FORMULA 1 - 2012

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HRT's 2012 car passes all FIA crash tests

HRT's F112 has finally passed all necessary crash tests, but its debut at the third and final pre-season test in Barcelona next week remains in doubt.

The Spanish outfit

failed three of the 17 mandatory FIA crash tests which must be passed prior to its on-track debut, unlike in previous years when teams could test their cars without having crash tested them.

Despite having passed the final roll-hoop test on Friday, the team has admitted it is unlikely to make the first day of the final test on Thursday, but hoped to debut its car on the Saturday and Sunday - giving it just two days track time before the first race in Melbourne.

HRT does however have the option to hold a private test day later in March if approval is given by all 11 remaining teams - which is likely given Mercedes, Lotus,

Ferrari and Red Bull have all opted to hold private test days by skipping one or more of the pre-planned days.

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Construction sped up with late-nights in Austin

Construction at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin has ramped up with workers working through the night to ensure the circuit meets the FIA inspection deadline.Whilst the extra night shift will please many fans who plan to attend the grand prix amid concerns it won't be finished in time, local residents who neighbour the track are less than happy.

A meeting has been planned with county commissioners and track officials for this week, in which residents plan to express concerns over the expected traffic increase during the event, and the late-night construction work which goes on until the early hours of the morning.

Don Haywood, who lives opposite turn 11, described how the circuit is lit up at night by several high-power floodlights.

"There's about 10 or 12 of these lights. Everything is illuminated on the west side of my house," he told the Statesman. "They'll have 20 to 25 trucks just lined up [waiting to enter]."

The added night-shift is critical to ensure the circuit, which is behind schedule, is completed on time for the FIA's 60-day inspection deadline.

Earlier this month founding partner Bobby Epstein revealed he was ready to provide extra funds to accelerate construction work.

"It's not so much a matter of whether the circuit will be completed," he told CultureMap. "It will be completed. It's really about how much it will cost if we need to accelerate the construction in order to finish."

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Massa not thinking about his future

Felipe Massa is refusing to let talk of his future get to him, insisting he's just focused on having a good season.As the start of the 2012 Championship edges ever closer, the pressure must be mounting as Ferrari have made it abundantly clear that he needs to perform this season or he is out.

Even the Brazilian admitted that his future will be decided in the first half of the campaign, which means he doesn't have much time to secure his place at the Italian stable.

However, for now at least, Massa is adamant he is not thinking about his future.

"No, absolutely not," he told the Ferrari website when asked if he was 'getting used' to the idea that his future would be decided on this year's results.

"I'm heading into the season aiming to do my best, inside and outside the car, as I look to be competitive and to be able to fight for the most important goals like wins and results.

"If you drive with your mind on anything else you won't do your own work properly."

As for pre-season testing, Massa believes Ferrari are looking good to join the fight, however, they won't know for certain where they are in the pecking order until the season is underway.

"We are ready to fight but it's impossible to say how we really compare to the others.

"We will discover that only when we all run with low fuel and soft tyres at the same time on the track, which will be during qualifying for Melbourne.

"Today people can say whatever they want but until we are all in the same conditions words count little.

"It's true that I've seen some strong teams: Red Bull above all but also others like Sauber, Force India and Williams if you look at this week's times".

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Brawn denies Schumacher talks

Ross Brawn has denied reports that Mercedes are close to offering Michael Schumacher a new contract.With Schumacher out of contract at the end of this season - and already 43 years old - many are wondering whether he will want a fourth season with Mercedes.

And although no one knows the answer to that, German newspaper Bild claims he will be at least be offered it by the Mercedes heirarchy.

However, team boss Brawn has denied the report, saying there has been no discussions as yet.

He told Sky Sports: "There's nothing on the table like that at the moment but we're open minded. We don't have other plans for drivers.

"We'll see what happens this year then talk about it. I hope it goes well because that means we'll be having good results and I think we'd both be happy to continue."

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Rosberg: Not yet winners

Although Nico Rosberg says Merc are heading in the right direction, he reckons they do not yet have a winning car.Mercedes launched their W03 minutes ahead of the second pre-season test, which kicked off at Barcelona on Tuesday.

That, however, put them behind their rivals with the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus having all debuted their 2012 cars at the first test in Jerez.

Rosberg, though, is confident that in their W03 Mercedes have made great strides forward.

"We want to win, so we are definitely not there yet, but we are making progress and that is good to see," the German told Autosport.

"The team is in the right direction, and the car build, the work they have done at the factory over the winter is so much better than previous years.

"It is clean, the car build is performing as expected and all these things [are good], so we are looking at big things as a team.

"It is not frustrating; it is a great motivation to be part of this push that is happening at this team.

"The progress is evident so that is really nice to see and everyone is motivated as a result.

"You see that progress and that is extra motivation, because you think okay, things are happening, now things are moving forward and we can get there."

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F1: Teams try full range of PirellI P Zero tyres at Barcelona

For the first time this year, the Formula One teams tried out the full range of Pirelli's 2012 slick tyres, with the P Zero Silver hard, P Zero White medium, P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft all taking to the track in Barcelona.

In total the drivers completed 3697 laps, the equivalent of 17,207 kilometres. At the second test of the year, the majority of the teams ramped up the development curve with their 2012 cars, seeing how they interact with the full range of Pirelli tyres on a circuit that is very familiar to all of them. A number of drivers also completed race simulations, again making use of all of Pirelli's slick tyres. In particular, plenty of work was carried out using the medium tyre, which has been nominated for the first three races (together with the soft in Australia and China, and the hard in Malaysia).

The four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya - the home of the Spanish Grand Prix - was characterised by quite cold temperatures in the mornings, which made it difficult for the teams to collect a large amount of representative data. The warmer conditions of the afternoon were better suited to the working range of the tyres and provided both Pirelli and the teams with some useful data and understanding of their behaviour. There was no rain, which means that the Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue full wet tyres have yet to be tested.

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery

"It was an extremely productive four days, and we were helped by temperatures that - at least in the afternoons - were more representative of what we will expect to see during the season. The teams all completed the most amount of running that we have seen so far this year, 17,207 kilometres as opposed to 14,949 kilometres in Jerez.

This allowed them to gather plenty of data on all four slick tyres that we can now analyse in order to come up with a few different scenarios for the first races related to strategy options and crossover points. As we expected, most teams chose to concentrate on the medium tyre, with the emphasis often on aerodynamic set-up work rather than tyre evaluation. However, we got plenty of work done and we're satisfied with the levels of degradation and performance seen so far, as we head now into the final test again at Barcelona next week. It's only then that we will see a more accurate picture of the relative performance of the teams, but from our point of view we are meeting our objectives."

TESTING FACTS:

• Both the hardest and the softest slick tyres in Pirelli's range set fastest times in Barcelona.

• Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets for Red Bull Racing on day one, setting a time of 1m23.265s with the P Zero Silver hard.

• The fastest time on the third day of the test was set by Williams driver Pastor Maldonado using the P Zero Red supersoft: 1m22.391s.

• The fastest time on the final day of the test was set by Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi using the P Zero Yellow soft: 1m22.312s. This was the fastest time of the whole four-day test.

• The driver to complete the most laps at Barcelona was also Kobayashi who did 243 laps (the equivalent of 1131 kilometres).

• The fastest race lap at Barcelona last year was 1m26.727s while the pole lap was 1m20.981s - but with so many parameters being tested on the new cars, it is still hard to draw many firm conclusions.

TESTING NUMBERS:

• Total number of sets brought to Barcelona: 367 sets which equals 1468 tyres

- Of which Supersoft tyres: 34 sets

- Of which Soft tyres: 82 sets

- Of which Medium tyres: 110 sets

- Of which Hard tyres: 69 sets

- Of which Intermediate tyres:36 sets

- Of which Wet tyres: 36 sets

• Total amount of sets used: 257

- Of which Supersoft tyres: 16 sets

- Of which Soft tyres: 81 sets

- Of which Medium tyres: 95 sets

- Of which Hard tyres: 65 sets

- Of which Intermediate tyres: 0 sets

- Of which Wet tyres: 0 sets

• Longest run: 22 laps on the Hard compound

20 laps on the Medium compound

24 laps on the Soft compound10 laps on the Supersoft compound

• Highest / lowest ambient temperature over four days: 5 °C / 22 °C

• Highest / lowest track temperature over four days: 7 °C / 31 °C

TYRE SUMMARY:

Day 1

1. Vettel 1'23"265 on Hard New

2. Hülkenberg 1'23"440 on Medium New

3. Hamilton 1'23"590 on Soft New

Day 2

1. Hülkenberg 1'22''608 on Supersoft New

2. Perez 1'22''648 on Supersoft New

3. Vettel 1'22''891 on Soft New

Day 3

1. Maldonado 1'22''391 on Supersoft New

2. Schumacher 1'23''384 on Soft New

3. Kobayashi 1'23''582 on Soft New

Day 4

1. Kobayashi 1'22"312 on Soft New

2. Maldonado 1'22"561 on Supersoft New

3. Di Resta 1'23"119 on Supersoft New

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Marussia forced to delay new Formula 1 car launch after failing final mandatory crash test

Marussia has been forced to scrap plans to run its new Formula 1 car at this week's Barcelona test after failing its final mandatory crash test.The outfit had hoped to give the new MR01 its first track action from Thursday this week, but it cannot go ahead after its car did not pass the last of the 18 crash tests that are required in the regulations.

For the first time this year, F1 teams have had to pass the crash tests before they are allowed to run their cars at an official test. Previously, teams only had to pass the tests before the first race of the season.

In a statement issued by Marussia on Monday night, it said its efforts now would be focused on trying to pass the final crash test.

"All cars are required to pass 18 FIA-observed tests for homologation to be granted. Despite the fact that the MR01 has passed all 17 of the preceding tests, the regulations require the car to have completed all of the tests before running commences," said the statement.

"The team will now not take part in the final pre-season test in Barcelona later this week (1-4 March) and will instead focus its efforts on repeating the crash test at the end of the week."

Marussia is the last of the teams to complete its crash tests, with HRT having passed all its tests in the last few days, and hoping to get its new car ready in time for some running in Barcelona this week.

The news of the failed test for Marussia means the outfit is unlikely to be able to test its car properly prior to the first race of the season in Australia on March 18.

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Mark Webber not worried about young Red Bull pretenders as he focusses on his own performance

Mark Webber says he will waste no time worrying about rival drivers gunning for his Red Bull Racing seat for next year.

With the Australian's contract up for renewal again at the end of this season, Webber knows he must deliver results if his bosses are not going to consider slotting in youngsters like Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric Vergne.

But rather than feel that the situation is a cause for concern, Webber is well aware of what is expected - and knows the best thing for his future is focusing on his own performances rather than what other drivers are doing.

"The most important thing for Mark Webber is that I perform," he said in an interview with the official Formula 1 website. "The rest I can't control, so I'll just look after myself.

"When you are in front in Formula 1 you are always under intense scrutiny. Every corner is analysed. If teams don't like a driver's style or discipline it does not matter who is waiting in the wings - you are out anyway.

"Teams will always look at what's best for them as drivers are a huge part of the team. I respect that and will focus on 2012 in this fashion."

When asked if that meant his sights were set on a full-scale championship assault this year, after a disappointing 2011 campaign, Webber responded: "Absolutely!

"I had a pretty strong finish last season but unfortunately it was not the best of starts. So for 2012 I want to have a good start, keep it together in the middle part and have a good finish. And then let's count up the points!"

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Hill: Canny Button a dark horse

Former World Champion Damon Hill believes Jenson Button could cause a surprise this season.Button had a strong end to the 2011 campaign, claiming seven podium places in eight races to finish second behind Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship.

The 32-year-old is determined to go one better this year and has already warned that there will be "no excuses" if he fails to challenge for top honours.

Hill believes Button has what it takes to challenge for the title.

"I think Button is always a dark horse," Hill told Crash.net during a Sky Sports F1 press day. "He doesn't make a big scene. He gets on with it. With these kinds of tyres it is looking good for him. He is a canny driver and he is getting better.

"At the end of last year I thought he was super strong and you started to put money on Button each time. [Whereas with] Lewis you always feel it could go either way...

"There are a lot of very talented drivers [in F1 though], and I am [also] interested in battles between other team-mates, say [Nico] Hulkenberg and [Paul] di Resta.

"Certain teams have got good pairings of very talented drivers. It will be interesting to watch that unfold and whether those guys can do enough to dislodge the top six guys. You have to do something remarkably amazing to break into that circle. But that is always the game.

"The way I look at it from a drivers' point of view is: Who out there is doing something exceptional? [sebastian] Vettel and [Fernando] Alonso did something exceptional to get where they are."

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Can Williams forge a successful comeback?

Williams have made some positive steps to improve their fortunes, but improving significantly on last year's disastrous season will still prove tough.

The Grove outfit have restructured their technical department with three key new signings. They have switched from Cosworth to Renault engines and the blown diffuser ban could also prove an advantage.

However on the negative side, an inexperienced driver line-up could prove to be a critical error. Furthermore F1's midfield is currently extremely strong with the likes of Force India and Toro Rosso looking good in testing.

The ban on blown diffusers should benefit Williams as it was one of the teams that gained from the one-race ban seen at the British GP. Overall the top teams were able to gain around seven tenths from the concept, which is a huge chunk of time in F1. That advantage has now been removed from the equation.

Marussia's consultant Pat Symonds agrees that the blown diffuser ban will help the smaller teams. At January's Autosport Show he said: "For small teams like ours that is not a bad thing. It was difficult to understand and make work, and the new regulations make things a little bit easier."

Although the current engine freeze make F1 power plants less of a performance differential than before, the move to Renault still brings benefits for Williams.

Pastor Maldonado told Sky Sports: "It's a big difference between the Renault and the engine we had last year - Not only in terms of power but in terms of maps and things to do."

He added: "It is still very early to say but it feels compact in the car."

The Renault engine also has the best fuel consumption in the pit lane. In the race that can make a huge difference. If you can afford to start the race with a lighter car than your rivals then the advantage is significant.

Renault F1 director Jean Francois Caubet told AS: "As far as drivability and fuel economy go, the Renault engine is out in front as we need less gas."

When talking about Red Bull he added: "[They] can start races with 15 or 18 litres less fuel in the tank than their competition - and that makes the difference."

A restructuring of the team has seen technical director Sam Michael leave with Mike Coughlan, formally of McLaren, replacing him. Mark Gillan has joined as chief operations engineer. Jason Somerville has also joined from Renault [now Lotus] to become head of aerodynamics.

This restructuring of the team has long been overdue. Patrick Head has been quoted as saying that William's problem isn't financial but a lack of brain power. You can see some truth in that comment. The last time Williams were winning titles the designer was a certain Mr Adrian Newey.

Many say BMW's departure from the team at the end of 2005 was what really started Williams downward spiral. However the process started whilst BMW were still part of the team in 2004.

In 2003 the team had been title contenders, and finished second in the constructor's championship. In 2004 they had slipped to fourth, and in 2005 slipped to fifth.

In May 2004 Michael was made technical director, replacing Patrick Head who previously held the role. After that, the decline in performance continued.

Although Michael had proved his immense talent in other roles including race engineer back in his days at Jordan, and as Senior Operations Manager in his first few years with Williams, the role of technical director didn't suit his strengths.

He was also very over-stretched and ended up with a bigger workload than he could manage. He did the best he could in the circumstances, particularly with decreasing finances compared to the top guns.

Rubens Barrichello told ITV-F1: "I was happy to reunite with him at Williams, [but] he's doing five or six jobs. He's overloaded, and at the end of the day it's too much for a single human being and he ends up doing half of his capability on his own job because he is doing other things."

He added: "He just needs to be put back working properly on the things he likes to work on."

His new role at McLaren as Sporting Director won't see him overseeing the design and manufacturing of the cars. It's a role that will suit his strengths and how Williams should have utilised him.

Coughlan may be most famous for his role in the spygate scandal of 2007, but there is no denying his talent and ability. He will bring a huge amount of knowledge and expertise to the team.

Gillan is a very talented aerodynamicist who worked at McLaren during their successful period in the late 90s/early 2000s as well as stints at Jaguar and Toyota.

Somerville has worked at Williams in the past (1997-2003) so already knows his way around. He also worked on cars which won the team races.

Not only have these new appointments been made but changes have been applied throughout the whole team.

Maldonado recently stated: "Everything is looking very different to last year.

"This is Formula 1 - you can always improve but we are more concentrated, we have new people and the team is working very well. It's completely different."

Coughlan told the team's e-magazine: "The facilities here are absolutely first-rate, and the only thing we haven't done is utilised them correctly.

"There has been a forensic look at what we've been doing wrong and where we need to improve, and we've come to the conclusion that some strategic errors were made in the past.

"We've identified the key elements we need to put in place, not just for next season but forever, to make a successful car every year."

All these improvements and changes will no doubt make Williams a better and stronger team than they were last year.

However their young driver line-up of Maldonado and Bruno Senna may prove to be a mistake. Firstly it should be said that this isn't a criticism of either driver. Both deserve to have a place in F1.

Although Maldonado was at times a bit wild and made mistakes he did regularly out-qualify Barrichello. There is no doubting his pace whatsoever, plus he had some great races, including his drives at Monaco and Spa.

Most would agree that Senna deserves a full season in a decent car to show how good a driver he is. At HRT he had a dreadful car, and at Lotus-Renault he was given a handful of races out of the blue at the end of the season.

There have been a few sparks such as his qualifying at Spa last year, which suggests he could become a great driver.

However the mistake Williams have made is hiring both of them in the same line-up. It's a bit like putting sugar and salt together.

For Williams to improve their championship position they need drivers that are consistently going to score points, and not make too many mistakes.

In the midfield battle attritional races can often have a big impact on how the championship finishes. Therefore the drivers need to make sure they make most of those opportunities when they arise.

Whilst both drivers are capable of strong performances, both are liable to inconsistency and making mistakes. The team could lose points opportunities as a result.

For example whilst Senna did that brilliant qualifying in Spa last year, he ruined his chances of converting it into a strong result by misjudging the first corner. It's these types of incidents that experienced drivers avoid. The other issue is which driver is going to lead the team?

The ideal combination for Williams would have been Senna or Maldonado (most likely Pastor due to significant sponsorship) plus Barrichello or Adrian Sutil.

The other big problem for Williams is the grid is just so strong these days. In years gone by there were two or three top teams at the most. Now there are five top teams, personnel, resource and finance wise: Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Mercedes.

Not only that but F1 has great strength in depth in the midfield too with Force India, Sauber and Toro Rosso who are very capable teams. Sauber in particular have the facilities to match a top team even if they don't have the budget to match.

Toro Rosso and Force India don't have mega budgets and facilities but do a brilliant and efficient job with what they have. The F1 grid has never been so strong and will continue to get tighter.

We also have to remember that the loss of Patrick Head is going to hurt Williams. He is one of the legends of the sport who made a huge contribution to all the championships that the team won.

It's no surprise that as his role has got lesser and lesser over the years that the fortunes of the team have dwindled. He is irreplaceable.

It needs to be considered too that the new look Williams team is going to need a while to bed in. The full benefit of the changes won't be felt immediately.

There is no doubt that Williams will improve in 2012. Once the new look team gels it's feasible to see Williams leapfrogging the likes of Sauber and Force India to be at the front of the midfield. A few tenths worth of advances can leap you ahead of two or three teams in the tight midfield battle.

However it's going to take a lot more to see Williams troubling the top five teams in the near future.

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Glock laments test setback

Timo Glock admits it's a "shame" that Marussia won't take part in the final pre-season test after their new car failed to pass a mandatory crash test.The Banbury-based squad confirmed on Monday that they would not be in action at the Circuit de Catalunya later this week after their MR01 failed the last of its 18 FIA-observed crash tests.

Marussia are hopeful that their new challenger will be ready for the first race of the year in Australia, but it does mean Glock and rookie team-mate Charles Pic will head to Melbourne with no testing mileage in the car under their belt.

"Of course it is a shame that we can't test in Barcelona ... (But) safety comes first," Glock told German press agency dpa.

"We will be competing with our new car in Melbourne."

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Williams duo welcome Wurz arrival

Williams drivers Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna are confident Alex Wurz will give the team a big boost this campaign.The Austrian, who will act as a driver mentor for the relatively inexperienced pair, was on hand to advise the duo during last week's pre-season test in Barcelona.

Maldonado believes it is always handy to have an experienced driver on hand in the garage.

"It is a positive thing because there is one more driver in the team looking from the outside," the Venezuelan said.

"It's not always easy to look at everything from inside the cockpit and Alex is so experienced that he can help us to improve our performance."

Senna added: "Alex is a great addition to the team. He has been around long enough to know things that we can benefit from. I'll try to use him as much as possible."

Williams chief operations engineer Mark Gillan says Wurz, who drove in 69 grands prix during stints with Benetton, McLaren and Williams, has already had a positive impact.

"He's one of the drivers who I would feel comfortable with bringing in in this particular role," said Gillian.

"He has settled in very well and it has been an easy introduction. He is already bringing good insight and knowledge [to the drivers]."

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Alonso: Car is complex and needs time

Fernando Alonso maintains that Ferrari still have a lot of work to do, but is confident they will be ready for the first race of the campaign.Ferrari have had a testing time during pre-season as it struggled to come to grips with its "reasonably complex" F2012.

The team are sixth in the mileage standings after the tests in Jerez and Barcelona with Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa having completed just 617 laps between them.

Double World Champion Alonso, though, says the team are coming to grips with their new car.

"We are continuing with development of the new car," the Spaniard is quoted as saying by the official Ferrari website.

"Maybe we are only taking small steps forward, but they are coming constantly: in Barcelona, the F2012 was better than it had been in Jerez and it will be better still this week and even more so in Melbourne.

"There is still a lot of work to do, but as of today, there is no reason why we should not be ready for the first race.

"It's true there are only four more days of testing and we will have to also make use of the first Friday at a race weekend to continue with development, but the car is reasonably complex and needs time, as was the case over the first eight days. It is definitely too early to say where we are compared to the others.

"Red Bull is very strong, but that's hardly a surprise."

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Webber rules out move to midfield team

Mark Webber had made it clear that wants to stay competitive at the front of the grid after 2012, saying he is not prepared to drive for a midfield team.

The 35-year-old's contract with Red Bull runs out at the end of this year and, although he is adamant that he is "not contemplating retirement", his bosses have made it clear that they won't hesitate to promote one of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Should Red Bull pass up on the opportunity to keep him for 2013, then the Australian's chances of staying in F1 will be limited, especially as he is not interested in making the step down to a team that won't challenge for honours.

"I'd need something competitive," Webber told AAP.

"It's pretty clear that I've earned my stripes on the way through so I won't be doing that on the other side - going the other way.

"Being competitive, being at the front, is certainly a big, big factor of me staying very hungry and motivated."

However, all is not lost for Webber at Red Bull as a good season may well convince the powers to be to give him another season.

The veteran is determined to focus on the job at hand and not worry about those who are waiting in the wings

"The most important thing for Mark Webber is that I perform," he told the official Formula One website.

"The rest I can't control, so I'll just look after myself. When you are in front in Formula One you are always under intense scrutiny. Every corner is analysed.

"If teams don't like a driver's style or discipline it does not matter who is waiting in the wings - you are out anyway. Teams will always look at what's best for them as drivers are a huge part of the team. I respect that and will focus on 2012 in this fashion."

The season-opening race is only a few weeks away and the Australian, who failed to match his team-mate Sebastian Vettel last year, hopes to make a strong start this year.

"I had a pretty strong finish last season but unfortunately it was not the best of starts," he said. "So for 2012 I want to have a good start, keep it together in the middle part and have a good finish. And then let's count up the points!"

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F1: Heidfeld, Sutil, not giving up on F1

Two well-known German drivers on Tuesday said they have not given up on formula one.

2011 was Nick Heidfeld's twelfth consecutive season on the grid, but the 34-year-old former Williams, BMW and Renault driver has been left without a seat for 2012.He will race at the fabled 24 hour Le Mans race this year but on Tuesday said he still hopes to be involved in F1.

"Of course I've been trying to get a seat," he said on Austrian television Servus TV, "but we all know that it's not easy at the moment, with money playing a big role.

"I've been there (in F1) for many years, it was a great time, but I would still like to be involved for a bit longer," added Heidfeld.

Also forced onto the sidelines in 2012 is Adrian Sutil, the former Force India driver who has vowed to fight his new conviction for grievous bodily harm.

"The plan, very clearly, is formula one," he insisted on Tuesday.

"This is a new situation for me, but I'm motivated. Maybe I am having to have a short break, but it could be over very quickly if any opportunities open up.

"I'm hopeful," the 29-year-old admitted. "It's always difficult to make plans in this business, but I would like to come back in 2013 with a very good team.

"It's a shame for me that I will probably not be there at the start in Melbourne, but hopefully one way or another I will (be back) in the course of the year," added Sutil.

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F1: 'Impossible' to make friends in F1 - Vergne

Relations remain cool in the Toro Rosso garage, but rookie Jean-Eric Vergne is not expecting to be friends with any of his other rivals in 2012.

The Frenchman said recently that although he and Toro Rosso teammate Daniel Ricciardo may be fighting it out for a 2013 Red Bull seat, they need to work together to push the Faenza based team forwards this year.But outside the Toro Rosso garage, 21-year-old Vergne is not hoping to make friends in formula one.

"With Daniel and I it's going well, we've known each other for a long time," he told the L'Equipe sports daily.

"He is someone I get along well with and it's a pleasure to work with (him).

"We can be friends, but otherwise it's impossible to be friends with the F1 drivers -- unless you know you will be always in first place with the best car.

"For me, it's inconceivable to be friends with someone you want to beat," added Vergne.

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Pit Crew fitness: Who said Formula One was quiet during the winter?

Every winter, the world of Formula One goes into hibernation for a couple of months. Or at least, that’s what it looks like from the outside. While the winter months are spent away from the usual race track activities, they end up being the busiest for everyone at the factory, with the hard work on the new car focusing pretty much all of the team’s efforts.Without fail, we hear every year about how drivers stay in shape during the colder months, away from the highly demanding environment that represents their cockpits. It is indeed true that Nico, Michael and the rest of the grid will spend most of their time in the gym, riding their bikes (if the weather permits!) or doing any other activity which will helps to maintain their muscular mass, strength and stamina at a good level during the close season.

However, what about the “unsung heroes” of the team, our pit crew? Even though the demand on their bodies is not quite the same as on Michael and Nico (with heart rates rising to 190 bpm and forces of up to 5G in some corners!), our mechanics need to stay in good shape during the winter to ensure optimal performance from the first practice session of the year onwards.

Our Chief Mechanic Matt confirms that the pit crew will do “circuit training for 45 minutes once a week” which consists of reaction-rig tests in the gym. The guys will also work on their “upper-body strength”, run and cycle.

The mechanics working on the cars also attend stretching classes twice a week and use the gym available at the factory in Brackley at least once a week. “The stretching classes are particularly good when we attend the first winter tests of the year” explains Matt. “Obviously it is pretty cold out there, you are suddenly doing 18 hours days, you spend a lot of time bending over the cars, and if you’re not careful, you can quickly hurt yourself... and to be fair, we’re not getting any younger either!” he laughs.

The key part of the mechanics’ training will obviously be the pit stop practice sessions the boys do twice a week. With pit stop times having radically reduced over the last few years (to an average of 2.9s per pitstop in 2011), and our team being consistently one of the quickest (our mechanics recorded the fastest individual stop on seven occasions last season and the fastest average across the year), there’s - almost - no room for error and 2012 won’t be an exception.

The key for 2012: consistency

After such a successful year, do the boys feel a bit of pressure to maintain good form this year? “When you’re good at something, you want to continue being good at it. The pressure comes from within you in order to maintain the good results, more than from any other exterior source.”

This year’s key point is: “Consistency. We’ll soon arrive at a point where we can’t get any quicker at a pit stop, so the key will be to consistently be the fastest and to maintain the level.” Matt also insists on the fact that “Mistakes can happen. When you work at the limit at all times, when you keep pushing like that, mistakes can’t be ruled out of the equation. But the most important thing is how the guys will deal with mistakes and react to fix them quickly...”

Consistent good results come from continuous practice, and everything is done at the factory to ensure that by the first race in Australia, everyone feels 100%. “Everyone is super competitive in the team - if you’re the fastest gunman in the team, you’ll want it to stay like that. If you’re not, you’ll push to be. It’s almost a question of forgetting about the other teams - if we’re individually the fastest, we’ll be the fastest team. If every guy finds 0.1s in himself, you can easily end-up half a second quicker...”

And obviously, all that practice is done while the guys build the new car at the same time. Who ever said Formula One was quiet during the winter?

[MIKA27]

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE FINAL PRE-SEASON F1 TEST:

This week in Barcelona the F1 teams will have their final chance to test the new cars before shipping them off to Australia for the first race, which is just over two weeks from now.

The test starts on Thursday and runs to Sunday. It's a crucial opportunity to put the planned development updates on the car which will be used in Melbourne and it should give us a clearer indication of who starts where at the opening of the season.

It is however important to point out that there is likely to be a lot of movement from the start of the season to the end, depending on the amount of development budget teams have and on the directions they take with their cars. So a team which starts strongly in the midfield in Melbourne, for example, could be behind its rivals by Silverstone, so much can change.

Conservative estimates would say that a decent development programme through the season would make a car around 2 seconds per lap faster in Brazil than it will be this week in Barcelona. That's roughly what eight months and around £15 million of development spend will bring you.

From what I've seen so far and picked up, Red Bull is ahead and has a significant update package to roll out this week. Whether they will go for an eye catching lap time remains to be seen, but from what we've seen so far in testing this year, caginess is the name of the game, so I doubt we'll see Vettel stick in a low fuel flyer on the final day.

McLaren is close to Red Bull and there's a mixture of relief and confidence in Woking; relief that the car isn't a dud like last year's was at this stage and confidence springing from that, which says that the intense development programme planned should put them in the hunt from the early races, even if they are a few tenths off in Melbourne qualifying.

Those two teams are out front at the moment. Mercedes is next, with everyone looking very closely at photos of the Mercedes diffuser, which has some clever solutions for channeling air and exhaust. It could be the first device to be widely copied, as everyone scrabbles around to recover lost downforce at the back of the car. Nico Rosberg did a very useful race distance run last week and we'll be looking out to see another step on from there this week.

All eyes will be on the Lotus garage. The black and gold team suffered a major embarrassment when the car had to be withdrawn from testing on day one of the first Barcelona test due to abnormal behaviour of the chassis construction. New composite techniques aimed at lightening the weight of the monocoque appear to have backfired, costing the team four valuable days testing.

Prior to that the car looked quick in Jerez; the team had gone about that first test aggressively, Raikkonen looked impressively sharp for a driver who's been out for two years and Grosjean was quick when he followed the Finn into the car. Perhaps the longer runs showed that they weren't quite as quick as initial impressions suggested, but this week will give a better idea of where they are relative to Mercedes.

Ferrari are a big unknown at the moment. They made some progress last week in Barcelona after a painful birth for the car and it's really a question of how calm they've been able to remain back at base in the face of what was starting to look like a mini-crisis. If they've stayed cool and thought carefully through the next steps, then we should see some further progress this week at the test with new solutions on the exhausts and on rear end aerodynamics in particular.

Force India look to be in very good shape. Their car is quick and they have two young, quick drivers who seem to be pushing each other along very well. This looks like the form outfit of midfield at the moment, with Toro Rosso also looking reasonable. Of the two you'd have to back Force India to go on and develop the more strongly over 20 races – it looks like being a good year for the Indian team. Their car has still got the characteristic of being very fast in a straight line, but clearly has plenty of downforce too, which bodes well.

Williams has done a massive mileage and now needs to squeeze out some more pace from its car. The emphasis this week in Spain will be on looking to unlock more speed, making sure that they've got everything working to the maximum. The team has a Renault engine and KERS, which is a good start.

Sauber did some reasonable times in the first Barcelona test, as it goes about its business without a technical director; James Key having left the team just before the start of the season. Qualifying pace is a key area for the team, after a patchy performance in this area last year.

Caterham is quite hard to read as some promising early signs were rather scrubbed out by reliability issues in Barcelona last week. We've not seen yet the kind of pace which is going to bridge the gap from where they were last year to the Williams/Sauber/Toro Rosso pace and that's what we'll be looking for this week.

As for the two backmarker teams, Marussia and HRT, sadly the new rule for 2012 which obliges all teams to pass 18 different crash tests has made life tricky for them. Marussia looks set to miss the week's testing after failing one of the tests, while HRT has now finally got through. Hopefully they will make an appearance at some point this week in Barcelona.

[MIKA27]

LOTUS READY TO RESUME TESTING AFTER INTENSE REMEDIAL WORK:

Lotus will return to the track at Barcelona on Thursday with its technical director James Allison confident that the chassis problems that forced it to pull out of last week’s test – which have now been confirmed as issues with the mounting of the upper front wishbone – have been fixed following an “intense” few days at its Enstone factory.After a promising start to pre-season when Romain Grosjean set the pace for 2012 cars at Jerez, the Frenchman reported the new second chassis as feeling strange on his first flying lap of the second test at the Circuit de Catalunya, prompting investigations back at the team’s factory which led to the difficult season to abort the week altogether.

The setback has cost the team dearly in terms of pre-season track time – it will now head into the Australia season opener with just eight days of full testing under its belt instead of the 12 of its key rivals – but Allison says the response from the team to rectify the problem with the mounting of the upper front wishbone rear arm has been impressive.

“It’s been an intense few days, but I have to say that everybody has completed their tasks in tremendous fashion,” he said in a Q&A released by Lotus. “On the first day back at the factory, I spoke to the entire Enstone personnel and clearly explained what happened. Everybody understood that the situation was unfortunate, but under control. We designed the new parts, manufactured them, and fitted them to the chassis. We then completed the necessary tests satisfactorily and the chassis left for Spain.”

The team is believed to have implemented new composite techniques aimed at lightening the weight of the monocoque for 2012 and Allison has confirmed as a result of the strengthening changes to the E20, the chassis is now 1kg heavier than before – although he describe this as “manageable” and without any major ramifications for handling or performance.

He confirmed that the revised chassis did not have to undergo fresh FIA crash tests and that the 01 chassis used at Jerez, now equipped with modifications, would be used again at Barcelona with the 02 to be a spare and the 03 now close to completion.

Allison gave a definitive “yes” when asked if he was confident that the problems were now fixed and believes the team can recover strongly from the setback: “Of course, missing four days of testing is not ideal. We need mileage at this stage of the year, as does any other team. That said, there are reasons to remain optimistic. First of all, we completed many trouble-free laps in Jerez and gained a good understanding of the car. Also, some of the small issues we identified in Jerez needed to be fixed, and the parts were not available last week. On Thursday, the car will run with all the required redesigned parts. We’re looking forward to being back on track.”

[mikec]

According to Ross and Norbert today they both seem to be happy to shoot for third quick this year. I find this a little disappointing but perhaps this is all part of the preseason gaming going on. Their new rear diffuser seems to be attracting some attention which may get them some early season speed advantage. We will see how the times are by the end of the week when all the final bits and pieces are strapped on.

[MIKA27]

F1: Mercedes not expecting title tilt until 2014

Germany's DPA news agency quotes motor sport director Norbert Haug as saying that, after finishing fourth in the constructors' standings in 2010 and 2011, the leap to first place is not possible in a single step."You don't just jump from fourth to first, so we want to do the countdown: 4, 3, 2, 1," he is quoted as saying.

By that logic, Mercedes wants to break into the top three this year, challenge for the title in 2013, and emerge with the championship trophy in 2014. Indeed, when asked if Mercedes has a winning car, team boss Ross Brawn answered: "Not yet.

"We have made a big step forward in the past twelve months, but still have plenty to do."

Haug, meanwhile, was coy when asked about Mercedes' reported 'W-duct' front wing innovation on its new W03 car.

"I've read about it in the newspaper," he told Die Welt newspaper, "and if we had such a part, we would test it first."

On Mercedes' broader ambitions, Haug added: "Our engine is said to be the best, our Kers is said to be the best, and now we want to have the best car too."

[MIKA27]

According to Ross and Norbert today they both seem to be happy to shoot for third quick this year. I find this a little disappointing but perhaps this is all part of the preseason gaming going on. Their new rear diffuser seems to be attracting some attention which may get them some early season speed advantage. We will see how the times are by the end of the week when all the final bits and pieces are strapped on.

Yeah, I don't get Mercedes but more so, Norbert haugh as per my above post.

I think Norbert is really holding back on the team, don't know how but it seems to me Brawn's hands are tied. I kind of liken this to the way Frank Williams 'dabbles' with williams. Once, Frank used to be a great thinker for the team but times are changing and people like Frank need to step back and let the thinkers take charge. Norberts the same IMO and should let Brawn take FULL control and get the job done for MercedesAMG to really prosper.

Patience Mike, you and I both have to bide our time bud and enjoy this season. I hope Schumacher extends his contract IF the W03 is competative.

[MIKA27]

F1: Alonso rules out becoming F1 'pay driver'

Fernando Alonso has ruled out ever becoming a 'pay-driver' in formula one.

The Spaniard, a two-time world champion and now entering his third consecutive season with Ferrari, is believed to be the sport's current highest earner.But recent economic conditions have seen retainers become lower throughout the grid, while seasoned drivers like Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil have been left without seats as 'pay-drivers' gain the upper hand.

Alonso, however, vows to never become one.

"My family and I made many sacrifices for me to race, from the age of three," he is quoted by El Periodico newspaper.

"When I started, I knew that either I won or I went back to school. I will never be a paying driver," Alonso insisted.

"If I had to pay to race, I wouldn't race -- it's unthinkable," he said.

As for his and Ferrari's prospects for 2012, the 30-year-old answered: "I know that some people are saying we start with a disadvantage compared to Red Bull, McLaren or Mercedes, but we will only really see in Melbourne."

[MIKA27]

F1: Barrichello to announce Indycar deal on Thursday

Rubens Barrichello will announce on Thursday he has agreed a deal to switch to Indycar racing in 2012.

That is the claim of the well-connected O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, reporting that the formula one veteran has secured $3 million in sponsorship backing to secure the seat.The report said that after 19 consecutive seasons in F1, Barrichello will drive for his close friend and countryman Tony Kanaan's Indycar employer KV, owned by Jimmy Vasser.

Estado said 39-year-old Barrichello's sponsor, BMC Brasil Maquinas, offered $3.5 million in backing to Williams in 2012, but the British team accepted the more lucrative sponsorship brought by Barrichello's fellow Brazilian Bruno Senna.

MIKA: great news as I like Rubens a great deal. If this is what is required to keep his 'Juices' flowing and not lose touch, perhaps he may still return to F1 next season?

[MIKA27]

F1: Melbourne F1's 'least viable' race - Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone on Wednesday warned that formula one could race away from Melbourne after 2015.

The Albert Park event has a contract until then, but the F1 chief executive is pushing hard for the Australian organisers to agree to stage a night race."After then (2015), we really don't know," the 81-year-old Briton told the Melbourne newspaper The Age.

"If we were to have a divorce from our friends in Melbourne we would probably be walking away from Australia. Because I can't see how Adelaide could make it happen, or anywhere else, if Melbourne can't. "The race itself, from our point of view, is probably the least viable of all the races we have."

The Australian grand prix is also controversial locally, with its millions funded mainly by state taxpayers.

Ecclestone hinted he might be prepared to cut the race fee if organisers agree to stage the race at night, providing a more suitable television slot back in Europe."We would have a look, maybe we could help subsidise that a little bit," he is quoted by the Herald Sun.

He also told Australian reporters he will "probably not" attend next month's season opener.