FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen splits up with beauty queen wife

Kimi Raikkonen has split with his beauty queen wife after almost nine years of marriage.

When a McLaren driver, the Finn married former Miss Scandinavia Jenni Dahlman in 2004.

The Finnish entertainment magazine 7 Paivaa reports that they have split.

“It’s true, they have grown in different directions,” confirmed the now Lotus driver’s personal assistant Ridu Kuvaja, according to Finnish daily Ilta Sanomat.

The newspaper said Jenni moved out of their $40- million home in Switzerland several weeks ago.

Broadcaster MTV3 reports that divorce could be “expensive” for Raikkonen, given his estimated fortune of more than $160-million, including a portfolio of properties.

[MIKA27]

Bottas will be fast immediately predicts Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado, who in 2013 enters his third Formula 1 season with Williams, thinks new teammate Valtteri Bottas will get quickly up to speed.

Actually, 23-year-old Finn Bottas is a rookie, and – once the Grove team gets its 2013 car up and running in Barcelona this month – he will have just four days at the wheel before making his grand prix debut in Australia.

But Venezuelan Maldonado said: “Valtteri has been actively involved in the development (of the FW35) and has done a lot of long days in the simulator.

“He is not a complete rookie,” he told the MTV3 broadcaster. ”I believe he will enjoy this season and will be immediately competitive.”

Indeed, one of departed Williams driver Bruno Senna’s complaints was that, despite racing throughout 2012, he usually had to give up his car to Bottas on Friday mornings at grands prix.

Before and after those race weekends last year, reserve driver Bottas was often seen helping the Williams mechanics and truckies set up and dismantle the garage.

The Finn told British Sky television at Jerez: “I promised the guys, even though I am racing now, at least once I will come and help them again.”

[MIKA27]

INNOVATION & INSIGHT: HOW YOU CAN SEE A NEW F1 CAR IS PROGRESSING WELL:

Formula 1 cars are prototypes and as such they are constantly changing and being evolved in the pursuit of performance.

The first week of testing in Jerez has seen many teams racking up over a thousand kilometres on their new cars, first working on reliability then pushing new development parts onto the car looking for more speed. But what sort of thing are the engineers looking for and how can they see the difference between a new part that is working and one that is not?

Here we offer a simple example to help readers get a better understanding.

Downforce is crucial in an F1 car and one of the main differences between the cars at the front and those at the back of the grid is the amount of downforce they generate. This is down to having more resources and deploying them better.

Here we are comparing two images of cars where a team has put on Flo Viz paint onto a key aerodynamic part, which highlights the air flow over a key downforce generating piece. Flo Viz is short for “Flow Vizualisation”. It allows engineers to see how a part is behaving aerodynamically.

Marussia brake duct

Look closely at this rear brake duct on the new Marussia car. What you see painted dayglo is what is called a “cascade”, which is a multi element piece on the brake duct which is an important downforce making device close to the rear wheel.

You can see the flow structure; the lower lines aren’t too bad, but as you get to the upper elements the flow moves inboard and separates at the top edge and on the top element the flow has broken down completely.

This cascade isn’t working properly; the geometry is too aggressive and the imperfect flow lines are a clear indication to the team’s engineers that they have work to do in the wind-tunnel. It’s back to the drawing board on this piece for Marussia.

Red Bull

In contrast, look at this photo of the beam wing on the new Red Bull. You can see that the left hand side of the wing has been correctly painted with Flo Viz and the air flow lines are perfect. The air is very attached as it works its way over this piece and this is what engineers want to see when they analyse the flow structure. It means that the wing is doing its job and generating downforce in line with expectations.

Note – The right hand side hasn’t been painted properly which is why it looks a bit strange; this is a mistake by the technician when applying the paint before the run.

Hopefully this gives a better understanding of the kind of work that is going on in Jerez this week and in the remaining tests. If you watch Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix you will see teams doing this too. It’s one of the important jobs of the engineers.

[OZCUBAN]

INNOVATION & INSIGHT: HOW YOU CAN SEE A NEW F1 CAR IS PROGRESSING WELL:

Formula 1 cars are prototypes and as such they are constantly changing and being evolved in the pursuit of performance.

The first week of testing in Jerez has seen many teams racking up over a thousand kilometres on their new cars, first working on reliability then pushing new development parts onto the car looking for more speed. But what sort of thing are the engineers looking for and how can they see the difference between a new part that is working and one that is not?

Here we offer a simple example to help readers get a better understanding.

Downforce is crucial in an F1 car and one of the main differences between the cars at the front and those at the back of the grid is the amount of downforce they generate. This is down to having more resources and deploying them better.

Here we are comparing two images of cars where a team has put on Flo Viz paint onto a key aerodynamic part, which highlights the air flow over a key downforce generating piece. Flo Viz is short for “Flow Vizualisation”. It allows engineers to see how a part is behaving aerodynamically.

Marussia brake duct

Look closely at this rear brake duct on the new Marussia car. What you see painted dayglo is what is called a “cascade”, which is a multi element piece on the brake duct which is an important downforce making device close to the rear wheel.

You can see the flow structure; the lower lines aren’t too bad, but as you get to the upper elements the flow moves inboard and separates at the top edge and on the top element the flow has broken down completely.

This cascade isn’t working properly; the geometry is too aggressive and the imperfect flow lines are a clear indication to the team’s engineers that they have work to do in the wind-tunnel. It’s back to the drawing board on this piece for Marussia.

Red Bull

In contrast, look at this photo of the beam wing on the new Red Bull. You can see that the left hand side of the wing has been correctly painted with Flo Viz and the air flow lines are perfect. The air is very attached as it works its way over this piece and this is what engineers want to see when they analyse the flow structure. It means that the wing is doing its job and generating downforce in line with expectations.

Note – The right hand side hasn’t been painted properly which is why it looks a bit strange; this is a mistake by the technician when applying the paint before the run.

Hopefully this gives a better understanding of the kind of work that is going on in Jerez this week and in the remaining tests. If you watch Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix you will see teams doing this too. It’s one of the important jobs of the engineers.

Maybe they should paint the whole car in "VIS FLOW"

[OZCUBAN]

David Coulthard's sister Lynsay Jackson found dead at her home

9 February 2013 Last updated at 18:52 GMT

The sister of former Formula One driver David Coulthard has been found dead at her home in the south of Scotland.

Police said they were not treating Lynsay Jackson's death as suspicious.

The 35-year-old was found in her home in the village of Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire, on Saturday morning.

Mrs Jackson was married with an eight-month-old daughter. She used to run the David Coulthard Museum in Twynholm, as well as his fan club.

David Coulthard appeared on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen earlier, and it is believed the news was broken to him after the programme.

Their mother and father are said to be flying home from a holiday in Australia.

A Dumfries and Galloway Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 35-year-old woman was found dead in her home today in Crossmichael.

"Our inquiries into her death are ongoing at this time, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report is being prepared for the procurator fiscal."

Coulthard made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grand Prix before retiring from the sport several years ago. He has since provided race commentary for the BBC.

[MIKA27]

IS LEWIS HAMILTON REALLY READY TO FINISH THE FIRST GRAND PRIX IN 15TH PLACE?

Lewis Hamilton is doing a great deal of his work in the media at the moment setting out his stall in the early stages of the Mercedes relationship.

And an interview in today’s L’Equipe with Fred Ferret is a good example of how the 2008 world champion wants to draw some lines in the sand; to get some basic understandings out there, knowing that the world’s commentators, media and public will all have plenty of opinions and judgements on the rights and wrongs of his move down the grid, as he goes through the first year at the Mercedes team.

There is also a similar interview in today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian equivalent of L’Equipe.

In the L’Equipe interview says that his targets are modest for 2013; to get a podium, perhaps a race win, but he is “quite prepared to finish 15th in the first race” in Melbourne on March 17.

After a couple of days of testing the new Mercedes, Hamilton admitted that the Mercedes has some catching up to do, but made it clear he is more focussed on the longer term and on 2014 in particular.

As we saw yesterday with the hiring of Rory Byrne to focus on Ferrari’s integration of the 2014 turbo engine and chassis, there is an opportunity for teams that build their own engines to get an edge in chassis design.

As for his first taste of Mercedes vs McLaren machinery, Hamilton was pretty frank,

“The McLaren was better, but that’s not a surprise. I could see last year that the Mercedes was often a second off the best;

sometimes two seconds. I was prepared for that. I could tell (in Jerez test) that the Mercedes had less downforce than the McLaren. But it’s not catastrophic. I’ve got ideas on how we can improve two or three things.

There is a fascinating passage about his thoughts on Niki Lauda, his part in getting Hamilton to Mercedes and the wider role at Mercedes,

“I’ve always respected him, but in the last few years he used to criticise me without even knowing me,” said Hamilton. Lauda has for many years had a media platform for his outspoken views with German TV rights holder RTL.

“When we met I wanted us to spend time together in order for him to understand who I was. And on my side, I wanted to know if I was going to like his character. At the end of the day, we have a lot in common. We spoke at length about things with passion and that contributed to my decision (to join Mercedes).”

Another important note to commentators, pundits and fans comes from his explanation of why he needed to leave McLaren,

“Definitely things weren’t as good as they had been at McLaren; I was driving a competitive car, I could win races, battle with Sebastian Vettel.. But I perhaps stayed there too long. I need new challenges. I can’t stay for 25 years in the same office, doing the same things. And McLaren had become a bit like an office for me; the routine, the same gym, the same factory in which I knew what was in every single corner.”

Hamilton has made another change in his management with Tom Shine (above) from XIX Entertainment coming in to look after day to day matters, replacing the veteran driver manager Didier Coton, who looks after Valterri Bottas.

Shine was senior vice president of Adidas Reebok, for 11 years, where he worked closely with Hamilton, before moving to the Los Angeles headquarters of XIX at the start of year. “The talent we have under contract is huge,” Shine told the US Sports Business Journal at the time of his move.

“The idea is to build them as brands, and bring some of the ones with marketing savvy from entertainment to sports, along with combining those disciplines.”

The Sports Business Journal noted at the time of Shine’s move to XIX, that there is a vogue at the moment for major sponsors and brands “combining sports and entertainment marketing investments. From Coke’s Olympic “Move to the Beat” music platform to Pepsi’s current “NFL Anthems” campaign, the new programs just seem to make sense, especially when big brand expenditures for music and sports programs are easily into seven figures.”

So it is interesting to note that XIX has this in mind for a Formula 1 driver like Hamilton and it will be even more interesting to see how F1′s own in-house promoter Bernie Ecclestone reacts to their initiatives around Hamilton.

Hamilton says that he wishes to bring “simplicity” to Mercedes and cites the example of the steering wheel which he feels is over-complicated. At McLaren he went through a similar process, to reduce the number of buttons.

“It was drowning in buttons; all the ones I never use, I eliminated them,” he said. “Next I moved the most important ones to the top so they were more visible. At Mercedes there are 26 of them. I’ve already got rid of six. I’m already thinking about the 2014 wheel, where there will be new functions.

“I love these kinds of details.”

[MIKA27]

Hamilton says Rosberg is underestimated

Recent Mercedes signing Lewis Hamilton has spoken up for his new teammate Nico Rosberg.

German Rosberg is seen to have outshone seven time world champion Michael Schumacher during their three years together at Mercedes between 2010 and 2012.

But how much had success and subsequent retirement – and age – slowed the great 44-year-old?

“Nico is a damn strong competitor,” Briton Hamilton told the French sports daily L’Equipe, “I can assure you.

“He is underestimated,” added Rosberg’s new teammate, the 2008 world champion.

Hamilton said Rosberg is good enough to push him right to the limits of his talents.

“If you want to be the best,” he insisted, “you have to be pushed to your limits. And Nico is one of the drivers who can do that.”

[MIKA27]

Sutil not giving up on Force India race seat

Adrian Sutil is still targeting a race seat with Force India for the 2013seaon.

The vacancy is the only one left in F1 with less than five weeks until the Melbourne season opener.

But, currently, Frenchman Jules Bianchi and Narain Karthikeyan appear better placed, even though Force India reportedly refused to comment on reports the latter Indian driver is now in the frame.

German Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann, meanwhile, told motorsport-magazin.com: “We are convinced that it will work out.

“But unfortunately we have to keep our fingers crossed and be patient,” he added.

[MIKA27]

New Concorde deal helps keep Marussia in F1

No more Formula 1 teams are set to follow defunct HRT through paddock exit, Bernie Ecclestone insists.

There has been speculation the economic situation in the sport and the wider world could claim more scalps, with Marussia at the top of the list, having reportedly failed to negotiate a new Concorde Agreement with F1′s ‘supremo’.

But after a meeting with team bosses last Thursday, chief executive Ecclestone now tells F1 business journalist Christian Sylt: “They are all safe.”

“We have got a deal with them all, including Marussia,” he is quoted by Autoweek. ”We are continuing with Marussia. I thought they were going to go but they are not.”

Marussia’s sporting director Graeme Lowdon confirmed that “discussions” about a final agreement with Ecclestone are taking place now.

Ecclestone said F1′s teams should be happy with the terms.

“They’ve all got more money,” he asserted.

[MIKA27]

Caterham keen to have Kovalainen contribute to projects

Caterham has left open the door for ousted Heikki Kovalainen to continue with the team in ”a different project”.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul admitted that, while bringing in a pay-driver was another consideration, Finn Kovalainen’s relationship with Caterham soured after their three years together.

“I think at a certain point at the end of last season, maybe there was not the sort of trust and confidence and respect – on both sides – that you should be counting on for the development of the team and driver,” he told Britain’s Sky broadcaster.

“It’s like with your girlfriend or wife — sometimes when you disappoint too much, you know the relationship is just … broken,” added Abiteboul.

Nonetheless, Abiteboul said it is possible Kovalainen, 31, will continue to work with Caterham in another capacity.

“We continue to have discussions with Heikki to see if a different project could be possible,” he said.

“Let’s be honest: we’d be keen to keep experience in our lineup. That’s something we’d both be interested in under the right conditions.”

[MIKA27]

Kobayashi to test with Ferrari linked GT team

Axed former Sauber F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi looks set to continue his motor racing career in GT racing.

After three full seasons in F1, the popular and exciting Japanese lost his Sauber race seat for 2013 and failed to find refuge elsewhere.

Media reports say he will test for the Ferrari-linked AF Corse GT team in Spain this week.

The reports say Kobayashi, 26, is under consideration for a seat in the FIA’s world endurance championship, driving a Ferrari 458.

With Sauber opting for Telmex-linked Esteban Gutierrez for 2013, Kobayashi attempted to stay in F1 by asking his fans to contribute to his sponsor purse.

Ultimately, corporate Japan failed to back him.

“Yes, it is surprising when such a pleasant person like him cannot get any support from such a motorsport-loving nation like Japan,” Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn told F1′s official website.

“This again should be a sort of warning that we maybe need to change something,” she added.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull boss impressed by Lotus and Sauber

Forget the big three – Christian Horner has admitted teams other than Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari made the “strongest impression” on him last week at Jerez.

“Lotus and Sauber left the strongest impression,” the Red Bull chief said, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“All the others are still difficult to assess,” added Horner.

The German magazine’s correspondent Michael Schmidt said the new grey Sauber had Nico Hulkenberg “smiling” all week as the opening test at Jerez unfolded.

“Eyewitnesses say the C32 is the best car in the field in fast corners,” said Schmidt.

Swiss newspaper Blick’s veteran correspondent Roger Benoit, meanwhile, quoted Hulkenberg as confiding to his Sauber colleagues: “Guys, this car goes like the devil.”

As for Lotus, both Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen each tasted the top of the timesheets during the four-day test.

“We are quite surprised,” admitted the always-grinning Frenchman Grosjean, according to RMC. “I think everybody saw my smile.”

[MIKA27]

Chilton would prefer Glock as 2013 teammate

Marussia’s newly signed rookie Max Chilton has admitted he would prefer to have experienced Timo Glock as his teammate in 2013.

Actually, Marussia dispensed with German Glock’s experienced services in favour of another ‘pay driver’ – another rookie in the form of Brazilian Luiz Razia.

“It is not ideal,” Briton Chilton is quoted by Germany’s motorsport-total.com. ”I had been looking forward to being Timo’s teammate, because of his vast experience.”

Chilton, 21, acknowledged however that he is sure the team will not encounter any serious “problems” as the result of its all-new driver lineup.

“Unless we were all capable, we would not be in formula one,” he insisted.

In fact, he thinks that – in some ways – it could be an advantage for both himself and Razia, who is 23. Neither of us are number one or number two, so the team will treat us the same,” said Chilton.

The British broadcaster Sky quoted McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh as saying it’s “sad” there are so many pay-drivers in F1 now who are arguably “fundamentally not good enough” to be on the grid.

But his Sauber counterpart Monisha Kaltenborn, who is arguing strongly for cost-cutting action in F1, said labelling young drivers like that is not fair.

“There has always been fluctuation on the grid and nobody was harping on about pay drivers,” she told the sport’s official website.

“Everybody who comes into formula one is on a high level and if there are only a limited number of seats, then of course every team is looking for the best option. Who wouldn’t?”

[MIKA27]

Brawn: Hamilton criticism helps us understand what we have to focus on

Ross Brawn insists he has no problem with Lewis Hamilton’s criticisms of the new Mercedes, in the wake of an incident packed week of testing for the Silver Arrows at Jerez which saw the team’s new recruit crash due to apparent brake failure.

After six years with McLaren, the 2008 world champion began work with his new team in southern Spain last week, and immediately both he and Nico Rosberg struck technical trouble.

They had a much better second half of the opening test, but Briton Hamilton pointed out that the W04 lacks the downforce of his 2012 McLaren.

“We have some work to do but it doesn’t feel like a disaster,” he said.

Team boss Brawn insists he is not worried Hamilton is being forthright, “It is correct that he gives his reference points and helps us understand what we have to focus on. Some of it we knew already and that is why we restructured the aero group. I welcome that approach.”

“It needs to be positive and constructive but criticism of the right sort is helpful to a team, it drives you forward,” added Brawn.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that Hamilton’s management team has undergone yet another change. Just one season into his collaboration with Mika Hakkinen’s former manager Didier Coton, Hamilton has now replaced him with Tom Shine.

28-year-old Hamilton is, however, staying with Simon Fuller’s XIX Management firm.

“Tom is very experienced but Simon Fuller will still be the main man,” a source said. ”It was Lewis’ decision. He has made all the decisions and Didier was on a one-year contract.”

[MIKA27]

Hakkinen: Merc won't compete too much

Two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen believes it is unlikely that Mercedes will be "competing too much" this season while he feels McLaren will be on "top form".

Mercedes didn't have the best of times during the first pre-season test at Jerez last week with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton completing only 29 laps between them on the opening two days due to an electrical fault and rear brake failure respectively.

Although they had more success on the final two days by completing almost 300 laps, the general consensus is they still have a long way to go before they can challenge the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mclaren on a regular basis.

"With the first test you never really get a 100 per cent picture of exactly where the performance of the car is," Hakkinen told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's a bit too early. I believe at the next test in Barcelona (starting on February 19), that is going to be more interesting to see who is at the top of the list."

He added: "I have a strong feeling McLaren are on top form this year.

"Mercedes were not exactly up to the speed I expected them to be, so I don't see them competing too much this year."

As for the challenge that awaits Hamilton at Mercedes, Hakkinen feels the Britain will get stiff competition from his team-mate Rosberg.

"Lewis has been with McLaren for so many years and I think, for him, it was time to change," he said. "It's just a job to be honest.

"There are no emotional feelings about it, you are there to win, you are racing with the team and you do your maximum for the team.

Lewis has now moved to Mercedes and that is going to be interesting because his team-mate Nico Rosberg is also a very quick driver."

[MIKA27]

Williams' FW35 passes final crash test

Williams' 2013 challenger has passed the final FIA crash test ahead of its launch in Barcelona.

The Grove-based squad used their 2012 car during the first pre-season test at Jerez last week with the main focus being on aerodynamic and tyre evaluation.

However, Pastor Maldonado and rookie Valtteri Bottas will get their first taste of the FW35 at the second test at the Circuit de Catalunya next week after the car was given the green light during the final inspection last Thursday.

The FW35 will officially be launched at 9am (GMT +1) at the Barcelona circuit next Tuesday.

[MIKA27]

Karthikeyan to Force India?

Only one race-seat remains available on the 2013 grid and according to reports in India it could be handed to Narain Karthikeyan.

The 36-year-old is without a drive after HRT folded at the end of last year and was mentioned as a possible candidate for a number of positions in the off-season. However, nothing has materialised - yet.

With Force India yet to name Paul di Resta's team-mate, there remains one possible destination for Karthikeyan. While Jules Bianchi has spoken of his belief that he has done enough to deserve the drive, reports in the Indian press suggest that a commercial deal between Force India and manufacturer Tata could see Karthikeyan get the nod.

"As soon as Tata increased the budget for 2013, talks with Force India began," an unnamed source told the Deccan Chronicle.

"Unlike the past, the negotiation has been a lot more positive. If talks fail, he will probably go to America for (the) Indycar series".

MIKA: I sure hope this doesn't happen, sorry, but narain is a really poor driver IMO.

[MIKA27]

Australian GP critics 'selfish' - Coulthard

David Coulthard has called upon those who criticise the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne to be more tolerant, describing them as "selfish".

The event has attracted criticism lately due to the cost - estimated at £20 million for the race fee alone - and the inconvenience it causes locals due to traffic congestion and noise.

Coulthard believes the benefits far outweigh the negatives and those who dislike the event, should think about that before protesting against it.

"For the one week of inconvenience it may cause some local people, then I think they shouldn't be so selfish quite frankly," he said in a podcast for the race.

"They should think of the greater good, what it does for the local economy, what it does to inspire local children to be designers or engineers or whatever it is, engine design, tyres, whether they want to be drivers. You don't inspire people by not giving them a taste of what is out there in the world."

The Scotsman, who has won the race twice before, expects people to be more tolerant to others interests.

"If people want to be so narrow-minded and not look beyond their personal needs then that's disappointing of course," he added. "There are lots of things that I don't appreciate but I don't go campaigning against it because I understand that a lot of people do like it.

"I think you have to be tolerant in this world and I think for that one week that the people who don't like the sport [they should] just tolerate the people who do. It's a truly international event."

MIKA: This is why I like DC.

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Formula 1's era of excess is over, says McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh

Formula 1's days of 'excess' with glittering car reveals, huge motorhomes and big buck salaries are over, reckons McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

After a fairly low-key launch season ahead of the first test of 2013, Whitmarsh believes mounting concerns about costs, allied to a greater need for teams to show they are socially and environmentally responsible, means the sport is changing for good.

"In F1, we used to talk about motorhomes, driver and engineer salaries, and team principal salaries," explained Whitmarsh, who is also chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA).

"In the 1980s, it was all about excess, and that was one of the allures of F1. We were in the decades of excess, but we have to grow up and realise as a sport that there comes a point where that isn't attractive anymore.

"We've got to be about efficiency, which means restricting resources. I know it's controversial, but certainly within our company, we have downsized, we have reduced our carbon footprint. I also know that there are a lot better quality discussions going on about bang for buck.

"Instead of, 'we need three more windtunnels, and we need 100 more engineers', the discussion is about 'that's what we've got, so how are we going to get performance out of it?' It's about efficiency now. They're much healthier discussions."

Whitmarsh's comment come amid the difficulties teams have faced in agreeing a Resource Restriction Agreement that they are all happy with. HRT's demise, and Bernie Ecclestone's failure to find a venue willing to pay for a 20th race this season also point to a more difficult future.

With every team having launched their 2013 cars either at the factory or race track ahead of their first run - whereas in the past teams have put on spectaculars - Whitmarsh says the reality of the worldwide financial downturn is now biting.

"I think there are some reality checks going around and I think everything people are doing now reflects that," he said.

"I mean look at all the launches. We used to hire Alexandra Palace. We used to spend a fortune on launches, everyone did, didn't they? It was a competition.

"Now, our launch cost us the two grandstands that we put up in the atrium of our factory so it didn't cost us very much. No one has done that anymore because people don't want to see a million pound launch extravaganza so I think F1 has changed."

As part of a push to show a growing awareness of F1's responsibilities, FOTA recently announced that teams had managed to reduce their carbon footprint by seven per cent from 2009 to '11.

[MIKA27]

Sauber boss reveals C32 slim sidepods work well

The eye catching slim sidepods on the Sauber C32 work well, team co-owner, founder and former boss Peter Sauber has revealed.

The Swiss team stunned its opposition when it launched the new Ferrari-powered C32, featuring the smallest sidepods seen in modern times in formula one.

The innovation, whilst providing an obvious aerodynamic benefit, raised questions about whether the tight packaging could house radiators good enough for adequate cooling.

“We had not the slightest problem with the cooling system,” Sauber, referring to the car’s impressive and reliable debut at Jerez, told Switzerland’s Motorsport Aktuell.

Jerez, however, was notably cool, raising the question of whether the cooling system will be good enough for much hotter locations.

“The values were good enough that we can extrapolate for temperatures up to 35 degrees,” said Sauber.

“The bottom line is that the cooling will work just fine in Malaysia.”

[MIKA27]

Chinese Le Mans team has F1 dream

Formula 1 could soon have a Chinese team.

Recently, Hong Kong-based KC Motorgroup (KCMG) became the first Chinese entry to be confirmed for the fabled Le Mans 24 hour race.

Headed by Paul Ip, the outfit this week took delivery of its Morgan chassis for the LMP2 class, which will be driven by Shanghai-based Swiss driver Alexandre Imperatori.

“I started KC Motorgroup with one ambitious goal in mind – be the first formula one team in China,” said Ip.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli surprises F1 with tyre choices for early race

Pirelli has surprised the Formula 1 world by revealing an aggressive selection of tyre compounds for the start of the 2013 season, which is likely to spice up strategy options.

The big surprise is the choice for the Melbourne opener, as Pirelli opts to supply to teams the ‘supersoft’ and ‘medium’ compounds.

“These (supersoft) tyres offer great grip, but have a short life,” noted O Estado de S.Paulo correspondent Livio Oricchio.

Indeed, this is the “first time that Pirelli has nominated the softest compound” for Australia, the Italian marque announced.

Last year, Pirelli supplied the soft and the medium compounds to teams in Australia.

“The full step in the compound choice should ensure a performance gap between the cars that allows strategy to come into play,” added Pirelli in a media statement.

There is also an all-new selection for April’s Bahrain grand prix; the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ compounds, compared to the 2012 selection of soft and medium.

Paul Hembery said the idea is to shake up the team’s growing knowledge of Pirelli’s tyres.

“We found that by about the middle of last season, the teams had adjusted almost a little too well to our compounds,” said Pirelli’s motor sport director.

“So, in close consultation with the FIA, we have made the task more difficult,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

[MIKA27]

VIJAY MALLAYA: UNDER PRESSURE FROM BANKS OVER DEBTS:

Vijay Mallya, the co-owner of Sahara Force India F1 team, has come under intense pressure from 17 creditor banks in India, who have lost patience and announced they are calling loans on his failing Kingfisher Airlines business, which is $1.3 billion in debt.

The airline has been grounded since October last year, the debts mounting up. And according to the Financial Times newspaper today, some of Mallya’s trophy assets are being targetted as banks look to recoup their losses, “Now that his creditors have run out of patience and are calling in loans to Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines, some of them bearing the billionaire tycoon’s personal guarantee, you’d think a few of these playthings might be about to change hands. Well, maybe just a few,” observes the FT.

Mallya has a prodigious car collection, several super yachts as well as teams in IPL Cricket and F1. Some assets are more easily converted into cash than others, however, with F1 teams notoriously difficult to sell. The FT notes that the creditor banks are only expecting to recover 30% of the debt.

Mallya sold a chunk of his United Spirits business for $1.2 billion at the end of last year, but has not used the money to service the debt on the airline. His unwillingness to invest his own money in saving the airline appears to have been what made the banks act in the last 24 hours.

As for the impact of Mallya’s troubled business life on the Force India F1 team, deputy team principal Bob Fernley said at the team’s launch two weeks ago that the team is ringfenced from the turbulence of Mallya’s other activities,

“It doesn’t affect the F1 team. There is a disconnect between what happens in Vijay’s business and what Vijay is doing on the F1 team. So it doesn’t matter what happens there. The shares in United Spirits have quadrupled in the last few months, so he did a wonderful deal there.

“But whether Kingfisher or United Spirits is doing well or not doesn’t affect the team. And it’s very difficult for us to get that message across, although we have been trying for several years.

“We get a story every three or four months where we are about to go bankrupt, or someone is selling us or whatever and we’ve had that for five years, so we are used to it,” he added. “Five times a year we are up for sale! But we are still there and the strength of Force India, which so many people seem to have missed, is our shareholders. We don’t have to go to the external market to be able to raise our race budgets.

“We are blessed to have quality shareholders like Vijay and Sahara.”

Force India is the only team which has not yet named its second driver ahead of the new season starting in one month. They are due to do so before next week’s second F1 test in Barcelona, with Jules Bianchi the front runner. However Autosport reported today that Adrian Sutil had a seat fitting at the team’s Silverstone base ahead of a possible test outing next week.

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FRANCE FOLLOWS UK AND ITALYTO PAY TV MODEL FOR FORMULA 1 COVERAGE:

France has become the latest major European market for Formula 1 to switch to a Pay TV model, as Canal + snapped up the rights starting this season.

The 11th hour deal is exclusive, which means that long time free-to-air broadcaster TF1 is out of F1 after many years of association and it is another nail in the coffin for Free to Air broadcasters as purveyors of premium live sports.

It also means that three of Europe’s largest markets for F1 coverage are now under the control of Pay TV, following the UK which switched to Sky in 2012 and Italy which is following suit this year. French TV audiences for F1 have usually been at a similar level to the UK, perhaps slightly lower, at around 4-6 million per race. F1 in Holland has also switched to Pay TV only for this year.

This exclusive Canal+ French deal prioritises revenue over reach; it will have an inevitable effect on the viewing figures, particularly as there is no free to air dimension to the deal, so only the audience paying €35 per month will be able to see F1 in France. After many years without a French driver on the grid, the country now has Romain Grosjean, Jean Eric Vergne and Charles Pic. And Jules Bianchi (above left) may be confirmed at Force India in the next few days.

It is interesting to compare F1 to football, which went down this PAY TV route first and has since thrived in UK, Italy and many other markets. But football is a national sport for most countries, whereas these deals will test whether F1 is a ‘minority” sport or whether the fanbase is dedicated and committed. Research shows that in many European countries F1 is second only to football in terms of audience demand.

In the UK there is a half way house solution; the concept of Sky carrying every race live with BBC showing only half the races live and the rest on highlights led to a small decline in figures last year compared to 2011, according to BARB figures. It will be interesting to see which way the trend goes this year.

In Italy a similar effect is anticipated under the arrangement proposed with SKY carrying all races live and RAI showing selected rounds free to air.

Global TV audiences were up by around 12% last year on 2011 values, thanks to additional races in Bahrain and Austin and to a more sustained and exciting championship than 2011. Typical global audiences for races in European time zones were around the 45 million mark.

F1′s global popularity was built up over the last 30 years on mass market free to air TV. It is now entering a second phase where it looks to maintain its TV platform but the only place to turn to keep the revenues high is Pay TV.

Down the road one imagines that F1 may look at shifting to a different model, whereby users have a direct relationship with F1 via the F1.com website and can pay to live stream races as well as order other content.

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Rosberg impressed by new Ferrari

Ferrari appeared to find its way with the new F138 car following a difficult start at Jerez according to Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, who told Germany’s Sport Bild he noticed Felipe Massa struggling with the new red car at the beginning of the first winter test.

“On the first two days,” he said, “the Ferrari did not look good.”

But Brazilian Massa ultimately went on to set the fastest laptime of the entire four-day test.

“Obviously, they found a solution to the problem,” Rosberg surmised, adding that the 2013 Ferrari ultimately seemed “quite good”.

But perhaps not as good as the Red Bull or McLaren, he added.

“They drove as though on rails,” said Rosberg.

Ferrari’s early struggles could be explained by a delay to the F138′s development programme, caused by the push to the death for the 2012 title.

“If we talk about the aerodynamics of the F138,” technical director Pat Fry is quoted by Russia’s f1news.ru, “we started about three months later than we would have liked.

“We will do everything to make up for this delay,” he added.

Fry referred to a stream of forthcoming “innovations” for the new red and black car.

One of them may be a mysterious hole beneath the nose tip that emerged in the final moments of the Jerez test.

“We will see at the next test in Barcelona if the hole is there or not,” read a report in Italy’s Autosprint.