FORMULA 1 - 2012

[MIKA27]

Brother tips Schumacher to keep racing

Michael Schumacher's brother has tipped the seven time world champion to keep racing beyond his 44th birthday.

Schumacher's Mercedes deal runs out this year, but talks about a new contract for 2013 are yet to be discussed.

Ralf Schumacher, also a grand prix winner and six years younger than his more famous sibling, was asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper about Michael's recent anti-Pirelli outburst.

Asked if it was an overreaction to the fact his teammate Nico Rosberg was the first Mercedes driver to win in 2012, Ralf answered: "It has nothing to do with it.

"But for sure Michael came back to celebrate successes with Mercedes. And until he succeeds, he will not give up.

"I still see a lot of fire in Michael," said Ralf Schumacher, now a DTM driver with Mercedes.

"He is pushing hard, as we saw as recently as Mugello last week."

Ralf said Mercedes' 2012 F1 car, the W03, is well built.

"I think we will see Michael on the podium soon," he insisted.

"At some point, there surely comes a point when the body can't do it any more. But when I look at Michael, that's still a few years away.

"I certainly won't be racing as long as he has," he laughed.

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Boullier slams Silverstone test

Eric Boullier has slammed the decision to hold this year's Young Driver test at Silverstone in the summer.

In the past the test was held at the Abu Dhabi circuit in the days after the grand prix. This year, though, the teams will have two options, Abu Dhabi and Silverstone.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso are insisting on the Abu Dhabi test while the other 10 team have signed up to run in the wake of July's British GP at Silverstone.

And although Lotus have signed up for Silverstone, their team boss says he is not happy about it as it will be a distraction to the youngsters taking part.

"It's a bit disappointing, to be honest," Boullier told Autosport.

"I am a supporter of young drivers, and for me Abu Dhabi was the perfect scenario.

"The young kids finish the season, and you can organise this test in a hot, nice place, with nice variety. So I was actually a bit cross with the decision to bring it earlier to Silverstone.

"We had a strong discussion, let's say, and definitely I was against this, especially for the reasons raised.

"For me it is absolutely a nonsense to have a young driver test in July when all the young kids are in the middle of the season and focused on racing and the Championship. We cannot disturb this. It is completely the wrong timing.

"You also have another issue: bringing this test in the middle of the season you have to consider there will be a different point of view for the team; and as a team it's another opportunity to develop the car and bring some parts to test."

Explaining why he agreed to Silverstone, Boullier admits he had to as it was the best choice financially and with regards to his staff.

"Between choosing to go to Abu Dhabi for young drivers, which is very important for me, and Silverstone, I obviously have to choose what it best for the team and that is Silverstone.

"But actually I would like it to rain, so we will go back to the original schedule - which for me is the normal one."

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Alonso: I've always shown myself as I am

Fernando Alonso has been speaking frankly about the impact of the media on fans' perceptions of him, saying at times the truth is lost in translation.

The Spaniard spent part of the break between testing and the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix answering questions sent in to him from his fans.

One person asked why he had taken so long to communicate in such a manner with his supporters and 'show the Fernando of now'.

"I think I've always shown myself as I am. People that have known me for years usually say that I haven't changed," was his answer, published by his official website.

"In fact, I think that essentially I have the same views as before on important things. Many times when I read my quotes on the covers of newspapers I feel very distant from that character. It's as if it's not me.

"Then you see columns making opinions, signed by people who don't even know you and have never spoken to you. Between one thing and another, a character has been created which has nothing or little to do with me... until now..."

The Ferrari driver gave an example of how stories can be swayed one way or the other, citing a recent interview in which he stated that it would be easier for him to win than for football team Real Madrid to do the double.

"During a radio interview, I was asked the one million dollar question: "What is easier? For you to win the Championship or for Madrid to do the double?" The first thing that goes through your mind is to say that you don't know and that both cases are very difficult.

"But as the whole interview has a pessimistic tone and given the car's performance so far, I said: "It's easier for me to win". And you get a good laugh out of it just by seeing the look on their faces!

"If you listen to the interview that's the tone and intention of the answer. What you read one day later in big bold letters makes them sell more newspapers but it doesn't tell the truth."

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Pirelli hoping for varied strategies in Spain after electing soft and hard compounds

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery is confident that a step in the compound allocation will keep the teams on their toes in Barcelona next weekend.

The Italian tyre supplier has opted to bring the soft and medium compounds, which is unusual because there is a gap between the two. The first four races have either seen the soft and medium paired together or the medium and hard, but Hembery believes the gap will result in a variety of different strategies.

"We've nominated the soft and hard tyre in order to highlight performance differences that will create a different challenge for the teams, showcasing both the speed and durability of our products," he said.

"There is a whole step in between our two nominations for the first time this year and this should allow the teams to come up with a number of different tyre strategies that could make a big difference to the final outcome."

Hembery believes the race will be a closely fought one, and one that may just result in a fifth different race winner.

"The weekend should present something of a contrast to the last pre-season test in Barcelona, where low ambient temperatures meant that it was difficult to get heat into the tyres! This time we're expecting warmer weather, which only adds to the many challenges that the tyres will face here.

"With many teams having expanded their knowledge of our tyre range and tested new components at Mugello, we're expecting a closely-fought Spanish Grand Prix and maybe even the fifth different winner in five races," he added.

[MIKA27]

Webber hits back at Petrov's Mugello jibe

Mark Webber has hit out at F1 rival Vitaly Petrov.

Last week, as the sport tested at Mugello, Russian driver Petrov suggested the high speed Ferrari-owned layout is too dangerous for modern grand prix cars.

"You get very close to the walls and it's maybe a bit small for the cars now," said the Caterham driver.

Australian Webber, however, had raved about Mugello, likening 10 laps there as akin to 1000 tours of Abu Dhabi's heavily-criticised Yas Marina layout.

Posting a photo on Twitter of Jim Clark driving unprotected past houses at the Aintree circuit in 1962, Webber remarked: "I wonder if V Petrov was there".

[MIKA27]

Haug denies Mercedes quitting F1

Norbert Haug has denied reports Mercedes is on the verge of quitting F1.

London newspaper The Times' F1 correspondent Kevin Eason reported that the German carmaker has conducted a study into how the withdrawal could be effected.

He said the reason for Mercedes pulling out would be because, unlike Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, the Stuttgart marque has not been offered a place on F1's post-floatation board.

When asked about Eason's report, Mercedes' competition vice-president Haug insisted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport: "There is absolutely no truth to that."

The report said negotiations between Mercedes and F1 bosses over the next Concorde Agreement are ongoing.

First as an engine supplier only, Mercedes has been in F1 in the modern era since 1993.

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES KEEN TO ESTABLISH WHAT IT MEANS TO FORMULA 1:

What is Mercedes' place in Formula 1? Is it one of the great names of the sport, given that its cars were winning Grands Prix in the 1920s and 30s, before F1 was even invented? Or is is another flighty car manufacturer which comes and goes as it pleases and as the markets dictate and which was absent from the sport from 1955 to 1993?

This question is at the forefront of people's minds at the moment as the German manufacturer is at odds with commercial rights holders CVC and Bernie Ecclestone over its place in the sport and what rights and benefits should follow.

Mercedes believes that it deserves better than it is being offered by the commercial rights holder, claiming its history in the sport is significant and its role as a supplier of engines to three teams is fundamental to the running of F1. There is also the question of the history of the Brackley based team that it took over, which was originally Tyrrell, bought by British American Racing, which became Honda, then Brawn then Mercedes. Somewhere in all of that there has to be a bit more added value, surely?

F1 is heading for a partial flotation in the Autumn on the Singapore Stock Exchange and that is why teams are being signed up for 8 years and the issue is focussing minds.

F1 always likes to head for deadlines. Former FIA president Max Mosley used to like impose sudden, short deadlines as a way of getting things done. This one around the flotation is important because its about taking F1 as a business public, selling shares to institutions and private investors. It needs its ducks in a line. I has to look its best when it comes to market and that's why there have been some tidy back room deals done lately with Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren, tying them into the sport for the long term with all manner of financial 'sweeteners' and even a seat for each of them on the F1 board. Meanwhile the midfield teams have resigned themselves to reality and accepted whatever was the best offer they could get.

Mercedes is isolated. Its not willing to accept the terms on offer because they do not reflect the team's position among the elite with Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. So what to do about it?

One option is to quit the sport, or at least threaten to, in order to put pressure on the other side. Mercedes could survive without F1. It would be tough because it's been such an important part of its marketing plan for 20 years, but life and business goes on.

F1 would lose some prestige without Mercedes, undoubtedly. But they've only been present as a team since 2010, so how do you quantify it? It would miss its engine supply, that's for sure. It would leave only Ferrari, Cosworth and Renault as engine suppliers. In 2014 everything changes with a new engine formula and it's not yet clear what Cosworth's part in that will be. They are supplying HRT and Marussia, who as I understood it recently, haven't yet got a Concorde Agreement deal on the table for the future.

There is PURE, of course, a mysterious engine programme which involves Craig Pollock and Gilles Simon and who knows, perhaps that programme was inspired by the powers in F1 knowing that they may lose Mercedes before 2014?

Mercedes has denied the stories which emanated over the weekend from The Times about the team being ready to quit F1. Motorsport boss Norbert Haug has said that the story is untrue.

Veteran French Jean Louis Moncet, who has sometimes been ahead of the curve on Mercedes news in the last few years, has written in his Blog in the last few days that, "The Mercedes board will vote on whether to stop the F1 programme at the end of 2012, and consequently (Mercedes) will not sign the agreements offered by Bernie Ecclestone."

But there are many doubts about whether this is actually the case. This looks like a story that did not originate with either Mercedes or Ecclestone, but has been carried by the "Internet echo" where stories are picked up and gain momentum. There are some heavy duty negotiations going on behind the scenes, but it doesn't feel to me like Mercedes are on their way out of this sport any time soon. Also they announced today a new sponsorship agreement with deluxe watch maker IWC Schaffhausen, starting in January 2013.

If Mercedes were to leave it would leave no major manufacturers participating in F1; FIAT is present via Ferrari, but it's to promote Ferrari not FIAT, while Renault is there only to make money as an engine supplier. Toyota, Honda, BMW are all gone. There remain lots of small volume car makers like Lotus, Caterham and Marussia. None of the troublesome OEMs which made life so difficult for Ecclestone and the FIA in the last ten years.

No doubt there will be plenty of discussion about this in Barcelona this weekend.

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FERRARI AND JACQUES VILLENEUVE COME TOGETHER IN TRIBUTE OF GILLES:

Jacques Villeneuve retraced his legendary father's footsteps in a special event at Ferrari's Fiorano test track today as he took to Gilles's 312 T4 to mark the 30th anniversary of his death.

As a team firmly in touch with its past, May 8 remains a date firmly ingrained at Maranello as the day Gilles Villeneuve, considered one of the most exciting and inspirational Formula 1 drivers of all time, was killed in a high-speed accident during qualifying for the Belgian GP at Zolder in 1982.

Given Jacques never drove for Ferrari during his F1 career, and actually famously battled directly against the Maranello marque and Michael Schumacher to win his world title in 1997, what would have been a symbolic reuniting of the Villeneuve and Ferrari names never materialised in an official capacity but this week the two finally came together on the 30th anniversary of Gilles' tragic death.

On Monday Jacques was given a tour of Ferrari's Maranello headquarters before having a seat fitting in the 312 T4 ahead of today's run on the 1.9-mile circuit. The 1979 Ferrari was the car with which his father enjoyed his most successful season in Formula 1, winning on three occasions and finishing second to team-mate Jody Scheckter in the drivers' championship.

Jacques, who was just 11 when his father died, was joined at the event by his mother Joann and sister Melanie along with some of his father's old crew of mechanics. Modern-day Ferrari was represented by current race drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, Ferrari vice-president Piero Ferrari and president Luca di Montezemolo, whose first spell at the team in the 1970s and 1980s coincided with Gilles'.

"I remember when Enzo Ferrari told me he had found a youngster with a great temperament and talent who was racing snow mobiles in Canada," Montezemolo said. "He had a pre-contract with McLaren but The Drake (Ferrari) wanted to bring some new blood into the team. He was an amazing driver and man."

Speaking after completing several laps in the 1979 Ferrari, Villeneuve recounted his childhood memories of his life as son of a world-famous racing driver: "The whole family always went to the races and we lived in the motorhome…it was much better than going to school! Most of the memories I have are from the race track, sitting down watching the races. So ninety percent of what I remember of my father is him as a driver, not home very often, always on the go and if he wasn't in a car, then it was a helicopter or a plane. But that seemed normal, he was my father.

"I think I am lucky to be driving at a time when cars are safer, otherwise maybe I'd be dead too, given that like him, by nature, I tend to go always right to the limit."

[MIKA27]

HOW HARD WILL THE F1 DRIVERS BE ABLE TO PUSH IN BARCELONA:

Source: JamesallenonF1.com

Last year's Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona was widely heralded as one of the most exciting race finishes of the season, largely due to the way race strategies played out, with an intense battle for the lead in the final laps of the race between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel managed to hold on to take the win.

However tyre degradation was very severe last year and after the recent Bahrain Grand Prix there were complaints from Michael Schumacher, as well as from many fans, that the racing is suffering from drivers not been able to push to the limit. Schumacher told CNN this week that it's "like driving on raw eggs".

So how will this weekend's race pan out and what will the team strategists do to ensure that their drivers are able to get the maximum out of their package?

Pirelli have made the same tyre selection as last year with the hard and soft compounds, but this year's specifications are a step softer than last year. They are also much closer to each other in performance than last year, which means that the strategies will not be as polarized as they were, with multiple stops. The soft tyre looks on the edge, but here's how we see the situation this weekend.

Once you've read up about the situation, remember to have a go on out Race Strategy Calculator and see if you can find the fastest strategy to do the race. You can try it here at Race Strategy Calculator

Track characteristics:

Circuit de Catalunya: 4.65 kilometres.

Race distance: 66 laps = 307 kilometres, 16 corners in total, considered the best test of an F1 car's aerodynamic efficiency due to combination of medium and high speed corners.

Aerodynamic setup High downforce.

Top speed: 317km/h (with Drag Reduction System active on rear wing) 305km/h without.

Full throttle 60% of the lap.

Total fuel needed for race distance: 154kg (quite high). Fuel consumption: 2.34 kg per lap.

Time spent braking: 12% of the lap (quite low). 8 braking zones.

Brake wear: Medium/low.

Loss time for a Pit stop = 19 seconds

Total time needed for pit stop: 24 seconds.

Fuel effect (cost in lap time per 10kg of fuel carried): 0.40 seconds (high)

Circuit de Catalunya is the track on which the F1 teams and the tyre supplier have the most data as they test there at least once before the start of each season.

Form Guide:

The Spanish Grand Prix is the fifth round of the 2012 FIA F1 World Championship.

Qualifying has historically been critical in Barcelona; the last 11 races on this track have been won from pole position while overtakes have been rare, although the DRS and the tyres contributed to there being 90 overtakes last season, whereas in three of the previous four races there were less than five overtakes in 66 laps of racing.

This season we have seen four different race winning cars and drivers in four races, the first time this has happened for 30 years and there have been three different polesitters.

Barcelona is likely to see many teams bring through some major car developments, largely around the exhaust area, but also there are aerodynamic updates to most cars in the field. Force India and Ferrari are two teams hoping to make significant steps forward.

As far as drivers' form is concerned at Barcelona, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber are all previous winners. Lewis Hamilton has never won the event.

Weather Forecast:

The forecast looks good up to Saturday with temperatures around 20 degrees and a low chance of rain. However on race day there is a 60% chance of rain, with lower temperatures forecast, so this could play into the hands of Mercedes in particular.

The wind is usually a significant factor at this track, sudden crosswinds at the higher points on the circuit can upset the balance of the cars.

Likely tyre performance and other considerations:

Pirelli tyre choice for Spain: Hard and Soft.

Catalunya is a tough track on tyres, with the long Turn 3 the most difficult corner. It is taken at 240km/h and the corner lasts for four seconds, which puts a heavy load on the left front tyre. The surface is also quite abrasive.

Last year the soft tyre showed a degradation rate of 0.1625sec per lap in the first stint, which is quite high. This year the soft tyre is again expected to be a little bit on the edge for this track, so Friday practice will be vital in establishing how long a set of tyres will last in the first stint in particular. The drop off will come quite quickly.

On paper the difference between the soft and hard tyre will be 0.5s to 0.8s per lap depending on the car. In the race this will reduce to 0.2s per lap.

In the winter testing at Barcelona, the hard tyre performed pretty well so the picture is quite different from last year's race when the teams wanted to avoid the hard tyre which was 2 seconds per lap slower than the soft.

A new set of soft tyres should last up to 20 laps, with a set of hards lasting between 24 and 27 laps..

With some high energy right hand corners, the limitation will be with the tyres on the left side of the car when their performance starts to drop off it will be time to pit.

Track conditions in Barcelona are notoriously changeable from morning to afternoon due to changes in temperature and wind conditions. This will make it particularly tricky to set the cars up for qualifying and the race.

Number and likely timing of pit stops:

Going into the 2011 race if a driver had new tyres available after qualifying to use in the race, a three-stop strategy was four seconds quicker than a four-stop on paper. We also saw that new tyres carried a premium in Bahrain this year for example with Kimi Raikkonen, so teams will be assessing the value of saving at least one set of new soft tyres and a new set of hards.

This year the degradation will again be decisive in picking the moment to stop. Three stops is likely to be the preferred route, the plan that Jenson Button followed last year. The key is to keep the tyre alive until around lap 14, for the first stop, which few drivers could manage last year.

As the performance gap between the soft and hard is likely to be as low as 0.2s in the race, teams will not be trying to avoid using the hard tyre and this will mean fewer stops than last year, as they will be able to run the hard tyre competitively, rather than attempt to spend as little time as possible on it. In fact the hard tyre's performance in Malaysia shows that it was a popular race tyre and we should again see a mixture of strategies.

Chance of a safety car:

There have been 5 Safety Car periods in this race since 2003, and 4 of those were for first lap incidents.

Recent start performance :

The 700 metre run from the grid to the first corner at Barcelona is the second longest of the season after Sepang, Malaysia. So a fully functioning KERS is vital.

Starts are crucial in race strategy and can make or compromise a race.

Glock, Massa and Alonso are consistently good starters who gain places off the line at most races.

As far as 2012 start performance is concerned drivers have gained (+) or lost (-) places off the start line this season, on aggregate, as follows

Gained:


+16 Massa

+12 Alonso, Kovalainen

+11 Glock 


+10 Raikkonen

+9 Maldonado

+8 Perez

+6 Kobayashi, Senna

+5 Schumacher*

+3 Pic 


+2 Di Resta, Karthikeyan, Vergne

+1 Button, Hamilton, 
Grosjean**, Petrov

Held position: None

Lost:

-1 Rosberg , Vettel,

-3 De la Rosa

-4 Hulkenberg

- 6 Webber

-13 Ricciardo

* Senna, Ricciardo and Hulkenberg were all involved in accidents on 1st lap in Australia

** Schumacher and Grosjean collided on Lap 1 in Malaysia, Senna and Perez pitted for wet tyres on opening lap

Pit Stop League Table:

Of course good strategy planning also requires good pit stop execution by the mechanics and we have seen tyre stops carried out in less than two and a half seconds by F1 teams. It is clear that the field has significantly closed up in this area, as well as on track performance, with 7 teams within 1 seconds of the fastest pit stop by Mercedes. This is much closer than last season and shows how much work has gone on in this area.

The league table below shows the order of the pit crews based on their fastest time in the Bahrain Grand Prix, from the car entering the pit lane to leaving it. The 2011 league table positions are in brackets.

Worth noting is that Force India continues to perform above its championship table position and within 0.2s of the best team showing that they've done a lot of work in this area. Also worth noting is that HRT did a faster stop than Marussia for the first time.

1. Mercedes 21.888s (1=)


2. Ferrari 21.963s (5)


3. Red Bull 22.017s (1=)


4. Force India 22.069 (4)


5. McLaren 22.270 (3)

6 Toro Rosso 22.295s (8=)

7. Williams 22.310 (7)

8. Lotus 22.362 (6)

9. Sauber 22.758 (8=)

10. Caterham 23.323 (8=)

11. HRT 23.420 (12)

12. Marussia 23.423 (11)

[mazolaman]

Interesting info regarding the pitstops,

amazing that they can do all they do in such a short time.

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN READY HIGHER NOSE AND PIT STOP CHANGES FOR SPAIN:

McLaren is set to run with the higher nose it ran on the MP4-27 right at the end of the Mugello test in Spain this weekend, its team principal Martin Whitmarsh today revealed in a conference call with journalists, with the team also making changes to its pit-stop procedures in wake of the problems of recent races.

Having bucked the trend for stepped noses seen elsewhere on the grid in the design of its latest car owing to its predecessor's higher chassis profile, pictures from the final day of last week's Mugello test appeared to show the Woking team's MP4-27 running with a revised nose cone, with more gradual curve in evidence.

Speaking in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in on Wednesday morning, Whitmarsh confirmed the modified nose had been tried – although pointed out that this was only one of several changes to the front of the car ahead of Barcelona. He added that there was a "reasonable chance you will see it on Sunday, yes" following further assessments by the team during Friday practice.

Asked if the change had been influenced by the platypus-style noses on rival cars, he replied: "I think there must be a bit of that, but I think actually if you look at the detail a bit, the height of the front of the nose is one of the more minor pieces of that new front wing assembly. So there is a range of things. We're consistently developing the car so a lot of what we were doing was gathering information [at Mugello]. It's unusual these days of course to have a mid-season test, so we felt we would use that to gather lots data and I'm sure, aside from the nose, you would have seen there were all sorts of appendages, sensors and equipment wedded to the car over the course of the three days."

With the regulations around what designers can do at the rear of the car now more tightly controlled than ever, Whitmarsh says the front of the car naturally comes in for increased attention and is where McLaren has been focusing on with the latest update – trying to improve airflow going over the car. "Nowadays in Formula 1 the incremental improvements are generally modest and typically you are looking at the aerodynamic performance through corners," he explained. "So you log a lot of data, classically of course you are looking for lower drag, higher downforce. In the case of front wing and the nose, there's the attachment pylons – which you may have noticed are quite a lot different – and then the wing's flap and end plates themselves there are all subtle differences. You're managing the airflow that is enjoyed by the rest of the aerodynamic-generating surfaces and features of the car.

"It's nowadays quite a critical part of the car – you're looking to find very small improvements. There's a lot of restrictions and prescription around the end of the car, so you can often generate more performance by managing the flow that arrives at them than developing them themselves. Clearly it was really a data gathering that's given our engineers a lot of information and you will see it in Barcelona. For the race engineers and the race drivers it will be the first time they experience it and they've got the data to set it up and they can find the performance on the track."

He also confirmed that changes to both the team's pit stop personnel, and procedures, were afoot after problems with problematic left-rear wheel nuts in both China and Bahrain. "We've looked at what we were doing, we have made some changes to the team and the process and we'll see them on Sunday in Barcelona." Whitmarsh also expressed surprise that so many people had put themselves forward for roles in the crew: "I wondered whether we would get volunteers for some of the more critical positions and I was just astounded by just how many guys in the team wanted to put themselves in those challenging positions. It reflects well on the spirit within the team. There's been a reasonable amount of practice, some changes in process and they'll be seen at the weekend. I believe we'll have good pit stops."

The changes to the front of the MP4-27 and the team's pit-stop procedures come as it attempts to rediscover the kind of race performance it displayed at the season-opener in Australia. Despite claiming two poles and front-row berths at every race so far in 2012 (although Lewis Hamilton didn't start from second in China owing to a grid penalty), McLaren returned to Europe once more trailing Red Bull in the championship after problems with race pace – particularly in Bahrain – but Whitmarsh is hopeful the team not have a better handle on how best to use Pirelli's tricky tyres.

"I think we've had a car that's clearly been able to be on the front row in each of the four grands prix so far and therefore inherently the pace is there," he said. "We haven't got all the results that we wanted…but I believe we will be competitive in Spain and going forward. You don't know what other teams are yet to do, I know we're working hard to understand the tyres and understand the car and continuously develop it, and we know others are doing the same. "I think within the team at the moment there is a positive feeling. We had a very interesting data-gathering test at Mugello and we'll see in Barcelona."

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Brawn to miss Spanish GP

Ross Brawn will not be present at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix after doctors advice the ill team boss to remain at home.

Brawn is usually on the pit wall during grands prix, leading the Mercedes team from the front.

However, for this weekend's race the job will fall on the shoulders of Bob Bell after Brawn fell ill last week.

"We fully expect Ross to be back in Monaco," Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry told Autosport.

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Lauda: Schumi will win a race

Niki Lauda, who has been mixed views on Michael Schumacher's return to F1, believes the German will win a race this season.

Since making his comeback in 2010, Lauda has drifted between praising Schumacher's efforts and telling the German that it is time to call it quits again.

This week, though, the 63-year-old has come out in support of the seven-time World Champion, saying this will be the year that he wins a grand prix.

"Michael Schumacher will win this year," Lauda told the Bild newspaper.

"Mercedes are finally good enough to be able to fight at the front."

As for criticism levelled at Schumacher in the wake of his Pirelli attack, Lauda said: "Schumacher cannot spoil Formula One.

"He has so many years in the business he knows how the store works.

"Rosberg's success will spur him on rather than frustrate him. He will fight through it."

MIKA: So the biggest 'Naysayer' in the paddock has had a change of opinion from the last two seasons where he's been completely negative towards Schumacher. Now Lauda is saying the obvious when it is clearly evident and not a matter of if but when.

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'Ferrari should consider di Resta'

Sir Jackie Stewart has urged Ferrari to look at Paul di Resta as a replacement for Felipe Massa as he would be a "very good target."

Di Resta entered Formula One last season with Force India and has made steady progress, culminating in a sixth-place finish last time out in Bahrain, a repeat of his career-best achieved in Singapore last year.

The 26-year-old's solid results, coupled with his long-time DTM relationship with Mercedes, have led to rumours that he could be off to the German manufacturer's F1 team next season.

However, triple World Champion Stewart reckons Ferrari would do well to snap up the Scot, who could learn a great deal from Fernando Alonso.

"Paul di Resta would be a very good target for Ferrari because Alonso probably has the best toolkit of knowledge and physically is one the best drivers in the world," said Stewart.

"Alonso is almost at his peak and to have a young driver such as di Resta be an understudy to Alonso is something I'd consider if I was at Ferrari."

Pressed as to whether di Resta has what it takes to win a Formula One World title, Stewart said: "It's difficult to know.

"He has got an enormous amount of talent. I hope Scotland doesn't ask too much too soon from him.

"You've got to be with a top-class team in order to win, you can't do that with a second-rate team.

"Force India are trying hard to be a first-rate team but they're not there yet.

"Paul has been leading that team to better results. I think he's got every chance.

"We've got a great history of drivers, for a small country we are punching above our weight and Paul di Resta is the present generation of that."

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Brazil proposes new pit/paddock for 2013

The São Paulo Tourist Board, SPTuris, which is responsible for the Interlagos Circuit, met with event promoters, motoring associations and drivers on Wednesday to showcase its development plans for the circuit.

The changes, which are aimed at increasing safety around the circuit following two deaths in 2011, include a brand new pit and paddock complex located on the Reta Oposta straight between the current turns three and four.

The complex would be for the exclusive use of Formula 1, with the current paddock area being retained for other motorsports series.

Meanwhile a chicane would be introduced at the Curva do Cafe - the high speed corners leading on to the current start/finish straight - to slow cars, though it's unlikely the chicane would be used for F1 as barrier improvements and additional run-off would satisfy the FIA following a safety audit in 2011 when the recommendations were made.

Construction is expected to begin this year, with the facilities in place for the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.

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750m single DRS-zone for Spanish GP

The Spanish Grand Prix will feature a single drag reduction zone on the main start/finish straight, similar to that of last season.

The detection point will remain between turns 15 and 16 before drivers can activate their rear-wing 750 or so metres before turn one, before braking for the medium speed right-to-left S-bend.

Despite the FIA's Charlie Whiting earlier confirming an extended zone for the race, by some 50m on 2011, it seems the governing body has reduced it by a similar distance as confirmed by Pastor Maldonado's race engineer, Xevi Pujolar.

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Canada must invest £9m to remain on calendar

Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly requested that the organisers of the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve invest upwards of £9.5 million ($15m) if they're to secure a new contract to host Formula 1.

The Montreal based circuit is one of the oldest on the calendar and first hosted an F1 race in 1978, but parts of the track are in dire need of renovation.

Ecclestone has asked François Dumontier, CEO of Octane Racing Group Inc which is in charge of hosting the event, to seek investment, estimated at just under £10m, to bring the circuit up to the required standard before negotiations take place over extending the circuit's contract past 2014.

It's believed Dumontier has approached the local governments of Quebec and Ottawa, which each contribute £4m toward the hosting fee along with an additional £3m from the Montreal tourism board, to help fund the modernisation costs.

The Canadian attributed to the fact that many of the buildings around the circuit are almost 25 years old.

"It is important to note that there remain two years on the current contract with Formula One Management and the partners who are at various levels of government and Tourism Montreal," Dumontier told La Presse.

"Taking into account the fact that the permanent installations of the circuit, in particular the control tower and the garages, go back nearly 25 years. It is more than probable that the repair of those is an important component during the negotiations aimed at prolonging the current contract."

Dumontier was however skeptical about the £10m figure being thrown around for the redevelopment works.

"It seems to me to be a bit premature to advance a specific sum on the possible works."

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Volkswagen rules out Formula 1 move in the near future

Volkswagen has ruled out a move into Formula 1 in the near future as either an engine supplier or a full constructor.

The German manufacturer revealed three years ago that an entry after 2014 - by which point the sport's engine rules will have changed - was being evaluated.

But new motorsport director Jost Capito said on Thursday that this was "not on the radar," as its focus was instead fully on its entry in the World Rally Championship with the new Polo R WRC next year.

When asked by AUTOSPORT whether a future grand prix entry was under consideration, Capito said: "Definitely not. At the moment we don't even think about it because we're thinking WRC.

"I've got my hands full with the WRC right now and we have to focus on that. This is the very much the main motorsport programme for us and the board is watching it very closely. I think that's what we have to deliver."

VW currently fields a pair of S2000-spec Skodas in the WRC in order to gain its team experience of the championship, ahead of its first full-time campaign with a World Rally Car next year.

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HRT Formula 1 team open to name change

HRT team principal Luis Perez Sala has admitted that the Spanish outfit is considering a change of name in the future.

While the team dropped the Hispania Racing Team title that it used when it first came into Formula 1 as part of its mid-2011 reconstitution, it has continued with the HRT chassis name.

But this could be dropped in the long-term as part of the team's ongoing changes.

"We are thinking about that," Perez Sala told AUTOSPORT. "But no decision has been taken about changing the name.

"Now, we are HRT. In the future we will see. There is no plan at the moment but it is true that we are thinking about it."

HRT moved its race operation into its new Madrid base in the gap between the Bahrain and Spanish grands prix.

Its aim now is to ensure continued reliability and, if possible, improve the car to the point where it can pressure the Marussias.

"Our objective this year is to try to be reliable and to develop the car with the resources that we have," said Sala.

"If we can close the gap a bit, we will be very happy but we at least do not want to go backwards. We have some updates, but we had a cooling problem and delayed a lot of them to sort those out. It seems those problems are solved now.

"Now we are planning some small updates, but the others are doing the same."

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Ferrari hopeful of quick upgrade

New parts to be unveiled on Friday

Ferrari are confident they will make a step forward with the F2012 this weekend in Spain but are refusing to make any predictions about how far forward they'll move up the grid.

Having struggled for pace in each of the four opening races of the season, and been flattered by the results Fernando Alonso has managed to wring out of his ill-handling machinery, the team will be introducing a series of new parts at the Circuit de Catalunya this week on top of the modest changes made to the F2012 at last week's Mugello test.

With Alonso driving in front of his home supporters, hopes are high that Ferrari will close the gap that has emerged between them and the leading pack, but the team itself are playing down expectations of a sudden charge to the front.

"Based on what we saw in Mugello, where we introduced the first part of the package we've prepared, and based on the numbers we collected there and from the wind-tunnel, we believe we have made a step forward compared to ourselves," Luca Colajanni told Sky Sports News.

But now for the but.

"How big [it is] and how much we can catch-up compared to the others, it's difficult to say until we've seen everyone else showing off their cars because I'm pretty sure that everyone will bring everything they have in their pocket here."

"I believe we will have the first feeling on Friday, but the first answer only on Saturday."

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Kristensen drivers' steward in Spain

Eight-time Le Mans winner returns to role in Barcelona

Tom Kristensen will be the drivers' representative on the FIA's stewarding panel at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Former drivers were introduced to the panel in 2010, to help with decision making by providing an experienced view on incidents, some of which they may have witnessed first-hand.

The eight-time Le Mans winner first took up the role at the Australian Grand Prix in 2010 and was also on the panel at the German Grand Prix last year.

Johnny Herbert and Emanuele Pirro were the drivers' representatives during the opening four rounds of the 2012 season.

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DRIVERS SPLIT OVER THE SCHUMACHER INSPIRED DEBATE ON WHAT KIND OF RACE F1 SHOULD BE:

Michael Schumacher said today that he is very pleased to have launched a debate on F1 about what kind of sport we want it to be; one where the drivers push to the limits or one where they have to manage the tyres.And in the paddock today the other F1 drivers have been giving their views on the discussion. The younger ones, who by and large have limited or no experience of racing on the Bridgestones used up to the end of 2010, say that they are quite happy to race on the current tyres. Others have mixed views with some drivers like Mark Webber on Schumacher's side and others, like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, seeing it as part of a modern F1 which is more entertaining for the fans.

"I just think that they're playing a much too big effect because they are so peaky and so special that they don't put our cars or ourselves to the limit," Schumacher said on the CNN network recently.

"We drive like on raw eggs and I don't want to stress the tyres at all. Otherwise you just overdo it and you go nowhere."

Webber agrees with his rival,"Always drivers want to push to the limit, it's in our DNA, " said Webber. "The last couple of years it's changed. There's a large element of pacing going on and that's a new trade for us, at this level. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating, the engineers can get frustrated with how powerful the tyre can be. We can have phenomenal tyres but the racing might not be as exciting. So depends who wants to do what for the sport."

There's no question that the moves made on the rules in the last 18 months have made the races more spectacular with a ten fold increase in overtaking at a track like Barcelona compared to the Bridgestone days. Many fans have had their say on this site and elsewhere and there is strong support for Schumacher's point of view. But at the same time, F1 is aware that it needs to broaden its appeal and the sport has changed from a series of short sprints, to a spectacle full of uncertainty as drivers are forced to react to the tyres' performance going off. As Webber says, with tyres that degrade at 0.01s per lap and refuelling, the drivers push to the limits, the fastest car will always win and it's not much of a race. With the current rules, there are times to push (especially in qualifying and at key stages of the race) and times to conserve. It's an ideological question of what teams, drivers, fans and administrators want F1 to be.

Vettel said this afternoon, "The racing in the last couple of years, since we changed a couple of things, has become much better. I had a race here where I followed Felipe for 60 laps. Nowadays you know that your chance will come in the race. We get a completely different inside the car from what you see outside the car. You have to look after your tyres more than three years ago. Take 2009, we were allowed to refuel, we had new tyres and they lasted longer with not much degradation, it's a different quality inside the car because you can push every lap. Now we fuel the cars up, the cars are much heavier, it puts a different stress on the tyres. There's more overtaking, which I imagine is seen as a better quality from the outside, because things happen."

Alonso agreed with Vettel.

Some other voices from the drivers are as follows:

Sergio Perez "You have to manage your tyres in the first lap to have a more consistent pace and then after that you can push. I find it okay, I have no problems at all with it.

"Perhaps in Bahrain it was a bit too much. But I think it makes the race more interesting for the team, for the drivers, for everybody. It makes it really great because of how you have to approach the race. I'm happy.

As for this prospects for this weekend's race in Barcelona he said, "It's going to be a dramatic race for the tyres. I expect high degradation, but it's the same for everybody. It's not easy, you have to adapt all the time to different condition. Yes you want to go flat out but you have to take care of the tyres."

Romain Grosjean: "I think you know what the deg is before the race and then you have to play with it and adapt yourself. For sure you cannot run at 100% for all of the race and it's part of the game. The driver has a big influence on the tyre. It's a lot of work with the engineers to save the tyres and see how you improve yourself and if you can make a difference at the end of the race, then good."

Daniel Ricciardo: "I don't know any different, Michael has spent more time here and known different stages. I've come in and driven on the Pirellis and I haven't had a problem with it. I've adapted to the situation. I don't know about driving on raw eggs..but for me I'm driving in F1 and it's awesome."

Mercedes CEO Nick Fry observed that one of his drivers doesn't like the Pirelli way, while the other one, Nico Rosberg, welcomes the opportunity to do a better job with the tyres than his rivals. This debate over tyres, he said, "Is a question for the teams and the organisers to answer and we support Michael on having a strong point of view on this. It may not be a point of view that other drivers share, but it is a perfectly valid and intelligent point of view."

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Alonso rubbishes talk of giving up

Fernando Alonso has rubbished suggestions Ferrari could write-off their season if their highly-anticipated Spanish updates fail to boost them up the grid.

Ferrari arrived in Barcelona for this weekend's Spanish GP with an updated F2012.

Some of the upgrades, including the revised exhaust exits and rear bodywork, were run during the Mugello test last week with everyone at Ferrari adamant they are a step forward.

There are also other upgrades that will be introduced in Friday's practice as Ferrari look to turn their fortunes around.

However, should the team fail to do that in Spain, Alonso has ruled out abandoning the season.

"I don't think so," Alonso said. "We need to see.

"If the step is not good enough, and the others improve more than us, we will just have to work harder for Monaco and Canada and bring more new parts.

"The season is long and we will never give up in April."

The double World Champ, who claimed a surprise victory earlier this season at a wet Malaysian Grand Prix, added that what fans will see this weekend is not the definitive F2012 as, like their rivals, Ferrari will continue to update their car as the season progresses.

"We don't know what car we have here," said the Spaniard.

"We have new parts but, here, everybody has new parts. Because it's Ferrari there are a lot of expectation and it seems like only Ferrari are bringing new parts.

"We have a step forward, we believe, on what we had in Bahrain, but we also know that this isn't the last step we need to do.

"It's continuous work that we need to do, starting here in Barcelona.

"In Monaco, we must bring new parts, in Canada we must bring new parts, but we won't bring a new car in every race as seems we brought here in Barcelona."

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New fuel gives Ferrari 2HP boost in Spain

Shell will introduce a brand new fuel for use by Ferrari in Spain, which it expects will provide a two horsepower boost, without effecting the engines fuel efficiency.

The fuel, which has been in development for several months, has had to undergo various tests to ensure it meets the strict FIA fuel regulations and provides a performance benefit to the Ferrari engine, despite the current development freeze, as explained by Mattia Binotto, head of engine and KERS operations.

"Development of a new fuel takes a few months and it involves a lot of time, energy and resources. Shell begins developing a new fuel by screening several different samples in its laboratory before supplying what it believes to be the best candidates to us at Maranello.

"We then run performance checks on the dyno, although performance is not the only parameter, as we also look at combustion efficiency, speed of combustion, consumption and also power output. Then, the best sample is selected and undergoes reliability tests. This is a time consuming process and we are happy to introduce this new Shell V-Power fuel here in Spain as we expect it to give us an advantage."

When asked to quantify the advantage, Binotto expects the benefits to speak for itself on track.

"To summarise it, I would say that if it works as planned then it should be good enough to improve your grid position by one place, at a time when qualifying performances are so close.

"In fact, given the engine freeze, there is very little one can do to enhance the performance of our 056, but this is one way that is allowed."

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Williams looking forward to Spanish GP in Barcelona

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: On the back of a busy Mugello test we are looking forward to the Barcelona race. As the first race back in Europe this is traditionally where teams bring large performance update packages so it will be interesting to gauge the relative qualifying and race performance deltas this weekend.

Barcelona is obviously a track that all the teams know intimately and one where track conditions can change significantly throughout the event. The latest forecast predicts a warm dry Friday and Saturday, with potential for rain on Sunday. The track layout, with its high average speed and long corners, is particularly severe on the tyres so tyre handling will be paramount this weekend. Pirelli are bringing the hard and soft tyres to Barcelona which is the first time this season that this particular combination has been used.

Pastor Maldonado: We have done a lot of running here pre-season so hopefully that experience will help this weekend. It is a very enjoyable circuit to drive, technical but still quick with turns three and nine a real test. It is also difficult to set the car up here because there are high, medium and slow speed corners. We have been working hard since the last race and hopefully the updates we bring will lead to some good points.

Bruno Senna: Barcelona is one of my favourite tracks and I get a lot of support there so I am really looking forward to the race. It is a very tough circuit physically and mentality, with plenty of high speed corners and a technical last sector which separates the drivers. Lots of cars will come to Barcelona with new parts so it will be interesting to see who has progressed.

Rémi Taffin, Head of Renault Sport F1 Track Operations: We covered over 3,600km in winter testing at Barcelona, so we got plenty of data for how the engine-chassis package works round this track. This will help as there are a few challenges in Barcelona. The torque delivery has to be very accurate to deal with the slower corners in the third sector, including turn ten and the new chicane, but the engine also has to give response and drive through the upper end of the rev range to deal with the high and medium speed bends in the first half of the track. There are also several undulation changes so the gear shifts have to be correctly calibrated to give effective acceleration up the hills. The long pit straight gives an opportunity to release the KERS energy twice as the counter energy resets which should increase overtaking possibilities.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: Barcelona is a track that we are all very familiar with through testing, and we are bringing the P Zero Silver hard tyre and the P Zero Yellow soft tyre to the Spanish Grand Prix. These compounds are well-suited to the heavy demands of this track, where tyre degradation is definitely a factor due to the significant amount of lateral energy going through the tyre and an abrasive track surface, as well as relatively high ambient temperatures. This is particularly notable on the front-left tyre which does most of the work at this circuit. With one whole step between the compounds there should be a lot of scope for the teams to come up with some interesting race strategies.