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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Disappointing weekend for Kimi

Lotus driver focuses on negatives after Australian Grand PrixKimi 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...

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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...

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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...

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Alonso - Major work needed

Ferrari driver admits car needs development to competeFernando 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...

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Unknown step for Glock

Marussia driver excited ahead of season-opening raceTimo 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...

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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...

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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...

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Petrov delighted by reprieve

Russian admits difficult winter without drive secured in F1Vitaly 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...

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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...

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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...

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