FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Vettel is first F1 driver to sample Russian Grand Prix track

Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel became the first Formula 1 driver to experience the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

[Despite recent torrential rains in the area] Vettel was joined by former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard in driving part of the track , which is still under construction, in an FX Vettel Edition Infiniti.

The Red Bull world champion then toured the sports venue with officials from the Russian Government and Formula Sochi, the organising body, before offering his thoughts of the venue in a press conference held in the Olympic Ice Skating arena.

Once complete, the 3.7 mile Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, scene of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, will be the third longest circuit on the Formula One calendar behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Silverstone in Britain.

Russia’s inaugural Formula One race is scheduled for 2014, after the Winter Olympics. The circuit’s integration into Olympic Park infrastructure is the key feature of the Russian venue.

Sochi Formula 1 circuit in figures:

• Circuit length: 5854 km
  
• Maximum speed: 320 km/h
  
• Circuit width: 13-15 m
  
• Number of turns: 18
  
• Total area of the circuit construction site and its infrastructure: 36 ha
  
• Developer and operator of the circuit is OJSC “Center “OMEGA”
  
• Designer of the circuit: Tilke GmbH & Co.KG
  

[MIKA27]

Italian media urge Alonso to chase down Vettel in 2013

The Italian press hailed Sebastian Vettel’s return to top form in Bahrain, whilst lamenting the bad luck that prevented Fernando Alonso from challenging.

“Although his car broke, he miraculously captured eighth place,” Tuttosport, referring to Spaniard Alonso’s mere points haul after a recurring DRS rear flap failure, wrote.

“But Vettel is on the run,” added the Italian daily. ”He built his success on his ability to stand alone at the front, without having to compete with his opponents. If he can run away like a hare, he is matchless, and this time Alonso was out of action and Lotus too far away.”

Corriere dello Sport lamented Ferrari’s bad luck, including the twice-failing DRS on Alonso’s red car, and two separate tyre problems for Felipe Massa.

“Rarely has a team been the victim of such bad luck as Ferrari in Bahrain,” wrote the national sports newspaper.

La Repubblica, Italy’s largest-circulation general interest newspaper, hailed Vettel’s command from the front, mere weeks after the damaging ‘Multi-21′ affair.

“The more his rivals berate him, trying to destroy him psychologically, the harder he strikes back,” read the editorial. ”He wins with an incredible ease.”

But the Milan daily Corriere della Sera concluded: “Alonso’s eighth place amid adversity, although disappointing, testifies that Ferrari has huge potential.”

According to Germany’s Die Welt, Alonso agreed: “Without these problems I would have finished first or second, because the car is the best I’ve had in the last four years.”

[MIKA27]

Webber keen on a few more years on the F1 grid

Although linked to a Porsche sportscar deal for next year, Mark Webber has cooled speculation he is on the verge of quitting Formula 1 by insisting he is still hungry for success.

Amid rumours his team is lining up Kimi Raikkonen to replace him in 2014, the 36-year-old Australian flew straight from Bahrain to Austria to appear on a Red Bull-owned Servus TV broadcast.

“I’m still hungry, I still want to do well,” German-language reports quote him saying. ”I think I still have a few years left in me.

“As long as I’m fit, the performance is still there and the job is fun … that’s actually the most important thing, that it’s fun,” said Webber.

“How it’s going to go exactly, I don’t know,” he added, following reports Porsche is keen to finalise a long-term agreement with him for its Le Mans prototype project. ”I have never decided what I’m doing for the next year in April, and I’m not going to start now.”

Webber’s comments are unlikely to calm the speculation about his future.

Asked after the Bahrain Grand Prix if Red Bull is still interested in Raikkonen, Dr Helmut Marko admitted: “We have always admitted that we are looking at him.

“And, for the umpteenth time, Red Bull traditionally looks at its driver issues only in the summer,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

Webber sat out Red Bull’s post-race victory team photograph following teammate Sebastian Vettel’s second win of the season last Sunday.

[MIKA27]

Di Resta: I said give me a faster car and they’ll get a podium

Paul Di Resta has urged his Force India team to go the extra mile to help him secure his first Formula One podium after another near-miss in Bahrain on Sunday.

The Briton equalled his career best with fourth place at Sakhir, leading the race for three laps and tantalisingly close to a top three finish before being caught by Lotus’s Romain Grosjean in the closing laps.

“We’ve got to take a great amount of credit and positives from the first four grands prix,” the Scot, who was fourth in Singapore last year, told reporters. “But the team needs to work hard to bring updates because if they want this podium, they’re going to have to work for it – probably more than we are at the moment. They want a podium. I said give me a faster car and they’ll get a podium. If they work a bit harder in the design office and essentially get a bit more resource in there, there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”

Force India beat two McLarens, two Ferraris, two Mercedes and one Red Bull on Sunday and are now fifth overall and three points ahead of mighty McLaren in the constructors’ table.

Team co-owner Vijay Mallya, delighted to see his cars filling the third row on the starting grid before the race, did not expect McLaren to stay behind for long but savoured the moment anyway. The liquor and spirits baron, whose heavily loss-making Kingfisher airline has been grounded for months, held up Bahrain as proof that progress was being made anyway and said he wanted success as much as anyone.

“I am doing my damnedest to get there. I think that we missed out on at least three podium chances last year,” he told Reuters. “It isn’t as if approaching the podium is something that has only happened now. I have not said no to any technical request. (Technical director) Andy Green is fully aware that while I am willing to support him 110 percent he has to be responsible enough not to waste money. We don’t have money to waste. If tomorrow I put another 100 million into this team, it’s not going to guarantee me any performance.”

Di Resta, who headed off to Bangalore after the Bahrain race for promotional work, looked forward to the next race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in May which marks the start of the European season. The team looked quick there in pre-season testing and, with a car that likes hot conditions, should be fast again at the Spanish Grand Prix if the sun shines.

“I think we’ve performed to the 100 percent maximum we could have done,” said Di Resta the race at Sakhir. “To go away with all those boxes ticked, credit to all the boys who are working hard.”

The Scot’s form tailed away last season, perhaps due to disappointment at missing out on a move to McLaren when Lewis Hamilton left, and he recognised that he had let his head drop.

“I kind of convinced myself that nothing was going right,” he said. “(This year) was a fresh start and I think we’ve performed to what we could have… We just keep rolling on. We’ve got some new bits coming that are quite exciting for Barcelona. If they work, it could turn us round. But not all the teams are sleeping and I’m not going to get myself carried away.”

[MIKA27]

Porsche says F1's lack of road relevance pushed it to LMP1 instead

Porsche chose a return to top-flight sportscar racing over Formula 1 because it has more relevance to road cars, according to its head of R&D Wolfgang Hatz.

The firm will enter the top LMP1 sportscar racing category in 2014 with hybrid power.

Porsche has already said that there has been a technology transfer both ways between the race car and its Porsche 918 Spyder road car that will go on sale later this year as a rival to the Ferrari La Ferrari and McLaren P1.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT's sister title Autocar at the Shanghai motor show, Hatz said: "We are a sportscar company.

"Porsche has always lived for the transfer of racing to production cars. For that reason it was clear two or three years ago that we had to be back in high-level motorsport, and it was a choice between top-flight sportscars or Formula 1.

"But the final decision was the only logical one. F1 was an alternative, but the road relevance is not there.

"Also, there is a lot of publicity around politics and tyres, but not so much about the engines and chassis.

"The aero, too, is incredible, but so extreme that it cannot result in any development in our road car understanding."

Mark Webber has been linked to joining Porsche's sportscar programme in 2014, but last weekend in Bahrain he denied making any decisions about his future.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton's Bahrain practice tyre blow to be investigated further

Pirelli wants to have a more detailed look at the damaged tyre from Lewis Hamilton's car in Bahrain, amid suspicions its failure in practice may not have been down to debris.

The Italian tyre manufacturer initially suspected that a piece of metal - which also punctured a tyre on Giedo van der Garde's Caterham on the same part of the track – was to blame for Hamilton's problem in final practice.

The incident required Mercedes to make a gearbox change, costing Hamilton a five-place grid penalty.

But after conceding that the failure was not typical of a normal puncture, Pirelli is taking the tyre to its Milan headquarters to work out whether debris did contribute or not.

Throughout the weekend, Mercedes was struggling with high rear tyre temperatures, which could also have played a part in the tyre failing in the way it did.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT that further examination of Hamilton's tyre was essential, while there was no doubt that Felipe Massa's double failure in the race was entirely down to debris.

"The Hamilton tyre is something that we need to look at a lot more to understand as we are not really sure about how it happened," Hembery explained.

"There is very little evidence there, other than overheating, about what it could be.

"The only thing we have is that van der Garde was following Lewis, and he picked up a huge cut through the top of the tyre at the same time.

"So that failure is a bit of a question mark, whereas the two from Massa were very straightforward."

Pirelli has a mobile laboratory that it takes to every race, but Hembery said any action about the tyre failure would only be taken after a detailed forensic analysis back at its headquarters.

"We will take all the pieces apart and do a full lab analysis," he said.

"That will either confirm our initial findings, or make us realise that we need to do something and have to implement some changes.

"There will be a full analysis. We treat every incident very seriously."

[MIKA27]

McLaren refuses to switch focus to 2014 F1 car despite poor start

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh will continue to resist calls from his outfit to switch efforts to its 2014 car, even though this year's title hopes are slipping away.

The Woking-based team's poor start to the campaign has already left Jenson Button and Sergio Perez facing an uphill task to keep themselves in the hunt for the championship.

But Whitmarsh is reluctant to abandon the 2013 campaign yet, as McLaren waits to see how much performance it gains from a big upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix.

When asked if there was not a temptation to get a head start on 2014 car development, Whitmarsh said: "There might be in the organisation, but that is one of my flaws: I don't want to go racing if we are not competitive.

"Maybe it is a character flaw, but I have made it reasonably clear from Australia that I am not even talking about 2014 at the moment.

"One of my weaknesses is I want to be competitive. I want to get back to the front and I want to come to grands prix thinking we can win.

"We haven't thought that for the last four races and we want to get it back."

Whitmarsh added that McLaren's first focus was to start racing at the front, before thinking about making up ground in the title race.

"The truth is, what I want to see is getting on the podium and getting on the top steps," he said, when asked about his feelings on the championship.

"I am thinking more of that, and that is what we have to do - one step at a time.

"Going racing when you don't think you can win is not something I enjoy particularly, so I want to get back to the point where you are coming in on Thursday with the anticipation that we can win.

"That is how I want us to be and that is how people expect us to be."

[MIKA27]

Lotus: cracking medium tyre key to Kimi Raikkonen's F1 title hopes

Lotus believes that unlocking a better understanding of Pirelli's medium compound tyre is key to helping Kimi Raikkonen deliver the grid positions he needs to win more races.

The Finn is just 10 points adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel in the 2013 Formula 1 standings, but his chances of building on his Australian Grand Prix victory have been compromised by not starting near enough to the front of the grid.

The only race where he has been able to produce a front row performance was in China, and his race chances there were badly hit by a slow getaway.

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier thinks his team's situation is different to the difficulties it faced with the tyres at times last year, as the qualifying issues this season are more specifically related to one type of tyre.

"It is more a balance issue when we go to the medium tyre," Boullier said.

"In China, that problem did not help our drivers deliver, and the car was difficult to drive.

"So we need to maybe pay more attention to what the medium tyres are doing and know better how to handle them in both cool conditions and hot."

The medium compound was the qualifying tyre of choice in both Malaysia and Bahrain, whereas the super-soft was best in Australia and the soft in China.

Boullier believes the fact that Lotus made progress with its general qualifying issues last year - and delivered on the soft tyre in China - gives him cause for optimism over its medium compound troubles.

"We know we can do it," he said. "It is just a matter of doing it regularly.

"We are definitely in a stronger position than last year. We have built up from 2012, plus we have some stability with the drivers.

"So it is clear we can be stronger than last year."

LOTUS AND TYRES: THE 2013 PATTERN SO FAR

Pirelli has used all of its four compounds in the first four races of the year, but it is clear that Kimi Raikkonen has performed better at the events where the medium tyre has not been crucial to qualifying.

Australia (super-soft/soft)

Qualifying: 7th

Race: 1st

Malaysia (medium/hard)

Qualifying: 10th

Race: 7th

China (soft/medium)

Qualifying: 2nd

Race: 2nd

Bahrain (medium/hard)

Qualifying: 8th

Race: 2nd

[ndtoronto]

Any truth to the rumours of Max Chilton's father is buying up the stake in Marussia, and that it's the real reason why Max actually has a seat in this year's championship?

As much as you liked RoGro up on the podium, I would have loved to have seen DiResta.

[MIKA27]

Any truth to the rumours of Max Chilton's father is buying up the stake in Marussia, and that it's the real reason why Max actually has a seat in this year's championship?

As much as you liked RoGro up on the podium, I would have loved to have seen DiResta.

Truth about the chilton's...?

I've heard that there have been some dealings behind closed doors however nothing substantiated to prove these talks are true. I kind of lean toward that there is 'a' truth to these rumors and if they prove correct, it certainly would seem to show how Max would have landed his seat.

IMO, the guys got no driving skill so it makes sense he got a seat as a result of financial assistance/sponsorship.

[MIKA27]

Schumi to drive the Nordschleife

Michael Schumacher will be back behind the wheel of an F1 car on May 19th when the German drives the historic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit.

The seven-time World Champion retired from Formula One for the second time at the end of last season but remains with Mercedes in an ambassadorial role.

Schumacher will drive the team's 2011 F1 car, the W04, around the legendary German track next month as part of the build-up to this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours.

"I have a lot of fond memories of the Nurburgring and am really looking forward to giving fans and friends from my home town of Kerpen - which is quite close to the Nurburgring - something to remember as they see me drive by," he said.

"But it will be a fantastic experience for me too, driving along the Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art Formula One Silver Arrow, particularly in view of the fact that the Silver Arrow's legend began here.

"Posting a lap in a modern Silver Arrow on the most beautiful and most testing circuit in the world, what a brilliant mix - it's every motor racing driver's dream!"

[MIKA27]

Williams: Tyres hurting progress

Chief race engineer Xevi Pujolar believes Williams' trying start to the season has been compounded by Pirelli's unpredictable tyres.

Having shown signs of improvement last season, including a victory at Barcelona, Williams had hoped for a solid start to this year's Championship.

Instead, after four races, the team is the only established outfit without a single World Championship point.

And although the team's targeting an improvement in Spain, Pujolar concedes that the high degradable Pirelli tyres are not helping their cause.

"We are working with a package for Spain and we expect to be better, but at the moment we're still in the process," he told ESPNF1.

"Because all the races are very close together and at every race the track is changing, what's happening with the tyres is changing, so we see the problem but obviously the problem is not exactly the same from one place to another and we're just catching up and trying to get the best for Barcelona.

"I think once we're in Europe everything will be a bit easier; just for the logistics and the way that we are close to the factory.

Everything will work much better."

The race engineer admits Williams need to tackle the problem as a whole and not attempt to fix just one area only for it to have a negative impact on other areas of their car.

"When something is not working with the car that part gets more attention but it's not like everyone is looking at that.

Everyone needs to be looking at [their own areas] - people working on the mechanical are still looking at the mechanical side, or tyres, otherwise it will be very difficult to get out of the problem. Everyone needs to be focused on their bit of the car."

[MIKA27]

Webber driving 'well' this season

Despite lagging behind his team-mate in the standings, Mark Webber reckons he has driven well at the start of 2013.

The Red Bull racer has 32 points from four grands prix including a runner-up result at the controversial Malaysian GP.

However, a retirement a race later in China - through no fault of his own - has put the Aussie over 40 points behind Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' standings.

"I think I had good momentum over the winter and drove well in the first three races," he told Autosport.

"China was disappointing but apart from that I'm pretty happy with my performances."

His came from China with a seventh-placed result in Bahrain, finishing the grand prix in the same position he started after taking a three-place penalty on the grid.

"I don't think I've ever had a good result around that track, so that's a bit of a bogey circuit," he said.

"But we're going to get to Europe, regroup, and go get them."

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg realistic about C32's potential

Nico Hulkenberg is determined to fight for victories with Sauber, but says he won't set unrealistic targets.

The German swapped Force India for Sauber at the end of last season with the hope of challenging not only for a podiums but also race wins.

However, things haven't exactly gone according to plan for the Hinwil squad so far this campaign as they have struggled to get into the points let alone finish in the top three.

The 25-year-old, who picked up five points from the first four grands prix, feels it's important to set achievable goals.

"I am looking for wins, but I didn't come here to say we're going to win every race, that wouldn't be realistic," he explained.

"I would have said, this year, the main target is to improve the car and make it into a car that can be in the points every weekend.

"We'll see afterwards what more we can do."

Although he hasn't been able to pick up too many points, there have been some highlights as he led the Malaysian and Chinese races briefly.

Hulkenberg is confident that Sauber will soon start to pick up the points they deserve.

"It's a good feeling to be leading a grand prix - its shows you must have done something right," he said. "It's definitely a good sign.

"It's a car with potential. It's a top 10 car and we can develop it into a consistent points-scoring car, I'm sure about that.

"It's our job to get it out of it but we're definitely not at the end in terms of development of the car."

[MIKA27]

Ferrari identify Alonso's DRS problem

Ferrari have managed to get to the bottom of Fernando Alonso's DRS failure in Bahrain, saying it was a "first of its kind".

The Spaniard's challenge for the race win was over as early as the eighth lap as he was forced to make two unscheduled pitstops after his rear wing got jammed and failed to close.

Although he was unable to use DRS for the rest of the race, Alonso still managed to finish eighth as he proved he doesn't need the overtaking aid to pass drivers on the track.

Ferrari, though, is determined to make sure that they don't suffer a similar problem in future as they believe Alonso would have challenged Sebastian Vettel for the win.

"Analysis revealed that the problem was caused by the breakage of a mechanical component within the system," a statement on the website read. "It's the first problem of its kind on this system seen in the three years during which it has been used.

"The failure is not something that causes concern for the long term, however, paying great attention to reliability must always remain at the highest level. It has often been the case that it takes only a small problem to prevent the car's full potential from being exploited.

"The disappointment at what happened is even greater when one looks at the usual analysis of performance over the race weekend, which shows that Alonso could definitely have been fighting with Sebastian Vettel for the win."

Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa had an even worse day as he finished in 15th place after suffering two punctures and the result left Ferrari 32 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali was left frustrated and he admits they can't afford to have too many off weekends.

"We must work with renewed attention on this front," the Italian said. "We must also continue to develop the car and increase our understanding of the tyres, which is more crucial than ever this year.

"In these first four races of the season, we have not managed, for various reasons, to bring home the points that were within our grasp. That's why the gap to the top in both classifications seems quite large, but we must not be discouraged by this, quite the contrary, because we have seen so often, both in our favour and against, how things can change in a hurry.

"We believe in our ability to be in the fight for the titles right to the end and this time, we have been in that fight since the start, which has not been the case for a while. At the same time, we must be aware that in order to achieve our objectives, we have to be perfect in every area."

[MIKA27]

Kimi to crank up pressure on Seb

Lotus have vowed to do everything to support Kimi Raikkonen's bid to up the ante in the World Championship battle.

Raikkonen finds himself 10 points behind triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' standings after four races and the manner in which the Red Bull driver won the Bahrain Grand Prix will be a concern for his rivals.

After starting second on the grid, Vettel hit the front after the opening few laps and he was in a race of his own after that as he comfortably took the chequered flag.

Lotus, though, won't be too disheartened as Raikkonen has proved that he can challenge if he is given the right equipment and team principal Eric Boullier says everyone at Enstone are determined to aid his title bid with a competitive car.

"He's going to put pressure on Vettel, definitely," Boullier is quoted as saying by ESPNF1.

"We will give everything to support him to obviously put the right pressure on him and force maybe Sebastian to crack under pressure. With everything he's clearly an incredible finisher and nobody can stop him to get another lot of races finished."

With the four flyaway races out of the way, the Formula One community will head to Spain next for the start of the European leg and Boullier says they have plenty of updates for the E21 in line.

"I have to thank the guys back in Enstone [headquarters] again because they are doing a great job. I know the figures that are coming for the future so the development of the car is going very well and it's going to be interesting to see and to follow."

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 Legends: Mika Hakkinen

http://youtu.be/QNCXOznFI_8

One of my all time favourite drivers - EVER!

[MIKA27]

Renault doubts Honda and Toyota set for F1 return

One of Formula 1′s existing engine bosses has questioned reports suggesting Honda and Toyota could be set to re-join the sport in the foreseeable future.

Amid strong rumours Honda will become McLaren’s works partner in 2015, and possibly supply customer V6s to Sauber, another rumour doing the rounds in Bahrain was that Honda’s traditional rival Toyota might also come back.

Both Japanese marques withdrew their works teams amid the global financial crisis late last decade, but could now be interested in Formula 1′s futuristic ERS-powered turbo V6 rules that will come into force next season.

“Yes, even Toyota is toying with a comeback,” Swiss newspaper Blick’s veteran correspondent Roger Benoit said in Bahrain. ”The Japanese have Williams in sight, and they could get Japanese favourite Kamui Kobayashi back in a race cockpit.”

Senior Renault engine figure Rob White, however, doubts not only the Toyota rumours, but also the reports that Honda’s plans are already well advanced.

“If they actually wanted to come back,” he is quoted by Speed Week, “then why not take part in the planning meetings? We have never received a request in this regard — the meetings are always only represented by Ferrari, Mercedes and us. But Honda and Toyota could easily ask the FIA for permission and join in.”

Asked whether Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault were always alone in the turbo V6 planning meetings, White answered: “No. The first project meetings were held four years ago, and the interest was great — Audi, Cosworth, Ilmor, Honda, Toyota, Mecachrome and others.

“However, as it got more specific, only (Craig Pollock’s) Pure was left, but now it’s only us three. I simply cannot imagine that a company will enter in 2015 without having wanted a say in the rules,” added White.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli to change hard compound from Spain onwards

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli will change the compound of its hard tyres from next month’s Spanish Grand Prix after evaluating performance data from the first four races of the season.

Motorsport director Paul Hembery said in a statement on Thursday that the decision was taken in consultation with all 11 teams, some of whom have been complaining that the tyres are too unpredictable and do not last long enough.

“We took the decision… to change the hard compound from Spain onwards, as we did in Barcelona two years ago when we also introduced a new hard tyre for the rest of the season,” he said.

“This latest version of the hard compound is much closer to the 2012 tyre, with the aim of giving the teams more opportunity to run a wider range of strategies in combination with the other compounds, which remain unchanged.”

Team will be given an allocation of hard and medium tyres, the hardest in Pirelli’s range, to cope with the high-energy demands of the May 12 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.

For the subsequent race in Monaco, they will use soft and super-soft tyres, while Canada will see the use of medium and super-soft.

[MIKA27]

Brawn staying Mercedes team principal says Wolff

Team principal Ross Brawn is set to keep his job at Mercedes, contrary to earlier speculation he will be replaced by McLaren’s Paddy Lowe.

Former technical director Lowe is currently on McLaren ‘gardening leave’, amid the widespread paddock perception that he will arrive at Brackley in 2014.

But while earlier it was rumoured he would replace fellow Briton Brawn in the top Mercedes job, team director and co-owner Toto Wolff is now hinting strongly that the 58-year-old will stay.

Asked by Formula 1′s official website what ‘most useful lesson’ he has learned in his short time so far at Mercedes, Austrian Wolff answered: “To understand what it needs to make Ross function — or how he functions.”

Amid talk Brawn faces the axe, Mercedes newcomer Lewis Hamilton recently spoke out in support of his boss, insisting “I signed with him (Brawn) being here and I’m very happy working with him”.

Wolff said: “I am not at all surprised. Everybody has the highest esteem for Ross and I would be completely mistaken were I to question Ross’ technical skills — someone who has won seven or eight titles.

“Who am I in this respect?” he added. “I have been in Formula 1 for only three years. So I completely agree with every word Lewis said.”

Of course, Wolff’s comments leave open the door for a change of role for Brawn, with Lowe perhaps arriving to be team boss and Brawn staying in a purely technical capacity. But Wolff insisted that Brawn is doing a good job as boss.

“(He is) extremely structured. Accurate. Focused on sustainable results and not on short-term optimisation. An excellent manager who gives his people room. Ross is team principal and I don’t want to change that,” added Wolff.

“We need to get stability in the team as we have a mountain of work to do. From where this team is coming it is important to have as many good people as possible — that is my focus in all these discussions.”

[MIKA27]

Williams drivers visit Qatar to highlight strengthening ties

The Williams F1 Team drivers Pastor Maldonado, Valtteri Bottas and Susie Wolff visited Qatar this week for a series of events at some of the country’s key locations to further cement the relationship between Williams and Qatar.

All three drivers made the trip to Qatar along with Team Principal Sir Frank Williams. The visit started at Aspire Zone, one of the world’s leading sports training facilities. The trio were given a guided tour and then spoke to an audience of Aspire Academy students. The visit concluded with the students being presented with a certificate highlighting 10 “Golden Rules” for better road safety, a key part of the FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign. Road safety is an important part of Williams’ activities in Qatar, developing road safety simulators at its Technology Centre in Qatar Science and Technology Park.

The trio also visited one of Qatar’s most iconic cultural buildings, the Museum of Islamic Art. They were given a tour of the new Olympic exhibition and signed caps and autographs for members of The Youth Company, a social enterprise that is committed to empowering local youths, alongside a Williams Formula One car.

The drivers then paid a visit to Qatar Foundation’s (QF) headquarters in Education City. They were greeted by senior QF officials who explained the organisations ambitious plans in the areas of education, science and research and community development. The drivers were also given a tour of the Texas A&M University in Qatar (TAMUQ) campus. Williams has close links with the university, working together on a research project studying the effect of tyres on road safety.

Commenting on the trip, Pastor Maldonado said; “It was great to visit Qatar and learn more about what Williams has been doing to adapt Formula One technology. The people we met were very enthusiastic and the sporting and educational facilities are second to none.” His team mate Valtteri Bottas added; “This was my third trip to Qatar and I always look forward to coming back. The passion for sport and cars seems to be growing all the time.” Development Driver Susie Wolff praised Qatar’s growing ranks of influential women; “It was fascinating to visit QF in particular and learn about their projects. Williams is working hard to promote women in engineering and Qatar has some very inspirational women such as HH Sheikha Moza, Chairperson of QF, who are playing a key role in Qatar’s development.”

The Williams F1 Team’s Founder and Team Principal Sir Frank Williams, concluded; “One of the key pillars of the 2013 Qatar-UK Year of Culture is the shared passion our two countries have for sport. Britain leads the world in motorsport, with eight of the eleven Formula One teams based in the UK, and over the past three years we have been working hard to bring some of Formula One’s sporting and technical excellence to Qatar through our Technology Centre and promote an interest in engineering careers.

The drivers all seemed to enjoy themselves and hopefully we have inspired many of those who turned out to meet them.”

[MIKA27]

Webber: Rubens record out of reach

Mark Webber has ruled out chasing Rubens Barrichello's record number of race starts but that doesn't mean he's out at the end of this year.

Webber hit the 200 mark in Bahrain last Sunday, however, that is a long way off what Barrichello achieved as the former Ferrari man reached 322 before he was dropped by Williams.

And although Webber has yet to decide whether he will continue in F1 next season, the Red Bull racer says he won't be around long enough to challenge Barrichello's record.

"I think 17 years in Formula One, I think that record will stay for a long time," the Aussie toldServus TV.

"It's a special, special career; very, very long. I think that it's going to be very, unlikely that I will challenge Rubens' grand prix entries from my side.

"[However] I think that the performance is still good at the moment, that's the main thing. As long as I'm hungry, have good drive and enjoy the work, that's the important thing.

"I think towards the summer we will make a plan, like I always do. I have never made a plan in my future seasons in April before so I'm probably not going to start now.

"But I'm still feeling very hungry, still have some very good results inside me so that's the most important thing and I'll focus on the next race like I've always done."

[MIKA27]

Merc shifting half focus to 2014

Mercedes will have half its workforce focusing on next year's car before the end of May, according to executive director Toto Wolff.

Next season Formula One will undergo a massive overhaul of the regulations centered around the switch from 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre V6 turbos.

Many believe the change could shake-up the grid especially if one of the big teams falls off the pace in the development race.

As such Mercedes are already looking to the future with Wolff revealing that more than half their workforce will soon be focused on next season.

"We're already working on 2014 and we'll gradually raise the percentage of people working on next year's car," Wolff told the official Formula One website.

"I would say that in May we will reach a point where more than 50 per cent will work on the 2014 car.

"Here is no doubt that at a point in the summer everybody will switch their main resources to the 2014 car, as this is a very complex and complicated machine.

"Of course it all depends on where you are in the standings. Those who are fighting for the title will of course concentrate longer on this year's car."

The Austrian, though, has not given up on this year's Championship.

"I want to be among the four top teams in the Constructors' Championship and have a driver among the top four as well," he said.

[MIKA27]

Dennis demoted at McLaren as car division loses money

According to a Auto Motor und Sport, Ron Dennis has been demoted at McLaren in the wake of automotive division losing money.

Although still referred to as the famous British team’s ‘supremo’, the 65-year-old – succeeded by Martin Whitmarsh – stepped down as McLaren team principal some years ago.

He also sold half of his 30 per cent stake in the Woking based company to the Bahrain investment vehicle Mumtalakat Holding, and most recently has been focused on McLaren’s road car production subsidiary.

And according to the report, it is the road car business, and the extent of Bahrain’s new influence at McLaren, that has resulted in Dennis’ latest demotion.

The German magazine reports that Dennis has lost his voting rights on the McLaren Group board, leaving him only a non-executive member due to his status as co-owner.

Auto Motor und Sport said Bahrain is angry because Dennis’ pet project, McLaren Automotive, is losing rather than making money.

“Instead of the planned 3,500 units, only half of that are sold,” wrote correspondents Michael Schmidt and Bianca Leppert.

“The Bahrainis are seeing their money disappear, never to return,” they added, estimating Bahrain’s losses in the hundreds of millions.

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Testing resumes at Duxford after de Villota crash

Formula 1 testing has resumed at the Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire, in the United Kingdom, fot the first time since Maria de Villota’s serious accident last year.

There has been no Formula 1 running at the Imperial War Museum facility since De Villota accident, in which she lost an eye, after a freak crash whilst testing for Marussia last July.

But an unnamed team was in action on the runway at Duxford on Friday, and the local Haverhill Echo newspaper said more test days are booked for next Wednesday and also in May, June and August.

On Friday, Spaniard de Villota said in Madrid that she thinks Fernando Alonso will win this year’s world championship.

“Soon everything will line up for him and he will not have so much bad luck; for me he is the most complete driver on the grid — the perfect combination of talent, passion and work,” she is quoted by the EFE news agency.