FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Williams delivered exhaust blow

On the same day that Williams rolled out the FW35, they have been told that their new exhaust is illegal.

Frank Williams' outfit presented a two-part cover above the exhaust exit which is believed to contravene Article 3.8.5 of the FIA's technical regulations which states that: 'Single apertures either side of the car centre line [are permitted] for the purpose of exhaust exits. These apertures may have a combined area of no more than 50,000mm2 when projected onto the surface itself. No point on an aperture may be more than 350mm from any other point on the aperture.'

Technical director Mike Coughlan immediately defended his model, suggesting that the covering being in two-parts puts it on the right side of the regulations.

"Ours is OK, because if you look at ours it's actually not a single piece it's two pieces. The rule is an aperture size, and ours is an aperture size; ours is one aperture because it's joined by a small piece in the middle," explained Coughlan.

"You're governed by total aperture size, but singular aperture, and ours is a single aperture joined by a very small slot. So it's actually two pieces, if you look closely you'll see."

However, later in the day it was revealed that the FIA had deemed the exhaust illegal.

"The team spoke with the FIA this morning which is when they gave us their view," said a Williams spokeswoman.

"The team are now seeking further clarification on this and a decision as to whether this design will be carried forward will be made before the first race."

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Pastor: We want to get back to the top

Pastor Maldonado has highlighted consistency as one of the key areas Williams must improve this year while his team-mate Valtteri Bottas is ready for his rookie campaign.

Williams became the last team to launch their 2013 challenger in Barcelona on Tuesday and the team are determined to improve further this year after they took major strides forward last year.

Maldonado, who claimed his maiden win and Williams' first P1 in eight years at the Spanish Grand Prix last year, has set his sights on being more competitive this year.

"Starting my third season with Williams is important for both myself and the team," the Venezuelan said.

"We've been working hard to develop the car and improve our performance. Last year we won a race and were competitive, but this season we must be even more competitive which I believe is possible.

"Consistency will be our aim to close the gap to the teams in front. There are a number of changes this season, I have a new race engineer and a new team-mate in Valtteri, but there is a nice atmosphere right now as we are all competitive and know each other well.

"Being part of the Williams family is very special as a driver and I want to thank Frank for not only giving me the opportunity to drive for him, but also to deliver a win. My goal is to help take the team back to the top."

While Maldonado will no doubt be hoping for another race win in 2013, his team-mate Bottas has a different challenge as he will be making his debut this year.

The Finn enters Formula One with a big reputation and he is already looking forward to the opening race of the season in Australia.

"It feels great to now be promoted to race driver with Williams this season. It's a big step and I'm really looking forward to it," he said.

"I have been doing a lot of training, meeting with my engineers and working in the simulator in preparation; so I feel ready. We know we have improved our car from last season but I am looking forward to seeing how it compares on track.

"We have a busy test programme ahead but I'm really excited. The moment the start lights go out in Melbourne is a moment I have been building towards my whole career."

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Mateschitz: Equal status for Webber

Mark Webber has been assured by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz that he won't be treated like the ugly step child this season.

There have been plenty of murmurs in recent years that Sebastian Vettel has received preferential treatment at the Milton Keynes team.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has also made no secret of the fact that he is not a big fan of the Australian, saying Webber often "falls relatively easily into a downward spiral" as he has "trouble with the pressure".

However, just weeks after team principal Christian Horner promised Webber that he will get the same treatment as defending World Champion Vettel, Mateschitz also came out in support of the Formula One veteran.

"I absolutely believe that and I'm certain that it will be so," Mateschitz told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if Webber would get a fair chance.

He added: "Mark is at the same time a strong and charismatic character and an exceptional racing driver.

"It's a fact that competition begins inside your own team. That means that the environment is tough but friendly, and that's how it's supposed to be."

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McLaren: It was a productive day

The second of Formula 1’s three pre-season Spanish tests kicked off today at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, an aero-dependent track that will provide teams with a clearer idea of the state of their preparations ahead of the 2013 season.

Sergio Perez kicked off the running this morning, his second outing behind the wheel of MP4-28. As at last week’s test at Jerez, the team spent the morning running through a series of aero tests before breaking to reset the car for some set-up comparison work.

After lunch, Sergio began a series of longer runs to evaluate the effects of the mechanical set-up changes. He also took the opportunity to more fully acclimatise himself to the cockpit controls and team communications that he will start to encounter in the races.

The afternoon concluded with a live pitstop practice. It was a productive day.

What’s next? Sergio concludes his running. Jenson takes over for Thursday and Friday.

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Caterham: Gearbox problems hamper day

Caterham report from the first day, of the second week, of Formula 1 preseason testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Charles Pic: “49 laps on the first day of the second test isn’t the total we wanted, but we’ve still been able to complete quite a bit of today’s program and with every lap I’m getting more and more comfortable in the car. In the morning session we ran through a similar program to the second day in Jerez last week, and we had planned more tyre work in the afternoon. When I went out for a stint after the lunch break I had a mechanical problem going into turn three and after we got the car back to the garage we found out it was a gearbox issue and that brought the day to an early end. We’ve already started work on the fix and I’m sure we’ll be ready for tomorrow morning when we can get back to work.”

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Lotus: Electronics issues cost us track time

Kimi Räikkönen conducted the first day of running for E21 chassis #2 in Barcelona, completing 44 laps at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Though Kimi completed the fewest laps of any driver today, he was nevertheless the second fastest for most of the day, including at the end of the afternoon session.

Telemetry data-logging issues meant the team completed fewer laps than desired, but nevertheless concluded a productive day of assessment of the second E21.

Fast Facts

• Track: Barcelona, Spain, 5.9km
  
• Chassis: E21-02
  
• Weather: Sunny, ambient 10-16°C, track 11-22°C
  
• Programme: Systems checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, assessment of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package
  
• Laps Completed: 44
  
• Classification: P2, 1:22.623
  
• Interruptions: Red flags, data-logging diagnostics
  

Kimi Räikkönen: “It wasn’t an ideal day in terms of the number of laps we completed, but the car feels strong and we’ve made some good progress. After Jerez it’s nice to be at a circuit where we race and the E21 is definitely a step in the right direction.

There’s lots of work yet to do this week but I’m happy with where we are at the moment.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “It’s been a positive debut for the second chassis here in Barcelona. Kimi was happy with where the car started the day, and the setup changes we’ve made have been positive. We had a few issues on the electronics side with the telemetry data-logging and this has cost us track time as well as the ability to conduct longer runs. Other than that, we’ve been able to take over from where we left off in Jerez so we’re happy with that. All we need is more laps, which is our focus for tomorrow.”

What’s Next? Kimi will drive tomorrow with the team targeting a greater haul of laps.

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Force India: Team gelling nicely with new personnel and structures

Sahara Force India began its Barcelona test session today as Paul Di Resta spent the day in the VJM06 and clocked up 82 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya.

Day One Statistics:

• Chassis: VJM06-03
  
• Laps: 82 laps
  
• Mileage: 382 km
  
• Fastest lap: 1:24.144
  
• Classification: P8 of 12
  

Paul Di Resta: “The first day of running was mainly about tyre work and making some comparisons with Jerez. I was running on the hard and the mediums and we got a good feel for them once again. We also did an aero programme this morning, which is part of the correlation work as we evaluate some of the new parts going on the car. The plan is for more of the same tomorrow.”

Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer: “It has been a solid first day of work in Barcelona with Paul. We’ve put into effect what we learned in Jerez and made some useful comparisons, especially in terms of tyre evaluation. After the aero programme this morning, we did some shorts runs with new aero components and then moved to longer runs later on. The track conditions were not at their best this morning, but from midday onwards things started to improve and the cloud cover kept the track temperatures relatively low. With Melbourne less than a month away the team is gelling nicely and the new personnel and structures we have put in place are working well.”

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Sauber: We had some issues with the set-up of the car

Today, the Formula One teams resumed testing on the Circuito de Cataluna near Barcelona. In the morning, Esteban Gutiérrez mainly concentrated on aero work, while in the afternoon he did tyre comparisons with the medium and the hard compounds, and he worked on the set-up of the car. He completed 68 laps.

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: “We spent a lot of the morning evaluating some aerodynamic and mechanical parts on the car. We were also working on the hard and the medium tyres, but the track conditions were not ideal. We gathered a lot of data with some special instrumentation, and now we need to look at it. Due to a few small issues we weren’t able to complete our full programme, but we are confident we will be back on track tomorrow.

Esteban Gutiérrez: “It was quite a tricky day with the tyres. We were struggling with tyre management and, as a result, degradation. We tried different things in the morning, but then in the afternoon we had some issues with the set-up of the car. The good thing is we have a lot of data to analyse. This will be the basis for us to understand everything.“

What comes next: Tomorrow, Nico Hülkenberg will take over from Esteban.

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Danica Patrick not good enough for F1 claim Lauda and Marko

Danica Patrick has leapt back into the motor racing headlines by becoming the first woman to secure pole for the 2013 Nascar opener at Daytona, invariably speculation about her breaking into Formula 1 has once again emerged in the paddock.

Previously, the highly popular 30-year-old American, who is stealing the show at the pinnacle of US motor sport, has insisted she has little interest in exploring her options in formula one.

But could more doors open now?

Helmut Marko, the outspoken driver manager at world champions Red Bull, questioned Patrick’s credentials to compete in Formula 1.

“You have to look at Danica’s results in the road races,” he said. “It’s not enough.”

Indeed, there are no female drivers among Red Bull’s current flock of young development drivers, whose ultimate aim is to earn a place at the junior team Toro Rosso.

“We are looking for drivers based on performance, not by quota,” Marko insisted.

“For ten years,” said triple world champion and Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda, “I’ve told Bernie Ecclestone he’s dopey for not getting a woman into formula one.

“If we could get a woman into the top six, you would immediately have twice as many fans in front of the TV,” he is quoted by Bild newspaper.

Lauda, however, questioned whether Patrick is the right woman for the job.

“It has to be said that the technical level in the US does not compare to the level in formula one. This is also reflected in the drivers,” he said.

“The last American who had success in Europe was Mario Andretti — and that was in my day!” exclaimed the 63-year-old.

World champion Sebastian Vettel added: “First of all, hats off to Danica for her achievements. But motor sport in the US just has a completely different culture.”

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No Mercedes DTM seat for Kubica

Robert Kubica has been left out of Mercedes 2013 lineup for the German touring car series DTM.

Last month, the Pole tested one of the German marque’s cars, with Toto Wolff saying it was a “proper test in a proper race car”.

“Let’s see how it goes,” said Mercedes’ new motor racing director.

While now successful in lower-tier rallying, former Renault and BMW driver Kubica is still unable to drive a powerful single seater due to the limitations of his right arm, which was almost severed in an early 2011 rally crash.

Mercedes announced on Wednesday that it has entered six DTM cars in the 2013 series, but none of them will be raced by Kubica.

Instead, Mercedes’ lineup features Ralf Schumacher, Gary Paffett, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris, Robert Wickens and newcomer Daniel Juncadella.

The marque said F1 driver Nico Rosberg will mentor the youngsters.

“I am looking forward to following their progress this season and can maybe give the young guns a tip or two,” he said.

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Vettel: It’s quite tough to keep the Pirelli tyres alive for many laps

With the Formula 1 technical rules remaining almost unchanged for 2013, the emphasis is going to be on understanding the nuances of the Pirelli tyres this season and world champion Sebastian Vettel has revealed that keeping the latest generation tyres working at an optimum level is proving to be a challenge.

Speaking after the first day of testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Vettel said, “It is good to back in Barcelona. It is a good circuit to judge a car on and a good indicator of where you are but we need to be careful of doing that as it’s pretty cold at the moment and it’s quite tough to keep the tyres alive for many laps.

So hard to know. But overall, not a bad day again.”

The world champion was top of the timing sheets, in the Red Bull RB9, for a large chunk of time in the morning session, and ended the day with the fourth best time of 1.22.965 which was 0.349 seconds down on Nico Rosberg’s best in the Mercedes. The world champion completed 66 laps on the day.

“It’s very important for us to put good mileage on the car and this morning that wasn’t really possible,” said Vettel afterwards. “We had a small software issue this morning, I think many teams had. That wasn’t ideal but we got it fixed and after that it was another decent day.”

The team’s race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum summed up the day for, “It was a slow start, which was a bit frustrating. However, I don’t think we were alone in that. In the afternoon we were again working on some aero test items.”

He added, “The guys at the factory have been flat out since Jerez and as well as the things planned some time ago for this test there have been quite a few developments based on what we learned from Jerez. So there are plenty of things to get through here.”

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Alonso: I share Felipe’s opinion that the F138 is on another planet

Fernando Alonso drove Ferrari’s new Formula 1 car for the first time in Barcelona on Tuesday and declared that it was on another planet compared to the tricky F2012 which he wrestled into title contention last season.

The Spaniard, ending a longer than most absence from the cockpit, clocked the third fastest time in testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The 31-year-old, runner-up to Red Bull’s triple champion Sebastian Vettel last year, had skipped the first pre-season test in Jerez to focus on his physical preparations for the season starting in Australia on March 17.

With the team declaring his training workouts in the gym and on the road to have been “worthy of the best Olympic athlete”, Alonso completed a total of 110 laps in the F138 with a best time of 1: 22.952 seconds.

“I feel reasonably pleased with this first day and I can say I share Felipe’s opinion that the car is on another planet compared to the one we began with on the first day of testing last year. The programme for this first session in Barcelona is aimed mainly at improving reliability, with the target of completing more than a hundred laps every day,” said the double world champion in a team release at the end of the session.

Alonso said the target was to work on reliability of the F138, aiming to complete more than 100 laps each day, before focusing on performance in the final test,” Then, at next week’s test we can concentrate on performance. Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will complete what we were unable to do today and we will focus on car set-up, to adapt it as well as possible to the tyres.”

“I knew from looking at the Jerez data what sort of car I would find here today, as in fact we know more or less what we will see at the first race in Australia, in terms of what new parts we will have and how many tenths they will produce. This is down to all the work done over the winter in the wind tunnel and the numerous tests which confirm that the parts that are on their way will give the expected results.” added the Ferrari driver.

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PM DAVID CAMERON TAKES A TOUR AT CATERHAM F1 TEAM BASE:

David Cameron has made a visit to Caterham’s Leafield Technical Centre, which is located in the British Prime Minister’s constituency of Witney.

The team, which finished 10^th in the constructors’ championship last season, moved its factory based from Norfolk to the Oxfordshire site in August 2012.

There are also plans to move the Caterham Group’s roadcar division – Caterham Cars – to the Leafield base, which should create more jobs in the area.

The Prime Minister was given a tour of the factory, visiting the workshops and race bays, meeting employees and inspecting the team’s cars.

He said: “This is the dream investment for any constituency. Caterham F1 is bringing high-end jobs, engineering and manufacturing to West Oxfordshire. Not only will it create jobs but it will be a real boost to our local economy.

“On a national scale, it is great to see Britain designing and selling more cars. It is businesses like this which are helping to lift our economy out of a very difficult time and making sure that Britain thrives in the global race. I am so excited to welcome this great business to Leafield and I wish them every success.”

Tony Fernandes, Caterham Group co-chairman said: “It was an honour to give Mr Cameron a tour of Leafield Technical Centre and to demonstrate the cutting edge technology and innovative thinking that is at the heart of Caterham Group.

“Representatives from each of the arms of Caterham Group were on hand to demonstrate to Mr Cameron how Caterham Cars, Caterham Technology and Innovation (CTI) and Caterham Composites are setting new standards for innovative thinking and cutting edge technology across a wide range of industries.

“Caterham Cars and Caterham Technology and Innovation are now working in close partnership with Renault to produce a new range of sportscars that will soon showcase our world class technology to automotive customers worldwide.

“CTI and Caterham Composites are also in a very exciting phase of their development. Both companies are working across a wide range of industries, including automotive, aircraft, marine, sports and leisure, bringing their specialist knowledge of innovative technological solutions and composite materials to set new standards in their fields.”

The Caterham F1 team enter the 2013 season with two new drivers – Charles Pic, who moved from Marussia, and Giedo van der Garde, who was promoted from reserve driver.

Caterham launched their new car – the CT03 – late last month but were told this week by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, that extra bodywork at the rear of the exhaust is considered to be illegal.

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"MCLAREN HAVE MADE A HUGE LEAP FORWARD FROM JEREZ TO BARCELONA" SAYS PEREZ:

Sergio Perez says his new McLaren team have made a “huge leap” forward with their performance from the first test in Jerez to the second in Barcelona.

The Mexican, who is about to start his first season with the team after joining from Sauber, topped the timesheets on day two of running at the Circuit de Catalunya, finishing 0.349 seconds quicker than reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull.

Though he refused to get excited about the headline time, Perez was pleased with the car’s progress and how he was getting used to the feel of his new machine.

“It is nothing more than testing,” Perez said in an interview on the official F1.com site. “Tomorrow everybody will have already forgotten about it. It has no significance. Sure it is nice to see your name up there, but you don’t get anything for it.

“What really meant a lot is that we obviously made a huge leap forward from Jerez to Barcelona. The car is now coming my way much more naturally. It’s a good sign.

“It’s been a good day. I am very happy with our programme. So far my first four days with the team and in the car have been great and hopefully on the last two days we will be able to again do very productive work.”

However, Perez did raise concerns about the “extreme” level of degradation of this year’s Pirelli tyres. The Mexican made a name for himself in 2012 as one of the drivers who was very good at making his tyres last in race conditions, but he said the big drop-off in performance in cold conditions was a bit of a concern.

Perez said: “It’s extreme. The degradation is very difficult. It’s a big surprise. Normally in winter testing we see a lot of degradation, but never this much.

“We are going to have a race here so it’s a bit of a worry. But we are still learning about the tyres and I think once we go racing I hope things will change. I definitely hope it changes, because if we are in this situation in Melbourne we are going to see something like seven or 10 stops.

“I’m sure we always see a lot of degradation in winter testing and all the teams are learning, and especially us, we need to learn a bit more about the tyres.”

Vettel said that he felt all the teams are struggling with high degradation. “It’s been very difficult,” he said. “Similar to all the other people struggling with the tyres! Struggling to make them last, I think you see fairly rapidly lap times go off. Arguably it’s a little bit too cold for the tyres.”

However, Force India’s Paul di Resta played down concerns. “They certainly look like they are wearing out quite quick,” he said. “But the temperatures are not [as high as they will be] where we are going to be racing them, so we should probably give them a bit of a break.”

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Ferrari - One more push?

One more push and they're there? Ferrari hasn't won a title since 2008, a drought by its standards, and last year it came oh-so-close to the drivers' title, finishing but three points shy of the summit in a season wherein it wasn't without its share of bad luck, or without conspicuous room for improvement in its machinery.

But then again things might not necessarily be that simple for the Scuderia in 2013. In truth, its closeness to title honours last campaign was to an extent illusory. The F2012 was, at best, the third-best machine out there (and some would argue even that assessment is generous) and at no round was it the quickest in dry conditions. Further, it was a debacle out of the box, and although the team was able to correct its most glaring faults in short order, it could never quite escape its inherent flaws demonstrated by the car proving maddeningly resistant to development in the year's latter part.

That Alonso missed out on the drivers' title narrowly owed to a measure of circumstance such as a tight year in which no one dominated for the most part allied to mistakes from others, a large dollop of brilliant, tenacious and consistent driving performances from Alonso, mixed in with reliability (Ferrari didn't have a single breakdown in a race in 2012) and the F2012 at least being being fairly flexible in how it looked after the Pirelli tyres.

On the face of it it seems astonishing that Ferrari, with all of its resources, should have got it so badly wrong, but there was a partial explanation, and not a new one. Wind tunnel correlation (which had loitered menacingly in the background since early 2011) was again named as the main culprit. And more broadly, for all we talk of 'Ferrari International Assistance' the current formula of testing restrictions could be designed positively to impede the Scuderia. It faces the double whammy of not only being able to use the test track in its back garden but very rarely, but also that, given its long-established reliance on testing, all of a sudden finding itself far behind its rivals in the simulation game which overnight became vital (it makes you wonder why Ferrari ever agreed to it all in the first place).

But within all of this there are signs that, just maybe, the Scuderia is finally about to get it right. For one thing, there is something akin to what Sherlock Holmes noted as the dog that did not bark. Once upon a time a season such as 2012 at Maranello (particularly having followed a title drought) would have brought a round of furious recrimination and no doubt plenty of heads on spikes. But it seems, for now, Ferrari has resolved that such lack of patience is usually counter-productive and Stefano Domenicali and Pat Fry have thus been given time to allow plans to come to fruition (such rancour has been left to Mercedes instead).

Also, finding itself in a hole regarding its wind tunnel Ferrari finally resolved to stop digging, and now it uses the Toyota facility in Cologne. Technical Director Pat Fry has clearly been focussing on developing the team's simulation tools, while the signing of Pedro De La Rosa (ex of McLaren) shows keenness to develop its simulator to McLaren's standard. The ban on DRS during a qualifying lap will help too, as many theorised that DRS reattachment was a problem for the red cars in 2012, explaining the poor grid slots. And best of all the new F138 looks to be a good one, with aggressively sculpted nose and rear, and lots of nice detail. And while not much can be read into testing yet, we can at least ascertain that the team has avoided the calamity of 12 months ago.

Felipe Massa was cautious in front of a microphone at Jerez, which may represent healthy paranoia, but even he admitted that the Ferrari is on a 'different planet' to this time last year. And that is no bad starting point for the team.

But the flip side to all of this is that you feel the team is rapidly reaching the point at which no more excuses - particularly those that emanate from its aero department - are tolerable. In other words, this is a season in which Ferrari simply must deliver. Even in the Scuderia's new found calm environment, patience from the likes of Luca Montezemolo and Fernando Alonso will not be eternal.

Fernando Alonso - Car #3

As noted above, the F2012 by rights should have be nowhere near the title fight last year. That it was and in the thick of it owed to a few things, and the major one was Fernando Alonso.

It's a sad fact that the days of those in F1 (and some fans, it has to be said) readily acknowledging the merits of others ahead of their own are long in the past. But even with this, and in an age not short on handy drivers, in the course of last season something approaching consensus emerged that Alonso is indeed the driver of the current age. From already high standards long-since established, in 2012 Alonso seemed to find a whole new level of tenacious and consistent dragging of his car ahead of itself, finely-judged, aggressive overtakes and ravenous gathering of points. It was a season of sustained supreme effort that, even without the championship being claimed at the end of it all, will live long in the memory. It's not at all hyperbole to say that it's hard to cite many better years of driving in F1 from anyone ever.

So what makes Alonso so good? Well, the man himself seems to have an understanding of it, demonstrated when he commented back in 2009 that 'I might not be fastest, or the most technical but I am consistent'. As Mark Hughes of Autosport noted recently, looking back through Alonso's career there are few of what you might call 'drives from the Gods', akin to Ayrton Senna's at Donington in 1993 for example (Valencia last year perhaps is one, Hungary 2006 possibly too, but beyond that you're struggling). Additionally, most reckon that Lewis Hamilton has the edge on him on pure pace (some believe Vettel has too). But what Alonso does deliver is breathtaking consistency; to demonstrate, if you could select an F1 driver to finish on the podium to save your life who would you pick? Yes, me too. Alonso scores 9.5 out of 10 in every important area of a F1 driver's toolkit, and gives you a 9.5 out of 10 performance virtually every time. This served him extremely well in tight, competitive 2012, and with 2013 expected to be yet more huddled it should suit him even more.

And if all of this was not enough right now one suspects that Alonso approaches the 2013 season rather like a coiled spring.

Drivers' championship number three is unfinished business for him clearly, and after the Brazil race last November as Vettel and his team in parc ferme celebrated pipping Alonso to claim title number three for themselves Alonso looked on, almost trance-like. Make no mistake, Alonso at that very moment was gathering motivation. That wrath will have been nursed carefully all winter, and it's all going to unleashed in Melbourne and beyond. I wouldn't like to be sharing a track with him this year.

Felipe Massa - Car #4

So, Felipe Massa gets yet another year at Ferrari. That he's survived this long (2013 will be year eight as a race driver in red) owes to a few things, including the lack of suitable alternatives emerging (and the injury to Robert Kubica) as well as coming with the all-important Fernando Alonso Seal of Approval. But what also helped was that Massa's 2012 effort was his most worthy in a good while, and he ended the year looking a lot more like the guy who all those years ago was world champion for 30 seconds than he had at any point since his 2009 Hungary accident.

Everyone's got their own theories as to why Massa had been struggling, but in my view a lot of it was down to him simply being out psyched by Alonso's performances as Scuderia team mate, both in and out of the car. And in turn, a lot of Massa's recovery can be attributed to psychological acceptance of how good Alonso is, and of what his role is in the team these days, allied of course to the confidence that comes with improved results (indeed, after claiming his first podium finish in close to two years in Suzuka last year Massa seemed instantly to grow a few inches taller).

Of course, such is the way of things at Maranello Massa will likely have to subjugate many of his own ambitions to the assistance of Alonso's title effort in 2013. And the Scuderia will hope that Massa drives in 2013 a lot like he finished 2012: quick enough to get into the front-running mix, to take points off Alonso's rivals, to score big on days that Alonso falters and to score well the rest of the time. And it's no wonder, you could argue that had Massa started 2012 in the sort of form that he finished the year it might just have been enough to tilt the drivers' championship battle in Alonso's favour.

But to some extent it all begins again for Massa at this season's outset: was the improved form in late 2012 down to a genuine breakthrough, or was he like a tennis player two sets and two breaks of serve down, who suddenly loosens up and starts to hit winners? Demonstrating good form from the get-go in Melbourne will be an altogether new challenge.

But it cannot be denied that things are looking a lot more promising for Massa than they have for some time; his performance late in 2012 is a fine basis on which to build. And Ferrari has the gratification of going into the 2013 year with few worries resultant of its drivers. Either of them.

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Perez: McLaren MP4-28 is adapted to suit Jenson’s style

Sergio Perez was quickest on day two of Formula 1 preseason testing in Barcelona on Wednesday, but he admitted that Jenson Button still rules the McLaren roost and the new car has been built to suit the style of the 2009 world champion.

Perez said the “management style and philosophy” of Woking based McLaren and the Swiss team Sauber is fundamentally different, adding that his experienced teammate Button has the advantage of having being involved in the development of the new MP4-28 car.

“Jenson is obviously a very experienced driver and has put a lot into the car,” said Perez at the end of the day. ”It is slightly adapted to his style, so it’s up to me to adapt to that, but I’m sure I will be completely ready in Australia.”

Asked by Spain’s AS newspaper to rate his adaptation from Sauber to McLaren, the young Mexican answered: “From zero to ten, I would say it is a 6 or a 7.”

“In any case, I am delighted with McLaren. All my life I’ve dreamed of being on this team, and from day one I have felt at home.”

Perez, 23, played down the prospect that his relationship with McLaren could break down, just as it did with other Latin drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso.

“Every year, every race, there are different circumstances with the different drivers,” he said. “There have been other Latin drivers who have won championships here.

“Nationality means very little. The most important thing is that you have the right circumstances and a good car. The car is very different from what I was used to, but it is competitive,” he added.

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Sutil calm ahead of crucial career defining F1 test

Adrian Sutil insists he is not nervous ahead of his test with Force India on Thursday, which will see him return to a Formula 1 cockpit for the first time since the 2011 Brazilian GP.

Billed by the media as a ‘shootout’ for the last race seat in 2013, German Sutil will drive the VJM06 at Barcelona a day before the other hot contender, Jules Bianchi, tests on Friday.

“I’m pleased to finally be back on a formula one track,” Sutil, who bowed out of F1 after his assault conviction of 2011, is quoted by the DPA news agency.

“It’s quite a while ago since Brazil 2011. The anticipation is there, but I’m not nervous or anything.

“I don’t think I have to prove something to the team,” said Sutil, who spent his entire F1 career with the Silverstone based outfit.

“I don’t know if this is really a fight for the (race) cockpit, so that’s why I’m not worried.”

He’s not worried, but 30-year-old Sutil does know that Thursday is an important moment.

“I think it’s my last chance to really have a future in formula one,” he acknowledged. “I think that with another year of waiting, the train will have departed.

“Then I would have to think about something else. But I’m also experienced enough that I can only do what I always do, which is the best I can.”

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that Sutil actually reached agreement about 2013 with Force India back in December, before the negotiations between the Ferrari-linked Jules Bianchi became serious.

Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann said: “We do not blame the team. They have always treated us fairly.”

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Drivers not a priority at Force India claims Senna

Ousted Williams driver Bruno Senna has revealed he was a contender to fill the second race cockpit at Force India this year, but plans did not materialise as expected.

“It’s hard to understand what happened,” said the former Williams driver, who has instead switched to Le Mans sports cars, where this week he tested his Aston Martin for the first time in Portugal.

“They (Force India) apparently have other priorities at the moment,” he told Brazilian Jovem Pan radio. “It seems the second driver has a second level of importance.”

This week at Barcelona, Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi will undergo a ‘shootout’ for the final race seat on the 2013 grid.

But some see the contest as more a battle of which driver is better linked to an engine manufacturer, with Force India weighing up either Mercedes or Ferrari power for the new, more expensive turbo V6 era.

Senna explained: “We negotiated with them (Force India), but at a certain point, they disappeared and it seems that it was not just us that this happened to.”

Meanwhile, Ferrari engine boss Luca Marmorini on Wednesday confirmed that it is possible Toro Rosso – who are weighing up a switch to Renault – could cease its relationship with the famous Italian marque at the end of 2013.

“A customer team is very important for an engine supplier,” he is quoted by Speed Week, “but I do not know if we will supply Toro Rosso next year.”

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Extreme wear of new Pirelli tyres has F1 drivers and teams stumped

Pirelli is the buzzword doing the rounds in the Barcelona paddock, as the Formula 1 world gets to grips with the contrived extreme degradation of the Italian supplier’s 2013 tyres, and early proving to be somewhat unpopular.

McLaren’s Sergio Perez was quickest in his McLaren on Wednesday, but he admitted to being surprised by how quickly the Pirellis were wearing out.

“I don’t know what to say,” the Mexican is quoted by Spain’s AS newspaper. “It is worrying and I hope it changes for the first race. It doesn’t matter what you do, what talent you have.”

“It is an unpleasant surprise,” he is quoted by Speed Week. ”The cool temperatures are making it worse; in Melbourne it will probably be better, otherwise we will be doing seven or ten pitstops.”

Up and down the pitlane, the comments were similar. Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo spoke of being shot with “rubber bullets” – the chunks of discarded ‘marbles’ as the tyres wear – as he drove around the Circuit de Catalunya.

“I’m not sure if what the tyres are doing is what they (Pirelli) had expected,” said the Australian.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes boss Ross Brawn commented: “The wear is twice as high as last year.”

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg added: “The tyres have overshadowed everything. After a lap the grip is going away.”

No matter the tyre situation, it’s the same for everyone. Teams, then, are more guarded than ever about their setups and technical solutions with just one more test after this week’s running to prepare for Australia.

Red Bull is being highly secretive, with mechanics rushing to fit covers as the RB9 is wheeled backwards into the garage.

Bild newspaper suspects a “hacker” or a “virus” may have contributed to the world champions’ glitches in the McLaren-supplied software so far this week.

Contemplating Red Bull’s rivals, Dr Helmut Marko admitted: “The McLaren and Lotus look the best.”

As ever in testing, reliability is a big factor, and on Wednesday Ferrari continued to raise suspicions about an exhaust design flaw, when Fernando Alonso suffered a failure.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen also had problems. When asked what he did during his downtime, the laconic Lotus driver admitted: “I had a sleep.”

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Raikkonen: While they fixed the car I had a sleep

Kimi Raikkonen ended his second day of testing in Barcelona third quickest, but admits he was frustrated as technical glitches with the Lotus E21 meant he spent most of Wednesday morning out of action, but never one to be flustered The Iceman took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.

Speaking at the end of the second day of Formula 1 preseason testing at Circuit de Catalunya, Raikkonen said, “It’s frustrating and no driver wants to hang around a race track with nothing to do. We had a gearbox issue and it took the crew a long time to fix it.”

So what did he do while mechanics and engineers toiled with his car? “I had a sleep,” replied Raikkonen.

“Sometimes these things take a long time and that’s pretty normal when you have a test. The team were very busy working on the car, but there’s not much you can do as a driver when this happens and it’s not great to watch the other cars put lots of laps on the board,” he admitted.

One of the key targets for any team during testing is to rack up as many laps as possible, but for Lotus on Wednesday a gearbox required changing and as a result valuable track time was lost.

However this did not dampen Raikkonen’s spiritis, “When we did get out on track we were immediately the third fastest car out there so that’s always promising. The day was not what we hoped to have but Romain will test the car for the next two days then I will test the car again next week.”

Problems in testing are always better than having them at the season opener or beyond as the 2007 world champion explained, “I’d far rather have these problems in testing than in the races. Everyone is busy in the factory making new parts and we will hopefully head to Australia with all the problems ironed out.”

Raikkonen recalled, “Last year we missed all of the second test in Barcelona and the car was still pretty good for the season. It’s frustrating not to get much running today, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Alan Permane, the Lotus team’s trackside operations director added, “Our target was more laps today and we’ve missed that. We were able to diagnose a problem with the gearbox, but rectifying this took quite a lot of time. This severely affected our plans for the day but yet again we were able to show we have a quick car.”

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Hulkenberg 'getting happy' in the car

Nico Hulkenberg says he's still adjusting to life in his Sauber C32 after spending Wednesday lapping the Circuit de Catalunya.

The German was in action on Day Two at the Barcelona track where he completed 88 laps with a best time of 1:24.205. That put him ninth on the timesheet, 2.3s off the pace.

"For me, it's getting happy in the car," Hulkenberg said.

"More mileage makes you happier in the car, more comfortable with the buttons, with the steering wheel. Because once you get racing, that really wants to be glued in your head.

"That's what we're here for (and) then understanding the car further - trying to extract performance, opening up the areas where we can improve. We need to be developing: which road we need to go down and these kind of things."

The 25-year-old, who joined Sauber from Force India in the off-season, is feeling positive ahead of the new season but admits there is still work to be done before Australia.

"It's not too bad. (There's) still work to be done and I think there's still room for improvement.

"We're still learning, still getting familiarised with the car. I'm not negative about it."

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BERCELONA TEST DAY 3: FERNANDO ALONSO TOPS THE TIMES BUT ALL EYES ARE ON SUTIL:

Fernando Alonso completed his first week in the new Ferrari F138 by topping the times on the third day of testing in Barcelona, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean.

Alonso – who is handing the car over to Felipe Massa tomorrow for the final day of the test – used today as a chance to show his team’s pace on the soft compound tyre, completing a number of single-lap runs during the morning session. His time today was within 1/10th of Sergio Perez’s time yesterday, and half a second quicker than Alonso managed in Q3 of qualifying last year.

Alonso traded fastest laps with Pastor Maldonado this morning as they both ran on the soft tyre but they were eventually split by Hulkenberg just before lunch, when he also completed a one lap run using the same tyre. Maldonado dropped down the times as he focused on a race simulation before handing the FW35 over to Valtteri Bottas this afternoon.

The biggest story of the day was always going to be Adrian Sutil’s comeback behind the wheel of a Force India. On his first day in F1 machinery since 2011, the German ended the day a second off Alonso’s ultimate pace. It was an important day for Sutil since he will be giving the car over to Jules Bianchi tomorrow before Force India make their decision on who will fill the teams second seat.

Hulkenberg gave Sauber a competitive day with his soft tyre run in the afternoon to put himself within 3/10ths of Alonso. From then the Swiss squad switched their attentions to long runs with a heavy fuel load.

Lotus had a much needed trouble-free day following their gearbox issues yesterday, with Grosjean completing the most laps of anyone and ending the day with a race simulation.

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes spent much of the morning gathering data without setting any competitive times, but later used a set of mediums to get within 7/10ths of the overall best. Interestingly, and as like Lewis Hamilton yesterday, it was set at the beginning of a seven lap run with a high fuel load relative to the one-lap runners.

It seems at this point, when comparing long runs on the same tyre, that Mercedes and Lotus are very closely matched. Rosberg looked to be running faster during their stints but Grosjean had a heavier fuel load as he completed his race simulation in the afternoon. When Grosjean came to the final stint of his race sim, and with a lower fuel load, his pace matched that of Rosberg earlier in the day.

That will be pleasing for Mercedes as the W04 has got to grips with this years Pirellis better than it has in the previous two years and they can compete with Lotus, who were particularly good at making their tyres last in 2012.

It has been frequently mentioned this week that the new tyres are degrading at a quicker rate than last year. However, as JA on F1 Technical Adviser Mark Gillan hinted earlier in the week, Pirelli believes that the tyres are graining due to the cold track temperatures and believe that once they move to the warmer climates of the season, the tyres will be fine once in their operating range.

Finally, Mark Webber ended the day over a second off Alonso and in ninth place. He also completed a race simulation for Red Bull this afternoon.

Barcelona Test Day 4

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.875s 97 Laps

2. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m22.160s +0.285 91

3. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m22.188s +0.313 119

4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.611s +0.736 108

5. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.675s +0.800 79

6. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.826s +0.951 68

7. Jenson Button McLaren 1m22.840s +0.965 71

8. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.877s +1.002 78

9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m23.024s +1.149 108

10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1m23.366s +1.491 106

11. Max Chilton Marussia 1m25.690s +3.815 58

12. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m26.177s +4.302 83

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Toro Rosso: We did a really good job with a lot of laps

The STR8 completed its highest number of laps so far here in Barcelona, as Jean-Eric Vergne stepped into the cockpit for the first time this week.

The job list included a continuation of the set-up evaluation on the car, as well as running the Soft Pirelli tyres for the first time at this track. Therefore the main theme of the day was to work out the most appropriate set-up options on the car to match the different compounds. The car ran reliably again today and the aim was to pack in as much work as possible, as it is expected to rain tomorrow for the final day. If the track is wet, then having a first look at the rain tyres, which have also changed for this year, will be a useful exercise and the team will also start looking at race procedures such as pit stop drills.

Jean-Eric Vergne: “We did a solid day’s work on a track that is definitely more demanding than Jerez and that gives you a better picture of what your car can do. We did a really good job with a lot of laps, so I am very happy about that. Everything we test seems to give us more tools to work with, for when the time comes to start looking for the best set-up and balance and getting performance out of the car. I’d say the car shows excellent potential, which we will begin to exploit at the next test.”

Vergne continues to drive the STR8 tomorrow, for the final day of the test.

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McLaren software cause of problems for F1 teams

Pirelli’s heavily degrading tyres were not the only one make ‘control’ components causing problems for F1 teams in Barcelona this week.

The standard electronics used by every team, and supplied by McLaren subsidiary MES according to a FIA tender contract that was recently extended, was also toying with the patience of engineers up and down pitlane as the middle pre-season test in sunny Spain got into gear.

Red Bull – not McLaren’s closest friends in the paddock – were being the most vocal at the Circuit de Catalunya, saying the new software supplied by the McLaren company was causing frustration.

“But I don’t think we were alone in that,” said race engineering chief Andy Damerum.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, the problem was so devastating that many teams were operating their cars completely blindly.

“It was like the Middle Ages of motor sports,” said the German publication.

The background to the glitches is that McLaren has updated its software for the electronic control units – the ‘brain’ of the F1 cars – in preparation for the turbo V6 rules of 2014.

With energy recovery ‘ERS’ systems to play a much bigger role next year and beyond, more will be asked of the standard electronics and “We have a year to eliminate any weak points”, an FIA source said.

Early on in Barcelona this week, however, the new electronics utterly failed.

“We could not talk to our car,” confirmed Williams’ veteran team manager Dickie Stanford.

Because the problems were so widespread, and data so crucial for F1 testing, MES had to revert to the 2012 software, and is now steadily updating the teams with the de-bugged versions.

“Every day there are new upgrades,” said Ferrari’s engine boss Luca Marmorini.

“We are sure that everything will work properly in Melbourne.”

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Button: McLaren falling behind

Jenson Button fears he hasn't spent enough time in his MP4-28 especially as rain is expected at Barcelona on Friday.

The McLaren driver replaced his team-mate Sergio Perez for the final two days of running at the Spanish track.

However, Button's track-time on Thursday was curtailed due to set-up and mechanical changes. He completed just 71 laps.

The Brit will be in action again on Friday but with rain forecast Button fears McLaren may be falling behind.

"It's going to be wet tomorrow so it's tricky," he said.

"I don't feel like I've had enough laps in the car and I think it's the same for Checo [Perez] as well.

"We're doing a lot of work to really understand the car in terms of the aerodynamics.

"We were doing a lot of rake work in the morning and it always takes a little bit longer than you expect. You lose a lot of time doing that.

"It's important for us if it helps us throughout the year to understand this car and its direction but it does limit your testing."

Asked whether he felt McLaren were behind in their preparations, he said: "In terms of laps completed and the testing that I have achieved, yes, I think we're behind on that.

"It's not been perfect and we know we've got a lot of work to do in terms of spending more time out on the circuit and understanding the car."