The Vettel Diaries: 'Hard on the softs'

A trying day for Sebastian Vettel after the Red Bull Racing driver’s practice session was disrupted by a puncture. But he’s determined not to feel too flat about it

'The lesson for today is that sometimes, things don't go as planned - I didn't plan on getting a flat tyre right at the beginning of the practice session, but what can I say? Shit happens!

Because of the flat we had to go out on the soft tyres earlier than planned and at a period when the track had no grip at all. I’m not concerned about the times we set today but obviously I would have preferred not to have run on soft tyres for so long.

Oh, and despite what I said yesterday, I don’t think the flat was down to a discarded nail, I think it’s more likely to have been a piece of debris from one of the cars. Either way, my tyre was cut open and there wasn't anything that I could do about it.

The whole track is tight and a real challenge - but as a driver learning new tracks is a great experience.

Even on softs, the track got better towards the end of the practice session. Our biggest challenge is that we're still not the fastest on the straights and need to get back as much time as possible in the turns. But Mark had a trouble-free day and proved that we do have pace here.

Talk to you tomorrow.'

Sebastian

Source: RedBull

KIMI TAKES ON THE GIANTS IN FRANCE

Red Bull Rally de France day one report

France has already developed a firm place in Finnish culture, as the world-famous Asterix books (which have sold 325 million copies worldwide) are available in no fewer than four regional dialects in Finland - including Helsinki slang, which Kimi Raikkonen would undoubtedly be familiar with.

Asterix tells the story of a brave little French soldier, with a big moustache, resisting the occupation of the mighty Roman army in ancient France. Kimi has quite a similar task on his hands this weekend, as he is up against massive local opposition who know their home territory intimately, cheered on by thousands of fans.

Kimi doesn't have a moustache, but he does have a huge amount of determination as well as backing from Red Bull this year: his first full season of the World Rally Championship. He needed every bit of confidence on the Rallye de France this morning, held in Sebastien Loeb's back garden over the slippery asphalt roads of Alsace.

October means winter, so conditions today were cold and wet: hardly an ideal backdrop for what was only Kimi's third World Championship asphalt rally. Nonetheless, at the end of eight trouble-free stages, Kimi brought his Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC home in seventh place overall, with not a scratch on it. The 'Iceman' is now ready for action again over eight more stages tomorrow, and he is hoping for some warmer weather. Even Finns get cold sometimes.

"With the grip being really variable all the time, it wasn't easy for me to get used to everything and we were probably a bit too careful in the morning," said Kimi. "It's been quite slippery with a lot of mud and gravel on the road; much more than we expected. The first two cars clearly had the advantage and after that it was really difficult. But we've made no mistakes, which was important. We're learning new things all the time: it was the first time that we've driven in slippery conditions with downhill sections because on our last asphalt rally in Germany it was always flat. In the afternoon I wasn't completely confident with the car; we were sliding a lot at the back and it was difficult under braking. But we've set decent times all day, although we would like to be a little quicker, and now we just need to continue like this tomorrow."

Asterix has a sidekick called Obelix but instead Kimi Raikkonen can rely on his co-driver Kaj Lindstrom: who is as just as dependable as the Gaulish warrior, but smaller, lighter and with a much better sense of direction. Kaj has been pleased with Kimi's progress on the difficult conditions of the opening day in France and the Finn is looking forward to more action tomorrow.

"This is certainly the most tricky day on asphalt that we have contested so far on the World Rally Championship, so to come out of it setting top-eight stage times and in seventh overall is a great result, given Kimi's huge lack of experience compared to the other drivers here," said Kaj. "We've got a few ideas about tomorrow, so the plan is to carry on like this and keep building up experience. I'm very pleased that we have had no mistakes at all today, and our goal is to get a solid finish."

Source: RedBullRallye

RED BULL ON STAGE. RALLYE DE FRANCE - PREVIEW KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN

KIMI EMBRACES LIBERTY, EQUALITY, AND FRATERNITY IN FRANCE

Red Bull Rallye de France preview

The French national motto will be a good one for Red Bull driver Kimi Raikkonen as he discovers new territory on the Rallye de France this weekend: the first time that the event is being run in Alsace after several years in Corsica.

Liberty: After showing great pace on the last all-new round of the World Rally Championship, in Bulgaria, Kimi is free to demonstrate just what he is capable of on the surface that he is most familiar with. Or, to be accurate, the surface that he is least unfamiliar with.

Equality: Kimi will be driving the same Citroen C4 WRC as the great Sebastien Loeb, who has been undefeated on asphalt since 2004. The same record stands for Citroen, which is the car to beat on sealed surfaces.

Fraternity: Once more, Kimi will be part of the extended Red Bull and Citroen family as it celebrates its home event and very possibly a seventh consecutive drivers' title for Loeb. The rally runs through Loeb's native Alsace, so there's bound to be a good party with plenty of Red Bull cocktails afterwards.

Apart from that, Kimi has little idea of what to expect, although he did join the ranks of rally winners two weeks ago by triumphing on the Rallye Vosgien: a small national event in France that contains similar stages to those he will see this weekend.

Experience is what it is all about for Kimi this year, and he is hoping that the knowledge he gained in Sebastien Loeb's back garden will help him when he faces the rest of the WRC field on what will still only be his 10th World Rally Championship event in the Citroen C4 WRC.

"It's not easy, that's for sure," said Raikkonen. "But I'm hoping that we can have a good result in France. If we can show the same sort of pace like we did in Bulgaria, in the top five, then that would be really good. The problem is that it's always hard to predict a result when you don't know anything about what the route is going to be like, so we'll just concentrate very hard on the recce to end up with the best set of pace notes possible. Generally we've improved in every area since the start of the season and I feel a lot more comfortable now, so we're hoping to continue our progress this weekend. France is obviously a really important event for Citroen so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun: a bit like driving for Ferrari at Monza!"

Co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has sat alongside Kimi since the Finn made his world rally debut in a Super 2000 car on the Rally Finland last year, is also looking forward to the weekend, although he's not expecting a French revolution.

"We're learning step by step; I think sometimes people forget that this is only Kimi's first year in rallying and that nobody has ever walked straight into the very top level to compete against the very best with no experience before," said Kaj. "Kimi's been doing very well, and I'm sure that he can improve again in France. Asphalt is obviously a surface that he knows a bit better, and together we'll be working on putting together a good set of pace notes during the recce so that Kimi can make the most of his talent on the stages."

Rallye de France is based in Strasbourg: the seat of the European Parliament and the second-largest port on the Rhine River, after Duisburg in Germany.

Source: RedBullRallye

McLaren drivers free to race - Whitmarsh

Unlike Red Bull and perhaps also Ferrari, McLaren's two drivers are free to race when running first and second.

Red Bull's Christian Horner admitted in Shanghai that when his drivers are dominating, the actual wheel-to-wheel racing ends at the first corner.

And although Felipe Massa denies it, it is rumoured that a similar policy is in place at Ferrari.
But towards the end of Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, it appeared that race leader Jenson Button and teammate Lewis Hamilton were still challenging one another for the victory.

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh confirmed: "It was a very long race for us. In the end, we allowed them to race each other freely, which was a bit nerve-wracking.

"Would I have been happier if they had held station to the end? Of course, as I would now have a few less grey hairs," he is quoted as saying in the German press.

"But it was exciting racing from the first lap to the last, and good for the show," added Whitmarsh. "That's the way it should be."

Meanwhile, Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali played down suggestions Fernando Alonso's overtaking of Felipe Massa in the pitlane entry - leaving the Brazilian momentarily on the grass - will compromise the harmony within the team.

Massa told reporters that they should "ask Charlie, not me" about the incident, referring to the race director and adjudicator Charlie Whiting.

But Domenicali said: "I think it was just a racing incident and there is absolutely no problem between the two drivers: when you are always racing to win, you can have moments like this."

Source: Motorsport.com

Red flags galore as Webber dominate

Mark Webber was in a red-hot form, but it was the red flag that dominated proceedings on the first day of the final pre-season test in Barcelona.

No fewer than six drivers - Webber, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Lucas di Grassi, Fernando Alonso and Fauruz Fauzy - stopped on the track at various stages during the day.

Red Bull's Webber - who came to a halt at Turn 7 about two hours into the afternoon session - was atop the timesheets for most of the day after posting a 1:23.512 as soon as his car warmed in the morning. That time was soon lowered to a 1:22 before he became the first and only driver to dip under the 1:21 with a 1:21.487 before lunch.

The Australian was the second most productive driver on the track in terms of number of laps completed with his 109. However, he failed to match his early morning times later in the day as he appeared to be running on a lot of fuel.

His main challengers for top spot throughout the day were Nico Hulkenberg and Nico Rosberg. It was rookie Hulkenberg who finished second with a 1:22.504 while Mercedes' Rosberg was a further 0.107 behind.

Sauber continued their good pre-season form with Pedro de la Rosa fourth fastest while Jenson Button had to be content with fifth place. The McLaren driver didn't really set the world alight. First the car's transponder didn't work in the morning and then he stopped at Turn 10 shortly before the end of the session.

The team, though, are happy as he "concentrated primarily on mechanical and aerodynamic set-up work".

Staying with red flags, Alonso completed just 22 laps in the morning after his F10 stopped. Ferrari later revealed an "electronic issue" was to blame.

Lucas di Grassi was the biggest loser on day one after he sent his VR-01 into the tyre barriers. He was injured, but the same could not be said of his car.

"I had a spin at corner 9 compromising some mileage run," he wrote on Twitter. "The causes still being investigated. I am fine, thanks. Next time I will go even faster, always pushing more and more."

He returned to the track later in the afternoon, but he was well off the pace.

Force India as well as Renault did a lot of pitstop practice while the former also focused on "simulating a safety car and queued cars" later in the day.

Times:

1. M. Webber Red Bull RB6 1:21.487 109 laps
2. N. Hulkenberg Williams FW32 1:22.504 82 laps
3. N. Rosberg Mercedes W01 1:22.514 107 laps
4. P de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:23.144 73 laps
5. J Button McLaren MP4-25 1:23.452 101 laps
6. T. Liuzzi Force India VJM-03 1:24.064 65 laps
7. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:24.170 74 laps
8. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:24.173 73 laps
9. J Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:24.869 111 laps
10. L di Grassi Virgin VR-01 1:27.057 31 laps
11. F. Fauzy Lotus T127 1:28.002 76 laps

Source: Planet-F1