FORMULA 1 - 2010

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2010 F1 calendar

Bahrain - March 14

Australia - March 28

Malaysia - April 4

China - April 18

Spain - May 9

Monaco - May 16

Turkey - May 30

Canada - June 13

Europe - June 27

British - July 11

Germany - July 25

Hungary - August 1

Belgium - August 29

Italy - September 12

Singapore - September 26

Japan - October 10

Korea - October 24*

Brazil - November 7

Abu Dhabi - November 14

*Subject to the homologation of the circuit.

Note: The races in Australia and Abu Dhabi will start at 1700 local time, in Malaysia at 1600 local time, in Canada at 1200 local time, in Singapore at 2000 local time, and in Japan at 1500 local time.

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'Raikkonen will return when Webber quits'

Kimi Raikkonen will reportedly return to Formula One at the end of this season, replacing Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing.

According to Germany's Bild, Webber 'allegedly... wants to withdraw after the 2010 season', leaving a race-seat open at Red Bull.

And the man they are tipping to take Webber's place is Raikkonen.

The Finn quit Formula One in favour of the World Rally Championship after failing to land a drive with McLaren for the 2010 season.

However, Raikkonen has made it clear that his foray into rallying doesn't mean he's done with F1 forever.

In fact, Bild claims he will be back as early as next year, stepping up to take Webber's vacated Red Bull seat.

MIKA: Who's saying Webber is quitting F1?

I'm all for Webber winning races but he's not that great as far as I'm concerned and I could see Kimi return to F1 with a team like RBR which would suit him alot better than the culture he was used to at Ferrari.

Would be great to have the 'Ice man' back but hopefully he is alot more motivated and fourthcomming.

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Button: I may need Hamilton's help to win

Jenson Button concedes he's going to need the help of the entire McLaren team, even team-mate Lewis Hamilton, if he wants to retain his World title.

Button clinched the crown last season racing for Brawn GP, but then shocked the F1 community when he left Brawn, now Mercedes GP, in favour of a race-seat with McLaren.

The Brit, though, faces tough competition for this year's title - and not all of it will come from outside his team.

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the man Button dethroned, is also vying for his second Championship, promising Formula One fans an intriguing intra-team battle at McLaren.

However, what makes it more interesting is that, at the end of the day, one of them may need the other to help them clinch the crown.

"In Formula One a driver cannot win the Championship by himself. Michael (Schumacher) and Fernando (Alonso) never would have won it by themselves," Button told Spain's Marca.

As for the challenges that could arise from outside his own team, Button reckons Alonso and perhaps even Schumacher could be his toughest competition.

"I see Alonso is very happy and that is bad because he is fast," he said. "We will see if Schumi still has what it takes."

MIKA: JB hasn't a clue what it takes. Michael Schumacher, even Alonso whilst they had a good team behind them, the drivers themselves in the end won the races. MS has won 7 world titles and countless records, partly from a good team but mostly from pure focus and talent. JB hasn't got any talent and relies on a good team. His poor performance in the later stints of 2009 proved how bad a driver he really is.

Kimi Raikkonnen had a really s**t team and car last season yet despite that, he performed relatively well and that is a result of his talent.

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Stefan GP cancel test run in Portimao

F1 hopefuls Stefan GP have had to cancel their planned shakedown at Portugal's Portimao circuit after failing to secure tyres for the test.

Whilst the car is ready to hit the track after the engine was fired-up for the first time last week, Stefan boss Zoran Stefanovic hasn't been able to secure F1 spec tyres from Bridgestone for the test. Stefanovic is unwilling to use tyres which aren't suited to F1 cars, meaning Bridgestone must agree to supply the team.

"We cannot do the test at the moment and we are still trying to find a solution," Stefanovic told Autosport.

"We have no tyres and will not test on tyres that are not suitable for the car to go testing at full speed. We now need to see what our options are, but we definitely need to do something to sort this situation out."

Bridgestone will only supply teams who have been granted an entry to the FIA Formula One championship, something Stefan GP are currently trying to secure.

The future of USF1 has been called into doubt after team principal, Ken Anderson confirmed the team have asked to miss the first four races of the season.

With FIA president Jean Todt confirming any team which misses a race will be breach of the sporting regulations, this has given Stefan a glimmer of hope, that they might get the chance to replace the failing US outfit.

"We are expecting that the situation will be clarified soon," Stefan said. "Everybody knows that some teams are facing certain problems, and we are looking to clarify this situation."

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Kobayashi: No big surprise from Sauber

Although Kamui Kobayashi has ruled out Sauber being the "big surprise" of the season, he's confident that the team will be consistent point scorers.

Sauber's C29 has shown an impressive turn of pace over the past two weeks at Jerez, where Kobayashi finished at the top of the leaderboard on Day Two.

But given the ban on refuelling, lap times set during testing are no longer an indication of who is really on top.

"I don't know if we will be a big surprise," the Japanese driver told Autosport.

"We are not hoping to be some big surprise like last year's Brawn. We just want to be able to score consistent points; that's our goal for the moment.

"We just have to work and develop our car. The performance side is difficult for me to say, and this year especially."

MIKA: KK will be a points scorer this season if not a podium contender.

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Trulli: Schumi can win another title

Jarno Trulli sees no reason why Michael Schumacher can't add an eighth World Championship to his trophy cabinet.

Schumacher is making his return to Formula One with Mercedes GP this season following three years away from the sport.

When asked if by Crash.net Radio if Schumacher can win another title, Trulli said: "Why not? Being 41 is not a problem; age is just a number. He's still in very good shape, and physically and mentally I don't think he's going to have any problems.

"I think the only trouble he will find is returning to racing after three years - it's not that easy to get back into the same rhythm in Formula 1. I think it will take him some races before he can really begin to attack again - but that is the only issue I can see him facing."

Trulli left the now defunct Toyota for Lotus at the end of last year. He admits it will be a difficult debut season for the team, but is confident they can build something special.

"We have to be realistic," he said. "It's going to be a tough season, and to begin with what we need to do is be reasonably competitive. Eventually, the target will probably be to show some good performances by the end of the year. As I say, it's a long-term project, and the first season is all about building up the team. Obviously, what Lotus is looking for is to be an established, strong Formula 1 team for the future.

"I am with Lotus for the next three years, because I want to build up something strong as I was doing at Toyota. If you look back at Toyota, we were very close to a win - and this is what I want to reproduce and eventually try to achieve [at Lotus]. If you look at Michael [schumacher], everyone would have said Ferrari was his last project, so it's hard to say at the moment [what the future holds]. I think I will keep driving as long as I am quick, and for as long as I want to race and have the passion to do so."

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Alonso: Going to McLaren was a good career move

In a candid interview, Fernando Alonso has revealed how his difficult stay at McLaren helped him to grow up both personally and professionally.

Alonso enjoyed a acrimonious relationship with McLaren in 2007. He had a series of public spats with then team boss Ron Dennis while on the track he also had a couple of run-ins with team-mate Lewis Hamilton. He left for Renault after just one season at the Woking-based outfit.

Three years down the line and the Spaniard, who joined up with Ferrari this year, admits there were pressure from both the team and media, but says it ultimately made him a better person.

"2007 was very difficult but I learnt a lot personally," he said during an interview in the Guardian.

"It was good for my career to take that step of joining McLaren and growing up. I learned how to work with a team and also to withstand the media pressure. The difficulties I had were coming from the team and the media. Now I am much more prepared for everything in Formula One - and in life as well."

To make matters even worse, McLaren were embroiled in the Spygate scandal during Alonso's year there. The 28-year-old says he was more than happy to help the FIA.

"With the spy history I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Alonso says. "But I was very happy to help the FIA discover everything."

There have been suggestions that Jenson Button, who swapped Mercedes for McLaren this year, could find himself in a similar situation to Alonso this year, but the Spaniard is confident McLaren have learned from their mistakes.

"Obviously I don't know how McLaren is now but if Jenson arrived in my time then, for sure, it would be very tough for him," he added. "But, hopefully, it's now better for Jenson because I learned a lot from that season and McLaren did as well."

As for life at Ferrari, Alonso says rumours that he doesn't get along with new team-mate Felipe Massa are nothing but hogwash.

"People are only writing these things because they know we are very strong," he said. "Felipe and I work for the team. After so many years of course I have battled with Felipe. It's the way it is - and we'll keep having these fights. But Michael Schumacher and [Nico] Rosberg will have fights at Mercedes. I am sure Lewis and Jenson Button will have fights at McLaren. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel will have fights at Red Bull - in fact they were fighting last year already. But no one talks about this. They talk about it with Ferrari because we are in a good position."

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Ferrari hit out at 'holy war' waged by Mosley

Ferrari have launched another astonishing attack on the FIA over some of the new teams that have been given entries into this year's Championship.

The Italian marque slammed motorsport's governing body last year over the quality of teams that were handed slots on the 2010 grid.

A report on the team's website at the time read: 'Can a world championship with teams like them - with due respect - have the same value as today's Formula One, where Ferrari, the big car manufacturers and teams, who created the history of this sport, compete? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it Formula GP3?'

Now the Scuderia are at it again, this time it's taking issue with Campos Meta, USF1 and Stefan GP. Campos and USF1 have entries into this year's Championship, but are struggling to come up with funds to make the grid while the Serbian outfit have appeared out of nowhere.

A column 'the Horse Whisperer' on the website read: 'Of the thirteen teams who signed up, or were induced to sign up, for this year's Championship, to date only eleven of them have heeded the call, turning up on track, some later than others, and while some have managed just a few hundred kilometres, others have done more, but at a much reduced pace.

'As for the twelfth team, Campos Meta, its shareholder and management structure has been transformed, according to rumours which have reached the Horse Whisperer through the paddock telegraph, with a sudden cash injection from a munificent white knight, well used to this sort of last minute rescue deal. However, the beneficiaries of this generosity might find the knight in question expects them to fulfil the role of loyal vassal. All this means, it is hard to imagine the Dallara designed car showing its face at the Catalunya Circuit, with Sakhir a more likely venue to witness the return of the Senna name to a Formula 1 session.

'The thirteenth team, USF1, appears to have gone into hiding in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the dismay of those like the Argentinian, Lopez, who thought he had found his way into the Formula 1 paddock, (albeit with help from chairwoman Kirchner, according to the rumours) and now has to start all over again. Amazingly, they still have the impudence to claim that everything is hunky-dory under the starry stripy sky.'

Serbian outfit Sefan Grand Prix also came under attack.

'Next, we have the Serbian vultures. Firstly, they launched themselves into a quixotic legal battle with the FIA, then they picked the bones of Toyota on its death bed.

'Having got some people on board, around whom there was still a whiff of past scandals [Mike Coughlan - the man at the centre of Spygate has been hired by the team], they are now hovering around waiting to replace whoever is first to drop out of the game.

'This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president. The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula 1. This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand - you can be sure it is not the hand of Adam Smith - and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it. In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?'

MIKA: WOW!!

Reading this is like studying WWII and Hitlers propaganda speeches and war posters. WTF.... "Next we have the Serbian Vultures!?" Are Ferrari serious?

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Lotus Racing's factory opened in Norfolk

Former Malaysia prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir has officially opened the Lotus Racing factory in Norfolk.

The team's base in Hingham has been operational for some time in developing the car that marks Lotus' return to Formula One this season after a 16-year absence.

But it was not until Monday the stamp of approval was given to the facilities, with Malaysia-funded Lotus just three weeks away from their second debut in the sport with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 14.

Team principal Tony Fernandes said: "It is very exciting for us and the team that Tun Dr. Mahathir has been able to come to Norfolk to officially open our factory.

"He is the father of motor racing in Malaysia, the visionary behind the birth of the Sepang International Circuit and the Malaysian Grand Prix.

"He has given us all the inspiration to reach for the skies and achieve our dreams.

"As such it is a tremendous honour for us to welcome him here and we are extremely proud he has opened our factory today."

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Virgin snap up Soucek as test driver

Virgin Racing have signed Formula Two champion Andy Soucek as their test and reserve driver ahead of their debut Formula One season.

The 24-year-old from Spain replaces Portuguese Alvaro Parente who lost the role after the Tourism Institute of Portugal backed out of a sponsorship deal.

Soucek will now deputise for drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi at all 19 grands prix this year.

Soucek said: "This role offers me a great opportunity to prepare myself for the Formula One environment, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie.

"It is exciting and very motivating to be part of a new structure in such a challenging sport.

"I hope my experience can contribute a great deal to the development of the car and team in order to help us progress as quickly as possible."

Team principal John Booth remarked of Soucek: "He is certainly someone we have been keeping a close eye on as we believe he has a great deal of potential.

"He provides the experience we need should he be required to deputise for one of the race drivers at short notice."

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Qantas return as Australian GP sponsor

Qantas has been named as the new title sponsor for the Australian grand prix.

In the wake of ING's departure from the sport, it was feared that the Melbourne race would not locate a funding replacement for the Dutch bank.

The 2009 race at Albert Park recorded a controversial $40m loss.

"We greatly value the involvement of all our commercial sponsors -- their support reduces the cost of this event to the Victorian government," said major events minister Tim Holding.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation on Wednesday said Qantas, whose association with F1 in the country dates back to the 80s, will be the naming sponsor in 2010.

"We are pleased to reaffirm our support for this global sporting event, reaching Formula One fans worldwide," said Alan Joyce, chief executive of Australia's national airline.

Qantas was also the Australian GP title sponsor between 1997 and 2001.

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Stefan expect to race in season opener

Zoran Stefanovic, the man behind the Stefan GP outfit vying for a place on the 2010 F1 grid has expressed his confidence in gaining a starting place in the very first race of the season in Bahrain.

Stefanovic told the Reuters news agency that he expects to have struck a deal which would see the team either replace Campos or the more likely option, USF1.

"Definitely, we are waiting for something to happen because the time is very short and the deadline for Bahrain is approaching," he told Reuters.

"If you are going to Bahrain you have to be packed by next Wednesday and we think we will be able to reach something by then."

If Stefan can't race in Bahrain, Stefanovic said they may be able to join the grid mid-season if a team pulls out: "Technically it's possible but we are going to be in Bahrain. We are not saying it's for sure, but we are looking forward to it."

Earlier this week, the team had to cancel a planned test in Portimao after Bridgestone wouldn't supply the Serbian team with F1 or GP2 spec tyres.

"We have been unable to get the Formula One tyres because the FIA and Formula One have a contract stipulating that only the teams that are already in Formula One can get the Bridgestone tyres," Stefanovic said.

"We believe the FIA has to release the proper tyres to us for safety reasons. We expect it to happen and we have very good faith that it is going to happen."

Meanwhile, he confirmed interest in Jacque Villeneuve, who he said is almost signed to the team.

"It's not happened yet but everything except his signature had been done," Stefanovic added. "Probably in the next two or three days, we will be reaching some sort of an agreement."

MIKA: What do you guys think....? Will Stefan GP make the grid?

I myself initially did not like the idea but in light of Compos and USF1's struggles, at least Stefan GP are keen and have made a commitment to get their vehicle in order as well as scout for drivers (Even if it is Jacques Villeneuve). I'd like to see Ralph Schumacher return as he has been linked to SGP also.

I think Bridgestone and the FIA need to pull their thumbs out from 'You know what" and give these guys a chance and drop USF1 moreso than Compos. (IMO)

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FIA meet with USF1 to gauge viability

The FIA's Charlie Whiting is present at USF1's Charlotte based factory to learn about the state of the team.

Fresh reports about the future of team emerged yesterday when an anonymous senior member of staff at the American based team contacted Autosport.

In a meeting between the employees, Windsor and Anderson, Windsor put the question up to the employees: 'Who here doesn't think we'll make Bahrain?' I think he might have meant it somewhat rhetorically, but he was answered nonetheless, and 100 per cent of the staff raised their hands. He was visibly shocked.

Reports are circulating that Chad Hurley, the founder of YouTube and backer of the team has been to several meetings to try and save the team. Negotiations over mergers with Campos and Stefan GP are likely solutions to USF1's problems.

We understand that the FIA are now trying to gauge the likeliness that USF1 will make the grid at all in 2010.

USF1 and the FIA are yet to confirm the meeting.

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Media hit back at Ferrari's attack

A column posted on Ferrari's official website on Tuesday caused more than a few raised eyebrows within the international media.

A response in Germany's Auto Motor und Sport was headlined 'Red card for Ferrari', after the Italian team slammed Formula One's new and hopeful teams and blamed former FIA president Max Mosley for the loss of carmakers.

"I have rarely read such nonsense," wrote the magazine's columnist Michael Schmidt, slamming the attack as a "far-fetched conspiracy theory".

Schmidt's article said the withdrawal and restructuring of F1's carmakers had nothing to do with Mosley, who was accused by Ferrari of having waged a 'Holy War'.

Schmidt acknowledged that there might have been "better candidates" than the struggling USF1 and Campos, but argued that F1 needed new teams even though Lotus and Virgin "cannot be expected to be fast right away".

Britain's Daily Telegraph called Ferrari's rant a "withering attack", the French news agency AFP said the Maranello outfit had "savaged" the FIA, and even Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said the column was "bitter".

France's Auto Hebdo said Ferrari "attacks the new kids", and London's Times newspaper said the Prancing Horse is blaming "Mosley for (the new teams') teething problems".

MIKA: Classic case where Ferrari have put their foot in their mouth yet again.

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Button worried about 'happy Alonso'

Jenson Button has admitted to worrying about the noises of optimism from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

With the Spaniard having switched from Renault where he was not in the running for the past two titles, some believe Alonso is now testing at the wheel of the championship-favourite car.

In part of an interview with El Mundo, the 28-year-old admitted that the new Maranello built car is currently "showing even better than we expected".

2009 world champion Button told Spain's Marca: "I see a happy Alonso, and that's not good because it means he's fast."

Button, 30, will be at the wheel of the 2010 McLaren at Barcelona on Thursday and Saturday, while Alonso will be testing the Ferrari on the opening two days of the final pre-season test.

Spaniard Marc Gene remains a Ferrari test driver in 2010 and he said he is cautious about the F10's apparent form.

"The car is very reliable and the drivers are very happy, but we must be cautious," he told Diario Sport.

"After the fiasco of 2009 we have no illusions, even though the F10 looks like a good car," Gene added.

MIKA: JB really needs to concentrate on his own performance rather than 'caving' to pressure and other drivers (Alonso's) 'Perkiness'. It's a tactic that most sportsmen and women do regardless if they are performing well or not. Even if the 2010 Ferrari was under performing, does he really believe Ferrari will be vocal about it?

But in this case....Ferrari do have what seems to be an excellent racer for 2010 and thats great as it means we will have a great year ahead with alot of competative teams and drivers.

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F1 wants Bridgestone to stay in 2011

F1 is reportedly working to convince its official tyre supplier Bridgestone to stay in Formula One beyond this year.

The Japanese supplier, constantly involved in F1 since 1997 and the official sole supplier between 2008-2010, has announced it will withdraw from the sport at the end of this season.

Korean suppliers Kumho or Hankook were reportedly interested in taking over in 2011, but a new report in Spain's El Mundo Deportivo said the pair are in fact not serious alternatives.

The report said the teams are "very concerned" about the tyre situation for 2011, and that talks about reducing Bridgestone's necessary expenditure are taking place.

El Mundo said Bridgestone's current annual spend is £48 million (€55m, $74m).

The rules for 2010 have already been amended so that 11 sets of tyres rather than 14 are available to each driver per event.

A Michelin spokesman said recently the French marque "might consider" returning to F1 if the rules are further amended to demonstrate the tyres' role in "fuel saving and C02 reductions".

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Vitaly Petrov lowdown

Meet F1's first Russian:

Vitaly Petrov's arrival in Formula 1 with Renault has generated plenty of conversation, mostly on the significance of Russia finally having a driver on the grand prix grid, and on the level of backing Petrov is rumoured to be bringing with him.

His actual racing career and F1 potential hasn't been so widely discussed, but there is plenty of evidence that he has what it takes to establish himself at the top level.

Petrov crept into the paddock's consciousness with his steady progress through GP2, where he blossomed from backmarker to title contender - finishing runner-up to new Williams signing Nico Hulkenberg in the F1 feeder series last year.

It's not surprising that Petrov's career took time to take off, for with little motorsport infrastructure in his native Russia, he missed out on the karting education most of his rivals enjoyed, and was well into his teens when he started dabbling in rallying and ice racing.

He didn't try single-seaters until entering various Formula Renault championships in Europe in 2003, when he hinted at his ability by winning a race in the UK winter series.

After a season back in Russia, Petrov tried Italian Formula 3000 in 2006, then took an GP2 opportunity halfway through the season.

Vastly under-prepared compared to most of the field, he languished near the back at first, but driving for increasingly competitive teams and learning from experienced team-mates, he became a race-winner by the end of 2007 and a title contender last year.

His path to the top has clearly been eased by ample funding - for while Petrov insisted at the Renault launch that all his finance came from his family and management as Russian companies weren't interested in F1, his backers have still found enough money to vault him to the top of Renault's list.

But he has also proved he has the talent to race in F1, he is still getting better and better, and with an engaging sense personality and sharp sense of humour, he could achieve his ambition of turning Russia into a nation of F1 fans.

Factfile

Date of birth: 8 September 1984

Birthplace: Vyborg, Russia

Racing career

2009

GP2 - second place, two wins (Addax)

GP2 Asia - fifth place, one win (Campos)

2008

GP2 - Seventh place, one win (Campos)

GP2 Asia - Third place, one win (Campos)

2007

GP2 - 13th place, one win (Campos)

Various Le Mans Series races

2006

GP2 part-season with DPR

F3000 Italy - third place, two wins (Euronova)

Euroseries 3000 - third place, four wins (Euronova)

2005

Russian Formula 1600 champion

Russian Sports Car champion

2004

Various Eurocup and Italian Formula Renault races

Second in Russian Sports Car Championship

2003

Various Formula Renault races - 19th in Italy, fourth in UK Winter Series

2002

Russian Lada Cup champion

2001

Russian national racing - Lada Cup, VW Polo Cup, Formula Russia

Russian Rally Sprint champion

1998-2000

Rallying and ice racing in Russia

MIKA: Well Petrov certainly seems to have had a varied and exciting racing career. It's great to see Russia's first F1 driver even if he had to pay Renault 15 million euros to drive for them.

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Merc to get big boost before Bahrain

They're already one of the front-runners and now Nico Rosberg has revealed that planned updates will give Mercedes GP another boost before the season gets underway.

Rosberg admits the pacesetters are very close at the moment, but he expects Merc to get a push in the right direction before the Bahrain GP.

"It's difficult to say exactly where we are," Rosberg in Barcelona on Thursday. "I think it's very close at the front, but that could all change again for Bahrain because the update we have is such a big step."

The German completed 107 laps on the first day in Barcelona and his time of 1:22.514 was good enough for third place.

"We did a lot today, made a lot of set-up changes, and we learned how they affected the car and how the car behaves on a long run," he added.

"The only thing is that you can't really work on details in terms of set-up because the car is going to change a lot for Bahrain, so there is no point in working on the small details now to maximise the performance."

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Webber warns more to come from Red Bull

Mark Webber thinks there is even more performance to come from Red Bull Racing's RB6 following the car's dominant start to the final pre-season test at Barcelona.

The Australian ended day one nearly a full second clear of the opposition as Red Bull ran several aerodynamic upgrades in Spain. While there will not be many changes to the car between now and Bahrain, Webber expects his team to find even more speed with the package.

"Obviously we put some new parts on the car which helped a lot - and of course the car wasn't in its heaviest form in terms of fuel," he said. "Ok, we used a lot of performance today to get the lap time, but we're still looking to improve before Bahrain.

"We still have problems, so we are not going on holiday tonight. We have more work to do, and we're still improving this car."

Webber also played down the gearbox problem that caused him to stop on track, and he does not expect this year's Red Bull to be plagued with reliability gremlins as it aims to improve on its 2009 season.

"We had one problem today, but apart from that we were faultless," he said. "We were very close to pulling off a beautiful smooth day. Also, to learn about the car sometimes you run parts close to the limit on mileage, which wouldn't be the case on race weekends.

"We had a good year last year with podiums and some wins, but this year we need to raise the bar even higher. We need to achieve more.

"We have to finish as many races as we can, because we're not in a situation where we can get away with DNFs. But we're going to do our best to make the car bombproof, and last year we had the same guys, so I'm very confident that we can get on top of any issues we've had in the last few weeks."

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Barcelona update: Rosberg sets the early pace

Nico Rosberg set the early pace at Barcelona on Saturday morning while Jenson Button was responsible for the only red flag.

Despite a sunny start to the morning, the threat of rain was looming over the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday morning with local forecasts predicting showers later in the afternoon.

As such the teams quickly got down to business with Nico Rosberg setting the first time of the day, a 1:23.524. The Mercedes GP driver continued lapping, shaving tenths off to bring it down to a 1:22.181.

As Rosberg returned to the pits, Jenson Button ventured out but his foray was short-lived.

The Brit's MP4-25, out for its very first lap of the day, ground to a halt at Turn 11, bringing out the first red flags of the morning.

Ten minutes later the session resumed with Felipe Massa taking second place ahead of Jarno Trulli, Sebastien Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi.

Meanwhile, Renault reported a "slight delay to our day as the team make some changes to the car."

Buemi moved up to second place while Rosberg extended his lead at the top with a 1:21.330. The German then took a further tenth off his time while fellow German Adrian Sutil improved to third place.

Buemi put in a charge, closing in on Rosberg's P1 time with a 1:21.538, then a 1:21.480 and finally a 1:21.413. The Toro Rosso driver ended his short stint with a 1:21.5 and was therefore not able to take the top spot away from Rosberg.

Unofficial Times

1. N. Rosberg Mercedes GP W01 1:21.193 15 laps

2. S. Buemi Toro Rosso STR5 1:21.413 +0.220 16 laps

3. A. Sutil Force India VJM-03 1:22.951 +1.758 12 laps

4. F. Massa Ferrari F10 1:23.490 +2.297 16 laps

5. K. Kobayashi Sauber C29 1:26.216 +5.023 10 laps

6. J. Trulli Lotus F1 T127 1:26.235 +5.042 13 laps

7. R. Barrichello Williams FW32 1:26.306 +5.113 17 laps

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Schumacher: More to come

Michael Schumacher insists there is "more to come" from Mercedes GP after finishing seventh at Barcelona on Friday.

Schumacher replaced Nico Rosberg for Day Two of the final pre-season test and spent his time working on developing the balance and set-up of the W01 over long runs.

Pit stops and practice starts were also on the day's programme as the German completed 85 laps with a best time of 1:21.689.

"We had a positive day but it was a little bit stop-start with some changes on the car and the red flags towards the end of the day," said the seven-time World Champ.

"We are working hard and even if the programme doesn't run as smoothly as we would have liked, there is much more to come from the team here and in Bahrain.

"We are working very well together and there is a good atmosphere within the team."

But, away from the Mercedes press release, Schumacher admitted that the team is not quite where they had hoped to be at this stage of the game.

"At the moment we are not perfectly in the position we would like, probably to be competitive enough to win the first races," he told reporters on Friday.

"But we are working hard, the season is long, and the main issue is not to be too far off. This is very difficult to judge right now, the real picture."

[rckymtn22]

Red Bull having some fun!

To celebrate F1's return to Montreal in Canada this summer, Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Buemi took a Red Bull car for an icy test run around Quebec.

Found here

[MIKA27]

Red Bull having some fun!

To celebrate F1's return to Montreal in Canada this summer, Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Buemi took a Red Bull car for an icy test run around Quebec.

Found here

WOW!!

What a great post mate, fantastic news for Canada to have F1 return. I know I'd be devastated if it were removed from Melbourne.

Great video by the way, to see the RB racer sliding all over the place under so much horsepower on ice is amazing.color]

Thanks very much for posting rcky!

[MIKA27]

Kubica: No Bahrain podium for Renault

Robert Kubica has conceded that Renault will not be heading to Bahrain with podium finishes on the agenda.

Although Renault's pre-season tests have seen a solid performance from the team, the R30 doesn't appear to have the pace needed to match the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

In fact, although it's near to impossible to judge based on lap times alone, the team probably also falls behind McLaren and Mercedes GP in the pecking.

As such, Kubica says podiums won't be on the cards at the season-opening Bahrain GP but that doesn't mean they won't come sooner rather than later.

"We will try to be in the position to fight for the top, but I think it could be difficult to achieve, especially at the beginning of the year," Kubica told Autosport.

"We hope for a good start, we hope to be competitive straight away. Of course we have to be realistic, so we will not go to Bahrain to fight for the podium, that's for sure.

"But maybe we will have a nice surprise here on Sunday and then in Bahrain with the new upgrades and we will be able to fight for it."

Renault are set to introduce new aerodynamic parts on the fourth and final day at Barcelona, which takes place on Sunday, a move that Kubica fully supporters even though Sunday also marks the very last day of pre-season testing.

"We were waiting very long because every week there were some new bits that were looking very promising in the windtunnel, so the team decided to wait very long in order to be able to bring to Bahrain as much improvement as we can, and to manufacture something for Barcelona," he said.

"Then we discovered last week that by changing something it would give us an advantage, and I think that's the right approach and there will be no problems in Bahrain.

"It's risky, but I think the team feels quite confident that the correlation between the windtunnel and on the track is very good, so I have no reason to not believe it."

MIKA: I would have thought the Renault engine may be down on power, but it is also down on fuel consumption. Surely Renault would have tinkered with the power-plant as per the rules over the off season, making it a more reliable racer compared to the rest who whilst are a great deal faster, will also use alot more fuel. Lets wait and see how the races pan out and how the "No refuelling" rule works in whos favour.

[MIKA27]

Rubens: Williams could be the surprise of 2010

Rubens Barrichello believes his Williams team could be the surprise package in this year's Championship.

Williams have had a mixed bag of results during pre-season testing, at times near of the timesheets and at others leading the way.

In fact, Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest time of the week at Barcelona on Friday, although it was subsequently beaten by Lewis Hamilton on Sunday.

But it's that sort of lap time that has Barrichello confident that Williams can succeed this season.

"I think Nico's time on Friday was the very first time we tried low fuel in the car, and we surprised a few people, so all of a sudden Williams is being talked about in the paddock," the Brazilian told Autosport.

"This winter it was very, very easy to become the hero of the winter test. If I took fuel out at every test I would've been first at every test, but would that have taught me what I now know from the car? I don't think so."

Barrichello also believes his team's FW32 as testing has progress, however, he's still keeping his feet firmly on the ground

"We have improved - we can only say for ourselves - but we have improved a good second from Valencia," he said.

"We feel competitive, but I think Williams-Cosworth can be one of the teams to surprise people this year.

"But like I said it's really, really difficult and I'm just keeping myself very clear, my feet on the ground, and just working as hard as I can. But I feel the car is on a competitive level."