FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Jenson Button and Sergio Perez 'understand' McLaren rivalry rules

Jenson Button sees no need for his McLaren bosses to get involved in any of his future on-track tussles with Sergio Perez, despite their clash at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Button and Perez criticised each other after a frenetic fight for position at Sakhir, which included the pair making contact on a couple of occasions.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT, the two drivers met with McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh and sporting director Sam Michael immediately after the Bahrain race to clear the air over the matter.

Button thinks that get-together was vital, and is confident that he and Perez now both understand what is acceptable so that they can be left alone to sort matters out between themselves in future.

"After the race it was important to sit down with the team and Checo and for us all to talk about the race, get it out and move on," Button told selected media, including AUTOSPORT, during a promotional visit to Hungary this week.

"I think we're very lucky that we were allowed to race. There are a lot of teams where team-mates aren't allowed to race. But we'd better respect that decision and not take advantage of it.

"That's something that we all understand now. Hopefully we can be racing in Barcelona: fighting cleanly and hopefully for the win, not for sixth or seventh."

Button also believes that the situation between himself and Perez was built up into something bigger than it appeared because his radio messages were broadcast on television.

"The problem with the radio is that my message is not meant for the masses, it's meant for the team," explained the 2009 world champion, who said he did not intend his comments to be made public.

"In a way it's a pity that TV companies just choose the messages they want, because they can come across in the wrong way.

"I was obviously angry, but the anger was supposed to be kept within the team, because I am radioing the team, I'm not radioing TV companies."

CAR PROGRESS BUTTON'S MAIN CONCERN

Button insists his biggest concern is not how things pan out on track with Perez, but whether McLaren can deliver the step forward it needs with its updates for the Spanish GP.

"In terms of our results, they haven't been good. But in terms of the direction we're going with the car, I think it's very good," he said.

"We have some new parts for Barcelona which should help us, and we can build on them in future races. But the points need to start coming soon, we understand that."

[riazp]

Just something about Christian Horner that rubs me the wrong way...

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Just something about Christian Horner that rubs me the wrong way...

What do you mean....

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The Ressemblance is scary...

[CanuckSARTech]

LOL.

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The Ressemblance is scary...

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Marussia set for Ferrari deal?

Marussia could make use of Ferrari engines next season as they prepare for life after Cosworth.

With Cosworth unlikely to supply engines when F1 makes the switch to V6s next year, Marussia will be forced to switch manufacturers. Ferrari appear to be the leading contender to fill the void, in part due to the presence of Jules Bianchi - a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy - at the team.

"Renault have made it clear they've got enough on their plate," Marussia technical director Pat Symonds told Sky Sports.

"Both Ferrari and Mercedes have been very positive with us. I say it's near, because if it's not then we're not going to have a car. My original target for getting a 2014 engine deal was the end of May ... but it was the end of May 2012. So we are behind where we want to be.

"It absolutely hasn't done us any harm, it's brought us a little bit closer to Ferrari," Symonds added of Bianchi's influence on discussions.

"But Ferrari genuinely wants more teams: because everything is so new, I hesitate to call us guinea pigs or anything like that, but it's better to have a few more samples of your product out there, finding out what goes wrong and what's working. I think that they wanted another team anyway and the contact through Jules has done nothing but help."

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Warwick promises Silverstone improvements

British Racing Drivers' Club President Derek Warwick has reiterated that major upgrades to the facilities at Silverstone will avoid a repeat of last year's problems.

Heavy rain in the build up to the 2012 race and on the opening two days of the race weekend saw camping areas waterlogged and access roads turned to mud. So substantial was the damage that ticket holders for Saturday's qualifying with passes for the car parks were told to stay away from the track so that the road could be repaired.

However, Silverstone bosses insist that they have learned from their mistakes and will be implementing an expanded Park and Ride scheme and improving camping facilities and non-tarmac roads.

Warwick has promised that even if the event is once again dogged by rain, there will be no repeat of last year's chaos.

"Obviously if we have the kind of rain we had last year it's difficult for all venues but we've put in kilometres of drainage, we've improved the facilities of all the campsites," Warwick told Sky Sports News.

"We've probably got the best road system of all grands prix. You've got to remember the last ten years we've had no problems at all.

"[Last year] it was a one-off. It did catch us out. We looked after all the people who struggled on the Saturday, we compensated them, but more importantly we have upgraded everything in terms of parking and the campsites.

"There's more drainage, more facilities so we've listened to the people that complained and made it better."

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Ferrari all fired up for Alonso’s home race in Barcelona

For a long time Spain’s motor racing tradition was primarily on two wheels. Still today the Iberian Peninsula is one of the most fertile lands for motorcycle racing but in the last 25 years the performances of two drivers have led to a boom in interest in four-wheeled sport: Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso. Both are double world champions – Sainz in the WRC and Alonso in Formula 1 – but Fernando still aims to add to his haul.

The Spanish Grand Prix first entered the Formula 1 calendar in 1951, and since 1991 it has been held at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. From the 22 races that have taken place on this track, Scuderia Ferrari has seven victories – the last in 2007, the year in which Kimi Raikkonen took the world championship. That is a very strong tradition, but what has made the Spanish round really special for the whole Scuderia has been the arrival of Fernando Alonso at the team.

In the last ten years the annual visit to this track has become an amazing event, mostly due to the passion of Fernando’s fans, who have transformed the grand prix into a real party. It could be no different given that the Spanish driver continues to cement his status as the national figurehead in motor racing.

The big turnout of fans packing out the circuit’s grandstands from the start of free practice on Friday shows the huge passion, leading to a sea of hundreds of Spanish and Asturian flags for the whole weekend.

Alonso’s home race has always been rewarding and touching but at the same time it is very demanding. That is a mix of emotions that Fernando experienced for the first time in 2001 at his first Spanish Grand Prix. He finished his weekend with 13th place at the wheel of his Minardi – and it’s been uphill ever since. Of his 11 appearances, the 2006 victory stands out: a success he took in front of the King of Spain, Juan Carlos. In total Fernando has reached the podium six times and, in his three races for Ferrari, his record stands at two podiums and a fifth place.

“The wins at Barcelona in 2006, Monza in 2010 and Valencia last year are unquestionably the races that have given me the best emotions of my career,” said Fernando. “The warmth of the fans and the feeling you get when you race in Spain are always special, from the moment you arrive at the airport and you head to the hotel and the circuit. From the first laps on the track on Friday and Saturday morning you can immediately feel the passion of the fans in the grandstands and that sparks off extra motivation because you want to do that little bit extra to make sure they can celebrate. That’s how the search begins for that elusive tenth of a second of performance that you are always seeking when you’re in a Formula 1 car.”

Felipe Massa also has a good record at this track. The Brazilian driver took pole position and victory at the wheel of the Ferrari in 2007. Felipe also made it to the Circuit de Catalunya podium the following year, finishing second behind his team-mate Raikkonen in the last of the four one-twos the Scuderia has secured in the Spanish Grand Prix.

“I really like going to Spain,” said Felipe. “I’ve always liked both the feel of Barcelona itself and the atmosphere at the track during the race weekend. The Circuit de Catalunya is the track that we know best thanks to all the tests that we do there at the start of the year: it’s a complex, technical track where it’s important to have good aerodynamic downforce. My best memory from Barcelona came in 2007 when I won the race: it was a great victory in front of a fantastic crowd that saw me fight with many opponents – including Fernando, who was then at McLaren. Obviously I’m not happy with my last race in Bahrain and so I hope to be able to get back to fighting for the top places this weekend.”

In the 2013 championship the Barcelona round will be the only one on Spanish territory – by contrast with the last five seasons when the Formula 1 World Championship had a second race in the country, the European Grand Prix at the Valencia street circuit.

Interestingly the first and the last editions of that race were won by the current Ferrari duo: Felipe in 2008 and Fernando last year after he pulled off an outstanding and unforgettable climb through the field.

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F1 cockpit warning glitches resolved for Barcelona

Formula 1 drivers have been promised a properly functioning electronic cockpit warning system for next week’s Spanish Grand Prix after problems prevented its use in the first four races of the season.

“We’ve been told they’ve got an upgrade which is going to Barcelona and then it’ll be working from there,” former F1 driver and occasional race steward Derek Warwick told Reuters on Wednesday.

The telemetry link between race control and cars is provided by Riedel Communications and acts as an electronic marshalling system with drivers alerted by red, yellow or blue cockpit lights in addition to the conventional warning flags waved around the track.

The governing FIA has had to disable it for the opening long-haul races due to malfunctions.

Warwick, who will be a steward at his home British Grand Prix as well as in Belgium, Singapore and South Korea, said the problems had led to some leniency in dealing with flag infringements but there had been no instructions for officials to go easier on drivers otherwise.

“You can’t blame a driver if we’ve messed up in terms of the support package,” said the president of the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), the owners of Silverstone circuit.

“The FIA has asked us to be lighter on fines for the drivers, but we still have the same tools available to us for other punishments.”

Drivers had a hefty rise in the cost of their mandatory super-licences after last season but were assured by the governing body they would be fined less for rules infringements where a financial sanction is at the stewards’ discretion.

That does not include the offence of speeding in the pitlane, with fines laid down in the sporting regulations.

Under article 30.12, a limit of 60kph is imposed for all free practice sessions and 100kph for the race. Drivers face a 200 euros ($260) fine for every kph over the limit in practice and qualifying. ($1 = 0.7580 euros)

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British GP organisers hope Hamilton and Button win soon

British Formula 1 Grand Prix organisers are counting on Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button producing the goods in the next few races to boost ticket sales dented by a ‘Vettel effect’.

Sebastian Vettel has won the last three championships in succession for Red Bull and the 25-year-old German leads the standings again as the only driver to have won twice in four races so far.

McLaren’s Button, the last world champion before Vettel, has finished no higher than fifth this season while Hamilton, the 2008 champion, has had two third places since he moved to Mercedes.

Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips said on Wednesday that ticket sales for the June 30 race were down nearly 10 percent on last year, when 297,000 people attended over the three days despite flooded campsites and torrential downpours.

“If you look at the cycle on selling tickets…on the Monday after a grand prix Sunday you tend to see a spike. The weekend we had Lewis on the podium there was a spike and when you see Vettel there is less of a spike,” he told Reuters, referring to demand for tickets for the British Grand Prix.

“I think the needle-movers (for sales) are going to be basically ‘not Vettel’.

Britain had the biggest crowd of the season last year, with a record race day attendance of 127,000 and more people turning out on a Friday than on a Sunday in some parts of the world where Formula One has no tradition.

Eight of the 11 teams are based in Britain, including champions Red Bull, and last year saw seven different winners in the first seven races.

Former Formula One driver Derek Warwick, president of circuit owners the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), said the success of the British pair was crucial.

“When we know that Lewis and Jenson are coming into the grand prix off the back of a couple of wins, we see a massive spike in our sales,” he said.

Phillips said they had probably reached the break-even point but the circuit needed to exceed that comfortably to recover some of the 40 million pound ($62.26 million) investment made on improvements in the past five years.

Hundreds of thousands have been spent since last year’s ‘wake-up call’, with improved drainage to campsites, ditches re-profiled and park and ride spaces added.

BRDC chairman Stuart Rolt said the search for outside investors to help fund development was continuing after an exclusivity agreement with an unidentified partner, believed to be a Qatar-based group, ended last year.

“We are still talking to people very positively and we keep going,” he said. “There is no threat to the grand prix if we don’t find an investor, everything just slows down…”

Rolt said the process had been frustrating due to the difficult economic climate, and a clash between what property developers wanted and the aims of the BRDC, but hoped “to get something done” this year. He would not give details about any potential partners.

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McNish: Di Resta can fight for title

Former Formula One driver Allan McNish has sung Paul di Resta's praises after the Bahrain GP, saying he has what it takes to become a World Champion.

Di Resta put in the performance of his life in the last race as he just missed out on his first podium after coming from fifth on the grid to secure fourth place.

McNish feels the Force India driver can challenge for the Drivers' Championship in future if he is given the right machinery.

"Paul was driving like the old Jackie Stewart," McNish is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "It was the 'looking as if you're driving slow but actually driving very fast' approach.

"If someone puts him in the right car he can fight for the World title."

He added: "I think he has developed and grown up.

"He had a difficult winter because he had no team-mate and so he was the one the team looked to for the lead on development, so he had to grow up.

"He's still young and he's still got a lot of years ahead of him. That result in Bahrain will give him a lot of confidence and belief in what he can do inside the car.

"I would say a podium is on the cards at some point of the year - I don't think that's unrealistic."

The Bahrain result took Di Resta's points tally for the season to 20, which helped him to move to eighth in the Drivers' standings and 14 ahead of Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil.

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Massa eyes fight for top places

Felipe Massa is heading to the Spanish Grand Prix in confident mood despite his woes in Bahrain last time out.

Although he qualified fourth on the grid at the Sakhir track, the Ferrari driver suffered two punctures and finished outside the points in 15th place. It was a bit of a setback for the veteran as he picked up 30 points with a best finish of P4 in the opening three races of the campaign.

Massa, though, is upbeat that his Bahrain Grand Prix struggles were a one-off and he will return to form at Barcelona next weekend.

"The Circuit de Catalunya is the track that we know best thanks to all the tests that we do there at the start of the year: it's a complex, technical track where it's important to have good aerodynamic downforce," said the Brazilian.

"My best memory from Barcelona came in 2007 when I won the race: it was a great victory in front of a fantastic crowd that saw me fight with many opponents - including Fernando, who was then at McLaren.

"Obviously I'm not happy with my last race in Bahrain and so I hope to be able to get back to fighting for the top places this weekend."

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Williams announce partnership with TAK Group

Williams team have announced it has signed an agreement with Kazakhstani investment business TAK Group that will see the Kazakhstani capital, Astana, promoted as part of the arrangement with the team.

The Astana name will be positioned on the SIS vane and outer nose struts on the Williams-Renault FW35 from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards in a move that will provide both sporting and tourism benefits to the city.

Since 1997 Astana has been the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is a UNESCO World City. Situated on a bank of the Ishim River, it has become one of the largest business centres in the region and will be the site of Expo 2017 which focuses on future technologies and our ‘energy future’. Ambitious infrastructure projects are also seeing the city emerge as one of the region’s leading tourist destinations.

Speaking about the new partnership Artur Ardavichus of TAK Group said; “Formula One is one of the most high profile sports in the world and its global reach will offer Astana an unrivalled marketing platform. Williams is also one of the most respected teams in the sport so it is especially gratifying to partner with them. We are really looking forward to working together this year to promote sport and tourism in the city of Astana and the country of Kazakhstan as a whole.’’

Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal of the Williams F1 Team, added; “It’s with great pleasure that we welcome TAK Group as a new partner of the team and look forward to working closely with them to achieve their marketing ambitions.’’

MIKA: Hmmm... is Borat part of this deal?

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Wurz becomes Formula 1 driver manager

Alex Wurz has taken his career into the realm of driver management.

According to Speed Week, the former Formula 1 driver is now part of the management team handling 19-year-old Briton Alex Lynn, who races in the FIA European F3 series.

“He is an exceptional talent,” said Austrian Wurz, who most recently was a driver coach at Williams.

“I look forward to helping him get to Formula 1.”

Meanwhile, it is reported that Nicolas Todt – the son of FIA president Jean Todt – has also taken a British driver into his management stable.

Todt, already managing Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado and Jules Bianchi, has signed up 23-year-old GP2 driver James Calado.

“His talent and attitude have made a big impression on me,” said Todt. “I hope he is able to compete for the title in GP2 and prove he worthy of Formula 1.”

Calado races for Todt’s own team, ART.

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Formula 1 teams in fresh penalty points system discussions

Formula 1 teams are set for fresh discussions at the Spanish Grand Prix about implementing a driver penalty points system.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting is scheduled to meet teams at a gathering of the Sporting Working Group think-tank ahead of the Barcelona race to discuss potential future rule changes.

AUTOSPORT has learned that as well as discussions about framing a testing schedule for 2014 - which would require a change to the F1 regulations – the agenda also includes further talks about the introduction of penalty points on licences.

Although there has been support for the move from a number of teams during initial talks on the matter, there has not yet been the unanimous support that will be needed for an introduction later this season.

In a bid to try and ease concerns from some outfits that a host of minor infringements by a driver could lead to a costly penalty later in the campaign, the FIA has already been trialling a mock system to show the impact of totting up.

This will be evaluated at the SWG meeting to try and win over the sceptics.

Whiting said earlier this year that one of the key issues that needed resolving was that any hefty punishments handed out as a result of penalty points being accrued were deemed worthy.

"It's a complex question and we need to get the balance right because banning a driver is a serious issue," he said. "We need to make sure a driver genuinely deserves any ban.

"We will be monitoring offences and running a [hypothetical] system in the background to see how it would all work if put into practice. We need to do that for a while."

F1 drivers are keen for the penalty points systems to be introduced because that would then bring an end to the fines they have been handed for pitlane speeding offences this year.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) had sought clarification from the FIA about why they were still being fined for speeding this year when a deal agreed over a hike in superlicence fees was supposed to have stopped financial penalties.

Following discussions with the FIA, the GPDA has been happy to hold fire on the fines issue until the penalty points issue is resolved.

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Formula 1 qualifying 'not devalued', according to leading figures

Formula 1 drivers and teams are adamant that the importance of qualifying has not been devalued by the fact that overtaking is now much easier.

Although there was a time when starting from pole position was almost essential for winning races, the role played by tyre strategy and use of DRS means that drivers can come through from further back to triumph.

Most outfits also concede that setting their car up for the race rather than qualifying is more important, which suggests the fight for pole position does not carry the intensity it had before.

However, leading figures insist that the status quo does not mean that qualifying is no longer of value.

Felipe Massa told AUTOSPORT: "It is always better to be in front. This is something we always need to work for - although we cannot make the car worse for what we have in the race because we need to be the quickest car in qualifying.

"We know that the most important thing is the race. But if you start the race tenth then for sure it is quite hard to fight for the victory.

"If you start the race in the top five, the top three, everything is still possible."

Red Bull's Mark Webber says that qualifying at the front is no longer as vital as it once was, but is still not something that can be ignored.

"Qualifying has become less and less important over the years," he said. "Back in the day it was everything really - it was 75-80% of where you come around on the first lap.

"Now it is less of a factor, but it is still important in terms of traffic. You don't want to be sitting in too much traffic with the tyres - they don't like being in disturbed air and they wear a lot more.

"That shortens the first stint quite a lot, which will load up the stints after that.

"There are still some chess games to play on Saturday to make sure you are in a good position."

Kimi Raikkonen added: "It helps if you can be in front, to save your tyres, and you also have less chance of having issues at the start."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali backed up the view that it was the tyre factor that meant qualifying was still essential.

"It's important because if you are able to start in front then you are able to manage the tyres the best way that you can," he said.

"But considering the situation that we have seen in the first four races, everything is possible.

"If I have to think about if, for sure I like to start in front then I can cruise – well, cruise is not the right word – but I can manage the tyres better."

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Brawn: You must always look to improve without damaging what you have

Team principal Ross Brawn has warned Mercedes against making more big changes to the team which could result in a performance dip.

It was believed McLaren’s ‘gardening leave’ technical director Paddy Lowe was set to replace Brawn as the Brackley based team’s boss in 2014.

And, following the recent departure of Norbert Haug and the arrival at Mercedes of new shareholders Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff, it has been rumoured that further staff changes at the team’s UK headquarters could now follow.

Brawn, however, warned that more upheaval could actually hurt the team.

“You must always look to improve… without damaging what you have, which is very easy to do. It’s a very delicate evolution,” he is quoted by Sporting Life.

Back-to-back 2013 pole sitter Mercedes has produced a better car this year than its predecessor, off the back of major changes to the engineering lineup 12 months ago.

But Brawn warned that more changes now could actually result in a step backwards.

“Changes were made back then which were painful at the time, and were part of the reason why we had a poor second half to last season,” he said.

“We have now a very motivated group of people, and we’re starting to put the things in place they need.

“You can always look to add to it and tune it to improve, but you mustn’t damage what you already have,” he added.

Like most teams, Mercedes will unveil a package of improvements next weekend in Barcelona, the first European race of 2013 following the initial ‘flyaway’ period.

Brawn said no one should expect the changes to result in immediate wins.

“We’ve two drivers who have taken the equipment and done what they have (pole position) on the last two Saturdays,” he is quoted by the Sun newspaper.

“But I don’t think we have the equipment yet to be the strongest in the race.”

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Pirelli still interested in feedback says Bottas

Williams rookie Valtteri Bottas believes that Pirelli remains receptive to feedback from Formula 1 teams and drivers regarding the 2013 tyres.

This year’s Pirelli rubber has been the most controversial paddock topic of the 2013 season by far, as teams grapple with the Italian marque’s heavily-degrading and difficult-to-understand product.

Amid the controversy, and the paddock din, the decision was made to drop the ‘soft’ tyre compound from the Bahrain allocation, while a tweak to the ‘hard’ compound has been made for Barcelona and beyond.

Among the gripes has been the claim that the 2013 tyres has altered the very nature of the racing.

“I think that has happened sometimes,” agreed Finn Bottas.

“In China, for example, I concentrated only on my race because I knew my strategy was different and there was no point trying to fight for positions,” he told Brazil’s Totalrace.

“You have no chance and sometimes it’s even better not to compete. That’s not cool,” he added.

“But I think that Pirelli has heard the teams and acted accordingly. Already in Bahrain they decided to take another compound, and this should be repeated in the future.”

Indeed, it is believed Pirelli is still toying with the idea of a tweak to the ‘soft’ compound.

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Susie Wolff: People are asking why isn’t there a woman driver in F1

Development driver Susie Wolff is pushing Williams to give her a proper test in July and keep alive her distant dream of one day racing alongside the men in Formula 1.

“For me the next logical step is to do the young drivers test, and do it well, and then see what the next step is after that,” the 30-year-old Scot told Reuters at a sponsor event on Thursday.

“I think there’s quite a big movement just now, people want to see a woman in Formula One, the momentum is definitely there,” added the wife of Williams shareholder and Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff.

An official young driver test has yet to be confirmed but is expected to be scheduled for Silverstone in July, before the Hungarian Grand Prix and the European summer break. Wolff, who also competed under her maiden name of Stoddart in junior series and the German Touring Car championship (DTM), lacks a super-licence to race in Formula One but a full test would help.

It might also win over some of those who want to see a woman compete but are adamant that any selection must be purely on talent rather than any token presence – and doubt whether she has the speed.

“There’s many people who think it’s going to be embarrassing for me to drive on a young driver day because I’m going to be so far off the pace,” she said. “For me, it’s incredible to hear such comments.

“I wouldn’t be doing aero tests if I hadn’t shown some kind of capability. People forget we’ve been racing at a high level for a long time. Its not like you are just plucked from obscurity and told ‘drive the F1 car’.”

To get the mandatory licence, which costs a basic 10,000 euros ($13,200), a driver has to have done 300km of running in a Formula One car as well as meeting certain performance criteria.

“In theory, I’ve got enough kilometres in the car to apply for the super-licence but there’s absolutely no point in doing that until I’m in a position where I can do something with it,” said Wolff.

“They (Williams) haven’t said anything but for me it has to happen,” she added of the test. “If it doesn’t happen, then I’m wasting my time. It’s all for nothing. It’s got to happen. I am the development driver, so it cannot be that a young driver test comes and you don’t put your development driver in. But you never know, so let’s see.”

Williams do not currently have a designated reserve driver to step in should Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado or Finland’s Valtteri Bottas be unavailable.

Formula One has not had a female driver for decades, with Italian Giovanna Amati the last to try and get on the grid when she failed to qualify in 1992.

The only woman to appear on the scoresheet was Italian Lella Lombardi who finished sixth in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix and was awarded a half point.

Wolff, who competed in the DTM for seven seasons but scored only four points in total, has never done a Formula One start or a pitstop and her role at Williams is mainly straight-line aero testing and simulator work.

That could change, and she is nothing if not persistent.

“People are really pushing now and asking why isn’t there a woman in Formula One. For me the timing is good but motorsport is a lot about talent and a little bit about timing and luck,” she said.

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was supportive, she said, even if publicly he has stated that he does not see any woman driver on F1′s horizon because there was nobody good enough at present.

Stirling Moss, generally recognised as the best driver never to win the world championship, also declared recently that women lacked the “mental aptitude” to compete in Formula One even if they had the strength and stamina.

Wolff said that was “a load of rubbish”, even if she understood why the 83-year-old might have said it.

“Sir Stirling is a very nice man and his wife is also very nice. The issue there was the generation…in his day there were many fatalities and I think for him it was this image of women not putting their lives at risk,” she said.

“I think for them as the older generation, it just doesn’t click in their heads that women should be driving racing cars.

“It’s a change that has to happen in people’s heads…Bernie says many things in the press but behind closed doors he’s doing a hell of a lot to help me come into Formula One because he knows from a business perspective it has to happen.”

Away from Formula One, women drivers are making considerable inroads into motorsport with Danica Patrick a race winner in IndyCar and on pole for NASCAR’S Daytona 500 this year.

MIKA: I agree with Moss... This is why women aren't in F1

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Sauber to test modified rear wing

Sauber head to Barcelona with a modified rear wing that Tom McCullough is hoping will go someway towards solving their C32's issues.

Sauber have been off the pace this season with rear end stability billed as one of their key issues.

As a result the team has struggled with Nico Hulkenberg scoring just five points while Esteban Gutierrez has yet to get off the mark.

In a bid to turn their ailing fortunes around Sauber will head to Spain with a new rear wing which head of track engineering Tom McCullough says they will evaluate on Friday before deciding whether to proceed with it.

"We have some further aero updates, including a modified rear wing, and we will be evaluating these during Friday practice," he said.

The team, which has just one top-ten grid position this season, is also hoping for better in qualifying and for that to translate into points come Sunday.

"Qualifying is particularly important here as overtaking can be difficult in the race," McCullough added.

"Our target for the race is to finish with both cars in the points."

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Pic: Focus on what we have

Charles Pic believes Caterham need to focus on themselves before opting to look ahead at the midfield teams.

Although Caterham have been the stronger of the newcomers in the first three seasons, this year Pic's team has fallen behind Marussia in the early running.

Pic put in a bit of a fightback last time out in Bahrain when he qualified 18th and finished 17th, putting the Frenchman ahead of both Marussias and his own team-mate Giedo van der Garde.

And although the backmarker battle is between Caterham and Marussia, it is the midfield that both outfits want to be tussling with.

But in order for that to happen, Pic says Caterham first need to focus on themselves.

"They [the established teams] have still got a good advantage on us, and I think we don't want to have to go too fast too early," he told Autosport.

"We have to understand what we do and progress step by step every race. Each time we have to understand everything, and I think that is what we are doing.

"For the moment, we are not in a position to fight with them. We still have to work on ourselves and improve our car, and focus on what we have."

The 23-year-old added that he expects another step forward from his team at next weekend's Spanish GP.

"For sure there is more to come for Barcelona, but every other team will also bring upgrades for Barcelona," he said. "The question will be if we gain more than them.

"We have to wait for Barcelona, but I am sure we will have a positive step again. I am happy that we are going in the right direction.

"Of course it is just the beginning, it is not enough, but we have to keep pushing like that."

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Raikkonen: Never happy if you don’t win, let’s hope I’m happier in Spain

After winning the season opener in Melbourne and more recently scoring his third podium finish of the year in Bahrain, Kimi Raikkonen has emerged as a title contender early on in the season and now the Iceman looks forward to racing closer to home with the start of the European stanza in Spain.

Yourself and the team currently occupy P2 in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships; are you pleased with how things are going?

Kimi Raikkonen: For sure it’s an okay start and we’re in a better position that this time last year, but there’s a long season ahead and it’s too early to say if we can fight for the Championships right to the end. It’s going to be hard to catch Sebastian [Vettel] if he keeps taking good results so we need to start taking more points from him, but you never know what can happen. We’ll keep pushing to improve the car and see where we end up.

What’s required to bridge that gap to P1?

KR: Some more wins! To catch the leaders, we have to work twice as hard as they are. It’s no secret that we want more speed from the car in qualifying; it’s so tight up there at the front and we really need to be on the first two rows to fight for victories every time. It’s good to be able to start the European season where we are as this is when you see teams starting to push on with lots of new parts for the cars. It’s still early days, but to have scored strong points since the start of the year is obviously better than not having them. We need to keep scoring points in the same way; even if it’s a bad weekend for us, we need to keep finishing as well as we can. That’s how we will fight to the end of the season.

How is the Circuit of Catalunya for you?

KR: I have won twice in Barcelona and I was on the podium there last year too, so I really look forward to going there again; hopefully to end the weekend with another good result. It’s a circuit where you have to get everything exactly right to be at the top. All the teams have tested many times at this circuit, so to get an advantage there is not very easy. The set-up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature so there’s plenty of work for the engineers too.

Is it good to be racing in Europe again?

KR: I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel that far so all your energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the real season starts when coming back to Europe. For me, it’s great.

The Circuit de Catalunya is the only circuit at which you’ve tested the E21 so far; does that help matters?

KR: That’s true, but you have to remember that was at the end of February and the beginning of March so conditions were very different compared to what we hope to see in May. It was very difficult to get the tyres working properly when we were last there, but it was the same for everybody. We all start from zero again in FP1.

The team didn’t get so much mileage at Barcelona during testing, but reliability doesn’t seem to be so much of a concern now the season is underway?

KR: I didn’t have that many laps there in testing as there were problems with the car and I also missed a day as I was unwell. That said, me and the team know the track pretty well so I don’t think we’ll be too surprised about which way the track goes or what setup to use on the car. Even though I didn’t get a lot of mileage in pre-season, the main thing was I felt good in the car the whole time. Our car seems to be good at every circuit so far…

You were quite reserved after the podium finish in Bahrain; were you happy with the result?

KR: You’re never really happy if you don’t win, but I suppose second place is as close as you can get. We could maybe have been a few places higher in in qualifying which would have made things easier, but I drove to the maximum and luckily we found the pace in the car that was missing in qualifying. Let’s hope I’m happier in Spain.

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Grosjean: Now I have the tools at my disposal so I can really push

After his first podium appearance of the season in Bahrain, Lotus driver Romain Grosjean believes this was the start to some serious points scoring for him, as the Formula 1 season heads to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The start to the season fell short of your high expectations, why did everything come good in Bahrain?

Romain Grosjean: It’s no secret that before Bahrain my feeling hasn’t been right with the car. It wasn’t the chassis, the aero or anything like that, but we took a while to get everything to my liking and that’s been frustrating. We managed to put our finger on the issue and I feel much more comfortable now. I really had a good sensation behind the wheel on Sunday in Bahrain, and a podium position at the end of the race was the result. I could put the car more or less where I wanted which is all you want as a driver. Third place was a deserved reward for everyone after all our hard work.

How good was it to get that podium after your tough start to the year?

RG: The race was really enjoyable with a lot of overtaking. There were a couple of tense moments where maybe things got a little too close, but it was a lot of fun! To come from P11 through to the podium is really satisfying. I saw P4 on the board and Paul [Di Resta] was not too far ahead, so I thought “come on, this is the podium, let’s go!” I knew I had fresher tyres but it wasn’t easy as I had to push but at the same time look after them, which is hard for a driver when you have another car in your sights. Luckily we managed to get past near the end, pull out a small gap and maintain it until the flag!

How do you feel the E21 is evolving?

RG: We’ve been able to see progress with the lap times so we know that the upgrades being brought in are working. Last year’s car was already very competitive – we achieved a total of 10 podiums in 2012 – so it’s good to see the team has retained and developed the best performing areas of the 2012 car for the E21. For me, after Bahrain, I’m feeling much more at home with the car and I hope that there will be many successes to come in 2013.

What are your thoughts on the topic of tyre management?

RG: Tyre management has always been part of the qualifying and race strategy. I don’t know about others, I just know that I always push as much as I can to obtain the best result possible. Of course, if you drive a certain way or adapt yourself you can get more out of the tyres than if you don’t, but that’s just part of being a racing driver; you always have to adapt to extract maximum performance.

What will be the key to a good weekend in Spain?

RG: In Barcelona it will be important to qualify well as it will be much harder to overtake than in Bahrain. As a team, this is an area where we can still improve a little bit, but we have some ideas of how to do that and hopefully we’ll be able to make the front row.

What are your thoughts on the Circuit de Catalunya?

RG: Everyone knows Barcelona very well from testing. The first four corners which make up the first sector are pretty fast, then there’s the slow final sector with between turns 10-15. Out of turn 15 you need a good rear end of the car with strong traction. It’s important not to overheat your rear tyres and managing degradation will be important – even with the harder tyres which are now allocated – as when you reach high degradation levels on your tyres you are nowhere on lap time. Tyre management will still be the key area for a good performance in the race.

What do you need to keep getting podium results?

RG: To keep finishing in front of the competition! We’ve had consistency already, finishing every race in the points, but now it’s the big results we’re chasing and getting the car as I want it has been a vital ingredient. Now I have the tools that I want at my disposal I can really push. In some ways you can say my season starts now! My podium in Bahrain was a very good start to that challenge. If we keep working the way we have been so far this season as a team I’m sure we can achieve great things.

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Mercedes keen to work with Kubica

Mercedes chairman Toto Wolff says he would be willing to give Robert Kubica a Formula 1 test.

The German marque this week declined to comment on reports the Pole has been driving at the wheel of Mercedes’ sophisticated Formula 1 simulator at Brackley.

But Kubica, 28, did confirm the reports, prompting Wolff to admit that the former BMW and Renault driver is “helping” Mercedes.

“If there’s any chance of getting him back in a DTM touring car or Formula 1 cockpit, we’d love to do it,” he told the BBC. ”Any team would love to have a Robert Kubica.”

Wolff clarified, however, that Kubica – whose right arm is still injured in the wake of his near-fatal 2011 crash – is now mainly focused on rallying.

“He is somebody I have known for 10 years but it’s absolutely his call how he wants to help us and his main focus is rallying,” he said.