Alonso: Podium is a realistic goal

After watching the Red Bulls blitz the competition in qualifying, Fernando Alonso admits that victory in the Australian GP may be out of Ferrari's reach.

Red Bull dominated qualifying at the Albert Park circuit as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber locked out the front row of the grid. Alonso, though, wasn't too far off, finishing in third place, 0.192s behind pole-sitter Vettel.

Yet Red Bull's qualifying performance, coupled with the pace they displayed in Bahrain, has Alonso admitting that perhaps a podium finish is the best Ferrari can hope for come Sunday evening.

"Qualifying has been good for us," said the Spaniard. "We knew that to beat the Red Bulls was a difficult thing to do here, so we concentrated to maximise our potential, and third was a very good result.

"Tomorrow the race is long, so we'll try to finish the race on the podium like Bahrain, and we want to keep scoring points. There will be a long race, with safety cars, accidents, problems and it will be very tough.

"First we need to finish the race and then see if we are quick to win the race or not."

The double World Champ, who won the season-opening Bahrain GP after Vettel's Red Bull suffered reliability issues, wasn't at all surprised to find Red Bull and Ferrari at the front of the grid.

"It's not a surprise because I was not expecting a clear order," he said. "Yesterday's times mean really nothing because with a different fuel load that we have this year everyone can have different preparation for this weekend.

"Yesterday I was P15, so we were preparing the race compared to our competitors a little bit more. For tomorrow I am confident but as all three said tomorrow's race is a very long race with many things that normally happen here.

"I'm extremely happy with a place in the top three, but this is start of the weekend and tomorrow is the real job."

Source: Planet-F1

Qualy: Vettel beats Webber to Aussie pole

Sebastian Vettel broke Aussie hearts on Saturday when he beat Mark Webber to pole position for the Australian GP.

With a 1:23.919, Vettel not only grabbed his second pole position of the season but also proved to be in a class of his own with a blistering sliding lap during which one could only watch in amazement as he somehow held onto the car.

Webber had to settle for second place, 0.116s off the pace, although it was his best qualifying performance in Australia.

Third place went to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the only other driver to get within 0.2s of Vettel's P1 time.

Jenson Button will line-up fourth on the grid after outpacing the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa as well as the two Mercedes GPs with Nico Rosberg leading Michael Schumacher.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton will start the grand prix from 11th place on the grid after a lack of fuel meant he wasn't able to put in another flying lap even though he crossed the line in time to do so.

Unofficial Times
1 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.919
2 M. Webber Red Bull 1:24.035
3 F. Alonso Ferrari 1:24.111
4 J. Button McLaren 1:24.675
5 F. Massa Ferrari 1:24.837
6 N. Rosberg Mercedes Grand Prix 1:24.884
7 M. Schumacher Mercedes Grand Prix 1:24:927
8 R. Barrichello Williams 1:25.217
9 R. Kubica Renault 1:25.372
10 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:26.036
11 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:25.184
12 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:25.638
13 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 1:25.743
14 P. de la Rosa Sauber 1:25.747
15 N. Hulkenberg Williams 1:25.748
16 K. Kobayashi Sauber 1:25.777
17 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.089
18 V. Petrov Renault 1:26.471
19 H. Kovalainen Lotus F1 1:28.797
20 J. Trulli Lotus F1 1:29.111
21 T. Glock Virgin Racing 1:29.592
22 L. Di Grassi Virgin Racing 1:30.185

Source: Planet F1

[Photos] Friday in Melbourne

More...

[Video] Seb learns to play didgeridoo

And also how to throw a boomerang!!



Source: SebastianVettel.de

GPDA concerns 'ignored' over Melbourne start time

Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber reveal that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association raised doubts over the safety of Australia's evening race slot.

After reigning world champion Jenson Button expressed his concerns over the late afternoon start time allocated to the Australian Grand Prix in order to satisfy television viewers in Europe, GPDA representatives admitted that they had little influence in pursuit of a change.

Speaking at the first official press conference of the Melbourne weekend, both Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber revealed that they had raised objections to the switch, but had had to toe the line set by the FIA.

"We raised our concerns last year but apparently nothing has changed," Trulli sighed, "There is very little you can do on the safety side on the track, apart from starting the race an hour earlier - which probably won't hurt anyone.

"We have given our opinion and that's it, [but] the FIA or whoever has decided to keep the twilight race at that time, so we just have to deal with it. This year, if we want to make a change for next year, we will say that we are very happy at the end of the race. That's the only way."

Webber appeared equally frustrated, and shared his rival's sarcastic approach to trying to get the start time switched to something more favourable. The Albert Park race was moved to a twilight slot last season in a bid to attract a bigger television audience in F1's European heartland, but meant that drivers had to contend with low sun in the closing stages. While appreciating the motives behind the decision, Webber echoed the claim that it was not taking the drivers' views - or general safety - into account.

"Jarno has hit it on the head," the Australian noted, "If you picked the best time to have a high speed sporting motor race event, obviously it's not when the sun is at eye level with us, but that's how it is for lots of different commercial reasons.

"As Jarno says, next time we say it's fantastic and we should say we should have the race at five o'clock at every race in the season and I think they will move it somewhere else."

Button's McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, however, has attempted to play down the problem, claiming that racing into the sunset offered a unique challenge that made Melbourne different to other venues.

"It wasn't easy last year, but I think it adds something a little bit special," the 2008 world champion insisted, "As long as we have the correct visors, it's not going to be too much of a problem, and it is perhaps a bit better as it's a bit cooler."

Source: Crash.net

Inside Track - Lewis, Jenson and the Australian Grand Prix

Source: YouTube - VODAFONEUK

Lewis Hamilton Q&A: We are thrilled with our pace

The rain during Friday’s Practice Two seemed to make all the difference for the fortunes of McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton topping the timesheets ahead of team mate Jenson Button in second. Although the British team are still unsure about where they stand when compared to their rivals, it’s certainly boosted Hamilton’s confidence…

Q: Lewis, you kicked off the season with a podium finish in Bahrain. Do you think that the team is at that level?

LH: To be honest, I don’t think so, as we have been a bit surprised. We have found ourselves a little bit higher than we thought we would be. We are working hard to climb the ladder, but in terms of true pace we are a little further behind.

Q: Was there enough time between Bahrain and Melbourne to make any changes?

LH: Not really, as we did not have enough time. There is definitely some improvement, and we hope that this circuit suits our car a little bit better, so we can achieve a better result.

Q: What is your impression of the car right now? You and Jenson dictated the pace in Practice Two…

LH: I think this is a season where we have to highlight where we are losing bits of time. In the race, when the car is heavier it feels much more balanced - at least mine is. I think it is also a question of how you use your tyres. Overall I would say that our race pace is pretty good. Clearly the most important part is to get the qualifying right tomorrow - to understand how to get the most out of the car in that single lap - as the qualifying position has even more of an impact than it did in the past.

Q: It’s one thing to say we are going to concentrate on qualifying and another to do it. Do you think it is possible this weekend?

LH: Yes, that is what we are proactively doing. In the simulator, we are trying to work on the car, on the set-up, and have been trying to understand exactly how the car differs with heavy and light fuel loads. Every Friday you learn more and more - and this Friday we’ve been clearly ahead of where we were in Bahrain.

Q: Melbourne is distinctively different from Bahrain…

LH: Well, this track has always been something special. I like it here. I liked when we started at two, when it was in the daylight and it was nice and hot. But probably starting later is a bit better for the fans, as it is a lot cooler, and it’s probably also a little easier for us, and as long as you have the right visor it should be okay.

Q: Practice One seemed okay in terms of conditions but what about the rainy Practice Two?

LH: We’ve still been able to learn a lot in the wet, even though dry conditions are always easier. We’ve been able to make some changes to the car even though the track was not up to full speed, but nevertheless we felt quite comfortable with the balance of the car in the wet. But more importantly we have made some real improvements for qualifying tomorrow. The feeling over a single low-fuel lap looks much better for us, so when we go out there tomorrow we at least should be able to attack those guys at the front.

Q: What kind of mindset do you have ahead of Saturday?

LH: Relaxed. I’m happy that the car feels better than it has ever felt on this track before. Both Jenson and I are thrilled with our pace, even though we still don’t know what everybody else is doing.

Q: Do you think that you have a bit of an advantage over Jenson, as you know the car from last year?

LH: I can’t know the car better than anyone, as it is a completely new car compared to last year’s car. If you go to the factory, and look at last year’s car and look at this one, you see that it is completely different and it handles completely differently. In the past it has always been an oversteering car. Now we have got a really good rear end. It is completely new to him, and it is completely new to me, so I don’t think that I have an advantage over him and vice versa. At some point in the year he’s going to do a better job than me, and vice versa.

Q: Over the winter everybody was looking forward to two British champions racing alongside each other at McLaren. You seem to get along very well with each other. Is that the case?

LH: No, we are just good actors and that is what we keep telling everybody! No, that was just a joke. We really get along very well, as we knew each other before we got into Formula One. I have known his dad since he was engineering my engines back in 1995. We have a huge amount of respect for one another. Naturally we want to beat each other, and in respect to the car we are on the same professional level.

Q: Do you expect that everybody will be on the same strategy?

LH: I don’t think that we will see a big difference to what we saw in Bahrain. There will be just one stop, if we don’t see a safety-car phase. I don’t know yet how the guys in the team will handle a safety car with the new rules, but they will advise me accordingly. But honestly, fingers crossed that we don’t have one this race.

Q: Have you changed after all the ups and downs over last season?

LH: Yes, definitely. I think that is what you call maturing. Making better decisions and getting a little bit wiser than I was back then. I am proud that I can say that I am a friend of Nelson Mandela and every time I see him - he is 92 years-old - he says that he’s still learning. And in that respect, I have a lot of learning to do.

Q: What is your aim for this weekend?

LH: The aim is to win, as always. So fingers crossed that we will be in a good position for that.

Source: Formula1.com

Raikkonen and Ogier aim to conquer the desert on Jordan Rally

After returning from Scandinavia and Central America, the Citroën Junior Team now heads to the Middle East for the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2010 World Rally Championship. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will be at the wheel of the two Citroën C4 WRCs, and their objective will be to gain as much experience as possible on a distinctly unusual event.

On Rally Mexico the Citroën C4 WRCs had to compete at an altitude of 2800 metres: now they drop down to stages that are 400 metres below sea level – the lowest point in the world – on the Jordan Rally.

The rally, round three of this year’s World Championship, is based on the Red Sea coast and maintains the same general characteristics as it did in 2008, featuring a compact itinerary within a 75-kilometre radius of the service park.

The rally will take place over three legs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Just one stage is new (Rumman Forest) while three others are reversed (Wadi Shueib, Yakrut et Bahath) compared to last time. The surface, consisting of hard but flowing gravel, offers a good level of grip.

Sébastien Ogier took part in the Jordan Rally back in 2008 with a Citroën C2 Super 1600, winning the Junior WRC category. “The organisers have come up with a really nice route, which takes in fast and flowing stages,” he said. “The surface is hard and gives us good grip. All the landscape in the middle of the desert looks very similar, which is why having good pace notes becomes even more important than it is on other events. Myself and my co-driver Julien will certainly have to pay a lot of attention during the recce.”

Sébastien Ogier is third in the World Rally Championship standings with two rounds gone, having finished on the podium in Mexico. His objective in Jordan will be to maintain the same excellent results that he has achieved since the season started. “We knew that we could take nothing for granted and that we had to continue to work hard in order to make more progress,” he added. “Jordan is going to be a difficult rally as the characteristics of the stages are quite unusual. But we were able to get a good feeling with the car during some tests before heading off to the recce in Jordan. Our objectives remain the same. It’s important not to let anything go to my head and to continue gaining confidence.”

Source: RallyBuzz

Prac Two: Hamilton leads Button

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button made the most of a brief dry spell to top the timesheets in Friday's second practice for the Aussie GP.

With light rain falling at intermittent periods throughout the 90-minute session, Hamilton clocked a 1:25.801 during an early dry spell, putting him 0.275s up on his team-mate.

And with more rain coming down later it appeared as if the McLaren drivers would easily walk the session before a drying track near the end of practice saw Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher both put in a charge.

The duo, though, were unable to match the pace of the MP4-25, finishing third and fourth respectively.

Unlike the first session, Practice Two began under gathering clouds with a few drops of rain starting to fall on the track, dropping the temperature of the asphalt to just 26'C. A few drivers ventured out for their installation laps on a track that was quickly becoming rather slippery. Most, though, opted to stay in the pits.

With the rain abating, Rubens Barrichello set the first time of the session, a 1:31.006, with his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg taking second place. Hulkenberg went on to overhaul Barrichello while Mark Webber took third place.
Nico Rosberg was the next in the P1 slot while Practice One pace-setter Robert Kubica moved into third place behind Barrichello and ahead of Hulkenberg.

With more drivers venturing out, the timesheets continued to change as Lewis Hamilton took third place before being dropped by Robert Kubica. Tonio Luizzi went seventh, Pedro de la Rosa fifth and Jenson Button tenth. Kamui Kobayashi, back on track after his earlier incidents, moved up to ninth place while Jarno Trulli went 12th.

Button was the next to lead the way, overhauling Rosberg as he clocked a 1:26.735. However, seconds later he was beaten by Hamilton as the 2008 Champ shaved 0.087s off his team-mate's time.

Vitaly Petrov, who was earlier caught speeding in the pit lane, run wide at Turn 13 while Adrian Sutil put his Force India up into third place before he was dropped by Petrov. Hamilton lowered the benchmark time to a 1:25.801.

Problems for Karun Chandhok meant he had to park his Hispania car on the side of the track, bringing out the yellow flags as the marshals push the car to safety.

With the rain coming down again, the drivers headed back into the pits, taking the break to evaluate the data gathered during the first half of the session.

They were soon back out again as the light rain continued to fall with Jaime Alguersuari, Rosberg, Petrov, Kubica and de la Rosa trying their hand at the slippery conditions. Alguersuari's lap time, though, was an indication of how much the rain altered the circuit as he was 25s off the pace.

Michael Schumacher, one of five drivers without a time to their name, made his way out, clocking a 1:39.944, 14s off Hamilton's P1 time, which was set on a dry track. The German only completed a handful of laps before heading back into the pits with graining tyres.

Sutil had a tricky moment over the exit of the Turn Four kerbs but manages to keep it together as the drivers continued to put in the laps but without any impact on the timesheets due to the now wet track.

Alguersuari joined the list of those running wide and onto the grass at Turn 15. A few minutes later Buemi followed his team-mate onto the grass.

With the track finally drying out, both Ferraris, Red Bulls and Schumacher ventured out. Webber improved his time but stayed P13, Schumacher moved up to 14th place, 11th and then lept to third before he was dropped by Webber, who moved up from 14th to third.

Schumacher, though, should be satisfied with his efforts - his position of P4 in the timesheets represents the first time that he has finished above his Mercedes team-mate in a timed session this season .

Times:

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:25.801 13 laps
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.076 + 0.275 16 laps
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:26.248 + 0.447 22 laps
4. Schumacher Mercedes 1:26.511 + 0.710 16 laps
5. Petrov Renault 1:26.732 + 0.931 26 laps
6. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:26.832 + 1.031 29 laps
7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:26.834 + 1.033 22 laps
8. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:26.835 + 1.034 17 laps
9. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:26.904 + 1.103 25 laps
10. Rosberg Mercedes 1:26.956 + 1.155 22 laps
11. Kubica Renault 1:27.108 + 1.307 28 laps
12. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:27.108 + 1.307 25 laps
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:27.455 + 1.654 23 laps
14. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:27.545 + 1.744 25 laps
15. Alonso Ferrari 1:29.025 + 3.224 20 laps
16. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:29.134 + 3.333 19 laps
17. Massa Ferrari 1:29.591 + 3.790 21 laps
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:29.860 + 4.059 15 laps
19. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:30.510 + 4.709 43 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:30.695 + 4.894 17 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:32.117 + 6.316 9 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2 laps
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Kubica quickest for Renault

Robert Kubica pulled off a surprise in Friday's Australian GP practice as the Renault racer put his R30 into the P1 slot ahead of Nico Rosberg.

With the sun baking down on the circuit, Kubica was the only driver to break into the 1:26s as he outpaced Rosberg by 0.199s.

Jenson Button and Felipe Massa were next in line while Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton all finished within a second of the Polish driver's P1 time.

However, it was Kamui Kobayashi who livened up the show as the Sauber driver brought out the red flags on two occasions.

Report: With practice starting at 12:30pm local time, the sun over Melbourne was out in full force with a track temperature of 39'C awaiting the drivers, who were quick to put in their installation laps and get their weekend underway.

Bruno Senna set the first time of the day, a 1:37.989 for the Hispania driver. He was soon overhauled by his team-mate Karun Chandhok, who went 0.011s quicker while Virgin's Lucas di Grassi took third place. Heikki Kovalainen went quickest of all, up by more than a second over his fellow new team drivers.

However, he was dropped when Lewis Hamilton put in his first lap time, a full five seconds up on Kovalainen's best, and the first indication of what the big boys will be doing around the Albert Park circuit. With more drivers venturing out Kamui Kobayashi went second ahead of Pedro de la Rosa, Force India test driver Paul di Resta, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg.

Problems for Kobayashi, who lost his front nose at Turn 12 after hitting a bollard before sliding across the gravel and heading back to the pits.

Michael Schumacher took second place, 2.054s behind Hamilton. However, while on a hot lap that included a fastest first sector time, the session was then red flagged, sending Schumacher into the pits and allowing the marshals time to clear up the damage caused by Kobayashi's incident.

Four minutes later the session was re-started with some talk that Schumacher could face a penalty of some sort for setting the fastest lap time of the session, a 1:28.629 under red flags conditions. His time was disallowed almost immediately while Red Bull boss Christian Horner joked that the German should face a ten-grid slot penalty for the next two races for his antics under red.

Nico Rosberg moved up to first place before he was dropped by Jenson Button. Robert Kubica took third ahead of Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello and Schumacher.

Button improved to a 1:27.482 while Kubica climbed to second, Schumacher sixth and Felipe Massa eighth.

The session then came to an halt as Kobayashi crashed his Sauber C29 when his front wing, who had just been put back on following his earlier incident, collapsed under the car as he came into the run down to Turn 3, sending the Japanese rookie across the gravel and into the barriers.

Kobayashi managed to avoid doing serious damage to his car and climbed out unaided while once again the marshals were entrusted with the task of cleaning up the debris as he hit a polystyrene braking board on his way to the gravel.

Six minutes later the session re-started with Jarno Trulli putting in his first time of the day, a 1:33.799, over six seconds off Button's pace, however, it was di Grassi who was still the quickest of the new team drivers in 19th place. Kovalainen added his name to the list of spinnners.

Rosberg moved up to first place before losing out to Kubica, who posted a 1:26.927, while his team-mate Petrov spun his Renault. Pedro de la Rosa returned to the track after the Sauber team checked over his car to ensure he wouldn't suffer a similar wing failure to his team-mate, however, seconds later his car stopped on the side of the track.

Another incident for Petrov saw him damage the under side of his car as he rode the kerbs before spinning while Senna took the grass as he went off track.

Massa improved up to fourth place, Alonso to seventh and di Resta to 14th. Petrov moved up to ninth place after the chequered flag had fallen while Kovalainen parked his Lotus on the side of the track.

Times

1. Kubica Renault 1:26.927 22 laps
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.126 + 0.199 18 laps
3. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.482 + 0.555 22 laps
4. Massa Ferrari 1:27.511 + 0.584 18 laps
5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:27.686 + 0.759 23 laps
6. Alonso Ferrari 1:27.747 + 0.820 21 laps
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.793 + 0.866 22 laps
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.014 + 1.087 21 laps
9. Petrov Renault 1:28.114 + 1.187 25 laps
10. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:28.192 + 1.265 18 laps
11. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:28.537 + 1.610 25 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:28.850 + 1.623 19 laps
13. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.572 + 1.645 21 laps
14. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:28.683 + 1.756 22 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.465 + 2.538 13 laps
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:29.712 + 2.785 18 laps
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:30.249 + 3.322 26 laps
18. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.654 + 4.661 5 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:31.652 + 4.725 13 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:31.654 + 4.727 26 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:32.831 + 5.904 25 laps
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:33.401 + 6.474 24 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:34.251 + 7.324 19 laps
24. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:34.924 + 7.998 8 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Thursday Photos from Melbourne

More here!

[Video] Behind the Scenes Tour of Citroën Racing

Source: Citroën

Fuel tank not big enough for Virgin to finish races

Virgin has been given a green light by the FIA to make a substantial change to its 2010 chassis.

Although the chassis is homologated for cost reasons and therefore not able to be modified, it has emerged that the new British team discovered that the fuel tank in the VR-01 car is not big enough.

In fact, with normal engine settings, the Cosworth-powered car - if sufficiently reliable - currently would not make it to the end of a race, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

It is believed Virgin has been permitted to make the change, which will not be ready for a few more events, on the grounds of the 'cost or reliability' test.

The magazine said the revised chassis, to require a longer underbody, new engine cover and other bodywork, should be ready to debut in Spain in early May.

The situation, however, has put on hold any other car improvements for Virgin, given that it would make little sense to introduce new bodywork now if it must be substantially revised for the new fuel tank package in Barcelona.

Auto Motor und Sport also reports that a tweaked diffuser is not the only altered piece on the 2010 McLaren in Melbourne this weekend.

The report said the FIA requested that the Woking based team also alter a blade dimension on its front wing.

Source: F1 Complete

Vettel scoffs at Dennis' 'low fuel' theory

Sebastian Vettel on Thursday scoffed at Ron Dennis' suggestion that Red Bull did not tell the truth about its problem in the Bahrain season opener two weeks ago.

Having initially said a failed exhaust was the reason for the German's slowed pace, the team later clarified that it was in fact a spark plug problem.

But Dennis, the former McLaren team boss and ongoing chairman of the Woking based group, speculated last week that Vettel may actually have been running low on fuel.

"Maybe Ron Dennis wanted to attract attention with his theory, because otherwise no one asks for his opinion anymore," Vettel, 22, is quoted as saying from Melbourne by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

To reporters at Albert Park, the Bahrain pole sitter and early race leader reiterated that his problem was caused by a spark plug with a broken tip.

So why did he pull to the side of the track immediately after the chequered flag, if he had not run out of fuel?

"Because at the time I thought the exhaust was broken and I didn't want to do any more damage," he explained.

Source: F1 Complete

FIA's 'big brother' project a success

The FIA has decided that its new in-garage system, which was introduced at the Bahrain Grand Prix, will be used for the remainder of the season. In order to ensure its parc ferme regulations the FIA installed a motion-sensitive camera in the garages of all 12 teams.

Until last year the Formula 1 teams had to bring its cars to parc ferme, a closed area in the paddock where cars are stored overnight between qualifying and race. But as there are now 24 cars in the paddock it became more difficult for the FIA to secure an area big enough to host each and every car.

At the Bahrain Grand Prix the FIA introduced with the co-operation of all 12 teams motion-sensitive cameras in the garages of all 12 teams. Once qualifying was finished the cars were returned to the pitboxes, rather than parc ferme, then covered and sealed and placed under camera surveillance. A security guard kept an eye on the camera feeds from all garages and would alert the FIA's technical team when any activity is seen.

F1 teams are not allowed to work on its cars after qualifying until five hours before the race.

Source: GP Update

EX-DRIVER NOT HAPPY ABOUT RÄIKKÖNEN-FEVER

The new kind of rally boom caused by Kimi Räikkönen is not to everybody's liking. One of these people is ex-driver Armin Schwartz.

Marketers of WRC have been rubbing their hands together with a satisfied grin on their face since Kimi Räikkönen became the new attraction for the series through a Citroën-contract financed by the energy drink giant Red Bull.

But not everybody is as unconditionally happy with Räikkönen's high profile which has brought visibility to rally in the world's media.

Armin Schwartz, who ended his own career in WRC in 2005, is upset because after Räikkönen's arrival the actual competition has been left in a supporting role.

-It's a pity that I see Räikkönen's triple volt getting half a page of coverage in a news paper when the winner Loeb (Sebastian) has been left as side news, says Schwartz in an interview by internet paper Motorsport Total.

-It doesn't help rally as a sport one bit! says Schwarz.

Schwarz, who has experience of over a hundred WRC rallies, doesn't see Räikkönen's rally future as very rosy. The German doens't believe that Räikkönen's performances will significantly change from what has been seen by now – isolated good SS times and crashes.

-And who knows, maybe this is just temporary for Kimi before he can become a F1 driver for Red Bull, Schwarz hints.

In 2006 Schwarz himself led the Skoda rally team which was strongly supported by Red Bull. The energy drink giant is Räikkönen's personal sponsor and also finances Räikkönen's rally move.

Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Dracaena

Ecclestone eyes New York GP, Briatore return

Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday said he is pushing to organise a Grand Prix on the streets of New York.

The F1 chief executive told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport that he hopes the race will be held for the first time in 2012
.
"I'm trying for 2012, opposite Manhattan in New Jersey with skyscrapers in the background," said the 79-year-old.

"Fifteen minutes from the centre of New York to the circuit. (It would be) a wonder."
The last US Grand Prix was held at Indianapolis in 2007.

Ecclestone also mentioned to the sports newspaper his friend and business partner Flavio Briatore, who recently ruled out returning to F1 despite overturning his FIA ban for involvement in the crash-gate scandal.

"I think he could take up a role in the promotion of Formula One," said the Briton.

Source: Motorsport

Räikkönen Tests C4 WRC

Former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has got back into a rally car for the first time since crashing out of the Rally Mexico just over two weeks ago.

Raikkonen completed two days of gravel testing in the south of France earlier this week with his Citroen C4 WRC, in preparation for the Jordan Rally from April 1-3. The Finn concentrated on accumulating more mileage in the car – which he has been desperately short of this year – and evaluating set-ups for the forthcoming gravel rallies.

The 30-year-old managed to get in two full days of running and reported no major problems with his back, which had forced him to cancel the pre-Mexico test. The Finn will now be well prepared as he flies out to Jordan this weekend, which he believes will be a positive event for him.

“It’s completely new to me, but it should be a lot of fun,” he said. “Again, we’re facing a different type of gravel so it’s hard to know exactly what to expect, but the team has some information from the past, so that will definitely help. We’re getting there; it’s just a question of time.”

Raikkonen is contesting 12 out of this year’s 13 World Rally Championship rounds in a programme backed by Red Bull.

Source: Max Rally
Courtesy: Pixy

Thursday pics from Melbourne

Click here to see all photos

Hamilton sails Sydney

Put Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel and he’ll instantly find his comfort zone. In today’s case, Lewis found himself behind the huge wheel of America’s Cup yacht Spirit as he skippered the vessel around Sydney’s harbour – home of the world famous opera house and harbour bridge, two of the most picturesque man-made landmarks in the world.

Lewis was aided by world champion yachtsman Iain Murray, and steered the Vodafone-branded boat and several lucky competition winners through the harbour’s choppy waters ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, round two of the 2010 Formula 1 world championship.

“Today was my first time in Sydney,” said Lewis Hamilton. “And there’s been no better way to mark my stay than by getting to see the famous sights from the waters. I had a great time skippering Spirit today – it’s huge fun, but it’s nothing like a Formula 1 car. Nothing is like that!”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s event in Melbourne, Lewis said: “The Albert Park circuit should work to the strengths of our car. We feel stronger coming into this race than we did going into Bahrain. Hopefully, both Jenson and myself and can score some more points. We think we’ll have a chance of winning this weekend – we’ve learned a lot from the first race and we can bring that here to Melbourne. It would be great to get that edge.

“The racing in Melbourne is always great. And it should be better there than it was in the opening round. It’s an extremely special circuit: unique. I love street circuits, it’s a great place to race on, and the fans are fantastic.”

Source: McLaren