FORMULA 1 - 2012

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Schumi: Mugello test worth it

Michael Schumacher signed off from his Mugello testing duties insisting that Mercedes have learned a lot about their car so far.

After being limited to just five laps on day one due to heavy rain at the Tuscany track, Schumacher made up for lost time on Wednesday as he completed 144 laps.

Although his best effort - a 1:23.404 - was only good enough for the eighth best time of the day, the seven-time World Champion feels the team achieved plenty on the day.

"In the past, I have done so many kilometres on this beautiful track, and today I think I can say I was adding quite some more," he told the official Mercedes website.

"Unlike yesterday, we were able to gather really a lot of data, and like this we are learning more and more about our car which is absolutely positive.

"Of course we also tested some new things, which I would not want to go into detail about, so it is definitely worth coming here at this stage of the season.

"I am really happy with how things are proceeding with our car and our team, and I am convinced we have a good basis for the final day of the test tomorrow."

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Austin a step closer as asphalt goes down

The Circuit of the Americas in Austin is beginning to take shape following the application of the first layer of asphalt on Tuesday.

Whilst it's believed construction remains behind schedule following heavy rainfall during the tail-end of 2011, application of the first of three layers of asphalt is promising.

The unique formula has been developed especially for the climate and region, according to Dr. Rainer Hart of Hart Consult International which has worked with Hermann Tilke on various F1 circuits.

"We don't have any general race track mix design," Dr. Hart explained to the Circuit of the Americas website. "A mix design has to be created for each track individually regarding climates, local standards, availability of suitable aggregates and bitumen.

"The quality of the aggregates is better compared to usual roads regarding resistance against polishing. The asphalt has special requirements and modifiers."

The final layer won't be laid until a month before the event takes place in November to avoid damage from construction machinery.

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Massa expects Ferrari step in Spain, but admits wins are still far away

Felipe Massa has backed team-mate Fernando Alonso's view that Ferrari will make a good step forward in form at the Spanish Grand Prix - but thinks it too much to expect its updates to help it fight for victory straightaway.

With a number of developments to the F2012 due to be run by Alonso at Mugello on Thursday, Ferrari should get a first indication of exactly how much progress it will be able to make with its car for the start of the European season.

And with Alonso looking at a top five grid slot, Massa reckons that getting both cars inside the top ten is what he is setting his sights on.

"This [both Ferrari's starting in the top ten at Barcelona] is inside my expectation, but we haven't tried all the new parts so we need to see in Barcelona how it will be and how much they improve the car," he said after wrapping up his testing programme in Italy.

"Then we can be more realistic, but it is inside my expectations, definitely."

Ferrari's hopes of a step forward very much depend on how much progress it makes over its rivals in delivering more speed from its car which is why Massa is keeping his ambitions in check.

"To close the gap you need to improve much more than the others and they are working and improving," he said. "In three weeks, you see cars improving by two or three tenths, so we need to make a huge step forward.

"Definitely it [winning races] is a bit too optimistic but when we have new parts and everything on the car then we can talk better. Without trying the new parts it is difficult to say, but to close the gap to the guys in front and win races is a little bit too optimistic - but we hope."

Although Massa will not get to try out the latest car upgrades before the Spanish GP, he is not too concerned that he will suffer as a result.

"It is always better to run the new parts, but the programme was like that for Fernando to try the new exhaust yesterday and for me to try the old one today to do the back-to-back," said the Brazilian.

"Tomorrow we will run some new pieces which are arriving this evening. It won't be everything, as everything will be ready for Barcelona."

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TEAMS BRAND MUGELLO TEST A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY:

"It's very beautiful and the food is very good, but we are spending a lot of money and honestly we didn't feel the need to come here," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner when asked about the usefulness of testing at Mugello in Tuscany.

Lotus boss Eric Boullier described the test as "money spent needlessly" while one of Mercedes' senior engineers told Gazzetta dello Sport, "I wonder about the sense of having just one test session during the season. Either we do more tests or we forget it."

Mark Webber meanwhile said, "It would be amazing to hold a Grand Prix here, but it's too fast for a test; in the calendar there isn't another track like it."

Some of the teams are complaining, but the drivers on the whole have been having a ball on the 5.25km Mugello track, which is in one of the most beautiful parts of Italy, near Florence. The circuit has many high speed corners and is a thrill to drive in a modern F1 car, according to most of them. "Spectacular", "Incredibly fast" and "Stunning" are just some of the reactions from the F1 drivers at the test. Mugello has an average lap speed of 138mph.

But they will also admit that there has been a limit to the value that the engineers have been able to derive from testing new parts on their cars on this atypical circuit.

The logical thing to do would have been to test at Barcelona this week and then leave the trucks and equipment down there for next week's Grand Prix, which is what the teams used to do in the early 2000s. This made for rather dull Spanish Grands Prix as everyone had such a good set up for the race and the order was entirely predictable. But at least Barcelona is representative of what the teams will face for most of the season in terms of the variety of corners. Mugello only prepares them for Spa and to half of Silverstone.

Also with the young drivers' test set for Silverstone in July this test isn't the only opportunity the teams have to test updates on their cars during the season. So it's importance and relevance is diminished compared to what they expected.

Today Fernando Alonso got his hands on an updated Ferrari with a new rear wing, rear bodywork and new exhausts, but then crashed it. He went off, damaging the nose section of the car, which came to rest with its left side in the barriers.

"At least two hours to repair the damages. It is a shame but that's testing!", said the official Ferrari twitter.

Vitaly Petrov had said on Wednesday that he felt the track wasn't suited to F1 cars, "I don't think we should have come here," he said. "It is not safe and wide enough. If you lose it, the walls are so close and you will smash into the tyres. It is not for Formula 1 and, if you lost the steering or the tyre pressure dropped or whatever, then it will be a big crash."

Ferrari's full update kit, featuring a new front wing and new diffuser, has not been seen in Mugello this week. It will only break cover next week in Spain, the team saying that it wanted more time in the wind tunnel.

Felipe Massa appeared to criticise this decision in the Italian media yesterday, saying "It would have been better to test everything here. but we are not ready. To close the gap to the top we need to grow faster than them. But I think that in the next few weeks we will find two or three tenths."

Meanwhile Sauber's chief designer Matt Morris has spoken out about the feasibility of copying the Mercedes Double DRS system, which was definitively passed as legal by the FIA last month. It seems that only the richest teams are likely to consider copying it, as the cost to benefit ratio doesn't stack up for most,

"We have done some evaluation on it in the factory, but at the moment it's not really working for us in terms of cost versus performance," Morris told Autosport.com. "It doesn't really stack up for us at the moment. And beyond the cost versus performance issue, it's difficult to know exactly the potential benefits and then it's only really useful in qualifying as well.

"It's definitely a few tenths of a second in qualifying, but to get that [benefit] so many parts in the car would have to be changed. That's the problem."

The three day test ended with Lotus' Romain Grosjean setting the fastest time on a day when, according to Pirelli, the 11 teams covered 1134 laps of the Tuscan circuit, equivalent of 43 Grand Prix distances. The teams chomped their way through 207 sets of tyres, despite limited running on Day 1 due to rain.

MUGELLO TEST, Day 3

1. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m21.035s

2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m21.267s + 0.232s

3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.363s + 0.328s

4. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m21.604s + 0.569s

5. Sergio Perez Sauber 1m22.229s + 0.879s

6. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1m22.325s + 0.975s

7. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.497s + 1.147s

8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.579s + 1.229s

9. Oliver Turvey McLaren 1m22.662s + 1.312s

10. Paul di Resta Force India 1m23.002s + 1.652s

11. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham 1m23.169s + 1.819s

12. Timo Glock Marussia 1m23.466s + 2.116s

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CLOSER LOOK AT F2012 UPGRADES:

Ferrari rolled out its long-awaited new rear end package on the final day:

The exhaust exits are now positioned further outwards on the sidepod:

Close-up of Ferrari's new exhaust configuration:

The F2012's rear bodywork has also been modified:

Letter-box style exhaust exits:

The rear of the F2012:

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Sauber: Costs too high for double DRS

Sauber are unlikely to develop a Mercedes-style double DRS as they feel the costs will outweigh the benefits.

With Mercedes' new wing - which stalls the front and rear wings for added straight-line speed - declared legal by the FIA, several teams are looking to produce their own versions of the concept.

However, Sauber won't be copying the system even though it will give them a boost in qualifying, as they feel costs to fit the system to the car are too high.

"We have done some evaluation on it in the factory, but at the moment it's not really working for us in terms of cost versus performance," Chief Designer Matt Morris told Autosport.

"It doesn't really stack up for us at the moment. And beyond the cost versus performance issue, it's difficult to know exactly the potential benefits and then it's only really useful in qualifying.

"It's definitely a few tenths of a second in qualifying, but to get that [benefit] so many parts in the car would have to be changed. That's the problem."

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Petrov: Mugello too dangerous

Caterham's Vitaly Petrov has voiced his unhappiness with the Mugello circuit, saying the track is "dangerous" and not up to standard.

After a four-year absence, in-season testing returned to F1 this season and teams agreed to stage the three-day session at the Italian track.

Several drivers praised the high-speed circuit after the first two days of testing while the track's director Paolo Poli suggested they could look to make a return to the F1 calendar in the near future if they continue to develop the venue.

However, according to Petrov they are still a long way away from being up to standard.

"Some drivers don't think it is good that we are testing here and I have to agree," the Russian told Germany's Autobild.

"It is a very dangerous track that does not offer a lot of space in some places. The walls are very close to the track.

"Overall, the track is too narrow for my liking. Even a small problem with the car like a drop in tyre pressure can result in a major accident. "

MIKA: This is why Petrov drives for caterham. If you can't handle it, shouldn't be in F1. I follow almost all the drivers who have Twitter accounts and 99% of them LOVE Mugello. Is it any different as far as space is concerned compared to say Singapore?

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Silverstone to look further afield for investor

The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) has confirmed it will look further afield for potential investors to fund its major redevelopment, following slow progress with a Qatari based investor.

The club is looking to develop the circuit further following the construction of a new pit and paddock area in 2011. The new development includes three hotels, a technology park, permanent grandstands and a museum.

Currently the BRDC are negotiating on an exclusive basis with the Qatar Investment Authority, but nothing has come of the talks so far, which has prompted the circuit owners to expand their potential investor pool.

"Negotiations with the potential investor remain positive, but with the period of exclusivity coming to a close the BRDC plans to broaden its search and engage with other interested parties," read a statement.

Chairman of the BRDC Stuart Rolt added: "The commercial potential of Silverstone and the Estate is significant and we are seeking external investment, from third parties who share our vision, to help us realise that potential more quickly. While progress has, and is, being made with our original preferred partner, negotiations have not yet developed into an agreement. As the period of exclusivity has come to a close we are now speaking to other potential investors.

"The BRDC has funded the new Grand Prix circuit, state-of-the-art Silverstone Wing complex, key developments around the venue and the planning process for the Silverstone Masterplan. An appropriately qualified investor will help to develop Silverstone further, into a world-class, multi-purpose centre for motorsport, high technology business, training and education. This is our vision and we remain committed to that."

Rolt confirmed that if an investor couldn't be found, the BRDC would finance the redevelopment itself.

"If we cannot find a suitable partner, we shall continue with the development ourselves, albeit at a slower pace."

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Schumacher visits Pirelli at Mugello

Michael Schumacher paid a visit to the Pirelli motorhome at Mugello.

The seven time world champion was heavily critical of the Italian supplier's 2012 tyres recently in Bahrain, but boss Paul Hembery had revealed that he had yet to get together to hear first-hand about Schumacher's gripe.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the Mercedes driver's meeting with Pirelli lasted half an hour.

"I can imagine what was talked about," Timo Glock grinned.

Hembery said: "Michael was with our technicians and Mercedes engineers, I do not know what was said."

Another Pirelli employee insisted: "Nothing special to report."

Hembery does, however, have some good news to break to Schumacher: "In 2013 our tyres will be even softer."

As for the extreme degradation, "We are sticking with our philosophy of exciting races, until something else is asked of us", Hembery insisted.

Mark Webber admitted there is a fine line to walk between the wishes of the teams and drivers, and the interests of the spectators.

"We would all love to have quicker lap times and extremely consistent tyres like we did in the old days," he is quoted by AAP news agency, "but that wasn't the most exciting thing for the racing.

"Trying to find somewhere in the middle is always tricky but, at the moment, we have a pretty good show for the crowd.

"Whether it's by design or not, it's turned out like that."

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Experienced teammate would be better - Vergne

Jean-Eric Vergne has admitted his F1 debut would be easier if he was sharing the Toro Rosso garage with an experienced driver.

Instead, the French rookie made his grand prix debut in Australia alongside Daniel Ricciardo, the young Australian with only a handful of races for struggling HRT under his belt.

The Toro Rosso duel this year is one of F1's most interesting, given owner Red Bull's clean sweep of its 2011 lineup, and the expectation that either Vergne, 22, or Ricciardo could succeed Mark Webber at the senior team.

"Of course it would have been easier to come in with a teammate who has more experience, because you always learn from your teammate," Vergne is quoted by Le Presse Canadienne.

"But we (Vergne and Ricciardo) have a very good relationship," he insisted.

"We've known each other for a long time, we came through together in the development programme, we drove together in Formula Renault for a year.

"So we've had good laughs, a great time and have even taken vacations together.

"He's a good guy and a great driver," said Vergne. "I think we're both progressing well."

Vergne said he is settling into the F1 rhythm, but still has to check himself when he is out on track.

"I tell myself that all the other drivers are just drivers as I am. I try to forget that these are guys that I have watched since I was 10.

"But there's no aliens. I tell myself that I have a steering wheel now just as they do, and I just need to go as fast as I possibly can," he said.

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Mercedes hints no plans to change drivers

Mercedes appears in no mind to change its driver lineup any time soon.

Breakthrough China GP winner Nico Rosberg admitted this week that he could imagine staying with the German marque for the rest of his F1 career.

"I see no reason why he shouldn't stay for a long time," agreed Norbert Haug, Stuttgart carmaker Mercedes' motor racing vice-president, in the pages of Germany's Sport Bild.

"We're embarking on the road to success together, so what could be better?"

Indeed, it is the future of Rosberg's teammate, the great Michael Schumacher, that is much more unclear.

The 43-year-old's contract runs out this year, but he is performing better than in 2010 and 2011 with the improved W03 car.

"I don't think he is going to go to another team," said Haug, indicating that if Schumacher does stay in F1 beyond 2012, it will be at the wheel of a Brackley-built car.

German Schumacher showed his passion is still strong recently in Bahrain, hitting out at the heavily-degrading Pirelli tyres.

"I can understand his frustration," team boss Ross Brawn told the DPA news agency.

"He has been very strong this year and when we get everything right we will see the results."

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Billionaires line up to push Sauber on

Sauber has the swagger of a team of the future.

The Hinwil based team struggled for survival in the wake of owner BMW's shock withdrawal in late 2009.

"We've been through a quite awkward time," admitted Monisha Kaltenborn, the chief executive.

But with the Ferrari-powered C31, the Hinwil based team is back with a bang, pushing for victory in Malaysia and now counting on the billionaire backing of Sergio Perez's powerful Mexican sponsor Carlos Slim.

And yet another billionaire is in tow, following the tie-up with Roman Abramovich's English premier league club Chelsea FC.

Blick newspaper acknowledged, however, that it is unclear just how many millions the deal entails.

Nonetheless, Russian billionaire Abramovich appears interested, amid suggestions he will visit the Sauber garage in Monaco later this month.

At Mugello this week, the C31 is again performing well, Kamui Kobayashi sharing top honours on Wednesday with an identical time to that set by Lotus' Romain Grosjean.

Of all the upgrades seen so far this week, Sauber's are the most comprehensive, and even more will be trackside in Barcelona next weekend.

"We have ambitious dreams and goals," Kaltenborn is quoted as saying. "In this sport, if you don't have that, you don't have much."

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COSTS AWARDED IN FORCE INDIA VS CATERHAM COPYRIGHT CASE:

Caterham technical director Mike Gascoyne has been awarded £400,000 in costs as the legal dispute between Force India and 1 Malaysia Racing Team (now known as Caterham, formerly Team Lotus) moved another step closer to conclusion today.

In the original judgement in March, the judge found that a copyright infringement had taken place, but that it was not the ‘systematic copying’ which Force India alleged. He found that the windtunnel supplier Aerolab had misused Force India’s confidential information when Team Lotus was in a rush to design its first F1 car ahead of the 2010 F1 season. But he cleared Gascoyne of any wrongdoing, accepting that he was too busy setting up the team to have got involved at that level of design detail.

The judge at the time awarded Force India damages of €25,000, which Force India were not happy with. They pointed to a photo published by 1MRT in 2009 which showed a wind tunnel model with Bridgestone wind tunnel tyres, which the company did not have a contract for. They also questioned how 1MRT could have got a wind tunnel model together two months after being granted an entry. They also saw elements of their car, which had had work done on it by Aerolab, replicated on the Team Lotus car. 1MRT denied copying, but Force India decided to raise a complaint.

This goes back to the rather acrimonious way in which Gascoyne parted ways with Force India in particular his relationship with deputy team principal Robert Fearnley. Fearnley dismissed Gascoyne, who brought a wrongful dismissal action against them.

The FIA didn’t want to take up Force India’s complaint, the Italian courts did and that case is ongoing, while they also took it up in a UK civil court the outcome of which is now resolved.

Gascoyne’s costs relate to the period since November 2011 when his lawyers wrote to Force India to suggest that they drop the action as no evidence had been established against him. By continuing the action beyond that point Force India became liable for the higher level of costs if they could not prove wrongdoing.

1MRT was also awarded costs of £250,000.

Force India has subsequently issued a statement on the latest verdict this evening, stating that “the interim costs payments awarded to Mr Gascoyne and 1 Malaysia Racing in today’s ruling are more than covered by funds already provided by Sahara Force India Formula One Team as security for costs pending the outcome of the case”.

The team also commented on its attempts to appeal the size of the compensation fee from Aerolab: ”In a curtailed hearing today at London’s High Court, the ruling on Sahara Force India Formula One Team’s application for permission to appeal was postponed with a further hearing expected in the coming weeks.

“The appeal relates to the 25,000 Euros of damages that Aerolab and Fondtech were ordered to pay Sahara Force India Formula One Team for misuse of confidential information.”

To date, the FIA have given no indication they will investigate this case. Force India believe that some of the components the court found had been copied, like parts of the brake ducts, wings, barge boards and vortex generator are covered in the Concorde Agreement and therefore replication on other cars is illegal. It remains to be seen whether any more action takes place on this story within the FIA. The Italian case (Aerolab is in Italy) is ongoing.

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Alonso: Barcelona is key but not decisive

Although Fernando Alonso admits there is a lot riding on Ferrari's next outing, the Spanish GP, he is adamant that it is not a must win.

Ferrari were in action at Mugello this week, taking part in a three-day in-season test, during which the Italian stable introduced several updates for their F2012.

The revised car features a new exhaust concept and rear bodywork, although not all the updates expected for the Spanish GP were fitted to the car with Alonso explaining that team felt that more time in the wind tunnel was better than more time on the track.

"The feeling I have after the test is a positive one. We have introduced a few small, and I stress that word, aerodynamic updates, that have produced the response we were expecting and that is the most positive news, which means I am confident for the future, in the short and the long term," Alonso said.

"It means that what we see in the factory in Maranello has now also been confirmed on track. Furthermore, we have worked on other areas, especially the tyres, doing short and long runs, on set-up and also on starts, given we were also trying out a new clutch.

"I cannot say if at Mugello we can claim to have made up some ground, but in Barcelona, we will have more important updates and we hope that there, we can begin to close down the gap that separates us from the teams currently at the top.

"We have decided to favour development time in the wind tunnel rather than bringing forward all the new components to this test. Sure, it would be nice to be able to test all the updates on track first, but it is also nice that we can count on all the possible development potential for every single part."

The Spaniard was quick to point out that Ferrari are not expecting miracles at the next race in Barcelona. In fact, all they are hoping for is a step in the right direction and a gradual progression to the front of the field.

"Barcelona will be a key moment in the season, but not a decisive one," he said. "It's not a case that we will suddenly find ourselves back on pole position, because there is no magic button.

"We must start by no longer struggling to get through to Q3 and get closer to the top six, then continue with development in the following races, making a step forward in Monaco, Canada and Valencia also.

"That is the only way in which we can contemplate finding these seven or nine tenths - it's hard to assess exactly how far off we are on the basis of the first races - which separate us from the leaders.

"Certainly, I am not denying that next weekend's event is a significant one: we cannot allow ourselves to struggle to get into Q3 if we want to fight for the title."

Alonso's first run in his revised F2012 did not go according to plan on Thursday as the Spaniard crashed at Turn 12, damaging the front left corner and the front wing of the car. Significantly, it took Ferrari two and a half hours to repair the damage.

"I want to put everyone's mind at rest, my family and friends: I'm fine, no harm done after hitting the crash barrier at seven kilometres an hour," Alonso said with a touch of irony.

"We made up for the time lost this morning in the afternoon in terms of quantity, given that the final mileage is more or less what we had planned for, but not in terms of quality, because the track had changed this afternoon, mainly because of the wind."

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Sauber unfazed by Mugello fire

Sauber have revealed at the fire that caused havoc to their car at Mugello on Thursday was the result of "heat shield in the exhaust area" catching fire.

Sergio Perez's running at the Italian circuit began in dramatic fashion on Thursday when he pulled into the pits with thick smoking pouring from the engine bay.

The Mexican's team were quick to put out the fire with Perez going on to complete over 100 laps and finishing the day with the fifth fastest lap time.

Sauber have downplayed the blaze, insisting that it nothing to be worried about.

"It was just a heat shield in the exhaust area that had caught fire and was obviously replaced," a team spokesperson told GPUpdate.net.

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Alonso: 'Massa one of the best drivers'

Fernando Alonso has defended his team-mate Felipe Massa and boss Stefano Domenicali after both have come in for criticism recently.

Massa has scored just two points compared to Alonso's 43 from four races, and speculation that Ferrari will replace him at the end of the year continues to grow. The Spaniard though believes Massa is 'one of the best drivers' and has defended the Brazilians difficult period.

"He's one of the best drivers in the world, and he has shown it during his whole career," Alonso wrote on his website.

"It's easy to praise when you have a good car but also to criticise when you have a bad one. I lived similar situations during my last stint at Renault, when some of my team-mates were unfairly criticized and now, they are being praised once again."

When asked if he thought his former boss and manager Flavio Briatore could do a better job than Domenicali, he replied: "Stefano's work is fantastic in every sense and I can't think of anyone better than him.

"As I explained before, it only takes one race to pass from criticism to praise. I'm very good friends with Flavio and we talk frequently. He's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met."

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Raikkonen sets sights on victory after strong start to the season for Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen says his sights are firmly set on victory now, on the back of the strong start to the season that his Lotus team has delivered.

After challenging Sebastian Vettel hard for the win in Bahrain a fortnight ago, Raikkonen sees no reason why his outfit cannot secure a place on the top step of the podium if it gets its act together.

"The car feels good everywhere we've been so far," said Raikkonen, in a team preview issued on Friday.

"I am here to race and I race to win. That is the target for me and the team. We want to win grands prix. We have a good car and we saw in Bahrain it is good enough to win. That's the target."

Raikkonen is under no illusions how close things are at the front of the grid, but he is sure Lotus can build on its double podium finish from Bahrain.

Reflecting on the positives from the Sakhir weekend, Raikkonen said: "I never had any doubts in myself and it is clear we have a good car so in some ways the podium could have come sooner.

"We had the car already in the first three races to be up there, but we made some small mistakes and it cost us a lot. I would have been much happier if we had managed to get the victory, but nevertheless it's a good result and the team deserved it for all their hard work. We have been good in every race so far, so hopefully we will be regular visitors to the podium this season."

He added: "I expect Lotus to be very competitive at Barcelona. It's going to be very, very close between the top teams. This is the only circuit where the teams have already tested with the new cars, and the set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it even more interesting and even tighter at the top."

Raikkonen also believes his absence from last week's Mugello test will not hamper him at all in terms of extracting the most from the Lotus car.

"We didn't have any major new parts to test and we don't race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn't test," he said. "I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona."

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Schumacher keeps expectations in check for the Spanish Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher has warned against high expectations for his Mercedes team at next week's Spanish Grand Prix, despite some encouraging progress made at the Mugello test this week.

With Mercedes having shown well at the Circuit de Catalunya in pre-season testing, and its W03 already proven to be a winner, the team is viewed by many as a strong contender for victory at the next race.

However, Schumacher is playing down prospects - but says that the team's situation should improve over the forthcoming races thanks to some encouraging feedback from upgrades tested in Mugello.

"The positive thing about the test was that we could really concentrate on the developments we were aiming to work on," said Schumacher. "This should give us a good basis for further developments, even if maybe not for the next race to come.

"Barcelona is a track we have driven extensively on, and this is why we know that its characteristics do not exactly play fully into our hands. But then, we will definitely go there and try our best and at the same time keep on working for the things to come."

Team-mate Nico Rosberg believes that the team could head to Barcelona with slightly more confidence about its competitive situation after the lessons learned from Mugello.

"The test in Mugello this week was very positive for us, and I believe we will arrive in Barcelona with a much better understanding of the tyres and how we need to set our car up," said the German.

"Despite the familiarity of the track, there will still be a lot of work for us to do, and it should be a good challenge."

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Lewis Hamilton believes the Spanish GP battle is wide open

Lewis Hamilton thinks the battle for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix is wide open, thanks to the unpredictable start to the Formula 1 season.

With four different teams having won the opening four grands prix of the season, the former world champion is well aware that no outfit is heading in to the Barcelona event as favourite - even though McLaren has been on the front row at three races this year.

"Our performance at Barcelona during winter testing looked promising - but the form of the season is still very hard to read, so it's difficult to predict who'll be at the front next weekend," said Hamilton, who finished a close second behind Sebastian Vettel at the 2011 Spanish GP.

"Nonetheless, we had a great race there last year – I pushed Sebastian [Vettel] all the way to the finish. I think we have a comparatively stronger car this year, so I hope we can have another strong race."

Hamilton's chances of victory last year were hampered by his gear ratio choice - which failed to allow him enough straight-line speed to overtake Vettel in the DRS zone.

He believes that overtaking will again be a big challenge this year - which could further complicate tyre strategy and the balance between qualifying form and race pace.

"It'll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year. It's always been a tough place for passing – as I found out last year – but I really hope DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier," he explained.

"I think it's going to be one of the toughest tracks of the year for overtaking, but I'll be hoping for a strong performance in qualifying in order to make it as straightforward as possible in the race."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh thinks the Barcelona race will provide a more realistic picture of what the formbook will be like over the rest of the campaign - because the conditions will be similar to what can be expected at forthcoming events.

"Barcelona should give all the teams a clearer understanding of how the tyres behave in what's likely to be a 'typical' European race climate. But there will still be plenty to learn," he said.

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Kobayashi upbeat about Sauber updates for the Spanish Grand Prix

Kamui Kobayashi believes his Sauber team can head to the Spanish Grand Prix with a degree of confidence about its chances on the back of successful upgrades tried out at Mugello this week.

The Hinwil-based team has had mixed fortunes in the first four races of the season, but Kobayashi thinks the team can deliver on its full potential at the Circuit de Catalunya.

"At the Mugello test I definitely had the feeling our new update to the car is a step forward for us," said the Japanese.

"This is good, of course, but only at the Barcelona circuit will we be able to tell how much of an improvement it really is. Not only because testing never allows for proper comparisons to the competition, but also because the Circuit de Catalunya is special."

Sauber's head of track engineering Giampaolo Dall'Ara says that the true benefit of its upgrade is wholly dependent on the amount of progress its rivals have been able to make.

"We tested a major upgrade to the car in Mugello, consisting of a new front wing and new bodywork, including a different exhaust exit and a new diffuser," he said. "The results of the test were encouraging.

"However, all the teams had some upgrades, and only the next race weekend will give us confirmation whether we are able to strengthen our position compared to our competitors. Nevertheless I'm confident that we can have a strong performance in Barcelona."

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Webber and Red Bull to discuss contracts soon

Mark Webber and his Red Bull team will sit down to discuss extending his current contract later in the season, according to team principal Christian Horner.

The Australian has been the subject of much speculation linking him to a seat at Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso in 2013, but Horner has denied such talks are taking place with the Italian squad.

"Every spring seems to be a reciprocal thing that Mark is going to Ferrari," Autosport quote him as saying. "He is not wearing red overalls.

"Mark enjoys being within the team, he is happy here and we are happy with him. At the relevant time later in the year we will sit down and talk about the future as we have done in previous seasons.

"It's something we will talk about later in the year," he added. "I'm not aware of any discussion. I think Mark is happy where he is, he is in a strong position here, but inevitably it's part of this business that there is speculation."

The 35-year-old's current contract expires at the end of the season after he agreed a one-year extension in 2011.

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Alguersuari to get first Pirelli outing this week

Jaime Alguersuari will get behind the wheel for Pirelli this week, his first time since signing up to be the manufacturers official test driver.

The Spaniard, who was dropped by Toro Rosso last season, will test the company's new test car, a modified Renault R30 from the 2010 season at the Jerez circuit.

The three-day event will take place between May 7th and 9th and is aimed at developing next years tyres. This test is the first of four, with other tests scheduled for Spa, Monza and Barcelona later in the year.

Pirelli has invited all 12 teams to send representatives to the test in order to prove that nobody will gain an unfair advantage from the use of a Renault F1 car.

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Sainz jr on track for Toro Rosso future

Carlos Sainz jr is on course for a future in formula one.The 17-year-old Spaniard is the son of Carlos Sainz, the former two-time world rally champion.

Sainz jr, however, has pursued a career in open wheelers, and - now that Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne have stepped up - he is the new cream of energy drink Red Bull's junior driver programme.

And another direct link to the world of formula one for Sainz jr is his new sponsorship deal with Cepsa, the Spanish oil company that is also Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso's main backer.

Sainz jr's new Cepsa deal is for his participation this year in the British and Euroseries F3 categories, but "Our intention is to continue (beyond 2012)," Cepsa co-chairman Santiago Bergareche is quoted by Marca newspaper.

"Hopefully everything goes well and Carlos will be in that world (F1) one day," added Cepsa chairman Alfonso Escamez.

He said the deal does not guarantee Sainz jr a future in f1.

"The sponsors have no say on the teams of the drivers. We can try to influence, to give our opinion, but we are not (able to decide) on that side.

"We hope that it does happen, but it will not necessarily."

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Mercedes conducts F1 quit study - report

Mercedes is "on the verge" of quitting formula one.

That is the alarming claim of the London newspaper The Times, in an article written by its authoritative F1 correspondent Kevin Eason.

Eason wrote that while rival top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull will get to appoint directors once F1 is floated on the Singapore exchange, Mercedes has not been extended the same offer.

"Why should Mercedes have the same deal as the others?" F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is quoted as saying. "What have they done in formula one?

"They won a race and that is it."

That attitude, Eason argues, has left Mercedes "on the verge of quitting formula one", having apparently conducted a study into how its Brackley based works team could be withdrawn.

Eason also quoted Ecclestone as having "scoffed" at the suggestion Mercedes quitting could wipe 20 per cent off the value of F1's stock market floatation.

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Barrichello still clinging to F1 dream

Rubens Barrichello is still refusing to give up on his formula one career.

After a record-setting 19 consecutive seasons on the grid, the 39-year-old Brazilian lost his Williams race seat for 2012 and switched to the premier American open-wheeler series, Indycar.

"I'm enjoying it," insisted Barrichello to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

"I have been welcomed and the feeling is a much more open one.

"But the fact that I keep active and am competing is, for me, still a way to be seen and to attract the eye of formula one.

"For all that I did in F1, I would be able to go back there," added the former Ferrari and Honda driver.