Prodrive has become the third new team to confirm it has submitted its entry for a place on the 2010 grid ahead of Friday's midnight deadline.The Banbury-based outfit, owned by former BAR boss David Richards, announced last month that it was “very serious” about reviving its Formula 1 ambitions following the FIA’s planned introduction of a then £30 million budget cap.And while the spending ceiling has since been raised to £40m and further increases for next season now look likely as the FIA brokers a compromise solution with the existing teams, Richards has given the green light to proceed with Prodrive’s application.
Richards believes his organisation – which had originally been set to enter in 2008 but ditched its plans due to uncertainty over customer cars – has the budget to compete thanks to support from Kuwaiti investors and the money to be made available for new entrants.
“We are very appreciative of the support we have been given in putting together our entry, not least by both the FIA and FOM,” Richards said in a statement.“With the help of Dar Capital, in raising the finance, coupled with our understanding of the latest proposals to assist new teams, we now feel the conditions are right to formally request the FIA for an entry.”
Even before its original scheduled entry in 2008, Richards made it clear he had no interest in taking Prodrive into the sport if it didn’t have a chance of being competitive.
As a result Prodrive was set to enter as a customer McLaren-Mercedes team, before a row over the legality of customer cars beyond 2010 scuppered its plans.
And while the financial goal posts have been moved since he registered his renewed F1 interest last month, Richards is sure Formula 1 is entering an era of austerity that will mean Prodrive’s pre-entry conditions are met.“The level of next year’s cost cap has risen substantially since we originally considered entering,” he said.“However everyone appears committed to major reductions in future years and when one takes into account the transition proposals for new teams we are confident that we now have the opportunity to be both commercially viable and competitive.“As we have said all along, we don’t want to be in Formula 1 just to make up the numbers.”
The Prodrive statement made no mention of Aston Martin – the iconic car brand co-owned by a consortium which includes Richards and Kuwaiti company Investment Dar – but Richards previously suggested the name could be brought into F1.
Prodrive joins fellow prospective entrants Team US F1 and Campos Racing in confirming it has lodged an entry for 2010, while Williams is the one existing team to have signed up.
The other nine FOTA teams look increasingly likely to follow after they agreed on a compromise ‘glide path’ budget cap solution.
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Sunday 31 May 2009
Saturday 30 May 2009
FOTA teams submit their‘conditional’ entries
All nine FOTA teams have submitted entries for next year’s world championship, averting the prospect of a mass boycott of Formula 1 by the sport’s established names.
The Formula One Teams' Association issued a statement on Friday afternoon stating that all its members would commit to F1 through to 2012 – provided they receive guarantees about the sport’s future governance, and that the FIA accepts FOTA's modifications to the controversial budget cap proposal.
The announcement marks an apparent breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the teams’ alliance and the FIA, although much will depend on the governing body’s response to FOTA’s pre-conditions.
The most striking of these is a demand that a new Concorde Agreement – long sought by F1’s commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone – must be signed by all parties by June 12, when the FIA has said it will publish the list of confirmed participants in the 2010 season.
FOTA is seeking a formal contract to give greater stability over the rule-making process, having been unhappy with the way recent rule changes were pushed through the FIA World Council, bypassing teams and other stakeholders represented on the F1 Commission.
In return for such guarantees, the teams will pledge their allegiance to F1 for the next three years – an undertaking that appears to scotch rumours that Toyota was on the verge of quitting the sport.
FOTA’s other major proviso concerns the technical regulations to be adopted for 2010, which it says must be based on this year's rules subject to the amendments it has proposed in a submission to the FIA.
FOTA did not release details of these amendments but they are believed to include the phasing-in or dilution of the budget cap, with tight spending curbs to be delayed until 2011, and offsetting measures designed to ensure prospective new teams can compete in the higher-spending initial year.
The FOTA statement said: “All FOTA teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.
“FOTA confirms all its members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 championship for new teams.
“These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes.
“All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that: 1) The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012.
“The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.
“2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.”
FOTA also said it would not countenance a two-tier championship incorporating different sets of regulations, and insisted that all its members' entires must be accepted together or not at all.
The statement said: “All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis, and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.
“All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.”
Williams submitted its 2010 entry last Monday – a move that triggered its suspension from FOTA – so all 10 of the current teams on the F1 grid have now declared their intention to compete in next year's championship.
That leaves space for three new teams, and with Team US F1, Prodrive, Lola and Campos all having confirmed their applications, F1 appears to be over-subsribed for the first time in several years.
The Formula One Teams' Association issued a statement on Friday afternoon stating that all its members would commit to F1 through to 2012 – provided they receive guarantees about the sport’s future governance, and that the FIA accepts FOTA's modifications to the controversial budget cap proposal.
The announcement marks an apparent breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the teams’ alliance and the FIA, although much will depend on the governing body’s response to FOTA’s pre-conditions.
The most striking of these is a demand that a new Concorde Agreement – long sought by F1’s commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone – must be signed by all parties by June 12, when the FIA has said it will publish the list of confirmed participants in the 2010 season.
FOTA is seeking a formal contract to give greater stability over the rule-making process, having been unhappy with the way recent rule changes were pushed through the FIA World Council, bypassing teams and other stakeholders represented on the F1 Commission.
In return for such guarantees, the teams will pledge their allegiance to F1 for the next three years – an undertaking that appears to scotch rumours that Toyota was on the verge of quitting the sport.
FOTA’s other major proviso concerns the technical regulations to be adopted for 2010, which it says must be based on this year's rules subject to the amendments it has proposed in a submission to the FIA.
FOTA did not release details of these amendments but they are believed to include the phasing-in or dilution of the budget cap, with tight spending curbs to be delayed until 2011, and offsetting measures designed to ensure prospective new teams can compete in the higher-spending initial year.
The FOTA statement said: “All FOTA teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.
“FOTA confirms all its members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 championship for new teams.
“These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes.
“All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that: 1) The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012.
“The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.
“2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.”
FOTA also said it would not countenance a two-tier championship incorporating different sets of regulations, and insisted that all its members' entires must be accepted together or not at all.
The statement said: “All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis, and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.
“All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.”
Williams submitted its 2010 entry last Monday – a move that triggered its suspension from FOTA – so all 10 of the current teams on the F1 grid have now declared their intention to compete in next year's championship.
That leaves space for three new teams, and with Team US F1, Prodrive, Lola and Campos all having confirmed their applications, F1 appears to be over-subsribed for the first time in several years.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Raikkonen's Monaco form delights Ferrari boss
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali admitted he was very happy to see Kimi Raikkonen back on form at the Monaco Grand Prix.The Finn, who has not won a race in over a year, finished on the podium for the first time since last year's Brazilian Grand Prix.
He also came close to securing his first pole position of the year, but was beaten by Jenson Button by just 0.025 seconds.Domenicali said he was delighted to see Raikkonen show the kind of form that helped him take the title in 2007.
The Italian also claimed Ferrari is now on the right track following a poor start to the season."We're heading in the right direction, which is very important after the first part of this very difficult championship," said Domenicali. "The positive signs we've seen at Barcelona have been confirmed at Monaco. "I'm particularly happy for Kimi, he had a wonderful weekend: he missed the pole by a blink of the eye and in the race he might have done better, if there hadn't been the problem during his second pitstop.
"On a track where talent is important Kimi has shown what he is able to do."
He also came close to securing his first pole position of the year, but was beaten by Jenson Button by just 0.025 seconds.Domenicali said he was delighted to see Raikkonen show the kind of form that helped him take the title in 2007.
The Italian also claimed Ferrari is now on the right track following a poor start to the season."We're heading in the right direction, which is very important after the first part of this very difficult championship," said Domenicali. "The positive signs we've seen at Barcelona have been confirmed at Monaco. "I'm particularly happy for Kimi, he had a wonderful weekend: he missed the pole by a blink of the eye and in the race he might have done better, if there hadn't been the problem during his second pitstop.
"On a track where talent is important Kimi has shown what he is able to do."
Monday 25 May 2009
Williams submits 2010 entry
Williams has become the first of the current Formula 1 teams to submit its entry for next year's world championship.
With the Formula One Teams' Association still embroiled in tense discussions with the FIA over the 2010 rules, and the likes of Ferrari, Toyota and Red Bull threatening not to enter next year at all, there had been speculation that the existing ten squads might all agree to withhold their 2010 entries until the situation was resolved.But Williams has now committed to next season, ahead of the 29 May deadline imposed by the FIA.The team's CEO Adam Parr said Williams felt that discussions with the FIA had now reached a point where the squad felt comfortable about submitting its entry.
"We believe that under the leadership of [Ferrari president Luca] di Montezemolo and [Toyota motorsport president] John Howett, FOTA has extracted some very significant concessions from the FIA," Parr told the Reuters news agency."These include not only the procedural aspects of the budget cap but also other elements that will enable the higher budget teams to participate.
"Having said that, Williams has – and has always maintained – that we have a binding contract with both FOM [Bernie Ecclestone's company] and the FIA to participate in the world championship from 2008 to 2012."We have been paid in full for our participation and we feel both morally and legally obliged to make it clear that we will participate in Formula 1 in the future as we have in the past 30 years."We owe this to our employees, our sponsors and the fans, all of whom are affected by statements that the teams may not enter next year's championship."But Parr insisted that Williams's move should not be interpreted as a break from FOTA.
"The unity of FOTA is of paramount importance to Williams," he said."Yesterday we joined the other members of FOTA in writing to the FIA to request a continuing effort to find a compromise concerning the regulations for 2010."
Williams has always admitted that it is more open to the idea of a budget cap than many of its rival teams, although it shared its peers' other concerns about the FIA's implementation of the rules.
With the Formula One Teams' Association still embroiled in tense discussions with the FIA over the 2010 rules, and the likes of Ferrari, Toyota and Red Bull threatening not to enter next year at all, there had been speculation that the existing ten squads might all agree to withhold their 2010 entries until the situation was resolved.But Williams has now committed to next season, ahead of the 29 May deadline imposed by the FIA.The team's CEO Adam Parr said Williams felt that discussions with the FIA had now reached a point where the squad felt comfortable about submitting its entry.
"We believe that under the leadership of [Ferrari president Luca] di Montezemolo and [Toyota motorsport president] John Howett, FOTA has extracted some very significant concessions from the FIA," Parr told the Reuters news agency."These include not only the procedural aspects of the budget cap but also other elements that will enable the higher budget teams to participate.
"Having said that, Williams has – and has always maintained – that we have a binding contract with both FOM [Bernie Ecclestone's company] and the FIA to participate in the world championship from 2008 to 2012."We have been paid in full for our participation and we feel both morally and legally obliged to make it clear that we will participate in Formula 1 in the future as we have in the past 30 years."We owe this to our employees, our sponsors and the fans, all of whom are affected by statements that the teams may not enter next year's championship."But Parr insisted that Williams's move should not be interpreted as a break from FOTA.
"The unity of FOTA is of paramount importance to Williams," he said."Yesterday we joined the other members of FOTA in writing to the FIA to request a continuing effort to find a compromise concerning the regulations for 2010."
Williams has always admitted that it is more open to the idea of a budget cap than many of its rival teams, although it shared its peers' other concerns about the FIA's implementation of the rules.
Sunday 24 May 2009
Ferrari could not halt Button and Brawn in Monaco
Jenson Button had no peer in Monte Carlo on Sunday afternoon. The world championship points leader snatched another full score as he grabbed the lead at the start, eased quickly away from Brawn team mate Rubens Barrichello, and romped home to a comfortable and totally convincing victory."Great job! Fantastic job!" his engineers cried over the radio at the end, as the 29 year-old Englishman whooped and hollered with delight.
There was not a single moment when he ever looked like losing this one, as he stretched his points score to 51, and his lead to 16 over Barrichello. His only error came following the chequered flag when, in his jubilation, he parked his car in the wrong parc ferme area and had to jog all the way to the podium like the triathlon runner he is. It was a pluperfect performance.Barrichello kept his end up and reduced Buttons 12s lead to 7.6s in the closing stages, and he in turn was well clear of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen which he had beaten off the start line and stayed ahead of apart from during the pit stops. Felipe Massa made it a good day for the Scuderia by keeping his F60 ahead of hard-charging Mark Webber in the sole surviving Red Bull as they battled for fourth place a couple of seconds behind the Finn.
Nico Rosberg had a feisty run to sixth for Williams, ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso. Sebastien Bourdais took the final point for eighth place for Toro Rosso, just ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella's Force India after a race-long fight.In Button's wake it was not a classic race. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel held fourth place early on until getting outfoxed by Massa and Rosberg, and after an early pit stop the German crashed at Ste Devote on Lap 15.
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi blotted his copybook by running into the rear of Nelson Piquet's Renault there on Lap 11, both retiring. Heikki Kovalainen also crashed, dropping his McLaren in the Swimming Pool, in a very similar fashion to Massa in qualifying - only harder. It lost him seventh place on Lap 52. Late in the race Kazuki Nakajima lost tenth after nosing into the tyres at Mirabeau.
Timo Glock was thus tenth for Toyota, after a very long first stint which took him through to Lap 57 before he refuelled. He was followed by BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, who was hounded to the flag by an unhappy Lewis Hamilton, who had earlier damaged his McLaren in a brush with the German at Ste Devote on the tenth lap. Nothing could have been a greater contrast for Hamilton with the 2008 race, and likewise for Button.
Behind the McLaren came Toyota's Jarno Trulli, whom Hamilton passed on Lap 75, and Adrian Sutil's Force India. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica made a poor start, and was the first pit stopper before later retiring with mechanical gremlins.
There was not a single moment when he ever looked like losing this one, as he stretched his points score to 51, and his lead to 16 over Barrichello. His only error came following the chequered flag when, in his jubilation, he parked his car in the wrong parc ferme area and had to jog all the way to the podium like the triathlon runner he is. It was a pluperfect performance.Barrichello kept his end up and reduced Buttons 12s lead to 7.6s in the closing stages, and he in turn was well clear of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen which he had beaten off the start line and stayed ahead of apart from during the pit stops. Felipe Massa made it a good day for the Scuderia by keeping his F60 ahead of hard-charging Mark Webber in the sole surviving Red Bull as they battled for fourth place a couple of seconds behind the Finn.
Nico Rosberg had a feisty run to sixth for Williams, ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso. Sebastien Bourdais took the final point for eighth place for Toro Rosso, just ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella's Force India after a race-long fight.In Button's wake it was not a classic race. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel held fourth place early on until getting outfoxed by Massa and Rosberg, and after an early pit stop the German crashed at Ste Devote on Lap 15.
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi blotted his copybook by running into the rear of Nelson Piquet's Renault there on Lap 11, both retiring. Heikki Kovalainen also crashed, dropping his McLaren in the Swimming Pool, in a very similar fashion to Massa in qualifying - only harder. It lost him seventh place on Lap 52. Late in the race Kazuki Nakajima lost tenth after nosing into the tyres at Mirabeau.
Timo Glock was thus tenth for Toyota, after a very long first stint which took him through to Lap 57 before he refuelled. He was followed by BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, who was hounded to the flag by an unhappy Lewis Hamilton, who had earlier damaged his McLaren in a brush with the German at Ste Devote on the tenth lap. Nothing could have been a greater contrast for Hamilton with the 2008 race, and likewise for Button.
Behind the McLaren came Toyota's Jarno Trulli, whom Hamilton passed on Lap 75, and Adrian Sutil's Force India. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica made a poor start, and was the first pit stopper before later retiring with mechanical gremlins.
Monaco Grand Prix - Race Round-Up
======================================================================
1 J. Button Brawn GP Formula One Team
2 R. Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team
3 K. Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
4 F. Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
5 M. Webber Red Bull Racing
6 N. Rosberg AT&T Williams
7 F. Alonso ING Renault F1 Team
8 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso
10 T. Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing
13 J. Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing
Panasonic Toyota Racing left the Monaco Grand Prix empty-handed
despite a valiant effort from Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. Following
yesterday's disappointing qualifying session, the team fully expected
a challenging race and prepared accordingly. Timo started the race
from the pit lane after modifications to the set-up of his TF109 and
both began on very heavy fuel loads, using the soft Bridgestone
Potenza tyres. They battled hard, however overtaking on the tight
Monaco streets is extremely difficult and this restricted progress.
By the time of Jarno's first pit stop - for another set of soft tyres
- he was 12th while Timo had easily the longest first stint of all
and had reached 11th place when he came in for super soft tyres.
Jarno needed a second stop for a final stint on super soft tyres,
which allowed Timo to get ahead. Timo battled past Nick Heidfeld in
the final laps and crossed the finish line inside the top 10 while
Jarno was 13th.
1 J. Button Brawn GP Formula One Team
2 R. Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team
3 K. Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
4 F. Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
5 M. Webber Red Bull Racing
6 N. Rosberg AT&T Williams
7 F. Alonso ING Renault F1 Team
8 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso
10 T. Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing
13 J. Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing
Panasonic Toyota Racing left the Monaco Grand Prix empty-handed
despite a valiant effort from Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. Following
yesterday's disappointing qualifying session, the team fully expected
a challenging race and prepared accordingly. Timo started the race
from the pit lane after modifications to the set-up of his TF109 and
both began on very heavy fuel loads, using the soft Bridgestone
Potenza tyres. They battled hard, however overtaking on the tight
Monaco streets is extremely difficult and this restricted progress.
By the time of Jarno's first pit stop - for another set of soft tyres
- he was 12th while Timo had easily the longest first stint of all
and had reached 11th place when he came in for super soft tyres.
Jarno needed a second stop for a final stint on super soft tyres,
which allowed Timo to get ahead. Timo battled past Nick Heidfeld in
the final laps and crossed the finish line inside the top 10 while
Jarno was 13th.
Monaco Qualifying - team and driver quotes
The Force India drivers on the team's best-ever qualifying performance; McLaren's Lewis Hamilton on the error that saw him crash out of Q1; Kimi Raikkonen on putting Ferrari back on the front row; and Brawn's Jenson Button on beating the Finn to pole by just 0.025s. All 20 drivers and senior team personnel report on Saturday's action...
Brawn GP
Jenson Button (1st, Q3 - 1m 14.902s):
"It's so important to qualify well in Monaco and I am really happy to have achieved pole position here today. It means a lot to me, they all do, but this one is so important for the race tomorrow. It was definitely a lap to remember and I was really on the edge the whole way round! It was a real fight today and I thought that Rubens would have the upper hand in qualifying as he has been so strong all weekend. I struggled on Thursday to find a good balance and we had a few issues that needed to be worked on, however we made some changes since then. I really have to thank everyone at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz for producing such a strong and responsive car which allows us to make progress quickly. It's not going to be easy in the race tomorrow as Monaco is just so unpredictable but starting from pole is without doubt the best position be in."
Rubens Barrichello (3rd, Q3 - 1m 14.927s):
"Well I had a great lap today at the end of the final qualifying session so Jenson's lap must have been fantastic! I'm very happy with my position for the race tomorrow and really got everything possible out of the car today. Of course I'm sorry that I didn't get pole position but the car has felt really good all weekend and we have a great chance for the race tomorrow. This is my 17th Monaco Grand Prix but the special feeling that you get from driving around here never changes and it is such a great challenge. It will be a really close and exciting race tomorrow and I'll be giving my all for the win."
Ross Brawn, Brawn team principal:
"A very good day's work from the team with great laps right at the end of the final qualifying session from Jenson and Rubens. To achieve pole and third position on the grid in the most important qualifying hour of the season is a real achievement and puts us in a strong position for the race tomorrow. Jenson had to work quite hard on his set-up as he has been struggling with the balance and a lack of front grip all weekend so he knew that the lap had to be extra special to make the difference and he delivered very impressively. Rubens, as ever, excels around Monaco and he is very well placed to take the fight to Jenson tomorrow. The cars around us are also looking strong so it is going to be a very interesting race."
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen (2nd, Q3 - 1m 14.927s):
“Second place is a nice result but I’m disappointed that I missed out on pole by a few hundredths. Here, there is a much bigger difference between starting from first or second place. The car has improved and that can be seen from the performance level. Today, we felt ever more comfortable as the track’s grip level improved bit by bit. I had some difficulties on the first run in Q1, but then things got better all the time. In the end, I had the possibility of doing another lap, but I went long at the first corner: I don’t know if I could have done a better time. Tomorrow’s race will be long and tough. The start will be very important and on the short straight here, the KERS will definitely be a help, but not as much as elsewhere. All the same, it’s good to be back in the fight for the top places and I will give it my best shot to try and win, because that’s the only thing that matters.”
Felipe Massa (5th, Q3 - 1m 15.437s):
“Today’s showing confirms we are capable of fighting for the top places. We were in with a chance of getting into the top three, but I never managed to get a clean lap, partly because of traffic and partly through some small slip ups. These things can easily happen in Monaco and fifth is still a good place to start the race. I am confident for tomorrow. It will be a long race, but the F60 is competitive. Step by step we are getting back to where we are used to being. The accident at the start of Q1? I had new brakes and the harder tyres, which struggled a bit more to get up to temperature, so as soon as I touched the brakes, I locked the wheels and ended up against the guardrail.”
Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer:
“A great result for the team: two cars in the front three rows is a reward for all the work we’ve done. Kimi drove fantastically well, while Felipe was almost always in traffic, which prevented him from doing better. It was a very complicated qualifying session, starting with Felipe’s accident, which meant he had to come straight back to the pits to change the nose and the ensuing red flag period, which had an effect, because for us at least, the tyres were only at their best after the first flying lap. The team and drivers worked really well in managing the situation and the credit for this result goes to them and everyone back at the factory who worked on preparing for this Grand Prix. We are in a good position for tomorrow’s race, in which we will do our best to bring both cars home on the podium.”
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel (4th, Q3 - 1m 15.271s):
“As I came out of Rascasse, Nakajima was almost stopped on the circuit and, you know, if you want to get everything right here in qualifying you have to have a clear lap. That wasn't the case on the last half of my lap when I was stuck in traffic - when that happens you lose downforce and start to slide, so it's anything but qualifying! It was a shame today as the car was good and we could have done better - but there are 78 laps to go, so let's see what happens tomorrow."
Mark Webber (8th, Q3 - 1m 15.653s):
"That wasn't too bad, we knew it was going to be very tight, but we have a reasonable strategy for tomorrow. There are some different ideas going round about what tyres everyone will start the race on, as the hard and soft tyres have different characteristics in race conditions. I'm reasonably happy with what I did today, maybe we could have done a different strategy in Q3 - it was my idea to do one run, but maybe we should have done two."
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
"A frustrating final Q3, when unfortunately Nakajima cost Sebastian some time - he seemed extraordinarily slow despite Sebastian giving him plenty of room before starting his final lap. Mark managed to save a set of tyres with a very good time in Q2, but in Q3 he was unfortunately at the wrong end of a tenth of a second, but we believe we have a good strategy for tomorrow."
Williams
Nico Rosberg (6th, Q3 - 1m 15.455s):
“The first two sessions went fine today, but I was not happy with the final conclusion in Q3. P6 was not where I wanted to be and it should have been better. I had some balance problems in the last run and some traffic, particularly with Barrichello on my fastest lap, so I didn’t manage to make the best of the circumstances. Anyway, that’s the way it has played out and we just need to make the best of it. There is still the opportunity to have a good race tomorrow from a reasonable starting position, so I am still of the view that anything is possible.”
Kazuki Nakajima (10th, Q3 - 1m 17.344s):
“It was a good session for me, it is of course the first time I have made it into Q3 this season, so I do want to say thanks to the team for preparing a good car. I am pleased that I achieved a top ten slot as obviously grid position is crucial here and this is not a very easy track. I am confident I can have a good race tomorrow and our start position will certainly give me the chance to improve on our recent results.”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director:
“The car performance was strong today but unfortunately we didn’t get the best out of Q3 with Nico. Kazuki had no more option tyres to use in the final session, hence his P10 position and different strategy. It is good to have both cars in Q3 and we look forward to racing for points tomorrow.”
McLaren
Heikki Kovalainen (7th, Q3 - 1m 15.516s):
"I've felt really comfortable with the car throughout the whole weekend. Obviously, we wanted to be on pole but didn't manage that - let's see how the race unfolds and where we'll be after the first stops. Lewis was very unfortunate this afternoon - we are always at the limit around here and a little slip-up can put you into the barriers. I touched the guardrails three times during qualifying and I'm lucky that it didn't have any negative consequences."
Lewis Hamilton (16th, Q1 - 1m 16.264s):
"I made a mistake. I just braked too late - it's unfortunate, but these things happen. It's not been a good day: I had been going well all weekend and had the possibility of being on the front row. It's a shame for the team, because they have done such a fantastic job all weekend and the car has felt really strong - as Heikki's grid position shows. Starting 16th is frustrating, but I'll learn from this, drive my heart out tomorrow and see what happens."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"Heikki has driven with increasing commitment all weekend. Two very strong laps in Q1 and Q2 showed that he was capable of taking the fight to the leaders. And we are confident that his strategy for tomorrow will push him even closer to the front. Lewis's accident was disappointing - he knows he made a mistake - but we all know he will not give up. That's his nature - and as a result I feel sure he will approach tomorrow's race with undiminished commitment."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The speed was there to be among the quickest, so it's a shame what happened to Lewis after he has been among the fastest during all previous practice sessions but such contact with the guardrails can easily happen in Monaco. Heikki was good, put in a solid performance and has a good strategy. Monaco has its own rules so we still can look good tomorrow despite starting seventh and 16th."
Renault
Fernando Alonso (9th, Q3 - 1m 16.009s):
"Overall I'm happy with my performance as I did the best I could today. At the end of the session I was caught in a line of traffic, but honestly our ninth place reflects where our car is at the moment because I was 12th in Q1 and 9th in Q2. It's clear that we still need to improve and find more speed."
Nelson Piquet (12th, Q2 - 1m 15.837s):
"I'm not totally happy because my ideal lap would have put me in the top ten. However, the car wasn't perfect and I didn't have the ideal brake balance which made it difficult to get the most from the car. However, if you had said to me before the weekend that we would have this result, I think I would have been relatively satisfied and starting 12th is not too bad. Now we need to concentrate on making the most of the strategy tomorrow."
Pat Symonds, Renault executive director of engineering:
"A disappointing qualifying session for us. The car seemed well balanced this morning, but this afternoon it lacked that little bit of extra grip that we needed."
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi (11th, Q2 - 1m 15.833s):
"I am reasonably happy with my performance, although I could have made it into the top ten if I hadn't made a mistake at the final corner. But there's no point thinking about that anymore. Now we must concentrate on tomorrow, trying to find the best possible strategy. We have seen that our car is much more competitive than before and I think we can aspire to finish in the top eight and get some points. I am confident we can do well."
Sebastien Bourdais (14th, Q2 - 1m 16.281s):
"This morning I was pretty happy with the balance of the car, but this afternoon, I just could not get the car to turn and I don't know why. I touched the barriers a few times, but there's a big difference between touching and hitting! It's disappointing because I think the car had the potential to get to Q3 today, but fourteenth is not so far back, so we will see what we can do tomorrow."
Laurent Mekies, Toro Rosso chief engineer:
"Overall our performance shows a bit of an improvement over the last few races. Buemi got very close to making it into Q3, but in some ways it's quite nice to have a couple of hours to plan our fuel strategy for tomorrow. Both guys got into Q2 in difficult traffic conditions, keeping a cool head. We believe there is still more to come from our car and hopefully that will happen soon."
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella (13th, Q2 - 1m 16.146s):
"I think we can be really satisfied and very happy with the performance today. The team worked well and two cars in the top 15 is good: very encouraging. We did a good job together, we still have some work to do but the result shows we're going in the right direction. For tomorrow I want to get to the end of the race and let's see - this is Monaco, you never know what can happen."
Adrian Sutil (15th, Q2 - 1m 16.545s):
"A very good qualifying for us, with two cars into Q2 for the first time ever. It feels a bit like a pole position for us, and it was fun to be able to do it. Everything came together, the team did a good job in the garage and I felt my lap was strong. It was difficult to do, with the traffic and then the stoppages, but it was a good run for us. Tomorrow I hope we will be able to fight in the midfield and try to get ahead of some people. The start could be a bit tricky, as it always is here, but I feel all set for tomorrow. We are really motivated now and are hoping for a good race."
Dominic Harlow, Force India chief race engineer:
"A good feeling to have opened our account for Q2 this season with both cars here in Monaco. The whole team has worked very hard for this event both at the factory and the circuit, and together with calm performances from the drivers in a hectic session we have showed some genuine performance. Q2 itself was tougher as the circuit improvement slowed, but points are realistically possible from where we will start tomorrow and we'll be doing our best to make this opportunity stick."
BMW Sauber
Nick Heidfeld (17th, Q1 - 1m 16.264s):
"Obviously this is extremely disappointing. We made a lot of changes after Thursday's free practice and even more changes after this morning's session, although this is always a bit risky shortly before qualifying. But we knew we hadn't much to lose. Actually it was rather a change for the worse than for the better, but it didn't really make a big difference anyway. It is frustrating when you go to the absolute limit and take every risk, especially here on this special circuit, and you still end up nowhere. Currently we don't know what's wrong. In Barcelona we made a step forward, but here we are way behind expectations."
Robert Kubica (18th, Q1 - 1m 16.405s):
"So far we have only had difficulties. We struggled on Thursday and again this morning. I had a very bad out lap with a lot of traffic. As a result my tyres cooled down a lot. However, the overall performance of the car is not good enough. We have to realise we are bad. We have to adapt to the situation and we have to work very hard now."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director:
"The qualifying result reflects the problems we already faced in free practice here in Monaco. No matter which set-up or on what tyre compound - none of our cars were able to achieve the necessary grip. Our data shows the tyres never reached their operating temperatures. Positions 17 and 18 are disappointing. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering:
"Monaco is a special track for which you do special preparation work. But, despite several set-up changes, we never found an acceptable grip level and car balance. So far this has been a poor performance from us. The drivers tried everything and didn't make mistakes, but our cars were simply too slow. Now we have to start to figure out the reason and begin to solve the problems before Istanbul."
Toyota
Jarno Trulli (19th, Q1 - 1m 16.548s):
"It is extremely disappointing but especially because I was on a pretty good lap at the end of Q1 when I was blocked by another car in the final two corners. That would have been my quickest lap and I would have been easily in Q2. So I am angry about that but ultimately we haven't shown good enough performance this weekend."
Timo Glock (20th, Q1 - 1m 16.788s):
"We have to analyse and see where the problems are. We struggled from the first lap this weekend. The car didn't feel great but it didn't feel terrible, it was just that the pace clearly wasn't there. I pushed as hard as possible but it wasn't enough. Obviously I will do my best in the race tomorrow but from this position on the grid we don't have much hope."
Pascal Vasselon, Toyota senior general manager chassis:
"It has been a very difficult weekend, obviously. There is clearly something wrong on the car which we are looking at; we have to fix this. The race will be difficult from where we start but still we will keep on fighting."
Bridgestone
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development:
"Today we saw Jenson Button use Bridgestone's super soft tyre for pole position here in Monaco, and as we all know, overtaking is very difficult here so pole is very beneficial. Lap times here were very close. The nature of the circuit means that the balance between mechanical grip and aerodynamic grip is more towards mechanical grip, and the close times show that all the teams can get good results from our tyres. It was also a good day for Ferrari with their first front row qualification of the season.
"The crucial question is whether the super soft tyre is durable enough to allow a one stop strategy. Our data shows that this should be possible, however a lot depends on track condition and rear tyre transverse graining. The track has changed from Thursday's running but super soft is still around 0.4 seconds faster than the soft Bridgestone. Track temperatures were higher today, but heat degradation is not really a problem here as the track surface is smooth, so not too severe for tyres."
Brawn GP
Jenson Button (1st, Q3 - 1m 14.902s):
"It's so important to qualify well in Monaco and I am really happy to have achieved pole position here today. It means a lot to me, they all do, but this one is so important for the race tomorrow. It was definitely a lap to remember and I was really on the edge the whole way round! It was a real fight today and I thought that Rubens would have the upper hand in qualifying as he has been so strong all weekend. I struggled on Thursday to find a good balance and we had a few issues that needed to be worked on, however we made some changes since then. I really have to thank everyone at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz for producing such a strong and responsive car which allows us to make progress quickly. It's not going to be easy in the race tomorrow as Monaco is just so unpredictable but starting from pole is without doubt the best position be in."
Rubens Barrichello (3rd, Q3 - 1m 14.927s):
"Well I had a great lap today at the end of the final qualifying session so Jenson's lap must have been fantastic! I'm very happy with my position for the race tomorrow and really got everything possible out of the car today. Of course I'm sorry that I didn't get pole position but the car has felt really good all weekend and we have a great chance for the race tomorrow. This is my 17th Monaco Grand Prix but the special feeling that you get from driving around here never changes and it is such a great challenge. It will be a really close and exciting race tomorrow and I'll be giving my all for the win."
Ross Brawn, Brawn team principal:
"A very good day's work from the team with great laps right at the end of the final qualifying session from Jenson and Rubens. To achieve pole and third position on the grid in the most important qualifying hour of the season is a real achievement and puts us in a strong position for the race tomorrow. Jenson had to work quite hard on his set-up as he has been struggling with the balance and a lack of front grip all weekend so he knew that the lap had to be extra special to make the difference and he delivered very impressively. Rubens, as ever, excels around Monaco and he is very well placed to take the fight to Jenson tomorrow. The cars around us are also looking strong so it is going to be a very interesting race."
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen (2nd, Q3 - 1m 14.927s):
“Second place is a nice result but I’m disappointed that I missed out on pole by a few hundredths. Here, there is a much bigger difference between starting from first or second place. The car has improved and that can be seen from the performance level. Today, we felt ever more comfortable as the track’s grip level improved bit by bit. I had some difficulties on the first run in Q1, but then things got better all the time. In the end, I had the possibility of doing another lap, but I went long at the first corner: I don’t know if I could have done a better time. Tomorrow’s race will be long and tough. The start will be very important and on the short straight here, the KERS will definitely be a help, but not as much as elsewhere. All the same, it’s good to be back in the fight for the top places and I will give it my best shot to try and win, because that’s the only thing that matters.”
Felipe Massa (5th, Q3 - 1m 15.437s):
“Today’s showing confirms we are capable of fighting for the top places. We were in with a chance of getting into the top three, but I never managed to get a clean lap, partly because of traffic and partly through some small slip ups. These things can easily happen in Monaco and fifth is still a good place to start the race. I am confident for tomorrow. It will be a long race, but the F60 is competitive. Step by step we are getting back to where we are used to being. The accident at the start of Q1? I had new brakes and the harder tyres, which struggled a bit more to get up to temperature, so as soon as I touched the brakes, I locked the wheels and ended up against the guardrail.”
Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer:
“A great result for the team: two cars in the front three rows is a reward for all the work we’ve done. Kimi drove fantastically well, while Felipe was almost always in traffic, which prevented him from doing better. It was a very complicated qualifying session, starting with Felipe’s accident, which meant he had to come straight back to the pits to change the nose and the ensuing red flag period, which had an effect, because for us at least, the tyres were only at their best after the first flying lap. The team and drivers worked really well in managing the situation and the credit for this result goes to them and everyone back at the factory who worked on preparing for this Grand Prix. We are in a good position for tomorrow’s race, in which we will do our best to bring both cars home on the podium.”
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel (4th, Q3 - 1m 15.271s):
“As I came out of Rascasse, Nakajima was almost stopped on the circuit and, you know, if you want to get everything right here in qualifying you have to have a clear lap. That wasn't the case on the last half of my lap when I was stuck in traffic - when that happens you lose downforce and start to slide, so it's anything but qualifying! It was a shame today as the car was good and we could have done better - but there are 78 laps to go, so let's see what happens tomorrow."
Mark Webber (8th, Q3 - 1m 15.653s):
"That wasn't too bad, we knew it was going to be very tight, but we have a reasonable strategy for tomorrow. There are some different ideas going round about what tyres everyone will start the race on, as the hard and soft tyres have different characteristics in race conditions. I'm reasonably happy with what I did today, maybe we could have done a different strategy in Q3 - it was my idea to do one run, but maybe we should have done two."
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
"A frustrating final Q3, when unfortunately Nakajima cost Sebastian some time - he seemed extraordinarily slow despite Sebastian giving him plenty of room before starting his final lap. Mark managed to save a set of tyres with a very good time in Q2, but in Q3 he was unfortunately at the wrong end of a tenth of a second, but we believe we have a good strategy for tomorrow."
Williams
Nico Rosberg (6th, Q3 - 1m 15.455s):
“The first two sessions went fine today, but I was not happy with the final conclusion in Q3. P6 was not where I wanted to be and it should have been better. I had some balance problems in the last run and some traffic, particularly with Barrichello on my fastest lap, so I didn’t manage to make the best of the circumstances. Anyway, that’s the way it has played out and we just need to make the best of it. There is still the opportunity to have a good race tomorrow from a reasonable starting position, so I am still of the view that anything is possible.”
Kazuki Nakajima (10th, Q3 - 1m 17.344s):
“It was a good session for me, it is of course the first time I have made it into Q3 this season, so I do want to say thanks to the team for preparing a good car. I am pleased that I achieved a top ten slot as obviously grid position is crucial here and this is not a very easy track. I am confident I can have a good race tomorrow and our start position will certainly give me the chance to improve on our recent results.”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director:
“The car performance was strong today but unfortunately we didn’t get the best out of Q3 with Nico. Kazuki had no more option tyres to use in the final session, hence his P10 position and different strategy. It is good to have both cars in Q3 and we look forward to racing for points tomorrow.”
McLaren
Heikki Kovalainen (7th, Q3 - 1m 15.516s):
"I've felt really comfortable with the car throughout the whole weekend. Obviously, we wanted to be on pole but didn't manage that - let's see how the race unfolds and where we'll be after the first stops. Lewis was very unfortunate this afternoon - we are always at the limit around here and a little slip-up can put you into the barriers. I touched the guardrails three times during qualifying and I'm lucky that it didn't have any negative consequences."
Lewis Hamilton (16th, Q1 - 1m 16.264s):
"I made a mistake. I just braked too late - it's unfortunate, but these things happen. It's not been a good day: I had been going well all weekend and had the possibility of being on the front row. It's a shame for the team, because they have done such a fantastic job all weekend and the car has felt really strong - as Heikki's grid position shows. Starting 16th is frustrating, but I'll learn from this, drive my heart out tomorrow and see what happens."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"Heikki has driven with increasing commitment all weekend. Two very strong laps in Q1 and Q2 showed that he was capable of taking the fight to the leaders. And we are confident that his strategy for tomorrow will push him even closer to the front. Lewis's accident was disappointing - he knows he made a mistake - but we all know he will not give up. That's his nature - and as a result I feel sure he will approach tomorrow's race with undiminished commitment."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The speed was there to be among the quickest, so it's a shame what happened to Lewis after he has been among the fastest during all previous practice sessions but such contact with the guardrails can easily happen in Monaco. Heikki was good, put in a solid performance and has a good strategy. Monaco has its own rules so we still can look good tomorrow despite starting seventh and 16th."
Renault
Fernando Alonso (9th, Q3 - 1m 16.009s):
"Overall I'm happy with my performance as I did the best I could today. At the end of the session I was caught in a line of traffic, but honestly our ninth place reflects where our car is at the moment because I was 12th in Q1 and 9th in Q2. It's clear that we still need to improve and find more speed."
Nelson Piquet (12th, Q2 - 1m 15.837s):
"I'm not totally happy because my ideal lap would have put me in the top ten. However, the car wasn't perfect and I didn't have the ideal brake balance which made it difficult to get the most from the car. However, if you had said to me before the weekend that we would have this result, I think I would have been relatively satisfied and starting 12th is not too bad. Now we need to concentrate on making the most of the strategy tomorrow."
Pat Symonds, Renault executive director of engineering:
"A disappointing qualifying session for us. The car seemed well balanced this morning, but this afternoon it lacked that little bit of extra grip that we needed."
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi (11th, Q2 - 1m 15.833s):
"I am reasonably happy with my performance, although I could have made it into the top ten if I hadn't made a mistake at the final corner. But there's no point thinking about that anymore. Now we must concentrate on tomorrow, trying to find the best possible strategy. We have seen that our car is much more competitive than before and I think we can aspire to finish in the top eight and get some points. I am confident we can do well."
Sebastien Bourdais (14th, Q2 - 1m 16.281s):
"This morning I was pretty happy with the balance of the car, but this afternoon, I just could not get the car to turn and I don't know why. I touched the barriers a few times, but there's a big difference between touching and hitting! It's disappointing because I think the car had the potential to get to Q3 today, but fourteenth is not so far back, so we will see what we can do tomorrow."
Laurent Mekies, Toro Rosso chief engineer:
"Overall our performance shows a bit of an improvement over the last few races. Buemi got very close to making it into Q3, but in some ways it's quite nice to have a couple of hours to plan our fuel strategy for tomorrow. Both guys got into Q2 in difficult traffic conditions, keeping a cool head. We believe there is still more to come from our car and hopefully that will happen soon."
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella (13th, Q2 - 1m 16.146s):
"I think we can be really satisfied and very happy with the performance today. The team worked well and two cars in the top 15 is good: very encouraging. We did a good job together, we still have some work to do but the result shows we're going in the right direction. For tomorrow I want to get to the end of the race and let's see - this is Monaco, you never know what can happen."
Adrian Sutil (15th, Q2 - 1m 16.545s):
"A very good qualifying for us, with two cars into Q2 for the first time ever. It feels a bit like a pole position for us, and it was fun to be able to do it. Everything came together, the team did a good job in the garage and I felt my lap was strong. It was difficult to do, with the traffic and then the stoppages, but it was a good run for us. Tomorrow I hope we will be able to fight in the midfield and try to get ahead of some people. The start could be a bit tricky, as it always is here, but I feel all set for tomorrow. We are really motivated now and are hoping for a good race."
Dominic Harlow, Force India chief race engineer:
"A good feeling to have opened our account for Q2 this season with both cars here in Monaco. The whole team has worked very hard for this event both at the factory and the circuit, and together with calm performances from the drivers in a hectic session we have showed some genuine performance. Q2 itself was tougher as the circuit improvement slowed, but points are realistically possible from where we will start tomorrow and we'll be doing our best to make this opportunity stick."
BMW Sauber
Nick Heidfeld (17th, Q1 - 1m 16.264s):
"Obviously this is extremely disappointing. We made a lot of changes after Thursday's free practice and even more changes after this morning's session, although this is always a bit risky shortly before qualifying. But we knew we hadn't much to lose. Actually it was rather a change for the worse than for the better, but it didn't really make a big difference anyway. It is frustrating when you go to the absolute limit and take every risk, especially here on this special circuit, and you still end up nowhere. Currently we don't know what's wrong. In Barcelona we made a step forward, but here we are way behind expectations."
Robert Kubica (18th, Q1 - 1m 16.405s):
"So far we have only had difficulties. We struggled on Thursday and again this morning. I had a very bad out lap with a lot of traffic. As a result my tyres cooled down a lot. However, the overall performance of the car is not good enough. We have to realise we are bad. We have to adapt to the situation and we have to work very hard now."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director:
"The qualifying result reflects the problems we already faced in free practice here in Monaco. No matter which set-up or on what tyre compound - none of our cars were able to achieve the necessary grip. Our data shows the tyres never reached their operating temperatures. Positions 17 and 18 are disappointing. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering:
"Monaco is a special track for which you do special preparation work. But, despite several set-up changes, we never found an acceptable grip level and car balance. So far this has been a poor performance from us. The drivers tried everything and didn't make mistakes, but our cars were simply too slow. Now we have to start to figure out the reason and begin to solve the problems before Istanbul."
Toyota
Jarno Trulli (19th, Q1 - 1m 16.548s):
"It is extremely disappointing but especially because I was on a pretty good lap at the end of Q1 when I was blocked by another car in the final two corners. That would have been my quickest lap and I would have been easily in Q2. So I am angry about that but ultimately we haven't shown good enough performance this weekend."
Timo Glock (20th, Q1 - 1m 16.788s):
"We have to analyse and see where the problems are. We struggled from the first lap this weekend. The car didn't feel great but it didn't feel terrible, it was just that the pace clearly wasn't there. I pushed as hard as possible but it wasn't enough. Obviously I will do my best in the race tomorrow but from this position on the grid we don't have much hope."
Pascal Vasselon, Toyota senior general manager chassis:
"It has been a very difficult weekend, obviously. There is clearly something wrong on the car which we are looking at; we have to fix this. The race will be difficult from where we start but still we will keep on fighting."
Bridgestone
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development:
"Today we saw Jenson Button use Bridgestone's super soft tyre for pole position here in Monaco, and as we all know, overtaking is very difficult here so pole is very beneficial. Lap times here were very close. The nature of the circuit means that the balance between mechanical grip and aerodynamic grip is more towards mechanical grip, and the close times show that all the teams can get good results from our tyres. It was also a good day for Ferrari with their first front row qualification of the season.
"The crucial question is whether the super soft tyre is durable enough to allow a one stop strategy. Our data shows that this should be possible, however a lot depends on track condition and rear tyre transverse graining. The track has changed from Thursday's running but super soft is still around 0.4 seconds faster than the soft Bridgestone. Track temperatures were higher today, but heat degradation is not really a problem here as the track surface is smooth, so not too severe for tyres."
Webber: RBR Monaco
Mark Webber is convinced that Red Bull Racing will bounce back to form in Turkey, following a fairly low key showing in Monaco.
The Milton Keynes-based team has been Brawn's closest challenger so far this season, but Sebastian Vettel has been pipped to that accolade by Ferrari in Monaco - despite qualifying with a very low fuel load.
Webber, who starts eighth, thinks that the Monte Carlo form is not indicative of Red Bull slipping away from Brawn - and is purely down to his team's car not suiting the Monaco circuit as well as other venues."There are no fast corners here," he says. "It's a different layout, a different venue and you need a car that is good at it. Our car has been quick at every track from Melbourne through to now, and this is the first time we've been down a little bit."I mean the car is still bloody quick. There are some teams in a lot more trouble than us."
Webber does not believe that there is any link between the team's showing in Monaco this weekend and the introduction of its double-decker diffuser."There was just no testing. It will go to Turkey. No one from our factory has put anything on the car that hasn't worked. There is no reason to suggest that you know... because of the level we have been operating at it's so easy to drop one per cent off that and then you are a bit disappointed. But then you think that is a good sign for us."We would like to have done a bit better in qualifying. We can still grab reasonable points in the race but maybe not as big as we have been getting."
The Milton Keynes-based team has been Brawn's closest challenger so far this season, but Sebastian Vettel has been pipped to that accolade by Ferrari in Monaco - despite qualifying with a very low fuel load.
Webber, who starts eighth, thinks that the Monte Carlo form is not indicative of Red Bull slipping away from Brawn - and is purely down to his team's car not suiting the Monaco circuit as well as other venues."There are no fast corners here," he says. "It's a different layout, a different venue and you need a car that is good at it. Our car has been quick at every track from Melbourne through to now, and this is the first time we've been down a little bit."I mean the car is still bloody quick. There are some teams in a lot more trouble than us."
Webber does not believe that there is any link between the team's showing in Monaco this weekend and the introduction of its double-decker diffuser."There was just no testing. It will go to Turkey. No one from our factory has put anything on the car that hasn't worked. There is no reason to suggest that you know... because of the level we have been operating at it's so easy to drop one per cent off that and then you are a bit disappointed. But then you think that is a good sign for us."We would like to have done a bit better in qualifying. We can still grab reasonable points in the race but maybe not as big as we have been getting."
fuel loads analysis of Monaco grand prix
The FIA has revealed the fuel loads with which all 20 cars will start the Monaco Grand Prix. We analyse the data here.
The car weights reveal that the top eight on the grid were all carrying comparable levels of fuel – with the clear exception of Sebastian Vettel, who gambled on an ultra-light fuel load (of which more later).The lap time penalty of carrying fuel (the ‘fuel effect’) is approximately 0.023s per kilo around Monaco so, while Jenson Button took pole by just 0.025s from Kimi Raikkonen, taking their respective fuel loads into account he was 0.11s quicker.
That shows the championship leader did a consummate job once again and fully earned his pole position.Perhaps more significantly, it also proves that Ferrari is continuing its competitive resurgence, and – in Monaco trim at least – may even have leapfrogged Red Bull and become Brawn’s closest challenger.That is a remarkable transformation from the situation just two races ago in Bahrain, where Ferrari was some 0.8s off the pace.
The fact that Raikkonen was actually disappointed not to claim pole was a measure of the hugely impressive strides the Maranello team has made with its F60 car.Felipe Massa was half a second slower than team-mate Raikkonen with a near-identical fuel load and never seemed to fully regain his rhythm after clattering the Swimming Pool barriers in Q1.
For the second consecutive qualifying session, Rubens Barrichello was startled by the way his Brawn team-mate Button found a chunk of extra performance at the crucial moment in Q3.Rubens was convinced he had the upper hand over Jenson here, but wound up 0.175s slower than him with virtually the same fuel load – not a huge margin by any means, but the difference between starting first and starting third in Monaco is hard to overstate.
The man who will be most disappointed by the outcome of qualifying (with the possible exception of Lewis Hamilton) is Vettel.Figuring that the RB5 is not quick enough here to beat the Brawns on merit, Red Bull gave Vettel an extremely light fuel load with the clear target of taking pole and making a break in the race’s opening stint.
The theory was fine, particularly given Vettel’s qualifying prowess this year and the unfailing talent he has shown for delivering right on cue with the minimum of fuss.But the execution went awry when Vettel got caught in traffic and lost time behind a slow-moving Kazuki Nakajima in the final few corners of his hot lap.That’s always the danger at Monaco, and Vettel now finds himself fourth on the grid with much less fuel than the cars around him.For the record, he was 0.37s adrift of Button’s pole time, a deficit which doubles to 0.74s when you adjust for fuel loads and drops him three places from his actual grid berth of fourth.
Nico Rosberg is in a similar boat, albeit to a lesser extent.The Williams driver has been quick all weekend, topped the Q1 times and fancied his chances of challenging for pole with the help of a smidgeon less fuel than the Brawns and Ferraris.In the event, a combination of a slight handling imbalance and traffic problems left him sixth on the grid, 0.6s off pole.The fuel-corrected grid has Button on pole by 0.11s from Raikkonen, with Barrichello 0.16s off in third – and then a big gap to Massa (+0.63s), Rosberg (+0.68s), Heikki Kovalainen (+0.69s) and the two Red Bulls (Vettel +0.74s and Webber +0.77s).
Fernando Alonso is a fuel-adjusted 0.96s shy of pole, a somewhat bigger shortfall than at recent races when you take account for the short lap here, which will be a disappointing sign for Renault.
With its constant acceleration, braking and gear changes, Monaco is one of the hardest circuits on the calendar for fuel consumption, although the short lap distance gives a deceptively modest figure of 1.74kg per lap.All of the top 10 bar Nakajima have clearly opted for two-stop strategies, while those outside the top 10 have either gone for one-stoppers or built in enough flexibility to make a single stop a realistic possibility.But whatever the pre-planned strategies, Monaco requires tactical dexterity and thinking on your feet as the race usually features at least one safety car period.
Vettel only has enough of fuel for about 12 green-flag laps, so faces the unappealing prospect of rejoining after his pit stop in the thick of the midfield traffic.The young German will need a better start than he has managed in the past two races to mitigate the damage, and then will have to hope that the field spreads out sufficiently that he doesn’t lose too many positions at his first stop.
The two Brawns should both be able to reach lap 21, although they are unlikely to stop on the same lap so Button (with fractionally less fuel on board than Barrichello) may take on service on lap 20.
The Ferraris are fuelled slightly shorter, to lap 18 or 19, around the same time as Kovalainen and a lap later than Rosberg.The four teams that got both their cars into the top 10 on the grid – Brawn, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams – have taken notably different approaches to race strategy.
Brawn and Ferrari have fuelled both cars equally, while Red Bull and Williams have hedged their bets against the possibility of a safety car early in the race.Thus, Vettel is fuelled to lap 12 and Webber to lap 20, while Rosberg can go to lap 18 and Nakajima to lap 33.
Of those outside the top 10, Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais, the BMWs and the Toyotas look set for one-stop races.Timo Glock’s car weighed in at a hefty 700.8kg, surely absolutely full to the brim – which should take him all the way to lap 52.Throw in a few safety car periods and he could start to contemplate going non-stop were it not for the requirement to use both compounds of Bridgestone tyres...
Car weights including fuel (in kg, by grid order)
1. BUTTON Brawn 647.5
2. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 644
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn 648
4. VETTEL Red Bull 631.5
5. MASSA Ferrari 643.5
6. ROSBERG Williams 642
7. KOVALAINEN McLaren 644
8. WEBBER Red Bull 646.5
9. ALONSO Renault 654
10. NAKAJIMA Williams 668
11. BUEMI Toro Rosso 670
12. PIQUET Renault 673.1
13. FISICHELLA Force India 693
14. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso 699.5
15. SUTIL Force India 670
16. HEIDFELD BMW 680
17. KUBICA BMW 696
18. TRULLI Toyota 688.3
19. GLOCK Toyota 700.8
20. HAMILTON McLaren 645.5
The car weights reveal that the top eight on the grid were all carrying comparable levels of fuel – with the clear exception of Sebastian Vettel, who gambled on an ultra-light fuel load (of which more later).The lap time penalty of carrying fuel (the ‘fuel effect’) is approximately 0.023s per kilo around Monaco so, while Jenson Button took pole by just 0.025s from Kimi Raikkonen, taking their respective fuel loads into account he was 0.11s quicker.
That shows the championship leader did a consummate job once again and fully earned his pole position.Perhaps more significantly, it also proves that Ferrari is continuing its competitive resurgence, and – in Monaco trim at least – may even have leapfrogged Red Bull and become Brawn’s closest challenger.That is a remarkable transformation from the situation just two races ago in Bahrain, where Ferrari was some 0.8s off the pace.
The fact that Raikkonen was actually disappointed not to claim pole was a measure of the hugely impressive strides the Maranello team has made with its F60 car.Felipe Massa was half a second slower than team-mate Raikkonen with a near-identical fuel load and never seemed to fully regain his rhythm after clattering the Swimming Pool barriers in Q1.
For the second consecutive qualifying session, Rubens Barrichello was startled by the way his Brawn team-mate Button found a chunk of extra performance at the crucial moment in Q3.Rubens was convinced he had the upper hand over Jenson here, but wound up 0.175s slower than him with virtually the same fuel load – not a huge margin by any means, but the difference between starting first and starting third in Monaco is hard to overstate.
The man who will be most disappointed by the outcome of qualifying (with the possible exception of Lewis Hamilton) is Vettel.Figuring that the RB5 is not quick enough here to beat the Brawns on merit, Red Bull gave Vettel an extremely light fuel load with the clear target of taking pole and making a break in the race’s opening stint.
The theory was fine, particularly given Vettel’s qualifying prowess this year and the unfailing talent he has shown for delivering right on cue with the minimum of fuss.But the execution went awry when Vettel got caught in traffic and lost time behind a slow-moving Kazuki Nakajima in the final few corners of his hot lap.That’s always the danger at Monaco, and Vettel now finds himself fourth on the grid with much less fuel than the cars around him.For the record, he was 0.37s adrift of Button’s pole time, a deficit which doubles to 0.74s when you adjust for fuel loads and drops him three places from his actual grid berth of fourth.
Nico Rosberg is in a similar boat, albeit to a lesser extent.The Williams driver has been quick all weekend, topped the Q1 times and fancied his chances of challenging for pole with the help of a smidgeon less fuel than the Brawns and Ferraris.In the event, a combination of a slight handling imbalance and traffic problems left him sixth on the grid, 0.6s off pole.The fuel-corrected grid has Button on pole by 0.11s from Raikkonen, with Barrichello 0.16s off in third – and then a big gap to Massa (+0.63s), Rosberg (+0.68s), Heikki Kovalainen (+0.69s) and the two Red Bulls (Vettel +0.74s and Webber +0.77s).
Fernando Alonso is a fuel-adjusted 0.96s shy of pole, a somewhat bigger shortfall than at recent races when you take account for the short lap here, which will be a disappointing sign for Renault.
With its constant acceleration, braking and gear changes, Monaco is one of the hardest circuits on the calendar for fuel consumption, although the short lap distance gives a deceptively modest figure of 1.74kg per lap.All of the top 10 bar Nakajima have clearly opted for two-stop strategies, while those outside the top 10 have either gone for one-stoppers or built in enough flexibility to make a single stop a realistic possibility.But whatever the pre-planned strategies, Monaco requires tactical dexterity and thinking on your feet as the race usually features at least one safety car period.
Vettel only has enough of fuel for about 12 green-flag laps, so faces the unappealing prospect of rejoining after his pit stop in the thick of the midfield traffic.The young German will need a better start than he has managed in the past two races to mitigate the damage, and then will have to hope that the field spreads out sufficiently that he doesn’t lose too many positions at his first stop.
The two Brawns should both be able to reach lap 21, although they are unlikely to stop on the same lap so Button (with fractionally less fuel on board than Barrichello) may take on service on lap 20.
The Ferraris are fuelled slightly shorter, to lap 18 or 19, around the same time as Kovalainen and a lap later than Rosberg.The four teams that got both their cars into the top 10 on the grid – Brawn, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams – have taken notably different approaches to race strategy.
Brawn and Ferrari have fuelled both cars equally, while Red Bull and Williams have hedged their bets against the possibility of a safety car early in the race.Thus, Vettel is fuelled to lap 12 and Webber to lap 20, while Rosberg can go to lap 18 and Nakajima to lap 33.
Of those outside the top 10, Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais, the BMWs and the Toyotas look set for one-stop races.Timo Glock’s car weighed in at a hefty 700.8kg, surely absolutely full to the brim – which should take him all the way to lap 52.Throw in a few safety car periods and he could start to contemplate going non-stop were it not for the requirement to use both compounds of Bridgestone tyres...
Car weights including fuel (in kg, by grid order)
1. BUTTON Brawn 647.5
2. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 644
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn 648
4. VETTEL Red Bull 631.5
5. MASSA Ferrari 643.5
6. ROSBERG Williams 642
7. KOVALAINEN McLaren 644
8. WEBBER Red Bull 646.5
9. ALONSO Renault 654
10. NAKAJIMA Williams 668
11. BUEMI Toro Rosso 670
12. PIQUET Renault 673.1
13. FISICHELLA Force India 693
14. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso 699.5
15. SUTIL Force India 670
16. HEIDFELD BMW 680
17. KUBICA BMW 696
18. TRULLI Toyota 688.3
19. GLOCK Toyota 700.8
20. HAMILTON McLaren 645.5
Tuesday 19 May 2009
Renault wants repeat of 2008 charge
Renault technical director Bob Bell thinks his team is on course for another late season charge like the one that saw Fernando Alonso out-score all the title contenders in the final third of 2008.Like last year, Renault has had a difficult start to its season, but is showing strong signs of progress as its developments take effect.
Alonso has previously said that he feels things are moving forward even faster than last season, and Bell agrees that Renault is on the up.
"You can only do your utmost to develop faster than the competition and I think as a team we are good at doing that, as we demonstrated in the second half of last year," he said."We're in a similar position this year, but it's even more challenging now with limited wind tunnel and CFD time available and no in-season testing.
"But it's the same for everybody and all we can do is continue working hard, keep our motivation high, and keep pushing developments through and onto the car as fast as we can."
He said Alonso's fifth place in Spain - behind only the Brawns and the Red Bulls - proved Renault was gaining ground."We knew we weren't going to jump to the front of the pack, but we were determined to close the gap to the leading teams, and I think that's what we've done," Bell continued."Considering where we were at the start of the season, it was a nice reward for all the hard work and effort that has gone in behind the scenes."
Bell expects a further step forward in Monaco this weekend."It won't be as big a step as we made in Barcelona, but we are still hopeful of adding some performance to the car to keep closing the gap to the leaders," he said.
Alonso has previously said that he feels things are moving forward even faster than last season, and Bell agrees that Renault is on the up.
"You can only do your utmost to develop faster than the competition and I think as a team we are good at doing that, as we demonstrated in the second half of last year," he said."We're in a similar position this year, but it's even more challenging now with limited wind tunnel and CFD time available and no in-season testing.
"But it's the same for everybody and all we can do is continue working hard, keep our motivation high, and keep pushing developments through and onto the car as fast as we can."
He said Alonso's fifth place in Spain - behind only the Brawns and the Red Bulls - proved Renault was gaining ground."We knew we weren't going to jump to the front of the pack, but we were determined to close the gap to the leading teams, and I think that's what we've done," Bell continued."Considering where we were at the start of the season, it was a nice reward for all the hard work and effort that has gone in behind the scenes."
Bell expects a further step forward in Monaco this weekend."It won't be as big a step as we made in Barcelona, but we are still hopeful of adding some performance to the car to keep closing the gap to the leaders," he said.
Monaco can turn season around
Felipe Massa is adamant that this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix could be the turning point for his Ferrari team following its poor start to the season.The Italian squad has scored just six points in the first five races and Massa conceded after the Spanish Grand Prix that his championship hopes were already gone.Massa is 38 points behind championship leader Jenson Button, while Ferrari is 62 behind Brawn.
The Maranello-based squad, however, showed better form at Barcelona thanks to the introduction of a new upgrade package, and Massa reckons Monaco could be the race where Ferrari begins to recover."I really think that the Monte Carlo race can be the turning point in our season," Massa told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We'll have new things in our aerodynamic package.
"We come from a start of the season that we didn't expect, however we've improved a lot, especially in the last race at Montmelo we saw some steps forward. For all these reasons I believe in the first podium of the season, and also in our recovery."He added: "I'm here, I fight and push with the whole team to make things improve race by race. The time for a comeback always comes, and I'm certain it will. Today more than ever."
Massa admitted that, despite the lack of results, he has been happy with his driving.
"As far as my driving is concerned, I think it's positive: for many races I was always there, among the top five, before problems came up, and it even happened that I couldn't finish the race. During this time we've worked on aerodynamics and on other areas of the F60. "The Spanish Grand Prix left me with good feelings, it was a different race from the others. I believe in the team, so I still count on a comeback on our part, both in the constructors' and in the drivers' championship."
The Maranello-based squad, however, showed better form at Barcelona thanks to the introduction of a new upgrade package, and Massa reckons Monaco could be the race where Ferrari begins to recover."I really think that the Monte Carlo race can be the turning point in our season," Massa told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We'll have new things in our aerodynamic package.
"We come from a start of the season that we didn't expect, however we've improved a lot, especially in the last race at Montmelo we saw some steps forward. For all these reasons I believe in the first podium of the season, and also in our recovery."He added: "I'm here, I fight and push with the whole team to make things improve race by race. The time for a comeback always comes, and I'm certain it will. Today more than ever."
Massa admitted that, despite the lack of results, he has been happy with his driving.
"As far as my driving is concerned, I think it's positive: for many races I was always there, among the top five, before problems came up, and it even happened that I couldn't finish the race. During this time we've worked on aerodynamics and on other areas of the F60. "The Spanish Grand Prix left me with good feelings, it was a different race from the others. I believe in the team, so I still count on a comeback on our part, both in the constructors' and in the drivers' championship."
Monday 18 May 2009
Monaco Grand Prix – Preview
======================================================================
Panasonic Toyota Racing heads to the most glamorous and famous
destination in Formula 1 for the Monaco Grand Prix on the twisty,
barrier-lined streets of the Principality. The Monaco track is
comfortably the shortest on the Formula 1 calendar but is
nevertheless one of the toughest, with almost 4,000 gear changes
during a race as the 18 corners arrive in quick succession. Jarno
Trulli knows these streets better than most as the 2004 Monaco Grand
Prix winner while Timo Glock has finished on the podium in the
Principality in GP2. Last year’s trip to Monaco was a disappointment
for Toyota, with rain on race day leaving both cars outside the top
10 despite promising qualifying performances. The TF109s will be
tuned for maximum downforce and the team is highly motivated to
bounce back with a strong performance in Monaco after a disappointing
Spanish Grand Prix saw Timo finish 10th and Jarno retire after a
first-lap accident.
Read more :
http://www.toyota-f1.com/en/season/gp2009/06_monaco/preview.html
for more information, please visit our website :
http://www.toyota-f1.com
Drivers Championship
1 Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula One Team 41
2 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team 27
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 23
4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 15.5
5 Jarno Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing 14.5
6 Timo Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing 12
7 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 9
8 Fernando Alonso ING Renault F1 Team 9
9 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber F1 Team 6
10 Nico Rosberg AT&T Williams 4.5
11 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 4
12 Felipe Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 3
13 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 3
14 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 3
15 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
16 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 Team 0
17 Nelsinho Piquet ING Renault F1 Team 0
18 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber F1 Team 0
19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 Team 0
20 Kazuki Nakajima AT&T Williams 0
Constructors Championship
1 Brawn GP Formula One Team 68
2 Red Bull Racing 38.5
3 Panasonic Toyota Racing 26.5
4 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 13
5 ING Renault F1 Team 9
6 BMW Sauber F1 Team 6
7 Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 6
8 AT&T Williams 4.5
9 Scuderia Toro Rosso 4
10 Force India F1 Team 0
---- Race Schedule (All Local Time)-----------------------------------
FORMULA 1 Round 6 Grand Prix of Monaco
21st May Thursday 10:00-11:30 Free Practice 1
14:00-15:30 Free Practice 2
23rd May Saturday 11:00-12:00 Free Practice 3
14:00- Qualifying
24th May Sunday 14:00- Race
Panasonic Toyota Racing heads to the most glamorous and famous
destination in Formula 1 for the Monaco Grand Prix on the twisty,
barrier-lined streets of the Principality. The Monaco track is
comfortably the shortest on the Formula 1 calendar but is
nevertheless one of the toughest, with almost 4,000 gear changes
during a race as the 18 corners arrive in quick succession. Jarno
Trulli knows these streets better than most as the 2004 Monaco Grand
Prix winner while Timo Glock has finished on the podium in the
Principality in GP2. Last year’s trip to Monaco was a disappointment
for Toyota, with rain on race day leaving both cars outside the top
10 despite promising qualifying performances. The TF109s will be
tuned for maximum downforce and the team is highly motivated to
bounce back with a strong performance in Monaco after a disappointing
Spanish Grand Prix saw Timo finish 10th and Jarno retire after a
first-lap accident.
Read more :
http://www.toyota-f1.com/en/season/gp2009/06_monaco/preview.html
for more information, please visit our website :
http://www.toyota-f1.com
Drivers Championship
1 Jenson Button Brawn GP Formula One Team 41
2 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team 27
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 23
4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 15.5
5 Jarno Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing 14.5
6 Timo Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing 12
7 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 9
8 Fernando Alonso ING Renault F1 Team 9
9 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber F1 Team 6
10 Nico Rosberg AT&T Williams 4.5
11 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 4
12 Felipe Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 3
13 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 3
14 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 3
15 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
16 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 Team 0
17 Nelsinho Piquet ING Renault F1 Team 0
18 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber F1 Team 0
19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 Team 0
20 Kazuki Nakajima AT&T Williams 0
Constructors Championship
1 Brawn GP Formula One Team 68
2 Red Bull Racing 38.5
3 Panasonic Toyota Racing 26.5
4 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 13
5 ING Renault F1 Team 9
6 BMW Sauber F1 Team 6
7 Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 6
8 AT&T Williams 4.5
9 Scuderia Toro Rosso 4
10 Force India F1 Team 0
---- Race Schedule (All Local Time)-----------------------------------
FORMULA 1 Round 6 Grand Prix of Monaco
21st May Thursday 10:00-11:30 Free Practice 1
14:00-15:30 Free Practice 2
23rd May Saturday 11:00-12:00 Free Practice 3
14:00- Qualifying
24th May Sunday 14:00- Race
Sunday 17 May 2009
Litespeed F3 team planning F1 entry
British Formula Three team Litespeed have announced plans to lodge an entry for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship under the recently-announced budget cap rules. Litespeed have engaged the services of MGI Ltd, headed by former Toyota and Force India technical director Mike Gascoyne.
“Potentially, there will never be a better time to enter the F1 arena,” said Litespeed team principal Nino Judge. “The FIA has so far not only been bold in introducing the budget cap, but has evidently thought out the long-term prospects of this globally captivating sport. There is space and a need in the arena for independent teams and the technical leeway given to the budget-capped teams allows for a competitive performance within the financial parameters.”
Commenting on Gascoyne’s involvement, Judge added: “We are delighted that MGI is on board with us - their expertise, experience and understanding of potential pitfalls are invaluable to any team to which they put their name and professionalism. MGI will be working to Litespeed’s brief and will act as technical consultants to the team.”
Both Judge and Litespeed colleague Steve Kenchington have previous Formula One experience. Judge worked in aerodynamics and structure testing for Lotus from 1989-91, whilst Kenchington was responsible for control systems at Lotus Engineering for 21 years and was one of the originators of their active suspension system.With 13 slots available, entries for the 2010 championship must be lodged by May 29. Confirmation of the successful teams will be announced by the FIA on June 12, by which time Litespeed say they will have a fully schemed F1 chassis.
“Potentially, there will never be a better time to enter the F1 arena,” said Litespeed team principal Nino Judge. “The FIA has so far not only been bold in introducing the budget cap, but has evidently thought out the long-term prospects of this globally captivating sport. There is space and a need in the arena for independent teams and the technical leeway given to the budget-capped teams allows for a competitive performance within the financial parameters.”
Commenting on Gascoyne’s involvement, Judge added: “We are delighted that MGI is on board with us - their expertise, experience and understanding of potential pitfalls are invaluable to any team to which they put their name and professionalism. MGI will be working to Litespeed’s brief and will act as technical consultants to the team.”
Both Judge and Litespeed colleague Steve Kenchington have previous Formula One experience. Judge worked in aerodynamics and structure testing for Lotus from 1989-91, whilst Kenchington was responsible for control systems at Lotus Engineering for 21 years and was one of the originators of their active suspension system.With 13 slots available, entries for the 2010 championship must be lodged by May 29. Confirmation of the successful teams will be announced by the FIA on June 12, by which time Litespeed say they will have a fully schemed F1 chassis.
Saturday 16 May 2009
Lola might enter 2010 Formula One team
British race car makers Lola have announced they will be lodging an entry for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship after completing their evaluation of the technical regulations for cost-capped teams announced by the FIA last month.Lola, who last participated in Formula One racing in the late 1990s, admitted they re-examined their position after the original cap of £30 million was raised to £40 million, but concluded that the new regulations still present an opportunity not to be missed.
“The Lola Group believes that the WMSC decisions relating to cost-capping and the provision of revised technical regulations to facilitate the entry of new teams into Formula One should be embraced,” said a group statement. “This is not only prudent considering the backdrop of global economics but also taking into account the need for new teams to be able to compete credibly against long established entrants.”Whilst several existing teams have objected to the fact that cost-capped entrants will be given more technical freedom, Lola believe it to be essential if new entrants are to have a chance of competing with their more experienced rivals.“It is imperative that performance breaks be afforded to new cost-capped entrants who will have a limited period in which to form teams, design and manufacture their cars. With these breaks Lola looks forward to competing with the existing teams who enjoy decades of experience. The question of speed differentials, safety and the spectacle of Formula One must also be considered.”
Entries for the 2010 championship must be lodged between May 22 and 29. A list of the 13 successful teams will be published on June 12.
“The Lola Group believes that the WMSC decisions relating to cost-capping and the provision of revised technical regulations to facilitate the entry of new teams into Formula One should be embraced,” said a group statement. “This is not only prudent considering the backdrop of global economics but also taking into account the need for new teams to be able to compete credibly against long established entrants.”Whilst several existing teams have objected to the fact that cost-capped entrants will be given more technical freedom, Lola believe it to be essential if new entrants are to have a chance of competing with their more experienced rivals.“It is imperative that performance breaks be afforded to new cost-capped entrants who will have a limited period in which to form teams, design and manufacture their cars. With these breaks Lola looks forward to competing with the existing teams who enjoy decades of experience. The question of speed differentials, safety and the spectacle of Formula One must also be considered.”
Entries for the 2010 championship must be lodged between May 22 and 29. A list of the 13 successful teams will be published on June 12.
McLaren expect improvements at Monaco
McLaren has expressed confidence that its troublesome MP4-24 will be far more competitive on the twisty streets of Monaco next week than it was at the demanding Circuit de Catalunya.
The Woking squad made steady progress improving its car over the season’s opening four rounds, with Lewis Hamilton scoring its best result so far with fourth in Bahrain, but slipped way back in Spain last weekend and failed to score a point.But with Monte Carlo’s absence of fast corners meaning good traction is far more important than strong aerodynamics, McLaren believes the track will expose fewer of its cars weaknesses.
Therefore world champion Lewis Hamilton, who claimed victory in the Principality last year and who makes no secret of his love for the circuit, is expecting to be fighting further up the order.“There’s an expectation that Monaco will be another good circuit for our car package because the combination of low-speed corners and absence of any really fast stuff should suit MP4-24,” he said.
“I really hope so because it would be fantastic to have a competitive car and to be fighting at the front again.”While McLaren is optimistic of a much improved showing on its Barcelona form it is still unlikely to claim a hat-trick of Monaco wins, having also won with Fernando Alonso in 2007.
Nevertheless team boss Martin Whitmarsh says its impressive past record on the streets adds to its general belief that the weekend can be a more positive one.“Everybody at McLaren is rightfully proud of the team’s reputation around the streets of Monte Carlo,” he said.
“We have won the grand prix for the past two seasons and McLaren has triumphed here an unprecedented 15 times – more than any other Formula 1 team. “As a result, we go into the race with a greater degree of optimism than we had going into Barcelona: both Lewis and Heikki enjoy this circuit and we feel MP4-24 will be a more competitive proposition around the streets of the Principality.”Despite the circuit’s lack of long straights and passing opportunities, McLaren will continue to run its KERS device despite teams generally expecting it to give few overall benefits.Heikki Kovalainen admits he is unsure if he will be able to put the system’s power boost function to good use, but nevertheless believes it is the right decision to keep it on the car.
“We will be using KERS in Monaco and one of the questions will be whether we’ll actually be able to use it to get past other cars,” he said.“As usual, KERS will be a benefit for us, but anything can happen in Monte Carlo. “
The Finn himself is looking to improve both his fortunes from the race there in 2008 and from Spain last Sunday (when his car stopped after seven laps).“I really enjoy driving on street circuits and I’m optimistic that we’ve got a good package for Monaco,” Kovalainen added.
“Although the results don’t show it, because I was forced to start from the pitlane, I had a very strong race here last year and charged up from the back to finish eighth.“Coming off the back of a disappointing race in Spain last week, I’m more determined than ever to get a strong result under my belt.”
The Woking squad made steady progress improving its car over the season’s opening four rounds, with Lewis Hamilton scoring its best result so far with fourth in Bahrain, but slipped way back in Spain last weekend and failed to score a point.But with Monte Carlo’s absence of fast corners meaning good traction is far more important than strong aerodynamics, McLaren believes the track will expose fewer of its cars weaknesses.
Therefore world champion Lewis Hamilton, who claimed victory in the Principality last year and who makes no secret of his love for the circuit, is expecting to be fighting further up the order.“There’s an expectation that Monaco will be another good circuit for our car package because the combination of low-speed corners and absence of any really fast stuff should suit MP4-24,” he said.
“I really hope so because it would be fantastic to have a competitive car and to be fighting at the front again.”While McLaren is optimistic of a much improved showing on its Barcelona form it is still unlikely to claim a hat-trick of Monaco wins, having also won with Fernando Alonso in 2007.
Nevertheless team boss Martin Whitmarsh says its impressive past record on the streets adds to its general belief that the weekend can be a more positive one.“Everybody at McLaren is rightfully proud of the team’s reputation around the streets of Monte Carlo,” he said.
“We have won the grand prix for the past two seasons and McLaren has triumphed here an unprecedented 15 times – more than any other Formula 1 team. “As a result, we go into the race with a greater degree of optimism than we had going into Barcelona: both Lewis and Heikki enjoy this circuit and we feel MP4-24 will be a more competitive proposition around the streets of the Principality.”Despite the circuit’s lack of long straights and passing opportunities, McLaren will continue to run its KERS device despite teams generally expecting it to give few overall benefits.Heikki Kovalainen admits he is unsure if he will be able to put the system’s power boost function to good use, but nevertheless believes it is the right decision to keep it on the car.
“We will be using KERS in Monaco and one of the questions will be whether we’ll actually be able to use it to get past other cars,” he said.“As usual, KERS will be a benefit for us, but anything can happen in Monte Carlo. “
The Finn himself is looking to improve both his fortunes from the race there in 2008 and from Spain last Sunday (when his car stopped after seven laps).“I really enjoy driving on street circuits and I’m optimistic that we’ve got a good package for Monaco,” Kovalainen added.
“Although the results don’t show it, because I was forced to start from the pitlane, I had a very strong race here last year and charged up from the back to finish eighth.“Coming off the back of a disappointing race in Spain last week, I’m more determined than ever to get a strong result under my belt.”
Tuesday 12 May 2009
Rubens and Brawn team orders
Rubens Barrichello says there is no way he would accept Brawn GP using team orders to favour Jenson Button, but he is confident that he is being given equal opportunities at present.The Brazilian lost yesterday's Spanish Grand Prix to his championship-leading team-mate after Button was switched to a two-stop strategy mid-race and Barrichello failed to pull out a big enough gap to beat the Briton on his three-stop plan.
Still harbouring unhappy memories of having to obey team orders when alongside Michael Schumacher at Ferrari in 2000-05, Barrichello said he simply wouldn't be racing for Brawn if he thought the same situation applied."If I get the slightest sniff of the fact that they have favoured Jenson, I will hang up my helmet tomorrow," he told US broadcaster SPEED.
"But I know Ross wouldn't do that."He asked me to drive for him and he knows I want to race fairly with Jenson."
In the press conference Barrichello said he had vowed never to accept team orders again after his frustrations at Ferrari, when he famously had to hand Schumacher first place in the 2002 Austrian GP within yards of the finish."I'm very experienced with that, and if that happens, I won't follow any team orders any more," the veteran insisted.
"I'm making it clear now, so everybody knows."It's much different to how it used to be at Ferrari.
"We have a much more friendly situation, so I'm not sitting down on the side blaming this or that."It's in the best interests of myself to learn what went wrong because I had the ability to win the race but I didn't and this is a full stop.
"Jenson is on a flier and he's doing very well."There's a bit more pressure on my side, obviously, because he's won four races and I've won nothing but I'm there, I'm working and I won't stop working."
Button also dismissed any hint of team orders having been imposed and insisted Barrichello had been expected to win the race."Our strategy said that a three-stop was quicker, full stop," he said.
"We're all here to win; it went my way today and it might go Rubens's way in Monaco, and that's just the way it is."He had a problem in his stint and I didn't.
"I made it work and I won the race today but you know that can swing around at the next race and that's the way we go racing and that's the way racing should be and I think it has been, within most teams in Formula 1."I don't ever want to go down that avenue of talking about [team orders] because it's so far from the situation within our team."
Team boss Ross Brawn was adamant that Barrichello lost the race due to a lack of speed in his third stint rather than any team orchestration."Rubens was quite slow [in that stint], much slower than we anticipated and what he could or should have been doing," he told the BBC.
"That was the crucial bit of the race that really spoiled it for him, because until then he was looking good [to beat] Jenson."We were choosing a strategy for Rubens to win the race.
"It's very early in the championship, and both drivers are driving for it."As you saw at the beginning of the race, they've got freedom – the only rule is don't knock each other off."
Sunday 10 May 2009
Spanish Grand Prix - Race Round-Up
======================================================================
1 J. Button Brawn GP Formula One Team
2 R. Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team
3 M. Webber Red Bull Racing
4 S. Vettel Red Bull Racing
5 F. Alonso ING Renault F1 Team
6 F. Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
7 N. Heidfeld BMW Sauber F1 Team
8 N. Rosberg AT&T Williams
10 T. Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing
J. Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing
Panasonic Toyota Racing suffered an extremely disappointing Spanish
Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya. Hopes were high for another
significant points haul when Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock lined up
inside the top eight on the grid but they faded on the first lap.
Jarno's race was short-lived due to an incident on the opening lap.
As the cars fought for position from the start, he was forced wide
and on to the grass at turn two, with his car spinning back onto the
track. He was hit by Adrian Sutil, causing extensive damage and
ending his race instantly. Timo's car was slow off the mark and he
lost positions before the first corner, ending the first lap in
eighth. His first pit stop came on lap 17 when he swapped his worn
set of soft Bridgestone Potenza tyres for new ones. He fought hard to
regain a place in the top eight and on lap 47 made his final pit stop,
this time for hard tyres. He battled to the last lap to improve his
position but, on a track where overtaking is difficult, missed out on
points for the first time this season.
Barrichello thought Spanish F1 victory was his
Rubens Barrichello admitted that he thought he had Spanish Grand Prix victory wrapped up until losing pace during his third stint.
The Brazilian had charged into the lead from third on the grid at the start, and then opened up a huge lead when his team-mate Jenson Button was switched from a three to a two-stop strategy at the first stops.
But Barrichello could not maintain his pace in the second half of the grand prix and had to settle for second behind his team-mate again.
"I was running a tiny bit quicker than Jenson to begin with," he said."Then I heard that they'd changed Jenson's strategy, and I had to keep on pushing."My third set of tyres was not good.
"I don't know if something was broken on the car - I couldn't keep my pace up as well on the last set either so I guess it wasn't the tyre, it has to be something to do with the car."And from there on it was a struggle, just a big, big struggle to keep the car on the track, and a relief to come second."
Despite his personal disappointment, Barrichello praised the Brawn team for managing to stay on top even as its larger rivals hurled upgrades at their cars for this race."It's still first and second back in Europe," he said."I'm disappointed that I didn't win the race because I thought I had it in the bag today, but it's still a good effort from the whole team."
The Brazilian had charged into the lead from third on the grid at the start, and then opened up a huge lead when his team-mate Jenson Button was switched from a three to a two-stop strategy at the first stops.
But Barrichello could not maintain his pace in the second half of the grand prix and had to settle for second behind his team-mate again.
"I was running a tiny bit quicker than Jenson to begin with," he said."Then I heard that they'd changed Jenson's strategy, and I had to keep on pushing."My third set of tyres was not good.
"I don't know if something was broken on the car - I couldn't keep my pace up as well on the last set either so I guess it wasn't the tyre, it has to be something to do with the car."And from there on it was a struggle, just a big, big struggle to keep the car on the track, and a relief to come second."
Despite his personal disappointment, Barrichello praised the Brawn team for managing to stay on top even as its larger rivals hurled upgrades at their cars for this race."It's still first and second back in Europe," he said."I'm disappointed that I didn't win the race because I thought I had it in the bag today, but it's still a good effort from the whole team."
Button beats Barrichello for Brawn 1-2 Spanish Grand Prix
Jenson Button maintained his dream start to the 2009 season with his fourth win in five races after using a superior strategy to beat team-mate Rubens Barrichello in a Brawn-dominated Spanish Grand Prix.Brazilian veteran Barrichello led the first stint of the race after catapulting past pole-sitter Button by the first corner and opened up a handy gap over the championship leader before his later opening stop.
But while Button, pitting for fuel one lap before his team-mate, opted to switch to a two-stopping race, Barrichello strangely stayed on a three-stopper – a move that would scupper his hopes of claiming his first victory since 2004.The Brazilian couldn’t pull out enough of a gap during his short second stint and from there the momentum swung fully in Button’s favour, the Briton eventually beating his team-mate by 13s to increase his championship lead to 14 points.
With Brawn nevertheless in a class of its own, Red Bull’s Mark Webber recovered from a disappointing qualifying session to claim third after staying out in the middle stint longer on the faster soft-compound tyres.
That allowed him to vault past third and fourth placed men Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), his RBR team-mate having spent a frustrating afternoon tucked up behind Massa.
Indeed Vettel followed Massa until the closing laps, only eventually getting past the Ferrari after a refuelling miscue left the Brazilian short on fuel by one lap.It meant Massa had to cruise over the remaining laps, losing fifth place to home hero Fernando Alonso’s Renault.
But while Button, pitting for fuel one lap before his team-mate, opted to switch to a two-stopping race, Barrichello strangely stayed on a three-stopper – a move that would scupper his hopes of claiming his first victory since 2004.The Brazilian couldn’t pull out enough of a gap during his short second stint and from there the momentum swung fully in Button’s favour, the Briton eventually beating his team-mate by 13s to increase his championship lead to 14 points.
With Brawn nevertheless in a class of its own, Red Bull’s Mark Webber recovered from a disappointing qualifying session to claim third after staying out in the middle stint longer on the faster soft-compound tyres.
That allowed him to vault past third and fourth placed men Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), his RBR team-mate having spent a frustrating afternoon tucked up behind Massa.
Indeed Vettel followed Massa until the closing laps, only eventually getting past the Ferrari after a refuelling miscue left the Brazilian short on fuel by one lap.It meant Massa had to cruise over the remaining laps, losing fifth place to home hero Fernando Alonso’s Renault.
Brilliant Button snatches Barcelona pole
Jenson Button showed his mettle yet again with a brilliant last-gasp lap to snatch pole position away from Sebastian Vettel for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The championship leader had left his Brawn garage for his crucial final Q3 lap far later than any of his rivals for pole and nearly didn’t even get time to complete his crucial effort after crossing the line just two seconds before the chequered flag fell.But none of this flustered the in-form Briton who, after matching provisional pole man Vettel’s pace through the opening two sectors, nailed an inch-perfect final sector to beat his Red Bull rival to the top spot by just over 0.1s.Button, who leads the title race by 12 points, is now in the perfect place to aim for a fourth win in five races – although the consistently impressive Vettel is set to be a serious threat after the young German maintained his impeccable top-three qualifying record in 2009.
Button’s late heroics denied Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello a front-row start, the Brazilian veteran – who topped the low-fuel Q2 - briefly having held provisional pole until Vettel and then Button made bigger gains late on.Barrichello will share the second row with compatriot Felipe Massa after the Brazilian appeared to prove Ferrari’s major F60 upgrade has given the beleaguered reigning champion team a big step forward with its best qualifying result of the year.
However, the Maranello squad was unable to completely banish the memories of its wretched start to the season as Kimi Raikkonen dropped out in Q1.The team inexplicably repeated its mistake with Massa from Sepang and wrongly assumed the Finn had set a fast enough lap time early in the session to progress, only to see other cars set faster times on the soft tyres while its driver sat helplessly in the garage.
Nevertheless its prospects of points are still far higher than old rival McLaren as it slumped to 14th and 18th on the grid with Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen respectively.Meanwhile, fifth place went to Vettel’s RBR team-mate Mark Webber, while Bahrain front row-starter Toyota was unable to repeat its feat from two weeks ago and Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli will line up sixth and seventh.
Home hero Fernando Alonso may also be disappointed with his qualifying session after only managing eighth in the updated Renault.Williams’s Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica in the heavily revised BMW F1.09 rounded up the top 10.
Rosberg’s team-mate Kazuki Nakajima will start 11th for the third time in five races after once again narrowly failing to make the top-10 shootout – the Japanese driver this time missing out by two hundredths of a second.Renault’s under-pressure driver Nelson Piquet Jr was similarly unlucky after his final Q2 lap provisionally put him eighth on the second session times, only to be eventually relegated by several drivers including team-mate Alonso.But 12th place still represents the Brazilian’s best grid position of the season and he can take heart from lapping just under a tenth of a second slower than the sister Renault.
Nick Heidfeld will line up 13th after failing to reach Q3 again following his morning smash, the BMW driver to start alongside reigning world champion Hamilton.
Having admitted ahead of the weekend that the Circuit de Catalunya was likely to expose the MP4-24’s continuing aerodynamic flaws, Hamilton was even more downbeat following Friday practice and doubted he would make Q3.That’s how things played out and the world champion will now have to produce another strong race performance to have any hope of adding to his meagre 2009 points tally.
It will be the same uphill battle for Raikkonen from 16th after the decision to only complete two flying laps backfired spectacularly, with late Q1 improvements from Barrichello, Trulli, Heidfeld and Piquet eventually seeing him tumble to an embarrassing early exit.
The elimination marks the first time the Finn has failed to clear the first qualifying hurdle since the 2007 Monaco GP and just the third time overall since the three-stage format was introduced the year before.
Sandwiching the two superstars on the grid in 15th will be rookie Sebastien Buemi after Toro Rosso’s big aero update didn’t make an impression over a single lap.
However, while Buemi did at least clear Q1, team-mate Sebastien Bourdais again couldn’t match his Swiss team-mate's pace and failed to make the cut with 17th.The Frenchman will share the ninth row with Kovalainen, who fared even worse than Hamilton and only claimed 18th in the struggling McLaren.
Force India’s latest updates, including updated diffuser and driver-adjustable front wing, couldn’t lift the VJM02 any closer to an elusive spot in Q2 and its drivers were again slowest of all.Nevertheless Adrian Sutil [19th] can at least take encouragement from lapping under a tenth slower than Kovalainen and almost half a second quicker than his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella.
Spanish GP starting grid
1. BUTTON Brawn
2. VETTEL Red Bull
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn
4. MASSA Ferrari
5. WEBBER Red Bull
6. GLOCK Toyota
7. TRULLI Toyota
8. ALONSO Renault
9. ROSBERG Williams
10. KUBICA BMW
11. NAKAJIMA Williams
12. PIQUET Renault
13. HEIDFELD BMW
14. HAMILTON McLaren
15. BUEMI Toro Rosso
16. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
17. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso
18. KOVALAINEN McLaren
19. SUTIL Force India
20. FISICHELLA Force India
The championship leader had left his Brawn garage for his crucial final Q3 lap far later than any of his rivals for pole and nearly didn’t even get time to complete his crucial effort after crossing the line just two seconds before the chequered flag fell.But none of this flustered the in-form Briton who, after matching provisional pole man Vettel’s pace through the opening two sectors, nailed an inch-perfect final sector to beat his Red Bull rival to the top spot by just over 0.1s.Button, who leads the title race by 12 points, is now in the perfect place to aim for a fourth win in five races – although the consistently impressive Vettel is set to be a serious threat after the young German maintained his impeccable top-three qualifying record in 2009.
Button’s late heroics denied Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello a front-row start, the Brazilian veteran – who topped the low-fuel Q2 - briefly having held provisional pole until Vettel and then Button made bigger gains late on.Barrichello will share the second row with compatriot Felipe Massa after the Brazilian appeared to prove Ferrari’s major F60 upgrade has given the beleaguered reigning champion team a big step forward with its best qualifying result of the year.
However, the Maranello squad was unable to completely banish the memories of its wretched start to the season as Kimi Raikkonen dropped out in Q1.The team inexplicably repeated its mistake with Massa from Sepang and wrongly assumed the Finn had set a fast enough lap time early in the session to progress, only to see other cars set faster times on the soft tyres while its driver sat helplessly in the garage.
Nevertheless its prospects of points are still far higher than old rival McLaren as it slumped to 14th and 18th on the grid with Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen respectively.Meanwhile, fifth place went to Vettel’s RBR team-mate Mark Webber, while Bahrain front row-starter Toyota was unable to repeat its feat from two weeks ago and Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli will line up sixth and seventh.
Home hero Fernando Alonso may also be disappointed with his qualifying session after only managing eighth in the updated Renault.Williams’s Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica in the heavily revised BMW F1.09 rounded up the top 10.
Rosberg’s team-mate Kazuki Nakajima will start 11th for the third time in five races after once again narrowly failing to make the top-10 shootout – the Japanese driver this time missing out by two hundredths of a second.Renault’s under-pressure driver Nelson Piquet Jr was similarly unlucky after his final Q2 lap provisionally put him eighth on the second session times, only to be eventually relegated by several drivers including team-mate Alonso.But 12th place still represents the Brazilian’s best grid position of the season and he can take heart from lapping just under a tenth of a second slower than the sister Renault.
Nick Heidfeld will line up 13th after failing to reach Q3 again following his morning smash, the BMW driver to start alongside reigning world champion Hamilton.
Having admitted ahead of the weekend that the Circuit de Catalunya was likely to expose the MP4-24’s continuing aerodynamic flaws, Hamilton was even more downbeat following Friday practice and doubted he would make Q3.That’s how things played out and the world champion will now have to produce another strong race performance to have any hope of adding to his meagre 2009 points tally.
It will be the same uphill battle for Raikkonen from 16th after the decision to only complete two flying laps backfired spectacularly, with late Q1 improvements from Barrichello, Trulli, Heidfeld and Piquet eventually seeing him tumble to an embarrassing early exit.
The elimination marks the first time the Finn has failed to clear the first qualifying hurdle since the 2007 Monaco GP and just the third time overall since the three-stage format was introduced the year before.
Sandwiching the two superstars on the grid in 15th will be rookie Sebastien Buemi after Toro Rosso’s big aero update didn’t make an impression over a single lap.
However, while Buemi did at least clear Q1, team-mate Sebastien Bourdais again couldn’t match his Swiss team-mate's pace and failed to make the cut with 17th.The Frenchman will share the ninth row with Kovalainen, who fared even worse than Hamilton and only claimed 18th in the struggling McLaren.
Force India’s latest updates, including updated diffuser and driver-adjustable front wing, couldn’t lift the VJM02 any closer to an elusive spot in Q2 and its drivers were again slowest of all.Nevertheless Adrian Sutil [19th] can at least take encouragement from lapping under a tenth slower than Kovalainen and almost half a second quicker than his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella.
Spanish GP starting grid
1. BUTTON Brawn
2. VETTEL Red Bull
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn
4. MASSA Ferrari
5. WEBBER Red Bull
6. GLOCK Toyota
7. TRULLI Toyota
8. ALONSO Renault
9. ROSBERG Williams
10. KUBICA BMW
11. NAKAJIMA Williams
12. PIQUET Renault
13. HEIDFELD BMW
14. HAMILTON McLaren
15. BUEMI Toro Rosso
16. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
17. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso
18. KOVALAINEN McLaren
19. SUTIL Force India
20. FISICHELLA Force India
Di Montezemolo, Mosley set for F1 cap talks
Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) president Luca di Montezemolo is set to meet with FIA president Max Mosley before the Monaco Grand Prix to try and find a solution to the dispute over a two-tier future for the sport, AUTOSPORT has learned.
Amid a growing threat from manufacturer teams that they may carry out a block boycott of lodging their entries to next year's world championship because they are not happy about plans for a £40 million voluntary budget cap, moves to get a solution on the table are now increasing.FOTA representatives met for two hours in the Spanish Grand Prix paddock on Sunday morning, with FOTA vice-chairman John Howett also seen in intense talks with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone afterwards.AUTOSPORT understands that di Montezemolo and Mosley have now agreed to meet within the next 10 days, with the possibility of a separate teams' meetings as well, although it is not thought that a firm date has yet been settled.
Howett, who revealed earlier in the weekend that Toyota would not lodge an entry for 2010 unless changes are made to the rules, confirmed the news when asked on Sunday morning."As far as I understand between Luca di Montezemolo and Max Mosley, they have agreed to meet if not next week then the week following," said Howett.
"I haven't had the chance to speak to him, but I think there is a possibility to meet certainly within the next seven to 10 days."Howett said that talks within FOTA to come up with effective cost-cutting proposals were ongoing, although it was too early to say what the teams would push the FIA for.
When asked where the situation was now, Howett said: "I don't know really. All I can say is that we had a very constructive FOTA meeting this morning, continuing the next phase of what we would like to see as cost reduction."Today's meeting was more about actually continuing the process that we have achieved this year. We have achieved in our case around a 35-40 per cent saving and I think the show is as good as it has ever been, and we are continuing the decision on 2010 and 2011. We will then place that forward to the governing body."
Howett said the regulations as they currently stand were confusing, as the technical possibilities offered by those signing up for a budget cap meant investment far higher than the £40 million on offer."In the case of Toyota we don't like the idea of a two-tier F1," he said. "It is clear that you would need to compete at the £40 million budget cap because the car would be quicker. And if you see that the engine revs are unlimited, then engines excluded from the cap, the KERS is excluded, you are probably talking about a budget of £150 million or more. It is a very confused situation that we need to clarify more."
When asked if he felt the situation could get sorted out in the short term, he said: "I don't know. I think really as a company we want to remain in F1 as I understand it."But there are issues that need clarifying. We want a much more clear and definitive governance process which gives us confidence in the way the regulations are changed, and that allow us to plan. We are totally in favour of continuing cost reduction and shall we say reducing the cost of entry to F1."
Amid a growing threat from manufacturer teams that they may carry out a block boycott of lodging their entries to next year's world championship because they are not happy about plans for a £40 million voluntary budget cap, moves to get a solution on the table are now increasing.FOTA representatives met for two hours in the Spanish Grand Prix paddock on Sunday morning, with FOTA vice-chairman John Howett also seen in intense talks with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone afterwards.AUTOSPORT understands that di Montezemolo and Mosley have now agreed to meet within the next 10 days, with the possibility of a separate teams' meetings as well, although it is not thought that a firm date has yet been settled.
Howett, who revealed earlier in the weekend that Toyota would not lodge an entry for 2010 unless changes are made to the rules, confirmed the news when asked on Sunday morning."As far as I understand between Luca di Montezemolo and Max Mosley, they have agreed to meet if not next week then the week following," said Howett.
"I haven't had the chance to speak to him, but I think there is a possibility to meet certainly within the next seven to 10 days."Howett said that talks within FOTA to come up with effective cost-cutting proposals were ongoing, although it was too early to say what the teams would push the FIA for.
When asked where the situation was now, Howett said: "I don't know really. All I can say is that we had a very constructive FOTA meeting this morning, continuing the next phase of what we would like to see as cost reduction."Today's meeting was more about actually continuing the process that we have achieved this year. We have achieved in our case around a 35-40 per cent saving and I think the show is as good as it has ever been, and we are continuing the decision on 2010 and 2011. We will then place that forward to the governing body."
Howett said the regulations as they currently stand were confusing, as the technical possibilities offered by those signing up for a budget cap meant investment far higher than the £40 million on offer."In the case of Toyota we don't like the idea of a two-tier F1," he said. "It is clear that you would need to compete at the £40 million budget cap because the car would be quicker. And if you see that the engine revs are unlimited, then engines excluded from the cap, the KERS is excluded, you are probably talking about a budget of £150 million or more. It is a very confused situation that we need to clarify more."
When asked if he felt the situation could get sorted out in the short term, he said: "I don't know. I think really as a company we want to remain in F1 as I understand it."But there are issues that need clarifying. We want a much more clear and definitive governance process which gives us confidence in the way the regulations are changed, and that allow us to plan. We are totally in favour of continuing cost reduction and shall we say reducing the cost of entry to F1."
Toyota F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying Round-Up
======================================================================
1 J. Button Brawn GP Formula One Team
2 S. Vettel Red Bull Racing
3 R. Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team
4 F. Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
5 M. Webber Red Bull Racing
6 T. Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing
7 J. Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing
8 F. Alonso ING Renault F1 Team
Panasonic Toyota Racing will line up with both cars inside the top
eight for the Spanish Grand Prix after a closely-fought qualifying
session at the Circuit de Catalunya today. Having fine-tuned the
set-up of the TF109 overnight and in final practice, Jarno Trulli and
Timo Glock took to the track on a sunny day with a slight breeze
which saw track temperatures reach 41°C and air temperatures 21°C.
The first qualifying session was typically hectic and, after starting
with the hard Bridgestone Potenza, they made it into Q2 using the
soft options. The battle to reach the top 10 was particularly tense
but, again using the soft tyres, Jarno and Timo delivered on their
last flying laps to progress, with Timo breaking into the top three.
The final session saw three flying laps each on used soft tyres
before one final flat-out run on a new set in the closing moments,
which delivered promising grid positions for tomorrow's race.
1 J. Button Brawn GP Formula One Team
2 S. Vettel Red Bull Racing
3 R. Barrichello Brawn GP Formula One Team
4 F. Massa Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
5 M. Webber Red Bull Racing
6 T. Glock Panasonic Toyota Racing
7 J. Trulli Panasonic Toyota Racing
8 F. Alonso ING Renault F1 Team
Panasonic Toyota Racing will line up with both cars inside the top
eight for the Spanish Grand Prix after a closely-fought qualifying
session at the Circuit de Catalunya today. Having fine-tuned the
set-up of the TF109 overnight and in final practice, Jarno Trulli and
Timo Glock took to the track on a sunny day with a slight breeze
which saw track temperatures reach 41°C and air temperatures 21°C.
The first qualifying session was typically hectic and, after starting
with the hard Bridgestone Potenza, they made it into Q2 using the
soft options. The battle to reach the top 10 was particularly tense
but, again using the soft tyres, Jarno and Timo delivered on their
last flying laps to progress, with Timo breaking into the top three.
The final session saw three flying laps each on used soft tyres
before one final flat-out run on a new set in the closing moments,
which delivered promising grid positions for tomorrow's race.
Saturday 2 May 2009
Ferrari, FIA contest F1 cap
Max Mosley has suggested that losing Ferrari would not be a fatal blow to Formula 1, after the Italian team's president Luca di Montezemolo attacked the budget cap plans announced earlier this week.In a letter to the FIA seen by itv.com/f1, di Montezemolo said the budget cap would be impossible to police, and that the two-tier system - with the possibility for teams to exceed the cap provided they signed up to more restrictive regulations - will be unfair and confusing for fans.
"I have always been concerned about its introduction, mainly because I consider that there are serious technical difficulties in making sure that any cap can realistically be monitored," di Montezemolo wrote.
"There are doubts as to whether or not two categories of teams should be created which will inevitably mean that one category will have an advantage over the other and that the championship will be fundamentally unfair and perhaps even biased."In any event this would create confusion in the public’s mind, which would seriously lower the value of Formula 1.”
But Mosley said that the rules would not be changed at Ferrari's behest, and that although it would be sad to lose the legendary squad, F1 could live without it.
“The sport could survive without Ferrari,” Mosley told the Financial Times.“It would be very, very sad to lose Ferrari."It is the Italian national team.”
The FIA president reckons the Ferrari board will be in favour of the budget cap even if the racing team is unhappy."I hope and think that when a team goes to its board and says, ‘I want to go to war with the FIA, because I want to be able to spend £100m more than the FIA want me to spend,’ then the board will say, ‘Why can’t you spend £40m if the other teams can do it?’” said Mosley, who believes most manufacturers will ultimately favour the cap.
"We’ve got very little room to negotiate, but the message I’m getting from the board of two or three of the manufacturers is: ‘If you can get it so that the cheque we write is not more than €25m (£22.3m), you can consider this a pretty permanent arrangement.’
“We have contacts with the boards other than through the teams."The teams spin to the board."The chief executive hasn’t got the time, knowledge or expertise to question it."But now, because they are all [short of money], to throw away tens of millions on F1 is not acceptable.”
"I have always been concerned about its introduction, mainly because I consider that there are serious technical difficulties in making sure that any cap can realistically be monitored," di Montezemolo wrote.
"There are doubts as to whether or not two categories of teams should be created which will inevitably mean that one category will have an advantage over the other and that the championship will be fundamentally unfair and perhaps even biased."In any event this would create confusion in the public’s mind, which would seriously lower the value of Formula 1.”
But Mosley said that the rules would not be changed at Ferrari's behest, and that although it would be sad to lose the legendary squad, F1 could live without it.
“The sport could survive without Ferrari,” Mosley told the Financial Times.“It would be very, very sad to lose Ferrari."It is the Italian national team.”
The FIA president reckons the Ferrari board will be in favour of the budget cap even if the racing team is unhappy."I hope and think that when a team goes to its board and says, ‘I want to go to war with the FIA, because I want to be able to spend £100m more than the FIA want me to spend,’ then the board will say, ‘Why can’t you spend £40m if the other teams can do it?’” said Mosley, who believes most manufacturers will ultimately favour the cap.
"We’ve got very little room to negotiate, but the message I’m getting from the board of two or three of the manufacturers is: ‘If you can get it so that the cheque we write is not more than €25m (£22.3m), you can consider this a pretty permanent arrangement.’
“We have contacts with the boards other than through the teams."The teams spin to the board."The chief executive hasn’t got the time, knowledge or expertise to question it."But now, because they are all [short of money], to throw away tens of millions on F1 is not acceptable.”
New Ayrton Senna film about F1 career
Senna feature film to start shooting in May A documentary feature film about the legendary Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna will begin shooting next month, makers Working Title Films have confirmed. Spanning Senna's Formula One career from 1984 to his untimely death a decade later, the film will explore the life and work of the triple world champion, his physical and spiritual achievements on the track, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained.
Directed by Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Far North), the film is written by Manish Pandey and produced by James Gay-Rees (Long Time Dead, Blackball), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with Kevin Macdonald (Touching The Void, The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) and Manish Pandey serving as executive producers.
The film is being made with the full co-operation of the Senna family, who have given permission for this to be the first documentary feature film about his life; Formula One Management, who will provide footage not previously seen theatrically; and the Ayrton Senna Institute, the charitable foundation established after his death which provides educational opportunities to millions of deprived Brazilian children.
Founded in 1983, Working Title has made more than 90 films that have grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide. Its films have won six Academy Awards, 26 BAFTA Awards and prestigious prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals. The company's commercial and critical hits include The Interpreter, About a Boy, Notting Hill, Elizabeth, Fargo, Dead Man Walking, Bean, High Fidelity, Johnny English, Billy Elliot and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Directed by Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Far North), the film is written by Manish Pandey and produced by James Gay-Rees (Long Time Dead, Blackball), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with Kevin Macdonald (Touching The Void, The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) and Manish Pandey serving as executive producers.
The film is being made with the full co-operation of the Senna family, who have given permission for this to be the first documentary feature film about his life; Formula One Management, who will provide footage not previously seen theatrically; and the Ayrton Senna Institute, the charitable foundation established after his death which provides educational opportunities to millions of deprived Brazilian children.
Founded in 1983, Working Title has made more than 90 films that have grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide. Its films have won six Academy Awards, 26 BAFTA Awards and prestigious prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals. The company's commercial and critical hits include The Interpreter, About a Boy, Notting Hill, Elizabeth, Fargo, Dead Man Walking, Bean, High Fidelity, Johnny English, Billy Elliot and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Red Bull reserve F1 driver 2009
Hartley named Red Bull reserve for Barcelona New Zealander Brendon Hartley will serve as Red Bull’s reserve driver at next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, after being granted the necessary Formula One super license on Wednesday. Former Red Bull racer David Coulthard temporarily filled the role for the first four rounds of the season.
“I must thank Red Bull for all their support since 2005 and this new role is another step on the path to reaching my goal of being a Formula One driver,” Hartley told Red Bull’s website. “I know that with the new in-season testing ban, I’m not likely to get much cockpit time, but I will be part of the team and will learn a lot from that.”
Nineteen-year-old Hartley, part of Red Bull’s junior squad, tested for the team last December, having finished third in the 2008 British Formula Three series. He is a previous winner of the Formula Renault Euro Cup and this season will compete for Carlin Motorsport in the F3 Euro Series.
“I must thank Red Bull for all their support since 2005 and this new role is another step on the path to reaching my goal of being a Formula One driver,” Hartley told Red Bull’s website. “I know that with the new in-season testing ban, I’m not likely to get much cockpit time, but I will be part of the team and will learn a lot from that.”
Nineteen-year-old Hartley, part of Red Bull’s junior squad, tested for the team last December, having finished third in the 2008 British Formula Three series. He is a previous winner of the Formula Renault Euro Cup and this season will compete for Carlin Motorsport in the F3 Euro Series.
Williams wants F1 budget cap to be compulsory
Sir Frank Williams says his team will be pushing for Formula 1 to adopt a compulsory budget cap next season to avoid the creation of a two-tier world championship.The FIA World Motor Sport Council decided to introduce £40m cap for 2010 at its meeting in Paris on Wednesday.But already teams are raising concerns that the optional nature of the scheme – whereby cost-capped teams will be granted greater technical freedoms in return for accepting the spending limit – will cause problems.
Williams said in a statement issued on Thursday that he supports the budget cap solution to reducing F1 costs, but wants all teams to compete under the same set of rules.“Williams has supported the introduction of a budget cap since the idea was first put forward early in 2008,” he said.
“Since then FOTA [the Formula One Teams’ Association] has made tremendous steps forward on costs but the rationale for a budget cap has also grown even stronger.“We would like to see all the teams operating to one set of regulations and under a budget cap in 2010 and that is the position we will be advocating within FOTA when we meet next week.“We understand that this will represent a serious challenge for some of the teams but we expect that FOTA will work together to find a unified and constructive way to take the FIA’s initiative forward.”
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has also argued that a two-tier regulatory framework is not the “optimal solution” for F1 and has called for “measured negotiation” between the teams and the FIA to reach a better outcome.
Williams said in a statement issued on Thursday that he supports the budget cap solution to reducing F1 costs, but wants all teams to compete under the same set of rules.“Williams has supported the introduction of a budget cap since the idea was first put forward early in 2008,” he said.
“Since then FOTA [the Formula One Teams’ Association] has made tremendous steps forward on costs but the rationale for a budget cap has also grown even stronger.“We would like to see all the teams operating to one set of regulations and under a budget cap in 2010 and that is the position we will be advocating within FOTA when we meet next week.“We understand that this will represent a serious challenge for some of the teams but we expect that FOTA will work together to find a unified and constructive way to take the FIA’s initiative forward.”
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has also argued that a two-tier regulatory framework is not the “optimal solution” for F1 and has called for “measured negotiation” between the teams and the FIA to reach a better outcome.
FIA's watered-down budget cap
The FIA has confirmed that it will introduced a budget cap in Formula 1 next year, but has raised the figure to £40m and exempted some of the costliest items of team expenditure.
The scheme will remain optional, with teams that accept the cost constraints being granted greater technical freedoms than those continuing to spend at will.The FIA published details of how the new regulations will work a day after its World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on Wednesday.
There are significant changes to the version passed by the WMSC last month, after concerns were raised that the proposed £30m was unrealistically low and the cap too all-encompassing.
Under the new plans the budget ceiling has been raised by one-third to £40m per annum and the list of exempted items dramatically expanded to include driver salaries, marketing and hospitality budgets, engine costs (for 2010 only) and “any expenditure which the team can demonstrate has no influence on its performance”.Previously FIA president Max Mosley had said the cap would cover “everything except the motor home (if the team has one) and any fines imposed by the FIA”, suggesting that the only way the salaries of drivers or star designers could be excluded would be for them to become shareholders of their team and be paid a dividend.
By confirming that the budget cap will be optional, the WMSC has chosen not to address concerns that it will create a two-tier Formula 1, with different regulations applying to different teams.The FIA previously said it would equalise performance between the two types of car by periodically adjusting the technical freedoms accorded to the cost-capped outfits, but the latest document gives no further details of how this will operate.
However, on leaving Wednesday’s meeting Mosley said he believed teams would be sufficiently attracted by the revised budget cap scheme that they would all choose to adopt it – thus negating the problem of a two-tier championship.“I suspect that when they see the figures, everyone will come in under the cost cap,” he told reporters. "I certainly hope so."
The cost-capped teams will be allowed to use movable front and rear wings – whereby downforce and drag levels can be adjusted around the lap – and will not be subject to an engine rev limit.They will also be permitted to carry out unlimited out-of-season track testing and restrictions on wind tunnel use will be lifted.The budget cap will be monitored and enforced by a new Costs Commission comprising a chairman and two other members, appointed by the WMSC for three-year terms.
One Commissioner will be a finance expert, another will have high-level experience in motorsport and the chairman will have “appropriate experience and standing in motorsport or sports governance”.
All three Commissioners will be independent of all teams.
The FIA says teams intending to compete in the 2010 world championship must submit their applications during the period 22-29 May, and are required to state at that stage whether or not they will adopt the budget cap.
The scheme will remain optional, with teams that accept the cost constraints being granted greater technical freedoms than those continuing to spend at will.The FIA published details of how the new regulations will work a day after its World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on Wednesday.
There are significant changes to the version passed by the WMSC last month, after concerns were raised that the proposed £30m was unrealistically low and the cap too all-encompassing.
Under the new plans the budget ceiling has been raised by one-third to £40m per annum and the list of exempted items dramatically expanded to include driver salaries, marketing and hospitality budgets, engine costs (for 2010 only) and “any expenditure which the team can demonstrate has no influence on its performance”.Previously FIA president Max Mosley had said the cap would cover “everything except the motor home (if the team has one) and any fines imposed by the FIA”, suggesting that the only way the salaries of drivers or star designers could be excluded would be for them to become shareholders of their team and be paid a dividend.
By confirming that the budget cap will be optional, the WMSC has chosen not to address concerns that it will create a two-tier Formula 1, with different regulations applying to different teams.The FIA previously said it would equalise performance between the two types of car by periodically adjusting the technical freedoms accorded to the cost-capped outfits, but the latest document gives no further details of how this will operate.
However, on leaving Wednesday’s meeting Mosley said he believed teams would be sufficiently attracted by the revised budget cap scheme that they would all choose to adopt it – thus negating the problem of a two-tier championship.“I suspect that when they see the figures, everyone will come in under the cost cap,” he told reporters. "I certainly hope so."
The cost-capped teams will be allowed to use movable front and rear wings – whereby downforce and drag levels can be adjusted around the lap – and will not be subject to an engine rev limit.They will also be permitted to carry out unlimited out-of-season track testing and restrictions on wind tunnel use will be lifted.The budget cap will be monitored and enforced by a new Costs Commission comprising a chairman and two other members, appointed by the WMSC for three-year terms.
One Commissioner will be a finance expert, another will have high-level experience in motorsport and the chairman will have “appropriate experience and standing in motorsport or sports governance”.
All three Commissioners will be independent of all teams.
The FIA says teams intending to compete in the 2010 world championship must submit their applications during the period 22-29 May, and are required to state at that stage whether or not they will adopt the budget cap.
Friday 1 May 2009
BMW Sauber look to upgrade
BMW Sauber expects a 'significant' improvement in its pace when it introduces a swathe of upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix, but with so many of its rivals doing likewise, the team is unsure whether its development efforts will pay off.
Technical director Willy Rampf explained that major aerodynamic changes were on the cards as last year's third-best team tried to get out of its current lower midfield position."The nose section, more deeply undercut sidepods and the rear wing are all totally new," he said.
"Added to which, modifications have also been made to the front wing, engine cover and underbody. We expect these improvements to significantly reduce our lap times.
"Of course, we know that the other teams will also have made modifications to their cars for Barcelona."However, we expect to be able to close the gap to our rivals.
"We won't find this out for certain, though, until the race weekend."Up to then we will only have the results from the wind tunnel and simulations to go on and, of course, can no longer test in advance on the track."
Team boss Mario Theissen admitted that BMW's very poor start to 2009 had been tough to take. "We cannot be satisfied at all with the first four races of the season," he said.
"After our positive winter testing, all of us at the BMW Sauber F1 team envisaged a rather different start to the season."The car is not fast enough and we have recorded only one podium finish.
"We are approaching this challenge in a positive way and are working intensively in Munich and Hinwil to get back to our old form."We will be lining up in Barcelona with an extensive aerodynamics-focused development package, and are already working on further upgrades to be introduced later on in the season."
Technical director Willy Rampf explained that major aerodynamic changes were on the cards as last year's third-best team tried to get out of its current lower midfield position."The nose section, more deeply undercut sidepods and the rear wing are all totally new," he said.
"Added to which, modifications have also been made to the front wing, engine cover and underbody. We expect these improvements to significantly reduce our lap times.
"Of course, we know that the other teams will also have made modifications to their cars for Barcelona."However, we expect to be able to close the gap to our rivals.
"We won't find this out for certain, though, until the race weekend."Up to then we will only have the results from the wind tunnel and simulations to go on and, of course, can no longer test in advance on the track."
Team boss Mario Theissen admitted that BMW's very poor start to 2009 had been tough to take. "We cannot be satisfied at all with the first four races of the season," he said.
"After our positive winter testing, all of us at the BMW Sauber F1 team envisaged a rather different start to the season."The car is not fast enough and we have recorded only one podium finish.
"We are approaching this challenge in a positive way and are working intensively in Munich and Hinwil to get back to our old form."We will be lining up in Barcelona with an extensive aerodynamics-focused development package, and are already working on further upgrades to be introduced later on in the season."
BMW Sauber look to upgrade
BMW Sauber expects a 'significant' improvement in its pace when it introduces a swathe of upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix, but with so many of its rivals doing likewise, the team is unsure whether its development efforts will pay off.
Technical director Willy Rampf explained that major aerodynamic changes were on the cards as last year's third-best team tried to get out of its current lower midfield position."The nose section, more deeply undercut sidepods and the rear wing are all totally new," he said.
"Added to which, modifications have also been made to the front wing, engine cover and underbody. We expect these improvements to significantly reduce our lap times.
"Of course, we know that the other teams will also have made modifications to their cars for Barcelona."However, we expect to be able to close the gap to our rivals.
"We won't find this out for certain, though, until the race weekend."Up to then we will only have the results from the wind tunnel and simulations to go on and, of course, can no longer test in advance on the track."
Team boss Mario Theissen admitted that BMW's very poor start to 2009 had been tough to take. "We cannot be satisfied at all with the first four races of the season," he said.
"After our positive winter testing, all of us at the BMW Sauber F1 team envisaged a rather different start to the season."The car is not fast enough and we have recorded only one podium finish.
"We are approaching this challenge in a positive way and are working intensively in Munich and Hinwil to get back to our old form."We will be lining up in Barcelona with an extensive aerodynamics-focused development package, and are already working on further upgrades to be introduced later on in the season."
Technical director Willy Rampf explained that major aerodynamic changes were on the cards as last year's third-best team tried to get out of its current lower midfield position."The nose section, more deeply undercut sidepods and the rear wing are all totally new," he said.
"Added to which, modifications have also been made to the front wing, engine cover and underbody. We expect these improvements to significantly reduce our lap times.
"Of course, we know that the other teams will also have made modifications to their cars for Barcelona."However, we expect to be able to close the gap to our rivals.
"We won't find this out for certain, though, until the race weekend."Up to then we will only have the results from the wind tunnel and simulations to go on and, of course, can no longer test in advance on the track."
Team boss Mario Theissen admitted that BMW's very poor start to 2009 had been tough to take. "We cannot be satisfied at all with the first four races of the season," he said.
"After our positive winter testing, all of us at the BMW Sauber F1 team envisaged a rather different start to the season."The car is not fast enough and we have recorded only one podium finish.
"We are approaching this challenge in a positive way and are working intensively in Munich and Hinwil to get back to our old form."We will be lining up in Barcelona with an extensive aerodynamics-focused development package, and are already working on further upgrades to be introduced later on in the season."
Williams looking to F1 GP Spain
Nico Rosberg: "It's been a bit of a frustrating start to the season. We should be going into Europe with more than 3.5 points from the first four races. We were looking competitive at the outset in Australia, but things just haven't gone our way. It's also so close out there, probably the closest season I've raced in. We'll have some aero upgrades for Barcelona which I'm hoping will help us and push us further up the grid. It would be good to score some points to reward the team at Grove who have been pushing really hard."It's been a long trip so I'll be resting a bit between the usual training I do before races. I also have lots of personal things to do as I haven't been home for six weeks and that will definitely include catching up with friends and family.
"As we spend quite a lot of time testing at Barcelona, it's a circuit we all know well. Last year was going really well for me and I was looking good for 6th place, but then a technical problem put me out of the race. The only concern with Barcelona is that track conditions are constantly changing, so knowing what direction to go with the set-up can prove hard."With the new rule changes, this year really is all about who makes the greatest progress back at the factories with development. As with all the other teams, we'll have an upgraded car in Spain and I hope it will make the difference we need."
Kazuki Nakajima: "It's been a tough start to the season for me. I've had three DNFs out of four races and I don't want anymore. I'm going to put them behind me now though and concentrate on the work ahead. There's still 12 more races to go and I'm determined to get some good results for myself and for the team."It's nice to be home after so long away. I'm spending the ten days in Oxford and will catch up with friends over some football and, hopefully, a softball game at the weekend. There will also be a few visits to the factory to talk to my engineers about Barcelona and to use the simulator to prepare myself as much as I can for the track. No doubt my trainer will also be putting me through my paces as well!
"I really like Barcelona and have lots of racing experience there. Last year, I had a good qualifying session and scored two points for the team coming 7th in my debut race. As I haven't had a great first few Grands Prix, I hope that this will mark the start of a new phase for me and I can do something good in Barcelona."I didn't have the new parts on my car in Bahrain so I'm looking forward to trying those out in Spain and to see how the other new bits go. I'm sure that the upgraded package will be a step forward, we already know how much time it will give us, but it's all relative compared to what the other teams have done."
"As we spend quite a lot of time testing at Barcelona, it's a circuit we all know well. Last year was going really well for me and I was looking good for 6th place, but then a technical problem put me out of the race. The only concern with Barcelona is that track conditions are constantly changing, so knowing what direction to go with the set-up can prove hard."With the new rule changes, this year really is all about who makes the greatest progress back at the factories with development. As with all the other teams, we'll have an upgraded car in Spain and I hope it will make the difference we need."
Kazuki Nakajima: "It's been a tough start to the season for me. I've had three DNFs out of four races and I don't want anymore. I'm going to put them behind me now though and concentrate on the work ahead. There's still 12 more races to go and I'm determined to get some good results for myself and for the team."It's nice to be home after so long away. I'm spending the ten days in Oxford and will catch up with friends over some football and, hopefully, a softball game at the weekend. There will also be a few visits to the factory to talk to my engineers about Barcelona and to use the simulator to prepare myself as much as I can for the track. No doubt my trainer will also be putting me through my paces as well!
"I really like Barcelona and have lots of racing experience there. Last year, I had a good qualifying session and scored two points for the team coming 7th in my debut race. As I haven't had a great first few Grands Prix, I hope that this will mark the start of a new phase for me and I can do something good in Barcelona."I didn't have the new parts on my car in Bahrain so I'm looking forward to trying those out in Spain and to see how the other new bits go. I'm sure that the upgraded package will be a step forward, we already know how much time it will give us, but it's all relative compared to what the other teams have done."
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