Massa: "Race simulation went well: no surprises"

There was little chance of Felipe Massa getting bored during his first day of testing at the Catalunya Circuit. After working in the wet in the morning, the Brazilian driver tackled a true race simulation in the afternoon, when the track was finally completely dry. “It was a really busy day, during which we managed to do a lot of kilometres in very different conditions,” explained Felipe, talking to www.ferrari.com.

“It was important to be able to complete a simulation of a Grand Prix, which we did while trying to make the tyres last as long as possible: it’s fair to say that it went off without any real surprises.”

Felipe will be back in the cockpit of the Ferrari F150th Italia tomorrow morning for the start of the final day of testing at this circuit. After that, it will be a case of finding out if the test programme will continue as originally planned, or if there will be changes because of the changing situation in Bahrain.

Source: Ferrari.com

Barcelona: Rosberg's turn to shine

With the rain abating on Sunday afternoon, Nico Rosberg put in the fastest lap time seen at Barcelona this week

It was a gloomy start to Day Three at the Circuit de Catalunya with rain falling as the drivers ventured out.

The wet track gave the drivers valuable time on the Pirelli wet and intermediate tyres, however, it also claimed a few cars.

Pastor Maldonado was the first off in the wet, spinning his Williams FW33 into the gravel at Turn Five, while an hour later his fellow rookie Sergio Perez crashed his Sauber C30 at Turn Four.

But it wasn't just the rookies who were having a tough time of things as Felipe Massa brought out the red flags twice in less than half an hour. The Ferrari driver spun his F150th Italia at Turn Four and again at Turn Seven.

Massa and Toro Rosso test driver Daniel Ricciardo were the early pace-setters in the wet while Lewis Hamilton took over as the track began to dry out, leading the way at the lunchbreak.

But, by the close of play with the track completely dry, it was Rosberg who stormed to the front of the pack with his 1:23.168, which was 0.147s quicker than the week's previous best, which had been set by Sebastian Vettel on Friday.

The Mercedes GP driver's best was on a short qualifying style run while he had been down in the 1:29s when putting his car through a 15-lap stint.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov took second, 0.295 seconds slower than Rosberg, while Hamilton finished up in third, 0.690s off the pace.

Hamilton's day, though, was not without problems as reliability gremlins during the morning session repeatedly resulted in him having to return to the pits after just one or two laps.

Maldonado was next in line, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber. The latter was the final driver to bring out the red flags when he stopped out on track at Turn One in the final minute of the day's play. Webber was 1.827s off the pace.

Despite a water leak problem, Jarno Trulli put his Lotus T128 up into sixth place, finishing ahead of Perez and Force India's Adrian Sutil.

Sebastien Buemi, who only ran in the afternoon after replacing Toro Rosso test driver Ricciardo, and Massa completed the top ten.

Times
01. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.168 92 laps
02. Vitaly Petrov Lotus Renault 1:23.463 + 0.295 93 laps
03. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:23.858 + 0.690 93 laps
04. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:24.815 + 1.647 60 laps
05. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:24.995 + 1.827 139 laps
06. Jarno Trulli Team Lotus 1:25.454 + 2.286 48 laps
07. Sergio Perez Sauber 1:25.557 + 2.389 115 laps
08. Adrian Sutil Force India 1:25.720 + 2.552 102 laps
09. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:26.155 + 2.987 31 laps
10. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26.508 + 3.340 123 laps
11. Timo Glock Virgin 1:26.598 + 3.430 97 laps
12. Giorgio Mondini Hispania 1:28.178 + 5.010 39 laps
13. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.329 + 5.161 42 laps
14. Narain Karthikeyan Hispania 1:30.722 + 7.554 32 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel: Red Bull just focused on ourselves

Sebastian Vettel is refusing to make any predictions about the season ahead despite putting his RB7 at the top of the timesheets at Barcelona

The reigning World Champ proved to be the man to beat on the first two days of this week's pre-season test. On Friday, he was a massive 1.111s up on Ferrari's Fernando Alonso while on Saturday he beat Jaime Alguersuari by two-tenths.

But despite appearing to have the measure over his rivals, Vettel says pre-season lap times have little bearing on what is really going on.

"I don't see it all, because the Championship hasn't started yet," Vettel told Autosport.

"It's winter testing, and everybody is trying to prepare. It's very hard to judge at this stage where you are, how quick the car is.

"You run through your programme. This year with the new tyres it is very hard to read the lap times and performance of the other cars, so I think we have to remain cool and focus on ourselves.

"Obviously we try to improve the car as much as we can and then we'll see when we go racing and when the Championship starts."

Vettel added that being the reigning World Champion doesn't count for much when the new season begins as everyone starts on zero points.

"I think when we start in Bahrain, or somewhere else, we all start with zero points. It doesn't myself if it's me, Heikki (Kovalainen) or anybody else. We all start with zero points.

"Obviously last year was very good for myself and for the team, and the target is there: we want to defend our Championships, but it's a long way.

"I think it's wrong to start the season only focusing on the Championship. We have to focus on the first couple of races, on our car and make it reliable and then very soon you will know how good the car is and if we have the chance to fight for the title or not."

Meanwhile, the BBC is reporting that Red Bull's RB7 is using its moveable rear wing in places none of their rivals' cars are using it, such as in the middle of the fast heading onto the main straight.

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso: Red Bull are strongest at the moment

During the first two days of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona Fernando Alonso endured arguably his toughest couple of days in the cockpit of the Ferrari F150th Italia but at the end of the second day managed to see the positive side of his mishaps and declared that Red Bull have the strongest car at this stage of proceedings.

Alonso said, “I still believe that, at the moment the Red Bull is the strongest car, but there are at least four other teams – us, McLaren, Mercedes and Renault – that are capable of fighting for the wins.”

Like most the two times world champion was not reading too deeply into testing times, “It is always very difficult to assess the results from testing: it only takes ten kilos more or less fuel or for worn tyres to be used at any one point in the day, to make a difference that can amount to seconds.”

On Saturday Alonso’s Ferrari stopped out on circuit early on in the day, but the Spaniard was philosophical about the incident, “One of the mechanics said to me that when things go well in Barcelona, we don’t win the championship, while if we have problems here, then it’s a different story: let’s hope that’s really the case!”

World champion Sebastian Vettel is adamant that the new Pirelli tyres will be a major factor in 2011. Alonso agrees, “Here again we saw degradation similar to what we had noticed both in Valencia and Jerez at the first two tests. If we had to race at the Catalunya Circuit tomorrow, we would need three or even four stops to finish the race, however it will not be just a case of changing the way we tackle the race, but also the entire weekend track time, from free practice through to qualifying.”

He predicted, “Tyre wear will definitely create the best overtaking opportunities: if you find yourself fighting against a driver on tyres that are at the start or the end of their stint, the performance difference could be very big, which would make for overtaking, even more definitely than using KERS and the moveable rear wing.”

With regard to the Bahrain Grand Prix situation, the Ferrari driver said, “It is hard for us to state a clear cut position, because in the end we only know as much as you journalists, given we are following the situation through the media. We have to wait a few more days and then the powers that be will make a decision.”

Source: YallaF1

F1 teams want Bahrain opener cancelled

It is believed most formula one teams would like next month’s season opener in troubled Bahrain to be cancelled.

Western countries are advising against travel to the island Kingdom, where mainly peaceful protesters have been clashing violently with the government in past days.

"The F1 community has agreed privately that it would be both irresponsible and indefensible to arrive in Bahrain at a time when the country is counting its dead after a week of bloodshed," read a report in the Daily Mail, one day after a FOTA meeting in Barcelona.

However, the official line is that the teams are waiting on Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA - which has been strangely silent amid the saga - to make the call.

But the Sunday Times reports that "at least one leading team" will boycott the race if authorities decide to go ahead, and it emerges that new world champion Sebastian Vettel’s father Norbert has cancelled his flight.

Ecclestone told BBC radio that a final decision about the race will probably be made on Tuesday, curiously explaining that it will be Bahrain’s Crown Prince who will decide.

"If anybody’s going to sort it out he’s the guy to do it," said the 80-year-old.

"He would decide whether or not it’s safe for us to be there. Let’s hope it will be all right as it’s already scheduled."

Countries’ advice not to travel to Bahrain, however, could void insurance policies, and teams face ramifications if they decide unilaterally not to race unless ’force majeure’ is declared.

Source: Nextgen

Barcelona: Vettel ups his pace on Day Two

Sebastian Vettel made it two from two as Red Bull edged their rivals around the Circuit de Catalunya

After a cold start to the morning with temperatures reaching just 5'C, the track heated up and so did the action.

Vettel, who topped the timesheets on Friday with a 1:24.374, went a full second quicker on Saturday, crossing the line with a 1:23.315.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the reigning World Champ, who had to abandon his race simulation in the afternoon after his Red Bull mechanics noted a problem with his RB7.

Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari was a surprise in second place, finishing two-tenths behind Vettel while Fernando Alonso had to settle for third place in his late charge.

The Spaniard was another to run into problems on Saturday, bringing out the day's first red flag just half an hour in the session when he stopped at Turn Four.

Ferrari said on Twitter: "Not a good start of the second day of the session. Fernando stopped on track due to an electric problem. Anyway, the issue has been solved. Tyres and set-up changes are the main objectives of today's programme."

However, the Spaniard's running was again hampered in the afternoon as his F150th Italian countered mechanical problems, keeping Alonso down to 90 laps.

In sharp contrast, Rubens Barrichello and Williams finally had a trouble-free day with their FW33 and the Brazilian finished in fourth place, ahead of Lotus Renault driver Nick Heidfeld.

The German, who is filling in for the injured Robert Kubica, split the duties with Vitaly Petrov and proved to be over two seconds quicker than his Russian team-mate.

Kamui Kobayashi was sixth for Sauber, finishing ahead of Nico Rosberg. The latter will be delighted to have completed a massive 131 laps after seeming to suffer the bulk of Mercedes GP reliability issues.

"We completed a great deal of mileage and that was important for me to understand more about the tyre behaviour," said Rosberg.

"There is a lot for the drivers to learn about how the Pirelli tyres are performing, and about how to make them last over the long runs; it's going to be a key factor this year in the races and I think we made good progress on that front today.

"The reliability was ok but everybody in the team knows we need to keep pushing to make sure we are trouble-free for the start of the season."

It was another quiet day for McLaren with a hydraulic problem forcing Jenson Button to miss most of the morning session. He was 1.608s adrift of Vettel's P1 time.

Paul di Resta and Heikki Kovalainen, who had problem with his T128 when its "collector filter was blocked" completed the top ten.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull 1:23.315 104 laps
02. Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:23.519 + 0.204 97 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:23.978 + 0.663 90 laps
04. Barrichello Williams 1:24.008 + 0.693 118 laps
05. Heidfeld Lotus Renault 1:24.242 + 0.927 41 laps
06. Kobayashi Sauber 1:24.243 + 0.928 125 laps
07. Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.730 + 1.415 131 laps
08. Button McLaren 1:24.923 + 1.608 54 laps
09. Di Resta Force India 1:25.194 + 1.879 80 laps
10. Kovalainen Team Lotus 1:26.421 + 3.106 58 laps
11. Petrov Lotus Renault 1:26.884 + 3.569 61 laps
12. Liuzzi HRT 1:27.044 + 3.729 70 laps
13. Glock Virgin 1:27.242 + 3.927 66 laps
14. Teixeira Team Lotus 1:31.584 + 8.269 26 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Renault’s message to Kubica from Barcelona

The Renault F1 team gathered for a team photo with a pit board wishing Robert Kubica to get well soon.

Prior to start of the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, the team including drivers Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna posed for a picture in the Circuit de Catalunya pitlane.

Kubica, who was injured in a freak rally accident earlier this month, was yesterday transferred from intensive care unit to the rehabilitation department to continue his recovery.

The Renault F1 team have appointed Nick Heidfeld to replace Kubica.

Source: YallaF1

Schumi: Race wins, not the World title

Michael Schumacher concedes that while his Mercedes GP W02 may win a race in 2011, the car is not up to challenging for the World title

The first half of pre-season testing has produced varying form from Merc GP's W02, which is proving to be rather inconsistent.

While the car has shown moments of pace, resulting in Schumi finishing the Jerez test with the week's second fastest lap time, on most days the team has finished outside the top half of the timesheets.

Reliability has also proven to be a bit of a worry, although the bulk of the gremlins have befallen Rosberg.

And with half of pre-season testing already completed, Schumacher fears his W02 is not a Championship-winning car.

"The target is still the same as we said weeks ago: to hopefully be, with this car, on the podium and maybe, if things go very well, to win a race this year," said the 42-year-old

"That's probably the maximum we can talk about, but it is very difficult to judge our performance at the moment against the others because obviously we will improve the car a little bit further to the Bahrain race.

"But, how much compared to the others, that's the question mark."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso: “Important data for understanding the tyres”

Once again a lot of kilometres for the F150th Italia. Today, chassis 287 made its track debut, having previously been used for the crash tests and for bench testing and it too showed a good level of reliability, covering around 470 kilometres without any problems. Once again today, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s main aim, along with that of Fernando Alonso who was driving, was to gather data on the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres, getting their first taste of the very demanding Catalunya circuit.

“Overall, it was a positive day,” said Fernando speaking to www.ferrari.com. “We did a lot of laps and brought home much valuable information. It seems that, on this track too, there is a certain level of tyre degradation, but it is only the first day and we have to see how the track evolves between now and Monday.”

Fernando will be at the wheel of car number 5 again tomorrow, before Felipe takes over for Sunday and Monday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Barcelona: Vettel leads the charge

Sebastian Vettel put in a late effort to take the P1 slot from Fernando Alonso on the opening day at Barcelona

Heading to Barcelona, Red Bull had managed to finish just one out of seven days at the top of the timesheets and that was on the very first day of pre-season testing.

However, Vettel put in a late charge on Friday afternoon to move to the front of the pack, easing some concerns over the pace of Red Bull's new RB6.

The reigning World Champ, who opted not to put in many laps during the morning session when the track was wet from overnight rain, clocked a 1:24.374 to beat Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by a massive 1.111s.

According to reports, though, Vettel's time was set on the super soft Pirelli rubber while Alonso was using the harder compound.

Jaime Alguersuari had another solid day for Toro Rosso, finishing in third place, just 0.153s slower than Alonso while Kamui Kobayashi was fourth. Both drivers, though, caused stoppages during the day. Alguersuari for a spin and Kobayashi for stopping out on track in a fuel exorcise.

Jenson Button claimed fifth place for McLaren, 1.991s behind Vettel, in what was another solid but not spectacular day for the Woking-based outfit.

Paul di Resta put his Force India up into sixth place while Rubens Barrichello was seventh for Williams. However, once again there were problems with the team's FW33 as Barrichello broke down on track and had to sit in the garage as his team changed the car's engine.

Michael Schumacher, Narain Karthikeyan, Heikki Kovalainen and Jerome D'Ambrosio were next in line ahead of the two Lotus Renault drivers.

It was not a good day for Lotus Renault with the team hampered by KERS issues. Nick Heidfeld, who completed pit stop practice in the morning, handed the car over to his team-mate Vitaly Petrov. However, the Russian was only able to manage 20 laps due to the KERS problem.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:24.374 37 laps
02. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:25.485 + 1.111 101 laps
03. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.638 + 1.264 57 laps
04. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:25.641 + 1.267 78 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.365 + 1.991 77 laps
06. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:26.575 + 2.201 26 laps
07. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:26.912 + 2.538 52 laps
08. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:27.512 + 3.138 90 laps
09. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1:28.393 + 4.019 116 laps
10. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1:30.065 + 5.691 54 laps
11. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:30.950 + 6.576 116 laps
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:35.174 + 10.800 20 laps
13. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1:44.324 + 19.950 27 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Kimi's Column: Closer to the front runners

Kimi's Swedish Rally review 2011

It was great fun to get back racing, again and it was nice to get grips with the new car.

The weekend was quite OK. We didn¹t have any major problems, actually it was pretty much an easy-going rally for us in very tricky circumstances.

We seem to get closer to the front runners. Still they go very quick, but comparing the stage times we are not that much behind anymore. Obviously, it¹s still a learning curve for me and we have still a lot of things to do.

We finished the rally and the result is ok. We got some good points for me and Kaj and we got some good points to our ICE1 RACING team, too. The team did good job. We are still learning from the car, but it¹s nice to drive. That's the main thing for now.

Before the first rally we had only one day for testing. While the car felt good, still the race is the race and when the you got very challenging and changeable weather, you have use some time to train in the first place.

I can tell you, it was quite difficult. We spun and then we had a puncture, which cost us some time. But after that everything went well. I felt relaxed, the driving itself felt easy and we got some good stage times without pushing too much.

It's nice feeling while you don't have to wipe off the sweat from your forehead and sigh huh-huh, we managed to get the special stage through. I'm quite satisfied how we went the whole rally. It felt very normal driving all the time.

Obviously, there is much to learn. Still I have to focus more on the pace notes. There were not that many places we had it wrong, but there were some, we had to change before going there for the second time. If you get it wrong, it's always a very tricky task to keep the car on the road. It's challenging to work with pace notes. That¹s for sure.

Every time, after the rally, you feel you could have gone faster. But most importantly, I have learned more and improved from last year. Let's wait and see, how we go in the next few rallies.

Sweden was a good start for the season. The next rally for us is Portugal. Before that we have a test. Now it's time to start working to go well on gravel, too.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM

Vettel insists he is happy at Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel has moved to dampen the flames of renewed speculation about a future switch to Ferrari.

The rumours re-emerged this week when Italian reports quoted Red Bull’s new world champion as saying he wants a Ferrari seat so badly he would pay for Fernando Alonso to go on holiday.

But although his current team boss Christian Horner insists his drivers are free to express themselves to the media, Vettel has now returned his focus to his existing employer in an interview with Sport Bild.

“There is no reason for me to go elsewhere,” said the 23-year-old.

He said the satisfaction of his current situation hit him on the way back into the pits during the first day of Valencia testing earlier this month.

“The blue of my car was shining particularly nicely; I could see the number 1; I thought to myself ‘Boy, life is good!’”

And while Vettel has said F1′s more famous marques are attractive, he now insists that every driver wants to be sitting in the fastest car.

“You think about how to get the best possible package,” he confirmed. “And I feel very good with Red Bull.”

Source: YallaF1

F1 eyes Barcelona to replace Bahrain test

F1 might simply stay in Barcelona if the final pre-season test scheduled to take place in troubled Bahrain early next month is called off.

After testing between Friday and Monday at the Circuit de Catalunya in the coming days, formula one had intended to conclude its pre-season programme in Bahrain a week before the championship opener in the island Kingdom.

But with cancellation of 2011’s first of 20 scheduled rounds now looking likely, the teams will not want to forgo the four days of testing scheduled in Bahrain for March 3-6.

"FOTA has asked us what dates we have available at the prospect of being unable to go to the last test, but there is no formal request yet," Vicenc Aguilera, the new president of the Circuit de Catalunya consortium, is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

Aguilera said the Montmelo venue is booked on some of the days between the end of this week’s test and early March.

"But if F1 asks us something, we will do our best to please," he insisted.

The F1 teams association FOTA will meet in Barcelona on Friday, as the four days of scheduled pre-season testing begins.

Source: Nextgen

Kimi Swedish Rally review in Finnish

It felt cool to get to drive again after a long time and it was great to get a feeling to the new car. It was an okay weekend. We didn't face any bigger griefs at any moment.

It looks like we are closer to the top. It's good since it means we have gone forward again. We do however know that we still have a lot to do.

We got to test the new car only for a day. Okay, the car felt good but when you have a race with difficult conditions right from the beginning, the start was only training for us. It was quite tricky when we spun and got a puncture just like that when driving in the track.

After that it started to go well. The driving was easy and the times came easily especially during the second round in the afternoon when I found a good laidbackness.

Of course we are still in the stage of learning. I have to pay even more attention to the notes. There weren't many corners that went wrong but there was a place that needed to be changed. If a situation like that comes up then it has always been tough to keep the car on the road. I just have to look more carefully at the notes in the future.

In Sweden our spinnings limited to that one spot on Friday. After that I didn't have to wipe sweat after the stage thinking "whew that we managed to finish it". I'm fairly satisfied when we got to drive a completely normal drive to the finish.

After the race you are always left with a feeling that it could have gone better. But it's cool when you have already learned something and improved from the earlier times.

Let's just now see how the continuance goes.

The result is okay. I got points home and good points for our team. The gang did a good job and the car felt nice to drive all the time. It's quick and a bit smaller than last year's car. It kind of suits me better.

It's good to start the new season from here. Next rally will then be in Portugal and before that we will go testing to see how the car behaves with gravel setups.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Valentine day acting for Ferrari F1 drivers

Valentine’s day was a working one for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers, albeit a rather different one to usual.

After four days of testing from Thursday to Sunday, developing the Ferrari F150th Italia, today, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were back at work at the Jerez circuit, in southern Spain, shooting a series of promotional films for the Scuderia and its partners.

The work behind the wheel could hardly be compared to the past few days, given that it only required fifty kilometres. However, it was a nice opportunity for the drivers to spend time with the team in a rather more relaxed atmosphere, far removed from the usual frenetic activity of a test.

It meant that Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro was therefore the last team to leave the Andalusian track to head north for the Catalunya Circuit, where the third test session prior to the start of the 2011 Championship gets underway on Friday.

Fernando will be the first to drive, with Felipe replacing him in the cockpit of the new car as from Sunday.

Source: YallaF1

Horner: Vettel can go to Ferrari in ten years

Red Bull Racing F1 boss Christian Horner does not take Sebastian Vettel’s headline grabbing flirtation with Ferrari too seriously and has said that a decade down the road Ferrari are free to have the reigning world champion.

Speaking to Reuters, Horner said, “I think any driver at some stage in his career would like to drive for the red team and we don’t hold that against him. But…for the foreseeable future we see him as a part of Red Bull, he’s grown up within the Red Bull family and hopefully for many years to come. Just before he retires he can go to Ferrari.

He added mischievously, “If he wants to go to Ferrari just before he retires, then that could be another 10 years away. Or in Michael (Schumacher)’s case 20 years away.”

Horner pointed out, “The Italians get very excited when world champions talk about Ferrari, so maybe he’s been dreaming about Ferrari but I think that’s about all. One of the things that we encourage is a freedom of expression and so on. Sebastian is his own person and he’s got his own opinions.”

“For the foreseeable future, and most importantly for the immediate future, he is very much committed to Red Bull and likewise Red Bull committed to him,” he admitted.

“It’s down to us to ensure that we are giving him a quick car and it’s down to him to ensure that he’s performing, and what driver in the pitlane wouldn’t want to drive a Red Bull at the moment?” asked the champion team boss.

“He’s an important part of what we do and an important part of how the team moves forward but that is more than a piece of paper or a contract. That comes down to relationships, down to trust, down to feeling comfortable in an environment. He’s grown up within the Red Bull family and all the success he has achieved within his motorsport career has come within that environment,” concluded Horner.

Source: YallaF1

Alonso feared for injured star Kubica; Heidfeld to replace Pole

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has spoken of his "shock and surprise" on hearing of his friend Robert Kubica's crash during a rally in Italy.

Ferrari ace Alonso has known the Pole for over 15 years as they competed against each other in go-karting before progressing through to the Formula One ranks.

"It was not so clear he was going to survive," the Spaniard told CNN as he recounted his initial conversation with Kubica's manager.

"I tried to drive to the hospital to find out exactly what his injuries were," before Alonso said he received more positive news.

"Now he is recovering well and we hope to see him back very soon in F1," he added.

Alonso also defended Kubica's decision to take part in a rally so close to the start of the season, which is due to begin in Bahrain next month.

"We need to have something to get some adrenalin out of our system and rallying is good training from an F1 driver's point of view."

He added: "I train on a bicycle ever day, and a couple of weeks ago a friend and myself were out riding and a truck cut in front us.

"A few meters nearer and we would have crashed into it. You cannot cut out risk."

Kubica is recovering after a series of operations at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, following the serious injuries he sustained in the rally 10 days ago.

On Wednesday, his Lotus-Renault team announced that German Nick Heidfeld would take Kubica's drive while he continues his recuperation.

Heidfeld partnered Kubica at BMW Sauber for three and half years from 2006-09 and impressed in testing for Renault in Jerez last week.

The 33-year-old told the team's official website: "I would have liked to come back to Formula One in different circumstances, but I'm proud to have been given this chance."

Renault's first reserve, Bruno Senna, and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, were also linked with the drive.

source: CNN

Heidfeld confirmed at Lotus Renault

"I’m proud to have been given this chance"

Lotus Renault GP announced that Nick Heidfeld has joined the team, taking over driving duties from the injured Robert Kubica, starting at this week’s test session in Barcelona.

The 33-year-old German is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula 1 having started 172 races over the last 11 seasons. He will race alongside Vitaly Petrov when the season gets underway in Bahrain on 13 March.

Nick Heidfeld: “I would have liked to come back to Formula 1 in different circumstances, but I’m proud to have been given this chance. Everything has happened so quickly, but I’ve been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone. I really enjoyed the test last week in Jerez and I’ve already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I’m extremely motivated and can’t wait for the season to begin.”

Eric Boullier: “The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly. We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us. He’s quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car. We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car and we feel he is the ideal man for the job. We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly in Bahrain.”

Barcelona test session

The driving schedule for the upcoming Barcelona test (18-21 February) is as follows:

Friday morning: Nick and Vitaly for pit-stop practice
Friday afternoon: Vitaly
Saturday: Nick
Sunday: Vitaly
Monday: Nick

Source: Nextgen Auto

Photos: Lewis Hamilton at The BRIT Awards 2011

Lewis Hamilton and his half-brother Nicholas to attend the BRIT music awards at the O2 Arena in London

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Lewis Hamilton's brother to begin motorsport career this year

Former World Champion Lewis Hamilton's younger brother is set to kick off his own motor racing career.

Nineteen-year-old Nicolas Hamilton, who has cerebral palsy, has reportedly gained a National B licence and, with initial tests having already taken place, will start the Renault Clio Cup with a race at Brands Hatch in April.

The series is a support event for the British Touring Car Championship.

"I have loved motor sport from a young age and watching my brother achieve so much has given me inspiration to make my own racing debut," said Nicolas, who is a well-known face in the F1 paddock.

"I know this will not be an easy task, but I hope my doing this will give inspiration to others who have challenges in their life," he added.

Source: Auto123