FORMULA 1 2011

[MIKA27]

Second pre-season test, day three, Jerez de la Frontera, fastest times:

Heidfeld just personified making a good first impression by topping the table on his first outing. It looks like the seat is his unless Liuzzi manages to bring a very large lump of cash.

Sounds great Ryan!

I knew Nick would do it!

Sure, Liuzzi can possibly bring cash but I'd imagine Renault with their investors and sponsors would look beyond the Dollar and see there's more potential for results in Heidfeld than Liuzzi who at best is well beneath Heidfelds skills. IMO.

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Heidfeld 'really enjoyed' Renault debut

Nick Heidfeld says he enjoyed his first test in the Renault R31 managing to finish quickest over the three days so far.

The German is looking to secure the seat at the team to replace injured Robert Kubica. This show of pace will no doubt improve his chances over second candidate Bruno Senna, who will be behind the wheel on Sunday.

"I really enjoyed the day," claimed Heidfeld. "It was fun driving the car, although it obviously takes time to get used to things when it’s your first time in a car and working with a new team."

The former BMW and Sauber driver worked with the team to evaluate a new floor upgrade as well as further test of the new Pirelli tyres.

"We had a good day, without too many problems, and luckily all the changes we made to the car went in the right direction and improved things, so I was able to push harder and harder.

"In terms of the lap times, it’s very difficult for me to compare with the other teams because we don’t know the fuel levels or what the others were doing. My first impressions of the car were positive, although there are always areas where you can improve."

Team principal Eric Boullier praised Heidfeld's performance on-track as well as his off-track feedback.

"Today we had the chance to give Nick time in the car and we carried out a big evaluation. Our first feelings are very positive: he worked well with the team, gave good feedback and improved the car during the day.

"We managed to cover 86 laps and the times are encouraging, which is also thanks to Robert and Vitaly’s early feedback and the hard work of everybody in the team."

[MIKA27]

Q & A: Heidfeld on Renault test

Source: Autosport

Nick Heidfeld was always going to be the centre of attention at Jerez today as Renault evaluated him as a potential stand-in for Robert Kubica - and he now looks a certainty for the drive after topping the times on his debut for the squad.

AUTOSPORT was there to hear Heidfeld's thoughts on his day afterwards.

Q. Are you pleased with how it went today?

Nick Heidfeld: Yeah, I'm very pleased. Not only with the position - that depends on various factors. But I'm happy with the job I did today, I don't think I could have done any better.

Q. Was it enough to convince the team to give you the drive?

NH: I hope so. I did the best I could, I didn't do any mistakes. I think I already helped them to understand the car and at least give some directions, which helped over the day. But this is something you have to ask Eric [boullier].

Q. What is your initial feeling with the car?

NH: It's impossible to say where we stand. The balance in the morning was bad, but it was the first time I was in the car. The engineers did a good job in improving that.

We didn't have to do so much in one day, but the car is already very different to how it was this morning, suiting my driving style a lot more. It is still not ideal, I hope there is more to come from the feeling I have, but it's a good base.

Q. How was the KERS and the adjustable rear wing?

NH: Last year, most of the drivers in the GPDA said it might be too much. And when I was not in the car, I thought about it and thought 'it's only two buttons'. But when you are driving it's a lot of things to do at the same time. It's not easy.

What made it more difficult was that I could not reach all the paddles and levers as I should because my hands are as small as my body! But that can be changed. It's not easy, but if you do it more often you get used to it.

Q. How was the KERS in particular?

NH: I think we have a good base. We worked on it a little bit today. The fact that I used KERS with BMW helped – I have some experience there, so I know how it should or shouldn't feel and what we could try.

We tried a couple of things, and I would not say it is a big problem. It is working fine, there is just some fine-tuning. The base is good – certainly better than the BMW system I used in 2009. I didn't really like that.

Q. What is most difficult when you discover a new car and you have to start driving it?

NH: To get used to the feedback. In the beginning it feels like you are sitting on top of the car. Something happens and you don't really expect it or know how to react to it.

Then if you drive more and more you feel you are one with the car. Then you might know what is going to happen, and you know how to react. That just takes some time.

Q. How much have the tyres changed since you last tested for Pirelli?

NH: It's difficult to know, because this is a different car. I did most of the construction work, but hardly any work on the compounds and they have changed a lot.

I heard there were some small issues here with heat-up, and that was never the case when I drove them before. So I think they made the working range a bit smaller, and that is better because you get more grip out of the tyres. They degrade quite a lot, but hopefully that will spice up the racing a bit.

Q. When you did your fastest laps, they were at the start of 10-lap runs. How was the degradation then?

NH: It was not bad. When I looked at the cars yesterday the degradation looked quite bad, but I had the feeling that I didn't struggle as much with degradation as some of the others.

Q. Have you tried all four compounds?

NH: Yes. But I won't tell you what we used to set the fastest time.

Q. Do you already have ideas for the development direction to take with this car?

NH: Yeah. I think we already started today to try and improve the car, find directions, where problems are, where strengths are. I'm obviously trying to do the best job today so I can drive in the future, but I'm also just using it as normal and trying to develop the car. It wouldn't be a lot different if I knew before that I was staying.

Q. Do you expect an answer tonight from Renault?

NH: I don't know, I haven't discussed it yet. My focus was just on today, this was what mattered. It doesn't help if you think about what they will tell you after the test. It takes the concentration away.

Q. Physically, how did you feel?

NH: I'm in good shape. Obviously I kept working out over the winter, even though it was clear for quite a while that there was no suitable seat for me. But there were still talks about being a reserve driver again.

I don't know how many laps I did today – more than 80 – and it was quite easy. I feel okay. On the other side, once you know – hopefully I will know soon – that you will do the season, then you can do a bit more. It's different to being a test or reserve driver, you are more motivated.

Q. Robert was fastest at Valencia, you are fastest today. Does that mean that the car is not too bad, at least?

NH: I think it means the car is not s**t, but not a lot more than that. Most guys here, if they take the fuel out and put very soft tyres on all day, nearly anybody could be in front. But it is not a bad sign.

Q. So will we see you at Barcelona?

NH: I hope so.

Q. Will you drive at all tomorrow?

NH: No, Bruno [senna] will drive the whole day tomorrow.

Q. We have seen some drivers slowing down after one lap, then speeding up again. Is that to look after the tyres?

NH: I don't know about the other drivers, but usually it helps the degradation if you do one lap, then stabilise the tyres. It's not like before though – it might stop the degradation a bit, but not much.

Q. Can you do 25 laps pushing on these tyres?

NH: It depends on the fuel level. If you put more fuel in the car then you will work the tyres harder. We wanted to do a long run, but we had two red flags unfortunately. We planned 25 laps, it would have been interesting.

[MIKA27]

Kovalainen impressed with Lotus' pace

Heikki Kovalainen says he was encouraged by the pace of the Lotus T128 at Jerez, after finishing today's test in eighth place.

The Finn was pleased with his best time, which was 1.3 seconds shy of the fastest, even though he admits it was set on a low-fuel run in the afternoon.

"It was a lower fuel run than we were running all day, but we can go quicker than that if we have to," he said.

"It was encouraging. If you look at some of the earlier runs with the medium compound it was pretty good, so we can be quite encouraged about that."

Kovalainen revealed that a problem with the car's exhaust had preventing him from attempting a long run.

"We had some problem with the left-hand side exhaust of the car and the heat. We had to wait a couple of hours to have an extra spare arrive here and it is still a limiting factor for us.

"To do a long run would probably damage it too much. The same place makes a crack and gets bigger. I don't know if we can find a temporary solution over night to get a long run [tomorrow]."

But he says it is too early to judge whether Lotus will be able to challenge the more established teams this season.

"I have a pretty good feeling," he said. "I can only compare to last year and the feeling is totally different. The whole concept of the car is just much better.

"But in terms of the pace, I don't know - no one knows. You talk to the other drivers and everybody was on the hard tyre with heavy fuel!

"You just don't know. I think we're looking pretty good but we don't know what the reality is. We're just guessing at the moment, so it's better not to worry about it too much."

[ryans]

Barrichello on top as Jerez test ends

Source: Autosport

Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Jerez testing 2011Rubens Barrichello took Williams to the top of the timesheets on the final day of this week's Jerez test, setting the fastest lap of the week with a 1m19.832s.

The Brazilian's best time came on the last of a series of eight-lap runs that he embarked on early in the day, as he got plenty of mileage following Williams's delays earlier in the test.

There was a 1.3-second drop-off immediately after his benchmark 1m19.8s, though his times only faded by 1.2s over the rest of the stint.

Barrichello later produced the longest stint of the test so far in the afternoon, completing 25 laps that started in high 1m26s for 16 laps before slipping away to low 1m29s by the end. The Williams caused one of several red flags by stopping on the back straight with a hydraulic leak during the final hours.

Second-placed Kamui Kobayashi was another to trigger a stoppage when he put his Sauber into the gravel in the morning. His 1m20.601s best was something of a one-off, as his short morning runs tended to be in the 1m22s region. His afternoon was slightly interrupted by a powertrain issue, but still featured some consistent long stints, presumably on the harder Pirellis as his times dropped off by less than a second after 15 laps.

Crowd favourite Fernando Alonso placed the Ferrari third. This time also came during a short morning run before he switched to long, heavier-fuel stints for the afternoon. He did three runs of between 16 and 20 laps, with a pace drop-off of around two seconds from start to finish.

Sebastien Buemi kept Toro Rosso near the front in fourth, as he also followed the pattern of morning sprints followed by an afternoon on heavier fuel.

He was just ahead of Renault reserve Bruno Senna, who was 1.5s off the pace in fifth on his first day in the car. The Brazilian was being given development mileage for experience rather than as an evaluation for Robert Kubica's vacant seat, which seems certain to go to Saturday pacesetter Nick Heidfeld.

Despite losing some time with a water leak, Lotus again set an attention-grabbing time with sixth for Heikki Kovalainen. He did mostly short stints in 1m21s and 1m22s, eventually beating his Saturday best by a tenth.

Nico Rosberg did not repeat team-mate Michael Schumacher's pace for Mercedes and seems to be suffering the brunt of Mercedes' pre-season reliability troubles. He was seventh, having had a long delay in the pits as his car received a precautionary engine change after stopping on track in the morning.

The Red Bull RB7 continued on its path under the radar, with Sebastian Vettel setting just the eighth-fastest time today. That came early this morning and he spent the rest of the day doing long runs, seemingly with a lot of fuel in the car. His longest run was of 19 laps, holding steady in the 1m25s and 26s.

McLaren too showed no signs of chasing laptimes as Jenson Button worked mainly on long stints, lapping in the 1m25s for the vast majority of a 19-lap run this afternoon.

Virgin did not do much before Jerome D'Ambrosio stopped on track this morning. The team said it was going to replace an oil sensor but it turned out to be a four-hour delay before the Belgian returned for a short outing late on.

Paul di Resta was at the foot of the times for Force India. The Scot went off at the Dry Sack hairpin with just under half an hour remaining, due to a front suspension problem that pitched him into the gravel.

While his car was being recovered, grey clouds rolled in and a light rain began. By the time the track went green again, those that ventured back out - Buemi, Barrichello, Alonso and Rosberg - did so on intermediate tyres.

Buemi was consistently the quicker of the quartet, mostly in the 1m36s, but the session concluded before any meaningful wet running could be done or crossover data gathered.

Testing resumes for a further four days at Catalunya on Friday.

Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps

1. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m19.832s 103

2. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m20.601s + 0.769s 86

3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.074s + 1.242s 115

4. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m21.213s + 1.381s 90

5. Bruno Senna Renault 1m21.400s + 1.568s 68

6. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m21.632s + 1.800s 43

7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.103s + 2.271s 45

8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m22.222s + 2.39 s 90

9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m22.278s + 2.446s 70

10. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m22.985s + 3.153s 45

11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m23.111s + 3.279s 99

[MIKA27]

Barrichello on top as Jerez test ends

Testing resumes for a further four days at Catalunya on Friday.

Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps

1. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m19.832s 103

2. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m20.601s + 0.769s 86

3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.074s + 1.242s 115

4. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m21.213s + 1.381s 90

5. Bruno Senna Renault 1m21.400s + 1.568s 68

6. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m21.632s + 1.800s 43

7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.103s + 2.271s 45

8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m22.222s + 2.39 s 90

9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m22.278s + 2.446s 70

10. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m22.985s + 3.153s 45

11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m23.111s + 3.279s 99

This is looking good for Williams. Will they start heading toward their old ways of glory?

I feel this season will be yet another mixed bag of results with many mid field teams scoring podium finishes leaving the WDC to the last couple races determining the winner.

[ryans]

This is looking good for Williams. Will they start heading toward their old ways of glory?

I really hope Williams get back to winning ways; they've been proven champions in the past and have achieve great things while still remaining a private team.

I thought the Barichello/Hulkenberg pairing was a golden combo, and was gutted to see Hulkenberg ditched for the Venezuelan oil dollars of Pastor Maldonado. But Williams do need the cash to stay afloat and be competitive.

In my opinion they shouldn't have ditched the Toyota engines for Cosworth engines a few years back - they should have embarked on another partnership with Toyota like they had done before with BMW with great success. I think Toyota would have been interested in that partnership as well. Also, I miss the days when Juan Pablo Montoya set the world on fire in his Williams

I think (and hope) that we will see some developments in the Williams team, as Patrick Head is taking a step back and selling off some of his shares in the team, and the team is going on the stock market as well. So with the influx of cash and the team spearheaded by Barichello, I hope they can score some podiums towards the middle or end of the season, and challenging for the victories in the coming years.

[ryans]

I feel this season will be yet another mixed bag of results with many mid field teams scoring podium finishes leaving the WDC to the last couple races determining the winner.

I'm crossing my fingers for a huge scramble in midfield this season, but I don't see teams like Force India and STR making that sudden jump to be in contention for podium positions, but I do see them picking up points here and there.

What I hope to see is the resurgence of Renault and Mercedes, both former champions, to be consistently in the fight to pick up podiums.

[MIKA27]

I really hope Williams get back to winning ways; they've been proven champions in the past and have achieve great things while still remaining a private team.

In my opinion they shouldn't have ditched the Toyota engines for Cosworth engines a few years back - they should have embarked on another partnership with Toyota like they had done before with BMW with great success. I think Toyota would have been interested in that partnership as well. Also, I miss the days when Juan Pablo Montoya set the world on fire in his Williams

Yeah, ditching Toyota for Cosworth was Williams' worst move and I for the life of me do not understand WHY Williams are so passionate about having Cosworth!?

The 'Good old' Williams days with Montoya and Ralph Schumacher were great. They were both well suited to the car as well as being good team mates. They may not have won so many podiums (There were quite a few) but their consistency sure yielded many points which build up during the season. Great team back then.

[MIKA27]

I'm crossing my fingers for a huge scramble in midfield this season, but I don't see teams like Force India and STR making that sudden jump to be in contention for podium positions, but I do see them picking up points here and there.

What I hope to see is the resurgence of Renault and Mercedes, both former champions, to be consistently in the fight to pick up podiums.

I yet again agree with you 100% Ryan.

This season will be Mercedes and Renaults' whereby they may not yet be 'up there' with the likes of RBR and ferrari, but they will win podiums, points etc and start showing they are both heading back to form. I'd love to see both teams (Especially Mercedes) win more podiums.

Also, watch Force India. They have a Mercedes powered racer, have done very well over the last couple of seasons and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in podium contention either.

By the way, thanks for posting your news, views and opinions. Keep them comming.

[MIKA27]

Team Lotus said no to £6m settlement

Tony Fernandes has revealed he rejected a six million pound offer to settle the Lotus naming dispute that has embroiled two F1 teams.

After a 16-year absence, the Lotus name returned to Formula One last season under Fernandes, the flamboyant founder of Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia.

But in September, Malaysian automaker Proton, which owns a controlling stake in Lotus, terminated Fernandes' licence, forcing him to drop the original name of Lotus Racing and compete as Team Lotus this season.

Then in December the Lotus group took a major equity stake in the Renault Formula One team for this season, which is now renamed 'Lotus Renault GP' for the 2011 season.

Fernandes and two other Malaysian associates bought the rights to use the Team Lotus name from David Hunt, brother of late British 1976 World Champion James Hunt.

State-owned Proton, which bought into Group Lotus in 1996, claims it alone has the rights to the brand and rejects Fernandes' new Team Lotus incarnation.

"It was six million pounds for a out of court settlement. Of course I would like to end it but the proposal by Proton would have bankrupted the company. We could not accept it," Fernandes told AFP.

Fernandes, a great fan of the Lotus glory days, said that 250 jobs, and huge investments by shareholders, were at risk.

"We never created the situation. We had a five-year agreement. Proton thought they can bully us out. We honestly worked hard to revive the Lotus name in F1," he said.

Fernandes said he remained open to settling the dispute out of court as the March 21 hearing date in London's High Court draws nearer, as the row is keeping sponsors away.

"I hope it will end soon. The legal row does not help. That is for sure."

The head of Lotus Renault GP in January launched a bitter attack on rival Team Lotus, which he accused of damaging Formula One by fighting to keep the name of the legendary automaker.

"Honestly, there's only one Lotus car company," said Lotus Renault chairman Gerard Lopez.

"I don't think there's any question about who is going to be who on the race track, but I think it's quite damaging to have that go around the Lotus name."

Despite the complex legal dispute, Team Lotus is busy preparing for the season opening race in Bahrain on March 13. Unless an agreement is forged there will be two teams on the grid under similar names.

Team Lotus is aiming to finish the 2011 season in the top eight.

"At Valencia the team did a good time during pre-season testing," Fernandes said.

The two drivers, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, made good progress in their new T128 car in the early February test.

Team Lotus chief executive Riad Asmat in December said they had anticipated Proton's move into F1 but that it would not deter them from building on their 10th place achieved in the first season.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Four days and no problems

Fernando Alonso was happy with Ferrari's running at Jerez, which ended after four days without any problems for the Scuderia's F150th Italia.

While team-mate Felipe Massa was in action on Thursday and Friday, setting the fastest time on Day One, Alonso replaced the Brazilian for the final two days of testing.

The Spaniard finished second on Saturday and third on Sunday, clocking a 1:21.074 as he put another 115 laps on Ferrari's 2011 challenger.

"I'm very happy. After four days here at Jerez, no problems for Felipe, no problems for me, so we are doing some very good progress," Alonso said.

"We know that this year the tyre consistency is not the same as last year. One of the biggest changes for 2011 is how the tyres degrade, so we are working on that area.

"It's true that we found every day some new solutions we need to analyse. But obviously I will not tell you which tyres I used for which run."

The double World Champ refused to be drawn on where he believes Ferrari are in the pecking, insisting that won't be known until after the season-opening Bahrain GP.

"There is not much time to prepare, I think in three days' time we are in Barcelona ready for the test. We will keep focused to make the car very strong, to make more than 100 laps every day - that's the target.

"To see performance of the car and to evaluate how competitive we are, we need to do it Sunday after the first race in Bahrain. Then we will say the car is good or the car is not so good.

"Until that point, our efforts are made to make the car strong. All the little problems that you can find in tests, the temperatures, whatever, this is the time to solve them."

[MIKA27]

Williams: No major fundamental failures

Williams technical director Sam Michael insists the problems encountered at Jerez are all "small things" and not cause for concern.

A rear wing actuator problem caused havoc for rookie driver Pastor Maldonado on Thursday, limiting him to just 13 laps, while his running on Friday was kept to 38 laps due to a KERS issue.

Williams' KERS unit again proved to be problematic on Saturday with their FW33 then suffering a hydraulic leak on Sunday.

Despite the issues, Rubens Barrichello, who was in action on the final two days, completed 202 laps and finished Sunday's running with the week's fastest time, a 1:19.832.

And even though Williams had to face issues on all four days of the Spanish test, Michael insists it is not cause for concern.

"We did suffer from a hydraulic leak during the middle of the day but overall, it's encouraging that we've had no major fundamental failures on the car - especially considering how tight the package is," said Michael.

"All of the faults that have been causing our downtime in the recent days are small things that systems will quickly put right."

As for Sunday's action, the tech boss was delighted to see the car finally cover more than 100 laps on one day - even if it they did have to do it without KERS.

"Nothing was going to stop us from doing over 100 laps!" Michael said.

"After limited running up to now, we concentrated on set-up and long runs. Rubens was trying various things to learn about the Pirelli tyres - some worked, some didn't. Now we've also gathered some data on the Pirelli wet tyre after a small shower at the end of the session.

"At the next test we will also have KERS back on the car as we ran without it."

[MIKA27]

Pirelli remain on target for two-stop races

Pirelli believe they remain on target to see two or possibly three-stop races this season, following a successful four-day test in Jerez.

The new tyre supplier to Formula One is hoping to add a spark of entertainment missed during 2010, as the Bridgestone tyres were overly durable and could last an entire race distance which could have resulted in no pit-stops, if it wasn't for the mandatory two-compound per race regulation.

This is something Pirelli have been working hard to reverse. The Italian companies tyres are far less durable and have a much higher degredation rate, hopefully resulting in two or three-stop races.

"We enjoyed perfect reliability once more and saw some longer runs than we had seen previously at Valencia," said Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"From what we learned from those so far, we believe that we're still on course to see two pit stops per race, which obviously might be one stop on some circuits and three stops on others, depending on the individual cars and track characteristics."

Pirelli's outlook seems to have the backing of the drivers, some of which have expressed their views to Hembery.

"A number of drivers have mentioned to me that our tyres are going to be great fun to race with, which is exactly what we are aiming for," he added.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Too early to judge rear wings

Fernando Alonso is reserving judgement on whether the introduction of moveable rear wings will improve overtaking.

Halfway through pre-season testing, all the teams, barring Hispania Racing who have yet to run, have had a taste of the new 2011 regulations.

These include the return of KERS and the introduction of moveable rear wings, both of which are intended to make passing easier by giving the driver a power or speed advantage over the car ahead.

Alonso, though, reckons it may not be as easy as the powers-that-be are hoping.

"We were able to try the adjustable wing in race conditions, but it is still too early to understand clearly if overtaking will be easier," he told Ferrari's website.

"We need to see if the 600 metre limit set by the FIA is not too restrictive, but we know this situation is still able to be revised.

"From the little we could see, I think it will still be very difficult to pass a car with similar performance to your own. The system works well on our car: we never had any problems, not even under braking."

And although both KERS and the moveable wings are adding to the drivers' workloads, the double World Champion believes the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli tyres is the biggest challenge.

"It is the biggest change of the year and there is still a lot of work to do to adapt the car set-up and driving style to these tyres.

"From what we have seen so far, we will need to run different strategies with more pit stops. We managed to do around forty laps, not all at one go, on the same set of tyres, but we know that in the much higher temperatures of Bahrain, the situation will be very different."

[MIKA27]

Vettel refuses to be drawn on Bull's pace

Sebastian Vettel believes it's "almost impossible" to know where Red Bull stand in the pecking order based on pre-season testing times.

After a dominant display last season, which saw Vettel claim the Drivers' title and Red Bull the Constructors' crown, the German and his team are the ones to beat this season. That, though, has not been evident based on a surface look at the pre-season timesheets.

In seven days of testing, Red Bull have set the pace only once and that was on the very first day of testing at Valencia.

Since then, the Milton Keynes-based team has seemingly dropped down the order with Vettel finishing the final day at Jerez in eighth place, 2.390s off the pace.

However, the German isn't fazed, insisting that little can be deduced from the lap times as the teams are running different programmes with different tyres and fuel loads.

"It is almost impossible to know where we stand," he told the official F1 website. "Especially during the day it is almost impossible to learn what programme and what tyres everybody is on so we definitely focus on ourselves.

"In the evening, when the running is over, for sure you look for information from the other teams, but hardly at all during the time when the session is on."

The first two pre-season outings have given the drivers a taste of this year's regulations, which include KERS, moveable rear wings and the new Pirelli tyres.

The Red Bull driver admits it's a bit of an adjustment as the drivers have more to do than ever before.

"It's rather easy to get used to them, but of course this year you are busier than in the previous years and you have to evaluate where and when you use them.

"With degrading tyres the car's behaviour changes, so you have to understand when it's best to use the wing because it doesn't make sense to use it automatically always at the same spot."

[MIKA27]

Hamilton denies team-mate fall-out is looming

Lewis Hamilton has downplayed concerns that McLaren could be in for a rough season should their MP4-26 move to the front of the pack.

Despite having two World Champions on the payroll in Hamilton and Jenson Button, last season proved to be a harmonious one for McLaren.

Many believe this was because the McLaren drivers were not regularly squabbling over race wins while Button's quest was further undone by his poor qualifying performances.

But should McLaren's new MP4-26 prove to be a regular race winner, F1 commentator Martin Brundle reckons the duo will soon find themselves fighting on the track - and off it.

Hamilton, though, is adamant himself and Button can avoid the pitfalls that befell Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber when they were fighting each other for race wins in 2010.

"We're both racers, but we're both sensible," the 2008 World Champ told the official F1 website.

"We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car?

"As we've said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the World Championship. What's the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place?

"Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we've both grown up within British motorsport, we've shared a lot of the same experiences and it's brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the World Championship for ourselves and our team."

As for whether McLaren's MP4-26 will rise to the front, Hamilton insists it's too early to tell.

"Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you'll be in at the first race.

"All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be.

"Will that be good enough? We won't know until we get to Bahrain next month."

[MIKA27]

Doctors say Kubica's condition improving

Robert Kubica's condition continues to improve, say his doctors, contrary to recent reports which suggest otherwise.

The Renault driver was involved in a rallying accident last week and has been in hospital since. He has so far undergone two operations which have both lasted several hours each.

Reports on Monday suggested his condition had deteriorated, but medical staff have confirmed this isn't true. In fact, his recovery is going better than expected which has allowed for his final operation, to repair his elbow, to go ahead on Wednesday.

"Robert Kubica's general conditions are good," said his doctor. "Kubica will remain in intensive care for two more days in order to undergo a complete check up and to avoid another ward change before the final operation.

"The clinical picture is so satisfying that it allows for programming of the final surgery for Wednesday."

The Renault team added: "The latest update on Robert is that his condition remains positive. He will stay in intensive care for the next couple of days to allow a complete check-up and to avoid another change of department before his final operation. "

[MIKA27]

FIA inspects progress at Indian GP site

The FIA's Charlie Whiting has completed an inspection of the Indian Grand Prix track on Sunday to ensure it's progressing well and on schedule for its inclusion on the 2011 calendar.

The venue already has its base layer down with run-off areas nearing completion. The first layer of tarmac is expected to be laid early next month.

The organisers of the race, JPSI, expect the facility to be completed well ahead of the proposed race date of October 30th. Giving them plenty of time to make final adjustment, unlike the South Korean GP in 2010 which was still under construction during qualifying.

Managing director of JPSI, Sameer Gaur, said about the project: "The progress since Charlie's last visit has been fairly rapid and all of us, including Mr. Whiting, are very pleased with the way things stand at the moment and we are looking forward to the first Indian GP.

"The JPSIL F1 track will be complete ahead of schedule!"

A final inspection will take place at the end of June, four months prior to the inaugural event.

[MIKA27]

Wirth: Sim sickness can be overcome

Drivers like Michael Schumacher should have little problem in overcoming the motion sickness problems they face when using Formula 1 simulators.

That is the view of Virgin Racing technical director Nick Wirth, who has spent years working on developing high-tech simulation technology at his own facility in Banbury.

Those efforts have left him convinced that there is a generational issue at stake - with younger racers more used to working in simulators because they have been brought up playing computer games.

But Wirth thinks that even older drivers like Schumacher, whose brains struggle to deal with the experience of simulators, can get over the difficulties they have.

"The younger guys are more used to video games," explained Wirth. "They are more used to video games - even playing things like Call of Duty where, if you hit the stick to strafe and rotate around, they are not going to be sick.

"They are used to it and their brain is completely programmed. When my son jumps in the [F1] simulator every so often, he is fine - so it is a generational thing.

"I am sure Michael didn't play many video games when he was younger, but from what we have seen, I am sure he will be able to overcome his motion sickness."

Wirth says that motion sickness in simulators is caused by an evolutionary response in the brain – which started as a protection mechanism against eating the wrong foods.

"The guy who has been the most influential in the development of our simulators is David Brabham, and he is the same age as me," said Wirth. "He is absolutely fantastic on it, but he definitely suffered from motion sickness to start with.

"Motion sickness is a fascinating topic, and it fundamentally has its roots in our evolutionary history. Motion sickness comes from the fact that your brain is continually comparing what your eyes can see with what your inner ear says.

"When our ancestors used to pick berries up off the ground, if they ate something that was dangerous, which would make them ill, then one of the manifestations of being poisoned is to feel giddy - like if you have too much alcohol, which is a form of poisoning, and you lose your sense of balance.

"Losing your sense of balance gives you a disconnect between your visual and your inner ear and your body goes, 'I've lost my connection between inner ear and vision, I must have been poisoned, get it out.' And that is why you are sick.

"So that is why when you are reading a book in the car, you look at something still and your inner ear feels acceleration so your brain goes, hang on a sec, that doesn't feel right. That is the evolutionary basis of motion sickness."

Wirth says that Brabham initially had huge problems in getting used to the simulators, but now has fully overcome the issues he had.

"It is a matter of training," added Wirth. "David used to get out of the simulator after 10 laps and have his head between his lap for two hours, and he would go home white.

"But we improved the motion, we understood what it was, and now we can't get him out of the damn thing when he comes in."

[MIKA27]

Rosberg still upbeat on Mercedes form

Nico Rosberg says he is remaining upbeat about Mercedes GP's potential for the 2011 season - despite the mixed fortunes that the team has endured in early testing.

Although Michael Schumacher topped the times on the second day of last week's Jerez test, the team's W02 has appeared to struggle for overall performance compared to main rivals Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.

Allied to reliability problems that Rosberg in particular has suffered, expectations surrounding the outfit have been dampened.

Rosberg, however, is keeping to his belief that a major upgrade pencilled in for Bahrain can lift the team's fortunes for the start of the season.

"Yes, we weren't too fast in Valencia but with Michael's two days of running in Jerez we are obviously heading in the right direction," Rosberg told the official Formula 1 website.

"Despite what people believe we weren't running in qualifying spec when he did his times - we still had a buffer. My running obviously was not so blessed.

"I only ran for 45 laps on the last day of the Jerez test because of a precautionary engine change. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do as many laps as I would have liked, but overall I see a development for the better and to get better every single lap counts."

Rosberg is sticking to his belief that Mercedes GP's focus at the moment is not on lap times – but in getting perfect reliability.

"One thing that should be made very clear is that this car that we've been running so far is not our Bahrain car. This car is here to improve reliability and do the maximum mileage possible. A big step will be introduced later in the test season."

When asked in what areas the car would be upgraded, he said: "I am sure many would like to know that answer. Let me put it this way - it will be in all areas of the car."

[ryans]

By the way, thanks for posting your news, views and opinions. Keep them comming.

With pleasure! There are very few things that I enjoy more than talking about Formula 1 over a good CC!

[ryans]

Ecclestone worried by Bahrain protest 'danger'

Formula 1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his fears over the ongoing riots in Bahrain, with it having emerged on Tuesday that anti-government protesters are now targeting next month’s season-opening race.

With the Arab world having witnessed protests of late in Tunisia and Egypt, Bahraini capital city Manama is currently the scene of numerous protests and violence which are also affecting proceedings ahead of this weekend’s GP2 Asia Series races.

Conflict has increased today, with police clashing with mourners at the funeral of a Shi'ite protestor who was shot dead during yesterday’s ‘Day of Rage’ demonstration; it is believed that today’s incident has resulted in the death of at least one person.

Ecclestone is now attempting to contact Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. "He is a bit busy, as you can imagine, so I don’t know yet exactly what is going on,” the 80-year-old explained to The Daily Telegraph.

“The danger is obvious, isn’t it? If these people wanted to make a fuss and get worldwide recognition it would be bloody easy, wouldn’t it? You start making a problem on the start grid in Bahrain and it would get worldwide coverage.”

When asked whether the race could be cancelled due to the protest threat, Ecclestone replied: “I have no idea. It’s hard to establish exactly what is going on. “As I say, I’m speaking with the Crown Prince later on. We’re watching events closely. We’ll rely on what they think the right thing to do is.

“He is a very realistic person. I have never had any problems in Bahrain in the past and I’m happy to walk around town there. But we don’t know now. The world is changing.”

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone worried by Bahrain protest 'danger'

Formula 1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his fears over the ongoing riots in Bahrain, with it having emerged on Tuesday that anti-government protesters are now targeting next month’s season-opening race.

With the Arab world having witnessed protests of late in Tunisia and Egypt, Bahraini capital city Manama is currently the scene of numerous protests and violence which are also affecting proceedings ahead of this weekend’s GP2 Asia Series races.

Conflict has increased today, with police clashing with mourners at the funeral of a Shi'ite protestor who was shot dead during yesterday’s ‘Day of Rage’ demonstration; it is believed that today’s incident has resulted in the death of at least one person.

Ecclestone is now attempting to contact Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. "He is a bit busy, as you can imagine, so I don’t know yet exactly what is going on,” the 80-year-old explained to The Daily Telegraph.

“The danger is obvious, isn’t it? If these people wanted to make a fuss and get worldwide recognition it would be bloody easy, wouldn’t it? You start making a problem on the start grid in Bahrain and it would get worldwide coverage.”

When asked whether the race could be cancelled due to the protest threat, Ecclestone replied: “I have no idea. It’s hard to establish exactly what is going on. “As I say, I’m speaking with the Crown Prince later on. We’re watching events closely. We’ll rely on what they think the right thing to do is.

“He is a very realistic person. I have never had any problems in Bahrain in the past and I’m happy to walk around town there. But we don’t know now. The world is changing.”

This sounds a little dangerous.

Even if Ecclestone decides the show will continue, I wonder if all the teams will head over to Bahrain for the opening race or will some opt to cancel?

[kgoings]

Definitely sounds scary...but I can't wait for the 11 season to start!