2010 Formula 1 Championship

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Lotus F1 Racing car

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Lotus has announced yesterday the official name of its F1 Team, which will be called Lotus F1 Racing and released the first images of their new F1 car. The team will enter their Lotus F1 Racing car in the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship and currently are conducting testing in the wind tunnel.

FIA granted Lotus F1 Racing the entry into the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship as the 13th team in September 2009. Lotus F1 Racing is the first ever Malaysian Formula 1 team with operational bases in both Malaysia and the UK. The team is headed and financed by a group of Malaysian entrepreneurs led by Team Principal Tony Fernandes. Lotus F1 Racing has also full backing from the Malaysian government.

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Interview with Mike Gascoyne Lotus F1 Racing Chief Technical Officer:

How important is the completion of Lotus F1 Racing’s first windtunnel model?

“The start of any windtunnel testing is an important step in the development of a new Formula 1 car, but it is particularly exciting for us as we continue preparations for our first season. It has been a very busy time since our entry was confirmed by the FIA. We had been working on the entry for several months so we already had aspects of the team infrastructure in place; the finances, the factory and the top management. Once our entry was confirmed in mid September, we were able to accelerate our recruitment and car development process and this is really where we are at now.”

What precisely is the involvement from Malaysia?

“Our entry has only been made possible thanks to financing from the Malaysian private sector, so Lotus F1 Racing will be a Malaysian team through and through. Additionally we have valuable support from the Malaysian government through its 1Malaysia initiative, so we will essentially be flying the Malaysian flag in Formula 1. I am liaising with our Team Principal Tony Fernandes about our plans on a daily basis and am currently spending some time in Malaysia interviewing potential candidates for technical roles. The team is also in the process of recruiting Malaysian employees for other positions, including administration, marketing and PR.”

The team is currently based in the UK, but is there a long term plan to move to Malaysia?
“The longer term vision is to create a centre of technical excellence at the Sepang circuit which we have already started planning together with Tony Fernandes and his associates. Naturally this takes time, so we have opted initially for a UK base at the RTN facility in Hingham from where we will run the F1 operations while we establish our Malaysian facilities. Ultimately, the team will be headquartered in Malaysia, but we will keep a small UK base which will give us a logistical advantage when we are racing within Europe.”

What technical partnerships do you already have in place?

“We have been working with Fondtech to develop the aerodynamics, as well as with gearbox
specialists Xtrac. We have an engine supply deal in place with Cosworth and we also have the support of engineering and composites teams in Malaysia who will play an integral role in developing the car.”

Is there really enough time to get a car and a team up and running before the first race in Bahrain?

“There is no escaping the challenges that we face simply to get the car ready for the first race of next season, but I am confident that we are up to the task in hand. Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so that we can carry out pre season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid March.”

What are your expectations for the first year?

“We need to remain realistic in our aims for the first year. We are a new team and we are starting our development late, so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid. I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year.”

How integrated will the F1 team be with other Lotus groups?

“It is a big honour to be associated with such an historic and prestigious Formula 1 brand as Lotus for whom I have a lot of respect. We will have a close relationship with other Lotus groups and we will do all we can to ensure that the Lotus name is treated respectfully with our new team.”

Finally, has there been any decision made on drivers for next year?

“We have been looking closely at the driver market to determine our best options for next year including Malaysian drivers, but no decisions have been made yet. We need versatile drivers. We need reliable and technically minded drivers who can help us develop the car during the season, but at the same time we need drivers who are hungry for results and who can extract every little bit of performance from the car at all times.”

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mmmmmmmm bare carbon!!!!!

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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is delighted to announce the signing of the reigning World Champion Jenson Button to a multi-year deal. He will be partnered by 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be embarking on his fourth consecutive season as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver.
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Jenson Button
2009 Formula 1 World Champion
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car #1
“It’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long. But life is all about challenges – and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself. So, although I won the World Championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

“So that’s why I’ve decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. You can’t help but be affected by this team’s phenomenal history. McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula 1 – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team-mate Lewis Hamilton. I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.

“When I visited the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this month, it wasn’t simply the technical resources and the incredible standards of excellence that impressed me. No, I was equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning spirit that flow through everybody there. And then there’s the team’s epic history: put it this way, the trophy cabinets seem to stretch for miles.

“From a personal point of view, it’s also a great pleasure to be joining a fellow British World Champion. Lewis has achieved an incredible level of success in a very short period of time, and he’s a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of every Formula 1 driver. I’m sure there’s plenty that we can learn from each other, and I’m really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push the team forward.

“Also, I think it’s fantastic that we’ll be forming an all-British line-up. I know that we both fly the flag with pride, and I sincerely hope we can make the whole of the United Kingdom, as well as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes fans across the world, proud. Nothing means more to me than to be able to represent my country, and I’m looking forward to both of us painting Formula 1’s circuits red, white and blue for many years to come.

“While I’m fully aware that there’s a tremendous amount of hard work ahead, I’m absolutely certain that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be able to deliver where it matters: on track. I’m already looking forward to starting work with the engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre as we begin our preparations for the 2010 season – and the defence of my world championship. This is a team that always goes racing to win, and I’m looking forward to being part of that.

“Last but very far from least, I want to say that the 2009 season will always have a special place in my memory, and I’m absolutely sure that everybody at Brawn GP who worked so hard to achieve our World Championship successes feels exactly the same way about it. Equally, I want to thank the guys at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, without whom we’d never have been as competitive as we were. I’m so pleased that I’ll still be using their engines in 2010 and beyond.

“So I wish all my old Brawn GP mates well in their new Mercedes Grand Prix adventure, just as I hope they’ll wish me well in my new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes adventure.”

Lewis Hamilton
2008 Formula 1 World Champion
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car #2
“It’s fantastic news that Jenson has decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – and I’m looking forward to working with him and our engineers to make sure we kick off the 2010 season with a car that’s competitive enough to win the World Championship – but I want to send my best wishes for the future to my 2008-09 team-mate and now good friend Heikki Kovalainen, who is one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met.

“I already know Jenson, and we get on very well together. We both really want our team to succeed. Although we’ll be pushing each other hard, I’m sure we’ll very quickly establish a great working relationship. He’s an exceptional driver: very controlled and very smooth, and he has a real depth of knowledge and experience. I think we’ll complement each other very well, and our collaboration will make the team stronger as a result. Also, I’m delighted to be racing alongside a fellow British World Champion, and I believe we can pull together to make Vodafone McLaren Mercedes the best team on the grid.

“I’m sure Jenson has already started to appreciate our team’s unique culture and the special family atmosphere that makes it such an incredible place to live and work. We really are like one big family – and I’m sure Jenson will feel the warmth of that welcome from day one.

“Obviously, as a British driver, I’m also thrilled that we’ll be flying the flag for the United Kingdom, and I think today’s announcement is fantastic news for all British sports fans. I hope they’ll be giving us their full support when the season kicks off next March. I’m already looking forward to Silverstone – it’ll be massive!

“Looking ahead, I think the results from the second half of 2009 speak for themselves, and I’m convinced we can carry that momentum through the winter and into the new season. I’ve been closely following the development of our 2010 challenger, the MP4-25, and I think it’s going to be a state-of-the-art car that will enable both of us to consistently fight for victories.”

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jenson to our team. It has always been our policy to employ the two very best possible drivers – and, in Jenson and Lewis, we feel we not only have the fastest pairing on the 2010 grid, but also the two most complete, professional and dedicated drivers in Formula 1.

“Moreover, I’m confident that we’ll be able to successfully balance and harness Jenson’s and Lewis’s complementary skill-sets. Our engineers are already looking forward to working with Jenson, and I’m convinced that such a strong and dynamic driver line-up will make us an even more complete and competitive operation. Now we have to provide Jenson and Lewis with race-winning machinery.

“I want to make clear that Jenson’s decision to join us was in no way motivated by money. We’ll be paying him no more than he could be getting elsewhere, and that fact is a reflection of not only Jenson’s belief in Vodafone McLaren Mercedes but also his desire and ambition to build on the phenomenal results he achieved during the 2009 season.

“I also want to thank Heikki for his selfless contribution over the past two years. As well as being very quick, Heikki was and remains a great character whom we’ll all miss considerably. It goes without saying that we wish him all the best for next season, and would be very pleased if he were to secure a good drive for 2010.

“We’re ambitious, we’re motivated and we’re hungrier than ever. We make no secret of our ambition for next year: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes wants to win both World Championships – and, with Jenson and Lewis, we believe we’re better equipped than any other team in the pitlane to do exactly that.”

Jenson Button (GBR)
Date of birth: 19 January 1980 (29)
World championships: 1 (2009)
Wins: 7
Pole positions: 7
Points: 327
GP starts: 170

Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
Date of birth: 7 January 1985 (24)
World championships: 1 (2008)
Wins: 11
Pole positions: 17
Points: 256
GP starts: 52

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Mercedes-Benz will enter the Formula 1 World Championship with its own team, beginning with the 2010 season, and Daimler AG and McLaren Group will change their form of cooperation with effect as of 13 November 2009. This was announced by Daimler AG today. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_Mercedes%20F1_1b.jpg
Daimler AG together with Aabar Investments PJSC will take over 75.1 per cent of the Brawn GP team, with Daimler taking 45.1 per cent and Aabar 30 per cent. The rest of the 24.9 per cent will remain with the current stakeholders. With 9.1 per cent, Aabar is the biggest single shareholder of Daimler AG. This transaction is subject to the approval of the EU and the Swiss cartel authorities.
The background to this decision are the new terms and conditions for Formula 1. The “Resource Restrictions” set by FOTA and FIA effectively limit expenditure for the design, construction and running of the racing cars. In addition, there will be a significantly higher income available for a Formula 1 team generated by the commercial rights of the racing series following the signing of the new Concorde Agreement.
The partnership between McLaren Mercedes has been in place since 1995 and ended its 15th joint Formula 1 season in 2009. The change to the form of cooperation is taking place by mutual agreement. Mercedes-Benz and McLaren will continue to co-operate with each other and the supply of engines could continue until 2015.
The McLaren Group have set themselves new targets, especially in the automotive sector, and Daimler understands and respects these new strategic objectives.For this reason, it has been agreed that the buy-back by the McLaren Group of the 40 per cent McLaren share owned by Daimler AG will be completed by 2011.
By taking this decision, Mercedes-Benz resumes its marvellous motor racing history on the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows, the world’s most unique racing cars. Mercedes wants to continue the tradition in the style of these flawless Silver Arrows, which put their stamp on each era by winning the majority of the races they competed in.
“Mercedes-Benz is the most valued and best-known premium automotive brand in the world. This brand looks for competition of the utmost quality in all relevant fields in order to continually improve its performance in the face of such new challenges”, explains Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
“Due to the new Formula 1 environment, we will face the competition in future on the most important motor sports stage with our own Silver Arrow works team.
“Our new Silver Arrow Formula 1 team is a great sporting and technical challenge and we will tackle this with sporting spirit and full of enthusiasm.”
Mercedes-Benz will restructure their Formula 1 programme and work hard to achieve further savings, going beyond the already completed steps for significant cost reductions and improved efficiency.
Since 1995, the beginning of the partnership, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have competed in 256 Grand Prix events and have achieved 60 victories. In 1998, 1999 and 2008, the British-German team won the drivers’ World Championships, as well as the World Constructors’ Championship in 1998. The McLaren Mercedes team became runner-up in the World Championships ten times, with five times in the drivers’ and constructors’ rankings respectively.
After winning the drivers’ title with Lewis Hamilton last year, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes finished third in the World Constructors’ Championships this year. The 2008 World Champion won two races with his current car, the MP4-24, achieving a first historic victory with the brake energy-recovery system, KERS Hybrid. No other driver scored more points in the last eight races from the season’s total of 17 races than Lewis Hamilton.
“I want to thank McLaren for a successful collaboration over the last decade and a half”, says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “For the benefit of both Mercedes and McLaren, we will continue our partnership cooperation in future. We will be rivals on-track but, off-track, we will cooperate with McLaren and the other teams in order to create the best possible product for spectators worldwide.”
“We look back on 15 successful years of great collaboration with McLaren; in that time, we won four world-championship titles and finished ten times as runner-up in the drivers’ and constructors’ rankings,” states Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “Since the first victory in the 1997 Australian Grand Prix, the modern Silver Arrows have achieved a total of 60 victories in 223 races to ensure that our brand symbol, the star, stands for the greatest successes in Formula 1. We thank our partner and will continue to work with McLaren based on an excellent partnership.”
Mercedes Grand Prix, the management team of the former Brawn GP team, will continue to work under the leadership of Ross Brawn, who will continue in his well-known role. The Formula 1 team, as well as the engine team of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, will be co-ordinated by Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, headed by their Vice-President, Norbert Haug.
"Brawn GP has been through an incredible journey over the last 12 months. From fighting for our survival to forging a strong relationship with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, winning both the Constructors' and Drivers' World Championships, and now accepting Daimler and Aabar's offer to buy our team, which will secure its future”, Team Principal Ross Brawn looks back on a difficult beginning of the year which eventually turned into an extremely successful season.
"Both I and my fellow Directors at Brawn GP are incredibly proud of our staff, drivers and everyone associated with our team and thank them for their commitment, outstanding teamwork and their focus on achieving results in sometimes difficult circumstances. The senior management group will remain in place to lead our team and on behalf of everyone at Brawn GP, we are honoured to be representing such a prestigious brand as Mercedes-Benz in Formula One next year and will be working together to do our best to reward their faith in our team."
The new Silver Arrow team, Mercedes Grand Prix, will compete in Formula 1 as a works team in its own right. Synergies between the 100 per cent Daimler-owned subsidiary Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth, UK, and the Mercedes Grand Prix team based about 28 miles from there in Brackley in the UK, will create even greater efficiency.
It is our target to develop a model for our Formula 1 activities which will initially be run with significantly reduced budgets by Mercedes-Benz and which, in the foreseeable future, will be self-financing”, comments Norbert Haug. “Furthermore, we naturally want to inspire our faithful spectators and TV viewers worldwide and maximize media coverage for our brand. With Formula 1, Mercedes-Benz can continue to clearly demonstrate its willingness to compete and win on the most important motor sports competition stage in the world.”
Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman, Aabar Investment PJSC comments: "Aabar is delighted to join forces with Daimler AG and its world leading brand Mercedes-Benz in order to create a new Formula One Team which follows in the footsteps of the longstanding and successful tradition of the famous ‘Silver Arrows’.
“Ever since Aabar became the largest shareholder in Daimler AG, the cooperation between our two organisations has been exemplary, and we have already co-invested in Tesla. Aabar is confident that further successes will follow in this arena.
“Bearing in mind the recent outstanding success of the Abu Dhabi GP, which brought Formula One to the United Arab Emirates for the first time, it is especially exciting to realise that next year, our own cars will be in the field, with the genius of Ross Brawn, who is still deeply involved with the team, now backed by the unrivalled excellence of Mercedes-Benz across the entire spectrum of automotive technology. It is a fantastic prospect, which makes me both pleased and proud for my country.”

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Renault has decided to maintain its commitment to Formula One and welcomes the perspective of a strategic partnership with Genii Capital, a Luxemburg based firm specialized in new technologies, brand management and motor sport.
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Following the proposed sale of a large stake of Renault F1 Team to Genii, both partners will operate the team together. The letter of intent signed by the two companies should be concluded in early 2010.

In 2010, the team will retain its name, its identity and the core ingredients that led to the successes achieved in 2005 and 2006. The team will continue to be supplied with engines by its sister company in Viry-Châtillon, which is also pleased to have received a renewed commitment from Red Bull Racing for the 2010 season.

After 35 years in the sport, Renault today announces a new phase for its F1 programme, consistent with Formula One's drive for cost efficiencies. Formula One remains one of the biggest sporting spectacles in terms of annual television audiences and media exposure. Renault therefore believes that the impact of Formula One in terms of image, and brand awareness worldwide, particularly in new, emerging markets, will continue to play a key role in fulfilling the company's growth objectives in years ahead.

Bernard Rey, Renault F1 Team President, said: "I am delighted to welcome Genii Capital as our new strategic partner as I am sure that their enthusiasm and business expertise will create a new dynamic for the team, the staff, and our partners. Altogether, we look forward to competing again at the highest level in Formula One. Today's announcement also confirms Renault's commitment and trust in the sport's governing bodies to improve the green credentials of Formula One."

Indeed, in making such a decision, Renault not only demonstrates its commitment to its fans across the world, its employees in Enstone and in Viry, and the FIA, FOA and FOTA but it also believes in the positive impact of promoting relevant technologies in synergy with its product plan. "With the ongoing evolutions of the Formula One regulations, Renault will be able to entertain its fans, while promoting a leaner and sounder Championship. We will show Renault's skill when it comes to developing high-performance, fuel-efficient cars" said Bernard Rey, Renault F1 Team President.

The important cost reduction measures, made possible by the collective work within FOTA, have already improved significantly the operating cost base. With the anticipated sale of a stake in its F1 operational base in the United Kingdom to Genii Capital, Renault achieves today another step that will definitely bring F1 participation to an affordable level for the Group. In addition, the new partnership will contribute to procuring the team the resources to compete sustainably at the highest level, and creates a great opportunity to modernise its governance.

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Stuttgart/Brackley - The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team can confirm today that seven-times Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher will make his racing return in 2010 with the Silver Arrows team. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_Schu_1b.jpg
With seven Drivers' World Championships, 248 Grand Prix starts, 91 victories, 154 podium finishes and 68 pole positions, the 40-year old German needs no introduction following an illustrious and record-breaking Formula One career from 1991 to 2006 at the Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari teams.

Michael's return to racing with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS sees his return to Mercedes-Benz Motorsport where he began his racing apprenticeship as part of the Junior Programme in 1990, racing in Group C sports cars and DTM, and sees Michael renew his partnership with Ross Brawn with whom he
won all seven of his World Championships.

Today's announcement confirms the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver line-up for the 2010 season with Michael partnering his compatriot, 24 year old Nico Rosberg, in the Silver Arrows cars.

Michael Schumacher: ""MERCEDES GP PETRONAS represents a new challenge for me both in a sporting and a personal context. It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme. I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula 1 World Championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula 1 career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star."

Nico Rosberg: "It is fantastic that Michael is returning to Formula One and will be my team-mate at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. It's a great challenge for me to be up against one of the best drivers of all time. I'm sure that we will form a very strong partnership as he will have lost none of his speed! It is also great news for our sport and the fans."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS: "I am delighted that we can confirm today that Michael will make his much-anticipated return to Formula One next year and drive for our MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. As seven-time World Champion, Michael's outstanding record in Formula One speaks for itself and I am looking forward to working with him again. With the completion of our driver line-up, I believe that we now have the most exciting partnership in Formula One with Michael and Nico, who provide the perfect mix of talent, experience, speed and youth. We can now turn our full attention to the preparations for the new season and everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is extremely excited about the challenge ahead. With the investment and support in our team provided by Daimler, Aabar and our new title partner Petronas, and with two such exciting drivers, we have all of the building blocks in place to have another successful season in 2010."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports: "In April 1991, when I had been in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for just six months, Michael was standing beside me on the balcony one evening. Without the slightest doubt, he said in a low voice: "It's about time that I got into Formula 1". Michael had just turned 22 years of age and four months later, he made his debut at Spa in a Jordan. Mercedes-Benz helped him to this point and the rest is history: seven World Championship titles, more than any racing driver, 91 Grand Prix wins, more than any racing driver. Michael has more of everything than every other driver. As part of the Mercedes Junior Programme, Michael had raced in Group C sports cars and competed in a few DTM races. Ross Brawn, then our opponent at Jaguar, quickly realised Michael's talent and they went on to win all seven of his Drivers' World Championship titles together at Benetton and Ferrari. Our sporting ambition has always been that Michael should drive again where his professional career had started and Michael knew that. We often joked about it after the races and discussed the prospect seriously several times during the last 14 years in Formula 1. It didn't happen in 1995, it didn't happen in 1998 and it didn't happen in 2005. I am delighted that it will now happen in 2010. I am very much looking forward to working with Michael and everybody at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler extends a very warm welcome to our 'apprentice' of 19 years ago. That apprentice is now the most successful racing driver of all time."

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Today, the new Silver Arrows Formula One works team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS was presented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_Mercedes%20GP%20Launch_1b.jpg
Nico Rosberg and seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher along with team management Ross Brawn, Nick Fry and Norbert Haug were introduced to guests with a presentation and press conference.

Over 600 guests, including 200 media representatives and 200 Mercedes-Benz employees, visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum, one of the biggest and most famous car museums in the world, to see the launch of the team and the unveiling of the new Silver Arrows livery. Mercedes-Benz employees from the company's manufacturing plants in Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen, 100 of whom were invited for their outstanding performances and 100 selected through a popular internal draw, also had the opportunity to take their first look at the new MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team.

The event opened with a welcome speech by Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars before Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg unveiled the new Silver Arrows livery for the 2010 season on last year's car. The team's 2010 car, the MGP W01, will make its track debut at the first Formula One test in Valencia on Monday 1 February, with the 2010 Formula One season starting in Bahrain on 14 March.

The new silver and green livery creates a true marriage between the heritage of the Silver Arrows and the team's title partner PETRONAS. The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifel Race when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race car to fulfil weight regulations (750kg formula) and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver and green shading. On the nose and other parts of the car, traces of black carbon fibre visible are visible - a reminder of the first Silver Arrow of 1934.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER:
"Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up! I have to say that I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We have a World Champion team in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced that MERCEDES GP PETRONAS will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get underway."

NICO ROSBERG:
"You can really feel the successful motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz here at the Museum in Stuttgart and to be part of the new Silver Arrows team and that racing heritage makes me feel extremely proud and motivated. Since joining the team in November, I have spent a lot of time at the factory in Brackley, at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and here in Stuttgart, which has given me the opportunity to settle in and get to know everyone. I have seen how hard the team is working on the new car and I really can't wait for the opportunity to drive it for the first time in Valencia next week. I am looking forward to working with everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and will give it my all to reward their fantastic efforts with good on-track results this season."

ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS:
"It is a privilege to be here at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart today for the official presentation of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. With your first look around the Museum, you realise the fantastic racing heritage of Mercedes-Benz and we hope to be able to contribute to those successes going forward. Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week. We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar, our new title partner PETRONAS and all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula One season with anticipation."

NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT:
"With today's presentation of our new MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team, a new and certainly the most important chapter of over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history begins. The new Formula One season will offer challenges which will be bigger than ever before in over sixty years of the sport's history. We look forward to the cooperation with our drivers Nico Rosberg who has enormous capabilities and perspectives, and with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher who is no less motivated than at the time when he began his professional motor racing career with Mercedes-Benz and then made his first step into such a successful Formula One career with our support. Today I also cordially welcome our new title partner PETRONAS as well as our co-investor Aabar/IPIC together with all of our team partners. I warmly welcome all our colleagues from last year's World Championship team Brawn GP headed by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry to the Mercedes family. There are challenging tasks ahead of us and we will tackle them with power, consistency and full motivation."

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Ferrari have become the first team to officially launch their 2010 car after unveiling the F10 on Thursday. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_F1%20Ferrari%202010_1b.jpg
The machine will be driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, as they attempt to return the Italian squad to title contention following a difficult 2009 season, which saw the team score just one victory.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali kicked off the event’s proceeding, introducing Alonso and Massa to the assembled guests before finally revealing the car.

The F10 is the 56th single-seater produced by Ferrari to contest the world championship and, weather permitting, will make its track debut on Friday at the team's Fiorano circuit, with Massa behind the wheel. The Brazilian, who missed the last few 2009 races after being seriously injured in an accident, was thrilled to be back.

"It is undoubtedly a great pleasure to be here to present another Ferrari,” he said. “It is a special moment because last year was very difficult. I really feel that I want to work more than ever, so I really hope that this will be a very competitive car and that we will be fighting for the championship and that our red car, our Ferrari, will always be in pole position. We are really willing to do this and I am very happy to be here."

Following Kimi Raikkonen’s departure, Massa’s new team mate for 2010 is former Renault driver Alonso. The two-time world champion was in a fighting mood at the launch event, as he predicted the F10 could be the car to reclaim his - and Ferrari’s - title-winning ways.

"This is my first presentation with Ferrari, and it means a lot to me,” said the Spaniard. “I’d like to thank the whole team because I know they have worked really hard over the last few months to create this dream, this new car. We are ready to take on this challenge. Felipe and I will be a very strong team and we hope that we will make all the Ferrari supporters around the world very proud to see this car winning the championship."

The team’s engineering team, including technical director Aldo Costa, engine boss Luca Marmorini and designer Nikolas Tombazis, as well as Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemelo were also in attendance at the Maranello launch.

“This car is the result of a very intense programme of work which started in the spring of 2009,” said Costa. “This activity became more intense during the summer following our strategic choice to leave the development of the F60 and focus on the development of this car. It contains all the passion and all the determination of a very confident group. We want to forget what happened last year and be competitive from the very first race.”

[gotorx7]

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team today revealed its brand new MP4-25 chassis – the car in which reigning world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will contest the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_McLaren%20F1_1b.jpg

Unveiled at Vodafone UK’s stunning headquarters in Newbury, the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year’s race-winning MP4-24. MP4-25 features a radical aerodynamic overhaul and a significantly larger fuel tank to take full advantage of this year’s new regulations, and its design team is confident it has explored every possible avenue to maximise the car’s performance.

Horsepower once again comes from our friends in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz’s FO 108X V8 subtly improves upon an engine that has become the benchmark in Formula 1, winning the last two drivers’ world championships.

The team kicks off its 2010 campaign with a stunning driver pairing: 2009 world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is the first time since 1989 – when it ran Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna – that the team has fielded a joint-world champion driver line-up, and marks the first time in Formula 1 history that the sport’s two most recent world champions have been partnered together.

However, the driver line-up represents only a fraction of the team’s remarkable strength in depth. Members of the design team who contributed to the development of MP4-25 can also trace their involvement back through an incredible seven of the team’s 12 drivers’ world championships, five of the team’s eight constructors’ world championships and 112 of the team’s 164 grand prix victories.

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team begins pre-season testing with MP4-25 at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo on Monday.

JENSON BUTTON
“I’m incredibly proud to be standing here today knowing I’ll be carrying the number one for the whole season: that’s a great responsibility but also a great honour. It’s something I’m relishing. “From the very first day of testing, I’ll be working with the team to learn about the car and to develop it ahead of the first race. I’ve said it before: the pace of development in those opening tests could well determine the outcome of the championship. “I’ve got a great team around me, and I already feel very at home here. I just can’t wait to get in the car and start driving again. It really can’t come soon enough!”

LEWIS HAMILTON
“I’ve seen just how much effort and attention has gone into making this car what it is. We’ve been pushing like crazy to find the performance and the result is something that looks very special and very uncompromising. “Both Jenson and I are world champions, and we both want to add to the team’s incredible winning legacy. I think a strong driver line-up will be very important this year as there are a lot of very competitive teams and drivers – and the stronger we can be, the better chance we’ll have of winning races. We all understand that. “Obviously, I want to win the drivers’ world championship, that’s clear. But, just as important, I want to help the team win the constructors’ world championship. I think it’s set to be a great year for Formula 1 – it should be brilliant.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we’ve demonstrated that strength in depth is the best approach to take in Formula 1. The group of engineers, designers and strategists we’ve assembled demonstrates how much can be achieved by a very focused team operating at the very limit of their abilities.
“In Jenson, we saw a champion driver hungry for more success. We’ve already seen those qualities in Lewis, too. I’m convinced that we have one of the very strongest driver line-ups in Formula 1, and that both Jenson and Lewis are committed to working together to enhance the team’s prospects in what promises to be a fiercely competitive season.”

David Wheldon
Vodafone Global brand director & CEO of VIML
“As we enter into the fourth season of this partnership, we will continue to create real engagement with our customers, utilising the unique opportunities the team partnership delivers, through a powerful integrated marketing platform. With the 2010 season starting, we welcome newly crowned world champion Jenson Button and wish all the team a successful 2010 season.”

[mUnky-matt]

Ferrari is ugly... the mclaren team's car looks amazing imo :D

Can't wait for the new season - hopefully i'll have some dosh left over from the conversion and i'll be able to go see f1 live! :D

[gotorx7]

The new Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car has been unveiled at the Valencia race track in Spain. the Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car features a new black and yellow livery reminiscent from the brand's racing colors from the 1980s. During the Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car launch the team also confirmed Vitaly Petrov as the second driver for this season. He represents the first Russian driver to ever compete in Formula 1.
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/images/Renault/Renault-R30-1.jpg
The design of the Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car underwent several modifications, which are most visible at the rear. The Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car now features double-decker diffusers and a re-developed chassis that can support now the bigger fuel tank.
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/images/Renault/Renault-R30-2.jpg
The Renault R30 2010 Formula 1 car will finish testing on the Spanish track this week.
Renault Press Release:

The Renault F1 Team took the covers off its 2010 challenger, the R30, today in front of assembled media at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

Renault F1 Team driver Robert Kubica was on hand to unveil the car and reveal the exciting new black and yellow livery – the iconic colours made famous by Renault in the 1980s. The team also presented Vitaly Petrov as Robert’s teammate for the 2010 season. The 25-year-old finished as runner-up in the GP2 Series last year and becomes the first Russian driver to race in Formula One.

After unveiling the R30, Team Principal, Eric Boullier, joined Robert and Vitaly for a photo call in front of the car, along with the team’s Third Driver, Ho-Pin Tung, and Reserve Driver, Jerome d’Ambrosio. Czech driver Jan Charouz will also be a Reserve Driver for the team this year but was unable to attend the presentation.
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/images/Renault/Renault-R30-3.jpg
With stable aero regulations the R30 is a mixture of evolution and revolution, and is much more svelte and attractive than its predecessor. In particular the rear of the car has been considerably reworked to allow the car to make the most of the ‘double-decker’ diffusers that were first seenlast year. Changes have also been made to the architecture of the chassis to adapt to the refuelling ban, which has required the installation of a much larger fuel tank.

Speaking at the presentation, Eric Boullier praised the team’s efforts in delivering the new car in time for the first test: “We’ve been working flat-out during the winter to ensure that we begin the new season in the best shape possible. The R30 should be a competitive, strong and reliable car, and we've opted for an aggressive development strategy throughout the season. Now we’re here ready for the first test and we’re all excited to see if the car performs as we think it will.”

Both Robert and Vitaly were thrilled to see their new car and spoke of their hopes for the season ahead: “The team has been working on the new car for a long time and it’s clear that we are moving in the right direction,” said Robert. “Now we need to maximise the winter tests to keep up this momentum and continue improving the car.
Our priority is to make the car easy to drive because the new rules favour cars that are not too sensitive – we need a car that behaves consistently in a wide range of conditions.”

Vitaly Petrov added: “The new car looks stunning and the colours remind everybody of Renault’s great history in the sport. I can’t wait to drive the car for the first time and start working with the team.”

The Renault F1 Team will remain in Valencia until Wednesday evening to complete the first preseason test session.

[gotorx7]

The Force India 2010 F1 car, called the VJM03, has been revealed today and will be driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil in the following Formula 1 season. the team says the VJM03 Force India 2010 F1 car is an evolution of last season's car which incorporates the latest FIA regulations regarding the sport. The VJM03 Force India 2010 F1 car has a larger fuel tank and narrower front tires. The new race car is also wider and longer than the previous one. The diffuser and body work of the VJM03 Force India 2010 F1 car have also been modified to meet the aerodynamic demands.
http://www.zercustoms.com/phpthumb/phpthumb.php?src=../news/images/Miscellaneous/Force-India-2010-F1-car-1.jpg&w=200 http://www.zercustoms.com/phpthumb/phpthumb.php?src=../news/images/Miscellaneous/Force-India-2010-F1-car-2.jpg&w=200 http://www.zercustoms.com/phpthumb/phpthumb.php?src=../news/images/Miscellaneous/Force-India-2010-F1-car-3.jpg&w=200 http://www.zercustoms.com/phpthumb/phpthumb.php?src=../news/images/Miscellaneous/Force-India-2010-F1-car-4.jpg&w=200
The VJM03 Force India 2010 F1 car will make its official testing debut on 10 February at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The car will be tested by Tonio Liuzzi for two days and he will be followed by Adrian Sutil from 12 February.

[gotorx7]

Lotus Racing Unveils Cosworth T127
Lotus Racing today unveiled its 2010 challenger, the Lotus Cosworth T127, at a glittering event in London’s Royal Horticultural Hall. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_Lotus%20F1_1b.jpg
Team Principal Tony Fernandes was joined on stage by Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and drivers Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen and Fairuz Fauzy to take the wraps off the car in front of a 500 strong live audience.
As the lights came up the car’s stunning green and yellow livery was seen for the first time, striking an emotional chord with both young and old alike and evoking memories of some of motor racing’s most iconic moments in an entirely contemporary fashion.
Tony Fernandes gave his thoughts on the astonishing achievement the Lotus Racing team has accomplished in launching the car just five short months since the team was granted its entry to the FIA Formula One World Championships, saying: “I am extremely proud to be here today and to be able to show the world the fruits of the team’s hard work over the last five months. It’s humbling for me and my fellow shareholders, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin to see how a team that five months ago didn’t even exist is now a thriving workforce, full of enthusiasm and passion for Lotus Racing and the challenges ahead and capable of producing such a beautiful machine in such a short time.??“Now we’ve achieved two major milestones; confirming our entry and unveiling our car, but now the real work starts. Next we move on to testing and the season ahead and I’m confident that the team will exceed expectations wherever we go, and will do so on a wave of support around the world that has been growing daily since we first unleashed Lotus Racing back in September ’09.”
Mike Gascoyne added his thoughts, saying “The last few months have been some of the most challenging of my career, but it’s been a challenge the whole team and I have thrived on since we first started work on the car up in Norfolk. I’m delighted that we’ve reached this point, and now we have a beautiful car that gives us a great base to work from for the season ahead and a fighting chance of going racing in the right way, with a winning mentality. The hard part starts now, and I know everyone in the team and I are up for whatever lies ahead.”
The Lotus Racing T127 is powered by Cosworth and will use an Xtrac gearbox and, in line with all 2010 teams, will be running on Bridgestone tyres.

[gotorx7]

Scuderia Ferrari’s 2010 championship got off to the best possible start as it secured maximum points when, after 49 laps, Fernando Alonso marked his race debut with the team by zigzagging his Ferrari F10 in salute to the pit wall, as he crossed the line to take the chequered flag, the worthy winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix at the weekend. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_F1%20Bahrain_1b.jpg
“I want to dedicate this victory to President Montezemolo, who believed in me and to our mechanics who did a really great job, especially this morning, when they changed the engine on my car in a very short time,” said Alonso at the finish. “Jumping onto the top step of the podium was a special feeling and I hope I have matched the expectations of the whole team. We worked so much this winter and now we are beginning to see the results of that. The first races of the season are very important: we must get to the European part of the year with a lot of points in the bag and a high level of understanding of how the tyres work at various types of track.”

“The key to winning will be to continue to develop the car race by race. Today, on the harder tyres, we went very well, but with the softer ones, I was struggling a bit to stay close to Vettel. I was planning to attack in the final ten laps, but luck gave me a hand: you always need a bit in every race. At the start, I got away well, making the most of being on the clean side of the track and I managed to pass Felipe, going for a space that was big enough to pull off the move without any risk. Then I was lucky not to have any problems with the car, while my team-mate had a more difficult time and had to ease up a bit. Now it’s time to think about Australia. We will see who has the best car at that track, but I think the four top teams will all be in the fight.”

Equally happy was Felipe Massa, in a fine second place on his return to racing. It had not been as easy as it looked, because the Spaniard’s car had required a rapid engine change in the morning, and Felipe had to nurse his car through much of the race with temperature problems.

“I am very happy with this result and I want to thank all the team and our fans,” said Massa. “It is my best opening race of a season since I started in Formula 1 and, given all the problems we had, I am very pleased. We had to manage the temperatures on the car and, for around thirty laps, I was not able to push as hard as I could. At the start, I lost a place to Alonso, but then the car worked well with both types of tyre. With the softer tyres, the Red Bull was quicker than us, but on the harder ones we were much better. I want to thank one more time all those who have been close to me over these past months, writing and sending me messages. Now we must look to Australia to be as well prepared as possible.”

Felipe started from second place on the front row, with Fernando moving off the grid from third spot. As the lights went out to signal the start of the season, Vettel in the Red Bull led from pole and Fernando soon got the better of Felipe to go second, making the most of being on the clean side of the track as he dived inside his team-mate. Behind the Brazilian came Rosberg - Mercedes, Hamilton - McLaren, Schumacher - Mercedes, Webber - Red Bull, Button - McLaren, Liuzzi – Force India and Barrichello tenth for Williams. Chandok crashed out in the HRT on lap 2 and Di Grassi’s Virgin was out one lap later. By lap 4, Vettel led Fernando by 2.3s with Felipe a further 1.9 behind, the Brazilian having a 2.8 lead over Rosberg.

The best battle in the early stages was Hamilton chasing Rosberg for fourth place and, in his efforts to catch Fernando, Felipe set the quickest lap of the race so far on lap 9. On lap 12, it fell to Bruno Senna to have the honour of making the first planned pit stop under the non-refuelling rules. By lap fourteen, Vettel was pulling away from the Ferrari men before Fernando pitted on lap 16 at the same time as Rosberg, Webber, Button and Liuzzi. One lap later, the race leader and Felipe came into pit lane and when they were all back on track, the order at the front was unchanged, with Vettel 3.5 ahead of Fernando and Felipe almost four seconds down on his team-mate. Behind them came Liuzzi and Barrichello, yet to pit, Hamilton, Rosberg, Schumacher, Button and Webber tenth. On lap 19 it was Felipe’s turn to set a fastest lap and by lap 24, the two F10s were separated by just 1.7. On lap 29, Alonso was the quickest man on track as he began to close on Vettel. Judging from the sound of the engine in the Red Bull, the German driver was in some sort of difficulty and by lap 33 of the 49 lap race, Fernando was right on his tail, taking the lead one lap later and Felipe moving up to second. Lewis Hamilton also got past the slowing Vettel and from then to the flag, the podium positions were fixed. Behind the happy three came, Vettel, Rosberg, Schumacher in the points on his return in sixth place, then under the new points system, Button, Webber, Liuzzi and Barrichello also score as the table now goes down to tenth place.

“A fantastic start to the championship!” Said Team Director, Stefano Domenicali. “This amazing one-two is just reward for all the work of the team, both at the track and the factory in Maranello, over these past few months and I dedicate the result to them. Today, we had to manage a very complicated situation with Felipe’s car, because of the high temperatures, but we did it and I was very happy to see our driver on the podium on what was a very special day for him. As for Fernando, what can I say? There could be no better way for him to start his adventure in red! I also want to thank our technical and commercial partners, first and foremost Philip Morris and Shell, who have always supported us, even in the most difficult times and I think there is no better way to also welcome on board a new important sponsor like the Santander Bank. Now we can enjoy this wonderful day for a few hours, but as from tomorrow, we must start preparing for the next round in Australia, adopting our usual approach which involves keeping calm, with our feet on the ground and working hard. We have a very long season ahead of us, in which reliability will be crucial, as indeed we saw yet again today and where we will be fighting very strong and determined adversaries.”

Team Manager, Chris Dyer was equally pleased with season opener.

“A fantastic result for the whole team,” said the Australian. “We worked so hard over the winter – in the wind tunnel, in the design office, the engine department, on track, everywhere –and today we reaped our reward. It was a great welcome for Fernando and an equally nice welcome back for Felipe: it would be hard to have asked for more in the first race. It was not an easy weekend, because we had to tackle a whole series of problems which we controlled thanks to the efforts of everyone at the track and back home, but I really hope we have fewer of them in the future. Because of the high temperatures, we were not able to run the race we wanted, but especially with Felipe, we had to adopt a very conservative approach, although I don’t think we were the only ones faced with that particular difficulty.”
RACE RESULTS:
<table style="width: 585px; height: 408px;" class="raceResults" summary="" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <th style="text-align: left;">Pos</th> <th style="text-align: left;">No</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Driver</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Team</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Laps</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Time/Retired</th> <th style="text-align: left;">Grid</th> <th style="text-align: left;" title="Points">Pts</th> </tr> <tr> <td>1</td> <td>8</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Fernando Alonso</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Ferrari</td> <td>49</td> <td>1:39:20.396</td> <td>3</td> <td>25</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>7</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Felipe Massa</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Ferrari</td> <td>49</td> <td>+16.0 secs</td> <td>2</td> <td>18</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>2</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Lewis Hamilton</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">McLaren-Mercedes</td> <td>49</td> <td>+23.1 secs</td> <td>4</td> <td>15</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>5</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Sebastian Vettel</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">RBR-Renault</td> <td>49</td> <td>+38.7 secs</td> <td>1</td> <td>12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>4</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Nico Rosberg</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Mercedes Benz GP Ltd</td> <td>49</td> <td>+40.2 secs</td> <td>5</td> <td>10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>3</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Michael Schumacher</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Mercedes Benz GP Ltd</td> <td>49</td> <td>+44.1 secs</td> <td>7</td> <td>8</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>1</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Jenson Button</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">McLaren-Mercedes</td> <td>49</td> <td>+45.2 secs</td> <td>8</td> <td>6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>6</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Mark Webber</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">RBR-Renault</td> <td>49</td> <td>+46.3 secs</td> <td>6</td> <td>4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>15</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Vitantonio Liuzzi</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Force India-Mercedes</td> <td>49</td> <td>+53.0 secs</td> <td>12</td> <td>2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>9</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Rubens Barrichello</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Williams-Cosworth</td> <td>49</td> <td>+62.4 secs</td> <td>11</td> <td>1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>11</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Robert Kubica</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Renault</td> <td>49</td> <td>+69.0 secs</td> <td>9</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>14</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Adrian Sutil</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Force India-Mercedes</td> <td>49</td> <td>+82.9 secs</td> <td>10</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>17</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Jaime Alguersuari</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">STR-Ferrari</td> <td>49</td> <td>+92.6 secs</td> <td>18</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>10</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Nico Hulkenberg</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Williams-Cosworth</td> <td>48</td> <td>+1 Lap</td> <td>13</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>19</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Heikki Kovalainen</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Lotus-Cosworth</td> <td>47</td> <td>+2 Laps</td> <td>21</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>16</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Sebastien Buemi</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">STR-Ferrari</td> <td>46</td> <td>+3 Laps</td> <td>15</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>18</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Jarno Trulli</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Lotus-Cosworth</td> <td>46</td> <td>Hydraulics</td> <td>20</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>22</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Pedro de la Rosa</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">BMW Sauber-Ferrari</td> <td>28</td> <td>Hydraulics</td> <td>14</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>21</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Bruno Senna</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">HRT-Cosworth</td> <td>17</td> <td>Mechanical </td> <td>23</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>24</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Timo Glock</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Virgin-Cosworth</td> <td>16</td> <td>Gearbox</td> <td>19</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>12</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Vitaly Petrov</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Renault</td> <td>13</td> <td>Suspension</td> <td>17</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>23</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Kamui Kobayashi</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">BMW Sauber-Ferrari</td> <td>11</td> <td>Hydraulics</td> <td>16</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>25</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Lucas di Grassi</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Virgin-Cosworth</td> <td>2</td> <td>Hydraulics</td> <td>22</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ret</td> <td>20</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">Karun Chandhok</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">HRT-Cosworth</td> <td>1</td> <td>Accident</td> <td>24</td></tr></tbody></table>

[capella re]

tried to stay up to watch the bahrain race, but i was a bit soft and fell asleep on the couch :)

[mUnky-matt]

I didn't make it either...

downloading a copy of it now :D

[carlitto]

:quagmire:alonso, massa 1-2

[mUnky-matt]

I don't like Alonso or Massa :P

I'm hanging for some more podiums for Webber, Glock and Vettel

[gotorx7]

And, although I hate to say it, Schui drove an amazing, smart, race for his comeback..

I have no doubt he will on the podium in the next couple of races..

GO HAMILTON!!!!

lol

[carlitto]

I don't like Alonso or Massa :P

I'm hanging for some more podiums for Webber, Glock and Vettel

LOL how can you not like little massa or the man with the biggest eyebrows in F1? :chewydancing:alonso could be related to chewy...lol
Yeah, allways want webber to get up there, go you aussie!
Glock? yeah, he's heaps good...:browneye: lol... and i only like vettel coz he's webber's team mate...

[rotor7]

its no rotor but :)

[mUnky-matt]

don't underestimate the guys at the back of the field.. put them in a good car (with a good team behind them during the race) and they'd be up there... can't find link atm but Hamilton said it himself last year...

[gotorx7]

Red Bull desperately needed a victory to get back into the world championship chase, and Sebastian Vettel delivered it in fine style in a dry Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday. And to make things even better, Mark Webber brought the sister car home second.
http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_F1%20Malaysia_1c.jpg

Vettel snatched the lead at the start from his Australian team mate, and apart from a time when McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton ran second for a while before his tyre stop, they were never seriously challenged.

Polesitter Webber stayed close to Vettel until the stops, but lost two and a half seconds in his tyre stop because of a wheel-gun problem, and finally finished 4.8s behind.

Nico Rosberg was Mercedes GP’s sole finisher in third, after Michael Schumacher retired early on, and he headed home Robert Kubica who scored yet again for Renault. The Pole pushed the German hard, but was never able to challenge seriously.

The race up front wasn’t a repeat of Melbourne’s excitement, but the McLaren and Ferrari drivers provided plenty of thrills as they recovered from their lowly grid positions. Hamilton was 12th by the end of the first lap after starting 20th, but having run second, after staying out on hard rubber until the 30th lap, he was unable to pull an overtaking move on Adrian Sutil once he had switched to soft Bridgestones.

The German kept his head and drove a superb race for Force €ndia to take fifth. Hamilton pushed him very hard, but had to be content with another sixth place ahead of Felipe Massa who was Ferrari’s sole finisher after a feisty battle from the back of the grid.

McLaren’s Jenson Button took eighth, after making an early stop to switch from his soft tyres and having to make the hard replacements last a long time. He was overtaken briefly on the 55th lap by a challenging Fernando Alonso, but as the Ferrari slid wide in Turn One after braking too late Button repassed, and then immediately the Spaniard’s engine broke, dropping him back to a 13th-place finish.

Jaime Alguersuari again drove an excellent race for Toro Rosso and was rewarded with two points for ninth, with Nico Hulkenberg taking the final one for Williams thanks to Alonso’s misfortune.

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was 11th from Rubens Barrichello, whose Williams bogged down so badly at the start that Alonso had to make a phenomenal avoidance.

Despite a wing-damaging brush with Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus, Lucas di Grassi brought his Virgin home 14th and best of the newcomers after a strong drive, while Karun Chandhok also beat the Lotuses on their home ground to bring his HRT home 15th ahead of team mate Bruno Senna. Jarno Trulli was 17th as Lotus’s better finisher, with Kovalainen taking 18th after a long pit stop for mechanical attention.

Vitaly Petrov ran well initially, earning Hamilton a stewards’ warning after the Briton weaved too much keeping him at bay down the pit straight, but retired his Renault with mechanical trouble. Vitantonio Liuzzi also ran well, ahead of the Russian, before his Force €ndia retired. He was classified 20th ahead of Schumacher and Kamui Kobayashi, who also suffered engine trouble in his BMW Sauber.

Virgin’s Timo Glock also failed to finish after a spin which put him into Trulli, spinning the Lotus. And Pedro de la Rosa did not take the start after his BMW Sauber stopped out on the circuit on the grid formation lap.

The result dramatically closes the championship points battle. Massa now leads with 39 from Alonso and Vettel on 37, Button on 35, Hamilton on 31 and Kubica on 30. €n the constructors’ stakes Ferrari still lead with 76, but McLaren now have 66, Red Bull 61, Mercedes 44 and Renault 30.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL: Finish Position: WINNER! Start Position: 3rd “What a day! At the start, I realised that I had a good start past Nico (Rosberg). I was then able to gain on Mark; it’s a long sprint down to Turn one and I had an advantage, so I took the chance into Turn 1 and just made it through! Mark had a better exit out of Turn 2 though Turn 3, but it was very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight, but you should always keep respect and I think we both had respect for each other. If Mark had been in my position I’m sure he would have done the same. After that it was a question of getting away from our competitors. I could see that Mark and I had the same pace – he was a little quicker in the beginning, but I was trying to save my tyres so I could pull away before the stop. The second stint was extremely long and it’s very hot here – I didn’t stop sweating. It’s very physical and at some stages I was hoping for rain just to get a bit of a cool down! Yesterday was extremely difficult with the conditions, but today it stayed dry. We have a magnificent car and the key once again was to pace yourself and watch your tyres. Bridgestone did a good job bringing two compounds here that worked well. It’s a very good result for us after two races where we didn’t finish where we wanted. Thanks to the team – it’s crucial not to panic in that moment and stay relaxed as it’s a long season. Sitting here on Sunday afternoon after finishing in first position is the best result we can get. On top of that, Mark is in second place. It’s a big plus for the team and a lot of points for us, I’m very, very happy.”

MARK WEBBER: Finish Position: 2nd, Start Position: 1st “We know these days with the strategy and the way the races unfold that the first part of the race is crucial. I got a bit of wheel spin at the start and Seb got a tow into the first corner. I didn’t know where Nico was, so I braked late. Both Seb and I were on the limit to make the first corner. I had a little bit better exit coming out of Turn 2 and the fight continued into Turn 4. We had a chat to Christian at the start of the race and he said “Boys, behave yourselves!” and we did. The spirit and the chemistry in our team is awesome and we fight very hard. You saw that today – it was a good fight between Sebastian and I. It could have gone either way, but in the end he did the job at the crucial stage and deserved the victory. A one two finish for us as a team is sensational. The cars ran very well and it was a nice come back for us after a tough few races where we didn’t finish as we wanted to. I’d like to be one spot further up, but it’s a great result for the team. We executed a beautiful weekend, so well done to Red Bull and also to Renault, the engines were great today.”
NICO ROSBERG: "It's a fantastic result today to achieve our team's first podium at the home race for our title partner, PETRONAS. I want to thank the whole team for all of their hard work this weekend and over the winter. This result is the start of the reward for our efforts. It's a great feeling to be back up on the podium again and to have so much support from the Malaysian fans here. My start didn't go that well today as I had a bit too much wheelspin and once I was in third place, I knew it would be difficult to follow the leading cars. I struggled a little with the options in the first stint which allowed Robert to stay quite close but once we switched to the primes, I felt really comfortable and we could manage the race home to third place. This is a great end to a strong weekend for us. We're not quite where we want to be yet so we need to push on but I'm confident that we'll get there soon."

RACE RESULTS:

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 611px; HEIGHT: 430px" class=raceResults cellSpacing=0 summary="" cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Pos</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">No</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Driver</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Team</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Laps</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Time/Retired</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Grid</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" title=Points>Pts</TH></TR><TR><TD>1</TD><TD>5</TD><TD noWrap>Sebastian Vettel</TD><TD noWrap>RBR-Renault</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>1:33:48.412</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>25</TD></TR><TR><TD>2</TD><TD>6</TD><TD noWrap>Mark Webber</TD><TD noWrap>RBR-Renault</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+4.8 secs</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>18</TD></TR><TR><TD>3</TD><TD>4</TD><TD noWrap>Nico Rosberg</TD><TD noWrap>Mercedes GP</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+13.5 secs</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>15</TD></TR><TR><TD>4</TD><TD>11</TD><TD noWrap>Robert Kubica</TD><TD noWrap>Renault</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+18.5 secs</TD><TD>6</TD><TD>12</TD></TR><TR><TD>5</TD><TD>14</TD><TD noWrap>Adrian Sutil</TD><TD noWrap>Force India-Mercedes</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+21.0 secs</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>10</TD></TR><TR><TD>6</TD><TD>2</TD><TD noWrap>Lewis Hamilton</TD><TD noWrap>McLaren-Mercedes</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+23.4 secs</TD><TD>20</TD><TD>8</TD></TR><TR><TD>7</TD><TD>7</TD><TD noWrap>Felipe Massa</TD><TD noWrap>Ferrari</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+27.0 secs</TD><TD>21</TD><TD>6</TD></TR><TR><TD>8</TD><TD>1</TD><TD noWrap>Jenson Button</TD><TD noWrap>McLaren-Mercedes</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+37.9 secs</TD><TD>17</TD><TD>4</TD></TR><TR><TD>9</TD><TD>17</TD><TD noWrap>Jaime Alguersuari</TD><TD noWrap>STR-Ferrari</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+70.6 secs</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>2</TD></TR><TR><TD>10</TD><TD>10</TD><TD noWrap>Nico Hulkenberg</TD><TD noWrap>Williams-Cosworth</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+73.3 secs</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>11</TD><TD>16</TD><TD noWrap>Sebastien Buemi</TD><TD noWrap>STR-Ferrari</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>+78.9 secs</TD><TD>13</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>12</TD><TD>9</TD><TD noWrap>Rubens Barrichello</TD><TD noWrap>Williams-Cosworth</TD><TD>55</TD><TD>+1 Lap</TD><TD>7</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>13</TD><TD>8</TD><TD noWrap>Fernando Alonso</TD><TD noWrap>Ferrari</TD><TD>54</TD><TD>+2 Laps</TD><TD>19</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>14</TD><TD>25</TD><TD noWrap>Lucas di Grassi</TD><TD noWrap>Virgin-Cosworth</TD><TD>53</TD><TD>+3 Laps</TD><TD>24</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>15</TD><TD>20</TD><TD noWrap>Karun Chandhok</TD><TD noWrap>HRT-Cosworth</TD><TD>53</TD><TD>+3 Laps</TD><TD>22</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>16</TD><TD>21</TD><TD noWrap>Bruno Senna</TD><TD noWrap>HRT-Cosworth</TD><TD>52</TD><TD>+4 Laps</TD><TD>23</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>17</TD><TD>18</TD><TD noWrap>Jarno Trulli</TD><TD noWrap>Lotus-Cosworth</TD><TD>51</TD><TD>+5 Laps</TD><TD>18</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>19</TD><TD noWrap>Heikki Kovalainen</TD><TD noWrap>Lotus-Cosworth</TD><TD>46</TD><TD>Hydraulics</TD><TD>15</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>12</TD><TD noWrap>Vitaly Petrov</TD><TD noWrap>Renault</TD><TD>32</TD><TD>Gearbox</TD><TD>11</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>15</TD><TD noWrap>Vitantonio Liuzzi</TD><TD noWrap>Force India-Mercedes</TD><TD>12</TD><TD>Throttle</TD><TD>10</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>3</TD><TD noWrap>Michael Schumacher</TD><TD noWrap>Mercedes GP</TD><TD>9</TD><TD>Wheel issue</TD><TD>8</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>23</TD><TD noWrap>Kamui Kobayashi</TD><TD noWrap>BMW Sauber-Ferrari</TD><TD>8</TD><TD>Engine</TD><TD>9</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Ret</TD><TD>24</TD><TD noWrap>Timo Glock</TD><TD noWrap>Virgin-Cosworth</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>Spin</TD><TD>16</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>DNS</TD><TD>22</TD><TD noWrap>Pedro de la Rosa</TD><TD noWrap>BMW Sauber-Ferrari</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>Engine</TD><TD>12</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

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Chinese GP - Thursday - Press Conference





15 APRIL 2010

DRIVERS: Sebastien BUEMI (Toro ROSSO), Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren), Michael SCHUMACHER (Mercedes), Adrian SUTIL (Force India)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Adrian, what was it like having your friend Lewis breathing down your neck in the last race for 20 laps or so?
Adrian SUTIL: It was not an easy race. At the beginning it all went right and we had a good pace, so I was quite comfortable with my position and then in the last 20 laps Lewis made a lot of pressure. He arrived really, really fast and he was on the soft tyre. I just tried to do no mistakes and keep my line and concentrate to the end of the race. I knew it was going to be quite a long race and long laps for me with him pressing behind. But in the last couple of laps I had the feeling his tyres were going off a little bit, so I could breathe a little bit more and I had a little gap, so it was still under control, but I know him and he fights until the end.
Q: I guess it does confirm that the team has taken quite a step forward this year?
Sutil: Yes, we are doing really well I think. I am very happy that we improved so much over the winter. I had a good feeling over the winter. We did everything very efficiently and the work is still going on. That is not only the first three races where we were doing great. Of course we have our goals this season and we want to do even better. It is all set up well and we can improve this position in the next races.
Q: What about the contribution of Paul di Resta? He comes in and drives on the Friday morning, is that a distraction for you or is that a good thing?
Sutil: Well, I want to be in the car always of course even on Friday morning but we agreed to it during the winter. He is our test and reserve driver and he has his chance on the Friday morning swapping the car. Once in mine, once in Tonio's (Liuzzi). I think in general it is a good thing for young drivers coming into Formula One to get a chance to test a little bit. Now with the testing ban they don't have any driving experience. When there is a problem with the race driver they need to go in the car and they are not prepared, so this is a way to do it better to give them a chance to settle well into Formula One.
Q: Sebastien, Toro Rosso this year have had to design their own car. Tell us about the advantages and disadvantages of that?
Sebastien BUEMI: For sure it is not an easy thing to set up a team which was not building its own car last year. It has been big work during the winter and we are getting up to speed with the updates in the wind tunnel, so we will see the result in the middle of the season. But we have a good car to fight in the middle of the pack and score points if we do a good race, so it is not too bad.
Q: Difficult start to the season, but is it getting better now?
Buemi: It was not the start of the season I was expecting but sometimes difficult things happen. It has been the case this year, so we will see what we can achieve here. We saw a good improvement in Malaysia and we seem to be quite a lot closer to Force India and Williams and I think it doesn't look bad for finishing near the points or in the points. That will be our objective this weekend.
Q: How difficult is it for you that you have had a whole season's experience but you don't have a more experienced driver to help with sorting out the car? Is that a problem for you?
Buemi: To be honest in Formula One I have never had a really experienced driver with me, so I don't know how it is to work with someone with a lot of experience. I do my best to improve the car and the team and now it is getting a lot better with experience and knowing all the circuits and knowing how the race weekend goes. I think we can achieve a good set-up and a good car during the practice, so I will take it as it comes and try to do my best.
Q: So not really a problem?
Buemi: I don't think so.
Q: Lewis, I think you have been out and about in Shanghai today. You were at the Expo I believe?
Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, this morning before we went to the track we stopped by the Expo and I got to see a little bit of it and I just have a small tour around the UK's Expo. It was quite a cool and special building they have created there. But it was just a quick stop and I did a bit of a press conference and that was it.
Q: We are three races in to the so-called rivalry between you and Jenson Button. How is it going?
Hamilton: We are doing well. We are scoring lots of points for the team. He is a doing a fantastic job and we are getting on really well. He brings nothing but positiveness to the team and I think he is a very well balanced and well-rounded guy. We get on really well and it is working well for us.
Q: I guess the real worry if anything is Red Bull's pace. How much of a worry is that? And the team was taking steps and making new technical decisions to counter that, but they have had to abandon that.
Hamilton: We have not had to abandon much. There are so many different things in the pipeline and one of those was to go in a similar direction as perhaps some other teams have done. But it is clear everyone cannot do that now. I don't know how that affects others but it doesn't really affect us. We still have updates that we are working on and should be coming in the course of the next few weeks or months. I am looking forward to seeing the updates come but I know the guys back at the factory are flat out. We try to make as many improvements as we can. Last weekend we seemed to be very competitive with them through practice but in the race the Red Bulls pace was a little bit... I don't know if they were pushing that much, but we have just got to keep our eye on the ball and keep pushing.
Q: Michael, do you still feel Mercedes is a little bit behind? Where do you feel it is?
Michael SCHUMACHER: I guess you have Red Bull and Ferrari being a little bit up front and then probably it is right to say that McLaren is a little bit up front on us although the last race could not really show it. We are probably still in fourth position at the moment.
Q: How is the development coming along from your point of view?
Schumacher: As you expect in Formula One every kind of race you being new things and it goes step by step. I am quite happy with the general development trend. Naturally as probably most of the teams we will have a little bit bigger upgrade in Barcelona due to time availability and so on, so we are all look forward to that.
Q: You've now been back for three races. Have you found things very different since you left F1 three years ago?
Schumacher: Well, the number of questions and style of questions and all this sort of thing is pretty much the same. Driving the car, in a way, as well. It's natural that there are some characteristic changes but at the end of the day, every year, you get a new car, and you just adapt and work the car around your needs. Yes, it has taken a little bit of time after being out for three years, it does need a little bit more time, especially with less winter testing available. But I'm feeling pretty good, I have to say. It's worked out almost quicker than I expected it to do and I feel very comfortable in the car now and I look forward to when things get to the end to show a little bit better.
Q: Do you think a younger Michael Schumacher might have been more frustrated with the time it's taken to get back right to the very top? You seem more relaxed...
Schumacher: It depends what age you're talking about, because when I came into Formula One I would have obviously been very happy with the results we've had, because you haven't had a ranking or a position. If you talk about after winning certain championships, then naturally you would have been a little bit less happy, but with having all this kind of experience, coming back after this break, I feel more than happy with what's going on. One of the big and interesting things is working with the team to develop the car and being involved in this kind of process. That is so much of the fun. The driving is fun as well but you get used to that pretty quickly, but working on the details, that's what makes it up for me.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Paolo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, do you think that the F-duct is going to give you the big advantage that many of your rivals suspect or do you see Red Bull as the main team to beat you?
Hamilton: I still see Red Bull and Ferrari as the teams to beat here. You don't know what Mercedes have brought either, so I think it's the same as every race.
Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all drivers, with these low temperatures currently do you expect problems heating the tyres, especially the hard ones?
Sutil: For sure, temperatures as low as six degrees which is what we have now is going to be a problem, especially on the hard tyre. We will have to see on Friday, tomorrow, how it looks but I know there will definitely be some warm-up problems. I'm not so concerned that they will never work but they will just take a long time to come in, probably around five or six laps until you get them to a certain speed. So we have to see, we have to adapt the set-up work a little bit to it, but we're also expecting slightly better temperatures for Saturday and Sunday.
Schumacher: It's going to warm up over the weekend, so less of an issue.
Q: (Marco Degl'Innocenti - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Michael, are you not a little disappointed because of this wave of criticism which has been rising up over the last few days, because a lot of people are impatient that you don't win?
Schumacher: You see, I've been around long enough to know what I call the wave of emotion. During the winter everybody was every emotional and very supportive and positive and once you're up on this edge of the wave, there's a natural happening that you start to fall over the edge and whether you are the reason for it, or whether it's just a natural happening, it's not always important and because the results have not been as great as some people have expected and even myself, yes, I would have loved to have better results but then the competition is very high and in this respect it's a natural happening to not have the same positive feedback in the media. But you know, I know exactly what I've been doing, I know what's been going on and I've no reason from my side to be disappointed, quite honestly. I still feel very happy. Whether people like it or not is their own choice.
Q: (Ottavio Daviddi - Tuttosport) Michael, considering the situation that you explained very well, yesterday Fernando said that in his opinion you are still in the fight for the championship this year. Do you agree with him?
Schumacher: Indeed, yes, I do, because if you take the points system, and you have seen that Fernando had a retirement in Malaysia for whatever reason, it can happen to all of us. I had my retirement in Malaysia, so at one point in the season, most likely, that will hit the guys who are fighting for the championship. If we have a quick enough development pace, there's no reason why we can't fight for the championship, it's far too early and there's such a long season ahead. Development is so important, and we all know how fast the rate of development is. I'm pretty sure we have good potential to develop this car, so it's far from feeling and thinking that this season is over, for Nico (Rosberg) and even for myself.
Q: (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) A general question to Lewis and perhaps Michael as well. It's quite tight at the top of the drivers' standings after three races. Are you expecting it to remain such a tight battle between maybe six or eight drivers as we continue, or do you expect, when we get to Europe, when the development race kicks in in earnest, that we will see people leaping ahead? Sebastian (Vettel) could have won all three races so far.
Hamilton: Yeah, you're right, Sebastian could be quite a bit ahead at the moment, but I think at the moment it is very close, and I'm hoping that it stays like that for some time but undoubtedly, at some stage during the season, whether or not Red Bull continue to have not such great reliability, as Michael was saying, anything can happen and it can happen to any of us. We just have to try and stay as consistent as possible. You cannot afford too many DNFs, so I think that is probably what every team is trying to maintain, try and stay as consistent as possible.
Schumacher: I think I answered that before.
Q: Michael, I know this is the second time you have been in Shanghai over the last four years; do you have any special feelings about this city and also for your professions here?
Schumacher: Well, it's been a while that I have not been here, but it's quite impressive to see the development. I stayed in town for a couple of nights and I've been around a little bit. It's impressive to see this. It's always been one of the Grands Prix you enjoy coming to because the enthusiasm of the fans is pretty extreme, so the reception I got when I've arrived at the airport or when I arrived at the hotel has been interesting, so naturally we look forward to hopefully performing well for the fans that we have here.
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Sebastian, you seemed to be well ahead of your team-mate most of last year and this season too, but the last race was somehow different. Do you feel threatened by Jaime Alguersuari now?
Buemi: I think that the last race has been a bit difficult for me. I had a small contact on the first lap with (Kamui) Kobayashi and it broke my front wing, so I did most of the race with a broken front wing and when we changed it, I did the third fastest lap in the race, so it's difficult to compare, but for sure he has done a good race, he finished in the points, so there's nothing to say. If you look at the qualifying and everything, it still seems to look good for me, so I just hope for a good race weekend when I can show my speed up to the end, without any problems.
Q: (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) Michael, this was the scene of your last Formula One victory before you retired in 2006. Could you talk about the last time you experienced that winning feeling, feeling what that race was like for you, memories of that race and perhaps how you could carry that forward into a lovely result on Sunday?
Schumacher: I'm not a person who looks too much into the past, quite honestly, so forgive me if that's not in myself. I would rather look forward and have slightly better races than I have in the past two races, which were a bit out of my control. But the track and car and situation should be good enough to have a good race.
The track is a little bit particular, because there are quite a few corners that, depending on whether you have a good balance in the car, are good fun. If your car struggles in terms of balance, you get really angry because in turn one or 13, it's going to be a mess if you don't have a good balance and it's going to be great fun if things work out. It changes your emotion quite a lot.
Q: (Nick Mulvenny - Reuters) Lewis, you obviously had a great win in 2008, but in 2007 you remember what happened then, when you came off the track. Do you think that you've matured as a driver, that that sort of situation wouldn't happen today? That you would insist that you should pit rather than stay out on bald tyres?
Hamilton: Well, I know where the gravel trap is now, so I don't think I would be in that position again. Of course, having the experience and being a few years down the line, I think I'm able to understand and make calls for myself, but I don't think that we as a team would put ourselves in that position again. I'm confident that we won't be there again.

[gotorx7]

Chinese GP - Friday - Practice Session 1 Results

Friday Practice Session
1POSDRIVERNATIONALITYENTRANTTIME
1.Jenson ButtonBritainMcLaren-Mercedes1:36.677
2.Nico RosbergGermanyMercedes GP1:36.748
3.Lewis HamiltonBritainMcLaren-Mercedes1:36.775
4.Michael SchumacherGermanyMercedes GP1:37.509
5.Sebastian VettelGermanyRed Bull-Renault1:37.601
6.Robert KubicaPolandRenault1:37.716
7.Vitaly PetrovRussiaRenault1:37.745
8.Mark WebberAustraliaRed Bull-Renault1:37.980
9.Adrian SutilGermanyForce India-Mercedes1:38.008
10.Felipe MassaBrazilFerrari1:38.098
11.Jaime AlguersuariSpainToro Rosso-Ferrari1:38.161
12.Kamui KobayashiJapanBMW Sauber-Ferrari1:38.375
13.Pedro de la RosaSpainBMW Sauber-Ferrari1:38.421
14.Nico HulkenbergGermanyWilliams-Cosworth1:38.569
15.Paul Di RestaBritainForce India-Mercedes1:38.618
16.Rubens BarrichelloBrazilWilliams-Cosworth1:38.678
17.Sebastien BuemiSwitzerlandToro Rosso-Ferrari1:39.939
18.Jarno TrulliItalyLotus-Cosworth1:41.531
19.Heikki KovalainenFinlandLotus-Cosworth1:41.779
20.Timo GlockGermanyVirgin-Cosworth1:41.830
21.Lucas di GrassiBrazilVirgin-Cosworth1:42.181
22.Bruno SennaBrazilHRT-Cosworth1:43.875
23.Karun ChandhokIndiaHRT-Cosworth1:43.949
24.Fernando AlonsoSpainFerrariNo Time

[gotorx7]

Button fastest in first session
Jenson Button (1:36.677) topped the first session of practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, round four of the F1 world championship with just a tenth of a second separating the reigning world champion, Nico Rosberg's Mercedes (1:36.748) and team mate Lewis Hamilton (1:36.775) in the second McLaren Mercedes.
The session talking point, however, was a dramatic incident involving Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso, which had spent much of the session in the pits with a leak in the brake system. Not long after Buemi re-emerged, the Toro Rosso shed both front wheels under maximum braking at the end of the main straight. The forces were such that the wheel tethers were unable to do their job, with one of the errant wheels narrowly missing a camera man before bouncing over the retaining fence into a public area, thankfully without causing injury.
Buemi looked concerned and a little angry when he returned to the pits and the team was awaiting the return of its crashed chassis to further investigate the root of the problem.
The other incident of note was Fernando Alonso's Ferrari pulling off at Turn 6 early in the session with an engine failure. Ferrari confirmed that the unit in the car was actually the one which was changed for precautionary reasons before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which Fernando won. The team claims that Alonso's engine failure at the last race in Malaysia was due to the fact that he drove most of the distance without a clutch, but with drivers limited to just eight engines before penalties are applied during the 19-race season, the team must have concerns.
With the long straights, particularly in the final sector of the Shanghai lap, McLaren is expected to be very strong this weekend, aided by its controversial 'F-duct' which stalls the rear wing on the straight, reducing drag. Simulations estimate that it could be worth as much as half a second a lap in China and Button and Hamilton are already setting very strong sector three times. The latest information is that both Saubers and Alonso's Ferrari will also also run an F-duct in China.
Michael Schumacher's Mercedes (1:37.509) was fourth quickest, ahead of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull (1:37.601) and Robert Kubica's Renault (1:37.716).

[gotorx7]

POS| DRIVER| NATIONALITY| ENTRANT| TIME
1.| Lewis Hamilton| Britain| McLaren-Mercedes| 1:35.217
2.| Nico Rosberg| Germany| Mercedes GP| 1:35.465
3.| Jenson Button| Britain| McLaren-Mercedes| 1:35.593
4.| Michael Schumacher| Germany| Mercedes GP| 1:35.602
5.| Sebastian Vettel| Germany| Red Bull-Renault| 1:35.791
6.| Mark Webber| Australia| Red Bull-Renault| 1:35.995
7.| Adrian Sutil| Germany| Force India-Mercedes| 1:36.254
8.| Jaime Alguersuari| Spain| Toro Rosso-Ferrari| 1:36.377
9.| Robert Kubica| Poland| Renault| 1:36.389
10.| Fernando Alonso| Spain| Ferrari| 1:36.604
11.| Felipe Massa| Brazil| Ferrari| 1:36.944
12.| Vitaly Petrov| Russia| Renault| 1:36.986
13.| Pedro de la Rosa| Spain| BMW Sauber-Ferrari| 1:37.421
14.| Kamui Kobayashi| Japan| BMW Sauber-Ferrari| 1:37.431
15.| Rubens Barrichello| Brazil| Williams-Cosworth| 1:37.657
16.| Vitantonio Liuzzi| Italy| Force India-Mercedes| 1:37.804
17.| Nico Hulkenberg| Germany| Williams-Cosworth| 1:37.867
18.| Jarno Trulli| Italy| Lotus-Cosworth| 1:39.624
19.| Heikki Kovalainen| Finland| Lotus-Cosworth| 1:39.947
20.| Timo Glock| Germany| Virgin-Cosworth| 1:40.233
21.| Karun Chandhok| India| HRT-Cosworth| 1:41.008
22.| Lucas di Grassi| Brazil| Virgin-Cosworth| 1:41.107
23.| Bruno Senna| Brazil| HRT-Cosworth| 1:41.345
24.| Sebastien Buemi| Switzerland| Toro Rosso-Ferrari| No|Time

[gotorx7]

Chinese GP - Friday - Practice Session 2 Report

Hamilton sets the pace

http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/phc/pbah10/fri/hamilton1-lg.jpg

McLaren continued to set the pace in the second free practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix but this time it was Lewis Hamilton (1:35.217) who headed the time sheets ahead of Nico Rosberg (1:35.465) and McLaren team mate Jenson Button (1:35.593).
Michael Schumacher maintained his level from first practice and finished up fourth quickest (1:35.602), with the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel (1:35.791) and Mark Webber (1:35.995) rounding out the top six.
Many predicted that McLaren would be strong at Shanghai, its lengthy straights playing to the strengths of the team's F-duct, which minimises drag from the rear wing on the straights by stalling it, giving a top speed advantage of around 5kph or allowing the team to run more downforce in the twisty section without paying the price too heavily in terms of straightline speed. Vettel has already said that with as much as half a second to be gained by the F-duct as some venues, the sooner Red Bull has one the better, the German hoping that will be in time for the next race in Barcelona on May 9.
The other much-discussed topic is ride height adjustment, with the FIA having issued a clarification outlawing such devices after much speculation that some form of ride height control is behind Red Bull's phenomenal qualifying speed, the team having taken pole position at all three of the season's races thus far.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in China: "The story has generated so many column inches and it all stemmed from Mark Webber running wide in Bahrain and a few sparks coming up. I suppose we can take it as a back-handed compliment after the guys did such a great job with the car over the winter. There is no ride height control on our car and there never has been. What we have done is develop a car that performs well over a set of ride heights. I don't believe any other team apart from Ferrari, which can change at a pit stop, has anything that can manipulate ride heights. We started to look into it over the winter but didn't commit much time or resource to it. We've been quick at all three circuits so far, which have all been very different in nature. You've got to bear in mind too, that Mercedes is possibly 30-40bhp up on what we've got and so we've got to make it up in the twisty bits. Our car is performing well."
After the Red Bulls, Adrian Sutil's Force India (1:36.254), Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso (1:36.377), Robert Kubica's Renault (1:36.389) and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari (1:36.604) completed the top 10. After his dramatic incident in the first free practice, Sebastian Buemi had to sit out the later session with the second Toro Rosso. The wheel-sheding first session failure was attributed to a broken right front upright, a new design for this race, with the team rebuilding the car around previously used uprights for the remainder of the weekend.

[gotorx7]

Chinese GP - Friday - Team Quotes





McLaren-Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (1st, 1:35.217): "We may have topped the timesheets in each session, but I don't necessarily think today's times make us the favourites for this race. The car does feel good, but our pace looks pretty similar to some of the other cars on long runs. Everyone talks about us having a straight-line advantage, but that's not true - other cars have the same speed as us at the end of the straight. We're a little bit quicker than some teams, but, equally, they're able to run more downforce. It's about getting a good balance - and we feel we've got that. We're continuing with the good feeling we felt in Malaysia, but we've made some further subtle changes and they were encouraging. I come out of today with a positive feeling - we'll now keep our heads down and concentrate on gaining a strong qualifying position tomorrow."
Jenson Button (3rd, 1:35.593): "Today's been good. This afternoon was a little frustrating: on my new-tyre run I ran into traffic - which you seem to get in every session - but the actual work we've done, and the direction we've taken, has been positive. There are a few more things we need to do, but we're almost getting the maximum out of the car - especially on the long runs. We're moving in the right direction. There are a few things we can still tweak over the course of this evening, but I think we've come here with a pretty good car from lap one. Of course, some of the teams haven't shown their hand yet, but you can tell from the long-run times that they're competitive. Maybe we're not on their pace yet, but we've got tonight to make further improvements to the car."
Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal: "A successful day for Jenson and Lewis - they were both happy with the balance and performance of their cars. We're aware that some of the other teams have yet to show their true pace, but we're confident that we'll be able to maintain the positive progress we've been making over the past few races. Our aim for this weekend is further to improve our performance in qualifying and also to enjoy a trouble-free race in order to pick up the maximum possible points - in that respect, we feel we've got off to a perfect start."
Mercedes GP

Nico Rosberg (2nd, 1:35.465): "We made good progress on the set-up over the course of the day and tried some new directions which all seemed to work ok. I did lose a little bit of balance with too much oversteer at the end of the afternoon so we need to look into the reasons for that. The long runs were pretty good on my side and with the work that Michael completed, we should be in a good position on our tyre evaluations. The pattern looks pretty similar to Malaysia in terms of our pace compared to other teams but we'll have to wait and see how it works out tomorrow."
Michael Schumacher (4th, 1:35.602): "Today's practice sessions went better than I had expected. The handling was pretty much ok and it seems that we have made a small step forward. We brought some improvements here including the new rear wing which have helped. So I am quite confident for the rest of the weekend even if the overall ranking will not change much from the first three races. I was a bit unlucky this morning as I had a puncture on my rear left prime tyre so we had to use one from the afternoon's allocation. That meant I only had three new tyres in the second session but it worked out fine in the end."
Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "Generally a positive day and initial evaluations are that we have made some progress with the car. As we know the two tyres well now, we focused more on the mechanical and aerodynamic set-up of the car today. We are not quite there with the balance over the entire lap but Nico and Michael achieved some respectable lap times. We are improving step-by-step but there is a long way to go and we won't be happy until we can consistently compete with the cars ahead."
Norbert Haug, Mercedes Motorsport Director: "A very busy day today with a lot of learning for us. Our lap times in race trim did not look too bad in my view and both Nico and Michael have been reasonably quicker with lesser fuel. Having said that, I am not expecting that a lot has changed in terms of performance amongst the teams since the Malaysian Grand Prix a fortnight ago. We still have some fine tuning to do in tomorrow's third practice session and I hope we can make a further step forward from today."
Red Bull-Renault

Sebastian Vettel (5th, 1:35.791): "That was good, we had no big issues and the car was working fine. We did quite a lot of laps so it was a solid day. It looks very close; the Mercedes look competitive, as well as the McLarens and Ferraris. It will be tight tomorrow, but we will see. I had a good race here in 2007 when I finished fourth for Toro Rosso and then last year with the victory, so there are a lot of good emotions and memories attached to this place."
Mark Webber (6th, 1:35.995): "That was pretty good; it was our first really clean Friday, which was encouraging. We have a lot of stuff go through tonight about how the tyres are round here - it's the first track where they are behaving a little differently to other venues. I think qualifying is going to be tight again and there's supposed to be a bit of moisture floating around on Sunday afternoon, so it looks like the fans will yet again be given an action packed race. I'll look forward to the challenge and to getting something out of it."
Ferrari

Fernando Alonso (10th, 1:36.604): "Clearly I'm not happy to have had an engine failure, but I'm not the slightest bit worried by it. The engine I had this morning was the one we had changed after qualifying in Bahrain and we knew that, sooner or later, it could break. It happened today, but it won't have much effect on our original engine management plan. We also did various tests of new aerodynamic components, such as the rear wing. It is pointless looking at today's time sheet, because each team follows its own work programme and that makes it impossible to compare the times. We stuck to our plan and we are pretty happy with what we achieved. I think we will be competitive at this track."
Felipe Massa (11th, 1:36.944): "I am satisfied with the way this free practice day went. We did a lot of kilometres, concentrating mainly on preparing the car for Sunday's race. We also evaluated new aerodynamic components, not just for this race, but also for mid-term development, gathering significant data which will now be analysed by the engineers. On top of that, we managed to do a comparison between the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has brought here. I think several teams are going to be very competitive: not just McLaren and Red Bull, but also Mercedes who have made a step forward. Let's hope we will be in the fight with them."
Stefano Domenicali, Team Principal: "Today, we had various new components on the car, including a new type of rear wing and other aerodynamic parts, which required a specific work schedule. Clearly we could have done without the problem we had with Fernando's engine but, overall, this did not lead to any specific consequences, apart from time lost in this morning's first session, as our management programme relating to available engine use remains substantially unchanged. We are reasonably happy with the work we did and now we will concentrate on analysing the date and on preparing the cars for qualifying and the race. While it is always difficult to evaluate the pecking order based on what happens in free practice, we are not expecting a very different picture to the one we have seen in the first three races of the season: in other words, everyone is very closely matched, meaning the grid positions could be decided by the smallest detail."
Chris Dyer: "We had a very busy programme for today and we can say we got through it in a positive way. We have a new aero package for this race, which needed validating on track and then we had some parts relating to a new concept for the rear wing, which we wanted to check out before moving on to develop it for forthcoming races. We are pleased with the data we gathered and with the way the new aerodynamic package is working. In the afternoon, we looked mainly at the comparison between the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought for this Grand Prix. In the morning, we had a problem with Fernando's engine, which had little consequence, apart from bringing forward by one session the previously planned engine change."
Williams-Cosworth

Rubens Barrichello (15th, 1:37.657): "Today went as planned working through set-ups and some aero modifications. We run the engine quite safe on Fridays so our times are expected. Our target tomorrow is to get into qualifying three."
Nico Hulkenberg (17th, 1:37.867): "It was pretty hard work today. We have a few problems to solve before qualifying tomorrow, but I am confident we will get there. We were running a new front wing on the car which gave us some positive results."
Adam Parr, Chairman: "We had a very full programme today, working through the normal set-up routine and testing some development parts. We've made good progress."
Renault

Robert Kubica (9th, 1:36.389): "The first session was not especially productive for us, but in the afternoon we made some changes and found a better direction and a more normal balance with the car. We managed to get through most of our programme with some set-up work and a couple of runs for tyre evaluation. We still need to improve the overall balance of the car because we are still lacking overall grip, especially on low fuel runs, but the car felt much better on heavy fuel."
Vitaly Petrov (12th, 1:36.986): "It was a good day of practice for me with no significant issues with the car. We spent most of the day trying some different set-up options and analysing the new parts, and it feels like the car has improved. I'm quite happy with the overall balance but we are still missing some grip, so we need to look over the data tonight to see where we can improve."
Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer: "The track was very low grip today and a bit dusty, but conditions slowly got better during the day. Having said that, even at the end of the day we felt the circuit was still lacking grip, but the situation should continue to improve up to and through qualifying. We have the same specification of tyres here as at the last two races (the hard and soft compounds). Both compounds are performing reasonably well, although the hard tyre takes a little bit longer to warm up. The soft tyre seems a little bit quicker and will probably be the preference for qualifying. We had some issues in the first session with Robert when he had some oversteer and the car was lacking grip, but we made a change between the two sessions and he was happier with the car in the afternoon. He was particularly pleased with the balance during his longer, high-fuel run in the afternoon. Vitaly suffered from some understeer but the car was generally quite well balanced. He had an encouraging and trouble-free day, completing lots of laps and posting competitive times."
Force India-Mercedes

Adrian Sutil (7th, 1:36.254): "It was quite a good day, with no real problems. The track conditions were not very good out there to start with. It was very green and hard on the tyres, particularly the harder set we used in the morning. The grip improved over the day but even at the end it was still very low. The balance of the car was good though and I think we looked pretty strong on both types of compound so, with this in mind, I'm expecting a similar qualifying and race performance to Malaysia."
Vitantonio Liuzzi (16th, 1:37.804): "It was difficult out there today. The prime tyre, which was my first run of the day, was good. The car was behaving well but then after we changed to the soft tyre we were sliding all over the place and struggling to get the temperatures in the tyres. It was a big frustration as the car was not there any more. It was strange as it was such a clear change from hard to soft. We need to look into this problem but I think we can be positive about the rest of the day as on the hard tyres we seem to be quite strong."
Paul di Resta: "It was a very difficult session as the conditions were quite tough out there. The track was green with little rubber to start with and the low temperatures and the hard tyre compound made grip levels very, very low. I still managed to learn a few things about the car and of course the circuit. It's a tricky track with some blind corners and variety of speeds and it's hard to get into an easy rhythm straight away. Unfortunately I flat-spotted one of the front tyres, which compromised how much I could get out of the last two runs but we still got what we wanted out of the session and I have learnt another track so, all in all, it was productive day."
Dominic Harlow, Chief Race Engineer: "Sunny but still quite cold today. The early track grip has been low, and the tyres a little difficult to warm-up, that's all as expected really. We have a reasonable balance, but need to work hard to get the grip. With Paul driving Tonio's car in FP1, we ran our usual combination of tyre evaluation and set-up programmes between the three drivers, and apart from a couple of small issues in FP2 and the bigger bumps this year, it was a reasonably smooth day."
Toro Rosso-Ferrari

Jaime Alguersuari (8th, 1:36.377): "Another new circuit for me: it's impressive, tough and technical but enjoyable to drive. Today went well for me, as we completed a lot of work, trying different fuel loads and working on set-up, as well as a tyre comparison. The hard tyre definitely takes a lot longer to come up to temperature, while the soft tyre seemed to work very well for us and should be good in the race. We still have work to do to improve tomorrow, but I am happy with what we have achieved so far."
Sebastien Buemi (24th, No Time): "There's not much to say about what happened in FP1. I braked, the wheels came off and that was it. Physically, I was fine though. But I have to say, I am extremely disappointed that, once again, through no fault of my own, I have been unable to run for almost all of the three hours available. I will have to try and catch up on Saturday morning and we will be relying on Jaime's data from today to see which way to go."
Giorgio Ascanelli, Technical Director: "Sebastien's accident this morning was down to a technical problem on the right hand upright, which proved simple to identify once we got the car back. We have resolved the problem, which the many laps completed by Jaime this afternoon confirms. Sebastien's FP1 session was interrupted shortly after the start because of a fluid leak around the pedal area, which we discovered after his installation lap. Apart from the upright, the afternoon accident caused some damage to the gearbox and a combination of fixing this problem and changing the front end meant that, despite the best efforts of the mechanics, we could not get Seb out before the end of the day. Fortunately, Jaime did a lot of laps in a trouble free session, after we had stopped him as a precaution towards the end of FP1, until we had identified the problem on his team-mate's car. For his debut on this circuit, Jaime did quite a good job today."
Lotus-Cosworth

Jarno Trulli (18th, 1:39.624): "A trouble free day today which is good, and hopefully the whole weekend will go without any issues. I'm still struggling a bit with the setup, finding a balance that really lets me get the best out of the car, but we tested different tyres today and focused mainly on our setup for the race, so I'm reasonably happy. Grip levels improved throughout the day and our lap times showed that by the end of the day the circuit was really bedding in."
Heikki Kovalainen (19th, 1:39.947): "It was good today, apart from the small problem we had at the end of the day which was nothing major. The engine switched itself off because we had an oil pressure warning but we got through the whole program today and I think we're in good shape for tomorrow and for the race."
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director: "It was a satisfying day today and we achieved everything we wanted to on both cars, despite the fact grip levels were very low in the first session and both Jarno and Heikki were struggling slightly with rear grip. Jarno lost a front strake on his first run of the day and we replaced that quickly for his second run. Over lunch we changed the gear ratios on both cars and sent them out for the beginning of the afternoon session on hard tyres. Heikki pulled over after 30 laps as he had a low oil pressure warning and he stopped the car, but it's not a problem and we're looking forward to getting out again tomorrow."
HRT-Cosworth

Karun Chandhok (21st, 1:41.008): "It was a good practice. We could learn things about the circuit and we got the base line. Unfortunately, we noticed a lot of graining on the front tyres. The second practice was useful for us as I could cover 52 laps today and some long runs."
Bruno Senna (23rd, 1:41.345): "The first practice session was okay. We had no problems. Although we are a bit struggling with the air temperature here as it was not very warm. We experienced therefore a low grip level and we have to work on this despite a dusty track. The second session was a good practice again. We fulfilled our program without any problems. We are looking forward to the qualifying tomorrow."
Colin Kolles, Team Principal: "Both Karun and Bruno have put as many miles as we could on the car. With their engineers, they covered the testing program and drove good laps. We used the second session to test a number of final details in order to improve the car's performance. The practice sessions were positive for the team in view of the qualifying session. We need to continue to improve the car. But I am pleased to see the team pushing so hard even if it is a steep learning curve."
BMW Sauber-Ferrari

Pedro de la Rosa (13th, 1:37.421): "We treated the day very much as a test day. We tried different set-up options and in the end the car was a bit better. At the end of the second session we compared the option and the prime tyres. The lap time with the softer compound, the option, actually wasn't good enough compared to the harder prime compound. We have to look into that now. All in all it was a trouble free and productive first day."
Kamui Kobayashi (14th, 1:37.431): "The track improved a lot during the day. It was very dusty in the morning and then the usual conditions came back. We had no problems or any issues, and the programme was fine. The balance of the car is okay, but still we have to find a better pace. It is a nice and challenging track and I expect us to see some good overtaking on Sunday in the race."
James Key, Technical Director: "It was good to see the team operating for the first time with the cars and drivers on the track. I think fundamentally we made some progress today. We tried a couple of smallnew directions on the car, some of which gave us data for the future, some of which we are using now. So I think we found some time today with the changes we made. We've got a little bit of work left with the rear wing for the remainder of the weekend. And also some work to do with the tyres in order to fully understand how to get the most out of them, because clearly the warm up was difficult today for both tyres. We will work through the data tonight and see what we need to do for tomorrow."
Virgin-Cosworth

Timo Glock (20th, 1:40.233): "We made some good progress over the course of the two sessions and generally we have managed to improve the car quite a lot through the day. The characteristics of this track are proving a little difficult for us. There are more low speed corners and we seemed to struggle with these a little bit, but it might just be the grip level. We now need to look at everything we have learned today and make sure we choose the right direction. There's a lot of data to go through tonight but I'm optimistic that we can have a good weekend from here. I'm looking forward to the rest of it."
Lucas di Grassi (22nd, 1:41.107): "We had a very good day today, completing 55 laps - almost a race distance. That was our main objective today - to get through our programme and identify any potential issues. Everything is looking good so far and there is still a lot of performance we can bring to the car. I hope we can just get better and better tomorrow and in the race and ensure we finish the weekend as the best of the new teams once again."
Nick Wirth, Technical Director: "We've had a positive but eventful day today. Shanghai is the first circuit we've come to where we've had less than perfect track data for our Simulators and along with some of the other teams we were caught out by the huge bump going into turn 1. We had been a bit brave on our initial front ride height, which resulted in Timo's front wing hitting the ground hard, necessitating a wing change. However, once we'd allowed for this bump in the set-up, the rest of the day was trouble-free, and our improving reliability allowed us to try a range of tests that we haven't previously been able to do. The circuit is extremely bumpy and we've explored different ways to cope with this using the tools on the car that we have available right now. Tonight we have a lot of data that we can analyse, and I'm sure we'll make more progress tomorrow."

[gotorx7]

http://www.sarotors.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=275&stc=1&d=1271496497

[gotorx7]

Jenson Button wins hectic Chinese GP

Jenson Button won the Chinese Grand Prix today in his McLaren-Mercedes, leading his team mate Lewis Hamilton by 1.5 seconds to take a McLaren 1-2. Nico Rosberg for the second race in a row finished in third place, 9.4 seconds behind in his Mercedes GP - the Mercedes engine sweeping the first three positions.

http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/phc/paus10/sun/button5-lg.jpg

In a chaotic, wet race the reigning world champion scored his second victory of the season, once again making a decisive early tyre decision - this time staying out on slicks during an early safety car period while most of the field took to the pits for intermediate rain tyres.
Jenson Button jumps to the lead in the drivers world championship over Rosberg with Alonso and Hamilton tied for third, while previous leader Massa fell to sixth. McLaren also overtakes Ferrari for the lead in the constructors championship.

Fernando Alonso (11.8s) finished fourth in his Ferrari, recovering after taking the lead at the first corner of the race and then being given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start. Robert Kubica (22.2s) drove another strong race in his Renault to finish in fifth. Pole sitter Sebastian Vettel (33.3s) in the Red Bull-Renault was sixth, followed by Vitaly Petrov (47.6s) in the second Renault scoring his first points in seventh, Mark Webber (52.1s) in the Red Bull in eighth, Felipe Massa (57.7s) in the Ferrari in ninth, and Michael Schumacher (61.7s) in the Mercedes GP in the final points paying position.

http://davewinfield.com/blog/images/chinagpresults.PNG

[gotorx7]

Mark Webber completed a perfect Barcelona weekend when he dominated the Spanish Grand Prix, round five of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, from starting lights to chequered flag.
http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/phc/pspa10/sun/webber2-lg.jpg
Webber's winning margin was 24s, from Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and then Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel, who had a troubled afternoon.
"We had a lot of cars around us that were quick in a straight line and the run to Turn 1 was vital," Webber said. "Seb and I had a good battle into there, I got through in front and then settled into a rhythm, looking after the option tyres. We thought they'd be okay but you never know, we're still learning about the rubber and I made sure they were in good nick. We had a clean pit stop and after that I had Lewis Hamilton behind and we just controlled the gap and got the car home."
Red Bull's massive qualifying superiority was not as apparent in race trim and Vettel found that he was unable to keep pace with Webber and even ceded a place to Hamilton's McLaren at the first round of pit stops.
"It was a surprise that I couldn't run a better pace," the young German said. "All afternoon the circuit didn't seem to be in such good shape and the lap times were slow. In the first couple of laps everyone is always all over the place anyway but after that I found that I lost ground continuously and sometimes it wasn't possible to get away from Lewis. It was just an all-round lack of grip and then I lost the position at the pit stop.
"I think maybe we came in too early. We thought Lewis was coming in too, but he stayed out and then I had to wait at my pit for Alonso to drive by for his stop, and Jenson, who was stopping at the box in front of us. That meant Lewis was able to pass us and it was interesting when he came out. He had the inside, it was a bit critical with a lapped car and I went wide to avoid contact. After that it was a bit boring having to just follow Lewis."
Life became more interesting again for Vettel when he suffered a brake failure going into Turn 7 with 12 laps to go. "Something felt strange, flew off and after that the car was pulling to the right. I thought that was it, went into the pits and they had a quick look and fitted a new set of tyres. I went back out and they told me to come in again and retire but I asked if I shouldn't just try to salvage some points. I was thinking one or two but I'd had quite a gap and I was still able to finish third without proper brakes. I was lucky to get the car home and score a podium today."
Investigations by the team revealed a delaminated brake disc.
After a stronger race than expected after qualifying, Hamilton suffered a tyre deflation going into the quick Turn 3, his McLaren sitting down at the left front corner before ploughing across the gravel trap and into the tyre barrier on the penultimate lap. Hamilton's loss was Fernando Alonso's gain as the home hero picked up another position and finished in second place, meaning that despite his three chaotic races in Australia, Malaysia and China, the Spaniard is still just three points behind championship leader Jenson Button's 70 points, with Vettel on 67 and Webber, 53.
Initial investigations into Hamilton's problems suggest that debris caused rim damage, which led to the sudden tyre deflation. It means that the '08 champion is now sixth in the title chase, 21 points adrift of his '09 champion team mate.
Button had to be content with fifth place in Spain, losing out to Michael Schumacher's Mercedes, which stopped to swap to Bridgestone's prime tyre two laps earlier. McLaren reckoned that Jenson would have held onto the position had it not been for a dragging clutch at his stop.
From that point on Schumacher resisted every move Button made in characteristically robust fashion and despite a Mercedes that was not on the Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren pace, managed to hold onto fourth place and the best result of his comeback. Team mate Rosberg had a poor start and could only manage a lapped 13th.
Felipe Massa brought the second Ferrari home in seventh place after damaging his left front wing while lapping Karun Chandhok's HRT, with Robert Kubica's Renault, Rubens Barrichello's Williams and Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso completing the point scorers.
A delighted Webber, always one to keep his feet on the ground and with an appreciation for every aspect of the F1 scene, threw his crash helmet into the crowd because "they don't always get the best deal." He then jumped up onto the podium, where he was joined by Red Bull's chief mechanic Kenny Handkammer, as well as Alonso and his team mate.
"It was great to have Kenny up there because he's been in F1 a long time and has won a lot of races as chief bolt. It's been a fantastic effort from the whole team, starting with everyone being out of place coming back from Shanghai. It's meant the factory working through bank holiday and then, trackside this weekend, Kenny and his soldiers have practically had their eyes popping out of their heads with the hours they've been working. It's been a fantastic effort from the whole team with a faultless qualifying and then a well-executed race."
Thoughts now turn to Monte Carlo, an entirely different kind of circuit, just seven days on. Despite Red Bull and Webber's win in his own back yard, Alonso is confident that over the season he can still challenge for a third world title. "We have steps coming to the car in the next few races, different types of tracks which will play to the strengths of different cars and I still think I can be in contention," he told his home faithful.

[gotorx7]

http://www.grandprix.com/race/r825raceresults.html

[yelloS2Rx7]

Go webber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gotorx7]

He drove perfectly!

Really great to see he has some fire in his belly, and is full of confidence.

Let's see if he can back it up lol

[yelloS2Rx7]

Knowing webbers usual first corner limp wristed attempts
I was packing shyte as ferraris and mclarens and Seb closed in
soooo expected him to throw it all away....
with shock and awe I was speachless as he hung the elbows out
and finally beat everyone to the first turn!!!!
After that it's ignoring all the rattles as u hang on bored way out in first place!!!
webbers best win!!!!!!!!!

[gotorx7]

Mark Webber wins Monaco GP

http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/phc/pmon10/sat/webber3-rg.jpg (http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/phc/pmon10/sat/webber3-lg.jpg)Mark Webber, Monaco GP 2010


Mark Webber won the Monaco Grand Prix today in dominating fashion, from flag-to-flag, in his Red Bull-Renault, leading a Red Bull 1-2 with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel finishing second.
Front row starter Robert Kubica, after getting beaten to the first corner by Vettel, finished in third place in his Renault - the engine manufacturer sweeping the podium.
The race ended under the Safety Car, when Jarno Trulli and Karun Chandhok collided with three laps to go - the race being interrupted by four Safety Car periods in total.
Webber's second win in a row leaps him into the lead in the Driver's Championship - tied with Vettel at 78 points.
Felipe Massa in the Ferrari finished in fourth, Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren-Mercedes in fifth. After starting at the back of the field due to his crash before qualifying.
Fernando Alonso worked his way up the field with the help of the clever strategy of making his only pitstop for tyres during the first Safety Car period after Nico Hulkenberg crashed in the tunnel on the first lap of the race. Alonso looked set to finish in sixth place, but as the field came to the chequered flag, and the safety car pulled in, the Spanish driver got sideways out of the Rascasse corner, and Michael Schumacher slipped past to take sixth place in his Mercedes GP. Alonso finished seventh in his Ferrari.
Nico Rosberg finished eighth in his Mercedes, followed by Force India-Mercedes drivers Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi in ninth and tenth places.

[gotorx7]

http://www.grandprix.com/race/r826raceresults.html

[jass5fc3srx7]

awesome drive, webber still manage to pull out a gap after each safety car.

[mUnky-matt]

webber and vettel at the top; close to my predictions/hopes of earlier this year... gonna be a good 2nd half of the season ;D

[gotorx7]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.49e68fb70f2e484fa2e94a7f1b87a 816web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025394)
<SMALL>2010 Turkish Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery</SMALL>

That a driver's chief rival is his teammate is one of the most pervasive and enduring truisms in grand prix racing. And lest we forget, constant reminders of this accelerate into view throughout the season. This one especially.

Whether the rivalry is between McLaren's "dream team" of world champions; the returning champion and his young wingman at Mercedes; the ascendant frontrunners at Red Bull; or the hot-blooded duo at Ferrari, we're certainly not lacking for examples, without even dipping into the deep well of motor racing history. This weekend's Turkish Grand Prix was certainly no exception. Follow the jump to see what we mean.



Gallery: 2010 Turkish Grand Prix (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/)


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http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.ec3852b74ba3448ab2175dd32304a 395_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025395)
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Starting as we always do on Saturday, qualifying in Istanbul held few surprises in the context of how the season has unfolded so far. For the third consecutive race, Red Bull's Mark Webber landed the pole. His teammate Sebastian Vettel wasn't far behind in third, sandwiching Lewis Hamilton in second. Jenson Button completed the Red Bull-McLaren staggered starting order in fourth position, followed by Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg in fifth and sixth respectively. Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov proved Renault is still a force still to be reckoned with by qualifying seventh and ninth, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in eighth. And for the second time in as many races, Fernando Alonso crashed during qualifying,relegating him to twelfth on the grid.

Few surprises unfolded after the Turkish Delight got underway, either. In the opening laps, Schumacher moved on Button, only for Button to regain position. Massa and Kubica made brief contact, but that was about the extent of the action in the contest's early laps. Hamilton, however, wasn't letting up on Webber, nor was Button on Vettel, the McLarens keeping constant pressure on the Red Bulls at the front of the pack.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/par3268829web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025384)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.ec3852b74ba3448ab2175dd32304a 395web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025395)

Ten laps in, the order remained largely the same, with only a few shake-ups at the back of the field. The only notable surprise was Alonso's inability to get around the mid-fielders and advance up the order, a problem that would plague him the rest of the race.

The first round of pit stops on the track known for being particularly hard on tires came on lap 11. Once the majority of the field – most crucially the race leaders – had re-emerged from pit lane, the order remained largely the same, only with Vettel and Hamilton trading places. Webber remained in the lead, followed by his teammate, then Hamilton (3), Button (4), Schumacher (5), Rosberg (6), Kubica (7), Massa (8), Petrov (9) and Alonso (10).

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.25d8d572c6a444e69a19630182d2c fceweb630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025391)

The top four lapped in close formation, while Schumacher led the rest of the field from P5, behind Button by some 16 seconds and behind Webber by over 30.

Around lap 35, both Lotus cars were sidelined, with Jarno Trulli ditching his broken car at the edge of the track and Kovalainen retiring to the garage. By race's end, they'd be joined by the HRT-Cosworths of Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna, and one more crucial retirement that would significantly change the outcome of the race.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/web-305turkeyf1gpautoracing.27178e39b7bc410aa17e72b879 e13e51web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025388)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/web305-gyi0060599908web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025380)

By lap 40, Sebastian Vettel was extremely close on Webber's tail. It was only a matter of time before he'd make his move, but the timing had to be just perfect. Evidently, Vettel's was not. As he made his move on Webber, Vettel apparently miscalculated his wingman's position. During the overtaking maneuver, Vettel closed in and made contact with Webber, sending both cars spinning off the track and out of the lead. Webber regained control and rejoined the race in third, but Vettel was finished. The young German climbed out of the cockpit, signaled that his team-mate was crazy and ended the day, save for some very inquisitive journalists who hounded him all the way to his trailer.

And just like that, a race that looked all but certain to end with another Red Bull 1-2 finish was transformed as the trailing McLarens catapulted into the lead. Webber pitted to replace his damaged tires and front wing, but while he managed to stay ahead of the lagging Schumacher, he would prove unable to catch up to Lewis and Jenson.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/gyi0060600030web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025390)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/gyi0060600214web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025383)

The mantle of the intra-team rivalry was picked up instead by the champion pair, who fought a close battle over the remaining laps. At the end of lap 48, Jenson squeezed around Lewis, only for Hamilton to regain the lead past the start/finish line.

Meanwhile, Alonso finally managed to get by rookie Vitaly Petrov's Renault, which had kept the two-time world champion at bay for much of the race. Brief contact ensued during the passing maneuver, forcing Petrov into the pits with precious few laps to go. Alonso would finish eighth and safely inside the points; Petrov, fifteenth, well outside.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.9798bc54b52645e193ff9aa44ff73 05fweb630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025386)

Ahead of them, Lewis Hamilton held on to the lead in front of his charging teammate and chief rival, Jenson Button, for a McLaren 1-2 that would, if not for one crucial, hot-headed mistake, have gone to Red Bull. Webber instead finished third, visibly disappointed but magnanimous in defeat. Schumacher tied his best result of the season so far with a solid fourth place finish, his teammate right behind in fifth. Following up on his podium in Monaco, Robert Kubica brought in his Renault for a respectable sixth place finish ahead of the Ferrari pair of Massa and Alonso (seventh and eighth, respectively), Force India's Sutil (ninth), and Sauber's Kobayashi (tenth). Pedro de la Rosa lead the race finishers outside the points: STR's Jaime Alguersuari, Force India's Tonio Liuzzi, Williams' Rubens Barrichello, Renault's Vitaly Petrov, STR's Sebastian Buemi, Williams' Nico Hulkenberg, and Virgin's Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.1597d01975fc4f10bed1f233efaf4 7d7web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025387)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.f8e86c50ce17441a9278989bd01d2 c95web630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-turkish-grand-prix/#3025396)

The results leave Mark Webber still in the lead for the title with 93 points, followed by Button with 88, Hamilton close behind with 84, Alonso with 79, and Vettel with 78. Kubica and Massa trail with 67 apiece, Rosberg with 66, and Schumacher with 34. The combined scores leave McLaren with a narrow lead at 172 points to Red Bull's 171, ahead of Ferrari's 146 and Mercedes 100 even.

[capella re]

i think webbers face says it all and Sebastian Vettels lucky he didn't get his head kicked in, webber showed great restraint i thought.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/turkeyf1gpautoracing.f8e86c50ce17441a9278989bd01d2 c95web630.jpg

[mUnky-matt]

Dude that's exactly what i was going to say when I saw that picture...

I watched the race last night and I was devastated with the Vettel/Webber incident... when Vettel was getting out of his car, trying to get the steering wheel plugged back in; I thought he was going to smash it on the car or something, he was shaking so hard he could barely get it on... lol

the rage...

still; interesting race... I'm enjoying all the overtaking now; I just wish it was for legitimate race strategy rather than the huge huge disparities in team ability...

and a big BL to lotus who can't finish :'(

go webber/vettel for the next race!! :D