FORMULA 1 2011

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Williams F1 preview the Chinese GP

Sam Michael, Technical Director: The corners in Shanghai are all heavily loaded on entry, particularly Turn 1. This normally requires a strong front end for the driver to place the car accurately. Traction is also important with there being four slow speed corner exits around the lap. Track temperatures are cooler again in Shanghai, much like they were during the Australian GP. We are still aiming for a top ten qualifying performance and to get some points on the board in Shanghai. We also have a new exhaust system for Rubens’ car that we will test and evaluate on Friday.

Rubens Barrichello: I like Shanghai a lot. I like the layout of the circuit and I have good memories here, having won the inaugural race in 2004. We have an upgrade to the car this weekend which I hope will improve our speed and overall performance. It hasn’t been a good start to the season for us as we are yet to finish a race where we belong, but I’m hoping the upgrade will help us to move forward.

Pastor Maldonado: China is a completely new track for me so I need to learn the layout as well as work very hard with the team to solve the problems we had in Malaysia. I know there is a very short time between races, but I think we have the potential to improve and to become more competitive. It’s going to be a bit cooler than in Malaysia but it is a very technical circuit so difficult to get a good overall set-up. One key feature is the first corner as it’s one of the longest corners of the whole season. I have had a day in our simulator in Grove to begin learning the circuit and now I’m really looking forward to getting there.

From Cosworth’s perspective: The Shanghai International Circuit is one of the less severe tracks for the engine, but it does offer two notable straights that both place a premium on outright engine power. Although the time spent at full throttle is significant, the rest of the circuit is not as taxing on the engine, when viewed solely in terms of power output.

Turns 2, 3 and 4 are very slow, which places an importance on low speed pick-up. With increased rear-tyre degradation, the emphasis on the engine to provide a smooth, consistent torque delivery has increased, with corners such as these probably the most demanding in this respect.

Last year, ambient conditions were such that raw engine power output was the highest of the season. A high ambient pressure of 1026 mbar, and a rather chilly air temperature of 12°C at the start of P1, meant that the conditions in 2010 worked in the engine manufacturers’ favour.

From Pirelli’s perspective: China should theoretically give us less degradation than Malaysia but it is hard to make an exact prediction. The track surface is less aggressive and temperatures should be lower. There is a reasonably high chance of rain, which might finally give the Pirelli wet and intermediate tyres their debut.

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Team Lotus preview the Chinese GP

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "We head to China after taking a good step forward in Malaysia, but we are all focused on the reality of where we are now and know there we have a lot of work ahead of us. The main aim for me now is to improve our reliability and make sure both cars cross the finish line on Sunday. We have shown there is pace in the car, and there will be more to come when we start putting the updates on in Europe, but now we have to make sure we give the drivers the time they need on track to optimise the setup and the only way to do that is to avoid reliability issues."

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: "In China we have Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi driving for us in FP1 and I think Shanghai will be another interesting weekend for us, especially as we have had two races so far in such different conditions. In Melbourne the tyres lasted longer than I think everyone expected and then in Malaysia there was much higher drop-off and multiple stops as a result. In China we will all be in slightly unknown territory with the tyres and the cooler temperatures will mean the most important goal for us will be to maximise our track time on Friday and Saturday morning, getting the cars set up properly for qualifying and bridging the gap to make it into Q2."

Heikki Kovalainen: "I enjoyed my time in Malaysia but now it's about building on the performance there and looking ahead to China. It’ll be cooler than in Malaysia for sure, but for me the heat isn't a problem anywhere we go, and obviously that's the same for the cold! However, pace wise, I think that if we can repeat our performance in the race in Malaysia then it means we can repeat it anywhere in the world. I do enjoy driving in China - it’s similar to Malaysia in that it's a modern circuit, fairly small and it has some pretty heavy braking zones. The DRS will come into play on the main straight and I think it'll be another good race."

Jarno Trulli: "China is one of those tracks where I have never been too lucky, so it’s always a bit of a challenge. Despite that, we go there in a good position after getting pretty much the best out of the car in Malaysia. We learnt a lot from Saturday and Sunday there, and that will be very useful for us in Shanghai where obviously it will be a different challenge, but hopefully we can have a better shot at qualifying and let's see what happens on Sunday."

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Hispania preview the Chinese GP

Narain Karthikeyan: "I like the Shanghai International Circuit, it's a fast, challenging track. I raced there in Formula 1 back in 2005 and also in A1GP, so I know what we're up against. The conditions are very different to Malaysia, with lower temperatures, so we must try and adapt the F111 to the track and try and get the most out of the new package. The target for the team is to qualify in a good position and, personally, I'm looking to finish the race."

Vitantonio Liuzzi: "I've got very good memories from the Chinese Grand Prix. I drove one of my best races here back in 2007 when I finished 6th with Toro Rosso. It was a tough race but I really enjoyed it. The circuit isn't too technical but has a very nice shape which allows a lot of overtaking, also the weather is a little bit crazy so the races tend to be a lot of fun, I'm looking forward to racing there again. After the weekend in Malaysia we are lot more confident heading into this race. We are confident the team will work better, we've got a lot more data to work on and have a better idea of what the car needs. We also have some upgrades which will help us be quicker and get closer to our competitors. We are aiming to qualify closer to our main rivals, maybe even ahead of them. Once again we are targeting finishing the race and getting more information on the car in order to be better prepared for the European races."

Colin Kolles: "It's always nice to be in China. The weather conditions will be very different from Malaysia, temperatures will be much lower so we'll face the race in a different way. The track is quite impressive and we'll be looking to make the most of our new parts on the car. We will have small improvements regarding the rear wing and, overall, aerodynamic improvements. So there will be small improvements which are all part of the update package for Turkey."

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Hamilton warns McLaren, 'loyalty has its limits'

Lewis Hamilton has again ignited rumours that he may leave the McLaren team in the near future if they can't produce a car which is capable of delivering championships.

The 2008-world champion gave his bluntest warning yet, claiming 'loyalty has its limits' - the 26-year-old is the most loyal driver having competed in 73 races with a single team, more than any other, overtaking Jim Clark who competed in 72 races with Lotus before his death in 1968.

"I have got only a short period in Formula One and I want to be competitive," he is quoted as saying by the Guardian. "I want to win championships.

"If you're in a good enough place and you're happy then there's no need to go anywhere. But loyalty has its limits," he warned.

This comes after Martin Whitmarsh claimed he wanted to sign the Brit for another ten years, which would likely see out the remainder of his F1 career.

Despite this, he cautioned the team, adding: "I've always enjoyed racing here [at McLaren] and would like to continue but at the end of the year you have to assess what position you're in and what's happened."

In reply to the competitiveness of Red Bull, a team who would likely sign him if they had the chance, he says 'they're just getting better', further praising their performance.

"They're better this year [than last]," he added. "They're just getting better. The car is the quickest so now they can focus on other areas. Their pit stop is the fastest. They're in and out ... boom ... it's like clockwork."

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'Team decision not to send Webber out'

Christian Horner insists it was a "team decision" and "rotten luck" that saw Mark Webber drop out of qualifying in Q1.

It was a tale of two Red Bulls in Shanghai on Saturday afternoon as Webber finished down in 18th place while his team-mate Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position.

Although Webber did struggle with electrical issues during Saturday's final practice, it was ultimately a team decision that cost him.

Despite being in danger of not making it through to the second qualifying segment, Red Bull opted not to send the Aussie out on the softer tyres, which are reportedly worth a second a lap.

As a result, Webber failed to make it out of Q1.

"It's been a dreadful day for Mark today," Horner told the BBC. "He had some electrical problems this morning and it was a massive effort to get the car ready. Not a great first run."

"We went again on the primes and unfortunately those tyres were not quite up to temperature and it didn't work out. We thought there would be enough performance there to do it on the prime. Everything we saw this morning showed we should be able to do that.

"It's very easy with hindsight to say we should have gone on the option. It was the team's call. He's just had rotten luck this weekend and I'm sure he can race very well from there."

But while Webber faltered, Vettel shone, claiming his third pole position of the season.

"It was a really fantastic first lap (from Vettel in Q3)," said Horner. "We weren't sure what Lewis's pace was going to be, so we ran again.

"In the end it turned out that we didn't need to so we aborted the lap and came in to save the tyres."

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Alonso 'confident' of better race-pace

Fernando Alonso is adamant Ferrari will fare better in Sunday's grand prix than during qualifying in China.

The Spaniard claimed his third P5 in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, once again failing to challenge Sebastian Vettel and the two McLarens.

However, this time round, he was also beaten by Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg.

But despite his Ferrari being only the fourth best car in qualifying, Alonso believes he will be stronger in Sunday's race.

"We are more confident over the race pace than qualy," Alonso told Autosport. "We saw in the first two races.

"On Saturday we struggle a little bit more, so I expect tomorrow we'll have a little bit more of a competitive car and starting fifth anything can happen.

"The podium is still the target for us, the dream for us. If we can do it, okay, and if not fourth will be okay, if not fifth will be okay."

As for the Scuderia's performance in qualifying, which saw Felipe Massa claim sixth place behind his team-mate, the double World Champion said: "I think we did okay.

"Fifth and sixth at the moment is the maximum we can do with what we have in our hands. We delivered today what we are supposed to deliver.

"We already knew all about Red Bull and McLaren, but here we saw an improvement from Mercedes, so the situation is even more difficult.

"The main thing for us is to improve the car and the expectation for tomorrow is to have a clean race with no problems at the start, no problems in the pit stop, choosing a good strategy and scoring as many points as possible.

"We need the points."

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Rosberg: Today we've improved

Nico Rosberg hopes his P4 in qualifying is a sure sign that Mercedes GP have put their early season woes behind them.

After impressing in pre-season testing much was expected of the German team this season. However, they failed to deliver in the opening two races.

The team failed to see the chequered flag in Australia while Malaysia saw Rosberg woefully off the pace and Michael Schumacher barely keeping it together to take ninth place.

However, Mercedes GP, at least Rosberg, showed a better turn of pace in qualifying on Saturday for the Chinese GP.

The German claimed fourth place on the grid, just two-tenths behind the two McLarens.

"It's a positive day for us," said Rosberg.

"It's been very difficult the last couple of weeks, but today we've improved the car, that's clear, and just with very simple, basic things - and a lot of hard work - and that's nice to see.

"We're not where we want to be but we're close to McLaren and we're way ahead of Ferrari, today at least, so that's a good thing.

"Even on race pace tomorrow there's a good chance I can do a good race because we've improved our race pace too."

And although the German is hoping to challenge the McLarens, he admits it won't be an easy day at the office.

"I think we can put some pressure on them. It's going to be difficult, but we will see.

"When you start fourth, a podium is never out of the question. It's a bit optimistic, but why not?"

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Di Resta delighted with showing

Paul di Resta admits that he couldn't have hoped for a better result in Saturday's qualifying, having landed himself in eight place on the grid.

Di Resta, who turned 25 on Saturday, is enjoying his first full weekend of racing, having given the car to reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg for Friday's practice in Australia and Malaysia.

However, things haven't gone quite according to plan for the Scot, completing Friday's morning session in 15th place after recovering from an early spin only to be hit by a fuel pressure problem that ruled him out of the second session.

It all came together for the rookie in qualifying though as he reached Q3 for the first time, out pacing team-mate Adrian Sutil to plant his VJM04 on the fourth row of the grid.

"I could not have wished for more today and it's nice to get into Q3," said a delighted di Resta after qualifying.

"After missing the whole of FP2 yesterday we knew that it was going to be difficult this morning, but we've got a small upgrade here and it certainly improved the performance today.

"Luckily I did my quickest lap in the second running in Q1, as I just struggled a little bit with balance in the others. Our race pace seems to be not too bad, so fingers crossed we can pick up some points again tomorrow as we have in the previous two grands prix."

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Button: Vettel's pace is phenomenal

Although he stopped short of saying Sebastian Vettel is unbeatable, Jenson Button reckons his only chance of winning in China is if he beats the Red Bull off the line.

But even then Button's chances aren't looking that good given that Vettel qualified a massive 0.715s ahead of the McLaren driver on Saturday afternoon.

And the last time the German was over seven-tenths up in qualifying, which was in Australia, he cruised to victory, completely unchallenged by second-place finisher Lewis Hamilton.

But, despite the odds being in Vettel's favour, Button was delighted with his qualifying performance.

"This is my best grid slot of the year and from where we were on Friday we've improved the car a lot," he said. "We should be happy with what we've achieved."

Looking ahead to Sunday's race, the 2009 World Champ reckons his "best chance of winning the race is to challenge Seb into Turn One."

But, then again, he had been hoping to challenge the German in qualifying. "I thought we could fight for pole, but the pace of Sebastian in Q3 was phenomenal."

Even Vettel was "surprised" by the gap between himself and second-placed Button.

"The gap surprised us as well," said the reigning World Champ.

"Obviously we did it again but I try to remind myself and the team that every time is tough. It wasn't straightforward, in Q2 I had a bit of a mistake but in Q3 we improved.

"It all starts from zero again on Sunday. All it is is eight metres (in front of Button). We are as happy as we can be with the car, we had good long runs on Friday so have reason to feel good."

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Webber falling into a support role - Berger

Sebastian Vettel's former boss, Gerhard Berger, believes the young German is fulfilling the role of 'team-leader', whilst Mark Webber has fallen into a support role.

The Australian has suffered from what some would called 'rotten luck' this season. He experienced chassis issues at the season opener in Melbourne, KERS problems at last weeks Malaysian GP as well as qualifying for the Chinese GP which ultimately saw him qualify 18th.

Vettel has however outpaced the 34-year-old consistently, putting Webber in a difficult position as a definite number two within the team.

Berger was asked if comparisons could be made between Michael Schumacher's days at Ferrari when he overshadowed Rubens Barrichello. That led to the team clearly favouring the seven-time world champion.

"It looks like it," he told Welt Online. "Sebastian was already faster than him [Webber] last season, Webber, during the mid-season, was a little nervous. Now there is a huge gap between the two. The roles are clear.

"He wanted to be the youngest world champion, the first for Red Bull, he wanted to be better than his team-mate Mark Webber, he has succeeded in all of that," added the former F1 driver.

"It's difficult to cope mentally if it's not going so well, the pressure is larger from the team, the fans and the media.

"I believe that the time will come when Webber will win races again because he is an excellent driver, but the overall picture is that Vettel is absolutely the team leader."

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Supersoft tyres to make debut in Monaco

Pirell have revealed the compounds they will take to the next three races in Turkey, Spain and Monaco.

The Turkish and Spanish races will use the hard and soft tyres, like the two previous races in Australia and Malaysia as well as this weekends Chinese GP.

The supersoft tyre, which has red markings, will make its debut at the Monte Carlo GP where the tight and twisty confines of the famous street circuit won't have such an abrasive effect on the tyre surface. The soft will be used as the second compound.

"We’ve considered carefully all the circuit characteristics in order to help provide races as exciting as all the grands prix we have seen so far this year," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"We’re very much looking forward to Monaco in particular, where we will see the supersoft tyre in action for the first time. It’s quite a different tyre to the rest of the range and should be very effective around the streets of Monte Carlo."

The tyres will also feature new markings to distinguish them from one another, starting at the Turkish GP in three weeks time.

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Williams set to drop new diffuser

WIlliams is poised ditch plans to run its new exhaust blown diffuser at the Turkish Grand Prix because it wants to focus on other updates instead.

The team has a major upgrade planned for the Istanbul race, including a new front and rear wing. With another new diffuser already scheduled to be introduced at the following race in Spain, Williams is likely to stick with the old specification until then.

Although the new exhaust and floor package showed positive signs during free practice, the team is likely to focus on making the rest of the new package work throughout practice in Turkey and wait for the next step of the diffuser development plan to come on line in Barcelona.

A final decision is not expected until at least tomorrow, although Michael admitted that it was likely that it would be dropped.

"We have a new diffuser already planned for Barcelona," Michael told AUTOSPORT. "At the moment we are deciding whether we don't run the China diffuser in Turkey and wait for the new one in Spain.

"We got a lot of data this weekend from Rubens. He went straight into qualifying with a different aero setup and I'm not sure we want to do that again because in Istanbul we will have the new front wing, new rear wing, new brake ducts, diffuser mods.

"So for Istanbul I think our intention will probably be to leave this exhaust as it was in qualifying today and then make the change again in Barcelona. But we haven't decided yet because we've got a pile of data to look through."

Despite opting not to run it, Michael was upbeat about the results gained from trying the diffuser. These showed that the aerodynamic properties of the design worked as hoped, meaning that the Spain diffuser should deliver a good step forward.

"It showed some very positive signs," said Michael. "But it has got some downsides as well, which is why we reverted back to the standard one for qualifying.

"We had some problems with burning in P1. We made a good structural fix but we think that all of the metallic work that we had to put on it overnight was detrimental to the aero. That's why we backed out of it.

"Even if you solved that, there were still some areas that are worse than the standard floor, which the wind tunnel predicted."

Barrichello, who qualified 15th for the Chinese Grand Prix after his final Q2 run was interrupted by the Vitaly Petrov-induced red flag and had to try again on option tyres that were past their best, reckoned the diffuser was an improvement.

However, he was keen not to head into tomorrow's race with the car in a relatively unknown configuration.

"It was just about evaluation," Barrichello told AUTOSPORT. "We thought it was better, but it's still better to have the gold car. It was a positive evaluation."

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DRS glitch hurts Schumacher again

Michael Schumacher said another problem with his Mercedes' DRS cost him the chance to join team-mate Nico Rosberg in the top five on the Chinese Grand Prix grid.

While Rosberg gave Mercedes a breakthrough fourth place, Schumacher will start only 14th, as the moveable wing system continued to prove unreliable on his car.

"What a shame for me today as we have clearly demonstrated this weekend that as a team we have improved a lot," said the former champion. "Nico proved that strongly with his fourth place which was our realistic target.

"I didn't quite get my lap together in Q2 and since then we have found out that my rear wing was not functioning correctly as I was braking into Turn 14.

"I am obviously hoping to have a strong start and that we have good race pace tomorrow so I can hopefully make up some positions."

Team boss Ross Brawn said he was disappointed that Schumacher had been unable to show what he could really do.

"The car has been much better this weekend and both drivers were in a good position going into qualifying today," Brawn said.

"It's a shame for Michael this afternoon as it didn't quite work out with the red flag and then his rear wing malfunctioned at the end of his crucial lap costing valuable time."

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Heidfeld frustrated by Q2 traffic

Nick Heidfeld blamed traffic during his only qualifying run in Q2 for his disappointing position ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

The German opted to do just one run in the second qualifying segment, but Renault team-mate Vitaly Petrov caused a red flag with two minutes to go because of a problem with his car.

The incident meant all drivers were on a mad rush to set a time in the final two minutes, and many found traffic during the flying laps.

Heidfeld was left frustrated after qualifying in 16th place.

"It's quite frustrating to be starting from P16 because I don't think it's a fair reflection of our pace," said Heidfeld. "We were always going to do one run on the soft tyres in Q2, but the red flag made the last few minutes on Q2 very busy.

"You really needed to be first in the queue at the end of the pitlane because there was not much time to get around and cross the line before the end of the session. I managed to do one final lap, but I was stuck in traffic and I couldn't get a clean lap.

"As I said, our race pace is definitely better than our grid position, but starting from P16 is not going to be easy. I think it's a track where you can overtake so hopefully I can make a good start, like in the previous two races, and fight for points."

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Glock: Virgin needs experienced staff

Virgin Racing must make use of more people with solid Formula 1 experience if it is to turn around its current disappointing form, reckons Timo Glock.

On the back of a troubled start to the campaign, with the new MVR-02 having failed to make the step forward in pace that the team had hoped, Virgin is now evaluating what it needs to do to improve its situation.

Glock believes the team needs to do more than just bring updates to its car - because that is unlikely to bring it closer to the cars ahead – and reckons that a more fundamental shake-up is needed.

"Everyone was hoping that pace wise we would be better," Glock told AUTOSPORT. "But clearly we are not where we should be and we hope we have a better performance in Turkey, when we get an upgrade.

"However, everyone else gets an upgrade as well so it will be not that big. In general it is not perfect. It is not a good situation for the team, and we have to put the facts on the table and just sort certain things out and try to move forward."

Glock suggests that getting more input from men like former Renault technical director Pat Symonds, who is a consultant for the team, is now a priority.

"We are building up the infrastructure at the moment, and that takes a bit of time. We need more experienced people. We are on the case to change to that, and make things better for the future."

When asked if Symonds should have more of an input because of his extensive F1 knowledge, Glock said: "I hope he can give us a bit of input, and can help us and direct us a bit. That takes time. It does not happen in two months or a couple of weeks, it just needs a bit of time."

Glock says that there are no major vices with the Virgin car – it is just simply lacking downforce.

"I am not an aerodynamics specialist, so at the moment I can just say that we have not enough downforce and Nick [Wirth] and his crew have to work on it.

"The basic concept of it is not that bad. It is driveable, it is not out of balance, there just isn't enough grip. It's quite easy – it's the downforce we don't have."

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FIA investigating Alonso's DRS

The FIA have launched an investigation into why Fernando Alonso's adjustable rear wing was activated outside the prescribed zone.

Formula One introduced the adjustable rear wing, or Drag Reduction System (DRS), at the start of this season to great applause.

But, Sunday's Chinese GP saw its first error.

The DRS is "enabled electronically by systems operated by the FIA" with drivers needing to be within one second of the car in front and within the activation zone.

In China, that zone started 750 metres before the hairpin at the end of the main straight and basically ended with the hairpin.

However, Alonso was seen with his adjustable rear wing activated after the hairpin, prompting some fans to question why the Spaniard wasn't penalised.

According to the BBC, the error came when Alonso's wing was enabled "300m before the end of the straight", instead of the 750m.

That meant it was still active when the Ferrari driver headed towards the final corner.

And because he "gained no advantage from the situation - in fact it actually caused him a disadvantage - so was given no penalty."

The Beeb added that the FIA are investigating the error.

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McLaren boss hails perfect tonic

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh feels Lewis Hamilton's win in Shanghai has given the team a "fantastic boost" heading into the European leg of the season.

After some woeful displays during winter testing, the Woking team turned their fortunes around in the first two races of the season when Hamilton and Jenson Button claimed second-place finishes in Australia and Malaysia respectively.

Hamilton went one step further at the Chinese Grand Prix when he ended Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's perfect start to the 2011 campaign.

The McLaren engineers will now have three weeks to focus on further developments ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix on May 8, and Whitmarsh believes Hamilton's victory will inspire them to greater things.

"This victory was the perfect way for us to head into the European season," said Whitmarsh. "It's a fantastic boost for every man and woman in the team.

"It will only motivate us to achieve even greater things in Turkey next month."

Hamilton's race was nearly over before it even started after fuel leak saw him make it out of the pit lane just 30 second before it closed.

"Lewis responded magnificently to the pressure to record one of his most finely judged and aggressive race wins. He really is a magnificent fighter," Whitmarsh said.

"That must have been one of the most exciting races I've ever seen. It's incredibly rewarding to know that our sport is in good shape."

The McLaren boss admits his drivers gave him a bit of scare when they went head-to-head during the race.

"Both drivers did some great overtaking, including of each other, which was a little bit of a tense moment for me, but nonetheless they raced well," he said.

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Red Bull eye KERS fix

Red Bull are confident their KERS problems will be consigned to history by the team the European season kicks off.

Sebastian Vettel won the opening race in Australia without the use of KERS and then experienced intermittent issues with the device en route to his victory in Malaysia.

It was more of the same at the Chinese Grand Prix as glitches prevented both Vettel and Mark Webber from using the device throughout the race. The problems certainly played a part Shanghai in Vettel's failure to win a third consecutive race.

The team now have a three-week break to fix the "niggly issues" and team boss Christian Horner believes they will have ironed out the problems when they hit Turkey at the start of May.

"We have got another upgrade of KERS coming for Turkey," team principal Christian Horner said.

"It is getting better and better as we get more understanding of the system and more mileage on it.

"So I am confident that the niggly issues that we have with it, we have fixes in the pipeline."

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Ferrari 'not expecting a miracle'

There appears to be no end in sight to Ferrari's woes with team principal Stefano Domenicali admitting they're unlikely to improve in Turkey.

The Scuderia have made a sluggish start to the 2011 season, picking up just 50 points in the first three races. Their best finish to date is Fernando Alonso's fourth place in Australia while the less said about their qualifying problems the better.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has already warned that the current performance levels are not good enough.

"I expect our engineers to act with determination and know-how, unleashing the maximum of their capacity to improve the performance of the car in a short time," di Montezemolo said.

However, Domenicali warns there will be no quick fix for the Turkish Grand Prix which marks the start of the European leg of the season.

"If you look back, this is where we need to work hard. The performance of the car is still not there, even if the race is different from qualifying," Domenicali is quoted on Autosport.

"I am a pragmatic guy, and I am expecting a big push from the guys back home, the engineers and the people. But I know it is not a short-term job.

"We need to react and I am sure the people at home want to show, I would say, to all of us what we want to do. I am not expecting a miracle in Turkey, because I think it will take longer.

"But it is the right approach in order to make sure that we can close the gap that is in qualifying not acceptable for sure."

Felipe Massa looked to be on course for a podium finish but the decision to stop only twice backfired as those on fresher tyres overtook him easily in the latter stages of the race.

"Of course the disappointment of the result is there, we cannot say it different, but we need to analyse the race," Domenicali said.

"I know there is a lot of dispute - whether it was right to be on a two-stop or a three-stop. If you look at the gaps that we have with the first six cars, they are so close so a little thing can change the end of the race.

"In the case of Fernando, he had the misfortune to attack a lot of laps Michael [schumacher] and that destroyed the tyres at that stage and he had to manage to the end.

"With Felipe his first two stints were really good, the same pace as all the cars in front, and he arrived within one second of Vettel. But in the last part of the hard tyres, they dropped away much more than we were expecting."

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Heads to roll at Ferrari and Merc?

The design personnel at Ferrari and Mercedes will be looking nervously over their shoulders in the next few weeks following their teams' poor start to the season, according to a report.

F1 journalist Joe Saward claims in his latest blog that both teams could be making changes in the design departments before they start work on their 2012 cars.

Ferrari's engineers are under pressure to come up with solutions after the team struggled to keep up with Red Bull and McLaren in the first three races of the season.

Although team boss Stefano Dominicali feels "it is not a short-term job", Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has warned that they need to "improve the performance of the car in a short time".

Mercedes fared even worse in the first flyaway leg of season and, according to Saward, both teams could be making changes.

'There is also discussion in the F1 paddock about the design team at Mercedes GP Petronas, with suggestions that some heads will roll there and there are even indications that Ferrari may decide to restructure as it has had a disappointing start to the season,' he wrote.

'Luca di Montezemolo can whinge about F1 having too much technology but he is really only trying to divert attention away from the fact that the team does not have a competitive car. This means that the team has not done as good a job as the others as at the end of last year the Ferrari was strong enough to win a lot of races.'

Renault's bosses will also be slightly concerned, but for a different reason.

Saward claims that other teams could be looking to poach some of the Enstone-based outfit's staff.

'There is speculation in F1 circles that rival teams will be swooping in to teams such as Renault to grab the best talent. The team clearly has a good car but no-one seems to be quite sure for whom they are working and that is never a good thing. In such circumstances engineers are much more likely to leave than if things were a little more clear-cut.'

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Mercedes' Haug brands Di Resta 'remarkable'

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has praised Paul di Resta's performances during his rookie year with Force India.

The comments will bolster rumors that the Scotsman is a preferred choice to replace Michael Schumacher should he retire again in the near future.

The DTM champion has managed to out qualify his more experienced, and often highly regarded team-mate Adrian Sutil, on all occasions so far this year.

When asked by Autosport what he thought about Di Resta's performances, Haug replied: "I think it is exceptional and remarkable!"

"To be in his third race and take eighth on the grid – that is very good and very impressive, especially considering he did not get a lot of running in second practice," he added.

"F1 will be very good for him I think. His team-mate is tough, the speed is quite impressive and he is doing a good job. We are pleased we helped him in his junior career."

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News Corp in early stages of F1 takeover bid?

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation empire is reportedly in the very early-stages of putting together a bid to takeover Formula One.

The world's third largest media corporation is rumoured to be working with the world's richest person, Carlos Slim, reportedly worth around £45 billion ($74bn), to take control of the sport.

Slim already has interests in F1 as one of the biggest sponsors of the Sauber F1 team through his Telmex company, as well as backing rookie driver Sergio Perez.

The 'bid' is in such an early stage that no approach has been made to the current owner, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, who acquired it in 2006.

The rumours come at a time when the ownership of the sport has been put under pressure after it became apparent that bribery payments were made to Gerhard Gribkowsky, who oversaw the sale to CVC, from an unknown source.

The sport isn't up for sale as of yet, made clear by CVC just weeks ago, however with it being owned by an investment company, who's sole purpose is to acquire businesses, turn them round and then sell them on for a profit, such a sale, for the right price, wouldn't come as a surprise.

News Corp has a stranglehold on many sport broadcasting rights' through its part-ownership of BSkyB - of which it is in the process of acquiring completely. F1 has alluded its grasp as teams and manufacturers aim to keep it on free-to-air TV, such as the BBC in the UK, to ensure a wider and larger audience.

Such a sale could be vetoed by the teams and current stakeholder, Bernie Ecclestone, if they are unhappy with the terms.

It should be noted that any such takeover by News Corp is speculation at present and is in the very early stages, although the news was broken on SkyNews, a subsidiary of News Corp.

A spokesman from the company didn't want to comment on the news, saying: "News Corp does not comment on market speculation".

Bernie Ecclestone denied the reports when contacted by the Telegraph, stating: "It's rubbish, the sport is not for sale."

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Hakkinen: Vettel's confidence riding high

Double World Campion Mika Hakkinen says Sebastian Vettel is currently experiencing both the highs and lows of being the reigning F1 World Champion.

Vettel claimed his first Drivers' Championship last season, beating Fernando Alonso to the crown by four points.

And the Red Bull racer kicked off his title defense in emphatic style, winning the opening two races of the Championship and following that up with a second place in China.

"Of course the World Championship gives you confidence," Hakkinen told Autosport.

"It really gives you confidence. You know you have done it. You've won a title. It's no longer a weight on your shoulders. So now you can focus on the details.

"Then it becomes very enjoyable, you start calculating a little bit, it is really good fun. Other guys are suspecting and wondering how, but you know exactly how it works.

"That allows your pressure level, what you can take in terms of pressure, to be much higher than others. Because you understand things that other people have yet to experience."

However, there is also a down side to winning the title and that's the media frenzy and promotional events that sponsors and teams want to hold.

"The amount of marketing work I did after '98 was just horrendous. That is guaranteed if you win the Championship," said the 42-year-old Finn.

"I think for me it was harder because I had so much work. After '98 there was all the marketing work, all the testing work.

"You are not allowed to test these days, but marketing work is a bit different than it used to be so you burn much more physical and mental power through that."

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Schumi hopeful of Rosberg push

Michael Schumacher's hopes of a chance to challenge for race victories this year improved last weekend in China but thanks mainly to his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Seven-time Champion Schumacher, 42, has struggled to impress in general and beat Rosberg in particular since he returned to Formula One last year after a three-year absence.

But he could now be ready to make a push for the podium finishes that have eluded him.

He could even have an outside chance of challenging for the 92nd victory of his record-breaking career later this year.

According to Rosberg, who led last Sunday's race at Shanghai before fuel shortage problems saw him passed by eventual victor and old friend Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes have found the key to faster performances in their car.

Had his team not miscalculated their fuel consumption for Rosberg's car, the son of former champion Keke Rosberg might have gone on to secure his first win.

Rosberg said: "That race really was one of the most exciting that I have ever driven in. Afterwards, it took me some time to let everything sink in because I had high hopes for a good podium result - and I had led for a quarter of the race.

"But I can't blame anybody in the team for having been short on fuel, it's a lesson that we learn together. We have to be happy that we made a step forward in China which was achieved by everyone in the team working extremely hard.

"And like Michael and everybody else, my attitude is always that we win together and we lose together as one team.

"Who would have thought before the Chinese Grand Prix that I would lead the race? That was fantastic and to be competing at the front of the field was a great feeling for me and everybody in the team."

Rosberg, 25, is 17 years younger than his senior partner, but has shown scant respect for that or his achievements and Schumacher has said he would not have it any other way.

"We race for the same team and we race hard against each other, too," he said. "I am delighted for Nico when he has successes."

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Mercedes GP lead the pit stop battle

Mercedes GP have topped the charts for the fastest pit stops to date this season, beating McLaren and Red Bull Racing.

With refuelling banned from F1, it's now all down to who can change the four tyres the quickest to gain that vital - although often very small - advantage over their rivals.

And with Pirelli's tyre suffering high wear, drivers now need more than one stop per grand prix making quick pit stops all the more important.

One team who seems to have nailed down the stops, according to Auto Moto und Sport, is Mercedes GP.

They have come in for 14 tyre changes this season, averaging 22.301 seconds from pit entrance to exit.

Their time puts them 0.082s up on McLaren and 0.288s quicker than Red Bull Racing, both of whom have made 17 pit stops this season.

Sauber are next in line ahead of Force india and Renault, while Ferrari are lagging down in seventh place.

The Italian marque is taking on average 1.438s longer than Mercedes GP to change their tyres.

The slowest team in the pit stop race is Hispania, who are 3.375s off the pace.