FORMULA 1 2011

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Schumi: Motivation has been boosted

Despite not having the best of weekends himself in Turkey, Michael Schumacher says he has been "encouraged" by Merc GP's improved form.

While Schumacher had an afternoon to forget in Istanbul, his team-mate Nico Rosberg was once again racing near the front of the pack.

The younger German, who qualified P3 for the grand prix, finished in fifth place, equaling his best result of the season.

But while Mercedes GP are hitting form, Schumacher admits his turn has yet to come. However, he is hoping it will come in Spain.

"The Spanish GP is traditionally where it really feels like the European season gets underway and holds a lot of good memories for me.

"Of course, we know the Circuit de Catalunya very well from testing, but it will be interesting to see the effect of KERS, the DRS and the Pirelli tyres on a track where overtaking is always difficult.

"While I was not happy with my weekend in Turkey, there have been clear signs of improvements for us as a team, which obviously push and re-boost my motivation even more.

"It's more than encouraging to see that the hard work of the team is starting to pay off. We are all determined to make progress."

As for Rosberg, he's happy with the team's progress but admits they still need to do more.

"Our upward trend is clear for all to see, even though we still have a little more progress to make in race configuration compared to qualifying.

"I'm looking forward to Barcelona, where we will also be introducing an update package for the car, and I'm excited to see how it work.

"We showed a good level of performance at the final winter test on this circuit, and hopefully we can translate that into a strong result this weekend."

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Kobayashi: No secret to overtaking

Kamui Kobayashi may have an easy-going facade, however, the Japanese driver is a very determined man, wanting success for Sauber and help for Japan.

Kobayashi proved to be one of the highlights of the last race in Turkey, starting 23rd and finishing in tenth place.

At one point he rose to fifth, in his first stint on his original tyres, before pitting and later collecting a puncture that cost him points.

On the way, he performed more overtaking moves than any other driver in the race, consolidating his reputation as a master passer.

And next weekend, at the Spanish GP, he hopes to put on another great show at the Circuit de Catalunya, the track as famous for producing virtually no overtaking as for its proximity to Barcelona.

"I had a lot of fun in Turkey," he said, looking back on last weekend's race. "I really enjoyed the race. I found overtaking a lot easier than in some places, like Hungary for example last year. That's what made it fun.

"I'm sorry I scored only one point because I had promised Peter Sauber I would score more points, but we lost a lot of time due to the puncture which came when I touched Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso car as I overtook him. Otherwise I am sure I could have finished at least seventh."

Kobayashi's brilliant slaloms through a field of Formula One cars have become the most-alluring feature in grand prix racing in recent years, some performances earning him the sobriquet 'kamikaze'.

But that, according to his team boss Peter Sauber, is unfair because, he explained, Kobayashi's attacks are far from self-destructive. "It is unfair and it does Kamui an injustice to reduce him to his duelling prowess - he has proved his ability to carry out strategies with skill."

On the track, Kobayashi may be as aggressive as any other driver, but off it he is a humorous and relaxed young man with an optimistic outlook on life and great desire to help his compatriots at home in Japan.

In the wake of the terrible earthquake and tsunami that shattered so many lives in Japan, he has been at the forefront of many initiatives in Formula One to raise funds to help his countrymen recover.

The latest, launched this week by the Sauber team, is a new electronic computer application that features contributions from all of the drivers and team principals in F1. The 'You Are Connected' application can be bought from iTunes and all proceeds go to the Red Cross in Japan.

Kobayashi said: "Although the disaster attracted huge international attention in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, other news has dominated the headlines since then.

"However, the destruction in the country is so serious that it will take many years to recover from the losses and damage. So the people in Japan need long-term support. I'd like to thank all my colleagues in Formula One for their contributions and hope that our e-book sells as well as possible."

The book features photos of all the drivers and team principals accompanied by handwritten and personal messages for those affected by the disaster. There is also a selection of action shots of all the F1 cars.

For Kobayashi, it is just another in a series of projects he has started for his sport this year and every time he races, and overtakes everyone in front of him, he raises his and his nation's profile.

"Yes I have heard I am famous for my overtaking, but there is no secret to it," he said. "Just practice and good luck!"

Asked to elaborate, he usually smiles. "You know, it is because I am Japanese and I have small eyes - so I can't see the others guys! So, if I feel I can overtake I just do it. That's all, no secret."

Based in Cologne, in Germany, Kobayashi has often said he loves traveling, beaches, holidays and spending time in Paris, when he is not racing. But, when he races, he likes to be serious and succeed.

And next weekend in Spain he is hoping to have plenty to celebrate. "Every team and driver knows the circuit in Barcelona extremely well from winter testing and our car went well there.

"We will have a package of new parts and I hope we have an improvement in qualifying and then in the race. I hope we find a good set up and that I don't have to overtake so many cars this time!"

MIKA: I agree with Peter Sauber in that the name kamikaze does not suit KK. Kamikaze should be used for the likes of Takuma Sato who WAS self destructive in F1 often taking out half the field. For KK, it's very much a man in control of his racing!

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Ferrari: Massa is not leaving

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo insists Felipe Massa's race-seat is secure - at least until the end of 2012.

Ever since returning from his head injury at the start of 2010, Massa has been dogged by reports that he is on his way out.

Numerous drivers have been rumoured to be his pending replacement with Nico Rosberg the latest to join the list.

However, di Montezemolo insists Massa is not going anywhere.

"Yes. Yes. He has a contract with us for this year (and) for next year. So absolutely yes, no question about it," he told CNN when asked whether the Brazilian's future is secure.

As for his team-mate Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari President had only words of praise for the Spaniard.

"Alonso is very, very strong. He is one of the best drivers I have seen in my career.

"Very strong in the mind, very pushing with the team, but in a constructive way, but also very close to the team. So I want to have a long time Alonso."

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Key: Significant aero for Sauber in Spain

In their battle to head Formula One's midfield teams, Sauber will head to Spain with a "new, quite significant aero package" for their C30.

Sauber have had a mixed start to the Championship, claiming a double points-haul at the opening race in Australia only to be disqualified hours later due to a technical infringement.

And although the team brought home points in the next three grands prix, they have just eight to their tally so far.

That, though, has been enough to ensure that they are leading the race to be the best of the midfield outfits.

The team is intent on remaining ahead of their rivals with technical director James Key saying the new updates will be worth a "good few tenths of a econd" per lap.

"We'll have a new, quite significant aero package on the car, which will be a completely new front wing, updates to the front and rear brake ducts, new bodywork, new devices around the floor leading edge and under the chassis, and we'll be testing the new exhaust system again," he said.

"We'll also be continuing our work on the mechanical update we had in Istanbul, which proved to be positive. So it will be interesting to see how this works.

"If it works well it should give us a good few tenths of a second improvement in lap time. Our goal is to continue our good race form, to try to improve qualifying and finish as high in the points as possible."

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Teams not in favour of in-season testing

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is not in favour of Jean Todt's proposal to introduce limited in-season testing.

In-season testing was banned in 2009 in a bid to cut the cost of competing in F1, however, Todt recently stated that he would like to see it return.

The FIA President wants three lots of two-day testing, saying it would give F1's young drivers a chance to master their craft.

"For me, it is a stupid decision to have no testing during the season," he said.

"In the past it was crazy to have unlimited testing during the year, but to go from unlimited to completely banned, it is not the right measure.

"It doesn't allow young drivers to test, it doesn't give the opportunity for young drivers to learn some experience in F1, and I will make sure that this situation will change for the future."

The teams, though, don't want it to change, saying they are happy with the situation as it is.

"I think that the balance that we have is right," Horner told Autosport.

"Maybe we could do a bit more running on a Friday, or have a few more sets of tyres, which would encourage teams to run with more young drivers.

"The problem with testing is that as soon as you reintroduce it, you reintroduce test teams and the cost will escalate.

"One of the biggest cost savings we have seen is the reduction in testing, so I think the balance we have with the pre-season and the young driver test at the end of the year is right - and fiscally beneficial not just to the big teams but to the small teams as well."

Meanwhile, Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer says reintroducing testing - even limited testing - would go against the grain of trying to reduce costs.

"We don't want to do it. Why go backwards?. There are some fundamental things that, when I was at Honda, at first we disagreed with but looking back I think we were wrong and Max (Mosley) was right.

"One of which was getting rid of the qualifying car - we used to run qualifying engines. What an expense? For what? Nothing.

"Pace ferme. Another fundamental thing - to get rid of not just qualifying engines but cars. Great thing. It didn't hurt the show.

"Engines lasting more than they used to last. A fundamental thing that is right. Gearboxes lasting more than they used to last. A fundamental thing that is right. All of these things brought costs down and didn't ruin the show.

"No in-season testing saves a lot of money. We don't have a test team now. What would happen if we brought in-season testing back?

"We already do 19/20 races and our crew are stretched already. Now you are going to ask them to do another two or three tests. You will have two teams again and, once you have two teams, the costs escalate.

"Why go backwards on that front? Then you have to add on the cost of testing per kilometre as well."

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Farmer fights for Indian GP compensation

An Indian farmer who's land is now deep under tarmac, is struggling to keep him and his family fed as officials are yet to compensate him for the land they acquired.

The new Buddh International Circuit, which is nearing completion for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in a handful of months time, has cost over £230 million ($400m) to construct, yet the promised payment of £9,000 ($14,500) per 'bigha' is yet to materialise for Vijender Singh.

He gave up a total of 6.5 bigha (about 95,000 sq.ft), valued at just under £60,000 ($100k).

According to Singh, he spends much of his time chasing the developers, the Jaypee Group, but three years of chasing later, he is nowhere nearer to seeing the much needed compensation.

"It's a difficult time for my family," he told the Hindustan Times. "My sons are doing odd jobs and I spend much of my time chasing officials for the compensation.

"Millions are being spent to build a race circuit, but a small farmer like me is struggling to get his legitimate dues," added Vijender.

"Had I got my dues, I would have invested the money in some business."

MIKA: Bad idea to have the Indian GP or therefore ANYTHING in India IMO. The Commonwealth games were also a disaster, nothing is done right there and the safety for all is at stake. I don't have an issue with Indian people, but I do have an issue in that short cuts are often made and reported and also the poor treatment of the people, also often minors and the poor who are made to build these facilities.

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The Top-5 Most Beautiful F1 Cars of All Time

5. Ferrari 312T3 (1978)

Harbouring a 12-cylinder, mid-mounted, three-litre Ferrari engine under its aluminium exterior, the 312T2 was nothing short of a great of the racetrack. Used over both the 1977 and 1978 World Championship seasons, the Mauro Forghieri-designed 312T2 lead Ferrari to their third-consecutive World Constructors Championship and won Niki Lauda his second in three years, in 1978. Despite team leader Lauda being forced into a 6-week relief from driving (following a life-threatening accident at the 1977 German Grand Prix), the Austrian would return and fall just one point short of winning the title that year: A championship which would equal four-time World Champion Alain Prost’s record. Vastly more reliable than the competition of the day, the 312T2 is regularly overshadowed by its less-successful evolution models which came in the following years, piloted by the late Gilles Villeneuve.

4. Lotus 72D (1972)

Pushing Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi towards his first Championship (aided none whatsoever by rarely-discussed teammate David Walker), Colin Chapman’s masterpiece became one of the most successful Formula One designs of all time. Securing the would-be champion 8 podiums in just 12 races, the iconic “John Player Special†Lotus 72D became one of the most-recognisable motor vehicles of its age.

3. McLaren MP4-20 (2005)

The car that gave 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen 7 wins – but still came short of securing the 2005 title. Winning 6 of the final 7 races of the season, the West McLaren Mercedes MP4-20 is regularly heralded as one of – if not the – most aesthetically-pleasing Formula One cars of all time. With its brilliant colour scheme accompanied by Mercedes’ 3-litre V-10 engine, onboard footage alone is evidence enough as to why McLaren’s 2005 challenger is rated so positively.

2. BMW-Sauber, F1.08 (2008)

Perhaps one of the more unlikely candidates for the prize of “Most Beautiful Formula One Car of All Timeâ€, BMW-Sauber’s F1.08 excels in beauty where many find fault. Prime evidence as reason for the FIA’s decision to reform the regulations regarding winglets and other aerodynamic devices not physically connected to the front or rear wings, the Willy Rampf-headed design has since become a popular example of visual aerodynamics. Coupled with one of the most pleasing livery in recent decades, the Hinwill-Munich based team’s F1.08 was in strong contention for first position.

1. Ferrari 312 (1967)

Despite not being Ferrari’s most successful entrant of all time, Foghieri (also mentioned above) succeeded in designing one of the more beautiful Formula One cars of the 1960s. The vehicle was, however, marred by what appeared to be a curse and as a result, within the space of two weeks, Lorenzo Bandini was killed in the cockpit and Mike Parkes suffered career-ending injuries. Perhaps overshadowed by the Scuderia’s later success, Ferrari’s 312 remains in some opinions as one of the most aesthetically-pleasing Formula One cars of not only the 1960s, but of all time.

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Opening of the Red Bull Ring

Source: Thef1times.com

The Red Bull Ring in Austria, formerly the A1 Ring, opened on Saturday with a whole host of events taking place which included a Classic GP featuring several historical F1 cars.

A Legends GP, which saw Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger among others fighting it out for victory in a range of machinery (some more reliable than others, but thankfully Vettel is on hand to give push).

Red Bull Air Racer Hannes Arch also stopped by to perform some stunts before Vettel lapped the circuit in the Red Bull showcar.

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Hamilton leads Pirelli criticism

Lewis Hamilton has slated Pirelli's new super-hard tyre as "a disaster" that throws this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix into the melting pot.

In a response to beef up their rubber, Pirelli have introduced a new tyre that offers a little more durability over a race distance.

It means there is now a wider time differential between the soft and hard compound, seemingly allowing the teams an opportunity to run more aggressive strategies.

However, Hamilton pulled no punches in his condemnation of the latest tyre from Pirelli, who appear to have taken a step back.

"The super-hard tyre is a disaster. It wasn't nice to drive," said Hamilton, who finished second quickest in practice in his McLaren, just 0.039secs behind Red Bull's Mark Webber.

"I don't know why they (Pirelli) have brought that tyre because the previous one was pretty good.

"This looks pretty difficult to get it to switch on, and we're now about two and a half seconds off the pace.

"We were thinking 'Wow! This is insane to drive'. Then you go out on the soft tyre, and boom. There is such a huge difference between the two tyres.

"The soft is fantastic, so I can see most people driving that for the weekend, using as short a stint as possible with the new tyre in the race. It's not good."

Most of the drivers in the top teams are able to get through the first session of qualifying on the harder tyre, saving the softer rubber for Q2 and Q3 if they make it.

Jenson Button fears that could change this weekend as he said: "The tyre is seriously hard, and a little bit of a shock.

"We've all got to work with the same tyre and make the best of it, but I don't think you'd want to do more than one stint (in the race) on that tyre.

"It's going to be tricky to get through (Q1) on prime, so for the first time this year we're going to have to stick on the options (softer tyre), which leaves you with one set for Q3."

Asked if he agreed with Hamilton's assessment that the tyre is "a disaster", Button added: "Yeah, he's right. You don't want to be on that tyre for too long."

Another to voice his criticism was Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who said: "There was already a big difference in the first four races.

"For whatever reason they (Pirelli) have decided to change the hard tyre and bring a slower tyre.

"Now it's difficult to think about going in Q1 with the hard tyre, so unfortunately I think 95% of the people will try to use one soft in Q1.

"We'll see if anyone takes the risk."

As for Webber, he was also not a fan with the Australian adding: "My first set was pretty decent and we had a pretty good run.

"But on the second set there was a bit of mystery. We didn't get the performance out of those that we would have liked."

In defence of Pirelli, Webber said: "The tyres are a huge factor.

"You can gain and lose a lot of time when you get them right and wrong, and Pirelli are still learning as we go along."

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FIA investigating Ferrari rear wing

The FIA have confirmed that they are looking into the legality of Ferrari's new rear wing.

The Italian team made use of an altered rear wing during Friday's practice and it immediately drew attention, with concerns raised regarding the slot gap separators on the wing.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting told members of the media on Friday that the FIA were discussing the matter with Ferrari and that problem related to a possible contravention of article 3.10.3 of the technical regulations.

"We are aware of the developments on the Ferrari wing and we are discussing them with them," said Whiting.

"It is article 3.10.3, which deals with slot gaps separators, the devices which are normally just vertical, which keep the distance between the profiles constant.

"The fact that the separators have to totally encircle the profiles ensures the profiles remain the same.

"We had an issue with changing profiles a few years ago. The separators can't be more than 200mm apart. It's an alternative interpretation of that rule that we are currently discussing," he explained.

Asked whether the team would be able to make use of the wing for the remainder of the weekend, Whiting said that a decision would be made before Saturday's racing.

"That depends on what we decide tonight. It's a very clever interpretation of the rules and we have got to decide whether it's a good interpretation of the rules. It will be clear tomorrow."

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FIA issue diffuser usage warning

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has admitted that teams using blown diffusers when off the throttle run the risk of being the subject of a protest.

Earlier in the week, the FIA stated that they would be banning the use of the off-throttle blown diffuser but decided to delay the implementation of the new rule until after this weekend's Spanish GP as it was felt some teams would be unfairly penalised by the ruling.

However, Whiting made it clear that the FIA still consider the practice to be illegal and that the teams who do not use the off-throttle diffuser - Williams, Virgin and Hispania - could launch a protest regarding its use.

"It is always a possibility," said Whiting.

"I've made that clear to the teams that it could happen and then we will take it to the stewards in the normal way.

"We have always maintained in all of our technical directives that we have sent for many years now that this is merely the opinion of the technical department, and anyone is free to challenge it in front of the stewards. It doesn't happen very often but it has happened in the past. As you know with the brakes in Brazil, for example, in 1998.

"But it can happen and I've told the teams that were pleased that we decided to postpone this introduction that it could happen."

Should a protest be launched, much of the grid could be disqualified, something Whiting refused to write-off but admitted it would certainly not be an ideal turn of events.

"I would like to think that that probably wouldn't happen, but one never knows. It is not beyond the realms of possibility. A protest is open to anybody as you know, then it will go before the stewards," he said.

There has been much speculation that the FIA's stance on the off-throttle blown diffuser came as a result of a complaint from a team, and Whiting has confirmed that this was indeed the case.

"We often do react if a team writes to us about something," he explained.

"They will ask us to circulate that correspondence in order to flush out what other teams might be doing. That was the case [in this instance], but the team concerned did not want us to divulge who it was."

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Schumi chasing top-six qualy slot

Michael Schumacher is chasing his best grid slot of the season in Spain, saying a third row starting position should be possible.

Schumacher put in a solid - if not spectacular - performance in Friday's practices at the Circuit de Catalunya, finishing the day's running in seventh place, 1.511s behind Red Bull's Mark Webber.

And the German would, based on Practice Two times, have to find an extra four-tenths to get into the top six, the German says he expects to be fighting for a third row starting position come Saturday's qualifying.

"We have had quite a reasonable Friday and have clearly demonstrated an upwards tendency with our improvements seeming to work well," said the seven-time World Champ.

"Saying that, the other teams have improved too, so without having had a chance to look deeper into the data, I would say that we may be fighting for the third row.

"We will continue to work further on our performance for tomorrow."

As for Nico Rosberg, he finished P6 and reckons Mercedes GP are moving in the right direction.

"It was a good day in terms of set-up and we learned quite a few things about our car.

"Of course, it's difficult to say where we really are because the hard tyres didn't work so well today and it was very windy.

"However, we had a nice long run and our preparation with the car is certainly better compared to the last race.

"The updates are working quite well so far, and thanks for that to the boys in the factory."

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Fri: Sauber, Renault, STR, Williams

There were top ten times in Friday's Spanish practice for Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld...

Sauber:

Kamui Kobayashi: "We have had a really interesting day. In the morning I was busy testing the exhaust, and evaluating the new aero parts. I didn't put in a good lap time because I had to pit after a sensor gave us some wrong information. The new superhard compound gives you the feeling you are driving a totally different car. They are so slow. This is going to be tricky for everyone and might produce interesting tyre strategies in the race."

Sergio Perez: "It was a very positive day for us. We were learning a lot about our aero update and the new tyre compound. As it is quite slow compared to the soft compound, you will obviously want to use the soft ones as much as you can in the race. We have to analyse a lot of data now, and then we want to make sure we improve our qualifying performance tomorrow and get proper grid positions."

Renault:

Nick Heidfeld: "What was really interesting today were Pirelli's new super hard tyres. Although we've gained some experience of them occasionally on Fridays, we haven't used them a lot and they didn't really perform as I expected. They are significantly slower over one lap and during the long run too. That's the main difference between them and the previous hard tyres. The good thing is that I tried some out of the box things today, and attempted some different aspects to try and improve performance. We also managed to work on the set-up, which was useful. I think we've made some progress, but tonight we need to analyse exactly what we've learnt and where we can get even better going into P3 and Qualifying tomorrow."

Vitaly Petrov: "The good thing is we were able to test both sets of tyres for a number of laps, so we could take lots of useful data which is what today is for. On the other hand, I lost a lot of time because of not being able to use KERS to its full potential, so it was a little bit frustrating. This meant there was less power for my car, but the KERS also affects the braking so we had to work on the brake balance to compensate. I'm optimistic and looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow."

Toro Rosso:

Sebastien Buemi: "A completely different experience to our winter testing here of course, with much slower lap times because of the higher temperatures and we know these tyres react very differently in this heat. Even though this was just a half day for me, I was able to run a lot and I am quite happy because we have a lot of data to analyse, so it will be a long evening. The main problem, which I think affected everyone today, was a lot of oversteer and we saw a big difference between the hard and soft tyres, probably the biggest we have seen all year. Tomorrow, I will have a nice fresh engine so I think we can move forward and the rest of the weekend should be positive for us."

Jaime Alguersuari: "It was a shame that I lost track time this morning, but we made up for it later. In the afternoon I got a good feeling from the car, especially on a long run, producing some quite good lap times given I was running used hard tyres. When I was trying to do a quick lap, I got caught up in traffic, but overall I am optimistic. Having two test sessions here in the winter did not really help much today as the car has evolved and the track conditions are very different now."

Williams:

Rubens Barrichello: "We have tested all the new parts we have in Barcelona. On track, the rear wing looked alright but we need to look closer at how the new floor performed. It was very hot today so the grip level was lower and therefore the car was sliding more and tyre wear was greater. The car was oversteering a bit as well. I think we need to look at this for the weekend to try to minimise the problems and maximise our set-up, but I think at this stage we'd be looking at four stops minimum in the race on Sunday."

Pastor Maldonado: "I think today was good overall. We completed our full testing programme which I'm happy about and we also did a few longer runs in FP2. It's difficult to compare ourselves to other teams as we don't know what they were doing, but everything seems to be going well. We have a number of upgrades but we still need time to analyse the data."

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Fri: FIndia, Lotus, Virgin, Hispania

Toro Rosso joined Lotus, Virgin and Hispania at the bottom of the timesheets in Saturday's Turkish GP qualifying...

Force India:

Paul di Resta: "I missed the morning session so there was a big workload to get through in the afternoon. It was the first time I'd been in the car with the entire new package and we always knew it would be a big change compared to what we were used to. The car feels very different and it's clear we have lots of work to do to understand the new parts and get the most from them. By the end of the afternoon we had definitely improved the car quite a bit, but we need to sit down tonight and think about how we should approach tomorrow."

Adrian Sutil: "I ran with all our new aero parts this morning and in the afternoon, but to be honest we haven't managed to find the sweet spot yet. The guys did a great job to get everything on the car, but it's never easy to introduce so many new things during a weekend and to test them properly. Getting this new package to work is probably going to be more difficult than we thought and that's why we didn't look that competitive today. So we have work to do this evening to see if we can improve things for tomorrow."

Team Lotus:

Heikki Kovalainen: "Overall we can be very happy about this Friday. I think we've seen an improvement today on where we were and throughout the sessions we could see that we were getting more and more out of the new package. The gap to the cars ahead seems reasonably small so I think it's all positive. The key point is that there is a lot more to come out of it. Optimising the whole update will take time and even though the car felt good on both the options and the primes we know that after going through the data tonight we can make more improvements tomorrow, and in the coming races ."

Jarno Trulli: "A bit of a mixed day for me. The team made a change to my steering in the morning session which meant I couldn't complete the program in FP1 but in the afternoon session we completed a decent number of laps and I could start to feel where we have found some improvements on the car. For much of the day I didn't really feel like I was getting the most out of it but we have found some of the pace we want to with the updates and with more work there is clearly much more to come."

Virgin:

Jerome D'Ambrosio: "I personally had a good day; it was really about analysing different compounds, especially with the new hard tyre that we've been given here. I did some long runs at the end on them, and I think that was quite useful. I think it's very important that we all sit down together now, and really see what's happening on Timo's car with the new package. That's really the next step for us, we need to combine my work with Timo's and see what we can come up with for tomorrow."

Timo Glock: "At the moment we are focusing on getting to grips with the new exhaust, so we can't do much in terms of setup or balance work. Today has mainly been about gathering data. It's not easy but I think we made some progress and we are starting to understand the philosophy of it. Now we have a lot of work to do overnight before we decide whether to keep the system on the car for tomorrow and the race."

Hispania:

Narain Karthikeyan: "We had some issues with traction and a lot of oversteer this morning on prime tyres. In the afternoon we changed this a bit and it calmed down. We're trying to work on the new parts, we have some new bits coming tomorrow as well so, as a whole package, we should improve a bit from today. The balance was completely different from winter so we have to re-balance the car, look at the data and improve. There is a lot of work to do."

Tonio Liuzzi: "Today was a positive day overall. We had some time to do a few long runs and understand the tyres and get a better feel for the car. We had two interesting sessions where we spent a lot of time tuning the set up of the car. Both cars had different packages so it was important that Narain and myself focused on different aspects. We've got some important data for tomorrow. I'm positive that with the full upgrade on the car we'll make a positive step."

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Fri: Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Merc

Mark Webber dominated Friday's practices in Spain, taking two from two. The second session ended with Hamilton second ahead of Vettel...

Red Bull:

Mark Webber: "The car ran well today; we've still got some work to do, but it was one of our better Fridays. It's the first time we've run the RB7 in Barcelona in these temperatures, so the team's learned quite a lot. Tyres are a big factor here, we know that, so we will be looking to manage them as best we can. It's always been a reasonable track for me here, with a good result last year, so I hope to keep that trend going this weekend."

Sebastian Vettel: "It was a very productive day - it was the first real chance we had with the new spec of hard tyres - and I can confirm they are pretty hard! All in all it was good, this morning wasn't maybe ideal, but this afternoon I was happy. I think it will be tight this weekend, we look in good shape, but the others seem quick as well."

McLaren:

Lewis Hamilton: "It's difficult to get an accurate read on pace: we stuck to our programme today and didn't appear to be too far off, but you never know what fuel-loads or engine levels the other teams are running. Still, we got some good data and made some positive improvements so, in all likelihood, we look as competitive today as we have in the past. We have taken some small steps forward - we put a new front-wing on and it naturally appeared to be a little bit better. Globally, it's not too bad. It didn't feel too good this morning on the harder tyre, which was difficult to switch on and difficult to make last, but this afternoon's running was very positive. There's a big difference between the two Pirelli compounds - and that will hopefully have a positive impact on the show this weekend."

Jenson Button: "This morning was spent running through the new systems on the car; this afternoon was the time to push a bit harder and get a proper feel for things. I'm not particularly happy with the balance - I'm struggling with the rear-end, which isn't something I like - but I'm going to work to improve that overnight. There is more pace in the car, we've just got to unleash it and find a balance that I like. The longer run was reasonable, even if we got a slightly different result than we expected. But it's all good information and I think we can get a good balance for the race - now I need to focus on sorting out the rear-end for qualifying."

Ferrari:

Fernando Alonso: "We tried a lot of new things today and now we must extrapolate the information from all this work and select the best parts to put on the car for tomorrow. My first impression is favourable: I think we have made a step forward. It is always difficult to judge the gaps in free practice because there are always differences between one car and the next. I am certainly not surprised that the Red Bulls are still ahead of everyone: at the moment they are fastest and tracks like this one, or Budapest are particularly well suited to their characteristics. Having said that, while it's true it might be difficult to beat them in qualifying, maybe in the race we can get closer, also to the McLarens and put them under pressure. We still have to work on the set-up: today we had too many things to test and we did not have time to make too many changes. I think the chances of fighting for a podium finish are even more likely here than they were in Turkey. The tyres? Pirelli has brought a new type of "hard" and it's hard to imagine we can get through Q1 without having to resort to using the "softs." One thing we had already seen in winter testing and which has been confirmed today is that degradation is pretty significant and so there is cause to expect a race like the one in Istanbul in terms of the number of pit stops."

Felipe Massa: "That wasn't an easy day for me. I had lots of problems getting the tyres to work, especially the hard compound, and I didn't manage to put together a good time. That's a pity because the new parts that we've brought here have improved our performance, even though the other teams remain very strong: there's still a crucial gap to our main rivals. Now we must make the right choices to prepare as best we can for qualifying and the race. As for the tyres, I prefer not to go into details. Let's say that there's a lot of work to do in this area. When I went off the track I lost the rear and I ended up in the gravel: I passed very close to the barriers but fortunately I didn't touch them so I managed to make it back onto the track without damage."

Mercedes GP:

Nico Rosberg: "It was a good day in terms of set-up and we learned quite a few things about our car. Of course, it's difficult to say where we really are because the hard tyres didn't work so well today and it was very windy. However, we had a nice long run and our preparation with the car is certainly better compared to the last race. The updates are working quite well so far, and thanks for that to the boys in the factory."

Michael Schumacher: "We have had quite a reasonable Friday and have clearly demonstrated an upwards tendency with our improvements seeming to work well. Saying that, the other teams have improved too, so without having had a chance to look deeper into the data, I would say that we may be fighting for the third row. We will continue to work further on our performance for tomorrow."

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Ferrari would consider team Alonso/Hamilton

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says he and the Italian outfit wouldn't rule out pairing Fernando Alonso, who has just signed a contract extension until 2016, with Lewis Hamilton.

The two drivers were team-mates at McLaren during the Brits rookie year in 2007, however the relationship ended on a sour note after the two fell out.

Despite that, Domenicali said he rated Hamilton very highly, adding that anything can happen in the future.

"I consider Lewis as one of the top three drivers at the moment, the fastest drivers," he said in Spain, likely referring to Alonso and Sebastian Vettel as the two others.

"So in that respect for sure I consider him a potential driver for the strongest team, so I don't see why I have to say no to that question. Never say never in life.

"People can change and have a different approach, we see so many things going on everywhere in the world. Lewis is a strong driver and in the future who knows what can happen."

Felipe Massa is contracted to the outfit until the end of the 2012 season.

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Schumacher, Hamilton support DRS in Monaco

The use of the drag-reduction-system (DRS) in Monaco has the backing of two drivers, in the form of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

Whilst many others have called for it to be banned for the event, due to the tight and twisty nature of the street circuit, the seven-time world champion and Hamilton have both come out in support of the system.

They don't believe the dicussions that it would be unsafe to use, despite there being no long straight.

"I don't think it’s too dangerous to push a couple of buttons," Schumacher is quoted as saying by Reuters. "I'm pretty sure the FIA is able and capable of finding spots where you can activate them without any danger.

"I'm sorry if I may have a different opinion to the others, and I don't think I’m alone in that, but that's my opinion."

The 2008-world champion agreed, adding that he was excited to be able to use the system.

"I am excited to use it," said Hamilton. "I was the only one in the drivers' briefing that was for it, so Michael wasn’t the only one to disagree.

"When I mentioned it, he did come back and say, 'We could use it at the exit of the tunnel for 100 metres. He was the only one to come out with a positive comment on that but, generally, no-one else was very positive."

The FIA is in agreement with the two, and won't enforce a ban on the DRS as confirmed last week.

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Support growing to drop 2013 engine regs

The move to smaller, more-efficient engines from the 2013 season onwards has lost further support as more teams on the grid look content to remain using the current V8 engines.

Bernie Ecclestone's distaste of the proposed 'greener' engine formula is well documented, as is Ferrari's, both of whom have labelled the move as a 'purely PR'.

Meanwhile, Renault team principal Eric Boullier has weighed in on the debate. The Frenchman has urged the governing body to take heed of the fans' opinion and to consider the sound of the new engine.

"The question is can we afford such a change?," he told the official F1 website. "Formula One must stop thinking of ego wars or securing influence. We should think more about how to improve Formula One.

"If we have to stick to the V8 because in the end we can’t afford the change, because we cannot reproduce the sound that the fans want, then we should stick with the V8 - or at least wait a little bit before moving to something new," he said.

Mercedes are also reportedly coming round to dropping the 2013 rules as they also have some concern over the cost. Norbert Haug says the German manufacturer would only support them if there was a guarantee over a reduction in costs.

"We support the four cylinder only if there is a guarantee that the costs will be reduced by 30% over a period of five years."

The FIA's move was in part in response to the hope the new regulations would attract new suppliers, in the form of Volkswagen, BMW and possibly the return of Honda or Toyota.

However, the majority of them have decided against the idea and so far the only new supplier is Craig Pollock's P.U.R.E. engine - which many have dismissed as a gimmick to help push the new rules through.

The FIA's president Jean Todt will meet with engine manufacturers in Spain this weekend to discuss the matter, further prompting speculation that the rules will be dumped.

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Pirelli previews the Spanish GP

[mikec]

Well I am oficially writing off Mercedes latest effort as a failed car for two years in a row now. They took a step backwards in Spain and you just cant do that these days. It may be time to start devoting their efforts to the 2012 challenger now and do the best they can with the current car without spending too much of their resources. I also think that heads should roll over the failure to produce a worthy challenger for podiums this year. I think Ross deserves ONE more chance to get it right and thats it. They should also think about sending Mikey packing at the end of the season and sign young DiResta or Hulkenburg to replace him.

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Schumi: Keep up the points finishes

Michael Schumacher has urged his Mercedes GP team to "keep up" the hard work as he looks to achieve another strong finish in Singapore.

Schumacher, who has bagged 52 points to date this season, had arguably his best run of form in the last two races, claiming back-to-back P5s in Belgium and Italy.

The German is determined to continue his run, seeking a solid finish to the Championship as the teams gear up for the final stint of flyaway grands prix.

"I really enjoyed my first experience of Formula One night racing in Singapore last year and it was an interesting weekend to be working on such a different time schedule. Surprisingly, it worked out very well and somehow even fun to drive and have meetings in the middle of the night," he said.

"The street circuit is good fun and quite challenging, and as an event for the fans, it is also fantastic as they can get so close to the cars around the city streets and see a real racing spectacle.

"We have enjoyed good results at the final two European races in Spa and Monza, and everyone will be working to continue the hard work and keep up the points finishes as we head to Asia for the flyaway races."

As for Nico Rosberg, he is keen to take advantage of his team's improved form after retiring from last race at Monza when he was involved in the opening lap carnage.

"I'm really looking forward to the Singapore Grand Prix and it's a circuit that I enjoy very much. I finished second at the first race held here in 2008 so I have some good memories from that weekend," he said.

"The track itself is good fun to drive and a real challenge. The stop-start nature means you have to concentrate hard throughout the lap and it feels very narrow and enclosed, like a true street circuit.

"We've made a good step forward with the car in the last few races and I hope we can take advantage of that again next weekend in Singapore."

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Pollock reveals Renault engine concerns

Craig Pollock says he's worried about Renault Sport's attempts to corner the market as an engine supplier in F1 as it could have a negative impact.

Pollock is set to enter Formula One in 2014 with his PURE engine company, who will be looking to supply 1.6l V6 engines to teams on the grid.

However, the former F1 team boss could face a tough task finding buyers as Renault Sport have announced their intension to supply four teams from 2012 with the possibility of extending their list of clients.

However, Pollock fears that providing engines for a third of the grid could damage the sport should Renault Sport opt to withdraw.

"I think everybody is very, very worried about that fact and the reason we are worried is that is it the same situation as Honda, Toyota and BMW," Pollock told GPUpdate.net.

"They could take a board decision and Renault can withdraw from one minute to the next - it's a big enough company and that is what they can do.

"So, if they over-supply the sport; one thing is that they have too much power inside the sport and they can start to dictate terms and the second thing is that they are not independent, they are a biased company and they can withdraw.

"If they withdrew and, let's say there was only Mercedes and Ferrari supplying engines, then Mercedes and Ferrari are going to be hit within months...bang, they would have to supply three extra teams each and they don't want to do that."

His concerns, though, aren't limited to Renault Sport.

"There is a problem inside the sport and everybody is extremely aware of it," he said. "Nobody has got any idea of what is going to happen with Cosworth.

"Nothing is coming out, nobody is talking about it and nobody has really picked up on the fact that the head of their Formula 1 side (Mark Gallagher) has quit the team. It certainly looks from within the sport that the rat is jumping ship."

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McLaren predict 'electrifying' Singapore GP

Despite the World title being "almost" out of reach, Lewis Hamilton insists he'll push hard in the final six races of the season.

With just two victories to his name this season, Hamilton is 126 points behind Sebastian Vettel in the race of the title. And with just 150 points to play for, the McLaren driver concedes that winning is highly unlikely.

However, that doesn't mean he can't fight for race victories.

The Brit missed out in Belgium when he crashed into Kamui Kobayashi while his chances of success in Italy where curtailed when he was stuck behind Michael Schumacher for the better part of 28 laps.

Hamilton, though, reckons he can get back to winning ways next Sunday in Singapore and has vowed to push hard to do just that.

"I'll really be pushing for a good result next weekend," he said.

"I think we had a car capable of winning in both Belgium and Italy, so I really want to make sure we arrive in Singapore with a good set-up, and that we're able to run with it through practice and qualifying. If it all goes to plan, we should be in good shape on Sunday.

"Even though the title is now almost out of reach I'll be pushing hard for the best possible result. I will never give up and I'll be driving to win as always."

And that's the attitude that team boss Martin Whitmarsh reckons will play a role in what could be an "electrifying" Singapore GP as his drivers attack with the help of DRS.

"We go to Singapore feeling very encouraged about our performance potential. I also think we're set to continue the trend we've witnessed so far this season, with DRS enlivening races that hitherto would have been somewhat processional," said Whitmarsh.

"At McLaren the reality is that we're fortunate enough to have two drivers who are never satisfied to merely sit behind another car; but the addition of DRS means that we should expect some truly electrifying racing this weekend. The track is wide enough to support close and exciting wheel-to-wheel racing and I sincerely hope that's what we see this weekend.

"In just a few years, the Singapore Grand Prix has become a classic Formula 1 event - the circuit and facilities are truly world-class and the setting and atmosphere of the race make it one of the jewels of the calendar.

"If circuits like Spa, Silverstone, Monza and Monaco represent the epitome of classic Formula 1, then a circuit such as Marina Bay has, I think, quickly established itself as one of the sport's modern wonders and greatest success stories."

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Heidfeld confident of 2012 drive

Nick Heidfeld says he is "more than hopeful" of finding a race-seat on the Formula One grid for next year's Championship.

Heidfeld, having failed to secure a race-seat for this season, was handed a lifeline by Lotus Renault GP when the team called him up to replace the injured Robert Kubica.

The team, though, were soon disillusioned with the German, who scored 34 points, saying he did not have the leadership qualities that they were seeking.

Renault opted to replace Heidfeld ahead of the Belgian GP, once again leaving the 34-year-old without a place in F1.

However, he is determined to return next season, confident he can secure a race-seat with the help of some financial backing.

"I am more than hopeful I can secure a seat," he told Autosport. "Next year's cockpits are limited but we are working on it.

"We already have sponsors interested in joining. But if this becomes the main reason to get a drive, then I can most likely not compete with a huge multi-million dollar backing."

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Pirelli confirm compounds for Japan, Korea

Pirelli have confirmed the use of the medium and soft compounds for the Japanese GP and the soft and supersofts for Korea.

Although this is Pirelli's first season in Formula One, the Italian tyre manufacturer has spent a great deal of time examining the characteristics of the various circuit to see which tyres would be better suited.

For Suzuka, a track that is demanding on tyres, they have otped to go with the medium and soft compounds while for Korea, which is a much slower track, the Italian tyre supplier has chosen their soft and supersoft tyres.

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery said: "After careful analysis of all the data we have available, we have come up with what we believe to be the nominations that are best suited to the characteristics of each circuit.

"While Suzuka is a track that we've competed on before, both in GT racing and on motorbikes, Korea is a circuit that most people are still learning about.

"Nonetheless, we benefit from advanced simulation technology that allows us to accurately predict the likely behaviour of each tyre even on tracks that we have never seen before.

"The extra performance of the supersoft makes it one of the most dynamic tyres in our range, which will form a key part of the strategy in Korea.

"Before then, the combination of medium and soft that will be used in Japan was last seen on our home grand prix in Italy, resulting in an extremely exciting race."