FORMULA 1 - 2012

[MIKA27]

Lotus to announce big title sponsorship deal

F1 team Lotus is reportedly close to announcing a multi-million dollar title sponsorship deal with Honeywell, the American technology giant.

“It is thought the framework of the agreement is in place and a formal announcement pending,” said Sportspro journalist David Cushnan on Monday.

The news follows Lotus’ recent signing of a sponsor deal with Burn, the European energy drink label of the American beverage giant Coca-Cola.

After a five year absence, the United States returned to the F1 calendar this year with a highly successful race on a bespoke circuit in Austin, Texas.

Citing ‘informed insiders’, Cushnan said the Honeywell deal could be worth $30 million per year to Lotus.

The Enstone based team’s driver Kimi Raikkonen finished the 2012 world championship in third place behind Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

[MIKA27]

Force India still have faith in Di Resta despite slump

Force India has played down suggestions that Paul di Resta has entered a pattern of less competitive performances.

Praised when he entered F1 last year and initially enjoying the upper hand over Nico Hulkenberg this year, the 26-year-old Scot was being consistently outclassed by his German teammate by the second half of 2012.

With Hulkenberg moving to Sauber, di Resta is expected to keep his place at Silverstone based Force India for 2013.

But as for his apparently second-rate second half of the 2012 season, sporting director Otmar Szafnauer insisted: “It’s too early to speak of a pattern. But of course we also noticed what happened in the second half of the season.”

“As for Paul, I would say we have that in mind,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

It is believed to be almost certain that di Resta will be paired with Adrian Sutil in 2013, reviving Force India’s 2011 lineup.

Referring to di Resta’s late 2012 form, the Speed Week report commented: “Pattern? We should know more in the coming season.”

[MIKA27]

My Top 10 Drivers of 2012:

Here is my personal top ten F1 drivers of the 2012 season, seeking to take into account their performances under various circumstances and the machinery they had access to.

1. Fernando Alonso

A simply stunning season. Fernando Alonso spent 20 races scaling sheer cliff edges in his F2012, and it was an effort that so nearly took him to the high peak of the world title, a title which surely would have gone into history as just about the most impressive and unlikely ever.

But, fortunately, championships aren't everything and this is a year where Fernando surely made the decisive, and most likely irreversible, stride from being an excellent contemporary performer into being an all-time great. It's certainly genuinely difficult to cite more impressive seasons of driving from F1's history by anyone. If you don't believe me just ask yourself this: has anyone ever come so close to winning the world championship in a car that wasn't the quickest in any round? I don't believe anyone has.

Despite having a car that over the year was no better than third best, in 2012 Alonso was always fighting, always on form, always sharp and aggressive in the overtake as well as in defence; even after 20 races it's hard to point out an off-day of his. Race performances that beggared belief roll off the tongue: somehow hauling the difficult machine to fifth in Melbourne, the quick and flawless win under pressure in Malaysia, the astonishing rise to grab a home win in Valencia, the masterful controlling of the German GP ahead of quicker cars on his tail, the implausible and imperturbable splitting of the Red Bulls and hunting down of Vettel in India, to name just a few. And the F2012 was a machine that gave him much to do on a Sunday. Only once did Alonso start on the front row (Spain) and even then only thanks to Lewis Hamilton getting a grid drop. Only in Canada and Italy did a fight for the front row look even possible. Yet, watching Alonso make up lost ground in the opening laps of race after race was extraordinary, and a legendary demonstration of what a top-level driver at the top of his game looks like.

Further, even though Alonso was almost always at the outer edges of adhesion there were almost no errors either. The closest he came to one was at the start in Japan, when the tinniest tickle from Kimi Raikkonnen's front wing on his rear tyre put him out, but even there the driving was slightly imprudent rather than egregious. And the extent that some sought to pounce on it only underlined its rarity.

Fernando Alonso's equilibrium at Ferrari is a clear contributory factor to his mighty driving, though the Scuderia would be well advised not to test his patience waiting for a competitive car yet further. Ferrari can be content though that it doesn't have to worry about its driver; if it provides Alonso with a machine that's half as good as he deserves, then championships will follow.

2. Kimi Raikkonen

There were many things that made the 2012 F1 season special. And Kimi Raikkonen's return to the sport's sharp end, with all of the star quality that comes with it, has to be among the very best of them.

It's easy to forget the doubts that surrounded Kimi's comeback to the sport prior to the season's start. Michael Schumacher's struggles on his return were fresh in the memory, and what exactly had changed for Kimi, given he'd left the sport exasperated two years previous and not given much outward indication of a desire to return? Well, it goes to show that no one's ever going to get rich second guessing the Finn, as his season was an excellent one.

In many ways Kimi was a very different character to the one we were used to in his 'first' F1 career.

Perhaps the very outer edges of pace witnessed at Ferrari and, especially, at McLaren weren't there (especially in qualifying wherein team mate Grosjean often found pace that Kimi couldn't), but what was there was an astonishing consistency and ability to bring the car home.

Kimi finished everywhere, and scored in 19 of the 20 rounds, both feats that no one else managed. You could even make a strong case for Lotus having got more out of him than Ferrari or McLaren ever did.

The Enstone squad was impressed by Kimi from an early stage of their relationship and, unlike the stern McLaren and intense Ferrari, gave Kimi space to get on with it. And Kimi responded to the favourable environment. It all added up to third place in the title standings, an overdue win, but one achieved like he'd never been away, in Abu Dhabi, and for much of the year he even retained the status of dark horse for F1's ultimate prize. Indeed, had Lotus not entered the technical blind alley of the rear wing 'device', covering several races at a vital part of the season, who knows where Kimi could have ended up in the championship table?

As for criticisms, Kimi often seemed a bit more timid than necessary when in traffic, and this possibly cost him better results. Then again, it might equally have been rewarded with a DNF, and in any case it became less of a problem as the season progressed (indeed, in the end he was responsible for some of the season's best overtakes). There was also a period at around the second quarter of the year wherein Grosjean got the upper hand consistently, and Kimi's weekend in Monaco bordered on the pathetic.

It was a magnificent comeback all told, and next year with the driver-team relationship one year on, Kimi again seems a good outside bet for title honours. Such a prediction would have sounded fanciful last March. It doesn't sound at all so now.

The Ice-Man returns!

3. Jenson Button

Jenson Button won the opening round in Australia in a smooth and imperious style reminiscent of his magnificent 2011 canvas. And he finished the year atop the podium too, after a restrained yet quick drive in changeable conditions in Brazil, the like of which we've grown used to from him. It was between times that things went wrong.

The record books will state that Jenson finished the season but two points shy of his team mate Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings. But in all honesty, that closeness is illusory. Jenson's campaign was in large part shop soiled by an extended technical and performance trough starting in Barcelona in May and not ending until a series of upgrades was added to the car at Hockenheim in July.

In this time anything more than small helpings of points helped by attrition looked beyond him, and pained cries from him over the radio of understeer and lacking grip and balance became far too common. The frustration showed in his driving on occasion, most obviously at Monaco. And, most worryingly of all, the cause of the struggle seemed to baffle Jenson as much as anyone else.

Whatever the case, it was a reminder that for all of Jenson's virtues he doesn't possess the same ability to drive around problems in the way that, Alonso does. And by the time the cloud had passed, the title fight was but a distant speck on the horizon.

It was all a pity, as that spell aside, Jenson did a solid job in 2012. Lewis's return to form meant he was usually the McLaren pace-setter, but that in itself is no disgrace, and Jenson invariably displayed the classy, controlled and rapid drives, spliced with neat overtakes, that are his trademark. Aside from the two wins outlined above, at Spa Jenson was in a class of his own in both qualifying and race pace, while his efforts at China (where he might have challenged for a win without a dud pitstop), Germany, Monza, Singapore and Abu Dhabi were also impressive.

And next year for Jenson will be a fascinating one.

McLaren ended 2012 looking like it had the quicker car out on track and that most of the operational problems that dogged the year were sorted. And of course the Lewis Hamilton circus will have left town, presumably resulting in Jenson being team leader.

Will he ever have a better opportunity to claim drivers' title number two for himself?

4. Sebastian Vettel

I accept that fourth place in these standings seems rather harsh on Sebastian Vettel. But as is the case in Formula 1, someone's got to come first and last, no matter how competitive things are, and Seb's placing reflects the quality of the top three rather than any omissions from him (and it was a very close call with Button as third). It was a fine season from Seb, one wherein he had to demonstrate that he is much more than a gazelle, content only to run clear on his own, one that he ended with his reputation enhanced moreso than before. It was one in which he claimed his third world title on the spin.

It's easy to forget given the season's latter part, but for the first two-thirds of the year Seb's RB8 machine was by no means the class of the field, certainly not as it was in 2011. The restriction of exhaust blown diffusers impeded the Red Bull disproportionately and suddenly Seb didn't have the handling that he benefited from last season in 2011, especially not in qualifying.

To take a couple of extreme examples, in China Seb missed out on the top 10 for no other reason than the pace not being there, while in Monaco he just scraped in, but then concluded that he was better off saving tyres for race day in the final session. Therefore, Seb had much to do on race day and had to fight in the pack; and for the most part he did so magnificently.

Seb, almost under the radar, stayed in championship contention with a number of gritty drives to maximise the race results: in Australia, China (in which he might have finished second but for late tyre drop-off), Spain (despite a penalty), Monaco and Spa the impressive swim against the tide was the same. And clean decisive overtakes form Seb were a regular feature (in a car that was often one of the slowest through speed traps). And while team mate Webber often was ahead in qualifying, still usually Vettel was the better on race day.

In Valencia and to a lesser extent in Bahrain as well as in Canada's qualifying Sebastian looked a lot like his imperious self of last year, but they were false dawns.

But whatever the case, Sebastian was able to do enough when the car wasn't good to be within striking distance when the car got good later. These points won him the title just as much as the later run of victories. And of course late in the season, when the Red Bull got good, Seb was on a pedestal.

The qualifying laps were stunning and Seb invariably had the opposition of its knees within a few corners of the races. And he surpassed himself when in Abu Dhabi and in Brazil after delays, he came through the field in what seemed the blink of an eye. In Brazil he rose from 22nd place to sixth in just seven laps. It was the sort of performance that led you to doubt your own senses.

Seb as a driver is about as complete these days as can be reasonably expected. Hard-working, good technically, has a close and productive relationship with his team, decisive in the overtake, and most important of all, extremely quick. And, most sobering for his rivals, if history is any sort of guide he's nowhere near his peak even now.

5. Lewis Hamilton

Were you to judge purely from the points standings, Lewis Hamilton's season looks little better than his 2011 season: fourth in the table and close to 100 points shy of the summit.

This year we witnessed a supreme bouncing back of Lewis to his formidable best. For the first time since his stellar debut season he put together a campaign to match it, perhaps even to surpass it, in terms of consistent quality and decisive racing.

Lewis retained his status and F1's quickest, most exciting and instinctively talented performer the year. But the frequent ill-judgement of the last campaign, along with the discontented figure out of the car, was shorn. After a 2011 year where he, in his own words, had a loyalty card with the stewards, Lewis didn't so much as receive a reprimand from the stewards this year.

Hamilton's overtaking was crisp, aggressive and still frequent, but always clean. Lewis also managed to show suitable intelligence and restraint to manage a race on the limited-resource Pirellis (underlined by him driving close to half the Barcelona race on a single set, and was still quick). And what we ended up with was a mighty and complete F1 driver.

No one took more pole positions than Lewis in 2012, only Lewis reached the final part of qualifying in every round. Everywhere it seemed he was at the sharp end, many races he led. But then...always it seemed something through no fault of his, would either impede him or stop him altogether.

Whether it was botched pitstops (of which there were plenty), the gearbox penalty in China, being dropped to the back of the grid in Spain when someone forgot to put enough fuel in his car (on a weekend wherein he looked untouchable), the puncture in Germany, being wiped out by a flying Romain Grosjean in Spa, canters to wins halted early by unreliability in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, the variety of impediments at Korea, having Hulkenberg slide into him while leading in Brazil, the list seems endless.

Analyses had these costing Lewis far upwards of 100 points, more than enough to swing the championship in his favour. And it would have been very hard to begrudge him such success.

But in between the setbacks Lewis's towering talent was on show just about permanently, there were four impressive wins and in all of which he was fast, smart and flawless. And rather like Alonso the quality was just about always there: in Australia Lewis was plain beaten by his team mate, in Germany his radio calls indicated that he was minded to give up, while his drive in Japan, perhaps not coincidentally his first drive after confirming he'd be leaving McLaren at the year's end, was rather subdued. But elsewhere the breathtaking performances were maintained.

Next year Lewis rolls the dice, fleeing the McLaren nest for Mercedes. Career calls hardly get more audacious. One can only hope that, for all of our sakes, Lewis knows what he's doing on this one. His talent is such that I don't care to see it languishing in the midfield.

6. Felipe Massa

Is sixth position in this countdown a bit high for Felipe Massa? Possibly.

To some extent this reflects a drop off between the top Five and the rest. But equally it reflects that 2012 witnessed a season of impressive progress from Felipe, wherein he often circulated at a much closer pace to Alonso, in both qualifying and races, than many gave credit for. And he ended it appearing to have more in common with the guy who once upon a time came within about 30 seconds of a world drivers' title than he has at any point since his 2009 Hungaroring accident.

The year could hardly have started in worse fashion for Massa. In Australia and Malaysia he was hardly in the same stratosphere as his team mate, and worse for him not only did Alonso win the latter of those two races, Ferrari's protegee, Sergio Perez came a close second with a drive that looked for all the world to be his 'star is born' moment. It seemed then only a matter of time until Massa got his form at Maranello, which some had happening even before the year was out.

Massa though didn't crumble, and ran much closer to Alonso in China and Bahrain, finishing only five and seven seconds adrift respectively in the two races.

But the real breakthrough came in Monaco, when set up changes clearly gave Felipe more confidence. He ran with the leading train throughout, and was only unlucky to be the guy at the back of it in the final shakeout. His drives at Silverstone and Monza were perfect number two stuff, while he was perhaps unfortunate not to claim better results in Valencia and Hungary. And a further breakthrough awaited Felipe in Japan, when his confident and quick run won him second place for his first podium finish in close to two years.

From that point on, Felipe was almost always a contender at the sharp end. And his growing equilibrium and confidence was further underlined in Austin wherein, notoriously, he had to face a gearbox penalty on the grid to the end of assisting Alonso. But rather than be destroyed by this Felipe drew strength from it, and proceeded to put in possibly his best drive of the season there to come fourth. In the latter part of the campaign Felipe was becoming the ideal team player at Ferrari: quick enough to get into the mix yet humble enough to accept the role. It's no wonder that the Scuderia has held onto him for next year.

7. Mark Webber

Silverstone in July must seem a long time ago for Mark Webber. There he claimed his second win of the season in fine style, in a year wherein he'd been a model of consistency up until that point. He was some 16 points clear of his team mate Vettel in the standings, and it looked like he was all set to lead the hunt of Fernando Alonso at the table summit. Indeed, it appeared rather like 2010 all over again.

Things never were so good for Webber again, however. At the next round in Germany he got a five-place grid drop for a gearbox change, and things unravelled from there. Poor qualifying and starts left him in the pack, performances became more edgy and frustration showed on occasion, in and out of the car. By the time he threatened to get out of his rut the season was almost over, and the championship effectively out of reach. It's a legitimate criticism of Webber, that poor results can follow poor results in a fashion unthinkable from a Vettel or an Alonso. Then again, at least part of the story was that the development of the RB8 in the latter part of the year, perhaps understandably, was very much done with Vettel's driving style in mind, a style that Webber has never mastered.

As mentioned though, it was a season of two halves for Webber.

In the early part of the year, with the regulation changes suddenly making the Red Bull a bit more mainstream, not requiring counter-intuitive throttle applications, Webber gave Vettel a good run for his money, particularly in qualifying.

Webber was also arguably slightly the better at staying out of trouble and brought home points in all races apart from one in that period. His Monaco win was classic pacing yourself at the front needed around the principality, while his Silverstone win was that of a fighter. Coming through the pack to finish third in Valencia relied a bit on luck but was also impressive.

But, to be brutal, this year underlined once more exactly where Webber is in the scheme of things at Red Bull.

He has another year there, secured in the aftermath of Silverstone, but with Red Bull making little secret that it's been waiting for a young driver from its conveyor belt to make a compelling case to replace Webber (and now António Félix da Costa features on the horizon) you wonder if it's all merely a stay of execution. But then again we thought exactly the same 12 months ago.

8. Romain Grosjean

There of course was a lot wrong with Romain Grosjean's 2012 season. There were too many mistakes and accidents, particularly in the early races. Romain was the first F1 driver in 18 years to serve a race ban, and his year ended with a rather ham-fisted weekend in Brazil. Yet, sight should not be lost of the fact that there was a lot good about Grosjean's season too.

Some counted as many as nine early-race contacts involving Grosjean this year from 20 races, and while analysis demonstrates that they were by no means all his fault, it also stretches credulity to say that their regularity was mere coincidence either. Spatial awareness and an ability to smell danger and avoid distraction in the opening corners are clear things for him to work on. And yet, so long as he survived the race's opening, Grosjean tended to put in very good performances on Sundays this year, particularly prior to the summer break. He might even have won in Canada and Valencia had one or two cards fallen the other way.

And let's not forget that for much of the year's first half, Grosjean plain put the manners on his stable mate Kimi Raikkonen on pace, and did so with particular regularity in qualifying. No mean feat it has to be said. He left Kimi far behind in the two races I mentioned, and did similar in China having made better use of his tyres. Plus he finished just seven seconds shy of him at Silverstone despite pitting for a new nose after one lap, and also finished not far behind him in Austin despite an early spin.

However, following an egregious chop on Hamilton in Spa that ended up wiping out several cars in a terrifying smash, Grosjean picked up a race ban. And that seemed to have an negative impact on him and his driving. It got worse at Suzuka when he took out Webber at turn one, and the open season that followed (led by the Australian) seemed to destroy whatever fragile confidence of Grosjean's remained. Suddenly, the man distinguished by a ready smile looked haunted, and the driving became tentative and timid as well as, equally suddenly, usually not close to the pace set by Raikkonen. And it didn't help that, with his retention at Lotus next year still to be confirmed, in the final round he tangled with Pedro De La Rosa in qualifying in an clash wherein Grosjean showed poor judgement, and then he crashed out early in the race too.

But in my view it would be a travesty if Grosjean is discarded by Lotus for 2013. His problems have been well documented, but prior to his ban much of his pace on show was stunning. Knock off the rough edges "As expected for rookies" I truly believe we are looking at a future champion.

9. Nico Hulkenberg

OK, I'll admit it. I haven't always rated Nico Hulkenberg. I didn't see much in his debut year in F1 to understand what all the fuss was about (I did see rather a lot of accidents though) and suspected that, just perhaps, his lofty reputation was based excessively on his pole position in Brazil in 2010.

Well, it just goes to show what I know.

This year Nico Hulkenberg underlined exactly what that fuss was about. More and more as the season progressed he provided evidence that he is made of The Right Stuff. Many reckon that McLaren would have been better served selecting him, rather than Sergio Perez, to replace Lewis Hamilton next year; Ferrari is also thought to be sniffing around. It is not at all outlandish to suggest that no star rose further in 2012 than that of the Hulk.

The year was a little bit of a slow burner for Hulkenberg though. In the early rounds his team mate Paul Di Resta had the upper hand generally, but come the European season the Hulk began to get on terms and beat him with increasing regularity as the summer progressed. In the year's latter part the Hulk was winning admirers left, right and centre, as well as points hauls with the same regularity, and Di Resta having been the future himself once was left floundering.

Of the midfield pack, Hulkenberg, arguably more than any other in there, ticks all of the boxes. He's quick, consistent, no respecter of reputation as well as is very racey. He can run with leaders like he absolutely belongs there, seen in Spa, Suzuka and elsewhere, he's always willing to go wheel to wheel and his overtaking is sharp, which was seen most gaudily in his double-pass on Hamilton and Grosjean in Korea as well as his opportunistic pass of Raikkonen in Monaco. And his year's efforts were all topped off by his stellar run in Brazil, where he looked pacy and confident, especially at the points when the rain fell, and led just like someone who does so habitually. That it was spoiled by a late error when seeking to pass Hamilton, didn't take much of the gloss off.

The Hulk goes to Sauber next year; I suspect that won't be the final stop off of his F1 career.

10. Nico Rosberg

It is reflective of ultra-competitive F1 in 2012 that a number of drivers had a good case to get the number 10 slot. In the end Nico Rosberg squeaked it, but it was a close call for a man who had comfortable place in the top 10 on this site in each of the previous two seasons.

And this is despite the fact that this season, finally, was witness to the end of Rosberg's long wait for his debut F1 race win. So, what happened the rest of the time? Well, the China race where Nico triumphed now seems rather incongruous with the rest of the year, both for Nico and for Mercedes in yet another campaign characterised by frustration for driver and team.

In Nico's defence, the W03 with its notorious tendency to chew rear tyres was no machine for him to show his skills; most races as a consequence were a matter of managing a slide down the order. And the Brackley squad gave up on the season long before its end, some weekends becoming effectively test sessions. Furthermore, for the most part Rosberg did about as much as could reasonably be expected in the circumstances, particularly after the summer break, and Nico's supporters will no doubt argue that the China pole and victory demonstrate that, given the opportunity, he can get the job done and imperiously. Yet, that in the previous two races he looked to have a genuine shot at pole and managed to fluff it both times tempers this suggestion a little, as does that in Nico's other opportunity for a race win, at Monaco, crucially he didn't beat Mark Webber's qualifying time as his team mate Michael Schumacher had managed (prior to his penalty).

And the one clear match up that Nico had, that with his team mate, was much less clear cut in Nico's favour compared with before. Nico spent most of 2010 and 2011 showing Schumi the way on a Saturday at least, but this year that gap disappeared, them being 10-10 on their qualifying head-to-head over the season. And on race day Schumi was often the more convincing of the two and regularly showed more stomach for the fight, particularly in the year's middle part (though in Bahrain Rosberg went too far in the opposite direction with some ugly blocking). Did this all represent an improvement by Schumi, or did Nico let things slip a little?

Perhaps given the regularity with which the Mercedes team has let him down Nico would be forgiven if he had let things slip. But whatever the case he'll need to summon up all of his energies for the 2013 campaign, facing as he does a very public comparison with none other than Lewis Hamilton.

[MIKA27]

Sauber passes crash tests

Sauber has become the first team to reveal that its 2013 car has passed all the mandatory crash tests.

The Swiss team announced on Wednesday that their C32 chassis - which will be used in the coming season - is fully homologated to begin testing next year.

To ensure driver safety, all F1 cars must pass crash tests before they can be tested on a track - a safety measure that was introduced at the start of 2012.

"The C32 chassis and safety structures have passed their FIA safety tests. So, fully homologated and ready for winter testing," said Sauber announced on Twitter.

Winter testing starts on February 5 at the Jerez circuit.

[MIKA27]

Todt believes Schumacher will return to racing

FIA president Jean Todt says he could imagine Michael Schumacher making a return to professional racing, in non-F1 categories in maybe a couple of years.

But Todt, who was the team boss at Ferrari throughout the great German’s reign of ultra-success – and is still a close friend – thinks 43-year-old Schumacher’s days in formula one are now definitely over.

But “Who knows,” Frenchman Todt said, “maybe he will decide to come back to race in a couple of years.

“His decision (to retire) relates only to formula one. He could decide to race in other categories,” he added, according to reports in the Italian media.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari must push the rules to beat Red Bull declares Alonso

Ferrari should follow the lead of its challengers and look for “holes” in the rules, according to 2012 championship runner-up Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard said at a team sponsor event on Wednesday that, despite falling 3 points short of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel this season, his was “a perfect year”.

So he said it is now up to Ferrari to push the envelope in terms of how it interprets and exploits the rules.

“There were several incidents in which the other teams were at the limit, but not us,” said Alonso.

“This has always happened and always will,” he is quoted by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“However, we too have to think within the confines of the rules while looking for some limits, some holes, like the other teams do in order to improve our performances.”

[MIKA27]

Vettel will not forget Ferrari’s behaviour claims Marko

Ferrari has damaged its chances of ever luring Sebastian Vettel from Red Bull, claims the team’s F1 consultant Helmut Marko.

It has been rumoured for some time that German Vettel, Red Bull’s triple consecutive and reigning world champion, might one day consider a move to Ferrari.

But outspoken Austrian Marko said: “Sebastian has the memory of an elephant. He logs everything.

“And he will remember exactly how Ferrari behaved after the finale,” he told Sport Bild.

Marko is referring to Ferrari’s end-of-season suggestion that Vettel, 25, should be stripped of his latest title for overtaking illegally in Brazil late last month.

Marko claims Ferrari’s charge was “below the belt”, and that Vettel himself was unimpressed.

Vettel is quoted as saying: “You don’t want to lose, but you still should know how to.

“You have to respect your opponent and recognise their good performances,” he added.

MIKA: Sebastian looks a little confused which way to look at Marko in that picture!

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES TURNS THE PAGE AS NORBERT HAUGH LEAVES "BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT"

Mercedes’ F1 programme is set for significant change after it was announced today that Motorsport Director Norbert Haug has left the company after 22 years at the helm.

Haug recently celebrated his 60th birthday, so there is a sense that his time had come to move aside and let a new generation take over.

However there is more to it than that.

It is a major moment for Mercedes and signals a change of direction and of culture. Haug, a former motoring journalist turned corporate player, has been at the helm since 1990 and brought Mercedes into F1 in 1993, initially with Sauber.

He worked alongside Ron Dennis during the McLaren Mercedes years and then played his part in splitting from McLaren to buy out Ross Brawn and run Mercedes’ own team.

That project has not delivered the expected results, despite investment and commitment from parent company Daimler and it is clear in Haug’s parting words that he recognises that his head was on the block as the results were not good enough,

“Since 1991, we had tremendous achievements and wins, for which I want to thank all of my colleagues,” he said. “Unfortunately, with one victory in 2012 since founding our own Formula One works team in 2010, we couldn’t fulfil our own expectations. However, we have taken the right steps to be successful in the future.”

This is corporate speak for, “We failed and I take the blame.” It’s sad for a long career like this to end in failure, but its surprisingly common.

The whole Mercedes project has shifted emphasis and tone since the curious decision was taken by Daimler’s board to hire Niki Lauda in an “overseeing” capacity. Lauda will not be based at Mercedes F1 in Brackley, but will stick his oar in and throw in the odd hand-grenade when he feels like it.

This structure has “trouble” written all over it and one wonders how long Ross Brawn will tolerate such an influence on the programme.

The flip-side of this point of view is that since taking over from world champions Brawn GP at the end of 2009, Mercedes has not got close to building a championship winning car.

Brawn and his team appear to have lost the winning touch and Haug has looked a marginalised figure at races, often sitting by himself, not hands-on with the racing. Taking that view, clearly Mercedes felt change was needed. Lauda helped to broker a deal with his old friend Bernie Ecclestone, which gave Mercedes the revenue and status it felt it deserved and thus he has proved his usefulness.

But can they become a winning force in today’s F1? Is it possible for a corporate company like Mercedes to do what Toyota, Honda and BMW all failed to do? Only Renault in recent times has come in and won world titles, but they did it by sticking close to the Benetton model laid out by Flavio Briatore.

Mercedes has laid a lot of ground-work. The wind tunnel was upscaled this year, the pieces are in place to compete and the engine facility is second to none. Great hopes are pinned on the new generation 2014 engine.

But the competition is ferocious; Mercedes has to be as sharp as Red Bull, as cunning as Ferrari and as fast-developing as McLaren to win something in F1, even with the fastest driver now under contract. Hamilton has lost a close ally at the heart of the team, but there are other familiar faces around and anyway he has a direct line to the chairman if things get difficult or political.

Haug was a great survivor and managed to come through many storms unharmed.

But his time has now passed.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone: We’d rather have 10 teams so long as we don’t lose Ferrari

The departure of Spanish strugglers HRT from Formula One still leaves the sport with one team too many, according to commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone who would prefer only 10 teams and admits that the sport cannot lose Ferrari.

Madrid-based HRT have not been included on the official 2013 entry list published by the governing International Automobile Federation, a move that will leave 11 teams and 22 cars on the starting grid.

“I’d rather have 10 [teams],” Ecclestone told Reuters. “I never wanted 12.

“It’s just that 10 is easier to handle, for the promoters, for transport. We’d rather have 10…so long as we don’t lose Ferrari.”

The 82-year-old said that he had heard that HRT, whose owners Thesan Capital have said they were seeking a buyer, had gone into liquidation. Their drivers this year were Indian Narain Karthikeyan and Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa.

British-based Formtech Composites, one of HRT’s suppliers, said in a statement last week that they were owed a substantial amount of money by the team who had apparently transferred ownership to a Luxembourg-registered fund.

It added that HRT had initiated liquidation procedures on Nov 12, the day they announced that the team was up for sale, and had offered to pay creditors 30 pence ($0.48) for every euro ($1.30) owed with no room for negotiation.

Asked whether he saw any possibility of anyone stepping forward to rescue a team that failed to score a point in three seasons, Ecclestone said: “I wouldn’t think that anyone would want to.”

HRT were one of three new teams – the others being what are now known as Marussia and Caterham – to enter Formula One in 2010 in an initiative driven by former FIA president Max Mosley.

Neither Malaysian-owned Caterham, who started out as Lotus Racing, nor Russian-registered Marussia (formerly Virgin Racing) have managed to score a point in their three seasons either and remain some way off the established teams.

Ecclestone reiterated that the 2013 season would likely be 19 races, although there was still the possibility of Turkey taking a 20th slot that has been held open for July 21.

“I don’t know. I’m waiting for the response from them,” he said.

The Turkish race in Istanbul was dropped from last season’s schedule due to disagreements over the hosting fees but the circuit is under new management and is seeking a return to the calendar.

The country’s motorsport’s federation has said that some government funding will be required but Turkey’s sports minister has ruled any chance of government funding out and said that it is entirely a matter for the private sector to resolve.

Ecclestone said categorically that Austria, mooted by some as a possible replacement now that energy drink company Red Bull has revamped the Spielberg circuit that last hosted a grand prix in 2003, would not happen.

He said France, which has also been seeking a return, appeared to no longer be in the running.

[MIKA27]

Perez: I can win in 2013

McLaren's new driver Sergio Perez believes he can win the Driver's Championship in 2013.

The 22-year-old from Guadalajara made his Formula One debut with Sauber in 2011 and had some impressive performances during 2012 which secured him a deal with the Woking team, where he will replace former World Champions Lewis Hamilton.

"My target is to win the championship already next year with [McLaren]," the Mexican commented.

"That takes a lot of work during the season, so it's very important to start my preparation really well with them and try to reach their targets."

"Definitely, because you are going to the best team and the best team normally wins," he added.

"This year, they had many reliability issues and if they solve that they will be ready to fight for the title.

"I think what I am saying is realistic because the team is capable of putting out a very strong car. The targets have to be high. McLaren wants to win every single race.

"As a driver you are looking for every challenge and I think it's a very good challenge. It's the best team in F1, the best team in the world so definitely a very big challenge."

Perez, who claimed second place finishes in Malaysia and Monza during 2012, is certain that McLaren will have a car capable of winning races next year, but admits that he will have to be at his best from the start to give himself and the team the best possible chance of being among the titles at the end of the season.

"It's going to be very challenging but we have everything to do it," he continued.

"The car will be quite competitive; myself must be very competitive from the first race.

"So I'm really looking forward to being in Melbourne and to be testing and working with the team, which we will start as soon as possible and I'm sure that we will be fighting for the championship next year."

Nevertheless, Perez had a disappointing end to the season, failing to score a point during his final six races, a streak that coincided with the announcement of his imminent move to Mclaren. However, he insists that the announcement had nothing to do with his lack of form.

"People in F1 love to make stories about everything," he explained.

"They always link that to my contract, but it has nothing to do with that because I'm a very professional driver and a very loyal person as well.

"So I am so grateful to this team and so motivated as well that since I signed by contract, I'm giving my very best as I did in the 15 races before."

[MIKA27]

ROMAIN GROSJEAN KEPT ON BY LOTUS F1:

Lotus has finally confirmed that Romain Grosjean will retain his seat at the team for next season, with the Frenchman vowing to put the lessons learnt from his turbulent 2012 into practice.

Although the 26-year-old had been expected to be kept on alongside Kimi Raikkonen for a second straight season the delay in the reconfirmation suggested the Enstone team’s hierarchy was carefully taking its time to ensure Grosjean was ready to make improvements in 2013.

As while the Frenchman, after resurrecting his career in GP2 following his brief ill-fated initial F1 stint with the same team in 2009, showed his undoubted speed with three podium finishes and numerous strong qualifying results, his campaign was clouded by a string of first-lap misjudgements which culminated in him becoming the first driver to be suspended from race since 1994 in wake of causing the La Source pile-up at Spa.

But Grosjean, who underlined his talent by beating Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher en-route to winning the Race of Champions in Thailand over the weekend, has now been given the green light to continue into next year when he feels he will be ready to piece together a more consistent second full season.

“It’s fantastic for me to be continuing with Lotus F1 Team for 2013. It’s superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone. I’m really looking forward to rewarding their faith when we take to the track in Australia,” he said.

“I learnt a lot in my first full season in Formula 1 and my aim is to put these lessons into practice with stronger and more consistent performance on track next year. There are a lot of exciting developments occurring behind the scenes at Enstone and I am very excited with the prospect of the E21. I’ve already had my seat fitting and spoken with all the personnel involved with the build of the new car; I just can’t wait to get behind the wheel.”

Team boss Eric Boullier made reference to the former GP2 champion’s “great talent” and believes the combination of Grosjean and Raikkonen will allow the team to continue the progress made this year.

“Romain is a great talent and we are pleased that he is continuing with us for a second season,” he said.

“With the continuity of two exceptional drivers like Romain and Kimi we are well placed to build on our strong 2012 with even better results in the year ahead. Both drivers worked very well together in their first year as team-mates, and I think there is the potential of even better things from the season ahead. We were regular visitors to podiums in 2012 and we certainly intend to continue with this trend in 2013.”

[MIKA27]

Schumacher saddened by Haug’s departure from Mercedes

Norbert Haug’s sudden and unexpected departure from Mercedes will tear “a massive hole” in both the team and Formula One, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher said on Friday.

The 43-year old Schumacher, who retired from the sport last month for the second time and after three years as a Mercedes driver, paid tribute to the Mercedes motorsport chief with a statement on his personal website.

“Since I entered professional motorsport, Mercedes and Norbert Haug together were part of it, so this step will mark a big break,” said the German.

“We spent a lot of years together, being sporting combatants or allies, and Norbert has always been into this with full enthusiasm and wholeheartedly. He was living motorsports, and him leaving will tear a massive hole in both our sport and our team.”

Mercedes announced on Thursday that Haug, 60, would stand down at the end of the month by mutual agreement after more than 20 years in the job.

Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda was named last October as the team’s non-executive chairman and is expected to liaise between the F1 factory and the Stuttgart-based carmaker, a job carried out by Haug until now.

Haug, who was instrumental in persuading Schumacher to come out of retirement in 2010, told Germany’s SID news agency that he was leaving because of Mercedes’ lack of results with their Formula One team.

“There is always somebody who has to accept overall responsibility,” he said.

“Of course we have had our successes in the past three years but not consistently enough so a direction had to be set and a marker laid down.”

Haug said that Lauda’s new role did not play a part in his departure.

Mercedes bought the championship-winning Brawn GP team at the end of 2009 and have won once with their renamed works outfit – this year’s Chinese Grand Prix with Germany’s Nico Rosberg.

Schumacher, winner of a record 91 races with Benetton and Ferrari, has had one podium finish in his three years with the team – a third in Valencia this season.

Mercedes have signed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, to replace Schumacher on a three-year contract from next year.

[MIKA27]

Williams designer Coughlan defends Maldonado

Williams’ technical chief Mike Coughlan has defended incident prone grand prix winner Pastor Maldonado.

Venezuelan Maldonado won this year’s Spanish Grand Prix, but he has also had a tumultuous season littered with mistakes.

The 27-year-old, who carries significant PDVSA sponsorship, has been retained for 2013.

“We win as a team and lose as a team,” Briton Coughlan is quoted by Speed Week.

“Of course we’ve been through some difficult situations together and he will have learned from it. But it’s not our style to point the finger at someone.

“It could just as well be argued that if we had given him a better car, he would not have been battling in the midfield so often.”

Overall, Williams’ 2012 season (76 points, 8th in the constructors’ championship) was much better than 2011 (5 points, 9th).

“The biggest advantage has been the Renault engine – light, powerful, reliable,” said Coughlan, referring to the switch from Cosworth power.

“It meant we were able to focus entirely on aerodynamic development, and it paid off.”

[MIKA27]

Grosjean ends season on a high by winning Race of Champions title

a One star Romain Grosjean put in a stunning performance to eclipse 15 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the Race Of Champions on an evening of thrills at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium.

Following Team Germany’s victory over Team France in last night’s ROC Nations Cup, the Race Of Champions pitted many of the biggest names in motorsport against each other in head-to-head combat in a variety of cars.

In the end Grosjean overcame Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the best-of-three Grand Final to become Champion of Champions for the first time. Kristensen, who also reached the final last year, was chasing his own first individual Race Of Champions title at the 12th attempt. But he was thwarted by the young Frenchman, who won both heats to seal glory.

Grosjean said: “That’s what I’d call a crazy day! It got a bit tough in the group stages but I managed to make it through. Then I had to face Sebastian Vettel in the quarter-final before Michael Schumacher in the semi-final – the two Germans who beat us in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup final.

Then I had the final with Tom. We’ve had a good history at this event and I’ve raced him before so it was good to face him in the final. I got a bit of extra luck to be in the right car at the right time but it felt good.

“It’s been a tough end to the F1 season but I finally got back on the podium yesterday, and now this! It’s great to get this win before I head off for a holiday. Thanks to everyone in Thailand because the welcome has been fantastic.”

Beaten finalist Kristensen has competed in 12 Race Of Champions events, more than anyone else in the field. The 45-year-old Dane nonetheless hopes to be back for more.

“This was the 25th year of the race and Romain is a deserving winner,” said Kristensen. “He had a very good Sunday – and I’m getting closer every year! It was a small gap between us in each of the heats and I made small mistakes but that’s the challenge of the Race Of Champions: to jump into different cars. Earlier I had a pretty fun run in the Audi against Ogier. I believe that was the fastest lap of the weekend so that’s what I’ll take away. Even though I’m a bit more than 25 years old like Romain, it shows I’m still pretty fast if I’m in a good car. This has been the warmest Race Of Champions I have competed in – both literally and thanks to the people who welcomed us and enjoyed having us here. I’m still young so maybe one day I’ll get the chance to win it!”

After sharing in Schumacher’s success last night, 2012 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in the individual quarter-finals for the second year in a row, also by Grosjean. Facing a tight battle, Vettel made a mistake and hit the barrier hard.

Another big scalp at the quarter-final stage was last year’s Champion of Champions Sébastien Ogier, beaten by Kristensen in a reverse of the result of last year’s Grand Final. Coulthard defeated China’s Ho-Pin Tung while Schumacher overcame 500cc MotoGP legend Mick Doohan in the other quarter-finals.

To start the evening the drivers were split into four groups of four, battling for the right to line up in the knockout stages.

Reigning champion Ogier began in dominant fashion, taking three wins out of three in Group A. Coulthard also progressed thanks to his two wins against V8 Supercar king Jamie Whincup and Production World Rally Champion Benito Guerra. Whincup beat Guerra, but neither driver made it any further.

Tung was the surprise package of Group B. After falling to an initial defeat against touring car great Andy Priaulx, the Chinese driver recovered to top the group, beating Kristensen and home favourite Nattavude Charoensukawattana.

//www.yallaf1.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Race-Of-Champions-13-001-340x230.jpg

The Thai prompted one of the night’s biggest cheers when he defeated Priaulx, meaning the last quarter-final berth was decided by a shootout between Kristensen and Priaulx. That went to the Dane after Priaulx went off into the barriers.

Vettel made a predictably strong start, romping to three wins out of three including a victory over 2012 MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Group C also included another legend of two wheels in Doohan, who defeated Lorenzo in their heat. The Thai crowd went wild as Tin Sritrai beat Lorenzo and crossed the line ahead of Doohan, only to miss out on qualification due to a time penalty.

Schumacher and Grosjean both progressed comfortably from Group D – but it was the German who came out on top this time to keep his undefeated record intact with three wins to Grosjean’s two.

2012 IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay took a single victory against Kazuya Ohshima, Japan’s qualifier from ROC Asia, but it wasn’t enough to keep the American in the competition.

[MIKA27]

Sauber: F1 is too expensive

Peter Sauber believes that contemporary Formula 1's biggest challenge in the future is to cut costs.

Sauber, who this year stood down as team principal of the outfit that carries his name, insists a budget cap is needed in order to tackle the problem.

"I think the biggest challenge today is the commercial part," Sauber said according to Autosport.

"That's not only for Sauber, that's also for some of the big teams.

"Formula 1 is too expensive today, that's the important fact."

The FIA, Bernie Ecclestone and the various constructors have been locked in discussion about cost-cutting measures throughout the past season and all parties consider coming up with a solution to the problem a priority, but Sauber believes progress is not being made quickly enough and has called on the bigger teams to step up their efforts.

"The progress has been slower than slow," he said.

"It's difficult and I hope that the big teams realise that they have to do something."

In 2009, then-FIA president Max Mosley proposed a £30 million cap, though this was soon raised to £40 million before being abandoned altogether.

"We very much support a budget cap," Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said earlier in the season.

"That is the right way we should be going and we should eventually reach the point where we have a budget cap."

[MIKA27]

No drive for Kobayashi in 2013

Kamui Kobayashi has brought a halt to fundraising efforts to get him a race-seat in 2013, conceding defeat.

The Japanese driver began a fundraising campaign last month in an attempt to gain the necessary funds required to get an F1 next season. Over £1.35m had been raised but the former Sauber driver has decided that the mission is not destined for success.

"Thank you for the big support. I am very appreciated that many of you have donated and trying to make donation," Kobayashi wrote to his fans on his official website.

"I must mention this that since the donation started, it has become quite big news in Japan. And because of your big support, it gave huge influences to some of Japanese companies and I started receiving good support from them.

And I was in the position to bring a budget of 8 million Euro at least. If you could imagine the time I had, it was overwhelming reaction and it shows there still is a great potential from Japanese companies.

"Unfortunately, the time was still short and I am not able to secure the seat with competitive F1 team for 2013. I have to admit that it is very sad and feel sorry for fans and Japanese companies who supported me. But I am still confident to make it happen in 2014.

"I would like to stop the donation for now and while I will save all the money for 2014, I start to look what is the best option for 2013 and also 2014.

My main priority is to secure the competitive F1 seat in 2014.

"I have no interests to race any other categories.

I will make an announcement as soon as I make a decision for 2013."

The 26-year-old first burst onto the F1 scene in 2009 when he replaced an injured Timo Glock at Toyota for two races.

Having made an immediate impression, Kobayashi joined Sauber for 2010 where he spent three seasons, scoring a total of 126 points for the team. A third place finish at this year's Japanese Grand Prix was Kobayashi lone podium finish.

[MIKA27]

Germans claim ROC win (This is from Weekend)

Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel teamed up with Michael Schumacher to win the sixth consecutive Race of Champions Nations' Cup victory for Team Germany.

The German pair dominated the event held at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium, winning every tie in which they competed.

In the final against France, Schumacher defeated Romain Grosjean in the first heat after the Lotus driver made a mistake at the last corner. Vettel then beat World Rally Championship ace Sebastien Ogier to clinch the title for the Germans.

After the victory, Schumacher promised to return next year in search of a record seventh title at the event.

"For sure, we're going to be here, that's a must," said Schumacher.

"Actually, my lucky number is seven so we are going to push hard!"

In the semi-finals, the Germans beat Team Australia, who were represented by V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and five-time 500cc motorcycle champion Mick Doohan.

The Germans survived a major scare against the Aussies when Vettel crashed into the barrier driving the 570bhp Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo before recovering to win.

In the other semi-final, Team France beat the All Star team represented by Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen and two-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Earlier, France and the All Stars qualified from a group also containing the Americas and British teams.

The American team - represented by IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and Production World Rally champion Benito Guerra - narrowly missed out on a place in the last four after they matched the All Star team's three wins but had a worse best time tie-breaker.

The British pair of David Coulthard and Andy Priaulx only won twice all day and was penalized for touching the barriers twice.

In the other group, the ROC Asia-winning Team India finished third with wins for Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan, while Team Thailand finished bottom of the table - Charoensukawattana Nattavude and Tin Sintrai sharing one win.

The individual Race of Champions takes place on Sunday.

[MIKA27]

STEVE NIELSEN LEAVES CATERHAM:

It has been confirmed that Caterham Sporting director Steve Nielsen will leave the team in January after two years as Sporting Director. He is understood to be moving to a different team.

Nielsen was part of the group alongside Mike Gascoyne and Bob Bell at the Renault team in the early 2000s and was there through the Alonso years right up to the move to the black and gold of Lotus Renault GP in 2011, when he moved on to Caterham. But his career goes back further to stints at Team Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows, under Tom Walkinshaw.

Nielsen is the second F1 management figure to quit his team this week after Williams lost its Chief Operations Engineer Mark Gillan, after just one year in the role. In his case, the team has indicated that he is not planning to move to another team, but is going to devote time to his family.

[MIKA27]

FIA worried that F1 would be too slow in 2014

F1′s governing body backtracked on aerodynamic changes for the 2014 season because of fears the next generation of cars would be too slow.

After the recent World Motor Sport Council meeting in Turkey, the FIA announced that scheduled bodywork rule changes for 2014 to reduce downforce have been replaced by “the 2012 specification”.

“There was concern that Formula One cars would become too slow,” read a report by the authoritative German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

One problem is that the all-new turbo V6 and energy recovery systems will add considerable weight – more than initially expected – to the 2014 single seaters.

With the 2014 rules, the FIA is reportedly aiming to slow down the F1 cars by no more than five seconds per lap.

Any more than that, the German report claimed, runs the risk that F1 could be genuinely outpaced by Le Mans prototype cars, or the US-based Indycars.

[MIKA27]

Berger being considered as replacement for Haug at Mercedes

Former F1 driver and team boss Gerhard Berger could be a candidate to replace Mercedes-Benz’s departing head of motor sport Norbert Haug.

That is the claim of the Swiss magazine Speed Week, specifically naming the former Ferrari and McLaren driver as potentially in the running for Haug’s job.

Austrian Berger, 54, was BMW’s joint motor sport director last decade, and until 2008 the co-owner of the second Red Bull team, Toro Rosso.

“We will inform you about everything in due course,” a Mercedes spokesman is quoted by the German news agency DPA.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli tyres could shake up 2013 pecking order warns Hembery

Pirelli’s new race tyres for the 2013 Formula One World Championship season could shake up the pecking order in F1.

That is the view of the Italian marque’s British head of motor racing, Paul Hembery, who this week was in Sao Paulo to announce Pirelli’s new foray in the Brazilian stock car series.

It has been said that, because the technical regulations are not significantly changing over the winter, next year’s pecking order could be a continuation of the 2012 season.

But Hembery is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo: “The tyres next year will be different from those used this year.

“The walls flex a little more, which will have a significant influence on the aerodynamic performance,” he said.

“I don’t think the next championship will necessarily be anything like how it finished this year,” added Hembery.

“I think there will be teams who will look deeply into this feature of our new tyres,” he said.

“I am sure they are racking their brains as to how it affects, for example, the suspension. We saw in testing how the tyres changed the behaviour of the cars.

“The designers will be looking at that,” said Hembery.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari to split F1 design programmes for 2013 and '14 cars

Ferrari has appointed separate design co-ordinators for its 2013 and '14 Formula 1 cars as part of a reorganisation of its technical efforts.

While Nikolas Tombazis retains his chief designer role, Ferrari will split responsibility for its next two F1 contenders.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said Ferrari had concluded that inefficient technical organisation had been a key weak point in recent seasons. The squad has not won a world championship since Kimi Raikkonen's 2007 triumph.

This year Fernando Alonso took an unlikely points lead despite Ferrari starting the campaign off the pace, but was ultimately beaten to the title by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

"We have decided, particularly in light of the unusual demands we will face in 2013, when we will have a completely new project to work on for the future, to have two co-ordinators," Domenicali said.

"Simone Resta, an engineer who has developed his career in Maranello and is very effective, will work on the 2013 car and Fabio Montecchi will deal with the one for the following year."

Ferrari is revamping its windtunnel after pinpointing correlation problems, and Domenicali said it will also adjust its windtunnel testing procedures.

"We have also adopted a better method of splitting up the work between those who run the windtunnel and those who should concentrate more on the creative side of the job," he said.

"This year, we saw that when we do too many things at the same time, maybe we are not efficient enough."

Ferrari has invariably been among the first to unveil its new car each winter, but Domenicali suggested that the 2013 machine will not break cover until the eve of the first test.

"Clearly we have only been concentrating all our efforts on the new one from a few weeks before the final race, given we pushed right to the end on this year's," he said.

"The 2013 car will be launched at the very end of January or the early days of February.

"As usual, the first one will be just a launch version, while the complete one will be seen in the final days of testing or in Australia, so as to make the most of all the time available."

Team president Luca di Montezemolo reiterated that Ferrari must also be more bold with its designs.

"We will need to try and push the technical regulations to the very limit," he said, "while maintaining our strong points from this year, or improving them still further, because the others will not be twiddling their thumbs, but not by almost brushing against illegality, as happened in 2009 with the double diffuser.

"However we need to adopt a different, more creative approach."

[MIKA27]

Button expected McLaren vs Lotus fight for the titles in 2012

Jenson Button admits he expected a McLaren versus Lotus title fight early in the 2012 Formula 1 season.

The Briton says he was convinced his team was set to win the championship after its strong start, and saw Lotus as a stronger threat than Red Bull.

McLaren ultimately finished third in the constructors' standings, between Ferrari and Lotus, as Red Bull swept to the title.

"After five races I thought that we would win the championship," said Button, who took victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after a very positive winter of testing.

"We seemed very competitive, and I thought Lotus were going to be extremely good this year. They were consistent but they didn't have the outright pace."

The Briton added: "Five races in I wouldn't have said that the Red Bulls would win the championship this year."

McLaren had a mixed season in 2012, with a very quick car on most circuits but with reliability issues hurting its chances.

Lewis Hamilton secured seven pole positions and four wins, while Button won three races and grabbed one pole.

Despite the pace of their car, Hamilton and Button finished in fourth and fifth places in the standings.

Button conceded McLaren's efforts had simply not been good enough.

"You always think you've lost the title if you haven't won the championship," he said. "We're all fighting for the world championship and only one team can win.

"Red Bull did a very good job and won the constructors' championship, whereas with us, I think we've still done a good job, just not quite good enough.

"But it's a very competitive sport and we shouldn't be disappointed with how we've gone about our racing, we just haven't been good enough this year."

The Briton said Red Bull's consistency and reliability was key in the team securing its third consecutive championship double this year.

"In terms of the team, we weren't very quick before the summer break," he said. "Before Hockenheim we didn't have the pace, but with the update in Hockenheim we moved forward a lot and we carried that through for most of the year.

"But there's one team that has been quicker than us for a lot of the time - and that's Red Bull - and more consistent than us and they've been more reliable as well."

[OZCUBAN]

Thanks for all your HARD work this year mate ,on what is a time consuming passion.

All ready looking forward to next season it should be a cracker cheers mate

OZ

P.S the biggest thread two years running I reckon

[MIKA27]

Thanks for all your HARD work this year mate ,on what is a time consuming passion.

All ready looking forward to next season it should be a cracker cheers mate

OZ

P.S the biggest thread two years running I reckon

Very kind of you to say Steve, much appreciate the compliment.

Yes, bring on 2013 F1 my friend. Can you pick the 2013 WDC?