FORMULA 1 - 2013

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The Big Preview: Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya

Round five of the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship sees the teams journey to the Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix. After beginning the year with four long haul races, the European season starts here – with a return to the circuit that hosted two-thirds of this year’s pre-season testing.

The track itself is famed for offering a broad examination of Formula One machinery with its mix of medium and high-speed corners, a low-speed complex and a long straight. As a venue it hasn’t, however, proved to be particularly conducive to overtaking: the corner combinations tending to make following and attacking very difficult – even with DRS.

Barcelona in May is a very different proposition to Barcelona in February. Temperatures are on average some 15°C higher, and this changes the challenge completely. What doesn’t change is the abrasive nature of the asphalt.

Given the evidence of the first four races in 2013, Pirelli have decided to move away from the Hard/Soft allocation favoured in Spain for the past two years, and instead will bring the Hard and Medium compounds. The Hard, however, is not the tyre that saw use in Malaysia and Bahrain. Pirelli have tweaked their offering, making it closer to that used in 2012.

Coming to Spain, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing lead their respective championships – but this does little to disguise the fact that it has been another weird and wonderful beginning to the year, with more questions asked than answered in March and April. The Circuit de Catalunya is regarded as the first ‘normal’ track of the season, and has frequently provided a solid indication of overall car performance – on 16 occasions from 22 runnings the team winning in Barcelona has collected the Constructors’ Championship trophy at the end of the year.

Circuit de Catalunya Data

• Length of lap: 4.655km
  
• Lap record: 1:21.670 (Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari, 2008)
  
• Start line/finish line offset: 0.126km
  
• Total number of race laps: 66
  
• Total race distance: 307.104km
  
• Pitlane speed limits: 60km/h in practice and qualifying. 100km/h during the race
  

Spanish GP Fast Facts

• The Circuit de Catalunya became the home of the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in 1991, taking over from Jerez de la Frontera (1986-90). The race has also been held at the Jarama circuit in Madrid (1967-8, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976-80), Montjuïc (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975) and Pedralbes (1951, 1954). Only five circuits on the current F1 calendar have a longer continuous run (Interlagos, Silverstone, the Hungaroring, Monza and Monaco).
  
• The Circuit de Catalunya is one of three Spanish Grand Prix venues located in the vicinity of Barcelona. The others – Pedralbes and Montjuïc – were within the boundaries of the modern city. This track, despite frequently being referred to simply as ‘Barcelona’, is not.
  
• Pastor Maldonado’s Spanish Grand Prix victory last year saw a number of ‘firsts’ recorded. It was his first start from pole position, his first victory, and the first win for a Venezuelan in Formula One. Maldonado is the only driver to win a grand prix at the Circuit de Catalunya and for that to be his solitary victory of the season.
  
• Maldonado’s win, however, should not be regarded as surprising. Taking pole position (after Lewis Hamilton was excluded from the qualifying result) made him a favourite. Starting from pole at this circuit has historically been the key to victory: 18 times from the 22 races, the driver starting P1 has won the race. Of the four drivers to buck the trend, Mika Häkkinen, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel were all front-row starters.
  
• …leaving Michael Schumacher the distinction of being the only driver to win the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya having started without a clear track in front of him. In 1996 he qualified third. With the race affected by torrential rain, he made light work of the terrible conditions to record his first victory for Ferrari. Another 71 would follow.
  
• Ferrari is the constructor with the best record at the circuit. The Scuderia has won here seven times, Williams has six victories, McLaren four, Red Bull two, Benetton/Renault two and Brawn one.
  
• Regarding drivers, Schumacher (1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) is out in front with six victories at this circuit. Häkkinen (1998, 1999, 2000) has three wins, Kimi Räikkönen (2005, 2008) and Nigel Mansell (1991, 1992) two each. The race has also been won by Alain Prost (1993), Damon Hill (1994), Jacques Villeneuve (1997), Fernando Alonso (2006), Felipe Massa (2007), Jenson Button (2009), Mark Webber (2010) and Vettel (2011). Mansell and Prost also won at Jerez.
  
• The Circuit de Catalunya is a preferred testing venue for F1 teams. The driver with the most testing mileage at this circuit is McLaren’s Jenson Button. The 2009 World Champion has completed a staggering 34,706 testing kilometres at this circuit.
  
• Changes to the circuit since 2012: The leading edges of the combination kerbs on the apices of turns 13, 14 and 15 have been chamfered to remove a step..
  
• Two DRS zones will be utilised at the Circuit de Catalunya. The first operates between turns nine (Campsa) and 10 (La Caixa). The second on the start-finish straight.They will have individual detection points.
  

Reuters F1 Statistics

• Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has 31 career wins, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel 28, Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton 21, Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen 20 and McLaren’s Jenson Button 15.
  
• One more win for Raikkonen would make him the most successful Finnish driver in terms of race wins.
  
• Ferrari have won 220 races since the championship started in 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 36.
  
• Vettel’s win in Bahrain meant Red Bull passed Brabham and Renault in the all-time lists and are now fifth. Vettel is the only driver to have won twice so far this year.
  
• Vettel has 38 poles to his credit, putting him third in the all-time list (Schumacher had 68 and Ayrton Senna 65). Hamilton has 27 and Alonso 22.
  
• Mercedes have been on pole for the last two races. They last had three poles in a row as a works team in 1955 with Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio.
  
• Caterham and Marussia have yet to score a point after three seasons in Formula One.
  
• None of the five rookies have scored points so far.
  
• Kimi Raikkonen has now finished 21 successive races in the points for Lotus, three short of Schumacher’s 2001/02/03 record with Ferrari.
  
• Former champions Williams, last year’s winner in Barcelona, have yet to score a point this season and for five races in a row.
  
• Seven different drivers have won in Spain over the past seven years.
  
• Ten of the last 11 Spanish Grands Prix have been won from pole position, and 18 of the last 22, making it the most predictable race on the calendar even if last year’s winner Pastor Maldonado was a surprise.
  
• The only driver to win in Barcelona without starting on the front row was Michael Schumacher who triumphed from third place on the grid in 1996.
  
• Red Bull’s Mark Webber has been on pole twice in the last three years in Barcelona.
  
• Double world champion Alonso is the only Spaniard to have won a Formula One grand prix. He won his home race in 2006 with Renault.
  
• Michael Schumacher won the Spanish Grand Prix more than anyone else, six times in total.
  
• Ferrari are the most successful team at the Circuit de Catalunya with seven wins in 21 years.
  
• Raikkonen can become only the second driver to win in Spain with three different teams, having won previously with McLaren and Ferrari. The Finn would be the first to do so in Barcelona. Alain Prost won with McLaren, Ferrari and Williams in Spain but two of those were at Jerez.
  
• This year’s race in Barcelona is the only round of the championship in Spain. For the past five years, Valencia has also been on the calendar.
  

Spanish GP Race Stewards Biographies

• Paul Gutjahr started racing in the late 1960s with Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Lotus and Porsche, then March in Formula 3. In the early ‘70s he became President of the Automobile Club Berne and organised numerous events. He acted as President of the organising committee of the Swiss GP at Dijon between 1980-82. Between 1980-2005 he acted as President of the Commission Sportive Nationale de l’Automobile Club de Suisse and in 2005 he became President and board member of the Auto Sport Suisse motor sports club. Gutjahr is President of the Alliance of European Hill Climb Organisers and has been steward at various high-level international competitions. He was the Formula 3000 Sporting Commissioner and has been a Formula One steward since 1995.
  
• Roger Peart is a civil engineer by training and designed the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, Home of the Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. In the years 1949-1953 he gained his first experience of motor sport, working as a racing mechanic while still at school in the UK. By 1960 he had become a competitor. Until 1963 he drove in the Canadian National Rally Championship, before switching to racing from 1964 to 1976. In 1967 Peart became involved in the organisation of Canadian motor sport and was instrumental in getting the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve onto the F1 calendar. Since 1991 Peart has been President of ASN Canada FIA and, since 1999, President of the FIA Circuits Commission.
  
• Alan Jones makes his fourth appearance in the stewards’ room, having made his debut at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and returned in 2011 to adjudicate at Suzuka and in 2012 for the Indian Grand Prix. Best known as the 1980 Formula One World Champion, the Australian raced far and wide, competing everywhere from Can-Am and Formula 5000 to Le Mans and Australian Touring Cars. In his F1 career Jones won 12 grands prix, took six pole positions and set 13 fastest laps. While usually associated with the Williams team, Jones’ first grand prix victory came at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix while racing for Shadow.
  

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Alonso needs to make the most of his home track advantage

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso needs to make the most of home advantage when Formula One’s European season starts up in Barcelona on Sunday.

The Spaniard has ground to make up on Red Bull’s triple champion Sebastian Vettel after four races in Asia and the Middle East.

“If I was to score our overall performance, I would only give it a six out of 10,” Ferrari chief designer Nikolas Tombazis told the Ferrari website (www.ferrari.com) ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

“We are not yet quite where we want to be,” he added. “In the first four grands prix we were not really able to fight for pole position and that is one of our main objectives at the moment.”

The days when Alonso could count on the emotional boost of two home grands prix are gone.

The Spaniard won in Valencia last year, but that race in the indebted port city is off the 2013 calendar, and he needs to get back on top of the podium at the Circuit de Catalunya.

This time a year ago, Alonso arrived in Barcelona 10 points adrift of world champion Vettel in a battle that ultimately went down to the wire in the German’s favour.

Now, despite Ferrari having a much more competitive car and Alonso winning in China, the gap between them is already 30 points and all the top teams are bringing new developments to the track now that they are back in Europe.

Alonso suffered a retirement in Malaysia in March, after losing his front wing when he tagged Vettel at the start, and finished only eighth in Bahrain last month when his rear wing DRS system failed to function.

That problem has been solved and Ferrari have updates to the bodywork, floor and wings.

“With any new component, the difficulty lies not so much in its development but in deciding whether or not it is working on track as well as we had hoped,” said Tombazis.

“By Friday evening in Barcelona, our objective is to have a clear view on what we will take forward to use in the race.”

There are more questions than answers at this stage of the season and McLaren, regular title challengers who ended last year with the fastest car and started 2013 well off the pace, have plenty to deal with.

“I think returning to a circuit where we undertook two of the pre-season tests will give us a useful benchmark of our progress so far,” said McLaren’s 2009 champion Jenson Button in a preview of the race.

“I’m pragmatic about what we’ll discover next weekend. I’m hopeful that it’ll move us a step closer towards the destination.”

Vettel has already won twice this season and his form in Bahrain looked ominous. Stopping that momentum is the big challenge.

Kimi Raikkonen, now second overall for Lotus and chasing his 22nd successive points finish this weekend, is 10 points behind and only too aware of what needs to be done.

“It’s going to be hard to catch Sebastian if he keeps taking good results so we need to start taking more points from him,” said the Finn.

“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.”

That is more than ever the case in Barcelona, where 18 of the last 22 winners have started on pole and only one driver – the now-retired Michael Schumacher – has ever won from anywhereother than the front row.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado won last year for Williams, the team’s first grand prix success in nearly eight years, but lightning is unlikely to strike twice with the former world champions still chasing their first point of 2013.

“Following a good aero test last week at Idiada (in Spain) and a number of upgrades coming for this race, hopefully Barcelona can be the start of improved performance for us this year,” said the team’s Finnish rookie Valtteri Bottas.

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Raikkonen unlikely to win 2013 F1 title says Berger

Gerhard Berger, the former McLaren and Ferrari driver, doubts Kimi Raikkonen can win the 2013 F1 world championship title.

The Finn, and his Pirelli-gentle Lotus car, are currently Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s closest challengers in the drivers’ and constructors’ tables.

Berger told Auto Motor und Sport: “Kimi is sitting in a very good car at the moment.

“But Lotus don’t have the financial strength to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari over the whole year.

“He will make it uncomfortable for them, he will win races, but he won’t fight for the world championship.”

Indeed, former Toro Rosso co-owner Berger, 53, tips a “close fight” for 2013 spoils between Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

The Austrian was also asked about Formula 1′s controversial tyre situation, commenting: “You can see it both ways.

“Basically, it’s the same for everyone, and looking after tyres was always an issue, although maybe not quite as dominant as now.

“On the other hand, it makes little sense putting millions into developing cars and engines if the tyre just determines everything.

“And if he who looks after the tyres best is the winner, then there is a problem. Everything can be overdone. I thought 2012 was a better compromise,” Berger added.

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Mercedes to debut shiny new livery in Barcelona

The Mercedes W04 will look visibly different at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, according to Niki Lauda.

And the team’s chairman and co-owner is not just talking about the big package of upgrades to mark the start of 2013′s European phase.

Frank Schneider, the correspondent for German newspaper Bild, said the major change is “the livery — more silver, less grey”.

Lauda confirmed: “We wanted the car to look even more the ‘Silver Arrow’. And we believe this is also good for the team because a new look brings new motivation.”

More importantly, however, are the changes beneath the paint. For the Spanish Grand Prix, the ‘more silver’ W04 has a new exhaust, and new front and rear wings.

“During the European season we want to increase by one to two tenths per track. We did a good job for the beginning of the season,” Lauda continued. “Now it’s vital to develop the car faster than the competition.”

Some have even suggested Mercedes is the favourite to win in Barcelona, given the car’s field-beating form during the pre-season test at the same circuit.

Lauda said: “No, we’re not the favourite. Pirelli is bringing new tyres and no one knows yet how they work — they’ve been very thin with information.”

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Hamilton and Alonso are highest paid drivers in F1

Lewis Hamilton is now on par with Fernando Alonso as Formula 1′s highest earners.

According to Business Book GP 2013, Briton Hamilton now earns an estimated EUR 20 million per season after switching from McLaren to Mercedes over the winter.

The publication claims Spaniard Alonso earns the same at Ferrari.

Curiously, Formula 1′s next highest earner is Jenson Button, with EUR 16 million, followed by reigning triple world champion and early 2013 title leader Sebastian Vettel EUR 12 million.

Also in double-digits are Nico Rosberg (EUR 11 million) and Mark Webber EUR 10 million, while Brazilian Felipe Massa EUR 6 million appears to have taken a pay-cut in the wake of his poor 2012 campaign.

Kimi Raikkonen’s retainer at Lotus is just EUR 3 million, but it is believed the Finn’s income is boosted by huge per-point bonuses.

Mexican Sergio Perez is paid just EUR 1.5 million by McLaren, and the only other Formula 1 millionaires are Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg all at EUR 1 million.

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Alonso: F138 seems to be competitive

Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari will be competitive this weekend despite losing the first practice session at Barcelona due to the rain.

The double World Champion was quickest in the changing conditions in FP1, edging his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa by 0.203s.

However, the track conditions meant the teams were unable to run the evaluations many had hoped to do on Friday morning.

The rain, though, did clear ahead of the second session which took place on a dry track.

During those 90 minutes Alonso was running at the front on both the hard and the medium tyres, finishing second quickest, 0.017s behind Sebastian Vettel.

"I think there is still a long way until qualifying and unfortunately we missed the first session because of the rain," he said.

"It was the same for everybody but it was very useful information that we didn't get today.

"The car seems to be competitive, in the long runs as well, so it's a positive start.

"But we've had many Fridays with positive starts and then we see in qualifying that the Mercedes flies or that the Red Bull is in front of everybody. So we need to remain calm and analyse the information."

Asked about the prospect of winning Sunday's race, which if he achieves it would be only his second victory at the Spanish GP, Alonso said: "It's still a dream.

"It's something that it's extremely difficult to get, not just in front of your home fans.

"You need many factors to come together to win on Sunday, so let's start with qualifying tomorrow.

"We know how important it is to start from the first two rows here in Barcelona. Maybe we are in the group of the leaders, but you can be first or you can be eighth with two or three tenths."

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Button unsure about McLaren updates

Jenson Button says that while McLaren have made a step forward in Barcelona, it hasn't helped them narrow the deficit to the leaders.

McLaren brought several upgrades to the Spanish GP in the hope of closing the gap to the frontrunners after falling off the pace at the start of the season.

Those included a new front wing, however, only Sergio Perez ran that and he did so just in the final few minutes of FP2.

Button's MP4-28, though, did sport other upgrades which the Brit reckons are a step forward.

However on the downside their rivals have also made steps forward, negating McLaren's progress.

"I haven't run the new front wing, we haven't had that on the car yet," he told Sky Sports News.

"There are some positives to the parts - there are some negatives as well, to the balance of the car.

"We have moved forward I think, but I think everyone has."

The Brit, though, was not able to quantify how big a step forward McLaren have taken.

"I don't know. We've had very limited testing today, it was the same for everyone.

"As I said, we don't have the front wing on the car - we're not sure if we will this weekend - but there's a lot of data to go through and things to change for tomorrow...looking at what is working and what isn't helping our balance."

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Webber: Pretty good day

Mark Webber had few complaints about his running at Barcelona on Friday other than the "less enjoyable" part of putting mileage on old tyres.

After a wet start to proceedings on Friday morning, which saw Red Bull finish well off the pace on a drying track, the Bulls were back on form in the afternoon's session.

Almost immediately Webber and his team-mate Sebastian Vettel made a charge up on the timesheets on the hard Pirelli tyres and when everyone swapped to the mediums they put in a repeat performance.

Vettel finished at the top of the timesheets while Webber, who was third quickest, was just 0.083s down on the German.

"It looks reasonably tight," Webber said.

"We had a good time on fresh tyres and enjoyed it and then we go out and drive around and save tyres, the less enjoyable part of the job! But anyway that's what we've got to do.

"We couldn't have got much more out of it today in terms of info considering the first session was a bit scrappy for everybody because of the weather.

"But overall, a pretty good day for us. We'll find out on Sunday."

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Bottas: Best the car has been

Valtteri Bottas feels Williams have made progress in Spain having brought several upgrades to the Barcelona circuit.

Williams arrived at Barcelona as the only established team not to have scored a single World Championship in the opening four grands prix.

The team brought several upgrades to the track including a new aerodynamic package.

And Bottas, who finished 14th quickest - 2.080s off the pace, believes they've already made a difference.

"It felt like the upgrades were working well. I think we are taking small steps forward all the time," he told Autosport.

"So far it's felt like the best car we've had this season.

"It's nice to see all the hard work has paid off a bit.

"I think it's definitely a step forward, but how it will show compared to others is too early to say. I really hope we're closer."

He added: "It feels a bit more consistent, easier to know what it will do next.

"I was really comfortable in the car today for the whole day, even though the conditions were quite tricky."

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Sainz Jr set for Toro Rosso F1 test

After Antonio Felix da Costa, the next driver being groomed for a Red Bull-backed Formula 1 future looks set to be Carlos Sainz Jr.

The Spaniard, the 18-year-old son of rally legend Carlos Sainz, is in pole position to drive for Red Bull’s second team Toro Rosso in July’s young driver test at Silverstone.

Marca sports newspaper said Sainz’s debut has not been officially decided or announced.

Speed Week said Portuguese younger da Costa is the favourite to drive the championship-leading Red Bull RB9 at Silverstone.

Sainz Jr will begin his GP3 campaign this weekend in Barcelona, driving for the team co-owned by Red Bull driver Mark Webber and his team boss Christian Horner.

“If I do well this year it’s a step forward,” he is quoted by Marca, “but right now Formula 1 is not the first goal.

“First I need to do well here (GP3), then there are other steps, like the (Renault) world series.”

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Long Beach’s Pook joins New Jersey F1 project

Long Beach race founder and promoter Chris Pook has been signed up to help organise next year’s inaugural Formula 1 race in New Jersey.

On Thursday, amid scepticism the street race will ever take place, we reported that the project’s chief marketing officer and chief financial offer have left.

But in a media statement issued after the publication of those reports, the ‘Grand Prix of America’ announced that Pook has now joined as ‘special assistant’ to organiser Leo Hindery.

Most recently, Pook – who brought Formula 1 to Long Beach in the mid 70s – was linked with the sport’s potential return to those same Californian streets.

But, now, Pook “will provide consultation with respect to all aspects of construction, planning and execution” of New Jersey’s Formula 1 race, the statement said.

“Chris has a history of great success in Formula 1, which I’m confident he’ll bring to the Grand Prix of America race,” Bernie Ecclestone is quoted as saying.

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Alonso would welcome Allison to Ferrari

A hot topic of conversation in the Barcelona paddock ahead of the Spanish GP is James Allison.

Lotus’ highly rated 45-year-old technical director is now on ‘gardening leave’ and also on the market, with the big rumour linking him with Ferrari.

Allison worked at the Maranello team during the ultra-successful Michael Schumacher era, and also with Fernando Alonso during his Renault title years.

Spaniard Alonso said on Thursday: “We would always welcome any extra help.”

“We’ve seen the (competitiveness of the) Lotus car in the last three years and it’s no secret that he is one of the top men here (in Formula 1). We will see what the future is for him,” he added.

Also being discussed on Thursday was whether Allison’s departure will be the trigger for Kimi Raikkonen, who has been linked with Red Bull, to leave Lotus.

The Finn was typically cool.

“For me, it doesn’t really make a difference but I cannot tell if it makes a difference in one week or in one year, or maybe it doesn’t make a difference, I really don’t know,” he said.

“Obviously you (want to) keep the people in the team but I think there is a lot of strong people and we should be fine.”

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Vettel expects FIA steward Jones to be impartial in Spain

Sebastian Vettel has brushed off fears he might be the victim of unfair treatment this weekend in Spain.

The ex-steward on the FIA stewards’ panel this weekend in Barcelona is 1980 world champion Alan Jones.

Earlier this week, the Australian warned his countryman Mark Webber to treat German Vettel as an “enemy”.

“Seb has proved he can’t be trusted,” Jones told the Guardian.

The 66-year-old former Williams driver was referring to the ‘Multi-21′ team orders affair, adding that if Vettel disagrees with Red Bull’s instructions, “he shouldn’t have signed his agreement in the first place”.

Title leader and reigning world champion Vettel, however, brushed off suggestions he might be treated unfairly by Jones this weekend.

“I was not aware of that,” he told Kolner Express newspaper, referring to Jones’ comments. ”But if Mr Jones has taken the job as a steward, I am assuming that he is independent and neutral and so I expect no problems.”

Vettel also rubbished rumours linking him with a move to Mercedes.

“I was surprised when I read it,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“I don’t read that much, usually just the headlines — it’s pretty funny.”

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Alonso loses cool with photographer, smashes camera

A photographer claims Fernando Alonso broke his EUR 6,000 camera whilst trying to take pictures of the Ferrari driver and his model girlfriend.

According to reports, the photographer complained that Spaniard Alonso reacted angrily and manhandled him during the incident in Barcelona ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

The photographer, who said he has complained to authorities, said witnesses also saw Alonso attack him and smash the camera against the ground.

“Let’s see if through this complaint he learns to have more respect for the press,” the photographer is quoted by La Repubblica. ”He is an example to millions of children? He knows perfectly well that he was not provoked.”

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F1 TEAMS VOTE AGAINST RETURN OF IN-SEASON TESTING;

The Formula 1 teams have voted against bringing back in-season testing, after a meeting of the Sporting Working Group yesterday.

Ferrari, which owns a test track on its doorstep at Maranello as well as the circuit of Mugello in Tuscany, which hosted a test last summer, was keen to see a return of testing and proposed various ideas including some aimed at opportunities to bring new drivers on.

But in a vote yesterday, only the Ferrari engined teams for 2014 supported the return of testing, the majority were against it, these did not include Toro Rosso but did include Marussia, which is expected to use the new Ferrari turbo engine.

However sources in the F1 paddock suggested that the story is not over. At present the process of enshrining rules and regulations is unclear as there is no Concorde Agreement in force.

In-season testing was cut under the Resource Restriction Agreement, which was brought into force for the 2009 season.

The idea was to cut staff numbers as testing costs rose to around $1,500 per lap.

The only exemption is the three day Young Guns test, which gives drivers who have not competed in a Grand Prix a chance to drive an F1 car, although some teams use experienced development to do test mileage on new parts. It also gives teams a chance to get some much needed extra revenue by running drivers who have a budget.

The Young Guns test was voted through again and looks likely to take place at Silverstone.

Last year the teams ended up divided on which venue to use, with some of the less well funded teams doing tests at Silverstone while others went Magny Cours and some to Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Also discussed at the SWG meeting was the subject of a penalty point accumulator, similar to the way it works with road car licences in many countries, leading to a ban for persistent infringements.

This has received a generally positive response, but teams have different ideas of the implementation, so there is further discussion to be had.

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You’ll Be Terrified Of Rips After Seeing This Photo Of One Off The Coast Of Western Australia

Rips. They’re one of the first things new swimmers are warned about, right behind staying between the flags. That said, you might not comprehend just how dangerous a rip can be, fortunately, we have photos like the one above to highlight exactly what the fuss is about.

The photo, snapped by paraglider Scott Patman, was posted on the “Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf” Facebook page, run by UNSW surf scientist Dr Rob Brander. What it shows are rips pulling sand from the coast out to sea, forming a giant swirl of sediment.

According to Dr Brander, the image was taken south of Perth from about 300m in the air, with the swirl positioned 150-200m from the shore.

I’ve had a long-life fear of the ocean and, well, seeing this hasn’t helped matters. So yeah, I’ll be sticking to the shallow end of the kid’s pool for now.

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Rosberg: To be enjoyed with caution

Nico Rosberg is keeping his feet firmly on the ground despite claiming pole position for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver achieved his second successive P1 starting position at the Barcelona circuit on Saturday after posting a 1:20.718.

That put the German 0.254s up on his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, handing Mercedes the 1-2 in qualifying.

However, whether they can repeat that in Sunday's race remains to be seen as last time out in Bahrain, Rosberg dropped from pole to ninth.

As such, Rosberg admits he's cautiously happy about his pole position.

"I think we have worked really well the whole weekend to optimise everything," he said.

"Of course after Bahrain we've been thinking about the race a lot so a bit surprised to be that quick today.

"It all went perfectly in qualifying and I had a really really good lap in the end so I'm really happy with that.

"It's a good motivation boost, especially for the team with the front row. It's fantastic.

"But of course I have to be a bit cautious because of what we saw in Bahrain.

"So for sure this is nice but to be enjoyed with caution."

The German, though, is hoping that Mercedes have at least taken steps towards avoiding a repeat of their Bahrain drop.

"For sure everyone has been working really really hard back in the factory to understand even better our problems.

"It's an ongoing process understanding how to get the most out these tyres.

"It's complex for us drivers and the engineers and we were just a bit behind on that in Bahrain. I'm sure we've caught up now.

"But then you come here and there are different issues again as here it's the graining of the tyre that's the main issue so again here we are trying to catch up and make the most of that situation.

"I'm sure we've improved things so I'm a little bit more confident for tomorrow but the race is going to be a whole different thing because with the tyres its a big challenge."

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Massa and Gutierrez penalised

Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez have both been handed three-place grid penalties for impeding rivals during qualifying at Barcelona.

Massa committed his offenses during Saturday's first qualifying segment at the Spanish track when he held up Mark Webber as he slowed down ahead of the Australian driver before moving out of his way.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez got in the way of Kimi Raikkonen in the afternoon's second segment.

Found guilty by the stewards, Massa and Gutierrez will drop from sixth to ninth and 16th to 19th places respectively.

Revised Grid

01 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:20.718

02 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.972

03 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:21.054

04 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:21.177

05 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:21.218

06 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:21.308

07 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:21.570

08 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:22.069

09 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:21.219 *

10 Paul di Resta Force India 1:22.233

11 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:22.127

12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:22.166

13 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:22.346

14 Jenson Button McLaren 1:23.166

15 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:22.389

16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.260

17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:23.318

18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:24.661

19 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:22.793 *

20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:24.713

21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:4.996

22 Charles Pic Caterham 1:25.070

* three-place penalty for impeding

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Mixed emotions at McLaren

While Sergio Perez hailed his "great lap" that secured him a place in Q3 in Spain, Jenson Button was left frustrated.

McLaren arrived at Barcelona with several updates to their MP4-28 although didn't run a new front wing on Saturday as they ran out of time for it to go through scrutineering.

But even without the wing, Perez showed improved pace as he put in a great effort to get into Q3 where he eventually qualified in ninth place.

"It was a great lap," the Mexican driver told the BBC. "To be in Q3 is incredible for the team and for myself. It was something we were not really expecting.

"If we are able to maximise tomorrow, we can be satisfied.

"It has been disappointing to be in the position we are at moment, but the team is determined to keep fighting and this makes me hungry and makes me give my very best every session."

But while Perez showed signs of improvement, the same cannot be said for Button who finished a disappointing P14.

The Brit blamed tyre pressure issues for his lack of pace.

"The tyre pressures were massively high, so I don't know if something was wrong or if they were set wrong, but we're looking into it now," he told Autosport.

However, even if that hadn't been a problem, Button doesn't believe he would have been running at the front as he says McLaren's updates are just not enough.

"They're making a little bit of a difference but nowhere near enough to really challenge up the front and everyone has got new parts so it makes it very tricky for us to catch up.

"The good thing is the car with Sergio in it has shown we have made some progress, which is what we need and we need to build upon that."

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Vettel 'quite happy' with third

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel said he was satisfied with qualifying third for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

The German in his Red Bull was unable to keep pace with the two Mercedes driven by pole sitter Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

He said: "I am quite happy to be honest. Yesterday and this morning I was really happy, and I think we improved the car so I think we are in good shape."

Only once has a driver who failed to qualifying on the front row won the race.

Vettel added: "We took a different approach to the majority of people, using option tyres only. Whether that helps us tomorrow we have to wait and see.

"It will be a long race, it will be about tyre degradation. Now, with the conditions helping a little, it is a tough challenge, the tyres don't last as long as we would like."

Although Mercedes drivers Rosberg and Hamilton voiced pessimism about their race chances, Vettel said he did not believe the 'Silver Arrows' will be easy to beat or that Lotus and Ferrari are out of contention.

"Mercedes are in front of us right now, and to be honest they had some long runs and didn't look too bad," said Vettel.

"On the long runs yesterday both Ferrari and Lotus were pretty competitive, so we can expect them to be very strong in the race as well. It is going to be tough."

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Hamilton: Rosberg was just quicker

Lewis Hamilton admits he was beaten by the faster driver in Spain after losing out to Nico Rosberg in qualifying.

Mercedes have dominated qualifying in recent grand prix weeks with Hamilton on pole in China and Rosberg one race later in Bahrain.

The German did it again in Spain on Saturday when he clocked a 1:20.718 to beat his British team-mate by 0.254s.

And although Hamilton reckons a new set of medium tyres would have helped his cause, he concedes Rosberg was the quicker driver on the day.

"Today I didn't have a second option set at the end that I think would have helped a little bit. But I think Nico was just quicker today," he said.

The Mercedes 1-2 on the grid is a welcome result for a team trying to haul themselves up the pecking order.

However, Hamilton fears tyre issue will mean they won't finish the grand prix in the same position that they start.

"Congratulations to Nico, he did a great job. But also I'm really happy for the team and this is down to the great work everyone is doing at the factory.

"I'm very proud to be able to get a front row for the team, but as Nico says, we have to approach it with caution because tomorrow is going to be tough."

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Hulkenberg in need of 'more speed'

Nico Hulkenberg insists there was nothing wrong with his efforts in qualifying in Spain other than that his C32 was "simply too slow."

Hulkenberg has had a tough time since joining Sauber at the start of the season and has managed just five points in four races.

Added to that, the German has managed just one top-ten start and was unable to secure a second in Spain.

Instead Hulkenberg put his Sauber 15th on the grid, one position ahead of his rookie team-mate Esteban Gutierrez, who was later hit with a three-place penalty for impeding.

"It is disappointing, as we are simply too slow," said the 25-year-old.

"The updates this weekend were a step in the right direction, and the set up of the car during qualifying was good, but not good enough as the other teams might have improved even more.

"I am very satisfied with my lap in Q2. It was the perfect lap.

"We used two sets of mediums in order to try to get a better grid position, but in the end it wasn't enough, because we were missing pace.

"Other than that, I think we can be satisfied with what we have done, but we simply need to find more speed."

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Maldonado: This car is difficult to drive

Pastor Maldonado lamented the fall of Williams after qualifying 18th a track where just 12 months prior he claimed pole position.

Last season the Venezuelan driver pulled off a surprise when he secured pole position for the Spanish GP and a day later won the grand prix.

This year, though, there is was a very different story.

Arriving at Barcelona as the only established outfit without a single World Championship points, Williams had hoped their raft of updates would recitfy the situation.

However, when qualifying came along there was little sign of any improvement.

Neither driver made it out of Q1 with Valtteri Bottas 17th quickest and Maldonado crossing the line down in 18th place.

"So different to last year," he told the BBC. "It's so difficult to do my best.

"The car is so difficult to drive - this is a worrying situation now, but this is what we have."

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Spanish GP: McLaren shelved new wing amid legality doubt

McLaren opted not to run its latest-specification front wing in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix because it did not have the chance to check it would pass the FIA's bodywork flexibility tests.

A pair of new front wings reached Barcelona overnight, but ahead of Saturday morning practice the decision was made not to risk running them without checking.

"It was very tight," said team principal Martin Whitmarsh when asked why the new front wing design was not used.

"We were unable to be confident that they complied legally and we took the decision that unless you are confident in the compliance of the wings then you shouldn't use them."

McLaren had hoped to test the flexibility of the parts on the FIA test apparatus but did not get the opportunity to do so before free practice.

While the wings complied with the regulations when tested in-house, the team did not want to leave itself open to disqualification should its tolerances have been incorrect.

"You will see people queuing down at what is known as the 'bridge of doom' and it's the tests that go on there that determine whether the car is legal or not.

"We and other teams test parts before they are here, the tolerances of stiffness and dimensions is very tight.

"Everyone does their own test but everyone tests on critical issues on the FIA equipment.

"If you can't do that, given the tolerances, you have got inherent risk."

Whitmarsh did not blame the FIA for not being able to test the wing, accepting that the apparatus did not have to be available to McLaren when it wanted to use it.

"The hope was that we would have the ability to get onto the rig but in fairness to the FIA, they have got no obligation to make it available to use early on a Saturday morning so there is no criticism of them - that was the chance that we took.

"Without that check, it wasn't prudent to go forward."

PROGRESS... BUT NOT ENOUGH

McLaren's major upgrade package did improve the car, with Sergio Perez turning in its best qualifying performance of the year with seventh fastest time in Q2, but Whitmarsh admitted that it could have been better.

He pointed to the improved correlation between factory simulations and track performance as one major positive.

"The simulation before the start of the season was over-optimistic and we had poor correlation but often when you look back at it and are really honest with yourself [you realise] there was some will to believe data and to interpret data in a more positive way than it really [should have been].

"The simulation coming here was more modest in expectation.

"We hoped that we would find more performance than the simulation and if you want to take some positives out of the weekend, there is a better correlation.

"But clearly we haven't made the step forward that we need or want to make."

McLaren has further upgrades planned for the upcoming Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix, building on the Spanish GP package, which includes a new front wing first run on Friday, a new rear wing designs and modified rear suspension uprights amid a raft of changes.

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Spanish Grand Prix: Alonso thrills home crowd with a win

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso rewrote the Formula One form book and turned up the heat in the championship battle by winning his home Spanish Grand Prix for the second time on Sunday.

The double world champion’s second victory of the season, and 32nd of his career, made him the first driver in 23 years of racing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to win from outside the top three grid positions.

Alonso, who won in Barcelona with Renault in 2006 and also in Valencia last year at the European Grand Prix, took the chequered flag 9.3 seconds ahead of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen in a Lotus.

The Spaniard, who started in fifth place with the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row, seized third place through the third corner and had the crowd roaring him on as he led after 13 of the 66 laps.

“It was fantastically emotional and the fans really helped because you feel the support from everyone,” said Alonso after doing his slowing down lap with a Spanish flag handed to him by a marshal.

“We have only had five races and there have been some ups and downs but we know we have the car to fight with the top cars and if we do well we can compete for the championship.”

Raikkonen, in the points for a 22nd successive race and now just two short of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, denied Ferrari a one-two finish with Brazilian Felipe Massa taking a distant third.

Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel was fourth, 38.2 seconds behind Alonso, and saw his overall lead over Raikkonen cut to four points. After five of the 19 races, the German has 89 points to Raikkonen’s 85 and Alonso’s 72.

Hamilton slipped to fourth overall with 50 points after spending the afternoon falling through the field as Mercedes – as expected – again failed to live up to their electrifying qualifying pace.

The 2008 world champion ended up out of the points in 12th and was even heard exclaiming that he had been overtaken by a Williams – driven by last year’s winner Pastor Maldonado – as a measure of how much he was struggling.

“It was way too tough,” he told the BBC. “We have got a lot of work to do. We both went backwards, but I went back a long, long way and I don’t know why. We will keep going back to the drawing board and see what we can do.”

Former champions Williams have failed to score a point in five races with a car lacking aerodynamic performance and Venezuelan Maldonado, who finished 14th after a drive-through penalty, had started way back in 17th place.

In a race dictated by the quick-wearing tyres, Alonso pitted four times – the same as Vettel and Massa – while Raikkonen made only three trips to the pitlane.

Rosberg, who had also been on pole at the previous race in Bahrain where he finished ninth, led for the first 10 laps before facing up to the inevitable.

The German, sixth at the finish behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber, was not to lead again as Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez took over at the front for two laps in a Sauber amid the pitstops before Alonso asserted himself.

Britain’s Paul Di Resta was seventh for Force India with McLaren’s Jenson Button eighth after starting 14th. Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was ninth and Australian Daniel Ricciardo 10th for Toro Rosso.