FORMULA 1 2011

[MIKA27]

Todt keen to keep Australia on calendar

FIA President Jean Todt insists the Australian Grand Prix should be feature permanently on the Formula One calendar.

Todt, in Melbourne as part of a global road safety campaign, said Australia should host an annual F1 race.

The Frenchman's view appears to be at odds with those of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who said recently that F1 "does not need" the Australian race as debate about its value to its host state of Victoria emerged once again.

Todt was keen to promote road safety rather than motorsport, but said as long as F1 continued, the Australian Grand Prix should be a part of it.

"Formula One is not essential (compared to road safety). It is a sport and it is important, and if Formula One does exist I think it is important to have one race in Australia because Australia is among the biggest nations in the world," Todt said.

"Australia has been doing a great job together with people from CAMS (The Confederation of Australian Motorsport)," he added. "They have put Australia among the best grands prix in the season."

Todt also voiced his support for Melbourne as Australia's GP venue.

"Melbourne is a sensational venue with nice people, and when I arrived yesterday, I was thinking how good Melbourne is for Formula One."

[MIKA27]

Kehm: Schumi open to contract extension

Michael Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm says the German is open to discussing a new contract with Mercedes GP.

Earlier this week, Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug revealed that the seven-time World Champion could remain with the team beyond 2012. However, he added, it would have to be at the "right price."

And although Schumacher will be 44 when the 2013 F1 season gets underway, his manager reckons the German may consider another year or two.

"Of course we are open to discussions, because we feel very good with the team," Kehm told the Bild newspaper.

Michael is totally motivated and can give Mercedes and F1 a lot more."

[MIKA27]

Bahrain suffers fresh blow

Any hopes of the Bahrain Grand Prix being rescheduled for later this year would appear to have vanished in light of a three-month state of emergency being declared in the Gulf kingdom.

Following a meeting in Paris last week of the World Motor Sport Council, the race organisers were given a deadline of May 1 to confirm whether they will be able to stage the race this year.

It should have taken place two days ago, but was called off late last month in the wake of civil unrest which has resulted in the deaths of a number of pro-democracy demonstrators.

The volatile situation has escalated recently, culminating in Tuesday's announcement from the king of Bahrain.

The state of emergency overlaps the Council's deadline and it would seem highly unlikely the grand prix will occur at any stage this season, although the FIA are initially respecting the May 1 deadline.

An FIA spokesperson said: "The World Council tried to govern everybody's expectations last week, which is why the May 1 deadline was imposed.

"The deadline was made in a clear and relaxed way and in light of what has occurred in Bahrain.

"There were many people involved in making that decision and for now the council will respect the deadline. There is an obligation to that.

"But clearly the situation is fluid. We're adapting to information day by day.

"Due to what is now happening we will react when it is the right moment."

[MIKA27]

Alonso: McLaren will fight for podiums

Fernando Alonso insists he won't be fooled by McLaren's pre-season woes, saying he expects them to challenge for a podium in Australia.

McLaren have had numerous mechanical problems during winter testing and both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have admitted their MP4-26 is not up to scratch with the new season just around the corner. BBC commentator Martin Brundle went as far as calling the car a "mess".

Alonso though believes the McLarens will be fighting for a top-three finish in Melbourne in a fortnight.

"They're better than they look," he told Spanish paper El Pais. "Winter testing doesn't explain anything.

"They say themselves they are expecting a little more, so perhaps they will be at a similar level to the best (in Australia) and then go on ahead.

"When we get there, we'll see. McLaren are not going to be fighting for 10th place, but rather the podium."

Alonso has also dismissed the notion that Hamilton and Button's different driving styles complicated the design of the car.

"I think not because Formula One is dominated by aerodynamics," said Alonso.

"For example, if a wind tunnel predicts a gain of a tenth of a second, that is valid for Alonso, (Felipe) Massa, Hamilton, Button and all the others, regardless of the driving style of each.

"Maybe the tyres are all that matter in terms of having to adapt your way of driving."

[MIKA27]

Teams set for rear-wing test in Melbourne

The FIA's race director Charlie Whiting has revealed that the teams have been approached about testing the adjustable rear-wing, or DRS (drag reduction system), during first free practice at the Australian GP.

Whilst the teams got the opportunity to test the new system during pre-season practice, the FIA has yet to test its timing-loop with the teams.

The loop identifies if a driver is within a second of the leading car at a predetermined point on the track. This will happen on the final corner leading to the longest straight at most tracks.

Markings on the track surface will alert spectators as to whether a driver is within the operational distance - which will then allow the driver to operate the DRS within the last 600 metres of the straight. (Check out the video below for a better explanation.)

"Operation of the wing as described above is simple, there will be marks (lines) on the track to show the area where proximity is being detected and a line across the track at the point where the drivers whose system is armed may deploy it," explained Whiting.

"Furthermore, the television broadcasters will be sent a signal each time a system is armed and this will be displayed to the viewers."

On the matter of testing the system, the FIA is yet to confirm its plans with the teams', suggesting a decision will be made on the Thursday prior to practice.

"This has been discussed but no decision has been taken," he said. "We will discuss the possibility of using part of a free practice session in Melbourne with the teams on the day before first practice."

[MIKA27]

Todt wants larger, preset driver numbers

FIA president Jean Todt is keen for teams to employ larger numbers on their cars in a bid to help fans identify drivers.

Whilst hardcore fans can identify a driver from their unique helmet or T-cam colour, it's difficult for the general viewer to pick out who's who without knowing what sets them apart.

Todt believes F1 should look to NASCAR by giving drivers preset numbers when they enter the sport, a number which will remain with them thoughout their career no matter where they place in the championship.

He also believes the numbers should be more prominent on the car, much like Williams' pre-season intermin livery.

"It is very difficult to identify a driver in car," explained Todt to The Age. "I would like to see who is driving the car, from a long distance and the number of the car.

"Like in NASCAR… a driver who is arriving in F1, he gets a number [assigned to him]. He would keep it for all of his career. You could identify a driver with a number."

Whilst being president of the FIA gives Todt powers to improve safety, he doesn't have the authority to put such a change in place without the agreement of the teams.

"I don't have the power without creating unnecessary conflict to change something I'm not happy [about].

"You need to have some strong ground for changing. You need to have at minimum, a positive opinion among the group in F1," he added.

The idea might not prove popular among the teams as larger numbers will take-up important space reserved for title sponsors.

[OZCUBAN]

Webber: My home luck will turn

Mark Webber is optimistic that Red Bull's smooth pre-season build-up means he can finally turn his home fortunes around when the championship kicks off in Melbourne next weekend.

Although the Australian famously took his Minardi to fifth place in Melbourne in his first ever Formula 1 race in 2002, he has never bettered that result at his home track - only equalling it with Williams in 2005.

Webber's luck at Albert Park has tended to be dismal - he retired while leading in 2006 and has had various problems at the circuit in his Red Bull years.

Last year lucked like it might see a change in form when he qualified on the front row, but he dropped down the order amid the weather-related tyre changes, later tangled with Lewis Hamilton and finished only ninth.

But with Red Bull having cruised serenely through the winter tests with a quick and reliable car, Webber thinks 2011 could be the year when he gives his home fans something to cheer about again.

"As an Australian I'm looking forward to Melbourne being the first race," he said.

"I hope I can improve my luck there, as it hasn't been incredible since since my first GP in '02.

"I hope to get my best result and there's every indication we can do that.

"This is the best winter we've had - let's hope we can carry it on into this event."

Webber added that while the winter had gone very well for Red Bull, that counted for little as the moment of truth neared.

"We've done a huge amount of testing and a lot of work has gone into the cars - now we'll put them through their paces at Albert Park and lots of questions will be answered," he said.

"It's going to be an eventful weekend, especially as the weather can be a bit hit and miss."

The Aussie hero got his home grand prix celebrations started earlier today when he drove Red Bull's demonstration F1 car across Melbourne's landmark Bolte Bridge.

I am sure that all Aussies wish Mark all the best this year and to wrestle the crown from Vettel

[OZCUBAN]

McLaren gamble on ‘dramatic’ changes for Australia

Martin Whitmarsh admits McLaren have taken some risks in making last-minute changes to the MP4-26 – including the decision to shelve a more complex exhaust layout – in a bid to ensure the team is in more competitive shape for this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The McLaren team principal conceded at the end of last week that the team had “pushed over the limit” in the design of certain aspects of the 2011 car, which had caused the squad an usual amount of reliability problems during pre-season.

The MP4-26 had also not shown itself to have the outright pace of perceived pacesetters Red Bull and Ferrari.

However, speaking in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes media phone-in on Monday morning, Whitmarsh revealed that the team had already taken some radical steps to improve their fortunes in time for this weekend’s race – changes he is optimistic will give the MP4-26 a performance step forward of a full second.

“I’m not satisfied where the car was from a reliability or performance [perspective] in the tests,” Whitmarsh said.

“We have I guess, with some risk, made some fairly dramatic changes to the car and those changes we will see in Australia.

“So there is some risk in that, but I think it was the right thing to do and we’re hopeful that that risk comes off and the car is a lot more competitive in Australia.”

He added: "I want us to be significantly quicker and I believe we’ve implemented some changes which are aimed at making the car over a second quicker than it was in the tests.”

Whitmarsh explained that the major changes were “a completely new floor” and the decision to go back to a more standard exhaust layout after deciding that the more intricate original one on the MP4-26 was causing too many problems.

“I’d say it is a simpler design than we had before,” he explained.

“Exhaust systems have become quite a lot more extreme on quite a lot of the cars. I think we in particular had a very extreme solution, but I think that they were not delivering, in my opinion, sufficient benefit for their complexity.”

Whitmarsh, who also said that McLaren would be heading to Melbourne still aiming to win despite not being the favourites, insisted that the MP4-26 wasn’t a fundamentally flawed car, but that simply some of its more “creative” solutions had not proved their worth in reliability.

He thinks the changes, however, have also unlocked some extra performance.

“I think the car fundamentally isn’t a bad car. I believe we need to unlock the exhaust-blowing potential and we had some very creative ideas – some of which could have worked spectacularly well,” Whitmarsh said.

“But in order to have worked spectacularly well they had to sufficiently durable to be raceable and frankly some of our solutions weren’t and that’s why we had to go back a little bit.

“But I think in doing so we found some interesting performance.

“So we’ll see; I think it will still be a challenging weekend but I’m hopeful that we’ll put on more than a second on the last time we ran the car.”

He admitted that making such major changes having already completed a full pre-season of track work was far from ideal and that he would accept responsibility if the plan backfired.

“That’s not you’d like to do after a test programme, but I think it’s the right decision,” Whitmarsh added.

“If it wasn’t then I’ll have to put my hand up and say I was wrong.”

[OZCUBAN]

Pirelli reveals F1 tyre markings

Pirelli has revealed the colours it will use to differentiate between the tyres it supplies at each grand prix.

The Italian company, which takes over from Bridgestone as Formula 1's sole supplier in 2011, has decided to paint its logo in different colours.

For the dry-weather tyres, the logo will be silver on the hard tyre, white on the medium, yellow on the soft and red on the super-soft.

On the full wet tyre it will be orange and on the intermediate light blue.

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery said: "These will enable both live and television audiences to tell at a glance who is on what compounds, which will be vital knowledge as tyres are set to form a key part of race strategy this year."

The tyres have been deliberately designed to be less durable than in the past, to force the teams to do more pit stops and create more unpredictable racing.

Teams are predicting three-stop races will be the norm in 2011, when one stop was standard practice in 2010.

The F1 rules dictate that there must be a two-compound gap between the two available types of dry-weather tyres at each race, so there is no chance of the silver and white being confused as the hard and medium tyres will never be used at the same race.

Each driver has to use both types of dry-weather tyre in the course of a dry race. In a wet race they have a free choice.

Pirelli describes the tyres as follows: "The wet tyre is used in case of heavy rain, while the intermediate is for a damp or drying track.

"The super-soft provides plenty of speed at the expense of durability, while the soft tyre lasts a bit longer but is still more biased towards performance.

"The medium tyre is a balanced compromise, while the hard tyre is the most durable of all."

The two tyres being taken to the first three races in Australia, Malaysia and China will be the hard and soft compounds, with the hard designated "prime" and the soft the "option".

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...one/9429326.stm

Published: 2011/03/18 16:10:56 GMT

© BBC 2011

[OZCUBAN]

FIA boss defends rear wing system

Race director Charlie Whiting has denied that the new moveable rear wings in Formula 1 will give race control any more influence over races.

The system allow drivers to reduce drag, aiding overtaking in straights.

It can only be deployed if a driver is within a second of the car in front, as measured by race control, and from a specific point on the track.

"Race control has no influence over the outcome of a race. The system will be armed automatically," said Whiting.

The introduction of the moveable rear wings, along with the return of the Kers system which reapplies kinetic energy that would otherwise have been lost as heat, has been designed to make the sport more exciting in 2011.

The system will be tuned with with the intention of assisting the following driver, not guaranteeing him an overtaking manoeuvre

Charlie Whiting

However, some have suggested that a device that can only be used with approval from the FIA's race control could be a source of controversy.

Whiting stated that the rules are clear and allow no room for subjectivity.

"Cars will simply have to get within one second of the one in front, the system will be armed automatically and the driver can use it at the predetermined point," added Whiting.

"There is no question of race control being able to intervene."

Whiting said the benefit of the moveable wing system is "likely to be in the region of 10-12km/h difference at the end of the straight", but he is also keen to ensure that it does not become decisive in battles between drivers.

"It should be remembered though that the distance over which the system may be used is going to be tuned with the intention of assisting the following driver, not guaranteeing him an overtaking manoeuvre," he commented.

In the event of a malfunction in the FIA's timings systems, drivers will be able to activate the system without being notified by the on-board electronics, but they will still need permission from race control.

Heavy penalties will be imposed for its unauthorised use.

Whiting added that there will be lines painted on the track to indicate where proximity between two cars is detected and again on the following straight to show where the driver can use the system.

It is thought that the latter line will come around 600 metres before the braking zone.

Television broadcasters will be sent a signal when the system is armed to enable them to inform their viewers.

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...one/9426578.stm

Published: 2011/03/16 12:47:35 GMT

© BBC 2011

[OZCUBAN]

Kobayashi speaks of Japan anguish

The Sauber team's Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi has spoken of his anguish after a trip to his homeland in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.

The north-east of the main island was devastated by a major quake a week ago which killed at least 6,000 people and has triggered a nuclear alert.

Sauber driver Kobayashi said: "It is hard to believe that a scenario worse than in any movie has become reality.

"I am worried the whole country could disappear - it is just too awful."

Kobayashi's first race of the season is next week's Australian Grand Prix.

His Sauber team announced on Thursday that they would carry a message to show solidarity with the people of Japan in the Melbourne race, which takes place on 27 March.

The two Ferrari-engined C30 cars of Kobayashi and Mexican F1 rookie Sergio Perez will sport the slogan 'May our prayers reach the people in Japan', in Japanese characters.

Now what I really want to do is my very best to achieve a good result, which perhaps can at least give the people in Japan a little bit of hope and positive news

Kamui Kobayashi

The Swiss Sauber team have been buoyed by their performances in testing, with Perez setting the third-fastest time of the winter at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

It means that Kobayashi, 24, approaches his second full F1 season with mixed feelings.

"Since the earthquake and the tsunami news is getting worse every day - there is nothing positive to look forward to at the moment," he commented.

"We need to stay together and we need help from all over the world.

"I feel I have to do something, I want to help but there is nothing I can do by myself.

"For the time being, what I can do is to be focused and fully concentrate on the season's opening race in Melbourne.

"Originally I was looking forward to this with great joy. Now what I really want to do is my very best to achieve a good result, which perhaps can at least give the people in Japan a little bit of hope and positive news."

McLaren driver Jenson Button, whose girlfriend Jessica Michibata is Japanese, added: "In the past, I'd always travelled to Melbourne full of positive energy and enthusiasm.

"But, at the moment, my heart is with the people of Japan as they struggle to come to terms with the scope of the terrible devastation and loss of life wreaked by last week's earthquake and tsunami.

"While the prospect of a Formula 1 race seems to pale in the face of such a disaster, there have been occasions before when the healing power of sport can actually be beneficial; an escape for people.

"So I go to Melbourne this weekend resolving to not only try my best, but also to salute the brave people, and my many friends, throughout Japan."

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...one/9428820.stm

Published: 2011/03/18 12:20:40 GMT

© BBC 2011

[OZCUBAN]

Really looking forward to this years season could be the best for years ,wish i was coming to Melbourne ,but next year for sure

[mikec]

The waiting is killing me...bring it on please. I'll be glued to TV starting at the first practice which is being streamed in Canada. It's going to be a Mercedes surprise I think. This could be Schumachers best chance at a pole position and a win. If Merc have a slight advantage going into Austrailia it will be quickly eaten away by the second race. Look for McLaren to have a horrible race here with reliability being their main problem.If not Shumi on pole it might be Rosbergs first but dont look for him to follow up with a win just yet.I am expecting carnage on the first corner with probably one or two of the front runners ending their day early. I also expect that someone may have a BIG off due to rear wing malfunction in the passing zone. This rear wing feature should be totally driver controlled and able to be deployed anywhere, anytime.This is going to be an incredible race so don't miss a second of it. GO MERCEDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kgoings]

WooHoo! Its here! Been keeping tabs on practice...NICE 10 minutes left and neither HRT driver has put in a lap

[kgoings]

Great race! Can't believe the Saubers got DQ'd and Hamilton got nothing. Seems like F1 trying to 'protect' the stars.

I am a big LH fan, he obviously wore the undercarriage more than is within regulations. There is no way to know if the broken undercarriage helped or hindered the car, like the announcers were saying no more FDuct just create a break away pin for the undercarriage.

[MIKA27]

Hi all.

Sorry I haven't been posting of late but I have had quite a hard couple of weeks with both work and on a personal scale.

I'm back now and will start posting on the season ahead.

Last GP whilst I watched it, must say it was probably the most boring Melbourne GP I have watched in recent years. Regardless, I'm glad F1 is back for another season!

What happened to Nick Heidfeld, I had so much hope for him, I know its a long season ahead so here's hoping he performs a lot better, great to see Petrov take P3!

[MIKA27]

Sauber accept Oz GP disqualification

Sauber won't appeal the disqualification of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi from the Australian Grand Prix after accepting that their cars broke technical rules.

Mexico's Perez finished seventh on his F1 debut and Japan's Kobayashi placed eighth but both lost their race points on Sunday.

Race stewards found the shape and size of the Sauber rear wings were a few millimeters bigger than allowed.

Sauber's technical director, James Key, says the team accepts it made an "error in the checking process" and has put measures in place to ensure the mistake won't be repeated.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton questions RBR front wing

Lewis Hamilton insists Red Bull's controversial front wing flexes more than the rules allow.

The Milton Keynes team's wing caused a major storm at last year's German Grand Prix and the FIA was forced introduced heavier flex tests. Red Bull's cars passed the deflection tests and they've had no problems since then.

However, Hamilton has brought the issue back into the spotlight after Sebastian Vettel put in a dominant display at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"Did you see Vettel's front wing?" he is quoted by Bild "It bends down to the ground and gives him about half a second. Either we [FIA] close this loophole or we [McLaren] copy it."

According to German paper, McLaren are considering lodging a protest with motor sport's governing body over the issue.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko hit back at accusations that their front wing is illegal, saying the whole saga is becoming "boring".

"They try it again and again.. And we pass each test."

MIKA: Yes I agree, it is becoming rather boring for McLaren to raise this issue once again. Every year there will be 'a' car that sets itself apart from the rest hence why we have a championship for both constructors and drivers.

Vettel was so far in lead, how could Hamilton see the wing flex anyway!? This is not instigated by LH but rather McLaren itself.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull plan to have KERS in Malaysia

They may have blown their rivals away without the help of KERS in Australia but Red Bull are working hard to make sure they have the device on their car for the next race.

Sebastian Vettel, who led from start to finish in Melbourne, didn't have KERS at his disposal all weekend as technical guru Adrian Newey felt it was a potential risk and didn't want to compromise the aerodynamics of the car.

Team principal Christian Horner admits things will have to change for the next race as the straights at Sepang are much longer than at Albert Park.

"We plan to have it on the car for Malaysia," Horner told Autosport.

"The KERS effect here [in Australia] is less, as the run to the first corner is shorter. So that is our main exposure, which is why we didn't want you guys to tell the rest of the world that we didn't have it.

"In Malaysia there is a relatively long run to the first turn, and we will be keen to get it on the car as soon as possible."

[MIKA27]

Boullier: Proud, happy and relieved

Renault team principal Eric Boullier admits he is over the moon about Vitaly Petrov's unexpected podium finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

After struggling to make much of an impact during his rookie year, many thought Petrov wouldn't return for a second season. However Renault opted to stick with the Russian and they were rewarded with a third place in Melbourne.

"It is good to see him reacting in a nice way," said Boullier. "He had a couple of very nice races last year, very promising, but also a lot of mistakes as well.

"I put a lot of pressure on him and we spent a lot of time discussing things. We put him in an environment where he could understand the English culture of F1 - what we expect from him and to help him grow up as a driver. It looks like we achieved something good for him."

Renault finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship last year but their decision to shift focus to their innovative car for the 2011 season has been vindicated very early on.

"I am proud, happy and relieved," Boullier said. "We had a tough winter. We gambled very early last year on innovation on our car. Clearly it is a different concept and everyone is still scratching their head about the decision.

"We had a tough winter as well with Robert [Kubica], so on top of all that it is a big relief to see that the tough work, the hard work, has paid off."

While Petrov grabbed all the headlines, Nick Heidfeld - the man who replaced Kubica following the Pole's horror rally crash - had a disappointing weekend as he started 18th on the grid and finished 12th.

Many feel Renault may well have challenged for victory had Kubica been fit and Boullier admits he also thought about what might have been.

"I did, but I refused to dig more. I said, 'just don't think about this'. I don't want to put it into my head because it is useless.

"So I close my mind for it. It is like people asking me if Nick would have qualified better. We did what we had to do, and we go for it."

[MIKA27]

Pirelli to reconsider tyre marking colours

Pirelli may adjust the colours of the marking on their tyres in order to make it easier for fans to differentiate which compound is being used.

There was some criticisim of the markings during Sunday's Australian GP, with the yellow markings of the soft tyres and the silver markings of the hard tyres at times hard to distinguish between.

"We are looking at the markings, particularly the silver and the white," Pirelli director of motorsport Paul Hembery told Autosport

"I thought the yellow was very clear. Looking at the images throughout the race on the television screens, I don't think there was any doubt watching the cars with the yellow markings.

"But the silver? Yes. I think we need to work on that because it blurred a bit with the black. But if that is my biggest problem then I will be happy," he added.

[MIKA27]

Karthikeyan confident of racing in Malaysia

Hispania driver Narain Karthikeyan believes that Hispania will be able to qualify within the bounds of the 107% rule at the Malaysian GP.

The team head to Sepang having failed to qualify for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, in what was an embarrassing weekend for the Murcia-based team.

However, Karthikeyan is upbeat about their chances at next weekend's race.

"I know the Malaysia circuit really well, I like it," the Indian told Reuters.

"If we get the new front wing... Not if, we are going to get it. We are reasonably confident that we will qualify and if all these things happen then we don't have any excuse not to qualify for Malaysia," he explained.

While Malaysia is certainly the 34-year-old's priority, it is hard not to be drawn into thoughts of October's inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Although Karthikeyan will be focusing on Malaysia for the next couple of weeks, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on October 30 is never far from his mind.

"My comeback has a lot to do with that and it will be great to compete in front of my home crowd, and I will have a lot of support," he said.

"Since my debut in 2005, Formula One had got very big in India. And then there is the Force India team, and I'm the Indian driver, so we'll have a lot of people cheering for us.

"If the tickets are priced right, there will be a full house and it's going to be crazy," he added

[MIKA27]

Brawn: Wrong set-up to blame

Mercedes GP chief Ross Brawn insists that the team's poor performance in Australia was as a result of having the incorrect set-up.

Having surged to the front of the field during the final pre-season testing session in Barcelona, much was expected of the team heading to Australia, but they failed to deliver in spectacular fashion.

Nico Rosberg qualified in a disappointing seventh spot while Michael Schumacher didn't make it into Q3, with the seven-time World Champion forced to settle for eleventh position.

Matters didn't improve in the race either, with both driver's unable to reach the finish line due to damage sustained in accidents.

Reflecting back on their pre-season performance, Brawn lays the blame for the Melbourne failures at the door of a poor set-up.

"We took an approach over the winter which culminated in the final spec of car in Barcelona [testing]," explained Brawn.

"Barcelona is a track that we've never been super strong on, but the car was very good there.

"So we came into this weekend with reasonable confidence that we could do a good job.

"But we had a very messy weekend. Cars these days have got a lot of interesting systems on and we had a job keeping everything running, which means that we haven't done the fundamental work of getting the car balanced and finding the right set-up.

"It has been a disappointing weekend and we should have been able to do better than we achieved."

Pre-season confidence was soon replaced by doubts regarding the car as Rosberg and Schumacher failed to find any kind of rhythm.

"The problem we have got is that the drivers don't quite know what car they are going to have each time they enter a corner," said the Briton.

"The inconsistency is the thing that makes it difficult for them.

"We have had difficulties with a number of systems on the car. There are a number of things that have got messy this weekend and the main difficulty is that drivers and engineers have not had a consistent enough car to work on."

There is no immediate solution for the team's troubles either, with Brawn insisting that the focus remains on the current car and that there will be no upgrades rushed in panic.

"There are a series of upgrades planned, but what we have got to focus on is using what we've got already. The fundamentals are there and we've got to get everything to work well together over a weekend, and then we can show a much stronger performance," he added

[MIKA27]

Briatore: Ferrari should write-off 2011

Ex-Renault boss, Flavio Briatore, has given a shock message to Ferrari following their severe lack of pace in last week's Australian Grand-Prix - "Focus on 2012!"

Briatore, who is also Fernando Alonso's manager, has said that the half-second gap between the 150 Italia car and the Red Bull is an eternity and even if the Maranello-based team manage to gain half a second, the "drinks company" will be even further ahead as they develop through the season.

"It may sound absurd, but I think Ferrari should focus on the 2012 car now," said the Italian to Finn newspaper, Turun Sanomat.

"Ferrari, of course, have all the engineering skills and resources that you need, but the half-second difference to Red Bull is an eternity."

The comments are not expected to influence Ferrari in any way, but will hit hard with Alonso, who earlier this week, said that the team's performance in Australia was not a disaster.

[MIKA27]

McLaren make further updates, diffuser change

McLaren have made yet another step forward in their bid to match the speed of the Red Bull team as they plan to scrap their titanium diffuser ahead of the Malaysian Grand-Prix.

The British team, who suffered a dire pre-season testing period, stunned the world of F1 as their pace was almost a second quicker than expected when they took to the track in Australia last week after ditching their complicated "octopus diffuser" design.

The new diffuser is expected to resemble that of the Red Bull team, which has shown phenomenal pace, and should be lighter than the diffuser used by the team in Australia.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, team-boss Martin Whitmarsh confirmed, "We had to manufacture the parts for the new exhaust in a very short time."

"So we had to build the diffuser entirely of titanium which, of course, cost us some extra weight," he added. This would explain the unique colour of the diffuser used at Albert Park.

The re-designed diffuser expected to be on the MP4-26 in just under two-weeks time will be made of carbon-fibre and will feature Pyrosic heat to boot.