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Blanchimont tunnel collapses

A section of an access tunnel underneath the track at Spa-Francorchamps collapsed on Sunday morning.

The Blanchimont Entry Tunnel, which is located just before Paul Frere Corner (formerly Stavelot), provides access from the outside of the circuit to a karting track on the infield. The incident has left a hole in the surface of the run-off on the outside of the corner, though the only damage to the track itself is some cracks in the asphalt.

The circuit was running a Club Subaru Belgium track day on Sunday but the Belgian media reported that there was nobody in the tunnel or on the circuit at the time of the collapse.

The tunnel was built in 1978, with the last remodelling of the Spa circuit - just beyond Blanchimont - taking place in 2007.

Spa is scheduled to host the Belgian Grand Prix on August 27-29 this year. The circuit was only due to hold test and track days in the coming weeks, ahead of the visits of Formula Renault 3.5 on May 1-2 and the Le Mans Series on May 8-9.

Source

 

[Goldrusher]

Video of that collapsed tunnel: http://video.rtlinfo.be/page/142.aspx?videoid=140670

 

[AndyD]

Oh wow. Pretty big collapse. Hope it does not affect races there, F1 or otherwise.

 

[navanman]

So the F1racemanager bonus question is up on the site.

Are we helping each other to get the question right or are we taking this really serious and keeping the answers to ourselves.

 

[Flo_Evans]

So the F1racemanager bonus question is up on the site.

Are we helping each other to get the question right or are we taking this really serious and keeping the answers to ourselves.

I think we should tell everyone here the answer, then edit the wikipedia page to make it the wrong answer! /evil.

 

[S. L.]

So the F1racemanager bonus question is up on the site.

Are we helping each other to get the question right or are we taking this really serious and keeping the answers to ourselves.

if it's a tricky question helping is fine imo, but for something like this week where 30 seconds of google/wikipedia search are needed everybody should do it on her/his own

 

[subzero9285]

if it's a tricky question helping is fine imo, but for something like this week where 30 seconds of google/wikipedia search are needed everybody should do it on her/his own

Agreed.

 

[AcridMeat]

Speaking of F1racemanager, what do you guys think for this race? I was considering going with the force india engine and possibly their chassis as well. Not really sure and haven't run any numbers yet.

 

[subzero9285]

Speaking of F1racemanager, what do you guys think for this race? I was considering going with the force india engine and possibly their chassis as well. Not really sure and haven't run any numbers yet.

Upgrading the oil supplier key in my opinion, lots of points to be earned there.

 

[navanman]

Upgrading the oil supplier key in my opinion, lots of points to be earned there.

Definitely. I went with Petronas (Mercedes) and earned a good bit of extra virtual cash with it.

 

[StoOgE]

Well, that is all the proof Bernie needs to get rid of all those stupid old tracks that allow passing and commission Tilke to create 15 new tracks.

 

[AcridMeat]

Upgrading the oil supplier key in my opinion, lots of points to be earned there.

Ah okay, that's what I was thinking. I was going to go with either McLaren or Mercedes.

 

[subzero9285]

Ah okay, that's what I was thinking. I was going to go with either McLaren or Mercedes.

Good choices.

 

[subzero9285]

Epsilon Euskadi aiming for 2011 place

"We were ready in June, we had the financial support, but for whatever reasons we were not chosen," Villadelprat, a former employee for no less than five Grand Prix teams, is quoted as saying by ESPN.

"We will reopen the project and my job is to re-gather all of the support that we had. If the FIA gives us enough time to be ready for next year, we can be in F1."

As well as filling the currently vacant 13th garage, governing body the FIA is also on the hunt for an official reserve team as the 2011-12 selection process continues.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

New front wing for Renault

"We have some new aero parts for Melbourne which should give us a bit more performance," he explained. "There's a new front wing and a new part on the rear wing, which improves our overall downforce."

Furthermore, as he aims to see both cars make Q3 on Saturday, Permane believes that the modifications should make a significant overall difference.

"I think it will because Albert Park is a bumpy track and our car rides the bumps well," he continued. "We saw that in Bahrain - where Robert and Vitaly were very competitive in the new section of track, which was very bumpy."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Stefan GP confirms end of Toyota deal

Stefan GP confirmed on Monday that its relationship with Toyota has ended for now.

With an office at the Japanese marque's former F1 headquarters in Cologne, Stefan GP intended to race this year with the 2010 Toyota car/engine package.

But we reported earlier on Monday that, with no official entry, the Stefan/Toyota had almost certainly lapsed, as Toyota reverted to a new era offering external support to other motor sport clients.

Germany's motorsport-total.com added that Stefan GP had also made deals with the failed American outfit USF1 that have also now ended.

Referring to the agreement with Toyota Motorsport GmbH, Stefan GP chief Zoran Stefanovich said: "For 2010 it is no longer feasible.

"We already have another plan in mind, but we'll see what we can do."

The Serbian businessman also said a decision about whether to apply for the vacant team entry for 2011 has not yet been taken.

The official Stefan GP website says it is "under reconstruction".

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Renault

Robert Kubica

Q. What more have you learned about where the team stands after the race in Bahrain?

RK: We had a very intense winter working hard to understand and improve the car, so it was nice to finally be able to compare where we stand. I still want a couple more races to really judge the situation, because Bahrain is a slightly unusual circuit in some aspects, but I'm feeling very positive. We didn't achieve our full potential in qualifying or the race, for different reasons, but seventh position was realistic in both cases. It was disappointing not to achieve that, but encouraging to know that we had the possibility of doing it.

Q. You talked about the car's potential - what are your thoughts on the R30 now?

RK: The weekend in Bahrain basically confirmed the feelings I had in Valencia at the first test, in terms of where the car is strong and where we can still improve. The car has a lot of strengths and we are working hard to get even better in what we do well, and improve in the areas where we are less strong. The race this year is not just at the track, but also in the factory to deliver new developments. The team at Enstone has been working 24/7 to produce updates and the first results in Bahrain gave a good step forward in performance.

Q. The racing in Bahrain came in for a lot of criticism. What was it like from the cockpit to race without refuelling?

RK: Especially at the beginning, it felt like the race was happening in slow motion compared to last year because we had so much fuel onboard and the lap times were so much slower. It was interesting to see how the different teams reacted to the challenge: we set a benchmark for the strategy by stopping very early for new tyres, and we saw the other cars that started on the softer tyre all came into the pits two or three laps after us.

We now only have three sets of tyres to use in Friday practice, and the running time is quite limited, so you can't develop such a good understanding of the differences between the two compounds. Teams will have to be very reactive to how the tyres are behaving in race conditions, and they'll need to adapt their strategies quickly.

Q. How will the R30 cope with the demands of the Melbourne circuit?

RK: Overall, before the start of the season, I had the feeling that Melbourne would be a better circuit for us than Bahrain. Now that we have seen the other cars running and collected more information about where we stand, I think even more that it will be a good circuit for us. The circuit is very low grip at the start of the weekend and you need good mechanical grip, braking stability and ride, so I hope we can put in a strong performance and achieve the car's full potential.

Vitaly Petrov

Q. How did you evaluate your first weekend in F1

VP: Apart from the final result, I was very pleased with the weekend and it was all pretty straightforward. I made one mistake in qualifying, which meant I didn't start as high up the grid as I could have done, but I made up for that at the start by climbing up to P11. The team helped me a lot over the weekend and we did a good job with the engineers and mechanics to find the right set-up. The car felt fantastic on Sunday and that makes me very positive for the next races.

Q. You seemed to take everything in your stride – is that in your character?

VP: I prefer to take everything calmly. I've been racing a long time and, although F1 is tougher than any other series, it's still about doing the best job you can in the car. I was not worried before the race, but I felt much better after doing my first start, making up places on the opening lap and really fighting with the cars around me. My goal now has to be to get closer and closer to the top ten without making any more mistakes.

Q. What has been the reaction in Russia to your first race?

VP: So far, the support in Russia has been fantastic. Formula 1 is still something new for my country, so people are learning about it all the time and discovering all the different aspects of the sport. There has been a lot of excitement and many messages of support, so I have to say a big thank you to all the fans over there. When I get in the car, though, I am focused on the job. It's a great boost to have my people behind me, but it doesn't feel like extra pressure on my shoulders.

Q. How will you approach the challenge of learning a new track in Australia?

VP: The most important thing is to learn the track and understand how it flows. I need to get out there and feel the asphalt, see the kerbs, walk a lap to have the right feeling for what I need to do. Then I will do the best job I can and we'll see what happens.

Williams

Rubens Barrichello: Melbourne is a great place for a Grand Prix. The racing is always competitive so it's a good track from a fan perspective; it's also a very social city so it's nice to hang out there. I like Albert Park a lot. It doesn't really feel like a street circuit, it's very challenging and has some interesting corners to negotiate. We had some minor problems in Bahrain but we have resolved them now for Australia. I'm positive we will have a stronger race this weekend.

Nico Hülkenberg: As a circuit, I don't know Albert Park at all as I haven't raced there yet. I spent a few days in the factory last week going through practice runs on the simulator and running through data with my engineers which was really helpful but nothing beats having time on the track itself.

Bahrain wasn't the best race for me, but there were some positives to be taken from it because it highlighted where we need to do some more work. I'm hoping that we will have a more successful weekend in Australia as a result of what I learnt in Bahrain, and what the team have worked on since we came home.

I'm flying out to Sydney on Saturday morning for a driver day with RBS on Tuesday. I then have an appearance for Randstad on Wednesday in Melbourne before heading to the circuit.

Sam Michael, technical director: Albert Park is a low grip street circuit, and you're normally on the limit when it comes to tyre graining. As a result, careful management of car set-up throughout the weekend is a pre-requisite. We will have some improvements for the FW32 in Australia that we will roll out during Friday's practice sessions.

It's going to be a really interesting weekend in terms of seeing how the teams perform on such a different track in comparison to Sakhir. In terms of strategy, Bahrain gave a good indication as to what will be the most likely pit strategy for Melbourne.

 

[AcridMeat]

Good choices.

So there really is no purpose in investing in drivers huh? I wanted to go with Kubica this weekend but 47mi is way too much of the 105 I have available.

 

[subzero9285]

So there really is no purpose in investing in drivers huh? I wanted to go with Kubica this weekend but 47mi is way too much of the 105 I have available.

Not at the moment, but once everyone starts earning more points throughout the season and are able to afford the likes of Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, the drivers will be just as important.

 

[AcridMeat]

Not at the moment, but once everyone starts earning more points throughout the season and are able to afford the likes of Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, the drivers will be just as important.

Right, I forgot that everyone just earns more and more money throughout the season. I'll just have to be patient then.

 

[h3ro]

Lewis Hamilton was on Dancing with the Stars tonight, cheering on Nicole.

I'm glad I'm part of the 0.3% of the American population that knew who the skinny black guy who they kept showing while she was performing was. :lol

 

[StoOgE]

Lewis Hamilton was on Dancing with the Stars tonight, cheering on Nicole.

I'm glad I'm part of the 0.3% of the American population that knew who the skinny black guy who they kept showing while she was performing was. :lol

When is he due in AUS? I would think he would be there by now.

 

[subzero9285]

When is he due in AUS? I would think he would be there by now.

Drivers are expected to be at the circuit by Thursday, most of them tend to show up on Wednesdays though.

 

[StoOgE]

Drivers are expected to be at the circuit by Thursday, most of them tend to show up on Wednesdays though.

I guess he had to stop in LA to get there anyway most likely... I never knew the drivers showed up to the track so late.

 

[Chris R]

Lewis Hamilton was on Dancing with the Stars tonight, cheering on Nicole.

I'm glad I'm part of the 0.3% of the American population that knew who the skinny black guy who they kept showing while she was performing was. :lol

I'll have to look for a YouTube clip now since I'd never watch the show in the first place.

 

[subzero9285]

Dennis hints at at Red Bull fuel problem

"The lap times dropped so rapidly that one can imagine the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) had switched to a conservative programme in order to save fuel," Dennis is quoted as saying by German publication Express at last week's unveiling of McLaren Automotive's MP4-12C super car.

Furthermore, Ron went on to suggest a flaw in the design of the Red Bull RB6 by former colleague Adrian Newey. "Red Bull's problem could be one of design," the Englishman continued. "Either it has too small a fuel tank or the fuel consumption is higher than expected."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Button: Podium has to be the aim

"I think the Red Bulls are very strong, I think the Ferraris are very strong and then it's probably us," he told Reuters at Albert Park, "but I'm hoping, with a few little updates, that we'll be closer to them and maybe challenging them here.

"The first race for us was difficult; I don't think the car suited Bahrain too well but I think it will suit this circuit better - it's a lower downforce circuit, so we have to wait and see."

Pleased to return to Australia, scene of the opening chapter for the magical Brawn GP story of 2009, Button understands the importance of this weekend.

"A podium would be fantastic here," he continued. "I think that has to be the aim. I think it's a possibility and you've got to set your sights pretty high.

"It's going to be a very competitive season but the aim has to be to be World Champion. I need to be in a position in which I have a car that can be competitive enough to fight for race wins and then it's more or less down to me."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Webber: We'll be at the top again

"Bahrain was one little sample of where everyone is, and clearly we are in a lot better shape than lots of other people, if you had a choice," he told AUTOSPORT following a lecture he gave to engineering students at Melbourne University on Tuesday.

"So it is going to be very interesting to see how this weekend goes and to see what this track throws at us - but I am expecting the car to be strong here as well. There is absolutely no reason it shouldn't be – but whether it is enough to have a really, really successful weekend you just never know.

"You can never discount both Ferrari drivers, and particularly Lewis [Hamilton] – who looked like he had a particularly good weekend in Bahrain once he got past Nico [Rosberg], so it is exciting. I am looking forward to it actually."

"At the end of the day we are not a small team, but we are still Red Bull Racing and the job they have done is incredible. If you look at last year, what they have done there, and then look at this year, to roll out with not a big change in regulations, we could have been a bit exposed, but the car is clearly a very good evolution of the RB5, and that is a credit to all of the guys at the team.

"And with Renault, everyone is together we have integrated as best we can, and they have worked really hard to make sure that we are towards the front as we were last year."

Source

 

[AndyD]

Upgrading the oil supplier key in my opinion, lots of points to be earned there.

Yep. But you have to look at bang for the buck too. There are a couple of the top picked ones that have a worse dollar/point revenue than others.

 

[Steppenwolf]

Dennis hints at at Red Bull fuel problem

Source

That's utter bullshit imo. Vettels car sounded very very sick. No way this was caused intentionally by a program.

 

[navanman]

That's utter bullshit imo. Vettels car sounded very very sick. No way this was caused intentionally by a program.

Could be. Its hard to know though. The engineers on the track know alot more than we do.

One other point which could lend creditability to this rumour is that the common ECU used in all F1 cars is made and designed by McLaren.
McLaren should know what happens to the engine when ECU goes into limp-home mode and that is there reasoning for why it happened in Bahrain.

 

[Pterion]

Could be. Its hard to know though. The engineers on the track know alot more than we do.

One other point which could lend creditability to this rumour is that the common ECU used in all F1 cars is made and designed by McLaren.
McLaren should know what happens to the engine when ECU goes into limp-home mode and that is there reasoning for why it happened in Bahrain.

Pretty much, but what does Ron knows.

 

[Jinjo]

Hamilton drove behind Vettel for a while and commented on how not all of the banks from the engine were firing. It was on the McLaren race telemetry site. So nothing got tuned down by any ECU for fuel consumption. It was an engine problem.

 

[moojito]

Maybe the spark plug problem was caused by the ECU moving into fuel saving mode? Maybe the new fuel saving mode itself was borked, which might explain why it seemed to sort itself a bit later when it went back into non-fuel saving mode?

Just random speculation here (you'll no doubt be surprised to read)!

 

[DrM]

According to Bild, Mercedes found some partial solution for their weight distribution problem (front too heavy, rear too light).

RTL is reporting that they will use brand new front wing in Melbourne.

 

[subzero9285]

More FOTA survey results

The survey was launched in early February with the backing of Formula One Management and the teams association FOTA, and nearly 90,000 fans from 174 countries took part.

The organisers said the results will be "used by FOTA to help it decide what changes need to be made to make F1 better for fans".

Earlier this week we reported that although full results have not yet been published, Michael Schumacher had been named the best-known F1 driver with 19.5 per cent of the vote.

Behind the famous German was Fernando Alonso (9.7%), with his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa (6.1%) curiously trailing the rally-departed Finn Kimi Raikkonen (7.2%).

More leaks of the results, in the respectively Italian and Spanish sports newspapers La Gazzetta dello Sport and Marca, showed that Ferrari is the most popular team.

More than 30 per cent voted for the Maranello based team, ahead of McLaren (19.1%) and Mercedes (10.1%).

45% of the fans said F1's new points system, with points now awarded down to tenth place and a greater proportion to the winner, is a good idea, with only 14% saying they don't like it.

More than half the fans said classic races like Monaco, Monza, Spa, Silverstone and Germany are crucial to F1, 65% want the grands prix filmed in high-definition, and 53% want to be able to watch live on the internet.

KERS, although banned by the teams alliance FOTA, received a vote of confidence with 43% saying they would like to see the energy recovery technology return to the grid, and 22% agreeing it should not have been an optional innovation.

Nearly 67% said F1 must remain the pinnacle of motor sport technology.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Schumacher's car issues resolved, Vettel's problems dealt with

Mercedes team members at the team's Brackley base have been working hard since Bahrain to adapt the W01 car more to Michael Schumacher's liking, according to Bild.

The German newspaper said seven time world champion Schumacher, who followed his teammate to sixth place on his return to F1 two weeks ago in Bahrain, does not enjoy the silver car's tendency to understeer.

"We cannot build a new car, but we can work on it in the wind tunnel," the 41-year-old is quoted as saying.

Swiss commentator Marc Surer said the former Ferrari driver will be doing "everything" to have the car adapted to "his wishes" as soon as possible.

"But until it is right, he must adapt his driving style," he added.

Mercedes has admitted the car is not ready to win races, and Norbert Haug said: "The base is good and the team is working hard to achieve the next development steps."

Meanwhile, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel said on Tuesday he is confident his RB6 will be reliable in Melbourne, despite the spark plug issue that saw him drop from the lead to fourth place in Bahrain.

"We have analysed the problem and it should not happen again," he told the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Di Resta to get Friday chance

"I am excited, for sure. Given the pace of the car in Bahrain it's a great opportunity for me at this stage. I've never been to Melbourne but I'll walk the track with the engineers on the Wednesday ahead of the race and work with them to be able to do some useful work during the session. At the end of the day I'm not going to come out and try and set fastest times - it's about feeding my information back into the race schedule, helping the team and learning as much as I can. If I set a good time, great, but we need to approach this as a team as well and work through our programme. I've been in the simulator, tried to learn the Albert Park layout and I've looked over all the information from Bahrain so I feel as prepared as I can be at this stage. I feel ready and can't wait to get started; it's a great opportunity."

Team Principal, Dr. Vijay Mallya said, "Paul is a very good driver and has a lot of potential. But as a third driver the question is how he can use this potential if there's no testing in-season. This is a good solution all round, he can learn the car and the tracks in real time and therefore spend his simulator time helping to develop the car, which will be of real benefit to us. The race drivers are very supportive of the move - they've all been young drivers one time!"

Source

 

[subzero9285]

SIRIUS XM Radio to show live coverage in the US

SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it will broadcast every 2010 Formula 1 race live, offering unmatched access to the sport to both SIRIUS and XM listeners nationwide.

SIRIUS XM is the only U.S. broadcaster to offer live coverage of every F1 race in 2010. The next event on the calendar is the ING Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday, March 28 (2:00 am ET) and SIRIUS XM will carry the race live in its entirety on SIRIUS channel 127 and XM channel 242.

In addition to live coverage of each race, SIRIUS XM will offer multiple replays, giving listeners several opportunities to hear every event. The Australian Grand Prix will be rebroadcast Sunday, March 28 (7:00 am ET and 7:00 pm ET) and Monday, March 29 (7:00 am ET) on SIRIUS channel 127 and XM channel 242.

"We're in our third year of carrying Formula 1 and we're proud to be the only broadcaster to offer U.S. fans live coverage of every race," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS XM's President and Chief Content Officer. "F1 races are spectacular worldwide events, featuring the most advanced motorsports technology and many of the world's best drivers. Our listeners will not only have access to turn-by-turn action as it happens but also several race replays, giving them multiple chances to experience the excitement of each race."

SIRIUS XM's coverage will also feature the BBC 5 Live F1 Preview Show, which will lead in to every Grand Prix race, offering listeners the latest team news and information, a recap of qualifying results, driver interviews and an in-depth look at that weekend's circuit.

The FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ is the highest end of open wheeled motor racing. The 2010 season runs from March to November and consists of 19 Grand Prix races run on road course tracks, as well as some closed city streets circuits. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors (teams).

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Sutil aims for top five finish

"I think it was a very good start to the season," said Sutil. "We were very competitive in free practice, I was quickest in FP1, and then again in qualifying where both Tonio and myself were in the top 12. Last year we didn't get through to Q2 in Bahrain so to come out and be in the top 12 is really positive.

"Everything went well until the start of the race for me and then I dropped back down the field but from the team perspective at least one car got into the points.

"But now we want to go even higher in Australia. I think there is still potential to improve everything and get close to the top five or six."

Source

I'll certainly be cheering for him this weekend.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Interesting thought from Ron Dennis on RBR's fuel issue. Webber was stuck in traffic the whole race and couldn't really stretch his legs at any point. So he might have been able to conserve just fine. I didn't notice his laptimes falling off, but I really wasn't watching him.

The Renault is supposed to be efficient on fuel, so they can run lighter. But maybe they miscalculated the race simulation, or Vettel outperformed his sim. I don't know. It would just be nice if that as true so McLaren can catch up. Not sure what they can do about Ferrari other than develop the hell out of the car. But with Alonso replacing lazy-ass Kimi, I don't know if that Ferrari is gonna slump this season. PEACE.

 

[StoOgE]

Interesting thought from Ron Dennis on RBR's fuel issue. Webber was stuck in traffic the whole race and couldn't really stretch his legs at any point. So he might have been able to conserve just fine. I didn't notice his laptimes falling off, but I really wasn't watching him.

The Renault is supposed to be efficient on fuel, so they can run lighter. But maybe they miscalculated the race simulation, or Vettel outperformed his sim. I don't know. It would just be nice if that as true so McLaren can catch up. Not sure what they can do about Ferrari other than develop the hell out of the car. But with Alonso replacing lazy-ass Kimi, I don't know if that Ferrari is gonna slump this season. PEACE.

Vettels lap time was dropping before he had a problem.

It's possible he had kicked into fuel conversation mode and that caused whatever engine issue,.

 

[subzero9285]

Tyre allocations announced

GO TO EARLIER STORY GO TO THE NEWS INDEX
Tyre allocations until Turkey announced

By Steven English Wednesday, March 24th 2010, 08:32 GMT

Bridgestone has announced the tyre allocations up until this season's Turkish Grand Prix.

The tyre manufacturer announced last month that it would bring the soft and hard compounds to this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, and it has now confirmed the choices for the five races after Melbourne.

The soft and hard options are the choice for Malaysia, China, Spain and Turkey, with the super soft and medium compounds for Monaco.

Bridgestone's head of motorsport tyre development, Hirohide Hamashima, said: "Deciding which tyres to bring to a grand prix is always a difficult decision, especially as we don't receive advanced notification of the exact weather we will see at the race circuit over the three days of running. Tyre performance in Bahrain was good, however we remain vigilant and safety is the overriding concern for us.

"Shanghai and Barcelona are both quite severe circuits and Istanbul, as we have seen in the past is particularly severe. This is why we are bringing the hardest allocation, while still leaving a gap in our range between the two compounds. For Monaco this year we will have a gap in the allocation too, which is a change from the two softest compounds which we have brought here previously.

"We have a harder prime compound for Monaco because of the heavier fuel loads and longer stint lengths that the current rules encourage. We believe this allocation should provide a reasonable and interesting difference between prime and option tyres for this event."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Dennis: Moved on to bigger challenges

“I was full of expectation in Australia last year that I would go and get some sort of withdrawal,” he is quoted as having said by James Allen on the former ITV-F1 commentator's online blog, “but I don't have to watch every minute of a grand prix even when I'm not there. It's part of my life and it's not gone, but I've moved on to bigger challenges.”

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Chandhok has faith in new parts

"Xtrac have taken all the bits back," he explained to Autosport. "For some reason, the hydraulic system on my car was more problematic than Bruno's, so they took it off my car straight away and went back to England. There are another two systems coming tonight and they say it will be better."

With the team having been pushed to the limits of its capabilities two weekends ago, Karun expects a slightly less hectic environment in Melbourne. "Bahrain was ridiculous," he continued. "I know other teams did it but for the boys to work 40 hours straight is not pleasant; it's a bit better here but there are bits arriving early tomorrow morning, so I think tomorrow will be another long day for the boys.

"It will be a miracle if we finish the race, and I am not expecting to, but I would like to do 20 laps in each session. If we can do that, the gains we can make will be tremendous - just for me, mileage-wise, you learn so much with the car. We just need to aim to do that."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Alonso predicts four-way fight

"The one-two win at Sakhir gave us confidence and was a great result for the hard work during the winter on the track and at the works, but we can't take anything for granted.

"We have to stay with our feet on the ground, keeping calm and staying concentrated: in Melbourne we're starting from square one. Nothing has changed for me: there are four teams and eight drivers who can fight for victory and we have to give it our all to stay ahead of everybody else."

"I think that many of us have given some hot-headed comments immediately after the race in Bahrain," he said. "It's true that the race at Sakhir wasn't especially spectacular - although for us Ferraris it was great and exciting – but it's too early to talk about changing the rules.

"We have to wait and see different races and check the situation, without being emotional. Something that confuses the fans is changing the rules all the time."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Q&A with Lewis

Q. Welcome to Sydney. How are you enjoying it so far?

Lewis Hamilton: It's great to be here. I arrived at 6 o'clock this morning from the States. It's my first time in Sydney so I'm really happy to be here. Unfortunately, I'm only here for a few hours but I've been out on the harbour already so I feel I've seen a lot already.

Q. How does it rate being behind the wheel of a yacht compared to a Formula 1 car?

LH: I've had a little bit of experience before sailing. In 2008 with Hugo Boss I sailed around the Isle of Wight in a yachting event for four hours and we won. But we got disqualified at the end because we crashed at the beginning. But that wasn't when I was driving. It was great to be on the harbour today and back on one of those boats again. I have an understanding how to steer them so I had some fun. But it is nothing like a Formula 1 car. Nothing is like that.

Q. What better place, than Sydney Harbour on a yacht, than to spend your first few hours in this city?

LH: Absolutely. When I was flying over this morning I was wondering if I was arriving in the right place. I only know Australia to have clear blue skies and there was a lot of cloud as we were coming in to land. But it's cleared up and it's beautiful, and a beautiful day on the harbour.

Q. I want to ask you about last year. You were in a pretty bad place last year and you wouldn't necessarily like to remember it. But you have said it was an incredible year and a year that threw up a lot of challenges. What's the feeling going into this year?

LH: I've always had great experiences here and I don't look at last year's experience as a bad one. I look at it as a stepping stone in my life and something I learned a whole lot from. Every time I've come here, my first year in Melbourne I got a first podium position in my first grand prix. In 2008 I came here and I won.

Last year, don't forget I had a great race. I came from dead last on the grid up into fourth place. So it was still a good experience. 2009 was a tough year altogether. I learned a lot throughout about team building and lifting up the team. The team does so much but at the end of the day I'm the one who has to jump in and get the results for the team.

Q. Speaking of teams, let's speak about your team-mate, Jenson Button. How does it work in the team with such rivalry?

LH: The thing is I've had different experiences with different team-mates. Some you have an aggressive tension between, where clearly you want to beat each other. You always want to beat each other.

But with Jenson we are more just chilled friends outside of the car. Of course we want to beat each other but we are professionals. We know once the other one alongside you does well, it makes you pull your socks up. But there is a good feeling in the team. I feel privileged. I have a world champion alongside me.

Q. How do you think Michael Schumacher will go? Do you think he is past it?

LH: No. The standard is still the same. Maybe a little better now than when he was last racing. But if he has a car to win he will have the chance to win.

Q. You've had the success in Formula 1. Did it sour those memories what happened last year?

LH: Not at all. Being a racer you're always looking forward. When you're in a race car travelling at 200mph you have to look far, far forward. And I approach my life day by day. We are in the fast lane. It goes by fast and you have to be ready for what is coming up. Not what has happened in the past.

Q. Will your car better suit the Melbourne circuit than it did in Bahrain?

LH: Sometimes your car suits it better than others. This circuit should work to the strengths of our car. We feel stronger coming in to this race and hopefully we can get more points - for myself and Jenson. We do have a chance of winning this weekend. And hopefully we'll be able to get that edge.

Q. Do you think the Red Bulls are the fastest?

LH: Yes.

Q. Given that, is this Mark Webber's best year to win in Melbourne?

LH: Yes. The car was phenomenally quick the last race and last year they did an incredible job. They have had a tough few years as a team but they have two extremely talented drivers now and Mark is at his fittest and best.

Q. Do you expect better racing in Melbourne than what we saw in Bahrain?

LH: There is always good racing in Melbourne. There should be slightly better racing. It is an extremely special circuit, Albert Park is very unique. I love street circuits. It is always very green at the start of the week, but as the race goes on the grip picks up and it is great to race on. The fans are fantastic. Turn 3 you have the trees going by and you really feel like you are driving in a park. The weather is always fantastic.

Q. Were you happy with your third place in Bahrain?

LH: I was very happy. In general you shouldn't be happy with anything but first, but I was so proud of the team for what we did. Clearly I want to keep moving forward but if you win the first race, where do you go from there? So I'm kind of happy we got third. We can move forward.

Q. How confident are you of improving on your third place?

LH: Confidence is something you build on. I don't want to come here and say 'yeah we're going to win'. I feel confident, I have a great strong team behind me and Jenson goes well here in Australia. So I'm confident we can go better.

Q. What, if anything, will you and the team be looking at doing different this time out?

LH: Win. We will be looking at winning rather than coming third. Bit by bit we will look at improving and growing with the car. We've learned a lot from the first race and we can bring that here to Melbourne.

 

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Force India

Adrian Sutil

Q. How would you review Bahrain?

A: I think it was a very good start to the season. We were very competitive in free practice, I was quickest in FP1, and then again in qualifying where both Tonio and myself were in the top 12. Last year we didn't get through to Q2 in Bahrain so to come out and be in the top 12 is really positive. Everything went well until the start of the race for me and then I dropped back down the field but from the team perspective at least one car got into the points. But now we want to go even higher in Australia. I think there is still potential to improve everything and get close to the top five or six.

Q. From your perspective how was the racing in Bahrain?

A: Well, after the start I dropped down to 21st position and I came 12th at the end of the race so it shows that you can overtake and have a good race. OK, some of the cars I passed were the new teams and we had a performance advantage over them, but in the midpoint of the race I was fighting with Kubica [Renault] and the two Saubers so you can pass with the new regulations, it was just higher up the field that people were very cautious. But then at the first race of the year you never know really how everything will behave in race trim.

You do long run simulations in testing, but until you have the field around you it's can never be 100% representative. Under these circumstances it's natural to take care as you don't want to be a DNF in the first race. But last year's Bahrain Grand Prix was also not that interesting, with only refuelling and pit stops so never really overtaking possibilities.

I think every driver was a bit cautious as it was the first race and we had to go a long distance on the soft tyre and nobody really knew the best way to call it. Now we will go to Australia and tweak it a bit more to the limit and start to be a more aggressive. I think there will be some more overtaking.

Q. Looking to Australia now, what are your thoughts on the Albert Park circuit?

A: It's one of my favourites. It's quite a nice street circuit with a few run off areas through a park so it's very beautiful. But it's also very challenging with a lot of quick corners and a few slow speed corners so altogether it's a great circuit to race on.

I also have a lot of history there - I made my race debut for Spyker at the track in 2007, it was where Force India made their race debut the next year and then last year I was ninth. If we can get that position again this year that's two points! We've got to aim for this or higher - I'm pretty happy with where we were in qualifying and how we performed in the Bahrain race so we've got a lot of reasons to look forward to Australia now.

Tonio Liuzzi

Q. Tonio, Bahrain was a great result for you and the team. How was it from your perspective?

A: Overall the whole weekend was positive. We learned a lot about the tyres and how they perform in the warm temperatures and also how far we can push the fuel in the race. I was a bit disappointed with qualifying in that we never got a clear lap, but the race was encouraging and was a great result for the team and myself.

The team has worked so hard over the winter to find improvements and never gave up pushing so to get two points in the first race is fantastic. They are a team that is focussed, knows what they are doing and how to get there so they really deserve it to have good results on a regular basis. This is just the start.

Q. There's some new upgrades coming for Australia as well. Do you think this could push you further up the field?

A: We have some new developments on the front and rear wing. I'm pretty hopeful it will be a step forward as every upgrade we made last year was positive, so the correlation from the wind tunnel seems to be working well. Of course you never know what the others are bringing but I would hope this would move us a little closer to the teams in front. My target would be to get into Q3 this time out and then, of course, get into the points again.

Q. Australia will be a twilight race again, with the start at 17:00hrs. From a driver's perspective is this an issue or a particular challenge?

A: It wasn't a real problem last year - there was just one corner where the sun was very low and it was maybe a bit harder to see but everywhere else it was OK. The real challenge is that it can be critical with the temperature as the sun goes goes down and when you are on the harder tyre you start to have warm-up problems. But I think Bridgestone have worked on this now and so I am not worried about this. We'll look through the findings from Bahrain and see what we can do.

 

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Kovalainen confident that hydraulic issues are resolved

"I am quite satisfied with how our team has solved these problems," Kovalainen explained to Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat. "Of course, it's still 'touch wood' - Jarno came to a halt just at the end of the first race but he got through it pretty much without any problems.

"It's just such a complex hydraulics system. It has a lot of bending in it and parts linked up to others; they are a bit weak and starting to leak in some points - once that happens, you lose power steering."

Source

 

[navanman]

Sauber are the first team to copy McLarens F-vent system on their car but instead of being integrated into the tub/nose cone, its built into the side-pod instead.

I can't see how the driver is meant to change the airflow with this version as its parallel with the drivers head or slightly below so Saubers system must be on 100% of the time.

Source