FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Wolff laments loss of McLaren engine customer

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has admitted he is disappointed that long time engine partner McLaren is set to link up with Honda for a supply of works turbo engines in 2015.

Formerly McLaren’s works engine partner, Mercedes set up its own Formula 1 team a few years ago, leaving the great British outfit with the prospect of a customer engine bill.

But that will end after 2014, when Japanese carmaker Honda returns to Formula 1 after a six-year absence, rekindling its famous and highly-successful partnership of the 80s and 90s with McLaren.

Mercedes, albeit focused on its Brackley based works squad but still supplying customers McLaren and Force India, admitted it is disappointed to lose a great partner.

“It is of course not ideal when you lose a customer, especially when it’s someone like McLaren, who have been with Mercedes for so long and celebrated great successes with us,” motor sport director Wolff told Speed Week.

“So of course it’s unpleasant, but it’s a decision they’ve taken. We also look forward to having another competitor in Formula 1 — Honda is a top brand and, as the saying goes, competition is good for business,” the Austrian added.

Wolff said Mercedes is not worried its only other current customer engine partner, Force India, could also jump ship to Honda.

“No, because everyone has only a limited ability to supply customer teams. For us, it’s somewhere between three and four teams, and we’re confident that in the coming years we will have at least three (Mercedes-powered) teams in Formula 1,” he said.

That implies that Mercedes is now looking for a replacement for McLaren beyond 2014.

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CVC votes to keep Ecclestone at the F1 helm despite charges

Formula 1′s owners CVC have voted to keep Bernie Ecclestone at the helm of the sport, despite reports that German prosecutors have decided to charge him with bribery.

The bribery case surrounds a payment of $44 million to now-jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky some years ago, and suspicions the 82-year-old Briton wanted CVC to buy the sport’s commercial rights because he would be retained as chief executive.

Ecclestone, however, argues that Gribkowsky simply blackmailed him, threatening to reveal potentially costly secrets about his tax affairs.

And he told the Sunday Times newspaper that, at the end of last week in Geneva, CVC chiefs met to discuss the ramifications of the German charges.

“Everyone voted to support me staying on and running the business,” said Ecclestone.

“The board agrees I should stay unless I’m convicted.”

He dismissed the German charges as “a complete load of rubbish”.

Ecclestone, however, told Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt that, despite not actually receiving the charge sheet yet, he does expect the German prosecutors to proceed.

“I hope they don’t but I think they will,” he said in the Guardian. “Then we will see what happens. That doesn’t mean to say there will be a trial.”

Indeed, Reuters news agency reported several days ago that prosecutors could settle the case with Ecclestone in exchange for a “non-penal payment”.

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Monaco Grand Prix: Williams preview Monte Carlo

Williams drivers preview the Monaco Grand Prix, Round 6 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Mike Coughlan, Technical Director: Monaco may be one of the shortest tracks of the year, but it’s the most demanding, especially for the driver. Although the corner speeds are the slowest on the calendar, you have to use as much of the track as possible and the closer the driver can put his car to the barriers the faster he will go. As it is a street circuit the grip levels change the whole weekend so it’s important to give the drivers as much time on-track as possible in order for them to gain confidence, particularly for Valtteri who has never driven here before. Due to the bumpy nature of the track, a good mechanical platform is required. We need to raise the ride-height and increase the steering angle capacity for the tight, twisting corners. We also run with maximum downforce there.

We made some small steps forward in Barcelona but it was still a difficult weekend for us. We have a number of upgrades for Monaco designed for the unique layout. We need to keep working hard though as it’s not been the start to the year we had hoped for. As a team, we are still focussed on getting the performance out of the FW35.

Pastor Maldonado: I have always been very competitive at Monaco, doing well there in GP2, so I always look forward to this race as I feel very comfortable driving the circuit. You can also feel the history of Formula One as you drive through the streets and tackle some of the really famous corners. Monaco is a very difficult challenge, both mentally and physically, as you have to try and find the limits of the car with no margin for error if you push too hard. Qualifying will be very important at this race and is probably 70% of the weekend because overtaking is so difficult and risky. Tyre strategy and tyre management is important as you always use the softer compound of tyres in Monaco and they are very sensitive this year. We are working hard at the factory to see where we can make improvements and hopefully we can continue improving the set-up of the FW35 and have a better result this weekend.

Valtteri Bottas: This will be my first time racing in Monaco and I’m really looking forward to it because it’s such an iconic track. It’s definitely the most challenging race on the calendar for the drivers, being an old school street circuit with no room for mistakes and I’m looking forward to the challenge of being on the limit at all times while being so close to the walls. In the past tyre wear in Monaco has been quite minimal, but with Pirelli bringing the softs and supersofts to this race the tyre degradation may be more of a factor, although less than we saw in Bahrain and Barcelona. It’s very challenging to get the car right at Monaco as it’s very different to all other circuits. There is a lot of undulation, so you need a good car set up to keep all the wheels on the ground around the whole circuit. It’s also quite bumpy which affects the ride height of the car.

Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 Head of Track Operations: Monaco has the lowest average speed on the calendar: just 160kph. With low speed corners punctuating the lap the challenge is to deliver a highly responsive engine through the lower rev limits of the engine (around 15 – 17,000rpm) to give response on the entry and exit to the corners. Another key area to get right is the cooling. With so little time spent at full throttle and so much in ‘dirty’ air, the engine can run very hot. We’ll therefore monitor the temperatures very closely and run the water system hotter to dissipate the heat if necessary.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: For Monaco, we have the P Zero Yellow soft tyres and P Zero Red supersoft tyres. This is actually the same nomination that we have had in place for Monaco over the last two seasons, but of course this year the compounds are a lot softer. So we’d expect the supersoft – which was last seen in Australia – to be the tyre to qualify on and the soft tyre the one for the race. Monaco is the circuit that places the least demands on tyres all year, which is why we can run the two softest and fastest here. However, as the aerodynamics don’t generate a lot of downforce in Monaco, it’s the tyres that produce all the mechanical grip to get the cars around all the corners, so in this respect it is quite demanding.

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High-degradation F1 'not boring' for drivers - Paul di Resta

Formula 1 is still as exciting in the cockpit this season as it has been in recent campaigns regardless of high tyre wear, claims Paul di Resta.

Amid an ongoing debate about whether or not Pirelli's high-degrading tyres have taken away some of the thrill of racing, di Resta is in no doubt that things are just as good this season as they have been before.

"It might be boring at the front, but it's not boring when the whole distance you're challenging for another position," di Resta told AUTOSPORT when asked about the state of racing this year.

"Even up to 11 laps from the end of the last grand prix, we were fighting for track position because we knew we were on a four-stop and had to get ahead of some cars on a three-stop. It's a big thing.

"It's nice that things change during a race and tyre wear gets better.

"Some grands prix you're scared on Friday that you're going to do loads of stops, but by Sunday the engineers have fixed things."

Di Resta concedes that his outfit has sometimes had to compromise its qualifying because of concerns about race degradation, but he thinks that actually helps make Sundays more interesting.

"We look forward to race performance because we know our car won't challenge for the front two rows in qualifying," he said.

"You're on the back foot already, so you have to stop thinking about that and start thinking about the race and challenging at the end when they're in trouble.

"That's what keeps the racing exciting and challenging. Even when it comes to the point that you might save a set of tyres for that, you don't know where you're going to be.

"The other thing - and I'm not getting carried away - is that all the races, for us, have been like last year.

"We know Barcelona is the toughest race on tyres, so I don't expect Monaco to be too different to last year."

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The Strategy Play That Could Decide the Monaco GP:

The last few Grands Prix have been decided by race strategy; good planning and execution. And Monaco looks set to be the same.

Mercedes has taken three poles in a row, but lost out on race day. Will Monaco offer them a chance to hold on and win the race?

If the race is a marginal one or two stop race, will Lotus and Ferrari be able to play a strategic game to get the win? Ferrari hasn’t won Monaco for 12 years.

From a strategy point of view the Monaco Grand Prix is a very tricky race as cars can lose a lot of time running in slow traffic and there is a very high (80%) chance of a safety car, which can turn strategies on their heads.

Although Monaco is a unique proposition, a narrow street track on which it is almost impossible to overtake, there is potentially a game to be played this year on race strategy.

Traditionally a one stop race, there is scope for teams like Lotus and Ferrari that are kinder on their tyres than rivals, to pit early and attempt the undercut, at an early point in the race, knowing that their rivals will not be able to react and bring their car in because it will not make it to the finish from there on a single set of tyres. So the question is, how early will the teams dare to stop?

With the likelihood that Mercedes will take pole and the front row in Monaco in qualifying, this is a very real possibility as a tactical play for Lotus and Ferrari and it will be fascinating to see whether they do it.

Monaco is a unique street circuit, which offers no real reflection on the way cars will perform at other venues. It is a one-off.

The track layout is tight, with no high speed corners, two short straights and the lowest average lap speed of the season at 160 km/h (100mph).

The track is narrow and lined with barriers, which means that a safety car is often deployed while marshals clear accident debris and this can greatly influence strategy if it falls at an opportune moment.

The only possible overtaking place is on the run between the exit of the tunnel and the chicane, but drivers must be careful as it is very dirty off line in the tunnel and they can lose grip by picking up dust and discarded rubber from the tyres, which is a particular feature of the Pirelli tyres used in F1 today.

Track characteristics

Monte Carlo – 3.34 kilometres;

Race distance – 78 laps = 260.52 kilometres. 19 corners in total.

The slowest lap of the season at an average lap speed of 160km/h.

Aerodynamic setup – High downforce;

Top speed 295km/h (with Drag Reduction System active on rear wing) – 285km/h without.

Full throttle – 45% of the lap (lowest of year);

Total fuel needed for race distance – 120kg (very low);

Fuel consumption – 1.55 kg per lap (very low)

Time spent braking: 12% of the lap (high); 13 braking zones;

Brake wear – Medium; 48 gear changes per lap.

Total time needed for pit stop: 25 seconds.

Fuel effect (cost in lap time per 10kg of fuel carried): 0.28 seconds (very low)

Form Guide

The Monaco Grand Prix is the sixth round of the 2013 FIA F1 World Championship.

Cars that go well in Monaco have plenty of low speed downforce and traction, for good corner exit performance. The Mercedes was the fastest car in the slow Sector 3 in Barcelona, which is usually a good indicator of pace for Monaco. It has also had pole position at the last three Grands Prix, but has then faded each time in the race as it overheats its tyres. This is less of a problem at Monaco as the track puts less energy into the tyres, so Mercedes may well be able to hold on and win this race.

Monaco requires a particular technique of driving close to the barriers and this is a venue where a driver can make a real difference.

As far as drivers’ form is concerned at Monaco, all the world champions have won Monaco; Sebastian Vettel won in 2011, while other previous Monaco winners in the field are Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Mark Webber has won it twice. Red Bull has won the race for the past three seasons. Ferrari hasn’t won Monaco since 2001, a wait of 12 years!

Weather Forecast

The forecast looks good with temperatures around 20 degrees and a low chance of rain. Being coastal however rain can arrive quite suddenly and there is a threat of rain for race day.

Likely tyre performance and other considerations

Pirelli tyre choice for Monaco: Supersoft and Soft.

Monaco is gentle on tyres, the track surface is smooth and there are no high energy corners.

This race sees the second appearance of the supersoft tyre, which was used in Melbourne. The teams have done little running or testing on it this year. In Melbourne it lasted only nine or ten laps, but with the shorter lap in Monaco and less energy going into the tyre, it should go further.

However, to make a one stop strategy work you will need to do more than 50 laps on a set of soft tyres. Based on what we saw in China, where the soft was good for only six or seven laps, this will be a struggle. Pirelli has acknowledged its mistake in making the construction of the 2013 tyres too aggressive and this is the last outing for them before they return to the 2012 construction from Montreal onwards.

To pull off a one stop strategy the cars that qualify on supersofts will need to get to at last lap 27. This may prove too much for many runners, who are likely to be forced into a two stop strategy. This creates a great opportunity for a car, like the Lotus, that may not qualify at the front, but can potentially do the race on one stop only. It is more likely that the race will be like the 2011 edition which saw a mixture of one, two and even three stop strategies.

Number and likely timing of pit stops

Last year saw the top ten finishers all doing a similar one stop strategy. Of the podium finishers, Webber pitted on lap 29, Rosberg on lap 27 and Alonso on lap 30.

The pit lane at Monaco is long and slow so the time needed to make a stop is quite long at around 25/26 seconds. This, and the risk of losing time on slower traffic, encourages teams to make less rather than more stops.

But with big question marks over both tyre compounds, ahead of a change of construction by Pirelli from Canada onwards, free practice running will be crucial to identify the optimum strategy and stop laps.

Teams will do whatever strategy they believe is the quickest and will allow them to run in as much clear air as possible.

Given the performance gap between the soft and super soft tyre it is likely that everyone will qualify on the super soft.

The first lap is always very costly for the midfield and back of the field. With having to follow through the tight corners, it’s common for the cars in the bottom third of the grid to do a first lap which is 20 seconds slower than the leader, who is running in clear air.

Chance of a safety car

Very high – there is an 80% risk of Safety Car intervention with a total of 14 Safety Car periods in the past ten years. And if one is deployed at the right time it can make your race. But if it falls at the wrong time, your victory plans fall apart – as they did for Jenson Button in 2011, who was trying to drive flat out uninterrupted on three stops, a risky plan given the likelihood of the safety car.

Recent start performance

The run from the start to the first corner at Monaco is very short and always chaotic. The first turn, St Devote, is tight and slow and cars go through it in single file.

Last year 13 cars ended the opening lap in a different position from their grid slot.

As far as 2013 start performance is concerned drivers have gained (+) or lost (-) places off the start line this season, on aggregate, as follows –

Gained

+9 Perez

+9 Gutierrez

+9 Sutil***

+8 Van der Garde

+7 Maldonado

+3 Button

+3 Chilton

+2 Alonso

+2 Hulkenberg**

+2 Massa

+1 Bianchi

+1 Pic

+1 Vettel

Held position

Di Resta

Lost

-9 Vergne ****

-8 Grosjean

-7 Ricciardo

-6 Webber*

-5 Hamilton

-4 Raikkonen

-3 Bottas

-2 Rosberg

*Webber dropped from second to seventh after a clutch problem in Australia
** Hulkenberg did not start in Australia *** Sutil suffered puncture from contact with Massa in Bahrain ****Vergne retired following collision.

Pit Stop League Table

Of course good strategy planning also requires good pit stop execution by the mechanics and we have seen tyre stops carried out in less than two and a half seconds by F1 teams. Here again Ferrari leads the way consistently this year.

It is also clear that the field has significantly closed up in pit stops. The top four teams fastest stops were within 4/10ths of a second of each other in Spain. It shows how much work has gone on in this area.

The league table below shows the order of the pit crews based on their fastest time in the Spanish Grand Prix, from the car entering the pit lane to leaving it.

Worth noting is that the leading times are around one second faster than last year at the same event, showing the progress made in this area.

1. Ferrari 18.471s

2. Red Bull 18.606s

3. McLaren 18.810s

4. Sauber 19.324s

5. Mercedes 19.352s

6 Force India 19.481s

7 Toro Rosso 19.498s

9. Lotus 19.743s

10. Marussia 19.830s

11. Caterham 20.734s

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Button wants to repay loyal fans

It hasn't been a great few months for McLaren fans, but Jenson Button is determined to put a smile on their faces by the time the British GP comes around.

Instead of challenging for race wins in the five races to date, Button and team-mate Sergio Perez found themselves battling midfield runners for a places in the top 10 spots.

The Woking squad are fifth in the Constructors' standings - behind Force India - with just 29 points.

With their home race at Silverstone just around the corner, Button hopes they will be higher up the grid by then.

"I noticed in the grandstands there were a lot of rocket red (McLaren) caps and Union Jacks," he is quoted as saying by Press Association Sport.

"That is great to see and they are all so supportive, but you have to feel for them a little.

"You don't really want to look them in the eye because we know we're not doing as well as we should be doing.

"So I have to say thank you for all their support and let them know we are doing everything we can to get back to the front.

"I'm hopeful we're going to keep making steps forward every race we go to so by the time we get to the British Grand Prix we're parking some good points. That would be great in front of my home crowd.

"That's what I'm personally hoping for, although obviously I'd like to get better results before that."

McLaren made some progress at Barcelona as both their cars finished in the top 10, but Button warns that it will take a few races before they will be back up to scratch.

"We're doing a very good job with what we have, in getting points, and to finish eighth and ninth (in Spain) was not too bad," added Button.

"We beat a Mercedes, we beat a Force India, so it's not horrendous. We're not moving forward quick enough, but we're doing everything we can.

"Obviously beating Force India is not what McLaren is all about, but we're behind them in the Championship, so that's what we have to aim for first and then go for bigger targets.

"At least with the new package we have, the exciting thing is it's a new platform, very similar to what we had last year, and we can build on that a lot easier because we know what we're doing.

"It's not going to happen overnight, it's still tough, but we're doing what we can."

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Pastor: Top 10 a real possibility

Pastor Maldonado believes finishing in the top 10 at Monaco is a real possibility for the Williams team.

After the highs of 2012 during which he won the Spanish Grand Prix, it is back to battling at the back for Maldonado and the Grove squad this season with the team yet to pick up any points.

The Venezuelan, though, is upbeat about his chances of breaking his points duck at Monte Carlo this weekend.

Asked by Autosport about his hopes for the race, he replied: "I hope to be more competitive and to be in the top 10 and it is possible.

"It's one of the most different races during the season.

"I have always been very strong on that track in the past and I hope to be closer to the top 10 there."

Maldonado has repeatedly stated that the FW35 is a difficult car to drive, but he is hopeful he will be more comfortable behind the wheel in Monaco.

"It's difficult to say because I have had a different feeling with the car at different tracks," said of the car with the street circuit in mind.

"I hope to have a controllable car in Monaco.

"Normally, if I feel safe with the car there I can make the difference [at Monaco]."

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Force India ready for P5 battle

Force India are determined to hang onto fifth place in the standings, but they know it won't be easy.

Not many people would've predicted the Silverstone team would be ahead of McLaren after five races, but Vijay Mallya's squad has outperformed their British rivals so far.

Paul di Resta has scored the bulk of their points, but Adrian Sutil has also chipped in despite being one of the unluckiest drivers on the track so far this campaign.

Team principal Mallya says they are "capable" of fighting for fifth place in the races to come and hope to stay on the front foot in Monaco by getting both cars in the top 10.

"In our first European race, two weeks ago in Barcelona, the team once again showed its form," he said. "A strong points finish by Paul di Resta ensured we held on to fifth position in the World Championship, and we look capable of fighting at this level in the races to come.

"With a little help from Lady Luck, who hasn't been much on Adrian Sutil's side lately, we will be able to score points with both cars and firmly establish our position in the Championship. So far our weakness has been failing to get both cars home in the points and it's something we need to remedy."

Di Resta, meanwhile, warns that McLaren will bounce back sooner or later, but it's important that Force India keep ahead of their main rivals.

"McLaren is a strong team and they will keep improving, but in the races so far we have been fighting them and we've often been quicker," he said.

"Realistically, though, we are doing a great job regularly beating our direct rivals - Sauber, Williams and Toro Rosso. Our strength has been our consistency - we have been performing well in each of the races so far, and we are now looking forward to the Sundays with confidence."

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Pirelli eyes two stops in Monaco

The pit stop drama from Barcelona is unlikely to be repeated at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.

Pirelli copped a lot of flak in the wake of the Spanish GP where cars stopped on average four times, and they initially revealed they would revert back to last year's tyres later in the season only for the FIA to reject the proposal.

The drama of Spain, though, won't be replicated on the streets of Monte Carlo as Pirelli believes drivers will average two stops in the race.

"In Monaco we'd expect an average of two pit stops per car, because in complete contrast to the last race at Barcelona, Monaco has very low tyre wear and degradation," Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said.

"This doesn't make the race any less strategic however, as in the past we have seen drivers trying completely different strategies yet ending up very close to each other at the finish.

"The last race in Spain was won from lower down on the grid than it has ever been won before, so it will be interesting to see if this pattern can repeat itself in Monaco: a track that is renowned for being difficult to overtake on. Because of this, strategy will become even more important than usual, with teams trying to use tactics to improve on their starting positions."

The top 10 finishers in the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix all stopped only once, around the 30-lap mark, and only two cars started on the super soft tyre.

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Photos: Massa and Ferrari burn rubber in Warsaw

It’s always exciting driving a Formula 1 car, even if doing just that has been one’s job for the past ten years and one has racked up tens of thousands of kilometres in the cockpit. It’s also exciting driving it in testing, even the aero tests, when all one does is go up and down a straight, far from prying eyes, but it is even more of a thrill when one is entertaining the crowds on the streets of a big city.

It is exciting for all drivers, from the youngest to the most experienced and Felipe is no exception to that rule. That was once again the case in Warsaw this afternoon, where the Brazilian was driving an F60 as part of a Shell event for the launch of the V-Power Nitro+ fuel on the Polish market.

“It’s nice to drive close to the crowds, seeing the people waving to you and taking thousands of photos as you pass by in the car,” said Felipe after the show. “At events like this, of course you are not on the limit, but you are still having fun and putting on a show for the people who have come to see you. This year, I’ve already done an event like this in Rio De Janeiro before the start of the season and now here we are in Poland.”

“Events like this are good for our sport, bringing it closer to an audience that maybe knows little about Formula 1 or doesn’t have the opportunity to see it live. In Warsaw, I found a lot of enthusiasm and the people are very open and polite and it’s a shame I can’t spend more time here. Maybe I can come back some other time and stay longer!”

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Vettel disagrees with Ecclestone’s tyre philosophy

World champion Sebastian Vettel has called on Pirelli to consider a fundamentally different approach to its role as Formula 1 tyre supplier, while the sport’s big boss admits demanding ‘short life’ tyres from the Italian manufacturer.

Tyres has been the buzzwor of the paddock throughout 2013 so far, and the controversy came to a head after Barcelona, when tempers flared over the widespread four-stop strategies.

Following rampant criticism, mainly from Red Bull and Mercedes, Pirelli announced it would make changes for next month and beyond, but Lotus and Ferrari hit back, supported by the FIA who insist any changes should be minimal.

Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone backs his sport’s Italian partner.

“I asked Pirelli to make tyres that would not complete 50 per cent of a race — meaning we need pitstops,” he told Formula 1′s official website this week. And that’s what they did.”

Ecclestone said problems have arisen because Pirelli’s task is “very, very difficult” given race-to-race differences in circuit, temperatures, cars and driver styles.

For once, however, Red Bull’s world champion Vettel disagrees completely with his backgammon rival.

“It is not just about considering changing one ingredient in the recipe,” the German told Kicker magazine. “It’s more about the recipe itself.”

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Hulkenberg: We are not producing the results we wanted

Nico Hulkenberg has left open the possibility of a future driver role with Ferrari, despite a below par start to the season with Ferrari powered Sauber.

When the talented 25-year-old made the curious and apparently sideways step from Force India to Sauber for 2013, many sensed a ‘Ferrari factor’.

Indeed, while Force India uses Mercedes power, the Swiss team Sauber is a customer and close political ally of Ferrari.

Following the German’s move, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said: “I am very curious to see how Hulkenberg goes with our engine at Sauber”.

The start of Hulkenberg’s Ferrari-powered career has been mixed: he has thoroughly outshone Esteban Gutierrez in the sister car and won Sauber’s praise. On the other hand, the C32 car is struggling.

Asked if that’s what he expected when he moved from Force India, Hulkenberg smiled to Spain’s El Confidencial: “No. We are behind where we expected, and not producing the results we wanted.”

As for whether his road towards Ferrari is on course, Hulkenberg admitted: “I don’t know — you’ll have to ask them. These are the early days of the season, but I do want to get back to winning races and challenging, and to be champion one day.”

“To do that you have to be in a big team. The future is open and you have to do the best you can with the car you have every weekend,” he added.

Hulkenberg, a rare commodity in the Formula 1 paddock in that he is a midfield driver without considerable sponsorship backing, has had a stop-start Formula 1 career so far.

He made an impressive debut in 2010, scoring pole position at the season finale, but was immediately dropped by Williams. He sat on the reserve bench with Force India the following year, returning to the grid in 2012.

“Three teams in three years, many changes … more than I would like,” Hulkenberg smiled again. ”What happened with Williams was frustrating — there was no discussion, I was out. You do a good season and lose the seat for other reasons.”

“In any case, it’s in the past and everyone’s race (Formula 1 career) is different — mine with many changes,” he added.

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Valencia organisers want lower fee for F1 return

Valencia organisers are hoping to negotiate a new fee and then agree to annually alternate a spot on the Formula 1 calendar with Spanish Grand Prix host Barcelona.

Whether the Spanish cities will ultimately share just one Spanish date on future Grand Prix calendars is a long-running saga, but the latest reports indicate talks are still ongoing.

Barcelona officials played down the likelihood of a deal when it hosted its race at the Circuit de Catalunya earlier this month.

But Valencia’s regional government, the Valencian generalitat, said through its vice president Jose Ciscar: “We are negotiating a discount for it (the Formula 1 race).

“When it is closed, I believe that we can sign the contract between the three parties,” he told the Spanish news agency EFE, referring to Valencia, Barcelona and Formula 1′s Bernie Ecclestone.

Ciscar said Formula 1 could therefore return to Valencia in 2014, adding: “But I’m very cautious.

“When we can announce that the deal is done, it will be announced.”

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Honda seeking base in England for F1 project

Honda is looking for a base in England to set up its new Formula 1 project with its great former partner McLaren.

The two marques announced late last week that they have linked up for a new ‘works’ partnership that will see Honda supply turbo V6 engines to McLaren from 2015.

“Honda will develop its engines at its facility in Tochigi, Japan, where it has already begun development,” read the media statement last Thursday.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said Honda is also looking to operate out of an English headquarters.

“Rumours refer to Cosworth’s properties,” said correspondent Michael Schmidt.

Cosworth, currently the supplier of V8 engines to Marussia, is expected to pull out of Formula 1 before the change of regulations for 2014.

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McLaren boss Whitmarsh says Perez showing expected progress

Sergio Perez is starting to show the qualities that made McLaren want him to replace Lewis Hamilton, according to team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

The Mexican driver scored just two points in his first three races with the team, but finished ahead of team-mate Jenson Button in Bahrain and then outqualified the Briton for the first time at Barcelona.

Whitmarsh feels Perez, who joined McLaren after two seasons with Sauber, is heading in the right direction as he settles in at his new team.

"Checo is showing the intelligence and natural pace that we saw in him before," Whitmarsh said during a Vodafone phone-in on Tuesday.

"He is growing in confidence. He is very young and relatively inexperienced.

"To put himself into daunting place of being a McLaren driver, particularly when we haven't delivered a good enough car, there's been an enormous amount of pressure.

"He still has a lot to learn, he is still more than a decade behind Jenson and yon can't acquire that overnight, but I think he is working in the correct direction."

Whitmarsh also reckons Perez will benefit from having a competitive team-mate in Button, whom he believes is a great benchmark for the Mexican.

"Jenson is enormously competitive individual, despite his apparent easygoing demeanour," he added.

"He doesn't like being beaten either so they are going to fight in a correct and appropriate way.

"Jenson is a tremendous benchmark, the ultimate professional with more than a decade of experience, very intelligent and quick.

"So [for Perez] to come into a new team, with a comparative lack of experience, if you're going to be a star of the future you have to beat your team-mate and he is getting stuck into that now."

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How To Do The Perfect Formula 1 Start:

This season we have seen how starts are almost as important as qualifying in setting up a driver for a good result. Crucial places gained off the line by Alonso in the Spanish Grand Prix or Raikkonen in the Australian Grand Prix, for example, set them up for their wins in those respective races.

Starts at Monaco make a huge difference; last year 13 cars ended the opening lap in a different position from their grid slot.

So how is it done? What is the secret of a good start?

Formula 1 adviser Mark Gillan provides the answer.

The two crucial technical elements in a start are tyre temperature and clutch preparation. The grippiness of the tyres on the track surface and the stability of the clutch are first order priorities in getting the perfect start.

Each driver has a control engineer alongside his race engineer and they are responsible for making sure all the preparations are correct for the race start. This work begins early in the weekend with practice starts; at Monaco for example the drivers are allowed to do practice starts at the end of Free Practice.

Ideally you want your driver to practice his start from the grid slot he expects to occupy on Sunday. The control engineer can then analyse the tyre grip, the level of grip from the track surface and the tyre temperatures, as well as the clutch settings based on the wheelspin experienced. All of this is analysed ready for Sunday.

With the preparation of the race clutch, what you are looking for is something which is consistent. It’s about finding a particular bite point where the clutch is stable.

On the parade lap to the grid, you see the drivers doing burn-outs, lighting up the rear tyres. This gets temperature into the rear tyres and gets them into their working range. You can’t really have enough burn-outs.

The performance engineer and control engineer monitor the temperatures on that lap via telemetry and advise the driver how many more to do.

The tyres will have been in warmers and the wheel rims will have been heated up while the car is on the grid.

The mechanics will leave it until the last possible moment before leaving the grid to remove the blankets, in order to retain the heat.

Also the brakes put heat into the rims on the lap to the grid and this maintains the temperature. The preparation of the tyres by the team and driver on his way to the start grid is critical to the start.

Some drivers complained, for example, that pole sitter Nico Rosberg had led the field around too slowly in Barcelona, which meant that they lost tyre temperature on that slow lap. Not something Mercedes suffers too much from…

The grip level of the track surface can make a difference to a start. The most extreme example of that was the new surface in Austin last year where the dirty side of the grid was at a massive disadvantage to the clean side.

So much so that Ferrari penalised Massa with a gearbox penalty so Alonso could start on the clean side.

Normally the difference between the clean and dirty side is between one and two places gained on the run to the first corner.

Ferrari has had consistently strong starts for the last few years, which has made up for their deficiencies in qualifying.

What is their secret? It’s about procedure and about getting the above right and also giving the driver the best possible chance of doing it consistently.

When the driver is ready to make the start, he releases one of his two clutch paddles on the steering wheel, holds the engine at 13,000rpm or the exact level he is instructed by the control engineer and then when the lights go out he releases the second paddle. The aim is to match the torque demands and not have too much wheelspin, and conversely not bog the engine down either, to have the perfect getaway.

Getting the driver used to doing that under pressure in a repeatable way is very difficult, as we see from the inconsistency of starts of many F1 drivers. Ferrari has the control systems optimised and the drivers are able to perform consistently.

All of the above plus a consistently accurate picture of tyre temperatures, grip levels, tyre compound information as well as engine mapping and driver discipline makes for a perfect start.

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Raikkonen: I have some options for 2014

Kim Raikkonen has confirmed that he has "some options" for the 2014 Formula One season.

The Finn's contract with Lotus runs out at the end of the year and the team admit they want him to extend his stay at Enstone.

Raikkonen has been linked with Red Bull in recent months, but team owner Gerard Lopez says he is "not concerned" by the reports.

"We know we want Kimi to drive for us next year, but then we also know Kimi's character well, which means you can't force him to do anything," he told Press Association Sport.

"I know he's happy, and at this stage if he had to choose (which team to drive for next season) I know where he would be."

Raikkonen told Italian magazine Autosprint that he has "two options" for next year, but added "until now there has not been a lot of contact, we just talked 'a bit of this and that'. I'll make my decision when the time is right."

Asked about that quote during Wednesday's FIA press conference in Monaco, he replied: "I'm sure there are some options, there's no secret.

"There is also the option that I don't drive anything because right now I have no [contractual] options, I don't have a contract, nothing. When I have and when I know what will happen I will tell [you] and it's as simple as that.

"But I'm sure it won't be the next race or the race after so for sure it will take time whatever the decision will be."

While it would be ideal for Lotus to get him to sign a contract as soon as possible, the Finn is no rush to tie himself down.

"I'm not in a hurry. Obviously if I was desperate for a contract I would probably have already tried to sign next year as well last year.

But like I said I try to do my work well and if I do it well I'm sure I will get the contract if I want," he added.

"I'm sure if we want to make a contract in the end together it will be very easy. Certainly you have to get it right and that's it. I don't really think we have to sit down every day and discuss it because nothing's changed, the decision has to come from me and I've not made any decisions."

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Monaco offers Hamilton best chance for first win as Mercedes driver

Words and hats may have to be eaten along with the usual canapes and caviar if Lewis Hamilton wins the glamour race of the Formula One season in Monaco this weekend.

The sceptics who doubted McLaren’s 2008 world champion would stand on top of the podium this season after his move to Mercedes face a moment of truth with Hamilton’s team arriving in the Mediterranean principality on the back of three pole positions in a row.

Mercedes have faded in races so far, unable to control their car’s insatiable appetite for tyres on a Sunday afternoon, but Monaco’s tight and treacherous streets are kinder on the compounds.

Hamilton, a winner in what is now his home in 2008, loves the historic circuit that winds up through Casino square and blasts down through the echoing tunnel and out along the harbourside and the ranks of swaying super-yachts.

Champions Red Bull have won the jackpot for the past three years, with Australian Mark Webber triumphant in 2012 after also winning in 2010, but Mercedes’ qualifying form threatens their run of success.

“They (Mercedes) will arrive as favourites for Monaco,” said Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso after he won his home race in Spain this month.

“They’ve been on pole position for the last three races, they were on pole last year with Michael’s (Schumacher) lap, so it would be a surprise if they weren’t on pole position in Monaco,” the Spaniard added.

“And it’s more difficult to overtake in Monaco, so maybe they can keep good positions for longer.”

Hamilton’s team mate Nico Rosberg will be just as much of a threat, with the German – who grew up in Monaco with the circuit part of his daily journey to school – chasing a hat-trick of poles after Bahrain and Spain.

Red Bull’s triple champion Sebastian Vettel leads the standings after five races, four points ahead of Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and 17 clear of Alonso in third place.

The tyres should be less of a problem than in Spain, where four pitstops were the norm and a shocked Hamilton sank from second on the grid to 12th at the chequered flag, although debris damage will still be a concern.

Suppliers Pirelli, who have brought their softest tyres to the race, expect drivers to have to make no more than two visits to the pits.

Hamilton left Spain too stunned to focus on Monaco but a sponsor trip to the United States and a visit to Le Mans to watch the French MotoGP race last weekend are sure to have revived his spirits.

Monaco is the date on the calendar he has been looking forward to more than most. He has watched the preparations for the race, with the barriers and grandstands going up, with barely concealed excitement.

“I was running around and I was thinking – because obviously Michael put it on pole – that it (last year’s car) must have been pretty good (in Monaco),” he told reporters. “So I really hope that’s the same this year.”

Although Schumacher, a five times winner in Monaco, was fastest in qualifying last year, the German did not start on pole because he had a five-place penalty carried over from Spain where he had caused a collision.

Webber did, and made the advantage stick with Rosberg a close second after starting alongside the Australian.

Just like last year, the Red Bull driver arrives in Monaco hungry for his first win of the year – a situation he would have already resolved had Vettel not defied team orders in Malaysia.

“It’s always been a good track for me,” said Webber, who can be expected to dive into the swimming pool on his team’s quayside ‘floaterhome” – the imposing hospitality unit erected on pontoons next to the paddock – if he wins again.

“It’s still a daunting place, a very challenging venue. I’m not saying you are on holiday there but when I’m out there, I don’t know what makes me feel as comfortable as I do.”

Alonso and Vettel are the only drivers to have won twice this year, with Raikkonen the other winner, and the Spaniard can become the first to win at Monaco for three different teams having triumphed previously for Renault and McLaren.

Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion who now has 22 consecutive scoring finishes to his credit and is closing in on Schumacher’s record of 24, can take the overall lead if events go his way.

The race also offers a chance for Williams, three times winners in Monaco, to score their first point of a so far dismal season with Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado very much at home on the steel-fenced streets.

Monaco Grand Prix Facts & Stats:

• Lap distance: 3.340km. Total race distance 260.520km (78 laps)
  
• 2012 pole: Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull one minute 14.381 seconds
  
• 2012 winner: Webber
  
• Race lap record: Michael Schumacher (Germany), Ferrari 2004, 1:14.439
  
• Tyre choice: Soft (yellow), Supersoft (red)
  
• Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has 32 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. He is currently tied with two times champion Mika Hakkinen.
  
• Ferrari have won 221 races since the championship started in 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 36.
  
• Mercedes have been on pole for the last three races. They have never before managed four in a row.
  
• Vettel has 38 poles to his credit, putting him third in the all-time list (Michael Schumacher had 68 and Ayrton Senna 65). Hamilton has 27 and Alonso 22.
  
• Caterham and Marussia have yet to score a point after three seasons in Formula One.
  
• None of the five 2013 rookies have scored points so far.
  
• Kimi Raikkonen has now finished 22 successive races in the points for Lotus, two short of Schumacher’s 2001/02/03 record with Ferrari.
  
• Former champions Williams have yet to score a point this season and for six races in a row.
  
• Red Bull have won the last three Monaco Grands Prix (Mark Webber 2010 and 2012, Sebastian Vettel 2011).
  
• Ferrari have not won in Monaco since 2001, with Schumacher. They have, however, set the fastest lap in five of the last nine races. Mexican Sergio Perez had the fastest race lap for Sauber last year.
  
• The driver on pole has won eight of the last 12 races in Monaco. In 1996 Frenchman Olivier Panis won from 14th on the starting grid, the lowest winning start position to date.
  
• Since 1950, only 10 times has the race been won by a driver starting lower than third.
  
• McLaren have won 15 times in the last 29 years. Ferrari have won eight times.
  
• Six former Monaco winners will be on Sunday’s starting grid: Vettel, Webber, Button, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen.
  
• If Alonso wins on Sunday, he will become the first driver to win in Monaco for three different teams. His two previous wins were with Renault and McLaren.
  
• Monaco is the race with the lowest average speed on the calendar, just 160kph.
  
• Williams’ Valtteri Bottas is the only current rookie not to have raced in Monaco in single seaters.
  

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Button not committing to McLaren’s Honda era

Jenson Button on Wednesday avoided making long term commitment to McLaren for the team’s second Honda era beginning in 2015.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh this week said he is happy with McLaren’s current driver lineup, but managing director Jonathan Neale acknowledged that the Woking based team is merely “hoping” Button will still be at the wheel in two years.

When asked about 2015, when former works Honda driver Button will potentially be reunited with Japanese power at McLaren, the 33-year-old said in Monaco: “I don’t want to think about the future too much at the moment. You’ve got to live in the moment and I don’t think trying to agree a lengthy deal for the future is something that is interesting at the moment for me.”

Button did, however, sound excited about the Honda deal – not just for McLaren’s sake, but also for Formula 1 more generally.

“For us as a team, I think it’s good news for the future. But I also think for the sport as a whole, it’s fantastic news,” said the Briton.

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Lowe likely to succeed Brawn when he retires

Team principal Ross Brawn has hinted that Mercedes has just appointed his successor.

Brawn, 58, is currently Mercedes’ team principal, but big rumours this year had linked former McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe with that job.

Mercedes has negotiated Lowe’s early release from his McLaren ‘gardening leave’, but in a statement the Brackley based team said the 51-year-old is the new executive technical director — not team boss as was speculated.

“Ross Brawn will retain overall responsibility for technical and sporting matters,” said Mercedes.

For the longer term, however, it might be seen that Lowe is now preparing to succeed Brawn.

Brawn hinted at that in the official statement, saying the transition from this year’s V8 regulations to the turbo V6s next year is not the only challenge facing big teams.

“It is perhaps less obvious,” he said, “that we will also see major changes for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as development progresses with the new generation of car design and power unit.”

And Brawn told Italy’s Autosprint this week: “Paddy and I will find a way to live together. Sooner or later I will retire, but first I want to see the fruits of the hard work.”

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Renault engine deal for Toro Rosso set to be announced

Red Bull owned Toro Rosso’s anticipated switch from Ferrari to Renault power for 2014 and beyond will be announced imminently, according to German magazine Sport Bild reports.

Paddock rumours for several months have hinted at the change, which would bring both of Red Bull’s teams under the ‘Renault powered’ banner for the new V6 era.

In March, Renault Sport Formula 1′s Jean-Michel Jalinier admitted he was “negotiating with Toro Rosso”.

Sport Bild says a deal for the supply of the French marque’s new turbo power unit to the Faenza based team is now complete.

“It will be announced later this week on the edge of the Monaco Grand Prix,” wrote reporters Bianca Garloff and Ralf Bach.

France’s RMC Sport said French carmaker Renault SA’s chief operating officer Carlos Tavares will be in Monaco this weekend.

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Bianchi: It is very important for Marussia to end up in tenth

Impressive rookie Jules Bianchi believes it is possible Marussia is on the verge of breaking into Formula 1′s midfield.

Since the team debuted as Virgin in 2010, the red and black cars have always occupied the last rows of the grid, and Bernie Ecclestone even wanted Marussia to merge with fellow backmarker Caterham ahead of the 2013 season.

And as recently as this week, Formula 1′s chief executive has proposed a ‘customer car’ rule be introduced.

“Ecclestone says the new rule would particularly benefit Marussia, Formula 1′s worst-performing team,” Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt wrote in the Express newspaper following his latest interview with the 82-year-old.

But, actually, Marussia – despite being locked out of Formula 1′s income-distribution Concorde Agreement by Ecclestone for now – is the faster of the backmarker teams so far this year.

That is thanks in part to the increasingly highly-rated skills of Formula 1 rookie Jules Bianchi, who found his way onto the grid this year only after Luiz Razia’s sponsor money dried up. The Ferrari-backed Frenchman also credits Marussia.

“The team has done a great job with the car, which is not as bad as people may think,” Bianchi, 23, told Spain’s El Confidencial.

“If we had a little more downforce we could be half-way down the grid, so we need to continue in this way.”

It could be said that, with Bianchi currently clearly outpacing teammate Max Chilton, all the pressure is on his shoulders to help Marussia finish tenth this year — giving the team crucial access to Formula 1′s official prize-money pool.

“I’m used to pressure anyway,” Bianchi answered, “but it is true that it is very important for Marussia to end up in that position, even if it will be very difficult, as Caterham is in the same situation as us.”

There is also pressure to impress Ferrari, who could be on the lookout for a new teammate for Fernando Alonso for 2014.

“I don’t know,” Bianchi said when asked about Felipe Massa’s seat, “I have no idea and in this world you never know which way it’s going to go.

“I’ll just try to do my best and if they decide to call me up I won’t say no, of course, but we’re far away from that now,” he added.

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Mark Webber says F1 needs to rethink its racing balance

Mark Webber thinks Formula 1 needs a deep think about whether or not its quest to deliver entertainment has gone too far.

Webber has been one of the most outspoken drivers about the impact that tyres are currently having on the sport, and reckons the whole sport needs to take stock of what is happening right now.

In the wake of fans being unhappy about there being too many pit stops, overtaking being devalued and not enough real wheel-to-wheel battles, Webber suggested that F1 needed to bring back some more proper racing.

"You ask any F1 driver, yes it's frustrating to sit behind a car for a full grand prix distance," he said. "I've been there, a lot of guys have been there, and that's not much fun.

"But also my race in Shanghai 2011: I'm arriving on guys like Fernando [Alonso] and Lewis [Hamilton], I'm creaming through them at about 2.5s per lap because I'd saved tyres from qualifying. That's not right either.

"Lewis Hamilton getting lapped [at the Spanish Grand Prix], having been with Alonso until lap five or six, that's not right for me. So it's gone a long way out the other way.

"Barcelona is a tough circuit but it's a racing track, these are Formula 1 cars. The writing was on the wall in winter testing.

"We have to drop down a little bit to more of the racing side of things.

"Fernando passing Kimi for the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix wasn't much of an event; Sebastian and Fernando racing each other in Shanghai wasn't either.

"We have to find a better balance for the fans and the drivers, because at the moment I think we're too far the other way."

JUNIOR RANKS ALSO A CONCERN

Webber suggested that junior categories also needed to think about what their aims are, because tyre management has become so important that pure speed is no longer shining through.

"Young drivers now are not getting the chance to show what they are capable of doing, which is the absolute basics," he said.

"We need to find young drivers pushing the car and themselves to the absolute limits, consistently having a strong baseline. That's important.

"Alex Ferguson wants to see a consistent young footballer at 16 or 17.

"To sort the wood from the trees in the junior categories right now is very, very difficult, so that needs to be addressed as well."

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Fernando Alonso: Red Bull had it too easy before high-deg F1 tyres

Fernando Alonso believes Red Bull's criticism of the Pirelli Formula 1 tyres is simply the result of it not being able to handle defeat well.

Red Bull has been outspoken about Pirelli this season, saying the high degradation 2013 tyres prevent it from fully exploiting the speed of its RB9.

But ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Alonso said that Red Bull should question its attitude, as he queried whether the reigning champion does indeed have the fastest car.

When asked to respond to recent complaints about the F1 format, which included Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz saying F1 was 'nothing to do with racing anymore', Alonso said: "It's more a question for them, they made those comments.

"Barcelona was a good race, not so good for some of our competitors. Some of these competitors claim they have a super car but the last three pole positions were for another car when the tyres are new.

"When you win too easily for some years, it's difficult to lose some races."

TALK IS STILL ALL ABOUT TYRES

The issue of tyres remains the main talking point in F1 at the moment, especially as teams still await news from Pirelli about exactly what changes are being made to the structures for the Canadian Grand Prix.

In the wake of the FIA insisting that modifications are only made on safety grounds, the only changes will be the belt structure of the rear tyres to prevent the delaminations that have hit a number of drivers in recent races.

Even that minor change could have an impact on tyre temperatures though. That scenario could help outfits like Mercedes and Red Bull that have struggled so far.

Kimi Raikkonen, whose Lotus is one of the best on the tyres, was open-minded over the differences, and suggested that the performance of teams would not change that much.

"The fairest way would be to keep the same [tyres], but there is a lot of pressure to do something," he explained. "They did some changes [before] and they didn't really affect us.

"I don't think it is going to make a lot of difference whatever [changes] they make, but I might be wrong.

"I am sure we are not going to start complaining if we are going to have some issues. If they make stronger rear tyres then we could go faster, and it could help us. I don't really see that it suddenly makes one car faster than the others."

HAMILTON: TYRES ARE EVERYTHING

Lewis Hamilton hopes the Pirelli modifications will mitigate degradation.

When told that Mark Webber said it was wrong for a slump like Hamilton's second-to-12th plunge in Spain to be possible, Hamilton replied: "What I like about Mark is that he says a lot of things that are true and a lot of things that he is very blunt about - he says it regardless.

"For other people it is not that easy to do, and I will not put it the way he put it.

"Whether or not we have gone too far, only time will tell. I definitely don't think you should be able to be that far up and get lapped from second on the grid, but that is the name of the game at the moment."

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Valtteri Bottas says Monaco will be hardest race of F1 rookie year

Valtteri Bottas expects the Monaco Grand Prix to be the toughest challenge of his Formula 1 rookie season with Williams.

The Finn, who has made an impressive start to his F1 career despite failing to score points in an uncompetitive Williams, has never raced in Monaco.

GP3 did not run in Monaco when Bottas won the championship in 2011 and he did not drive on Friday morning last year when he was reserve driver for Williams.

But he remains upbeat about his chances and is relishing what awaits him.

Asked if Monaco would be his hardest weekend of the year, Bottas replied: "I think so because the track is so challenging.

"To get the perfect lap time in qualifying, [this] is the most difficult track of the season and qualifying is the most important here.

"It's tricky, but I feel very well-prepared."

MACAU EXPERIENCE HELPFUL

Although he has never driven in Monaco, Bottas believes that his experience of street circuit racing in Formula 3 in Macau will be an advantage.

The Finn raced there from 2009-11, finishing third in the '10 running of the Macau Grand Prix.

"It is very tricky and has a lot of similarities in some places," said Bottas of Macau.

"When I went to Macau for the first time, there were no problems learning the circuit or with the walls or anything."

Bottas has completed significant mileage around Monaco in the Williams simulator.

This, combined with watching onboard footage and reviewing data from last year, means that he feels well-prepared.

"I know the way around quite well and should be aware of all the bumps and the kerbs.

"I just need to build up in practice and try to find the limits as soon as possible."

Bottas added that he had sought advice from his mentor, 1998 Monaco Grand Prix winner Mika Hakkinen and will continue to do so during the weekend.