FORMULA 1 - 2016

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SAUBER GET TEMPORARY REPRIEVE FROM SWEDISH BACKERS

Sauber has bucked the speculation of their demise by travelling to Shanghai this week for the Chinese grand prix.

In obvious financial trouble, it was said F1’s Swiss team could have run out of money to be able to race in China, with staff also waiting for their March payments.

But international media sources say Sauber is definitely on site at the Shanghai International Circuit, the scene of this weekend’s racing.

The Swedish evening tabloid Expressen claims Sauber is secure at least for China and Russia – the next two races – thanks to driver Marcus Ericsson’s backers who have also paid team staff.

The report said the saviours are individuals connected to the Swedish companies Tetra Pak, a packaging company, and fashion brand H&M (Hennes & Mauritz). But Ericsson’s manager, Eje Elgh, would not confirm the news.

“I have to question the credibility of the information that is grabbed completely from the air,” he told the Swedish broadcaster Viasat.

“The project of Marcus Ericsson has nothing to do with either Hennes & Mauritz or Tetra Pak,” Elgh added.

“I cannot comment on Sauber’s financial situation because I have no knowledge of it. I just know that they are working hard to solve the problems.”

“The fact that the team is now in China to prepare in the best way for the weekend is proof that they are going to solve the crisis that has been around for some time,” he said.

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INDIAN CRIME AGENCY WANTS MALLYA’S PASSPORT REVOKED

India’s financial crimes agency revealed it has asked the government to revoke Vijay Mallya’s passport, after the indebted tycoon failed to appear before investigators in connection with a loan fraud probe.

After issuing three summonses for the 60-year-old liquor baron, who is believed to be in the UK, the Enforcement Directorate has now turned to the country’s foreign ministry for assistance.

The founder of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines is also being chased by a group of mostly state-run banks over $1.34 billion in unpaid loans.

“We’ve made a request for that (Mallya’s passport to be revoked). He is not complying with the summons which we have issued,” an Enforcement Directorate spokesman told AFP.

“It appears he is deliberately trying to avoid coming back. Once his passport is revoked, the country he is staying in should deport him.”

Mallya, who has not been charged with any crime, is being sought by the agency in connection with an alleged case of loan fraud involving state-run IDBI Bank in Mumbai.

IDBI allegedly made loans to Kingfisher Airlines despite knowing it was suffering financial troubles, leading the bank to sustain losses of nine billion rupees ($135 million). The airline ceased operations in 2012.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation registered an initial case against Mallya in October 2015, prompting the financial crimes agency to launch a probe.

Separately, the banks chasing Mallya over his unpaid debts last week turned down his offer to repay $600 million by the end of September.

The Supreme Court has ordered the embattled tycoon to disclose his total assets, as well as those of his wife and children, by April 21.

Mallya, a member of parliament, left the country on March 2 on a diplomatic passport, the Press Trust of India said. Despite his absence he continues to tweet regularly on topics including Formula One – he owns a stake in the Force India F1 team – and cricket.

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MICK SCHUMACHER NOT THINKING OF F1 YET

Mick Schumacher’s manager has played down any talk the 17-year-old might soon be ready for formula one.

Mick, the son of the F1 legend and seven time world champion Michael, kicked off a busy schedule in Formula 4 this year with two wins last weekend.

The German made his single-seater debut last year but Sabine Kehm, who doubles as Michael and Mick’s manager, opted against pushing the youngster into F3 this year.

“He is now a year older, has more experience, is focused and has become stronger mentally,” she is quoted by Focus. “Therefore, we believe it is a good thing for him to do another year of Formula 4.”

Last year, Max Verstappen famously made his F1 debut as a 17-year-old, stepping straight out of European F3 – surely Schumacher’s next move – to grand prix stardom.

But Kehm said of Mick Schumacher: “Formula one is, of course, somewhere far away, for all of these (Formula 4) guys. It is not an issue that plays a role in our everyday work and thinking. It is still too far away for that.”

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Chinese karting star joins Renault young driver academy

15-year-old Chinese karting ace Sun Yue Yang has joined Renault F1’s young driver academy, becoming its fifth member.

Jack Aitken, Louis Deletraz, Kevin Jorg and Oliver Rowland were previously confirmed at the Renault Driver Academy earlier this season.

The Shanghai-born racing driver is currently fifth in the World Series Karting Champions Cup and also competes in the WSK Super Master Series.

Fred Vasseur, Racing Director of Renault Sport Racing, said: "The Renault Sport Academy is a highly beneficial tool for young drivers," said racing director Fred Vasseur.

"We aim to turn each Academy driver into an elite athlete, capable of performing to his or her absolute best.

"The Academy is also a tool for the Renault markets to better engage with motorsport within their own regions.

"We are pleased and proud to give Renault China the opportunity through the Academy to bring Yue Yang through the ranks.

"Yue Yang has shown strong potential in WSK to, with the right preparation, work his way to Formula 1. The opportunities for both Yue Yang and Renault China to benefit from this partnership are huge."

A Chinese driver has never raced in Formula 1, with Ma Qing Hua being the only person to participate in a grand prix weekend, taking part in four first practice sessions.

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Rosberg: I know I can win in China

Aiming for his sixth successive victory, Drivers' Championship leader Nico Rosberg is confident that he can secure another race win at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver convincingly claimed P1 at the Australian and Bahrain Grands Prix, despite his teammate Lewis Hamilton qualifying in pole position for both.

His closest rivals along with Hamilton include Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, who all suffered blunders at various points during the first two races of the season.

"It's great to start the season in such a positive way," the 30-year-old told crash.net.

"But I'm just taking things step by step, race by race and targeting a lot more wins to come. It's important to enjoy times like these.

"I feel very privileged to drive the best car on the grid for the third year in a row and I intend to make the most of it."

The German also looked back at the fond memories he has had in Shanghai and hopes his the track will be good to him once again.

"I'm going to China now knowing I can fight for the win, which is a great feeling to have," he explained.

"It's especially good in this instance too, as Shanghai is a track with good memories for me.

"I took my first pole and win there back in 2012, so I head into this weekend on a massive high. I'm looking forward to the next battle. We haven't seen the real Ferrari yet, so it could be a very exciting season ahead."

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Lewis Hamilton hit with five-place grid penalty for Chinese GP

Lewis Hamilton will take a five-place grid penalty for the Chinese Grand Prix as the result of a gearbox change.

In the aftermath of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes discovered that the world champion's gearbox had sustained damage.

Following inspection of the unit in China on Wednesday, it was decided that it should be replaced rather than an attempt made to try to get it through another race weekend.

A team spokesman also said that taking the penalty for China was deemed a better route because the Shanghai circuit is a good venue for overtaking.

"This is the best circuit to do so in the first six race cycle as overtaking is easier here compared to the coming tracks, so the overall impact of the grid penalty is judged to be less here in Shanghai," he said.

Hamilton has taken pole position for the first two races of the season, but his team mate Nico Rosberg has won both races.

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Emerson Fittipaldi sets record straight on TV show “scandal”

In an exclusive interview, motorsport legend Emerson Fittipaldi tells Motorsport.com about his financial situation, and the recent TV show in Brazil that he feels has tarnished his reputation.

A two-time Formula 1 World Champion with Lotus and McLaren. Twice a winner of the Indianapolis 500, and a CART Indy car champion. Emerson Fittipaldi is a giant of motorsport.

But a recent TV show in Brazil showed racing cars and trophies being removed from his museum due to business debts being owed. Fittipaldi has been very clear about his group’s financial situation, and does not deny there have been problems that he is working hard to resolve.

But he is far from alone in this regard, as the Brazilian economy has been hit by recession and high interest rates.

He points out too that his assets are larger than his debts, so this is far from a bankruptcy issue, as has been suggested. His group is also working on having the cars returned to their museum – hopefully some time in the next week.

Fittipaldi visited the Motorsport.com HQ in Miami and spoke with Editor in Chief Charles Bradley to set the record straight in his own words.

Here’s what he had to say…

Integrity under attack, but fans support him

“I was very disappointed that a TV show on a Sunday night used my name and my image to promote their ratings – that’s the conclusion I’ve made,” he said. “To me it seemed that it was orchestrated to demoralise my integrity, my image that I’ve created over 40 years of racing internationally.

“First, I want to say thanks for the thousands of messages of support I’ve received from racing fans from all over the world, to support me and my friends and sponsors,” he added. “They know me, they know my integrity, they know the way I work. I’m working hard to recover, to take care of the situation.

“Many people don’t understand that after F1, I took Indy car racing to Brazil, and the Le Mans-style 6 Hours events at Interlagos – which I believe is a fantastic championship – I put a lot money into that and lost a lot of money on the three events in Brazil.

“The last one, we had an incredible event and I drove the Ferrari 458. I had a lot of fun, it was a very positive event – but I’d already lost a lot of sponsors before that race. On the marketing side, Brazil was backing off due to the economic situation – and we suffered from those circumstances.”

A hard-earned reputation

“I want to tell the racing fans, through Motorsport.com, that when I started racing in Brazil, my father was a racing journalist,” said Fittipaldi. “I started out building racing steering wheels, go karts, Formula Vee and prototypes to sell to fund myself and my brother.

“We come from a very honest family, had very good education via my father. We worked very hard to achieve what we did. When I went to race in England, starting in Formula Ford, it was very tough in the beginning. Dennis Rowland was preparing my engine, and during the week I would polish cylinder-heads as a mechanic. Nothing happened easy in my life, I always worked very hard.

“It was my results with Lotus and Colin Chapman that meant we had our first Brazilian Grand Prix in 1973. Brazil was a new country to racing back then, but then we had Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, and now to Felipe Massa – all that fantastic history in Grand Prix racing.

“I was the pioneer, along with my brother and Carlos Pace, three Brazilian drivers who worked very hard to create this passion for motor racing. And now they destroy my image after so many years, and so much reputation.”

Hard times in business back home

“Everyone knows that Brazil has its problems, and that I’m going through a very difficult financial time within my group,” said Fittipaldi. “But we are still there, we are slowly solving these issues. Step by step we are recovering our situation.

“I believe in Brazil as a country. I love Brazil. I love the Brazilian people. I invested a lot of money in an ethanol refinery in Brazil. I was one of the biggest investors in the beginning of the ethanol flex-fuel cars in Brazil.

“I, along with big investors and multi-national companies, had expectation that the ethanol price was going to be enough per litre that you could pay back the investment. But the government established a price that was very difficult for any refinery to survive. Today in just the state of Sao Paulo, there is between five and eight refineries in Chapter 11 [filing for bankruptcy].

“Brazil is the perfect country for ethanol from sugar cane. The flex-fuel car technology was developed by Bosch and Magneti Marelli, so you could put any fuel in and the car would drive, or you could mix 50/50. Brazilian industry invested a lot to develop this, and what happened? They used the private investors like me, and just there I lost 7 million Real ($2.1m). That’s a lot of money, and was the beginning of my problems.

“This is what I call a lack of governance, the lack of commitment for a project that would have developed the countryside. Instead, the Brazilian money has gone to buy oil from the Arabs and other countries. That money could have stayed in Brazil. That money would have circulated, which would lead to better infrastructure. I’d call it a disaster of governance. As a result, my group started to suffer.

“And then there is the banks. Just to give an idea, the cheapest rate you can get for a business loan is about 20 percent per year. How can you do business where you need to pay back 20 percent?

“It is symptomatic of the problems in Brazil. It has the most expensive banking rates in the world. And the Brazilian people do not deserve that, and while the banks make huge profits the country is suffering. It affects me, and thousands of other business people – it’s like chaos.”

A new future for Brazil?

“I’d like to finish by saying thank God there is a guy like Sergio Moro, a very young judge in Brazil who I have a lot of admiration and respect for [Moro has prosecuted in a series of high-profile scandals of corruption and bribery in both government and business]. He is doing so much for Brazil, he is confronting all the corruptions – and as we speak, I believe this is to a level like nowhere else on the planet, in the history of the planet. Billions and billions of dollars of corruption, which is systematic in Brazil, it’s become the culture in Brazil. Every day he discovers something new.

“This judge is going to help the future generations, give them a new level of how to behave in business. I hope there becomes a new mentality, which will allow Brazil the opportunity to take off. The country has fantastic potential.

“We are 200 million people who work hard. If all this money from corruption which goes out from Brazil could stay in the country, then we could build a new infrastructure – get better hospitals and schools.

“It’s a chain of corruption, and it has to be broken. We could have a much better Brazil. We deserve a better country for our people. The new generation of politics has to work for the country, not for themselves.”

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Interview: How Manor has got its Formula 1 groove back

Manor's attention-grabbing start to 2016 has given the team its self-belief back, but race director Dave Ryan knows that its job is far from done yet.

After a winter of restructuring and a switch to Mercedes power, Manor has impressed in the first two races of the year, even though it has missed out on points.

In Australia, Pascal Wehrlein pulled off a sensational start to fight in the midfield before tyre degradation dropped him down the order.

While in Bahrain, his star performance in qualifying, and then a fraught battle for the top 10 on Sunday, grabbed media attention – and some radio comments from Kevin Magnussen who labelled his car 'a rocket.'

Winter change

It is a world away from a very difficult 2015 campaign that Manor endured, where it was pegged to the back of the grid with its year old car.

For Ryan, who joined the team at the end of last season, the early 2016 progress is hugely encouraging but there is no sitting back and expecting things to automatically stay like this for the rest of the campaign.

"We are not getting too carried away," he told Motorsport.com. "We have a lot of work to do yet. And the focus of everyone in the offices, and back at base: everyone wants to improve.

"It is like anything: if you can see a bit of light, a bit of improvement, then suddenly motivation increases and everyone understands there is an opportunity here.

"The team in its previous guise, it was hard work for them. But what last year enabled them to do was to go into a holding pattern and prepare for this year – with Luca [Furbatto] and John [McQuilliam] driving the design side, it has enabled them to put a pretty good car together.

"So now we have to operate that car to the best of our ability."

Room for improvement

Ryan, who spent 35 years with McLaren, is not the kind of man who will sit back and let any opportunity to improve go missing.

He knows that while a lot of progress has been made over the winter, there is still a mountain to climb if Manor is going to become a regular midfield contender.

Those improvements have to come from both updating its car and in lifting other operational aspects of its team.

"We do need to develop the car, but to get the best out of the car we do need to maximise the performance of what we have got – and the tools around it.

"It is things like pit stops. Our pit stops are pretty good but they are not where they need to be. If you look at that, we can gain a little bit of time there.

"We just need to be honest with ourselves and say: this isn't good enough, that isn't good enough, and we must work on them.

"We need the self belief that we can improve, and we have got that now."

Driver promise

Although Wehrlein has had a great deal of praise heaped on him after his starring performances in Australia and Bahrain, Ryan is not get over-excited about what he has seen.

For while acknowledging the potential that the young German has, he reckons there is still plenty of room for him to improve.

"Let's not label Pascal a superstar just yet," said Ryan. "What Pascal has brought to the team, as has Rio, they have bought a belief, a load of enthusiasm and a load of talent.

"They have learned, and certainly Pascal has learned, how to be humble and how to create a team around them.

"He is not the complete package but he has got all the ingredients. But he needs to develop as well. He has got a big task ahead of him, as has Rio.

"They are both very much a part of this team and they are going to be part of how we develop as a team. We will only be as good as the input we get from the drivers and the direction we get.

"That is a lot to ask of a couple of young guys, but so far there are all very good signs."

New challenge

Ryan admits that he too is relishing his new role in F1, both in terms of seeing progress but also in bringing on a new generation of engineers who will lead F1 in the future.

"It is different. But I am enjoying it," he said. "I never thought I would enjoy sitting down talking to the likes of you, but I am enjoying it. That side of isn't a problem for me...

"For me it is a great experience: working with young engineers and watching them be challenged, and see how they work around it.

"Also having good drivers on board, having the ability to get other people, bring them into the team and see the change they make. We are only as good as the people we have got.

"There will be peaks and troughs and times when it is not going to go well. So we are not putting all our eggs in one basket, and say we have cracked it.

"What we are saying is that there are signs of improvement. It looks like it is going to the right way, and everyone seems positive.

"We have got the best engine in the paddock and the support we get from Mercedes is unbelievably positive, and the Williams transmission is working really, really well. Everyone on that side is really positive. It is a win-win.

"We just have to deliver. And I think we can."

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Haas can't expect to finish fifth every weekend - Steiner

Haas F1 boss Gunther Steiner says the team is still able to manage expectations despite earning unexpectedly good results in its first two races.

Romain Grosjean finished sixth in Australia and fifth in Bahrain, but Steiner stresses it won't always be so easy to earn points.

“I think we are still managing expectations,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com. “I think fifth and sixth are a little bit over-achieving, we know that, it's not that we are dreaming now that we are fifth or sixth all the time. But we can aim for points.

“There is no expectation that if we're not in the points we're upset. But every day when we get up we try to get in the points, and then the points will come.

"There will be days where we go away without points, when we are in the midfield. Again, to be fifth or sixth every time, that doesn't happen.”

Steiner admits that while the team has got strategy calls right in the first two races, it cannot expect to do that every weekend.

“It's a combination of everybody. It's a combination if the team, you take the data, you take the experience – we've got experienced people. We figure it out, and then we decide on it.

"We did two out two, we didn't do 21 out of 21 yet, we'll mess some up!

"We have to be careful in saying we are now geniuses. In strategy we got two right, which is very good, but we need to get 21 right. We know we'll mess some up as well.”

Haas development can match fellow midfielders

Meanwhile, Steiner remains confident that the team can keep up with its immediate rivals in the development race.

“The teams we are fighting, I think they have a very similar development plan like us, We are not competing with the Red Bulls, with the Ferraris, with the Mercedes.

"We are competing with the midfield, which is in our league in development rate, in money rate, so I hope we can keep up with them.

“For sure we will bring developments - how many, we will see. We'll just put them on the car when we know that we have found something.

"We are not desperate just to make parts, put them on, and then find out at the race track it was actually no development, we are the same, but we spent a million dollars. I don't think we want to go down that route.

“And what I think as well is by learning this car we can still go quicker with this car, we haven't discovered everything. Experienced teams, at the second race they have taken out everything they've got. I don't think we have done that, we still have some work to do there.”

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Nico Rosberg pokes fun at Bernie Ecclestone's 'windbags' jibe

Nico Rosberg has made a light-hearted reference to Bernie Ecclestone labelling F1 drivers "windbags" after a meal with his fellow competitors in China.

Last month the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) penned an open later raising concerns about F1's governance structure. F1 boss Ecclestone was not impressed by the GPDA statement, first correcting the grammar of its letter in his reply, which asked drivers to come forward with suggestions, before making a series of statements about how drivers should not dictate the rules of F1.

Last week he said drivers should not be allowed to talk, while some reports also had him calling F1 drivers "windbags". In actuality Ecclestone was responding to a question of whether he considered drivers to be "windbags", to which he replied: "Some of them are". He has also said F1 drivers "don't even pay the bill" when he takes them out for dinner.

Presumably one or more of them did on Wednesday, however, after Rosberg and several others shared a picture of 18 drivers, including Force India test pilot Alfonso Celis, around a dinner table. Rosberg's post also contained the cheeky disclaimer: "#racingunited or in Bernie's words #windbagsunited".

MIKA: Great picture

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Chinese GP: Mercedes: First pit stop could be inside five laps

Mercedes technical executive director Paddy Lowe says due to the heavy duty stress placed on tyres by the Shanghai International Circuit and the first-time use of the super-softs in China teams may be forced to pit within the first five laps.

Due to the new tyre regulations for 2016 teams and drivers have been given more freedom on tyre selection and with the red-banded super-softs set to be run in Q3 for qualifying the cars at the front may go into the race on tyres with an incredibly short life expectancy.

With the extreme workload placed on tyres due to the circuit layout and predicted weather conditions, Lowe believes cars starting on super-softs may have to pit very early in the race which is set to further complicate the already diverse race strategies seen in Australia and Bahrain.

“The Shanghai circuit places an entirely different duty on tyres relative to Melbourne and Bahrain,” Lowe explained. “However, we have the same three compounds available, so it will be interesting to see how the competitive order plays out.

“It's the first time we'll see the super-soft compound used at this track, thanks to the new regulations, and that will likely create a more extreme example of what we saw in Bahrain, where the best qualifying tyre is unlikely to be a great race tyre.

“Every team is bound to want to qualify on the super-soft - but if it grains in the race, we could see cars stopping in the first five laps.”

As a result of this prediction, Lowe says Mercedes is set to complete simulation runs on Friday on each compound with emphasis on the super-soft tyre life to make a decision for qualifying and race strategy.

“What makes this all the more difficult for the teams is the unpredictability of the conditions,” he added. “It can be quite warm in Shanghai - but it can also be as cool as Belgium. That variability can make life tricky in terms of both setup and strategy work, so it's always a challenging weekend.”

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JACKIE STEWART: I PROPOSE THAT MERCEDES LEAVES F1

Motorsport legend Sir Jackie Stewart says that if he was running Mercedes, he would pull the German carmaker out of Formula 1.

Mercedes has utterly dominated in the ‘power unit’ era that began in 2014, so the triple world champion and F1 legend thinks it is time for a strategy change.

“I believe Mercedes will win both titles again this year,” Stewart told Globo Esporte. “But if I was a member of the decision-making group, I would propose that Mercedes leaves F1, as they once did in a similar situation.”

“I would stay as an engine supplier and make it available to those who want it, as Ford did with Cosworth. Everyone will want it and so the Mercedes name will continue to win.

“The Ford-Cosworth was champion with us,” added Stewart, referring to his title-winning days with Matra and Tyrrell, “but today everyone remembers Ford-Cosworth as they also won with McLaren, Williams, Lotus.”

Stewart, 76, argues that his proposal would be a good idea, as eventually the works Mercedes will be beaten by a rival like Ferrari.

“And I don’t think the (Daimler) board will like to see that. Mercedes is a global brand with a high reputation in the motoring world,” he said.

Imagining a conversation at a Mercedes board meeting, Stewart continued: “Gentlemen, how much does F1 cost us? Ok, money is not a problem because we have major sponsors, but don’t forget the risk that we will be beaten by Ferrari, Red Bull or someone else.

“Maybe I’m the only one who thinks this way, but that’s exactly what I would do. It would be good not only for Mercedes but also F1,” Stewart told the respected Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio.

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Pirelli releases wind tunnel tyres to F1 teams

Pirelli has released its wind tunnel tyres to Formula 1 teams in a move which will allow them to push on unhindered with their 2017 designs.

With Pirelli's official contract to be F1's tyre supplier from 2017 to 2019 still not signed off by the FIA, the Italian company had been reluctant to release the wind tunnel designs in case of any last minute issues.

Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery had said in Bahrain: “We will provide the wind tunnel tyres when the agreement has been signed by the FIA.”

However, with the contract and plans to sort out a 2017 testing programme now close to being finalised, sources have revealed that Pirelli has, as a gesture to teams, decided to distribute the tyres.

Testing plans

Pirelli is hoping that the FIA contract can be sorted out imminently, but is equally eager to ensure that the testing plans get finalised as a matter of urgency.

It hopes to be able to get hold of a V8-powered car to begin early evaluation work on 2017 tyre designs, prior to running a more updated chassis later in the year.

Speaking earlier this month, Hembery made it clear that there are now time pressures to get the testing situation finalised – and agreement will need to be in place in the next few weeks if Pirelli is going to be able to provide 2017 tyres.

"In practice, we are at the limit already," he told Motorsport.com. "There are only six months of work left in order to study and implement the whole thing, and it's not easy.

"The teams want a perfect tyre but week after week it is becoming less and less feasible. Our deadline is [the end of] April.

"If we can not work as we want, it becomes impossible to deliver what is required of us. We do not want to put our name at risk for the sake of not having the tests nor information necessary to do a good job.

"We have already seen that if then there are problems, then it is our fault."

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VETTEL: NO REASONS FOR CONCERN OR PANIC

Sebastian Vettel says it is understandable Ferrari has faltered as it bids to catch up with dominant Mercedes.

In the opening two races, Kimi Raikkonen’s car failed in Australia while Vettel did not even make it to the Bahrain starting grid.

“Both were new problems and we understood the causes,” Vettel told media in Shanghai on Thursday. “We are sure we have solved them.”

Asked if reliability is sometimes the price of rapid development in F1, Speed Week quotes the quadruple world champion as saying: “Indeed. “To catch up to the top, we need to make larger steps. If we make some mistakes it’s not dramatic, the important thing is how to react and ensure they are not repeated.”

When asked if Ferrari’s problems so far this year mean the 2016 title is already gone, Vettel answered, “No. We still have plenty of time, it’s a very long season. There are no reasons for concern or panic,” he added.

“I’ve said many times that this car allows us to ‘play’ more than last year’s car. I believe the potential is there, it is only a question of getting all the ingredients together.”

“It’s no big secret that this year we didn’t have the start to the season that we had hoped for, but it is still very early in the season and the two failures we had, with Kimi in Australia and with myself in Bahrain, are related to two completely different reasons.”

“In the case of my car, we have understood that a small electronic bug caused a big problem. So we had to change the engine for this race, but I am not overly concerned, since we have found the reason for the failure.”

“I am confident that we can still take the fight to the Mercedes this year,” concluded Vettel ahead of the race in Shanghai which he has only won once, in 2009 with Red Bull.

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GROSJEAN: IT IS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF JEALOUSY

Romain Grosjean dismissed criticism of Haas F1 team’s approach to entering Formula 1 as little more than jealousy.

Some critics say the new American team has scored points in its first two races only because it is basically the Ferrari-B operation.

But Frenchman Grosjean said in Shanghai: “We are working no closer with Ferrari than Lotus did last year with Mercedes.

“They’re saying we are only an offshoot of Ferrari, but that is just untrue,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

“We are an independent team, albeit with a new approach. If you look at our wings, the sidepods, the nose, this is not a Ferrari, it is a Haas.

“Sure, we have many parts from Ferrari, which saves us a lot of trouble, but the rest is Haas,” Grosjean insisted.

He admitted, for example, that some Ferrari-like characteristics can be seen in the 2016 Haas, such as its kindness to the Pirelli tyres.

“It is no coincidence,” Grosjean is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “We have the same gearbox and the same rear suspension.”

But when asked about the criticism of Haas’ approach, Grosjean answered: “It is mostly because of jealousy.

“I see basically two views about our team. Claire Williams has said it is good for a new team, particularly one from America, to be successful.

“It may also encourage others to enter F1, as I think the fans would prefer to see 24, 26 cars on the grid.

“On the other hand there are those who just have not been as successful as us, saying our approach has nothing to do with F1. But that’s not true, we are all in formula one. We just have a different approach,” he added.

MIKA: “I see basically two views about our team. Claire Williams has said it is good for a new team, particularly one from America, to be successful. - But its Pat Symmonds from the same team, Williams who is most critical about HAAS in recent news...

Grosjean is right, it is jealousy. Pat Symmonds after all was in part responsible for asking Nelson Piquet, Jr. to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix in order to manufacture a situation which would assist team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race. Jealousy and greed were the driving forces behind that decision too.

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ALONSO DECLARED PROVISIONALLY FIT TO RACE IN CHINA

Fernando Alonso has been provisionally cleared to compete in the Chinese Grand Prix after being ruled out of the previous race in Bahrain due to injuries sustained in a crash in Australia last month.

The FIA said on Thursday, after the McLaren driver underwent tests at the Shanghai circuit, that the medical delegate considered him “provisionally fit to take part”.

The statement added, however, that the double world champion would have to undergo a further examination immediately after Friday’s first free practice session “to determine his further eligibility”.

Alonso sat out the race in Bahrain after failing a medical following an horrific accident in the March 20 season-opener in Melbourne that left him with fractured ribs and the risk of a collapsed lung.

He was replaced by Belgian reserve Stoffel Vandoorne who made his F1 debut and scored McLaren’s only point so far this season in 10th place.

Alonso told reporters in Shanghai he felt ready but would accept whatever decision the doctors made.

“The first one I want to be 100 percent is me because it’s my safety. I feel 100 percent, I guess they will feel that I’m 100 percent,” he said.

“The normal thing will be to check after the first session that I feel okay because Formula One is a very unique sport. After the first couple of laps I will also feel if it’s okay from my side and if it’s okay from their side.”

Alonso is one of two drivers, the other being team mate Jenson Button of Britain, to have finished every Chinese Grand Prix since it first appeared on the calendar in 2004. He has won it twice, in 2005 with Renault and 2013 for Ferrari.

“In Bahrain I was mentally 100 percent ready to race but physically I had a lot of pain,” added Alonso who has returned to his normal training routine.

“Now the situation has improved a lot and I’m mentally 120 percent but physically I’m also 100 percent with no pain, at least in the last couple of days.”

Alonso collided at speed with the Haas of Mexican Esteban Gutierrez in Australia, his McLaren barrel-rolling through the air before coming to rest upside down against the barriers in a mangled heap.

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DRIVERS HELPED F1 AXE QUALIFYING CLAIMS ROSBERG

Formula 1 drivers played a role in the scrapping of the unpopular ‘musical chairs’ qualifying format which the FIA introduced for the first two races of the season.

That is the view of Nico Rosberg, who went out on a limb on Wednesday by aiming fire at Bernie Ecclestone’s description of the drivers as “windbags”.

18 drivers had got together for an ultra-rare collective dinner in Shanghai on Wednesday night, but championship leader Rosberg insisted on Thursday that the drivers were not making another “message”.

“But of course, we love our sport and want it to be the biggest and the coolest that it can be,” said the Mercedes driver.

“I think it’s great that we are able to hold together in these moments, not only for fun but to discuss matters,” Rosberg is quoted by Speed Week.

“Take for instance this (musical chairs) qualifying. We have gone back to the old system and we might have a small share in it as we expressed our opinion in such a unified and strong way,” he added.

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Fourth in the championship still realistic for Force India - Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg says fourth place in the constructors’ standings is still a realistic target for the Force India team, despite a tough start to 2016.

The Silverstone-based outfit is currently seventh in the championship with six points, scored thanks to Hulkenberg’s seventh place at the season opener in Australia.

Force India suffered a difficult race in Bahrain after early pit stops for both Hulkenberg and his team-mate Sergio Perez, finishing 15th and 16th.

"No, I feel it’s still realistic,” when asked in the FIA press conference on Thursday if Force India has changed its 2016 targets. "It’s tough and it's a big challenge but you know our first two race also were compromised.

"In Melbourne we still got away with good points, but the red flag definitely cost us. And obviously Bahrain was a very poor day for us – having a lap one incident and then being offset on strategy and being in traffic, offset with tyre life compared to everybody else made it really difficult.

"Had that not happened for sure we were in a points scoring position and I think we could have challenged for sixth or seventh position again.

"There are good signs. It’s still early day in this season, so I think and I feel there’s still more to come from us."

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Raikkonen: Quite a bit of work to do on reliability at Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari has "quite a bit of work" to do on reliability after suffering two retirements during the opening rounds of the 2016 F1 season.

The Finnish driver was forced out of the first race in Australia after a turbo issue, which caused a fire in the airbox of his Ferrari SF16-H.

Meanwhile team-mate Sebastian Vettel failed to start the last race in Bahrain due to a valve failure. The German driver finished third at the season opener, while Raikkonen finished second in Sakhir.

Raikkonen is pleased with the speed of the car but admits the Maranello-based outfit still has lots to improve on in terms of reliability.

“We’re still positive about what the team has built over winter, that hasn’t changed at all,” he said in Thursday’s FIA press conference.

“Obviously it hasn’t been ideal, the first two races, for us as a team. We had two podiums but two not scored, not finished. That’s not what we want. There is quite a bit of work to be done on that side – but the speed is there.

“Not in qualifying exactly – if you take the last qualifying in the last race. Until that it was pretty OK. I think we have a good package, we just have to improve it and make it even better but, the car has improved in all areas: it’s not just one thing that has improved over the winter.

“Still not as good as we want to be, not the best that we wanted to be – but this is definitely a good car and we go from there. But there’s always things to improve and do things better.”

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Hamilton excited by challenge of starting from sixth or lower

Lewis Hamilton says his five-place grid penalty for the Chinese Grand Prix excites him as he knows he will have to battle his way through the field if he's to limit further damage to his championship hopes.

Hamilton currently sits 17 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the standings following poor starts from pole at both the Australian and Bahrain grands prix which have seen him finish second and third respectively.

The prospect of starting sixth or lower doesn't concern the Briton, who is relishing the challenge at a circuit he's always done well at.

"It's a challenge, and I enjoy that," he is quoted as saying by Motorsport. "Of course when you hear on the Wednesday morning that you're arriving at the weekend with a penalty already, of course that changes the approach to the weekend, that changes the mindset.

"For me a challenge is an opportunity to rise, so I'm really excited about the opportunity, from where I'm going to start hopefully in the best possible position with the penalty.

"I love racing, and it's a race this weekend, rather than be at the front and have less of a race."

Hamilton admits the penalty makes Rosberg's life a bit easier, but he isn't ruling out a win of his own this weekend.

"It is going to be an easy weekend for Nico for sure. Most likely it will be an easier weekend for him.

"But it doesn't mean I can't give him a good run for his money from wherever I start. I'll be pushing as hard as I can... It doesn't mean I can't win the race still, which is my thought process, rather than damage limitation."

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Williams have fallen further behind Mercedes, Ferrari - Bottas

Valtteri Bottas believes Williams has fallen further behind frontrunners Mercedes and Ferrari and should brace itself for a "tough year".

Bottas qualified 1.660 seconds adrift of Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain - double the gap a year previously - whilst Felipe Massa's deficit in Australia was the same, leading Bottas to believe the gap between them, Ferrari and Mercedes has increased, pushing Williams back toward Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

"It’s been quite a tough first couple of races, especially for me with the unlucky things happening. I’m just looking forward to getting a nice clean weekend and seeing what kind of results we can actually do with a proper weekend," said Bottas on Thursday.

"But it seems that it’s going to be a really tough year for us, very close. Ferrari and Mercedes are definitely more far away now than the last two years so that’s unfortunate. But we just need to keep trying, getting closer.

"After them we are in that field of a few teams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, they seem to be very close. So every single bit we can improve this season is going to make a big difference."

Meanwhile Bottas is interested to see how Williams performs in the wet - an area of concern last year - with rain expected during qualifying on Saturday.

"I think we haven’t really seen how competitive we are in the wet yet," he added. "That would be nice to see if we’ve made any progress because it’s been something we’ve been struggling for the last two years, so we will see."

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Mercedes unsure of Shanghai strategy

Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe has admitted that this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix will be a strategic test for the teams.

Super-soft tyres will be available at Shanghai for the first time, but teams are unable to run them for more than five laps during the race.

Furthermore, drivers who qualify in Q3 on super soft tyres in the dry will be forced to start the race with them too, although the regulations are more relaxed for mixed weather conditions.

It all makes for a complicated process of deciding strategy, and Lowe has said it's not possible to plan for all eventualities.

“The Shanghai circuit places an entirely different duty on tyres relative to Melbourne and Bahrain,” he said.

“However, we have the same three compounds available, so it will be interesting to see how the competitive order plays out.

“It’s the first time we’ll see the super-soft compound used at this track, thanks to the new regulations, and that will likely create a more extreme example of what we saw in Bahrain, where the best qualifying tyre is unlikely to be a great race tyre.

“Every team is bound to want to qualify on the super-soft – but if it grains in the race, we could see cars stopping in the first five laps. There will be plenty of analysis to do on Friday and we could see some interesting calls on qualifying and race strategy.”

“What makes this all the more difficult for the teams is the unpredictability of the conditions. It can be quite warm in Shanghai – but it can also be as cool as Belgium.”

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Wet qualifying session expected in Shanghai

A large band of rain will reach Shanghai late on tomorrow and is likely to create wet conditions for Saturday’s qualifying session.

Dry and fairly warm conditions are expected for the first two practice sessions at the Shanghai International Circuit on Friday. But in the evening rain will arrive from the east and linger for the next 24 hours.

This will be persistent drizzle rather than a downpour. It will build slightly in intensity throughout the day but the 3pm qualifying session is expected to miss the heaviest rainfall.

The dull, cloudy conditions will persist into Sunday but the drivers will be spared any further rain. Temperatures for race day will be slightly lower, peaking at around 20C, some two degrees cooler than Saturday.

Although the air temperature will be only slightly cooler than during last year’s race the cloud cover should keep the track temperatures from reaching the 47C high seen in this race 12 months ago.

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Analysis: Does F1 still need faster cars in 2017?

After Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W07 smashed the qualifying lap record in Bahrain, is Formula 1 right to continue pushing for a significant speed increase for 2017?

Formula 1's quest to deliver cars that are up to five seconds per lap faster in 2017 has already prompted concerns from drivers about the impact extra downforce will have on overtaking.

But beyond that, an intriguing reduction in lap times this year – that has finally allowed the hybrid generation of machinery to beat some old records – has more recently added a fresh dynamic to the debate about whether or not next year's changes are needed.

After all, if Lewis Hamilton was able to beat an 11-year-old outright benchmark (set by Mark Webber in a practice session in 2005) in Bahrain, there is a strong argument to suggest that the current cars are plenty fast enough anyway.

But are the Saturday performances telling the true story of where the current generation of cars stack up against previous machinery in the speed stakes? Below we take a look at the data.

Hamilton records

With the fiasco surrounding elimination qualifying dominating the Saturday agenda over the first two races of the season, the pace of 2016 F1 cars has been somewhat overlooked.

Just two years on from the new hybrid turbo cars being criticised for being too slow – which prompted the 2017 shake-up – developments to engines, aerodynamics and tyres have delivered a dramatic step forward in pace.

Taking the Bahrain Grand Prix as an example, the pole position time has come down by more than three seconds in just two years.

In 2014, Nico Rosberg sealed the front spot of the grid with 1m33.185s. Last year, Lewis Hamilton took the top spot with 1m32.571s, while earlier this month the Briton's top time was 1m29.493s.

That brilliant Saturday evening lap was significantly 0.034s clear of the previous best ever lap set by Webber in practice in 2005 (qualifying times were not outstanding that year due to the single lap shoot-out format plus race fuel levels of fuel).

So with F1 back at the previous performance tweaks, is there a need for them to be quicker?

Actually, yes.

Race pace

One of the impetuses that made F1 chiefs look at the performance of F1 cars was that drivers bemoaned the lack of a challenge.

The need to conserve tyres and fuel had turned grands prix from what were once flat-out sprints from lights to flag into what some claimed were Sunday economy runs.

And while the single lap pace of 2016 machinery has shown that hybrid cars can be quick, a review of historical data shows they are still lacking when it comes to races – especially in the early stages.

This decline in race performance is something that Kimi Raikkonen highlighted as one of the big differences between the pace of cars back in 2005 and now.

“They are obviously, completely different things,” he said. “In 2005 we had qualifying, we run the fuel that we run in the race. You cannot compare as it is a long time ago.

But obviously the thing is that one lap we can be quite fast but [in the race] we will put the car with the lot of fuel and all the rest we are a lot, lot slower, so that’s where the big difference is between 10 years ago and now. The race times are nowhere near what we used to do.”

2005 comparison

A quick look at the early race pace of this year's Bahrain Grand Prix and how it was in 2005 shows exactly what Raikkonen is referring to.

For the first 10 laps of the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, which Alonso started with his first load of fuel that he had qualified with, his laps were:

Alonso (Bahrain 2005) Rosberg (Bahrain 2016)

Alonso: 1m36.403s Lap 1 (+3.055s) Rosberg: 1m39.458s

Alonso:1m33.954s Lap 2 (+4.195s) Rosberg:1m38.149s

Alonso:1m33.559s Lap 3 (+4.172s) Rosberg:1m37.731s

Alonso:1m33.206s Lap 4 (+4.277s) Rosberg:1m37.483s

Alonso:1m33.218s Lap 5 (+4.455s) Rosberg:1m37.663s

Alonso:1m33.174s Lap 6 (+4.580s) Rosberg:1m37.754s

Alonso:1m32.894s Lap 7 (+4.893s) Rosberg:1m37.787s

Alonso:1m33.072s Lap 8 (+4.736s) Rosberg:1m37.808s

Alonso:1m33.368s Lap 9 (+4.806s) Rosberg:1m38.174s

Alonso:1m33.402s Lap 10 (+4.895s) Rosberg:1m38.297s

In just those 10 laps, Alonso's 2005 car would be almost 45 seconds up the road. In fact, Alonso's race-winning time of 1hr29m18.531s was more than four minutes quicker than the 1hr33m34.696s it took Nico Rosberg to win this year.

Further comparisons show that the overall lap record from the race is different too – Pedro de la Rosa's 1m31.447s in 2005 compares to Rosberg's 1m34.482s this year.

Of course, the explanation for the speed differential can be explained through a combination of obvious factors: much heavier cars, full race levels of fuel and a different philosophy of tyres.

But it shows that despite the headline pace of F1 cars on Saturdays, there is still plenty of room to deliver speed improvements in 2017 – especially on race day.

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Massa to revert to Williams' old nose in China

Felipe Massa will revert to Williams' old nose for the Chinese Grand Prix as his team bids to work out if its new version is the step forward it hoped for.

After trialling the new shorter nose in Bahrain, the update has been moved across to Valtteri Bottas' car for this weekend because the team has not yet got two units ready.

Following a frustrating Bahrain GP, where early promise faded over the course of the race, Massa has admitted that getting a better understanding of the nose is important.

"Well I don't think really it was a very easy weekend to learn in Bahrain," said Massa, who only had it fitted to his car on the Saturday in Bahrain.

"We are going to have another one, only one, on the other car now so we need to wait and see how it is going to work on the race, on this track.

"And we need to understand if it is really better or not. For the moment I am not 100 per cent sure."

Lessons learned

Massa hopes that Williams has learned some key lessons from what happened in Bahrain – both in terms of updates and tyre strategies.

"I think there was a lot of lessons to learn from Bahrain, definitely," he said. "First of all, regarding the car, so trying to understand things in a proper way, in terms of all these new parts that we had, trying to do a more understandable plan on Friday, to understand things in a better way.

"Strategy, I would say it was definitely clear that we didn't do the right strategy on the race, the right understanding on the tyres, so we know that these two points are very important on the result this weekend.

"We had a very long and important week last week to try to improve things and I really hope that we can have a better weekend here."