So far 2010 has delivered one of the most worryingly dull grands prix of all time, and one of the most relentlessly action-packed – but which was the anomaly and which will set the trend for the rest of the season?
Naturally everyone is hoping that the processional restraint of Sakhir was the blip and that most of the races will be bursting with wheel to wheel entertainment like Melbourne was.
And this weekend at Sepang, we’ll get a good indication of what the rest of the season will look like.
The weather played a big part in the Australian GP drama, and residents of Kuala Lumpur know a lot about rain too.
When the clouds open over Sepang, they do so with a vengeance – as the early chaos in the 2001 Malaysian GP and last year’s monsoon-truncated race proved.
But the humidity means the track dries fast – a shower early in the 2004 race meant about a lap and a half of sliding before the circuit was suddenly bone dry again.
The forecast for this weekend currently looks ominous... a repeat of last year's early finish is certainly possible.
The first of the Herrmann Tilke tracks, Sepang isn’t as atmospheric as Melbourne, but the balance between fast corners and overtaking opportunities is about right, in fact probably better than at any other Tilke track bar Istanbul Park.
The fast and flowing corners at the far side of the circuit are a real challenge, even more so with the track now beginning to show its age and the bumps growing.
And the combination of two consecutive long, wide straights into tight but wide hairpins has proved ideal for close racing over the years, for as well as creating big, overtaking-friendly, braking zones, the layout gives the driver just overtaken a great chance to cut back in tight and respond at the next bend.
That doesn’t mean the races are always thrillers, but it does mean some wheel to wheel jousting is more likely than at most venues.
Melbourne’s weather left a major question unanswered: in a totally dry race, is the no-refuelling race format inevitably a recipe for tedium?
The theory behind the 2010 rules was that there would end up being close racing between drivers who had gambled on making worn tyres last to the flag, and drivers who had dived in for fresh rubber mid-race and were now much faster.
That didn’t happen in Bahrain – everyone played it safe and cruised around in a queue, nursing their rubber.
It did happen in Australia – but worryingly when the cars on fresh rubber caught those on worn Bridgestones, they appeared unable to pass – although this didn’t seem to be the case in the midfield, where there was plenty of late overtaking.
Also by that time Melbourne was fully dry, and without the aid of a slippery surface, its layout isn’t quite as conducive to overtaking, whereas Sepang’s massive straights/tight hairpins combination should make it harder to defend against a faster car, regardless of turbulence issues.
If your fading tyres aren’t giving you traction onto those long straights, you’re going to be in trouble when someone on new tyres charges onto your tail – assuming anyone has the confidence to risk an extra pit stop (and Sepang’s long pit lane could be a deterrent).
Back in 2005, when drivers had to make their tyres last a whole race, there was some excellent (and messy) racing at Sepang as some failed to keep their rubber alive as effectively as others.
More of the same would do nicely.
So on paper, Sepang’s spectacle ought to sit somewhere between Melbourne mayhem and Sakhir slumber.
The storylines developing down the field certainly deserve a good race for their next chapter, for a fascinating contest is brewing.
Red Bull has the out and out pace to dominate, but Sebastian Vettel’s car keeps falling apart and Mark Webber has lacked consistency.
That has given the steely Fernando Alonso an early points lead, but can he beat Vettel’s Red Bull in a straight fight if it lasts to the finish?
How will Lewis Hamilton respond to his high profile Melbourne tribulations, and to team-mate Jenson Button’s brilliant victory?
When is everything going to click for Michael Schumacher, who has so far been a long way shy of his greatest form, and can Nico Rosberg maintain his intra-team edge at Mercedes even when the legend in the other car finds his feet again?
That’s a particularly pertinent question in Malaysia, home of title sponsor Petronas.
Its heavy promotional efforts will make Mercedes just as much of a ‘home’ team as the locally-owned and backed Lotus team, which will give Malaysian test driver Fairuz Fauzy a run in Friday practice.
Robert Kubica’s brilliance and the team’s steady progress got Renault among the lead group in Australia, but in normal circumstances that squad should be found in a tight battle with Force India and Williams, while Sauber and Toro Rosso are not far behind.
And when is Sauber going to start looking like the team that stunned its rivals in testing, and when will Nico Hulkenberg live up to his ‘next big thing’ reputation?
So many tantalising storylines and so much expectation – but just one question at the forefront of everyone’s minds: can the Malaysian GP live up to everything Melbourne promised?
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Virgin in Australia
The Virgin Racing boys did an incredible job today, reaching the halfway mark with Lucas and completing 70% of the race distance with Timo.
When the entire pit crew decamped to the end of the pit lane for the start of the race, both cars got away seamlessly in challenging conditions. And not only that, but we had a race of our own with Michael Schumacher. Okay, so it lasted for around half a lap, but at one point Timo definitely overtook Michael. It was short, but very sweet and perked up the pit crew no end.
The Virgin Racing cars lined up for the start of the 58-lap race in the pit lane, after changing the collectors in both fuel systems following yesterday’s fuel pick-up problem. The ‘will it? – won’t it?’ weather conditions fired enough of a warning salvo to make most of the field decide to opt for intermediate tyres and it was definitely raining as the race got underway, although a full-blown downpour never materialised.
The start procedure worked well and Timo and Lucas avoided getting caught up in the first lap mayhem. The highlight of the opening laps was most definitely a lap 5 tussle with Michael Schumacher as he was working his way back up the field after an early pit stop. Timo in particular fought hard to keep him at bay and having been passed he decided to have another go and retook Michael until giving way to the seven time world champion became inevitable. It was fun while it lasted!
Timo Glock #24
“The start of the race was okay. After leaving the pit lane I was able to catch up Chandhok and some other cars and we had a bit of fun fighting with Michael. The car felt reasonably good in the wet and dry conditions. It was a little busy with all the traffic when we became lapped.
So it was a real shame that we had a problem just 15 laps from the end of the race when I started to feel that there was something wrong with the way the car was feeling. I came in and we found a problem which we now know to be a camber shim having worked loose, and this was causing the suspension to move around on the left rear.
Had we not had the suspension issue I think we would have been looking good for our first chequered flag. So we have to take the positives and see that in some ways we have made progress, albeit there is still a lot of work ahead.”
Lucas di Grassi #25
“The early part of the race was okay for me. The car was behaving quite well at the beginning. Unfortunately, we didn’t time the strategy well to change to slicks but otherwise things were going okay. So it’s a shame that we were hit by another problem - a hydraulic problem – and we had to retire after 26 laps. For sure we will find the problem, fix it and be better for the next race. These are small steps that maybe other people can’t see but they are good steps for us. We are working very hard to improve our situation and I have confidence that we will.”
Nick Wirth, Technical Director
“With the fuel pick-up problems we’d seen on Saturday, it was unfortunately necessary for us to break Parc Ferme this morning and convert our fuel system back to the specification that we had tested on Friday, albeit with further modifications.
The team did a great job to get that done in time as we weren’t allowed to start that work until midday today. Both cars therefore had to start from the pit lane and we were immediately into a very aggressive fuel-saving strategy, which we’d practised in the Simulators last week.
The drivers and the team coped well with the unusual driving style that this called for, as well as the tricky conditions, and overall they both did a brilliant job for the team today. Lucas’ race ended with an internal hydraulic leak, the cause of which we have yet to identify.
We got to 70% distance with Timo and were on target to finish the race fuel-wise when it seems that a rear suspension bracket came loose and allowed some setting shims to eventually fall out, which ended his race. So ultimately we leave here yet to finish our first Grand Prix but with clear signs that our performance is improving.”
John Booth, Team Principal
“Today I’d like to applaud the team on a terrific job in the face of a challenging set of circumstances, at the end of a difficult weekend. The start from the pit lane was seamless and the boys were ‘on it’ in both pit stops.
We got to almost half distance with Lucas and nearly three-quarters of the race with Timo and with the problems we’ve had I am very proud of the way the team have coped. We can go into Malaysia with our heads held high and knowing that things will get better as we get more of the season under our belts.”
When the entire pit crew decamped to the end of the pit lane for the start of the race, both cars got away seamlessly in challenging conditions. And not only that, but we had a race of our own with Michael Schumacher. Okay, so it lasted for around half a lap, but at one point Timo definitely overtook Michael. It was short, but very sweet and perked up the pit crew no end.
The Virgin Racing cars lined up for the start of the 58-lap race in the pit lane, after changing the collectors in both fuel systems following yesterday’s fuel pick-up problem. The ‘will it? – won’t it?’ weather conditions fired enough of a warning salvo to make most of the field decide to opt for intermediate tyres and it was definitely raining as the race got underway, although a full-blown downpour never materialised.
The start procedure worked well and Timo and Lucas avoided getting caught up in the first lap mayhem. The highlight of the opening laps was most definitely a lap 5 tussle with Michael Schumacher as he was working his way back up the field after an early pit stop. Timo in particular fought hard to keep him at bay and having been passed he decided to have another go and retook Michael until giving way to the seven time world champion became inevitable. It was fun while it lasted!
Timo Glock #24
“The start of the race was okay. After leaving the pit lane I was able to catch up Chandhok and some other cars and we had a bit of fun fighting with Michael. The car felt reasonably good in the wet and dry conditions. It was a little busy with all the traffic when we became lapped.
So it was a real shame that we had a problem just 15 laps from the end of the race when I started to feel that there was something wrong with the way the car was feeling. I came in and we found a problem which we now know to be a camber shim having worked loose, and this was causing the suspension to move around on the left rear.
Had we not had the suspension issue I think we would have been looking good for our first chequered flag. So we have to take the positives and see that in some ways we have made progress, albeit there is still a lot of work ahead.”
Lucas di Grassi #25
“The early part of the race was okay for me. The car was behaving quite well at the beginning. Unfortunately, we didn’t time the strategy well to change to slicks but otherwise things were going okay. So it’s a shame that we were hit by another problem - a hydraulic problem – and we had to retire after 26 laps. For sure we will find the problem, fix it and be better for the next race. These are small steps that maybe other people can’t see but they are good steps for us. We are working very hard to improve our situation and I have confidence that we will.”
Nick Wirth, Technical Director
“With the fuel pick-up problems we’d seen on Saturday, it was unfortunately necessary for us to break Parc Ferme this morning and convert our fuel system back to the specification that we had tested on Friday, albeit with further modifications.
The team did a great job to get that done in time as we weren’t allowed to start that work until midday today. Both cars therefore had to start from the pit lane and we were immediately into a very aggressive fuel-saving strategy, which we’d practised in the Simulators last week.
The drivers and the team coped well with the unusual driving style that this called for, as well as the tricky conditions, and overall they both did a brilliant job for the team today. Lucas’ race ended with an internal hydraulic leak, the cause of which we have yet to identify.
We got to 70% distance with Timo and were on target to finish the race fuel-wise when it seems that a rear suspension bracket came loose and allowed some setting shims to eventually fall out, which ended his race. So ultimately we leave here yet to finish our first Grand Prix but with clear signs that our performance is improving.”
John Booth, Team Principal
“Today I’d like to applaud the team on a terrific job in the face of a challenging set of circumstances, at the end of a difficult weekend. The start from the pit lane was seamless and the boys were ‘on it’ in both pit stops.
We got to almost half distance with Lucas and nearly three-quarters of the race with Timo and with the problems we’ve had I am very proud of the way the team have coped. We can go into Malaysia with our heads held high and knowing that things will get better as we get more of the season under our belts.”
Ferrari is ready for the Grand Prix on the Sepang circuit
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro is already hard at work at the Sepang circuit, outside the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, preparing for the third round of the world championship, which it currently leads in both the Drivers' and Constructors' categories. "We are happy with the Melbourne result, even if, on Sunday morning, we might have expected a slightly better one," said Stefano Domenicali. "Considering what happened in the race, we can be pleased with finishing third and fourth, partly because our closest rivals either failed to score, or at least did not pick up many points. We are surely not the only ones to be pleased with the afternoon's work in Albert Park: F1 fans the world over can tell themselves they watched a truly spectacular motor race and those who made such a fuss about Bahrain being dull, should now think again. I have always maintained it is impossible to draw conclusions about the state of our sport after just one Grand Prix, but that does not mean we should now claim that Formula 1 has returned to some sort of golden age, if indeed there ever was one!" A new driver pairing always takes time to break in, but in Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, the Scuderia seems to already have a strong partnership: the Brazilian had a difficult weekend throughout, but he made the best of it, getting a very good start, before adopting a sensibly cautious approach when dealing with a lack of grip. As for the Spaniard, he drove a truly fantastic race, demonstrating not only his skill in going from last to fourth, after his first lap spin, but also the fact that he knows how to be a team player.
"Back-to-backs," the term applied to Grands Prix on consecutive weekends present a tough logistical challenge, which all the teams undertake in conjunction with FOM, (Formula One Management) who are responsible for shipping cars and equipment from one race to the next. Late on Sunday night in Albert Park, the entire team set about re-preparing the two race cars and packing everything into containers. "Once packed, all the containers are positioned in the pit lane, from where trucks take everything to the airport," explains Massimo Balocchi, the team's head of logistics. "We provide all the Customs documentation and FOM does the rest. "Then, in Sepang, the reverse process takes place with the equipment delivered from Kuala Lumpur airport, ready for the team to start work on Tuesday. Not all the material we use goes by air. In order to save time and money, at the start of the year, in January, we send four separate container loads to Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China. These contain much of the infrastructure we need to use, but not the technical equipment or car parts. These containers then return by sea to Europe, where they are repacked and then dispatched again to the last races of the season." Balocchi is also in charge of all personnel movements for a team of around 65 people - the 45 permitted to actually work on the cars and the additional press, marketing and Paddock Club staff. "We always try and stay in a maximum of two hotels at each race," says Balocchi. "That makes the logistics easier in terms of how many cars we use to move around. We have an agreement with Europcar and the local FIAT importers also help on this front. As for the hotel bookings, I normally do this one year in advance, so for example, I have already discussed our 2011 requirements in Melbourne with the hotels this week."
This will be the twelfth edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix and when the circuit was first used in 1999, it was absolutely state-of-the-art and is still one of the best facilities on the calendar. Ferrari's Malaysian adventure got off to a good start, with a trio of wins; Eddie Irvine being first past the flag in the inaugural 1999 event, followed by two victories for Michael Schumacher over the next two years. The German won again in 2004 and Kimi Raikkonen was victorious in 2008. Current driver Fernando Alonso rates the Sepang circuit as one of his all time favourites and the Spaniard stood on the top step of the podium in 2005 with Renault and in 2007 for McLaren.
Sepang provides a challenging track, with the added difficulties of coping with very hot conditions and extreme humidity, two factors which can have a debilitating effect on both car and driver. With that in mind, the F10s will have some further updates aimed at dealing with the unique characteristics of this event. Last year's race started at five in the afternoon, to better suit global TV viewers, however, fairly predictably this meant the inevitable tropical storm disrupted the event, with it being stopped after just 31 of the scheduled 56 laps, so that only half points were awarded, as required by the regulations. Therefore, Sunday's race start has been brought forward by one hour: whether this will be enough to miss the storm is another matter, even if, after Melbourne, the viewing public would appreciate the added spice of a wet track.
"Back-to-backs," the term applied to Grands Prix on consecutive weekends present a tough logistical challenge, which all the teams undertake in conjunction with FOM, (Formula One Management) who are responsible for shipping cars and equipment from one race to the next. Late on Sunday night in Albert Park, the entire team set about re-preparing the two race cars and packing everything into containers. "Once packed, all the containers are positioned in the pit lane, from where trucks take everything to the airport," explains Massimo Balocchi, the team's head of logistics. "We provide all the Customs documentation and FOM does the rest. "Then, in Sepang, the reverse process takes place with the equipment delivered from Kuala Lumpur airport, ready for the team to start work on Tuesday. Not all the material we use goes by air. In order to save time and money, at the start of the year, in January, we send four separate container loads to Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China. These contain much of the infrastructure we need to use, but not the technical equipment or car parts. These containers then return by sea to Europe, where they are repacked and then dispatched again to the last races of the season." Balocchi is also in charge of all personnel movements for a team of around 65 people - the 45 permitted to actually work on the cars and the additional press, marketing and Paddock Club staff. "We always try and stay in a maximum of two hotels at each race," says Balocchi. "That makes the logistics easier in terms of how many cars we use to move around. We have an agreement with Europcar and the local FIAT importers also help on this front. As for the hotel bookings, I normally do this one year in advance, so for example, I have already discussed our 2011 requirements in Melbourne with the hotels this week."
This will be the twelfth edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix and when the circuit was first used in 1999, it was absolutely state-of-the-art and is still one of the best facilities on the calendar. Ferrari's Malaysian adventure got off to a good start, with a trio of wins; Eddie Irvine being first past the flag in the inaugural 1999 event, followed by two victories for Michael Schumacher over the next two years. The German won again in 2004 and Kimi Raikkonen was victorious in 2008. Current driver Fernando Alonso rates the Sepang circuit as one of his all time favourites and the Spaniard stood on the top step of the podium in 2005 with Renault and in 2007 for McLaren.
Sepang provides a challenging track, with the added difficulties of coping with very hot conditions and extreme humidity, two factors which can have a debilitating effect on both car and driver. With that in mind, the F10s will have some further updates aimed at dealing with the unique characteristics of this event. Last year's race started at five in the afternoon, to better suit global TV viewers, however, fairly predictably this meant the inevitable tropical storm disrupted the event, with it being stopped after just 31 of the scheduled 56 laps, so that only half points were awarded, as required by the regulations. Therefore, Sunday's race start has been brought forward by one hour: whether this will be enough to miss the storm is another matter, even if, after Melbourne, the viewing public would appreciate the added spice of a wet track.
Australian Grand Prix
Action and drama
Everyone hoped that Melbourne's reputation for thrills and spills might rehabilitate Formula 1 after the storm of criticism for Bahrain's 90 minutes of tedium - and the Australian GP certainly delivered. The rain helped, but cars were going wheel to wheel long after the track dried, and the new rules worked too: the mix of cars making worn tyres last while others pitted then charged back added a lot to the spectacle.
Interesting technical controversies
Little bits of technical intrigue are a key part of F1. When they turn into full-blown rows over imperceptible components resulting in disqualifications, hasty redesigns and misery, it's no fun. But when it's a case of very clever people going head to head with intriguing innovations like McLaren's F-duct and the rumoured ride height devices being used in qualifying, then it helps keep news ticking over, and underlines just how much intelligent technical imagination the F1 paddock possesses.
Jenson Button
This win was worth far more than 25 points to the world champion. He proved he wasn't mad to go up against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren after all, succeeding with his new team long before even he thought he would.
Robert Kubica
Welcome back to the front, Renault. Quickest in first practice was a promising start, and Kubica reckoned he would've been higher up the top ten if his car hadn't taken exception to Saturday's cool temperature. His tough race drive was yet another reminder of his talent - not everyone would have kept that Renault in second under such concerted pressure.
Paul di Resta
Young Scot di Resta's first experience of the VJM03 in the dry came in Friday practice - at a track he didn't know and with 23 race drivers swarming around trying to get on with their business. But he coped superbly and looked totally at home as he set the 11th fastest time. With no moans from Adrian Sutil about having to vacate his cockpit for a test driver, it looks like di Resta will get plenty of practice this year. He also shrugged off a surprise intrusion from a shark while having a publicity photoshoot on a beach...
But the Australian GP was a BAD weekend for...
Lewis Hamilton
In the race, he drove brilliantly and produced some of the finest overtaking moves of his life. That hour and a bit of pleasure aside, this was a rough few days for Hamilton. His over-exuberance in a road car on Friday night earned both police attention and global newspaper coverage, and was followed by a miserable qualifying session. It was Mark Webber's mistake that cost him a top five finish, but even before that he was already having an unseemly rant at his team over the radio after McLaren called him in for a mid-race tyre change. Oh, and the team-mate he was tipped to totally blow away took a brilliant win. When things go wrong for Lewis, they really go wrong...
Red Bull
Having the fastest car in F1 - which Red Bull clearly does right now - is of little use if it starts falling apart mid-race each time. Vettel has been excellent this year, his pole lap in Melbourne being particularly jaw-dropping, but he doesn't have a lot to show for his speed. Webber's chaotic run to ninth didn't brighten the team's spirits either.
Virgin Racing
So the winter rumours were true: Virgin's fuel tank really is too small for its cars to make the finish. Some would argue that this won't matter as the chances of a Virgin VR-01 seeing the chequered flag are so slim anyway, while the team insisted the problem wasn't as dramatic as paddock gossip suggested - and that at most circuits the drivers would either be fine or only require a slightly fuel-conservative driving style. Luckily Richard Branson was on hand to reiterate his faith in the team, and remind his audience that teething troubles weren't unheard of in Virgin's escapades. And his immediate reaction when told of the fuel tank cock-up? A succinct but expressive "F*** me!"
Michael Schumacher
Let's not drift away with nostalgia - Schumacher's 'first' F1 career was not an uninterrupted string of successes and did feature a few dud races. For instance in his final season he crashed out of the Australian GP having earlier been wheel to wheel with a humble Toro Rosso... at least this weekend he didn't crash. The trouble is that back then such performances were blips amid the excellence. Since his comeback the only 'classic' Schumacher performance has been his minor spat with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton over qualifying blocking. How long till people start speculating that he will abandon his return...?
Kobayashi's front wings
One smashed on a marker cone in practice. Another detached when a weakened mounting broke a little later in the session. A third one dislodged on lap one, prompting a massive accident. Kobayashi's aggressive style can make for exciting viewing, but it's not much fun for his front wings.
Everyone hoped that Melbourne's reputation for thrills and spills might rehabilitate Formula 1 after the storm of criticism for Bahrain's 90 minutes of tedium - and the Australian GP certainly delivered. The rain helped, but cars were going wheel to wheel long after the track dried, and the new rules worked too: the mix of cars making worn tyres last while others pitted then charged back added a lot to the spectacle.
Interesting technical controversies
Little bits of technical intrigue are a key part of F1. When they turn into full-blown rows over imperceptible components resulting in disqualifications, hasty redesigns and misery, it's no fun. But when it's a case of very clever people going head to head with intriguing innovations like McLaren's F-duct and the rumoured ride height devices being used in qualifying, then it helps keep news ticking over, and underlines just how much intelligent technical imagination the F1 paddock possesses.
Jenson Button
This win was worth far more than 25 points to the world champion. He proved he wasn't mad to go up against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren after all, succeeding with his new team long before even he thought he would.
Robert Kubica
Welcome back to the front, Renault. Quickest in first practice was a promising start, and Kubica reckoned he would've been higher up the top ten if his car hadn't taken exception to Saturday's cool temperature. His tough race drive was yet another reminder of his talent - not everyone would have kept that Renault in second under such concerted pressure.
Paul di Resta
Young Scot di Resta's first experience of the VJM03 in the dry came in Friday practice - at a track he didn't know and with 23 race drivers swarming around trying to get on with their business. But he coped superbly and looked totally at home as he set the 11th fastest time. With no moans from Adrian Sutil about having to vacate his cockpit for a test driver, it looks like di Resta will get plenty of practice this year. He also shrugged off a surprise intrusion from a shark while having a publicity photoshoot on a beach...
But the Australian GP was a BAD weekend for...
Lewis Hamilton
In the race, he drove brilliantly and produced some of the finest overtaking moves of his life. That hour and a bit of pleasure aside, this was a rough few days for Hamilton. His over-exuberance in a road car on Friday night earned both police attention and global newspaper coverage, and was followed by a miserable qualifying session. It was Mark Webber's mistake that cost him a top five finish, but even before that he was already having an unseemly rant at his team over the radio after McLaren called him in for a mid-race tyre change. Oh, and the team-mate he was tipped to totally blow away took a brilliant win. When things go wrong for Lewis, they really go wrong...
Red Bull
Having the fastest car in F1 - which Red Bull clearly does right now - is of little use if it starts falling apart mid-race each time. Vettel has been excellent this year, his pole lap in Melbourne being particularly jaw-dropping, but he doesn't have a lot to show for his speed. Webber's chaotic run to ninth didn't brighten the team's spirits either.
Virgin Racing
So the winter rumours were true: Virgin's fuel tank really is too small for its cars to make the finish. Some would argue that this won't matter as the chances of a Virgin VR-01 seeing the chequered flag are so slim anyway, while the team insisted the problem wasn't as dramatic as paddock gossip suggested - and that at most circuits the drivers would either be fine or only require a slightly fuel-conservative driving style. Luckily Richard Branson was on hand to reiterate his faith in the team, and remind his audience that teething troubles weren't unheard of in Virgin's escapades. And his immediate reaction when told of the fuel tank cock-up? A succinct but expressive "F*** me!"
Michael Schumacher
Let's not drift away with nostalgia - Schumacher's 'first' F1 career was not an uninterrupted string of successes and did feature a few dud races. For instance in his final season he crashed out of the Australian GP having earlier been wheel to wheel with a humble Toro Rosso... at least this weekend he didn't crash. The trouble is that back then such performances were blips amid the excellence. Since his comeback the only 'classic' Schumacher performance has been his minor spat with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton over qualifying blocking. How long till people start speculating that he will abandon his return...?
Kobayashi's front wings
One smashed on a marker cone in practice. Another detached when a weakened mounting broke a little later in the session. A third one dislodged on lap one, prompting a massive accident. Kobayashi's aggressive style can make for exciting viewing, but it's not much fun for his front wings.
Q and A with Renault’s Steve Nielsen
Although Vitaly Petrov’s race ended in a gravel trap, Renault left Melbourne smiling thanks to Robert Kubica’s podium finish. With just a few days to go until this weekend’s Malaysian event, the team’s sporting director Steve Nielsen reflects on the Australian Grand Prix and looks ahead to making more progress in Sepang…
Q: Steve, Robert scored Renault’s first podium of the year in Melbourne - just what the team needed to kickstart its season…
Steve Nielsen: It was a super result and to be honest it was quite unexpected considering where we qualified. There’s no denying there was a slice of luck involved, but I’m happy to take this result after the bad luck we had at the start of the race in Bahrain. It’s a great reward for the whole team who have put in long hours at the track and back at the factory.
Q: It was a very busy race - how tough was it to make the right calls from the pit wall?
SN: The big decision we had to make was when to change to dry tyres, but that was made easier by Button, who was the first to switch from the intermediates. We kept an eye on his times and when he went quickest in sector two we knew it was the time to pit our cars - as most of the teams did. After that the race was all about Robert holding off the quicker cars and looking after his tyres, which he did brilliantly.
Q: How concerned were you about the tyres lasting on Kubica’s car?
SN: Before the race I never would have thought that the option tyre could perform so well over 50 laps, but the way the race unfolded meant that we had no choice but to try and make them last the distance. If we had pitted for fresh tyres, we would have dropped a long way down the field.
Q: Petrov had an early exit - how did you assess his performance over the weekend?
SN: He performed well all weekend and had another great start to the race, but it’s just a shame that his race was cut short. Hopefully in Malaysia he can finish the race, and if he does he’s definitely quick enough to finish in the points.
Q: What was the drivers’ feedback to the updates the team brought to Melbourne?
SN: Overall the feedback was positive: they gave us the performance we expected and confirmed the numbers predicted back at the factory. Both Robert and Vitaly feel the car is going in the right direction, although the cooler conditions in Melbourne certainly impacted on the performance of the car. The whole team did a tremendous job to get these updates on the car and we need to keep our heads down so that we can continue bringing new parts to every race.
Q: Will there be more upgrades on the R30 in Malaysia this weekend?
SN: Yes, we’ve got more aero parts going on the car in Sepang, and more parts for the next few races after that, so hopefully the car will continue improving with each race.
Q: The mechanics have been working long hours at the last two races. How is team morale after all their recent efforts?
SN: We always work long hours at the start of the season in order to get as much performance on the car as possible, so it’s something that we’re used to. It’s never nice to work all day and all night, as we did in Bahrain, but the guys never complain and they always get the job done. It’s a shame that we didn’t get the result we deserved in Bahrain, but the result in Melbourne has given everybody a boost.
Q: What challenges are posed by back-to-back races on different continents?
SN: It’s probably the fact that we have to pack up in Australia and be fully installed in Malaysia by Wednesday afternoon. Most people don’t realise that we still have around ten hours’ work ahead of us when the flag drops at the end of the race. In Australia the race was late in the afternoon, finishing around 6:30pm, which meant the guys didn’t finishing packing up until 4am on Monday morning. After a few hours sleep they were on a flight to Malaysia because they need to be back to work on Tuesday setting up in Sepang. So the biggest challenge is the intense workload over these few days - we’re either working or sleeping.
Q: And what about the freight? When will that arrive in Malaysia?
SN: Fortunately FOM take care of shipping the freight for all the teams. The cars and equipment should be with us in Malaysia by midday Tuesday.
Q: How tough is it to work in the hot and humid conditions in Malaysia?
SN: It’s very challenging and it’s fair to say that everybody’s work rate reduces slightly because you have to pace yourself. The most important thing for the mechanics is to remember to keep drinking fluids to avoid the risk of dehydration because the heat can really build up in the garage. We will get through twice as many bottles of water as we would at a typical European race and we also take a lot of special rehydration drinks. Every year somebody usually forgets to drink enough and they feel a bit faint, so I’ll remind everyone to drink something every half hour.
Q: What do you think of the circuit and facilities in Malaysia?
SN: We’ve been racing there since 1999 and, although the facilities may look a bit dated compared with some of the newer circuits, they are still of a very high standard. As a team we have enjoyed some good races there, including a one-two in 2006, so it’s somewhere we return to with fond memories. It’s also a track that produces good racing and there are some decent overtaking opportunities. The climate means there’s a good chance of heavy rain showers, which may only last for a few seconds, but completely soak the circuit. It’s another factor we have to take into consideration and it has created some exciting races in the past.
Q: Steve, Robert scored Renault’s first podium of the year in Melbourne - just what the team needed to kickstart its season…
Steve Nielsen: It was a super result and to be honest it was quite unexpected considering where we qualified. There’s no denying there was a slice of luck involved, but I’m happy to take this result after the bad luck we had at the start of the race in Bahrain. It’s a great reward for the whole team who have put in long hours at the track and back at the factory.
Q: It was a very busy race - how tough was it to make the right calls from the pit wall?
SN: The big decision we had to make was when to change to dry tyres, but that was made easier by Button, who was the first to switch from the intermediates. We kept an eye on his times and when he went quickest in sector two we knew it was the time to pit our cars - as most of the teams did. After that the race was all about Robert holding off the quicker cars and looking after his tyres, which he did brilliantly.
Q: How concerned were you about the tyres lasting on Kubica’s car?
SN: Before the race I never would have thought that the option tyre could perform so well over 50 laps, but the way the race unfolded meant that we had no choice but to try and make them last the distance. If we had pitted for fresh tyres, we would have dropped a long way down the field.
Q: Petrov had an early exit - how did you assess his performance over the weekend?
SN: He performed well all weekend and had another great start to the race, but it’s just a shame that his race was cut short. Hopefully in Malaysia he can finish the race, and if he does he’s definitely quick enough to finish in the points.
Q: What was the drivers’ feedback to the updates the team brought to Melbourne?
SN: Overall the feedback was positive: they gave us the performance we expected and confirmed the numbers predicted back at the factory. Both Robert and Vitaly feel the car is going in the right direction, although the cooler conditions in Melbourne certainly impacted on the performance of the car. The whole team did a tremendous job to get these updates on the car and we need to keep our heads down so that we can continue bringing new parts to every race.
Q: Will there be more upgrades on the R30 in Malaysia this weekend?
SN: Yes, we’ve got more aero parts going on the car in Sepang, and more parts for the next few races after that, so hopefully the car will continue improving with each race.
Q: The mechanics have been working long hours at the last two races. How is team morale after all their recent efforts?
SN: We always work long hours at the start of the season in order to get as much performance on the car as possible, so it’s something that we’re used to. It’s never nice to work all day and all night, as we did in Bahrain, but the guys never complain and they always get the job done. It’s a shame that we didn’t get the result we deserved in Bahrain, but the result in Melbourne has given everybody a boost.
Q: What challenges are posed by back-to-back races on different continents?
SN: It’s probably the fact that we have to pack up in Australia and be fully installed in Malaysia by Wednesday afternoon. Most people don’t realise that we still have around ten hours’ work ahead of us when the flag drops at the end of the race. In Australia the race was late in the afternoon, finishing around 6:30pm, which meant the guys didn’t finishing packing up until 4am on Monday morning. After a few hours sleep they were on a flight to Malaysia because they need to be back to work on Tuesday setting up in Sepang. So the biggest challenge is the intense workload over these few days - we’re either working or sleeping.
Q: And what about the freight? When will that arrive in Malaysia?
SN: Fortunately FOM take care of shipping the freight for all the teams. The cars and equipment should be with us in Malaysia by midday Tuesday.
Q: How tough is it to work in the hot and humid conditions in Malaysia?
SN: It’s very challenging and it’s fair to say that everybody’s work rate reduces slightly because you have to pace yourself. The most important thing for the mechanics is to remember to keep drinking fluids to avoid the risk of dehydration because the heat can really build up in the garage. We will get through twice as many bottles of water as we would at a typical European race and we also take a lot of special rehydration drinks. Every year somebody usually forgets to drink enough and they feel a bit faint, so I’ll remind everyone to drink something every half hour.
Q: What do you think of the circuit and facilities in Malaysia?
SN: We’ve been racing there since 1999 and, although the facilities may look a bit dated compared with some of the newer circuits, they are still of a very high standard. As a team we have enjoyed some good races there, including a one-two in 2006, so it’s somewhere we return to with fond memories. It’s also a track that produces good racing and there are some decent overtaking opportunities. The climate means there’s a good chance of heavy rain showers, which may only last for a few seconds, but completely soak the circuit. It’s another factor we have to take into consideration and it has created some exciting races in the past.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Renault to push harder in races now
Renault boss Eric Boullier thinks that his team can set its sights on pushing even harder in the races now - after Robert Kubica's breakthrough podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix.
Kubica delivered a brilliant performance at Albert Park to hold off race-long pressure from Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa and grab his first podium for his new team.
And with the outfit now understanding exactly how quick its car is, and getting a better grip on tyre strategies, Boullier thinks Renault can lift its performance up a gear in future races.
"Obviously we knew already that our car has good race pace, and is a consistent one, but it was a question mark about tyre degradation," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.
"Now we know so we can push on with a little bit more."
Boullier believes that the podium finish, which comes after a troubled spell for Renault after the Singapore GP crash scandal and a winter of uncertainty about its future, will help spur team personnel on even more.
"We know our car has the pace to be at least just behind the big top four, so obviously any mess up front we can take the opportunity to score points.
"Obviously I am very, very happy with the team at Enstone and Viry-Chatillon because they did an awesome job during the winter, and it is good to have some points and podiums. The target is done, but it helps morale to be even better."
Reflecting on the importance of the victory after the troubled winter, Boullier said: "Of course it was difficult because they are racer people.
"When you don't have results you are just flat. On top of all of this we had the stories, and the change of control of the company – so as we have been saying for three months, I wanted this team to be head down, working and to do what we know is the best – racing. So to be on the podium is great for them."
Kubica delivered a brilliant performance at Albert Park to hold off race-long pressure from Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa and grab his first podium for his new team.
And with the outfit now understanding exactly how quick its car is, and getting a better grip on tyre strategies, Boullier thinks Renault can lift its performance up a gear in future races.
"Obviously we knew already that our car has good race pace, and is a consistent one, but it was a question mark about tyre degradation," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.
"Now we know so we can push on with a little bit more."
Boullier believes that the podium finish, which comes after a troubled spell for Renault after the Singapore GP crash scandal and a winter of uncertainty about its future, will help spur team personnel on even more.
"We know our car has the pace to be at least just behind the big top four, so obviously any mess up front we can take the opportunity to score points.
"Obviously I am very, very happy with the team at Enstone and Viry-Chatillon because they did an awesome job during the winter, and it is good to have some points and podiums. The target is done, but it helps morale to be even better."
Reflecting on the importance of the victory after the troubled winter, Boullier said: "Of course it was difficult because they are racer people.
"When you don't have results you are just flat. On top of all of this we had the stories, and the change of control of the company – so as we have been saying for three months, I wanted this team to be head down, working and to do what we know is the best – racing. So to be on the podium is great for them."
Brembo denies Vettel's brake failure
Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a brake failure.
The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.
Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.
The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.
"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.
"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.
"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.
"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."
The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.
Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.
The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.
"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.
"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.
"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.
"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."
Monday 29 March 2010
Mercedes have mixed fortunes in Australian Grand Prix
An eventful race at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix saw Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher bring their MGP W01 cars home in the points for a second successive race with Nico in fifth position and Michael in 10th place.
Rain immediately before the start meant all cars began on intermediate tyres. Michael was hit by Fernando Alonso in the first corner and was forced to pit for a new nose, resuming the race at the back of the field. Nico was running in fifth place at the end of lap one.
With the track drying, both drivers pitted on lap eight to switch to slicks. With the soft option tyres suffering from degradation, Michael pitted for a fresh set on lap 29 with Nico following on lap 33, rejoining in 12th and 7th positions respectively.
An exciting end to the race saw Nico catch up to the closely-bunched group from Robert Kubica in second place to Mark Webber in sixth place. He was therefore in position to take advantage when Webber and Lewis Hamilton collided and move up to fifth place. Michael had a late surge to overtake Jaime Alguersuari and Pedro De La Rosa, collecting the final point for 10th place.
Mercedes GP Petronas are currently in third position in the Constructors’ Championship after two races.
Nico Rosberg
“Fifth place is a good result after a mixed-up race today. I had a bad start in the wet and after that we lacked pace and I struggled with the option tyre. The rear degradation was pretty bad so we decided to go for a second stop and get some fresh tyres to try to attack the group ahead. Even with the tyre advantage, it would have been difficult to pass once we caught up and therefore it was good to make up a couple of places when Mark and Lewis had an incident, so I’m pleased with that. We need to keep on taking the points whilst we improve the car so overall it was a decent weekend.”
Michael Schumacher
“I could have had a good race today so it was a pity that I was hit right after the start. That incident decided my race obviously. But things like that happen and you have to just say ‘that’s racing’. I had to take the remainder of the race from last position but I have to say that I was still having fun as our pace today was promising and for part of the race, we were going quicker than the top group. It was nice to pick up a point and we can take that good feeling into the next race where we will look forward to another challenge.”
Ross Brawn
“Nico did a very good job today and pushed hard to get fifth place. He was in a reasonable position halfway through but we began to get concerned about his tyres. He had lost a position to Lewis and it looked like Mark would get past so we took the decision to bring him in. As expected with fresh tyres, he caught up with the pack towards the end and was able to take advantage of the ensuing incident with the cars ahead. Whether we gained from bringing him in or whether his original tyres could have held out is difficult to know. Michael had the first lap incident which made his race very difficult thereafter and he did a very good job to keep at it and score a point. Overall I’m pleased with how the team performed this weekend. We got the most out of the car but clearly need to find some more performance. It’s not out of reach and we have a lot to look forward to over the next few races. Congratulations to Jenson on a great performance and victory today.”
Norbert Haug
"A very entertaining race and indeed probably one of the best ever. The rain and the various tyre strategies mixed up the field and our drivers showed competitive speed. Better than fifth and tenth positions was possible but Michael was a victim of Button and Alonso coming together in the first corner which required a stop and nose change. Michael stopped three times in total so finishing in tenth position and in the points was the maximum that he could achieve after an excellent drive. Nico did a great job, finishing just over two seconds behind a podium position and in the same league with the fastest. Great job, Nico! We have scored points in all four starts and our speed in Melbourne was much better than in Bahrain. Congratulations to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and to Jenson Button. Their early tyre change was followed by a great and measured drive from Jenson. This was the 69th victory for Mercedes-Benz since Melbourne 1997 and I hope soon we will have a jubilee. Looking to the next race in Malaysia, everybody in the team is very dedicated to catching up and I am sure this will be achieved soon.”
Rain immediately before the start meant all cars began on intermediate tyres. Michael was hit by Fernando Alonso in the first corner and was forced to pit for a new nose, resuming the race at the back of the field. Nico was running in fifth place at the end of lap one.
With the track drying, both drivers pitted on lap eight to switch to slicks. With the soft option tyres suffering from degradation, Michael pitted for a fresh set on lap 29 with Nico following on lap 33, rejoining in 12th and 7th positions respectively.
An exciting end to the race saw Nico catch up to the closely-bunched group from Robert Kubica in second place to Mark Webber in sixth place. He was therefore in position to take advantage when Webber and Lewis Hamilton collided and move up to fifth place. Michael had a late surge to overtake Jaime Alguersuari and Pedro De La Rosa, collecting the final point for 10th place.
Mercedes GP Petronas are currently in third position in the Constructors’ Championship after two races.
Nico Rosberg
“Fifth place is a good result after a mixed-up race today. I had a bad start in the wet and after that we lacked pace and I struggled with the option tyre. The rear degradation was pretty bad so we decided to go for a second stop and get some fresh tyres to try to attack the group ahead. Even with the tyre advantage, it would have been difficult to pass once we caught up and therefore it was good to make up a couple of places when Mark and Lewis had an incident, so I’m pleased with that. We need to keep on taking the points whilst we improve the car so overall it was a decent weekend.”
Michael Schumacher
“I could have had a good race today so it was a pity that I was hit right after the start. That incident decided my race obviously. But things like that happen and you have to just say ‘that’s racing’. I had to take the remainder of the race from last position but I have to say that I was still having fun as our pace today was promising and for part of the race, we were going quicker than the top group. It was nice to pick up a point and we can take that good feeling into the next race where we will look forward to another challenge.”
Ross Brawn
“Nico did a very good job today and pushed hard to get fifth place. He was in a reasonable position halfway through but we began to get concerned about his tyres. He had lost a position to Lewis and it looked like Mark would get past so we took the decision to bring him in. As expected with fresh tyres, he caught up with the pack towards the end and was able to take advantage of the ensuing incident with the cars ahead. Whether we gained from bringing him in or whether his original tyres could have held out is difficult to know. Michael had the first lap incident which made his race very difficult thereafter and he did a very good job to keep at it and score a point. Overall I’m pleased with how the team performed this weekend. We got the most out of the car but clearly need to find some more performance. It’s not out of reach and we have a lot to look forward to over the next few races. Congratulations to Jenson on a great performance and victory today.”
Norbert Haug
"A very entertaining race and indeed probably one of the best ever. The rain and the various tyre strategies mixed up the field and our drivers showed competitive speed. Better than fifth and tenth positions was possible but Michael was a victim of Button and Alonso coming together in the first corner which required a stop and nose change. Michael stopped three times in total so finishing in tenth position and in the points was the maximum that he could achieve after an excellent drive. Nico did a great job, finishing just over two seconds behind a podium position and in the same league with the fastest. Great job, Nico! We have scored points in all four starts and our speed in Melbourne was much better than in Bahrain. Congratulations to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and to Jenson Button. Their early tyre change was followed by a great and measured drive from Jenson. This was the 69th victory for Mercedes-Benz since Melbourne 1997 and I hope soon we will have a jubilee. Looking to the next race in Malaysia, everybody in the team is very dedicated to catching up and I am sure this will be achieved soon.”
Q and A with Christian Horner
Red Bull swept the front row in Australia, then it all fell apart in the race as Sebastian Vettel retired from the lead with a wheel failure and Mark Webber made a string of errors and eventually finished eighth.
AUTOSPORT was there to hear team boss Christian Horner's thoughts on another frustrating weekend for the fastest team in Formula 1.
Christian HornerQ. What was the thinking behind the early decision about pitstops?
Christian Horner: Obviously it was important to get the crossover right and the priority will always go to the race leader in that situation. Mark [Webber] had to go a lap longer, which dropped him fewer places than if he had queued in the pitlane.
Then, Sebastian [Vettel] was controlling the race, looking after the tyres - there was a long way to go. It could have rained again but it looked like it was going to be dry and he was cruising, looking after the tyres. He saw some sparks on that lap and radioed in, saying he had a problem. We called him in and unfortunately whatever failure occurred happened in Turn 13, of all corners.
Q. What can you do to avoid a repeat of this type of problem - as you had a brake issue in Bahrain qualifying?
CH: That was a brake disc issue, which was similar to what Lewis Hamilton had in Abu Dhabi last year. We just keep pushing. Don't panic - it is a long season. We know we have got a fast car and I would far rather have a fast car than a slow car. We've had two pole positions. We should have been sitting on 50 points and Sebastian is sitting on 12. But there is still a long way to go, and the season will have many different twists and turns.
Q. Do you think there was anything wrong in the incident between Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton?
CH: I don't think so. It was a racing accident and I don't think you could complain about this race being boring. Mark was in a position and quicker, Lewis was in trouble with his tyres – as he had radioed in – and he had to have a go. For me it was a racing incident.
Q. What can you say to Sebastian Vettel to get the trust back in the car?
CH: I think he has got complete trust and confidence in the car. He has been massively fast all weekend. Unfortunately a reliability issue has cost him a race win this weekend, but he will be back very strong in a week's time.
Q. How is he feeling about this, because he should be leading the championship?
CH: He recognises that, but he also recognises that he has got a very fast car beneath him. So, I think it is not time for panic and we just need to stay focused. Malaysia should be a good track for us and it is important for us that we go there and challenge to win that race. At least Fernando Alonso didn't win again here. We've had a different winner, so it is very, very early in the championship.
Q. You look frustrated and annoyed – you are not your normal relaxed self?
CH: Starting first and second on the grid, the whole team is pretty pissed off to have only come away with two points. But we will brush ourselves down. We take away from here the confidence that again we have a very fast car and we will work hard on whatever the problem is that caused this issue. And we will be stronger in a week's time.
Q. What did you make of Mark's race?
CH: I thought it was very eventful. He and Lewis got together at least three times – and he was just unlucky. He dropped a place at the start and got it back in a great move on [Felipe] Massa. Then obviously he lost a little bit of ground when he had to wait to pit after Sebastian – and he was making progress again.
He passed Massa again, lost a place to Hamilton going in deep to Turn 2, went off the track but got back on. Then everything calmed down and he was sitting in a queue that was difficult to make any progress in. And there was little to lose in taking another set of tyres and going again.
He managed to jump [Nico] Rosberg at the stop, very nearly jumped Hamilton but had traffic with [Heikki] Kovalainen on his out lap. Then he passed Hamilton, went off again on a different line – so Hamilton got back past him. Then quickly the two of them caught the [Robert] Kubica-Massa-Alonso train and it looked set for a really big battle over the last 10 laps. Lewis didn't manage to do any damage to Fernando, Mark got a run at Lewis and it was a racing incident.
Q. Do you think it was over-confidence from Mark?
CH: I think he had to have a go. Lewis had made a mistake the lap before. He had already radioed in that he was struggling with graining on his tyres, so he had to have a go.
Q. In the second half of last season, Red Bull had a very quick car but niggles cost it points in the championship. Are we seeing a repeat this time out?
CH: I don't think we've ever seen this failure before. We need to understand it first. The pitstop execution was strong and other teams will have other issues at different points of the year. We haven't had one driver go out and dominate, the dominant car so far is ours and it is important that in one race's time we score some big points.
Q. In Malaysia do you think you have a chance to be as strong as here?
CH: I see no reason why not. Aero is something we are good at.
AUTOSPORT was there to hear team boss Christian Horner's thoughts on another frustrating weekend for the fastest team in Formula 1.
Christian HornerQ. What was the thinking behind the early decision about pitstops?
Christian Horner: Obviously it was important to get the crossover right and the priority will always go to the race leader in that situation. Mark [Webber] had to go a lap longer, which dropped him fewer places than if he had queued in the pitlane.
Then, Sebastian [Vettel] was controlling the race, looking after the tyres - there was a long way to go. It could have rained again but it looked like it was going to be dry and he was cruising, looking after the tyres. He saw some sparks on that lap and radioed in, saying he had a problem. We called him in and unfortunately whatever failure occurred happened in Turn 13, of all corners.
Q. What can you do to avoid a repeat of this type of problem - as you had a brake issue in Bahrain qualifying?
CH: That was a brake disc issue, which was similar to what Lewis Hamilton had in Abu Dhabi last year. We just keep pushing. Don't panic - it is a long season. We know we have got a fast car and I would far rather have a fast car than a slow car. We've had two pole positions. We should have been sitting on 50 points and Sebastian is sitting on 12. But there is still a long way to go, and the season will have many different twists and turns.
Q. Do you think there was anything wrong in the incident between Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton?
CH: I don't think so. It was a racing accident and I don't think you could complain about this race being boring. Mark was in a position and quicker, Lewis was in trouble with his tyres – as he had radioed in – and he had to have a go. For me it was a racing incident.
Q. What can you say to Sebastian Vettel to get the trust back in the car?
CH: I think he has got complete trust and confidence in the car. He has been massively fast all weekend. Unfortunately a reliability issue has cost him a race win this weekend, but he will be back very strong in a week's time.
Q. How is he feeling about this, because he should be leading the championship?
CH: He recognises that, but he also recognises that he has got a very fast car beneath him. So, I think it is not time for panic and we just need to stay focused. Malaysia should be a good track for us and it is important for us that we go there and challenge to win that race. At least Fernando Alonso didn't win again here. We've had a different winner, so it is very, very early in the championship.
Q. You look frustrated and annoyed – you are not your normal relaxed self?
CH: Starting first and second on the grid, the whole team is pretty pissed off to have only come away with two points. But we will brush ourselves down. We take away from here the confidence that again we have a very fast car and we will work hard on whatever the problem is that caused this issue. And we will be stronger in a week's time.
Q. What did you make of Mark's race?
CH: I thought it was very eventful. He and Lewis got together at least three times – and he was just unlucky. He dropped a place at the start and got it back in a great move on [Felipe] Massa. Then obviously he lost a little bit of ground when he had to wait to pit after Sebastian – and he was making progress again.
He passed Massa again, lost a place to Hamilton going in deep to Turn 2, went off the track but got back on. Then everything calmed down and he was sitting in a queue that was difficult to make any progress in. And there was little to lose in taking another set of tyres and going again.
He managed to jump [Nico] Rosberg at the stop, very nearly jumped Hamilton but had traffic with [Heikki] Kovalainen on his out lap. Then he passed Hamilton, went off again on a different line – so Hamilton got back past him. Then quickly the two of them caught the [Robert] Kubica-Massa-Alonso train and it looked set for a really big battle over the last 10 laps. Lewis didn't manage to do any damage to Fernando, Mark got a run at Lewis and it was a racing incident.
Q. Do you think it was over-confidence from Mark?
CH: I think he had to have a go. Lewis had made a mistake the lap before. He had already radioed in that he was struggling with graining on his tyres, so he had to have a go.
Q. In the second half of last season, Red Bull had a very quick car but niggles cost it points in the championship. Are we seeing a repeat this time out?
CH: I don't think we've ever seen this failure before. We need to understand it first. The pitstop execution was strong and other teams will have other issues at different points of the year. We haven't had one driver go out and dominate, the dominant car so far is ours and it is important that in one race's time we score some big points.
Q. In Malaysia do you think you have a chance to be as strong as here?
CH: I see no reason why not. Aero is something we are good at.
Weekend review and results round-up
Formula 1 thoroughly redeemed itself in Melbourne, where a race packed with incident and overtaking from the outset to the flag put an end to talk of an entertainment crisis in the sport - and saw Jenson Button win again in only his second start with McLaren.
There was no shortage of drama off-track either. The technical catchphrases of 2010 were clearly established as Sauber copied McLaren's F-duct and others announced their intention to follow suit, while a controversy began to brew over potential ride height devices. Virgin had a technical issue of a different sort, with the incredible revelation that its fuel tank was simply too small.
Lewis Hamilton's brush with the Melbourne traffic police on Friday night received huge publicity and hinted at a tough weekend to come for the former champion, while Michael Schumacher was involved in the first controversy of his comeback with a minor spat over blocking in qualifying.
While rain contributed greatly to the Melbourne spectacle, it wiped out the rest of the weekend's international racing programme. Both NASCAR and the IndyCar Series will attempt to race today after rain intervened at Martinsville and in St Petersburg on Sunday.
There was no shortage of drama off-track either. The technical catchphrases of 2010 were clearly established as Sauber copied McLaren's F-duct and others announced their intention to follow suit, while a controversy began to brew over potential ride height devices. Virgin had a technical issue of a different sort, with the incredible revelation that its fuel tank was simply too small.
Lewis Hamilton's brush with the Melbourne traffic police on Friday night received huge publicity and hinted at a tough weekend to come for the former champion, while Michael Schumacher was involved in the first controversy of his comeback with a minor spat over blocking in qualifying.
While rain contributed greatly to the Melbourne spectacle, it wiped out the rest of the weekend's international racing programme. Both NASCAR and the IndyCar Series will attempt to race today after rain intervened at Martinsville and in St Petersburg on Sunday.
Sunday 28 March 2010
Vettel says failure robbed him of win
Sebastian Vettel believes he would have won the Australian Grand Prix today had a brake failure not pitched him off the road just before half-distance.
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia.
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia.
Liuzzi delighted after 'perfect' weekend
Tonio Liuzzi labelled his seventh place at the Australian Grand Prix as a perfect result following another strong race for the Italian.
"Another great race and another great result for the team," said Liuzzi, who charged back from 13th place to score points for the second race in succession.
"It's a confirmation of the pace we showed in Bahrain and the work the team did over the winter," added the Italian, ninth in the season opener.
"We worked hard all weekend for this seventh place and it's a brilliant result at the end of what was a crazy race.
"At the beginning of the race on the intermediate tyres we were struggling a little and lost a few positions but after I pitted for the dry tyres I was able to recover and stay on the race pace.
"Towards the end of the race the rear tyres were going off a lot as I had been on them for a long time, but it was just enough to hold onto the position. I think it was another perfect weekend and now we can look forward to Malaysia."
Team-mate Adrian Sutil was not so lucky, the German missing out on a points finish despite starting from the top ten.
Sutil retired from the race after just 12 laps.
"We seemed to have a problem with the engine very early on in the race," Sutil said. "I was driving on just four cylinders and then lost the power and that was it really. It was a shame as we were looking good after the start.
"The team looked to try and get me out again after I came into the garage as we were in such a good position and I was the quickest car on the circuit at one stage.
"We missed out on a big chance here today but what can you do. It's good news for the team that Tonio got some more points and I'll be looking to bring my points on board at the next race."
"Another great race and another great result for the team," said Liuzzi, who charged back from 13th place to score points for the second race in succession.
"It's a confirmation of the pace we showed in Bahrain and the work the team did over the winter," added the Italian, ninth in the season opener.
"We worked hard all weekend for this seventh place and it's a brilliant result at the end of what was a crazy race.
"At the beginning of the race on the intermediate tyres we were struggling a little and lost a few positions but after I pitted for the dry tyres I was able to recover and stay on the race pace.
"Towards the end of the race the rear tyres were going off a lot as I had been on them for a long time, but it was just enough to hold onto the position. I think it was another perfect weekend and now we can look forward to Malaysia."
Team-mate Adrian Sutil was not so lucky, the German missing out on a points finish despite starting from the top ten.
Sutil retired from the race after just 12 laps.
"We seemed to have a problem with the engine very early on in the race," Sutil said. "I was driving on just four cylinders and then lost the power and that was it really. It was a shame as we were looking good after the start.
"The team looked to try and get me out again after I came into the garage as we were in such a good position and I was the quickest car on the circuit at one stage.
"We missed out on a big chance here today but what can you do. It's good news for the team that Tonio got some more points and I'll be looking to bring my points on board at the next race."
Button takes first win with McLaren
Jenson Button claimed his first victory for McLaren with a brilliant drive and a perfect tyre strategy in a thrilling Australian Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion's bold early switch to dry tyres in a race that began damp put him in position to inherit the lead when a brake failure pitched Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) into the gravel and out of a race he had hitherto controlled.
Robert Kubica claimed a superb second for Renault, fending off Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso's Ferraris, and Nico Rosberg's Mercedes in a tense finale as the top four finishers nursed their tyres to the end while their pursuers took on fresh rubber at half-distance. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Mark Webber (Red Bull) had been in the thick of this fight too until a late tangle.
In contrast to the lacklustre Sakhir race, Melbourne delivered thrills and spills from the outside, with the race commencing on a damp track.
As the field slithered through Turn 1 for the first time, contact between the slow-starting Alonso and Button sent the Ferrari spinning into Michael Schumacher's Mercedes, breaking its front wing, with Hamilton jinking over the grass in avoidance.
Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi then arrived at the kink before Turn 6 already missing his front wing from a previous incident, and speared into the inside wall before sledging back across the track and violently collecting both Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso and Nico Hulkenberg's Williams mid-corner. That inevitably prompted a safety car.
The Red Bulls had been split into the first corner by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who made a superb start from fifth on the grid. But Red Bull formation was resumed two laps after the restart, as Webber slipped past the Brazilian into Turn 6 and left him to try and fend off Kubica and Rosberg.
The McLarens had ended up sixth and seventh once the first corner mess unfolded, with Button in front until Hamilton dived past him into Turn 3 on lap six. Button then decided the track was ready for slicks and pitted.
This looked like an over-bold move when he skittered over the gravel at Turn 3 on his out-lap - but fastest sector times around the rest of the lap proved Button's gamble was wise.
Soon the whole field was following Button's example, although the two Red Bulls stayed out longer than most as the team expected more rain. Ultimately only light drizzle came, and the leaders belatedly went for slicks as well.
That tactic still succeeded for Vettel, who rejoined from his stop just ahead of the flying Button, who had vaulted to second thanks to his brave early tyre switch, but Webber stayed out until lap 10, losing out to Kubica and Rosberg - and then Massa too as he went over the grass at Turn 1 as he rejoined.
Vettel soon started edging away from Button, with Kubica and Rosberg dropping back from the two leaders. Behind them, some epic racing was underway, mostly involving drivers trying to get around Massa.
Webber surged down the inside of the Ferrari into Turn 1 on lap 15, with Hamilton immediately following him through and then attacking the Red Bull into Turn 3 - where both went wide, with Webber going right over the gravel. That allowed Massa back ahead of Hamilton, while by the time Webber regained the asphalt the charging Alonso had also gone through, the Bahrain winner having rapidly hacked through the midfield following his first lap spin.
Six laps later Hamilton successfully passed Massa for fifth into Turn 1, despite the Ferrari's best defensive efforts, with Alonso trying to do likewise into Turn 3, only to get hung out on the still-damp extremes of the track and lose a place to Webber again.
Once free of Massa, Hamilton charged straight onto Rosberg's tail and took fourth from the Mercedes with an incredible move around the outside into the sixth gear Turn 11. That cost the McLaren momentum onto the next straight and Rosberg looked set to repass into Turn 13 - but had to back off for yellow flags as moments earlier race leader Vettel had slid into the gravel as his Red Bull suffered a brake failure.
That denied Vettel a near-certain victory, and while the disconsolate German trudged back to the pits, Button found himself in the lead by 6s over Kubica, who soon had Hamilton all over the back of him, while behind them Webber made it past Massa with an outside line move at Turn 3. Alonso, however, would not get past his team-mate so easily, remaining trapped behind Massa for lap after lap.
By half-distance many drivers were struggling with wear on the soft tyres they had taken once the track dried, and after an initial slew of midfield pitstops, Hamilton, Rosberg and Webber all decided they needed fresh rubber too.
Webber was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 31, and managed to get around Rosberg through Turns 2 and 3 as the Mercedes rejoined after its stop a lap later. Hamilton waited two laps longer and stayed ahead of the now-flying Webber, despite a scare at Turn 13 when he took to the grass but was able to muscle back in front of the Red Bull at Turn 14 as it too slid wide.
Button had no concerns about tyre wear and continued to pull away from Kubica, who now had both Ferraris hounding him, while half a minute behind Button, Hamilton, Webber and Rosberg made the most of their fresher tyres to start taking 1-2s per lap out of the leaders.
With eight laps to go, Kubica, Massa, Alonso, Hamilton and Webber were nose to tail in second to sixth places, with Rosberg gaining on the queue as well. Hamilton's tyres went off again in the Ferraris' dirty air, but he still got alongside Alonso into Turn 13 two laps from the end. As Alonso kept Hamilton to the outside, Webber hit the back of the McLaren under braking, smashing the Red Bull's front wing and spinning Hamilton through the gravel. The latter rejoined in sixth, with Webber falling to ninth.
Button stayed comfortably clear of this mayhem, masterfully keeping his tyres in shape and cruising to victory with a 12s margin over Kubica.
Although Adrian Sutil was an early retirement, Tonio Liuzzi scored again for Force India in seventh, passing Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa mid-race and then gaining another place when Rubens Barrichello decided to pit for new tyres and dropped from eighth to 10th. He then inherited seventh thanks to the Hamilton/Webber tangle.
Barrichello fought back to reclaim ninth from de la Rosa and was elevated another place thanks to Webber's stop.
Schumacher never really recovered from his first lap delay, spending the majority of the afternoon trapped behind Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso. Although he eventually overtook the young Spaniard, they would swap places again when both pitted for tyres and had to muscle back past the Toro Rosso in the closing stages. Both then passed the struggling de la Rosa, allowing Schumacher to at least salvage a point.
Heikki Kovalainen got to the finish for Lotus in 13th, with Karun Chandhok also going the distance for Hispania in 14th. The other new team cars all retired - Lotus's Jarno Trulli not even making the start due to hydraulic problems. Renault's Vitaly Petrov was the other retirement, spinning into the gravel on lap nine.
The reigning world champion's bold early switch to dry tyres in a race that began damp put him in position to inherit the lead when a brake failure pitched Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) into the gravel and out of a race he had hitherto controlled.
Robert Kubica claimed a superb second for Renault, fending off Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso's Ferraris, and Nico Rosberg's Mercedes in a tense finale as the top four finishers nursed their tyres to the end while their pursuers took on fresh rubber at half-distance. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Mark Webber (Red Bull) had been in the thick of this fight too until a late tangle.
In contrast to the lacklustre Sakhir race, Melbourne delivered thrills and spills from the outside, with the race commencing on a damp track.
As the field slithered through Turn 1 for the first time, contact between the slow-starting Alonso and Button sent the Ferrari spinning into Michael Schumacher's Mercedes, breaking its front wing, with Hamilton jinking over the grass in avoidance.
Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi then arrived at the kink before Turn 6 already missing his front wing from a previous incident, and speared into the inside wall before sledging back across the track and violently collecting both Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso and Nico Hulkenberg's Williams mid-corner. That inevitably prompted a safety car.
The Red Bulls had been split into the first corner by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who made a superb start from fifth on the grid. But Red Bull formation was resumed two laps after the restart, as Webber slipped past the Brazilian into Turn 6 and left him to try and fend off Kubica and Rosberg.
The McLarens had ended up sixth and seventh once the first corner mess unfolded, with Button in front until Hamilton dived past him into Turn 3 on lap six. Button then decided the track was ready for slicks and pitted.
This looked like an over-bold move when he skittered over the gravel at Turn 3 on his out-lap - but fastest sector times around the rest of the lap proved Button's gamble was wise.
Soon the whole field was following Button's example, although the two Red Bulls stayed out longer than most as the team expected more rain. Ultimately only light drizzle came, and the leaders belatedly went for slicks as well.
That tactic still succeeded for Vettel, who rejoined from his stop just ahead of the flying Button, who had vaulted to second thanks to his brave early tyre switch, but Webber stayed out until lap 10, losing out to Kubica and Rosberg - and then Massa too as he went over the grass at Turn 1 as he rejoined.
Vettel soon started edging away from Button, with Kubica and Rosberg dropping back from the two leaders. Behind them, some epic racing was underway, mostly involving drivers trying to get around Massa.
Webber surged down the inside of the Ferrari into Turn 1 on lap 15, with Hamilton immediately following him through and then attacking the Red Bull into Turn 3 - where both went wide, with Webber going right over the gravel. That allowed Massa back ahead of Hamilton, while by the time Webber regained the asphalt the charging Alonso had also gone through, the Bahrain winner having rapidly hacked through the midfield following his first lap spin.
Six laps later Hamilton successfully passed Massa for fifth into Turn 1, despite the Ferrari's best defensive efforts, with Alonso trying to do likewise into Turn 3, only to get hung out on the still-damp extremes of the track and lose a place to Webber again.
Once free of Massa, Hamilton charged straight onto Rosberg's tail and took fourth from the Mercedes with an incredible move around the outside into the sixth gear Turn 11. That cost the McLaren momentum onto the next straight and Rosberg looked set to repass into Turn 13 - but had to back off for yellow flags as moments earlier race leader Vettel had slid into the gravel as his Red Bull suffered a brake failure.
That denied Vettel a near-certain victory, and while the disconsolate German trudged back to the pits, Button found himself in the lead by 6s over Kubica, who soon had Hamilton all over the back of him, while behind them Webber made it past Massa with an outside line move at Turn 3. Alonso, however, would not get past his team-mate so easily, remaining trapped behind Massa for lap after lap.
By half-distance many drivers were struggling with wear on the soft tyres they had taken once the track dried, and after an initial slew of midfield pitstops, Hamilton, Rosberg and Webber all decided they needed fresh rubber too.
Webber was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 31, and managed to get around Rosberg through Turns 2 and 3 as the Mercedes rejoined after its stop a lap later. Hamilton waited two laps longer and stayed ahead of the now-flying Webber, despite a scare at Turn 13 when he took to the grass but was able to muscle back in front of the Red Bull at Turn 14 as it too slid wide.
Button had no concerns about tyre wear and continued to pull away from Kubica, who now had both Ferraris hounding him, while half a minute behind Button, Hamilton, Webber and Rosberg made the most of their fresher tyres to start taking 1-2s per lap out of the leaders.
With eight laps to go, Kubica, Massa, Alonso, Hamilton and Webber were nose to tail in second to sixth places, with Rosberg gaining on the queue as well. Hamilton's tyres went off again in the Ferraris' dirty air, but he still got alongside Alonso into Turn 13 two laps from the end. As Alonso kept Hamilton to the outside, Webber hit the back of the McLaren under braking, smashing the Red Bull's front wing and spinning Hamilton through the gravel. The latter rejoined in sixth, with Webber falling to ninth.
Button stayed comfortably clear of this mayhem, masterfully keeping his tyres in shape and cruising to victory with a 12s margin over Kubica.
Although Adrian Sutil was an early retirement, Tonio Liuzzi scored again for Force India in seventh, passing Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa mid-race and then gaining another place when Rubens Barrichello decided to pit for new tyres and dropped from eighth to 10th. He then inherited seventh thanks to the Hamilton/Webber tangle.
Barrichello fought back to reclaim ninth from de la Rosa and was elevated another place thanks to Webber's stop.
Schumacher never really recovered from his first lap delay, spending the majority of the afternoon trapped behind Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso. Although he eventually overtook the young Spaniard, they would swap places again when both pitted for tyres and had to muscle back past the Toro Rosso in the closing stages. Both then passed the struggling de la Rosa, allowing Schumacher to at least salvage a point.
Heikki Kovalainen got to the finish for Lotus in 13th, with Karun Chandhok also going the distance for Hispania in 14th. The other new team cars all retired - Lotus's Jarno Trulli not even making the start due to hydraulic problems. Renault's Vitaly Petrov was the other retirement, spinning into the gravel on lap nine.
Vettel says failure robbed him of win
Sebastian Vettel believes he would have won the Australian Grand Prix today had a brake failure not pitched him off the road just before half-distance.
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
Saturday 27 March 2010
Renault rues cooler track conditions
Renault is partly blaming today's cooler conditions in Melbourne for its disappointing performance in qualifying for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix.
Both drivers struggled with reduced grip and increased oversteer, according to chief engineer Alan Permane.
Robert Kubica made it through to Q3 and qualified ninth for the second race in a row, while team-mate Vitaly Petrov made a mistake on his best lap in Q1 and wound up 18th - the only driver from the established teams to get eliminated at this stage.
Kubica said: "I think I got the maximum that was possible from qualifying today.
"I had to push hard because the car was not easy to drive and I think we lost some performance in the colder conditions.
"For the race tomorrow the weather could play a big role, but I don't care if it's wet or dry. Hopefully we can fight for some good points."
Petrov said he would do his best to get a good result despite having to start his maiden Australian GP from row nine, on his first visit to the tricky Albert Park street track.
"I'm disappointed not to make it out of Q1 because the car has been competitive all weekend," said Petrov.
"Qualifying is a new experience for me and I'm still learning. It's very busy out on track, it was difficult to get a clear lap and I didn't put my three best sectors together when it counted on my final run. The car didn't feel as well-balanced today either.
"The times show I had the pace to be in Q2, so of course I'm disappointed not to have reached my potential.
"It will be a tough race starting so far down the field and the track is narrow, so it's difficult to overtake, but I will try my best to get a good result tomorrow."
Team principal Eric Boullier added: "After a promising practice yesterday, today did not go as we expected, which is partly down to the cooler conditions.
"Robert's car was not as competitive as yesterday, but he got the most from it to make it into the top 10, which is a good result.
"We hope there will be a lot of action in the race and we know that our car can be competitive in the damp. So anything can happen."
Both drivers struggled with reduced grip and increased oversteer, according to chief engineer Alan Permane.
Robert Kubica made it through to Q3 and qualified ninth for the second race in a row, while team-mate Vitaly Petrov made a mistake on his best lap in Q1 and wound up 18th - the only driver from the established teams to get eliminated at this stage.
Kubica said: "I think I got the maximum that was possible from qualifying today.
"I had to push hard because the car was not easy to drive and I think we lost some performance in the colder conditions.
"For the race tomorrow the weather could play a big role, but I don't care if it's wet or dry. Hopefully we can fight for some good points."
Petrov said he would do his best to get a good result despite having to start his maiden Australian GP from row nine, on his first visit to the tricky Albert Park street track.
"I'm disappointed not to make it out of Q1 because the car has been competitive all weekend," said Petrov.
"Qualifying is a new experience for me and I'm still learning. It's very busy out on track, it was difficult to get a clear lap and I didn't put my three best sectors together when it counted on my final run. The car didn't feel as well-balanced today either.
"The times show I had the pace to be in Q2, so of course I'm disappointed not to have reached my potential.
"It will be a tough race starting so far down the field and the track is narrow, so it's difficult to overtake, but I will try my best to get a good result tomorrow."
Team principal Eric Boullier added: "After a promising practice yesterday, today did not go as we expected, which is partly down to the cooler conditions.
"Robert's car was not as competitive as yesterday, but he got the most from it to make it into the top 10, which is a good result.
"We hope there will be a lot of action in the race and we know that our car can be competitive in the damp. So anything can happen."
Kovalainen praises Lotus's progress
Heikki Kovalainen feels the Lotus team has made significant progress with its cars after both drivers qualified fastest of the new teams for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix.
Kovalainen and team-mate Jarno Trulli qualified their Cosworth-powered machines 19th and 20th for tomorrow's race, with Kovalainen lapping nearly eight tenths clear of the fastest of the Virgin cars - driven by Timo Glock, but 2.3s slower than Vitaly Petrov's 18th-placed Renault.
Kovalainen said: "I got a good lap out of the car and out of the tyres and in general the car feels much better than it did in Bahrain.
"We have progressed with the set up, and as a team we are really stepping forward.
"Our aim for tomorrow is to make sure we stay ahead of the other new teams, and finish the race with both cars."
Team-mate Trulli endured a difficult session after suffering a problem with the seat in his car.
"I had a problem with the seat which meant it wasn't easy to drive, bouncing around in the car, so it was a difficult qualifying session," he added.
"I'm pleased for the team though, as both cars are ahead of the new teams and we're performing really well.
"It's good to see that we have quite a big gap to the other new teams on this track and we're very satisfied with that – we're confident for tomorrow and we'll do our best to try and finish the race again."
Kovalainen and team-mate Jarno Trulli qualified their Cosworth-powered machines 19th and 20th for tomorrow's race, with Kovalainen lapping nearly eight tenths clear of the fastest of the Virgin cars - driven by Timo Glock, but 2.3s slower than Vitaly Petrov's 18th-placed Renault.
Kovalainen said: "I got a good lap out of the car and out of the tyres and in general the car feels much better than it did in Bahrain.
"We have progressed with the set up, and as a team we are really stepping forward.
"Our aim for tomorrow is to make sure we stay ahead of the other new teams, and finish the race with both cars."
Team-mate Trulli endured a difficult session after suffering a problem with the seat in his car.
"I had a problem with the seat which meant it wasn't easy to drive, bouncing around in the car, so it was a difficult qualifying session," he added.
"I'm pleased for the team though, as both cars are ahead of the new teams and we're performing really well.
"It's good to see that we have quite a big gap to the other new teams on this track and we're very satisfied with that – we're confident for tomorrow and we'll do our best to try and finish the race again."
Vettel heads all-Red Bull front row
Red Bull team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will start tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix from the front row after dominating the qualifying battle in Melbourne today.
Adrian Newey's design was the fastest thing around Albert Park throughout the three sessions, and Vettel edged his Australian team-mate by just over a tenth of a second to claim pole position with a 1m23.919s best in the final part of qualifying - the only lap below 1m24s so far this weekend.
The track cooled considerably during the final part of qualifying and for a while it looked as though nobody would get near the Red Bulls, as both leapt to the top of the timesheet early on.
Home hero Webber had a go at toppling his young German team-mate late-on, but lost time in the middle sector of his best lap, having been fastest of all in sectors one and three, and had to settle for second.
Only Ferrari's world championship leader Fernando Alonso hooked together a good enough lap to get close. The Spaniard's late 1m24.111s best put him third, just under two tenths shy of pole.
The rest found themselves a whopping six tenths off the Red Bull pace in final qualifying. Reigning world champion Jenson Button qualified his McLaren-Mercedes fourth, two tenths clear of Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
Both Mercedes drivers struggled to get the best from the softer tyres, so wound up sixth and seventh, with Nico Rosberg again getting the better of his seven times world champion team-mate Michael Schumacher.
Williams' Rubens Barrichello, Renault's Robert Kubica, and Force India's Adrian Sutil rounded out the top 10, as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton made a shock exit from qualifying in Q2.
The 2008 world champion aborted a quick lap during his first run and sat in the garage last of the 17 runners at the midway point of the session.
Hamilton improved to seventh fastest on his second run with the same set of soft tyres he used for his first, but fell to 11th as others improved, Hamilton's tyres fell away, and the fuel tank began to run dry.
Sutil, Barrichello and Kubica were thus able to join the rest of the drivers from the 'big four' teams for final qualifying, while both Toro Rossos, both Saubers, Nico Hulkenberg's Williams, and Tonio Liuzzi's Force India were all eliminated.
Circuit newcomer Vitaly Petrov was the only runner from the established squads to drop out in first qualifying. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi sat ‘on the bubble' for much of the session, before dropping the Russian into the hot seat with a late improvement.
Petrov looked set to save himself with a minute of running remaining, but suffered a massive oversteering moment through the ultra-fast turn 12 having set two personal best sector times. The Renault man did improve on a last-gasp final lap, but only got within 0.220s of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber.
As expected, the six drivers at the three new teams were all eliminated in Q1. HRT again propped up the grid, but encouragingly got within six seconds of the outright pace in Q1 and within a second of Timo Glock's faster Virgin in 21st.
The Lotus drivers finished up fastest of the new teams, with Heikki Kovalainen just over three tenths clear of team-mate Jarno Trulli in 19th, but over two seconds adrift of Petrov's time.
Adrian Newey's design was the fastest thing around Albert Park throughout the three sessions, and Vettel edged his Australian team-mate by just over a tenth of a second to claim pole position with a 1m23.919s best in the final part of qualifying - the only lap below 1m24s so far this weekend.
The track cooled considerably during the final part of qualifying and for a while it looked as though nobody would get near the Red Bulls, as both leapt to the top of the timesheet early on.
Home hero Webber had a go at toppling his young German team-mate late-on, but lost time in the middle sector of his best lap, having been fastest of all in sectors one and three, and had to settle for second.
Only Ferrari's world championship leader Fernando Alonso hooked together a good enough lap to get close. The Spaniard's late 1m24.111s best put him third, just under two tenths shy of pole.
The rest found themselves a whopping six tenths off the Red Bull pace in final qualifying. Reigning world champion Jenson Button qualified his McLaren-Mercedes fourth, two tenths clear of Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
Both Mercedes drivers struggled to get the best from the softer tyres, so wound up sixth and seventh, with Nico Rosberg again getting the better of his seven times world champion team-mate Michael Schumacher.
Williams' Rubens Barrichello, Renault's Robert Kubica, and Force India's Adrian Sutil rounded out the top 10, as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton made a shock exit from qualifying in Q2.
The 2008 world champion aborted a quick lap during his first run and sat in the garage last of the 17 runners at the midway point of the session.
Hamilton improved to seventh fastest on his second run with the same set of soft tyres he used for his first, but fell to 11th as others improved, Hamilton's tyres fell away, and the fuel tank began to run dry.
Sutil, Barrichello and Kubica were thus able to join the rest of the drivers from the 'big four' teams for final qualifying, while both Toro Rossos, both Saubers, Nico Hulkenberg's Williams, and Tonio Liuzzi's Force India were all eliminated.
Circuit newcomer Vitaly Petrov was the only runner from the established squads to drop out in first qualifying. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi sat ‘on the bubble' for much of the session, before dropping the Russian into the hot seat with a late improvement.
Petrov looked set to save himself with a minute of running remaining, but suffered a massive oversteering moment through the ultra-fast turn 12 having set two personal best sector times. The Renault man did improve on a last-gasp final lap, but only got within 0.220s of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber.
As expected, the six drivers at the three new teams were all eliminated in Q1. HRT again propped up the grid, but encouragingly got within six seconds of the outright pace in Q1 and within a second of Timo Glock's faster Virgin in 21st.
The Lotus drivers finished up fastest of the new teams, with Heikki Kovalainen just over three tenths clear of team-mate Jarno Trulli in 19th, but over two seconds adrift of Petrov's time.
Friday 26 March 2010
Virgin forced to increase fuel tank size
Virgin Racing has been given permission to change the size of its fuel tank after finding that it cannot hold enough petrol to get it to the end of some races.
With teams having to homologate their chassis this year, the Virgin outfit had to apply to the FIA to be allowed to make the major modifications on reliability grounds.
The team has discovered that the capacity of its tank does not allow it to fill up with enough fuel to comfortably get it through races where consumption is quite heavy.
This could prove to be a particular problem at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, with the Albert Park circuit being one of the most demanding in terms of fuel use.
Nick Wirth, technical director of Virgin Racing, hopes the modifications to the fuel tank can be made by the early stages of the European season - probably around the time of the Turkish Grand Prix.
"We recently applied to the FIA for permission to change the size of the fuel tank on the grounds of reliability and we are pleased that the FIA has granted us this permission," said Wirth
"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances.
"At the time the design of the tank was locked down in June 2009, its capacity was determined by a number of factors, some of which have since changed, and the tank capacity now needs to be increased accordingly. We thank the FIA for permitting this change, which we expect to introduce in the early part of the European season."
With teams having to homologate their chassis this year, the Virgin outfit had to apply to the FIA to be allowed to make the major modifications on reliability grounds.
The team has discovered that the capacity of its tank does not allow it to fill up with enough fuel to comfortably get it through races where consumption is quite heavy.
This could prove to be a particular problem at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, with the Albert Park circuit being one of the most demanding in terms of fuel use.
Nick Wirth, technical director of Virgin Racing, hopes the modifications to the fuel tank can be made by the early stages of the European season - probably around the time of the Turkish Grand Prix.
"We recently applied to the FIA for permission to change the size of the fuel tank on the grounds of reliability and we are pleased that the FIA has granted us this permission," said Wirth
"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances.
"At the time the design of the tank was locked down in June 2009, its capacity was determined by a number of factors, some of which have since changed, and the tank capacity now needs to be increased accordingly. We thank the FIA for permitting this change, which we expect to introduce in the early part of the European season."
Kubica fastest in first Melbourne practice
Robert Kubica set the fastest time of the opening free practice session ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
The session was half over before anyone started to set flying laps around the Albert Park circuit, after which the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and the Renault of Kubica traded the top spot.
Hamilton was quickest initially until Rosberg broke into the 1m27s. Kubica then hit the top with 15 minutes to go - setting the best time in each of the three sectors - and remained the only driver in the 1m26s.
The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso finished the session fourth and sixth quickest, sandwiching the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton finished up seventh, not improving his best time in the second half of the session. Sebastien Buemi, Vitaly Petrov and Vitantonio Liuzzi completed the top 10.
Michael Schumacher was 12th fastest, 1.4 seconds slower than team-mate Rosberg, while home hero Mark Webber was 14th, one second slower than Vettel.
Kamui Kobayashi provided most of the session's drama in his BMW-Sauber, causing the only two red flag stoppages. Forty minutes into practice, the Japanese clipped the cone on the inside of Turn 11 and ripped half the front wing from his car. The lack of downforce meant he ran wide at Turn 12 - the second half of the fast left-right section on the back straight - and bounced through the gravel.
He was back out 20 minutes later with a new wing fitted, but it came off as he braked for Turn 3 on his outlap. He managed to keep the car out of the wall, but overshot the corner and scattered debris across the circuit.
Kobayashi's team-mate Pedro de la Rosa stopped out on track at the exit of Turn 4 in the final 10 minutes of the session with a clutch failure.
Paul di Resta finished his first Formula 1 practice session in an impressive 11th place for Force India - just one place and four tenths of a second behind Liuzzi. The Briton ran in place of the team's regular racer Adrian Sutil and completed 25 laps in the 90 minutes.
There was no repeat of the Bahrain practice absences for the new teams, with all 24 cars completing installation laps in the first 10 minutes of practice.
Though Jarno Trulli was confined to the pits for most of the first half of the session with a differential problem. Then both Lotus drivers had off-track excursions, with Trulli overshooting the penultimate corner and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen spinning at Turn 9. Petrov was another to spin at Turn 9 after climbing the high kerb and shedding some aero parts from his Renault.
Lotus finished the session as the quickest of the new teams, with Trulli and Kovalainen 19th and 20th - both 4.7 seconds slower than the quickest time. Lucas di Grassi was a second further back for Virgin, with HRT drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok 6.4 and 7.3 seconds shy of Kubica's benchmark.
Timo Glock was sidelined for most of the session with a fluid leak on his Virgin Racing car. He completed just eight laps and finished at the bottom of the timesheet.
The session was half over before anyone started to set flying laps around the Albert Park circuit, after which the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and the Renault of Kubica traded the top spot.
Hamilton was quickest initially until Rosberg broke into the 1m27s. Kubica then hit the top with 15 minutes to go - setting the best time in each of the three sectors - and remained the only driver in the 1m26s.
The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso finished the session fourth and sixth quickest, sandwiching the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton finished up seventh, not improving his best time in the second half of the session. Sebastien Buemi, Vitaly Petrov and Vitantonio Liuzzi completed the top 10.
Michael Schumacher was 12th fastest, 1.4 seconds slower than team-mate Rosberg, while home hero Mark Webber was 14th, one second slower than Vettel.
Kamui Kobayashi provided most of the session's drama in his BMW-Sauber, causing the only two red flag stoppages. Forty minutes into practice, the Japanese clipped the cone on the inside of Turn 11 and ripped half the front wing from his car. The lack of downforce meant he ran wide at Turn 12 - the second half of the fast left-right section on the back straight - and bounced through the gravel.
He was back out 20 minutes later with a new wing fitted, but it came off as he braked for Turn 3 on his outlap. He managed to keep the car out of the wall, but overshot the corner and scattered debris across the circuit.
Kobayashi's team-mate Pedro de la Rosa stopped out on track at the exit of Turn 4 in the final 10 minutes of the session with a clutch failure.
Paul di Resta finished his first Formula 1 practice session in an impressive 11th place for Force India - just one place and four tenths of a second behind Liuzzi. The Briton ran in place of the team's regular racer Adrian Sutil and completed 25 laps in the 90 minutes.
There was no repeat of the Bahrain practice absences for the new teams, with all 24 cars completing installation laps in the first 10 minutes of practice.
Though Jarno Trulli was confined to the pits for most of the first half of the session with a differential problem. Then both Lotus drivers had off-track excursions, with Trulli overshooting the penultimate corner and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen spinning at Turn 9. Petrov was another to spin at Turn 9 after climbing the high kerb and shedding some aero parts from his Renault.
Lotus finished the session as the quickest of the new teams, with Trulli and Kovalainen 19th and 20th - both 4.7 seconds slower than the quickest time. Lucas di Grassi was a second further back for Virgin, with HRT drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok 6.4 and 7.3 seconds shy of Kubica's benchmark.
Timo Glock was sidelined for most of the session with a fluid leak on his Virgin Racing car. He completed just eight laps and finished at the bottom of the timesheet.
Thursday 25 March 2010
Michael Schumacher
After a somewhat low-key return to racing in Bahrain, Michael Schumacher insists he is relaxed about his form and that he only needs time.
He talked to reporters ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, and AUTOSPORT was there.
Q. Did Bahrain turn out as you expected? Or were you slightly disappointed to see your team-mate was ahead of you in every session, so rare in your career for that to happen?
Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher: Yeah, that's true, but it's pretty rare that I have taken a three-year break, so. All in all I've been quite happy with how things were going, how the progression was going, understanding where I sort of have to improve, where we have get the car and how we have to develop. All in line and pretty much meeting expectations. I wasn't dreaming of coming here and kick everybody's ass. Neither I got kicked, so quite okay.
Q. Do you feel very differently prepared for this weekend?
MS: I'll tell you later, I don't know. You have to drive to see.
Q. Do you feel it was a bit like going back to school in Bahrain?
MS: In a way it is. There is a toy that you used to love, then you got sort of bored of it and then you fell back in love with it.
Q. Do you think people are expecting too much?
MS: If these people expect, then fine. People have a lot of trust in me and I'm proud of that. But I'm not a magician either, I'm just human. I knew the process. I've been long enough to know what it takes. How much attention to detail and how much fine-tuning you need. You can't expect me to be there straight away.
Q. And what about your body and all that? Was that good?
MS: Due to the speed it is much less of an effort from what I expected it to be. I've always trained to be more than fit and that's not changed.
Q. Do you find the cars much slower now?
MS: I don't know what is the real difference in lap time, because the first race was at a different track, but it feels quite a bit slower, maybe because I'm more fit. I don't know what it is, but it feels less of an effort.
Q. Is that a bad thing?
MS: In a way it makes it easier for maybe those who have struggled in the past, as they don't have that effort to put in. But I don't think it's a big thing for me. It's just about finding the details of the car and getting into it. Improve step by step. It's different cars, different tyres and different rules, so you sort of need to understand that.
Q. How many races have you given yourself to get up to speed?
MS: As long as it takes.
Q. Niki Lauda said you shouldn't be judged until after the third race. Is that a fair comment?
MS: I'll take the time that I feel I need. Whether you guys or Niki or whoever has a guideline for themselves that's fair, that's up to them.
Q. Which was the best aspect of your race in Bahrain?
MS: In general I was quite happy. I had a good start. I had a clean race with no mistakes. The lap times were competitive for our car standard. So all in all for me it was a good start after this kind of break. I was quite happy with this.
Q. Did you take pleasure?
MS: Yes, I did. It's slightly less than (expected) because the cars are slightly slower and the sharpness of the car is less than it used to be. It is maybe different to what it was at the end of 2006. It is mainly tyre-related, because we had a much stronger tyre in 2006, because there was competition from different tyre manufacturers.
Q. Do you have a view on the result of the new regulations?
MS: The matter of fact was that there was basically no overtaking, yes. If you go back, tell me when and where there has been more overtaking, because Formula 1 always had this sort of situation, due to the strategy. You had more scope, and you have less now.
That's what it was done to improve and if you go back to previous years there's very clever people and always think how to improve and go better. Sometimes they succeed more, sometimes less. But it's very tough. We can't make motorbikes out of Formula 1 cars. That's not possible.
Q. How far behind Red Bull do you think your team will be here?
MS: We have a fair amount to catch up, yes.
Q. There were reports last week that you weren't planning to rejoin the GPDA, can you clarify that?
MS: Yes, it's true. I'm not intending. After all the years I have been involved in setting it up they guys have been doing a good job for three years. I don't think they need me. And as I'm not here for the long-term future, only for a limited time, I don't think I should get involved.
Q. You talked about getting the car to your style and about the front end, but we never heard that from you in the past. Is that because Ferrari knew what direction to go in?
MS: Did I talk about the front end?
Q. After Bahrain, you said the front tyres were limited.
MS: Yeah, the front tyres, but that's nothing to do with the car. The matter of fact is that we have to sort of develop ourselves. The tyres are the same, and they do cause a weaker front end, but then obviously other guys can deal with it, so it's up to us to do a better job.
Q. There were rumours that you didn't want to join the GPDA because you didn't want to pay the fee.
MS: I don't know who out these rumours out, but I guess I have money to pay the fee.
Q. What would you call success this year?
MS: Why do you want to fix me on something so that you can come back at the end and say 'Ahh, you were much worse than you said'? [laughter]
Q. What would you like to be judged on?
MS: I think it's fair enough to be judged on results. But I don't think I need to give guidelines or references.
Q. Are you here for the enjoyment or do you think you have something to prove?
MS: Mainly I'm here for the enjoyment, but I'm not here to be last. I want to win, that's natural. The joy is better is you are successful.
Q. Are you addicted to F1?
MS: Maybe I'm a little bit addicted to challenge, that's true.
Q. Do you think the picture can change here compared to Bahrain?
MS: Absolutely. That's what I have been saying so far. But not necessarily what comes out of here will be what we can see in the race after.
Q. Is Nico better than you expected?
MS: I don't think I had a particular expectation. It's no secret that he's a top pilot, with lots of potential. We both are references to each other. He's doing a very good job, he's a very good team-mate. He focuses on very similar subjects, that's quite important.
Q. If you had a better car, would you be avoid all those questions?
MS: No, I'd have different questions then. Put it this way: if you see Nico and myself, I think the maximum performance we could have achieved was what we achieved. And that's where the car is at the moment. But then it's up to us to get there. It's tough work, Formula 1. It's a big challenge, and that's what we are here for. It's the reason for being around and come to the sport.
Q. Does it bother you that people talk about Nico being ahead of you?
MS: It's normal. It was the other way around maybe in the past, but it was the first race, the beginning of a new challenge for me. So I'm quite relaxed about that. He's a very good and fast driver, so I don't think I need to be ashamed about where I was in Bahrain.
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello, Formula 1's most experienced driver, believes the switch to narrower front tyres for 2010 is one of the main reasons why the racing looks set to be less exciting this year.
In the wake of the uneventful Bahrain Grand Prix, there have been calls for a rules overhaul to bring wheel-to-wheel racing back into F1.
The front tyres were made narrower at Bridgestone's request this year as the company adapted to working with slicks in F1 again, but Barrichello reckons that change was always guaranteed to make the racing less exciting than in 2009.
"Sometimes I'm a bit critical of things, but when I heard that they would make the front tyres smaller, I just didn't understand that," he said.
"The fact that we had better racing last year was because we dropped the ugly grooved tyres for slicks.
"That's what we need - we need more mechanical grip on the car and to lose the aerodynamics.
"We're losing aerodynamics all the time, but if you follow another car you just understeer off the track.
"Unless you have a second advantage, which is not the normal thing, you just can't pass.
"I overtook [Sebastien] Buemi on the track but I was doing 2m01s, he was doing 2m04s, and it wasn't easy overtaking."
Some have highlighted the loss of KERS boost devices as another factor detrimental to the spectacle, but Barrichello believes KERS did little to improve the action.
"KERS, for the future of the planet, I think is a great thing," he said.
"But KERS last year in most cases didn't help the overtaking, but it helped protecting a position.
"KERS came with a penalty, so the car in front was slower, and you could never overtake - it was a nightmare to get behind [Heikki] Kovalainen in the McLaren last year, he had that [KERS] button and 'whoosh...'"
Despite his concerns about the quality of the spectacle, Barrichello warned against knee-jerk changes - and said it was not up to the drivers to come up with a solution.
"I hope there is something, but first of all I think we need to wait four or five races before we actually take a conclusion on how it is," he insisted.
"Maybe it will get better.
"I'm prepared to drive whatever car you give me, but I'm not prepared to think of something that would be a revolution to make Formula 1 better."
In the wake of the uneventful Bahrain Grand Prix, there have been calls for a rules overhaul to bring wheel-to-wheel racing back into F1.
The front tyres were made narrower at Bridgestone's request this year as the company adapted to working with slicks in F1 again, but Barrichello reckons that change was always guaranteed to make the racing less exciting than in 2009.
"Sometimes I'm a bit critical of things, but when I heard that they would make the front tyres smaller, I just didn't understand that," he said.
"The fact that we had better racing last year was because we dropped the ugly grooved tyres for slicks.
"That's what we need - we need more mechanical grip on the car and to lose the aerodynamics.
"We're losing aerodynamics all the time, but if you follow another car you just understeer off the track.
"Unless you have a second advantage, which is not the normal thing, you just can't pass.
"I overtook [Sebastien] Buemi on the track but I was doing 2m01s, he was doing 2m04s, and it wasn't easy overtaking."
Some have highlighted the loss of KERS boost devices as another factor detrimental to the spectacle, but Barrichello believes KERS did little to improve the action.
"KERS, for the future of the planet, I think is a great thing," he said.
"But KERS last year in most cases didn't help the overtaking, but it helped protecting a position.
"KERS came with a penalty, so the car in front was slower, and you could never overtake - it was a nightmare to get behind [Heikki] Kovalainen in the McLaren last year, he had that [KERS] button and 'whoosh...'"
Despite his concerns about the quality of the spectacle, Barrichello warned against knee-jerk changes - and said it was not up to the drivers to come up with a solution.
"I hope there is something, but first of all I think we need to wait four or five races before we actually take a conclusion on how it is," he insisted.
"Maybe it will get better.
"I'm prepared to drive whatever car you give me, but I'm not prepared to think of something that would be a revolution to make Formula 1 better."
Australia Preview - Red Bull, or Prancing Horse?
After all the anticipation of the opening round of the championship in Bahrain a fortnight ago, this weekend’s second round is almost as eagerly awaited - if only to see if anyone catch match Red Bull’s fearsome speed, or unsettle Ferrari’s finishing ability.
As things stand after events at Sakhir, Red Bull start the favourite in Melbourne from Ferrari, with McLaren and Mercedes a little slower unless they can get effective updates on to their cars quickly enough.
"We are kind of on the same level as Mercedes, I would say," McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton said after Bahrain. "We just did maybe a better job in Bahrain but it's a battle between us and Mercedes to see who can step up and improve faster and do a better job.
"As for the Red Bull, it’s ridiculously faster than anyone else. It's insane. The downforce they had on their car last year was at some points just about double what we had. Even at the end of the year they had so much more than us, even though we had won a couple of Grands Prix. They have got the fastest car by quite a big step. They should be quite a lot further ahead in general."
Hamilton also believes that, despite Fernando Alonso setting fastest lap in Bahrain by a second from Force India’s Adrian Sutil, that there is still a gap between the Ferrari and the Red Bull. “Fernando was very quick in the race and they are obviously a little bit closer, but it's a good half second,” said the British driver.
Ferrari’s team principal Stefano Domenicali was delighted with their first one-two since France in 2008, but says the reds need to raise their game after reliability concerns obliged them to fit fresh engines for the race, and Felipe Massa had an overheating problem in the race.
"We have just done a check of all the problems we faced in the three days we had in Bahrain," Domenicali said. “Of course the result in the end was very, very good - it was excellent, a first and second place in the first race. It was really an outstanding achievement, but we have seen the list of problems was quite high and we need to address them all and make sure that these are solved before the start of the race in Australia."
Behind the big four, Renault and Force India are expected to fight for ‘best of the rest’ honours, with Williams hoping to take a step closer to them. The R30 showed more speed than expected in Bahrain, but both Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov were unlucky not to score points. Force India’s Sutil will be hoping to avoid mistakes, while Vitantonio Liuzzi is determined to build on his good start to the season.
BMW Sauber, too, hope that they have cured the two disparate hydraulic problems that brought Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi to premature halts.
Among the newcomers, Virgin showed they have the fastest car so far but it too has been plagued by hydraulic issues, as was Karun Chandhok’s HRT. The Indian will be hoping for a lot more track time than he got in Bahrain, as he and team mate Bruno Senna get to grips with Formula One racing, while Lotus are hoping that an update can get them some more speed.
Albert Park is a notoriously bumpy track and is always very green on Friday before it rubbers in. Grip levels are usually quite low anyway, so the set-up priority focuses on driveability to generate maximum driver confidence. It is also very hard on brakes, and there have been disc failures in the past.
The ban on refuelling may be felt even more keenly here because of that factor, and management of Bridgestone’s hard and soft compounds could be trickier than it proved in Bahrain even though the compounds are harder here.
Interestingly, the weather forecast suggests that rain showers might further enliven proceedings.
Sauber introduces its own duct system
BMW Sauber has become the first team to copy the radical F-duct system pioneered by McLaren, as the Swiss outfit fitted its own version of the device to its cars in Melbourne on Thursday.
Just two weeks after the duct idea, which helps stall the rear wing at high speed when a driver closes off a vent in the cockpit, was given the all-clear by the FIA, BMW Sauber has already pushed ahead with its own version of the device.
The team's C29s were being fitted with the ducts at the Albert Park circuit ahead of first practice. It appears to be fitted on top of the lefthand sidepod.
With teams unable to make major changes to their chassis because of homologation regulations, it appears that Sauber has opted to make modifications to its sidepods instead.
It is believed that once the air is channelled through the car it is then blown out onto the main profile of the rear wing, rather than the upper element as happens with McLaren. It is not clear where the driver is able to influence the airflow.
As well as the duct, Sauber has introduced a slot gap in the middle of the upper element - in similar style to the McLaren design that was approved by the FIA.
Sauber has not yet decided whether the system will be raced in the Australian Grand Prix, but it wants to give the ducts a proper test in practice to see how effective they are.
The team has been unable to test the effectiveness of the ducts in the wind tunnel because teams are limited to a maximum speed - which is slower than when the ducts become useful on track.
BMW Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa reckoned his team had done the right thing in pushing hard to introduce the technology.
"It is a prototype, and the team has been working the last week flat out. We just have to be open minded," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT what the team had told him about the ducts.
"We have no testing, and this is the first opportunity we have to try it. We have to test it, make sure it works and then decide if it is raceable or not. We just have to have the patience to test it properly."
De la Rosa, who was a McLaren test driver until he took the Sauber drive earlier this year, admitted that he had had some knowledge of what his former outfit was up to - but insisted the Sauber concept was very different.
"Yeah - I knew a little bit about what McLaren was trying," he explained. "But this is a Sauber system. It is a different system."
De la Rosa said that the Sauber design was so new that he had not even worked out how he would activate closing the duct off when driving.
"Honestly, it is so new the system that I have to get in the car and check - where it is, how we do it! So we are in that phase now. I will know more later on today.
"It is a prototype. We are not sure if we will race it or not. We have to develop it, that is the main thing. The earlier you start the earlier you will have it. And definitely it is a system that if you make it work, it makes the car quicker. Full stop."
He added: "I have been impressed to see how quick the team realised this system was possible. They have come up here with a system that is pretty impressive from what I have seen. I think that it is a very agile team - it is a very quick reacting team and this is something I have realised since day one.
"Sometimes being smaller than a big team means that sometimes you are prepared to take more risks, and react quicker. That can be a strength. You have to be quicker to react than the big teams."
Just two weeks after the duct idea, which helps stall the rear wing at high speed when a driver closes off a vent in the cockpit, was given the all-clear by the FIA, BMW Sauber has already pushed ahead with its own version of the device.
The team's C29s were being fitted with the ducts at the Albert Park circuit ahead of first practice. It appears to be fitted on top of the lefthand sidepod.
With teams unable to make major changes to their chassis because of homologation regulations, it appears that Sauber has opted to make modifications to its sidepods instead.
It is believed that once the air is channelled through the car it is then blown out onto the main profile of the rear wing, rather than the upper element as happens with McLaren. It is not clear where the driver is able to influence the airflow.
As well as the duct, Sauber has introduced a slot gap in the middle of the upper element - in similar style to the McLaren design that was approved by the FIA.
Sauber has not yet decided whether the system will be raced in the Australian Grand Prix, but it wants to give the ducts a proper test in practice to see how effective they are.
The team has been unable to test the effectiveness of the ducts in the wind tunnel because teams are limited to a maximum speed - which is slower than when the ducts become useful on track.
BMW Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa reckoned his team had done the right thing in pushing hard to introduce the technology.
"It is a prototype, and the team has been working the last week flat out. We just have to be open minded," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT what the team had told him about the ducts.
"We have no testing, and this is the first opportunity we have to try it. We have to test it, make sure it works and then decide if it is raceable or not. We just have to have the patience to test it properly."
De la Rosa, who was a McLaren test driver until he took the Sauber drive earlier this year, admitted that he had had some knowledge of what his former outfit was up to - but insisted the Sauber concept was very different.
"Yeah - I knew a little bit about what McLaren was trying," he explained. "But this is a Sauber system. It is a different system."
De la Rosa said that the Sauber design was so new that he had not even worked out how he would activate closing the duct off when driving.
"Honestly, it is so new the system that I have to get in the car and check - where it is, how we do it! So we are in that phase now. I will know more later on today.
"It is a prototype. We are not sure if we will race it or not. We have to develop it, that is the main thing. The earlier you start the earlier you will have it. And definitely it is a system that if you make it work, it makes the car quicker. Full stop."
He added: "I have been impressed to see how quick the team realised this system was possible. They have come up here with a system that is pretty impressive from what I have seen. I think that it is a very agile team - it is a very quick reacting team and this is something I have realised since day one.
"Sometimes being smaller than a big team means that sometimes you are prepared to take more risks, and react quicker. That can be a strength. You have to be quicker to react than the big teams."
Nico Rosberg
All eyes were on Michael Schumacher in Bahrain, but it was team-mate Nico Rosberg who got the best out of the Mercedes package all weekend.
AUTOSPORT heard from Rosberg ahead of the second race of the season in Australia.
Q. How much of a boost was the Bahrain weekend performance, and the way it has changed people's perceptions of you?
Nico RosbergNico Rosberg: People's perceptions aren't really the boost to me. The boost for me is that even before Bahrain, I was feeling confident and I was expecting a strong weekend of mine. So Bahrain, as such, just confirmed it. But then again, I was actually hoping to be further up - and pretty sure that we would be further up. I was very confident going to Bahrain, so that was a little bit disappointing that we only managed fifth.
Q. Were you expecting to beat Michael there?
NR: I don't want to say that, if I was expecting that or not. I will just say that I was feeling very confident. I was sure that I would be doing a strong weekend, but whether that meant beating him or him being just in front of me I didn't know. I was sure I would do very well.
Q. Would you have been disappointed if you had been slower than a guy who had been out for many years?
NR: Yeah, okay. That is one way to turn it now. But can you be disappointed when you have the best of all time in front of you?
Q. So is that the way you view the year – you are against a guy who has done it all, so there is a lot for you to gain as he is a number one driver?
NR: For me, it is obviously a good position. If I am just behind....again it is the perception of other people. For me, it is just important that I do a great job in general. I am convinced I will do [that] the whole year, but for the perception of other people it is obviously a good position. If I am behind it is normal and if I am ahead it's great.
Q. What about the business of him changing the number three? Is that all part of the game?
NR: He is superstitious apparently, and I don't mind. He changed number. It is not a big issue.
Q. There were a lot of comments about the problems of overtaking in Bahrain. Are this year's cars less agile than last year's because of the wheelbase and weight?
NR: No, no. I don't think we have made anything worse, I just think we need to wait a little bit now. Wait and see a couple more races to see what the situation is. But for sure, running behind someone is still very difficult. That is for sure. And as soon as I got up to [Sebastian] Vettel in the last few laps, yes, he improved his pace a lot – but as soon as I got behind him it was very difficult for me to follow him.
Q. Is that worse than last year?
NR: I think it is the same.
Q. Is there an answer to it?
NR: It's very difficult. But let's wait and see. Maybe we have improved the racing with this change in the regulations, we just don't know. We have to wait and see.
Q. Is the racing more interesting for the driver because you have more things to think about?
NR: More interesting? Not really. I didn't find it very exciting the race in Bahrain from my perspective.
Q. Are you driving more conservatively because you have to look after the tyres, the fuel and the brakes?
NR: You have to. During pit stops and the first few laps you are having to look after the tyres…
Q. And is that affecting the overtaking?
NR: It could also help the overtaking. If you start getting tyre problems and different strategies, then you might see a challenge in the last laps like we did with Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica last year – where Vettel was on the bad tyres and Kubica on the good. That would be good for racing, and that may still come.
Q. Is Norbert Haug very involved in terms of management with you, or is that done with Ross Brawn?
NR: It is more just sticking to how it worked last year. The approach that Mercedes has taken is not to interfere too much because things have been working well, as it was last year. So they have come in with more a support and supervisory position, and help when needed. That has been working very well, to be honest. There is a good feeling and a very good integration, already, straight from the go. That is not unusual and normal. It has been good.
Q. Michael has complained about struggling with understeer – thanks to both the narrower front tyres and the characteristics of the car. Have you found a similar problem?
NR: For sure, yeah, we are driving the same car. There is a lot of understeer in some places. It is not the only problem we have, it is one of the issues and I am someone who is not able to drive very well with understeer so there is a lot of progress for both of us if the car starts to understeer less. We are trying to address that.
Q. Are there many updates for this weekend to try and get over that problem?
NR: There are a couple of things but it is not going to be so straightforward. You try to do two things – you try and bring performance and you try and help the balance. So you find the best compromise and direction.
Q. How do you get on with Michael Schumacher?
NR: I've heard so much bad stuff about being team-mates to him. To be very honest, he has been really good up until now. He is very open, very friendly – and no thoughts behind 'how can I destroy my team-mate' or something like that. So it has been a good experience until now. It has been a nice general feeling within the team as a result.
Q. Do you see him socially?
NR: Yeah. He is very relaxed. And even being in front of him all weekend in Bahrain didn't change anything. He had a very relaxed approach from both of us.
Q. And you work well together – you share data?
NR: Yes. We are a strong pairing in terms of helping the team develop and things like that because we work well together – and have similar opinions most of the time, and can help the team along well.
Q. Did you learn anything in Bahrain about where the relevant performances of the team are?
NR: We learned that we are lacking speed, but we are quite confident that we can close the gap in the next few races. I was in the factory Tuesday after Bahrain and it was quite promising with all the ideas, and the plan that they presented me to show me when the next developments are and when they are coming. That was very promising – so I am quite optimistic.
Q. Now that you have done a race, is there a difficulty to manage the fuel?
NR: It depends on your fuel tank size and your fuel efficiency I suppose, but for us we've planned well for that. It is no major concern. But of course you need to adjust for various situations.
Q. How did you feel after Bahrain when the whole world was writing what a terrible weekend Schumacher had, and nobody was saying what a great job you did?
NR: I didn't read the newspapers, so I was pleased with my efforts. I felt good, because I felt I put in a strong performance for the team – and that is what counts.
Q. Do you find it amusing or frustrating?
NR: No, because I understand it. He is the best of all time, one of the biggest comebacks in history – so it is fully understandable.
Q. Is he the best?
NR: No, one of the best. I wouldn't say the best, but for sure one of the best. It is not possible to say who was the best.
Q. Do you find yourself having to tread on eggshells all the time with what you say, as in the past you have always been quite outspoken with your opinions?
NR: Of course. It has massively gone that way for me – that I need to be so careful of what I say. Unfortunately I am not able to say any more of what I think in general, which is unfortunate but is the way it is. I can't afford bad headlines against one of the best of all times, who has a huge following and supporters.
It is not in my person to say anything, but some people, if I say what I think, they will twist it and make it look bad. So I just need to be very careful. Unfortunately that is the way it is.
AUTOSPORT heard from Rosberg ahead of the second race of the season in Australia.
Q. How much of a boost was the Bahrain weekend performance, and the way it has changed people's perceptions of you?
Nico RosbergNico Rosberg: People's perceptions aren't really the boost to me. The boost for me is that even before Bahrain, I was feeling confident and I was expecting a strong weekend of mine. So Bahrain, as such, just confirmed it. But then again, I was actually hoping to be further up - and pretty sure that we would be further up. I was very confident going to Bahrain, so that was a little bit disappointing that we only managed fifth.
Q. Were you expecting to beat Michael there?
NR: I don't want to say that, if I was expecting that or not. I will just say that I was feeling very confident. I was sure that I would be doing a strong weekend, but whether that meant beating him or him being just in front of me I didn't know. I was sure I would do very well.
Q. Would you have been disappointed if you had been slower than a guy who had been out for many years?
NR: Yeah, okay. That is one way to turn it now. But can you be disappointed when you have the best of all time in front of you?
Q. So is that the way you view the year – you are against a guy who has done it all, so there is a lot for you to gain as he is a number one driver?
NR: For me, it is obviously a good position. If I am just behind....again it is the perception of other people. For me, it is just important that I do a great job in general. I am convinced I will do [that] the whole year, but for the perception of other people it is obviously a good position. If I am behind it is normal and if I am ahead it's great.
Q. What about the business of him changing the number three? Is that all part of the game?
NR: He is superstitious apparently, and I don't mind. He changed number. It is not a big issue.
Q. There were a lot of comments about the problems of overtaking in Bahrain. Are this year's cars less agile than last year's because of the wheelbase and weight?
NR: No, no. I don't think we have made anything worse, I just think we need to wait a little bit now. Wait and see a couple more races to see what the situation is. But for sure, running behind someone is still very difficult. That is for sure. And as soon as I got up to [Sebastian] Vettel in the last few laps, yes, he improved his pace a lot – but as soon as I got behind him it was very difficult for me to follow him.
Q. Is that worse than last year?
NR: I think it is the same.
Q. Is there an answer to it?
NR: It's very difficult. But let's wait and see. Maybe we have improved the racing with this change in the regulations, we just don't know. We have to wait and see.
Q. Is the racing more interesting for the driver because you have more things to think about?
NR: More interesting? Not really. I didn't find it very exciting the race in Bahrain from my perspective.
Q. Are you driving more conservatively because you have to look after the tyres, the fuel and the brakes?
NR: You have to. During pit stops and the first few laps you are having to look after the tyres…
Q. And is that affecting the overtaking?
NR: It could also help the overtaking. If you start getting tyre problems and different strategies, then you might see a challenge in the last laps like we did with Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica last year – where Vettel was on the bad tyres and Kubica on the good. That would be good for racing, and that may still come.
Q. Is Norbert Haug very involved in terms of management with you, or is that done with Ross Brawn?
NR: It is more just sticking to how it worked last year. The approach that Mercedes has taken is not to interfere too much because things have been working well, as it was last year. So they have come in with more a support and supervisory position, and help when needed. That has been working very well, to be honest. There is a good feeling and a very good integration, already, straight from the go. That is not unusual and normal. It has been good.
Q. Michael has complained about struggling with understeer – thanks to both the narrower front tyres and the characteristics of the car. Have you found a similar problem?
NR: For sure, yeah, we are driving the same car. There is a lot of understeer in some places. It is not the only problem we have, it is one of the issues and I am someone who is not able to drive very well with understeer so there is a lot of progress for both of us if the car starts to understeer less. We are trying to address that.
Q. Are there many updates for this weekend to try and get over that problem?
NR: There are a couple of things but it is not going to be so straightforward. You try to do two things – you try and bring performance and you try and help the balance. So you find the best compromise and direction.
Q. How do you get on with Michael Schumacher?
NR: I've heard so much bad stuff about being team-mates to him. To be very honest, he has been really good up until now. He is very open, very friendly – and no thoughts behind 'how can I destroy my team-mate' or something like that. So it has been a good experience until now. It has been a nice general feeling within the team as a result.
Q. Do you see him socially?
NR: Yeah. He is very relaxed. And even being in front of him all weekend in Bahrain didn't change anything. He had a very relaxed approach from both of us.
Q. And you work well together – you share data?
NR: Yes. We are a strong pairing in terms of helping the team develop and things like that because we work well together – and have similar opinions most of the time, and can help the team along well.
Q. Did you learn anything in Bahrain about where the relevant performances of the team are?
NR: We learned that we are lacking speed, but we are quite confident that we can close the gap in the next few races. I was in the factory Tuesday after Bahrain and it was quite promising with all the ideas, and the plan that they presented me to show me when the next developments are and when they are coming. That was very promising – so I am quite optimistic.
Q. Now that you have done a race, is there a difficulty to manage the fuel?
NR: It depends on your fuel tank size and your fuel efficiency I suppose, but for us we've planned well for that. It is no major concern. But of course you need to adjust for various situations.
Q. How did you feel after Bahrain when the whole world was writing what a terrible weekend Schumacher had, and nobody was saying what a great job you did?
NR: I didn't read the newspapers, so I was pleased with my efforts. I felt good, because I felt I put in a strong performance for the team – and that is what counts.
Q. Do you find it amusing or frustrating?
NR: No, because I understand it. He is the best of all time, one of the biggest comebacks in history – so it is fully understandable.
Q. Is he the best?
NR: No, one of the best. I wouldn't say the best, but for sure one of the best. It is not possible to say who was the best.
Q. Do you find yourself having to tread on eggshells all the time with what you say, as in the past you have always been quite outspoken with your opinions?
NR: Of course. It has massively gone that way for me – that I need to be so careful of what I say. Unfortunately I am not able to say any more of what I think in general, which is unfortunate but is the way it is. I can't afford bad headlines against one of the best of all times, who has a huge following and supporters.
It is not in my person to say anything, but some people, if I say what I think, they will twist it and make it look bad. So I just need to be very careful. Unfortunately that is the way it is.
Robert Kubica
The lack of excitement in the Bahrain Grand Prix is still dominating conversation two weeks later in Australia, but Renault's Robert Kubica thinks the tame race at Sakhir should not have come as surprise.
AUTOSPORT heard his thoughts on the current Formula 1 rules, and on Renault's potential in Melbourne.
Robert KubicaQ. What's your view on the racing in Bahrain?
Robert Kubica: I don't know if we were expecting some completely different races. What we have seen in Bahrain is what I was expecting, so there was no real surprise, at least for myself. Actually from my point of view, there were some interesting factors to discover, which makes our life a bit different than it was in the past. But for the show and overtaking, there was no surprise. I was expecting a completely different race from a driver's point of view and an engineer's point of view, and it was. But from a show point of view, I don't think it was worse than it was last year. It was the same.
Q. Is it harder to pass now?
RK: Well the first cars were quite easy because the teams were much slower. But then I think even if you're two seconds quicker it is difficult to overtake, especially when you know that you have to make your tyres last for 40 laps. You have to take it easier when you know your brakes might get in trouble with hot temperatures. All those little things put you into a position where maybe it's even more difficult to overtake than in the past. At least in the past you had weight differences, this year everybody's running the same fuel loads and a similar pace, so I think overtaking is even more difficult, but that's just how it is.
Q. Do you have to do even more work as a driver now?
RK: It's different racing, you have to maybe take more care of these issues like tyre wear, brake wear and temperatures overall, depending on your position and strategy. I found it quite an interesting experience in Bahrain and I learned new things. But for sure the race is much slower than it was - you are lapping eight seconds off the pace compared to qualifying so it's like you're lapping in slow motion. It puts you in a different situation. In the past the races were much quicker, you were burning down the fuel and changing the tyres twice so tyre wear was not so important. Now everything is happening slower.
Q. What's the effect of temperature on tyres likely to be here?
RK: I think nobody knows, they are different tyres and I have a different car to last year. This year I am struggling less with warm-up, for example. Last year our car with BMW was much more sensitive to this, but I don't know if that's coming from the car or the tyres. I think this year tyres are more suited to a longer distance and lower degradation, so most probably their operating window is wider.
Q. Were the drivers being conservative in Bahrain?
RK: You always try to give your maximum. Whatever you do, it's to make your race as quick as possible. By not having refuelling, everything is more under stress - we are putting more stress on the brakes and tyres by having more fuel. You might push less in the beginning to have more pace afterwards, which with the refuelling, especially if you were doing a two-stop race, you were harsher on the tyres and you were more aggressive because you could be, even if you got a bit in trouble on the tyres you knew in five or 10 laps you could change them. Now you have to take care of them. It was quite interesting with Pedro [de la Rosa] who came in front of me, he really pushed hard for five years and was pulling away, but after five laps he dropped like 2s per lap.
Q. Do the rules mean that when the car is lightest and quickest at the end, you're having to drive slower?
RK: Well, you're using all your speed, but depending on which position you are in, which tyres, the tyre wear, and you see some cars getting quicker, some keeping the same lap times. But I think everyone agrees that 80 per cent of the races are finished after 70 per cent of the race, and they were always finished after the second pitstop. Now we most probably have only one-stop races, the races will be finished - unless we see problems - earlier. When you had a bit of strategy play you could see more action on the track.
Q. Do you have an understanding of how Renault compares to the other teams after Bahrain?
RK: I think it was clear in Bahrain that we were not far off Mercedes. Behind the top four teams I think there is actually quite a close pack with Renault, Force India, Williams and Sauber, but Bahrain is a different track to here, Malaysia is different again, so I think we'll have to wait three or four races to have a better picture.
Overall I think it was quite a good achievement for us. I know it sounds low profile, just qualifying in Q3, but we have to stay realistic. Last year was quite a difficult season for Renault and Fernando [Alonso], so we are working to slowly build up our pace and become more competitive. I think there was quite a big step during the winter in the factory, and I think on the racetrack in February we did quite a good job of improving.
Q. Do you see a close fight at the front between Red Bull and Ferrari here, and where will Renault be?
RK: I think clearly the top two teams in Bahrain were Red Bull and Ferrari, so I think they will still be at the top. The job will be to extract the maximum from the car that's possible for this track. I think there is quite a close battle in the group where we are. Of course we hope to be in front, and we have some new upgrades for here, so we hope to make another step forward. We hope our car will suit this track - I have quite a good feeling. Some doubts on one thing, but we will see.
Q. Do you think switching to narrower front tyres was a mistake?
RK: I think the front tyres have nothing to do with overtaking.
Q. But it's a reduction in mechanical grip...
RK: I don't think overtaking three years ago was easier than now. It has always been very difficult. There is a lot of talking going on. Of course it would be nice from the drivers' point of view if it as easier to overtake, because in the end we are racers and it's always good to have the possibility. For example I was 2s quicker than the other cars in Bahrain and it was not possible to overtake. It was annoying, but that's how it is. It was like this when I joined Formula 1 and it is like this now. We went from grooves to slicks, to narrow tyres, to a completely different aerodynamic concept.
There are many factors that put together make overtaking very difficult, and it will be like this forever unless you take road cars and paint them like F1 cars. It's normal that the higher category you go to, the harder overtaking is. I just say that it looks like it is more difficult [in 2010] because somehow you have to not think about this lap, but to bring the car home. The new regulations, the refuelling ban, put much more stress into everything and makes it more difficult.
Q. What's your view on the late start time in Melbourne?
RK: Last year I think it was extremely dangerous in the last 20 laps of the race. The last sector, especially the last corner, it was like going through it blind. It was impossible to see. The last 20 laps you could see all the drivers losing half a second in the last sector because you couldn't see anything when the sun is very low. For sure it's not nice to go through a corner in an F1 car where it's really very, very difficult to see anything. That's how it is. Maybe some cloud will help us, which looks like it might be for Sunday.
Q. But if rain is forecast, won't that be more dangerous?
RK: No, unless it's raining and it's sunny - then it will be more difficult!
Q. Last year the difference between the two tyre compounds made this race quite lively. What do you expect this year?
RK: Yes and no. It's very difficult to predict. Last year I think I was lucky because after 10 laps I was already 25s off the leader, then the safety car came out and it played out for us. This year it might happen as well, but overall we will see I think similar strategies to Bahrain.
Q. What if the top guys on the grid are struggling with softs and the guys behind are on hards?
RK: It could, but I think no one will know how the race will look before it happens. It was quite surprising to see everyone stopping around lap 15 in Bahrain and going to the end. I was surprised. I was one of the earliest cars to stop, and I was surprised how easily I could finish the race with the tyres.
It's very, very difficult to predict, and to predict what gaps you will have. Now strategy depends more on the traffic than the tyres. When you stop you make sure you are in front of the group, not behind, and now the strategy is more around getting clear air after the stop in order to be able to push with fresh tyres for a few laps. Last year you were limited by fuel so it was clear that you had to come in, now you can play with stopping longer, shorter, whatever.
AUTOSPORT heard his thoughts on the current Formula 1 rules, and on Renault's potential in Melbourne.
Robert KubicaQ. What's your view on the racing in Bahrain?
Robert Kubica: I don't know if we were expecting some completely different races. What we have seen in Bahrain is what I was expecting, so there was no real surprise, at least for myself. Actually from my point of view, there were some interesting factors to discover, which makes our life a bit different than it was in the past. But for the show and overtaking, there was no surprise. I was expecting a completely different race from a driver's point of view and an engineer's point of view, and it was. But from a show point of view, I don't think it was worse than it was last year. It was the same.
Q. Is it harder to pass now?
RK: Well the first cars were quite easy because the teams were much slower. But then I think even if you're two seconds quicker it is difficult to overtake, especially when you know that you have to make your tyres last for 40 laps. You have to take it easier when you know your brakes might get in trouble with hot temperatures. All those little things put you into a position where maybe it's even more difficult to overtake than in the past. At least in the past you had weight differences, this year everybody's running the same fuel loads and a similar pace, so I think overtaking is even more difficult, but that's just how it is.
Q. Do you have to do even more work as a driver now?
RK: It's different racing, you have to maybe take more care of these issues like tyre wear, brake wear and temperatures overall, depending on your position and strategy. I found it quite an interesting experience in Bahrain and I learned new things. But for sure the race is much slower than it was - you are lapping eight seconds off the pace compared to qualifying so it's like you're lapping in slow motion. It puts you in a different situation. In the past the races were much quicker, you were burning down the fuel and changing the tyres twice so tyre wear was not so important. Now everything is happening slower.
Q. What's the effect of temperature on tyres likely to be here?
RK: I think nobody knows, they are different tyres and I have a different car to last year. This year I am struggling less with warm-up, for example. Last year our car with BMW was much more sensitive to this, but I don't know if that's coming from the car or the tyres. I think this year tyres are more suited to a longer distance and lower degradation, so most probably their operating window is wider.
Q. Were the drivers being conservative in Bahrain?
RK: You always try to give your maximum. Whatever you do, it's to make your race as quick as possible. By not having refuelling, everything is more under stress - we are putting more stress on the brakes and tyres by having more fuel. You might push less in the beginning to have more pace afterwards, which with the refuelling, especially if you were doing a two-stop race, you were harsher on the tyres and you were more aggressive because you could be, even if you got a bit in trouble on the tyres you knew in five or 10 laps you could change them. Now you have to take care of them. It was quite interesting with Pedro [de la Rosa] who came in front of me, he really pushed hard for five years and was pulling away, but after five laps he dropped like 2s per lap.
Q. Do the rules mean that when the car is lightest and quickest at the end, you're having to drive slower?
RK: Well, you're using all your speed, but depending on which position you are in, which tyres, the tyre wear, and you see some cars getting quicker, some keeping the same lap times. But I think everyone agrees that 80 per cent of the races are finished after 70 per cent of the race, and they were always finished after the second pitstop. Now we most probably have only one-stop races, the races will be finished - unless we see problems - earlier. When you had a bit of strategy play you could see more action on the track.
Q. Do you have an understanding of how Renault compares to the other teams after Bahrain?
RK: I think it was clear in Bahrain that we were not far off Mercedes. Behind the top four teams I think there is actually quite a close pack with Renault, Force India, Williams and Sauber, but Bahrain is a different track to here, Malaysia is different again, so I think we'll have to wait three or four races to have a better picture.
Overall I think it was quite a good achievement for us. I know it sounds low profile, just qualifying in Q3, but we have to stay realistic. Last year was quite a difficult season for Renault and Fernando [Alonso], so we are working to slowly build up our pace and become more competitive. I think there was quite a big step during the winter in the factory, and I think on the racetrack in February we did quite a good job of improving.
Q. Do you see a close fight at the front between Red Bull and Ferrari here, and where will Renault be?
RK: I think clearly the top two teams in Bahrain were Red Bull and Ferrari, so I think they will still be at the top. The job will be to extract the maximum from the car that's possible for this track. I think there is quite a close battle in the group where we are. Of course we hope to be in front, and we have some new upgrades for here, so we hope to make another step forward. We hope our car will suit this track - I have quite a good feeling. Some doubts on one thing, but we will see.
Q. Do you think switching to narrower front tyres was a mistake?
RK: I think the front tyres have nothing to do with overtaking.
Q. But it's a reduction in mechanical grip...
RK: I don't think overtaking three years ago was easier than now. It has always been very difficult. There is a lot of talking going on. Of course it would be nice from the drivers' point of view if it as easier to overtake, because in the end we are racers and it's always good to have the possibility. For example I was 2s quicker than the other cars in Bahrain and it was not possible to overtake. It was annoying, but that's how it is. It was like this when I joined Formula 1 and it is like this now. We went from grooves to slicks, to narrow tyres, to a completely different aerodynamic concept.
There are many factors that put together make overtaking very difficult, and it will be like this forever unless you take road cars and paint them like F1 cars. It's normal that the higher category you go to, the harder overtaking is. I just say that it looks like it is more difficult [in 2010] because somehow you have to not think about this lap, but to bring the car home. The new regulations, the refuelling ban, put much more stress into everything and makes it more difficult.
Q. What's your view on the late start time in Melbourne?
RK: Last year I think it was extremely dangerous in the last 20 laps of the race. The last sector, especially the last corner, it was like going through it blind. It was impossible to see. The last 20 laps you could see all the drivers losing half a second in the last sector because you couldn't see anything when the sun is very low. For sure it's not nice to go through a corner in an F1 car where it's really very, very difficult to see anything. That's how it is. Maybe some cloud will help us, which looks like it might be for Sunday.
Q. But if rain is forecast, won't that be more dangerous?
RK: No, unless it's raining and it's sunny - then it will be more difficult!
Q. Last year the difference between the two tyre compounds made this race quite lively. What do you expect this year?
RK: Yes and no. It's very difficult to predict. Last year I think I was lucky because after 10 laps I was already 25s off the leader, then the safety car came out and it played out for us. This year it might happen as well, but overall we will see I think similar strategies to Bahrain.
Q. What if the top guys on the grid are struggling with softs and the guys behind are on hards?
RK: It could, but I think no one will know how the race will look before it happens. It was quite surprising to see everyone stopping around lap 15 in Bahrain and going to the end. I was surprised. I was one of the earliest cars to stop, and I was surprised how easily I could finish the race with the tyres.
It's very, very difficult to predict, and to predict what gaps you will have. Now strategy depends more on the traffic than the tyres. When you stop you make sure you are in front of the group, not behind, and now the strategy is more around getting clear air after the stop in order to be able to push with fresh tyres for a few laps. Last year you were limited by fuel so it was clear that you had to come in, now you can play with stopping longer, shorter, whatever.
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