FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Red Bull punish Vettel by demoting him to Toro Rosso for Chinese GP

The aftermath of the Multi 21 team orders saga continues to rage, and today it has emerged that Red Bull have mandated that their errant world champion Sebastian Vettel will be ‘punished’ for his disobedience in Malaysia and demoted to the Toro Rosso team for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Although Vettel apologised in person to the Red Bull back room staff at the team’s Milton Keynes head quarters last week, the team’s senior management – bar one – were in favour of additional disciplanary action as the authority of team principal Christian Horner was severely undermined by the Sepang incident.

A team insider revealed, “Initially Christian [Horner] was not upset because it was quite normal procedure in the team, this happens all the time with Seb – he never listens. But once the paddock, particularly Flav [briatore], started sticking the knife into Christian and questioning his leadership, it became a question of damage control.”

Apparently the catalyst for Horner’s reaction, was a caption photo of Vettel joking about the incident with Michael Schumacher, this prompted the team principal to act with greater resolve.

Meanwhile the world champions have confirmed that Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo will be promoted to Vettel’s Red Bull RB9 seat for the race in Shanghai.

Ricciardo will join fellow Australian Mark Webber in the team’s line-up, an all Aussie affair for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Red Bull statement, which will be released later today, said: “Red Bull Racing have decided that Sebastian Vettel will be demoted to our junior Toro Rosso team for the Chinese Grand Prix weekend – Round 3 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship – with Daniel Ricciardo promoted to the champion’s RB9 for the race in Shanghai.”

“The reason for this action is a result of Sebastian’s disobedience and ignoring the team’s Multi 21 call to hold station during the Malaysian Grand Prix. This measure by the team shows our resolve in dealing with the champion’s ill discipline on that day.”

“At the same time we are very proud to have two Australian drivers in the line-up of our main Red Bull team for the first time ever, with Daniel Ricciardo joining Mark Webber in the team for the occasion of the race in China.”

“We hereby believe our actions will bring to an end this Multi 21 saga that has negatively affected our team. When we managers on the pitwall want to stop drivers from racing in a grand prix they must obey our decisions. The pit wall is the command centre of a team. If drivers start ignoring pit wall instructions and race when they want, we will have real racing and we don’t want that in our sport.”

When asked for comment Vettel replied, “I accept the team’s decision, and will make the most of my return to Toro Rosso where I won my first ever grand prix.”

However, he added, “I have apologised to my team, but will continue to say that I misunderstood or did not properly hear the instructions. They said on the radio: ‘Do not overtake Mark, do not fight’ but my radio was crackling and what I thought I heard was: ‘What steak do you want tonight’ – it is very difficult to hear what they say on our intercom system….”

Meanwhile Ricciardo commented on his big break, “I need to make the most of this opportunity and I thank Red Bull for faith shown in me. When they call Multi-21 from the pitwall I will jump on the brakes. Simple mate.”

Webber was unavailable for comment as he was surfing somewhere on the Great Barrier Reef to get away from the F1 sharks and spend some quality time with himself, as he contemplates being shafted yet again by his teammate.

Outspoken Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko, Vettel’s mentor, was incensed by the decision, “This is a ridiculous decision by Red Bull. If they didn’t pay me so much, and if I did not enjoy my power trip so much I would resign. Everyone knows Adrian [Newey] saves weight everywhere, including the radio and as a result Red Bull radio communications are very bad. Seb did not hear the order, he thought they were talking about his dinner… And anyway this is racing and team orders, that do not favour Seb, should not be part of racing.”

Reports from Faenza indicate that Vettel’s return to the team for a seat fitting ahead of the weekend in China was well received. The team members gave him a hearty welcome when he arrived at the factory, throwing him in the air in celebration, as is the local tradition in that part of Italy.

Vettel drove in 25 grands prix for Toro Rosso winning his first Formula 1 race with the team when he powered to victory in the 2008 Italian GP at Monza.

Final word to Horner, ”On the positive side, having two Australian drivers in the team is our way of support and sympathy for Australia where our campaign ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ has been taken literally by many from down under. Sadly, injuries and near death experiences have ensued as a result of our advertising. Today we also launch our new advertising campaign down under:

Red Bull doesn’t really give you wings so please stop jumping off buildings Australia!”

“Hopefully we kill two birds with one stone,” added the Red Bull team boss.

[Onsto]

Nice try. Not buying that one for a second

[LLC]

It is April 1st isn't it

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It is April 1st isn't it

[OZCUBAN]

thats what i thought

still would of been nice

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'Relaxed' Pastor learning from mistakes

Pastor Maldonado has promised not to repeat his mistakes from 2012, saying he wants to stay away from the stewards' office this season.

The Williams driver produced one of the drives of the season at Barcelona to win his maiden race at the Spanish GP and end the Grove squad's long wait for a win.

However, it went a bit downhill from there for the Venezuelan as he found himself in the stewards' office on far too many occasions.

Maldonado, though, is determined to move on from that and he feels his extra experience will play a major role this year.

"Now I have more experience," he is quoted as saying by Autosport. "I showed that I was ready to win when the opportunity was there.

"Everyone can have a difficult moment. At the same time, I had a hard time with the stewards, because after I had a couple of incidents, they were maybe looking at me more than the others.

"But you learn from your mistakes. I'm more experienced and more relaxed now, and I'm looking forward to being away from the stewards..."

After winning the Spanish GP last year, Maldonado picked up only another 20 points in the next 15 races.

The 28-year-old believes sometimes he needs to accept that he's not going to challenge the front-runners and settle for a points finish instead of pushing too hard.

"Maybe I was pushing too much. I did not realise that the car did not have the performance to win all the races," he said.

"In the past I've always been fighting for victories and Formula 1 is completely different.

"Sometimes you need to be happy with a 10th place."

[MIKA27]

'Vettel had more power than Webber'

Red Bull maintain they never favoured Sebastian Vettel in Sepang despite confirming that the German had more horsepower than his team-mate in the closing stages.

The Red Bull saga has dominated headlines for the past week ever since Vettel disobeyed orders to hold station behind Mark Webber in last Sunday's Malaysian GP.

But instead of doing just that, the German stormed by with ten laps remaining, stealing the grand prix victory from the Australian.

However, it appears it was never going to be a fair fight as Red Bull had told Webber to cut his engine more than Vettel's.

"After speaking with Christian, it seems Mark was told to turn down the wick on his engine, but the team didn't tell Sebastian to do the same thing," Bernie Ecclestone told the The Mail on Sunday.

Red Bull have confirmed the F1 supremo's claims.

"Seb's engine was turned down, but not as much as Mark's due to differing strategies and tyre wear," said a spokesperson.

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Ecclestone downplays King speculation

Bernie Ecclestone has downplayed rumours that Sainsbury's boss Justin King is tipped to be his successor.

Now well into his 80s, some would argue that Ecclestone's days at the head of Formula One are running out. The F1 supremo, though, has given no hint that he is ready or willing to retire.

However, that decision may be out of the 82-year-old's hands in light of his alleged part in the bribery scandal that saw former German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky found guilty of receiving bribes from Ecclestone regarding the sale of F1 to CVC.

Ecclestone is facing a civil suit in the UK over the matter although he has not been charged in Germany.

His woes, though, have raised the question of who will replace him when the time comes with King being tipped as the hot favourite.

The head of the Sainsbury's chain for nine years, King is a known motorsport enthusiast while his son Jordan is racing in this season's European Formula 3 series.

Ecclestone, however, has all but dismissed the rumours - although did not outright deny.

"I've no idea whether the boss of a company like Sainsbury's could do my job. Maybe he could, " he told the Guardian newspaper.

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Vergne: I don't care

Jean-Eric Vergne is adamant winning the intra-team battle at Toro Rosso is not his main goal, rather he wants to get the best results possible.

With Mark Webber reportedly set to leave Red Bull Racing at the end of this season, junior drivers Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo are the favourites to replace the Australian.

As such the battle between the two has taken on new meaning.

And although Vergne hit the front at Sepang when he netted Toro Rosso's first point of the season, the Frenchman insists beating Ricciardo is not what it all about.

"People want to make out that there is a big fight," he told Autosport. "I don't care. I'm here to do my job and get the best result for the team.

"If I can be the driver that picks up the best result then I definitely want to be this driver and I will do everything for this.

"If we have the worst car though and always finish 17th or 18th every weekend I will not be happy at all.

"In Australia I was in front of Daniel after qualifying, but I was really pissed off and sad that I didn't make it through into Q3. The intra-team fight isn't enough for me, I want better performances."

The 22-year-old scored just 16 points last season, however, believes this year will be better.

"The pace and performance of the car is good. There are a few things we need to improve inside the team and on the car and hopefully we can improve this really quickly.

"In Australia I got the second fastest lap, I was much quicker than the guys in front. That was a positive - the car was looking pretty good."

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Perez has done a solid job so far - McLaren

Whilst Sergio Perez might just have two points against his name thanks to an 8th place finish in Malaysia, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has already begun to sing the young Mexican's praises.

Perez made bold claims that he would be fighting for the title from the off, but McLaren have so far failed to deliver a car capable of fighting at the top.

Whitmarsh though says the 23-year-old is handling the situation well, and so far, "hasn't put a foot wrong."

"He has done a solid job," Whitmarsh said. "It is easy to get rattled coming to a team like McLaren when you don't have a quick enough car.

"He is an intelligent guy. He is incredibly young but again in my mind he has not put a foot wrong."

Whitmarsh praised both his drivers for their current attitude towards McLaren's difficulties.

"I am very, very blessed at the moment with the drivers we have got and their attitude and approach, and they are powering through."

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American Rossi to get FP1 outing in Bahrain

Alexander Rossi will get behind the wheel of the Caterham CT03 at the fourth round of the championship in Bahrain.

The American will take part in Friday's first free practice session where he will replace Giedo van der Garde for the 90 minutes.

It is his second outing after he was given the same chance at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix where he impressed with the 21st quickest time.

He is hoping to show the teams up and down the paddock what he's capable of.

"The main focus is to carry out the programme for the team, but let's be real here; motor sport is all about lap times isn't it? So I'm going to need to find the balance between carrying out the job for the team and performance," he told ESPNF1.

"At the end of the day everybody is going to look down at the results and see how you do, so while you have to ensure you can get through the run plan and you have to save the tyres, you can't be out for a Sunday drive because that will hurt you in another way.

"I'm confident because I've already had an FP1 session with the team in Barcelona last year, but the performance is going to be something that will be important to me."

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Di Resta says early tyre work paying off for Force India

Force India has been vindicated in its decision to devote so much of its pre-season preparation to tyre work, reckons Paul di Resta.

The team did not stand out during the winter, but has begun the 2013 Formula 1 season as the fifth-quickest, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes.

Although Force India's Malaysian Grand Prix was wrecked by a wheelnut issue, it led in Melbourne with Adrian Sutil and has been a consistent top-10 factor.

Di Resta puts this down to Force India working so hard in ensuring its 2013 car was in harmony with the latest generation of Pirellis.

"I think it was a good approach in the winter," he said. "Some days we sacrificied a lot of lower fuel running to work on high fuel runs.

"We were very aware of what we wanted to achieve and where we wanted to be with the car and I think we've done that.

"[The early performance] was credit to how that worked and the data that we fed back was essentially all in preparation for Melbourne."

The Scot said being gentle on tyres was a fundamental part of the VJM06's DNA.

"Essentially, we had a different wear profile," di Resta explained. "There is something that you can work into it to influence it.

"What we saw in Barcelona [testing] was high degradation and everybody talked about the tyres but essentially in Melbourne it was more of an anormal circumstance in terms of the temperatures and the track temps.

"But I think we were quite clear in our approach and how we were fixed for the weekend."

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Pirelli says it will not review its tyres before the Bahrain GP

Pirelli says it will wait until after the Bahrain Grand Prix before reviewing whether its 2013 Formula 1 tyres are forcing drivers to be too conservative.

F1's tyre supplier has been committed to delivering exciting racing and strategic intrigue since it took over from Bridgestone for 2011, and has ramped up its efforts again this year.

Both Red Bull and Mercedes cited the need to conserve the fragile tyres as the key factor in their team orders at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

That led to suggestions that Pirelli's high-degradation tyres were stifling the action rather than improving it.

Asked for his view on this, Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery suggested the team issues skewed the picture, but said he was open to reviewing the rubber if low-key race finales became a pattern.

"I think we have to be happy," he said. "The two leading teams clearly had issues between the drivers, that maybe took away from what would have been an interesting finale.

"As for wheel to wheel stuff... it is something we will have to review after four races. It is still very early days."

Hembery still believes that the majority of the paddock is happy and Red Bull's criticisms are an exception.

"If the whole paddock is saying something then that is a bit different," he said.

"You have to do something and make a change and do something different, but if it is isolated and you work out why their concerns are coming forth, because it is not what they say on the surface it is something deeper than that, and you try and work it out.

"We think we know what it was and what it is, but if you go away and do things for one team you will have the whole paddock in uproar."

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Horner: Alonso, Hamilton and Webber would also ignore team orders

Christian Horner continues to defend world champion Sebastian Vettel, arguing that Mark Webber has also ignored team orders and that champions do not succeed by being “submissive”.

Now more than a week after the ‘Multi-21′ team orders affair of Malaysia, Red Bull is still dealing with the fallout of the now apparently broken relationship between its race drivers.

After the Sepang race, furious Australian Webber was heard saying little to his German teammate except ‘Multi-21′ – a code apparently meaning ‘hold station’.

Team boss Horner told Sky: “Multi-21 means car 2 ahead of car 1; Multi-12 means car 1 ahead of car 2.

“It’s not that difficult to translate but both our drivers in the last three races have failed to understand both of those messages. I think we’re going to give up on that code. We need to probably try something else,” he said.

Vettel has reportedly apologised not only to Webber but to every member of Red Bull’s 600-strong staff.

But Horner insisted: “You don’t win as much as he has by being submissive.”

“If Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton were in that position, they would do the same,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace. ”If Mark Webber was in that position, he would as well. So let’s not talk about it like it’s only Sebastian.”

[MIKA27]

FIA orders top teams to change flexible splitters

It has emerged that Formula 1′s governing body has warned three top teams to make immediate changes to their cars ahead of the next race in China.

Italian reports, including in the pages of Italiaracing and Omnicorse, claim the FIA has reacted after scrutineers flagged controversial solutions in the area of the underbody presented in Malaysia by Red Bull, Lotus and Mercedes.

The reports say the cars’ ‘splitters’ are too flexible, with the teams told to make changes for Shanghai to avoid sanction.

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Red Bull can be beaten in 2013 claim arch rivals

The sport’s big three teams Ferrari, Mercedes and even McLaren all claim they can push reigning champions Red Bull in the contest for the 2013 Formula 1 world championsip.

Some have already written off McLaren on the basis that not evolving the winning 2012 car in favour of a radical machine for this season was a grave mistake that has netted the famous British team just 4 points so far this season.

Jenson Button, however, told the Mirror he thinks a title tilt is still definitely on, ”It’s a massive turnaround for us,” he said, referring to the progress made in mere days between Australia and Malaysia. Most of the race in Sepang we were quicker than the Lotus. Most of the race we were quicker than Ferrari.”

“I have gone from being pretty down in Melbourne to being a lot more positive.” added the 2009 world champion.

And team boss Martin Whitmarsh is quoted by Speed Week: “I would be very disappointed if we did not make a further step in China.”

Already competitive is Ferrari, where Felipe Massa is now right back on the pace after a lean period of form, and Fernando Alonso was a favourite for victory in Malaysia until his first-lap dramas.

“Red Bull, in my opinion, is still the strongest team at the moment,” team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted by Corriere della Sport.

”Mercedes has made progress, Lotus is very competitive. The season will be interesting and challenging, but no doubt we will be there among the best.”

Also confident is Lewis Hamilton, having switched from McLaren over the winter and already collecting 25 points compared to championship leader Sebastian Vettel’s 40.

In Malaysia, he put his Mercedes on the podium, behind the warring Red Bulls.

But, referring to the Sepang race, Hamilton insisted: “For a time I was able to drive on the pace of the Red Bulls and it felt great.”

Ultimately, he had to drop his pace to save fuel, but if not for that issue, “the situation would have been different. I am sure,” the Briton is quoted by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

“If we continue on this path, we will be able to win at some point in the season,” added Hamilton.

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Raikkonen a candidate for Red Bull seat admits Mateschitz

Red Bull’s billionaire team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has admitted that Kimi Raikkonen is a candidate to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull when the Australian departs the team.

In the wake of the ‘Multi-21′ team orders affair, Red Bull denied speculation Webber’s role as teammate to world champion Sebastian Vettel is now untenable.

But even billionaire Mateschitz, a known strong supporter of 36-year-old Webber, agrees that the Australian could leave at the end of his 2013 contract.

“Whether he retires, only he will choose,” Austrian Mateschitz told Speed Week.

“(But) Mark is definitely a candidate for 2014. He is always welcome with us. So too would be a quick junior like Vergne or Ricciardo from the Toro Rosso team,” he added.

“Sorry, I know it’s a diplomatic answer which leaves everything open, but that’s how it is. Everything else is pure speculation.”

Fascinatingly, Mateschitz also mentioned Raikkonen – a close friend of Vettel’s – as also potentially in the running for a 2014 seat.

Often mentioning the 2007 world champion in interviews, Mateschitz is an open admirer of Raikkonen’s, having sponsored the 33-year-old’s two year rallying foray in 2010 and 2011.

Contradicting April Fool rumours that Raikkonen has announced his impending retirement, Mateschitz said: “Kimi is cool and fast and always a candidate.”

Germany’s Bild newspaper reported that Webber has “already been in contact” with Porsche officials, regarding a new 2014 prototype team for the famous marque at Le Mans.

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'Happy' Button upbeat about title bid

Jenson Button insists he is still aiming to win the World Championship despite a stuttering start to the 2013 season.

McLaren were well off the pace during the season opener in Australia with Button finishing in ninth place, but the MP4-28 produced a better display in Malaysia only for pit lane error to cost Button a good haul of points.

The 2009 World Champion was running P5 and looked set to challenge the Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in front of him, but a mechanic failed to screw on a wheel properly during his final pit stop and it ultimately ruined his race as he retired with only a few laps to go.

Although he is already 38 points behind Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull in the standings, Button believes there are plenty of reasons to be upbeat about challenging for the Drivers' title.

"The Championship is still on as far as I am concerned and I am aiming for that. Definitely," Button is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

"Sebastian almost beat me to the title in 2009 and he didn't score for the first four races.

"It's a massive turnaround for us. Most of the race in Sepang we were quicker than the Lotus. Most of the race we were quicker than Ferrari. Who would have thought that five days before?

"We are still not where we want to be and we got a bit lucky with the circuit being so smooth which helped a bit but a lot is understanding where the downforce is.

"The car is still not perfected, it was really thrown together for Sepang.

"The great thing is there are so many cars that are competitive and taking points off each other, which is exactly what we need.

"It was such a positive weekend until the pit stop and it hurt. And it hurt when I woke up the next day knowing we scored nothing and we could have, at worst, been fifth. It is what it is."

Next up on the Formula One calendar is the Chinese Grand Prix and the 33-year-old veteran believes McLaren proved at Sepang that they are ready to take major strides forward.

"We've got to move on and look forward to China," he said. "I just wish it wasn't around three weeks away. In a way, though, that's good because it gives us extra time to work on the car.

"For us the gap means more than it does to most teams because it gives us time to perfect the car. I am a very happy driver at the moment knowing we have improved so much.

"And I know what the team can achieve over the next few weeks to take a strong car to in China.

"I have gone from being pretty down in Melbourne to being a lot more positive in the five days between the first two races.

"Things are not all sorted. We still have issues and need to get the car's ride sorted but in terms of development the car is much better. We've had a massive turnaround.

"We are still off the pace of the Red Bulls but it is still amazing how much you can move forward in five days and I was surprised to be in fifth and still being able to see the leader."

[MIKA27]

Webber set for F1 exit?

Mark Webber may have been assured that he is in the running for a race seat at Red Bull in 2014, but a report is linking him with a move away from Formula One.

Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has made it clear that the Australian is one of the candidates for next year despite the recent controversy at Malaysia where team-mate Sebastian Vettel ignored team orders to overtake Webber.

"Whether he retires, only he will choose, but Mark is definitely a candidate for 2014," Mateschitz told Germany's Speedweek.

Webber, though, may not stay in Formula One next year as he Germany's Bild claims he is in talks with Porsche to spearhead their return to Le Mans in 2014.

The F1 veteran took part in the 1998 and 1999 Le Mans with Mercedes, but he could be behind the wheel of the new LMP1 sportscar at next year's race if the German marque has its way.

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Red Bull set new record

Red Bull set a new world record in Malaysia and no, we are not talking about the number of times Mark Webber may or may not have cursed Sebastian Vettel.

With Webber and Vettel's little spat dominating post-race talk, Red Bull's work during pit stops have gone unnoticed with the team confirming they broke the previous record held by McLaren on several occasions at Sepang.

McLaren changed Jenson Button's four wheels in 2.31s at the German Grand Prix last year, but the Milton Keynes squad bettered that mark by quite some distance.

'In fact, having reviewed the data, we're pretty sure we beat the previous mark on five separate occasions during the race,' the team said on its website.

It added: 'We went under that in Malaysia with Seb's first stop being 2.13s. Mark's first stop, two laps later was also 2.13s. The crew then lowered the new benchmark to 2.05s when Mark came in again, and his two subsequent stops were 2.21s and 2.26s.

'These times are all taken from the car data which each team uses to record the stationary times. TV do their own rough-and-ready calculations, and sometimes we take timings off video as well, though for real precision the common practice in the pitlane is to use the car's own datalog - but whichever metric you prefer, those are all pretty quick. It's basically a blink-and-you'll-miss-it blur of tyres, wheel-guns and improbably balletic mechanics.'

Red Bull stationary pit stop times in Malaysia:

Sebastian Vettel Stop 1 (Lap 5): 2.13 seconds

Mark Webber Stop 1 (Lap 7): 2.13 seconds

Mark Webber Stop 2 (Lap 19): 2.05 seconds

Mark Webber Stop 3 (Lap 31): 2.21 seconds

Mark Webber Stop 4 (Lap 43): 2.26 seconds

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Bottas had hoped for 'better'

Valtteri Bottas admits he had hoped for better at the start of his Formula One career as Williams have once again found themselves outside the points.

Having contested Friday practice sessions last season, the Finn made the move up to race driver for this year's Championship.

However, so far it is zero from two for both Bottas and his Williams team.

Struggling for pace, Bottas finished 14th and 11th in Australia and Malaysian respectively. But at least he reached the chequered flag, a feat his team-mate failed to achieve.

"Of course I was hoping to fight for better positions," he told Autosport. "The goal is to get higher and be consistently in the points.

"It's what the team was hoping for and what I'm hoping for so of course it's a bit disappointing.

"It is how it is now, we just need to get back there.

"We're understanding more all the time. We need more time but we will get there."

The 23-year-old added: "It's a different car, [and] some things were better in the [2012] car.

"We have more potential to do better in this car though. It's not easy but we're learning more and more.

"The goal for this year is to improve the position from last year so we need to get working."

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'Interesting, challenging season ahead'

Other than them being behind Red Bull, Stefano Domenicali says he is unsure as to where Ferrari are in the current pecking order.

Although this season has undoubtedly seen Ferrari begin with a stronger car, the Italian stable has yet to claim a race victory.

The team's best result to date was Fernando Alonso's runner-up finish in Australia while Felipe Massa has secured two top-five results.

As such Ferrari are third in the Constructors' Championship on 40 points, already 26 behind leaders Red Bull, who reached the podium in both Australia and Malaysia, including a 1-2 in the latter.

"I don't know exactly where, but for sure within the leaders," Domenicali told ESPNF1.

"There are tracks where our car will perform better; there are certain tracks where some others will perform better than ours.

"For sure Red Bull in my view is still the strongest at the moment, but we'll see.

"Mercedes has done a step, Lotus is very competitive. It will be an interesting and challenging season but we will be there no doubt."

The Ferrari team boss weighed in on the Pirelli tyre debate, conceding that while racing with tyres that degrade so dramatically is "not easy", it is something that is "part of the competition.

"It's part of the fact that every driver believes he is the strongest, and it's good to be like that.

"And it's part of the maturity of the drivers that are working with Ferrari to understand that."

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Williams: No longer a man's world

Claire Williams believes that her appointment as deputy team principal of Williams proves that Formula One is no longer the patriarchal enclave it once was.

Williams took up her new role at father Frank's marque last week, following the example set by Monisha Kaltenborn, who is the current team principal at Sauber.

"Formula One may be perceived as being male-dominated, but those perceptions are being broken down now," Williams told BBC Radio 4.

"Sauber has a female team principal, and now I've been put in this position, I think those traditional pre-conceptions of Formula One are breaking down a bit more."

Williams, who started out as a press officer with the team 10 years ago, dismissed suggestions she owed her appointment to nepotism.

"We'll have to wait and see how I do in the role, but I would like to think I will do a good job for the team," she said.

"Williams' USP (unique selling point) is we're renowned as a family team, so it's important we retain that family element. So putting me in this role I think is a good thing for the team and for the sport."

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Di Resta expects 2014 car design to hinder late 2013 development

Force India will have to compromise either its late-2013 performance or next year's car, reckons Paul di Resta, as he does not think his team can sustain dual development programmes.

With Formula 1 switching to the very different V6 turbo-powered rules next season, there will be scant carry-over between this year's cars and their successors.

While larger teams are optimistic they can keep upgrading their current designs until the end of the fight without any impact on 2014 preparations, di Resta thinks it will be tougher for Force India.

"When you have smaller resources, you are going to be more compromised," he said. "Whether that is going to be this year or next year, I don't know.

"It's whether they are going to be able to pump more into next year's car; whether a team like us can keep working away [on the current car] because the pressure is not about coming out at the top next year as it is for the likes of Ferrari and McLaren."

Di Resta thinks many teams will stop work on their 2013 machines in the summer.

"What's more important is that you have a good rate of development until June or July. Then they will switch off," he said.

"How much do you focus on a car that goes out of date in the middle of November?

"My aim would be to develop as much as you can until June and then essentially it will stabilise a lot. That will be interesting, seeing where people stabilise."

Force India has begun the 2013 F1 season as the fifth-quickest package behind Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes, but di Resta reckons strenuous effort will be required to maintain that.

"It needs to stay where it is or get better because people will react fairly quickly," he said.

"I don't think you can underestimate anybody when you are racing McLaren and Sauber.

"They are teams with a lot of power behind them and can put a lot of pressure on you."

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Grosjean yet to 'show full potential'

Romain Grosjean heads to Shanghai keen to unlock in both himself and his E21 after failing to do so in the first two rounds of the Championship.

While team-mate Kimi Raikkonen stormed to victory in Australia, Grosjean just managed to get inside the points on what was a quiet Sunday afternoon for the 26-year-old.

And although he did improve in Malaysia, edging his much-lauded team-mate, it was still only a P6, which Grosjean is intent on bettering at next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

"It's been a little frustrating as I don't think I've shown my full potential yet," he said.

"The first two races were quite difficult for me and I would really like a weekend where I can show what myself and the team can do this season.

"We've got great potential, I just need to unlock it. Hopefully we'll find the key in China.

"I would like to score strong points. I finished in tenth in Australia, then sixth in Malaysia so I'd be quite happy if I finish in second place in Shanghai.

"That or a win would make me very happy!

"Let's see how the car is once we arrive on track and hope there won't be rain again as we know our car does struggle a little in wet conditions."

Next weekend's grand prix will be the first in which Grosjean will use Lotus' new exhaust configuration with the Frenchman hoping it will make the difference.

"We've been making steps forward with performance and that's always what you want. The new front wing was beneficial and I'm looking forward to getting the latest exhaust configuration in China. Kimi used it in Sepang and it was definitely of benefit to the car."