France return draws nearer

Speculation is mounting that an announcement confirming France's return to the Formula 1 calendar could be made as early as Friday.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon is due to visit the Le Castellet circuit on Friday and it is reported that he will give an update on the situation when he speaks to the media at a press conference in the company of Hubert Falco, president of the local Toulon province.

Le Parisien newspaper reported that Le Castellet will be confirmed as the venue for the 2013 French Grand Prix with the venue set to alternate with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.

The French Grand Prix race was last held at Magny Cours in 2008 but funding issues resulted in the race being dropped for 2009.

Le Castellet (Paul Ricard track) last hosted a Grand Prix in 1990 but the circuit's strong links to Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone made it the clear favourite to alternate on a bi-annual basis with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.

There are currently three French drivers on the grid - Romain Grosjean, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic - and their presence has boosted the country's hopes of returning to the Formula 1 calendar.

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Horner unhappy with cost-control plans

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has made it clear he is against the latest cost-control suggestions in F1.

Horner has refused to sign up to the latest cost-control measures and believes there are real flaws behind the ideas. However, the Red Bull chief insists the team is, overall, fully behind cost control but is unsure if the sport's governing bodies are currently taking the right route.

"What I would like to make clear is Red Bull is fully behind cost control in Formula One," Horner is quoted by Sporting Life. "Whether the RRA is the right route to achieve that is what we question. I believe that letter, from what I read, requested for the FIA to police the RRA, which in our opinion would be the wrong route.

"We believe whole-heartedly in controlling costs in Formula One and not frivolous spending. But there are better ways of doing that and containing that through the sporting and technical regulations as opposed to a resource restriction that relies on equivalence and apportionment of time and personnel. "That is always tricky in subsidiary companies, particularly of automotive manufacturers. So we would be totally open to any discussion that involves cost control that pursued those avenues."

Red Bull, meanwhile, have begun the 2012 season poorly following Sebastian Vettel's back-to-back successes in 2010 and 2011.

The German did finish second in the season-opener in Melbourne earlier this month, but neither he nor team-mate Mark Webber could get on the podium last weekend in the Malaysian GP.

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Fry: Lot of work to do for Ferrari

Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry believes there would have been a vastly different outcome to the Malaysian Grand Prix had heavy rain not interrupted proceedings.


Ferrari's ongoing struggles with the F2012 was clear to see over the course of the weekend and while there was some improvement both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa warned that the team were in for a difficult weekend in Sepang.

However, the weather gods appeared to be on their side with the Malaysian race stopped after just nine laps due to a heavy downpour. When the race got resumed 50 minutes later Alonso benefitted from the McLaren's both entering the pits but he was made to work hard to hold off the challenge of Sauber's Sergio Perez. Despite taking a surprise win Alonso admitted Ferrari still had a lot of work to do on the F2012 and Fry has backed up his driver by warning that the team will have to delivered major improvements to have any chance of fighting for the world championship.

"I think the pressure is on the team to try and get the car performing," said Fry."Here, if anything, we had to do the best we could to make the most of the situation. In these situations our car is quite reasonable. But if it had been a completely dry race it would have been a totally different story."

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Ferrari boss eyes progress

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo is adamant his team have a long way to go if they are to be competitive this season.



The Italian outfit secured their first win in 12 Formula One races, thanks to a fine performance from former world champions Fernando Alonso, who took the chequered flag at the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend.

Alonso managed to take advantage of the use of the safety car and the wet conditions in Sepang to record an unlikely win for Ferrari, who have continued to struggle for pace after a challenging 2011 campaign.With McLaren and Mercedes looking like the two fastest teams in qualifying for the meetings in Australia and Malaysia so far, Ferrari had been left wallowing lower down the order.

The win for Alonso last weekend has given the Maranello-based team something to cheer about but Di Montezemolo is under no illusions as to where they stand compared to their rivals in the current campaign.He told the Ferrari website: "I am...very pleased for Stefano Domenicali (Team Principal) and all his people who got a nice reward for doing a perfect job on track, from the strategy to the pit stops to the car preparation."There is still a lot of work to do, but this win is a further shot in the arm that was much needed at a time like this." - http://www.setanta.com

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Hamilton happy, Button takes blame

Lewis Hamilton was satisfied by his third place in Malaysia, while Jenson Button accepted the blame for clashing with the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan.



Repeating their feat in Australia, McLaren secured the front row of the grid at Sepang, with Hamilton ahead of Button.However, they managed to leave with only the 15 scored by Hamilton, as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso took victory and Sauber's Sergio Perez secured second place.

Hamilton, though, was "satisfied". He continued: "Of course I would love to have more points this weekend but I can't really complain. I'm on the podium for the second weekend in a row so I'm pretty happy. We did a pretty good job."Button, last week's winner in Australia, was fighting with Karthikeyan after torrential rain had forced a restart and a host of positional changes.Button had repairs done on the damage to his front wing but could only finish 14th. - http://www.setanta.com

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Red Bull rivals closing in

Following the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes their rivals have improved.



The Milton Keynes-based team ran away with both the drivers' and constructors' championship for the second year running last season but found themselves second best in Melbourne.

McLaren and their MP 4-27 have come on leaps and bounds during the off-season and that showed Down Under last weekend, as Jenson Button took the first meeting of the campaign, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton coming third.Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel did manage to claim second place in the highly competitive race but the defending champion was unable to show the dominance he produced last season.Horner has admitted the teams are more evenly matched in 2012, as they prepare for the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

"We saw it last year where there were swings and roundabouts - with some circuits suiting different cars and different characteristics," he told Sky Sports News."So I think there are circuits that will affect performance, but I think the teams are very closely matched at this point."As always, though, it will be a development race between now and the end of the season. Whoever gets the most performance from the car quick enough will see a gain from that." - http://www.setanta.com/

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McLaren confident over car's credentials

McLaren are confident their new car can be competitive at all circuits after Jenson Button's season-opening Australian Grand Prix win.



McLaren's cars have tended to struggle at tracks with high-speed corners in recent years, compared to those of reigning Constructors' Championship world champions Red Bull.

And as the teams head to Sepang for the the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend, experts are predicting a bold showing from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber after their second and fourth-placed finishes at Albert Park.But McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe said pre-season testing at Barcelona had demonstrated the car's versatility on one of the most demanding circuits in the world.

"The car has got good all-round performance," he told the BBC."Malaysia will be interesting, but I'm not feeling too worried about the fact it is a different circuit characteristic to this one," Lowe said."Our performance in Barcelona was quite encouraging in that aspect, Barcelona being a classic, high-speed downforce circuit."

Lewis Hamilton finished third in the other McLaren after starting the race from pole position ahead of Button. - http://www.setanta.com/

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Vettel hails unbeatable Button

German full of praise for Briton after opening victory in Melbourne

 

Sebastian Vettel admitted he was powerless to prevent Jenson Button's win on Sunday, describing the Briton's performance in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as "unbeatable".


So often last year Vettel left his rivals trailing in his wake, claiming a record-breaking 15 poles from which he won 11 races and his second Formula One world title.


Over the course of the weekend at Melbourne's Albert Park, the shoe was very much on the other foot as it was Vettel and Red Bull who were found wanting.


In qualifying Vettel could only manage sixth, his worst grid slot for 25 races, 24 of which he had been on the front row.

The 24-year-old German at least went on to finish second, but was no match for Button who led for 57 of the 58 laps after passing McLaren team-mate and polesitter Lewis Hamilton on the run to the first corner.

"Jenson deserved to win, he was out of reach for us, unbeatable," said Vettel. "I'm very happy with second, especially after the difficult day we had on Saturday. "At least it was good to finally go racing again and stop all the talk, to see some results. "In winter testing we said McLaren looked very strong. They had a very solid winter with no issues with the car. - http://www1.skysports.com

 

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Disappointing weekend for Kimi

Lotus driver focuses on negatives after Australian Grand Prix



Kimi Raikkonen admitted his return to Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix was "far from ideal", although Lotus boss Eric Boullier was much more upbeat.

After spending two years away in rallying, Raikkonen started down in 18th at Albert Park following a breakdown in communication with his team in the first part of qualifying.The 2007 World Champion fared better during the race, making his way through the field to sit in 10th position with half a lap remaining.And a last-lap crash involving Williams' Pastor Maldonado played havoc with the field allowing Raikkonen to emerge with seventh place, but the Finn was still disappointed with his weekend overall.

"Yesterday we made some mistakes which cost us quite badly so it could easily have been better in the race," he said."I made a good start, but then there was an accident in front of me at the first turn, so we lost a few places there as I had to almost stop and move on to the grass to avoid it."That made the race harder again as we had the speed, but a lot of traffic to get through, so when you look at all these things we could have finished in a much better position. - http://www1.skysports.com

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Mercedes pair hail excellent machine

Mercedes drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were pleased with how their 2012 car felt during the opening two free practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix.



Schumacher enjoyed a long stint at the top of the times during the morning session before finishing third behind McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, but the seven-time world champion was the fastest of all the drivers in the afternoon.Much of the session was lost due to rain but Schumacher proved too strong over the final 20 minutes and afterwards he declared himself delighted with the performance of the W03.

"The car feels positive, we have an excellent machine," Schumacher said. "We all anticipate a dry weekend from here on, so we weren't too bothered by the rain."

Rosberg did not go as well as his team-mate - he finished seventh fastest - but he believes he has a good car at his disposal for the season opener in Melbourne.

"In general I am quite pleased: the car feels good, and it's been a decent start," he said."It was good to get going again, and to get an idea of where we are compared to the others."Today was mixed conditions, but we got some good dry laps in and I was able to learn some things that will be useful for a dry forecast."I especially learned a lot through high fuel running, which is good preparation for the race." - http://www.setanta.com

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Kubica would be with Ferrari - Ecclestone

Robert Kubica would 'now be sitting in a Ferrari' had it not been for his rally accident last year, according to Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.



Kubica was left with severe injuries when he crashed during the Ronde di Andorra in Italy last February and for a while it was unclear whether he would ever be able to drive a Formula 1 car again.

He missed the entire 2011 season as he recovered from his injuries only to suffered a fresh setback in January when he broke his right leg in a fall, ending hope of him making his return in 2012.If he had not been injured Ecclestone believes he would have moved to Ferrari and he believes the only reason Felipe Massa is still with the team is because there is not a suitable alternative.

"One thing is clear - Felipe is not really blessed by luck, but he is fast," Ecclestone told the Formula 1 website."I rather think that it is a question of alternatives at Ferrari: who from the available drivers is faster than Felipe?"I don't see anybody. But I am sure that Robert Kubica would by now be sitting in a Ferrari had he not had his terrible rally accident." - http://www.setanta.com

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Alonso - Major work needed

Ferrari driver admits car needs development to compete



Fernando Alonso has admitted Ferrari need to make major improvements if they are to have a chance of competing for titles in 2012.

The radical F2012 proved to be off the pace in pre-season testing and technical director Pat Fry ruled out the team challenging for a podium place in Melbourne.Whilst some have remained wary of Ferrari's claims, thinking they may have been sandbagging during testing, Alonso was keen to keep the fans expectations in check.

Writing in his personal blog on Ferrari's official website, the Spaniard said: "I know the fans always expect to hear me say that we can obtain such and such a result, but the truth is that we cannot say with certainty where we are. We must wait until Saturday evening at six, after qualifying."We definitely still need to improve a lot, working on our understanding of the F2012, adapting my driving style to a new car which, with the loss of aerodynamic downforce at the rear and the new Pirelli tyres, is a bit harder to drive. - http://www1.skysports.com

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Unknown step for Glock

Marussia driver excited ahead of season-opening race


Timo Glock admits that the Australian Grand prix will be a "voyage into the unknown" but insists Marussia have nothing to lose in the coming season.

Marussia have not been able to run their new car, the MR01, at the scheduled pre-season tests this year after their car failed mandatory crash testing.That meant the challenger did not turn a wheel in anger until last Monday, when the team took it out on track at Silverstone for two days of promotional filming.

Glock says the lack of testing has put Marussia on the back foot ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne but the German driver says he is still excited to climb into the cockpit in Melbourne.He said: "I couldn't wait to try the MR01 for the first time last Monday. Even though it wasn't in representative conditions, it has been a long wait to get my hands on a car that I'm hoping will be a good step forward from the past two seasons.

"It has been a frustrating winter for sure, but you have two choices and the only thing to do was to focus on everything we could be doing off-track to make sure we were as prepared as possible for when we did run the car. - http://www1.skysports.com/

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Schumacher raring to go

Multiple world champion Michael Schumacher has admitted he is excited by the upcoming Formula 1 campaign with Mercedes.



The 43-year-old is yet to win a race since he came out of retirement with Mercedes but the German outfit look like they have improved in the off-season, as they aim to close the gap on the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes have impressed in testing in Barcelona and will be hoping to take some genuine pace into the first race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.Schumacher has admitted he is excited by the prospect of a new campaign and is adamant his team are making steps in the right direction ahead of the first race next Sunday.

"Finally, we can stop trying to read the tea leaves from testing and actually go racing."Melbourne is a perfect location, and the ideal place to start the season."The city loves Formula 1, the fans create a great atmosphere and obviously, as drivers, we feel that too."And because we've already got a buzz about what's to come, it just makes you want to get out there and start driving." - http://www.setanta.com

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FIA tweaks DRS rules in wet

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has been handed greater discretion over the use of DRS in wet conditions, as part of some minor tweaks to Formula 1's Sporting Regulations for 2012.



The governing body's World Motor Sport Council met for the first time this year in Milan on Friday and rubber stamped three changes to the regulations agreed on by the F1 Commission.

With a view to safety concerns over the large speed differentials between cars in the wet, it was agreed that Whiting may now ban the use of the adjustable rear wing if he "feels visibility is too poor in wet conditions".Also regarding wet-weather running, the FIA confirmed that teams may now carry one set of slick tyres into the Saturday of a grand prix weekend if both Friday practice sessions are declared wet.The FIA has also agreed to simplify the regulations regarding team personnel curfews to ensure that rest periods remain constant throughout the season so to avoid any confusion. - http://www1.skysports.com/

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Petrov delighted by reprieve

Russian admits difficult winter without drive secured in F1



Vitaly Petrov has admitted he was relieved to be given a chance with Caterham this season after spending the winter without a drive.

The Russian was dropped by Renualt (now Lotus) after publicly criticising the team at the end of the 2011 season.But after a winter spent on the sidelines he was given a late reprieve when he replaced veteran Jarno Trulli at Caterham, despite the Italian driving for the team during the first test in Jerez.

"It was obviously a pretty tough winter. It would be the same for anyone who wasn't sure what their job would be in the New Year," Petrov told the official Formula One website.

"But even though it was difficult at times, I never lost the belief that it would come good and that's what has happened. As soon as we knew the situation with Renault we started working on a solution.

"And Caterham were always the best option, and the one that I saw most potential in, so it's been really good to get the situation sorted out. I'm not so much relieved but happy to be in my new team." - http://www1.skysports.com/

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Button ramps up Red Bull pressure

McLaren driver Jenson Button is convinced Formula One rivals Red Bull will not have it all their own way in 2012.



This time 12 months ago and the Woking-based outfit were struggling for pace and reliability but the MP4-27 has stood out in testing ahead of the start of the new season.

"I'm a lot happier with everything compared with last year," Button told The Daily Mail."Last year we had problems with the exhaust. But we also had the problem that we just weren't very fast. There's nothing I'm afraid of with the balance of the car."

McLaren won six races last year but finished 153 points behind constructors' championship winner Red Bull, helped by the immaculate driving of the sport's youngest double champion, Sebastian Vettel.

Button, who won the drivers' title in 2009 and finished second in the standings last year, said his German counterpart will be under even more pressure in 2012, starting in Australia on March 18."I feel that the field will be bunched up a lot more. Red Bull won't have the advantage out of the blocks that they had last season. It gives us an opportunity," he added. - http://www.setanta.com/

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Fry downbeat on Ferrari

Technical director expects Italian team to struggle in Melbourne

Ferrari technical director Pat Fry admits his team will struggle even to get on to the podium in the opening race in Australia later this month. 

The Italian team has been one of the big disappointments of the pre-season testing campaign, although Fernando Alonso did post the second fastest time on the final day in Barcelona. But Fry was not particularly bullish when asked if he thought there was a chance of a positive result in Melbourne. He said, on Ferrari's website: "In the hunt for the podium in Melbourne? At the moment I'd say no.

"We are disappointed with the performance level seen at these tests and I think we have a lot of work ahead of us."It will only be in Melbourne that we will get a clear answer as to whether we have to be very disappointed or just a little, how far we really are off the front runners and consequently how much ground we have to make up to get there."Clearly the decision relating to the exhausts that we took last week meant we took a few steps backwards in terms of development. How much? Difficult to say right now." - http://www1.skysports.com/

 

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