FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Silly season latest: Raikkonen out of options as Alonso committed to Ferrari

The Red Bull seat for 2014, recently filled by Daniel Ricciardo, is no longer vacant and the silly season is still firing at Monza, but set to calm down substantially

Fernando Alonso has contributed to douse the flames on Thursday, denying he ever considered leaving Ferrari.

“It was only rumours, a lot of rumours,” said the Spaniard.

One rumour was that he was going to take the 2014 season off altogether, in order to focus on his newly-acquired professional cycling team.

“There were so many rumours,” said Alonso, who insisted he is not only committed to the rest of his Ferrari contract, but perhaps even beyond that.

“I’m at the top of my career, so for the next four to five years, I want to give 100 per cent. Then I’ll look to see at what shape I’m still in,” he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Now, then, the real focus of the ‘silly season’ is on Kimi Raikkonen’s next move.

The Finn looked stern on Thursday when he revealed his talks with Lotus are still stalled on the grid.

“We will not talk about next year as long as certain things are not covered. They know and they accept that,” said Raikkonen, undoubtedly referring to speculation the Enstone based team is behind in its payments to him.

One potential alternative for Raikkonen is no longer an option, after world champions Red Bull signed Daniel Ricciardo.

“Go and ask them, I don’t know,” said the 2007 world champion when asked why the young Australian got the seat and not him.

“Sometimes you speak with people and it doesn’t work out. There can be ten reasons, but I have no idea,” added Raikkonen.

With Lotus stalled and Red Bull closed, the 33-year-old’s most realistic destination might be Ferrari.

But at the end of 2009, when Luca di Montezemolo ended Raikkonen’s deal with a year still to run, the parties hardly parted on good terms.

Raikkonen said at Monza: “I have nothing against them. Some things in the past could have been different, but for me the past is in the past.”

Asked however if his relationship with president Montezemolo is a stumbling block, he answered: “I have no problem with anyone. If I see him, I’ll say hello.”

There is a Brazilian driver, however, who is hoping that greeting doesn’t take place. Felipe Massa thinks Ferrari should stick with what it knows as Formula 1 moves into a radical new era in 2014.

“Everything starts from zero next year – different car, different rules – so experience from the driver will be important,” he said on Thursday.

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Vettel: Boos are unfair

While Sebastian Vettel concedes it is "normal" not be liked by everyone, the Red Bull racer says being booed by fans is not fair.

The triple World Champion, who is on track to become the most successful driver of his generation, has began to divide fans in recent times as they either love him or they don't.

As a result, Vettel has found himself being booed by some fans.

The jeers dogged the Red Bull racer when he won the Canadian Grand Prix and were back again three weeks later when he retired from the British GP.

But while Vettel admits it is normal not be liked by everyone, he's not happy about being booed.

"It's normal," he told the Daily Mail. "I am very happy. I obviously would not swap with anybody.

"There are situations or stories where you want to tell people the truth as you see it. You learn to deal with the fact some think what they want. If it reaches the point where it takes your attention away from your racing then it has got in the way."

Pressed as to whether the boos that followed his British GP retirement had been a surprise, he said: "Yes. I didn't understand it.

"I had not done anything to make them do it. I went up on to the stage later for the post-race concert and got booed again. I took my camera out and said, 'If you are going to boo me at least do it properly'. I tried to make a laugh out of it.

"But you don't like it when people boo. Obviously in the British Grand Prix if I am leading and they want a British driver to win they might not like it, which is fair, but booing, I don't think that is fair.

"If one starts booing, others join in. I don't think they were all wanting to boo per se; it was a chain reaction, so you shouldn't get too upset by that."

Some of the ill-will towards Vettel, one could argue, he has brought on himself after incurring the wrath of some fans when he blatantly ignored team orders to overtake team-mate Mark Webber at this year's Malaysian GP.

The German, though, still insists he won't apologise for racing another driver out on track.

"The one thing I regret is that I put myself above the team. I apologised. Apart from that I am racing - and I am not apologising for that."

He is also adamant he doesn't receive preferential treatment from Red Bull.

"I am at the source to judge that it isn't true. Mark and I have the same car and the same chance to win," he said.

Asked by Webber says different, Vettel added: "Everybody chooses his path."

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Hulkenberg has 'options'

Nico Hulkenberg is "fairly confident" about his F1 future as rumours have the Sauber driver in the frame to replace Felipe Massa next season.

Earlier this week there was some movement in the driver market as the silly season finally yielded some concrete news as Red Bull confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo would be replacing Mark Webber.

That move brought an end to speculation that Kimi Raikkonen or even Fernando Alonso could be heading Red Bull Racing.

However, it doesn't mean all the big seats are confirmed.

As Massa's future hangs in the balance, Hulkenberg has been linked to the Brazilian's race-seat at Ferrari.

But for now, though, Hulkenberg admits that there is little in the making but a lot of potential.

"There are options out there," the Sauber driver told ESPNF1

"There's been some movement and there are some seats available. But I think it's quite early in the season and I think nothing is really fixed or confirmed yet."

The German, though, believes when it all pans out he will be with one of the F1's better teams.

He added: "I'm fairly confident [of getting a good drive]. Having said that, you can never be 100 percent confident in Formula One - I learned that in my own skin in 2010

"From that point of view all I can do is to make sure I perform at my best level together with the car, keep doing a good job and then people will see that."

Asked point blank if he could do a better job than Massa, Hulkenberg said: "Nasty question!

"It's difficult to gauge from the outside. If you're not inside the team and you can't feel the car, it's difficult to judge from the outside. I'm confident I can do a good job."

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New Jersey out, Mexico City in

Formula One could be in for its longest season to date next season after Austria, Mexico and Russia were added to the calendar.

According to NBC the provisional calendar, which is by no means the definitive schedule, will be extended to 21 grands prix as Russia make its debut while Mexico and Austria return to the calendar.

Both Russia and Mexico, though, are subjected to track inspections and contracts being secured.

Russia is pencilled in for October 19th while Mexico is down to host its first grand prix since 1992 and will be back-to-back the United States GP in Texas.

The Texan race could be America's only event as there was no place for New Jersey on the provisional calendar.

Meanwhile, Austria will make its Formula One return with the revised Red Bull Ring playing host.

Provisional Calendar

16 Mar - Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)

23 Mar - Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)

06 Apr - Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)

13 Apr - Korean Grand Prix (Korea International Circuit)

27 Apr - Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)

11 May - Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)

25 May - Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)

08 Jun - Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)

22 Jun - Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring)

06 Jul - British Grand Prix (Silverstone)

20 Jul - German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)

27 Jul - Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)

24 Aug - Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)

07 Sep - Italian Grand Prix (Monza)

21 Sep - Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay)

05 Oct - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)

19 Oct - Russian Grand Prix (Sochi)

26 Oct - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)

09 Nov - Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City)

16 Nov - US Grand Prix (Circuit of the Americas)

30 Nov - Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)

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Sergio Perez says F1 will be amazed by Mexican Grand Prix

Sergio Perez reckons Formula 1 will be blown away by the reception it gets in his homeland if the planned Mexican Grand Prix gets the green light for 2014.

The Mexico City event is on the draft calendar at Monza, but its place is subject to the circuit being ready and a suitable contract finalised.

Perez believes Mexico will greet the return of F1 with huge enthusiasm.

"Formula 1 will be amazed by how popular this grand prix can become within a single race," he said.

"People in Mexico are really enthusiastic about it and it will be fantastic news for my home country.

"I've been involved and I know that they're making good progress and everyone is trying so hard - fans, media and sponsors.

"People are always talking about bad Mexico is, so I think it's a real opportunity for us to show the world how good we are as a country.

"We had a great example in Austin with how many Mexicans were there. I think it will be huge for Formula 1 as a sport."

The Mexico City track previously hosted F1 from 1963-70 and '86-92.

Perez thinks bringing it up to modern standards will be relatively straightforward.

"I've never raced there, I've only done some testing there," he said.

"But I've been there often, so I know how good the ractrack is. They need to rebuild it, but there is enough time.

"[it will need] a couple of months' flat-out work. I think that's why it's so important for our country to start working on it and get the final contract.

"I think they have to change the pits to make them proper for Formula 1, a few corners maybe, and apart from that I don't think they have to do big things to be ready.

"Indycars [Champ Car] raced there some time ago, so I think the run-off is big enough.

"Of course they have room to improve it, and I think the standard will raise for Formula 1."

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Monza Practice 1: Hamilton on top with Alonso splitting Mercedes duo

It is no secret that the Mercedes W04 has handy raw pace, over one lap it’s probably the fastest piece of kit on this year’s grid, and both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg made the most of it in the first free practice of the Italian grand Prix weekend to take top spot and P3 on the timing sheets at the end of the 90 minute session at Monza.

It was also good news for Ferrari tifosi as early indications are that Fernando Alonso may be able to match the Silver Arrows as he finished the session down by a mere 0.035 seconds.

Hamilton recorded his first timed lap around the 45 minute mark and shortly thereafter blitzed it around the ‘temple of speed’ to pop up top of the timing screen just short of the hour mark. His time of 1:25.565 was enough and would remain the benchmark until the chequered flag waved to end the session.

Rosberg, third fastest, was 0.139 seconds down on his teammate.

Championship points leader Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest, with Red Bull team mate Mark Webber eighth.

Kimi Raikkonen was fifth fastest in the Lotus, while teammate Romain Grosjean got to terms with his first visit to Monza as a Lotus driver. Last year he had to sit out the Italian race after his shenanigans at the previous race, in Belgium. The Frenchman was 12th fastest.

Showing improved pace and clearly more suited to the fast nature of Monza were the McLaren pair with Sergio Perez and Jenson Button sixth and seventh respectively.

Pastor Maldonado survived a scary high speed trip through the gravel entering Variante Ascari , some deft and brave driving from the Venezuelan kept the Williams away from the barriers. He ended the session ninth, with rookie Valterri Bottas experiencing his first Monza weekend in an F1 car ,ending 16th.

With the high profile matter of filling Mark Webber’s Red Bull seat in 2014 done and dusted the Toro Rosso pair were able to focus on matters at hand. Jean Eric Vergne rounded out the top ten, with Daniel Ricciardo 13th.

Nearly a second down on his Ferrari teammate and 14th at the end of the session was Felipe Massa.

Monza is always a close run affair and this year only 1.029 seconds separate the top 15 on the timing sheets.

James Calado made his FP1 debut with Force India, finishing the session 17th and only 0.447 seconds second down on Paul di Resta who was 15th fastest.

Heikki Kovalainen was on duty in place of Giedo van der garde at Caterham, while Rodolfo Gonzalez had the use of Jules Bianchi’s cockpit for the morning session.

There was a parting shot which resembled something out of a Keystone Cops skit. With the session almost up Alonso ambled out the pits, stopped at the exit of the pitlane apparently to do a practice start just as Massa was going out for one last stint. The Brazilian was forced hard on to the brakes, smoking and all – the Ferrari pair ending up stationary, nose to tale as the session ended – now that could have been a major embarrassment!

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Monza Practice 2: Vettel blows them away as Red Bull dominate

If Monza is the temple of speed then Sebastian Vettel was the high priest on Friday as he powered his Red Bull to the top of the timing screens by a huge margin on the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

Not even his teammate Mark Webber, who ended the session second best, was 0.623 seconds down on his world champion teammate – a mighty gap considering that in the morning session the top 15 were separated by a second.

With the Red Bull duo hogging the top spots on the timing screens, best of the rest was Kimi Raikkonen in the heavily revised (longer wheelbase) Lotus with teammate Romain Grosjean fourth fastest setting an identical time to the sister car, making it a top four lock-out by Renault powered cars.

Fernando Alonso continued to show promise, a boost for Ferrari hopes on home soil, with the fifth fastest time with teammate Felipe Massa eighth fastest after being out of the top ten in the morning session.

Although Lewis Hamilton topped FP1, and was again faster than his teammate Nico Rosberg, the Briton – on a hot streak of four consecutive pole position starts – will be wondering how he will be able contain the Red Bulls as he was almost a second down on their hot lap pace. Hamilton and Rosberg with sixth and seventh respectively.

McLaren appear to have edged towards the front of the pecking order, now in sniffing distance of the top guns and possibly a step ahead of the midfield regulars. Jenson Button was ninth and teammate Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten.

The high speed nature of Monza invariably causes hot stopping moments, and in FP2 even the likes of Hamilton and Alonso had their ‘big moments’.

At the end of a busy day at one of the legendary venues of motorsport it appears that Red Bull have an edge which will prompt some serious head scratching among their rivals as they attempt to contain the gap.

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Vergne: I’m going to learn a lot as the number one Toro Rosso driver

Jean-Eric Vergne insists that he will enjoy being Toro Rosso’s number one driver next year as current teammate Daniel Ricciardo departs for Red Bull.

Frenchman Vergne admits that he is disappointed to have missed out on the high-profile move to replace Mark Webber, but confirmation he is staying put at Toro Rosso is also “a very good thing for me,” he told L’Equipe.

“The choice is quite logical, because Daniel is a Red Bull [backed] driver and because he has a bit more experience than me,” he told the French daily.

“He was better than me in certain aspects that are important to them, such as qualifying, but the race is something else – we are extremely close,” said Vergne, 23.

Even Ricciardo’s new teammate, the reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, agrees with Vergne’s assessment.

“I do not see a big difference between them,” the German is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace. ”They have had similar results this season, even though we do have a better view from inside the team.”

“Daniel was a little more consistent, but both have the same speed,” said Vettel.

Vergne thinks that success for Ricciardo will therefore reflect well on himself, and sees staying at Toro Rosso as an advantage.

“I’m going to learn a lot as the number 1 Toro Rosso driver,” he said, “and will try to pull the team up.

“There are many more things in the positive column for next year. We’ll probably have a better car, we have our new technical director James Key, and the Renault engine will bring us a lot.

“I think if I had the choice to go somewhere else, I would stay at Toro Rosso.”

As for Vettel, the German insists that his task in 2014 will be no different even though he will have a different teammate for the first time in five years.

“I’m sure that [Ricciardo] will try his best to beat me, but nothing changes,” said Vettel.

“It will be an Australian trying to make my life difficult,” he smiled.

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Being on the podium at Monza can be daunting if you are not a Ferrari driver

Upsetting the Monza faithful, a crowd full of passion at Monza, one of the oldest and most atmospheric of circuits, has always gone with the territory for those who do not race for a certain legendary Italian team.

Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion and Hamilton’s team mate at McLaren last season, has faced his share of it over the years with three second places at Monza.

“Most of them are not there to support us,” he said with some understatement. “But it’s a great atmosphere and I really enjoy it. It’s one of the races that I have loved since I started in F1.

Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher celebrate on the Monza podium after the 2004 Italian GP

“They (the fans) are really friendly when you arrive at the circuit, very positive. I think they don’t like seeing anyone that’s not Ferrari on the podium.

“It’s worse when there are two Ferrari drivers on the podium…when I finished second to Alonso and Felipe [Massa] was third, yeah…” he grinned at the memory. “I don’t mind it. [but] initially it was a bit of a surprise.”

Vettel has seen both sides of it, winning for Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso in 2008 and then for the champions in 2011.

“It was exceptional to win with Toro Rosso, an Italian team, with a Ferrari engine in the back,” he recalled on Thursday as he sat in the Red Bull motorhome.

Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the 2011 Italian GP

“Being on the podium was one of the best moments I’ve had, with all the fans coming and cheering like crazy. There was an ocean of flags, and even though most of them were Ferrari, it was still very special.

“But then when I won here again in 2011, with Red Bull, it was a very different atmosphere…people weren’t so happy. But I had Jenson alongside me on the podium and he said it was normal for anyone not wearing a red overall.”

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Alonso: I still have three and a half more years with Ferrari which I intend to respect

Fernando Alonso put recent speculation to bed on Thursday by committing his Formula 1 future to Ferrari for at least three and a half years, if not more.

“There were rumours about Red Bull, there were rumours in Italy about a sabbatical year, there were so many rumours,” he told reporters at the Italian Grand Prix when asked whether he would be interested one day in a move to the reigning champions Red Bull.

“I still have three and a half more years with Ferrari which I intend to respect and hopefully to increase a little bit, and as I said, finish my career in the best team in the world which is Ferrari,” declared the Spaniard.

Alonso, a double world champion with Renault, is second in the championship behind Red Bull’s triple champion Sebastian Vettel.

The German is 46 points ahead of Alonso with eight races remaining.

Australian Mark Webber’s decision to leave Formula 1 at the end of the season triggered a storm of speculation about his successor, with Alonso’s manager fuelling the rumour mill when he was seen talking to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in Hungary in July.

The manager, Luis Garcia Abad, said he had been discussing the prospects of rising Spanish GP3 driver Carlos Sainz, son of the former rally world champion.

The rumour-mill subsided this week when Red Bull announced that Australian Daniel Ricciardo, currently with Toro Rosso, would partner Vettel next year.

Alonso said that even if Ferrari lacked the performance of the Red Bull, there was everything to play for over the coming seasons.

“We are not at the moment achieving the results that we want but we are working very hard and next year will be completely new rules which obviously open the door for many teams to stop the domination that Red Bull seems to have had in the last couple of years,” he said.

“So we have high hopes also for next year’s challenge.

“It’s very good news that Daniel has signed [for Red Bull], also for our country because it has opened up a good possibility for Carlos Sainz to join Toro Rosso, so that was the best news for us,” added the Spaniard.

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Ferrari fined for Massa jumping red light

Ferrari were fined $ 13 200 at their home Formula One Grand Prix on Friday after Felipe Massa jumped a red light at the pit lane exit at the end of first practice.

Race stewards said thatthe Brazilian had crossed the white line at the exit under a red light, despite making an attempt to stop when he saw it.

“The team made an error in releasing the car with insufficient time remaining in the session,” they said in a statement. “No sporting advantage was gained.”

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Ferrari: Not very happy nor very disappointed with our performance

Ferrari team and drivers report from the first day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Round 12 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, at Monza.

Fernando Alonso: “The feeling is the same as any Friday, which means we’re neither very happy nor very disappointed with our performance level and we will have to wait and see how qualifying goes before getting a true picture. Red Bull seems very strong again here and we will have to do a lot of work to be as well prepared as possible for qualifying, in order to find those missing tenths. Although we have yet to analyse the data we have gathered today, some of the updates we brought here for this race seem to be working well, while others will require a bit more evaluation. We must get the most out of what we have available and try to have a good qualifying and a good race in front of our home crowd. Let’s hope the weather will also be on our side, as the forecast for Sunday is for storms and that’s why we must be ready to deal with whatever the conditions will be. Tyre degradation is very low here and we will definitely see fewer stops than at other races”.

Felipe Massa “Today we managed to test everything we had on our programme, which related to evaluating various aerodynamic solutions, looking for the ideal level of downforce. Now, our next task is to analyse all the available data to understand how to improve the car for qualifying and the race. Not everything went perfectly, especially towards the end of the second session when, as I was coming out of the first chicane, I had a gearbox problem. As I tried to change from first to second, it went straight into third and at that point, I returned to the pits slowly. We don’t know exactly what happened, but I don’t think it was anything serious. This won’t be an easy weekend, because our main rivals have set great lap times on both compounds and in race trim, but we will do all we can to be as competitive as possible”.

Pat Fry: “The Monza circuit is one of a kind and has always been a great challenge when it comes to aerodynamics. Here, as was the case at Spa two weeks ago, the compromise between the requirement for top speed and good traction to tackle the chicanes is the key to getting the best possible performance. Today, we had to try different specifications and for this reason we decided to split the work between Fernando and Felipe in both sessions. We ran a comparison of different low downforce wings, to find the ideal configuration. With Fernando, we got through the programme without any problems and he showed an encouraging race pace.

However, Felipe’s track time was reduced because of a reliability problem on the gearbox. Today, we saw that Red Bull is very competitive and then there is a group of cars right behind, separated by very small gaps, which is usually the case here at Monza.

We will now pay attention to every last detail to maximise our performance and put pressure on our closest competitors”.

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Lotus: Overall, the car looks quick, reliable and we’re happy

Kimi Räikkönen ended the day with the third fastest time on the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, with Romain Grosjean fourth in the order with an identical lap time of 1min 25.116secs. Sunny weather characterised both of today’s sessions at the historic Autodromo di Monza.

Technical programme notes

• Kimi ran all day with the longer chassis configuration E21.
  
• Both cars ran with the slimline rear bodywork package in low drag Monza.
  
• Kimi evaluated a different front wing in the afternoon.
  
• Pirelli’s hard (orange) tyre was used in the morning and the hard and medium (white) compound slick tyres were used in the afternoon session.
  

What we learned today:

• The E21 demonstrated good pace in all configurations utilised.
  

Kimi Räikkönen, E21-03

• Free practice 1: P5, 1:25.941, 22 laps
  
• Free practice 2: P3, 1:25.116, 36 laps
  

“The car felt pretty normal for me today and we’re going to look at the data in order to make a decision on whether to use today’s specification or the older one. It doesn’t feel much different to me so it’ll be a decision based on what the data says. Today we were a little surprised to be third fastest, but we’re still quite far away from the fastest cars. There are still some areas for improvement so hopefully we can find more speed for tomorrow.”

Romain Grosjean, E21-02

• Free practice 1: P12, 1:26.295, 23 laps
  
• Free practice 2: P4, 1:25.116, 40 laps
  

“We had a productive day today. The timesheets showed that Kimi and I were very close, however that doesn’t necessarily mean a lot. Kimi tested the new long wheelbase car and from today’s work we have sent data back to the factory and we will see what the outcome is when analysis comes back. As drivers, our feedback on the feel of the car is also key. It is hard to precisely compare the two though; it could provide more brake stability which is what we all want here in Monza, however each driver also has their own braking style.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “That was a fairly straightforward Friday for us with both cars evenly matched and both drivers happy. We’ve completed a good amount of low and high fuel runs as well as evaluating the two tyre compounds for race strategy. Romain was happy on longer runs whilst Kimi’s afternoon session was slightly interrupted with an engine water pressure issue during his long run, but this was no big drama. Overall, the car looks quick, reliable and we’re happy today.”

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Force India: Hard to know exactly where we stand, but aiming for top ten

Sahara Force India made the most of sunny conditions in Monza to complete its free practice programme for the Italian Grand Prix.

Paul Di Resta: “The car seems to be relatively well balanced, but we’ve not been able to break into the top ten yet. So we need to work away tonight to try and improve things a bit more. Making Q3 tomorrow is the big target, which is definitely achievable. The field looks quite spread out here, certainly compared to some other races, but we seem to be close to McLaren. The tyres are performing in line with our predictions and we’ve got plenty of data to go through tonight.”

Adrian Sutil: “Monza is an unusual track so it’s been quite a challenge to get on top of the car today. There’s certainly a lot to look at tonight because we need to improve the car under braking and make it easier to drive as I’m lacking overall grip at the moment. For the tyres we have the data we need and the long run performance looked okay.”

James Calado: “Amazing – that’s the only word I can use to describe the day. It took a while to get used to the car again, but once I was familiar with everything I was able to drive consistently and set some reasonable lap times. The balance felt good and everything ran smoothly during the session. I learned a lot and hopefully got some good data for the team. I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to Sahara Force India for the opportunity and I’m already looking forward to getting back in the car later in the year.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: “A fairly typical Friday at Monza as we worked through our programme without any issues. James enjoyed his first free practice outing and did a great job. He was tasked with some suspension work and delivered a good performance with detailed feedback – which is just what we needed. We ran a new low downforce rear wing on the cars today, one that we first used in Spa practice, and recoded lots of aero data to help us find the optimum set-up. As for outright performance, it’s hard to know exactly where we stand, but we will certainly be aiming for the top ten come tomorrow afternoon.”

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Marussia: A good day for the team overall

The first day of practice for the final European race of the 2013 season got underway in Monza today in preparation for Sunday’s 53 lap Formula 1 Gran Premio D’Italia 2013.

The day panned out with a typical Friday programme, albeit with Rodolfo Gonzalez substituting for Jules Bianchi this morning, alongside Max Chilton. This was one of several planned FP1 sessions for Rodolfo this season, alternating between both regular race drivers. Jules returned to car 22 for the afternoon session.

Max recorded the fastest time for the Team today, a 1:27.548, to end FP2 in 19th position. Jules concluded his afternoon session in P22.

Max Chilton: “I am obviously quite happy with the first day of running here. We’ve had a smooth couple of sessions and made good progress through each, so to end the day ahead of my nearest competitors is a nice reward. We have done a lot of work to optimise our package for here, as low downforce circuits have not always played to the strengths of our car. We seem to have chosen a good direction though, the balance is good and let’s hope we can maintain this momentum through the rest of the weekend.”

Jules Bianchi: “Today was a little frustrating for me as I had a lot to achieve in just one afternoon session, so I was pushing hard and perhaps forcing myself into a couple of mistakes. This cost us in terms of consistency and although we have completed the programme, I feel there is quite a bit more to come from me and the car. It has been very warm so far but we need to plan some alternative scenarios as there is a strong chance of the weather changing later in the weekend. I hope this evening will allow us to play catch-up a little more so we can enjoy a smoother day for me tomorrow.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez, Reserve Driver: “It was nice to have the opportunity to drive FP1 at such a legendary circuit as Monza this morning. It’s a beautiful track and a fantastic experience in an F1 car. My programme was mainly aero focused, to enable the Team to start to evaluate the low downforce set-up we have here. Everything went according to plan and I am happy that my feedback is playing a role in moving us forward through the weekend.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “A good day for the Team overall in terms of achieving our full test programme. The first session this morning focused on aero-based tests in order to look at the set-up required for this track and also to collect data to further our long term understanding of the car. Rodolfo worked through the majority of this programme and drove well to achieve all the required data. Unfortunately this didn’t give him much time to concentrate on performance work but nowadays that is what FP1 is generally for. Into this afternoon, with the race drivers in the car, we turned our focus again to tyres with short and long run evaluations.

Overall we are reasonably pleased but as usual on Fridays comparisons to others are difficult with fuel loads and other factors, so tomorrow will provide a better indication of our true pace.”

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Red Bull: It’s positive today, but it’s only a Friday

Red Bull drivers report from the first day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Round 12 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, at Monza.

Sebastian Vettel

• First Practice Session: Position: 4, Best Time: 1:25.753, Laps: 26
  
• Second Practice Session: Position: 1, Best Time: 1:24.453, Laps: 39
  

“It will be very tight this weekend, as we saw in the first practice. It will be close tomorrow in qualifying with quite a few cars separated by only a few hundredths of a second. There are a few things we still need to do to optimise the car, as there are two or three corners where we are sliding more than we would like. It’s positive today, but it’s only a Friday.”

Mark Webber

• First Practice Session: Position: 8, Best Time: 1:26.103, Laps: 27
  
• Second Practice Session: Position: 2, Best Time: 1:25.076, Laps: 39
  

“We seem okay here, although it’s only Friday. We seemed good on Friday in Spa and then everyone was with us in P3. But, that said, the car feels good although we have some work to do to prepare for the race, so let’s see tomorrow.”

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Williams: Positive results from all the tests we have completed

Williams team and drivers report from the first day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Round 12 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, at Monza.

Xevi Pujolar, Chief Race Engineer: In FP1 we did some rear wing level tests as well as some mechanical tests to achieve good braking stability and ride over the kerbs. In FP2 we split the cars for some further rear wing level tests. Valtteri was more focused on tyre work although we had a problem getting the top straight-line speed out of the car on his option tyre run which compromised that lap. We resolved this for the longer runs and his pace then looked consistent. Pastor had better performance on his new tyre run but he wasn’t as happy with the balance of the car on the long runs, so we need to do some work to improve that. Overall, there are positive results from all the tests we have completed. Managing the tyres tomorrow will be the key to getting a good result in qualifying.

Pastor Maldonado: We completed all the plans we had today. There is a lot to look at as we are close to the limit so it’s hard to find a few more tenths of a second. It is quite difficult to put a lap together as there is some inconsistency in how the car behaves through different corners, but we will see where we are tomorrow as the track is changing a lot. We weren’t able to improve our time too much this afternoon so we need to work harder to make sure we are better tomorrow.

Valtteri Bottas: It wasn’t an easy day today. We had some inconsistencies in the aerodynamics during FP1 and then in FP2 we were missing quite a lot of straight-line speed on my option tyre run. We need to look at why that happened as that is why the time doesn’t look so good on the board. The positive thing today was the long run as we were competitive compared to Toro Rosso and Sauber and I think we can really challenge them in the race this weekend.

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Sauber: It was quite a challenging day

During the free practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo di Monza, the Sauber F1 Team continued testing the passive DRS system. Unfortunately FP1 ended early for Sauber F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg because of a gearbox issue. The problem was located and repaired in time for the second session. For Esteban Gutiérrez it was a positive day and the team was able to run through the programme.

To highlight the new partnership between Grupo CP (Interprotección) and Unifin, which was announced this week, the rear wing end plate of the Sauber C32 is going to display Unifin’s logo for the Italian GP. Unifin is one of Mexico’s leading financial institutions specialising in Leasing, Factoring and Auto Credit.

Nico Hülkenberg:

• Sauber C32-Ferrari (Chassis 03/Ferrari 056)
  
• 1st Practice: 18th / 1:27.224 min (16 laps) / 2nd Practice 16th / 1:26.385 min (43 laps)
  

“It was quite a challenging day. This morning was compromised a bit by a gearbox issue, which we were able to solve before the afternoon session. When doing the long runs I felt more comfortable in the car than with low fuel. We definitely have some room for improvement there. We have to look into the data and analyse what happened, because I think we can be more competitive. Otherwise, as usual, we were learning about the tyres and the set-up.”

Esteban Gutiérrez:

• Sauber C32-Ferrari (Chassis 04/Ferrari 056)
  
• 1st Practice: 11th / 1:26:194 min (25 laps) / 2nd Practice 12th / 1:25.888 min (40 laps)
  

“It was a very productive Friday, without any issues on the car. We were trying to find the right balance and set-up of the car in the morning. In the afternoon, we made a decision, which wasn’t the best. Overall it looked positive and we have very good data to analyse so we can make the right decision about the set-up of the car tomorrow.”

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: “We split the development items between the two cars today. In FP1 Esteban got further mileage on the passive DRS system that is targeted for races later this year. Unfortunately we lost some time in FP1 for Nico with a gearbox problem, which we were able to fix, so both cars ran reliably in FP2. We evaluated some alternative rear wing levels and concentrated on the long run performance of the tyres at these high track temperatures in preparation for race day. It looks like the mid field is going to be tight. We still have some work to do to get the most out of the car and we’ll start out preparations for qualifying now.”

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Mercedes: Hard to judge exactly where we are because of differing fuel loads

Lewis and Nico finished the second practice session for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix in sixth and seventh positions respectively after a productive day in hot, sunny conditions.

The drivers completed a total of 130 laps during today’s three hours of practice running

The technical focus was on aerodynamic evaluations and tyre comparison runs ahead of Sunday’s race

Overall, the team enjoyed a productive and trouble-free technical programme, a good starting point for the weekend.

Lewis Hamilton: The car feels pretty good here today at Monza. The balance is reasonable and we’ve had a pretty smooth day, better than our recent Fridays in fact. Although we’re quite competitive, we’re not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements. Of course we don’t know what fuel loads other teams are on so we’ll have to wait and see but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow.

Nico Rosberg: As usual on Fridays, we are a bit away from the quickest times, however we learned a lot today. Almost every single lap brings important information and I think our car is good again. We need to work hard this evening to improve further though as the Red Bulls are very quick again. Generally it’s a great atmosphere here at Monza; the track is absolutely fantastic and the fans are very enthusiastic. There’s always a great welcome for us here.

Ross Brawn: We enjoyed a trouble-free day with no major issues but it’s hard to judge exactly where we are because of differing fuel loads. We collected good information about the two tyre compounds with our long runs and the balance of the cars seemed reasonable. We will work this evening to see exactly how competitive we think we are but I think that we are in the mix, although perhaps not right at the front.

Toto Wolff: Both drivers completed a lot of laps today and gathered valuable data for the engineers to work through tonight. Now we need to analyse what we were lacking in terms of performance on both a single lap and the long runs, so that we can hopefully make a step forward tomorrow.

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Caterham: Drivers review first practice day at Monza

Caterham drivers report from the first day of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Round 12 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, at Monza.

Heikki Kovalainen: “Overall I’m pretty happy with how the session went. The main thing is obviously for me to help the team as much as I can and in such a short session that’s always tricky, particularly as it takes a lap or so to get back up to speed with the low downforce package we’re running here. There was a little understeer in the high speed sections but the main issue for me was braking stability. That’s obviously important around Monza as there’s a couple of heavy braking zones, but we made some progress on that by the end of the session.”

Charles Pic: “FP1 went ok. The car balance was good right from the installation lap and the rest of the session went to plan. We were mainly working on mechanical setup options and running downforce scans so the times weren’t really important, but it was still good to see that the gap to the teams ahead is around where we’d predicted.

“In FP2 we started with an eight lap run on the hards but it felt like the changes we made over lunch had a negative impact on the car balance, increasing mid-sector understeer and entry stability in particular. We made a couple of mechanical changes and then went out on the mediums for the first time but the car felt very different from the morning session, the balance wasn’t as good and there was more understeer so we definitely didn’t get the time we could have from that set. On the long runs the car balance was again not consistent – we had both understeer and oversteer in the corners and that’s obviously not what we’re looking for here.

However, we have accumulated a decent amount of laps and have a lot of data to work on tonight so we’ll keep working and come back stronger tomorrow.”

Giedo van der Garde: “I was back in the car for FP2 and straight out to start work on the hard compound tyres. On the first run my times were ok but the traction wasn’t great and I needed a bit more time to find the best line in sector one. On run two we made a bit of progress and then we went for the first run on the medium tyres which, honestly, was strange. The grip you’d expect from a new set of options just wasn’t there – the car balance was fine, but we didn’t find the time we should have found from the options so we’ll have to look at that in detail tonight. On the long runs the pace was ok , as was the deg levels, but we definitely need to look at how we manage tyre warm-up and make sure we have options to fix the grip issue with the options, especially for qualifying.”

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Monza marshals end strike threat after positive resolution

The threat of Monza’s trackside marshals going on strike during the course of the Italian GP weekend is now over.

On Thursday, it emerged that marshals were angry their minor travel expenses for the 2012 Italian Grand Prix had still not been paid.

It is now being reported that the dispute “ended positively on Thursday evening,” as Autosprint correspondent Roberto Chinchero wrote from the Autodromo Nazionale.

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Formula 1′s move to V6 turbo not exciting for Sutil

Force India driver Adrian Sutil has admitted that he is not overly excited about Formula 1′s move to turbo V6 power next year.

Before the sport begins its seven-race overseas trek to finish the 2013 season, Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix will be the last race in Europe with V8 power.

“Then you will say to yourself ‘Ok, that was the V8, unfortunately, now comes the V6′,” Sutil is quoted by Speed Week.

“I would like to say I’m looking forward to [a] V12, but unfortunately that’s not really the case.

“The turbos are definitely interesting, but I have always said that the V12 is my favourite engine,” added Sutil.

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Sainz now top of list to replace Ricciardo at Toro Rosso

Carlos Sainz Junior has moved into the top spot to fill the new vacancy at Toro Rosso for next year and beyond.

With Daniel Ricciardo heading to Red Bull’s main team in 2014, it was believed the next in line at the junior squad Toro Rosso was Antonio Felix da Costa.

But the Portuguese driver has struggled recently in the Formula Renault 3.5 series.

Next in line could be Carlos Sainz jr, the 19-year-old son of the Spanish rally legend.

He is managed by Luis Garcia Abad, who also handles Fernando Alonso’s career.

“It’s very good news for our country that Daniel has signed [for Red Bull],” Alonso said at Monza.

“It has opened up a good possibility for Carlos Sainz to join Toro Rosso,” he revealed.

Spain’s Marca newspaper reports that Red Bull figures were “amazed” with Sainz’s “speed, professionalism and reporting of information to engineers” earlier this year when he tested at Silverstone.

He is reportedly also strongly backed by the influential Helmut Marko.

Another Spanish daily, AS, said there is a chance Sainz will drive the Toro Rosso on Friday in Singapore, while figures at Spain’s motor racing federation have reportedly been at work to obtain a super license for the youngster.

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Button escapes DRS penalty

Jenson Button will not be penalised for running with an activated DRS outside the zones in first practice as it was a malfunction.

During Friday's first practice at Monza, Button was spotted outside the second activation zone with his DRS open until after the Parabolica.

The stewards immediately launched an investigation with some concerns being raised that Button could be penalised.

However, as it turns out, the open DRS was the result of a malfunction.

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael told Autosport: "We had a problem with some parts that were fouling on each other, so we had a clash of two different things.

"It is because we don't run this wing or actuator anywhere else as it only runs at Monza.

"It was pretty straightforward to fix it, and we came in and pulled the parts off the car."

The stewards accepted McLaren's explanation and opted not to penalise Button.

"The stewards accept the evidence tabled by the team that, despite the DRS being shown as deactivated at the end of the first DRS zone (braking area for Turn 8) the hydraulic activation arm jammed against its carbon fibre cover, preventing deactivation of the wing element," the stewards' report said.

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'Who knows if history repeats itself'

Christian Horner is not willing to predict whether he has another Sebastian Vettel on his hands in new signing Daniel Ricciardo.

Next season the Australian driver will follow in the footsteps of Vettel when he moves up from Toro Rosso to senior team Red Bull Racing.

When Vettel was promoted, though, the German had already claimed his first grand prix by taking the chequered flag at a wet Italian Grand Prix in 2008.

But whether Ricciardo has what it takes to follow Vettel in all ways, including Monza wins and World titles, his soon-to-be team boss says that's difficult to predict.

"It is impossible to compare different times," Horner said when asked if history was repeating.

"Toro Rosso had a near identical chassis to the Red Bull car when Seb was making the switch and his talent was obvious. We signed him in Hockenheim that year - before he won the race in the wet here in Monza.

"There is rain in the forecast for Sunday, so who knows - maybe history repeats itself.

"Fact is that you cannot compare them in terms of the equipment that they had before joining Red Bull Racing.

"But Daniel has a very strong team-mate with Jean-Eric [Vergne] who is constantly pushing him, so the signs are there.

"I think it is an investment in youth that Red Bull has committed to over the years and has provided that opportunity on merit to Daniel as we always said that we want the best two drivers and there was never a prerequisite that it has to be a Red Bull junior driver if he is not good enough."

The Brit also ruled out any suggestions that Ricciardo's likeability factor played a role in his signing, instead that he secured the Red Bull drive on his on-track performances.

"Let me say one thing: you might be the nicest person in the world, but if you are not quick it doesn't help - not in Formula One.

"Yes, he has a nice personality - I have hardly seen him without a smile - but, and this is important, he has a very good natural speed and he has a very good feeling for the car, which means that he has all the attributes to succeed.

"But, of course, time will tell because it is a difficult job as he is going against Sebastian Vettel - and to be measured against that is enormously difficult for any driver.

"I think Daniel will be able to learn a great deal from being alongside Seb. He already had a taste of how Seb operates when he was our third driver and I am sure in the future he will inhale everything that he can from being paired with a three-time Champion."