Kimi Räikkönen on the Spanish GP: “Hopefully We Will Be Regular Visitors to the Podium This Season”

Just four races into his F1 comeback and Kimi stood on the second step of the podium. The Iceman however was not completely happy; after all, the victory was so nearly in his grasp. Will Barcelona give him the opportunity to add to his win tally?

It took you four races into your comeback before you achieved a podium – were you surprised at this?

I never had any doubts in myself and it is clear we have a good car so in some ways the podium could have come sooner. We had the car already in the first three races to be up there, but we made some small mistakes and it cost us a lot. I would have been much happier if we had managed to get the victory, but nevertheless it’s a good result and the team deserved it for all their hard work. We have been good in every race so far, so hopefully we will be regular visitors to the podium this season.

Are you frustrated not to have taken the win?

I chose the wrong side to make it past Sebastian (Vettel). I didn’t make it past and after that, I pretty much knew that was it. Of course, I wanted to win. I would have been much happier with myself after the race.

You did not attend the Mugello test – is this an issue for you?

We didn’t have any major new parts to test and we don’t race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn’t test. I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona.

You must have completed a lot of laps of the Circuit de Catalunya over the years; what are your thoughts of the track?

I have tested there very many times. It’s a challenging circuit - great fun with a good car, but not that great with a not so good car. Usually a car going well in Barcelona, goes well everywhere. We had a good car there for the second pre-season test even if the car wasn’t quite together for the first one.The car has improved and I feel more comfortable in it.

What are your thoughts on the Pirelli tyres and the strategies needed for the best results?

No matter what the tyres you always have to make a strategy to suit them best. The tyres are fine for me. For the strategy I work with my engineers and we make the best choices we can. Sometimes we get it right, like in Bahrain. Sometimes we get very close, like in Shanghai. After the race in China and after the qualifying in Bahrain, people probably started thinking that we are idiots and cannot do anything right. But we showed in the race why we did what we did. It was close already in China and this time our strategy paid back very nicely for us. It’s all part of racing and the same for everyone.

Are you looking forward to racing in Europe again?

I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel too far and all the energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the real season starts while coming back to Europe. For me it’s just great.

What do you think can be achieved in the Spanish Grand Prix?

I expect Lotus to be very competitive at Barcelona. It’s going to be very, very close between the top teams. This is the only circuit where the teams have already tested with the new cars, and the set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it even more interesting and even tighter at the top.

You have some good memories of the Spanish Grand Prix?

Yes, I have won there twice, and there’s nothing better than winning in any Grand Prix. Those two wins are my only podiums in the event.

Four races completed; what do you want to achieve from the next four?

Let’s see what happens. As I’ve said, the car feels good everywhere we’ve been so far. I am here to race and I race to win. That is the target for me and the team. We want to win Grands Prix. We have a good car and we saw in Bahrain it is good enough to win. That’s the target.

Source: LotusF1

I need nitros!

It's evening on Sunday in Valles de Barbera near Barcelona. The winter tests are over and I have had time to ponder what could happen in Australia based upon them.

I think we can expect the most thrilling Q2 of all times.

Seven different teams made the fastest lap time at some point in the tests. Since McLaren was absent from that list, there's a long list of candidates to top 10.

Ferrari at least has an obvious problem if they can even get their drivers to the Q1. F2012 -car eats the tyre and demands a lot of fresh rubber for the race. On the other hand the basic speed is such that getting into top 10 requires a lot. Maybe two sets of soft tyres in Q2 - if even that is enough.

I strolled to the press room on Sunday from Lotus paddock with my reporter buddy Kari Melart when Ferrari's publicist Luca Colajanni came to say hello and said that Kimi might win in Australia.

When I asked if he said it seriously or just for fun, Luca assured that he believes just as much in Kimi's chances to win the opening race as he believes in Ferrari not being able to win the opening race.

Since I know, that based upon all data information Ferrari doesn't have any chance in Australia, Kimi is then possibly hiding big chances to win on a track where he has been 4 times earlier on the podium.

We re-lived with Colajanni those unforgettable moments when Räikkönen became Ferrari's last WDC in 2007, Brazil. Keeping those memories in mind, Luca adviced me to prepare myself for an even better assurance in the opening race, so my heart that was operated three years ago wouldn't be too strained from anticipating a victory.

I also asked about it from Räikkönen's new boss, Eric Boullier. He said the same as Kimi, that the first qualification will clear up the power relations. He also reminded, that circumstances usually play a big part and if a team gets them on their side then the result will surely be very positive for them.

Daniel Ricciardo had an excellent day on Saturday. Although Toro Rosso's fine-tuning didn't quite fall in place, the hope of Australia was in a sunny mood on Sunday night.

I went to show my support for a youngster who was charging up for his life's first home race and asked what kind of chances he has to beat Räikkönen in the opening weekend.

– Lotus looks strong. We don't have a chance against Lotus or against Kimi. Kimi will be among the top 8 in qualification, maybe even among the top 6, Ricciardo estimated.

One of my reporter buddies, Jonathan Noble, had made a gallup on the paddock about the power relations.

– It seems that the majority believes Red Bull and McLaren to be in the first row, after them come Mercedes and Lotus. How far Kimi will stretch from that is up to the circumstances and right timing. At least we saw that his speed is just like before, Noble said.

Turun Sanomat, Barcelona

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Räikkönen the star number one in winter testing

Kimi Räikkönen started and ended this year's F1 -winter tests the same way. On the first day in Jerez he whipped his Lotus to the top time and in the final testing in Barcelona he coughed out the fastest lap time of the whole testing season.

Usually a car that is fast in Barcelona is also fast everywhere else.

– That's how it has been. This is quite a challenging spot, Räikkönen admitted to Turun Sanomat.

Actually they followed the top teams' race simulations during the final day instead of qualification speed. Even there Lotus kept their ground well.

Räikkönen drove first 12 laps with a soft compound, then 24 laps with a harder and in the end 16 laps with a soft compound.

Out of those who drove the race lenght at the same time, Räikkönen could do better than Ferrar's Fernando Alonso. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was a couple of tenths ahead with softer compounds but with hard compounds Lotus was just as fast.

All and all Räikkönen worked almost two GP-lenghts on Sunday because he made 121 laps.

As ready as ready can be

Lotus had to leave one testing week unused. Hence Räikkönen lost two driving days. All and all he had time to drive 1598 km with the new E20-car or 1694 km if you also add the so called filming day.

How ready are you now for the opening race?

– It doesn't get any better no matter how much I would drive. The car gets new parts and of course we could have tried them out. However I don't believe that it would had changed how ready I am for Australia, Räikkönen thought.

Sunday was a really good day for Lotus and Räikkönen. Although the man was tired after the hard working the catch of the day gave him the best feelings.

Everyone in the Lotus-camp had a big contented smile when they shipped the machinery back home to Enstone and from there to the opening race next week.

– It was an all right day because there was no problems. We got everything in place right from the morning and the car is working just as it is supposed to work.

The mandatory visor-reinforcement that has a bit troubled Räikkönen, fell well in place with court painter Uffe Tägtström's new concept.

Turun Sanomat, Barcelona

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Ends Pre-Season Testing On Top

Kimi Räikkönen concluded pre-season testing in the exact same manner in which he begun - with a P1

Räikkönen proved to be the one to beat during the morning's session, which is when the majority of the field focused on qualifying style runs.

Opting for either one or two flying laps during short runs ahead of lunch, Raikkonen clocked a 1:22.030 to beat Fernando Alonso by 0.220s.

And as the day progressed it appeared that short-distance runs are not Lotus's only strong point.

Switching to a race distance in the afternoon, Raikkonen put in some impressive times as he covered 65 laps.

The Finn often race in the 1:28 to 1:29s and did not suffer a major drop-off in lap times during his four separate stints.

Bruno Senna finished his day in third place ahead of Nick Hulkenberg, Kamui Kobayashi, who brought out the red flags when he stopped out on track an hour and a half before the close of play, and Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton was another that drew attention with his longer runs with the McLaren driver's pace appearing to be very similar - although slightly better - than Raikkonen's.

Vitaly Petrov concluded the pre-season in style for Caterham with a P7, finishing ahead of Michael Schumcher, Pastor Maldonado, who was in action in the afternoon, and Daniel Ricciardo.

Sebastian Vettel did not have a great final day as the Red Bull racer managed just 23 laps, hampered by a gearbox problem and a broken front wing.

Times
01. Räikkönen Lotus 1m22.030 121 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1m22.250 +0.220 115 laps
03. Senna Williams 1m22.296 +0.266 53 laps
04. Hulkenberg Force India 1m22.312 +0.282 101 laps
05. Kobayashi Sauber 1m22.386 +0.356 72 laps
06. Hamilton McLaren 1m22.430 +0.400 115 laps
07. Petrov Caterham 1m22.795 +0.765 101 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1m22.939 +0.909 100 laps
09. Maldonado Williams 1m23.347 +1.317 48 laps
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.393 +1.363 100 laps
11. Vettel Red Bull 1m23.608 +1.578 23 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Kimi still looking for steering wheel buttons

Lotus driver Kimi Räikkönen says that many buttons in steering wheel may still cause him some trouble from time to time

Finnish driver returned to Formula One this season after two-year break. In tests Räikkönen found the old speed quickly, but fine-tuning remains to be done.

- Sometimes I press the wrong buttons on the wheel. Sometimes I do not press buttons hard enough, but it doesn't matter much. Of course, additional training would help, but I think we'll be okay, Räikkönen told to German Auto Motor und Sport magazine.

MTV3

Courtesy: reppo

Kimi wins Barcelona qualy battle

Kimi Räikkönen proved to be the one to beat as the F1 drivers present at Barcelona engaged in a qualifying style battle

With the goal for the final day of testing being to learn as much and cover as many laps as possible, most teams opted for short runs in the morning session.

Räikkönen proved to be the quickest over a single flying lap with the Lotus driver clocking a 1:22.030.

It was a much better showing than Saturday when a power steering problem limited the Finn to 43 laps and left him at the very bottom of the timesheets.

Räikkönen's time put him 0.220s seconds up on Fernando Alonso while Bruno Senna was third, a further 0.046s off the pace.

A late charge in the final few minutes before lunch saw Nico Hulkenberg move up to fourth place ahead of Kamui Kobayashi and Lewis Hamilton.

The trio, though, were only fourth-tenths adrift of Raikkonen's time in what turned out to be a qualifying battle on a mix of soft and super soft tyres. Raikkonen's P1 time was set on the softs as was Alonso's while Senna reportedly used the super softs.

Vitaly Petrov, driving the Caterham CT01 on the final day of testing, demonstrated his team's apparent step forward as he claimed seventh place ahead of Michael Schumacher. The duo were both within a second of the P1 time.

Daniel Ricciardo slipped to ninth in the final hour while Sebastian Vettel finished last after he was kept to just 15 laps.

The Red Bull racer, using the team's revised RB8, was forced into the pits when a piece of his front wing fell off of the start/finish straight.

Team boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports/I> that it was a "little problem" and was not caused by a component failure but rather by Vettel running off the track.

Times
01. Räikkönen Lotus 1m22.030 41 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1m22.250 +0.220 63 laps
03. Senna Williams 1m22.296 +0.266 53 laps
04. Hulkenberg Force India 1m22.312 +0.282 45 laps
05. Kobayashi Sauber 1m22.386 +0.356 56 laps
06. Hamilton McLaren 1m22.430 +0.400 60 laps
07. Petrov Caterham 1m22.795 +0.765 43 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1m22.939 +0.909 57 laps
09. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.393 +1.363 53 laps
10. Vettel Red Bull 1m23.608 +1.578 15 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Perez Shines As The Rain Falls In Spain

Sergio Perez was assured of a P1 finish to Saturday's penultimate day of testing as the rain came down at Barcelona in the final hour

The Sauber driver worked his way to the top of the timesheets half an hour before the lunch-break, clocking a 1:22.094 on the soft Pirelli tyres.

And while it was Daniel Ricciardo who challenged Perez for the P1 slot ahead of lunch, it was Jenson Button who did so at the end of the day's play.

The McLaren driver had a slow start, completing just 17 laps with a best time of 1:23.409 as a hydraulic issue sidelined him for much of the morning.

But, out on track after the break, Button came to the fore, taking second place, just 0.009s behind Perez. The McLaren driver, though, only managed a total of 44 laps the entire day.

Ricciardo dropped to third, finishing ahead of Felipe Massa. The Ferrari driver was 0,319s off the pace having set his best time during a short-distance run during the morning's session.

Swapping to a race distance in the afternoon, Massa covered 122 laps on Saturday.

Paul di Rest was fifth quickest ahead of Bruno Senna while Heikki Kovalainen had a great day for Caterham as he brought his CT01 home in seventh place, just over half a second off the pace.

Mark Webber, driving Red Bull's heavily revised RB8, was eighth, 0.568s down. The Aussie amassed only 70 laps and only once completed a run of more than five laps.

Nico Rosberg in ninth place was under a second off the pace while the same cannot be said of Kimi Raikkonen. With steering column problems hampering his day, he finished last, three seconds off the pace and with only 43 laps under his belt.

The day's play, though, was interuptted late in the afternoon when the rain came down with an hour remaining. Most drivers did opt to test Pirellis intermediate and wet tyres.

Times
01. Perez Sauber 1m22.094 114 laps
02. Button McLaren 1m22.103 +0.009 44 laps
03. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m22.155 +0.061 131 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1m22.413 +0.319 122 laps
05. Di Resta Force India 1m22.446 +0.352 108 laps
06. Senna Williams 1m22.480 +0.386 111 laps
07. Kovalainen Caterham 1m22.630 +0.536 64 laps
08. Webber Red Bull 1m22.662 +0.568 70 laps
09. Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.932 +0.838 129 laps
10. Raikkonen Lotus 1m25.379 +3.285 43 lap

Source: Planet-F1

Perez quickest as contenders falter

Sergio Perez put in a late dash on the super soft tyres to lead the way at lunch on Day Three at Barcelona

The morning's timesheets had been dominated by Felipe Massa, who was quickly out of the blocks, taking the early lead with a 1:23.009.

The Brazilian continued lapping in short runs, shaving tenths off his time and in doing so became the first driver to break the 1:22 barrier.

However, it was his run on the super softs that appeared to cement his place at the top with a 1:22.413.

But with others following suit, Massa's reign was over by the time lunch came around, beaten by not one but two drivers.

Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo was the first to edge the Ferrari driver as he posted a 1:22.155. But, mere minutes later, he fell to P2 as Perez took over at the front.

The Sauber driver, who is entering his second season in Formula One, crossed the line with a 1:22.094 to take the P1 slot by 0.061s. Massa was third.

Paul di Resta was fourth quickest for Force India, finishing ahead of Bruno Senna and the impressive Heikki Kovalainen. The Finn, driving his new CT01, was quicker than four expected title contenders.

Red Bull, with their new-look RB8, which features a new front wing and exhaust layout, were seventh fastest as the revised car made its debut with Mark Webber behind the wheel while Mercedes's Nico Rosberg, who was focusing on trying to find a solution to the team's tyre degradation, was eighth.

Jenson Button, who managed just 17 laps, was a lowly ninth due to a hydraulic problem while Kimi Räikkönen, who had steering column issues, was last.

Times
01 Perez Sauber 1:22.094 49 laps
02 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:22.155 50 laps
03 Massa Ferrari 1:22.413 48 laps
04 Di Resta Force India 1:22.446 45 laps
05 Senna Williams 1:22.480 36 laps
06 Kovalainen Caterham 1:22.630 44 laps
07 Webber Red Bull 1:22.662 46 laps
08 Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.932 63 laps
09 Button McLaren 1:23.409 17 laps
10 Räikkönen Lotus 1:25.620 17 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Slade and Räikkönen had their first meeting in six years

Kimi Räikkönen came to Barcelona in the afternoon and had a long meeting about the test schedule with his race engineer Mark Slade, who started in the team at the beginning of March. Slade worked with Räikkönen last time in McLaren in 2006.

Finnish driver is in the next Wednesday in popular British Top Gear tv show and tries to break Sebastian Vettel's top time at airport of Dunsfieldin. BBC broadcasts the program a week later on Sunday.

Grosjean has a Japanese race engineer Ayao Komatsu, and he joked that radio traffic certainly sounds amusing when a French and a Japanese are having a conversation.

- We'll try to give Kimi and his engineers all the feedback what we can. Kimi will be trying different things, so that we can get the car into top shape in Melbourne, Grosjean explained.

Turun Sanomat, Barcelona

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: reppo

F1-experts about Kimi's season: the biggest problem is money

Iltalehti made a quick gallup on Barcelona paddock about what Kimi's chances will be next season.

Jonathan Noble, Autosport (UK)

- The Lotus-car appears to be good but it's helplessly behind Red Bull and McLaren. I don't dare to bet that Kimi will win this season but of course that is possible under lucky stars. It will be interesting to see how he reacts if Lotus isn't in the top 6 in qualification.

Alberto Antonini, Autosprint (Italy)

- Kimi is extremely hungry after two years in rally and he seems to enjoy being in Lotus-team very much. In a way he has the ideal settings for the upcoming season but he has also a lot of difficulties. I believe that Kimi will win some day but not necessarily in 2012.

Patrick Camus, Auto Hebdo (France)

- The biggest problem is money. Can Lotus develop their machinery in the same pace with the top teams? A couple of years ago the first races in spring gave an opportunity to surprise but today all cars are really reliable so that chance has also narrowed down.

Heikki Kulta, Turun Sanomat

- A GP-victory doesn't seem to be realistically possible but if a chance for that opens up then Kimi's hands won't shake, that's for sure, instead he will take advantage of the situation. I believe that he will climb on the podium two or three times and be within the top 6 when the season ends. The beginning of the season is really important ; if it takes off really well then his motivation will rise even more.

KARI MELART

Courtesy: Nicole

Grosjean Stays Top Thanks To Late Dash

Romain Grosjean left it until the final few minutes on Friday to steal top spot from Jean-Eric Vergne on day two of testing in Barcelona

Toro Rosso rookie Vernge set the fastest time in the morning session and looked set to claim the day two honours after holding off some of the big guns, but Grosjean denied him with a late dash.

Grosjean crossed the line in 1:22.614 three minutes before the chequered flag came out to help Lotus to claim P1 on two consecutive days. After missing three days of testing in Barcelona last week due to a chassis problem, the Frenchman sealed top spot with a 1:23.252 on Thursday.

It was a frustrating afternoon session for Vergne as he spent a lot of time in the garage. His STR7 stopped on track shortly before the lunch break and he only re-emerged in the final hour.

World Champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest with a 1:23.361 while Fernando Alonso was a further 0.472s off his pace in fourth place.

According to BBC Sport, Red Bull tried out a new exhaust on Friday and 'it looks like this one exits the bodywork lower than the previous one while still, of course, remaining within the area of the "box" stipulated by new rules on top of the rear sidepods'.

Alonso and Ferrari, meanwhile, finally did some race simulation late in the afternoon, which will no doubt be a big relief to their fans.

Heikki Kovalainen, who sat out Thursday's session due to illness, put his Caterham in an impressive P5 and he was followed by Kamui Kobayashi. The Sauber driver had plenty of free time in the afternoon as his C31 had a hydraulic leak.

Nico Hulkenberg was seventh fastest with a 1:23.893. Force India planned to do race simulation run, but a gearbox problem put paid to those hopes.

Michael Schumacher, who was responsible for two of the eight red flags on Friday, was P7 in his Mercedes W03 with Lewis Hamilton of McLaren was P8.

Times
1. R Grosjean Lotus 1:22.614 123
2. J Vergne Toro Rosso 1:23.126 +0.512 31
3. S Vettel Red Bull 1:23.361 +0.747 85
4. F Alonso Ferrari 1:23.447 +0.833 124
5. H Kovalainen Caterham 1:23.828 +1.214 104
6. K Kobayashi Sauber 1:23.836 +1.222 76
7. N Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.893 +1.279 33
8. M Schumacher Mercedes 1:23.978 +1.364 78
9. L Hamilton McLaren 1:24.111 +1.497 65
10. B Senna Williams 1:24.925 +2.311 48
11. P Maldonado Williams 1:25.801 +3.187 20

Source: Planet-F1

Lotus: We Can Work it Out

Lotus F1 Team will not run for the remainder of the second test at Barcelona, scheduled from today until Friday

Barcelona test finishes early for Lotus F1 Team

Lotus F1 Team will not run for the remainder of the second test at Barcelona, scheduled from today until Friday.

During initial runs this morning with Romain Grosjean at the wheel, the team identified an issue with the chassis. After investigation at Enstone, initial plans to bring out chassis E20-01 to Barcelona have been held in order to give the team enough time to rectify the situation.

Lotus F1 Team will be back on track next week in Barcelona (1-4 March)

James Allison, Technical Director:
“Before we were due to fly chassis E20-01 out to Barcelona in replacement of chassis E20-02 - damaged this morning - we ran a series of simulations at the factory based on the data provided by our brief running on track today. As a result, we were able to identify an area which requires some additional work. It will be more productive for us to carry out these modifications to both chassis at Enstone rather than send E20-01 out to this week’s test. We’ll put the right measures in place and we will be able to fix the problem before next week.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal:
“Not running this week has been a tough decision to take, but we feel that our choice is the right one. On the positive side, we have quickly identified the issue with the chassis and our design office has already devised a solution. We will be present at next week’s test in Barcelona. We draw faith from the fact that the E20 was quick out of the box in Jerez and showed its reliability there. We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next week but everyone at Enstone is ready for this challenge.”

Source: LotusRenaultGP

Vettel makes fast Barcelona start

Sebastian Vettel put World Champions Red Bull's RB8 on top of a testing timesheet for the first time in 2012 on the opening day of the second pre-season test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya

The reigning two-time title winner moved to the fore during a competitive morning session in Spain and then mid-way through the afternoon increased his advantage over impressive countryman Nico Hulkenberg to just under two tenths of a second with a lap of 1:23.265.

Force India driver Hulkenberg, completing just his second day of running in the VJM05, had earlier topped the timesheet himself and such was his pace that by the end of the day he still remained ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren in second place.

For Hamilton, however, it was undoubtedly still a positive start to the second test as he topped a century of laps for the first time this winter - 114 - with the MP4-27 again running reliably, the former champion eventually having to settle for a time which was three tenths of a second adrift of Vettel.

Ferrari were again, in contrast, forced to spend more time in the garage than they would have wanted during the morning as the team worked to resolve some niggling issues with the F2012, although Fernando Alonso eventually racked up 75 laps to take fifth behind Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo.

After delaying the introduction of their 2012 car by a fortnight, Mercedes' pre-season preparations finally got serious after the new W03 was rolled out this morning. With the team likely still carrying out early evaluations, Michael Schumacher completed 51 laps - although was still just 0.8s off the pace.

Sauber's Sergio Perez lost some track time through some reliability concerns, as the new Williams FW34 again showed good reliability, if unspectacular pace, in the midfield positions.

A similarly low-key day would have certainly been welcomed at Lotus and Caterham, however, after both teams ran into their first major headaches of the winter.

The situation was more costly, and potentially concerning, for Lotus - the mileage leaders and 2012 pacesetters Jerez - who managed to put just seven laps on the second E20 chassis that made its debut on Tuesday.

Romain Grosjean had completed just seven laps when the team became concerned that the new chassis wasn't responding quite as it should and, after some analysis back in the garage, announced at lunchtime that as a precaution it had decided to fly the chassis back to the factory for further investigations before returning to the track tomorrow.

However, the team's scheduled return has since been put back to next week after they subsequently confirmed that they had to make changes to both models.

Caterham, meanwhile, saw their CT01 machine stop out on the circuit just nine laps into the day when a rear track-rod failure struck.

However, after several hours of repairs, Heikki Kovalainen was able to return for the day's final 45 minutes and clear 30 laps, with the newly-promoted Caterham Group Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne hoping the issue proves to be a one-off.

"We had a rear track rod failure on Heikki's third run this morning which brought him to a halt on track," he said.

"As soon as we had the car back in the garage we identified the issue and managed to fix it on site, and we have more parts coming out tonight to make sure we don't have the same problem again. We know that this car is fundamentally reliable, so the aim for the next three days is to complete the plan for this test and put ourselves back on schedule."

One man not having any problems racking up the mileage was French rookie Charles Pic, who made his first on-track appearance since being made an F1 race driver over the winter for Marussia.

The Russian-backed squad, running with last year's MVR-02 while they await the arrival of their new car in time for next week's sessions at Barcelona, clocked up 121 laps as they got their first taste of the new range of Pirelli tyres for 2012.

Day one times:
1) Sebastian Vettel 1:23.265 79 laps
2) Nico Hulkenberg 1:23.440 97
3) Lewis Hamilton 1:23.590 114
4) Daniel Ricciardo 1:23.618 76
5) Fernando Alonso 1:24.100 75
6) Michael Schumacher 1:24.150 51
7) Sergio Perez 1:24.219 66
8) Bruno Senna 1:25.711 97
9) Heikki Kovalainen 1:26.035 31
10) Romain Grosjean 1:26.809 7
11) Pic 1:28.026 121

Source: SkySports

Lewis Hamilton claims Toro Rosso drivers hindered him at Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton has accused Toro Rosso – Red Bull's sister team of slowing him down as he pursued Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps of last Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Both Toro Rosso drivers, Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi, deliberately held up Hamilton, according to the McLaren driver, who said: "They let him [Vettel] past and then they held me up for the next couple of corners. That wasn't cool. I'm surprised it happened. I have mentioned it to my team so it is for them to approach the FIA to make sure the stewards are aware of it.

"That kind of thing shouldn't happen because they are not really supposed to be a sister team are they? Often some of these backmarkers, in particular Toro Rosso, would assist with increasing the gap between us, which is interesting."

Hamilton, who had to make do with second place as he watched Vettel extend his lead in the world championship to 41 points, added: "Definitely in the last race there was some of that, all of a sudden moving in my way, causing a bigger gap.

"But it was a perfect situation for Sebastian to make sure he was let through and I wasn't. If that continues to happen then some penalties should be handed out. I just hope the stewards are wary of it, and I'm sure they'll do a great job."

Toro Rosso, which is Italian for "Red Bull", is regarded as a feeder team, developing promising young drivers for the senior outfit. As with Red Bull, they are backed by the billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz.

But Hamilton's complaint was dismissed by Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, who said: "Believe me, Toro Rosso drivers have often had that complaint from our own drivers as well. You only have to look at last year's race in Abu Dhabi to see what happened with Mark Webber, so absolutely not, there's no discussion between the teams.

"They operate totally independently. There are no tactics to help one or the other."

Horner was backed up by a spokesman from Toro Rosso, who said: "When it became the rule, prior to last season, that you weren't allowed to share any technical knowledge, all co-operation ceased.

"So the suggestion we would have held up any other car to favour a Red Bull is preposterous, and would never have happened."

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial rights holder, is still hopeful that the Bahrain Grand Prix, which should have opened the season in March, can be rescheduled at the end of the year.

The World Motor Sport Council is due to give its decision on the Bahrain race on 3 June, two days after a state of emergency is lifted around the Gulf kingdom.

Ecclestone met the teams in the paddock here and said: "The Crown Prince hopes everything will be fine. You know he is supportive. They are nice people there. I don't think we will have any problem.

"It's just a case of if somebody wants to get a bit of attention that would probably be a good way to do it. But I don't think from a safety point of view there is anything to worry about."

Fernando Alonso finished fastest in Thursday afternoon's practice session, ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was quickest in the slower morning run, ahead of Alonso.

Source: The Guardian

Hamilton: Bulls are unbeatable

Such is Red Bull's pace that Lewis Hamilton says the only chance he has of beating them is if he can use the older faster part of the Barcelona circuit

Hamilton qualified in third place for the Spanish Grand Prix but found himself a second off the pace of the leading Red Bull of Mark Webber.

And although he expects that the gap will be less in race-pace, the McLaren driver concedes that beating the Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon may be a step too far.

"The old circuit is still there at the last two corners, I could use the (old, faster) last two corners to match their pace if I don't take the chicane... otherwise, no!" he joked.

"They have one second in qualifying, probably a second and a bit. But we will push as hard as we can, and push to save tyres in the run.

"We've been closer in previous races. I think we will be closer than one second (in race pace), but whether it is within a tenth or so we will see."

The Brit, though, is not letting Red Bull's clear advantage get him down.

"F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, nothing comes easy. They have just done a better job. We are second quickest, we can't complain too much.

"I hope at some stage we have a significant improvement with the car so we have a proper race with these guys."

As for concerns that the flat-spot he suffered during qualifying when he made a mistake at the entry to Turn 10, Hamilton is confident it won't bother him.

"I don't think it will," he said when asked if the flat-spot would cause him problems.

"I mean I do have a flat spot but fortunately I can start on those tyres and we can rebalance the wheels, so it shouldn't be a problem for the race."

Source: Planet-F1

Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Marc Gené inaugurate the first Ferrari Store in Spain

Barcelona, 19 May – The first Ferrari Store on Spanish soil was officially opened today at number 44 Paseo de Gracia in the heart of Barcelona. Watched by a large crowd of Ferrari enthusiasts, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Marc Gené cut the ribbon on the new Store. Also present at the opening was Lorenzo Bassetti, the General Manager of ARP, already partner of Ferrari with numerous other stores.

Alonso and Massa’s arrival in the new FF received a rapturous welcome from the tifosi and enthusiasts gathered outside the Store. At the end of the ceremony, the drivers posed for the dozens of photographers and TV cameras covering the event. However, before leaving for the circuit, they also met with the media and a select number of Ferrari clients inside the Store, but stopped off to sign autographs and greet the delighted fans that had been waiting for them since the early hours of the morning.

The Barcelona Ferrari Store, with its around 300 square metres on two floors, embraces the Ferrari spirit with its dual heart in competition and luxury. Its four great windows are facing one of the most important shopping streets in Barcelona. Inside, the new Store’s different areas have been planned like unique and special spaces: the Fan line, dedicated to the fans of the Scuderia, is presented on the ground floor. The luxury and lifestyle lines, stylish men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing - reflecting the values of craftsmanship and quality of the world of Ferrari, interpreted in a contemporary way - can be found on the upper floor. A selection of different items topped off with accessories, technology and memorabilia, original components, unique and certified by Ferrari GT and F1.

Graphic works and images accompany the clients on their way through the Store, narrating the history of the Prancing Horse. The interior design picks up the dynamic and sinuous forms of the road cars, while the important aspect of energy conservation has been implemented by using LEDs of the latest generation for the Store’s lighting.

The shop in Barcelona is the 46th point of sale Ferrari in the world, and joins others in prestigious locations such as Rome, New York, London, Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi. The Store is managed by ARP, Advanced Retail Project, operating in the retail sector in Italy and all over the world.


Source: Ferrari.com

Massa's Blog: Yet another step forward in performance terms

I have had a busy few days since the Turkish Grand Prix, so time has gone by quickly and now I’m heading off to Barcelona for the fifth race of the season, which I hope will show more signs of the progress we had clearly made in Turkey. After a couple of days at home in Monaco, I headed for Rome where I attended a function for our partner Shell, after which I stayed in Italy spending three days at Maranello.

I had the usual race preparation meetings with the engineers, although much of the time was in the simulator, with it set up to replicate the Catalunya circuit where we will be racing this weekend. To be honest, from a driver’s point of view, the simulator is most valuable when you are using it to learn a new circuit, like we did last year for Korea and will do again for India, this year’s new venue. The work I was involved in this week was more for the benefit of the car, the 150° Italia, as I was testing the new updates we plan to use starting from Friday.

A session in the simulator is very much like a normal test at a race track: we start running at 9 in the morning until around 1, when we have a break for lunch, which we take in the simulator area itself and then we start again running from around 2.30 to 5 in the afternoon. After that, just like at the racetrack, I have a debrief with my engineers. Usually with the simulator, you start doing a run just to get acclimatised to it and then you start doing runs that last five or six timed laps. You can immediately see the results of what you are doing so, based on that, you decide what changes to make to the car and go out again. In one day in the simulator, you can try many more things than you could do at the track, because in the “virtual” environment, it is much quicker changing things on the car than at the track. Also, you don’t waste time in the simulator with “in” laps and “out” laps: for example at the Catalunya track on the simulator, you start the lap coming out of Turn 11 and then you can immediately begin your timed lap. When you press the button to finish, it’s like being back in the garage again. You talk to the engineers and anything you want changing on the car they can do almost immediately, or they can configure the car to test new updates or experiment with set-ups. The simulator is therefore much more time saving than testing for real.

Physically, a simulator session is much less tiring than driving the real car, because the G forces are less, but you are still driving, moving and working hard, but the physical effort required is far less. The best thing about the simulator? When you crash, nothing happens, absolutely nothing! Okay, you can feel something through the steering wheel but then the platform just stops and it’s over. When you first start using a simulator, you can find yourself going off line and even crashing but there is no harm done to you or the car.

Back in the real world, we have new parts we plan to use on the car in Spain and we are expecting to make yet another step forward in performance terms. We know how tough a time we had in the early part of the season, but hard work has seen us reduce the gap to the quickest cars and we plan to continue that way, especially in qualifying trim. If we make the car better for Saturday, we should also end up with an even more competitive car in the race on Sunday. I hope we are on the right road, because we now have Spain and Monaco just a few days apart and after that, we will have already completed six Grands Prix, or almost one third of the season. So it is a very important time for us and I have every confidence in the team that we can have a good Spanish weekend. The Spanish Grand Prix will be another interesting test of the effect of the new rules, with KERS and the DRS, although overtaking might not be quite as straightforward as in Turkey, as the main straight in Barcelona is not as long as the one at the Istanbul track. Of course, we have seen that tyre performance is possibly an even bigger feature than the KERS and DRS and from a driver’s point of view, it makes the racing quite interesting psychologically, as you have to deal with having a car that is really competitive for some laps and then finding your lap times dropping off and you are struggling to fight off the cars behind you. Then you fit new tyres and the whole situation changes again. It’s interesting for us and more importantly, very exciting for the race fans. Obviously, my team-mate will be the focus of most of the attention for his home race in Spain and Fernando’s arrival at Ferrari has made the Scuderia very popular with the Spanish race fans, so I hope we can both deliver a good result for them on Sunday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Alonso's Blog: We’ll see who’s been the cleverest in the development championship

Here we are with the Spanish Grand Prix just round the corner, a race that has a special feel about it for me. I will arrive in Barcelona tonight, because right from tomorrow morning I’ve got an appointment in my diary: attending the launch of the first ever Ferrari Store to be opened in Spain, in the heart of the Catalan capital, on one of the most important streets in the city, Paseo de Gracia. Felipe will be there, as will Marc who will be very much the main man given he is from Barcelona. Then it will be time to head off to the track for the usual Thursday jobs, most of them dealing with media work.

It’s always nice to race in Spain. I love the feeling of warmth one gets from the fans right from the very first free practice sessions. Day after day, you can see the grandstands fill with flags – the red of Ferrari and the azure blue of my compatriots from Asturias – and that is a special feeling for me. My win here in 2006 is still one of the best moments of my career and it would be a dream come true to do it again with Ferrari sooner or later.

I know that you all want to know if that might happen already this weekend, but I am not able to give you an answer to that. On paper, we do not yet have the potential to be in a straight fight for the win, with one team clearly the favourite in this regard. However, we know things can change quickly in our sport and, in Turkey, finally we managed to bring home a podium finish. The road is still long, but I believe we have at least started down it going in the right direction.

These past few days, the team has worked so hard in Maranello on developing the 150° Italia and in order to be as well prepared as possible for these two back to back races, given that next week will be back on track in Monaco. During the days I spent in the factory I could feel that everyone there really wants to fight back: the feeling is so strong you can almost touch it, whether you are speaking with people in meetings or as you walk around the Gestione Sportiva. Both Felipe and I have done so many kilometres in the simulator and we feel that the updates being introduced will see us make progress in terms of performance. Whether or not this will be enough to close the gap to the best, we will only find out over the weekend, because we cannot ignore the fact that the others have not been twiddling their thumbs. We will see who has been the cleverest in the development championship.

The Catalunya Circuit is one of the ones we know best because traditionally it is a favourite venue for winter testing. This year, we have already had two sessions there, one at the end of February and the other in early March.

This means we will all arrive there with a pretty good idea of what settings we will use as a baseline on the car to start the weekend, even if the conditions we will encounter will be very different, especially in terms of temperature.

It will be very important to run continuously in Friday’s two free practice sessions to fine tune the car and check out the behaviour of the new technical components. It will also be vital to study the performance and wear of the tyres. In the race simulations we did during testing we saw significant degradation, especially on the front left tyre, which is put under major stress: we will see if, with different temperatures, that situation changes. Compared to previous races at this track I think we will see more overtaking, especially down to the difference in tyre performance that could be a factor during the race: further reason to come to the track to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. It would be nice to jump on the podium again and be able to salute all our fans from there: as far as me and the team are concerned, as usual, we will be giving it our very best shot.

Source: Ferrari.com

Rosberg quickest at a very wet Barcelona

The final day of pre-season testing at Barcelona was a washout as only three of the five drivers set lap times due to the heavy rain

The action began on time at the Spanish circuit with Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Pastor Maldonado braving the conditions.

However, both Alonso and Schumacher only completed five laps each with neither setting a time as they went in and out of the pits.

Lewis Hamilton joined the action for McLaren and was the pace-setter at the lunch break with a 1:50.280.

It should be noted, though, that the 2008 World Champion was also the only driver to set a time in the morning session, which saw a total of just 28 laps completed.

Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, replaced Schumacher just before lunch and continued through into the afternoon.

And with the rain continuing throughout the day, the German proved to the quickest in the wet, taking advantage of a slight let-up late in the day.

Rosberg, who covered 35 laps, clocked a 1:43.814 to edge Maldonado by 0.519s.

And although Hamilton improved to a 1:44.560, he had to settle for third place.

Ferrari opted to pack up early with Alonso not running at all in the afternoon.

Times
01. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:43.814 35 laps
02. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:44.333 + 0.519 23 laps
03. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:44.560 + 0.746 33 laps
04. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 5 laps
05. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 5 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: Not normal Spanish weather

Lewis Hamilton concedes it was not a very productive final day at Barcelona as heavy rain led to severe aquaplaning

With constant heavy downpour, the Brit was the sole driver to set a time during the morning session while by the end of Saturday's play, only two others names had been added to the timesheets.

It was a disappointing end to the final day of pre-season testing, which McLaren focus on a handful of lower-speed runs to evaluate engine maps.

However, it did give the teams an opportunity to see how their new Pirelli tyres handle in extreme wet conditions.

"We tested a couple of things during some shorter runs, but it was very dangerous out there: very slippery and lots of aquaplaning. This definitely isn't normal Spanish weather!" said Hamilton.

"We learnt a bit about the Pirelli intermediates and extremes, but there was so much aquaplaning that it was a bit too risky to do longer runs.

"As for the World Championship, I'm excited - we've got a long season ahead of us. We've got a lot of work to do, but we have more updates coming for Melbourne.

"The Championship is open, and we don't know what to expect. Our whole team will be pushing very, very hard."

Source: Planet-F1