Williams and Lotus have both given their thumbs-up to the work that engine supplier Cosworth has done this year - as they rubbish speculation that they are looking at a move to Renault for 2011.
French car manufacturer Renault said in Monaco last weekend that it was hoping to expand its customer supply base for next year - prompting widespread rumours that Williams and Lotus could be targets.
However, both teams insist that they are happy with the progress that Cosworth has made and say they have every intention of seeing through the long-term contracts they have with the Northampton-based engine maker.
Cosworth itself has recognised the areas it needs to improve and Williams technical director Sam Michael said he welcomed the working relationship between his team and the engine supplier.
"We are extremely demanding of Cosworth because we want to get everything right, but they ask us to be like that as well," Michael told AUTOSPORT. "They want to be pushed because they don't want to be seen to be an engine that is just making up the numbers. And the only way they won't be like that is if they respond to us."
Williams CEO Adam Parr added: "I am happy with them and we are not looking at anyone else.
"But what I would say, and I think they have said too, is that the engine is good, we had very good pre-season testing, but we have had problems during the season with unexpected degradation issues.
"That has led to reliability issues because things are not lasting. So there is a requirement for some relatively simple changes to address those problems, but we are working on it."
High level Lotus sources have also confirmed that they too are pleased with the job that Cosworth has done on its return to F1, as the team looks forward to continued progress over the rest of the year.
Lotus is set to put its 2011 challenger into the wind tunnel soon, as it begins to shift focus between developing this year's car and beginning work on next season's model.
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Sunday 23 May 2010
Webber not ruling out moving teams
Mark Webber has said he is not ruling out a move to a different team when his Red Bull Racing contract expires at the end of this season.
The Australian now holds a joint championship lead with team-mate Sebastian Vettel after winning the last two grands prix, and has become one of the key figures in the driver market with his current contract expiring at the end of 2010.
Although he admits he is happy at Red Bull, he left himself open to the possibility of moving for 2011, with Ferrari known to have a potential vacancy with Felipe Massa's contract also ending this year.
"I've just won two races, back-to-back, and people are asking me where I'm going to drive next year," Webber said in an interview with The Mail on Sunday.
"I'm very close to the guys at Red Bull, we've been through a lot and I have a great relationship with them. Yet things happen and change very fast in this business and you never know what's around the corner."
Webber expects his future to be decided by the time of the British Grand Prix in July.
"At the moment, I'm only thinking about the next race, in Turkey next weekend. The rest will take care of itself. There are hundreds of points up for grabs and I'm concentrating on the job in hand. I imagine the picture will be clearer in another six weeks or so. But what matters most is I still have a great desire driving me."
He also took time to reflect on his Monaco Grand Prix victory last weekend, admitting that he has been blown away by his achievement.
"It seems a lot of people watch the Monaco Grand Prix!" he added. "I suppose it's amazing because, only three or four weeks ago, everyone was talking about the dream team at McLaren or Michael [Schumacher] doing this or that. But I'm not getting carried away; our sport changes in a flash.
"It struck me that, at that dinner with the Prince, I was part of history. I'll never forget them peeling back the roof of the building for a fireworks display. It was a great conclusion to what had been a unique, dramatic week in my life."
Webber returned to the Monte Carlo track on Monday to take some time to revel in his victory.
"I drove round the track again in my road car looking to see where the rubber was, just taking in the moment," he said. "The last time I'd driven it, I'd been pretty wired! I am not one for the glitz or glamour, but I know how tough it is to win there. A small error and your race is over. I just wanted another look on Monday."
The Australian now holds a joint championship lead with team-mate Sebastian Vettel after winning the last two grands prix, and has become one of the key figures in the driver market with his current contract expiring at the end of 2010.
Although he admits he is happy at Red Bull, he left himself open to the possibility of moving for 2011, with Ferrari known to have a potential vacancy with Felipe Massa's contract also ending this year.
"I've just won two races, back-to-back, and people are asking me where I'm going to drive next year," Webber said in an interview with The Mail on Sunday.
"I'm very close to the guys at Red Bull, we've been through a lot and I have a great relationship with them. Yet things happen and change very fast in this business and you never know what's around the corner."
Webber expects his future to be decided by the time of the British Grand Prix in July.
"At the moment, I'm only thinking about the next race, in Turkey next weekend. The rest will take care of itself. There are hundreds of points up for grabs and I'm concentrating on the job in hand. I imagine the picture will be clearer in another six weeks or so. But what matters most is I still have a great desire driving me."
He also took time to reflect on his Monaco Grand Prix victory last weekend, admitting that he has been blown away by his achievement.
"It seems a lot of people watch the Monaco Grand Prix!" he added. "I suppose it's amazing because, only three or four weeks ago, everyone was talking about the dream team at McLaren or Michael [Schumacher] doing this or that. But I'm not getting carried away; our sport changes in a flash.
"It struck me that, at that dinner with the Prince, I was part of history. I'll never forget them peeling back the roof of the building for a fireworks display. It was a great conclusion to what had been a unique, dramatic week in my life."
Webber returned to the Monte Carlo track on Monday to take some time to revel in his victory.
"I drove round the track again in my road car looking to see where the rubber was, just taking in the moment," he said. "The last time I'd driven it, I'd been pretty wired! I am not one for the glitz or glamour, but I know how tough it is to win there. A small error and your race is over. I just wanted another look on Monday."
Wednesday 19 May 2010
Williams confirms Monaco crashes' cause
Williams has confirmed the causes of the separate accidents suffered by Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg during Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
Barrichello hit the barrier at the top of Beau Rivage when something broke at the rear of his FW32, while Hulkenberg crashed into the wall in the tunnel on the opening lap.
The team initially said that it wanted to investigate the causes of the incidents back at the factory, but technical director Sam Michael today confirmed that Barrichello's crash was caused by a rear suspension failure and Hulkenberg's by his front wing, which was damaged at the first corner of the race.
"Rubens had a rear suspension failure," said Michael. "We have a good idea which part is suspect, but to be completely sure we need to await the results of materials tests back at the factory. However, it won't be an issue going forward.
"Nico had a clutch paddle sensor failure on the grid. He then touched the back of the HRT car in Turn 1 and this damaged the front wing mounting pillars. When he entered the tunnel, the front wing eventually failed and he understeered off into the wall."
Michael also confirmed that the failures were not on new parts added with the team's latest upgrade.
"The parts that failed in the race were not new designs and they have been on the car since the start of the season," he said.
He added that the accidents should not stop Williams from pushing forward with another evolution of the FW32 for the next race in Turkey in two weeks.
"Of course we have a significant amount of workload to replace the damaged parts such as the diffusers and the front wings. However, both chassis were undamaged, which is positive," Michael said.
"The FW32 was good in Monaco, certainly an improvement on the previous race, but we acknowledge that we have still got work to do to be more competitive. I am confident that our relative race pace will be an improvement on Barcelona, but as ever much depends on how the other teams manage to move forward too.
"But I can be confident that our direction of development is moving the right way. We have an upgrade plan for Istanbul, but our first priority at the moment is to consolidate the repairs on both race cars."
Barrichello hit the barrier at the top of Beau Rivage when something broke at the rear of his FW32, while Hulkenberg crashed into the wall in the tunnel on the opening lap.
The team initially said that it wanted to investigate the causes of the incidents back at the factory, but technical director Sam Michael today confirmed that Barrichello's crash was caused by a rear suspension failure and Hulkenberg's by his front wing, which was damaged at the first corner of the race.
"Rubens had a rear suspension failure," said Michael. "We have a good idea which part is suspect, but to be completely sure we need to await the results of materials tests back at the factory. However, it won't be an issue going forward.
"Nico had a clutch paddle sensor failure on the grid. He then touched the back of the HRT car in Turn 1 and this damaged the front wing mounting pillars. When he entered the tunnel, the front wing eventually failed and he understeered off into the wall."
Michael also confirmed that the failures were not on new parts added with the team's latest upgrade.
"The parts that failed in the race were not new designs and they have been on the car since the start of the season," he said.
He added that the accidents should not stop Williams from pushing forward with another evolution of the FW32 for the next race in Turkey in two weeks.
"Of course we have a significant amount of workload to replace the damaged parts such as the diffusers and the front wings. However, both chassis were undamaged, which is positive," Michael said.
"The FW32 was good in Monaco, certainly an improvement on the previous race, but we acknowledge that we have still got work to do to be more competitive. I am confident that our relative race pace will be an improvement on Barcelona, but as ever much depends on how the other teams manage to move forward too.
"But I can be confident that our direction of development is moving the right way. We have an upgrade plan for Istanbul, but our first priority at the moment is to consolidate the repairs on both race cars."
Brabham, Jones back Webber for title
Former world champions Jack Brabham and Alan Jones have tipped fellow countryman Mark Webber to go on and win this year's title judging by his form in winning the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.
Webber has moved to the head of the title standings following his back-to-back successes, and Brabham and Jones both think the form of the Red Bull Racing driver put him on course to grab the title.
"Mark can win the world championship, I have no doubt about that,'' Brabham told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's a great day for Mark and Australia. It's a prestigious race, the hardest and most difficult race in the world and he did not put a foot wrong. I watched all the way through and he was very, very good.
''He is ahead on the world championship now and he deserves to win it. It would be a tremendous thing for Australia and for him. He has all my support and good wishes. I'm proud of him.
"An Australian winning the world championship again would be one of the greatest things I could imagine happening. When you win at Monaco, you can win the world championship. I hope he can do it and I think he will.''
Brabham's views have been backed by Australia's other former champion Jones, who sees Webber constantly improving.
"I think it was fantastic, he whacked it on pole, he did a very good start, he withstood pressure several times on the restart which is always nerve-racking as you are always expecting the guy in second to jump you, so I think he did very well indeed," Jones told the Australian.
"He's just getting better and better. His confidence is building and building and beating Vettel off the line on two occasions will do him no harm at all."
Webber has moved to the head of the title standings following his back-to-back successes, and Brabham and Jones both think the form of the Red Bull Racing driver put him on course to grab the title.
"Mark can win the world championship, I have no doubt about that,'' Brabham told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's a great day for Mark and Australia. It's a prestigious race, the hardest and most difficult race in the world and he did not put a foot wrong. I watched all the way through and he was very, very good.
''He is ahead on the world championship now and he deserves to win it. It would be a tremendous thing for Australia and for him. He has all my support and good wishes. I'm proud of him.
"An Australian winning the world championship again would be one of the greatest things I could imagine happening. When you win at Monaco, you can win the world championship. I hope he can do it and I think he will.''
Brabham's views have been backed by Australia's other former champion Jones, who sees Webber constantly improving.
"I think it was fantastic, he whacked it on pole, he did a very good start, he withstood pressure several times on the restart which is always nerve-racking as you are always expecting the guy in second to jump you, so I think he did very well indeed," Jones told the Australian.
"He's just getting better and better. His confidence is building and building and beating Vettel off the line on two occasions will do him no harm at all."
Ferrari in push to bring spare car back
Ferrari is to make a push to try and get rid of the ban on spare cars in Formula 1, in the wake of Fernando Alonso being forced to skip qualifying in Monaco because of his Saturday practice accident.
Alonso crashed at the Massenet corner during the final free practice session, and major damage to his chassis meant the car could not be repaired.
With F1 rules currently banning spare cars, it meant Alonso could not take part in qualifying and had to start from the pitlane for Sunday's race once a replacement chassis had been built up.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali thinks that what happened over the weekend should force a rethink of the regulations - especially because fans were robbed of seeing Alonso battle for pole position.
"Let's start from the reasons why the rule book was modified a couple years ago: costs had to be reduced by getting rid of the T-car and reducing car crews," said Domenicali. "This was the reason why the regulations were changed.
"After that, as usually happens in F1, we lost sight a bit of the events that may happen, like on Saturday. So I think this is an issue that will be re-discussed again as soon as possible, because preventing spectators from seeing the car for this sort of reason is in my opinion worth looking at."
Alonso crashed at the Massenet corner during the final free practice session, and major damage to his chassis meant the car could not be repaired.
With F1 rules currently banning spare cars, it meant Alonso could not take part in qualifying and had to start from the pitlane for Sunday's race once a replacement chassis had been built up.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali thinks that what happened over the weekend should force a rethink of the regulations - especially because fans were robbed of seeing Alonso battle for pole position.
"Let's start from the reasons why the rule book was modified a couple years ago: costs had to be reduced by getting rid of the T-car and reducing car crews," said Domenicali. "This was the reason why the regulations were changed.
"After that, as usually happens in F1, we lost sight a bit of the events that may happen, like on Saturday. So I think this is an issue that will be re-discussed again as soon as possible, because preventing spectators from seeing the car for this sort of reason is in my opinion worth looking at."
Renault ready to supply more teams
The head of Renault's engine programme Remi Taffin says the company is ready to expand its customer supply to additional teams in 2011.
It currently provides engines for Red Bull Racing as well as its own works programme, but has been linked with Williams and Lotus - both currently running Cosworth power - as well for next season.
"We don't know which teams we will be supplying next year," said Taffin. "We certainly have got the capacity to supply more than the two teams we have been doing this year, it's not a big problem for us.
"Obviously we have to produce a few more engines and get some more people to do the job. As far as getting an engine ready and supplying two teams, it's then not a big problem to do so for three or four teams with an extra effort."
Renault was regarded as one of the weaker engines in the Formula 1 field last season, but was allowed to make adjustments as part of an FIA-approved engine equalisation process.
With its own team showing much better form this year and taking two podiums with Robert Kubica so far, and the Renault-powered Red Bulls starting to dominate the championship, the criticism of Renault's engine performance has ceased in recent months. The top three in both qualifying and the race in Monte Carlo last weekend used Renault V8s.
Taffin acknowledged that other engine suppliers might be producing more power, but said Renault was very happy with the way its engine was performing overall.
"I have to say it always quite difficult to assess what the overall level power of the engine is," he said. "We might not have the best level in terms of power, but you have to look overall; how you set up the engine in the car, how you can develop the engine in the car or the car around the engine.
"So, I have to say, overall maybe we are not in as bad shape as you hear people say about [us], but I am quite happy with this engine."
It currently provides engines for Red Bull Racing as well as its own works programme, but has been linked with Williams and Lotus - both currently running Cosworth power - as well for next season.
"We don't know which teams we will be supplying next year," said Taffin. "We certainly have got the capacity to supply more than the two teams we have been doing this year, it's not a big problem for us.
"Obviously we have to produce a few more engines and get some more people to do the job. As far as getting an engine ready and supplying two teams, it's then not a big problem to do so for three or four teams with an extra effort."
Renault was regarded as one of the weaker engines in the Formula 1 field last season, but was allowed to make adjustments as part of an FIA-approved engine equalisation process.
With its own team showing much better form this year and taking two podiums with Robert Kubica so far, and the Renault-powered Red Bulls starting to dominate the championship, the criticism of Renault's engine performance has ceased in recent months. The top three in both qualifying and the race in Monte Carlo last weekend used Renault V8s.
Taffin acknowledged that other engine suppliers might be producing more power, but said Renault was very happy with the way its engine was performing overall.
"I have to say it always quite difficult to assess what the overall level power of the engine is," he said. "We might not have the best level in terms of power, but you have to look overall; how you set up the engine in the car, how you can develop the engine in the car or the car around the engine.
"So, I have to say, overall maybe we are not in as bad shape as you hear people say about [us], but I am quite happy with this engine."
Monday 17 May 2010
Victories set to secure Webber's future
Mark Webber's stunning back-to-back victories in Spain and Monaco appear to have secured his future at Red Bull Racing, with team chiefs saying they have no doubt that they should keep him on board for next season.
On a weekend when Webber moved to the top of the world championship standings, Red Bull bosses opened talks with the Australian's management about extending his deal - which finishes at the end of this season.
With the form of the RB6 making a seat at the team one of the main targets for any leading driver, team principal Christian Horner has dropped the firmest hint yet that Webber will remain alongside Sebastian Vettel next season.
"I am very happy with the balance and dynamics in team, and there is nothing that we would change for," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
Although Webber himself said at the Monaco Grand Prix that he was in no rush to sort out his future - with his current form making him a target for rival outfits, Horner said he did not expect a lengthy negotiation spell when it comes down to finalising terms.
Should Webber get his new deal, then it will almost certainly mean the end of Kimi Raikkonen's F1 career - with the Finn's only real option for a return being Red Bull.
"We are very happy with the way that Mark is performing," said Horner. "He is an important member of our team and he has got to a stage where, at 33 years of age, we said let's take one year at a time – rather than signing some long-winded agreement.
"It is all down to relationships and how he feels at the end of the day. He is driving fantastically well, he is a very valued member of the team, so when the time comes to sit down and talk about contracts I am sure it will be a very short conversation."
Although it is understood that no contract has been signed, Horner said he expected the matter to be sorted out in the next few weeks.
"Over the last couple of years it has been around the end of May and beginning of June that we begin to talk about things, but with Mark, like all things, it is pretty straight forward," he said.
Webber's second victory in as many weekends moved him and Red Bull to the top of the championship standings, but Horner says the team still needs to keep driving itself to improve.
"Our focus won't change," he said. "We will keep pushing. It is very dangerous in this business to underestimate your rivals.
"McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes are great teams and have great pedigrees and histories, and it would be foolish to underestimate their rate of development and progress.
"We are a small team in comparison, so we need to keep focusing on what we are doing, keep our heads down and try and deliver the kind of performances we have delivered over the last couple of weekends – and the championships will take care of themselves."
On a weekend when Webber moved to the top of the world championship standings, Red Bull bosses opened talks with the Australian's management about extending his deal - which finishes at the end of this season.
With the form of the RB6 making a seat at the team one of the main targets for any leading driver, team principal Christian Horner has dropped the firmest hint yet that Webber will remain alongside Sebastian Vettel next season.
"I am very happy with the balance and dynamics in team, and there is nothing that we would change for," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
Although Webber himself said at the Monaco Grand Prix that he was in no rush to sort out his future - with his current form making him a target for rival outfits, Horner said he did not expect a lengthy negotiation spell when it comes down to finalising terms.
Should Webber get his new deal, then it will almost certainly mean the end of Kimi Raikkonen's F1 career - with the Finn's only real option for a return being Red Bull.
"We are very happy with the way that Mark is performing," said Horner. "He is an important member of our team and he has got to a stage where, at 33 years of age, we said let's take one year at a time – rather than signing some long-winded agreement.
"It is all down to relationships and how he feels at the end of the day. He is driving fantastically well, he is a very valued member of the team, so when the time comes to sit down and talk about contracts I am sure it will be a very short conversation."
Although it is understood that no contract has been signed, Horner said he expected the matter to be sorted out in the next few weeks.
"Over the last couple of years it has been around the end of May and beginning of June that we begin to talk about things, but with Mark, like all things, it is pretty straight forward," he said.
Webber's second victory in as many weekends moved him and Red Bull to the top of the championship standings, but Horner says the team still needs to keep driving itself to improve.
"Our focus won't change," he said. "We will keep pushing. It is very dangerous in this business to underestimate your rivals.
"McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes are great teams and have great pedigrees and histories, and it would be foolish to underestimate their rate of development and progress.
"We are a small team in comparison, so we need to keep focusing on what we are doing, keep our heads down and try and deliver the kind of performances we have delivered over the last couple of weekends – and the championships will take care of themselves."
Tyre choice between Pirelli and Michelin
Formula 1's tyre choice for next year is now a straight two-way fight between Pirelli and Michelin, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has confirmed.
With teams hoping to make a final decision on 2011 rubber in the next few days, having been unable to commit themselves during a meeting at the Monaco Grand Prix, Domenicali has said that Avon Cooper and Bridgestone have now been discounted.
"No decision has been taken yet," said Domenicali. "I think another week and maybe by next weekend hopefully we will be able to find a solution. There are still only two possibilities - Michelin and Pirelli. I don't see any other option."
Although Pirelli had emerged as a clear favourite over the Monaco GP weekend, Michelin's offer – in both technical and commercial terms – is still attractive enough for teams to be unsure about which direction they want to go in.
Further analysis of the terms over the next few days – with clarification from both manufacturers on certain issues – should help teams make their final call and may yet make Michelin the preferred choice.
Renault team principal Eric Boullier said time was now of the essence to get the matter sorted.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if the matter should be settled by the Turkish Grand Prix, he said: "It has to be, because I think there is a technical issue that if we wait too late then nothing will be ready for next year. It has to be done by Turkey."
With teams hoping to make a final decision on 2011 rubber in the next few days, having been unable to commit themselves during a meeting at the Monaco Grand Prix, Domenicali has said that Avon Cooper and Bridgestone have now been discounted.
"No decision has been taken yet," said Domenicali. "I think another week and maybe by next weekend hopefully we will be able to find a solution. There are still only two possibilities - Michelin and Pirelli. I don't see any other option."
Although Pirelli had emerged as a clear favourite over the Monaco GP weekend, Michelin's offer – in both technical and commercial terms – is still attractive enough for teams to be unsure about which direction they want to go in.
Further analysis of the terms over the next few days – with clarification from both manufacturers on certain issues – should help teams make their final call and may yet make Michelin the preferred choice.
Renault team principal Eric Boullier said time was now of the essence to get the matter sorted.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if the matter should be settled by the Turkish Grand Prix, he said: "It has to be, because I think there is a technical issue that if we wait too late then nothing will be ready for next year. It has to be done by Turkey."
Friday 14 May 2010
Massa pins hopes on softer tyres
Felipe Massa is hoping the softer tyres available to teams in Monaco this weekend will help him rediscover his confidence in the cockpit.
The Brazilian has confessed to struggling with the harder tyres that have been used since the Bahrain Grand Prix - and reckons that is why he has been unable to match the pace of team-mate Fernando Alonso.
But with Bridgestone making the super soft and medium tyres – the same choice as in Bahrain - available to teams in Monaco this weekend, Massa is hoping for an improved performance.
"Last weekend wasn't really great for me, especially in qualifying," said Massa in Monaco. "Red Bull was ahead of all the other teams, and I was struggling a lot on the tyres.
"In the race, starting ninth and finishing sixth was not so bad to be honest. We did a good start but then the race was quite boring - stuck behind Jenson, with it difficult to overtake, and struggling a lot with the grip level. I had no grip and couldn't try anything so it was not a very nice race.
"But we hope to do a better job this weekend. We have different tyres which on our car were working quite well in Bahrain, and we hope we can do a better job."
The Brazilian has confessed to struggling with the harder tyres that have been used since the Bahrain Grand Prix - and reckons that is why he has been unable to match the pace of team-mate Fernando Alonso.
But with Bridgestone making the super soft and medium tyres – the same choice as in Bahrain - available to teams in Monaco this weekend, Massa is hoping for an improved performance.
"Last weekend wasn't really great for me, especially in qualifying," said Massa in Monaco. "Red Bull was ahead of all the other teams, and I was struggling a lot on the tyres.
"In the race, starting ninth and finishing sixth was not so bad to be honest. We did a good start but then the race was quite boring - stuck behind Jenson, with it difficult to overtake, and struggling a lot with the grip level. I had no grip and couldn't try anything so it was not a very nice race.
"But we hope to do a better job this weekend. We have different tyres which on our car were working quite well in Bahrain, and we hope we can do a better job."
Force India predicts qualifying 'lottery'
Force India boss Vijay Mallya believes the speed difference between F1 cars will make Monaco Grand Prix qualifying a lottery on Saturday.
"Today we were very satisfied with the pace of our longer runs and the positions in both sessions were encouraging," said Mallya following Friday practice.
"However what we have seen is that the speed difference between the cars - sometimes up to five seconds - will make qualifying a lottery."
The Indian nonetheless reckons his team has the speed to reach the top ten on Saturday.
"We believe we have the potential to be right up there fighting for Q3 but we'll have to see how it goes in on Saturday," he added. "The right ingredients are there, we just need them to mix together in the right way."
Adrian Sutil posted the eighth fastest time of the day, the German also encouraged by his car's pace.
"It was a very good day for me," he said. "I'm very happy with my performance and with the car. The set-up was really good and we didn't have to make any major changes over the day, which means there is not so much work for tomorrow and Saturday's final practice.
"The car is going very consistently and I could set good lap times so the end classification looks promising, but we can also be very satisfied about the pace of the long runs. We didn't have many problems with the tyre compounds here, just a bit of graining on the soft one, but it's under control and nothing to worry about.
"Overall I think we look pretty strong for a practice day and can be confident going into qualifying."
Team-mate Tonio Liuzzi finished down in 15th position.
"Today we were very satisfied with the pace of our longer runs and the positions in both sessions were encouraging," said Mallya following Friday practice.
"However what we have seen is that the speed difference between the cars - sometimes up to five seconds - will make qualifying a lottery."
The Indian nonetheless reckons his team has the speed to reach the top ten on Saturday.
"We believe we have the potential to be right up there fighting for Q3 but we'll have to see how it goes in on Saturday," he added. "The right ingredients are there, we just need them to mix together in the right way."
Adrian Sutil posted the eighth fastest time of the day, the German also encouraged by his car's pace.
"It was a very good day for me," he said. "I'm very happy with my performance and with the car. The set-up was really good and we didn't have to make any major changes over the day, which means there is not so much work for tomorrow and Saturday's final practice.
"The car is going very consistently and I could set good lap times so the end classification looks promising, but we can also be very satisfied about the pace of the long runs. We didn't have many problems with the tyre compounds here, just a bit of graining on the soft one, but it's under control and nothing to worry about.
"Overall I think we look pretty strong for a practice day and can be confident going into qualifying."
Team-mate Tonio Liuzzi finished down in 15th position.
Rosberg calm on Mercedes updates
Nico Rosberg has rubbished talk that the upgrades made to his Mercedes GP at the Spanish Grand Prix mean it no longer suits him as well as Michael Schumacher.
The German struggled for pace at Barcelona last weekend with the longer wheelbase W01, with Schumacher seemingly more comfortable with the improved car.
But despite that state of affairs prompting wild suggestions that Mercedes GP had worked only to help Schumacher, Rosberg says the similarity of his and his team-mate's style make such a state of affairs impossible to achieve.
"We drive exactly the same way me and Michael, so it is not that you can build something that suits him better than me," said Rosberg in Monaco.
"The only fact is that I really struggle with understeer, which we have in the car at the moment. But we are looking into that to try to improve it because for sure it is not a good thing for Michael either. It is a bad thing for both of us, and that could be the only thing where I might struggle a bit more in the end."
Rosberg said he had worked hard with his engineers since Spain to try and understand why he had such a difficult time compared to Schumacher.
"We put a lot of analysis in, and my engineers and I seem to understand a few things about why it was difficult in general," he said. "In the end, one thing is for sure, we had a lot of understeer in the car - which we've had all year.
"But in Barcelona, with all the long corners, it was particularly difficult. And also with these tyres, there is a big risk of overloading them when you go into a corner, so you need to be very, very careful with all that and it took me a bit of time.
"Then eventually I was one tenth away from Michael in qualifying. He drove well and I think I can live with that. In the race it didn't go my way. I had an incident at the start, picked up a lot of mud on the bottom which destroyed my aero, and then it just went from there and was a disaster, so you can't really look at the race."
Mercedes GP has reverted to its shorter wheelbase car for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, because the suspension dynamics will be better suited to the tight street circuit.
And although Schumacher enjoyed a confidence boost from the longer wheelbase version, he understands why the team has reverted to the shorter suspension.
"The long wheelbase gives me a better range of set-up solutions," he said. "But if a long wheelbase with better set-up solutions is slower than a short wheelbase with no set-up solutions, then I guess I will take the short wheelbase. And that's what we most likely will have to face here."
The German struggled for pace at Barcelona last weekend with the longer wheelbase W01, with Schumacher seemingly more comfortable with the improved car.
But despite that state of affairs prompting wild suggestions that Mercedes GP had worked only to help Schumacher, Rosberg says the similarity of his and his team-mate's style make such a state of affairs impossible to achieve.
"We drive exactly the same way me and Michael, so it is not that you can build something that suits him better than me," said Rosberg in Monaco.
"The only fact is that I really struggle with understeer, which we have in the car at the moment. But we are looking into that to try to improve it because for sure it is not a good thing for Michael either. It is a bad thing for both of us, and that could be the only thing where I might struggle a bit more in the end."
Rosberg said he had worked hard with his engineers since Spain to try and understand why he had such a difficult time compared to Schumacher.
"We put a lot of analysis in, and my engineers and I seem to understand a few things about why it was difficult in general," he said. "In the end, one thing is for sure, we had a lot of understeer in the car - which we've had all year.
"But in Barcelona, with all the long corners, it was particularly difficult. And also with these tyres, there is a big risk of overloading them when you go into a corner, so you need to be very, very careful with all that and it took me a bit of time.
"Then eventually I was one tenth away from Michael in qualifying. He drove well and I think I can live with that. In the race it didn't go my way. I had an incident at the start, picked up a lot of mud on the bottom which destroyed my aero, and then it just went from there and was a disaster, so you can't really look at the race."
Mercedes GP has reverted to its shorter wheelbase car for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, because the suspension dynamics will be better suited to the tight street circuit.
And although Schumacher enjoyed a confidence boost from the longer wheelbase version, he understands why the team has reverted to the shorter suspension.
"The long wheelbase gives me a better range of set-up solutions," he said. "But if a long wheelbase with better set-up solutions is slower than a short wheelbase with no set-up solutions, then I guess I will take the short wheelbase. And that's what we most likely will have to face here."
Dark horse Kubica says all is possible
Robert Kubica reckons anything is now possible for him at the Monaco Grand Prix, after he emerged as a dark horse for victory following a strong showing in practice.
The Pole was one of the sensations of the opening day of practice in Monte Carlo, consistently fast on both the medium and super soft tyres, and well aware that the nature of the event gives him a better than normal chance of overhauling the opposition.
With more performance set to come from an updated front wing that will be fitted to his Renault from tomorrow, Kubica is bullish about his prospects - but knows that he must get his car in the best shape possible for qualifying.
"The car felt good in practice and there were no real big surprises," he said. "There are a couple of things to be improved, but we have a lot of time here on Friday to work on them and find a solution.
"Everything can happen, especially here in Monaco, but also normally things can change very quickly.
"We hope to improve the car, to improve the balance, but the track changes very quickly. So you have to somehow get the right balance in the right moment, and this is not easy. So we will have to watch out how the track evolution is and try to anticipate changes for qualifying."
Kubica looked well at home in the Renault during Thursday's opening practice encounters, and admitted that confidence - so important for a good result in Monaco – was high.
"My confidence was good from the first session," he said. "Normally I think I don't miss confidence, especially when it comes to driving on the street circuits. But things can change very quickly in Monaco, so we have to watch out and try to put the car in the best window in the right moment - which will be qualifying."
Kubica also said that he was not going to waste any time worrying about the traffic issues that have been a major talking point in the build-up to the Monaco weekend.
"In Monaco it [traffic] is quite tricky," he said ."But to be honest it was not too bad in practice.
"I believe for the guys who are driving the new cars it is not easy to keep the cars on the track and additionally moving out of the way where the track is narrow is not easy for them - just as it is not easy for us. But we shouldn't do too much talk about it – it is how it is."
The Pole was one of the sensations of the opening day of practice in Monte Carlo, consistently fast on both the medium and super soft tyres, and well aware that the nature of the event gives him a better than normal chance of overhauling the opposition.
With more performance set to come from an updated front wing that will be fitted to his Renault from tomorrow, Kubica is bullish about his prospects - but knows that he must get his car in the best shape possible for qualifying.
"The car felt good in practice and there were no real big surprises," he said. "There are a couple of things to be improved, but we have a lot of time here on Friday to work on them and find a solution.
"Everything can happen, especially here in Monaco, but also normally things can change very quickly.
"We hope to improve the car, to improve the balance, but the track changes very quickly. So you have to somehow get the right balance in the right moment, and this is not easy. So we will have to watch out how the track evolution is and try to anticipate changes for qualifying."
Kubica looked well at home in the Renault during Thursday's opening practice encounters, and admitted that confidence - so important for a good result in Monaco – was high.
"My confidence was good from the first session," he said. "Normally I think I don't miss confidence, especially when it comes to driving on the street circuits. But things can change very quickly in Monaco, so we have to watch out and try to put the car in the best window in the right moment - which will be qualifying."
Kubica also said that he was not going to waste any time worrying about the traffic issues that have been a major talking point in the build-up to the Monaco weekend.
"In Monaco it [traffic] is quite tricky," he said ."But to be honest it was not too bad in practice.
"I believe for the guys who are driving the new cars it is not easy to keep the cars on the track and additionally moving out of the way where the track is narrow is not easy for them - just as it is not easy for us. But we shouldn't do too much talk about it – it is how it is."
Ecclestone working to secure HRT future
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he is working to make sure all 12 teams finish the season, suggesting the Hispania Racing squad has financial issues.
"HRT have got problems. I will sort it out," Ecclestone told the Telegraph in an interview on Friday. "I'd like to see 12 teams finish the season because they have made the commitment to come in.
"We might lose one of them. But I'm doing my bit to make sure it doesn't happen."
HRT made it to the grid in Bahrain after an eleventh-hour rescue deal, but arrived in the first race without any testing and has struggled at the back of the grid.
In the interview, Ecclestone also admitted he has been disappointed with Lewis Hamilton's performances so far this year, despite the Briton's charges through the field in some races this year.
"Hamilton has been disappointing," he added. "He was unlucky in the last race but that's what happens when things are going badly for you.
"People praise his overtaking but you don't get any points for passing cars."
The F1 boss said he was missing former Renault boss Flavio Briatore from the sport, while he conceded the FIA was not quieter without Max Mosley.
"Yes, I miss having Flav about the place. He is good company and he was good for this sport. People associated him with F1. He was a character. We miss Max, too. Max got a lot more right than wrong.
"The biggest problem that Max had was that he couldn't package things in a nice way. You tell people to take it or leave it and it doesn't work. It's quieter now at the FIA, which is how we like it."
"HRT have got problems. I will sort it out," Ecclestone told the Telegraph in an interview on Friday. "I'd like to see 12 teams finish the season because they have made the commitment to come in.
"We might lose one of them. But I'm doing my bit to make sure it doesn't happen."
HRT made it to the grid in Bahrain after an eleventh-hour rescue deal, but arrived in the first race without any testing and has struggled at the back of the grid.
In the interview, Ecclestone also admitted he has been disappointed with Lewis Hamilton's performances so far this year, despite the Briton's charges through the field in some races this year.
"Hamilton has been disappointing," he added. "He was unlucky in the last race but that's what happens when things are going badly for you.
"People praise his overtaking but you don't get any points for passing cars."
The F1 boss said he was missing former Renault boss Flavio Briatore from the sport, while he conceded the FIA was not quieter without Max Mosley.
"Yes, I miss having Flav about the place. He is good company and he was good for this sport. People associated him with F1. He was a character. We miss Max, too. Max got a lot more right than wrong.
"The biggest problem that Max had was that he couldn't package things in a nice way. You tell people to take it or leave it and it doesn't work. It's quieter now at the FIA, which is how we like it."
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Red Bull warns rivals over Monaco pace
Red Bull Racing has warned its rivals not to expect an easier time at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix - even though its cars have traditionally been less competitive at the street venue.
On the back of a very strong performance in Spain last weekend, where the team was dominant in qualifying and got both cars on the podium in the race, Red Bull's rivals have been left scratching their heads about how they can catch up with the Milton Keynes-based team in pure downforce terms.
But although few expect its advantage to be as big on the tight Monaco street circuit, team boss Christian Horner believes those who think the RB6 will be as weak as its predecessors in Monaco will be in for a disappointment.
Last year Sebastian Vettel could only qualify fourth, and then crashed out of the race after struggling with tyre degradation.
"It is a race that we are determined to do well at," said Horner. "It is a circuit that we weren't particularly strong at last year, but we feel we have improved the car in a lot of areas compared to last season and we believe we can be very strong in Monaco."
The pace of the RB6 in the early stages of the season, and especially in Spain, has shown that the car is a step forward over its predecessor in high-speed corners. However, Horner thinks Adrian Newey's design team has also made big steps forward with its slow-speed performance too - which will be vital for the tight confines of Monaco.
"What I am really pleased to see is that if we had an Achilles Heel last year it was on the slower speed corners," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
"Some of the work that the guys have done over the close season and in the early development of RB6 is that we have maintained our high speed performance but also really improved the low speed performance.
"A combination of factors have come in to play, so it is very pleasing to see the drivers' performance in the last sector in Spain for example, where with both RB4 and RB5 it was not our strongest area."
Red Bull's rivals will also face the other problem that the RB6 seems much better able to extract single-lap performance from the softer compound tyres than any other car on the grid – which will be crucial for getting a good grid slot in Monaco.
On the back of a very strong performance in Spain last weekend, where the team was dominant in qualifying and got both cars on the podium in the race, Red Bull's rivals have been left scratching their heads about how they can catch up with the Milton Keynes-based team in pure downforce terms.
But although few expect its advantage to be as big on the tight Monaco street circuit, team boss Christian Horner believes those who think the RB6 will be as weak as its predecessors in Monaco will be in for a disappointment.
Last year Sebastian Vettel could only qualify fourth, and then crashed out of the race after struggling with tyre degradation.
"It is a race that we are determined to do well at," said Horner. "It is a circuit that we weren't particularly strong at last year, but we feel we have improved the car in a lot of areas compared to last season and we believe we can be very strong in Monaco."
The pace of the RB6 in the early stages of the season, and especially in Spain, has shown that the car is a step forward over its predecessor in high-speed corners. However, Horner thinks Adrian Newey's design team has also made big steps forward with its slow-speed performance too - which will be vital for the tight confines of Monaco.
"What I am really pleased to see is that if we had an Achilles Heel last year it was on the slower speed corners," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
"Some of the work that the guys have done over the close season and in the early development of RB6 is that we have maintained our high speed performance but also really improved the low speed performance.
"A combination of factors have come in to play, so it is very pleasing to see the drivers' performance in the last sector in Spain for example, where with both RB4 and RB5 it was not our strongest area."
Red Bull's rivals will also face the other problem that the RB6 seems much better able to extract single-lap performance from the softer compound tyres than any other car on the grid – which will be crucial for getting a good grid slot in Monaco.
Ferrari: Downforce key to catch Red Bull
Ferrari believes it urgently needs to bring more downforce onto its car if it going to be able to take the championship fight to Red Bull Racing.
Although Fernando Alonso is second in the drivers' standings, and ahead of both Red Bull's men, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes the pace of the RB6 in Spain last weekend has acted as a wake-up call about its aerodynamic advantages.
And with the F1 calendar now heading for a series of tracks where downforce is key, Domenicali reckons his team must find more aerodynamic performance if it is stop Red Bull seizing the initiative in points terms.
"Red Bull did a step in terms of their own performance," Domenicali said about the improved RB6 in Spain. "We saw it on Saturday and we saw it on Friday, but in all honesty we saw it in the race with the performance of Mark Webber. That is a reference for our side.
"We don't have to over-react to that, but it is something that we need to look at very carefully. They [Red Bull Racing] have improved the efficiency of their car, so they are doing a very good job.
"If you look at the championship, they are really the quickest one because if I recall they have been on pole position since the beginning of the season, but they are third in the championship. That is a very important factor - don't forget the reliability and don't forget all the other things that are important for the package of the car.
"This situation gives us a push to work very hard at home, mainly to try to find on the aerodynamic side more downforce on the car. That is the area where we have to do a step ahead, because there are some other tracks where this will be fundamental and we cannot run the risk of having a not very efficient car."
Domenicali also believes Ferrari needs to look closely as to why Red Bull appears to be so much better on softer tyres than the opposition - whereas its advantage is not so obvious on harder compounds.
"Why is not so clear at the moment," he said. "It is something that our engineers need to understand. And also the other thing that we need to really understand properly is that the behaviour of our drivers is different depending on the tyres or the compound that we are using.
"So this is very effective on the performance of our package, and this is an area that we have to look at very carefully."
Although Fernando Alonso is second in the drivers' standings, and ahead of both Red Bull's men, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes the pace of the RB6 in Spain last weekend has acted as a wake-up call about its aerodynamic advantages.
And with the F1 calendar now heading for a series of tracks where downforce is key, Domenicali reckons his team must find more aerodynamic performance if it is stop Red Bull seizing the initiative in points terms.
"Red Bull did a step in terms of their own performance," Domenicali said about the improved RB6 in Spain. "We saw it on Saturday and we saw it on Friday, but in all honesty we saw it in the race with the performance of Mark Webber. That is a reference for our side.
"We don't have to over-react to that, but it is something that we need to look at very carefully. They [Red Bull Racing] have improved the efficiency of their car, so they are doing a very good job.
"If you look at the championship, they are really the quickest one because if I recall they have been on pole position since the beginning of the season, but they are third in the championship. That is a very important factor - don't forget the reliability and don't forget all the other things that are important for the package of the car.
"This situation gives us a push to work very hard at home, mainly to try to find on the aerodynamic side more downforce on the car. That is the area where we have to do a step ahead, because there are some other tracks where this will be fundamental and we cannot run the risk of having a not very efficient car."
Domenicali also believes Ferrari needs to look closely as to why Red Bull appears to be so much better on softer tyres than the opposition - whereas its advantage is not so obvious on harder compounds.
"Why is not so clear at the moment," he said. "It is something that our engineers need to understand. And also the other thing that we need to really understand properly is that the behaviour of our drivers is different depending on the tyres or the compound that we are using.
"So this is very effective on the performance of our package, and this is an area that we have to look at very carefully."
Post-race press conference - Spain
Post-race press conference - Spain
Q. Mark, Fernando described you and the team on Friday as unbeatable and you proved it today. You must be very happy?
Mark WEBBER: Yeah, absolutely rapped. After qualifying yesterday it was certainly a great position for us to start the grand prix in. We knew it was a long run to the first corner here and we had some pretty quick cars behind us in terms of top speed, so that was the very important part of the race to unlock that and get out of turn one still in the lead. It was quite tight into turn one. We had a good battle going into there and then I just settled into a rhythm really into the first stint, looking after tyres, making sure we got the option through as everyone is still learning, venue to venue, about how the tyres might operate. We had a pretty good idea they would behave themselves but you never know. We just made sure they were in pretty good nick and finishing the stint in a good fashion which they did. Clean pit-stop. I had Seb with me at that stage and then after the pit stop I had Lewis (Hamilton) behind me and we just controlled the gap really. Looking after the car, engine, tyres as still the grands prix are pretty long and the cars are built for a distance and you need to get the cars home. The team have been incredible this week, getting the cars ready, long, long nights for the guys, an incredible amount of effort at the factory. Working on holidays, so collectively Renault and Red Bull have put a huge effort in. The driver did his little bit of work and in the end it was a fantastic result and I am absolutely thrilled.
Q. Fernando, it looked like it might have been fourth place at one point but it ended up being second. I guess that proves it is never over until it is over. How do you feel about your performance this weekend and the team's?
Fernando ALONSO: Well, now I feel extremely happy after the result today. When you gain two positions in the last part of the race and unexpected positions as well it feels great and you have a fantastic feeling right now. Overall the weekend has been so-so for us. I think in terms of results fantastic weekend for us. Fourth in qualifying with a good performance I think and second in the race is fantastic for the team but as I said we need to improve. We know that. I think we saw this weekend we need to improve especially in some areas of the car to be close to Red Bull especially in qualifying. I think we learn some things this weekend. We work again to maximise out potential. Sometimes we know we will be first, sometimes fifth, sometimes we will be first hopefully, so as much as we do our 100 per cent every weekend we are happy with the job, so we need to be satisfied with today's race.
Q. Sebastian, is there anything that didn't happen to you today? Unscheduled pit stop, brake problems and what about that incident with Lewis?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, a lot of things went wrong today. The start was okay. There was no chance to get past Mark. It was not worth taking the risk as it was quite slippery down the inside where he was, so I didn't want to take a run on the outside. I was not quick enough. I struggled a lot with the balance of the car. We see the car is quick. Mark was in his own league today but for some reason I struggled. Then a lot of problems. I think we came in too early. Probably expected Lewis to come in the same lap and it turned out not to be. The primes, the hard tyres, were a bit difficult to switch on, so we couldn't do the undercut and get him on the strategy side. Also we were a bit unlucky as we had to wait in the pit box a long time for the Ferrari to drive past and Jenson (Button) was coming in, so it was probably nine seconds. It felt like a nine second pit stop, so we lost a lot of ground and lost the position. It was very close where Lewis came out but there was no way, so to avoid contact I went wide. After that impossible to pass. I felt the car was getting a bit better but as soon as you get closer no chance to pass as you lose the grip. Then 15 laps from the end I lost the front left brakes and the last 10 laps I was lucky as there was so much gap to the back, to Michael. I was able to bring the car home. I don't know how to feel. Third is not a bad position and I think we had a horrible, quite bad race, with a lot of things happening we didn't want to. It is good to take some points but we need to work and keep pushing. The car is fast but you have to be able to use that every single time. It is 50-50 per cent chance of getting through. Mark had a race without any problems but for me it was the other way around, so difficult.
Q. Mark, a reliable Red Bull and an unreliable Red Bull. Tell us how you see the championship evolving from what we have seen today?
MW: Well, it is still very early days. We know there are some very competitive cars, in particular Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren and there are some pretty decent drivers as well, so there is a long, long way to go. We need to see how the car performs at different venues. The cars are pretty sensitive to different tracks, so there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet in terms of how this will shake out in the next five or six months. As Sebastian touched on, you need a quick car but you need to have one that is always there for you. It showed with McLaren with the failure there that everyone is pushing things to the limit. Ferrari have had some engine problems. We can build tractors, but they are slow. You need to build Formula One cars that are on the edge and this is the balance everyone is chasing.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. Mark, this victory seemed to mean a great deal to you today?
MW: It was a special victory. The first one is good but this one is right up there with it. I had to work very hard yesterday not that you don't ever when you are at the front in Formula One. But it was a crucial pole. I felt very good in the car. The car wasn't easy at the start but it was always nice to see the gap going away and that helps. It gave me good confidence from there and off we went. I was just getting ready for a clean pit stop and making sure the tyres were getting to the back part that first stop as well. You are always learning about these tyres and how they will go, particularly at a venue like this. It is a very heavy car in the first 10 to 15 laps and you want to be careful you don't bite off more than you can chew. We had the stop and I saw that Lewis and Seb changed positions at the stop. I then controlled the gap a little bit with Lewis at the start of the next stint, just picking my way through the traffic as there was quite a bit of that going on. Most of them were pretty good. Some guys. I then knew Lewis might be hitting the traffic and I did a few reasonably quick laps just to open it up a bit more. Then we could pace the car to the end. Sensational effort from the whole team this weekend. We had a faultless grand prix weekend in terms of yesterday's qualifying and the race today was a very well executed grand prix. In a way we know that Seb could have been in second if he had a smooth race, so we have missed a few points for the Constructors, but in the end very special day for me. It was a good one. Unfortunately I can't get too drunk tonight as we are at the track again on Wednesday but we will see how we go.
Q. Were you surprised just how you were pulling away from Seb in those early stages?
MW: Yes, I was. Some laps I wasn't particularly happy with the laps I was doing. You always think you can get a bit more there but it was still stretching as I thought Seb was having similar problems, so bit of a surprise but a pleasant one. It makes life a bit easier for yourself.
Q. Your thoughts on Monaco. Will the car be good around there?
MW: It should be. We know it is a special venue. It is a one off on the calendar. It is a sensational challenge for the drivers. We all like going there. You certainly couldn't have a track like it now if you wanted to design and build one. It is a little bit on the edge. We know that but we will go there and give is our best shot. It is a different type of weekend with running on Thursday and a bit of a break on Friday. The whole atmosphere is good and it is a special grand prix. We all know that front row will be king there as well.
Q. There will probably be a few Aussies on yachts.
MW: Lots of Australians are working on the boat. There were a few Aussie flags here today. There were a few Spanish ones unfortunately. It was good to have Fernando on the podium with us in his home race but in the end a lot of Aussie flags there too which is nice to see.
Q. Fernando, you seemed to be pushing really hard on that first stint. Did you think you could get Lewis?
FA: Not really. Maybe it was too optimistic at that time. I was trying. First part of the second stint I took it a bit easy and as I knew I needed to do 50 laps with that set of tyres, so the first 10 laps I just controlled the balance of the car a bit and I didn't want t push the tyres too hard. Then I did maximum attack for 10 or 15 laps just to close the gap to Sebastian. Sometimes I closed to 10, sometimes I lose one, sometimes I close to three, so I was catching him like half-a-second every 20 laps. That was not enough to get to him and then to overtake the car in front, so I knew it was pretty difficult to get there. I just controlled and I backed off a bit the revs and brought the car back home.
Q. It must be nice to get the points for second place?
FA: Yeah, absolutely. When you recover some positions in the last laps unexpectedly it feels great. It tastes better than even an overtaking manoeuvre I think. The one with Sebastian I saw some problems with his car in the lap he pitted and then I was expecting him to come back very quickly on the track in the last part with the soft tyres but the team informed me he had some problems and he was running slow, so the third place was more or less in the pocket but then sure three or four laps before the end when I saw the problem with the McLaren it was another position just for free, so it was very welcome.
Q. Sebastian, during those early stages, was this lack of balance completely unexpected, that you couldn't push harder?
SV: I think it was a surprise all afternoon. The circuit was not in very good shape. In general, I think the lap times were very slow. It was a bit unknown why I lost out so much in the beginning. Everyone is all over the place during the first two laps and I was able to stay close, but then I continuously lost - at some point it was even difficult to get away from Lewis. In the end I was able to open up the gap a bit but it was very difficult, very little grip all around, so I don't know why the car was quite different to the rest of the weekend. And then we lost a position in the pit stop unfortunately. We had to wait. We probably came in too early and then had to wait for Fernando to drive past, I think, and Jenson approaching his box just in front of ours. So coming back out, Lewis obviously pitted a lap later and he was able to pass us. It was close in turn one but he obviously had the inside line. It was a bit critical because there was a lapped car there as well, so three cars into one corner. And after that, it was pretty boring to follow Lewis. I was still struggling with the balance. It was getting a bit better when the track got quicker. And then surprisingly, I think 15 or 12 laps to the end, I had a brake failure and I went off at turn seven and I was just lucky to bring the car home in the end, because of the big gaps to the cars behind. Without any brakes I was able to finish third, which is not a disaster, it's good points but I think the result is a bit different to how it came together this afternoon.
Q. What did they do when you came into the pits? Did you have a puncture?
SV: Just changed tyres. They probably had a quick look but there's nothing that you can fix quickly. And then I went back out, I still had three brakes around the car, I think, so then obviously towards the end it was getting critical because you don't want to have another failure, so I think we were just lucky to bring the car home, to be honest.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q. (Mike Doodson) Mark, you've paid tribute all through the weekend to the strength and the hard work of your team. Could you give us a couple of examples of people close to you who have put in a special effort or make special sacrifices?
MW: It started, really, on the way back from Shanghai. A lot of people were out of position for a long, long time, so that probably didn't affect our team but there was a bit of a knock-on effect of people being stuck out there behind schedule, getting back into the rhythm, into the factory with race team and factory-based people getting going. And some astronomical hours really, Mike, I think there was a Bank Holiday Monday a few weeks ago and they were in, preparing the car, and after hours. OK, maybe every team is doing it but at least the intensity of the guys... people are telling them to do things and they are not even questioning it. It's just boom, boom; everyone is on the same channel, pushing hard. Then trackside this week, Kenny (Handkammer, chief mechanic) was on the podium today, he's been in Formula One a long time and it was nice to have him up there today for the first time. He's won many, many races as the chief bolt (mechanic), him with his soldiers and his boys, the hours that he's done. It's good that we're obviously run by Red Bull because I think it keeps the guys awake because their eyes are popping out of their heads because of the hours that they've done. That was a special effort. OK, Seb didn't have a clean race but there were no mistakes on the cars even though they're under stress. That was good.
Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, for most of the race you drove behind somebody else. Is it possible that the Red Bull loses more speed or loses more balance than other cars in traffic?
SV: I haven't driven another car this year. I don't know. I think any car loses grip all around, loses downforce when you follow another car, depending on the gap. On top of that, I think this afternoon, as far as I could see outside from the inside of the cockpit, it was very, very windy today with a lot of gusts, especially in turn seven where I think you had a tail wind under braking, it was very difficult to get in, and then sometimes with a gust, it just blew you away. So it was difficult, I think, and obviously when you have another car in front, the closer you get it doesn't get easier. I don't think necessarily we are worse than others. I think we've had other races this year where I was able to follow and it wasn't a problem. For sure you lose grip, you damage your tyres, but that's the usual procedure for everyone.
Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Mark, this victory seems very special for you, even more than the first one. Is that because it's at the beginning of the season instead of the middle or the end? And you can fight for the championship?
FA: It's in Spain.
MW: Yeah, it's in Spain. All of them have been good. Obviously in Brazil it was all overshadowed by Jenson winning the title, so today was all about… it was Fernando's home race, so there was a lot of people excited about that locally, but it was my day today and that's why I was very happy and satisfied that I started on the pole and could control the race, and they're the ones which are very special to have. They don't always happen like that. I said to some people that when I win a race this year I will do something different, so it was nice to throw my helmet into the crowd and give a present back to the fans because they don't always get the best treatment in Formula One, so it was nice to throw a bit of a gift out there for them. Just a really special day for me, to capitalise off the pole again yesterday. It's the first time that someone's won from pole this year and it's the tenth time from pole at this venue, so it's a very important position to start the race and we did the job in the end.
Q. (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Fernando, I remember in 2005 when Räikkönen had a problem with the tyres at the Nürburgring and you were pushing every lap. This problem for Hamilton is more or less the same? And are you now achieving the average you want for the championship?
FA: I don't think they were similar. The problem was very different. I was pushing Räikkönen every lap in 2005. He had a lot of vibration coming from the tyre and he was running slower and slower every time just to finish the race, and I was pushing the maximum not to let him just cruise to the end. On this occasion, Lewis was just way in front of me and we were similar or he was even quicker than me. I think it was just bad luck for him. For the championship, I'm happy with this position, but as I said before, we need four or five podiums in a row. With one podium and then another three races with mistakes there is not enough to win the championship but I think we understand, we know the problems, we know the mistakes we made at the beginning of the championship and we arrived in Barcelona with a very good approach, super Ferrari team I think this weekend with no mistakes at all: preparing for qualifying in practice in a good way, at the maximum of our potential in qualifying and a very solid race. Sometimes we know that we will be third, sometimes we know we will be fifth, sometimes we can maybe win the race, but we need to do our maximum and today or this weekend all the Ferrari team did the maximum so we are extremely happy with our job and with all the guys, the mechanics, the engineers, the guys in the factory to bring here a lot of modifications on the car. It is thanks to those I am second today.
Q. (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Sebastian, can you just clarify why you came into the pits in the first place, 15 laps before the end? Were your primes finished or was it a safety option?
SV: I was braking for turn seven – boom! And then I went straight on. Obviously I saw that something flew off the car and I had some brake failures in the past, so it was extremely difficult. Every time I then touched the brakes the car was massively pulling to the right and didn't stop properly, obviously, so I knew that something was wrong. I thought at that stage that that was it. So what you do, obviously, is that you pit. They changed the tyres, they probably had a quick look, couldn't see anything and I was sent back out. The lap after I got the call to come in and retire and then I said 'is there no chance to save some points?' Obviously at that stage I didn't know I was fourth but then I was telling the team that I would love to try and keep racing and try to save some points. At that stage I thought maybe two or three points were better than nothing, but it turned out to be a lot more and I even finished on the podium. So like it or not, I think it was a very lucky day.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, five races and three times you've had reliability problems. How much more pressure does that give you?
SV: Nothing for me, there's not much I can do differently. Obviously I knew that I was behind Lewis. To be honest I was seconds faster. It's very difficult to judge your true pace but he wasn't slow at the end, as Fernando said. They were also on a similar pace, so I think all us three were within a couple of tenths. So I was looking to finish the race in third and trying to save engines, save tyres and save brakes as well. As I said, it was a surprise and then boom, the failure.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Alonso, you said your team needs to work specifically in some areas of the car, which suggests you know exactly what you have to do, and also, you are three points behind the leader of the championship, in spite of all the problems you have experienced this weekend. Can you talk to us about these two subjects?
FA: Well, regarding the improvements on the car, there is a very aggressive plan of developing the car with some good gains and good improvements to come in the next races, so we are very optimistic on that. The championship is long. There will be some circuits where we will be closer to Red Bull and some circuits like this weekend where we know it's going to be more difficult but overall, for the 19 races, I think we have a package, a car that can fight for the World Championship which is the main goal. We know the areas which will give aerodynamic improvements. Basically, I think, we saw this weekend here in Barcelona how important the aerodynamics of the car are and the maximum downforce and we were struggling a little bit more than we wanted. Nothing new. As for the championship, I don't know how many points I am behind Jenson now, three? It's just a very early part of the championship. Better to be in the first three or four positions than to be eighth or ninth in the championship for sure but I think you need the consistency, you need good results all through the year, but as you said, we had two engine problems, one gearbox problem, one jumped start and some chaotic races and we are three points behind the leaders, so we are happy.
Q. Mark, Fernando described you and the team on Friday as unbeatable and you proved it today. You must be very happy?
Mark WEBBER: Yeah, absolutely rapped. After qualifying yesterday it was certainly a great position for us to start the grand prix in. We knew it was a long run to the first corner here and we had some pretty quick cars behind us in terms of top speed, so that was the very important part of the race to unlock that and get out of turn one still in the lead. It was quite tight into turn one. We had a good battle going into there and then I just settled into a rhythm really into the first stint, looking after tyres, making sure we got the option through as everyone is still learning, venue to venue, about how the tyres might operate. We had a pretty good idea they would behave themselves but you never know. We just made sure they were in pretty good nick and finishing the stint in a good fashion which they did. Clean pit-stop. I had Seb with me at that stage and then after the pit stop I had Lewis (Hamilton) behind me and we just controlled the gap really. Looking after the car, engine, tyres as still the grands prix are pretty long and the cars are built for a distance and you need to get the cars home. The team have been incredible this week, getting the cars ready, long, long nights for the guys, an incredible amount of effort at the factory. Working on holidays, so collectively Renault and Red Bull have put a huge effort in. The driver did his little bit of work and in the end it was a fantastic result and I am absolutely thrilled.
Q. Fernando, it looked like it might have been fourth place at one point but it ended up being second. I guess that proves it is never over until it is over. How do you feel about your performance this weekend and the team's?
Fernando ALONSO: Well, now I feel extremely happy after the result today. When you gain two positions in the last part of the race and unexpected positions as well it feels great and you have a fantastic feeling right now. Overall the weekend has been so-so for us. I think in terms of results fantastic weekend for us. Fourth in qualifying with a good performance I think and second in the race is fantastic for the team but as I said we need to improve. We know that. I think we saw this weekend we need to improve especially in some areas of the car to be close to Red Bull especially in qualifying. I think we learn some things this weekend. We work again to maximise out potential. Sometimes we know we will be first, sometimes fifth, sometimes we will be first hopefully, so as much as we do our 100 per cent every weekend we are happy with the job, so we need to be satisfied with today's race.
Q. Sebastian, is there anything that didn't happen to you today? Unscheduled pit stop, brake problems and what about that incident with Lewis?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, a lot of things went wrong today. The start was okay. There was no chance to get past Mark. It was not worth taking the risk as it was quite slippery down the inside where he was, so I didn't want to take a run on the outside. I was not quick enough. I struggled a lot with the balance of the car. We see the car is quick. Mark was in his own league today but for some reason I struggled. Then a lot of problems. I think we came in too early. Probably expected Lewis to come in the same lap and it turned out not to be. The primes, the hard tyres, were a bit difficult to switch on, so we couldn't do the undercut and get him on the strategy side. Also we were a bit unlucky as we had to wait in the pit box a long time for the Ferrari to drive past and Jenson (Button) was coming in, so it was probably nine seconds. It felt like a nine second pit stop, so we lost a lot of ground and lost the position. It was very close where Lewis came out but there was no way, so to avoid contact I went wide. After that impossible to pass. I felt the car was getting a bit better but as soon as you get closer no chance to pass as you lose the grip. Then 15 laps from the end I lost the front left brakes and the last 10 laps I was lucky as there was so much gap to the back, to Michael. I was able to bring the car home. I don't know how to feel. Third is not a bad position and I think we had a horrible, quite bad race, with a lot of things happening we didn't want to. It is good to take some points but we need to work and keep pushing. The car is fast but you have to be able to use that every single time. It is 50-50 per cent chance of getting through. Mark had a race without any problems but for me it was the other way around, so difficult.
Q. Mark, a reliable Red Bull and an unreliable Red Bull. Tell us how you see the championship evolving from what we have seen today?
MW: Well, it is still very early days. We know there are some very competitive cars, in particular Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren and there are some pretty decent drivers as well, so there is a long, long way to go. We need to see how the car performs at different venues. The cars are pretty sensitive to different tracks, so there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet in terms of how this will shake out in the next five or six months. As Sebastian touched on, you need a quick car but you need to have one that is always there for you. It showed with McLaren with the failure there that everyone is pushing things to the limit. Ferrari have had some engine problems. We can build tractors, but they are slow. You need to build Formula One cars that are on the edge and this is the balance everyone is chasing.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. Mark, this victory seemed to mean a great deal to you today?
MW: It was a special victory. The first one is good but this one is right up there with it. I had to work very hard yesterday not that you don't ever when you are at the front in Formula One. But it was a crucial pole. I felt very good in the car. The car wasn't easy at the start but it was always nice to see the gap going away and that helps. It gave me good confidence from there and off we went. I was just getting ready for a clean pit stop and making sure the tyres were getting to the back part that first stop as well. You are always learning about these tyres and how they will go, particularly at a venue like this. It is a very heavy car in the first 10 to 15 laps and you want to be careful you don't bite off more than you can chew. We had the stop and I saw that Lewis and Seb changed positions at the stop. I then controlled the gap a little bit with Lewis at the start of the next stint, just picking my way through the traffic as there was quite a bit of that going on. Most of them were pretty good. Some guys. I then knew Lewis might be hitting the traffic and I did a few reasonably quick laps just to open it up a bit more. Then we could pace the car to the end. Sensational effort from the whole team this weekend. We had a faultless grand prix weekend in terms of yesterday's qualifying and the race today was a very well executed grand prix. In a way we know that Seb could have been in second if he had a smooth race, so we have missed a few points for the Constructors, but in the end very special day for me. It was a good one. Unfortunately I can't get too drunk tonight as we are at the track again on Wednesday but we will see how we go.
Q. Were you surprised just how you were pulling away from Seb in those early stages?
MW: Yes, I was. Some laps I wasn't particularly happy with the laps I was doing. You always think you can get a bit more there but it was still stretching as I thought Seb was having similar problems, so bit of a surprise but a pleasant one. It makes life a bit easier for yourself.
Q. Your thoughts on Monaco. Will the car be good around there?
MW: It should be. We know it is a special venue. It is a one off on the calendar. It is a sensational challenge for the drivers. We all like going there. You certainly couldn't have a track like it now if you wanted to design and build one. It is a little bit on the edge. We know that but we will go there and give is our best shot. It is a different type of weekend with running on Thursday and a bit of a break on Friday. The whole atmosphere is good and it is a special grand prix. We all know that front row will be king there as well.
Q. There will probably be a few Aussies on yachts.
MW: Lots of Australians are working on the boat. There were a few Aussie flags here today. There were a few Spanish ones unfortunately. It was good to have Fernando on the podium with us in his home race but in the end a lot of Aussie flags there too which is nice to see.
Q. Fernando, you seemed to be pushing really hard on that first stint. Did you think you could get Lewis?
FA: Not really. Maybe it was too optimistic at that time. I was trying. First part of the second stint I took it a bit easy and as I knew I needed to do 50 laps with that set of tyres, so the first 10 laps I just controlled the balance of the car a bit and I didn't want t push the tyres too hard. Then I did maximum attack for 10 or 15 laps just to close the gap to Sebastian. Sometimes I closed to 10, sometimes I lose one, sometimes I close to three, so I was catching him like half-a-second every 20 laps. That was not enough to get to him and then to overtake the car in front, so I knew it was pretty difficult to get there. I just controlled and I backed off a bit the revs and brought the car back home.
Q. It must be nice to get the points for second place?
FA: Yeah, absolutely. When you recover some positions in the last laps unexpectedly it feels great. It tastes better than even an overtaking manoeuvre I think. The one with Sebastian I saw some problems with his car in the lap he pitted and then I was expecting him to come back very quickly on the track in the last part with the soft tyres but the team informed me he had some problems and he was running slow, so the third place was more or less in the pocket but then sure three or four laps before the end when I saw the problem with the McLaren it was another position just for free, so it was very welcome.
Q. Sebastian, during those early stages, was this lack of balance completely unexpected, that you couldn't push harder?
SV: I think it was a surprise all afternoon. The circuit was not in very good shape. In general, I think the lap times were very slow. It was a bit unknown why I lost out so much in the beginning. Everyone is all over the place during the first two laps and I was able to stay close, but then I continuously lost - at some point it was even difficult to get away from Lewis. In the end I was able to open up the gap a bit but it was very difficult, very little grip all around, so I don't know why the car was quite different to the rest of the weekend. And then we lost a position in the pit stop unfortunately. We had to wait. We probably came in too early and then had to wait for Fernando to drive past, I think, and Jenson approaching his box just in front of ours. So coming back out, Lewis obviously pitted a lap later and he was able to pass us. It was close in turn one but he obviously had the inside line. It was a bit critical because there was a lapped car there as well, so three cars into one corner. And after that, it was pretty boring to follow Lewis. I was still struggling with the balance. It was getting a bit better when the track got quicker. And then surprisingly, I think 15 or 12 laps to the end, I had a brake failure and I went off at turn seven and I was just lucky to bring the car home in the end, because of the big gaps to the cars behind. Without any brakes I was able to finish third, which is not a disaster, it's good points but I think the result is a bit different to how it came together this afternoon.
Q. What did they do when you came into the pits? Did you have a puncture?
SV: Just changed tyres. They probably had a quick look but there's nothing that you can fix quickly. And then I went back out, I still had three brakes around the car, I think, so then obviously towards the end it was getting critical because you don't want to have another failure, so I think we were just lucky to bring the car home, to be honest.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q. (Mike Doodson) Mark, you've paid tribute all through the weekend to the strength and the hard work of your team. Could you give us a couple of examples of people close to you who have put in a special effort or make special sacrifices?
MW: It started, really, on the way back from Shanghai. A lot of people were out of position for a long, long time, so that probably didn't affect our team but there was a bit of a knock-on effect of people being stuck out there behind schedule, getting back into the rhythm, into the factory with race team and factory-based people getting going. And some astronomical hours really, Mike, I think there was a Bank Holiday Monday a few weeks ago and they were in, preparing the car, and after hours. OK, maybe every team is doing it but at least the intensity of the guys... people are telling them to do things and they are not even questioning it. It's just boom, boom; everyone is on the same channel, pushing hard. Then trackside this week, Kenny (Handkammer, chief mechanic) was on the podium today, he's been in Formula One a long time and it was nice to have him up there today for the first time. He's won many, many races as the chief bolt (mechanic), him with his soldiers and his boys, the hours that he's done. It's good that we're obviously run by Red Bull because I think it keeps the guys awake because their eyes are popping out of their heads because of the hours that they've done. That was a special effort. OK, Seb didn't have a clean race but there were no mistakes on the cars even though they're under stress. That was good.
Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, for most of the race you drove behind somebody else. Is it possible that the Red Bull loses more speed or loses more balance than other cars in traffic?
SV: I haven't driven another car this year. I don't know. I think any car loses grip all around, loses downforce when you follow another car, depending on the gap. On top of that, I think this afternoon, as far as I could see outside from the inside of the cockpit, it was very, very windy today with a lot of gusts, especially in turn seven where I think you had a tail wind under braking, it was very difficult to get in, and then sometimes with a gust, it just blew you away. So it was difficult, I think, and obviously when you have another car in front, the closer you get it doesn't get easier. I don't think necessarily we are worse than others. I think we've had other races this year where I was able to follow and it wasn't a problem. For sure you lose grip, you damage your tyres, but that's the usual procedure for everyone.
Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Mark, this victory seems very special for you, even more than the first one. Is that because it's at the beginning of the season instead of the middle or the end? And you can fight for the championship?
FA: It's in Spain.
MW: Yeah, it's in Spain. All of them have been good. Obviously in Brazil it was all overshadowed by Jenson winning the title, so today was all about… it was Fernando's home race, so there was a lot of people excited about that locally, but it was my day today and that's why I was very happy and satisfied that I started on the pole and could control the race, and they're the ones which are very special to have. They don't always happen like that. I said to some people that when I win a race this year I will do something different, so it was nice to throw my helmet into the crowd and give a present back to the fans because they don't always get the best treatment in Formula One, so it was nice to throw a bit of a gift out there for them. Just a really special day for me, to capitalise off the pole again yesterday. It's the first time that someone's won from pole this year and it's the tenth time from pole at this venue, so it's a very important position to start the race and we did the job in the end.
Q. (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Fernando, I remember in 2005 when Räikkönen had a problem with the tyres at the Nürburgring and you were pushing every lap. This problem for Hamilton is more or less the same? And are you now achieving the average you want for the championship?
FA: I don't think they were similar. The problem was very different. I was pushing Räikkönen every lap in 2005. He had a lot of vibration coming from the tyre and he was running slower and slower every time just to finish the race, and I was pushing the maximum not to let him just cruise to the end. On this occasion, Lewis was just way in front of me and we were similar or he was even quicker than me. I think it was just bad luck for him. For the championship, I'm happy with this position, but as I said before, we need four or five podiums in a row. With one podium and then another three races with mistakes there is not enough to win the championship but I think we understand, we know the problems, we know the mistakes we made at the beginning of the championship and we arrived in Barcelona with a very good approach, super Ferrari team I think this weekend with no mistakes at all: preparing for qualifying in practice in a good way, at the maximum of our potential in qualifying and a very solid race. Sometimes we know that we will be third, sometimes we know we will be fifth, sometimes we can maybe win the race, but we need to do our maximum and today or this weekend all the Ferrari team did the maximum so we are extremely happy with our job and with all the guys, the mechanics, the engineers, the guys in the factory to bring here a lot of modifications on the car. It is thanks to those I am second today.
Q. (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Sebastian, can you just clarify why you came into the pits in the first place, 15 laps before the end? Were your primes finished or was it a safety option?
SV: I was braking for turn seven – boom! And then I went straight on. Obviously I saw that something flew off the car and I had some brake failures in the past, so it was extremely difficult. Every time I then touched the brakes the car was massively pulling to the right and didn't stop properly, obviously, so I knew that something was wrong. I thought at that stage that that was it. So what you do, obviously, is that you pit. They changed the tyres, they probably had a quick look, couldn't see anything and I was sent back out. The lap after I got the call to come in and retire and then I said 'is there no chance to save some points?' Obviously at that stage I didn't know I was fourth but then I was telling the team that I would love to try and keep racing and try to save some points. At that stage I thought maybe two or three points were better than nothing, but it turned out to be a lot more and I even finished on the podium. So like it or not, I think it was a very lucky day.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, five races and three times you've had reliability problems. How much more pressure does that give you?
SV: Nothing for me, there's not much I can do differently. Obviously I knew that I was behind Lewis. To be honest I was seconds faster. It's very difficult to judge your true pace but he wasn't slow at the end, as Fernando said. They were also on a similar pace, so I think all us three were within a couple of tenths. So I was looking to finish the race in third and trying to save engines, save tyres and save brakes as well. As I said, it was a surprise and then boom, the failure.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Alonso, you said your team needs to work specifically in some areas of the car, which suggests you know exactly what you have to do, and also, you are three points behind the leader of the championship, in spite of all the problems you have experienced this weekend. Can you talk to us about these two subjects?
FA: Well, regarding the improvements on the car, there is a very aggressive plan of developing the car with some good gains and good improvements to come in the next races, so we are very optimistic on that. The championship is long. There will be some circuits where we will be closer to Red Bull and some circuits like this weekend where we know it's going to be more difficult but overall, for the 19 races, I think we have a package, a car that can fight for the World Championship which is the main goal. We know the areas which will give aerodynamic improvements. Basically, I think, we saw this weekend here in Barcelona how important the aerodynamics of the car are and the maximum downforce and we were struggling a little bit more than we wanted. Nothing new. As for the championship, I don't know how many points I am behind Jenson now, three? It's just a very early part of the championship. Better to be in the first three or four positions than to be eighth or ninth in the championship for sure but I think you need the consistency, you need good results all through the year, but as you said, we had two engine problems, one gearbox problem, one jumped start and some chaotic races and we are three points behind the leaders, so we are happy.
Wednesday 5 May 2010
Webber: Red Bull has what it deserves
Mark Webber believes only the unusual circumstances in the first races of the season have been the reason why Red Bull has not achieved better results.
But the Australian admits his team has what it deserves after having won just one out of four races despite having the quickest car.
"There has been plenty of [what ifs] but you make your own luck and results at the end of the day and the scoreboard never lies and that's where we are so," Webber told AUTOSPORT.
"It's not as if we are hunting for a lot of pace, we're not off the pace, there has just been a lot of circumstantial things.
"They are the cards we have been dealt with and the decisions that have been made on the pit wall, and all those things together... and in the end there is no rewind button. There has been one race that has gone well for us. The other three races there has been change left on the table.
"Jenson has had two races which came together but there has been a lot of guys that have had rough weekends so far."
Webber also reckons the mixed weather in three out of four races has helped mask some of the problems with this year's regulations.
"Yeah, I think inevitably whenever it rains it mixes the races right up," he added. "Also Lewis's charge from the back in Sepang was highly entertaining - which was good for that race because if we had all started from position it might not have been as interesting potentially.
"I think the F-Duct has certainly helped that as well with the top speed of certain cars, and that has helped make overtaking a bit easier so in a way I hope that continues, but we see some good old changes to regs for spectators because we don't need the Bahrains to consistently repeat, that would be bad.
"Let's hope they don't and the drivers can enjoy the race and so can the spectators."
And while the Red Bull driver admits the 'old days' were more exciting, he is aware that the situation was not sustainable and F1 had to change.
"We always think the old days were better, don't we? I loved it when the cars had V10s, 900bhp and a tyre war. That was great as well. But that wasn't sustainable, then we changed from traction control, then we went to one tyre, then we went to KERS on, KERS off. We do change a lot and that's how it is.
"I still really enjoy driving the cars, it is what it is every year. We have a new challenge for the drivers, it's different skill sets we have to get used to whether it's a heavy car to an empty car at different stages of a grand prix. Sprint races, two-stop, three-stop, four-stop with Schumacher at Magny-Cours one year. As drivers we are constantly having to evolve."
But the Australian admits his team has what it deserves after having won just one out of four races despite having the quickest car.
"There has been plenty of [what ifs] but you make your own luck and results at the end of the day and the scoreboard never lies and that's where we are so," Webber told AUTOSPORT.
"It's not as if we are hunting for a lot of pace, we're not off the pace, there has just been a lot of circumstantial things.
"They are the cards we have been dealt with and the decisions that have been made on the pit wall, and all those things together... and in the end there is no rewind button. There has been one race that has gone well for us. The other three races there has been change left on the table.
"Jenson has had two races which came together but there has been a lot of guys that have had rough weekends so far."
Webber also reckons the mixed weather in three out of four races has helped mask some of the problems with this year's regulations.
"Yeah, I think inevitably whenever it rains it mixes the races right up," he added. "Also Lewis's charge from the back in Sepang was highly entertaining - which was good for that race because if we had all started from position it might not have been as interesting potentially.
"I think the F-Duct has certainly helped that as well with the top speed of certain cars, and that has helped make overtaking a bit easier so in a way I hope that continues, but we see some good old changes to regs for spectators because we don't need the Bahrains to consistently repeat, that would be bad.
"Let's hope they don't and the drivers can enjoy the race and so can the spectators."
And while the Red Bull driver admits the 'old days' were more exciting, he is aware that the situation was not sustainable and F1 had to change.
"We always think the old days were better, don't we? I loved it when the cars had V10s, 900bhp and a tyre war. That was great as well. But that wasn't sustainable, then we changed from traction control, then we went to one tyre, then we went to KERS on, KERS off. We do change a lot and that's how it is.
"I still really enjoy driving the cars, it is what it is every year. We have a new challenge for the drivers, it's different skill sets we have to get used to whether it's a heavy car to an empty car at different stages of a grand prix. Sprint races, two-stop, three-stop, four-stop with Schumacher at Magny-Cours one year. As drivers we are constantly having to evolve."
Klien gets Hispania reserve seat
Klien is to return to Formula 1 as a test and reserve driver for Hispania, starting from Friday practice at Catalunya later this week.
The 27-year-old Austrian raced for Jaguar and Red Bull between 2004 and 2006, and has also been a test driver for Honda and most recently BMW. He had hoped that the influx of new teams for 2010 would enable him to get back into a race seat, but he was unable to find a spot on the grid.
"This role offers me the opportunity to rejoin the Formula 1 environment and drive again, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie," said Klien.
"I was in Bahrain and China and had a close look at the car already. I have also met the team members and I know quite a number of them from my previous race seasons.
"I would like to thank Dr Colin Kolles for the interest he has shown in me at this stage. It is exciting and very motivating to be part of a new team structure in such a challenging sport."
Team boss Kolles said he had admired Klien since his junior racing days.
"He is a young and fast driver," said Kolles. "I have been keeping a close eye on him since his first races in the ADAC series as I believe he has great potential.
"We look forward to having Christian alongside us in Barcelona later this week so he can spend some valuable familiarisation time with the team. As a young team we are looking for drivers who can grow with us."
Hispania has also signed former Super Aguri and Spyker racer Sakon Yamamoto as a test driver for its maiden season, alongside race drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok.
The 27-year-old Austrian raced for Jaguar and Red Bull between 2004 and 2006, and has also been a test driver for Honda and most recently BMW. He had hoped that the influx of new teams for 2010 would enable him to get back into a race seat, but he was unable to find a spot on the grid.
"This role offers me the opportunity to rejoin the Formula 1 environment and drive again, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie," said Klien.
"I was in Bahrain and China and had a close look at the car already. I have also met the team members and I know quite a number of them from my previous race seasons.
"I would like to thank Dr Colin Kolles for the interest he has shown in me at this stage. It is exciting and very motivating to be part of a new team structure in such a challenging sport."
Team boss Kolles said he had admired Klien since his junior racing days.
"He is a young and fast driver," said Kolles. "I have been keeping a close eye on him since his first races in the ADAC series as I believe he has great potential.
"We look forward to having Christian alongside us in Barcelona later this week so he can spend some valuable familiarisation time with the team. As a young team we are looking for drivers who can grow with us."
Hispania has also signed former Super Aguri and Spyker racer Sakon Yamamoto as a test driver for its maiden season, alongside race drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok.
Barcelona form card
Formula 1 returns to action in Spain this weekend following three weeks of frantic development work by the teams - as they bid to catch Jenson Button in the points, and stop Red Bull pressing home its speed advantage on track.
As the teams head for Barcelona, itv.com/f1 runs down all 24 drivers' form heading to round five.
1. Jenson Button (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 1st, 60 points
Who saw that coming? Four races in and Button has two wins to his name and the championship lead, while his team-mate Hamilton has yet to taste victory in 2010. While the latter is often the quicker of the McLaren duo, it's Button's cool head, great judgement and silky touch that are helping him turn speed into results - something others are struggling to do at the moment. And he's still only in the settling in stage at McLaren...
Last five race results: 1st / 8th / 1st / 7th / 3rd
(most recent first)
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 4th, 49 points
Hamilton has done some brilliant overtaking in the first four races of 2010 - but he's had to, because things keep going horribly wrong for him, sometimes through no fault of his own, sometimes through misjudgements, mistakes or Saturday afternoon under-performance. His driving has been entertaining, but you don't get any bonus points for swashbuckling passes. He needs to pull it all together and win from the front, as he definitely has the speed to do.
Last five race results: 2nd / 6th / 6th / 3rd / R
3. Michael Schumacher (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 10th, 10 points
This is going horribly wrong at the moment. Schumacher is giving it his all and certainly wasn't giving up without a fight in China, but he simply wasn't fast enough to hold off the queues of rivals chasing him down, and was a long, long way behind team-mate Rosberg. Mercedes has a heavily revised car for Spain, which should in theory be more suited to Schumacher's style. Will that get him on the pace and silence the whispers about how long he can continue to disappoint before returning to retirement?
Last five race results: 10th / R / 10th / 6th / -
4. Nico Rosberg (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 2nd, 50 points
It's all looking good for Rosberg at the moment. His consistency has brought him to a close second in the championship after four rounds, he's now a podium regular, and he has blitzed legendary team-mate Schumacher by an increasingly large amount. And with few believing the Mercedes is a match for Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, he is under less pressure to fight for wins. It must still have hurt to slip behind the McLarens after leading in China, though.
Last five race results: 3rd / 3rd / 5th / 5th / 9th
5. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull
Championship position: 5th, 45 points
Vettel's win in Malaysia was supposed to open the floodgates and mark the moment when he and Red Bull put their early fragility behind them and got on with turning their dominant pace into dominant results. But China was a similar story to the opening rounds: peerless in qualifying, but messy in the race. Last year rain was a good thing for Red Bull, but not in 2010. That said, straightforward weekend in Spain could see him untouchable.
Last five race results: 6th / 1st / R / 4th / 1st
6. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull
Championship position: 8th, 27 points
While Vettel tried to put a positive face on the points salvaged in China, Webber was seething that his team had been 'blown away'. Yet again, the Aussie is getting the worst of the bad luck... and is generally a tiny fraction off Vettel's pace too. He is confident that it will just take one win to turn his season around and is probably right, but that win can't wait too long.
Last five race results: 8th / 2nd / 9th / 8th / 2nd
As the teams head for Barcelona, itv.com/f1 runs down all 24 drivers' form heading to round five.
1. Jenson Button (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 1st, 60 points
Who saw that coming? Four races in and Button has two wins to his name and the championship lead, while his team-mate Hamilton has yet to taste victory in 2010. While the latter is often the quicker of the McLaren duo, it's Button's cool head, great judgement and silky touch that are helping him turn speed into results - something others are struggling to do at the moment. And he's still only in the settling in stage at McLaren...
Last five race results: 1st / 8th / 1st / 7th / 3rd
(most recent first)
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 4th, 49 points
Hamilton has done some brilliant overtaking in the first four races of 2010 - but he's had to, because things keep going horribly wrong for him, sometimes through no fault of his own, sometimes through misjudgements, mistakes or Saturday afternoon under-performance. His driving has been entertaining, but you don't get any bonus points for swashbuckling passes. He needs to pull it all together and win from the front, as he definitely has the speed to do.
Last five race results: 2nd / 6th / 6th / 3rd / R
3. Michael Schumacher (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 10th, 10 points
This is going horribly wrong at the moment. Schumacher is giving it his all and certainly wasn't giving up without a fight in China, but he simply wasn't fast enough to hold off the queues of rivals chasing him down, and was a long, long way behind team-mate Rosberg. Mercedes has a heavily revised car for Spain, which should in theory be more suited to Schumacher's style. Will that get him on the pace and silence the whispers about how long he can continue to disappoint before returning to retirement?
Last five race results: 10th / R / 10th / 6th / -
4. Nico Rosberg (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 2nd, 50 points
It's all looking good for Rosberg at the moment. His consistency has brought him to a close second in the championship after four rounds, he's now a podium regular, and he has blitzed legendary team-mate Schumacher by an increasingly large amount. And with few believing the Mercedes is a match for Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, he is under less pressure to fight for wins. It must still have hurt to slip behind the McLarens after leading in China, though.
Last five race results: 3rd / 3rd / 5th / 5th / 9th
5. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull
Championship position: 5th, 45 points
Vettel's win in Malaysia was supposed to open the floodgates and mark the moment when he and Red Bull put their early fragility behind them and got on with turning their dominant pace into dominant results. But China was a similar story to the opening rounds: peerless in qualifying, but messy in the race. Last year rain was a good thing for Red Bull, but not in 2010. That said, straightforward weekend in Spain could see him untouchable.
Last five race results: 6th / 1st / R / 4th / 1st
6. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull
Championship position: 8th, 27 points
While Vettel tried to put a positive face on the points salvaged in China, Webber was seething that his team had been 'blown away'. Yet again, the Aussie is getting the worst of the bad luck... and is generally a tiny fraction off Vettel's pace too. He is confident that it will just take one win to turn his season around and is probably right, but that win can't wait too long.
Last five race results: 8th / 2nd / 9th / 8th / 2nd
Glock to drive sole upgraded Virgin
Virgin Racing has only been able to complete urgently needed modifications to one of the two cars it will bring to the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix, owing to the disruption caused by last month’s Icelandic volcano eruption.
Having discovered that the fuel tank on its VR-01 was not large enough to complete races at full speed, the fledgling team had intended to have two new chassis ready for the start of the European season.
But the closure of airspace caused by the volcano ash cloud kept many team personnel stranded in Shanghai for up to five additional days, foiling plans to prepare and homologate two chassis with lengthened fuel tanks.
As a result only the more experienced of Virgin’s drivers, Timo Glock, will have a fully upgraded car at his disposal in Barcelona.
“Having worked tirelessly to prepare the new car for the race, including its successful rehomologation, it is a bitter pill to swallow that we are unable to complete the second car due to the ‘volcanic delays’,” said technical director Nick Wirth.
“Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but, as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we’ll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag.”
Team principal John Booth added: “What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from ‘The Volcano’.
“It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain.
“The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona.
“As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China, so we certainly had a lot going on for us when we finally made it home.
“Nonetheless, the team have done an admirable job and we’ll be heading to Spain this week full of optimism for the next phase of our debut season.”
Glock is optimistic the team will make progress over the next few races, but admits it will be harder running two cars to different specifications in Barcelona.
“The last few weeks haven’t exactly gone according to plan thanks to the Icelandic volcano, but what this has enabled us to do is draw a line under the disappointment of Shanghai and focus on better things ahead,” said the German.
“We have taken a good hard look at the first four races and now have a very clear picture of where things have gone well for us and where we need to improve.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t bring two new modified chassis to Spain, because we would have had two sets of data to work from, but we will work with what we have and hope that it brings the kind of results we are hoping for.”
Rookie team-mate Lucas di Grassi said: “Though I’m disappointed that I will be driving the previous specification chassis, as we didn’t have enough time to modify two cars, I hope with all the work we’ve been doing to make our race weekends go more smoothly we can have a positive European debut.”
Rosberg not getting carried away
Despite suggestions that Merc GP could be the team to beat in Spain, Nico Rosberg has avoided making any grand predictions for this weekend's race.
Team boss Ross Brawn commented recently that: "Nico is very close to winning a race," as the young German continues to impress, having secured two podium finishes in the last two races.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner added fuel to the flames by suggesting that this weekend could be the moment when Mercedes comes to the fore.
"Writing off teams and drivers [Schumacher] that have won world championships [is a] mistake you must never make," Horner told Kicker magazine.
"Things can change very quickly. That's why Mercedes could suddenly be in front in Barcelona."
But Rosberg has downplayed suggestions that the Brackley-based squad could find themselves on the top step of the podium in Barcelona.
"It would be nice, but we must be realistic. At Mercedes we are not yet in a position to win, but in the coming weeks we should make some big steps and I'm hoping to make good progress," he told DPA.
"That [aiming for a win in Barcelona] would be expecting too much. But I do hope we can narrow the gap to Red Bull," he added.
The 24-year-old has out-paced team-mate and seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher at every race thus far this season, but while happy with his current position both in the team and on the Driver's points table, the former Williams driver is aware that there is still a long way to go in the season.
"So far I'm very pleased with how my season has gone. I am especially happy to be second in the championship. I'm happy to have been ahead of Michael so far, but it is still too early to make comparisons."
Team boss Ross Brawn commented recently that: "Nico is very close to winning a race," as the young German continues to impress, having secured two podium finishes in the last two races.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner added fuel to the flames by suggesting that this weekend could be the moment when Mercedes comes to the fore.
"Writing off teams and drivers [Schumacher] that have won world championships [is a] mistake you must never make," Horner told Kicker magazine.
"Things can change very quickly. That's why Mercedes could suddenly be in front in Barcelona."
But Rosberg has downplayed suggestions that the Brackley-based squad could find themselves on the top step of the podium in Barcelona.
"It would be nice, but we must be realistic. At Mercedes we are not yet in a position to win, but in the coming weeks we should make some big steps and I'm hoping to make good progress," he told DPA.
"That [aiming for a win in Barcelona] would be expecting too much. But I do hope we can narrow the gap to Red Bull," he added.
The 24-year-old has out-paced team-mate and seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher at every race thus far this season, but while happy with his current position both in the team and on the Driver's points table, the former Williams driver is aware that there is still a long way to go in the season.
"So far I'm very pleased with how my season has gone. I am especially happy to be second in the championship. I'm happy to have been ahead of Michael so far, but it is still too early to make comparisons."
FIA approves Ferrari engine changes
Ferrari has been given the green light by the FIA to make modifications to its engine on reliability grounds following the problems it has had in the early stages of the season.
Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have suffered engine issues in the opening flyaway events - with Alonso suffering two blow-ups that has left him in particular on the back foot in terms of his supply for the season.
With customer team Sauber having also encountered its share of engine issues, Ferrari conducted a detailed investigation into the matter after the Chinese Grand Prix.
And after finding out that there was an intrinsic problem with the design of the engine, Ferrari applied to the governing body to be able to make some improvements to the power units on reliability grounds.
The Maranello outfit was duly given approval and the modifications will be ready in time to be fitted to the F10 cars at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari has not outlined exactly what the issues were with the engine, they are believed to relate to air consumption, which could have been caused by leaking pneumatic valves.
A statement by Ferrari said: "A lot of work was carried out on the test bench, completing several long runs and this work produced some solutions which it is felt will solve the reliability problems experienced in Bahrain and Malaysia. The team therefore requested and received authorisation from the FIA to make some changes within the framework of the current engine regulations and these modifications will be fitted to the engines to be used in Spain.
"While since China, everyone in the Gestione Sportiva has been working hard as always on their various areas of activity, it is fair to say that over the past weeks, the staff in the engine department really produced a major effort, working night and day to analyse, evaluate and solve issues that have affected engine performance in past races."
The Spanish GP will also see Ferrari fit the full version of the F-Duct to both drivers' cars for the first time in practice, although a decision about whether the concept will be used for qualifying and the race will only be made after the results of the Friday sessions are in.
Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have suffered engine issues in the opening flyaway events - with Alonso suffering two blow-ups that has left him in particular on the back foot in terms of his supply for the season.
With customer team Sauber having also encountered its share of engine issues, Ferrari conducted a detailed investigation into the matter after the Chinese Grand Prix.
And after finding out that there was an intrinsic problem with the design of the engine, Ferrari applied to the governing body to be able to make some improvements to the power units on reliability grounds.
The Maranello outfit was duly given approval and the modifications will be ready in time to be fitted to the F10 cars at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari has not outlined exactly what the issues were with the engine, they are believed to relate to air consumption, which could have been caused by leaking pneumatic valves.
A statement by Ferrari said: "A lot of work was carried out on the test bench, completing several long runs and this work produced some solutions which it is felt will solve the reliability problems experienced in Bahrain and Malaysia. The team therefore requested and received authorisation from the FIA to make some changes within the framework of the current engine regulations and these modifications will be fitted to the engines to be used in Spain.
"While since China, everyone in the Gestione Sportiva has been working hard as always on their various areas of activity, it is fair to say that over the past weeks, the staff in the engine department really produced a major effort, working night and day to analyse, evaluate and solve issues that have affected engine performance in past races."
The Spanish GP will also see Ferrari fit the full version of the F-Duct to both drivers' cars for the first time in practice, although a decision about whether the concept will be used for qualifying and the race will only be made after the results of the Friday sessions are in.
Tuesday 4 May 2010
Spain preview quotes - Renault, Force India, Virgin, Toro Rosso & more
After the hard slog of four long-haul races, the European leg of the F1 season kicks off next weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The Circuit de Catalunya is a venue the teams know well from testing, though racing there is a completely different challenge. The drivers and senior team personnel discuss their prospects…
Robert Kubica, Renault
2009 Qualifying - 10th, 2009 Race - 11th
“Barcelona is the sort of circuit that all the drivers and teams know back to front so I’m expecting a very tough battle. All the teams will be very well prepared and usually get close to their potential so it’s important that we maximise our performance so that we can fight for points in the race. We are not planning to bring any huge updates, but we will keep gradually improving the car, just like we did during the first four races. We have to wait and see how we compare with the others; maybe the order of the teams will be quite different compared to the start of the year.”
Vitaly Petrov, Renault
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“I’ve raced there many times in GP2 and we tested in Barcelona over the winter. It’s a circuit where all the teams will be well prepared and I expect the gaps between the cars to be very small. We didn’t have a very good test there in February, but hopefully the weather and track conditions will be different for the race and that will give us a chance to do better. As a circuit, it’s technically very difficult and overtaking is almost impossible, which is why qualifying will be very important.”
Alan Permane, Renault chief race engineer
“It’s true that we didn’t look great during the Barcelona test and completed limited mileage, but the issues we had during the test were not circuit-specific and I’ve no concerns about going back there. Barcelona is one of those circuits where you pay a heavy penalty if you’re lacking aero efficiency, but we’ve added an enormous amount of downforce to the car since winter testing, so we shouldn’t be out of position. We won’t run the same set-up we used during the test because the car has evolved since then and the races have taught us a lot about how to get the most from it. Barcelona certainly used to be the ultimate test, but since they slowed down the final sector, it’s not quite as aero-dependent as it used to be. However, the first part of the lap remains very high-speed, and Turns Three and Nine are quick, challenging corners where good aero performance counts. Even Turns Four, Five and Seven are relatively quick corners by the standards of most circuits and, if your car has aero deficiencies, there’s nowhere to hide.”
Adrian Sutil, Force India
2009 Qualifying - 19th, 2009 Race - DNF
“It's always a nice feeling to get back to Europe. It's been a hard start to the year with the four flyaway races, but it's not going to be easy now with the first European double header and then the Turkish Grand Prix not that far away. But Spain is always a great place to open the European season. We know it well from the winter testing programme but it's still a challenge with the mix of high speed and technical corners. I quite like it and am looking forward to scoring points there for the first time in my career.
“We have some aerodynamic improvements all over the car, with refinements to the front wing and bargeboard area, plus some mechanical changes aimed at improving lower speed corner performance. I think this will put us in quite good shape for Spain and see us maintaining our position. Of course you don't know what the others are doing but the development race is so tight now, everybody is at a point where it's hard to find every single tenth. We've looked very competitive in the first four races and I don't see why that should change. The feeling in the team is positive, we've got a good plan, I feel very confident and comfortable in where we are and where we are going. Q3 and points is now the normal aim for us and we're disappointed if we don't get them.”
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Every race has its own story and in China everything went wrong, but we always thought we could be very strong for the Barcelona race. In the final winter test we had a good pace, I like the track and the car seems to fit the track characteristics well now. For me personally, I have turned the page after China and am really looking forward to the European season where I want to get back into the points at each round.”
Paul di Resta, Force India third driver
“I'll be replacing Adrian (for Friday practice) this time out and I'm really looking forward to it. Barcelona isn't a track I know, in fact the only European track I know well is Hockenheim, but I have been in the simulator and will do the usual preparations on Thursday and before the session so it should not be a problem to get up to speed. Again I'll be trying to focus on learning, getting into the environment and hopefully with the past three sessions under my belt, giving some genuinely useful feedback to the programme.
“It's starting to get very busy now for me with races just about every weekend! After China I flew straight to Germany for the first round of the DTM championship in Hockenheim. It was an OK weekend, I got fourth in the first race, which is a good start to the year. But it's all good, positive stress and I don't think too much ahead, I just try to focus on what I am doing at the time and get the most out of that particular car. I didn't find it too difficult to switch when I got back in the DTM car for the first time, but let's see how it goes when I get back into Spain! As they are so different I don't anticipate any problems, it's just a really good opportunity to drive two cars that are so competitive.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“(Technical chief) Mark (Smith) and his team have a solid programme of developments throughout the first half of the season, some of which will come in Spain. The simulations we've been doing back in the factory are very positive and I'm sure we will be able to maintain the form we have shown before and maybe even move further up the field. The other teams are not sleeping I am sure, and we'll see how much everyone has moved forward in Barcelona, but based on the way the team is working together at the factory and wind tunnel and then the superb implementation we see at the track I think we'll have an edge.”
Timo Glock, Virgin
2009 Qualifying - 6th, 2009 Race - 10th
“The last few weeks haven’t exactly gone according to plan thanks to the Icelandic volcano, but what this has enabled us to do is draw a line under the disappointment of Shanghai and focus on better things ahead. We have taken a good hard look at the first four races and now have a very clear picture of where things have gone well for us and where we need to improve. It’s a shame that we couldn’t bring two new modified chassis to Spain, because we would have had two sets of data to work from, but we will work with what we have and hope that it brings the kind of results we are hoping for. Most of the drivers know this track really well, because we’re all used to testing and racing here so often in the past. To have a really quick lap here you need to have a car with good downforce as you need to have the confidence to commit to the very high speed corners. I have done some work in the simulator in preparation for this race and we have a good idea of what to expect from the modified chassis, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we shape up when we hit the track in Barcelona this week.”
Lucas di Grassi, Virgin
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Race day was tough for us in China, but we have to stay focused on what we achieved prior to that and the way we have been improving through the race weekends. We had been getting on top of our reliability problems, so we expect Spain to be a new chapter for us. I was one of the lucky ones after Shanghai - I got out on the Monday after the race and headed to Brazil. I spent some good time with family and friends and worked on my fitness. I will do some work on the simulator this week before heading out to Barcelona. This is a track I know from racing in other formulae - in particular GP2. It’s a nice challenge for a driver and though I’m disappointed that I will be driving the previous specification chassis, as we didn’t have enough time to modify two cars, I hope with all the work we’ve been doing to make our race weekends go more smoothly we can have a positive European debut.”
John Booth, Virgin team principal
“What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from ‘The Volcano’. It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain. The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona. As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China, so we certainly had a lot going on for us when we finally made it home. Nonetheless, the team have done an admirable job and we’ll be heading to Spain this week full of optimism for the next phase of our debut season.”
Nick Wirth, Virgin technical director
“Since Shanghai, we have conducted an extensive investigation into the failures that halted the obvious progress the team has been making since its debut. That investigation has highlighted a number of issues that are currently being addressed by the race team, Wirth Research and our key suppliers and our continuing aim is to put an end to the reliability issues that have dominated our Grand Prix debut. Having worked tirelessly to prepare the new car for the race, including its successful rehomologation, it is a bitter pill to swallow that we are unable to complete the second car due to the ‘volcanic delays’. Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we’ll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag.”
Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Every time I have raced here it is has been special as it is my home track and there is plenty of support for me, making for a great atmosphere. This will be the first time I race in the Spanish Grand Prix and I expect there will be a lot of my friends and fans coming to watch, also because there are several Spanish drivers on the grid this year. One important factor is that this is the first track of the season I have driven on before, so that should make life easier for me.
“It is just one more round of the championship. However, as a home race, all the support from the fans will make a slight difference, in the same way that football teams have an advantage playing a Home match. But in the way we will go about doing our work, it will be the same as all the others.
“Catalunya is a very nice track as it has a good variety of slow, medium and high speed corners and it is very technical. Corners like the blind Turn 7 are very exciting and there are some overtaking opportunities, especially the first corner, as long as you get a good run out of the final turn. The circuit layout tests every aspect of a car’s performance, aero, mechanical, engine, so if the STR5 works well here, it will be a good sign for the rest of the year.”
Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso
2009 Qualifying - 15th, 2009 Race - DNF
“The first four races have been very difficult to deal with, especially when in three of them I have been knocked out by other drivers’ accidents. Therefore I hope Barcelona will be a turning point with an improvement in my situation. I believe in terms of theoretical pace, the car is certainly capable of putting us just outside the top ten, making us the sixth team, whereas currently we are eighth in the championship. We have had difficulties, but on a positive note the car is definitely competitive and I am reasonably confident that in the coming races we will be able to score points. Not only does the car show potential, but also the team is working very hard and doing a good job. You also need a bit of luck in Formula One, so I hope this is the weekend when my luck will change for the better and I can have a trouble-free weekend, with a good result waiting at the end of it. I believe I am capable of doing much better, so I am very much looking forward to Barcelona, a track I know well, where I am convinced we can have a good race.”
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal
“Our technical department is working very hard and we will deliver some updates over the forthcoming races and I believe we can step up in terms of our performance level. Specifically for the Spanish Grand Prix, we will introduce new brake ducts and a new engine cover. In the last couple of races we already saw an improvement in our package, so in Barcelona, I would hope that if we do everything perfectly, we could get at least one driver through into Qualifying 3 for the first time this season, or if not, then at least very close to tenth on the grid, so that more points has to be a realistic target for us this weekend. Both drivers tested here during the winter and for Jaime specifically, it is his home race, on the first track of the year that is not new to him, where he has competed on a regular basis in the lower formulae.”
Bruno Senna, HRT
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I'm looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona is one of my favorite tracks and I have a good record on it and good memories. I completed my first F1 test here with Honda. And prior to that, every time I raced in Montmelo, I won or I was on the podium. I am certain that I will enjoy Barcelona again although it is a very physical track with high speed corners where it is hard to find the perfect lap. The newly introduced last chicane is also very technical. So let's build on our past results."
Karun Chandhok, HRT
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I am looking forward to racing again after the extended break. I really enjoy driving here as the circuit is a real challenge with a complete mix of high speed and slower technical sections. Unlike the other teams we did not have a chance to test the car in the pre-season but we have couple of updates for the car this weekend that should give us a clearer picture for the season ahead. The team is highly motivated for our home race and together we are looking forward to developing the car for the rest of the season.”
Colin Kolles, HRT team principal
"We reached our next goal with our two cars making it to the finish again in China on our fourth ever race weekend. We have used the time since China to work on the car and to introduce new parts. We hope to understand the car better and need to improve the performance as well as hit a new target and finish again with both cars."
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development
"The Circuit de Catalunya is a good indicator of overall car balance and a car which does well here should do well at any track. We expect the weather to be much warmer than when we last visited Barcelona in February for the final pre-season test and we hope we don't see the snow that the circuit experienced in March! The warmer temperatures make a difference to engine power, aerodynamics, tyre grip and so on, so there is a lot to consider. We often see major car upgrades as this is the first European race of the season after the first four flyaway races. The cars have already evolved a lot so it will be interesting to see the differences from when we were here before the season started. The track surface is in the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness and we will bring our hard and soft Bridgestone Potenzas. The circuit layout is tough on the front left tyre and we expect to see graining on this tyre."
Cosworth, engine suppliers to Williams, Lotus, Virgin & HRT
“The Circuit de Catalunya is a track that is well known to teams and drivers, courtesy of its long-standing popularity as a winter testing destination. It was one of the three Spanish tracks used for pre-season preparations during February and all Cosworth-powered teams, apart from Hispania Racing, were able to gather a useful array of data from the four-day test. The circuit puts every aspect of the car package to the test, making it something of a benchmark for performance. It is not too demanding on engines, but it still gives the unit a thorough workout. Only around 60% of the lap is spent at full throttle, but the 1.047km main straight requires good peak power, while the circuit’s unique flow of corners demands good driveability from the engine and a responsive gearbox. On the chassis side, the circuit offers one of the biggest technical challenges of the season with the faster corners rewarding good aerodynamic efficiency. After the first four flyaway races of the year, all teams are expected to field significantly upgraded packages for the Spanish Grand Prix - in spite of the many volcano-related delays in returning from China!”
Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus
2009 Qualifying - 18th, 2009 Race - DNF
“It’s always good to get to Barcelona as it’s where most of the teams bring their first big updates. It’s a very fast track and all the teams spend a lot of time there in pre-season, so we know it very well, but it’s the complete opposite to racing in Monte Carlo. In Barcelona there are more chances to overtake but nowhere else has the same glamour or prestige as Monaco. It’s so busy there on track there’s no time to relax, and there are no run off areas so you pay heavily for any mistakes. I really like street circuits - you are rewarded for good car control so I’m looking forward to getting on track and seeing what steps forward we’ve taken with the updates.”
Jarno Trulli, Lotus
2009 Qualifying - 7th, 2009 Race - DNF
“I made it back home from China with a number of the other drivers, but we got back safely and I’ve been home with my family since then. I’ve managed to fit in a number of good training sessions, and am looking forward to getting back in the car. I think I’ve had a fair bit of bad luck so far, but I’m looking to put that behind me and see how much further forward we can go with the updates. I’ve kept in close touch with the team about the tests they’ve put the car through, and am encouraged by the results they’ve had. I think we’ll take a good step forward in Spain.
“I like Barcelona - we all know every bit of it very well as we test there a lot, and have raced there for years. Monaco is obviously a very special place for me - a lot of my fans will be out in force, and I love going back to where I’ve won, so that’ll be a busy, but good week.”
Tony Fernandes, Lotus team principal
“We’re back in Europe and I couldn’t be more pleased with the position we arrive in. The first phase of Lotus Racing’s life is now behind us, and the next challenge starts here. We’ve proved all the doubters wrong, and have shown that the hard work everyone in the team puts is making the dream we share come true. I remember the immense pride I had when I first saw the cars run in the pre-season tests in Spain, and in Barcelona we’re back, ahead of the other new teams and with a new package that will help us push on closer to the next goal, which is to take on the midfield. Ultimately it’s about taking Lotus Racing to the front of the grid and this marks the next step in that journey.
“On a personal level I’ve always loved coming to Spain, and with Monaco straight afterwards I’m very excited about seeing how our fanbase is growing into the traditional heartland of Formula One. We’ve broken new ground in Australia, Asia and China and now we’re back at the scene of some of the most famous moments in the Lotus history.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus chief technical officer
“Now the first four flyaway races are behind us and we’re into the European season. All the teams will have upgrades for Barcelona, but we’re hoping that ours is even more significant than our rivals because we received our entry so late and had to freeze the initial specification of the car very early in the design process. We do expect it to be reasonably significant - we have an aero package with revised sidepods, front wings and brake ducts, and a number of mechanical changes, but obviously we’ll have to wait and see what step forward our rivals will also make. Straight after Barcelona we go to Monaco which is a totally different challenge. It’s a unique place in terms of its configuration. Everyone runs maximum downforce and obviously it’s a very tight, bumpy street circuit, but the experience our two drivers bring, combined with the progress we’ve made at the factory and on track, gives me confidence we’ll put in a good showing at both races.”
Rubens Barrichello, Williams
2009 Qualifying - 3rd, 2009 Race - 2nd
“Most of the drivers know Barcelona inside out. It’s a great track, particularly for qualifying and that can really be the determining factor of the weekend. The circuit has a combination of high and low speed sectors but the priority is to achieve good speed going into the corners, rather than focusing on the long straight, so you have to have a strong aerodynamic set-up. Turn three is challenging and you are looking to go flat out there for qualifying. The four-through-seven corner sequence is where you can make up the most time on the lap so getting that hooked up is important too. Overtaking is kind of limited because everyone has so much experience of the track. The biggest variable is normally the weather. I’ve raced at Catalunya plenty of times; it’s a circuit I like a lot and I think someone with experience will do better there.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Williams
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“I’ve enjoyed the first few races so I’m looking forward to Spain and working together with the team again. I’ve covered a lot of kilometres testing in Barcelona over the past couple of years, and I’ve raced there in GP2, so I’m confident I know the track well enough to hit the ground running. It’s a good circuit to drive and gives everyone a clear indication of how strong your aerodynamics are.
The track flows nicely and has some testing corners. The first sector is especially quick. Turn three is a fast right hander, turn nine too, and both are a lot of fun to drive. Like everyone else, we will have new parts for Barcelona so there’s some expectation to do better there than in China. I’ve been to the track so many times but I’ve never really seen the city itself. Now that I’m actually racing in F1, I doubt that’s going to change!”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director
“We spend a lot of time testing in Barcelona so we know the track well. That brings obvious advantages for the drivers, but it also enables us to spend more time working on different programmes during the practice sessions. We will have some aero updates for the car in Barcelona, including a new front wing, sidepod and revised wing mirrors. We will also be running additional test parts in order to further develop the blown rear wing that we had limited time with in Shanghai.”
Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I grew up in the city centre of Barcelona, and I certainly love my home town. You have everything there - a lively city, the sea, the mountains and a permanently good climate. I'm very much looking forward to this race! My parents always had a summer house close to where the circuit is. From 1991 onwards I loved to listen to the fabulous sound of the Formula One engines from there when teams where testing. Also in 1991 I raced in Formula Renault in the first event at the Circuit de Catalunya. My first Formula One Grand Prix there was in 1999. The circuit has become the best test track for Formula One. It is a very demanding circuit - tough on the cars, the engines and the drivers. It is a track I really, really like. Turn three is very fast and very long - it is a true neck killer. There is a great variety of corners - high and medium speed, and a couple of slow ones in the last sector. We had a good winter test there and I have the feeling our car suits Barcelona better than some of the more recent tracks. For the Spanish Grand Prix we will also have a new aero package in place. I'm sure at the end of the race we will either be close to or in the points."
Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I know the Circuit de Catalunya pretty well. I won a GP2 race there, raced there in Formula 3 and did some Formula One testing there. Even my first ever F1 test was in Barcelona. In those days the last two corners were different to now, as it was a very fast double right hander. The circuit is very demanding on the cars and challenging for us drivers. The car-and-driver combination has to be very good, as it is difficult but crucial to get the set-up right. The fast right hander before the back straight is my favourite corner and quite challenging. I like Spain and the Spanish Grand Prix. The weather is usually very nice and there is a large crowd. I'm happy for Pedro that it is his home race and all his fans will be there. We have been testing there over the winter. We have an update to the car and I believe our reliability problems are solved. I should have a good chance to finally go racing after I have only done 19 laps in total in all four races."
James Key, BMW Sauber technical director
"We have some updates for Barcelona, as most of the teams will have. We are trying to push our F-Duct design a step further. This is obviously a technology that will eventually appear all the way down the grid during the year, but our team has some experience of it from the first events. Additionally we have a package of updates on the car, which are particularly on the front end and the diffuser. It's a decent package, which will hopefully allow us to find some more performance. Obviously a lot depends on how tough the competition is. Some of the steps address the issues the team has identified in terms of the aero characteristics, so it should make the car a little bit better purely through changing the way it behaves.
"With regard to the circuit itself, it's obviously a place everybody knows extremely well. It's an excellent reference circuit with a real mix of low and high speed corners, which require downforce as well as a good mechanical grip. It's a very technical circuit where it's never been easy to get the best out of the car. It will be interesting going back there after the cars have developed since winter testing, and to see how much they have changed. An important question will be how well we can get the tyres to last because it is a very hard circuit on tyres; and, of course, the difference in temperature between winter and now is also an interesting aspect.
"I'm looking forward to the event. It's obviously Pedro's home race, which is great for him and, as a team, we will try to have a good weekend and put the difficult start to the season behind us."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - 9th, 2009 Race - 8th
"It's a very nice feeling to be going into the European season with second place in the Drivers' Championship and with a significant upgrade for our car in Barcelona next weekend. From talking to the guys at the factory, I know that they having been working really hard to get everything ready on time and it will be interesting to see the effect that the new developments have on the car. Barcelona is such a familiar circuit as we have tested there so often over the years that we should be able to spend the practice sessions just focusing on getting the most out of the upgrades. Returning to Europe is when the season feels like it really gets underway and we will be doing our best to continue our good run and podium finishes from the first four races. I'm looking forward to it!"
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"The European season is about to kick off and now we will see how our developments look in relation to those of the other teams. Every team will come to Barcelona with a revised car and so of course do we. I see a lot of potential here especially as our team has been reacting very well over the past four races. We have worked on general improvements to the car, as well as specific developments in downforce and efficiency, and I am confident that we have room to make further progress in the future. Our step forward in Barcelona will be bigger than you can make at each race during the flyaways but it would not be realistic to expect us to suddenly be competing right at the front. I am hoping for a better race in Barcelona than I had in China and of course I would not mind having had better results so far. However the good news is that after three years away, I am feeling extremely motivated. So I am clearly ready to take this challenge."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal
"The start of the European season is the first opportunity to make significant changes to the car and the Spanish Grand Prix will see the first step in our development programme for the MGP W01. In addition to a major aerodynamic and bodywork package, we have made changes to the wheelbase of the car which will help the overall handling and weight distribution. Michael will use a different chassis for Barcelona as we take the opportunity of having the cars back at the factory after the flyaway races to repair some damage to his original chassis. He will switch to our first chassis which was previously used during the pre-season tests. Everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard to ensure that the cars and our new developments are ready for Barcelona following the delayed return from China and we look forward to evaluating the impact on our pace whilst remaining conscious that this is very much a first step in improving our competitiveness."
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The start of the European season in Barcelona will be a very important race to establish whether the competitive order of the field has changed as every top team will introduce technical upgrades. Our MGP W01 will have the first set of significant changes which will be followed by a defined rhythm of further upgrades, all of which are aimed at getting our car to the very top of the field. After the first four flyaway races in Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China, Nico is currently second in the drivers' world championship which shows that he and our Mercedes GP Petronas team have done a good job in the first fifth of the season getting the best results from the material available. Michael did not have such a good run, mostly without his fault, in the first four races. I am absolutely convinced that this will change sooner rather than later."
Robert Kubica, Renault
2009 Qualifying - 10th, 2009 Race - 11th
“Barcelona is the sort of circuit that all the drivers and teams know back to front so I’m expecting a very tough battle. All the teams will be very well prepared and usually get close to their potential so it’s important that we maximise our performance so that we can fight for points in the race. We are not planning to bring any huge updates, but we will keep gradually improving the car, just like we did during the first four races. We have to wait and see how we compare with the others; maybe the order of the teams will be quite different compared to the start of the year.”
Vitaly Petrov, Renault
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“I’ve raced there many times in GP2 and we tested in Barcelona over the winter. It’s a circuit where all the teams will be well prepared and I expect the gaps between the cars to be very small. We didn’t have a very good test there in February, but hopefully the weather and track conditions will be different for the race and that will give us a chance to do better. As a circuit, it’s technically very difficult and overtaking is almost impossible, which is why qualifying will be very important.”
Alan Permane, Renault chief race engineer
“It’s true that we didn’t look great during the Barcelona test and completed limited mileage, but the issues we had during the test were not circuit-specific and I’ve no concerns about going back there. Barcelona is one of those circuits where you pay a heavy penalty if you’re lacking aero efficiency, but we’ve added an enormous amount of downforce to the car since winter testing, so we shouldn’t be out of position. We won’t run the same set-up we used during the test because the car has evolved since then and the races have taught us a lot about how to get the most from it. Barcelona certainly used to be the ultimate test, but since they slowed down the final sector, it’s not quite as aero-dependent as it used to be. However, the first part of the lap remains very high-speed, and Turns Three and Nine are quick, challenging corners where good aero performance counts. Even Turns Four, Five and Seven are relatively quick corners by the standards of most circuits and, if your car has aero deficiencies, there’s nowhere to hide.”
Adrian Sutil, Force India
2009 Qualifying - 19th, 2009 Race - DNF
“It's always a nice feeling to get back to Europe. It's been a hard start to the year with the four flyaway races, but it's not going to be easy now with the first European double header and then the Turkish Grand Prix not that far away. But Spain is always a great place to open the European season. We know it well from the winter testing programme but it's still a challenge with the mix of high speed and technical corners. I quite like it and am looking forward to scoring points there for the first time in my career.
“We have some aerodynamic improvements all over the car, with refinements to the front wing and bargeboard area, plus some mechanical changes aimed at improving lower speed corner performance. I think this will put us in quite good shape for Spain and see us maintaining our position. Of course you don't know what the others are doing but the development race is so tight now, everybody is at a point where it's hard to find every single tenth. We've looked very competitive in the first four races and I don't see why that should change. The feeling in the team is positive, we've got a good plan, I feel very confident and comfortable in where we are and where we are going. Q3 and points is now the normal aim for us and we're disappointed if we don't get them.”
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Every race has its own story and in China everything went wrong, but we always thought we could be very strong for the Barcelona race. In the final winter test we had a good pace, I like the track and the car seems to fit the track characteristics well now. For me personally, I have turned the page after China and am really looking forward to the European season where I want to get back into the points at each round.”
Paul di Resta, Force India third driver
“I'll be replacing Adrian (for Friday practice) this time out and I'm really looking forward to it. Barcelona isn't a track I know, in fact the only European track I know well is Hockenheim, but I have been in the simulator and will do the usual preparations on Thursday and before the session so it should not be a problem to get up to speed. Again I'll be trying to focus on learning, getting into the environment and hopefully with the past three sessions under my belt, giving some genuinely useful feedback to the programme.
“It's starting to get very busy now for me with races just about every weekend! After China I flew straight to Germany for the first round of the DTM championship in Hockenheim. It was an OK weekend, I got fourth in the first race, which is a good start to the year. But it's all good, positive stress and I don't think too much ahead, I just try to focus on what I am doing at the time and get the most out of that particular car. I didn't find it too difficult to switch when I got back in the DTM car for the first time, but let's see how it goes when I get back into Spain! As they are so different I don't anticipate any problems, it's just a really good opportunity to drive two cars that are so competitive.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“(Technical chief) Mark (Smith) and his team have a solid programme of developments throughout the first half of the season, some of which will come in Spain. The simulations we've been doing back in the factory are very positive and I'm sure we will be able to maintain the form we have shown before and maybe even move further up the field. The other teams are not sleeping I am sure, and we'll see how much everyone has moved forward in Barcelona, but based on the way the team is working together at the factory and wind tunnel and then the superb implementation we see at the track I think we'll have an edge.”
Timo Glock, Virgin
2009 Qualifying - 6th, 2009 Race - 10th
“The last few weeks haven’t exactly gone according to plan thanks to the Icelandic volcano, but what this has enabled us to do is draw a line under the disappointment of Shanghai and focus on better things ahead. We have taken a good hard look at the first four races and now have a very clear picture of where things have gone well for us and where we need to improve. It’s a shame that we couldn’t bring two new modified chassis to Spain, because we would have had two sets of data to work from, but we will work with what we have and hope that it brings the kind of results we are hoping for. Most of the drivers know this track really well, because we’re all used to testing and racing here so often in the past. To have a really quick lap here you need to have a car with good downforce as you need to have the confidence to commit to the very high speed corners. I have done some work in the simulator in preparation for this race and we have a good idea of what to expect from the modified chassis, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we shape up when we hit the track in Barcelona this week.”
Lucas di Grassi, Virgin
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Race day was tough for us in China, but we have to stay focused on what we achieved prior to that and the way we have been improving through the race weekends. We had been getting on top of our reliability problems, so we expect Spain to be a new chapter for us. I was one of the lucky ones after Shanghai - I got out on the Monday after the race and headed to Brazil. I spent some good time with family and friends and worked on my fitness. I will do some work on the simulator this week before heading out to Barcelona. This is a track I know from racing in other formulae - in particular GP2. It’s a nice challenge for a driver and though I’m disappointed that I will be driving the previous specification chassis, as we didn’t have enough time to modify two cars, I hope with all the work we’ve been doing to make our race weekends go more smoothly we can have a positive European debut.”
John Booth, Virgin team principal
“What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from ‘The Volcano’. It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain. The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona. As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China, so we certainly had a lot going on for us when we finally made it home. Nonetheless, the team have done an admirable job and we’ll be heading to Spain this week full of optimism for the next phase of our debut season.”
Nick Wirth, Virgin technical director
“Since Shanghai, we have conducted an extensive investigation into the failures that halted the obvious progress the team has been making since its debut. That investigation has highlighted a number of issues that are currently being addressed by the race team, Wirth Research and our key suppliers and our continuing aim is to put an end to the reliability issues that have dominated our Grand Prix debut. Having worked tirelessly to prepare the new car for the race, including its successful rehomologation, it is a bitter pill to swallow that we are unable to complete the second car due to the ‘volcanic delays’. Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we’ll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag.”
Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Every time I have raced here it is has been special as it is my home track and there is plenty of support for me, making for a great atmosphere. This will be the first time I race in the Spanish Grand Prix and I expect there will be a lot of my friends and fans coming to watch, also because there are several Spanish drivers on the grid this year. One important factor is that this is the first track of the season I have driven on before, so that should make life easier for me.
“It is just one more round of the championship. However, as a home race, all the support from the fans will make a slight difference, in the same way that football teams have an advantage playing a Home match. But in the way we will go about doing our work, it will be the same as all the others.
“Catalunya is a very nice track as it has a good variety of slow, medium and high speed corners and it is very technical. Corners like the blind Turn 7 are very exciting and there are some overtaking opportunities, especially the first corner, as long as you get a good run out of the final turn. The circuit layout tests every aspect of a car’s performance, aero, mechanical, engine, so if the STR5 works well here, it will be a good sign for the rest of the year.”
Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso
2009 Qualifying - 15th, 2009 Race - DNF
“The first four races have been very difficult to deal with, especially when in three of them I have been knocked out by other drivers’ accidents. Therefore I hope Barcelona will be a turning point with an improvement in my situation. I believe in terms of theoretical pace, the car is certainly capable of putting us just outside the top ten, making us the sixth team, whereas currently we are eighth in the championship. We have had difficulties, but on a positive note the car is definitely competitive and I am reasonably confident that in the coming races we will be able to score points. Not only does the car show potential, but also the team is working very hard and doing a good job. You also need a bit of luck in Formula One, so I hope this is the weekend when my luck will change for the better and I can have a trouble-free weekend, with a good result waiting at the end of it. I believe I am capable of doing much better, so I am very much looking forward to Barcelona, a track I know well, where I am convinced we can have a good race.”
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal
“Our technical department is working very hard and we will deliver some updates over the forthcoming races and I believe we can step up in terms of our performance level. Specifically for the Spanish Grand Prix, we will introduce new brake ducts and a new engine cover. In the last couple of races we already saw an improvement in our package, so in Barcelona, I would hope that if we do everything perfectly, we could get at least one driver through into Qualifying 3 for the first time this season, or if not, then at least very close to tenth on the grid, so that more points has to be a realistic target for us this weekend. Both drivers tested here during the winter and for Jaime specifically, it is his home race, on the first track of the year that is not new to him, where he has competed on a regular basis in the lower formulae.”
Bruno Senna, HRT
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I'm looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona is one of my favorite tracks and I have a good record on it and good memories. I completed my first F1 test here with Honda. And prior to that, every time I raced in Montmelo, I won or I was on the podium. I am certain that I will enjoy Barcelona again although it is a very physical track with high speed corners where it is hard to find the perfect lap. The newly introduced last chicane is also very technical. So let's build on our past results."
Karun Chandhok, HRT
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I am looking forward to racing again after the extended break. I really enjoy driving here as the circuit is a real challenge with a complete mix of high speed and slower technical sections. Unlike the other teams we did not have a chance to test the car in the pre-season but we have couple of updates for the car this weekend that should give us a clearer picture for the season ahead. The team is highly motivated for our home race and together we are looking forward to developing the car for the rest of the season.”
Colin Kolles, HRT team principal
"We reached our next goal with our two cars making it to the finish again in China on our fourth ever race weekend. We have used the time since China to work on the car and to introduce new parts. We hope to understand the car better and need to improve the performance as well as hit a new target and finish again with both cars."
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development
"The Circuit de Catalunya is a good indicator of overall car balance and a car which does well here should do well at any track. We expect the weather to be much warmer than when we last visited Barcelona in February for the final pre-season test and we hope we don't see the snow that the circuit experienced in March! The warmer temperatures make a difference to engine power, aerodynamics, tyre grip and so on, so there is a lot to consider. We often see major car upgrades as this is the first European race of the season after the first four flyaway races. The cars have already evolved a lot so it will be interesting to see the differences from when we were here before the season started. The track surface is in the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness and we will bring our hard and soft Bridgestone Potenzas. The circuit layout is tough on the front left tyre and we expect to see graining on this tyre."
Cosworth, engine suppliers to Williams, Lotus, Virgin & HRT
“The Circuit de Catalunya is a track that is well known to teams and drivers, courtesy of its long-standing popularity as a winter testing destination. It was one of the three Spanish tracks used for pre-season preparations during February and all Cosworth-powered teams, apart from Hispania Racing, were able to gather a useful array of data from the four-day test. The circuit puts every aspect of the car package to the test, making it something of a benchmark for performance. It is not too demanding on engines, but it still gives the unit a thorough workout. Only around 60% of the lap is spent at full throttle, but the 1.047km main straight requires good peak power, while the circuit’s unique flow of corners demands good driveability from the engine and a responsive gearbox. On the chassis side, the circuit offers one of the biggest technical challenges of the season with the faster corners rewarding good aerodynamic efficiency. After the first four flyaway races of the year, all teams are expected to field significantly upgraded packages for the Spanish Grand Prix - in spite of the many volcano-related delays in returning from China!”
Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus
2009 Qualifying - 18th, 2009 Race - DNF
“It’s always good to get to Barcelona as it’s where most of the teams bring their first big updates. It’s a very fast track and all the teams spend a lot of time there in pre-season, so we know it very well, but it’s the complete opposite to racing in Monte Carlo. In Barcelona there are more chances to overtake but nowhere else has the same glamour or prestige as Monaco. It’s so busy there on track there’s no time to relax, and there are no run off areas so you pay heavily for any mistakes. I really like street circuits - you are rewarded for good car control so I’m looking forward to getting on track and seeing what steps forward we’ve taken with the updates.”
Jarno Trulli, Lotus
2009 Qualifying - 7th, 2009 Race - DNF
“I made it back home from China with a number of the other drivers, but we got back safely and I’ve been home with my family since then. I’ve managed to fit in a number of good training sessions, and am looking forward to getting back in the car. I think I’ve had a fair bit of bad luck so far, but I’m looking to put that behind me and see how much further forward we can go with the updates. I’ve kept in close touch with the team about the tests they’ve put the car through, and am encouraged by the results they’ve had. I think we’ll take a good step forward in Spain.
“I like Barcelona - we all know every bit of it very well as we test there a lot, and have raced there for years. Monaco is obviously a very special place for me - a lot of my fans will be out in force, and I love going back to where I’ve won, so that’ll be a busy, but good week.”
Tony Fernandes, Lotus team principal
“We’re back in Europe and I couldn’t be more pleased with the position we arrive in. The first phase of Lotus Racing’s life is now behind us, and the next challenge starts here. We’ve proved all the doubters wrong, and have shown that the hard work everyone in the team puts is making the dream we share come true. I remember the immense pride I had when I first saw the cars run in the pre-season tests in Spain, and in Barcelona we’re back, ahead of the other new teams and with a new package that will help us push on closer to the next goal, which is to take on the midfield. Ultimately it’s about taking Lotus Racing to the front of the grid and this marks the next step in that journey.
“On a personal level I’ve always loved coming to Spain, and with Monaco straight afterwards I’m very excited about seeing how our fanbase is growing into the traditional heartland of Formula One. We’ve broken new ground in Australia, Asia and China and now we’re back at the scene of some of the most famous moments in the Lotus history.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus chief technical officer
“Now the first four flyaway races are behind us and we’re into the European season. All the teams will have upgrades for Barcelona, but we’re hoping that ours is even more significant than our rivals because we received our entry so late and had to freeze the initial specification of the car very early in the design process. We do expect it to be reasonably significant - we have an aero package with revised sidepods, front wings and brake ducts, and a number of mechanical changes, but obviously we’ll have to wait and see what step forward our rivals will also make. Straight after Barcelona we go to Monaco which is a totally different challenge. It’s a unique place in terms of its configuration. Everyone runs maximum downforce and obviously it’s a very tight, bumpy street circuit, but the experience our two drivers bring, combined with the progress we’ve made at the factory and on track, gives me confidence we’ll put in a good showing at both races.”
Rubens Barrichello, Williams
2009 Qualifying - 3rd, 2009 Race - 2nd
“Most of the drivers know Barcelona inside out. It’s a great track, particularly for qualifying and that can really be the determining factor of the weekend. The circuit has a combination of high and low speed sectors but the priority is to achieve good speed going into the corners, rather than focusing on the long straight, so you have to have a strong aerodynamic set-up. Turn three is challenging and you are looking to go flat out there for qualifying. The four-through-seven corner sequence is where you can make up the most time on the lap so getting that hooked up is important too. Overtaking is kind of limited because everyone has so much experience of the track. The biggest variable is normally the weather. I’ve raced at Catalunya plenty of times; it’s a circuit I like a lot and I think someone with experience will do better there.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Williams
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“I’ve enjoyed the first few races so I’m looking forward to Spain and working together with the team again. I’ve covered a lot of kilometres testing in Barcelona over the past couple of years, and I’ve raced there in GP2, so I’m confident I know the track well enough to hit the ground running. It’s a good circuit to drive and gives everyone a clear indication of how strong your aerodynamics are.
The track flows nicely and has some testing corners. The first sector is especially quick. Turn three is a fast right hander, turn nine too, and both are a lot of fun to drive. Like everyone else, we will have new parts for Barcelona so there’s some expectation to do better there than in China. I’ve been to the track so many times but I’ve never really seen the city itself. Now that I’m actually racing in F1, I doubt that’s going to change!”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director
“We spend a lot of time testing in Barcelona so we know the track well. That brings obvious advantages for the drivers, but it also enables us to spend more time working on different programmes during the practice sessions. We will have some aero updates for the car in Barcelona, including a new front wing, sidepod and revised wing mirrors. We will also be running additional test parts in order to further develop the blown rear wing that we had limited time with in Shanghai.”
Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I grew up in the city centre of Barcelona, and I certainly love my home town. You have everything there - a lively city, the sea, the mountains and a permanently good climate. I'm very much looking forward to this race! My parents always had a summer house close to where the circuit is. From 1991 onwards I loved to listen to the fabulous sound of the Formula One engines from there when teams where testing. Also in 1991 I raced in Formula Renault in the first event at the Circuit de Catalunya. My first Formula One Grand Prix there was in 1999. The circuit has become the best test track for Formula One. It is a very demanding circuit - tough on the cars, the engines and the drivers. It is a track I really, really like. Turn three is very fast and very long - it is a true neck killer. There is a great variety of corners - high and medium speed, and a couple of slow ones in the last sector. We had a good winter test there and I have the feeling our car suits Barcelona better than some of the more recent tracks. For the Spanish Grand Prix we will also have a new aero package in place. I'm sure at the end of the race we will either be close to or in the points."
Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I know the Circuit de Catalunya pretty well. I won a GP2 race there, raced there in Formula 3 and did some Formula One testing there. Even my first ever F1 test was in Barcelona. In those days the last two corners were different to now, as it was a very fast double right hander. The circuit is very demanding on the cars and challenging for us drivers. The car-and-driver combination has to be very good, as it is difficult but crucial to get the set-up right. The fast right hander before the back straight is my favourite corner and quite challenging. I like Spain and the Spanish Grand Prix. The weather is usually very nice and there is a large crowd. I'm happy for Pedro that it is his home race and all his fans will be there. We have been testing there over the winter. We have an update to the car and I believe our reliability problems are solved. I should have a good chance to finally go racing after I have only done 19 laps in total in all four races."
James Key, BMW Sauber technical director
"We have some updates for Barcelona, as most of the teams will have. We are trying to push our F-Duct design a step further. This is obviously a technology that will eventually appear all the way down the grid during the year, but our team has some experience of it from the first events. Additionally we have a package of updates on the car, which are particularly on the front end and the diffuser. It's a decent package, which will hopefully allow us to find some more performance. Obviously a lot depends on how tough the competition is. Some of the steps address the issues the team has identified in terms of the aero characteristics, so it should make the car a little bit better purely through changing the way it behaves.
"With regard to the circuit itself, it's obviously a place everybody knows extremely well. It's an excellent reference circuit with a real mix of low and high speed corners, which require downforce as well as a good mechanical grip. It's a very technical circuit where it's never been easy to get the best out of the car. It will be interesting going back there after the cars have developed since winter testing, and to see how much they have changed. An important question will be how well we can get the tyres to last because it is a very hard circuit on tyres; and, of course, the difference in temperature between winter and now is also an interesting aspect.
"I'm looking forward to the event. It's obviously Pedro's home race, which is great for him and, as a team, we will try to have a good weekend and put the difficult start to the season behind us."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - 9th, 2009 Race - 8th
"It's a very nice feeling to be going into the European season with second place in the Drivers' Championship and with a significant upgrade for our car in Barcelona next weekend. From talking to the guys at the factory, I know that they having been working really hard to get everything ready on time and it will be interesting to see the effect that the new developments have on the car. Barcelona is such a familiar circuit as we have tested there so often over the years that we should be able to spend the practice sessions just focusing on getting the most out of the upgrades. Returning to Europe is when the season feels like it really gets underway and we will be doing our best to continue our good run and podium finishes from the first four races. I'm looking forward to it!"
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"The European season is about to kick off and now we will see how our developments look in relation to those of the other teams. Every team will come to Barcelona with a revised car and so of course do we. I see a lot of potential here especially as our team has been reacting very well over the past four races. We have worked on general improvements to the car, as well as specific developments in downforce and efficiency, and I am confident that we have room to make further progress in the future. Our step forward in Barcelona will be bigger than you can make at each race during the flyaways but it would not be realistic to expect us to suddenly be competing right at the front. I am hoping for a better race in Barcelona than I had in China and of course I would not mind having had better results so far. However the good news is that after three years away, I am feeling extremely motivated. So I am clearly ready to take this challenge."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal
"The start of the European season is the first opportunity to make significant changes to the car and the Spanish Grand Prix will see the first step in our development programme for the MGP W01. In addition to a major aerodynamic and bodywork package, we have made changes to the wheelbase of the car which will help the overall handling and weight distribution. Michael will use a different chassis for Barcelona as we take the opportunity of having the cars back at the factory after the flyaway races to repair some damage to his original chassis. He will switch to our first chassis which was previously used during the pre-season tests. Everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard to ensure that the cars and our new developments are ready for Barcelona following the delayed return from China and we look forward to evaluating the impact on our pace whilst remaining conscious that this is very much a first step in improving our competitiveness."
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The start of the European season in Barcelona will be a very important race to establish whether the competitive order of the field has changed as every top team will introduce technical upgrades. Our MGP W01 will have the first set of significant changes which will be followed by a defined rhythm of further upgrades, all of which are aimed at getting our car to the very top of the field. After the first four flyaway races in Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China, Nico is currently second in the drivers' world championship which shows that he and our Mercedes GP Petronas team have done a good job in the first fifth of the season getting the best results from the material available. Michael did not have such a good run, mostly without his fault, in the first four races. I am absolutely convinced that this will change sooner rather than later."
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