Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo -- Photo

(L-R) Nicky Hayden of USA and Ducati Marlboro Team 3, Casey Stoner of Australia and Repsol Honda Team, Jorge Lorenzo of Spain and Yamaha Factory Team, Cal Crutchlow of Great Britain and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and Randy De Puniet of France and Power Electronics Aspar. pose during the press conference pre-event of the MotoGp of Spain at Circuito de Jerez on April 26, 2012 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Read More

Red Bull savour return to the winner’s circle

With Red Bull the latest team to hold a trophy aloft this year, yet another potential 2012 champion contender has emerged.

 

In theory, back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel, the Bahrain Grand Prix winner, was always a contender for a third drivers’ crown this year. But his RB8 was not a race winner until Sunday, after McLaren, Mercedes and even (an under performing) Ferrari had tasted the first victory spoils so far this season. It was said that – amid the extraordinary field of 2012 – Adrian Newey’s latest creation was simply in the league of other midfielders including Lotus, Sauber, and perhaps even Williams and Toro Rosso. But as Dr Helmut Marko remarked at the chequered flag: “Those pronounced dead live longest!”


“We never wrote them off,” McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh insisted to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, “because we knew that they had a good car and that they only needed to find the key.


“This season is really crazy; more exciting than we would like!” the Briton admitted. “And now we have to say Lotus are also contenders.”


German Vettel won in Bahrain from pole, but even he admitted that the weekend was a surprise.


“After Australia it seemed that McLaren had a supercar and it would be difficult to beat them, at least in the short term,” he is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.


So even the experts are at a loss after the initial ‘flyaway’ phase of the new world championship.


“We know that we know nothing,” beamed Vettel after his victory, referring to the oddly see-sawing balance of power in 2012, blamed mainly on the Pirelli tyres.


“It is almost impossible to predict in advance how the different tyre compounds are going to behave on race day,” he is quoted by Der Spiegel.


“You have an idea, but nothing more.”

 

Read More

Raikkonen rues missed opportunity

Kimi Raikkonen admitted to being a little disappointed not to win in Bahrain, while his Lotus teammate, Romain Grosjean, was delighted to finish in third place.

 

Raikkonen pestered Sebastian Vettel for the victory, but was unable to pass the Red Bull with his one and only true crack at taking the lead.


“I really should have made it, but I didn’t,” he said, referring to his attack on Vettel at Turn 1 on the 36th lap. “I got one try with Sebastian, but couldn’t use it because I went the wrong side. Then my tyres dropped off and that was it. I knew that was my only chance.


“Nevertheless, the team deserved this and hopefully we can get ourselves into this position more often.”


GP2 champion Grosjean became the first Frenchman to secure a podium finish in Formula 1 since Jean Alesi did so at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1998.


“I think we’re doing some pretty good stuff,” he said. “It’s great - a great feeling so far.


"I’m very proud of the team. We know we had a good car but I think even we are a little bit surprised at where we are.


“We’ve got two cars on the podium and my own first podium feels pretty good."

 

Read More

F1: Protests, clashes, death cast pall over Bahrain Grand Prix

The head of Formula One's governing body said the sport would suffer no long-lasting damage from the Bahrain event, despite the images of streets ablaze.

 

"I am not sure that all that has been reported corresponds to the reality of what is happening in this country," International Automobile Federation president Jean Todt told reporters at the Bahrain circuit.

While sports journalists have been invited to cover the race, non-sports reporters from Reuters and some other news organizations have been denied visas.

Bahrain's foreign minister said on Twitter he had received a call from his British counterpart William Hague asking for restraint and dialogue.

"I reiterated Bahrain's position of commitment to restraint in the face of violence and commitment to dialogue and reform," Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa wrote. "We all want reform, we all want peace, why can't we all work together? Why violence?"

The protests have so far been kept away from the Bahrain International Circuit, where qualifying races were held on Saturday in advance of Sunday's main race. Armored vehicles and security forces in riot gear have at times guarded the road to the race venue.

Read More

Rosberg anticipating tough outing

Nico Rosberg is delighted to be back in Bahrain but he is expecting a difficult weekend following his surprise win in China.

Rosberg secured his maiden pole position in Shanghai but few expected him to maintain his pace into Sunday's race, only for the German and Mercedes to shock their rivals with a superb performance from the front. Conditions will be vastly different in Bahrain with higher track temperatures likely to increase the pressure on tyres and Rosberg knows it will be a very difficult weekend for everyone.


"This is a track I really enjoy. I have some very good memories here, but it's difficult to know where we are going to be," Rosberg told a news conference.


"In Shanghai we did very well, but previously we did have issues in the races, so it's possible it could be a bit more difficult here.


"The engineers have been making good progress. We are learning very quickly. We did a good job and got the best out of it. The situation is different here with the temperatures and that might mean a bit more of a challenge."


Reflecting on his first Grand Prix victory, Rosberg added: "Everything came together. I was on top of my game all weekend. The car and the set-up were working quite well, it was enough to win by some margin. All in all it was a really strong weekend." 

Read More

Raikkonen confident of podium

Kimi Raikkonen does not expect to encounter any problems with his Lotus when he returns to the track in Bahrain later this week.

Raikkonen had the opportunity to score some good points when he climbed into second at the Chinese Grand Prix but his decision to stick to two pit-stops backfired as his tyres began to fade late on.
The Finn found himself swallowed up by the field and eventually limped home in 14th while his team-mate Romain Grosjean finished sixth after deploying a similar strategy.
Although he has yet to finish on the podium since his return to the sport, Raikkonen believes he could have easily finished in the top three in any of the races so far this season and he is confident he can fight for a podium result in Bahrain.
"A podium should be possible and I think it has been at all the races we've been at so far," he said. "We won't know exactly how good the car is until we get there, but we don't expect any problems."
Reflecting on his two-strop strategy in China, Raikkonen added: "It looked the best one for us and it worked for Romain.
"If we had the same information again, we'd probably try the same approach. It didn't work, but you don't know these things unless you try them.
"We will now know better for next time. We were pretty close to finishing on the podium. We didn't. That's racing."

Read More

Bahrain GP 'not a gamble'

Sakhir circuit chairman says a considered decision has been made

Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed R Alzayani insists that race organisers have made a "calculated decision" to go ahead with the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alzayani has consistently stated he is confident that this weekend's race will pass off without any problems despite the reported threat of protests. Formula One staff, including Williams driver Bruno Senna and Sergio Perez of Sauber, have already travelled to Bahrain and their arrival has passed off without incident. And Alzayani insists that the decision to hold the race, which was confirmed recently by the FIA, was made after careful consideration and does not involve any element of risk or gamble.

"We've been in Formula One for seven years and we will be in it for much longer than that," Alzayani said.

"We wouldn't take a decision on a gamble. But it's a calculated decision, we've weighed up our options and we are committed to the Grand Prix and to its success.

"I don't think anything drastic will happen. It's not Syria or Afghanistan. I don't see why anything should happen this year that hasn't happened in the previous years.

Read More