embarrassed. Whatever the outcome I was going to be embarrassed." http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05999http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05999Sun, 13 May 2012 23:17:37 GMTCheck out the very best images from the thrilling 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. We've selected our favourites from the entire weekend and put them into a gallery. You will soon be redirected. If you're not, click here.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05998http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05998Sun, 13 May 2012 22:51:59 GMTNico Hülkenberg, 10th: "A lot of hard work went into today's race so it's nice to get the reward of one point. It was a very tough race physically and there was never a moment to relax because I had Mark [Webber] filling my mirrors for the second half of the race. It was a great battle, with a lot of pressure, but fortunately I was able to keep him behind, which was not easy with the DRS on the main straight. Considering where I started it's good to score a point and I don't think we could have got much more from the race. The team did an excellent job with the pit stops and the strategy, and I'm pleased with what we achieved today." Paul di Resta, 14th: "I'm disappointed not to have been further up in the battle for points because my race was looking promising to begin with. But as things unfolded I lost track position so I think we need to analyse why our performance on the hard tyres did not meet our expectations and exactly why we lost out. My main battle in the second half of the race was with the Toro Rossos, but they were on the soft tyres when I was on the hards and it was impossible to keep them behind me. I think it's just one of those races that didn't work out for me for whatever reason so we'll take it on the chin and look to come back stronger in Monaco." Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: "Another very tough and competitive Grand Prix, so we are pleased to have picked up a point with Nico. It was a hard-earned point with an optimised strategy and brilliant driving, especially Nico's efforts to fend off Mark Webber in the final stages of the race. Paul was not far behind, but it was hard to keep him ahead of the Toro Rossos because our race pace was pretty similar and so we had to settle for P14. Looking back on the weekend as a whole we've seen once again that the entire field remains incredibly competitive and that we need to keep pushing hard to optimise the developments we have made to the car. We know there is more speed to come and we hope to demonstrate that in the next few races."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05997http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05997Sun, 13 May 2012 22:51:50 GMTCharles Pic, DNF: "I didn't get a very good start today. From then on I was working well on my pace and got the right side of the HRTs again. Things were going well for me then on lap 26 I suddenly lost drive and came back into the pits, where unfortunately I had to retire. We could see then that we have experienced a problem with the drive shaft, so we need to understand why that happened. There's a lot of work for all of us in the next two weeks to improve for Monaco as we have not had the weekend we hoped for. After going to Sir Frank's 70th birthday event last night I am pleased for him that he had this result today for Pastor and his team. For our side we look ahead to the next race and some more progress." Timo Glock, 18th: "I had a pretty good start. The first lap was good and I had a bit of a fight with Lewis for that lap. In general after that when positions were settled I just tried to keep the tyres alive as long as possible and we struggled with rear end instability again. From my side I can only push around 80% at the moment. It's still not perfect and we're missing pace, so we have to analyse and get on top of the problem before Monaco. On a lighter note, congratulations to Pastor Maldonado and the Williams F1 Team. They've done a great race result today." John Booth, Team Principal: "It is obviously very disappointing that we were unable to bring both cars home today. We have suffered two drive shaft issues this weekend - one of those was in the race - so we're sorry for Charles to suffer a DNF after his efforts all weekend. With Timo's car we have not made the progress with the car balance that we wanted to and this is preventing him from being as quick as he can be. There have been times when we have got on top of the problem and we are good, and times when we are not quite getting what we need to out of the car, as was the case in today's race. A disappointing result for us but a brilliant win for Pastor and our congratulations to the Williams F1 Team on that. A busy week ahead for us now, but we look forward to the next race in Monaco."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05996http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05996Sun, 13 May 2012 21:57:47 GMTMark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: What can I say – a massive result for the team and a stunning drive by Pastor. The whole race went well from start to finish with every team member playing a vital part in this victory. We will allow ourselves a bit of time to savour the win and then will refocus to concentrate our efforts on continuing to improve throughout the remainder of the season. Obviously it was disappointing that Bruno got taken out of the race by Michael but Bruno is looking forward to getting back into the car in Monaco. Pastor Maldonado: It’s an unbelievable feeling winning my first race. The car felt really consistent, was fantastic to drive and our pace was strong throughout. Alonso was chasing me hard but we looked after our tyres well and I managed to open the gap towards the end. The team has worked so hard all year and this win is for them. To be the first Venezuelan to win a Formula One race is a big honour and hopefully I will win more races in the future. Bruno Senna: It has been a disappointing weekend for me on the whole. It was difficult to overtake at the beginning of the race and then Schumacher got a big DRS boost coming down the straight and went into the back of me. These weekends with lots of bad luck happen sometimes, but on the up side our car has shown excellent pace with Pastor’s win. I am really happy for him and this will give the team a big boost headed into the next race. Laurent Debout, Renault Sport F1 team support leader: There is nothing else to say but a huge congratulations to Pastor and the entire Williams team. Pastor drove a fantastic race to score his first win in F1, fully deserved. We are really proud to have contributed to helping the team score its first win since 2004 and the first Williams-Renault win since the 1997 season. What a feeling to deliver on the speed and performance we have shown since the start of the year.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05995http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05995Sun, 13 May 2012 21:49:13 GMTThe FIA has confirmed that a total of 31 people were treated for burns and smoke inhalation following a fire which broke out in the Williams garage. The fire engulfed the teams garage within a matter of seconds, pouring smoke into the pit lane. Several members of the team and others from up and down the pit lane helped to extinguish the fire, for which the cause is yet to be confirmed. "A fire occurred in the team's garage which originated from the fuel area," read a statement from Williams. "The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the root cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course." The sport's governing body confirmed a total of 31 staff members, including four from Williams, four from Caterham and one from Force India, were taken to the medical centre. "The FIA can confirm that a fire broke out in the Williams garage after the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix. The flames were quickly brought under control through the combined intervention of staff from Williams, Caterham and Force India, supported by the circuit fire services. "Thirty-one team members were seen by Circuit Medical Centre staff and all have been released, with the exception of seven who were transferred to a variety of local hospitals where they are receiving treatment. "The FIA is collaborating closely with the Spanish authorities investigating this incident and will be providing a further update as soon as more information becomes available." It's also been reported that all the teams will come together to loan equipment to the team for the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks time, as much of their equipment was lost or heavily damaged in the fire.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05994http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05994Sun, 13 May 2012 18:25:26 GMTPedro de la Rosa, 19th: "Racing in front of your home crowd is fantastic and so is finishing the race. I'm very happy because it's the second home Grand Prix of my career that I finish, so I'm really satisfied about that. It's true that it's a discrete position but we gave it our all and we did what we could. We were ahead of the Marussias on some laps and behind on others but our rhythm, in general, wasn't bad. We know that we must continue to improve but we're on the right line. The race was even harder than we anticipated. We did a four-stop strategy and we finished near the limit because the tyres were degrading a lot. The first twenty laps were complicated. The softs literally disintegrated, but the hards went much better and we were able to maintain a better rhythm which enabled us to finish in our best position so far this season in front of our fans." Narain Karthikeyan, DNF: "I had some trouble at the start with a little bit too much wheel spin, but it didn't affect me too much and by the first turn I was already back up behind Pedro. It was the first time I drove on heavy fuel this weekend so, with the first set of tyres, my objective was to get used to them. On the second set I had a really good stint and was catching Pedro as we came in for the pit stop to switch to hard tyres. That's when my bad luck continued...I hope to leave it behind in Spain and have a fresh start in Monaco." Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: "Once more we proved a good reliability which enabled Pedro to finish the Spanish Grand Prix in front of our home crowd. It was a really tough race, with the tyres degrading a huge amount and that's why we had to go for a four-stop strategy. But despite the fact that we have a lot to improve, we're satisfied with Pedro's result, which is the best we've achieved this season thus far. It's a very special Grand Prix and for that reason we would have liked to have finished the race with not one but both cars. But unfortunately this was not the case because of a problem with Narain's second tyre change. These things can happen when you take it to the limit, to any team, and more so when you're in a learning process as we are. But in this case, after an uphill weekend, it leaves me with an especially bad taste in my mouth to have not finished the job off."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05993http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05993Sun, 13 May 2012 18:24:01 GMTFernando Alonso, 2nd: "This second place feels like a victory. Having finished the race in Sakhir almost a minute off the winner, today we overtook one of the two Red Bulls and we fought right to the very end for the win. On top of that, we have made up a lot of points on the Red Bull and the McLaren drivers, which makes the outcome of this weekend even more positive. At the end of the second stint of the race came the key moment: maybe Maldonaldo pitted a bit early and we stayed out on track, but we lost time behind a backmarker for a whole lap, partly because there was a yellow flag on the last part of the main straight. Then, with seven laps to go, I suddenly lost grip at the rear: I asked the team if something was broken because the handling of the car changed from one moment to the next, for no apparent reason. However, in the final stages, the Williams was still very quick and, right at the end, we were also lucky to hang onto second place as Kimi was coming back at me. This championship is very hard to interpret with all the different winners and the performance of the top teams going up and down from race to race. We definitely did not do the best job when it came to designing the car - there is still much to do – but we can be proud of how we got the most out of our potential, probably over and above the limits of the car. After two Grands Prix – China and Bahrain – where we suffered a lot, to be back for the podium is very positive and gives us confidence for the rest of the Championship. We must continue to bring updates all the time for the car, because it is all very close and the slightest thing can make the difference." Felipe Massa, 15th: "Today my race was affected by a penalty that I had to take on lap 28. Honestly, I don't think I did anything wrong and I believe it is better to look into the detail of what happened, because I was in the middle of a group of cars and I definitely did not try to overtake anyone. It's a real shame, because up until then, the race was going well for me and a place in the top ten was comfortably within my reach. I was in the group with the Red Bulls and the McLarens and I could match their pace. I had a good opening lap when I managed to make up a lot of places. I am happy that Fernando was able to fight for the win all the way to the end, as it shows our car's potential has definitely improved: we still don't have the quickest car but it seems we are going down the right road. I want to congratulate Pastor, who is a great friend: the taste of a first Formula 1 win is something amazing and I can understand how he feels right now." Stefano Domenicali: We came to Spain with the double objective of making progress in terms of performance and for Fernando to stay in touch with the leaders of the Drivers' classification: this afternoon we can say we achieved both our goals. It's a shame for Felipe who has been plagued with bad luck all weekend: yesterday there was traffic in qualifying and today, a penalty probably prevented him from finishing in the points after he had made up a lot of places at the start. Once again, Fernando drove an extraordinary race, fighting for the win from the first to the last lap. There were some unfortunate incidents, getting past Pic for example, but we must always admit that, in the closing stages of the final stint of the race there was no longer a margin to attack Maldonaldo. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Pastor for his first Formula 1 win and Williams for returning to winning ways after a break of several years: yesterday, Sir Frank shared with the world of F1 a celebration for his seventieth birthday and it seems that someone up there was also aware of it and wanted to give him a present! As from tomorrow, we will return to thinking about the development of our car, because we are not yet fast enough to fight consistently for a podium finish, which is the only option if we want to be in the hunt for the title. The championship is incredibly finely balanced, as can be seen from the fact we have had five different winning teams in as many Grands Prix. Despite all the difficulties we have experienced in this first part of the season, Fernando leads the classification along with the reigning champion: this must be a boost for all our people who work at home and at the track. We expect Felipe to react and fight back after this unlucky weekend, starting in Monaco: we absolutely need his points to also fight for the Constructors' title." Pat Fry: "In the race, we again confirmed that we have made a step forward in terms of the performance of our package, but it is not yet enough. Also today, we managed to make the most of our potential with Fernando, while Felipe was definitely not lucky with the penalty that ruined what, up to that point, had been a pretty good race. We knew tyre degradation would be the key and so it turned out. The fight with Maldonaldo was very close and maybe some incidents played a deciding role, such as at the time of the second stop and in the final moments of the race, when Fernando suddenly felt a drop in performance, the causes of which are not yet clear. Second is an absolutely positive result but, to make an objective evaluation, we have to take into account all the elements over the weekend, even those outside our own operation, which produced this race result. There is still a lot of work to do to have a car that is really capable of fighting for the win at every track and in all conditions. Having said that, I am equally sure that having one of our drivers leading the classification, even if he is equal on points with Vettel, represents a reward for the work everyone has done to raise our performance level and it is also a further motivation to do even better in the near future."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05992http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05992Sun, 13 May 2012 18:03:37 GMTDRIVERS: 1 – Pastor MALDONADO (Williams), 2 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari), 3 – Kimi RAIKKONEN (Lotus) TV UNILATERAL Pastor, your first victory, brilliantly judged – describe your emotions? Pastor MALDONADO: I think it’s a wonderful day, not just for me but for all the team. We have been pushing so hard since last year to try to improve race by race and here we are. Yesterday we were here after a great qualifying and today we did it again. It was a tough race because the strategy as well, it was tough especially because of the rear tyres – after a couple of laps we were struggling with [them]. I need to say I’m pretty happy because the car was so competitive since the first lap. Fernando did a better start than me but I was just following the pace and it was so great. It’s my first podium and my first victory and you can imagine what I feel. Fernando, second today and obviously a lot of progress for you and the team. And once again a blinding start. Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it was a fantastic start again. The team prepared quite nice again the clutch and everything – the procedure to do a good start. It was close on the straight until Turn One with Pastor, and then we had the better side, the inside. We took the momentum there and we led the race for the first part but then William’s anticipated the stop and get in front and at the end it was close. We had a newer tyre than Pastor and we tried a couple of times but it was not possible out of the last corner. Then in the very last laps I felt the car was strange, we lost a lot of grip. Maybe we lost some aerodynamic part or something because we were very slow… (inaudible) …we were lucky at the end. Second place at home feels fantastic and thanks to the people that came here and the people at home and hopefully a step forward in terms of championship possibilities. Kimi, third today. You were a lot of people’s favourite going into this grand prix. Do you think you and the team made all the right choices this afternoon? Kimi RAIKKONEN: We have to look. I’m a bit disappointed. I expected us to be a bit stronger in the race, especially at the beginning. At the end we were very good, but it was too late. We were not fast enough and quick enough to race and that’s why we couldn’t fight for a win. But we showed in the end that we have to speed but we just have to look at what we did. Maybe we took the wrong choice in the first pit stop. In the end, like I said we were not fast enough in the beginning and that cost us the race, so I was not so disappointed during the race because I saw that I couldn’t follow them at the beginning. But at the end when you catch them up almost 20 seconds then you get a bit of a disappointed feeling afterwards, when you just needed a few laps to be even able to fight for the first place. That’s racing and at least I scored some good points and we’re going in the right direction. Back to you Pastor and this is the first Williams win since 2004. They managed to get you to jump Fernando at the second round of pit stops but he gave you some real pressure at the end didn’t he? PM: Yeah, it was so close. We were looking to manage the tyre degradation so I wasn’t pushing that hard, just to keep the tyres alive for the end of the race and Fernando got too close. There were some moments that he was so close, especially at the end of the straight. But I was managing the gap and controlling everything. I think our pace today was pretty strong and the car looks fantastic. Even the team. We did a small mistake at the last pit stop but it doesn’t affect our performance. Fernando, describe your feelings at the second stop when Pastor jumped you because you were caught up behind a backmarker in that critical lap weren’t you? FA: Yeah, we were a little bit unlucky maybe. We had a Marussia but I think he got a penalty at the end. Obviously, it’s not a solution now but hopefully people start to understand that they need to respect the rules and today again they didn’t and they paid the penalty. It’s more of a penalty the penalty we paid – maybe the race win – but yeah a little bit disappointed. But they [Williams] did a great job and they had the pace, because in the last stint, if we were faster than the Williams we had the opportunity to overtake but they were quicker than us so thy deserve the victory. Kimi, it’s the second podium for you in a row. Do you feel a win is around the corner? KR: Yeah, twice already. Unfortunately you’re not always going to get there. If you get the chance, you should take it because it’s not every race that you will be able to fight for that position or even try it. Hopefully we can keep doing what we’re doing now and at a certain point I’m sure that things will go exactly right and we can. But so far it’s been a good step and the car has been strong everywhere. The next race is a bit different – Monaco – it’s hard to say how it goes there. The team has done a good job and we have still work to do, things to improve. But so far it’s going in a good way and I’m happy with it. OK, we’re not 100% happy with it because we are not winning but that’s a very normal thing and I’m happy for the team. As Kimi says, we go to Monaco next Pastor. That’s one of your favourite tracks. What chance a back-to-back victory for you? PM: I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to be strong again. For sure I will be doing my best on the driving. The team is looking after the car so we need to continue like that. Keep pushing with the car, to develop it as soon as possible and consistency will be the important thing in this championship. PRESS CONFERENCE When did you think you could win, because obviously there have been changing emotions, obviously you were second on the grid and then first on the grid and then obviously the start etc., When did you think this was possible? PM: After the qualifying. Y’know, it was so great to start from the head, from the front and for sure the team did a great job to give me a car and I did my job on the qualifying. And then starting from the pole it’s much easier, everything. And then obviously overtaken at the start… PM: Yes, our start wasn’t that great, Fernando had one better than us but after the first lap the pace was very competitive, the car looks very good and we were looking at the strategy, that’s it. And what about the tyres at the end? Because obviously Fernando closed on you and then dropped back. PM: When Fernando got close I was looking after the tyres, I didn’t push that much, just because the big tyre degradation. We did an extremely good strategy today, everything under control, even some moments when Fernando got too close but we had a little bit better traction than him, using KERS and everything. So it was managing the race, looking for the gaps and the pace. You must have thought that with KERS, him within a second, at any moment it was going to happen – but it never did. PM: For sure it was difficult from this morning because the gaps are so close between the top teams at the moment. When I saw that I was second in the first corner, ‘OK’, I said, ‘the race is going to be long. We need to keep pushing, we need to prepare to change our strategy just to attack Ferrari and we did it. Everything was perfect, except the last pitstop. We had a big moment there but it doesn’t affect our final result. Fernando, you got so close, right up there, and then it just went away I guess, and then by the end it looked as though you really were struggling on the tyres. FA: Yeah, it was close with ten laps to go, ten laps to the end. We were attacking Pastor when we were closing to within one second but then the last seven or eight laps we lost the grip, around Turn Seven I felt. I informed the team some corners after, in Turn Nine, to check if everything is OK because maybe we lost some aerodynamic part of the front wing or under the floor or something because we had no more grip at all. So, from that point the last seven laps, it was monitoring the distance and the gap with Kimi. We knew it was a very long last seven laps. At the end it was close. I think one lap more and Kimi overtake us. So we were lucky at the end and happy – happy with the weekend in general, not only with the race, because we had a very strong weekend, on Fridays with good practice, the car felt more or less competitive yesterday. I think we extract everything from the car again, maximise the potential of what we have in our hands and today the start was great, the race pace was good, at one point we were lapping one Red Bull in front of us with the blue flags, so… it’s very strange. We were 57 seconds behind Vettel in Bahrain, and we were lapping Webber here. No one understands probably. Not us either. It really was that sudden when you lost the grip? It was almost like a switch. FA: Yeah, yeah, it was in turn seven, over the kerb maybe, something fall out of the car or something, we need to check. But it was difficult. As Pastor said, in the last corner, turn 16, it’s difficult to follow anyone after the chicane, so we knew that when you lose the position at the pitstop, you have to have a big pace advantage if you want to overtake someone. With the difference and with the pace that Williams had today, we knew it was difficult. I suppose everybody in Italy wants to know, has Ferrari turned the corner? Are you now back in front again? FA: We’ll see. I think when we are first and second in one qualifying and first and second in one race, we have to say that we have the best car. Until that moment we are fighting. I think this year is very difficult to have a pace advantage or to be happy with the car you have in your hands, because everything is so close. Consistency and continuous development will be important in this championship because two-tenths can be six or seven positions in one qualifying this year. But what we can say is we have probably the most difficult start of the championship in these three years in Ferrari, with a car that was not competitive at all, and we finish the first quarter of the championship, so this is the fifth race out of 20, and we are leading the championship, or the same points as Vettel, so we have to be very, very proud and very happy with the points we achieved and with the position. Maybe we have not to be so proud about how competitive we are but we are working on that. Kimi, tell us about the start, because that pretty much established your race. KR: Yeah, I had a pretty good start, nothing to complain about. I thought I would get the chance to overtake outside both of the first two but I didn’t have enough speed in a straight line – I actually hit the limiter I think in fifth gear which kind of stopped my acceleration a bit but after that I didn’t have the speed to hang on and hound them. I was pulling away from the guys behind me but I couldn’t stay. The first stint was pretty OK but the second, I chose the soft tyre and I didn’t have the speed to keep up with them. I’m a bit disappointed but I just tried to fight and then we changed the tyres and it seemed to turn out to be pretty good but we were just too far away. We need, like, ten more laps and then I think we could have been fighting for the win. Absolute charge at the end, your tyres were OK? KR: Yes, it was OK. I had two new sets of Prime but unfortunately I didn’t have more sets of Prime anyhow to put in the first pitstop. The car was very good but just a bit too late for me. We fall off too much in the last stint to be able to fight for the win. But one more lap we could probably could have got Fernando – but it’s easy to say after. And what did you tell the Finnish viewers just now? KR: It’s Mothers’ Day in Finland. So Happy Mothers’ Day? KR: Yeah. I had nothing else to say to Finnish viewers. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Kimi, second place in Bahrain, third place in Spain; is this the maximum for you or can you win? KR: The fact is the reason why I’m disappointed is because in the end if we have done everything right, we could have put ourselves into first place. The car has been fast enough but we’ve been doing small things not correctly and I’ve done some mistakes on my side but if everything was 100 percent OK we could have won. There’s no issue with the speed of the car, but it’s so close between all the teams and drivers that if you have a small problem or a small issue during the weekend then it’s going to cost you a lot. If you’re three tenths behind then you’re suddenly not in the last qualifying. As you give yourself the chance to be fighting at the front, I think our car can do it but everything has to fall in the right place to be able to win. Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Pastor, you are now a national hero. Are you ready? PM: For sure everyone is so happy in my country. I’m very lucky to have a country behind me, pushing so hard, to see me here in Formula One and especially to be here, between these guys. I’m pretty happy for Venezuela, I’m happy for Williams as well. They did a wonderful job to give me a great car for this race. We are getting better and better, race after race. Q: (Adrian Huber – Agencia EFE) Fernando, after the first five races, and all the problems you’re supposed to have in your team, no one has scored more points than you have now. How much more confident are you today than you were on Thursday, or on the inside were you expecting this? FA: No, I am a definitely surprised by the quantity of points that we have; I’m a bit surprised by today’s result, or the weekend’s results. We were confident of improving the car, we were hoping for some signs of improvement here in Barcelona. As I said, in Bahrain, we were nearly out of Q3 and then in the race, P9, one minute behind the leaders, so we arrived in Barcelona with some hope, some optimism about the upgrades but I think the result, the overall weekend pace has been a little bit better than expected, because we were quick in qualifying and quick in the race but this, in my opinion or how I feel after the weekend, I still don’t know where we are. I think we need to wait for more races, for the championship to stabilise a little bit because I think we maybe over-performed a little bit compared with the potential we have and maybe some other teams under-performed or they had some problems to get their tyres working or something, because, as I said, some of the results that we saw this weekend feel very strange. Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, if we take a look at the race, maybe it was a bad decision to stop so late after Pastor after you’d had the problem with the Marussia because it’s so important in Formula One to stay in front from the aerodynamic point of view. FA: Yeah, obviously you never know. After the race it’s always easier to review the strategy. The choice was always to stop on the same lap or one lap later than Pastor, always try to cover the position. When Williams decided to stop in the second pit stop, we had one Marussia in front of us for a lap and a half. When we saw that in the second sector, we were already exiting behind Pastor so at that point, we decided to keep going for a few more laps and try to get the opportunity at the end of the race, with a shorter stint. I think we didn’t lose the win because of the Marussia because if you had the pace in the last stint, you had to overtake Pastor and we didn’t because they were faster than us, but for sure, we went out of the plan because of the backmarker. Q: (Jaime Rodriguez – El Mundo) Pastor, could you explain the start of the race, because you had a good fight with Fernando, and I want to know if you’ve received congratulations from your president in Venezuela? PM: You know it wasn’t thehttp://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05991http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05991Sun, 13 May 2012 17:44:27 GMTPirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery: “With Pastor Maldonado starting from the front and Lewis Hamilton starting from the back, this was always going to be a fascinating race, and thanks to the tyre strategy as well, it certainly delivered. Maldonado and Williams were quick right from free practice on Friday, having consistently got the most out of both tyre compounds all weekend. The final 10 laps were a fantastic duel between him and Alonso, with less than a second separating them, on similar strategies. Both drivers showed their tyre management skills perfectly, managing to avoid falling off ‘the cliff’ despite pushing hard for the race win. The tyres contributed to an extremely entertaining and tense race, but as official supplier we will always follow the wishes of the teams and the promoter and our future development direction will be dictated by what they want. For the sport, we believe that it’s fantastic to have five races, five winners and five cars – especially when it is as well deserved as the victory that we saw from Pastor and Williams today.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05990http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05990Sun, 13 May 2012 17:43:12 GMTKimi Räikkönen, 2nd: “I had a very good start and had a chance to overtake on the outside, but we did not have enough speed and I hit the limiter in fifth gear. I am a bit disappointed because if everything had gone right in the first part of the race, we could have won. There was no issue with the speed of the car, but it is so close between all the teams that if you have a small problem or a small issue it can cost so much. Our car can do it, but everything has to fall into the right place to be able to get on to the top step. My first stint was okay, but I didn’t have the speed to stay with the cars in front. We changed the tyres and it seemed to be pretty good, but we were too far away. At the end we needed a few more laps and we could have fought for the win. We’re not far away from it and so far we’ve made good steps forwards; the car feels strong everywhere.” Romain Grosjean, 3rd: “We lost position at the start and with it a bit of front wing too! It was cooler today which didn’t suit us so much. Despite this, I am very happy with P4 especially when you look at yesterday where I missed all of the final practice session. Both cars finishing strongly in the points is great for the team. It was pretty difficult for me at the start of the race as it was hard to get the front working properly with the wing damaged, but we made some changes and at the end of the race the car was really flying. I think we made the right decisions today; if you told us we could finish third and fourth at the beginning of the weekend we’d have taken it.” Eric Boullier, Team Principal: "It’s a very strong result and it’s a great reward for the team today. I think we can expect a stronger season than we had last year and we need to carry on scoring points as we have in the last two races. I’m sure a win could arrive at some point this season. After qualifying you build expectations, and we could have expected after the strong race pace we had in Bahrain that we could have done the same here, but it was not the case. A race incident at the start didn’t help Romain, but the pace of both drivers at the end of the race illustrated our potential. Finally, we must say congratulations to the Williams team for their win, and we hope no-one was seriously hurt in the post-race incident in their pits.” Alan Permane, Director of Trackside Operations: “Third and fourth is a really good result for the team and it meant a big points haul here – more than any other team this weekend – which helps us to close up hugely on second place in the standings. Of course, it would have been nice to have done better, but the key to a strong championship campaign is consistency and if we can finish third and fourth in every race this season we’ll be very happy. We didn’t have the pace to win today, that much was clear after the first stints. We tried to push our stints out and be quick at the end. We were, and it nearly paid off.” Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 Team Support Leader: “It was a great race with another podium and fourth position to move us a lot closer to second in the championship. We introduced new engines after Friday practice and it went well. We managed the fuel consumption effectively on both cars in the race, but in Romain’s we had some engine air consumption in the middle stint. Congratulations to Pastor and our Renault colleagues working at Williams today – a well deserved win.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05989http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05989Sun, 13 May 2012 17:38:49 GMTSebastian Vettel, 6th: “It was difficult race and a hard day in the office. I’m not entirely happy, we could have finished maybe one position higher up, but we had a good recovery in the end. We were definitely stronger towards the end of the race and it was good fun, but when it’s up and down and up and down, it’s quite difficult. I don’t know what the problem was when we had to change the nose of the car; I wasn’t sure if I had damage or something stuck at the front – maybe a piece of rubber or something. I tried another lap, but it wasn’t the right thing to do, so we decided to come in and change the nose to make sure. It lost us some time, but it was the right thing, as I was told there was some damage to the front left of the wing.” Mark Webber, 11th: “It was an interesting race and a difficult first lap. I don’t know where I got damage to my front wing, but I had to pit for a new nose. I lost a lot of time with that – and on the few laps before when it started playing up. We had to pit and when you’re out of position here it’s tough – you have to look after your tyres and when you catch people your tyres get killed, so it’s chicken and egg. If you push past them, you have to pit earlier and commit to another stop. It was a mystery with the pace; I was stuck behind Force India, you see the McLarens weren’t doing so much and Seb was just chipping away.” Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A difficult afternoon. Unfortunately Sebastian had a drive-through penalty for an incident under a yellow flag, which I believe is because he had the DRS open. We also had front wing damage on both cars that necessitated two nose changes. Despite that, it was a strong recovery from Sebastian to finish sixth, passing two McLarens and Rosberg in the closing stages and, as a result, we leave here still leading both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships. For Mark it was a tough race with the wing change early on and then unfortunately a mystifying lack of pace, which resulted in him spending a lot of the race looking at the back of Nico Hulkenberg’s car. So, there is plenty to understand; we have done five races now and had five winners from five different teams. Congratulations to Pastor Maldonado, but especially to Sir Frank and the Williams Team on a well deserved victory today.” Cyril Dumont, Renault: “Of course I was hoping for us to finish higher up, or even on the podium today, but we started quite far back and then had some misfortune with the front wings and the drive-through penalty. It wasn’t so easy to recover from this race, although the last part was quite solid from Seb and the main thing is that we‘re leading both Championships. I look forward to Monaco as we know that to do well there requires strength from the Renault engine and good drivability, so I look forward to that race.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05988http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05988Sun, 13 May 2012 17:29:53 GMTMichael Schumacher will start the Monaco Grand Prix five places lower than he qualifies after the FIA stewards deemed he was at fault for the collision between himself and Bruno Senna in Spain. The Mercedes drivers ran into the back of Senna who he was attempting to overtake into turn one, with the resultant collision causing both drivers to retire. A statement from the stewards read: "The driver of Car 7 (Michael Schumacher) collided with Car 19 (Bruno Senna) at Turn 1 and forced him to retire from the event." Under Article 16.1 of the sporting regulations, Schumacher caused an avoidable collision and was handed a five-place grid penalty at the next event.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05987http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05987Sun, 13 May 2012 17:19:13 GMTKamui Kobayashi, 5th: “The team did a really great job, and the update on our car works very well. The pace in the race was a big improvement compared to the last race. I absolutely believe I could have made it onto the podium today if I had not been so unlucky in qualifying yesterday. If you start ninth you can be happy finishing fifth, but the car had more potential. I was in traffic and overtaking was not easy. I could not do it on the straights with the help of the DRS because there I wasn’t close enough. So I had to take some risks and do it in the corners. I damaged my tyres quite a lot in the last stint. The competition is really tight at the moment. If you want to get in front of the pack you have to get everything right on the weekend. This is what Pastor (Maldonado) did. The last time I came fifth was last year in Monaco, and I am very much looking forward to returning to the Principality soon.“ Sergio Pérez, DNF: “We have been very unlucky at the start. In turn one I managed to get passed Romain (Grosjean), but then he hit me and I had to pit after lap one. We could not really recover from the back of the field, and later I had to retire because of a transmission problem. Whatever it was, it is over and I will be focusing on the next race. Monaco is a very special Grand Prix for me.” Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “First of all congratulations to Pastor Maldonado for a fantastic race and his victory. Concerning our own team, I have mixed feelings because Sergio couldn’t benefit from his very good grid position. Kamui drove a fantastic race. He lost quite a lot of time in traffic, but was then able to overtake Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg with two great attacks. He scored ten important points. But this race also showed that our development package works as planned, also on a difficult track like this one. This makes me optimistic for the next races. Thanks to the whole team, and also everyone in the factory, for making this happen.” Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Sergio basically lost his race on lap one due to a racing incident which forced him to pit immediately. We then tried to do a two stop strategy using hard tyres, but then he had to stop because of a transmission problem which we need to analyse. Kamui was on a three stop strategy. As he was held up by Jenson Button we brought him in early for the first stop, but we lost some time there because the front left wheel wouldn’t come off. We also did the same for the third stop, however, Kamui was still behind. It was a long final stint, and it was up to him to decide how to make best use of the tyres. He was then able to overtake Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. He really drove an outstanding race.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05986http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05986Sun, 13 May 2012 17:16:52 GMTLewis Hamilton, 8th: “I’m proud of my performance today, and proud of the team too. They did a great job: a real improvement with the pitstops, following our difficulties in that area recently. All in all, then, I think today’s result was the best we could do. “I was the only driver to attempt a two-stop strategy, and I’m glad I was able to made it work. People often say that I have an aggressive driving style, but my final stint on the Prime tyre was 31 laps, so I reckon I proved today that I can make tyres last. “It was a huge challenge to come through the field from the back, but I never gave up for a single second, right up to the finish line. Before the race I said I’d race my heart out, and that’s exactly what I did. For me, that’s what racing is all about. “Today was all about damage limitation. But, now, looking at the bigger picture, I can’t really complain because, despite the setbacks I’ve had this season, I’m still only eight points behind the leader of the drivers’ world championship. “The team has been working extremely hard, and our car is quick. So, when things go right, I think we’ll be in a great position – and it’ll come to us before too long. “Finally, big congratulations to Pastor [Maldonado] and everyone at Williams – it’s a fantastic result for them and this is a great day for him personally.” Jenson Button, 9th: “Congratulations to Pastor! His was a great drive and I’m sure it will instil a lot of confidence in him and the Williams team. “The Formula 1 form-book is very mixed-up at the moment, which is unusual, but that’s the way it appears to be going this season. As for us, well, a lot of my afternoon was spent stuck in traffic, and I had a Sauber breathing down my neck for most of the race. All in all, we weren’t quite quick enough today – but that’s something I need to solve myself. I need to find a set-up that suits me better as I feel like I have pretty poor grip at the moment. “Having said that, I’m already looking forward to Monaco and a much better weekend there. It’s a circuit I love and hopefully a place where we can achieve a good result.” Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “Before I say anything else, I want to offer my very hearty congratulations to Williams, to Pastor and particularly to Sir Frank for a stunning victory here today. “For Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, following our disappointments yesterday, today was always going to be about recovery. Even so, Jenson will be disappointed: he struggled with balance and grip all afternoon, and won’t be satisfied with the brace of world championship points that his ninth place delivered him. “Lewis, having started in 24th and last place following his qualifying penalty yesterday, drove an absolutely storming race to eighth place at the chequered flag, all but catching and passing Nico [Rosberg] for seventh place on the final lap. Like Jenson, he won’t be content with the four world championship points he earned this afternoon, but in truth he should be immensely proud of his performance here. “Lewis was the only driver to make a two-stop strategy work today – and that, given that his race strategy called for him to drive exceptionally hard and extremely fast in heavy traffic all afternoon, pulling off some sensational passing manoeuvres on a circuit on which overtaking is notoriously difficult, was a truly magnificent feat. “Make no mistake about it, the 2012 Santander Spanish Grand Prix was one of the most impressive races that Lewis has ever driven. His performance combined fabulous verve with commendable caution – and I’d go so far as to say that, rising above the frustration he inevitably felt yesterday evening, he’s inspired each and every one of us at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes with his stirring drive today. “He’s only eight points behind the leader in the Drivers’ World Championship, and he loves the Monaco Grand Prix, the next stop on the World Championship calendar. “Jenson, too, is a past winner at Monte-Carlo, and, like Lewis, he’ll approach the dauntingly tortuous streets of the famous Principality with the forceful precision that marks out both our drivers as the superb World Champions that they are. “They’ll both be aiming to win, of that you may be sure.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05985http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05985Sun, 13 May 2012 17:13:59 GMTHeikki Kovalainen, 16th: "I think we got as much out of the car as we could this afternoon. I had a good start, passed Senna and was hanging on to the pack ahead up until the second stops. The first stint on the options was good, and we stayed on the soft tyres right up until the last pitstop but maybe the last stint on the hards was a couple of laps too long. Still, it was a decent race and we showed we have decent pace on Sundays, more than enough to easily pull away from the teams behind, but not quite enough to be able to fight throughout the whole race with the cars ahead. We knew this track was going to be one of the tougher ones for us, but now we go to Monaco which will give us a chance of fighting higher up, so we'll keep pushing to close the gap and aim to take another step forwards at the next race.” Vitaly Petrov, 17th: “I'm pleased with how I drove this afternoon and, like Heikki, I don't think we could have got much more performance from the car today. Yesterday we found a good KERS map for qualifying but this afternoon it wasn't working as well in the first and second stints, and I think that's where we lost some time to Heikki. The tyre degradation was higher than we'd seen in the long runs in practice, so we need to look again at why that happened and how we can fix it for future races. Apart from that it was one of those afternoons when we got as much out of the race as we could so now we'll move on to Monaco where the circuit layout and the difficulty of passing should give us a better chance of pushing the cars ahead throughout the weekend." Mark Smith, Technical Director: “I am pleased with the performance from both drivers today. They kept pushing throughout the whole race and made sure they didn't make any mistakes, particularly at the start of the race. Our early pace was good and we used the tyre strategy well to keep ourselves within touching distance of the midfield pack, but again we saw the issue with blue flags, having to let the cars ahead pass articifially lengthened the gap to the cars we had been fighting with, but we have to deal with that on tracks like this where we knew we would be lapped at some point. We now have a busy couple of weeks before the next race, with an aero test in the UK, part of the program that is helping us keep edging closer to the midfield, and we will go to Monaco, hopefully aiming to repeat the sort of performance we saw last year when we finished 13th and 14th."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05984http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05984Sun, 13 May 2012 16:28:41 GMTThe Barcelona pit and paddock was evacuated just hours after the race when the Williams garage was engulfed in flames following a suspected electrical fault. The flash fire took hold of the garage as members of the team were celebrating Pastor Maldonado's race win with team principal Sir Frank Williams, who was immediately rushed from the scene. Smoke filled the whole pit lane as engineers from several teams rushed to the garage with extinguishers to help dampen the flames. A member of the Williams team spoke to Sky immediately after and described an explosion, which reportedly came from a fuel rig at the rear which was possibly ignited by an electrical fault. "We were celebrating with Frank and suddenly there was a big explosion, a wall of warm air and everyone just ran." Emergency services arrived on the scene in a matter of minutes, but the damage had been done with much of Williams equipment, including Senna's car, badly damaged in the incident. A total of nine injuries have been reported, four from Williams, four from Caterham and one from Force India. One employee was airlifted to hospital, whilst the other eight have been treated in the on-site medical centre. Force India tweeted the following: "Thanks for your best wishes to the team member who bravely went to fight the flames. He is being checked out in the circuit medical centre." Caterham released the following statement: "All the team's employees have been accounted for and four people have been taken to the circuit medical centre for examination; one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues." Williams added: "After today’s Spanish Grand Prix a fire occurred in the team’s garage which originated from the fuel area. "Four team personnel were injured in the incident and subsequently taken to the medical centre. Three are now receiving treatment at local hospitals for their injuries, while the fourth has been released. The team will monitor their condition and ensure they receive the best possible care. "The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the root cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course. "The Williams F1 Team would like to thank all of the teams and the FIA for their support in today’s incident." http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05983http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05983Sun, 13 May 2012 16:01:40 GMTNico Rosberg, 7th: "That was a difficult day for us and a very strange race. We didn't manage to find the right tyre management so I lost two positions towards the end of the race on my last stint which was 26 very long laps. The one positive thing is that I was able to defend my position against Lewis and keep seventh place, rather than eighth. Once again today we saw a surprising and well deserved win which is good for Formula One. Congratulations to Pastor and Frank at my old team Williams! Now I'm looking forward to my home race in Monaco in two weeks with some updates on the car." Michael Schumacher, DNF: "Obviously I am not happy with the outcome of the race as I think we could have achieved some nice points today. But then this is sometimes what you have to go through in racing. It is not easy to see from the TV replays but what happened from my viewpoint was that he went to the right to defend the inside line, and then suddenly, shortly before the braking point, went to the left. When you are so tight together in the braking zone, you have no other choice than to try to react and avoid hitting but it was too late. It is a shame, as I said, but then what I will do now is to look ahead to the next race and try to attack there." Bob Bell: "We spent our afternoon racing hard with Red Bull and McLaren - but it was only for places in the bottom half of the top ten today. We didn't have the basic pace we needed this afternoon, and we were hampered further with an issue on Nico's car. There was a clear loss of downforce measurable on the data, which made it even more difficult for Nico to look after the tyres properly, but whether this was down to damage or another factor is something we will have to investigate this evening. Naturally, it was a disappointment to lose Michael early in the race, after his pace had looked reasonable in the opening stint. The team did a good job on the stops and I believe we made the right tactical decisions to protect Nico's position at critical moments of the race, even though he ultimately ran out of grip in the closing laps on a long final stint. The basic fact is that we needed more pace today, which is what we must bring over the coming races. And we will." Norbert Haug: "A difficult race for us, and Nico went from fifth to seventh place in the last laps because our car could not use the tyres during such a long stint, so he could not repeat the lap times he had done before. Michael had an accident with a slower car which he attempted to overtake. After five races, there are five different winners from five different teams, and I am told this last happened 30 years ago. Congratulations to the Williams team and to Pastor Maldonado today - well done and great for them to win on such a demanding circuit. After five races and a quarter of the season, Nico is 20 points behind the leader. We have to raise our game in the next races and during the remainder of the season and I am sure that all our team members will work very hard to make the next steps and to achieve a better level of performance than we had today."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05982http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05982Sun, 13 May 2012 15:55:40 GMTJean-Eric Vergne, 12th: “I had a really good start, moving up as high as tenth in a couple of laps. We decided to pit early to try and get ahead of some more guys and I came in from eighth place on lap 10. But then I was behind Di Resta and got a bit stuck. When I made my second stop for new Prime, I hoped I could have got past Di Resta through the stop but the pit stop was not the best and so unfortunately that did not work out and I was still behind the Force India. I lost more time towards the end of my third stint and then in the final one, on the Prime again, I was quicker than Daniel ahead of me. It took me a lot of time to get past. After that I tried to catch Webber and Hulkenberg, but the tyres were no longer good enough. Overall, it was disappointing, because I feel points were possible today, but for various reasons we did not manage it.” Daniel Ricciardo, 13th: “I did not have too great a start, but with our strategy we managed to make up a few places. There were some parts of the race where we ran quite strongly, but in the final stint on new Primes, we no longer had the pace we had in the previous stint. I had managed to look after the tyres quite well all the way to the end and produce relatively good lap times, but by then we had lost too much time. It had looked for a while as though we might have been able to challenge for tenth but it did not pan out that way. Overall, it was a bit up and down, but at least it showed some slight progress compared to Bahrain.” Franz Tost: “Jean-Eric had a reasonably good start, moving up several places on the opening lap, while Daniel lost one, before regaining his grid position a couple of laps later. During the race, in which they both ran three stop strategies, starting on the option before pitting for Prime, followed by Option and finishing on Prime, they both showed reasonable pace, fighting one another at times. However, once again this weekend, our qualifying pace proved to be the weakest point and until we start from higher up the grid, we will continue to struggle to bring home points. We have plenty of work to do, before heading for the Monaco circuit where, even if overtaking is much more straightforward than in the past, a good grid position is still absolutely vital.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05981http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05981Sun, 13 May 2012 15:37:22 GMTPastor Maldonado was understandably happy after joining a growing list of winners this season, which has matched the record breaking 1983 season in which five different winners fron five different teams stood on the top step of the podium in the first five races. The Venezuelan managed to hold of Fernando Alonso for the win despite losing the lead to the Spaniard on the opening lap, but that didn't put a dampener on what he described as a "wonderful day." "For me, for the team, we’ve been pushing so hard to try to improve race by race and here we are," he said after the race. "Yesterday we had a great qualifying and today again it was a tough race because the strategy as well was hard because the rear tyres after a couple of laps we were struggling. "But I'm really happy because the car was so competitive since the first lap. Fernando did a better start than me but I was just following the pace and it was so great. "It's my first podium and my first victory so you can imagine what I feel," he added. "It was so close," explained Maldonado. "We were looking to manage the tyre degradation so I wasn’t pushing that hard just to keep the tyres alive for the end of the race and Fernando got so close. "There was some moment that he was so close especially at the end of the race. But I was managing the gap and controlling everything. I think our pace today was pretty strong. The car looks fantastic even the team made a small mistake in the last pit stop but it didn't affect our performance."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05980http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05980Sun, 13 May 2012 14:50:27 GMTPastor Maldonado took a controlled victory to win the Spanish Grand Prix for Williams, returning the team to the top step for the first time since the 2004 Brazilian GP. The Venezuelan battled with Fernando Alonso for the entirety of the race to bring his FW34 home in first, making it five different winners and teams in five races. Fernando Alonso came second in his home race, just ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who had closed the pair down, but fell just short of taking advantage of his fresher tyres. The second Lotus of Romain Grosjean came home fourth on its lonesome with the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi a further 50 seconds behind. Sebastian Vettel, despite a drive-through penalty for ignoring yellow flags the result of a collision between Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna, finished sixth. Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg completed the final points paying positions. For a full race report, check out our live commentary here. 2012 Spanish GP Results: PosDriverTeamGapPts 01. P. Maldonado Williams 25 02. F. Alonso Ferrari +3.1 18 03. K. Raikkonen Lotus +3.8 15 04. R. Grosjean Lotus +14.7 12 05. K. Kobayashi Sauber +1:04.6 10 06. S. Vettel Red Bull +1:07.5 8 07. N. Rosberg Mercedes +1:17.9 6 08. L. Hamilton McLaren +1:18.1 4 09. J. Button McLaren +1:25.2 2 10. N. Hulkenberg Force India +1 lap 1 11. M. Webber Red Bull +1 lap 12. J. Vergne Toro Rosso +1 lap 13. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso +1 lap   14. P. di Resta Force India +1 lap   15. F. Massa Ferrari +1 lap   16. H. Kovalainen Caterham +1 lap   17. V. Petrov Caterham +1 lap 18. T. Glock Marussia +2 laps   19. P. de la Rosa HRT +3 laps   20. S. Perez Sauber +21 laps   21. C. Pic Marussia +23 laps 22. N. Karthikeyan HRT +36 laps   23. B. Senna Williams +45 laps   24. M. Schumacher Mercedes +45 laps   http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05979http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05979Sun, 13 May 2012 12:49:57 GMTHead over to our new live race report centre for live text commentary and images from the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix from Barcelona. Alternatively follow @F1TimesLive for updates via Twitter.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05978http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05978Sat, 12 May 2012 22:27:32 GMTJenson Button, 10th: “I expected quite a bit from qualifying today, so I don’t really understand what went wrong. The speed is in the car though, as Lewis showed. “We were quickest on the soft tyre yesterday, and I thought we’d be reasonably competitive today too – but that wasn’t the case, and we don’t really know why. I just struggled with a very different balance from yesterday. “I had oversteer all through qualifying, then, on my final run – when we actually added more front wing – I had understeer! “It’s not a perfect day when you qualify in P11 [P10 after Lewis’s penalty] but I hope we can work out this evening what’s happening with the balance for the race tomorrow. “I guess you’d just have to describe today as a difficult day at the office.” Lewis Hamilton, 24th (secured pole but excluded): “This is such a disappointment. Today’s qualifying session was one of the best I’ve ever driven – the whole car was just rolling so smoothly – it felt fantastic. The team had done a fantastic job to bring the updates here this weekend – so I want to say a huge thank-you to all the men and women at the MTC for working day and night to get all the new components here this weekend. “But, on my slowing-down lap, my engineers told me to stop on the track, and I didn’t know why. Later, to hear that I’d been excluded from qualifying, was of course extremely disappointing. "But, now, looking ahead to tomorrow, I think it’s clear that it’s going to be an incredibly tough race for us. Even so, as always, I’ll never give up and I’ll give it everything I’ve got. It would mean so much to me to get a good result here in Spain: it’s such a pleasure to come here and the support I get is amazing. “As I always say, and as I always do, whatever grid position I start a Grand Prix from, I’ll always race my heart out.” Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “You won’t be surprised to hear me saying that today was a very disappointing day for all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. “But, if I may start by stressing the positives, both today and yesterday our car has shown itself to be both fast and stable at this most testing of circuits, and as a result Jenson was extremely quick yesterday and Lewis extremely quick today. “But, when it came to final qualifying this afternoon, by their own admission Jenson and his engineers didn’t quite manage to find the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of set-up and tyre optimisation, and the result was P11 [P10 after Lewis’s penalty]. Lewis, by contrast, hooked it up beautifully in Q3 today, continuing his run of scintillating quali-laps so far this season. “However, he was unable to finish his slow-down lap – and, since we accept that the stewards didn’t agree with our interpretation of force majeure, we didn’t contest their decision to penalise him. “Our aim is therefore now to maximise the points we can score tomorrow, and you may rest assured that both Jenson and Lewis will approach the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix with their customary combative ambition.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05977http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05977Sat, 12 May 2012 22:25:58 GMTLewis Hamilton couldn't hide his disappointment after securing pole position with a dominant performance on Saturday, only to have it taken away from him. The McLaren driver was excluded from qualifying after he failed to make it back to the pits on his in-lap under his own power, therefore falling foul of article 6.6.2 of the sporting regulations. It took the stewards six hours to make a final decision, but when they did, the decision to exclude Hamilton and force him to start from 24th was a bitter pill to swollow. "This is such a disappointment," said Hamilton. "Today’s qualifying session was one of the best I’ve ever driven – the whole car was just rolling so smoothly – it felt fantastic," he explained. "But, on my slowing-down lap, my engineers told me to stop on the track, and I didn’t know why. Later, to hear that I’d been excluded from qualifying, was of course extremely disappointing." The 27-year-old says he will race his heart out on Sunday to get a good position when the flag falls on the 66th lap. "But, now, looking ahead to tomorrow, I think it’s clear that it’s going to be an incredibly tough race for us. Even so, as always, I’ll never give up and I’ll give it everything I’ve got. It would mean so much to me to get a good result here in Spain: it’s such a pleasure to come here and the support I get is amazing. "As I always say, and as I always do, whatever grid position I start a Grand Prix from, I’ll always race my heart out."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05976http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05976Sat, 12 May 2012 18:47:32 GMTLewis Hamilton will lose his pole position for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix after meeting with the FIA race stewards on Saturday evening. The McLaren driver will now start at the back of the grid after being excluded for stopping on-track with insufficient fuel to make it back to the pits and to provide a sample. The penalty hands pole to Pastor Maldonado. The 27-year-old was told to stop his car on his in-lap after securing pole position with a 1:21.707. When he was asked why, he said he didn't know. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh offered a little more insight, but gave no definitive answer when he was probed on the issue. "It is a technical problem that happened in the garage that didn't impede the performance of the car in anyway, and we stopped the car when it had 1.3-litres of fuel in the car," he explained. "There was a technical problem that led to that situation. I think it is not for me to decide [if Hamilton is penalised]; but I would believe that to be a force majeure but it is up to the stewards to decide." The regulations state that it is unacceptable for a driver to stop after the race without a reasonable explanation, and that they musn't have done it to gain an advantage - it however doesn't mention anything about qualifying. A statement from the FIA explained they couldn't accept McLaren's excuse that a member of the team under fuelled the car prior to Hamilton's pole lap. "The stewards received a report from the Race Director which stated that during post-qualifying scrutineering a sample of fuel was required from car 4, however, the car failed to return to the pits under its own power as required under Article 6.6.2 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations," said the stewards in a statement. "The Stewards heard from the team representative Mr Sam Michael who stated that the car stopped on the circuit for reasons of force majeure. A team member had put an insufficient quantity of fuel into the car thereby resulting in the car having to be stopped on the circuit in order to be able to provide the required amount for sampling purposes. "As the amount of fuel put into the car is under the complete control of the Competitor the Stewards cannot accept this as a case of force majeure. "The Stewards determine that this is a breach of Article 6.6.2 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations and the Competitor is accordingly excluded from the results of the Qualifying Session. The Competitor is however allowed to start the race from the back of the grid." Revised 2012 Spanish GP Qualifying Results: PosDriverTeamQ1 TimeQ2 TimeQ3 Time 07. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.850 1:22.884 No Time 11. M. Webber Red Bull 1:23.592 1:22.977   24. L. Hamilton McLaren - - - 10. J. Button McLaren 1:23.510 1:22.944   17. B. Senna Williams 1:24.981   02. F. Alonso Ferrari 1:23.276 1:22.862 1:22.302 16. F. Massa Ferrari 1:23.886 1:23.444   13. N. Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.720 1:23.177 01. P. Maldonado Williams 1:23.380 1:22.105 1:22.285 09. K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:23.386 1:22.897 No Time 05. S. Perez Sauber 1:24.261 1:22.773 1:22.533 18. V. Petrov Caterham 1:25.277 04. K. Raikkonen Lotus 1:23.406 1:22.856 1:22.487 08. M. Schumacher Mercedes 1:23.757 1:22.904 No Time 06. N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.370 1:22.882 1:23.005 03. R. Grosjean Lotus 1:23.248 1:22.667 1:22.424 14. J. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:24.362 1:23.265   12. P. di Resta Force India 1:23.852 1:23.125   22. P. de la Rosa HRT 1:27.555   15. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:23.906 1:23.442   19. H. Kovalainen Caterham 1:25.507   20. C. Pic Marussia 1:26.582     21. T. Glock Marussia 1:27.032     23. N. Karthikeyan HRT 1:31.122   Q1 107% Time: 1:28.363 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05975http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05975Sat, 12 May 2012 18:06:20 GMTMark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: Pastor's qualifying performance was stunning today with a collection of very strong laps throughout the session which allowed us to save a set of soft tyres to fight for a decent qualifying position in Q3. To finish P2 is a great boost for the whole team and gives us a very good position from which to push hard in the race for decent points and hopefully a further belated 70th birthday present for Frank. It is obviously disappointing for Bruno to have crashed out of Q1 but we expect the race pace to be strong so points are still possible from P18. Pastor Maldonado, 2nd: We have been working so hard all year to understand these tyres and with the updates we have brought to this race we have made a very good step forward. The car is very consistent and its race pace is good so I am really looking forward to the race tomorrow. There has been a really positive atmosphere in the team all season and this is a great result for them and Venezuela. Bruno Senna, 18th: It was a disappointing qualifying for me and I had back luck with traffic when on the soft tyre. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow if I want to score any points but I have had good races from the back before and our car is looking competitive this weekend.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05974http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05974Sat, 12 May 2012 18:01:37 GMTDRIVERS: 1 – Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren), 2 – Pastor MALDONADO (Williams), 3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari) TV UNILATERAL Lewis, McLaren’s 150th Formula One pole position today. You really had to manage to the process though, particularly with the tyres. You were in the groove from the start, but what happened at the end when you stopped out on the track? Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly it was a fantastic qualifying session for me. Really, I’m very happy with the way… I think it’s one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Amazing job by the guys in the garage. Huge thanks to the guys in the factory for bringing us the upgrades, which have worked fantastically. I stopped on the track. I was told to stop. I don’t really have any idea why. But the car was feeling great today. It's a great day for the team, I think. I don’t know what happened with Jenson, but he’s got great strength and pace throughout the race, so I have no doubt that he will make his way up through the grid. Pastor, a sensational session for you and Williams. Where did you find the speed from? Pastor MALDONADO: I think we’ve been working so hard from the beginning of the year trying to understand these tyres and to develop our car around the tyres and I think we actually did a really good step forward for this race. We need to continue to like that, keep pushing. I think at the moment there is a great atmosphere in the factory, a great atmosphere here in the team, the car looks pretty consistent and fantastic, especially in the race pace, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s a great feeling to be here, it’s my first time in the top three, so I’m really happy and hopefully we will continue like that and I would like to say thanks to the whole team. Fernando, a lot of updates also on the Ferrari. Are you heading in the right direction now? Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, I think so. Obviously for us it was impossible to even dream about being in the top three in the four races, we just had eyes on Q3 with no new set [of tyres] left or anything like that, so definitely it’s a step forward. The grid is so compact now that if you improve two or three tenths it makes a huge difference in terms of positions: five or six positions. So we did a step forward. I still doubt how much we did, because I think maybe P3 is a little bit over-performing what we can do at the moment. But I’m extremely happy with the lap; it was perfect. I don’t think there is much more to come. I think I could put 100 more sets of tyres on and I could only repeat the lap time probably. It is the way it is. I’m extremely happy for today and hopefully we maximise or capitalise on this good starting position tomorrow with a good result. Back to you Lewis. Obviously a lot of tyre tactics going on in qualifying today. What about the race tomorrow? What’s your read on how things are going to shape up and what kind of shape do you feel you’re in to become the fifth different race winner in five races? LH: Well, we’ve looked after our prime tyres, which is generally the better tyre for the race, or so it seems at the moment – the longer lasting tyre. Also the option tyres are all in good condition so… I think it’s going to be a massively tough race tomorrow. Of course, I’ve got these two great drivers next to me. I’m really happy to see this guy [Pastor Maldonado] up here and to see Williams up here and also Fernando. It’s really great to see my old team-mate up here as well and I’m going to have a great battle with these guys and I really hope we’re going to put on a great show for all the fans. PRESS CONFERENCE Lewis, congratulations. That was a great lap at the end. You must be so satisfied with it? LH: I really am. I think every time you go out, every time you qualify you’re searching for that perfect lap. You’re searching to put the car in just the right sweet spot, where you’re gaining all the time you could possibly gain and you’re not losing anywhere and I really felt that throughout Q1, Q2 and Q3… after Q1 I was like ‘damn, that should have been my Q3 lap’ but I was really grateful that I was able to continue that throughout the session and yeah, fantastic feeling really – overwhelmed. Lewis, you’ve started third on the grid here for the last three years and you haven’t yet won this grand prix, you’ve been twice second. Do you really want to tick this box, win this grand prix, one of the ones you haven’t yet won? LH: Well I’m very much aware that I have an incredibly tough race tomorrow with these guys who are massively quick – also on their long runs – and just how tricky it is in general. But it would mean a huge amount for me to win here in Spain. It’s always been a great place for me, it’s beautiful weather all the time and the people are just incredible and the support that I’ve had continues to grow year by year. And it’s become such a pleasure for me to come here. So, to win at one of the circuits where they have one of the biggest fan bases for Formula One in general, would be fantastic. Can you explain why there should be such changing fortune, even between team-mates? For example, your team-mate didn’t get through to Q3, his [Maldonado’s] team-mate didn’t get through into Q2 even and his [Alonso’s] team-mate starts 17th. It seems extraordinary the changing fortunes even for team-mates. LH: I think it’s surprising all of us. We are all very surprised. Obviously we are very happy that we’re up here! It just fantastic to see how close it is. You lose a tenth or two, that means you have to use your next set of tyres which then has a knock-on effect for the next session if you do or don’t get through. And so it’s massively competitive and it’s great for… I’m sure the fans are loving it – maybe not enjoying Q3 so much, but we definitely did. Pastor, where did it come from? How much did you get sorted out in Mugello? Do you think it’s a knock-on effect after Mugello? PM: I think all the guys in the factory did a wonderful job because the upgrades we have for this race, everything is working on the car. I was pretty happy yesterday in the free practice and the balance is there. Even though our strongest point has always been in the race, so I’m looking forward for tomorrow. Actually we improved – our worst thing was the qualifying pace so pretty happy for that, pretty happy for the team, for my country, for myself. It’s a great job today. Is this a favourite circuit, one of your best? I know Bruno [Senna] said it was one of his favourite circuits… PM: I think all of us, we know very well this circuit, we enjoy this circuit because of the combination of corners we find here, even the teams know very well. I think we have been working so hard in the winter tests here and so we find a good balance in the car and a good compromise for quali and race.  Did you feel yesterday ‘hey, we can really do something here’? Did you already feel that yesterday? PM: Yes. I think yesterday we were thinking about top ten, it was possible. This morning I was quite surprised about our performance because the car was so quick with lower fuel. This morning it was possible. Fernando, I don’t think anyone was ever going to discount you here. I don’t know what it was, maybe the crowd, or Ferrari etc, etc, How much satisfaction, third on the grid? FA: Really happy. No doubt that this is a special weekend for me. And as I said on Thursday, there is always some extra motivation, some over-performing a little bit of what you have on hand, and yeah, thanks to the updates we had here, definitely we did a step forward, in the right direction because we hardly get into Q3 in the first four races and now we arrive with a little bit more comfortable way and then in Q3 the lap was good. I said before in the other conference with another hundred new tyres I would repeat the same time – I don’t think there is any time left. But the points are given tomorrow, not today. We did as much as we could today and we are happy to start in a much better position that what we did in the previous grands prix. But we need the points tomorrow. Especially… the grid positions are mixed a little bit as you said, with some of the people that are in front of us in the championship, they start at the back tomorrow – so we need to take benefit of this good position today and score more points than them. We remember in particular your start last year. Are we going to see a repeat of that? FA: I’ll tell you tomorrow. Definitely, a little bit like Pastor and Williams, our race pace is much better than qualifying pace – that is normally our weakest point and we suffer on Saturday some bad positions and then compromise a little bit our race pace. So tomorrow we have a privileged position to start, so the first corner will be important if we can gain some positions, but it’s important also not to lose. The race tomorrow is very long with the tyre degradation and, as I said, we must score points tomorrow, good points, with this position we have. So, aggressive start yes, crazy start not. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Adrian Huber – Agencia EFE) Fernando, will you be happy tomorrow repeating this position or will you be looking for something more? FA: You never know in Formula One. I think a podium position, we tend to agree in the team, if someone tells us two or three days ago, before coming to Barcelona, or after the Mugello test, that in Barcelona you will be on the podium, I think we all agree, we all be happy with that position. Today, obviously with this position, that dream or that target is closer. But I think the race is very long tomorrow and we saw even in Bahrain, Kimi started ninth, (11th), he was P10 or P11 in lap one and he nearly won the race in the end, so the positions are not crucial anymore as previous years. I think it will be an extremely tough race tomorrow to take care of the tyres again. Degradation, DRS, KERS to overtake. Pitstop strategy, we will see probably a lot of pitstops for everybody. The more pitstops you have, the more risk you have to have a problem in the pits. There are a lot of factors tomorrow that we need to take account. It will be a difficult race. A podium, I think, will be a good result for us and happy. Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Lewis, are you happy? What are you feeling now? What do you think about tomorrow, this position? LH: I really feel fantastic. I’m very, very happy. Normally you can always be happy with a pole position of course, but for some reason even more so this time than maybe any other qualifying that I’ve had, except for the first pole position I have had in Formula One. Just because, as I was just saying, you’re always looking for that perfect lap, and I really, really felt that I got everything just, just sweet there and got absolutely everything out of my car. I didn’t miss apexes or anything like that. It’s an incredibly feeling when you have that. It’s really just a very unique experience. But tomorrow’s going to be a tough race. As you were just saying, Fernando had a great start here last year and it’s such a long drive down to turn one – but he was also saying people are coming to win from quite far back, or to compete for wins from quite far back, so tomorrow’s just going to be about looking after your tyres, getting the right pitstops at the right times and really being patient, I think, at the most important times during the race.  Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriere Dello Sport) To all three drivers; they have chosen new rules and tyres to have an unpredictable Formula One. Do you think this championship is just unpredictable, or technically less logical as well? FA: I don’t think they choose the tyres for the championship to be unpredictable. We have the tyres that we have. LH: I’m not sure that they were expecting it to be as it is, but I definitely think that it is a bit unpredictable at the moment, massively close. There have been several different winners in the races and you can make such a big difference, if you don’t finish one race but then you win the next race, it can still keep you in contention so it feels for me – out of all the championships that I’ve been in – it feels to me to be one of the most exciting ones. Regardless if I haven’t won yet, it just feels like one of the best, I imagine, for people to watch. PM: I think that the tyres are the same for everybody so all the teams and all the drivers are working hard to adapt ourselves, even the cars to these tyres and to get the best performance we can. Q: (Marco degli Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Pastor when you reached Williams, there were a lot of people, among journalists too, who expressed doubts about you and they said that you have got the seat because of your rich sponsors and so on. Now, are you convinced that you have proved that you are one of the top drivers, thanks to your qualities? PM: I’m think that I’m lucky, I’m lucky to have not only a sponsor behind me but also a country behind me, pushing me so hard. Here I am, doing my job, doing my best, trying to improve every time. I have a mission, which is to be back with Williams to the top, so here we are. We still need to keep pushing, to keep improving and I think that is possible. Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Pastor, congratulations, I want to know about the start tomorrow. What do you think? Is it going to be easier to attack Lewis at the first corner, or defend from Fernando? PM: I think it’s going to be a very tough race, because not only us three but even the other drivers have a very close pace. Our strongest point was always race pace so hopefully our car will be very consistent and pretty good in the race. I hope to continue like that, I hope to stay in the position, the podium is very important for us, the points, so it’s very important to keep calm and to do good race. Q: (Laurentzi Garmendia – Berria) Lewis, we have such a close championship in terms of times in qualifying, but I think your gap was over half a second to Pastor. Does it surprise you? It looks like a dominant car. LH: Yes, I’m definitely surprised to have such a big gap. I wasn’t surprised that it was a good lap because it felt that I switched the tyres on the right way and I feel that I extracted everything but yeah, considering that all the sessions are so close, all the teams are so close, I definitely wasn’t expecting to have such a big gap. That’s quite a big gap for us but we definitely can’t take it for granted. I think we’ll go to other races and it will be slower and in some races we will be faster but we really, really hope that with the continuous upgrades that we get we can try to maintain the pace that we have, especially through qualifying but most importantly to try and improve through the race. Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Fernando and Lewis: I think we all agree that it’s a good thing when Williams is doing well in Formula One and both of you have had moments this year when you’ve been racing with Pastor or the other Williams driver. I wonder if either of you or both of you could tell me where the car has strong points that you’ve noticed while racing with it on the circuit. LH: I can’t remember exactly what your strong points are but for me it’s fantastic to see Williams up here, really, really very happy for them. I know Sir Frank quite well since I’ve been here and I’m a huge admirer of him and his team and to see them up here again, I think Formula One’s just not been the same without Williams being at the front, competing. So it’s good, it’s great for them and for the whole team. I’ve always thought they had quite a good car, it always looked quite beautiful but I think this year it’s performing as well as looking good, so we’ll definitely be on our toes to try and make sure we’re ahead of them. FA: Yeah, I don’t know. Obviously I fight a little bit more with them than Lewis probably in these four races. The car looks strong in race pace as Pastor said and basically taking care of the tyres. I remember in China they did like 32 laps with the same set of tyres that no one couldhttp://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05973http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05973Sat, 12 May 2012 17:17:41 GMTFernando Alonso, 3rd: "This third place is not what we had expected. We were counting on making a step forward that would allow us to get into Q3 with less difficulty than in the first races of the season and we managed it. But we certainly did not think we could be so high up the grid. I don't know if this position is a true reflection of our car's performance - it's definitely not normal for a Red Bull and a McLaren to be eliminated in Q2 and that the other Red Bull gets into Q3 with no sets of new Soft tyre available – but what is certain is that the new parts we have brought here have resulted in us taking a step in the right direction: sure, it's not yet enough to fight for the very top places. It's a good basis to start from for this weekend, but the points come tomorrow. We will try and get a good start, especially as some of my main opponents in the title fight start behind us and we must try and make the most of that. Tyre performance will be a critical factor: we will have to be careful, because the forecast is for different temperatures to today and that could throw up some surprises. Racing in front of this amazing crowd always gives me some extra motivation!" Felipe Massa, 17th: "When qualifying is as close as this, it is vital to manage to have everything fall into place on a clean lap and I never got that chance. On my second run in Q2, I came across at least seven or eight cars that were preparing their tyres for their timed lap and the time I lost definitely cost me dear. It's a real shame to start seventeenth in a race in which our car has shown it has made a step forward in terms of performance, as could be seen from Fernando's result. The new aerodynamic parts which we introduced on the F2012 seem to have worked well – we have a bit more aerodynamic downforce and a bit less drag – but we are well aware that there is still a lot to do. Tomorrow, on a track as hard as this one on the tyres, strategy will be crucial: let's hope I can make it into the points." Stefano Domenicali: "The session was very closely contested and packed with surprises. Finally this year, we managed to get to Q3 in a condition that meant we could show our worth, at least with one of the drivers. Fernando did a fantastic job from the first to the final lap of the session, constantly improving and, once again, getting all the potential out of the car. Felipe fought hard, but on his lap with new Soft tyres in Q2, he had a lot of traffic and lost a few tenths that would have brought him close to tenth place. We had a lot of new parts on the F2012 and the aim was to make up at least part of the gap to the best in terms of pure performance. We have made a step forward, this is a fact. Tomorrow's race seems very hard to predict and tyre performance will make the difference. The weather could also play an important role, given we have already seen that a few degrees more or less can change the cards on the table." Pat Fry: "A good result with Fernando, who managed to qualify third, the best performance of the season. A shame for Felipe, who suffered because of traffic on his quick lap in Q2: right now, I cannot say if he would have made the cut out of Q2, but it definitely cost him some places. We brought various updates here, especially aerodynamic ones: some worked well, meeting our expectations, others less so: looking at this afternoon's result we can say we have made a step forward, but it's clear that there is still a lot of work to do to always be at the same level as the best. However, third place is a confidence boost and it is down to everyone who, these past weeks, back home and at the track, has worked hard to reach this objective. Now we must confirm this progress in the race as well. The forecast is for slightly lower temperatures tomorrow and that could have an effect on tyre behaviour. We have seen various choices in terms of tyre management: now we will see who made the right choice."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05972http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05972Sat, 12 May 2012 16:47:00 GMTPaul Hembery: "Strategy was at the forefront of qualifying today, with a gap of around 0.8 seconds between the hard and the soft tyres, depending on the team. Historically, Barcelona is a race that has nearly always been won from the front row of the grid, but now drivers that have qualified lower down the grid still have a possibility to challenge for victory. "There were some surprising eliminations in Q2; however these drivers will feel the benefit of having more fresh tyres, so it will be interesting to see what they can do with them. As Barcelona is so demanding on every aspect of the dynamics of a car, including tyre management, it is normally a very good indicator of the likely form for the rest of the year. "With the teams so closely matched this season, and the upgrades introduced at Mugello beginning to take effect, it's going to be very hard to predict a winner for tomorrow. Particular congratulations to Pastor Maldonado and Williams - who have consistently got the most out of the tyres throughout the weekend so far."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05971http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05971Sat, 12 May 2012 16:23:45 GMTNarain Karthikeyan has been granted permission to start the Spanish Grand Prix despite missing the 107% qualifying time. The Indian driver suffered from a poorly fitted onboard camera which meant he had to abandon his final lap and return to the pits. He missed the cut-off by just under three seconds, but managed to beat the time in FP3 and therefore it has been deemed he is competitive enough to race on Sunday. HRT's technical director Toni Cuquerella, admitted they suffered some bad luck with Karthikeyan: "We weren't lucky in qualifying as he spun on the first set of tyres and wasn't able to set a good time, and when he was about to go out with the second set we had to abort as there was a problem with the fitting of the on-board camera which made it dangerous to go back out. "He wasn't able to get in the 107% but I'm confident that, given the performance he showed this morning, there won't be any trouble for him to start tomorrow's race."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05970http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05970Sat, 12 May 2012 16:08:04 GMTThe FIA's Charlie Whiting has ruled that Formula 1 stewards can continue to use their own discretion when ruling over gains made if a driver goes off-track. Whiting met with all the drivers on Friday when the topic of Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in Bahrain was raised. Rosberg was cleared of any wrongdoing when he forced both drivers to run wide and leave the track boundaries, but Hamilton's overtake with all four wheels over the white line was called into question. Two drivers in particular, Michael Schumacher Felipe Massa, called for a zero-tolerance approach to any driver making gains when not within the track boundaries, but other drivers argued handing out the same penalty for a minor gain, compared to a significant gain such as gaining a place, wasn't the way to approach the situation. Whiting approached the stewards on Saturday morning and came to the decision that they can continue to use their discretion when it comes to off-track antics. He agreed that a blanket, zero-tolerance approach wasn't the right path to follow. This has been communicated to the teams following qualifying in Spain.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05969http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05969Sat, 12 May 2012 15:54:14 GMTBernie Ecclestone has confirmed that the Spanish Grand Prix will alternate between Barcelona and Valencia, starting with the former in 2013. The 81-year-old confirmed the news on Saturday in the Formula 1 paddock, telling Reuters: "The [Spanish] race will be here [Barcelona] in 2013 and 2014 in Valencia." The news had been expected, but negotiations between the two local governments and organisers had delayed such confirmation. Meanwhile, Ecclestone confirmed news that if Montreal goes ahead with its redevelopment, then it's likely a 10-year deal will be on the cards for the Canadian circuit, meaning it will remain a fixture on the F1 calendar until at least 2024. "They are going to try and rebuild," he said. "It needs a bit of an upgrade I think. They know what we want to do. "It will happen. We love Montreal," he added.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05968http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05968Sat, 12 May 2012 15:48:34 GMTCharles Pic, 21st: "I am quite happy to be honest. I think for me all round it is quite a good qualifying. We managed to improve the package for this weekend, but the gap to the cars in front today did not reflect that. I don't think we really know where we are yet because the car was not 100%. I feel there is more to come for sure. We always seem to be better in the race versus our competitors and I hope that will be true for tomorrow. For now though I am happy with my position and I look forward to the race." Timo Glock, 22nd: "A much better day today than yesterday. I think we got on top of the problems a little bit and in Free Practice 3 this morning I had a good feeling. Unfortunately qualifying wasn't great for me. I made a mistake on my first flying lap, which was then not quick enough, and on the second flying lap on the first set of tyres I ran into yellow flags at turn 3 where one of the HRTs spun, so I couldn't do much on first set of tyres. On the second set of tyres I just couldn't get the lap together. The first sector was good; in the second sector I got a bit of traffic; and for some reason I dropped tyre performance in the last sector. It just didn't come together today and I will have to sit and analyse it and hope for better things in the race tomorrow." John Booth, Team Principal: "We approached Free Practice 3 this morning somewhat hesitantly. For the last two race weekends we have found, on Timo's car in particular, that a good balance on Friday has somehow translated into a car that is not behaving as it should have done for the rest of the weekend. A lot of analysis has taken place over the past week - and at the Mugello test prior to that - and some new parts that we brought to both cars seem to have solved these problems. Timo reported a much improved balance on the car today, even with respect to Friday. Given this, our confidence built in FP3 but was then knocked slightly by a mechanical issue on Timo's car at the end of the session. We quickly diagnosed the fault on what was a new part and were able to apply a fix to both cars in readiness for qualifying. Unfortunately for Timo, he never really found his rhythm in the qualifying session, so I'm sure there's a lot more to come from him tomorrow. Charles on the other hand performed brilliantly, as was the case last week, and he is certainly exceeding all the expectations that we had of him for this stage of his debut season. The guys in front still have a little margin on us if we put our best laps together, so tomorrow we will perhaps not be able to enjoy the fight we had hoped for. However, by setting the clear goal of trying to be as close to them as we possibly can, we will at least be able to learn more about where our car development needs to go from here."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05967http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05967Sat, 12 May 2012 15:29:35 GMTKimi Räikkönen, 5th: “I think we had a chance to be in the top three but we’ve been fighting with the set-up quite a bit today. We changed the car for qualifying and actually it was the correct call in the end; it was just a few small mistakes which cost me some time on my Q3 lap. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow in the race; the car has usually been better on Sunday than it has been on Saturday, so if that’s the case tomorrow we’ll be pretty happy. A lot of small details will decide the race and the tyres are one aspect of course. Our long runs were promising yesterday, so we’re not looking too bad. Hopefully we get a reasonable start and we can be up at the right end and go for it. I think we’ve got a good car and that’s the main thing.” Romain Grosjean, 4th: “It was a good performance from the team, especially as I didn’t run in FP3 because of a fuel pressure problem. For the set-up we went from what we’d found out yesterday and it worked pretty well. Everyone did a good job to get the car ready for qualifying after the problems of the morning. We can be happy with what we have achieved – of course you always want more but this is the result for today. I think that I could have been a little bit quicker, not too much more. Tomorrow is going to be long; our race pace did not look too bad but, of course, we’ll have to manage tyre degradation.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: How do you assess today’s qualifying performance? “Today went relatively smoothly for us. In Q3 I think we could have had a little bit more from both drivers’ laps. For Romain in particular – after missing this morning’s practice – it was an exceptional effort. Having the hard and soft tyres as opposed to two compounds which sit alongside each other (the medium and soft used in Bahrain for example) meant we had to approach qualifying differently as we all needed the softer tyre to progress through Q1, limiting the number of soft tyres available for the next two sessions. We saw different approaches to this; we’ll have to see in the race whose was correct.” How are we looking for the race? “Our long run pace yesterday looked good so we can be reasonably confident heading into the race. Our target for today was to get both cars into the top six; we’ve got both in the top five so let’s try and exceed expectations once again tomorrow.” What are we thinking for tyre strategy heading into tomorrow? “We used three sets of soft tyres to go through qualifying, but we have two new sets of the hard compound Pirelli tyres. We are very flexible on tyre strategy for tomorrow and we’ll be spending a lot of time now looking at all the possible permutations. There’s certainly no clear solution shouting out at us at this stage, so we have a lot of number crunching to do. We’ll be starting both cars on scrubbed soft tyres, after that it is still to be decided.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05966http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05966Sat, 12 May 2012 15:27:33 GMTSebastian Vettel, 8th: “A pretty different session today; it was extremely tight. From Q1 onwards we decided to go on the soft tyres. The first run in Q2 wasn’t good enough, so I had to go again and it was clear then that if we made it to Q3, we wouldn’t have any new soft tyres left. I think we got the maximum at the end there in Q3, we saved some sets of tyres, which we thought going in to qualifying would be crucial, but we didn’t have the pace of the top five cars today. Tyres will be important tomorrow, so let’s see what we can do.” Mark Webber, 12th: “I’m pretty surprised by that; the guys did a good job with the car and were pushing hard all weekend. We were quick, but the track kept getting faster and we got caught out. My first timed lap in Q2 wasn’t fast enough. I was P2 after the first lap and we thought we had done enough, but in the end it wasn’t. I didn’t use two sets of tyres in Q2, which it turns out wasn’t the right thing to do. I was told not to go out again, but the way that the track improved was a surprise to all of us. We were very strong in the first part of Q2 and I was happy with how I drove my lap. It’s the way it goes sometimes.” Christian Horner: “A difficult session, obviously everyone ended up having to use the soft tyre in Q1. In Q2 we thought we had done enough with Mark, we knew it was going to be tight, but we thought the time was enough and were keen to take a new set of tryes into Q3, but it didn’t work out and we missed the cut with him. We knew we had to run again with Seb and he did just enough to make it into Q3, but he’d used all his sets of soft tyres, at which point it became a game of tactics. Mercedes were in the same position as us with tyres and were the only one we could potentially out qualify. We performed an out and in-lap to make sure we were the first to do that and then started a timed, but Seb was down compared to Rosberg – the the only other scrubbed tyre user – so we aborted the lap and will start in P8. We have four new sets of tyres for Mark and three for Sebastian, which can be extremely valuable in the race.” (Renault) Cyril Dumont: “It was disappointing today. With Mark, we thought he didn’t need to run again in Q2, but unfortunately his time was not enough – we should have gone out again, which prevented him from going to Q3. With Seb, we used all the new soft tyres in Q1 and Q2, so we only had scrubs left for Q3, which was not ideal. We decided to do an out and in-lap, so we can change the tyres for tomorrow.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05965http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05965Sat, 12 May 2012 15:26:11 GMTPedro de la Rosa, 23rd: "The day went very well, especially this afternoon, so I'm very happy with what we achieved. We completed two very good laps in qualifying, getting under the 1.28 mark which we hadn't achieved neither yesterday nor this morning. I know that our position seems the same as always but, in terms of performance, we have progressed and that's what I'll take away with me. As I always say, we've still got a lot of room for improvement but we're on the right path and that's what matters. Tomorrow's race won't be easy because it's a tough track and the rear tyres wear out a lot. We have to get off to a good start, give the Marussias a good fight and finish the race in front of all our fans." Narain Karthikeyan, 24th: "It's been a very unlucky weekend for me so far. In the morning everything went smoothly but in the afternoon, with the first set of tyres I was pushing really hard and spun on turn 3 and, as a result, I flat-spotted a tyre so I had to come back in to the garage. We were going to go on the second set of tyres but we discovered some problems and due to safety concerns, not only for myself but the others, we decided that the best thing was to not go back out. It seems like my bad luck continues to follow me this weekend and, although I'm disappointed about that, there's nothing else I can do but keep giving it my best shot." Toni Cuquerella, Technical Director: "We had mixed fortunes today. Pedro was able to continue with his programme and we were able to confirm that everything works fine and, as anticipated, the upgrades gave us an improvement. But we can't stop, we have to continue progressing. For qualifying, the car's balance improved a little bit more and Pedro completed two very good laps. With Narain the target in the practice session was to do as much mileage as possible and he did a fantastic job, but we weren't lucky in qualifying as he spun on the first set of tyres and wasn't able to set a good time, and when he was about to go out with the second set we had to abort as there was a problem with the fitting of the on-board camera which made it dangerous to go back out. He wasn't able to get in the 107% but I'm confident that, given the performance he showed this morning, there won't be any trouble for him to sta rt tomorrow's race."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05964http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05964Sat, 12 May 2012 15:24:58 GMTNico Rosberg, 7th: "That was a tricky Qualifying session this afternoon, and seventh position was about the most that we could have achieved. It was a challenge to find the right set-up for the tyres and some of the others did that better than we did today. However with a good strategy tomorrow, we can hopefully gain some places. This has been a mixed up season so far and it's interesting to see that there are some new guys on the front row tomorrow." Michael Schumacher, 9th: "We wanted to save tyres this afternoon, which dictated how we managed Q3. I did not complete a timed lap, and now I still have the choice of what tyres to start on tomorrow. Equally, I thought it was better to start from ninth on the grid than eighth, and be on the clean side. It's clear that some teams have taken a step forward after the three-week break. And I would also say that the field is now even closer together. It's going to be a tight race tomorrow, although the forecast says it should be cooler, and it will be interesting to see if our choices today pay off at the end of the race." Bob Bell: "We completed useful race preparation work this morning, showed some improvement and went into qualifying expecting an interesting session due to the desire to save tyres for the race. The story of qualifying indeed turned out to be one of managing tyre use, and it certainly delivered a unique session. From a team perspective, we got two cars into the top ten and both drivers will start from the cleaner side of the grid, while our positions were probably as good as we could have achieved with the way we chose to use the tyres. Tomorrow's forecast is still for cooler temperatures, and with what we have seen both this weekend and this season so far, we know that a difference of several degrees in track temperature can make a huge difference to how different cars perform. We can expect a very interesting race." Norbert Haug: "A qualifying dominated by tyre saving which most of the teams did and we were no exception. Some sessions are tight, like Q2 when 0.048s separated P5 from P10, others are not, as Lewis' impressive qualifying time more than half a second ahead of P2 proved. Having said that, it is most likely that we will see changes in the top ten order from today at the end of the race tomorrow. Our target will be to score points with both cars posting consistent lap times as Nico did during his long run at the end of the final practice session this morning."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05963http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05963Sat, 12 May 2012 15:19:55 GMTPaul di Resta: “It has been quite a difficult weekend so far trying to get the car dialled into the circuit. In fact, it was only during the my final qualifying run that we made a change to the aero balance and I felt that the car was really hooked up. It’s close throughout the field once again, but we’ve been fairly aggressive on set-up and our pace over longs runs has looked quite competitive so far this weekend, which gives us a reason to be optimistic for the race. The goal will be to make up ground tomorrow and I think it will be a big achievement if we can pick up some points.” Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m pretty satisfied with my final lap in Q2 because I don’t think we could have achieved much more from the session today. That’s just where we are at the moment in terms of qualifying pace. We are still getting to understand the upgrades we have on the car, but it’s also clear that everyone else has made a step forward here and so the midfield remains extremely tight. The races so far this year have shown that grid position is not as crucial as it used to be with a lot of movement in the races, so I think we can still have a good race.” Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: “The team has done an excellent job over the last few weeks to push through our upgrade package and get it on the car this weekend. But it’s still early days and I’m sure that over the coming races we can fine-tune things further and extract even more performance. With than in mind I think we can take encouragement from our qualifying showing today with both Nico and Paul just a couple of tenths shy of squeezing through to Q3. We’ve been pleased with our tyre wear and the performance over long runs suggests we are in good shape for a competitive race tomorrow.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05962http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05962Sat, 12 May 2012 15:16:10 GMTSergio Pérez, 6th: “After the free practice sessions hadn’t been so easy for me, in qualifying the car really felt good. I think the result is what we were hoping for and perhaps a little bit better than expected. The competition is so close that a tenth of a second can really make a big difference, and you always think you could go a bit faster. In this regard it is almost frustrating having finished sixth, because a slightly better position was within reach. However, I think we can have a strong race performance. A lot will be down to tyre degradation tomorrow, which is quite high here. I want to do a perfect race and get the maximum possible points, or even come home with a nice surprise.” Kamui Kobayashi, 10th: “We really had a good performance in qualifying, and I could feel I had not extracted the maximum potential out of the car yet. In Q1 I had a bit of traffic and also on my fastest lap in Q2 there was still room for improvement from me. I believe I could have been fighting for a top five position, and this was what I was looking forward to. But then, after the chequered flag at the end of Q2, I was told on the radio that I had to stop the car because of an hydraulic problem. Nevertheless the team did a great job here to get both of us in Q3, and I am very positive for tomorrow’s race.“ Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO: “We are very happy with this result. After the Mugello test, which was quite encouraging, we hoped we would be able to get both cars into Q3, and it’s good to see that this worked out. P6 is a great result for Sergio. We are sorry for Kamui who had to stop after Q2 due to an hydraulic leak, but I’m very optimistic for the race.” Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “We are quite pleased with the outcome of qualifying. From an engineering point of view it was very positive that the good results from the Mugello test were confirmed on this track. Both drivers did a very good job, driving fast and consistent. It’s a shame we had an hydraulic leak on Kamui’s car. We decided that he should stop the car immediately in order not to do more damage. Now the important part comes tomorrow, and I’m confident we can achieve a very good result in the race.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05961http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05961Sat, 12 May 2012 14:39:38 GMTJean-Eric Vergne, 15th: “I have mixed feelings about this qualifying, because from a personal point of view, I feel I did a better job than I have done in the other sessions this year and for the first time this year, I have out-qualified my team-mate. On the other hand, I think we were lacking something from the car side. Everyone in the team has worked hard to bring updates for this race, but the others have done the same and apparently a bit more than us. We still have some work do to, but on the positive side, we improved the car from yesterday and I feel that our pace over a long run is pretty good, so we will have to see what happens tomorrow. I don’t feel it is too unrealistic to try and aim for some points.” Daniel Ricciardo, 16th: “This was not an ideal session for me. From yesterday I felt we were trying to chase a better balance front and rear on the car and although we made a substantial change overnight, it did not have as much of an effect as we had hoped for in terms of lap time or feeling in the car. In Bahrain I had a great Saturday and a poor Sunday, so Iet’s hope it’s the other way round this time. I’m not going to dwell on today’s performance and now I’m just focussed on having as good a race as possible.” Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer): “It is clear from today’s classification that, even if we were able to make improvements to our car overnight, it was enough to be up with the quickest guys. It’s true that it is very tight in this part of the grid, but we were not able to get into Q3 and we can expect an equally tight fight in the midfield in tomorrow’s race. The pace of development is very high for everyone so we now need to push even harder to catch up. As far as the race is concerned, we have managed to produce something even from lower down the grid, so hopefully we can pick up a bit of pace and deliver a good performance.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05960http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05960Sat, 12 May 2012 14:37:35 GMTVitaly Petrov, 19th: “I am very happy with today's performance. It feels great to have it all come together in qualifying today and I want to thank the team for doing a great job and helping me put together a final lap like that. There was even more time to come as I made a small mistake in sector two that maybe cost me two or three tenths, but between FP3 and qualifying we found a good balance on the softs and a KERS map that I could really get everything out of, so it's great to see it pay off with that sort of performance. "Tomorrow's going to be an interesting race. I think a lot of it will come down to who uses the rear tyres best and as we've already seen earlier this season, we can fight with the cars ahead on Sundays, so hopefully we can carry through this afternoon's performance to tomorrow, and who knows what could happen.” Heikki Kovalainen, 20th: “I'm not unhappy with today's performance but we could have definitely got more out of the car this afternoon. I made a mistake in turn three that cost me some time but overall I've not really been able to find a setup I'm happy with all weekend. We've tried a few different things to find a decent balance but for some reason we just couldn't find a compromise for qualifying today. We'll put that behind us now and move on to tomorrow where we'll aim to maintain the sort of race pace we've shown in the first four Grands Prix this season. If we can look after the tyres I think we'll be ok.” Mark Smith, Technical Director: “I think we probably got close to extracting as much performance out of the cars as we could this afternoon. Both drivers may have been able to find a couple more tenths but I am pleased with the performances they put in and now the focus moves to tomorrow's race. Tyres will be the defining factor in the race. We have already shown that we can fight with several cars ahead on Sundays and I think that careful management of the tyres and good pitstop strategy should give us a chance of putting in a good performance.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05959http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05959Sat, 12 May 2012 14:11:11 GMTLewis Hamilton will start on pole position in Spain after securing McLaren's 150th pole, with a dominant gap to second place of over half a second. Surprisingly Pastor Maldonado will start second behind the McLaren. A wonderful lap in the Williams handed the Venezuelan his highest grid position yet. Home favourite Fernando Alonso starts third ahead of of the two Lotus's of Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen respectively. A few cars, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, failed to set times as they opted to instead save tyres whilst Kamui Kobayashi will start tenth after he stopped on track at the end of the second session with a hydrualic issue and therefore couldn't set a timed lap in Q3. Jenson Button struggled with his tyres and will start 11th after first complaining of oversteer then understeer which only confused him and the team further. Mark Webber also struggled and could only manage the 12th quickest lap after being knocked out of the top ten in the final few seconds of Q2. Whilst Pastor Maldonado starts second, his team-mate Bruno Senna failed to escape Q1 after spinning his Williams into the gravel trap. Narain Karthikeyan will start the race in 24th at the discretion of the stewards after he failed to set a timed lap within 107% of the quickest time in the first session. 2012 Spanish GP Qualifying Results: PosDriverTeamQ1 TimeQ2 TimeQ3 Time 08. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.850 1:22.884 No Time 12. M. Webber Red Bull 1:23.592 1:22.977   01. L. Hamilton McLaren 1:22.583 1:22.485 1:21.707 11. J. Button McLaren 1:23.510 1:22.944   18. B. Senna Williams 1:24.981   03. F. Alonso Ferrari 1:23.276 1:22.862 1:22.302 17. F. Massa Ferrari 1:23.886 1:23.444   14. N. Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.720 1:23.177 02. P. Maldonado Williams 1:23.380 1:22.105 1:22.285 10. K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:23.386 1:22.897 No Time 06. S. Perez Sauber 1:24.261 1:22.773 1:22.533 19. V. Petrov Caterham 1:25.277 05. K. Raikkonen Lotus 1:23.406 1:22.856 1:22.487 09. M. Schumacher Mercedes 1:23.757 1:22.904 No Time 07. N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.370 1:22.882 1:23.005 04. R. Grosjean Lotus 1:23.248 1:22.667 1:22.424 15. J. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:24.362 1:23.265   13. P. di Resta Force India 1:23.852 1:23.125   23. P. de la Rosa HRT 1:27.555   16. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:23.906 1:23.442   20. H. Kovalainen Caterham 1:25.507   21. C. Pic Marussia 1:26.582     22. T. Glock Marussia 1:27.032     24. N. Karthikeyan HRT 1:31.122   Q1 107% Time: 1:28.363 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05958http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05958Sat, 12 May 2012 11:14:32 GMTSebastian Vettel put his Red Bull on top of the time sheets with just under a minute left on the clock to beat Pastor Maldonado to the top spot in final practice. The German bolted on a set of softs to go a tenth quicker than Jenson Button's best time on Friday. Behind Vettel, the field was a little more mixed than usual on a Saturday, with Maldonado heading Kamui Kobayashi by two hundredths of a second. Mark Webber then split the two Saubers, whilst home favourite Fernando Alonso slotted into sixth ahead of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. The session was about what could have been after several drivers encountered traffic on their flying laps, most notably Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton - both of whom looked to be heading for the top of the times before coming across slower cars in the final chicane. Meanwhile Romain Grosjean failed to set a timed lap after a fuel pressure issue left him stranded out on track in his Lotus. 2012 Spanish GP FP3 Results: #DriverTeamTimeGapLaps  01. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.168 13 02. P. Maldonado Williams 1:23.336 +0.168 19 03. K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:23.350 +0.182 19 04. M. Webber Red Bull 1:23.578 +0.410 16 05. S. Perez Sauber 1:23.742 +0.574 22 06. F. Alonso Ferrari 1:23.807 +0.639 15 07. J. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:23.833 +0.665 14 08. J. Button McLaren 1:23.909 +0.741 13 09. K. Raikkonen Lotus 1:23.936 +0.768 16 10. N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.070 +0.902 24 11. F. Massa Ferrari 1:24.179 +1.011 16 12. N. Hulkenberg Force India 1:24.323 +1.155 17 13. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:24.331 +1.163 15 14. B. Senna Williams 1:24.409 +1.241 18 15. P. di Resta Force India 1:24.599 +1.431 15 16. L. Hamilton McLaren 1:24.778 +1.610 15 17. M. Schumacher Mercedes 1:24.825 +1.657 17 18. V. Petrov Caterham 1:25.911 +2.743 20 19. H. Kovalainen Caterham 1:26.587 +3.419 20 20. C. Pic Marussia 1:27.469 +4.301 18 21. T. Glock Marussia 1:27.689 +4.521 16 22. N. Karthikeyan HRT 1:28.207 +5.039 24 23. P. de la Rosa HRT 1:29.373 +5.205 13 24. R. Grosjean Lotus No Time   2 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05957http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05957Sat, 12 May 2012 00:43:00 GMTA new rule could be enforced from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards following a heated debate in the driver briefing concerning Lewis Hamilton's off-track overtake. The drivers met on Friday to discuss any matters on their mind, as they do every Friday before a race, but sources suggest this particular meeting was more animated than usual. A couple of drivers raised the point that Hamilton gained an unfair advantage by going off the track, when he overtook Nico Rosberg who aggressively defended his position in Bahrain last time out. Whilst the FIA's Charlie Whiting cleared Rosberg of any wrongdoing, he was pressured into making a ruling on whether or not drivers should be punished for gaining an advantage if they leave the tracks boundaries. According to the BBC, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa in particular, backed a zero-tolerance approach to any gains made off-track, but other drivers raised concerns that that would result in the smallest of gains being punished in the same manner. Sebastian Vettel made the point that a 0.1 second advantage shouldn't carry the same penalty as gaining a place off-track, therefore the stewards should be able to use their knowledge and discretion to make an informed decision. Whiting is set to discuss the matter with the stewards on Saturday morning, before making a final decision at the end of the day - whatever he decides will then be in place for the remainder of the season.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05956http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05956Fri, 11 May 2012 22:47:57 GMTTEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Pierre WACHE (Sauber), Paui HEMBERY (Pirelli), Mark SMITH (Caterham), Giorgio ASCANELLI (Toro Rosso), Adrian NEWEY (Red Bull), Sam MICHAEL (McLaren). PRESS CONFERENCE Pierre, welcome, you’re Head of Vehicle Performance at Sauber. First of all, give us some indication of Mugello testing. Were your findings confirmed here? Were you satisfied with the test? Pierre WACHE: Thank you for the welcome. We evaluated a new package and we were happy to do this test for sure in the middle of the season to evaluate the new aero package. We did it again today and confirmed what we found in Mugello. Your drivers have seemed easier on the tyres in the first couple of grands prix this year. How did they extract that performance in the first couple of races but not in the next couple? PW: All the races are different, all the layouts are different and the last circuit maybe suited our car less than the other ones. That’s the only reason? PW: I think so, yes. And when it comes to this race? PW: I hope it will be OK. We will see tomorrow. It’s an interesting new partnership with Chelsea Football Club. Does that include more resources. It there a possibility for expansion in terms of resources? PW: I don’t know. I’m not really the right person to give this answer. I think you will have to ask Peter Sauber for that. Paul, a different range of tyres this year in terms of specification. How much has the game changed this year in terms of that specification change? Paul HEMBERY: Predominantly the compound choices have been a little bit more aggressive. If I take the scaling, the Supersoft tyre stays the same, the Soft tyre this year is derived from the Supersoft, and the Medium tyre this year is actually a close relation in terms of compounding to the Soft tyre of last year. So, there are some similarities to last year but the Hard tyre in particular is very much different. If we think about last year when we were here, the harder tyre in particular created quite a few struggles for the teams to get working. There were probably only two drivers in that race that got it working. So, yes there have been some changes. We’ve heard a lot about tyre temperature recently – degradation, wear etc. Can you just explain to us, because I think the media need an explanation, about what the difference is and how they affect the cars? PH: Degradation is a thermal performance loss – that’s from the tyres overheating essentially, taken to extremes in terms of lap time. Wear is the physical wear of the tyre which is probably easier for people to understand. The two are linked, though not necessarily in a parallel manner, but they are linked. The temperature, well, working range is something people hear a lot about. Last year we were finding that the Soft tyre, if we take that as a good example, had a working range from 20 degrees all the way through to the late 30s. This season we’ve seen that when the temperature dropped dramatically in Shanghai that caused quite a dramatic change in tyre performance when it went below 20 degrees. So there’s probably some sensitivity there, and depending on the cars we were looking at we could see that the actual temperature of the tyres was less, so we have to imagine there’s less energy going into the tyre. At the other end because we've taken a more aggressive approach to compounding you’ll find that when it gets to the other extremes of temperature, with abrasion or certainly wheel spin then we will go into an overheating mode. We’ve closed down the range of compounds and the cars have obviously changed as well, and you put that combination together and you have a start to the season pretty much as we saw last year – some question marks that tend to get ironed out as the season goes on and the teams get to understand better the cars, the tyres how to get the best out of them all. I think you’ll see over the next few races that that will be the case. How concerned are you about the drop in temperature we’re expecting on Sunday? We saw 44 degrees today but apparently it will be at least 10 less on Sunday. PH: No. As I mentioned it’s more likely when you go below 20 degrees, when it’s cooler. It’ll probably be in Germany or at Silverstone where we’ll get more of an issue with that. No problem? PH: No. Mark, welcome to you here. Maybe we were wrong but we perhaps expected more from Caterham this year. What can be done to improve it? What did you find in Mugello? Has it improved since Mugello? Mark SMITH: It’s perhaps not unreasonable to have expected more us as a team. I think we’re all a little bit disappointed with where we are. We want to perform better. I feel we’ve made progress since last year. You have to look and measure your performance relative to the teams you’re competitive with and I think we have made some progress but it’s clearly not enough, it’s not where we want to be. I think it’s part of being a relatively immature team, even though there are many people in the team with experience. To make the team gel and to provide the tools to actually take the team forward takes a little bit of time. I genuinely think we are on the road to putting those tools in place, whether it’s personnel or hardware or software, that’s what we’re working hard on at the moment. In terms of Mugello, it was useful for further developments that we’re making in the aero world. I think it’s fairly obvious that’s the area we need to make significant improvement in. In terms of what we took there and why it’s not here, in reality we had to commit to something because of the timing of the Mugello test that we hadn't fully developed in CFD or the wind tunnel environment. What about the performance of the drivers? It’s interesting that Heikki has out-qualified his team-mate four to one, but Vitaly has out-raced his team-mate four to zero. MS: I think that as a team we’re very happy with both drivers. Vitaly joining the team has been a breath of fresh air for all of us. We’ve got two drivers who are both very motivated and give of their best at all times and at all locations. We’re totally happy with them. Giorgio, welcome again. I mentioned the other day the pace of development. The factory as a whole has expanded  - you have more space for development, more space for people. Is that the case? Is there more development coming from the team now? Giorgio ASCANELLI: It is the case indeed. The straight answer is: Do we get more bits? Yes, we do. Are they good bits? Sometimes. So what did you learn in Mugello? GA: Half the things we brought to Mugello worked, half didn’t. We have to keep looking at it. We couldn’t react on the parts that weren’t working for here. I think we’ll have another stab at it Canada because Monaco is no place to do this kind of work. Interesting that the consistency hasn't always been there. We saw a remarkable performance from Daniel [Ricciardo], who put in his best ever qualifying in Bahrain but it didn’t seem to continue in the race itself. GA: I would say we have been consistently slow apart from the qualifying in Bahrain, which was really a flower. So, what do you make of it. Not much. First race - since I’m Toro Rosso we’ve always scored points [there]. No matter what. No matter whether we have the previous year’s car or we’ve made out own car, it means we are trying to come prepared to the first race and maybe someone else doesn’t. Second race was a rolling dice. Third race we were extremely happy… No, in China we had a technical problem that we fought for the whole weekend and in Bahrain we were extremely happy with qualifying and not so happy after the race. Adrian and Sam, interesting to see both your teams today seeming to do a lot more work on the car, seeming to do perhaps more than usual. Was this a continuation today of the Mugello test? Were you still working on test parts? Adrian NEWEY: I wouldn’t say this weekend has been any different to the first four races from how we’ve approached the weekend and so forth. Sam? Sam MICHAEL: It’s pretty similar for us as well. We’ve had a pretty intensive Friday programme of bringing upgrades and taking lots of measurements throughout P1 and P2 and we had a few bits that we carried over from Mugello to finish off but we would have had a very similar programme whether we went to Mugello or not. All the teams are geared up to not have testing, to not having test teams and that means we’re equipped and do our planning to do all of that work on Friday. So, it wasn’t any different for us here. How important to both of you was that Mugello test? For instance, Sam, your race drivers didn’t take part in it, whereas Adrian, your race drivers did. How important was it? SM: From our point of view it was interesting because we used it to get correlation. All of our testing is to do with correlation now. It’s not to dial in the last little bit of the setup. And by running our two test drivers there we get a straight back-to-back with the guys that do the majority of the running in our simulator. So, that’s quite important for us to verify all of our models. I think the test itself, personally, I think you could do without it. I think it’s a lot of energy and expense during the season that we probably don’t need. Of course McLaren will gain a lot out of that test but Formula One is all relative, so all we really did was spend a load of money. And did we really shift relative to Red Bull or Ferrari or Mercedes and the people who we’re competing against? I don’t think so. Adrian, do you feel the same way? AN: I think we learnt the pasta in Italy is still the best in the world and that’s about it really. I’d agree with what Sam says. To me, yes you go to the test because it’s available. We didn’t learn anything… relatively speaking. I think Sam’s point is valid. We all spent money but the value of in-season testing has to be questionable. Adrian, in terms of driver performance this year, how much has changed do you think? Do you think anything has changed between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the first four grands prix of this year? AN: No, obviously Sebastian’s confidence is high and Mark is very talented and keeps working so I think y’know, generally Sebastian’s had slightly better results but it’s been close and I’m very happy with both of them. Sam, it’s a little bit of a mystery that when you were at Williams you were technical director there and now you’re sporting director – could you explain how your duties have changed? SM: Sure. I work for the senior management group, which means that I work with all the engineering and technical directors at McLaren. My main responsibility is the race track and the drivers but I work within that group in the factory to make McLaren a faster car and a better place. Very often the sporting director is seen almost as a team manager. SM: I think if you look in different teams, everyone has different titles, it doesn’t really mean… it doesn’t necessarily related to what they do within that team. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Question to Sam and Adrian. So many times since in-season testing was banned we’ve heard teams and drivers bemoan the fact there is no in-season testing, that they can’t test things, they can’t improve the car etc. So why are you two guys now bemoaning the fact that we’ve just had an in-season test and you learnt nothing from it? Sure that was the whole point of having an in-season test, that you do learn things from it and you move forward. AN: Neither of us is saying that we haven’t learnt anything from it, it’s just, has it brought anything in particular of real value? And obviously because Formula One is a relative sport and in particular relative to your competition and, as Sam said, since those comments were made we’ve had three years, or whatever it is, of no in-season testing. We’ve all learnt how to use Fridays more effectively as test sessions, so the value of in-season testing has depleted because of that. SM: same comments (Daniel Ortelli – AFP) Now that you’ve answered that question, do you think that in-season testing would be more useful later in the season? AN: I guess if you wanted to use it as research for the following year’s car, possibly. But I think the fact is Formula One budget-wise is… things are tight for a lot of teams and the most expensive thing to do is run the car. That’s far more expensive than wind tunnel testing or CFD or simulators and whatever else you might like to name. If one of the major things is to save costs then I think in-season testing would be one of the relatively low-hanging fruit. Anyone else have any further comment on that, Giorgio? GA: Well, things are extremely profitable when they are the same all the time. A team evolves itself to adapt to the conditions of operation which are offered. If you change something you need a different operation. I think that’s what these two gentlemen have tried to say. They are both structured team with a lot of infrastructure. For us it’s a blessing to be able to drive – because we don’t have the infrastructure. Although I agree with Adrian: the most expensive way to make experience it going around a circuit. If you don’t, and you have a simulator and a good tunnel you make a good profit. If you haven’t got a simulator and haven’t got a good tunnel then you need some running to certify what you do. Mark, anything to add? MS: Nothing particularly different to add. Pierre? PW: Nothing to add, no. Paul, did it make a big difference as far as you were concerned or just expense? PH: Just expense I guess. But, y’know, we have to follow what the desires of the teams are. I think if we were to get any use, it would be to go to one of the tracks where we actually run a Formula One race, [that] would have been more useful to us. Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Giorgio, you have worked with some of the true greats of our sport, you’re now with a smaller team. I wonder if you would tell us if you see any signs of potential greatness in your drivers and specifically, can you tell us about the moments in the season so far when you’ve been most impressed by each of the two drivers? GA: I think I already said that I think the qualifying in Bahrain from Daniel has been quite extraordinary. It wasn’t just one lap, the last lap, it was the whole of Q1 -  all runs in Q1, in Q2 and Q3 were extremely good. It was sort of what I’ve already said about Sebastian Vettel when he set the famous lap – which I’ve quoted many times – in Valencia when he was running on full tanks and on used tyres and the lap time was, to my eyes, quite exceptional. I think that Sebastian made a big step that day when he noticed that and he thought about it and he could repeat it. Unfortunately we cannot repeat it yet because the race was another story. It’s down to the drivers to find the answers in themselves and in us to help them finding answers. I would say that Daniel has done something that is quite extraordinary. Jev (Jean-Eric Vergne) has a big heart, he is one of the best fuel controllers that I have seen in my life but this is only his fifth event and I think we have to wait a little bit.  Q: (Gary Meenaghan – The National) This year, we have three teams registered to ASNs from outside of Europe: India, Malaysia and Russia. I’m just wondering if any of you guys can a point at any time in the future when a team can actually be based outside of Europe, working from outside of Europe. I know there were some rumours about Abu Dhabi in the past with Toro Rosso and you’ve obviously got Malaysia with Caterham as well. SM: I think it’s possible but whether it can be competitive will depend on… Strong Formula One teams are made up of good people; whether they can attract enough good people, that will be the critical thing. It’s definitely possible from a manufacturing point of view and setting up equipment and designer, test facilities. That can be done anywhere within reason, but you need, to be competitive in Formula One, you have to attract good people, it’s whether they could cross that boundary.  Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Paul, Michael Schumacher, as I’m sure you’re aware, was particularly critical of Pirelli post-Bahrain. I just wondered if, as far as you know, he’s a lone voice in the wilderness, first of all? What did you make of his comments? Secondly, he mentioned yesterday that he held a meeting with Pirelli in Mugello. I just wondered if he came away from that with a better understanding of what you guys are trying to achieve this season? PH: Yeah, he had a meeting with some of our engineers – to be honest, it was a little bit more general than just talking about Bahrain, it was trying tohttp://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05955http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05955Fri, 11 May 2012 18:14:04 GMTThe F1 Times gambling contest between Ryan Wood (Editor) and Daniel Chalmers (Feature Editor) heads to the fifth round in Spain and the start of the European season. To remind you of the rules both men have a budget of £5 to spend on a maximum of 3 different bets relating to the upcoming event. The deadline for these bets to be placed is before the start of the first Friday practice session. At the end of the season the winner will be the person who has made the most profit, or made the lowest loss. Here are the results from the last time. Ryan Wood Bet 1 – Kimi Raikkonen to finish on the podium at 7/2 - £1 stake – Ryan won £4.50 Bet 2 – Hamilton to win and set fastest lap at 13/2 - £2 stake Bet 3 – Three cars to retire on lap 1 at 20/1 - £2 stake Daniel Chalmers Bet 1 – Nico Rosberg to get pole position at 4/1 - £1 stake Bet 2 – Mark Webber to finish on the podium at 3/1 - £2 stake Bet 3 – Kimi Raikkonen to finish on the podium at 15/4 - £2 stake – Daniel won £9.50 It was a pretty good week for both Daniel and Ryan. Daniel finally won his first bet of the season thanks to Kimi Raikkonen’s podium. He won an impressive £9.50. Ryan also bet on Kimi to finish on the podium and won £4.50. After four races £20 pounds have been spent by both men. Ryan now has £7.50 worth of profit, whilst Daniel has £10.50 worth of losses. Therefore there is currently a difference of £18.00 between the duo. However one race could completely turn the tables in this contest. It’s very much all still to play for. All the teams will be bringing upgrades to the Spanish GP, and there is also a small threat of rain on Sunday. So yet again choosing where to place our bets this weekend is not an easy task. F1 is just too unpredictable at the moment. Ryan Wood£7.50 (profit)   Daniel Chalmers£10.50 (loss) Why not join in? If you fancy a go, why not join PaddyPower - with loads of Formula 1 markets from fastest laps and one lap wonders to the number of retirements or top 6 finishers - you'll easily find something to bet on. Join now and get a free £20 bet when you make your first £10 bet - and for ease of play, you can even use PayPal to make deposits. So let’s see where our money is going to go this weekend. Round 5 Spain Ryan Wood Mark Webber to finish on the podium at 7/1 - £2 stake Can the Australian go one better than he has in 2012 and finally get his foot on the podium? He's had four fourth places so far. He's always done quite well in Spain, a circuit which generally suits Red Bull and they've proved they have the pace after Sebastian Vettel win in Bahrain last time out. Exactly two retirements in the opening lap at 6/1 - £2 stake A stab in the dark. A bet which has very little thought behind purely because retirements are so hard to predict. The drivers know the circuit better than any thanks to all the testing which takes place, but those two first corners which make up the 'S' bend are tricky for 24 cars to negotiate without some contact. Lewis Hamilton to secure pole position at 9/4 - £1 stake The circuit will suit McLaren, Lotus and Red Bull. I don't think Mercedes will be as strong here because of the lack of straights - just one with a short back straight. The fast flowing corners haven't troubled McLaren much this season, and that is what primarily makes up the Barcelona circuit. I think it'll be a return to pole for the McLaren man. Daniel Chalmers Daniel Ricciardo to finish in the points at 3/1 - £2 stake I think these are very good odds on something that is quite likely to happen. Toro Rosso haven’t scored any points in the last two races but they are certainly not off the pace. In Bahrain Toro Rosso understood their upgrades which were originally taken to the Chinese GP. Ricciardo made great use of them and qualified in an extremely impressive 6th position. Unfortunately in the race it went badly wrong and it wasn’t to be Daniel’s afternoon. If he can have a clean weekend and Toro Rosso have been able to improve the car even further then Ricciardo has a great chance of scoring this weekend. Ricciardo has the one lap place to get his car right up there in the mix, and grid position is critical in Barcelona. Jenson Button to win the race at 4/1 -£2 stake McLaren were badly off the pace in the race in Bahrain. However that was more due to the fact that they misunderstood the tyres on race day so badly that it lost them about a second’s worth of performance. In qualifying Hamilton showed that it was still a very quick car. It was also very quick in China and without a botched pit stop Jenson would very likely have won there. Spain always shows who has the best car. The McLaren is still the best all round car, but they haven’t been making the most of it. The best all round car always tends to come on top at Catalunya. McLaren were very fast during winter testing here, and you can be sure that they will be bringing useful upgrades and changes to the car for this race. This together with the high demands Barcelona places on the front tyres I think Jenson could be the man to bring a victory home for McLaren. Sergio Perez to finish on the podium at 40/1 - £1 stake This one is a real shot in the dark. This is mainly gambling on it being a wet race on Sunday (which looked much more likely when the bet was placed). Sauber were very quick in the wet in Malaysia. If it were to rain again this weekend I don’t see any reason why he can’t do it again. As Sauber demonstrated in China this car is good in cool conditions generally, when Kamui Kobayashi started 3rd on the grid (after Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty). The car is also very easy on its tyres and that will be particularly useful in Barcelona with it’s long aero demanding corners in both the wet and the dry. 40/1 for a man who finished on the podium just a couple of races ago are nice odds and well worth a punt. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05954http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05954Fri, 11 May 2012 17:57:49 GMTJenson Button was quickest on Friday in Barcelona, putting his McLaren top with a time of 1:23.254, just over a tenth and a half quicker than Sebastian Vettel. The German slotted in second but had led before Button switched to the softer tyre. Nico Rosberg was third quickest ahead of Button's team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished ahead of the Lotus pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean respectively. Mark Webber, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg rounded off the top ten whilst FP1 leader Fernando Alonso, languished in 14th. Narain Karthikeyan failed to set a timed lap after stopping on-track with an electrical problem. 2012 Spanish GP FP2 Results: #DriverTeamTimeGapLaps  01. J. Button McLaren 1:23.254 38 02. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.401 +0.164 38 03. N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.663 +0.372 41 04. L. Hamilton McLaren 1:23.782 +0.510 32 05. K. Raikkonen Lotus 1:23.796 +0.519 32 06. R. Grosjean Lotus 1:23.899 +0.565 37 07. M. Webber Red Bull 1:24.976 +0.666 34 08. M. Schumacher Mercedes 1:24.197 +0.681 36 09. K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:24.401 +0.815 41 10. N. Hulkenberg Force India 1:24.895 +0.966 22 11. F. Massa Ferrari 1:24.918 +1.019 32 12. S. Perez Sauber 1:24.977 +1.023 32 13. P. Maldonado Williams 1:24.067 +1.069 40 14. F. Alonso Ferrari 1:24.128 +1.201 33 15. P. di Resta Force India 1:24.336 +1.289 30 16. J. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:24.536 +1.334 34 17. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:24.623 +1.370 37 18. B. Senna Williams 1:25.694 +1.648 42 19. H. Kovalainen Caterham 1:26.773 +2.897 36 20. V. Petrov Caterham 1:26.532 +3.341 35 21. T. Glock Marussia 1:27.267 +3.915 27 22. C. Pic Marussia 1:27.654 +4.265 30 23. P. de la Rosa HRT 1:28.973 +4.836 26 24. N. Karthikeyan HRT No Time   2 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05953http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05953Thu, 10 May 2012 21:42:15 GMTShell will introduce a brand new fuel for use by Ferrari in Spain, which it expects will provide a two horsepower boost, without effecting the engines fuel efficiency. The fuel, which has been in development for several months, has had to undergo various tests to ensure it meets the strict FIA fuel regulations and provides a performance benefit to the Ferrari engine, despite the current development freeze, as explained by Mattia Binotto, head of engine and KERS operations. "Development of a new fuel takes a few months and it involves a lot of time, energy and resources. Shell begins developing a new fuel by screening several different samples in its laboratory before supplying what it believes to be the best candidates to us at Maranello. "We then run performance checks on the dyno, although performance is not the only parameter, as we also look at combustion efficiency, speed of combustion, consumption and also power output. Then, the best sample is selected and undergoes reliability tests. This is a time consuming process and we are happy to introduce this new Shell V-Power fuel here in Spain as we expect it to give us an advantage." When asked to quantify the advantage, Binotto expects the benefits to speak for itself on track. "To summarise it, I would say that if it works as planned then it should be good enough to improve your grid position by one place, at a time when qualifying performances are so close. "In fact, given the engine freeze, there is very little one can do to enhance the performance of our 056, but this is one way that is allowed." http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05952http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05952Thu, 10 May 2012 18:32:05 GMTDRIVERS – Kamui KOBAYASHI (Sauber), Nico HULKENBERG (Force India), Pedro DE LA ROSA (HRT), Kimi RAIKKONEN (Lotus), Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari), Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull). PRESS CONFERENCE Kamui, so far this season a couple of good races and a couple not so good. What’s been the difference between them?  Kamui KOBAYASHI: Of course it’s definitely the car. We had quite good performance at the start, quite a good start to the season. Unfortunately, we also some races where the strategy was not really going well. It’s not let’s a bad thing for my season. I had a great start but I think we have to work hard especially on the long runs.  Yesterday, Fernando talked about drivers having more respect for one another. Do you think that’s the case? Should drivers leave more space for each other?  KK: Maybe. I don’t know. It’s always difficult to say.   You’re quite an aggressive overtaker KK: Yeah, but for me I’m doing something quite normal. It’s not special. I’m just doing my job. Maybe it looks aggressive but I never crash with anyone. I never crash and stop the car. There may be contact but it’s always quite OK. Maybe it looks aggressive but it’s not aggressive in fact.  And of course, you’ve been on the receiving end as we remember from Spa last year. KK: Spa last year? Where? Ah, with Lewis, you mean? That’s what I mean that was just an accident you know. I didn’t expect both cars to make contact because there was no point. I didn’t expect Lewis to come across and I just stayed on my line. It was just sudden, you know. There was no way to avoid that. That was something special though, it’s not really a racing accident and not aggressive stuff from me, so… Nico, on paper you’ve been beaten by your team-mate so far this year. How are you feeling about it?  Nico HULKENBERG: Well, the first four races have been quite tough to be honest. I would have liked to take more than two points out of the first four races. We have been quite unfortunate in some races, such as Melbourne, where we had a first-corner incident and there was very little I could do and then a clutch failure issues in Bahrain. These were two races where we potentially could have finished in the points. But I’m looking forward, I’m bedding in well with the team. I think the team is doing a good job in putting everything together and if we get a bit more luck then I think it will be good. How do you feel about team development? Are the developments coming at a reasonable rate as far as you’re concerned? NH: Yes, definitely. We bring some new parts, probably like every other team, here and we have to wait and see where the new parts put us but obviously we’re hoping it’s a step forward. I think it is a step forward but just how big a step we’ll see over the next two days.  Pedro, we see a new team that has recently moved to new premises and taken on a lot of new staff. What sort of role do you see yourself playing in the development of Hispania Racing Team? Pedro DE LA ROSA: As you’ve said, everything is new. We’re establishing ourselves; restructuring the team; we are growing. But really I’m not playing any different role than any other race driver would do. I’m part of the team; I’m a race driver; I’m experienced. If they need my advice on anything, I am there. But I’m not playing any special role other than driving as fast as I can and giving good feedback about the car.  You spent so long at McLaren are you not trying to put some of those influences on the team?  PDLR: Gradually I will. That’s the aim and that’s what I’m here for as well. But so far the team has been extremely busy trying to move into our new premises in Madrid, establish a structure, a ‘basement’ as I say, and after that we will grow gradually and that’s when I think my input will be, if possible, more beneficial. But so far the objective has been clear. We have to establish ourselves, we have to put he ground for building more floors on top of us but so far I’ve been very discreet and not in a very important position. And where do hope the team will be at the end of the year?  PDLR: I have no idea really. We are improving race by race. We have made the car a lot quicker. Don’t forget at the first grand prix we did not qualify and gradually we have been closing the gap to pole position. That’s what we have to aim for: race by race, closing the gap, making sure that our car is a little bit quicker than it was at the previous grand prix. After that, at the end of the year, we will see. We don’t have to set ourselves any targets other than making the team more competitive race by race.  Kimi, you were plainly a little frustrated that you could have won at Bahrain but didn't. Is that a true appraisal of your feelings about Bahrain? Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, I think once you get so close, you're not happy with second. If you’re 20 seconds behind then it doesn’t really matter but we had a chance but at least for the team it was a good weekend.  You’re a two-time winner here, both from pole position. Do you think a win is possible here? You’ve said you team will be winners at some stage. KR: Well, the rules are different, so you don’t have to be on pole now to win. We’ll try. I don’t know how it will go. It’s very difficult to say before the weekend starts. The teams are very close. So if everything goes smoothly then we can be up there. But small difficulties in some areas and you’re suddenly much further back. We try to do everything right and then see what happens.  You didn't test at Mugello as apparently the team hadn’t brought major modification, but for this race have you at least brought modifications that will at least see you maintain where you were at the opening rounds?  KR: We should have some new parts and we’ll see what happens.   Fernando, another winner here in 2006. How did you feel the Ferrari was in testing? Did you feel it was a lot different?  Fernando ALONSO: No, not really. We didn’t have any big improvements in the car, so what we tested were different set-ups and things we missed from winter testing. It’s been quite difficult for us with a lot of problems on the car and not many laps. The Mugello test was to complete what we had left from winter but in terms of improvements, we had minimum changes on the car so it felt the same?   Did that set-up research, as it were, make you feel more comfortable with the car, more competitive? FA: Well, we’ll see. Obviously we had some ideas in terms of setup and some different possibilities that we were not introducing in the first four races because we didn’t have the opportunity to test them. So, it was good in Mugello: some of them were positive; some of them were negative so it’s good to know. As much information as you have is better preparation for the next grand prix. Obviously we arrive more prepared now than how we arrived in Australia with only three tests in the winter. But to make the car faster I think in terms of setup you cannot find much. If you want to be running at the front it’s more aerodynamic parts and updates in the car. Hopefully they come but we need to wait.  You know this circuit pretty well, you had a very good start to the race last year – do you think we’re going to see more overtaking on the circuit now, what with more KERS and a longer DRS as well? FA: I think it will be similar to last year, to be honest. I saw some numbers of previous races here. On average like four or five overtaking manoeuvres in the last nine years and last year there were 57 – so it was a big change. The race this year will be similar to last year because of the degradation, the DRS and the KERS. With all the possibilities that we have now, as we had last year, for sure we will see some more overtaking. This changes also a little bit the philosophy of this circuit. As Kimi said, pole position was 60 per cent of the victories, now pole position is obviously the best starting position but it’s not crucial anymore because with this year’s tyres it’s less important.  Sebastian, you broke the mould last year by winning from second on the grid, where you’ve started for the last three years but you won last year from there. This is such a performance track, is this a track where you’re really looking for an indicator for the rest of the first half of the season? If you’re competitive here you will be elsewhere? Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I think if you are competitive here I think it means that you have been previously. It’s a track that we usually know quite a lot from winter testing, we have some data to compare to, so it’s very familiar. But it doesn’t mean if you are competitive here you are competitive everywhere. Equally, if you are not competitive here it doesn’t mean you will never be competitive. I think it’s similar to other tracks. Really, if you think which sector you’re talking about, which speed range of the cars. I think you have sectors on every track where you could get an indication. As I said, I think it’s the fact that we know a lot about this track, we have a lot of data to compare against, to see if we did a step forward compared to the winter and how big the step was. Surely then you have to consider different temperatures: it’s a different time of year so it’s also difficult to compare black and white – but yeah as a rule of thumb probably this circuit does give you an idea because simply you have all the corners you find somewhere else, you have tight chicanes like in the last sector, hard braking for the hairpin, fast corners like in the first sector. You have a bit of everything.  And yet everyone has been here, everyone knows exactly what sort of setup they would require. Is it perhaps one of the toughest races in that respect? SV: Yeah it is. But as I said as well, you race here in May, it’s quite different if you look at the temperatures compared to February or March, so yeah, it does have a big change on the setup, so whatever you might have found out over the winter in testing, it might not work in the same way or the same style it did during testing. Also, you need to consider that the cars you launch are quite different to the cars you race at the first race, and then, you know, you race around May or June later in the season. So, yeah, it’s a bit wishy-washy because of that – but overall it’s a track we know fairly well from a driving point of view as we’ve done a lot of laps here. We should know our way around here.  Questions from the floor:  (Alex Popov – RTR TV) Question for Pedro and Fernando, about the Spanish Grand Prix in general because here and there we read about the difficult situation in Valencia, the difficult situation in Barcelona and now we have two grand prix but in the worst situation we will finish with no grand prix at all. Your thoughts about it. PDLR: I’ve said a lot already since the first time we were told that Spain would have two grands prix, that it was a historical moment and a unique situation  and we should be very, very proud of it. I still say the same answer: we still have two grands prix in Spain this year, and we should, all of us, be very proud, very happy and maximise this moment and then wait for the future to tell us what will happen – which is completely out of our hands, you know? This is all I can say. I’m very happy to be here, this is a Spanish Grand Prix, but also a Spanish Grand Prix with a Spanish driver in a Spanish team – so let’s forget about what might happen in the future because, as I said, I have absolutely no control over it.  (Mike Doodson – Honorary)  Gentlemen, Michael Schumacher persistently criticises the Pirelli tyres, or at least the policy of Pirelli. To us and the fans it’s clear that Pirelli has been a major ingredient in the improvement of the quality of the racing this year and last year. Do any of you share Michael’s concerns about the tyres or do you think he’s just making excuses for not winning? FA: I think Seb should answer, being German. SV: Yeah? I think, y’know, we get a completely different impression inside the car than you might get outside the car. So, you’re always talking of two different worlds. I think for us quality of racing, if you compare racing today, you have to, I think, look after your tyres a lot more than probably you had to three, four, five years ago. For us, if you take, for instance, 2009 where we were allowed to refuel, we had new tyres and the tyres lasted longer, in that they didn’t see that much degradation. It’s a different quality inside the car because you can push nearly every lap similar to qualifying, whereas now I think the racing is different: we fuel the cars up, they are much heavier, and if you have a heavier car there’s more stress for the tyres, so it puts the whole thing in a different window. If you put a new set of tyres on with 20 laps to go, or 15 laps to go, which is, let’s say, the stint length, earlier, a couple of years ago, it’s a different world for the tyres. The tyres do see more degradation and then we start to slide and then one guy slides more than the other because he puts his tyres on two laps earlier. It creates a different type of racing, more overtaking, which I imagine is seen as better quality from the outside, simply because things happen. I think it depends what you really want. We have more overtaking. Fernando is good with numbers, so like Fernando said earlier. I think the races today – over the last two years since we have changed a couple of things – has become much better. Also for us. I had a race here where I was following – how many laps is the race, 66? – I think I was following Felipe [Massa] for 60 laps out of that and I couldn’t pass. Nowadays you know that your chance will come in the race and that’s changing the position inside the car as well. Fernando… FA: I don’t know. I agree with Seb but I don’t agree that Michael has continually criticised Pirelli. Michael said one thing and what has been written in the press has maybe exaggerated what he said. I read what he said and I don’t see any big problem with that. Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Fernando, you have a very different car from this race. Let’s suppose this car does not correspondent to that criteria… FA: We’ll see, we’ll see after the race, because we don’t know what car we have. Obviously we have new parts, but everybody has new parts. Because it’s Ferrari, there are quite a lot of expectations every race we go to. It seems like only Ferrari is bringing new parts. We have a step forward, we believe, on what we had in Bahrain, but we also know that it’s not the last step we have to do. It’s a continuous work, that we need to start here in Barcelona, making a step forward and try to improve our qualifying position and our race pace, but in Monaco we have to bring new parts. In Canada (we have to) bring new parts. So we will not bring a new car to every race as it seems that we brought here in Barcelona.  Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) But just to finish the question: if the car does not correspond… FA: I answer you on Sunday.  Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Yes, but just to finish: considering your car has completely new ideas, a revolutionary car, do you think this could be the end of the season for Ferrari and you will start thinking about next year’s car?  FA: I don’t think so. I don’t think so. We need to see how the car works here and if it works fine, it will be a good step, the first step of many that we have to do during the next couple of races. If the step is not good enough, because the others improved the same or more than us so we remain in the same position, we need to work harder, for Monaco and for Canada, and bring more new parts in a more aggressive approach or whatever, because the championship is long and we will never give up in May, after four races. Q: (Livio Orricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Do you think the basis of this car could be used for next year’s car?  FA: I think so. Yes.  Q: (Gary Meenaghan – The National) For all of you: if you look at the drivers in 1992, there were only two non-European countries represented. If you look athttp://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05951http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05951Thu, 10 May 2012 18:16:34 GMTFernando Alonso isn't expecting major gains in Spain after admitting his F2012 wouldn't feature any 'major upgrades'. Ferrari are set to introduce their new exhaust layout this weekend at the first race following the Mugello test, however the revised solution isn't as radical as some of those seen up and down the grid, with the Italian outfit opting for a conservative layout to help them understand the cars issues. Alonso admits the car is similar to that seen in the opening four races but with some more minor updates. "Our car is not really very different to before," he wrote in his diary. "We don't have big improvements although we do have some new parts. "At Mugello during the test we mainly worked on trying different set-ups and other things we were not able to work on during pre-season testing, so it was a case of completing our winter work. Some of the things we tried in Mugello worked well, others less so." The Spaniard says this is the first step of many, and whilst optimistic for his home race, he understands the need to continue improving the car as their rivals do so too. "We are definitely better prepared now than we were before Australia. We have some new aero parts and other updates, but we will have to wait and see where we are after the race. "Because we are Ferrari, there seem to be a lot of expectations, but the other teams have also developed their cars. What we have here in Barcelona is not the last step and we must continue to improve our performance for qualifying and the race in Monaco, in Canada and the following races. "This is just the first step of many and if it is not enough, then we must work harder for Monaco and be even more aggressive in our approach. We will never give up in May, after just four races!"http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05950http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05950Thu, 10 May 2012 17:40:27 GMTNico Rosberg doesn't believe his defensive tactics during the Bahrain Grand Prix put anyone in danger, despite forcing two drivers to leave the track in their attempts to overtake. Lewis Hamilton successfully passed the German, but had to take to the asphalt run-off to do so. Just a few laps later, Fernando Alonso did the same, but failed to pass before complaining to his team about Rosberg's defensive skills. Rosberg doesn't believe his actions put anyone in harm and admits he's happy to talk about it after two drivers, believed to be Hamilton and Alonso, raised concern on Thursday. "Two of the drivers raised their concerns about it so we need to discuss it," said Rosberg. "If there was a danger which I didn't cause on purpose then we need to implement rules so that it doesn't arise again. "It is driver safety and we need to do the best we can so that we can move forward. We could look at implementing more rules in that situation because it is not very clear, but it can be looked at." The Chinese GP race winner says he may have played it differently had there been barriers surrounding the circuit, but since there wasn't, he saw no problem in the moves and would do the same again. "Of course if there had been the barriers like at Monaco it would have been a different story, yes," he admitted. "Then again the guys behind would have backed off a lot earlier. "In that situation I judged it to be harsh but fair so it was harsh but within the rules. And I didn't judge that I was putting my competitors in danger."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05949http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05949Thu, 10 May 2012 11:52:46 GMTMercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn will skip the Spanish Grand Prix following advice from his doctor after feeling unwell this past week. Brawn will likely return to the paddock at the next round, according to CEO Nick Fry: "We fully expect Ross to be back in Monaco." Bob Bell will fulfil the role of team principal this weekend.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05948http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05948Wed, 09 May 2012 23:56:45 GMTThe São Paulo Tourist Board, SPTuris, which is responsible for the Interlagos Circuit, met with event promoters, motoring associations and drivers on Wednesday to showcase its development plans for the circuit. The changes, which are aimed at increasing safety around the circuit following two deaths in 2011, include a brand new pit and paddock complex located on the Reta Oposta straight between the current turns three and four. The complex would be for the exclusive use of Formula 1, with the current paddock area being retained for other motorsports series. Meanwhile a chicane would be introduced at the Curva do Cafe - the high speed corners leading on to the current start/finish straight - to slow cars, though it's unlikely the chicane would be used for F1 as barrier improvements and additional run-off would satisfy the FIA following a safety audit in 2011 when the recommendations were made. Construction is expected to begin this year, with the facilities in place for the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05947http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05947Wed, 09 May 2012 22:53:34 GMTBernie Ecclestone has reportedly requested that the organisers of the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve invest upwards of £9.5 million ($15m) if they're to secure a new contract to host Formula 1. The Montreal based circuit is one of the oldest on the calendar and first hosted an F1 race in 1978, but parts of the track are in dire need of renovation. Ecclestone has asked François Dumontier, CEO of Octane Racing Group Inc which is in charge of hosting the event, to seek investment, estimated at just under £10m, to bring the circuit up to the required standard before negotiations take place over extending the circuit's contract past 2014. It's believed Dumontier has approached the local governments of Quebec and Ottawa, which each contribute £4m toward the hosting fee along with an additional £3m from the Montreal tourism board, to help fund the modernisation costs. The Canadian attributed to the fact that many of the buildings around the circuit are almost 25 years old. "It is important to note that there remain two years on the current contract with Formula One Management and the partners who are at various levels of government and Tourism Montreal," Dumontier told La Presse. "Taking into account the fact that the permanent installations of the circuit, in particular the control tower and the garages, go back nearly 25 years. It is more than probable that the repair of those is an important component during the negotiations aimed at prolonging the current contract." Dumontier was however skeptical about the £10m figure being thrown around for the redevelopment works. "It seems to me to be a bit premature to advance a specific sum on the possible works."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05946http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05946Wed, 09 May 2012 18:13:40 GMTThe Spanish Grand Prix is known for a lack of overtaking - there were an average of just two overtaking moves per race between 2008 and 2010. With the race just days away, Mercedes have compiled some statistics on how 2012 is faring compared to 2011 on the overtaking front. Much discussion has taken place about the most unpredictable start to a Formula One season for nearly 30 years, with four winners from as many races, and eight different drivers from six teams on the podium so far this season, has the composition of the racing changed materially compared to 2011 and is DRS becoming less influential? In the opening four races of 2012, overtaking has remained fairly stable in comparison to last season, but the most important aspect is that DRS overtakes have reduced, whilst 'normal' passes have increased dramatically - good news for those who believe DRS to be an unnecessary aid. 2011 averaged 43 overtakes (both normal and DRS), whilst 2012 has so far averaged 54, yet 68% of those 54 have been without the use of the rear-wing aid, compared to 55% in 2011. How much overtaking have we seen in the first four races of the 2012 season? The raw total for the number of passes the first four races of 2012 is remarkably similar to that from 2011 - 327 compared to 326 in 2011. This figure includes passes made because of damage, and those on cars from the three slowest teams, but does not include position changes on lap one. How does the data compare when you drill down into more detail? In 2011, there were a total of 220 normal and DRS overtakes in the first four races (NB: this figure does not include passes on the slowest three teams by faster cars); in 2012, there have been 215. However, in 2011, these were split 50:50 between normal and DRS overtakes in the first four races. In 2012, this split has been 68:32 in favour of normal overtaking. This compares to a season average from 2011 of 55:45 between normal and DRS overtaking, suggesting that the amount of normal overtaking has seen a significant proportional increase relative to last year. Is DRS becoming less influential than it was last year? In the first four races of 2011, there were two (China, Turkey) in which the number of DRS overtakes exceeded the total normal overtakes. Overall, there were eight of 19 races in 2011 at which DRS overtaking exceeded normal. So far in 2012, this has not occurred - in other words, there has been more normal overtaking than DRS overtaking at every race this year. However, it does not necessarily follow that DRS is becoming less influential; for example, even if a following driver does not pass in the DRS zone, the lap time advantage the DRS provides can help with conserving tyres, or allow the strategic deployment of KERS elsewhere on the circuit to pass outside the DRS zone. Has the overall amount of overtaking increased in 2012? It is hard to say at this early stage. In 2011, the average number of normal and DRS overtakes per race was 43. So far, there have been on average 54 moves per race in 2012 - a clear increase on 2011. However, by way of direct comparison, the first four races of 2011 saw an average of 55 moves. Can any direct comparisons be made from circuit to circuit? The most meaningful comparisons so far can be drawn from the races in Australia and China, which were run on the same circuits and in similar conditions both years. The 2011 season opener (the first race at which DRS was ever used) featured a total of 17 normal and DRS passes; in 2012, there was exactly twice as much passing - 34 overtakes in total. What’s more, although the 2012 race featured two DRS passing zones, this did not see a large relative increase in DRS assisted overtaking: DRS accounted for 30% of passing in 2011 and 35% of passing in 2012. In China last year, there were 67 normal and DRS overtakes - with normal overtakes accounting for 30 of them (45%). This year saw 69 passes, but 41 of them were normal overtakes (59%). The DRS zone remained identical to last year, but the race saw a significantly larger proportion of normal overtaking. What should be expected in Barcelona? Last year’s race saw a total of 51 normal and DRS overtakes - above the season average of 43 moves. However, DRS overtakes accounted for 57% of these. It will be interesting to see if this is repeated, or whether the 2012 trend for a greater proportion of normal overtakes is maintained. In summary, it looks as though overtaking is on the up if the different weather conditions and different tracks used in the first races are taken into consideration. But that isn't thanks to DRS, but rather the Pirelli tyres which have created varied strategies, such as that of Kimi Raikkonen who lost several places in the closing few laps of the Chinese GP, all thanks to his degrading tyres.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05945http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05945Wed, 09 May 2012 17:44:40 GMTThe Spanish Grand Prix will feature a single drag reduction zone on the main start/finish straight, similar to that of last season. The detection point will remain between turns 15 and 16 before drivers can activate their rear-wing 750 or so metres before turn one, before braking for the medium speed right-to-left S-bend. Despite the FIA's Charlie Whiting earlier confirming an extended zone for the race, by some 50m on 2011, it seems the governing body has reduced it by a similar distance as confirmed by Pastor Maldonado's race engineer, Xevi Pujolar. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05944http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05944Wed, 09 May 2012 14:12:49 GMTPastor Maldonado: We have done a lot of running here pre-season so hopefully that experience will help this weekend. It is a very enjoyable circuit to drive, technical but still quick with turns three and nine a real test. It is also difficult to set the car up here because there are high, medium and slow speed corners. We have been working hard since the last race and hopefully the updates we bring will lead to some good points. Bruno Senna: Barcelona is one of my favourite tracks and I get a lot of support there so I am really looking forward to the race. It is a very tough circuit physically and mentality, with plenty of high speed corners and a technical last sector which separates the drivers. Lots of cars will come to Barcelona with new parts so it will be interesting to see who has progressed. Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: On the back of a busy Mugello test we are looking forward to the Barcelona race. As the first race back in Europe this is traditionally where teams bring large performance update packages so it will be interesting to gauge the relative qualifying and race performance deltas this weekend. Barcelona is obviously a track that all the teams know intimately and one where track conditions can change significantly throughout the event. The latest forecast predicts a warm dry Friday and Saturday, with potential for rain on Sunday. The track layout, with its high average speed and long corners, is particularly severe on the tyres so tyre handling will be paramount this weekend. Pirelli are bringing the hard and soft tyres to Barcelona which is the first time this season that this particular combination has been used. Rémi Taffin, Head of Renault Sport F1 Track Operations: We covered over 3,600km in winter testing at Barcelona, so we got plenty of data for how the engine-chassis package works round this track. This will help as there are a few challenges in Barcelona. The torque delivery has to be very accurate to deal with the slower corners in the third sector, including turn ten and the new chicane, but the engine also has to give response and drive through the upper end of the rev range to deal with the high and medium speed bends in the first half of the track. There are also several undulation changes so the gear shifts have to be correctly calibrated to give effective acceleration up the hills. The long pit straight gives an opportunity to release the KERS energy twice as the counter energy resets which should increase overtaking possibilities. Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: Barcelona is a track that we are all very familiar with through testing, and we are bringing the P Zero Silver hard tyre and the P Zero Yellow soft tyre to the Spanish Grand Prix. These compounds are well-suited to the heavy demands of this track, where tyre degradation is definitely a factor due to the significant amount of lateral energy going through the tyre and an abrasive track surface, as well as relatively high ambient temperatures. This is particularly notable on the front-left tyre which does most of the work at this circuit. With one whole step between the compounds there should be a lot of scope for the teams to come up with some interesting race strategies. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05943http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05943Wed, 09 May 2012 11:44:37 GMTMcLaren are likely to run a new nose configuration at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend following a brief test of the raised front in Mugello last week. The new higher nose is closer in looks to that of the stepped noses, but doesn't feature a significant drop like most. Martin Whitmarsh confirmed during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in on Wednesday, that it would most likely be on the MP4-27 on race day. "There's a reasonable chance we will see it on Sunday, which will be the first time our drivers experience it," he said. "We got a lot of feedback from Mugello, so we have the data to set it up and can find the performance on track." The new nose is aimed at increasing the airflow which runs under the car to the rear, but Whitmarsh believes the difference will only be minor. "In the case of the nose and front wing the attachment pylons are quite different and there are other subtle differences. "You are managing the airflow that is enjoyed by the rest of the car. Nowadays, in quite a critical part of the car you are looking to find very small improvements. [There are] a lot of restrictions around the back end of the car, so you generate more improvement by managing the flow that arrives there than by developing the rear itself."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05942http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05942Tue, 08 May 2012 17:33:20 GMTHRT have confirmed that Dani Clos will drive during first free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, replacing Narain Karthikeyan. The session will be the Spaniard's first time behind the wheel of the F112 after previously driving for the team at last years Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi. The 23-year-old says he is delighted to participate in an actual grand prix session, and better yet, at his home race. "I'm delighted to have this opportunity. It's something I've fought for all my life; to make my debut in Formula 1 and, above all, to be able to do it at the Circuit de Catalunya which is something very special for me." Team principal Luis Perez-Sala added: "Dani is a great driver and I have no doubt that he will do a good job. Besides, this debut also represents another step forward in our desire for HRT to serve as a platform for young drivers to make it into F1."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05941http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05941Tue, 08 May 2012 14:22:48 GMTCaterham team owner and principal Tony Fernandes says he's encouraged by his teams early form in the opening four races of the season. Despite sitting behind Marussia in the Constructors' championship and having not yet scored its maiden point, Fernandes believes they have closed the gap to the midfield and expects further progress. "We head back to Europe after what has been an encouraging first four races for the team," said the Malaysian businessman. "We may not have quite bridged the gap to the midfield pack yet, but we are clearly much closer than we were this time last year, particularly on race day when we have seen clear evidence of the progress we have made." Fernandes is also pleased with the teams late signing, Vitaly Petrov, who replaced Jarno Trulli during pre-season testing."Having been with us for four races now, I am very pleased with the job Vitaly has been doing for the team. He is obviously a fighter and he is pushing his team-mate well, especially on Sundays, and that is good for the whole team. "I think Heikki is due a run of better luck in the races as he has been pushing extremely hard in qualifying, particularly to get himself into Q2 in Bahrain, but he has not had the same luck when the lights go out on race day. Hopefully that will change in Barcelona and we will be able to see both cars fighting to the chequered flag on Sunday."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05940http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05940Tue, 08 May 2012 00:24:20 GMTMercedes have denied reports they will quit the sport if a new deal cannot be struck with the sports owners, CVC Capital Partners. A report in The Times claims the German marque is looking to pull its team and engine supply if CVC and FOM don't agree to more favourable terms under the new Concorde Agreement. Currently Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have been granted 'special' status as three of the most successful teams in the sport, which under the new agreement entitles them to additional prize money and the option to elect a member of the board when the business is floated on the Singapore stock market later this year. This has angered the bosses at Mercedes who believe the team isn't being treated fairly considering its rich history in motorsport and its successes as an engine supplier, though Bernie Ecclestone clearly disagrees. "Why should Mercedes have the same deal as the others?" he is quoted as saying. "What have they done in Formula One? They won a race and that is it." It's believed Mercedes have totted up the cost of quitting and compared that to remaining in the sport under the less than favourable terms. However, a Mercedes spokesperson confirmed that there are no plans to quit, yet, as discussions are ongoing. "We are in discussions with the commercial rights holder and we would like to ask for your understanding that we are not currently commenting on these discussions." Meanwhile Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug added: "There is absolutely no truth [to the reports]," he told Auto Motor und Sport.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05939http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05939Mon, 07 May 2012 18:13:59 GMTQ. Paul, looking back on Bahrain you must be pretty satisfied with the weekend as a whole… Pau di Resta: I think when you have a result like that you feel very proud of everyone in the team. Everybody stepped up and helped deliver the performance. The strategy was a bold one, but it was the right one and gave us one of our best results in the last couple of years. Q. Did the test in Mugello help your preparations for Barcelona? PdR: We didn’t do a massive number of laps but it was a chance to start evaluating some of our car developments. There’s still plenty of work to do in free practice to get on top of the car, but we’ve already done the basic checks. Q. Are you looking forward to getting back to racing in Europe? PdR: I probably know Barcelona better than any other track on the calendar. We did two tests there in the winter and I had four days in the car so I already feel quite well prepared, but it’s the same for everyone. I expect the field to be incredibly close once again. Q. Nico, the start of the European season is upon us. Are you looking forward to racing in Barcelona? Nico Hulkenberg: It’s a track I enjoy and where I’ve been successful in the past. It’s high-speed, there are lots of right hand corners and it’s quite tough physically, especially on your neck. As a city I enjoy being in Barcelona because it’s a great place with a nice atmosphere. Also, the stands are always full on race day because the Spanish fans love Formula One. Q. What are the main challenges of the lap? NH: The first sector through turns one, two and three is tricky and you need to treat them as one corner. A mistake in one or two will hurt you through three and cost your laptime. It feels great when you get them just right. Also, the final sector is quite technical: it’s slow and twisty, especially the last chicane and it’s easy to drop time at the end of the lap. Q. How are you feeling about the 2012 season after four races? NH: I feel very comfortable in the team and I’m enjoying the season. A few of the races haven't worked out for me, but I’m looking forward not backwards and determined to get some great results for the team. I’m working well with my car crew, we are pushing hard and we will try our best to get back in the points this weekend.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05938http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05938Mon, 07 May 2012 16:34:25 GMTPirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery is confident that a step in the compound allocation will keep the teams on their toes in Barcelona next weekend. The Italian tyre supplier has opted to bring the soft and medium compounds, which is unusual because there is a gap between the two. The first four races have either seen the soft and medium paired together or the medium and hard, but Hembery believes the gap will result in a variety of different strategies.  "We've nominated the soft and hard tyre in order to highlight performance differences that will create a different challenge for the teams, showcasing both the speed and durability of our products," he said. "There is a whole step in between our two nominations for the first time this year and this should allow the teams to come up with a number of different tyre strategies that could make a big difference to the final outcome." Hembery believes the race will be a closely fought one, and one that may just result in a fifth different race winner. "The weekend should present something of a contrast to the last pre-season test in Barcelona, where low ambient temperatures meant that it was difficult to get heat into the tyres! This time we’re expecting warmer weather, which only adds to the many challenges that the tyres will face here.  "With many teams having expanded their knowledge of our tyre range and tested new components at Mugello, we’re expecting a closely-fought Spanish Grand Prix – and maybe even the fifth different winner in five races," he added.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05937http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05937Sun, 06 May 2012 14:35:50 GMTJaime Alguersuari will get behind the wheel for Pirelli this week, his first time since signing up to be the manufacturers official test driver. The Spaniard, who was dropped by Toro Rosso last season, will test the company's new test car, a modified Renault R30 from the 2010 season at the Jerez circuit. The three-day event will take place between May 7th and 9th and is aimed at developing next years tyres. This test is the first of four, with other tests scheduled for Spa, Monza and Barcelona later in the year. Pirelli has invited all 12 teams to send representatives to the test in order to prove that nobody will gain an unfair advantage from the use of a Renault F1 car.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05936http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05936Sat, 05 May 2012 17:25:45 GMTMark Webber and his Red Bull team will sit down to discuss extending his current contract later in the season, according to team principal Christian Horner. The Australian has been the subject of much speculation linking him to a seat at Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso in 2013, but Horner has denied such talks are taking place with the Italian squad. "Every spring seems to be a reciprocal thing that Mark is going to Ferrari," Autosport quote him as saying. "He is not wearing red overalls. "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," he added. "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." The 35-year-old's current contract expires at the end of the season after he agreed a one-year extension in 2011.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05935http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05935Sat, 05 May 2012 10:08:48 GMTAlexander Rossi will make his on-track debut at next weekends Spanish Grand Prix for the Caterham F1 team, after they confirmed he would sit in for Heikki Kovalainen during FP1. Rossi will be the first American to take part in an official session since Scott Speed competed with Toro Rosso in 2007. The 20-year-old has some experience behind the wheel after participating in the young driver test for BMW-Sauber back in 2009 and Caterham, then Team Lotus, last year. "I have a lot of emotions going through me at the moment and I’m sure they’ll only expand as we get closer to the time," he admitted. "Mainly because it’s my true Formula 1 debut in the sense I’m competing in an official session with the other official drivers and with the team’s full capacity with the race engineers all present and everyone really looking to see my feedback and give my information on the car for the race weekend ahead. "And so I’m very excited about the opportunity but at the same time I am nervous and I do feel that there is an amount of pressure that goes on me. I’m kind of the first person that is in the car for the weekend and replacing Heikki that’s very big shoes to fill. Obviously I have a lot of respect for him and I’ll be looking to him for as much advice and support as possible. But it’s my dream to drive a Formula 1 car and to be able do it as an American getting back into the field and back into a competitive environment is something that I can’t even put into words." Check out the below video of Rossi getting a seat fitting: http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05934http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05934Fri, 04 May 2012 19:41:37 GMTQ. The Circuit de Catalunya is a track the team know well… Romain Grosjean: We know the track well from testing in the winter, it’s an even track on its handling requirements from the car, and as we head back to Europe it will be a good benchmark for the rest of the European campaign. Everyone knows Barcelona very well because of testing. The first sector is pretty fast with the first four corners, then a slow final sector between turns 10-15. Out of turn 15 you need a good rear end of the car with strong traction. It’s important not to overheat your rear tyres and degradation will be key in Barcelona, as when you reach high degradation on your tyres you are nowhere on lap time. Tyre management will be the key for a good performance in the race. Let’s see what the temperatures are like. If it’s as hot as Bahrain, the E20 should work well… Q. How much more developed is the car from the pre season tests in Barcelona? RG: In the test we attended we were P1 after the four days so hopefully we will be there again! Every team is working very hard to develop their cars. We have a good understanding of the E20 after the Mugello test and we hope to bring some new parts to Spain too. It’s always a battle to keep ahead in the race to get faster. As we have seen this season, the competition is very close, and a small improvement can make a huge difference. Q. Any particular challenges you expect from the weekend? RG: In Barcelona it will be important to qualify well, and it will be much harder to overtake than Bahrain. Qualifying is an area where we can still improve a little bit ourselves, we have some ideas of how to improve, and hopefully we’ll get on to the front row. Q. How difficult to understand and how critical for performance are the tyres this season? RG: The difference between compounds is a little bit bigger than it was before. We have seen that it’s really difficult on the strategy side to get the best results. You have to strike a balance between taking sufficient risks to beat your opposition but not so much that you encounter difficulties; equally you lose out from being too conservative. You can gain a lot of time from an aggressive strategy, but you can lose a lot of time from an aggressive strategy. Barcelona is the hard and soft tyre allocation. Let’s see how it goes, but I think both compounds work very well on our car. It will be harder for qualifying as the lap time difference between the two compounds will be bigger so maybe we will have to use the soft tyre from Q1 onwards. Q. After a difficult first two races you said that your season starts in Shanghai. Points there and a podium in Bahrain were the result. What can happen next in Barcelona? RG: We will have to see what we can pull out of the hat! We still need to build step by step. The two last races have been really good, both for the team and for myself. I will give my best in Barcelona and the goal for the next races is to get as far up the driver standings as I can. I still have a lot of things to learn, I’ve only completed four Grand Prix as a full time driver for the season. It’s not too much experience but every Grand Prix I finish is a fantastic experience for me. For sure the podium in Bahrain gives me confidence for Barcelona.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05933http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05933Fri, 04 May 2012 19:39:12 GMTQ. It took you four races into your comeback before you achieved a podium – were you surprised at this? Kimi Raikkonen: 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. Q. Are you frustrated not to have taken the win? KR: I chose the wrong side to make it past Sebastian (Vettel). I didn’t make it past and after that, I pretty much knew that was it. Of course, I wanted to win. I would have been much happier with myself after the race. Q. You did not attend the Mugello test – is this an issue for you? KR: 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. Q. You must have completed a lot of laps of the Circuit de Catalunya over the years; what are your thoughts of the track? KR: I have tested there very many times. It’s a challenging circuit - great fun with a good car, but not that great with a not so good car. Usually a car going well in Barcelona, goes well everywhere. We had a good car there for the second pre-season test even if the car wasn’t quite together for the first one.The car has improved and I feel more comfortable in it. Q. What are your thoughts on the Pirelli tyres and the strategies needed for the best results? KR: 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. Q. Are you looking forward to racing in Europe again? KR: I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel too far and all the energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the real season starts while coming back to Europe. For me it’s just great. Q. What do you think can be achieved in the Spanish Grand Prix? KR: 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. Q. You have some good memories of the Spanish Grand Prix? KR: Yes, I have won there twice, and there’s nothing better than winning in any Grand Prix. Those two wins are my only podiums in the event. Q. Four races completed; what do you want to achieve from the next four? KR: Let’s see what happens. As I’ve said, the car feels good everywhere we’ve been so far. I am here to race and I race to win. That is the target for me and the team. We want to win Grands Prix. We have a good car and we saw in Bahrain it is good enough to win. That’s the target.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05932http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05932Fri, 04 May 2012 19:26:17 GMTPedro de la Rosa: "The Spanish Grand Prix is the most important race for a Spanish driver, but this time it will be even more special for me because I'm racing with a Spanish team in my city of birth. At this circuit aerodynamics are important and it will be an important test for our upgrades. The track is also very tough on the tyres. 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. For the first time the mechanics have had the time to dismantle the car, build it and assemble it. In Barcelona we are going to try and do the best we can, as always, but even more so at this Grand Prix. We're playing at home in front of the best fans in the world. We're looking forward to it and it's something historic for so I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible." Narain Karthikeyan: "Catalunya is a great all-round circuit, highly demanding and aero dependent. It is a track I know well, and it is the first time this season we have the hard and soft tyre allocated, so the gap in lap times will be significant and strategy will play a deciding role. We don't know the specifics of tyre behaviour since we didn't test pre-season, but as the compounds are softer this year, the degradation, especially on the soft, will be high because of the high-lateral loading through corners like turn three. The circuit is aero sensitive too, because of the high amount of winds which often change direction so getting the setup right early on will be crucial. There are a few upgrades coming as well which will help us unlock some more performance from the car and give us the ability to compete with our closest rivals. It is the first of our team's home races so we are motivated to do our best." Luis Perez-Sala, Team Principal: "We're really looking forward to taking part in this Grand Prix, which is the first time we'll be racing at home this season. Showing our cars and our team in Spain is an added motivation and we're looking to have a good weekend and finish the race without any trouble to continue in our process of improving little by little. 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. We're bringing some updates to Montmelo which we hope will take us one step forwards in terms of performance and reliability. It's the first Grand Prix we travel to after having moved into our new headquarters, starting a great new chapter in the history of the team."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05931http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05931Fri, 04 May 2012 19:25:18 GMTMichael Schumacher: "After completing our testing programme in Mugello, we are now heading to the start of the European season in Barcelona next week. The positive thing about the test was that we could really concentrate on the developments we were aiming to work on. 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." Nico Rosberg: "I am really looking forward to next weekend and racing in Europe again. It's quite unique to come to a track where we have done so many laps in winter testing, however the race weekend will be a completely different challenge. 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. 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." Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "After a hectic start to the season with four races and the test in Mugello, we are all looking forward to the European season getting underway and the familiarity that brings. The team had a good week in Italy for the test this week where we were able to work both on challenges that affected us during the initial races of the season, and evaluate a number of new developments planned for the forthcoming races. Spain plays host to the first European race, and although the Circuit de Catalunya is a very familiar venue for the team and our drivers, the weekend will bring its own challenges. I feel confident that we are continuing to make progress, and we will of course be working hard to continue that trend." Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "The first four races of the 2012 season have offered great, thrilling sport for all fans of Formula One. Eight drivers from six teams on the podium in four races - one more driver than in the entire 2011 season - and four winners from four races for the first time in nearly 30 years; you couldn't ask for more in terms of on-track excitement and unpredictability. No team has yet produced winning form at more than one event and achieving this consistency will be key. Our MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team has registered a positive trend: after two difficult races at the start of the season, we were competitive and won in China then, in Bahrain, we were the third-fastest team on race day. We have been hard at work since then to further improve the competitiveness, consistency and reliability of our car. The Circuit de Catalunya will present a very different challenge next weekend to the ones in the first four races with track temperatures likely to be very different and with new developments on the cars. We will approach the race weekend in a focused manner in order to maximise our team performance with both drivers."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05930http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05930Fri, 04 May 2012 19:23:49 GMTJenson Button: “Barcelona can be a funny circuit: we all test there so regularly that every driver knows it like the back of his hand, yet it can still be an extremely tricky place to get absolutely right. “But, because every team is so dialled in to the track, even having a well-sorted car isn’t necessarily the answer because it’s sometimes the smallest differences that determine the order. “You need to have absolutely every box ticked if you’re going to win at Barcelona. It’s a place that punishes poor balance like almost nowhere else – if your car is understeering around here, then you’re going to really struggle. “There are no particularly stand-out corners, but the blast up the hill through Turns Seven and Eight and the fast right-hander at Turn Nine have a great flow and feel great when you nail it – especially in qualifying.” Lewis Hamilton: “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. “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. “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. “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.” Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “I think the drivers and the engineers enjoy the tricky technical challenge of Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. You really operate your set-up on fine limits around here: every team’s balance is so refined that even the slightest imperfections become highlighted. Get it right and you tend to have a serene afternoon, get it wrong and you’ll be hitting trouble, and traffic, throughout the race. “As we’ve seen in the first four races, added to that mix will be the additional conundrum of managing the tyres – 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. “I sometimes think of the Santander Spanish Grand Prix as a useful acid test as to the effectiveness of the year’s regulations: it’s a tough, technical circuit where passing is limited. If the racing is good here, then we’re normally set for an interesting year: for 2012, we’ve already seen that the combination of DRS and KERS-Hybrid can spice up proceedings, so I hope we’re in store for a fun and eventful race next weekend.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05929http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05929Fri, 04 May 2012 19:21:07 GMTAlexander Rossi: "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. I know how much I will be able to take from my time with the team back to my Formula Renault 3.5 commitments and I know the team will do everything they can to help me maximise my performance on Friday." Heikki Kovalainen: “Barcelona’s a good circuit where the main challenge is to nail everything absolutely perfectly. If you make a half a tenth of a mistake it can cost you a grid position and it's a race weekend where you have to focus on the details to give yourself the best chance of success. It’s a track with a lot of high-speed corners, some where you have to be really on it to save time, and you have to be pretty committed going into the braking zone in T1 as that's where there is an overtaking chance. For the fans it's often a pretty quiet race because it’s a tough circuit to overtake on, but that makes qualifying even more crucial and means you have to get the plan on Saturday absolutely right." Vitaly Petrov: “After a good test in Mugello we are all looking forward to getting back to racing in Spain. Barcelona is a track I know well and one I like racing on. I was on the podium there in GP2 in 2009 and while I know that's out of reach for us at the moment, we will all be focusing on continuing to take the fight to the cars ahead and repeating the sort of performances we've put in so far this season, particularly on Sundays." Mark Smith, Technical Director: “The Circuit de Catalunya is a track every team knows extremely well. We have already tested there twice this year as the layout gives the cars a good test of most of the track conditions we see throughout the season - fast, high G corners, a long straight and a number of slower speed corners where good traction is key. It is also one of the more technically demanding tracks for the drivers and offers a bit of everything. Turns 3 and 9 are high-speed corners and finding a balance for both together is not easy. The final sector is also a good challenge - the car has to make big changes of direction so you need good mechanical grip to maximise your lap time." "Barcelona is also a relatively open circuit and the wind can have a significant effect on car balance, particularly when it changes direction. However, while the wind can be an issue, another major factor in Barcelona is the way in which the track evolves over the race weekend and throughout each day due to air and track temperature changes, which can be fairly extreme. Although we understand these factors well, due to the amount of time we spend at the circuit, we do need to constantly monitor what is happening with the weather to ensure the car setup remains optimised and we are on top of the changing conditions. "We will also be giving our Test Driver Alexander Rossi his first FP1 run with us in Barcelona and we are all looking forward to giving him the chance to work with us at a full race weekend. He did a good job in Abu Dhabi when we ran him in the young driver test in 2011 and I am sure he will perform well for us on Friday in Spain." Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "We head back to Europe after what has been an encouraging first four races for the team. We may not have quite bridged the gap to the midfield pack yet, but we are clearly much closer than we were this time last year, particularly on race day when we have seen clear evidence of the progress we have made. "Having been with us for four races now, I am very pleased with the job Vitaly has been doing for the team. He is obviously a fighter and he is pushing his team mate well, especially on Sundays, and that is good for the whole team. I think Heikki is due a run of better luck in the races as he has been pushing extremely hard in qualifying, particularly to get himself into Q2 in Bahrain, but he has not had the same luck when the lights go out on race day. Hopefully that will change in Barcelona and we will be able to see both cars fighting to the chequered flag on Sunday."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05928http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05928Fri, 04 May 2012 19:19:24 GMTSebastian Vettel: “Of all the current GP tracks, Barcelona is the one that we know the most because we have done so much testing there in recent years. That said, the knowledge that you gain at the tests doesn’t always help due to the changing wind direction that occurs there, which can sometimes give you a nasty surprise, especially into Turn 1. But in general, a car that functions well aerodynamically in Barcelona will work everywhere – so it will be an interesting weekend. We have been working on the package for Barcelona at this week’s test, but we will still have set-up work to do there on arrival.” Mark Webber: “It’s the first European race of the season, so it will be all hands on deck after a successful Mugello test. 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 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.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05927http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05927Fri, 04 May 2012 19:18:15 GMTKamui Kobayashi: “At the Mugello test I definitely had the feeling our new update to the car is a step forward for us. 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. It has everything – fast corners, medium speed corners and slow corners. Although everybody knows that track so well, it is very difficult to get the set up right there. But, in turn, if you really manage to get it right there this normally means the car can be fast on other circuits as well. It will be a challenging weekend for us drivers as well as for the car and the engineers, and I am very much looking forward to going racing again.” Sergio Pérez: “I am looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix very much and also to the other forthcoming races in Europe. To me the race at the Circuit de Catalunya is one of the most special ones on the calendar. I obviously know the circuit very well from GP2, from last year’s Formula One race and, of course, from testing. It was there where I scored my first ever F1 points last year when I finished ninth. I hope to get some points again this year. Our recent race in Bahrain was very disappointing, so I really hope our new aero package will work well in Barcelona.” Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “The Barcelona track is very complete. It has all kinds of features - low speed, medium speed and high speed corners as well as changes of direction. In some places the circuit is quite bumpy, and the tarmac is abrasive. Although we know this track well from testing it's always a challenging one. Pirelli will provide us with the soft and the hard tyre. It's the first time this year that there are two steps between the tyre compounds, which makes it interesting. We expect the soft one to be good in qualifying, while the hard compound should be strong in the race. The limiting factor is the wear on the front axle. However, at the same time the track characteristics stress the rear tyres, therefore the challenge will be to find the best compromise for the set-up of the car. 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. 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.”http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05926http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05926Fri, 04 May 2012 14:23:49 GMTForce India have been ordered to pay Caterham and Mike Gascoyne £650,000 ($1.05m) in legal costs following a copyright dispute. A High Court judge ruled in Caterham's favour earlier this year following a legal dispute launched by the Vijay Mallya owned outfit which had accused the former Team Lotus outfit and Italian aerodynamics specialist Aerolab of copying its intellectual property. Whilst the 1 Malaysia Racing Team, parent company of Caterham, was found to have been in possession of the property, the judge ruled that it hadn't been used extensively and therefore ordered them to pay just £20,000 to Force India. This sum is more than easily covered by the £650,000 Force India have been ordered to pay Caterham and Gascoyne to cover their legal expenses. This cost comes on top of a further £700,000 bill for outstanding fees owed to Aerolab, which had been in charge of the intellectual property at the time and has worked with both teams in the past. Force India must pay the £650,000 within 14 days pending an appeal which has been postponed according to a team statement. "In a curtailed hearing today at London’s High Court, the ruling on Sahara Force India Formula One Team’s application for permission to appeal was postponed with a further hearing expected in the coming weeks," read the statement. "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."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05925http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05925Fri, 04 May 2012 11:57:04 GMTFernando Alonso has defended his team-mate Felipe Massa and boss Stefano Domenicali after both have come in for criticism recently. Massa has scored just two points compared to Alonso's 43 from four races, and speculation that Ferrari will replace him at the end of the year continues to grow. The Spaniard though believes Massa is 'one of the best drivers' and has defended the Brazilians difficult period. "He's one of the best drivers in the world, and he has shown it during his whole career," Alonso wrote on his website. "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 if he thought his former boss and manager Flavio Briatore could do a better job than Domenicali, he replied: "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."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05924http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05924Thu, 03 May 2012 18:30:01 GMTThe British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) has confirmed it will look further afield for potential investors to fund its major redevelopment, following slow progress with a Qatari based investor. The club is looking to develop the circuit further following the construction of a new pit and paddock area in 2011. The new development includes three hotels, a technology park, permanent grandstands and a museum. Currently the BRDC are negotiating on an exclusive basis with the Qatar Investment Authority, but nothing has come of the talks so far, which has prompted the circuit owners to expand their potential investor pool. "Negotiations with the potential investor remain positive, but with the period of exclusivity coming to a close the BRDC plans to broaden its search and engage with other interested parties," read a statement. Chairman of the BRDC Stuart Rolt added: "The commercial potential of Silverstone and the Estate is significant and we are seeking external investment, from third parties who share our vision, to help us realise that potential more quickly. While progress has, and is, being made with our original preferred partner, negotiations have not yet developed into an agreement. As the period of exclusivity has come to a close we are now speaking to other potential investors. "The BRDC has funded the new Grand Prix circuit, state-of-the-art Silverstone Wing complex, key developments around the venue and the planning process for the Silverstone Masterplan. An appropriately qualified investor will help to develop Silverstone further, into a world-class, multi-purpose centre for motorsport, high technology business, training and education. This is our vision and we remain committed to that." Rolt confirmed that if an investor couldn't be found, the BRDC would finance the redevelopment itself. "If we cannot find a suitable partner, we shall continue with the development ourselves, albeit at a slower pace."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05923http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05923Thu, 03 May 2012 17:27:50 GMTRomain Grosjean ended the Mugello in-season test quickest with a 1:21.035 in his Lotus, to set the fastest lap over the entire three-day event. The Frenchman set his best in the afternoon, leapfrogging Sebastian Vettel who had led for much of the day. The Red Bull driver ended the day second quickest. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso tested the heavily updated Ferrari for the first time and things didn't go to plan. An off, through driver error, meant the Spaniard ended up in the barriers which resulted in a two-hour delay, costing the outfit vital running. Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez completed the top five with Nico Hulkenberg a further few tenths behind. The busiest man on-track was Heikki Kovalainen for Caterham. The Finn completed 139 laps, clocking a best time of 1:23.169, some two seconds slower than Grosjean. Mugello day three in-season test: #DriverTeamTimeGapLaps  01. R. Grosjean Lotus 1:21.035 66 02. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:21.267 +0.232 106 03. F. Alonso Ferrari 1:21.363 +0.328 98 04. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:21.604 +0.569 117 05. S. Perez Sauber 1:22.229 +1.194 118 06. N. Hulkenberg Force India 1:22.325 +1.290 55 07. P. Maldonado Williams 1:22.497 +1.462 63 08. N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.579 +1.544 129 09. O. Turvey McLaren 1:22.662 +1.627 99 10. P. di Resta Force India 1:23.002 +1.967 34 11. H. Kovalainen Caterham 1:23.169 +2.134 139 12. T. Glock Marussia 1:23.466 +2.431 110 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05922http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05922Thu, 03 May 2012 14:13:35 GMTVitaly Petrov has criticised the decision to hold Formula 1's only in-season test at the Mugello circuit, saying it's too dangerous for F1 cars. The Russian driver is however alone in his views, with the majority expressing great pleasure in lapping the high-speed circuit. "I don't think we should have come here, It is not safe or wide enough," he said on Thursday. "If you lose it, the walls are so close and you will smash into the tyres. It is not for Formula 1 and, if you lost the steering or the tyre pressure dropped or whatever, then it will be a big crash," added the Caterham driver Meanwhile Fernando Alonso had an off in his heavily revised F2012 in the morning which caused significant damage to the front-end.http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05921http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05921Thu, 03 May 2012 08:08:56 GMTRomain Grosjean declared himself happy with the upgrades Lotus have bolted onto his E20 in Mugello after the Frenchman topped the timesheets on day two. The 26-year-old claims the car is getting "better and better" as they begin to understand it, and how to add additional performance. "The car is feeling better and better as we continue to work on it, which is obviously great as it means we’re on the right track with the changes we’re making," said Grosjean. "We also have a far better understanding of how the E20 works now than we did earlier in the season, which gives us a clearer idea of what will help get more pace out of it. "The main positive for me is that the car feels good with a range of different setups as well as in varying conditions; it’s easy to drive and that makes everything else much easier too." Whilst Lotus look quick in Mugello and secured a double podium finish in Bahrain last time out, Grosjean isn't thinking about winning the championsip - he has a more conservative target. "Honestly we’re not thinking about that [winning titles] right now; our target is fourth in the Constructor’s Championship and that’s what we’re focused on. "There are some big teams in the sport, and of course we want to be fighting among them, but it’s never going to be easy in such a competitive field. "For me personally, it's my first full season in Formula 1 and my priority for this year is to get good points for the team and build from there. If we find ourselves on the podium again that would be fantastic and of course if we go one step further then even better, but there’s a long way to go and a lot of work to be done."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05920http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05920Thu, 03 May 2012 07:57:34 GMTKeep track of who's doing what with our free live timing page. Our timing table gives you the fastest lap, latest lap, total laps completed and the time gap between all the drivers. The page updates automatically, so no need to keep hitting refresh. Just hit the below banner to launch our free timing page, and keep track of what's happening in Mugello on day 3 of the in-season test. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05919http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05919Wed, 02 May 2012 22:00:41 GMTFerrari ran almost no upgrades during the first two test days in Mugello, despite the need to make a major step forward in the coming races if they're to challenge for the title. Felipe Massa confirmed the car he drove on Wednesday was near identical to that of Bahrain over a week ago, after Ferrari chose to focus on understanding the difficult tyre situation. "Today [was] still useful, both for me and for the team, despite the fact the car was in almost identical trim to the one I drove in Bahrain," revealed the Brazilian. "We worked mainly on the tyres, on studying their behaviour over short and long distances and also looked at a handful of aerodynamic components, as well as various different set-ups on the car." Massa also confirmed that the major upgrades, such as a revised exhaust layout, will come on the final test day when Fernando Alonso will take the wheel of the F2012. "We got through almost the entire programme and tomorrow it will be down to Fernando to experiment with some of the new parts we have prepared for the start of the European season." The 31-year-old is confident Ferrari are making good progress in understanding the issues which have plagued their early season pace. "It's obvious we need to make a good step forward as soon as possible if we want to be competitive," continued Felipe. "I am confident about the work we have done in these past few weeks, but we won’t really know if we have reached our targets until we get to Barcelona. "We can be sure the other teams have also worked a lot, so if we want to make progress, we will have had to make a significant leap forward in performance terms. It is a very long championship, but we need to make up ground in the next three to five races if want to achieve our goals and this is a key moment to improve our situation."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05918http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05918Wed, 02 May 2012 20:05:46 GMTThe Circuit of the Americas in Austin is beginning to take shape following the application of the first layer of asphalt on Tuesday. Whilst it's believed construction remains behind schedule following heavy rainfall during the tail-end of 2011, application of the first of three layers of asphalt is promising. The unique formula has been developed especially for the climate and region, according to Dr. Rainer Hart of Hart Consult International which has worked with Hermann Tilke on various F1 circuits. "We don't have any general race track mix design," Dr. Hart explained to the Circuit of the Americas website. "A mix design has to be created for each track individually regarding climates, local standards, availability of suitable aggregates and bitumen. "The quality of the aggregates is better compared to usual roads regarding resistance against polishing. The asphalt has special requirements and modifiers." The final layer won't be laid until a month before the event takes place in November to avoid damage from construction machinery. http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05917http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05917Wed, 02 May 2012 17:41:19 GMTRomain Grosjean and Kamui Kobayashi tied the second day of testing in Mugello, both setting an identical time of 1:21.603 to take the top spot. The Lotus driver taking the outright P1 as he set his quickest time in the morning before Kobayashi. The pair were only two tenths quicker than Sebastian Vettel who finished third having taken over from team-mate Mark Webber in the afternoon. Michael Schumacher completed the most laps, 144, to cover over two race distances, whilst Force India's Paul di Resta completed the least, just 14. Mugello day two in-season test: #DriverTeamTimeGapLaps  01. R. Grosjean Lotus 1:21.603 97 02. K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:21.603 +0.000 87 03. S. Vettel Red Bull 1:21.825 +0.222 64 04. M. Webber Red Bull 1:21.997 +0.394 54 05. F. Massa Ferrari 1:22.257 +0.654 106 06. J. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:22.422 +0.819 65 07. D. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:22.588 +0.985 22 08. M. Schumacher Mercedes 1:23.404 +1.801 144 09. C. Pic Marussia 1:23.982 +2.379 46 10. V. Petrov Caterham 1:24.312 +2.709 112 11. G. Paffett McLaren 1:24.480 +2.877 59 12. T. Glock Marussia 1:24.499 +2.896 37 13. P. di Resta Force India 1:24.749 +3.146 14 http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05916http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05916Wed, 02 May 2012 17:29:35 GMTMark Webber believes having himself and team-mate Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel in Mugello is a "no-brainer" due to the limited test mileage they get during the season. The Australian made his comments on the back of McLaren's decision to use test drivers Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, instead of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, despite the former expressing a desire to be behind the wheel. "It was an absolute no-brainer for [us both] to be here," said Webber. "There was never any consideration that the race drivers wouldn't come to this test. "Mileage is so limited these days that's its good for me to be in the car. Any chance we get to drive the car in the real world, we'll do it." Meanwhile, discussing the teams latest updates seen on the RB8 during the in-season test this week, Webber warned not to expect any major changes to the car in Spain next week. "I think that there will be small details," he added. "As far as I know, we'll have some things but I don't think it will be drastic."http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05915http://www.thef1times.com/news/display/05915Wed, 02 May 2012 08:03:52 GMTKeep track of who's doing what with our free live timing page. Our timing table gives you the fastest lap, latest lap, total laps completed and the time gap between all the drivers. The page updates automatically, so no need to keep hitting refresh. Just hit the below banner to launch our free timing page, and keep track of what's happening in Mugello on day 2 of the in-season test.