FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

'Big brother' is here to stay

The FIA have developed their own version of 'big brother' to keep the Formula One teams in check.

Motor sport's world governing body successfully trialled their new in-garage camera system during the Bahrain Grand Prix to ensure the security of their parc ferme regulations.

Parc ferme is the secure area at a circuit where cars are stored, and with no access to team personnel, immediately at the end of qualifying up until five hours before a race.

Given the increase in the number of cars to 24 this season, it made their relocation into a single FIA-controlled area more difficult.

With the co-operation of all 12 teams, closed-circuit, motion-sensitive cameras operated in the garages of all 12 teams at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Once qualifying was completed, the cars were returned to the pits, covered, sealed with a tamper-proof fastener and placed under camera surveillance.

A security guard then watched the camera feeds from all garages and alerted the FIA's technical team to any untoward activity.

With early reaction to the system positive, camera surveillance will now continue at every grand prix.

MIKA: Perhaps the FIA can feed some of that footage over to ONE-HD seeing the coverage could be better...

[MIKA27]

Rubens: Smaller front tyres to blame

Rubens Barrichello believes F1 made a mistake switching to smaller front tyres as that decision, he believes, is partly to blame for a lack of overtaking.

Last season, Formula One dropped the grooved tyres in favour of slicks, however, this year that powers-that-be opted to make the front tyres narrower in a bid to ensure better grip balance.

Barrichello, though, reckons what it has actually done is put an end to overtaking.

"Sometimes I am a bit critical of things, but when I heard they will make the front tyres smaller, I just didn't understand it," he said.

"The fact that we had better racing last year was because we dropped the ugly grooved tyres, to slicks. That's what we need, more mechanical grip, to be able to lose the aerodynamics.

"We are losing aerodynamics all the time, but you follow another car and you just understeer off the track. Unless you have at least a second on board, which is not the normal thing - I overtook (Sebastien) Buemi but I was doing 2m01s, he was doing 2m04s and it wasn't an easy overtake.

"You cannot follow, the front of the car washes out. When you grab the throttle back on with lots of lock, you lose the back end so the car in front just goes away. Then you're into saving fuel and the race becomes a bit hard."

MIKA: Rubens is right in that the last few seasons drivers have constantly harped on about needing more mechanical grip, so last season the FIA finally address it by losing grooved tyres and returning to slicks - fantastic.

Then this year, they decide to make the front tyres narrower, reducing the mechanical grip. WTF!?

[MIKA27]

Virgin fuel tank too small to finish a race

Virgin Racing have been dealt a massive blow after Auto Motor und Sport reported the fuel cell contained within the VR-01 isn't adequate enough to complete a full race distance.

According to the German website, the cars wouldn't have made the end of the Bahrain GP, if the car's were reliable enough to finish.

With the new regulations prohibiting chassis modifications, thanks to the homologation process designed to reduce cost, teams cannot change the design.

However, in this case, the FIA has given Virgin special dispensation and have allowed the team to make modifications to allow a larger fuel cell. It's estimated the tank falls short by around 10-15 litres.

Despite the allowed changes, the new chassis won't be ready until the Spanish GP, meaning Virgin will either retire with a reliability issue, crash or run out of fuel in the next three rounds of the championship in Australia, Malaysia and China.

Any aerodynamical modifications have now been put on hold, as they will also have to be changed come the Spanish GP to account for the larger chassis.

MIKA: If this is true, thats not good for VR but in light of the lesser amount of fuel, this also means they are running lighter and should be a hell of alot quicker that the rest of the field, yet they are not...? Imagine how much slower they will be once the new fuel cell is installed!

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone wants a New York race in 2012

Bernie Ecclestone is still keen on returning to America and is pushing for a race in New York.

The F1 mogul recently said he would like for the sport to return to America, with Indianapolis the natural home for F1.

"We'd like to get back there," he said in Bahrain.

Now, Ecclestone is looking to re-light his dream US race, one which would take place in the state of New York, opposite the Manhattan island.

"I'm trying for 2012, opposite Manhattan in New Jersey with skyscrapers in the background," he told Gazzetta dello Sport in Australia.

"Fifteen minutes from the centre of New York to the circuit. [it'd be] a wonder."

F1 hasn't been in the US since 2007, most recently held at the Indianapolis Speedway, but other venues have included; Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix.

MIKA: I was never a fan of the Indianapolis circuit.

[Bartolomeo]

I have attended every F1 race @ Indy but first step is to get back a race in the US, no matter where the venue is

Still not a fan of Bernie though

Practice starts here in 3 hours

Bart

[MIKA27]

Rosberg careful of Schumacher remarks

Nico Rosberg reckons that the biggest problem from racing in the same team as Michael Schumacher comes from trying to avoid off-track media wars than in actually competing with him in the races.

On the back of an impressive performances in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, when he out qualified and outraced Schumacher, Rosberg is fully confident he has what it takes to do a good job against the seven-time world champion.

But he confessed in Australia on Thursday that one of the biggest frustrations is that the focus on their partnership means he now has to be hugely cautious about what he says - in case his words are twisted to create a media storm.

"It has massively gone that way for me - that I need to be so careful of what I say," he explained. "Unfortunately I am not able to say any more of what I think in general, which is unfortunate but is the way it is. I can't afford bad headlines against one of the best of all times, who has a huge following and supporters.

"It is not in my person to say anything, but some people, if I say what I think, they will twist it and make it look bad. So I just need to be very careful. Unfortunately that is the way it is."

Rosberg believes that he ultimately in a great position racing alongside Schumacher – because he gets huge praise when he beats his team-mate, and yet it is not a bad thing if he is slower.

"For me, it is obviously a good position," he said. "If I am just behind....again it is the perception of other people. For me, it is just important that I do a great job in general. I am convinced I will do [that] the whole year, but for the perception of other people it is obviously a good position. If I am behind it is normal and if I am ahead it's great."

Rosberg also believes that both he and Schumacher will enjoy a step forward in performance if Mercedes GP can get on top of its understeer issues.

"There is a lot of understeer in some places," he said. "It is not the only problem we have, it is one of the issues and I am someone who is not able to drive very well with understeer so there is a lot of progress for both of us if the car starts to understeer less. We are trying to address that."

[MIKA27]

Its all ready to go on track!

I had a deja vu moment, Schumi I predict will come in third, Barrichelli will do well too asits raining. Quite muggy weather here.

[Bartolomeo]

Best race in a while, lots of action

Look forward to the race pics

Bart

[MIKA27]

Well, it was a fantastic race weekend although due to the early collisions, not quite the outcome what I had imagined.

My pre race prediction did not eventuate however the end result was still fantastic to see. I was moreso pleased with Robert Kubica getting the P2 podium.

I unfortunately did not take a digital camera but my SLR which is old school and uses film. Unsure how I can post my pics... Suggestions..?

The problem from where I sit, is a HUGE wire fence in front and I found that zooming with an SLR eventually removes the fencing in photos unlike my normal digital camera with a 10x zoom.

Was a perfect race day IMO, weather was great and loads more people than I've seen in years. I still would love to see the pit stops of old where they refuelled. If it were not for the rain, the race would have been alot less interesting.

Good on Button comming in First place.

Maybe Lewis needs a manager...!?

I still can't hear a thing!

[MIKA27]

Button: Thought I'd made a catastrophic call

Jenson Button admits he had a few harrowing moments when he thought he blew his Aussie GP with a bold tyre decision.

Button's race Down Under began on a damp track with a first-lap incident involving Fernando Alonso. However, seven laps later, with the rain abating, the reigning World Champ made an inspired decision to be the first to switch to slick tyres, a move that caught his team unaware and his mechanics napping on their chairs.

7.7s later he was back in the race and struggling to stay on the track as the damp circuit and his slicks didn't mix. The Brit, though, was soon up to speed and made up places while his rivals finally caught on and head en masse into the pits.

Lying second, Button was closing in on Sebastian Vettel before the Red Bull racer's grand prix came to an end in the gravel. From there it was left to Button to etch out a lead and secure his first race victory as a McLaren driver.

"I thought I had made a catastrophic decision, thought it was a mistake," he later revealed.

"Once I got up to speed, after a mistake at Turn 3, it felt pretty good and I was able to overtake a few cars as they stopped.

"It was a good call."

His team boss Martin Whitmarsh applauded the decision telling the BBC: "It was a fantastic race by Jenson, in truth he called that first stop and it got him the win, it was his bravery to make that call."

But while Button's may have been a good call, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton's race was undone by a bad one that came down from the McLaren pit wall.

Looking for a way onto the podium, Hamilton instead came into the pits on lap 36 for fresh rubbers, a decision not copied by those in front of him, including Button.

So while Hamilton had 22 laps on his second set of slicks, Button managed 51 on just one set of tyres - and yet it was the latter who claimed the victory while Hamilton's bid for a top-three finish was undone by the Ferraris and a coming together with Mark Webber.

Whitmarsh later conceded that perhaps McLaren had hurt Hamilton's chances: "With Lewis we made a team call which disadvantaged him but it was a fantastic job by Jenson, we're happy with that one.

"It's been a tough start to the year we knew we'd win some races and we won this one. He won that by his racing and his call on the tyres, he got it spot on."

Button also rubbed a bit of salt into Hamilton's wounds, revealing that pitting for a fresh set of rubber was never an option for him as it was a race that needed just one set.

"For me I never thought of putting on another set. It was to run the race on one set of tyres if we could. My pace was not great. Once I settled into the car I felt I was starting to damage the tyres. I settled into pace that would not destroy the rears.

"We could not have done a better strategy. My decision at the beginning was my call but with a lot of feedback from the circuit. I need to thank McLaren for all our hard work. It's good to see us get a result for the hard work."

As for his first win as a McLaren driver, the Brit says it was "very special. It has taken me a little while to get to grips inside the car, but the team has been fantastic and welcomed me in.

"It is difficult to put it into words, it is a very special feeling and we will take a lot from this. I feel I am building in confidence, and I hope in the next rate we can do something similar as this feels too good."

[ImTripN2]

Stayed up late to watch this, and have to say it was one of the most etertaining F1 races I've seen. The first 20 or so laps looked like drunk teenagers racing go karts on ice tho. Also nice to see a bit of Melbourne on TV. Looks likes a fair city. Someday...

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: McLaren wrecked drive of my life

A clearly-livid Lewis Hamilton has vowed to "find out" who made the fateful pit-call that cost him a podium finish in Australia.

Hamilton had produced a storming drive to close in on second-placed Robert Kubica when he was called in for a second pit-stop that none of the frontrunners, other than Mark Webber, made.

The stop saw him plummet in the running order and although he was able to catch Fernando Alonso he was heard to decry the "terrible decision" to change tyres as he struggled to pass the Ferrari. To compound Hamilton's annoyance, he was then punted off the track by an over-eager Mark Webber and ended up in just sixth.

Afterwards, despite the presence of Matt Bishop, McLaren's communications director, his fury was clearly close to boiling over.

"I'm happy with the job I did," he said pointedly. "That was one of the drives of my life. I was put back [in the order] due to others. I deserved better.

"The strategy was wrong. For some reason, I pitted when nobody else did."

Asked if he knew who made the call, Hamilton replied: "I will find out."

The answer was not long in coming. Pressed to identify the mistakee*, McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh told the BBC: "To all intents and purposes, it was my call because I am the team boss and I can veto any decision made on the pitwall.

"At the time it was made, I thought it was the right call. We made the decision because we thought we needed to change the tyres."

It is, though, unclear whether there was an actual need to change Hamilton's tyres and whether or not he would have been able to maintain his pace had he not stopped for a change. Whitmarsh's summary was ambiguous: "Had he stayed on and kept his tyres intact then we could have had a 1-2."

MIKA: A classic term for this kinda problem... "That's motor sport"

[MIKA27]

Schumacher: That's racing

Michael Schumacher's attempt to win the Australian Grand Prix for the fifth time effectively ended at the very first corner in Melbourne on Sunday.

Starting seventh on the grid at Albert Park, the seven-time World Champion was hit by the spinning Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher suffered damage to the front wing of his Mercedes GP car as a result and fell down the order following a precautionary pit stop.

Fans expecting a characteristic charge back through the field were to be disappointed, however, by the 41-year-old's subsequent performance.

Schumacher spent a large part of the race lapping outside the top 10 and struggled to overtake the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari.

He finally made the move by taking to the grass at the end of lap 55 before passing Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa on the final lap to salvage a solitary Championship point.

"I could have had a good race today so it was a pity that I was hit right after the start," Schumacher said.

"That incident decided my race, obviously. But things like that happen and you have to just say 'that's racing'.

"I had to take the remainder of the race from last position but I have to say that I was still having fun as our pace today was promising and for part of the race we were going quicker than the top group.

"It was nice to pick up a point and we can take that good feeling into the next race in Malaysia, where we will look forward to another challenge."

Team-mate Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, finished fifth after profiting from a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber on the penultimate lap.

Unlike Hamilton, who later complained after being pulled in by his team for a second stop, Rosberg said that fresh rubber was the way to go having been passed by the McLaren as his tyres suffered.

"The rear degradation was pretty bad so we decided to go for a second stop and get some fresh tyres to try to attack the group ahead," the German said.

"Even with the tyre advantage, it would have been difficult to pass once we caught up and therefore it was good to make up a couple of places when Mark and Lewis had an incident, so I'm pleased with that."

With Mercedes GP standing third in the constructors' championship, team principal Ross Brawn said he was generally pleased with their performance during the weekend.

"We got the most out of the car but clearly need to find some more performance," he said.

"It's not out of reach and we have a lot to look forward to over the next few races."

[MIKA27]

Webber: I went down fighting

The terms used by Mark Webber to describe his Aussie GP won't be appreciated by Lewis Hamilton after he conceded he threw "caution to the wind" and "went down fighting."

Webber had a rather erratic home race on Sunday, starting second on the grid but almost immediately lost out to Felipe Massa. And although he later moved ahead of the Ferrari driver, a late pitstop for slick tyres dropped him to sixth place.

Webber, though, did fight back closing the gap to his rivals before heading back into the pits for a second round of slick tyres, a move not everyone in the field adopted.

But with superior pace on his fresh rubbers, the Red Bull racer, just behind Lewis Hamilton on track, began to catch the Ferraris hand-over-fist before a rash dive up the inside of Hamilton sent him into the pits for a new front wing - and dropped Hamilton down the order.

"Well, I went down fighting," Webber told the BBC. "In the end, when you are a little on the back foot, as we were for different reasons, like I say the first stop and things like that.

"I think it was best to throw caution to the wind and get into it. I was thinking of Bahrain for the people at home, maybe we should do something different, so in the end I didn't want it to finish like that but hopefully it was a bit more enjoyable."

Speaking about his dive down the inside - and into - Hamilton, Webber blamed his RB6, saying it was a problem with his front wing and just a part of racing.

"It was very difficult to get the moves done on the inside because it was still a bit greasy and obviously Lewis enjoys an incredible straight-line speed so it was very difficult to get the moves done on those guys. Then Lewis and I both caught Fernando.

"I was looking forward to the last part of the race, thought it would be a good fight. We both got a run on Fernando. I apologised to Lewis.

"I was looking to get also the run coming back out but when I got that close, the front wing just basically did not work - I could not get the car stopped. It lifted up ... I just locked up, tried to get more on the inside to make it wheel-to-wheel but in the end obviously I hit him with the front wing and the rear tyre. That's car racing."

The stewards, though, didn't quite see it that way as Webber was given a reprimand for his part in a collision with Hamilton.

[MIKA27]

Merc eye 'significant' boost with 'f-duct'

Mercedes are hoping to give their drivers a "significant gain" by introducing the f-duct system to the MGP W01.

McLaren used the controversial device during the season-opening race in Bahrain, much to the dismay of several of their rivals.

However, with the FIA giving McLaren the all-clear, several teams have indicated that they will copy the system. Sauber used their own version of the system in Australia and Mercedes GP might be next to install one.

Team boss Ross Brawn admits they hope to have it on their cars as soon as possible.

"Yes. It's quite a significant gain," team boss Brawn said.

"We're normally battling the drag and downforce from the rear wing and that gives a step change in the drag. It's not an easy system to get working properly as you've probably seen from Sauber's first attempts - they've not gone smoothly.

"We're working on it, but it's a little difficult to predict when we'll have something we are comfortable with - because of the lack of testing. It's quite a challenge. We're working on it and will have it on the car as soon as we can."

Ferrari are also planning to introduce their f-duct system with team designer Nikolas Tombazis telling ESPNF1.com, "We are building a similar one, but we do not know if or when we will finish it."

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Red Bull reliability 'breaks my balls'

"It breaks my balls," that's the reaction from Sebastian Vettel after he retired from the lead of his second race in a row.

The Red Bull driver lost control at turn 13 after his brakes failed.

Vettel had reported vibrations earlier on in the lap and planned to pit for new tyres, but as he approached the final few corners, he couldn't slow the car and slid off the track into the gravel trap.

"We had a braking failure," he said. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame as I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."

Red Bull's reliability let them down in 2009 and Vettel is determined not to let that happen again.

"We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia."

[MIKA27]

Championship Tables

Driver Team Points

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 37

2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 33

3. Jenson Button McLaren 31

4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 23

5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 20

6. Robert Kubica Renault 18

7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 12

8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 9

9. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 8

10. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 6

11. Rubens Barrichello Williams 5

Constructor Team Points

1. Ferrari 70

2. McLaren 54

3. Mercedes GP 29

4. Red Bull Racing 18

5. Renault 18

6. Force India 8

7. Williams 5

[MIKA27]

Australian GP result

Australian Grand Prix result (58 laps)

1 BUTTON McLaren

2 KUBICA Renault +12.0s

3 MASSA Ferrari +14.4s

4 ALONSO Ferrari +16.3s

5 ROSBERG Mercedes +16.6s

6 HAMILTON McLaren +29.8s

7 LIUZZI Force India +59.8s

8 BARRICHELLO Williams +60.5s

9 WEBBER Red Bull +67.3s

10 SCHUMACHER Mercedes +69.3s

11 ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso +71.3s

12 DE LA ROSA Sauber +74.0s

13 KOVALAINEN Lotus +2 laps

14 CHANDHOK HRT +5 laps

R. GLOCK Virgin +17 laps

R. DI GRASSI Virgin +32 laps

R. VETTEL Red Bull +33 laps

R. SUTIL Force India +49 laps

R. PETROV Renault +49 laps

R. SENNA HRT +54 laps

R. BUEMI Toro Rosso +58 laps

R. HULKENBERG Williams +58 laps

R. KOBAYASHI Sauber +58 laps

R. TRULLI Lotus +58 laps

Fastest lap: WEBBER 1m28.358s (lap 47)

[MIKA27]

Kubica: One-stopping was the answer

Robert Kubica insists that taking a second pit-stop for slick tyres was not the answer in the Aussie GP, an argument bolstered by his podium finish.

Tyre strategy became one of the hot topics in Australia when Lewis Hamilton publicly bemoaned the decision of his McLaren team to bring him in for a second round of fresh slicks while his team-mate Jenson Button stayed out on his old tyres and won the race.

Button, along with Kubica and the third and fourth-placed Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, all one-stopped, and as a result the Pole has no doubts that one-stopping was the right call.

"It was difficult because we have struggled with tyre warm-up, so when we saw Jenson being very quick (on the slicks) we just pitted on the same lap as Felipe did," Kubica said.

"The mechanics did a fantastic job and I overtook Felipe in the pits, but Jenson was much quicker with one or two laps already on the tyres so it was difficult to fight with him.

"I thought we would pit again later in the race but the team said if we could manage it we should stay out, so I took a bit more care with the tyres.

"But it wasn't easy because I had Lewis attacking me before he decided to pit. Then I had Felipe behind me again, so I was just taking care of the tyres but also keeping up good speed so that we could keep the second place."

The Polish driver, in his first season with Renault, thanked his team for their hard work but admitted that a follow-up podium in Malaysia this Sunday is unlikely.

"We were not expecting to finish on the podium, so I think for Renault and myself it is a very special result after all the hard work over the winter, and I have to say a big thank you to everyone in the team," he said.

"But we have to remain realistic: we are not on the pace to fight for the podium in a normal race, so we have to keep pushing, keep working and I am sure we will manage sooner or later to catch the top teams."

[MIKA27]

Another wet race expected in Malaysia

Remember last year's storm-hit Malaysian Grand Prix? Well, we could be in for similar scenes this year if the weather gurus have their predictions spot on.

Malaysia is known to be very humid during this time of the year and afternoons are usually accompanied by thunderstorms.

The weather certainly played a big part in 2009 when torrential downpours forced officials to stop the race on lap 33 which resulted in drivers getting half-points.

This year's grand prix will take place an hour earlier than it did last year to avoid those late afternoon thunderstorms, but early forecasts suggest the change in time won't make much of a difference with rain is expected on all three race days.

Although temperatures are expected to be in the early 30s during the day with the usual showers expected late afternoon/early evening.

It should make for another interesting race, especially if last weekend's weather-affected Australian Grand Prix is anything to go by.

[MIKA27]

DC urges Hamilton to get a new manager

Lewis Hamilton may be in no rush to appoint a new manager, but David Coulthard believes the 25-year-old needs a father figure to keep his feet on the ground.

Hamilton is currently manager-less after his father Anthony stepped down from the post last month to focus on other business interests.

The McLaren driver has already revealed that he is no hurry to find a replacement.

"I'm leaving it for a while," he is quoted in the Daily Mail. "I am happy at the moment. It's a big transition, and I have a lot of good people around me. There is no need to rush."

Coulthard, though, believes Hamilton needs someone to give him good advice, especially after his controversial weekend in Australia.

Hamilton had a run-in with the law in Melbourne on Friday after he was stopped by police for driving the city streets. He also criticised his McLaren team after the Australian GP for calling him in for a second pitstop.

Former F1 driver Coulthard says it was a "folly" not to appoint a replacement.

"I have seen Lewis grow up and the young man I know is not only a brilliant driver but a streetwise, well-rounded character," he wrote in The Telegraph.

"His startled, anxious response to both the lying scandal he was caught up in last year - which was in no way his fault - and now this have been out of all proportion.

"Where is the reassuring arm around his shoulder? Where is the sound advice coming from? Where is his father?

"Lewis's decision to dispense with Anthony's services as his manager last month was hailed as a coming-of-age move on his part. But the folly of not appointing a replacement showed over the weekend. Having no manager is like a top tennis player having no coach. It's fine when you are playing well but as soon as you are struggling people will point to it as a weakness.

"I don't know if they have had a bust-up but it does strike me as odd that apparently they did not speak to one another in the aftermath of Friday's incident. Either way, Lewis needs to appoint a replacement soon so he can concentrate on his day job."

[bolivr]

Went Friday. Had a RASS. Good day out.

[MIKA27]

Went Friday. Had a RASS. Good day out.

Damn, you should have told me Mike. I was there every day.

Next year its on mate.

[MIKA27]

Lotus to show their true colours

Lotus boss Tony Fernandes is hoping his new-look team can prove the doubters wrong at its first home Grand Prix in Malaysia this weekend.

The Formula One newcomers have been dismissed as irrelevant by many at the top end of the pitlane after finishing down the grid in the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Australia.

But although team principal Fernandes acknowledges that victory in Sepang is beyond Lotus' reach, he is keen to change the way the outfit is regarded by the Formula One old guard.

"No one takes us too seriously at the moment so we are fairly welcome," said Fernandes.

"There is a bit of snobbery as well, that these guys are four seconds off the pace or whatever.

"Its funny, people have short memories. Everyone had a beginning, no one walked in and became world champions.

"It motivates me. That is one of the weaknesses of the human spirit, to not give people a chance. I have faced it all my life with Air Asia. We've always been the underdogs, but we've built up and earned respect."

Lotus has achieved its goal of being the best of the three new teams in 2010 so far, outperforming Virgin and Hispania, but fans will most likely have to wait for the team to establish itself as a serious contender on the grid.

The team, helmed by Air Asia tycoon Fernandes, is very much a Malaysian operation, with backing from the national government, but the team principal has no fear that enthusiasm for the team will fade in Malaysia as fans' patience is tested.

"How many south-east Asian teams are on the grid? That is a victory," said Fernandes.

"The Malaysians will be hoping we'll beat Virgin and Hispania, that's a realistic target. The realism is there, the pride is there, I feel it very strongly. Don't expect much, but be proud of the fact we're there."

Lotus indicated its intention to develop as a serious force by signing F1 race winners Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen as drivers, opting to concentrate on making an impact on the racetrack rather than attracting sponsors as other mid-grid and new teams have chosen to do.

"We all need money, let's be real. I'm no richer than anyone else out there, or stupider, but I have taken a different approach," said Fernandes.

"If you want to be serious about this sport then you've got to have the best drivers you can afford and you can get."

[MIKA27]

Lotus reveal new sponsor

Lotus will turn out at their maiden home grand prix at Sepang with a new sponsor, after mobile network Maxis announced they were joining up with the team.

Having recently announced broadcaster CNN and clothing label Hackett as future sponsor, Lotus have now added another string to their bow with the Maxis tie-in.

Maxis is a leading mobile phone service provider in Malaysia, and the company is understandably delighted to be associated with the team and F1 in general.

"This is the pride of the nation and as a leading telco company, we wanted to be part of this wonderful Malaysia moment," explained Maxis Bhd chief executive officer Sandip Das.

The Maxis logo will appear on the front nose of the T127.

Lotus have been the most successful of the new teams thus far, with Heikki Kovalainen completing the first two races of the season and Jarno Trulli included in the final classification at the season-opener in Bahrain.

MIKA: Lotus are kicking goals with sponsors. Great stuff, I hope they continue to build the team and be successful.