FORMULA 1 2011

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Schumi can finish second to my first

Sebastian Vettel says compatriot Michael Schumacher is still his role model and has backed the Formula One legend to return to form this season.

"I always see him as a role model and I think he is capable of achieving something big this season," the reigning World Champion told German motoring magazine ADAC Motorwelt.

"I hope that it will not be too big, if he is second in the 2011 Championship, that would be okay for me," he joked.

Schumacher returned to Formula One racing in 2010 after a three-year hiatus which followed his seven World title victories.

He finished a disappointing ninth in last season's Drivers' Championship racing for Mercedes GP.

Schumacher turned 42 in January and told the magazine he is feeling "rather good" with the new season, which is set to start with the Australian GP on March 27.

"This season, I think we can claim for the podium and why not some grand prix wins," said Schumacher.

"But talk of the World title is still unrealistic."

[MIKA27]

Williams reveals FW33 2011 livery

The Williams team has unveiled its definitive livery for the FW33 after running an interim one during pre-season testing.

The team revealed the livery at their Grove, Oxford factory on Thursday morning.

The new paintjob is inspired by the 90's Rothmans livery ran by the outfit - with minor detailing reflecting the red, blue and white colours.

[MIKA27]

Sepang consider night race to restore interest

The Malaysian Grand Prix organisers are considering a night race in the very near future in the hope they can re-ignite interest in the country's race.

Razlan Razali, chief executive of the Sepang International Circuit, told AFP that he thought the facility had 'lost its lustre' and must look at other avenues, including renovations, to restore its shine.

"It has lost its lustre," said Razlan. "Having Singapore next to us for F1 does not help and our biggest competitor is the television as many people prefer to watch the race from the comfort of their homes."

He admitted the event only sold 97,000 tickets in 2010 over the three days, despite a capacity of 130,000 at any one time - ticket prices certainly aren't the issue with the lowest starting at just £11 ($19).

The circuit is in a poor state, and is 'tired-looking' said Razlan. Despite this, he hasn't received a reply from the Malaysian government in reponse to a request for £38m ($60m) in funding to make make the necessary repairs.

"When it rains, it [the grandstand] leaks. People are not happy. The circuit was built in a record time but unfortuntely there were shortcuts and poor maintainance," he added.

The solution? A night race, according to the 38-year-old organiser.

"We should do one night race before we extend the 2015 contract. Maybe this will attract a bigger crowd as the weather at night will be cool."

[MIKA27]

Q&A with Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn

Q. What was your view on the decision to postpone the Bahrain Grand Prix?

RB: The decision to postpone the Bahrain Grand Prix was certainly the correct one. Bahrain has its own priorities at this time and it is right that the Bahraini people are able to work together to resolve the situation, away from the spotlight that the first race of the new Formula One season would inevitably bring.

Q. In light of the cancellation of the Bahrain test, what are the team’s revised testing plans?

RB: We will be returning to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona for a final four-day test starting on Wednesday 9 March and concluding on Saturday 12 March. Nico is scheduled to drive the MGP W02 on the Wednesday and Saturday, with Michael driving on the Thursday and Friday.

Q. Will the additional time before the first race be an advantage for the team?

RB: There is no real impact on our development programme as we had no major upgrades planned between Bahrain and Melbourne. The additional two weeks will of course provide a good opportunity to regroup and allow all of the teams to have more preparation time before we arrive in Melbourne for the first race. The car specification for Melbourne will remain the same as we had planned.

Q. What did the team achieve at the Barcelona test last week?

RB: Barcelona was the final test with our launch specification car and we averaged nearly 500km per day, over 50% more than our daily average until that point of testing. It was a good week and we used the opportunity to complete fundamental set-up work, develop our understanding of how to maximise the tyres over a single lap, and to improve our long-run performance. We successfully completed two race simulations with Michael and Nico at the first attempt, with the car finishing in good condition and without issues.

Q. After Jerez, you mentioned that the car was running with compromises. What were they and have they cost car performance?

RB: The biggest challenge for us so far has been a cooling problem. The short-term modifications that we made to the launch-specification car cost a reasonable amount of performance. The solution has been incorporated into the bodywork design for our upgrade package and will recover that performance before the first race.

Q. The team was testing different front wing variants in Barcelona. What was the purpose of this work?

RB: The front wing that we used in Barcelona will not be our final race specification but is moving closer to the wing that we will use in Melbourne. Our previous front wing was based heavily on the 2010 version, while the wing that we used in Barcelona moved closer to our 2011 design. We used the opportunity to investigate and confirm our direction before finally signing off the race-specification wing.

Q. It has been suggested that the team’s performance is some way off the front runners. Are you worried?

RB: It's a fair statement. We are well aware of the pace of our current car, the distance to the current front runners and the reasons for this, which include the compromises brought about by our cooling issues. Our intention was always to launch the car in a fairly basic specification to allow more time to focus on the upgrade package. This inevitably means that we look further off the pace than people might expect. Knowing all of the facts, I am comfortable with our current position and the developments that we have to come.

Q. What was the drivers’ feedback following the Barcelona test?

RB: Both Michael and Nico left Barcelona with a much better appreciation of how to use the tyres and how to adapt their driving styles to get the most out of the new Pirelli compounds. Much of our focus at the test was to prepare the drivers for race weekend scenarios, including the race and qualifying simulations using KERS and the adjustable rear wing, and both drivers were happy with our progress.

Q. Are you confident that the team has got on top of the reliability problems you have been experiencing?

RB: Yes. You naturally expect to experience faults with a new car and fortunately we’ve had relatively few of a ‘car-stopping’ nature so the impact on our programme has not been significant. Our mileage has been good, we’ve covered 4300kms over the three tests to date and, of course, the more mileage you can achieve, the more opportunities there are to identify any issues and resolve them before the season gets underway.

Q. What reasons do you have to be encouraged after Barcelona?

RB: Barcelona was certainly our best test to date and we have made continued progress since the launch of the MGP W02 in Valencia. The reliability of the car is now better and our upgrade package is coming together well, ready to be on the car for the fourth and final pre-season test in Barcelona.

Q. After achieving fourth place last year, the team’s target is to improve. Will the MGP W02 be good enough to compete with the top three teams once the season starts?

RB: It’s still too early to say but I am sure everybody will know more after the final Barcelona test. We have a very good base to build on. Our team is progressing very well and the Silver Arrow is coming together. Our target remains to take a step forward compared to last year.

[BigGuns]

Raikkonen: No interest in F1 return

Too bad...it would have been nice to see him back. Even if it wasn't in a Ferrari.

[MIKA27]

Too bad...it would have been nice to see him back. Even if it wasn't in a Ferrari.

I agree 100% BG.

It almost seems like KR is a litle lost. He was great in F1, there's potential for KR to win more WDC's whereas in Rallying, he's not even near the top. KR quit F1 as he felt the teams he was driving for were not competitive and he wanted to drive for a winning team in a winning car. He moves onto Rallying and is so slow, they call him 'The Snow man' unlike his name in F1 'The Ice man'.

I just don't get it!

[MIKA27]

Michael: No problems with Williams wing

Sam Michael has downplayed concerns about the design of the Williams FW33's rear wing, insisting that they have not had "any problems."

Unlike their rivals, Williams have mounted their rear wing on a central support, which, some suggestion could cause heavy vibrations.

The team's technical director, though, has downplayed the concerns.

"We have done three tests on it and we have not had any problems," Michael told Autosport.

"It's not because it's mounted on the suspension, as some people have suggested. It's because it is mounted on a single pillar. The rear lower wing is fully-floating. The main structural mounting point is at one place.

"Actually for the last test we added two little stays to the rear wing endplates and that has stopped all that lateral shaking.

"To be clear, it's not because it is mounted on the suspension pillar. The suspension pillar is not moving, it's just the fact that it is mounted on the central pillar and that's the only place we hold it.

"If we had a higher gearbox and we mounted our wing on a pillar, exactly the same thing would happen."

Williams, like several rival teams, will be heading to the final pre-season test at Barcelona with an upgraded package.

"We have a new diffuser, new front wing, new brake ducts, new bargeboards and new bodywork. The only thing that is not changing at the moment is the rear wing."

[MIKA27]

Vettel tips Massa to bounce back

Although Sebastian Vettel has backed Fernando Alonso to be his main rival this season, the German believes Felipe Massa could also pose a threat.

Alonso led Ferrari's title challenge in 2010, his first season partnering Massa the Scuderia. However, he fell short, losing the title by four points to Vettel in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Massa, in contrast to his team-mate's performances, struggled after appearing to lose motivation in the wake of Ferrari's team order debacle. He finished the campaign 6th in the standings on 144 points, 108 points behind Alonso.

Vettel, though, believes the Brazilian could bounce back this season, although he's not the only driver the Red Bull racer is tipping to succeed.

"Alonso for sure, and Hamilton is without question one of the best drivers," Vettel told Sport Bild when asked about his main rivals.

"Massa didn't have a good season (last year) but do not underestimate him; it's not so long ago that he was really strong.

"Schumacher's history is too great to write him off as well. I think neither of them have forgotten how to drive, and Nico Rosberg has also showed us his strength."

[MIKA27]

Brawn reveals: Merc W02 is running hot

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn has revealed that a "cooling problem" has hampered his team's progress in pre-season testing.

In 11 days of pre-season testing, Mercedes GP's W02 has proven to be one of the most inconsistent 2011 challengers.

The car has shown signs of pace with Nico Rosberg setting the second fastest time at the recent Barcelona test while Auto Moto und Sport claims Merc GP had the "number one top speed" at the Spanish track.

The drivers, though, have struggled to put in consistent lap times, prompting rivals to suggest that Mercedes GP are lagging behind the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.

"It's a fair statement," was Brawn's response when asked by his team's official website whether he is worried that they are behind their rivals.

"We are well aware of the pace of our current car, the distance to the current frontrunners and the reasons for this, which include the compromises brought about by our cooling issues.

"Our intention was always to launch the car in a fairly basic specification to allow more time to focus on the upgrade package. This inevitably means that we look further off the pace than people might expect.

"Knowing all of the facts, I am comfortable with our current position and the developments that we have to come."

Brawn added that the solution the team came up with to the cooling problem had a negative impact on their current car's pace. However, he fully expects the situation to be resolved when they introduce their updated package.

"The biggest challenge for us so far has been a cooling problem.

"The short-term modifications that we made to the launch-specification car cost a reasonable amount of performance.

"The solution has been incorporated into the bodywork design for our upgrade package and will recover that performance before the first race."

As for the W02's reliability, which has caused a few frustrating moments for Brawn and his drivers, he said: "You naturally expect to experience faults with a new car and fortunately we've had relatively few of a 'car-stopping' nature so the impact on our programme has not been significant.

"Our mileage has been good, we've covered 4,300kms over the three tests to date and, of course, the more mileage you can achieve, the more opportunities there are to identify any issues and resolve them before the season gets underway."

[MIKA27]

Perez wows fans in Mexico street demo

Sergio Perez got the opportunity to wow the 200,000 or so fans on the streets of Guadalajara, the young Mexican's home town, in the Sauber C29 adorned with 2011 sponsors.

The 21-year-old lapped the 1.5km closed public road a total of eight times before performing some 'donuts' for the adoring fans.

"This was one of the best days of my life", claimed Pérez who struggled to put his emotions into words after giving dozens of interviews and signing countless autographs.

"It was a great, great experience. I have never experienced something like this before with so many people cheering me. I’m proud to be Mexican, and I’m proud to receive all this support. It is a big boost for me ahead of the new season," he added.

Team Manager, Beat Zehnder, commented on the days running: "It was an enormous event with unbelievable enthusiasm. What the state of Jalisco managed to put on within a very short space of time was one of the greatest F1 road shows I have ever looked after."

[MIKA27]

Horner: Tough to reinstate Bahrain

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner admits he doesn't foresee the Bahrain GP taking place this season.

Although Bahrain was scheduled to host the season-opening grand prix on 13 March, the island kingdom's Crown Prince was forced to call off the race due to political unrest in the country.

There is, however, talk of the race being run later in the season with some suggesting it could be the third last event and take place in November or even the very last race of the Championship, taking place in December.

"It will certainly be a challenge to accommodate. But nothing is ever impossible," Horner told the BBC Sport.

"It's a very busy calendar this year. Already now, at the end of November, we'll have finished 19 races."

But despite the season potentially looking to be a race short, Horner believes cancelling the March 13th race was the right decision.

"It was the right decision," he said. "Obviously the country's got bigger issues than a Formula 1 race at the moment. It was only right and appropriate to postpone.

"It was Bernie [Ecclestone's] decision, along with the Crown Prince. It's not down to the teams to decide which races we go to or not, and ultimately we trusted in Bernie's judgement.

"It's a great circuit, and a great country to race in, and we've always been made to feel very welcome there.

"Hopefully we'll be back there with F1 cars before long.

"For us it's not too bad logistically to accommodate the switch. The cars hadn't left for Bahrain, that was the critical point."

MIKA: I can see it now: Should the Bahrain race NOT be rescheduled and come seasons end we find it's a battle won/lost by mere points, there will be more politics involved whereby 'a' team (Obviously the losing team/driver) will make some sort of public complaint regarding the 'What could have been'.

If Ferrari lose out, watch this space as they will clearly push to have Bahrain run. (Sorry to all the Forza fans )

[MIKA27]

Schumacher: Not too old to succeed

Despite turning 42 in January, Michael Schumacher insists he's still "good enough" to succeed in Formula One.

The German returned to the sport last season with Mercedes GP but failed to find the form that saw him win an unprecedented seven World titles.

Schumacher, who didn't manage even one podium result, finished the Championship in ninth place with just under half the points bagged by his team-mate Nico Rosberg.

But despite his failure to shine, the 42-year-old insists he's still has what it takes to succeed in Formula One.

"Certainly it is not possible to turn back the biological clock," Schumacher told ADAC Motorwelt magazine.

"It is a fact that I am not absolutely the same now as I was 10 or 15 years ago.

"But as to whether I am still good enough, I would say yes."

[OZCUBAN]

Schumacher: Not too old to succeed

Despite turning 42 in January, Michael Schumacher insists he's still "good enough" to succeed in Formula One.

The German returned to the sport last season with Mercedes GP but failed to find the form that saw him win an unprecedented seven World titles.

Schumacher, who didn't manage even one podium result, finished the Championship in ninth place with just under half the points bagged by his team-mate Nico Rosberg.

But despite his failure to shine, the 42-year-old insists he's still has what it takes to succeed in Formula One.

Given the right package I still think schumi has it in him and as far as turning back the biological clock WHERE's the cue

"Certainly it is not possible to turn back the biological clock," Schumacher told ADAC Motorwelt magazine.

"It is a fact that I am not absolutely the same now as I was 10 or 15 years ago.

"But as to whether I am still good enough, I would say yes."

[OZCUBAN]

Sorry about that post ended up in the middle bloody

iPhone

[MIKA27]

Horner: Red Bull could be a myth team too

Team boss Christian Horner reckons "maybe one day" Red Bull Racing could hold the same mythological status as Ferrari.

Red Bull claimed their first major silverware in Formula One last season when the team clinched the Constructors' Championship and Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' crown.

However, talk of the German moving to Ferrari has dominated headlines over the winter break with even Vettel conceding that he would love to one day drive for the Italian marque.

Red Bull, though, have no intention of letting go of their reigning F1 World Champion.

Ferrari is "for many men is a love story. Ferrari is just a myth," Horner told The Bild.

"But just because he's romantic doesn't mean he's going to give up everything that we have built together.

"As long as we offer him the perfect car, he will stay here."

He added: "We are regarded more as the cool team. But who knows, maybe one day we will also be legendary - thanks to Sebastian."

MIKA: 'A' Mythical title/aura would only apply should a team win several WDC's or CC's. For example, I'd not regard Brawn GP (With Jensen Button) as 'Mythical' as it was a one off as IMO this applies to RBR. Sure, one can look at the milestone positively as they have managed to win both WDC and CC's in only 6 years (Amazing) but I would think they would need to win at least a couple more to hold the mantle of mythical such as McLaren, Williams, Ferrari.

[MIKA27]

'Alonso wanted to sabotage Hamilton's car'

Any biography about Bernie Ecclestone is bound to come with a few surprises, the latest being that Fernando Alonso allegedly tried to sabotage Lewis Hamilton.

The acrimonious relationship between the two during their year together at McLaren in 2007 is well documented. The duo not only fought on the track but also off it.

Following qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Alonso was stripped of his pole position for blocking Hamilton in the pits during qualifying, preventing the then-rookie from challenging for pole position.

Added that, there was the Stepneygate spy scandal where McLaren received secret technical information about Ferrari's 2007 challenger.

The scandal reportedly came to light when Alonso threatened to report team boss Ron Dennis to the FIA if he was not handed number one driver status.

But it now appears that those were not the only controversies during the Spaniard's time at McLaren.

According to The Star, Tom Bowers' recently published biography "No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone", claims that Alonso asked Dennis to sabotage Hamilton.

The book alleges that, hours before the start of that tension-fraught 2007 Hungarian GP, Alonso approached Dennis, telling him to short-fuel Hamilton's McLaren so that the Brit would run out of fuel and fail to finish the grand prix.

And although Hamilton and Alonso have insisted in recent months that they have buried the hatchet, these claims may spark yet another war between the two World Champions.

MIKA: Tis doesn't surprise me about Alonso. One can see he doesn't like losing, thinks he's better than most. Look at Massa and he last season, Massa was well in front and Alonso just couldn't catch him/pass him and you could hear on the radio where Alonso was constantly demanding from the team to tell massa to pull aside.

The same was during the Turkish GP where Buemi was in front of Alonso and he did the same, wave his arms about in an unsportsman like manner.

This is motorsport, part of a drivers craft is not just speed but 'closing the gate' on a driver trying to pass them such was the case last season with Jensen Button and Michael Schumacher. Button was clearly the faster at Korea but MS overtook Button in the rain and held him there for 40+ laps. You didn't see Button waving about or yelling....

[MIKA27]

Red Bull to use Infiniti badged Renault engines

Red Bull will use Infiniti branded Formula One engines for the 2011 season, though the deal simply sees the current Renault engines rebadged Infiniti.

The move is part of a marketing strategy to increase Nissan's premium car brand in Europe and Asia.

BBC confirmed the report today, whilst an official announcement is expected on Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show.

Nissan is part owned by Renault and vice versa, meaning Red Bull will now receive their engine supply for free. This is reportedly saving them around £8-9 million a year, a sum which can now be invested in other areas of development, though it is unclear whether this tie-up sees further investment from the car giant.

The European region is an almost untapped market for the premium Japanese brand which is a subsidiary of Renault-Nissan. The large European F1 audiences will allow the company to strengthen its brand, enabling it to compete with other premium manufacturers such as; Audi, Mercedes and BMW.

[MIKA27]

Heikki: 'We're much closer to the cars ahead'

Heikki Kovalainen is predicting a competitive season for his Team Lotus outfit as they look to climb into the midfield having finished tenth during their rookie season.

The Finnish driver believes that development will be key to finishing the season in a strong position - and he's confident Team Lotus have built a good basis to build on with the T128.

"We have a much more advanced package to build on this year," he said. "Last year the base of the car was such that we knew that we couldn't do much about it.

"It was just a matter of surviving the season, getting that 10th place, then moving on," he admitted.

"This car is very different, it's been designed like a proper F1 car. We have a stronger rear end on the car, aerodynamically the car is better, the weight of the chassis is better, so we can build a lot more around this.

"So I think people can expect that we'll be aiming to get closer to the teams ahead of us as the season goes on."

In regards to the teams current form, going by pre-season testing, the former-McLaren driver avoided any definitive order, but suggested the Norfolk based team was running in the midfield.

"I don't want to make any predictions at the moment, you just don't know what people are doing.

"Sometimes we're lapping four seconds quicker than Red Bull and another time they're lapping six seconds quicker than us, you just don't know what's going on with different fuel loads, tyres and parts of their testing programme."

He concluded: "All I can say so far is that testing this year has gone much better compared to last year. We've always been in the middle of the timing sheets, we've been much, much closer to the cars ahead of us than last year."

[MIKA27]

Daimler takes complete control of Merc GP

Daimler AG and financial partner Aabar Investments PJS are now the sole owners of Mercedes GP after buying the remaining shares in the team.

Following Brawn GP's Championship double in 2009, Ross Brawn sold the bulk of his F1 team to Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG and Aabar.

However, the Brit and Nick Fry held onto 24.9 per cent of the F1 team, which they have now sold to the main two shareholders.

Daimler has increased its stake from 45.1 per cent to 60 per cent, while Aabar now owns 40 per cent of the F1 team.

"This majority stake holding demonstrates our determination to build a long-term Formula 1 involvement on an even more successful platform," said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

"Our company's founders invented the automobile 125 years ago and the very first Mercedes was a racing car. These are the reasons why we see our Formula 1 programme as an important element of our brand history.

"The acquisition of a majority stake holding in our Silver Arrows team sends a clear signal that we intend to achieve technical and sporting success on world motorsport's biggest and most important stage - and to do so in cost-effective conditions."

Team boss Ross Brawn added: "Daimler and Aabar's acquisition of the remaining 24.9 per cent stake in Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix will be a further step in the consolidation and strengthening of our team for the future.

"Motor racing, particularly Formula 1, is a very specialised industry, and we are privileged to have such strong and understanding partners as Daimler and Aabar to support our joint ambitions. I remain fully committed to our team for the long-term, along with the management team and all of our employees.

"We all look forward to the challenge of making our team successful, and proudly representing Mercedes-Benz and the racing tradition of the Silver Arrows."

[MIKA27]

Boullier 'surprised' by Heidfeld's leadership

Lotus Renault team boss Eric Boullier is impressed with the way in which Nick Heidfeld has stepped into the leadership role at the team.

With pre-season testing having only just begun and the new season less than two months away, Lotus Renault lost their number one driver when Robert Kubica was seriously injured in a rally accident.

His doctors estimated that the Pole would be out of action for at least a year, forcing the team to look elsewhere for an experienced driver to partner Vitaly Petrov.

Impressing in his first day of testing with the team, which saw him finish at the top of the timesheets, Heidfeld secured the role and has already played a vital role in Lotus Renault's pre-season programme.

"The way he stepped into the team, he came to the factory, he had a brief introduction to the engineers and sat down with us for an hour," Boullier told Autosport.

"When he was testing at Jerez, I was listening on the radio and the way he was talking to the engineers, he was right there (settled in the team).

"I was surprised about the fact that he was able to position himself so early and so easily as a team leader. I would have understood that he could have taken some time.

"The guy, after the first run, was already clearly demanding some changes if he could stay with the team."

The Frenchman added that one of the deciding factors in choosing Heidfeld was his technical know-how, while his brief outing as a Pirelli test driver also played in his favour.

The German also received the endorsement of Kubica.

"Because the accident happened at such an early stage of the season, we concluded very rapidly that we needed a very experienced driver - and fast, obviously - and having enough character to lead some technical decisions or to take some decisions in a firm manner with the team.

"When you draw up this profile, and I added if possible (we wanted) experience with Pirelli tyres and knowledge of having raced with KERS in 2009, it was obvious that was only one ticking all the boxes, which was Nick.

"On top of this, I'd had several meetings with him last year because he'd wanted to follow very closely the situation with our 2011 second seat.

"We even discussed this with Robert actually. I was too early, he was just waking up from the coma, but Gerard (Lopez) talked with him and Robert raised two names: Nick and (Tonio) Liuzzi."

MIKA: I'm really looking forward to watching Heidfeld this season. One of my favourite drivers on the grid.

[MIKA27]

Webber predicts unpredictable results in 2011

Mark Webber says he expects a highly competitive season this year as the teams get to grips with the new regulations, describing them as a 'completely new challenge.'

He also believes the changes will create 'unpredictable' situations which could see more than just a handful of drivers winning races.

"It's cleary not just about Sebastian [Vettel], we have Lewis [Hamilton], Fernando [Alonso] and JB [Jenson Button] and who knows with Mercedes," the Red Bull driver told James Allen.

"It's just very, very unpredictable who's going to be winning races and probably we're going to have a few other winners compared to last year."

When pushed on the hot-topic of 2010, his relationship with team-mate and world champion Vettel, the Australian skirted round the subject, opting to highlight the fact he may not see much of the German until the end of the race due to the extreme strategies which could been seen thanks to the new Pirelli tyres.

"I think the racing is going to be interesting to see if we actually spend more time wheel to wheel on the track together," he said.

"Last year... the large majority of the race was spent together. Whereas, this year I think the situation will be that the race will be busted up into segments, you might arrive at the end of the race together again, but parts of the grand prix you'll be away from your competitiors."

[MIKA27]

Alonso against multiple pit-stops during races

Fernando Alonso has expressed concern over multiple stop-races, saying he isn't keen on the idea as it 'doesn't favour the strongest teams'.

The re-introduction of Pirelli rubber for the 2011 season has seen the Italian company produce low-durability tyres which, intentionally, degrade much quicker than the Bridgestone's of previous seasons.

This concerns the Spaniard, who compared it to penalties in football.

"From what we have seen so far, degradation is very significant, which means we will have races with lots of pit stops," he said during a Santander media event.

"I'm not keen on that because I think this increased uncertainty does not favour the strongest teams: it’s as if in football, it was decided to have a penalty per team each half hour in which case Barcelona and Real Madrid would not be jumping for joy.

"However, the situation is the same for everyone: it will be important to be fastest because I don’t think we can make one stop less than our main rivals."

Meanwhile, the Ferrari driver admitted the running order remained an unknown until the opening races in Australia on March 27th.

"We will only really know where we stand compared to the others when we are in Melbourne," said the Spaniard.

"At the moment, I am happy because we proved to have a reliable car. If all goes to plan, we will be in the group of teams capable of fighting for the title, along with Red Bull the reigning champions, McLaren, Mercedes and also Renault, who had already made a step forward towards the end of last season. Even Toro Rosso has made significant progress."

[OZCUBAN]

Alonso against multiple pit-stops during races

Fernando Alonso has expressed concern over multiple stop-races, saying he isn't keen on the idea as it 'doesn't favour the strongest teams'.

The re-introduction of Pirelli rubber for the 2011 season has seen the Italian company produce low-durability tyres which, intentionally, degrade much quicker than the Bridgestone's of previous seasons.

This concerns the Spaniard, who compared it to penalties in football.

"From what we have seen so far, degradation is very significant, which means we will have races with lots of pit stops," he said during a Santander media event.

I don't have a problem with increased pit stops as IMO it can only add to the excitement even more so now that refueling has been banned and in theory it is the same for all the teams I guess the only o es that will benefit are the cars that are more gentle on their tyres

Only 25 sleeps to go for Melbourne

OZ

"I'm not keen on that because I think this increased uncertainty does not favour the strongest teams: it’s as if in football, it was decided to have a penalty per team each half hour in which case Barcelona and Real Madrid would not be jumping for joy.

"However, the situation is the same for everyone: it will be important to be fastest because I don’t think we can make one stop less than our main rivals."

Meanwhile, the Ferrari driver admitted the running order remained an unknown until the opening races in Australia on March 27th.

"We will only really know where we stand compared to the others when we are in Melbourne," said the Spaniard.

"At the moment, I am happy because we proved to have a reliable car. If all goes to plan, we will be in the group of teams capable of fighting for the title, along with Red Bull the reigning champions, McLaren, Mercedes and also Renault, who had already made a step forward towards the end of last season. Even Toro Rosso has made significant progress."

[MIKA27]

Alonso lashes out at Spanish speed limit

Spain's two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso warned Monday that it will be "difficult to stay awake" when driving on the country's highways under the new speed limit of 110 kilometres (68 miles) an hour.

The Spanish government said Friday it was lowering the speed limit on highways from 120 km/h as of March 7 as part of measures to reduce the country's fuel consumption in response to the rise in world oil prices due to unrest in the Middle East.

"I don't support this measure. To reduce fuel consumption there are other measures that are much more effective than this one. At 110 kilometres an hour, it is even difficult to stay awake," Alonso told reporters when asked what he thought of the measure.

Formula One cars race at speeds often in excess of just over 300 km/h.

Alonso, who won the Formula One title in 2005 and 2008, drives for Ferrari.

When Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba announced the new energy savings measures, he said a car running on gasoline will use 15 percent less fuel at the new, lower speed limit.

Alongside the lower speed limit, Spain will cut the price of commuter and short-distance rail tickets by 5.0 per cent and increase the proportion of bio-fuel used in diesel and gasoline from 5.8 per cent to 7.0 per cent.

Spain is almost completely dependent on imported fuel for road transport, although a fifth of its electricity output is generated by wind power, and the spike in oil prices has added to pressures on inflation and the trade deficit.

Each increase of 10 euros in the cost of a barrel of oil adds some six billion euros ($8.3 billion) to Spain's annual energy bill, according to government calculations.

During the 1970s oil crisis both the United States and Britain temporarily reduced the speed limit on highways in order to reduce fuel consumption.

[MIKA27]

Sutil eyeing top 10 position

Adrian Sutil is refusing to set his sights too high for the 2011 season, saying it would be a "good season" if he is able to fight for a top 10 spot.

Sutil and Force India started well last year, but they fell away in the latter half of the season and the German eventually finished 11th in the Drivers' standings while the team claimed seventh position in the Constructors' Championship.

The 28-year-old admits it would be difficult to beat the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes this year so he'll be happy to make it into the top 10.

"To be honest I was quite satisfied with 2010," Sutil told the official Formula One website. "I quite often finished in the top ten and was fighting with the Mercedes for P9 in the Drivers' Championship. Having said that, it would be a bit delicious to expect better results.

"If I manage again to fight among the top ten I would call it a good season. Under normal circumstances the first eight places are usually occupied by the four top teams, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes. Then you have Renault, Williams, Sauber and Toro Rosso that have to be beaten first, so the season ahead can hardly be called a self-seller for us. But believe me I will do anything to make it one."

Force India's 2011 challenger, the VJM04, has performed well during pre-season testing, but Sutil believes it will take a while before everyone knows where they stand with their new cars.

"That the car feels good, that we've been able to run a lot of mileage and have been able to successfully complete our programme," he said. "KERS and the moveable rear wing works very well so I look ahead towards the first races quite optimistically.

"What 'optimistically' means in terms of the 2011 pecking order I cannot say right here right now. That question will be answered in Melbourne or at the latest in Sepang, as Melbourne is a bit of a special track that in the past has always produced unpredictable results.".