FORMULA 1 - 2012

[MIKA27]

Williams F1 team sure the new FW34 car is a step forward

Williams is convinced this year's car is a clear step forward compared to last year's challenger, with which the team struggled most of the season.The Grove team endured its worst ever Formula 1 season last year, scoring just five points on its way to ninth place in the standings.

Williams is hoping to revive its fortunes with the new FW34, with engineering chief Mark Gillan adamant that the car proved to be stronger in the first test at Jerez.

"It is a definite step forward," said Gillan. "It is definitely a very different car and there is a lot of things that we need to start investigating and unlock because last year we could not go down those particular routes because we were prevented by the way the car behaved or the way it used its tyres."

He added: "It is clear that the car is very different to last year. And there are certain areas where we need to improve. Set-up tends to take a while to iterate too, and certainly that is what we will be looking to in the next couple of tests.

"Sometimes the car can not look good in certain areas but there is not much laptime by improving those specific things, but in areas such as the low speed, where you get most lap time to gain, those are areas to investigate to always try to improve."

He praised the Renault engine powering the car this year, when the team and the French car maker are reunited.

"It's very good, very positive. It is a very impressive engine," he said.

Gillian was also happy with the performance of Bruno Senna during the first test with the team, the Brazilian the busiest man over the week with 250 laps covered.

"I would say from our side, we were very pleased with his general consistency," Gillan said.

"Obviously he is learning the car. His feedback is excellent, very precise. It is good to get a new perspective on things and very, very useful - so the debrief went on twice as long as it normally does and it was very, very good at all."

[MIKA27]

HRT to skip first Barcelona F1 test to focus on new car

The HRT team will skip the first Barcelona test in order to focus on being ready with its new car for the second and final test there.The Spanish squad tested for two days at Jerez last week, using its 2011 car as the new challenger is yet to pass all the mandatory crash tests.

HRT had hoped to attend the first Barcelona test with the new car, but the failure to pass two crash tests meant a change of plans.

The team has decided it will not be testing at Barcelona next week with the old car either in order to concentrate on getting the new single-seater ready for the March 1 outing.

The Barcelona test kicks off on Tuesday.

[mazolaman]

Enjoying the winter facts Mika.

I may try nitrogen in the van tyres....

[MIKA27]

Franz Tost says Alguersuari and Buemi were not strong enough for Red Bull drive

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost says the talent of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi was simply not enough to be in a position to challenge for a seat at Red Bull Racing.Both Alguersuari and Buemi were replaced at the Faenza-based squad in a shock decision by the team, which hired Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne for the 2012 season.

Tost has stated repeatedly that Toro Rosso's mission is to nurture talent that will fit sister squad Red Bull Racing's demands of a top driver.

And the team boss believes neither Alguersuari nor Buemi were strong enough for that.

Tost also believes the duo should be thankful to Red Bull for having helped them get into Formula 1.

"This is a high-performance sport and 'departures' are a part of the game," Tost told the official Formula 1 website.

"Both drivers have to thank Red Bull as otherwise they would never have made it into Formula 1. And even now they have it in their own hands to make something out of the chance Red Bull has given them.

"Well, Buemi is still with Red Bull Racing as their third man. What will happen to Alguersuari? I have no information at the moment but, as I said, thanks to Red Bull they have a very good basis to pursue their careers from. Maybe even in Formula 1 at another team.

"I'm not saying that they are not fit for Formula 1 as both have shown substantial talent at some races, but it is not enough for Red Bull Racing.

"But I could imagine that they could be top drivers somewhere else and have a successful racing career."

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was quoted as saying that Buemi and Alguersuari would not have been F1 winners, and Tost believes there is a certain degree of truth in that.

"There is probably some truth in Helmut's assertion. When we speak about the 'right stuff' for Red Bull Racing we are talking about a double world championship-winning team, which means that drivers who get elevated there must have the ability to win races and championships.

"And it was from that perspective that second thoughts set in when it came to Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. Toro Rosso is a rookie team - and we will head into the 2012 season with two rookies. I fully support this decision."

Tost also believes Ricciardo and Vergne will have a couple of tough first races this season, but he is confident in their ability to deliver.

"Both have done extremely well in all the series they've raced in before entering Formula 1 and, yes, they showed potential at the test," he said. "Daniel, with 11 Formula 1 races under his belt and frequent Friday drives with us, has an advantage. But in general I would say that this wow-effect is not so easily manageable in a first season.

"But it definitely has to be delivered in the second season. What I do expect from both is that they deliver solid performances. This means that they have to improve. I don't necessarily mean that they must score points... unless we've built a winning car!

"My guess is that the first four flyaway races will be difficult as neither knows the tracks, but once we come to Europe I expect them to do significantly better. Let me say a final word. I don't have a problem when a driver has a good race and at the next race he has a shunt - that's part of the game.

"Both drivers will have a 'crash period' but that is part of their development phase. It was the same with Sebastian Vettel. But at some point they have to get their game together - and the question is who will be better at doing that? Let's wait and see."

Buemi will be Red Bull Racing's third driver this year, also racing with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship.

Alguersuari is yet to announce his plans for 2012.

MIKA: My opinion here: Ok, so TR do not believe Buemi and Alguersari were "good enough" IMO, good call, fair enough, BUT, why on earth would the team tell both drivers "You're seats are safe, they are yours for 2012" (This is in Nov/Dec) and after the negotiation periods where other opportunities have come and gone, they are then dumped by the team. I think that's pretty lame by TR management.

[MIKA27]

Enjoying the winter facts Mika.

I may try nitrogen in the van tyres....

Great to hear!

Good luck with the Nitrogen, let me know how you go.

[MIKA27]

Pedro de la Rosa believes F1 racing will not change in 2012 despite new tyres

Pedro de la Rosa believes Formula 1 racing will not change much this year despite the introduction of new tyres by Pirelli.The Italian firm has decided to alter its compounds in order to reduce the performance gap between the softer and the harder tyres, hoping that racing will be even better than last year.

Although some drivers like Nico Rosberg said the new compounds will have a "big impact" on the racing, de la Rosa believes there will not be a big difference.

"I don't think it will change much because I think that we are still looking at, let's say, an average of two to three stops per race if not more," said de la Rosa.

"And the fact that the hard is softer will only push us into more stops, so I don't think it will change much. But it will not help the drivers that like the very hard compound or the teams that manage to warm up the compounds.

"It helps the little teams like us where we would have had more issues with the hard compound especially when it is cold."

De la Rosa conceded, however, that the tyres had changed significantly in comparison to last year's rubber.

"The hard especially is a big difference. It is a lot softer and the gaps between them - especially the hard and the medium is much, much smaller. Much smaller, basically."

The Spaniard, who will return to racing with HRT this year, said last week's test with his new team was irrelevant for the squad as it was testing its 2011 car.

He said, however, that it was good to test the new Pirellis.

"It is irrelevant, to be honest," said the Spaniard. "I don't think there is anything that will be a carry over to the other car, so the testing is purely to get the team together, to keep the guys experienced to work on an F1 car, under a pressure environment and make the people that are experienced have the chance of teaching the people who are new, and for me to get the rust away.

"It is true we have learned on the tyres as well, because they are quite different from what I experienced last year and that is a bonus for us to come out from here. I was not expecting to learn much about the tyres but I was happy that Pirelli was bring soft, medium and hard because this is a bonus for us."

MIKA: Did you guys read all that or did you see it was HRT and completely skip that news!?

[MIKA27]

'Daimler keen to re-sign iconic Schumi'

This season may not be Michael Schumacher's last in Formula One with reports claiming Daimler are wanting to extend the German's contract.

Schumacher returned to Formula One in 2010 having been lurred back into the sport by former Ferrari man Ross Brawn and the opportunity to race for an all-German team in Mercedes GP.

Although he has yet to taste the success that many associate with Schumacher; race victories and World titles; the 43-year-old has made steady progress over the last two years.

And should 2012 prove to be another step in the right direction, Schumacher could yet sign an extension.

"He is still the icon of motor sport," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told dpa.

The report added that he believes working with Schumacher is "attractive opportunity" and that the seven-time World Champ "only" costs Mercedes GP seven million euros per year.

[MIKA27]

Nico: Relationship with Schu is easy-going

Nico Rosberg says himself and team-mate Michael Schumacher are on an "even playing field" as they enter the third year of their Mercedes GP partnership.

Making the move from Williams to Mercedes at the end of 2009, Rosberg found himself unexpectedly teaming up with - statistically - the greatest driver to have ever raced in Formula One.

And it was Rosberg who had the edge.

The younger German far outscored Schumacher in their first season together while in the second the seven-time World Champ closed the gap, although he still came off second best.

"He closed the gap to me in the Championship standings compared with 2010, but a lot of that reduction was down to the tyres and the DRS, which made overtaking more possible," Rosberg said in an interview with Car.

"Qualifying lost a lot of its importance in 2011 and that was the main explanation. But Michael also raised his game; he upped his performance.

"At the start of last year I had a lot of respect towards him, but it's settled down now. We're on an even playing field and it's much more easygoing.

"I respect his dedication to the sport and his approach. That's interesting to see."

[MIKA27]

Barrichello announcement in March

Rubens Barrichello will announce next month where his future lies after hinting it could be in the IndyCar series.

After failing to sign a new deal with Williams1, the Brazilian found himself left without a Formula One drive for this year's Championship forcing him to look elsewhere.

A close friend of IndyCar racer Tony Kanaan, Barrichello participated in a test with KV Racing IndyCar at Sebring and has hinted that he could race in the series this season.

"It would have to be at the beginning of March," the 39-year-old told GPUpdate.net.

"I went to the test with no expectations, really. I really wanted to test the car, have fun and give the team the best ideas for the future.

"We had a good thing going on and at the end of the test they asked me if I wanted to take part in the Championship.

"I always enjoy being with my family but, honestly, I am eager to get back in a racing car; I like the team and they are on their way up."

[mikec]

Gotta admit I skipped through that one quickly. It's good to finally get a peek of the W03 and I have to admit I'm getting a good feeling about this car, Don't think it will be the quickest but it will even the playing field allowing the drivers to make the difference this year.

[MIKA27]

BBC vs Sky: F1 coverage in 2012

Whether your a fan of the deal or not, nothing is going to prevent the split coverage from going ahead in 2012. A good place to start would be with the line-ups for both broadcasters.

Sky

Simon Lazenby moves from Rugby to front the channel's coverage, David Croft moves from 5Live to be lead commentator alongside Martin Brundle for Qualifying and the race and Anthony Davidson for practice. Ted Kravitz takes up his role as pit reporter aswell as co-host for a weekly magazine show with Georgie Thompson. Natalie Pinkham also has reporting role. ITV's F1 host Steve Ryder is back to do a series of "Legends" interviews.

It is unfortunate that Martin Brundle won't get a second year as lead commentator but David Croft is a strong choice for that role. The only real unknown with Sky's team is Simon Lazenby.

BBC

Jake Humphrey, David Coulthard Eddie Jordan and Lee McKenzie are all staying with the BBC for 2012. Joining DC in the commentary box is set to be Ben Edwards who commentated on the now defunct F1 Digital channel. It is yet to be confirmed who will take Ted Kravitz's former role and if they will continue to have a gridwalk. Over on 5Live, James Allen is the new commentator and surely Maurice Hamilton will be involved in some form. He has too much knowledge of F1 not to. I would take a guess that Sarah Holt (who used to do online features for the BBC F1 website) or Holly Samos would take over Natalie Pinkham's old role.

The BBC have tried as much as they can to keep the award winning team they had. Ben Edwards is highly rated and was talked about before 2009.

Moving on now to how the broadcasters will show it. For the BBC its simple, the races they show will be the same as they have been for the past 3 seasons. The races they don't have will be extensive highlights. They will of course continue to use The Chain.

For Sky though, they have a whole channel dedicated to F1. Imagine how good it would of been if the BBC could of done that! The channel is available to those with the Sky HD pack or those that have Sky Sports pack. The cheapest way to get it is through the HD pack which is around £30.00 a month, £360 a year. Quite expensive for 10 races.

Sky have made a smart decision by grabbing the first two races of the year. While the BBC have got some very good races in full aswell. Here is the full run down:

18th Mar Australia Sky 25th Mar Malaysia Sky

15th Apr China BBC/Sky 22nd Apr Bahrain Sky

13th May Spain BBC/Sky 27th May Monaco BBC/Sky

10th Jun Canada Sky 24th Jun Europe BBC/Sky

8th Jul Britain BBC/Sky 22nd Jul Germany Sky

29th Jul Hungary Sky 2nd Sep Belgium BBC/Sky

9th Sep Italy Sky 23rd Sep Singapore BBC/Sky

7th Oct Japan Sky 14th Oct Korea BBC/Sky

28th Oct India Sky 4th Nov Abu Dhabi BBC/Sky

18th Nov USA Sky 25th Nov Brazil BBC/Sky

Its realistic to expect the viewing figures from the BBC to be as high as 2011. The figures for the races where both broadcasters air the GP could be tremendously high. And if it fails, F1 will remain on free-to-air in the future. If its a success, then F1 will probably grow even more as a result.

MIKA: IMO I think this entire split is ridiculous and confusing.

I rather liked Martin Brundles commentary but now DC will be the main commentator for BBC. I loved DC as a driver but his commentary is much to be desired and he often has an approach and opinion based more personally toward driver(s) vs a fair and professional manner. As for Eddie Jordan, I have no comment as I would be in breach of most of FOH forum rules....

[rckymtn22]

Motorhead: 'Ugly’ debates and phoney wars

During last week’s testing at Jerez, Felipe Massa branded his new Ferrari “very ugly”, picking up on a common theme from the 2012 launches.

It began with the first picture of Caterham’s challenger, complete with ‘platypus nose’, and it spiralled downwards from there.

Ferrari’s car prompted so much talk that a debate on these pages about whether it was the ugliest Ferrari of all time attracted more than 700 comments.

‘Ugliness’ is one of those concepts that rears its head every so often in Formula One. There was chatter about the tall, narrow rear wings on the 2009 cars. Going further back, the 1990s saw the gradual evolution of the ‘high’ nose cone – which for some time was the ugly sister of the low nose.

These debates will rage, and it is to be expected. They invite nostalgia, bring back memories of cars from years gone by, and the great drivers who competed in them.

For fans, at least, this time of the season is the phoney war. For engineers and drivers, there is serious business being done to get things right for the season opener, but for those looking in, it’s desperately difficult to make more than the broadest observations about a team’s pace and prospects for the season ahead.

Take last year, for instance. The quickest time of the second pre-season test in Jerez belonged to Rubens Barrichello in a Williams. That’s the same car which went on to garner five points all season in the illustrious constructor’s worst year to date.

Last week, Mercedes set the pace during testing in Spain – achieved in their 2011 car. That’s not especially instructive for their hopes in 2012 – especially given Michael Schumacher immediately talked down his team's chances of having built a car capable of fighting for the title.

When there are no points on the board and little in the way of action, the aesthetics of the car can suddenly take on more significance than they really deserve.

If you want to strip away the bluster, then listen to Toro Rosso’s new recruit Dan Ricciardo.

When the STR7 – another car on the ‘ugly’ list – was unveiled, Australian Ricciardo saw things differently.

“The car definitely looks sexy,” he said. Why?

“It’s a bit emotional, seeing the first F1 car that will be mine to drive from the start of the season.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the car that is the key to your future in the sport looks pretty good to the rookie. Ricciardo hit the nail firmly on the head when he added: “With the new nose, it’s not exactly beautiful. But I’d rather have a quick car than a beautiful one.”

The constructors are building fast cars, not beautiful ones. But achieving that first job has a knack of shaping our conception of the second.

Pragmatism won the day in the 1990s, too – Alain Prost won the 1993 title in a low-nose Williams, but Michael Schumacher’s high-nosed Benetton was too good for Williams for the next two seasons, so the designer at the time, Adrian Newey, made the switch. Damon Hill won the title in 1996, Jacques Villeneuve repeated the feat a year later. The low nose was rendered obsolete, and there aren’t voices clamouring for its reintroduction these days.

It will be remarkable how quickly the winning cars get better-looking as the season develops.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “When your son dies in circumstances like that, and you get a bunch of guys who turn up and say, listen, we want to tell the story, we think we're very sensitive, we think we will absolutely tell it right... It takes a lot of guts to support people like that, and I'd like to thank them [the family] for doing that.” – Executive producer Manish Pandey’s acceptance speech at the BAFTA Awards, whose documentary Senna won ‘Best Documentary’ and ‘Best Editing’ at the ceremony in London at the weekend.

LOOKING AHEAD: The testing continues, moving to Barcelona for four days from February 21. The new Mercedes will be unveiled, while the other leading constructors will be fine-tuning what they already have

[MIKA27]

Motorhead: 'Ugly' debates and phoney wars

During last week's testing at Jerez, Felipe Massa branded his new Ferrari "very ugly", picking up on a common theme from the 2012 launches.

It began with the first picture of Caterham's challenger, complete with 'platypus nose', and it spiralled downwards from there.

Ferrari's car prompted so much talk that a debate on these pages about whether it was the ugliest Ferrari of all time attracted more than 700 comments.

'Ugliness' is one of those concepts that rears its head every so often in Formula One. There was chatter about the tall, narrow rear wings on the 2009 cars. Going further back, the 1990s saw the gradual evolution of the 'high' nose cone – which for some time was the ugly sister of the low nose.

I rather dont mind the new Ferrari in all honesty. I think the sauber looks really bad but again, that too comes down to the livery and colour scheme.

I can think of a worse car and that was the Williams FW26 back in 2004 it was called the 'Walrus-nose' where Juan Pablo Montoya drove it at the US GP. Again, this is in the eye of the beholder but as far as performance was concerned, it really sucked and was scrapped midway through the season.

[MIKA27]

Trulli: I understand Caterham decision:

Jarno Trulli has taken the time to thank all at Caterham despite Friday's decision to replace him possibly signaling the end of his F1 career.

Trulli, who claimed his one and only grand prix victory at the 2004 Monaco race with Renault, raced for Jordan, Renault and Toyota before making the move over to Tony Fernandes's fledgling F1 team.

Together with Heikki Kovalainen, the Italian ensured that Caterham, previously known as Lotus Racing and Team Lotus, ended each season as the best of the newcomers.

However, in recent months rumours suggested that his place at the team was no longer secure despite being confirmed as a 2012 Caterham driver.

And on Friday the announcement that he was being dropped in favour of Vitaly Petrov finally came.

Trulli, though, insists there are no hard feelings.

"I want to take this chance to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin, Riad, Mike and everyone in the team for the two seasons we had together," he said.

"From zero we built up and established a solid F1 team. I'm really proud to have been part of it.

"I understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead."

[MIKA27]

Domenicali saddened by lack of Italians:

Italy may have the longest-serving F1 team but as of Friday the country no longer has a F1 driver, a move that saddens Stefano Domenicali.

On Friday, Caterham announced that Jarno Trulli would step down from his role of race driver with immediate effect, leaving Formula One without an Italian driver for the first time since 1969.

"I am very sad that, after so many years there will not be an Italian driver in the Formula 1 World Championship field," Domenicali told the Ferrari website.

"I say this on the sporting front and on a personal level when it comes to Jarno, who only on a few occasions has had a car capable of showing off his talents. So here, I wish him all the best for the future, both in racing and away from the track."

The Ferrari team boss, though, is hoping that one day F1 will have another Italian and perhaps in the form of a Ferrari driver.

The Italian stable has confirmed the signing of two youngsters, Raffaele Marciello and Brandon Maisano, to their Young Driver Academy.

"It's a difficult moment for our sport, partly for external reasons. For a few years now, Ferrari through its Driver Academy, has established a long term plan to create a new generation of young drivers, which works also in collaboration with the CSAI," he continued.

"I am pleased to see that just now, we can announce that two talented youngsters, Raffaele and Brandon, will be given a great opportunity to progress in the sport."

[MIKA27]

Massa: Ferrari need the mileage:

Felipe Massa says it is vital for Ferrari to put the miles on the F2012 at Barcelona after failing to reach the 100 lap mark at Jerez.

Although Ferrari found some pace on the final day of the opening pre-season test, the Scuderia were not able to get the miles needed.

While at no stage did their new F2012 breakdown out on track, minor issues often meant time spent in the pits instead of out on track.

The Italian stable is determined to put those to rest next time out at Barcelona where Massa will be in action from Thursday.

"In the meantime, I've been able to try the car on the Catalunya Circuit, at least on the simulator," he told the Ferrari website.

"The past two days have been very interesting, because we ran both on the track where the new car has already run, in other words Jerez and then on the next circuit.

"There's a lot of work to do to fine tune the F2012 but, as both Fernando and I said last week, I think this car has plenty of potential.

"It will be important to do a lot of kilometres next week, because we have many ideas we want to try out and it's essential we don't have any problems: I know that on this front too, the team has worked assiduously to ensure that me and Fernando can do a lot of laps."

The Brazilian insisted - as many have already - that while doing the laps is vital, keeping an eye on the lap times is not.

"I'll say it before we even start: again this coming session, we won't be looking at the stopwatch, especially as you can never know what your rivals are running. The truth will only begin to emerge in Melbourne."

[MIKA27]

FW34 a 'definite step forward'

Williams are looking forward to the season ahead, adamant their FW34 will yield better results that its predecessor.

The Grove-based team had a tough time last year as they bagged just four points from 19 grands prix, their worst Formula One season ever.

This prompted several changes within the team, the most notable being the departure of technical director Sam Michael and the swap from Cosworth to Renault power.

The team launched their Renault-powered FW34 ahead of the first pre-season test in Jerez with engineering chief Mark Gillan confident it's an improvement on last year's.

"It is a definite step forward," he told Autosport.

"It is definitely a very different car and there is a lot of things that we need to start investigating and unlock because last year we could not go down those particular routes because we were prevented by the way the car behaved or the way it used its tyres.

"It is clear that the car is very different to last year. And there are certain areas where we need to improve. Set-up tends to take a while to iterate too, and certainly that is what we will be looking to in the next couple of tests.

"Sometimes the car cannot look good in certain areas but there is not much lap time by improving those specific things, but in areas such as the low speed, where you get most lap time to gain, those are areas to investigate to always try to improve."

[MIKA27]

'McLaren duo not as good as Vettel'

Sir Stirling Moss has delivered a damning verdict on McLaren's drivers, saying they are "not as far" up as Sebastian Vettel.

In the wake of Lewis Hamilton's World title in 2008 and Jenson Button's in 2009, Formula One has been ruled by Germany's Vettel.

The Red Bull racer clinched the crown in 2010 coming from behind at the very last race of the Championship while last season he led from start to finish on his way to his second successive title.

"Vettel is outstanding, but then he has the best car, which is fair enough because normally the best driver gets the best car," said Moss.

"Where we're lucky is that Vettel has a great sense of humour. He is a damn good World Champion.

"I can think of many people who have reached that position and not given back as much as they've got out, but he really does."

As for whether McLaren's Button and Hamilton have what it takes to beat Vettel, Moss believes they are close but not there, after all, he says, Vettel is matched only by five-time Champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

"They are up there, but not as far as he is," Moss continued.

"Vettel is a modern-day Fangio in Formula One. I can't see, other than his natural ability, how he can be that good.

"The problem for Jenson and Lewis is they're up against a better outfit.

"The Red Bull is so good. It's enormously difficult to be as good as that is, and I don't think they are yet.

"Having the best car is always an advantage, but when you give the best car to the best driver, for the others it must be terribly frustrating.

"I remember racing around in a car when I hadn't a hope in hell of winning. If I got a third that was fantastic, but it's pretty soul-destroying really."

Pressed as to whom in the McLaren intra-team battle would have the edge, Moss sid: "Lewis is terrific, he really is exceptionally quick, but Jenson thinks about certain things better than Lewis will.

"Like when it's raining and whether or not to go in for a change of tyres.

"For all those sorts of things he has a better understanding of it, and experience counts for a lot.

"Jenson is also much more dedicated, and I don't mean in any way other than the actual driving. It will be interesting to see what happens this coming year."

MIKA: IMO - I completely disagree. I think Vettel has a good car and he does have skill, but does he have race craft? I do not believe he does compared to hamilton or Button. I'm not a Vettel fan but nor am I a Hamilton fan either but I do believe Hamilton would be greater than Vettel if they were in identical cars, Hamilton is alot faster on equal footing. Added to this, if Button were given the same car, he would come up tops over the both of them as I feel Button has the maturity over both those drivers and Button's driving is one of the most economical of all the drivers on the grid, somehow he manages the car a great deal better than most. That's not to say Buttons the best in the field, but between Hamilton, Vettel, yes I believe he is.

Again, this is just my opinion.

Vettel deserves the WDC the past two years for sure but is he a better driver? No way..

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo downplays Red Bull pressure

Daniel Ricciardo says he's not letting the sudden axing of his predecessors put any added pressure on his shoulders.

Ricciardo was confirmed as a Toro Rosso driver for this season after seats were made available when Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were given the boot.

The reason for the duos departure was explained by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko who stated that neither had the ability to win Championships.

And although Ricciardo is only starting out in F1, having contested just half a season with HRT last year, the Australian knows that he could suffer the same fate should the powers-that-be at Red Bull one deem him not to be capable.

For now, though, he's not letting the added pressure get to him.

"I feel pressure to deliver yes, but it's not only pressure from Red Bull, it's pressure from myself. And not only this year, but since I joined with Red Bull four or five years ago," he toldAutosport.

"But even before that I put pressure on myself to try and get spotted by Red Bull. So I guess for my whole career. Basically every driver, to get to this level, has put pressure on themselves.

"Maybe there is some added pressure from Red Bull but if you want to be World Champion then you know you have got to perform, and they only reason they kick you out is if you are not performing and then you don't probably deserve to be World Champion.

"That's just the business we're in."

This season, his first full campaign in Formula One, will also see Ricciardo concentrate on just F1.

"Since Christmas I have been able to prioritise this and only this. And particularly last year was pretty intense when I was juggling Toro Rosso, World Series and then HRT. And there was a lot of travelling involved so...

"This year I will definitely be better prepared and devote a bit more time to the job, to training and to focus with less interruptions."

[MIKA27]

Mercedes completes 300km during private test

Mercedes completed a full scale shakedown of its 2012 car, which is set to be launched on Tuesday, in which the W03 completed a distance totalling 300km.

This is the cars second test, with the Brackley based outfit having completed a 'filming day' last week at Silverstone, in which they ran Pirelli's demo tyres and were restricted on speed and mileage by the current testing regulations.

However, Sunday's test in Barcelona wasn't restricted and allowed the team to complete its first day of testing the new car under 2012 race conditions on competitive rubber.

Mercedes decided to delay the launch of the W03 in order to concentrate on its development. Their decision to run last years car in Jerez gave them an added two weeks back in the factory and, by only running the W02 on three of the four test days in Jerez, they were able to conduct today's unrestricted private test.

The downside is of course that they have only one days running under their belt, whilst the majority of their competitors have four.

The second pre-season test gets underway on Tuesday, following the Mercedes launch.

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Whitmarsh reassured McLaren nose isn't wrong

McLaren's MP4-27 is the only car on the grid not to feature a stepped nose, or 'platypus' as it has now been dubbed.

Whitmarsh admits he sought clarification from his designers as to whether they have followed the wrong design path.

"I've asked our technical guys if they are sure that we have done the right thing and they have told me not to worry," he is quoted as saying byAuto Motor und Sport.

Whilst he understands the benefits that come with a higher nose, Whitmarsh believes the sloped nose also offers benefits which would otherwise have been compromised.

"There are a lot of compromises," he said. "Yes, with a higher nose, we could channel more air [to the floor]. But [with our concept] we'll have a lower center of gravity, more freedom in the suspension geometry, and a more comfortable seating position for the driver with a better view."

In terms of radical innovations, such as the F-duct seen in 2010 and the exhaust-blown diffuser seen last season, Whitmarsh explained that 2012 would likely be a more conservative approach given the tighter regulations.

"This car is an evolution. At the Barcelona test you will see some new parts on the car and at the start of the season in Melbourne, even more. But in terms of radical innovations that are visibly obvious, I will have to disappoint. These rules leave no room."

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First picture of new Mercedes as W03 runs at Silverstone:

The new Mercedes W03 broke cover for the first time at Silverstone on Thursday, completing its first run ahead of its maiden test at Barcelona this week.

This spy shot of the car during a filming day shows it to feature a stepped nose, in common with almost the whole 2012 F1 grid and several other key differences from last year's machine.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug told AUTOSPORT: "The nose is the most discussed issue. It's a stepped nose as some have seen. It's a very nice solution really and a very dynamic one."

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg drove the car. Filming days require that no more than 100km is completed and demonstration Pirelli tyres are used.

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Vitaly Petrov relieved to have secured F1 future after landing Caterham seat

New Caterham F1 signing Vitaly Petrov says he is relieved to have sorted his future in F1 after months of uncertainty.

The Russian is replacing Italian Jarno Trulli at the team after weeks of speculation about his future.

The deal was completed too late for him to join the opening test at Jerez last week, meaning that his first opportunity to drive will be the Barcelona test that begins on Tuesday.

But the 27-year-old told AUTOSPORT that he is relieved to be back in the cockpit.

"Of course it's not good to miss one of the tests, but I'm just happy that I can do the second test at Barcelona," Petrov said.

"It was a long time during the winter and it is difficult, not knowing what is going to happen with your future. But now finally we've taken the decision with Caterham and I can start to work with them over there."

Petrov endured mixed fortunes during his two years at Renault, with strong performances on occasions such as Australia last year (where he earned his first podium) offset by occasional errors and mounting frustration from both himself and the team over the limits of the R31.

But he says that the move to Caterham is an opportunity for both himself and the team to prove what they can do.

"I think this is a fantastic chance for me, and I think I will show a good side of myself," he said.

"I think I can improve myself together with them. This team has a lot of potential. Over the past two years they have shown that they have improved their car, they are getting closer to the other teams, and this year they have added a lot of new people at the factory, and we are moving to a big new factory close to Enstone.

"You can see in their eyes that they want to win. They want to be there in the top 10, so they are pushing quite hard."

[mikec]

First picture of new Mercedes as W03 runs at Silverstone:

The new Mercedes W03 broke cover for the first time at Silverstone on Thursday, completing its first run ahead of its maiden test at Barcelona this week.

This spy shot of the car during a filming day shows it to feature a stepped nose, in common with almost the whole 2012 F1 grid and several other key differences from last year's machine.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug told AUTOSPORT: "The nose is the most discussed issue. It's a stepped nose as some have seen. It's a very nice solution really and a very dynamic one."

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg drove the car. Filming days require that no more than 100km is completed and demonstration Pirelli tyres are used.

Very excited to see the W03 up close and personal. I'm a little surprised about the stepped nose as I thought they would go the same route as McLaren. Still can't see any of the front wing/nose details as I believe they will run the F-Duct wing at first and see how it stacks up. We will all know very soon how successful the W03 will be and you can be sure they are hiding something up front.

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French GP return still on course

France is still on track to return to the Formula One calendar, according to the country's sports minister David Douillet.

The country last hosted a F1 race in 2008 at Magny-Cours, but negotiations about reviving the grand prix have been underway for several months now.

Reports in January suggested that the grand prix could be staged as early as September 2013.

Although news about the race has gone quiet since then, Douillet insists that the French GP "is not dead".

In an interview with TF1, Douillet said: "We will have three French drivers in F1 so we have to have French Grand Prix. It is my role to make sure we have a grand prix in France."

The race will reportedly be staged at the Paul Ricard circuit and France will alternate with the Belgian GP for a period of 10 years.

"I met Bernie Ecclestone and he was willing to share the grand prix between Belgium and France. He has mobilised and motivated local governments for the financing of the event," said Douillet.

"We have yet to really put ourselves in agreement with our Belgian friends ((including the promoter of the Belgian GP Etienne Davignon) and there are also some details with one or two cities about finances. We are almost there."