Formula One 2011

Lineker · May 5, 2011

Bahrain Grand Prix officials remain in talks with Formula 1 chiefs about a possible rescheduling of their race this year, AUTOSPORT has learned, despite the passing of a May 1 deadline relating to the future of the event.

Motor racing's governing body, the FIA, had given Bahrain GP organisers until last Sunday to notify it about whether or not the race could take place this year.

The Bahrainis issued a statement on Saturday indicating that they were keen for the race to return in the future - although not specifying a firm date.

Bahrain International Circuit Chairman Zayed Rashid Alzayani, said: "Clearly our national priority is to find a resolution to the difficulties that the kingdom of Bahrain has experienced. The national situation has moved on in a positive manner, the situation is evolving all the time; our day-to-day life is gradually improving under the current State of National Safety.

"Bahrain's Grand Prix is a time of celebration and hosting the race is a source of great pride for Bahrain and Bahrainis. It is a showcase to the world and we look forward to welcoming the teams and drivers and everyone involved in Formula 1 back to Bahrain in the very near future."

That statement did suggest that Bahrain had not ruled out the race being rescheduled - which would tally in with the fact that discussions are ongoing between the FIA, F1's commercial right-holder Bernie Ecclestone and race organisers about the situation.

AUTOSPORT understands that no firm timeframe has been set for a decision to be made by the FIA about the Bahrain GP, with the May 1 deadine having been imposed purely for the Bahrainis to notify F1 chiefs about what they felt was possible.

However, sources suggest that a decision about the Bahrain GP could be made before this weekend's race in Turkey.

The FIA has given the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers a further month to decide whether it will be possible to hold the race on a new date in 2011.

The event was originally postponed from its planned slot as the season-opener due to the political unrest in the state, but organisers was always hoped that the situation would improve sufficiently for the race to take place later in the year.

The FIA had initially given the Bahrain authorities until yesterday (1 May) to indicate whether the race could be run this year.

But last week Bernie Ecclestone called for Bahrain to be given more time, telling Reuters that "we need to wait a little bit to see exactly how progress is made."

It now seems that the governing body agrees with Eccletone's stance as it has announced a new deadline of 3 June for Bahrain to report back.

"The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, has granted the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Bahrain International Circuit an extension until June 3rd, date of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Barcelona," said an FIA statement.

"This decision was taken after consultation with the relevant Bahraini authorities and Formula One Management, the international promoter."

The Bahrain organisers issued a statement at the weekend saying that they were keen to hold the race as soon as possible, but without committing to whether a 2011 rescheduling would be possible.

Circuit chairman said Zayed Rashid Alzayani: "Clearly our national priority is to find a resolution to the difficulties that the kingdom of Bahrain has experienced. The national situation has moved on in a positive manner, the situation is evolving all the time; our day-to-day life is gradually improving under the current State of National Safety.

"Bahrain's grand prix is a time of celebration and hosting the race is a source of great pride for Bahrain and Bahrainis. It is a showcase to the world and we look forward to welcoming the teams and drivers and everyone involved in Formula 1 back to Bahrain in the very near future."

Scrap it! Boring, boring race.

Mark Webber insists his future in Formula 1 remains open for now - after saying he would consider a switch to another team for 2012 if Red Bull Racing chooses not to extend his contract.

The Australian has favoured a rolling year-by-year contract at his current outfit, and the team is in no rush to sort out a fresh deal for now.

That has prompted speculation about his future - with Ferrari already being singled out as a possible destination for him if the Italian outfit opts not to extend Felipe Massa's contract.

Speaking to Italian newspaper La Stampa, Webber has said that his future is not settled – and that he will only make a call about his plans when Red Bull Racing has made its own mind up.

"I have my flaws, but I'm determined," he told the newspaper. "Last year I fought for the title, and I want to go for it again. I'm relaxed and I feel I can do it, until the end.

"When the season ends my contract with Red Bull will expire. I don't think a possible renewal depends on the results. I want to win for myself too. We'll see.

"If the team doesn't want me anymore, I will have to respond to a good question: to hang up the helmet, or to change teams?"

Mark Webber thinks a move to another team next year is unlikely, as he suggested on Thursday there was a 'good chance' he would stick with Red Bull Racing again for 2012.

With Webber's contract running out at the end of this year, speculation has surfaced about what the Australian will do - and whether or not his current employers will swoop for one of Scuderia Toro Rosso's juniors or a frontrunner like Nico Rosberg or Felipe Massa.

Webber said ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix that he was open-minded about his future – and that he had learned from nearly turning his back on the sport after his time at Williams not to be too hasty in turning his back on the opportunity for more success in the future.

"Some guys asked me [last week] what is going on for next year – and I said three things: Stay here, or stop, or go somewhere else, which is probably unlikely," he explained.

"It can all happen. I am in good contact with the team obviously and every year we have done the same. It is obviously down a lot to how I feel about things, and we will see how we feel later in the year."

Webber reckons a decision about his future this year would be harder to reach than it had been in the past – but that the experience of nearly retiring at the end of 2006 was at the front of his mind.

"I think it is a bit harder. I could have stopped two years/three years ago but I didn't, I kept going. The results have been good for the last few years, and they are still being good now. It is confirmation to yourself that you are doing a lot of things right, so that is why I keep things a little bit more open and the team know that.

"We haven't had too many discussions yet but obviously over the next few months things will start to move on. It's not really a big subject, but anyway...."

Webber suggested that his current mindset was on continuing with Red Bull Racing – as he felt there was the opportunity for his partnership with the team to produce more good results.

"We know the window in my career where I was thinking about it [quitting], it didn't happen. I came to Red Bull and we've done some great things together. So, there are still lot of big boxes together and hopefully we can do some great things.

"That is the good thing about it. We realise how many good things we have done together, and there is a good chance of doing some very good things together in the future. Whether it ends this year, or I go again next year – it doesn't depend on results. The results will be fine. It depends on how I feel."

Speaking further about why he thought about retiring, Webber said: "I just didn't enjoy my time before the team here. Williams was a tough time for me. We know that, and at that point I had to restart my career in a way, which worked out very, very well.

"So I made the right decision then, and since then I have always taken it step by step which has been the right way for my mentality towards the job and also it suits Red Bull as well, so it has worked out quite well for both of us."

He added: "A lot of things have happened in the last few years that have been highlights for me. I would like to add to those in the next few years."

World champion Sebastian Vettel says Red Bull must learn from the mistakes of the Chinese Grand Prix, the German claiming McLaren's victory in Shanghai had nothing to do with luck.

"I don't think it's luck. McLaren didn't win because they were lucky," Vettel told reporters in Istanbul.

"They did a good job and obviously gave us a hard time in the race and they fully deserved to win because, as I said, they did a better job than we did.

"I don't think our decisions were down to luck and neither were theirs. You have these races and it's important to learn from those things and make sure you don't do the same mistake twice," he added.

Vettel, the winner of the first two races of the year, lost out to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in China after the Brion charged to the front thanks to a three-stop strategy.

Vettel opted for two stops and was unable to push as hard as Hamilton in the latter part of the race.

Despite his run of victories coming to an end, Vettel said China was not a wake-up call for Red Bull, as he never believed his team would dominate the championship.

"I wouldn't say wake-up call. Maybe for people already asking weird questions in race two of the season about being dominant. But I always try to explain my point of view. Maybe it's a lesson for the people asking these questions and saying that this is total dominance, etcetera.

"Maybe it's a lesson for them to see that obviously we didn't have a perfect Sunday. You make a small mistake or something goes wrong and someone will beat you.

"Nobody is unbeatable and there will always be a time when you will find somebody kicking your ass. I don't like being beaten but no one is unbeatable."

The world champion also downplayed the chances of teams saving tyres in qualifying in order to have more sets for the race, despite his team-mate Mark Webber charging from 18th to third in China, benefiting from having more sets of soft tyres after being knocked out in Q1.

"I always think if you have a choice you should go for pole position. I still think starting from the front is what you want. Obviously if you start from behind there is always a lot of risk involved and everything needs to go the right away.

"If you stop moving forward and get blocked behind a car your strategy doesn't work anymore. I don't think that's the way. If your target is to have fun you should start from the back, but if your target is to win you will start like to start from the front."

Williams technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson have resigned from the team, as the outfit announced on Tuesday the appointment of Mike Coughlan as chief engineer.

On the back of a troubled start to the campaign, Michael and Tomlinson have both decided to leave the outfit at the end of the season when their current contracts expire.

Team boss Frank Williams said the departure of the two would allow the team time to sort out replacements that would help turn around its situation.

"Both Sam and Jon are talented and driven people who have worked hard for Williams over 10 and five years respectively," he said. "Nonetheless, they have recognised that the team's performance is not at the level that it needs to be and have resigned in order to give the team the opportunity to regroup and undertake the changes necessary to get back to the front of the grid.

"Both will continue to work in their present positions through until the end of the year to ensure that the team maintains focus and momentum during the 2011 season. We are very grateful to Sam and to Jon for their professional approach."

In the wake of the decisions of Michael and Tomlinson, Williams has signed former McLaren technical chief Mike Coughlan - who left the Woking-based team in the wake of the 2007 spy scandal - as its new chief engineer.

Williams said: "Mike Coughlan is a fine engineer with extensive experience across Formula One and both civil and defence engineering.

"He left Formula 1 in 2007 because of conduct which he acknowledges was wrong and which he profoundly regrets. His two year ban from the sport expired some time ago and Mike is now determined to prove himself again.

"Williams is delighted to be able to give him the opportunity to do this and we are very pleased to have one of the most talented and competitive engineers in the sport helping us to return to the front of the grid.

"This is the first step in re-building and strengthening our technical group. We will announce the next steps as they develop."

Coughlan added: "I am grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity. My experience in 2007 was life-changing. Since then, I have endeavoured to put my skills to good use in the design of the Ocelot vehicle whose purpose is to transport soldiers in safety. I have also enjoyed my time with Michael Waltrip Racing: they are an excellent race team and I wish them well for the future.

"Now, I am looking forward to returning to a sport which I love and to joining a team that I have admired for many years. I will dedicate myself to the team and to ensuring that we return to competitiveness while respecting the ethical standards with which Williams has always been synonymous."

Williams will wait until the end of the season to decide whether newly signed chief engineer Mike Coughlan becomes it new technical director.

Coughlan will join the Grove-based outfit in June and return to a role in Formula 1 for the first time since he left the sport in the wake of his involvement in the 2007 McLaren spy scandal.

Williams want to see how Coughlan settles into the role alongside outgoing technical director Sam Michael before evaluating whether he steps up to replace him, or another senior staff member is added to the roster.

Williams Chairman Adam Parr said on Tuesday: "We have a technical director until the end of the year, and it is important to have clarity in the roles.

"Mike, as chief engineer, will be driving forward our engineering process and ensuring systems are in place for success. He will be responsible for the FW34, next year's car, and how that develops.

"Sam will remain accountable for this year's car, and because there are minimal changes in rules from this year to next, there is a lot of continuity. That is the way it will run until the end of the year, and then we will make a decision about whether Mike becomes technical director, or remains as chief engineer and we bring someone alongside him as technical director."

Coughlan's appointment is not without its controversy, because of his involvement in F1's spy case in 2007 that resulted in him receiving a two-year ban from the sport.

Parr admitted that Coughlan's involvement in the spy affair had been a consideration in Williams' decision, but felt that the team was right to let the former McLaren technical chief move on from the matter.

"Obviously it was something we had to think about," he explained. "My view is quite simple: you do something wrong, you get a penalty, you serve your time and you acknowledge what you did was wrong.

"Everyone has the right to move beyond that - otherwise, what was portrayed as a two-year penalty is a lifetime penalty, and that is not right.

"One thing I will say, is that that experience makes you a better person. If you skate through life with one success after another, then it is hard to change and learn to become a better person. Whether that is my experience or his experience, you learn from it."

Parr believes that the changes that have been put in place would be enough to allow the team to move forward from its difficult start to the year.

"I have sat down with every senior aerodynamicist in the team and talked through what they see as strengths and weaknesses, and what changes they would like to have seen.

"It is not about structure. We believe we have a good group of people who can deliver a competitive car. It will be down to the new chief aerodynamicist and Mike Coughlan and any other person we bring in to decide for themselves how we can strengthen what we do.

"Clearly there are changes that need to be made, that is fine tuning and refinement and reinforcement, and I am looking to Mike in the first instance to help with that."

Parr said he hoped that the team would have a new chief aerodynamicist in place before the end of the year to replace Jon Tomlinson, who will leave the outfit when his current contract expires.

"We need to appoint a new chief aerodynamicist, and our goal is to do that before end of season - and by that I mean they have joined us by then.

"One significant change is that Patrick Head has made it clear that he will be retiring this year, so at some point that will happen - although that is nothing to do with restructuring. He is 65 and he had always signalled that he would move to his next set of interests.

"There is quite a bit of change coming - but it is all structured and pre-planned, so by the end of the year we will have a clear new group for 2012 and beyond."

Williams Chairman Adam Parr has revealed that he offered to resign from the team in the wake of its troubled start to the campaign.

On Tuesday the team announced a technical restructuring at the Grove-based outfit, that will result in technical director Sam Michael and Jon Tomlinson leaving at the end of this year, with Mike Coughlan joining as chief engineer next month.

And although the focus has been on the technical areas of the team, Parr said in a teleconference call on Tuesday that he too offered to step down because he felt responsible for Williams's worst ever start to an F1 season.

When asked if he had considered his own position, Parr said: "Absolutely. I tendered my resignation to Frank [Williams], Patrick [Head] and Toto [Wolff, shareholder]. I am responsible and I took the responsibility to do whatever they wanted to do."

Speaking about the team refusing to accept his resignation, Parr said: "They did, yes. But that doesn't mean I don't feel responsible for what happened.

"I've addressed the whole factory and explained that I am responsible and have apologised for my part in this failure."

Sam Michael's decision to leave Williams at the end of the year is a 'blow' to the team, says Chairman Adam Parr.

On the back of Williams's worst ever start to a Formula 1 season, the Grove-based outfit has announced a future restructuring of its technical department in a bid to turn around its fortunes.

It has signed Mike Coughlan as its new chief engineer, while technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson will leave at the end of the year to open the way for a more wider staffing overhaul.

Parr says that the loss of Michael is a disappointment though, especially since he had forged such a good relationship with the Australian.

"Obviously the start to the season we've had has been unacceptable - and not merely because the performance was poor but because we were not expecting it at that level," explained Parr.

"Sam and I have been talking through the situation from the beginning of the season and he came to the conclusion that he should stand down at the end of the year to give the team the opportunity to rebuild, renew itself and set the right technical direction for the future.

"With some reluctance I accepted his resignation, and that is because I am very fond of Sam. We have worked together for five years and I was looking forward to working alongside him for a long time in the future. So it has been a blow personally, and for the team, to lose him."

Parr said that even if Michael helped turn around the performance of the car dramatically over the next few months, he did not think it likely that there would be any change to the plans for him to leave.

"I think that the path is set," explained Parr. "I think it would create too much uncertainty if we chopped and changed.

"If you look at last year, we did start the season poorly and we recovered pretty well, so I am expecting we will do that this year. But the fact is that what we didn't do was build on a strong start. That is a cycle that we must break now, and we need a fresh approach."

Outgoing Williams technical director Sam Michael says he is determined to turn around the team's form before he makes way for Mike Coughlan at the end of year.

Williams announced on Tuesday that Michael, along with chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson, would leave the team at the end of 2011, although AUTOSPORT has learned he actually tendered his resignation after the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado both retired before half distance.

But in spite of his decision to move on for 2011, Michael says he believes the FW33 is still on the verge of becoming a competitive package this year and that new upgrades intended for the opening races of the European season should unlock its potential.

"I don't think the team is far away from being respectable with the car, to exploit the areas of design that we really innovated on like our transmission," Michael, who will continue to travel with the team to races this year, told AUTOSPORT.

"It will only take some small steps to make the FW33 competitive and we have a raft of upgrades to the car over the next three or four races to make that happen.

"We are far from short of ideas or new concepts, and recent progress in development is strong - that's what gives me the confidence that if we can get it to the track quickly then we'll be competitive

"We've done our KERS on a shoestring compared to other teams and it's caused no problems in racing at all. However, we had a lot of downtime in winter testing. Producing the smallest transmission has stretched our group resources too far, but we needed to take a quantum step from where our previous transmission was.

"That will pay off next year as we plan to introduce the 2012 transmission during 2011 so it's fully signed off in races before the end of the year.

"That work, and having a stable KERS platform, will help Williams enormously over this coming winter," he added.

Michael also revealed that Frank Williams and Adam Parr had asked him to stay on with the team beyond 2011 in a different position, but that he had felt the time was right to explore new challenges in Formula 1.

"The board decided that the team needed to appraise the technical group after the initial poor performance. I'm responsible for the engineers in that department, so naturally I would include my role in any appraisal (as exclusively reported by AUTOSPORT in April)," said the 40-year-old Australian.

"In any position, in any company, there will always be things that are not perfect or you consider out of your direct control. However, when you accept a job you accept all of those conditions.

"I was offered a new senior role within the company by Adam and Frank, however I declined because I felt it wouldn't have been fair on any incoming senior engineers.

"They need a free hand to be able to decide what is right and what is wrong with the department. That can be done a lot easier with a fresh approach if current senior engineers are not in the background. I also felt it was time to move on.

"I remain employed and fully committed to Williams until the end of 2011. During that time I will focus on the 2011 car development, race attendance and helping any new engineers transition into their new roles.

"I'm still actually fully involved with all the 2012 and 2013 car programs, as is Jon Tomlinson, because right now there is no one else to do that. However, I expect that work to shift as new engineers arrive. It's in everyone's interest for us to work on 2011 and new engineers to work on future years"

Michael, who joined Williams ten years ago after a four-year spell at Jordan, added that he was proud of his time with the team - which accrued ten victories while he was senior operations director and then technical director (from 2004 onwards), but that he fully intended to continue working in F1 next year.

"I'm quite philosophical about the change now because I'm determined to finish here professionally and with respectable car performance - that is what matters to me right now," he said.

"And I say that because I have a lot of admiration for all the fantastic people who work so hard here. I'm not disappointed about my time at Williams at all, in fact the opposite. Although not all as TD, it has been the last ten years of my life – actually my whole thirties!

"But I'm also ready for the next challenge now.

"Of course everyone has emotions, but as I resigned three weeks ago I've already done that bit! I love F1 and racing is my life, so I'm looking forward and I'll be here for the long term."

So, massive changes for Williams. Will they pay dividends though? I'm not sure, Coughlan has been uninvolved in F1 for a long time now.

McLaren has played down the chances of frontrunning teams deliberately sacrificing qualifying in Turkey in a bid to save all-new tyres for the race.

With this weekend's grand prix in Istanbul likely to witness high levels of tyre degradation, there have been some suggestions that drivers may choose to elect to not run in parts of qualifying so they can save their rubber for the race.

In China, Mark Webber was able to come through from 18th on the grid to finish third after his early qualifying exit meant he had lots of fresh tyres for the race.

McLaren principal race engineer Phil Prew said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in on Tuesday that the competitiveness of the battle at the front meant starting as far forward as possible was still the best tactic.

"The tyre degradation is going to be large factor in Turkey, and I think that will certainly be pending towards a three-stop race," explained Prew.

"There are some benefits of having new tyres available to you. However, I think the competitiveness of the field will force you pretty much to run your ultimate new tyres through qualifying.

"Our position would always be to take qualifying position over the new tyres in the race. I am not discounting what we did with Lewis in China, for example, [when they sacrificed one run in Q3] but we were fortunate to get through Q1 and Q2 with a single set of option tyres, which allowed us to save one set of options. But I don't think not competing in Q3 for tyre saving is the right thing to do."

Prew says that McLaren has been working as hard in recent weeks on tyre strategy as it has on delivering improvements to its car.

"There have been continual improvements in pretty much all areas, from the lessons learned through winter testing and the early races, as well as continued work to improve our tyre utilisation."

He added: "We are obviously hoping to close the gap [in Turkey]. We don't have the fastest car at the moment, and Red Bull Racing are still the team that we are aiming to close the gap to. We are adding upgrades to the car in Turkey which will hopefully help us close that gap.

"But as we have seen over the first three races, the difference between cars varies from track to track. Turkey should be a reasonably strong track for us, and developments deliver performance if we utilise performance.

"We are also conscious everyone else is aiming to improve the car at the same time. As always we hope we have done enough and more than other people."

The FIA has confirmed that the DRS activation zone at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix will start shortly before Turn 11.

As AUTOSPORT revealed last week, the FIA has decided to stretch the activation area so it is between Turn 10 and Turn 12 - which means it will run through the fast right-hander onto the back straight.

The detection zone for the DRS will be shortly before the braking zone for Turn 9.

The location of the DRS zone is the same place where Red Bull Racing duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel collided last year in their fight for the lead of the race.

Turkey is set to be a huge race - first one for three weeks, virtually every team are bringing "significant" huge upgrades to their cars, and the magical Turn 8 - the longest corner in Formula One. Bring it on.

Media group News Corporation has officially confirmed it plans to look into a joint takeover of Formula 1 with an Italian investment company that has close links to Fiat.

After weeks of speculation about News Corporation's possible plans for F1, a statement issued by Italian investment group EXOR on Tuesday night revealed that early negotiations were underway.

EXOR stated that it planned to approach other stakeholders in the sport to consider how viable a takeover bid was, prior to making any approach to F1's current owners - CVC Capital Partners - or its commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The statement said: "EXOR, one of Europe's largest listed investment companies, and News Corporation, the global media group, confirm that they are in the early stages of exploring the possibility of creating a consortium with a view to formulating a long-term plan for the development of Formula 1 in the interests of the participants and the fans.

"Over the coming weeks and months, EXOR and News Corporation will approach potential minority partners and key stakeholders in the sport. There can be no certainty that this will lead to an approach to Formula 1’s current owners."

EXOR’s involvement is intriguing because the company is headed by John Elkann, chairman and chief executive of Ferrari’s parent company Fiat.

Furthermore, EXOR is controlled by the Agnelli family - which has long had close ties to Ferrari. The company owns a 30 per cent stake in the Fiat company as well as a 60 per cent interest in Juventus Football Club.

The official statement by EXOR and News Corporation comes just days after Ecclestone said that the chances of a takeover by Rupert Murdoch’s business interests was 'close to zero.’

"It's media driven," he told Reuters. "It looks very much like someone who is trying to see if they can make (money). All of these people that get involved with these things, they get some victims and say 'We can make this happen, I'm sure we can do this' and then all they do is keep pumping fees in."

When asked about the possibility of F1 moving onto a pay-TV platform, Ecclestone said: "If, and I think the chances are close to zero, but if Murdoch was to buy certainly he'd have to broadcast some free to air like it is now."

Formula 1 owners CVC Capital Partners say the sport is currently not for sale, responding to the interest shown by media group News Corporation in recent weeks.

News Corporation confirmed on Tuesday its plans for a joint takeover of Formula 1 together with an Italian investment company EXOR.

CVC has confirmed it has received a "friendly" approach from James Murdoch's company, and that he understands Formula 1 is currently not for sale.

CVC said, however, that it recognised "the quality of Exor and News Corporation as potential investors".

"CVC can confirm that it has recently received an approach from the Exor News Corporation consortium," said the company in a statement.

"James Murdoch has informed us that the approach is friendly, at a very preliminary stage, and that they acknowledge that Formula 1 is privately owned by CVC and not currently for sale.

"CVC recognises the quality of Exor and News Corporation as potential investors, but any investment in Formula 1 will require CVC's agreement and will need to demonstrate that it is in the interest of the sport and its stakeholders, taken as a whole."

Hopefully they won't sell. If they do then surely F1 will leave free-to-air tv and move on to Sky. Early days yet.

Former BAR team principal Craig Pollock is to return to Formula 1 in 2013 as the head of a new customer engine supply company.

Pollock has launched PURE, which stands for Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d'Energie, to provide teams with power-units that comply with the new 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engine regulations that come into force that year.

A team of management and technical partners have been recruited for the project - including former Renault F1 managing director Christian Contzen and aerospace expert Robin Southwell.

PURE has contracted TEOS Powertrain Engineering - which is half-owned by Mecachrome and half by IFP Energies Nouvelles - to help design and produce the engines.

Speaking about the plans, Pollock said: "The vision for PURE is to be a leader in the development of the next generation power train technology which must respond to the demands for a cleaner environment.

"The 2013 F1 power train regulation changes offer PURE an immediate platform to field test and validate future technologies for implementation in other industries."

Pollock believes that the unique nature of PURE's make-up will allow it to provide competitive engines at a lower price than other suppliers when it enters the sport.

"The reality is that if you have 400-450 employees such as Mercedes have or 300 in the case of Renault - then your overheads are extremely high," he told AUTOSPORT in an exclusive interview.

"The way that we are doing this and the reason that we can spend a little bit less money than the manufacturers is that we put together the engineers, engineering group and the areas of expertise more in an industrial sense.

"Mecachrome will be putting together, manufacturing and constructing the engines - fabricating them. The development is being done by TEOS, IFP and D2T. So we are a very tight team, and being tight means that our costs are an awful lot lower - and that means we should be able to carry over this cost reduction to teams and give them a cost-effective power train."

PURE's engine design is being led by Jean-Pierre Boudy, who worked on Renault's first prototype turbo-charged racing engine in the 1970s and was responsible for Peugeot's F1 engines in the '90s. Pollock added that all the personnel on the project have F1 or Le Mans experience.

"I understand how hard the market it is, but the reality is that the group of people that we have behind the project, and the group of companies behind it too, are not just start-ups," said Pollock.

"This is a brand new engine designed by a company which is half-owned by Mecachrome, so it is not just coming in without any expertise. The expertise to build F1 engines is there. Also the design group has been working in F1 and Le Mans with Peugeot for a long time. They know what they are doing and F1 people know that.

"There is a large-scale sized team of people, but the main designer at the moment - the person driving it forwards - is Boudy. He is ex-Renault and Peugeot and designed all the four-cylinder turbo-charged engines for Renault."

Pollock said that while the PURE corporation's head office is in Switzerland, the core engineering aspects of the project will be in France where the engine will be developed.

Pollock expects to be present in the Spanish Grand Prix paddock at Barcelona and says PURE has already received the support of both Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone: "At the moment we are convinced, as is [FIA president] Jean Todt, as is Bernie Ecclestone, that there is a great need for an independent supplier coming in with a long-term vision.

"And also which has a vision of green technology - we could use the sport as a test bed to derive these technologies and take them in to other fields.

"Todt has been informed and is very supportive, Bernie is fully aware and also supportive – so I will now be participating in the engine meetings. When there is a power train meeting at a grand prix, or whether I will be meeting up with teams to discuss potential contracts in the future – I will be around and about."

Todt, who has pushed hard for the new more fuel-efficient engine formula to be introduced in 2013, said of the project: "We welcome PURE to Formula 1. The rule changes for 2013 have been developed to provide lower cost, greener and more fuel efficient technologies for Formula 1. We wish PURE every success in developing power trains compliant with the new FIA regulations."

PURE's new Formula 1 engine is set to be on the test bed at the end of this year - with project chief Craig Pollock believing his company is ahead of its rivals in preparation for 2013.

Despite having only announced his plans this week, Pollock has revealed that efforts on its new 1.6-litre turbo engine are well advanced.

He says that the engine will be tested on a dyno later this year - which he thinks makes it the first 2013-spec engine to do so.

"It will be towards the end of this year," he told AUTOSPORT about the plans for the new engine.

"Talking to various people inside the sport we reckon that we are just about ahead of the field. Don't forget that Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are all running current V8 engine programmes and they still have to go until the end of 2012, so they all have to carry on developing their engines. We are concentrated on one engine at the moment."

When asked if he believed there could be a similar advantage to preparing early that Brawn GP enjoyed in 2009 with its headstart on car design, Pollock said: "I think the Brawn Honda approach was very well done and it was fantastic for them to have won a championship, but I would say that while we have the same approach we are walking before we are running."

Pollock said he was confident that by the time the engine needed to be tested in a car that he would have a customer team in place.

"I think that we will have customers before then. I think at the moment the way everything is going inside the sport there will be customers, I'm sure of that. Which, I've got no idea. It would be pure speculation".

If they actually end up shifting to these smaller engines, that is?

Ferrari believes that big decisions need to be made soon about the future direction of Formula 1 - as it suggested more needs to be invested by its chiefs to promote the sport.

Ahead of likely intense discussions to try and frame a new Concorde Agreement, plus intrigue caused by News Corporation's interest in getting involved in F1, talk about a possible breakaway championship has emerged once again.

And Ferrari has made it clear that it is only interested in staying in an F1 that suits its need.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali says that talks about the future are likely to ramp up soon - with leading teams Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-Benz due to meet News Corp next week to discuss future plans.

In an interview due to be published in Auto Bild Motorsport, Domenicali said about the Concorde Agreement talks: "At the moment everything is calm, but soon something will happen.

"From the commercial point of view we need to clarify the following points: who will get in the talks? I mean, which teams and constructors want to stay and which want to enter F1? And who is responsible for the show? A marketing partner is needed.

"It can be CVC once more, but it must invest in F1 and develop. And we must make sure our sport becomes interesting for young people. F1 must speak their language, use their technologies, internet, tablets, social forums. And remain comprehensible for the audience.

"F1 is interesting for Ferrari only if these points are taken into consideration. And we must avoid the rules to change too often. We need stability, on top of having grands prix in important countries for our sales, first of all in the USA."

Domenicali's comments come on the back of a statement issued by Ferrari saying that the most important thing for F1 to secure amid the forthcoming discussions was stability for the sport.

"We have no comment to make, partly because we are not directly involved at the moment," said a Ferrari spokesperson. "All we can do is repeat what has already been said so often in the past: Ferrari stresses the importance of ensuring the long term stability and development of Formula 1."

At the Chinese Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said F1 had to do more to market itself in countries.

"I think we collectively have to do a much better job," he said. "F1 is spoilt. We have lots of markets that want us there, that have enthusiasm and knowledge, and are switched onto it.

"But it is a lesson we have to learn before we go back into the USA market. The USA does not need F1, we need the USA. And if we plonk ourselves down and believe the USA will reignite its enthusiasm for F1 we are wrong. F1 has to work harder."

Paul di Resta says he is not letting speculation linking him to Mercedes GP distract him from his work at Force India.

The rookie has enjoyed a strong start to the season, having scored points in the first two races and also outperforming team-mate Adrian Sutil often.

His form has already triggered speculation about a possible move to the Mercedes team in the future, but di Resta says he is solely focusing on the current season.

"You are always interested if teams like that are interested," said di Resta on Thursday. "I definitely, one day, would like to be in a position for that - but at the same I have said I am with Force India, I am fully focused on what I signed to do this year and that is to drive for Force India and do the best job here.

"I will continue to focus on that path, because there is still a long way to go and a lot up for grabs. You never know for the future. I will just continue eyes forwards and go on with what I have got set out, and there is a long way to go."

When asked if he could have reached F1 without the help of Mercedes - with which he clinched the DTM title last year - he said: "That is a question you will never know...it is a question you cannot answer because you have not done it.

"I have always said Mercedes have been a great influence on my career and I have been part of that family for a long time, enjoyed it, and I am still very close to them, but it is a question you never know if you would go there having gone that route."

The Scot said he is not surprised by the hype surrounding him, but only because he arrived in Formula 1 not knowing what to expect.

"I came into it as open-minded as I could. People say can you predict what you are going to do here or there, I don't think you can.

"The best thing to do is to go there and I have taken things step by step and not tried to take things too far in advance and do the best job where we are in this situation and that goes through the racing and through the media and everything.

"Yes, it has gone relatively on a straight path so far and there have been things that I can pick up and do better, but you never now - there could be good times ahead there could be tough times ahead, that is something you don't know.

"I am enjoying it, I am becoming more experienced and it is becoming more natural to me, just hopefully I can say at the end that what I am doing is being ahead of my team-mate and battling for some points this weekend."

Di Resta, who qualified in the top eight in the previous race in China, is hopeful of continuing with his strong form, but admits it is hard to make predictions given how close the field is.

"I hope it is not a one-off," he said. "At the same time, given how close it was in the midfield I don't think you can come in here saying you are going to get into Q3 or saying where you are going to be.

"It is so close and it depends on how your package works and what you have got out of it – and a lot will be how prepared you are coming to the GP."

PdR will probably end up at Mercedes - but not just yet. Even though I'm of the belief that this will be Schumacher's last season.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes Formula 1 must put aside its internal squabbling and focus on improving the product as a whole as competition for the paying public's attention from other sports and entertainment media grows ever more fierce.

With discussions over the future of the sport ramping up and F1's major players considering the framework of a new Concorde Agreement - which is set to run out at the end of 2012 – teams have disagreed over the introduction of the new 1.6-litre, four cylinder engines.

But Boullier says that F1 must change its approach and work together to find a common agreement on the larger commercial and promotional areas of the sport so that potential investors can see a clearer future.

"I think there are different debates," he said. "The engine is one debate definitely, and for me the main debate is that we need to think about F1.

"In the 1990s it had one business model, F1 in the 2000s was full of manufacturers which was another business model, and now we don't have any more manufacturers and we have to compete against sports like football and the Olympic Games and others which have developed drastically in terms of business, and I speak about business and sponsors – and that's the key.

"I think this little war inside the paddock is maybe fun for some journalists and some people, but to be honest for me it's not because we need to think a little more globally.

"As F1 we need to realise that the rest of the world has changed, and if you want to be successful as a show and a sport and a competition we need to think a little bit differently."

Representatives from Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are expected to meet News Corp executives next week to discuss the sport's future.

When asked if the reason Renault had not been included in the meeting was because of the team's support for the introduction of the new engine, he replied: "I need to find out more, to be honest. Because I know there is a lot of discussions regarding the engine, we all know there is some difference of interests of FOM and the FIA. It is the usual game.

"We have to sit down this weekend, we have a lot of meetings together and we have a FOTA meeting as well so we will see," he added.

But Boullier called for the teams to remain as one within FOTA and to work to ensure the sport is unified going forward so as not to distract from improving the sport and protecting it from external threats, adding that the present and future owners of F1's commercial rights had a responsibility to ensure this as well.

"It's always tricky for everybody to sit around one table and discuss about common points of interest when you speak about sharing some revenues and stuff like this," he said. "So we expect it not to be an easy job, but we will see how it goes.

"I don't think we are at the point to speak about there being a breakaway series and stuff like that, I think we need to first focus on being FOTA, all teams together, and then we will see.

"I will be more generalist," Boullier added. "The owner needs to think about how they could maybe spend some money to promote the business they are running or owning. And maybe to make sure that the value, which does interest a company like CVC, is better.

"But for that you need to have some future and you need to see the strategy for the future of the series. And with the Concorde Agreement ending in two years, it certainly needs to be resolved and discussed now because it is the only way to build the future of the series.

"But the teams have a responsibility as well. They are part of the show and they need to promote it as well. But obviously you need to have a balance. Everybody needs to sit down and top make the same job. The teams cannot promote F1 on behalf of CVC."

Asked whether he thought it would be a good thing if News Corp was to buy the rights to promote F1 from CVC, Boullier replied: "To be honest I don't know. I just read in the press that they were interested, but I don't know what their plans are, or if it is good or not. I have no idea.

"The only thing I know is that Formula 1, as a global brand, and all its players, have to cleverly prepare the future."

Starvinho · May 6, 2011


1  J Button 	1:26.456

2  N Rosberg 	1:26.521

3  L Hamilton 	1:27.033

4  M Schumacher 1:27.063

5  M Webber 	1:27.149

6  F Massa 	1:27.340

7  V Petrov 	1:27.517

8  P Di Resta 	1:27.725

9  S Perez 	1:27.844

10 A Sutil 	1:28.052

Button fastest in second practice, Hamilton third and Di Resta eighth! :w00t: Vettel sat out second practice after damaging his Red Bull in a crash during a wet morning on track, he lost control coming out of the high-speed Turn Eight, which stretches through four apexes, and crashed into the barriers.

Lineker · May 6, 2011

Thursday's press conference:

DRIVERS - Timo GLOCK (Virgin), Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren), Heikki KOVALAINEN (Lotus), Felipe MASSA (Ferrari), Vitaly PETROV (Renault), Adrian SUTIL (Force India)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Timo, I think a little bit of a frustrating start to the season for you judging from your comments recently?

Timo GLOCK: Not a perfect start to the year for us, but we just have to get on with it and make the best out of it.

Q. How do you think you can improve? In which direction? It is suggested that you are not very happy with the CFD.

TG: I am not happy with the car at the moment, that's the main point. I think aerodynamically we are not where we should be. We have got a good update for here. The numbers are looking good and we have to see if that turns it around on the track. Simulator and all that stuff went okay in the last week and I think the parts are not looking that bad but, as I said, it counts on track and we have to see what we can do here.

Q. Do you feel you are attacking the teams in front or more on the defensive from the team behind?

TG: At the moment we are too far away from Lotus, I think. I just hope we manage to be closer here and have to watch out (that) we stay where we are at the moment.

Q. Heikki, a very good race in China. Did you enjoy that?

Heikki KOVALAINEN: Yeah, absolutely. For the first time since a long time we were actually racing cars properly on track. It was a great feeling and we just need to carry on doing that every weekend from now on.

Q. Do you think you can continue to be ahead of the established teams, as that is what you are looking at isn't it?

HK: Yeah, the target has to be to join the midfield and to be ahead of the established teams that are directly ahead of us. That's what we are working on. Still, in certain conditions, especially in qualifying, the gap is still not small enough. We are still on our own land if you like. But in some other conditions, in warmer conditions, et cetera, we have already got close a couple of times and hopefully the upgrades that we are bringing to the next few races will be bigger than the direct competition ahead of us. That's what we have got to be targeting as a team and I think we can do it.

Q. Adrian, your feelings about Force India's progress. Are they making enough progress do you feel?

Adrian SUTIL: I think it should come now once we have started the European season really. For this race we have a little update. We don't know if we can run it but it is all to the direction for the next step, the big step, of upgrade package we introduce in Barcelona or Monaco. Here, we have a different front wing on. We will try it on Friday and let's see how it works, but, looking to the development, it is looking good. We expected to be not that strong in the first few races but we are not doing bad, always close to the top 10 or in the top 10. As a team we scored four points. That's not so bad and hopefully now our season will start.

Q. It is always said you are a wet weather specialist. Are you enjoying the weather forecast for his race?

AS: Yeah, yeah, it looks very rainy, so I enjoy it absolutely. We have not had a rain race or race session this year. Different story with the Pirelli tyres, we have not so much data in the rain conditions with these tyres, so it is going to be a challenge. But in general I like the conditions and I think we are going to be good.

Q. Vitaly, I have been looking at your record here. It is pretty good. You won in GP2, first time in Q3 here, fastest lap last year. So do you like the circuit?

Vitaly PETROV: Yeah, of course I like this track as I have very good memories here. In 2008 and 2009 I took some podiums and 2010 it was the first I was going into Q3 and it was a good race so I am always happy to come back.

Q. It has been suggested that the team hasn't been running to its full potential up until now. Do you feel you have found the full potential in the break that we have had since China?

VP: We bring some new parts here, some new upgrades. We hope to fight with Ferrari and McLaren. This track is not easy but anyway this is why we are here. The team has tried to push as hard as they can to be in front so let's wait for this weekend and we will see where we are.

Q. Do you really think you can make the jump to Ferrari and McLaren?

VP: It is a difficult question. With this weather we have now everything is possible, as in the rain, as you know, it is completely different. But to McLaren and Red Bull is is still quite far but, you know, Ferrari is not far, so I think we need just to stay focused and do our job.

Q. Felipe, you're the most successful driver in Formula One (here) with three wins from three pole positions but maybe not this weekend, depending on the rain of course?

Felipe MASSA: It depends on the rain. It can be good, it can be bad. It is always a little bit of a lottery. We will have to see how it is going to be this weekend. But it is true I had great races here, winning three times in a row and starting from pole position all three times was a great feeling. I hope we can carry on in the same direction. The last two years were not great, but anyway it is a circuit I enjoy. I like to drive here. I had great times here and I hope everything is going in a similar direction.

Q. And you had a very good race in China as well. Since then, I think the team has found certain problem areas, so when do you think you can perhaps catch up the ground that has been lost?

FM: We have been working so hard, especially during this break, which was slightly longer than normal to understand everything and I hope we understand things a little bit more compared to the last race and compared to the first, second and third race. I hope we have an interesting step that we can feel in the car especially in qualifying as qualifying we were struggling so much in the first races. In the race we always get a good pace compared to the qualifying and I hope we get better in the qualifying and we keep good pace in the race so we can fight with Red Bull which was very strong. We see. Everybody is working very hard to improve the car. It is always difficult to say how the new parts will be, but I hope we understand so many important things that makes the car stronger and we will see here, especially with this weather, as we don't know how it is going to be as well.

Q. Lewis, you are a previous winner here and winner of the last grand prix as well, and we can remember you being squeezed into the pit-wall by Timo during GP2. Timo, are you going to deny it?

TG: There was enough space. It was a good race.

Q. There was enough space. What: about a centimetre on each side? Your feelings about this circuit, Lewis?

Lewis HAMILTON: I have had good races here since 2006. Obviously, GP2 was quite an important experience I had here. It was right in front of all the bosses and probably one of the most exciting races I had had up until then in my career. Every year something interesting has happened here. Obviously, 2008 I think I blew up one of my tyres here, through turn eight, but then obviously I got my first win here. That was a great feeling. Coming back it is going to be very, very tough this weekend, not really knowing what conditions we are going to have and it will be very interesting to see the upgrades everyone has to bring here. I just hope that what we have is a step forward. Whether it is a big or small step we will see tomorrow.

Q. Do you think it really is just between Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Red Bull Racing at the moment?

LH: I don't think so, especially with this break. The other guys seem to be closing the gap gradually. Look at Mercedes, they were very competitive in the last race. You see Ferrari, they are always there or thereabouts and it doesn't seem like it is going to take too much for them to make the quick switch and be right up there with us and also the Renaults are doing fantastic and Petrov is driving fantastically well. I think it is going to be quite close at some point. I just hope that we are able to continue to move forward as I am sure the Red Bulls will do that to.

Q. We certainly have not had a wet race here, have we? Have you experienced this circuit wet?

LH: I don't think I have been here when it is wet. I didn't even know it rained here. This is the first time I have seen it rain, so it is going to be interesting. Turn eight is going to be an interesting one if it is wet, but fingers crossed it will dry out.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Julien Febreau - L'Equipe) A question for Felipe and Lewis. Can you speak about turn eight and the difficulty and the pleasure of it and do you fear that your tyre will struggle at that turn?

LH: I think, for me, I had quite an interesting experience through there in 2008, so I probably adjusted my driving style to hopefully suit the tyres a little bit better over the last couple of years and I hope that will help this weekend. It is a great corner. You enter it flat out. I think the Red Bulls were flat out there a couple of times last year and we were quite close. It is a corner where you are continuously building up lateral G and you really have to be quite precise with the line that you take and how much you are taking out of the tyres, and also how much minimum speed you carry through there as you carry it all the way down the next straight. But it is quite a straightforward corner. I don't think any of the drivers struggle with it but you do have to perhaps compromise the overall set-up of your car to suit that corner perhaps more than the others. At least that is what I have experienced.

FM: Yeah, for sure it is a very special corner. As Lewis said you have a huge amount of lateral G Force in the corner. You need a good car. You need to think about the set-up for that corner as well in this track. Interesting thing is that you have a lot of G Force but then you even have one bump in the middle of the corner that sometimes if you are a little bit too aggressive you can even lose a little bit the rear of your car. But it is a very special corner to do, especially the first part. It is more difficult. The second, the last part, is like an easy flat out corner. But it is very nice. It is a little different corner to what we are used to doing in most of the tracks and I think that makes this track quite special as well. We will see this year with the degradations that we have on the tyres that we need to take care as well.

Q. (Andrea Cremonesi - La Gazzetta dello Sport) A question for Vitaly, Felipe and Lewis. Considering the degradation of the tyres, are you more concerned about wet or dry conditions as you don't know exactly the behaviour of the rain tyres.

VP: Nobody from us knows how the tyres will be working here. I think we did just a few laps in the Barcelona test so to be honest I don't know really what to say. We need just to wait to tomorrow's free practice and we will see how it is.

FM: We need to run, to have a clear idea. I did some laps in the rain in the winter and also when we did a filming day it was raining a lot in Fiorano as well. We ran and it was almost snowing. The grip was very low but it is better to wait to see how it is going to be here in normal conditions and we will see how these tyres work. But it is not very clear to everybody. Everybody needs to learn how it is.

LH: I agree with what they have said. We have not really had a lot of time on the tyres, finding the right tyre pressures, finding the right balance and those kind of things that are going to come into play. But I hope it dries up and we don't have to experience that this weekend, but I am sure at some stage it is going to become quite important for strategy and we probably won't see too many people using the tyres in practice mainly because we don't have too many sets of the tyres. It will be interesting.

Q. (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) Lewis it was exciting for you and for the team that you won last time in China. How realistic is it to expect that you can now mount a season-long challenge?

LH: Of course you can come from the last race and be very excited and confident going into the next race, but I don't have particularly high hopes. I generally don't like to expect too much as then, obviously, if it doesn't work out, then it is a big comedown from that. But I would prefer to arrive here cautious. We may not be the quickest this weekend, which is definitely possible, but if we are then that will be fantastic and we will do what we can to win. In the last race we didn't win because we had the fastest car. We won because we generally out-drove and out-did them with strategy. Our car was the next quickest, but I hope we have closed the gap. But you never know again who has improved their car more than others so fingers crossed our upgrade is good enough but we will see tomorrow.

Q. (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) To clarify, you don't have particularly high hopes for this weekend or for the season for the title challenge?

LH: I was referring to this weekend, just because we have had that break and everyone is making a step forward. You have to assume everyone is making a step forward. We had a good half-a-second that we needed to jump to catch the Red Bull. Whether we will have that half-a-second we will have to wait and see, but we have to assume that whatever we bring they will have brought the same or similar. But for the rest of the season, of course, we are on top of our game and we are pushing as hard as we can to win more races. I think it was a great boost for us the last race and to then have that couple of weeks break was fantastic from our guys so I was happy I was able to do that for them.

Q. (Ian Parkes - Press Association) Lewis, I would have suggested that you would come here with confidence and on a considerable high after China so why the caution?

LH: In terms of my own performance and my driving I am confident that I can get in the car and do the same job that I did in the last race, but race-by-race you learn and people learn from other peoples' experiences through strategy how to control their tyres and everyone is improving constantly. And just because it is such a big break. In this kind of break, generally we have gone back to Barcelona in the past and everyone has brought quite a big upgrade, so you have to expect that it is the same this weekend. Even though we won the last race, we were still slightly trailing behind the Red Bulls in pure pace, but you have to also be cautious of the fact that others like Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes have also made the step. Perhaps closer to us or past us, you never know. I am just not getting all excited, just looking forward to getting in the car and doing the best job we can this weekend to score some points. I am confident with what is coming over the next few races that hopefully it will put us in better shape.

Q. (Paolo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, here and Barcelona are two key races for Ferrari to see how this season is going to go. You have been in Ferrari for many years. How different is this year, the pressure, compared to other years in the past knowing that in the winter you have very big expectations and, so far, the results have not come?

FM: Well, I had good years, great cars, fighting and winning since the beginning. We also had some difficult years like 2009 and how we started the season and how we saw especially Red Bull - McLaren as well - show good performance. But Red Bull, especially in qualifying, are showing they have the quickest car. Sebastian (Vettel) has won many races already, his worst result was a second. It is clear that he has got more points and it is clear that we need to have a good result and a good step now, in Barcelona and that's what we are really pushing to have that. It is clear to see that we never give up, but the difference is quite big. We really need to have our feet on the ground and to work to improve the car. I would say more in the qualifying. In the race we show that we have a much more competitive car compared to the qualifying but we are looking at how how much points Sebastian has and the team has as well. It is important to have a good step and to be very close to fight.

Q. (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Felipe, you have won here three times and you have spoken how much you enjoyed this track. I think when you won it for the third time you were joking, saying you almost felt Turkish. With the threat of this race not being on the calendar so far, how much would you miss it if it wasn't. How much does it mean to you as a driver?

FM: As I said it is a very special place for me. I won three times, especially the first time it was a big fight with Fernando (Alonso) and Michael (Schumacher) in 2006. In 2007, it was a little bit more free the race and in 2008 I had a big fight with Lewis. It is true that it is track you always like to come. You always have a good result, good feeling and we will miss it if we are not coming here next year. I would miss it definitely as it is a place that you have some better results than you expected. It is a good place but we will see how it is going to be.

LH: I think he's answered it quite well. It's a great track for racing. I think it generally provides quite good overtaking opportunities and as a drivers – I speak for myself – I always enjoy driving here. It's quite a challenge. It's got some great high speed corners and quite a nice mixture of corners. Of course it would be a shame to not have the Grand Prix on the calendar but we love to race at circuits that are challenging and exciting for us, so fingers crossed it will be here.

Q. (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, it's springtime and the rumours about next season are already starting.

FM: No! Really?

Q. (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) In Italy. We heard about you being connected to Red Bull, Nico Rosberg coming to Ferrari. What do you think?

FM: Really, nothing to say. Since I came to Ferrari I have been answering all of these things about me going away, so there's nothing to say really. We concentrate on doing the best we can with the car and to get all we want. It's just one more. It always seems to be at this time, more or less, no, during the season? It's the same as usual.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) For the drivers in the front row: in the past, the guy who had the fastest car was the guy who was winning and this year, because of the strategy – and Lewis knows this really well – you may finish fifth with the best car or first with a car that isn't as good as the best car. Is it something that stresses you, do you like it, personally? Does it add too much pressure to you and you would rather go back to the old system?

LH: I think it still remains the same – that the fastest car generally ends up at the front. The fastest car has obviously won the first two races and then almost won the third race. But of course, being in the early stages of the season, where strategy is still not fully optimised or the way the tyres behave through each race is not fully known, what the characteristics will be like, it makes it a bit more exciting for us because we can approach the weekend thinking there's a greater possibility than there perhaps would have been in the past. I think it's definitely exciting for the fans, which is probably the most important thing.

FM: Yeah, I agree with Lewis. In the fastest car you have more possibilities to win, compared to the others, which we maybe didn't see in the last race but we saw that Sebastian won most of the races. But anyway, I think that depending on the situation with the tyres, with the strategies. I heard so many good things about the last race. All of you guys were really impressed with the race, really happy with the fights and everything. Even if I couldn't finish in the position that I would like, fighting for victory, I think it really was an interesting race. It's true that race after race, all teams are going in the right direction in terms of everything around the weekend. But anyway, I think it's much better than in the past, how the fights are, how is the overtaking, even the wing is doing a good job. I think it's interesting for overtaking. The tyres are helping a lot as well, so is the KERS. It's important that we have fun on the track but it's also important that everyone who watches Formula One – the fans – get really excited.

VP: Really nothing to say. They're right. It's good to have the fastest car, but you can see what Lewis did last race. He just destroyed all of us because of the tactics, so this year... for example last year we discussed tactics for about 20 minutes and this year we spend around 50 minutes with the team, deciding what to do and what strategy to use, because the team has to react like this. Sometimes you wait just one lap more and you're out of position. I think this year it's more exciting, you need to think during the race, the drivers need to talk to the team, explaining how the tyres are, that you need to come in, or what is going on. Things like this. It's trickier this year and more exciting maybe.

Q. (Livio Oricchio - O Estado do São Paulo) To all drivers: all of you have said you expect a step forward, changing the cars. Is it realistic to believe that we can have big changes from what we have seen until now this year?

TG: It's difficult to say, if I understand the question. We have a big update here and we think we have a good step forward but you never know how it's going to work out and you never know how it's going to be on track.

HK: Well, if we were expecting to go backwards I think something would be wrong, so you've got to be expecting to go forwards and that's why the teams are in Formula One, that's why all the teams have got such capabilities and that's why the better teams are at the front, because they have more advanced technology and facilities and whatever, to go further ahead. I think it's correct to expect to go better and then the relative performance between the cars at the back and at the front… at the back, we probably expect to make bigger steps forward, relative to the opponents than the Red Bulls and McLarens because they have less margin but there is still distance and the gap between our teams. For us, it's correct to expect that we would be gaining and we are in a position at the moment that hopefully a small relative gain to our direct opponents ahead of us will result us actually jumping ahead and you can see it on the scorecard, but then of course, the next step gets tricky; to gain on Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull is another story.

AS: Everybody is trying to improve all the time, every race, but for some, updates work better, for some, not so good, so sometimes you think or the (wind) tunnel numbers tell you (that you have) a really good update but it doesn't work, but sometimes it's different. It's just natural that you always try to improve and that's why we're all here. We don't want to get worse, like Heikki said. We want to go better at every race, as a driver, as a team, so that's just natural.

VP: You can see our exhaust; I think we've moved in the right direction and we will bring something new for this event. We will see how it works.

FM: You know what Formula One is, what technology is; how engineers work, so a bigger step forward can be possible. We have seen what McLaren did from the last test to the first race: they did a big step forward, so it can be possible.

LH: I've got nothing to say.

Q. (Cezary Gutowski – Sportowy Tempo) Question to all of you except Heikki who has already answered: when you go around the paddock, do you notice the absence of Robert Kubica and do you miss him as a friend and a personality in Formula One?

TG: Yeah, definitely. I have known him for a couple of years now. I spent a complete year with him at BMW and just a couple of days ago we sent messages back and forth. He's a special guy and I think everyone is missing him. He's a very good racer and it's a shame that he's not here, but I just hope that he recovers as quickly as possible and will be back in the paddock again.

AS: He's a great character and I've known him for a long time as well. It's always very disappointing and shocking to hear that something like this can happen. It shows that motor sport is still dangerous. At the same time, I think he was very lucky to be alive, so we wish him all the best … I wish him all the best and he should definitely come back here. He absolutely deserved to be in Formula One, he proved that many times and he's a really good racer.

VP: When I came to Renault at the same time as Robert, I didn't know him before but with him, the team was loose, like one family, because he always tried to push the team, to wake up, to explain what to do. He was also a positive guy, he knew exactly what to do and all the guys in the team believed in him and he was always funny and very, very quick. What we saw last year, he was one of the best drivers. So we all miss him. We know he just left hospital; now he has a long time to recover, so we all support him and we are waiting for him. I hope that this year we can see him in the paddock, just to say hello.

FM: I've known him since he was racing Formula Renault. I moved from Renault to Formula 3000 and he was starting in Formula Renault so I've known him a long time already and he's a great driver, a very friendly guy, a very nice guy and an incredible talent, for sure. We miss him, for sure, fighting with him on the track. He was always very strong, a very good driver. The way he drives and the way he works, the way he believes, so I really hope he's back here to do what he likes to do which is racing and just to see him in the paddock to have fun together as well.

LH: I think everyone – all the drivers – have paid a compliment to him and fair dos to that; I second what they've all said, really. I've known him since I was about 13. We raced together, as soon as I got to Italy, so I've known him quite a long time and we generally came up through the ranks together, so perhaps I've known him a little bit longer than some others but I think that as we got to Formula One, known him perhaps a little bit less because you have less time for that kind of thing, but obviously he's a great talent in the sport and he definitely deserves to be here so I hope that he has a very, very fast recovery and no doubt he has the right people behind him to help him recover in the best way. And knowing him, and how competitive he is, he will be doing everything he can to get back on the scene, so I look forward to welcoming him back, the same as everyone else.

Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazetta dello Sport) Felipe, can you estimate the lap time and improvement in respect of the 'old' Ferrari that we saw in China, for example?

FM: I think it's always difficult to say, really, how big the step is going to be. Even if we always have an idea how new pieces are going to be, we don't have an idea about the other teams, so we don't have any idea about how everybody's racing, so it's always difficult, especially before you try all these new parts you have on the car. I hope we have a bigger step than the others, that's always what everybody hopes in Formula One, so we will wait and see.

Q. (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Going back to what has been said about the excitement of the races – more overtaking, DRS, the KERS, the tyres – but Mark Webber, for example, in the last few days has said that overtaking has become too easy. He says that you probably had to take more risks in the past to overtake. Do you think this is the case or not?

LH: His car's too fast!

FM: For his car, for sure, it can be easier than… It depends on the situation. For sure, when you go out of the garage and you have new tyres and you find cars with old tyres in front of you, it's definitely very easy but it's because of the tyres, it's because of the high degradation. I think when you are in a similar situation it's not so easy, but the wing helps, you know? I don't think it's just the wing which makes overtaking possible, easier or not easier, it's everything, together with the tyre degradation and everything: how the cars use the tyres; how the strategy works as well. I think it's better for you guys. How many years have I heard people saying 'the good thing was the past, when Senna, Piquet, Mansell… it was really fun to see all these drivers race. They knew how to do it: Villeneuve, Arnoux.' It's true. It was also different cars as well and I even heard some things like after China: 'ah, now Formula One is back to how it was before'. It's important to see you guys happy as well, and I think for the fans it's what we care about. If they are happy and the drivers are happy as well, we will carry on like that.

LH: I think Mark's car is too fast, it's definitely too easy for him to overtake people. But as Felipe was saying, I don't personally feel it's too easy to overtake. I had some great battles with people in the last race and it's definitely just as hard but obviously when you have the opportunity to use the wing it makes it a little bit easy, but it allows you to get closer and really remain in close proximity to be able to attack in places. It aids overtaking but it doesn't make it too easy, personally.

TG: I've start behind a couple of times now, but I've never managed to be on the podium this year and last year so I will have to talk to Mark and ask him what he did different to me. I think it was quite interesting to see how good the car is, he had a good strategy as well, lots of good overtaking manoeuvres so he had everything right but as I said, I have to find a way to make that happen as well.

HK: I think that on the circuits that we've had so far, he's never really struggled to overtake anyway, so I think Barcelona will be the first real test, in order to make a fair comment. In the past, we've also had long straights in Sepang and China and you've always been able to overtake in those places and maybe the wing is helping a little bit but let's wait and see when we go to Barcelona, where we never overtake, so let's see if we overtake a few more times now. It will be a fair judgement. Someone said to me that we've had 148 overtaking moves in the first three races, which is not bad.

AS: I think it's a little bit easier in some places but it's still the same in others. Australia, I think, was a good example. I thought it would be easier to overtake but you just couldn't get close enough in the last corner and nothing really happened. And the same in China, I would say. The straight was a bit longer but also the activation point was a bit later and I was in the middle of the pack and on almost every lap in the first stint I had the chance to activate my rear wing but I couldn't manage to pass. It was just not enough. It's helpful but it's not too easy. That's why I think it's still OK.

VP: Nothing to say, really. I think we are moving in the right direction with the rear wing, it's more exciting to watch racing and good for us, even in the last race I had so many overtaking manoeuvres. I think we are moving in the right way because with the DRS system, with this 700 [metre] straight or something, I think at every race this line will be shorter because at the moment it's too easy to overtake. Sometimes it's harder, it depends. I think the FIA will move this line so it's a little bit shorter, so the car won't just stay behind and overtake the car in front easier. I think it's more exciting when you go in to the corner together and you can still fight under braking. I think it's interesting. I think in the last race there were seventy-something overtakings. I think it's good, no?

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso set the pace in a wet first practice session for the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul.

The Spaniard's best lap of 1m38.670s was set on intermediate tyres during a changeable and eventful session that featured a red flag because of an accident involving world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were second and third fastest ahead of the Renault's of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov.

Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, typically spectacular, was sixth in the Sauber ahead of Felipe Massa, Toro Rosso Friday man Daniel Ricciardo and his team-mate Sebastien Buemi and Force India's Nico Hulkenberg.

The rain offered the first opportunity for the drivers and teams to learn about Pirelli's wet weather tyres in competition conditions, but as usual it was a while before anyone set a realistic time.

Just after half an hour Alonso set the first representative lap of the frontrunners with a 1m40.897s, on his fifth lap on full wet tyres. But already the Spaniard was indicating over the radio that he had already got the best from the Pirelli's grip window.

A couple of minutes later, Nico Rosberg moved the target time down to 1m40.072s - 0.8s faster than Alonso.

Mark Webber emerged from the pits just after halfway through the 90 minute session - the first driver to give the intermediates a try, but his lap was only good enough for tenth and he quickly returned to the pits.

Up to this point the rain had been steady, but light, then with 40 minutes to go it began to fall harder again and Rosberg told his team that aquaplaning was occurring at Turns 2 and 11.

That didn't stop Alonso moving back to the top of the times with a 1m38.670s, and he was on intermediates.

Meanwhile several drivers ignored Rosberg's advice and ran wide at the fast Turn 11 - a list that included Timo Glock, Sebastien Buemi, Schumacher, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel who finally decided to venture on to the track having missed the driest period of running.

Not long after though, the world champion was in the barriers having given them a hefty whack when he ran wide at Turn 8. So hefty in fact that he brought out the red flag for 10 minutes - leaving just 15 minutes to go.

But the track was now thoroughly wet and those that ventured out discovered it had lost a couple of seconds in pace.

Both rookies Pastor Maldonado and Paul di Resta, as well as Schumacher all registered a spin each. Maldonado actually had two incidents - the second of which appeared to damage his car.

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton did not complete any significant running, with the latter not even setting a time.

FP1

Pos Driver Team Time Laps

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m38.670s 13

2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m40.072s + 1.402 14

3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m40.132s + 1.462 18

4. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m40.338s + 1.668 9

5. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m40.401s + 1.731 10

6. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.421s + 1.751 16

7. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m40.697s + 2.027 14

8. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.094s + 2.424 18

9. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.178s + 2.508 22

10. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m41.347s + 2.677 16

11. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m42.564s + 3.894 5

12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m42.597s + 3.927 7

13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m43.525s + 4.855 11

14. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m43.913s + 5.243 5

15. Karun Chandhok Lotus-Renault 1m43.986s + 5.316 6

16. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m44.787s + 6.117 20

17. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m44.954s + 6.284 4

18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.183s + 6.513 15

19. Jerome D-Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.237s + 6.567 11

20. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m48.461s + 9.791 8

21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m51.676s + 13.006 6

22. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m55.791s + 17.121 13

23. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 2m00.666s + 21.996 4

24. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes no time 1

All Timing Unofficial[/code]

Jenson Button narrowly beat Nico Rosberg to the fastest time in a dry second practice session at Istanbul Park, while championship leader Sebastian Vettel did not run at all after his morning crash.

The majority of the session was a battle between the McLarens and the Mercedes, with Button and team-mate Lewis Hamilton the early pacesetters, before first Rosberg then Michael Schumacher hit the front towards the end of the first half-hour.

Three-time Istanbul winner Felipe Massa then briefly got Ferrari to the head of the pack with a 1m27.959s lap, 0.3s quicker than Schumacher.

He only stayed in front for three minutes before Rosberg reclaimed the top spot, which he held until just after the hour mark, when Button moved comfortably clear of the pack with a 1m26.456s on the softer tyres.

Rosberg later closed to within 0.065s, but that lap was sufficiently to keep Button in first place to the end.

Hamilton and Schumacher were third and fourth, the latter's car escaping damage in a late spin at Turn 11 which appeared to be triggered when Schumacher was surprised by a Force India coming past him.

Red Bull kept a relatively low profile, with Mark Webber staying in the midfield and doing longer runs for much of the session before eventually doing a time that would stand for fifth, ahead of Massa. Vettel was not able to run at all, the team soon realising that repairing the session one damage in time would be impossible. That means the points leader will go into the rest of the weekend with no dry mileage at all.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov, another man who topped the timing screens fleetingly in the early running, was seventh, while the Force Indias of Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil sandwiched Sergio Perez's Sauber in the final three top 10 positions.

It was a tough session for Fernando Alonso. A hydraulic problem kept him in the Ferrari garage for a spell, and he later spun at Turn 6 before taking 11th.

The only driver whose mistake took him as far as the barriers was Pastor Maldonado. The Williams driver ran slightly wide on the way out of Turn 8, found a damp patch and slid into the barrier.

At the tail of the field, the Virgins languished some way off even Hispania's pace until the closing stages when both Jerome D'Ambrosio and Timo Glock edged a few tenths ahead of Narain Karthikeyan.

[code]FP2

Pos Driver Team Time Laps

1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m26.456s 26

2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m26.521s + 0.065 29

3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m27.033s + 0.577 31

4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m27.063s + 0.607 21

5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m27.149s + 0.693 31

6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m27.340s + 0.884 37

7. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m27.517s + 1.061 37

8. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m27.725s + 1.269 37

9. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m27.844s + 1.388 32

10. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m28.052s + 1.596 37

11. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m28.069s + 1.613 27

12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.153s + 1.697 36

13. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m28.475s + 2.019 35

14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.765s + 2.309 32

15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m28.828s + 2.372 19

16. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m28.946s + 2.490 20

17. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m29.409s + 2.953 39

18. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m29.637s + 3.181 27

19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m30.281s + 3.825 37

20. Jerome D-Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m31.035s + 4.579 28

21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m31.221s + 4.765 22

22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m31.320s + 4.864 29

23. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m31.989s + 5.533 30

All Timing Unofficial

Fernando Alonso is not expecting the updates Ferrari is introducing in Turkey to be a "revolution" and instead expects his team to react slowly.

Ferrari is bringing several new components to Istanbul, hoping to close the gap to Red Bull after a disappointing start to the season.

While Alonso is sure the upgrades will work, he reckons they will not be enough to make a big leap in performance.

"It is going to improve the car, we have some new parts here and we will have new parts in the next few races," said Alonso on Thursday.

"It is an improvement from what we had in China but it is a couple of tenths. It is not a revolution and will not change the car completely in one race.

"I expect a slow reaction, step by step to try and close the gap. We are happy with our work in the last three weeks in improving the car but we also think the others teams did improvements in the last three weeks.

"Maybe we will see not tomorrow but in qualifying if we close the gap a little bit and that will be a huge motivation for all of us if we are a little bit closer here."

He added: "Obviously there is some disappointment with the results in the first few races. We were hoping for much better after winter testing but there is no time to be frustrated or no time to go down.

"We need to work even harder to recover from this and the team is fully committed to do this and I am sure that we will recover very soon and here in Turkey hopefully we see the first positive signs."

The Spaniard also claims his team still has plenty of time to react, having recovered from a similar situation last year.

"Last season we lost points at the beginning and then we recovered in the last part and we were close in the fight for the championship," he said.

"This year we are losing points, we are aware now of the distance to the leaders but obviously it is much earlier in the championship now and last year we started recovering points after Silverstone, race 11 or 12. Now we are in race four so there is plenty of time, but as you said we are losing points and we need a reaction as soon as possible."

Williams technical director Sam Michael was put in a 'difficult situation' at the Grove-based outfit because he did not have the full support structure around him to use the best of his talents.

That is the view of Mark Webber, who worked closely with his fellow Australian during his two-year stint at the team and says he is surprised that Michael has decided to leave the outfit.

"Working with Sam, he was clearly a guy that did shoulder a lot of the responsibility," explained Webber in Turkey on Thursday. "He is incredibly passionate, he has a big desire to do the job and he shouldered a lot of the big decisions about the car going forward.

"I think in certain areas, he might have been able to have some more substance around him, and people to support him in that role. That might have been something which could have helped him get more out of himself.

"But he is a talented guy for sure. It is just he was in a difficult situation at Williams and it was difficult to see the wood from the trees for all of them there.

"All of a sudden one year goes, two years go, three years go and then all of a sudden it happens very quickly, doesn't it? I think for sure it's a tough time for him."

Webber also says he did not expect such a swift staffing change at Williams on the back of its early season troubles.

"Yeah I was a bit surprised about how much went on, in terms of the changes they have made. They are quite big changes there.

"It is a team that sets the bar very high and clearly they have openly admitted themselves that they have been disappointed with their performance in the last few years. I think, as we know, in any team it is impossible to put it all on one guy's shoulders.

"There have been some key position changes and time will tell if that will be beneficial to them. There are key regulation changes again in the pipeline for F1, so as an independent, yet still very powerful team under Frank Williams, there will be new challenges ahead to get on top of that stuff technically."

He added: "There is not a person in the pit lane who likes to see Williams where they are at the moment. We all know what they have done and seen what Nigel [Mansell] and those guys used to do in those Williams Renaults, and it is fraction of their former selves. Hopefully they will come back to it at least halfway."

Williams needs to make further changes to its staff and structure if it is to make the progress it needs to rediscover its top form.

That is the view of Rubens Barrichello, who thinks that the staffing upheaval this week - which included Sam Michael resigning and Mike Coughlan being hired – is just the beginning of a revamp that the outfit needs to undertake.

Barrichello believes that as well as sorting out the roles that individuals have within the team, more needs to be done to improve its working processes and internal structure.

"Williams needs changes," declared Barrichello when asked for his reaction to the events of the past week. "There are too many people doing too many jobs right now.

"An example of what it's like would be if I drive the car and then had to get out to check the tyre pressures – that wouldn't work. And there are too many people doing that at Williams.

"We need to define what people do. The wind tunnel is bringing great progress on paper and we have evolutions every day like all teams and new things coming on board, but they don't always translate to the race track. It's not always better and that's why the progression of the team during the year is sometimes better and sometimes not.

"I've been telling the team that a lot because at all of the teams that I've been to, the ones that do really well only put on that car what they really think is going to work. Last year, we made a lot of progress, but there was some stuff that created confusion. It's time for a change and I'm up for it."

Barrichello feels, however, that what needs to change at the team is so extensive that it will probably take some time for its benefit to be felt.

"Unfortunately, there are too many changes so it might take some time before they are really good. But we need these changes because it doesn't matter if you make a driveshaft at this angle or an aggressive gearbox if the rest of the car is not right."

Barrichello said he will be sad to see technical director Sam Michael leave – but felt that the Australian had been left in a position at the team with too much to do.

"Sam is doing five or six jobs, so he's overloaded," explained Barrichello. "It's too much for a single human being. He ends up achieving only half of his own capability doing his own job because he's overseeing other things.

"Sam is a great engineer. He went into the job very early, very young and ended up doing things that he was capable of, but he was still learning. His real capabilities are creating the car and working on the engineering side."

Barrichello also suggested that the team should have consulted him more about what it was planning to do – and not been so quick to speak to the media.

When asked how much the team spoke through things with him, he said: "Not much. I didn't have much to do with it. They asked me about Sam a lot and I'm sad to see him go.

"In my opinion, in the right role for him with other people, he could work very nicely in the team. But that's not up to me to decide – that's Sam's decision. We get on well and he works in a way that I like, he would just need to be put back working on the things that he likes to work on the most. That I was consulted on.

"The rest I got to know – but I would have liked to get consulted as well. It's something that needs changing – Williams needs to work as a family, not keeping things to themselves and going to the press."

Speaking about Coughlan's potential, Barrichello said: "I don't know him very well. People have asked me if it's going to make Williams look bad, but I don't think so.

"I think that people in life only learn by making mistakes. If you make a mistake and then you become a better person, that's the whole attitude of life. If you build a very nice car next year and the car is fast, then the past is long. I welcome him very much with all of his knowledge and hope that he makes a good contribution."

Nico Rosberg insists that talk about his future plans is 'not a topic' for him right now - as he insists his focus is on helping push current team Mercedes GP to the front of the grid.

The German has been linked in recent weeks to possible vacancies at both Red Bull Racing and Ferrari in the future on the back of the strong form he has shown for his current team.

Rosberg joined Mercedes GP at the beginning of last year in a deal that is believed to take him through to the end of 2012 – although it is not known if the final year depends on options in the contract.

On the back of that speculation about his future, Rosberg said in Turkey that he was not thinking about anything other than his job at Mercedes GP.

When asked by AUTOSPORT about what his future mindset was, Rosberg said: "It's not really a topic at the moment for me.

"At the moment we need to make the best to improve our upward trend and it is a situation which I am enjoying, together with this team.

"It is great with Ross [brawn] and all the people who are here. It is a great situation to work very hard with the challenge of improving as a team to move forward. And hopefully get some even better results soon."

Although Rosberg still has not won a race, he insisted that he was not yet feeling desperate to end his duck.

"Impatient to win? Not really impatient because I can get my success like in Shanghai if I would have finished on the podium or whatever. I would have gotten my sense of satisfaction from that, even though it is not a win.

"Impatient is the wrong word, but yes it would be great to win soon. It will be fantastic and I am sure it will come."

Rosberg said that his chances of taking that maiden win this year would depend on how well a host of upgrades on his Mercedes GP worked.

"We need to see how the upgrades go first of all, and how it compares to other teams because we are going to have some good stuff coming.

"There is a lot possible here with the tyre degradation, with the strategy, and it can have a big influence on the race. Strategy wise, we are definitely set up very, very well with Ross [brawn] and James [Vowles] and [Andrew] Shovlin doing the work. They are fantastic in that area so that will be one of our strengths."

Pirelli wants to open discussions with teams about changing the wet weather tyre allocation limits on Formula 1 weekends to prevent drivers running out of sets.

Under the current F1 rules, drivers are limited to four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of wet tyres for the whole event.

Should practice and qualifying deliver conditions that meant drivers got through a few sets of tyres, it could leave them short of available new rubber for the main event on Sunday.

Pirelli director of motorsport Paul Hembery expressed some concern about the situation after wet running in Turkey - and said that he would like to discuss possible solutions with the teams.

"On the balance everything is good, but I think there is a serious discussion to be had about a contingency for what would happen if we had three days of running and how we would then have a race," Hembery told AUTOSPORT.

"We cannot sit back and say the regulations limit us to a certain number of sets. If we had three days of rain, then teams would not be able to run in some sessions, so there is a big question mark there.

"I have never come across three [consecutive] days of rain, but it is a reality and it might happen some time. So I think as a sport we need to think of a backup for that.

"We are going to have a few thoughts about that, go to the teams and then maybe come up with some ideas about what we should do as a sport."

Sebastian Vettel has played down the impact his crash during practice will have in his preparation for the Turkish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver, the winner of the first two races, lost control of his car during a wet opening practice session, crashing heavily against the barriers.

As a result of the accident, Vettel was unable to run in the afternoon.

The world champion, however, says the lack of running will not be a big problem.

"It makes it a bit more difficult, no doubt, but I don't think it will be a problem," said Vettel. "We know the track quite well from the past years, and in the end it was only one afternoon we had in the dry.

"We'll see. I'm still confident for tomorrow. Everything is open. It looks fairly close and I think it will be quite exciting tomorrow."

Vettel said he apologised to his mechanics and admitted the most important thing was that he was uninjured.

"You could see there was nothing I could do to stop the car from hitting the wall, so I think the most important thing is that I'm fine," he said.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the car ready in time. There was a little bit too much damage. I'm sorry for the guys. I apologised because it was not my intention to damage the car. But this is racing and it can happen. I think the most important is that we are still here."

Team-mate Mark Webber enjoyed a more productive session and said Vettel would be relying on his data for Saturday.

"For sure there will be a lot of stuff he will be looking at overnight, it's normal when someone has a rough day the tries to see what we can from the other side of the garage," he said.

The Australian, fifth fastest in the afternoon, conceded the opening session had been very tricky because of the conditions.

"It looks like there are sections of the track where it is hard for the tyres to move the water, which it makes it tricky for us. It's just a shame that some of the corners where those issues are very quick.

"We saw a lot of guys, including myself, have issues in fifth in the little kink which is tricky when it's wet so, that's the way it is. We are learning a lot about the tyres that's for sure."

Lewis Hamilton believes tyre wear will be nowhere near as big an issue in the Turkish Grand Prix as was feared before the weekend.

With the Istanbul Park's challenging Turn 8 one of the toughest corners for tyres on the calendar, it had been thought that this race would see more tyre stops than in the preceding three grands prix.

But after his first dry running at the track on Pirellis in Friday afternoon practice, Hamilton felt the tyres had coped fine.

"Quite surprised that they felt very similar to the last race," he said.

"I thought they'd be a lot worse here, but the long run was probably one of the best practice long runs I've ever had, so it was really good.

"I expect something similar to Shanghai, definitely. Two or three stops, no more than that."

Hamilton was third in the session, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button fastest. The latter was cautiously content with the car.

"We were reasonably happy with the balance, but there's more that we need to find to look after the tyres in a race situation," said Button. "Over one lap the car's working okay, but again we're not quite there yet. But it's not bad."

He said that McLaren was unable to introduce the upgrades it had hoped for in Turkey, so is concerned that other teams with bigger development packages might be more competitive tomorrow.

"We don't have all the upgrades that we hoped for," Button admitted. "It's a little bit disappointing, but we do have some upgrades. It's nice to keep moving forward.

"I'm just a little bit worried about a few other teams out there - I think they have very big upgrades and we haven't seen the true pace of their cars yet."

Pirelli expects to allocate the new more durable tyre compound that was trialled today as its regular hard compound tyre from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.

The hard tyre has not proved to be as durable compared to the soft as was hoped, particularly on more abrasive tracks such as Sepang. But Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery is confident that the trial compound is an improvement.

The teams will have to support the switch, but despite limited running of the rubber today, they are expected to give it the green light.

"We tested a new hard compound this morning and had maybe 10 laps of running," said Hembery. "Our intention is to advise that teams that we take that to Barcelona.

"It's a tyre that's slow on warm-up and the peak performance is a little less, but it has more durability and less decay so over a stint it will be substantially quicker."

The new hard compound has already been tried twice by Pirelli's test team - at Istanbul Park and Barcelona over the past month - and the feedback from the teams has matched its own impressions of the compound.

"Everyone ran the tyre today and we've run it twice," said Hembery. "We're confident in the information we've got.

"We do feel that we have something as we tested it in Barcelona this week and do have something that will solve the issue."

Although the first free practice session was held largely in wet conditions, teams did complete a substantial amount of running on slicks in the afternoon session.

Despite fears that the high-load Turn 8 would lead to excess tyre degradation and wear, Hembery has no major concerns. Although in previous races it has been rear tyre degradation that has been high, initial data indicates that the right front is taking the biggest punishment in the long left-hander.

"We have learned that we are in line with our expectations," he said of Turn 8. "We tested here a month ago and we didn't have any issues any then and we haven't had any issues today.

"We were fortunate to have some decent weather in that second session and had quite a lot of laps with different compounds. The times were clearly very quick, which gave the tyres a good workout.

"Assuming it doesn't rain between now and Sunday, there are a lot of cars running with F1, GP2 and GP3 so the track is going to evolve if it doesn't rain. That will have a bit impact on wear levels. That's something that we have to evaluate tomorrow after FP3 tomorrow.

"I don't think we are looking under three pit-stops. But the teams are going to have to be aware that they might to change strategy during the race."

Formula 1 teams are ready to listen to what News Corporation's plans for the future are, saying that ownership of a share in the sport is an ambition they are keen to achieve.

Just days after News Corp went public in confirming it was involved in a tie-up with Italian investment group Exor to ponder a move into F1, and it was keen to engage in discussions with the sport's stakeholders, team representatives have said they are 'excited' about the latest developments.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who is chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), said that beyond securing future stability for the sport, teams were eager to become shareholders too.

"I think it ultimately is desirable to have team ownership of commercial rights," he declared during a media briefing held by FOTA in the McLaren motorhome.

"CVC [the current owners] have claimed, or their representative has claimed, that they are not looking to sell, but there are not many venture capitalists who want to keep businesses on their books infinitum. Who knows? I have no insight into it and I have not had the discussion personally with CVC.

"I think the teams want to ensure that first and foremost that we have stability, we want to ensure that the sport is sustainable and to be sustainable you need the appropriate level of investment to promote and develop the sport. You need the appropriate distribution of the revenues to teams to make it sustainable and those are the primary things.

"Largely, who owns it, to most teams, is not the biggest concern. I think you want stability, you want people investing in the future and you need an appropriate distribution to the teams, and if you have all those things and you have good owners, whoever they are, that is positive.

"The teams then I think, we have all got to look at whether we, each of us, want to be involved in an ownership model in the future, if the current owners want to sell. I suspect they will at some stage but we will have to see."

FOTA is due to hold a meeting on Sunday in Istanbul to discuss the News Corp situation, with Whitmarsh keen for teams to be unified when it comes time to talk to the media organisation.

"We will talk about," said Whitmarsh. "It will be the first time the teams have sat down and had discussions since some of the revelations of the week have come out, and it will be useful to get people's view.

"Part of getting the teams to work together is improved communication and before FOTA really, seldom did the teams sit down and say what do you think of this? What have you heard?

"We will be talking about some of the issues of which questions have been asked here, asking for views and whether teams feel comfortable that we are all on the same page and all pointing in the same direction - making sure we are all aligned on what our strategy should be for going forward commercially and in all the other facets of our sport."

When asked if FOTA would be open to hearing what News Corporation has to say about its future plans, Whitmarsh said: "Of course. We have to be open to that, but we have to be respectful of our relationship with the current commercial rights holder in terms of the limits of that we are not entering into any negotiations.

"But if people want to say: look we have an interest in buying into F1 we have an interest in buying maybe from CVC, what are your views?

"It is exciting if there are new organisations that may bring new things to the sport. I think that is to be encouraged."

Whitmarsh did play down talk, however, that the tie-up between New Corp and Exor, which has close links with Ferrari's parent company Fiat, was not the first step towards a breakaway championship.

"I don't think we or anyone at the moment wants to posture and threaten on that," he said. "We need to find a sustainable, commercial way forward. We want to see investment. Whether that is with existing partners or future partners, I think again we should be delighted that people are taking an interest in our sport and that wasn't the case a couple of years ago.

"We are seeing now a flow back of sponsorship interest at all levels of the sport, and that is positive. We have stabilised costs to a degree, we are trying to work together and if people are saying now is the opportunity to come in to F1, there are all sorts of pitfalls and trenches that we can fall into as we try and chart the path going forward. But hopefully we can find a positive way going forward for the sport."

Whitmarsh also made it clear that reports suggesting McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes GP were set for talks with News Corporation in Stuttgart next weekend were wide of the mark.

However, he suggested that it was likely shareholders from the leading teams - which including investment groups from Abu Dhabi and Bahrain - may well be in ongoing discussions with News Corp.

"We are all part of entities where our shareholders talk, they have businesses and they may well be having discussions. But it's not for me to confirm what they are doing and where they are going."

Renault team principal Eric Boullier added: "If there is a strong interest from a new buyer or someone who would like to enter into the buying process for F1, I understand there could be some consultation with the owner of the players [teams].

"That could be normal. It [stories of the four teams meeting] came up into the press and I think out of context, and this is why it is creating all these stories."

Jerome d'Ambrosio has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Turkish Grand Prix after ignoring yellow flags in second practice.

The Virgin Racing driver was deemed not to have slowed down when Pastor Maldonado spun his car at the exit of Turn 8.

The stewards studied the video evidence of the incident and deemed that d'Ambrosio was in breach of the regulations.

The penalty will almost certainly mean that d'Ambrosio will start from the back of the grid, with the Belgian having yet to make it out of Q1 so far this season.

Friday's press conference:

SENIOR TEAM PERSONNEL - Robert FERNLEY (Force India), Mike GASCOYNE (Lotus), Norbert HAUG (Mercedes), Christian HORNER (Red Bull), Franz TOST (Toro Rosso), Martin WHITMARSH (Mercedes)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Robert, Paul di Resta seems to be doing a particularly good job with the team, I think you will agree. Tell us how you came to get him and how he is in the team. Of course, he came from a slightly strange background in DTM.

Norbert Haug: Strange?

Q. Well, shall we say 'less normal' background.

Robert FERNLEY: In 2009 we were talking between Norbert, Martin and myself and we all believed that Paul had been overlooked in the programme for Formula One. Together in 2009 we put a programme for him for 2010 where we all shared a little bit of responsibility to help him though and evaluate him. So, effectively Norbert was committed to help him - not to help him – but committed to him in DTM. We wanted him to keep race sharp there. McLaren very kindly helped with a little more simulator time and obviously having done DTM for a year or two he needed to be weaned off sportscars and, of course, we provided the FP1 time to evaluate him, which is something that hadn't been done before. We sort of broke ground there. There has been one of those stories about links to monies provided by Mercedes and things like that in order to help him come through and that is absolute nonsense. Paul is there entirely on merit. I think it is credit, to a degree, to Force India for finding and identifying him and a great help from our partners in bringing him through.

Q. Franz, in China we saw good performance from the drivers particularly in qualifying. Was that a slightly artificial result in comparison to what happened in the race as unfortunately they weren't in the points in the race.

Franz TOST: They did a good qualifying. We started from positions seven and nine but then the start was not so good. After the first lap they came back in positions 10 and 13. Unfortunately Sébastien Buemi damaged his front wing. He got a part against the flap of the front wing and the front wing was damaged. We had to change the front wing, which meant we lost a lot of time and the race afterwards was quite good. He did good lap times. Jaime Alguersuari was quite competitive until the pit-stop. Unfortunately we made a mistake. He lost a right rear tyre and he had to stop so he could not finish the race.

Q. Was it slightly artificial or do you feel they could have been well within the points?

FT: Let me say maybe position nine or 10 would have been possible, but not better.

Q. Is that trend continuing do you feel? Can that trend continue?

FT: It looks like we are close to the points, at least today during the free practice we showed a good performance and I am convinced that we can finish the qualifying tomorrow close to the 10th position, maybe we are in Q3, we will see. But both drivers as well as the team are showing a good performance and therefore I think we can be once more within the points.

Q. Mike, great news for Lotus in that they have taken over Caterham. I realise from a political point of view it probably means more than from an engineering or technical point of view but will things change for you?

Mike GASCOYNE: Not really for the Formula One team although it is great news for Team Lotus as a group. It was always the plan for the team to diversify and look at the automotive field. I think there will be further expansion in that area coming but it is just good news and it puts the whole group on a firmer financial footing.

Q. Norbert, I was going to ask about China where you led. Was that a true performance or slightly artificial but we have seen today that it was almost certainly a true performance. Are you feeling pretty satisfied here?

NH: Yeah, I think China was certainly much, much better than the first two races. They have been very bad indeed, but China was better. Having said that if you look at the two-stop strategy in Sebastian Vettel's case, for example, of course the cars have been a little bit slower as they had longer stints, so it was probably not quite a true picture. But as the race went we would have been in a very good position with the right amount of fuel. But just to clarify that as well, it is very easy if you go so much faster than you anticipated, if you are in free air, then it is about three or four kilos. Everybody needs to save fuel during the course of the race because you are not volunteering and carrying three, four, five kilos more fuel than you basically need as that is lap time as well. In our case it was not a huge amount, but certainly enough after the braking manoeuvre of Nico (Rosberg) and not being in a position to push hard at the end. So it was fifth instead of probably a podium finish, whatever podium finish it would have been, that is speculation. But, yes, a better performance than the races before for both Nico and Michael (Schumacher).

Q. Martin, we don't know where you are in comparison to Red Bull at the moment but pretty close, very close, maybe ahead, maybe behind. But how much do you fear the comeback of Mercedes and even the comeback of Ferrari. Nicolas Tombazis has said earlier on this week that McLaren have actually shown that you can come back in quite a big way and it is almost as though you have had the template of how to come back and now everybody else is going to follow it.

Martin WHITMARSH: No I think we have said from the outset that Adrian (Newey) and Red Bull were doing a great job and they are tough competition. Everyone will start to say it was up to McLaren to beat Red Bull but we were very clear all along that Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault were all capable of raising their game and are a serious threat. They are good teams. They have got good resources, good people, good drivers so we don't take anything for granted. We have to keep pushing to improve. Red Bull will and so will all of our other colleagues. That's the great thing about Formula One. It is a race every fortnight but it is a race between each race to develop the car and whichever of the teams that are here or even those that aren't here that develop the car the most this year they will win the championship. It is as simple as that. Christian knows that, but at Red Bull they are doing a great job but they are not standing still and waiting for us.

Q. Christian, it has been suggested that KERS was the great concentration between the last race and this race. To get it right, to get it working properly. Is that the case? How much concentration has there been?

Christian HORNER: Obviously there has been quite a bit of focus on KERS but that only involves a select group of people. As Martin says development continues on all areas of the car and in this business you cannot afford to stand still. We have been looking to try and enhance the performance of the car, bringing a few smallish upgrades here but in the meantime also trying to get on top of the niggles that we have had with the KERS system. As our understanding has grown we have made more and more headway with the system in a pretty short space of time.

Q. Bob, we have talked about this development race. Can Force India be the equal if not more than those around it? How difficult is it for Force India to maintain a development race?

RF: I think the key thing, as Martin says, is the race between races effectively. Force India isn't standing still. There is no question that we lost direction in the last quarter of 2010 and we had to take stock of where we were, where the issues were and we had to understand what those problems were. I think we identified them over the winter. We are running an evolved 2010 package at the moment, which is trying to correct some of those areas. Today we ran and evaluated the new front end of our aero package and hopefully in Spain and Monaco we will launch what we believe to be the 2011 package or the evolved one, whichever way you want to look at it. That will come out and hopefully it will keep us in line or slightly ahead of our competitors.

Q. Franz, we have seen you running Daniel Ricciardo on all the Friday's so far. Is he being groomed for next year? What is the situation for him?

FT: The situation is that he is driving for Toro Rosso the first practice on Friday. He should learn the team, all the race tracks, to work together with the engineers, get a little bit of knowledge about the press work, about the marketing and this should be the preparation for him to race for Toro Rosso in 2012.

Q. No plans for before then?

FT: No, currently not.

Q. You have two drivers?

FT: We have two drivers, yes.

Q. Mike, what chances of you running KERS later this year. Is that part of the programme?

MG: I think that probably will be pretty difficult for us as a small team. Obviously, it requires some fairly large updates to the chassis to do that. I think we would have to be very convinced of the benefit that would bring outweighed against putting those resources into other areas such as aerodynamics, so I think it is going to be pretty difficult for us. We have got a lot of catch-up work to do in terms of development. We have made a big step forward relative to a lot of the teams on the grid but we have got to do even more as it hasn't really affected our grid position, even though we are more competitive. But we are bringing a range of updates to the coming races so it is unlikely just for the amount of resource that it takes for the gain that you get. But it is something we are very actively working on for next year.

Q. Norbert, do you feel you are now potential winners?

NH: Potential winners? Not yet. We are working on it. I think that would be unrealistic. We have been forced last year and I think we have a real strong group of competitors around us. The team won the championship before but we restructured a lot and we have a new environment and we need to resettle things. That takes a while. It takes a while everywhere. But I think there is big potential there. We are learning. It is getting better and better. We certainly underperformed in the first three races. We don't need to repeat that as I think that is well known. Hopefully we can stabilise on China or comparable to China. That would be the plan, to be among third and fourth position and then go forward from there. Every position you want to gain in that region gets tougher and tougher step by step, that's for sure, but the direction is the right one I would say.

Q. Martin, we see Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button racing week in week out. How do they work together? How has that changed? How is that gelling? Is it continuing to gel or do you think it is pretty much stabilised? They seem to get on very well, they don't seem to be major rivals.

MW: Well I think the good thing is they are major rivals on the track. Certainly neither of them likes being beaten by the other one and that is just as it should be. But they are both very, very open with one another. They share information and they share jokes as well so I think it is a fantastic relationship within the team and it helps us, that harmony. You cannot necessarily quantify it on the stopwatch, but it makes a pleasant environment for the engineers, their exchange of information. I think they are both very comfortable in the team. Inevitably two British drivers in the same team, immensely competitive individuals, there has always been the hope in some corners of the media there would be aggravation – and who knows what will happen in the future? But, so far, it has been very, very good. It looks as though it will continue to be so and they will race each other on the track. We have seen it on the track this year. They are not giving anyone quarter, they really want to beat each other, but I think they have got a tremendous amount of trust and respect and I think that makes it easier to calm my nerves a little bit, occasionally, when you are on the pit-wall wondering if you are going to be the idiot team principal that allowed your drivers to race each other.

Q. Is it the best pairing you have ever had, do you feel?

MW: From a relationship point of view I think it is. I think it is very, very, good. It does not matter what I say, anyone can see it. You have only got to come into the McLaren hospitality facility and you see them together. It is very natural, it is not forced. There is general warmth and affection between the two of them.

Q. Christian, I think there was a meeting of the constructors or the team owners the last couple of days. Can you tell us what happened, what was decided or discussed during that time?

CH: A meeting of the constructors?

Q. Well a meeting of the team owners, a FOTA meeting or whatever you like to call it?

CH: I think we got one later this weekend. I wasn't aware of one earlier. Martin is the chairman, ask him.

MW: We will meet at a fairly routine meeting, a number of issues, on Sunday morning.

Q. Christian, tell us about Sebastian's accident today. The damage?

CH: It was a shame. It was just one of those things that we, as a team, were keen to have a look at the inter. As Sebastian went out the rain increased slightly, he got a little bit high on the exit of Turn Eight onto the kerb, just put a wheel on that astroturf that has claimed a few victims today and he was just unlucky. Unfortunately it did quite a lot of damage so rather than rush and cobble together the car for FP2 we decided it was important to rebuild the car carefully in preparation for tomorrow. It was one of those things. It did quite an extensive amount of damage. He must have hit just about every corner on the car so it has given the boys plenty of work to do this evening.

Q. Quite a rare occurrence really?

CH: I cannot think the last time Sebastian went off. It was just one of those things. It just started to rain a little bit heavier at that time. As we saw quite a few other drivers having spins and getting out of shape and unfortunately it just caught him out. It is a quick corner there. There is that bit of astroturf or fake grass and unfortunately there is little to zero grip on there and it just spun him off into the barriers. One of those things. Unfortunately he missed out on running time this afternoon but he saved a few tyres. You never know, he might need them.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) Martin, we had quite a quiet morning at McLaren. I think you only did a few laps but, this afternoon, were you able to put any of the new upgrades on the car or is it basically the same spec as China?

MW: No we had some upgrades, a few. We took the decision this morning that we were not going to have enough time to do everything we wanted, so that was a shame. I think people know we seem to have an ambitious programme normally on a Friday morning. In P1 in particular we knew we could not do any meaningful work so that's slowed us a bit, but that's the same for everyone. You have got a limited amount of testing but we have got a few little bits and pieces, nothing particularly significant. I think here it is a very demanding circuit as we have seen. We were pretty shocking on occasions over the bump going into Turn 12 so I think we have got to do a little bit of work there. I think the drivers weren't, they certainly didn't look comfortable. I wouldn't want to be in their seat when they were going over that bump so I think we have got to do something there. It is a fairly savage bump on most cars but I think we were as bad as most over it. I think we have learnt a fair bit this afternoon. The forecast for the rest of the weekend is that there is a fair chance of rain, certainly on Sunday, and we don't have many intermediate or wet tyres available to the teams so we took a view that we weren't going to learn much, we couldn't do our development programme. You can easy have an accident and what happened to Sebastian, let's be honest, could have happened to any of us. As it happens we did an install lap and we were going to just do a launch in the end. That's all we intended. In the end we didn't quite manage to do that with Lewis anyway so it was a fairly quiet morning, as you say. This afternoon was pretty busy, but there is a limit to what you can do as you have to do some long runs on heavy fuel, on the tyres you think you might start the race with.

Q. (Moderator) A lot of people are talking about the future of Formula One, the future marketing of Formula One. You all have a voice in that, what is it that you personally, in your team, want from Formula One in the future? BF: I think that it should be a collective programme. It's very nice to say what we want individually but we are a group of teams that put on a show, and I think it's the consensus of the teams and where they want to go as a whole, and I think FOTA will handle that under the guidance of Martin and Eric Boullier. There probably are (individual requirements) but I think they have to be brought together with the needs and the consensus of all the teams.

FT: It's important, you know, that from 2013 onwards, the new drivetrain is coming, that the price for the new drivetrain is not too high for the private teams, that we find a consensus like it was with the FOTA teams before, which was quite an important job done by FOTA, that we got a good consensus, and that we are racing in countries who can afford Formula One, that we can save our structure and our income, and that we increase the show. I think that the last races – especially Shanghai – were quite an interesting race, an exciting race and that we can continue to go on in this direction.

MG: I think that it's important for Formula One to develop, to look at issues like green issues but you've got to make sure that it's kept in perspective, that costs don't go up, that we do put on a good show and also that we've got a formula where the independent teams and smaller teams can be competitive, and I think we've gone that route with FOTA. We need to go further down that route, but any changes that we bring in have got to bear in mind that Formula One will put on a good show when it has lots of competitive teams and we've got to make sure that we keep that.

NH: I think first of all we need to describe what we have, and if I look back to the last race, all of us have been in Formula One quite a while, but this certainly was one of the most thrilling races, full of leaders, with Mark Webber storming through the field from 18th position to third, almost catching his team-mate, who started on pole position. So, I think we need to realise what the sport is delivering, what is happening currently and this is very, very good compared to whatever Formula One was capable of presenting in terms of very good and very thrilling races. I think the concept very much influenced by the FOTA teams co-operating with the FIA, the new tyres – everything was really good and, you know, today we are in the position to ask for new powertrains, for not too much money. The manufacturers brought Formula One and the teams into a position where they pay a third of what was paid five or eight years ago. I think sometimes we need to reflect on these facts as well. There is a very, very good Formula One. There is, of course, one team at the moment commanding, leading; McLaren catching up; then a handful of teams behind, chasing, but look at teams like Force India. They are doing an excellent job; look at teams like Toro Rosso, they have had their highlights. Look at traditional teams like Williams; OK, they struggle sometimes but never, ever have there been seven really very good teams in Formula One. Look at us, it's difficult for us to fight for third position and then go from there further on. But again, we are here in Formula One. Others left and I think it is very good that the Silver Arrows are in Formula One. That needs stabilisation, it needs more work but we are here for a decent amount of money and that's good. I don't want to paint the world in blue colours but we should reflect, sometimes, on what we have, because a lot has been achieved already and together we can further improve it.

CH: I think Formula One is a fantastic show, it's a fantastic sport. I think we are all fortunate to be involved in the sport. I think that in the last couple of years the way the sport has continued to evolve, I think the racing on track has been fantastic. The competition has been good and one senses that the buzz about the sport, the interest in the sport has grown, has continued to grow, and you can see that through the television audiences, and in many cases circuit attendance, that we've even seen in the early races. I don't think that we've got there by accident. I think that collectively, the commercial rights holder and the FIA have done a good job to get us to exactly where we are and the teams and the drivers are a key part of that. I think that for Formula One to continue to grow and move forwards is crucial. I think stability is also very important. At the end of the day, it's about the show that we put on. It's about entertaining the crowds, entertaining the fans and the spectators, and that it is man and machine at the limit and that's what Formula One should certainly continue to be. It's important to have a balance of independent teams and manufacturers and I think at the moment we've got that balance right. I think costs have dramatically come down so an independent team such as Red Bull has been able to run at the front and win. I think that's certainly healthy for the sport and I think we're well set for the future.

MW: I think Christian's provided an excellent summary, so I don't know that I can improve on that. From a different angle, I think that for the last 20 years, perhaps we, collectively, have not managed the sport as well as we can. There's been in-fighting, there's a competitive spirit in Formula One that sometimes has been quite damaging. I think the first thing is that we've had a relatively brief era now but we've had an era of unprecedented co-operation between the teams and I think that's been fantastic and trying to get co-operation between the very large teams and the smaller teams has necessitated compromise on both sides, and I think that's been a fantastic effort and I think the teams have collectively worked much better together. We've had some great championships, we've had comparative lack of the paddock polemics, which I think we were all getting bored of, and I think we're focusing on some great racing, a great championship last year and hopefully we will have another one this year. We have to work together with the commercial rights holder, with the governing body and establish that partnership that we can really promote the sport. I think that we've now gone some way to look at improving the show. We now have to tell people about it. We have to promote and I think, again, that needs all of us to work together. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. We're all part of it. All of us, the six of us here have all been part of Formula One for some time so we're part of the historic problem; we've got to be part of the future and how it can be better. I think there is, now, an environment of people realising that we've got to work together. We shouldn't be complacent, we've had some fantastic championships. As Christian said, there is an increasing buzz about the sport but we shouldn't be satisfied with where we are; we have to improve the show, we have to improve the promotion, we have to improve the co-operation, we have to make sure it's sustainable. There are still teams that are vulnerable so we've got to make sure that this is a sport that is affordable for all of the teams. We shouldn't lose any of the teams that we've got if we can possibly help it.

Q. (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Speaking of FOTA, F1 and the future – I'm happy for anyone to answer this if you want to – is it important that F1, as you renegotiate the Concorde Agreement, remains on free-to-air television? Or, could it thrive on a pay-per-view platform?

MW: No, I think it's clear that the business model of all the teams relies on free-to-air. We're selling a large, broad, media exposure. That's the business model and I'm sure that that's the business model of all the Formula One teams will require going forward.

Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) I'll ask Martin this but if anybody else wants to chip in... We still don't know whether there are 19 or 20 races this year. The decision on Bahrain was delayed until next month. How much do you feel that as teams, your views are being listened to, because after all, it's your guys who are going to be on the ground if the race is re-scheduled?

MW: Again, I think the FIA and the commercial rights holder decide the calendar; we turn up and race. I think at the moment there's obviously an evolving situation there. I don't think any of the teams are being consulted, in particular. It is always difficult balancing the calendar. There are some sensitive issues there. I think we've got to wait until we're informed of what that decision is.

Q. (Gary Meenaghan – The National) Two part question: I would just like to gauge your thoughts on what makes a track good for overtaking and what makes a driver good at overtaking?

CH: I think that it's an interesting question and one that is difficult to fully understand. You've got circuits like Brazil, which always delivers good races. There are certain circuits, like Monte Carlo, that don't lend themselves to good overtaking but always, again, have the habit of throwing up good races. I think the interesting thing really is the tools that we have this year, with the KERS system – when it works – and the DRS, the moveable rear wing. They're two elements that have really helped the drivers. I think, in the last two races Mark Webber has passed about 20 cars, which is probably more than he's done in the last five years. It's certainly assisted the drivers, and I think historically, the last two races that we've seen in China and Malaysia, have been quite static races. There's been more of a strategic element, whereas strategy is a crucial part, part of that strategy is that you've got to overtake and certainly the tools that we now have have encouraged that. I'm not quite sure if that fully answers your question, but I hope it gives a bit of an insight.

MG: There are always races where you never get any overtaking – Valencia – and I think that with the changes that we've made on the tyres and the type of racing that's now giving us, I think we need to wait and see and look at some of those circuits that traditionally have been very processional races. And if we get overtaking at those circuits, I think we've shown… Many times we've tried to change the cars to promote overtaking. It's proved to be very, very difficult, almost impossible. Certainly we need to look at circuit design, but also with the tyres operating in the way they are, it provides a very cost-effective way to get very exciting racing, rather than very expensive car changes. In the past, we were guilty of bowling ourselves a bit of a googly too often and spending lots of money and not really getting any improvement in the racing. The tyres this year have shown us a very clear direction.

Q. (Marco degl'Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Christian about Sebastian's accident: I can imagine that in the accident there has been some damage to some new aero parts updated for this race. Will it be OK to change them for tomorrow and for the race, or are you concerned that you have to take a step back?

CH: I think we're reasonably well-equipped because you need to look at the data, look at the parts that have been consumed in the incident. But the information that I have so far shows that we are in reasonable shape but obviously need to understand the configuration the guys want to run the cars in tomorrow.

Q. (Cem Nadiran – Power FM) This weekend is actually a very sad weekend for us, because as residents of Istanbul, this is supposed to be the last race in Istanbul. I just want to know how you guys feel about this and how you felt about the seven years that you've been coming here and racing in Istanbul? How was it for you? Is it a hassle to be racing here in Istanbul or is it something nice for you? How do you feel about Istanbul Park? And what can you do to help us fix this situation?

MW: Firstly, I'm not aware that any formal decision has been made that it's the last time we're here and I, for one, hope that it isn't. Istanbul is a great city, I think people like coming here and of the modern circuits, this, actually, is one of the good ones. It's a good circuit, it's a great city, we enjoy coming here and I think all the teams are of that mind. There are lots of rumours about the future of this Grand Prix. Maybe some of my colleagues are better equipped than me but I certainly haven't any definitive information to suggest that this is the last time we're here. I very much hope that it isn't.

FT: It would be a shame if it's the last race here because now the infrastructure has really been built quite well and it's beautiful to come here, to the track. The streets, everything has been finished now. As everything is finished, it looks like we don't come any more, but it's totally easy: give Bernie more money and we come.

NH: I think this is an exceptional race track. Martin already pointed out that, of the new race tracks, this is certainly a very good one, a special one. Turn eight, I think we saw fantastic television pictures today. OK, the bumps are probably not what you want, but they are delivering spectacular pictures and so it's a great track. The city is fantastic. It's very good, you will probably never be caught speeding in Istanbul, which is also a positive in a way. We like being here, but it's not in our hands. Arrangements must be the right ones, but I think the guys here and the teams – they really like it, absolutely. We have been with here with DTM as well. We have been here with our partners, McLaren and we have good memories. I think we won three times in total with our engine, with our partners. It's a great venue and a great track of course. We could do with some more spectators, but it needs to be developed in the right way, and as Martin pointed out, I'm sure there can be a future.

Q. (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) Martin, I would like to revisit the issue of free-to-air and pay-per-view television. How does one really define free-to-air because arguably the BBC annual licence fee is a pay-per-view and in this instance… If you look at internet, for example, that could be free-to-air if we go in that direction and is it not really the business models that are possibly at fault as opposed to the broadcast medium? One of your members said to me that they got 42 seconds of TV out of China. That's not really free-to-air stuff, is it?

MW: OK. You're right, it's a much more complicated issue than terrestrial free-to-air versus pay-per-view but I think that what we require in Formula One is a mass audience to television, mass audience to the pictures we produce, whether that's internet, whatever the means. I was trying to answer that question, but inevitably, nowadays, media is much more complex than the polarised debate about pay-per-view and free-to-air terrestrial, but we certainly need a mass audience.

Q. (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) Wouldn't it be true to say that the future is now more business-to-business in terms of sponsorship rather than stickers?

MW: I think Formula One remains the third largest sporting spectacle, the most powerful sporting media for creating media exposure, brand differentiation and media exposure is one of the most powerful driving forces of this sport at the moment and I think it will be for the foreseeable future, so I think all of the brands or primarily all of the brands that are involved in Formula One expect to see a very, very broad exposure of their brands, as a consequence of investing in Formula One.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Christian, after a hard end to his 2010 season and a rather disappointing beginning to 2011 – at least if you compare his performances to his teammate's – is Mark Webber in an awkward position in your team, regarding his contract for next year? So my question is: is it true he's in danger? Secondly, he said yesterday he has his own destiny in his hands, which means that if he's good and he's sure he will perform well this year, he will stay at Red Bull. Is that true? And thirdly, if you had to change him, would you rather take a driver from Toro Rosso or any other driver?

CH: Wow. That was a big question! Mark has had a difficult start to the year, or certainly up to the race in China and he drove an absolutely phenomenal race there. He's had some bad luck but he's still delivering at a massively high level and I think that the dynamics that we have between the two drivers, the combination of the two, is really very positive. They bring the best out of each other, they push each other hard. Mark, who is 34 years of age, 35 later this year… it was inevitable that we would, at a certain stage in his career, start to take things one year at a time which was a mutual thing. It was agreed between Mark and the team that we would take things, at this stage in his career, one season at a time and we're only three races in (to this season). It's way too early to be focusing on 2012 at this point in time. We're very happy with Mark. He's a very popular member of our team. He enjoys driving for us, we enjoy having him there. He's delivering at a fantastically high level, he's probably one of the most dedicated Grand Prix drivers out there. But at this stage, it's certainly too early to be talking about the future. There will be a private discussion that we have with Mark and not something to be conducted through the media. When the time's right we will sit down and discuss it. Toro Rosso are doing a great job of developing young drivers. Sebastian Vettel came through the Red Bull Junior programme and as a graduate from Toro Rosso, so, of course, we keep an eye on how the Toro Rosso drivers are developing and it's great to see not just the current drivers but the future drivers as well, further down the ladder: Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne, even Carlos Sainz Jnr in Formula Renault. Red Bull has invested in some real talent but it's way too premature to be speculating on whether or not any of those will sit in a Red Bull racing car. We're happy with our current line-up and that's what we're focused on.

Katsuya · May 6, 2011

Hm. Red Bull don't look confident here, but they never have around Turkey, to be fair. Even last year, they were being reeled in by the McLarens before they came together. It looks like it might be a good weekend for McLaren then, and Mercedes are looking mightily strong all of a sudden.

Lineker · May 6, 2011

The general vibe of everyone is "oh, we have loads of significant new parts but we don't know if we'll be closer to Red Bull until the race".

Lineker · May 8, 2011

Sebastian Vettel shrugged off his lack of Friday running to go quickest in the final practice session ahead of Turkish Grand Prix qualifying.

The Red Bull driver edged out countryman Michael Schumacher by just a thousandth of a second as Mercedes continued to show very promising form and took second and fourth places, with Mark Webber putting the second Red Bull third ahead of Nico Rosberg.

After his Friday crash, Vettel had insisted that the loss of the afternoon's dry running would not hold him back - and he proved his point by hitting the front 25 minutes into today's session, and remaining on top until the late qualifying-style soft tyre runs started.

The usual flurry of changes at that juncture saw Sebastien Buemi, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, and both Mercedes take turns at the front in quick succession, before Vettel reclaimed the top spot by setting a 1m26.037s with a minute a go. It was just 0.001s ahead of Schumacher's time, but some of Vettel's advantage had been lost when he came across Tonio Liuzzi's Hispania in the final corners.

Mercedes had held first and second going into the closing minutes before both Red Bulls made their late improvements to take first and third.

The McLarens were fifth and sixth, Jenson Button ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Behind Vitaly Petrov's seventh-placed Renault, the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa were eighth and ninth. The former slowed after his soft tyre run, reporting that his car was stuck in sixth gear.

Buemi's soft tyre time in the Toro Rosso was good enough to keep him in 10th. His team-mate Jaime Alguersuari had the only notable incident of the session when he spun off at Turn 4.

FP3


Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time       Gap       Laps

 1.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m26.037s            17

 2.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m26.038s  + 0.001s  17

 3.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m26.404s  + 0.367s  16

 4.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m26.420s  + 0.383s  19

 5.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m26.578s  + 0.541s  17

 6.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m26.726s  + 0.689s  14

 7.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m26.755s  + 0.718s  20

 8.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m26.819s  + 0.782s  12

 9.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m26.883s  + 0.846s  12

10.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m27.080s  + 1.043s  16

11.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m27.121s  + 1.084s  20

12.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     1m27.255s  + 1.218s  18

13.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m27.318s  + 1.281s  19

14.  Nick Heidfeld       Renault               1m27.379s  + 1.342s  17

15.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m27.528s  + 1.491s  19

16.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m27.644s  + 1.607s  18

17.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m27.724s  + 1.687s  15

18.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m27.976s  + 1.939s  19

19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault         1m28.911s  + 2.874s  15

20.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault         1m29.697s  + 3.660s  17

21.  Jerome D-Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m31.097s  + 5.060s  25

22.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m31.175s  + 5.138s  19

23.  Tonio Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth          1m31.375s  + 5.338s  19

24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m32.009s  + 5.972s  15


All timing unofficial[/code]




Sebastian Vettel continued his 100 per cent pole position record for 2011 in Turkey, his lack of dry running on Friday proving no disadvantage whatsoever as he blitzed all three parts of Istanbul qualifying.



His team-mate Mark Webber completed an all-Red Bull front row, 0.4 seconds slower than Vettel, with the team so confident of its superiority that the two drivers went for just one early run in Q3 then sat in the pits watching their rivals fail to beat them.



Nico Rosberg underlined Mercedes' improvement by grabbing third on the grid, but his team-mate Michael Schumacher could not maintain his practice form and was only eighth.



The McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button took fourth and sixth, split by Fernando Alonso - the Ferrari driver continuing to take fifth in every qualifying session of 2011.



Vitaly Petrov took seventh on the grid for Renault, two places ahead of team-mate Nick Heidfeld. Three-time Turkish Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa, who had an engine change after practice, made it into the top 10 but did not run in Q3 so will start 10th.



Rubens Barrichello gave Williams its best qualifying position of a tough season so far in 11th - though he had been on course for a Q3 slot until Heidfeld squeezed ahead by 0.024s in the dying moments of Q2. Pastor Maldonado was 14th in the second Williams, with the two Force Indias between them.



Kamui Kobayashi was classified last, his Sauber having cut out on the back straight before he could set a Q1 time. His team-mate Sergio Perez took 15th ahead of the Toro Rossos.



Lotus did not get a car through to Q2, though Heikki Kovalainen was within a respectable half-second of the cut-off as he beat team-mate Jarno Trulli by 0.9s.



Tonio Liuzzi impressively qualified his Hispania between the two Virgins - and will start ahead of both as Jerome D'Ambrosio's five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement in practice means he will drop from 20th to last.



[code]Qualifying


Pos  Driver                Team                 Time         Gap   

 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m25.049s

 2.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m25.454s  + 0.405

 3.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m25.574s  + 0.525

 4.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m25.595s  + 0.546

 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m25.851s  + 0.802

 6.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m25.982s  + 0.933

 7.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault              1m26.296s  + 1.247

 8.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m26.646s  + 1.597

 9.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault              1m26.659s  + 1.610

10.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              No time

Q3 cut-off time: 1m26.740s                                   Gap **

11.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth    1m26.764s  + 1.154

12.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m27.027s  + 1.417

13.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m27.145s  + 1.535

14.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth    1m27.236s  + 1.626

15.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m27.244s  + 1.634

16.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m27.255s  + 1.645

17.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m27.572s  + 1.962

Q3 cut-off time: 1m28.321s                                    Gap *

18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault        1m28.780s  + 1.767

19.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault        1m31.119s  + 2.106

20.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth      1m30.445s  + 3.432

21.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth         1m30.692s  + 3.679

22.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth      1m30.813s  + 3.800

23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         1m31.564s  + 4.551

24.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       No time


107% time: 1m33.103s


* Gap to quickest in Q1


** Gap to quickest in Q2

Pirelli is ready to commit itself to a long-term future in Formula 1 after expressing delight that it has put the 'emotion' back into the racing.

On the back of an exciting start to the season, Pirelli's chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera says he is satisfied with the job his Italian company has done so far, and he sees every reason for his company to remain in F1 if it continues to make financial sense.

"We have a three-year contract, and we want to learn together with the teams how to do anything that helps to have more attractive and fascinating races," he said during a visit to the Turkish Grand Prix. "We have achieved our targets until now and we want to continue.

"F1 is a long term project if it is affordable. If it is a formula that is not too costly, then we are ready to continue."

Provera says that what Pirelli has done this year - in producing tyres to ensure multiple pitstops in the race - was something that was harder to achieve that designing tyres that could last a full race distance.

"We were asked to help create more emotions and we did it, with safe tyres lasting enough but not too much – which is really very, very difficult," he said.

"I think we helped having more attractiveness, uncertainties and more show. That was the target they gave us, so we had to build tyres lasting no more than 23-25 laps in order to guarantee two pitstops.

"We reached a target that is much more difficult than building tyres that last for the entire grand prix. The tyres perform well, we pit twice for the highest speed in different circuits so our tyres are performing, the structure is okay and the formula is such that they last as the circus wants."

With F1 teams paying 1.25 million Euros each for tyres, Provera said that his company's involvement was good value – as its only real cost was in advertising its involvement.

And he said that as long as costs did not get out of control, Pirelli would be willing to go up against tyre competition in the future.

"We are open to it," he said. "But it always depends on costs. We left because of the costs, we came back because it was affordable and we will stay if the teams are providing us with an opportunity to stay.

"I think that the experience we are making makes us more comfortable in staying in, but then it depends on costs."

Provera also said that his company had no concerns about the future battle for control of F1 – with media group News Corporation investigating a future takeover of control of the sport from Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners.

"We are not involved in this," he explained. "We are first the supplier of the tyres, not the supplier of promotions, so anybody who is running F1 will be welcome.

"Of course our relation with Ecclestone is very good. We appreciate what he is doing – he has created this circus, and we have delivered what he has been asking us, so we are happy with him."

McLaren says it has no qualms about its former chief designer Mike Coughlan returning to Formula 1 in a new role with Williams.

Coughlan was dismissed by McLaren in the middle of 2007 because of his involvement in that year's F1 spy controversy - and he was subsequently banned from the sport for two years because of his actions.

Since leaving F1, Coughlan has worked on designing a military transport vehicle and been involved with Michael Waltrip Racing in NASCAR - but he will now join Williams as its new chief engineer in June.

Although his return has brought some controversy, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says he has no problems with Williams' decision – which comes with former Renault technical director Pat Symonds also working in F1 again for Virgin Racing following his exile after the 2008 Singapore race-fix controversy.

"The events that led to us dismissing Mike were nearly four years ago and I think we have to look forward now," said Whitmarsh.

"Williams is a great team and, if the changes they are making can bring them further up the field, then that is good for the sport and that is right.

"I don't know where Pat Symonds is coming back, but although FOTA is concerned about the image of the sport, I don't think we want to become controller of moral ethics in the sport.

"We want to see clear governance, and we want to see it run correctly. But the fact is, I don't think many of us here know the details of what really happened or can make judgement on those people."

Bahrain Grand Prix chiefs say they are now 'ready' for the Formula 1 race to be reinstated on the calendar this season.

Although the future of the event has been uncertain since it was postponed earlier this year because of political turmoil in the Gulf state, officials said on Saturday that the situation has improved enough for it to press on with getting the event put back on the schedule.

Representatives from the Bahrain International Circuit have travelled to this weekend's race in Turkey to meet with teams and F1 officials to discuss the plan - and they say things are now in place for it to seek the race taking place.

Zayed Rashed Al Zayani, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, told AUTOSPORT in an exclusive interview: "If it was up to us, we are ready. We are happy to have it. We are ready to host it. But unfortunately it is not our decision alone.

"There are many factors involved. We are hoping for the best and would like to have the race back obviously."

He added: "It was our decision at the beginning of the year to postpone the race because there were more priorities happening in Bahrain. Things are calm now, life is back to normal.

"We are in a position to have international events once again - and we have already confirmed the CIK event in November plus other motorsport events. And we are happy to have F1 back in Bahrain. We have been there for seven grands prix already and we would like to continue."

Al Zayani said that discussions with F1 chiefs had not got as far as sorting out a possible date for the event, but believed that working that out with the FIA was the next step to resolving its future.

"We have to find a solution with them [the FIA]," he said. "We have to reach a solution, whether we have a race or not. And if we have the race, then they will need to work more than us on the date. We are there any day of the year.

"And if they can slot us in somewhere, then we will start planning for the actual event to take place. Otherwise, if the consensus is not to have a race for this year, then we will wait for the 2012 calendar and then we will plan accordingly."

Bernie Ecclestone says he does not want to rush the decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix despite organisers saying they are ready to host the event.

Ecclestone said he would be happy to have the race back in the calendar but admitted another grand prix would have to be moved in order to reinstate Bahrain.

And he fears there would be trouble if one race is moved and then Bahrain is unable to host the event.

"I think if they are happy to run the race and they are confident they can run the race, it means we have to change for somebody else," said Ecclestone on Saturday.

"We are happy to do it. But what we don't want to do is change and then suddenly find that something unfortunately happens and we are in trouble."

When asked if he had spoken to the Brazilian GP organisers about a possible date change, he said: "I have spoken to a lot of people."

The Formula 1 boss also said he would like the Turkish Grand Prix to stay in the calendar next year, despite doubts about the future of the event.

"I would like to stay here. I brought the race here. I got all this constructed so I don't want to leave. I am seeing some ministers tomorrow. Then we will see."

"Until I have spoken to the people in question there is no point making any silly statements."

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone remains sceptical about New Corp's bid to buy the commercial rights to the sport, the Briton saying he has had no contact with the company.

"Nothing has changed," said Ecclestone in Istanbul on Saturday.

"Actually [Rupert] Murdoch is trying to buy the rest of their shares in Sky and they have been doing that for three years so they have got plenty of practice in doing things and not succeeding."

Ecclestone said there had been no contact between himself and representatives from the News Corp/EXOR bid which have expressed interest in purchasing the rights to the sport in recent weeks.

When asked if he expected contact to be made, he answered: "Why don't you ask CVC, they are the shareholders."

The Briton, however, admitted he would welcome the move.

"It will nice, wouldn't it? They [EXOR] are already involved, they own Ferrari."

Ecclestone also ruled out the possibility of a breakaway championship amid talks to renew the Concorde Agreement.

"There have been enough times that people wanted to do a breakaway but they haven't succeeded up until now. We've had five or six Concorde Agreements and there is always these sorts of discussions going on before.

"It is normal foreplay before these things happen."

And the F1 boss also laughed off comments from the teams about wanting to purchase a stake in the sport.

"It is really like... I go normally to a restaurant in London two or three times a week, there is not a lot of point in me going and saying to the owners I want to have a share of the restaurant just because I eat there.

"These people would look bloody stupid with all their trucks and their uniforms if they have got nowhere to race. It is the same as if I went to the restaurant and they had no food to serve me."

Paul di Resta has been reprimanded for having missed a weighbridge call during qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix.

The Force India driver was summoned by the stewards after he failed to stop at the weighbridge following the end of Q2.

Di Resta, who qualified in 13th position, has escaped a penalty though, as his view of the light that forces him to stop was hampered by a car running in front of him.

"It was nothing other than that I was very close to one of the Toro Rossos, I didn't see the light, I reacted to somebody's hand and there was a bit of confusion as to whether it was for the car in front or for me, and you're running at 100km/h," he said.

"So I radioed in straight away to the team and I said 'I'm not sure if I missed that or it was for the other car.'

"We immediately offered to the FIA to take the car in to weigh it, and now it's all clear, although I was given a reprimand. It still means something, but when you're in the car doing 100k and you're that close to the car in front, it wasn't very visible.

"I've never been stopped at the weighbridge before so I don't know what the procedure is."

He admitted he was relieved not to get a penalty.

"Yeah, I think it would have been a bit harsh if that had happened because genuinely it was nothing other than I didn't see anything."

The stewards have also ruled that Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi will be allowed to take part in the race despite failing to set a time in qualifying.

Ferrari is planning a development upgrade of its wind tunnel later this summer in a bid to put to bed the correlation problems that have affected its early season form.

The Maranello-outfit discovered in the first few events of the year that upgrades fitted to its car were not delivering the increase in downforce that wind tunnel data suggested they should.

A detailed analysis of the problem, which included using the former Toyota team's wind tunnel in Cologne for calibration purposes, showed that the problem was caused by its Maranello tunnel producing the wrong data.

Modifications have already been made to help the situation, and technical director Aldo Costa said in Turkey on Saturday that a major upgrade programme will also be undertaken later this year.

"It is not unusual to have a problem in the wind tunnel, unfortunately when it happens to us there is a lot of attention," he explained.

"These cars today are quite complex in terms of vortices management in a lot of areas, so there were some areas where it was not working so well. So we had to review something in the tunnel, I don't want to be more specific than that, and in terms of the architecture of the tunnel.

"Plus we have to redesign some more detail areas of equipment itself, which will be done after the August break probably - so in September or October, something like that."

Costa confirmed that the use of the Toyota facility had helped highlight the cause of Ferrari's problems.

"We investigated in the Toyota wind tunnel, so we have the possibility to compare the three different environments [the two tunnels plus the track] - and also a fourth because there is the CFD as well.

"I think we have done quite good progress in that understanding, and I hope by September or October we will achieve a very, very good point in terms of correlation of tunnel and track."

When asked if he felt that was too late to help the team recover the lost ground this year, Costa said: "We have already fixed and understood quite a lot of problems - so it [the tunnel] is working at the moment.

"We are continuously improving the wind tunnel and there is action to come in the next few months. The last few actions will be in order to put definitely to bed this issue, and they will be September/October."

Post-qualifying press conference:

Q. Sebastian, four poles out of a four this season. That is testament to your competitiveness this season?

Sebastian VETTEL: First of all apologies to the team and to the mechanics. I damaged the car pretty much yesterday so we couldn't run at all. We missed the session in the afternoon but they fixed it for today. I think they did a very good job. We have been there since this morning so I am very happy with the result. We had not a really trouble free morning but all in all we still had a bit to catch up. I like the track so that helps and it was nice to see that without that many laps I was able to come back and find the rhythm so all in all very happy today. It was a bit funny as both Mark and myself we decided in the last bit of qualifying in Q3 to skip the second run and it is very strange the feeling that the others are on the track and you know that they can beat you but you can just watch. There is nothing you can do. Obviously it is good to save a set of tyres for tomorrow but it is an odd feeling - but very happy obviously.

Q. Mark, talk us through the thinking about that from the team side. You want to save a set of tyres but you must have been quite tempted to go out and do another run?

Mark WEBBER: Yeah, particularly for me it was a little bit more interesting. I would have liked to have a couple more tenths to have the margin. Obviously Seb did a good lap for pole but my lap wasn't too bad. We spoke about it before qualifying that tomorrow is going to be a pretty long race and every lap you can try and get back today might help you tomorrow. Turns out we were in the best grid positions we could get. Obviously other way round here and there but generally the team did a great job so now we are in the best shape we can be in terms of grid positions and in terms of tyres. You cannot get through with any less tyres than that unless you are running scrubbed tyres all day but you are not going to qualify anywhere, so good decision from the team. A little bit of luck, of course, but in the end I was happy with today. Seb did a good lap and I am looking forward to tomorrow's race.

Q. Nico, first time in the top three this season. Mercedes seem to have really bounced back in competitiveness terms. What is the secret to this bounce back do you think?

Nico ROSBERG: It is really great to see. I am very happy for all of us. I think we have just done really well to come back from the difficult start all the way to where we are now. We are getting ever closer to where we want to be and that is really nice. Today was a good day again. I got everything right and I think it worked well with set up and everything. Qualifying generally went very well and I even saved one set of options for tomorrow, which is very positive also for the race.

Q. Sebastian, the race tomorrow. Do you expect something like what we saw in China in terms of race strategies, overtaking and spectacle?

SV: Well we will have to wait and see. But surely I think the races we have had this year have been quite nice to watch. Obviously we were all busy but once we got the chance to see the race I think we were amazed by how much action there was, overtaking et cetera. I think here is a different place to Shanghai, to China, as probably the corner that determines whether you can stall the wing or not - turn nine/ten – is a bit more tricky to get rather than turn 11/12 in China so we will see. I think it will be a tough race, managing the tyres. We will see how many stops we will end up with. I just hope and keep my fingers crossed that we will have radio communication all the way as it is quite useful when your tyres start to go off to talk to your team about what to do and where you are. I am confident. We have a good car so I felt happy today. Hopefully we don't get too much of the action and we just hope that all the action for the spectators is behind us so we will see. But it will be a difficult one.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Sebastian, can we understand that basically the accident has had no effect on your preparation whatsoever?

SV: I think if I would have Turn Eight and inter tyres and the conditions again I would try not to do the same as there is a reason why we want to run on Friday afternoon. It was not nice to stand there to watch. Surely it is not the preferred option, but today we had a good day and it is down also to Mark having a solid run yesterday in the dry conditions. Obviously in the morning it was wet. The happier you are in general on Friday the better it will be on Saturday. Largely we could adapt and use the information Mark found out yesterday afternoon. Straight away I felt comfortable in the car. I found the rhythm of the track quickly so all in all I was very happy this morning and I was confident going into qualifying but it was not a 100 per cent smooth day today. There are still things we have to improve and do better but sitting here now I am very happy and very pleased after a bad shunt yesterday, especially the work load I managed to give to all the mechanics, not just mine but all the team. It was a pretty big hit and therefore a lot to repair but they did a very good job and I had a fantastic car today.

Q. Do we understand that KERS is working better in the Red Bull now?

SV: Well I mean it is not that easy. It is not just that you go home, you solve the problem and you come again and there never will be a problem again. It is a complex system. Teams like McLaren-Mercedes they are still far ahead as they had all these small tweaks and small problems probably in 2009 so there is still a lot for us to catch up but I think we get more and more confident. As I said on Thursday I am not that old, but I haven't seen anybody who can give you a guarantee on anything so we are sitting here and we cannot guarantee, the whole team cannot guarantee, that we will not have any problems.

Q. You showed a certain amount of confidence with the fact that you went out, did one run and then didn't go out again. Most people who do one run do it later when there's a bit more rubber down.

SV: Well, I think we did the right thing, obviously. By doing that, you never know what can happen. Firstly, you can make a mistake. Obviously, when you drive on the limit, you can always have a wobble here and there and then the lap is not 100 per cent clean. If you do it at the end of the session, then you have no second chance, plus you have the risk of somebody spinning, somebody else making a mistake, causing a yellow flag, maybe a red flag which we even had sometimes last year. So there are pros and cons, obviously, but as I said, we had a good Q1 and Q2 especially so we were confident and both Mark and myself could save a set (of tyres) so that was good.

Q. Mark, well done, second on the grid, was it a coincidence or team plan that you both decided to go out early in Q3?

MW: Yeah, we spoke about it before the session. As Seb said, it's nice to do it earlier than later. I think even Nico ran once, a few teams ran once in Q3. It just depends where you put it. Obviously if you make a mistake, late, you can't go again. If you make a mistake earlier then you can maybe go again, so maybe other teams will look at this strategy in the future. Who knows? It's not rocket science. There are enough clever people up and down the pit lane to have a look at it. We know it's going to be a tough grand prix so everyone's... so it's a long race, we'll do our best, see what happens with the tyres and go from there.

Q. A little bit of a gap between the two of you; can you explain that?

MW: Seb did a great job today. We know he's running good pace on Saturday afternoons, so he's done a good job. Yes, I would have liked to have been a bit closer but we know these cars are very complex and you need everything right to get the laps done so in the end I was happy with what I did, the team did a great job and it's the ultimate result for the team. It would be nice to get pole but we're on the front row. Seb did a good job, deserved pole and here we go, see how we go tomorrow. It's the first lock-out we've had of the front row so we'll try and have a smooth day tomorrow and that will be nice.

Q. You talked yesterday about turn eight being challenging with these new regs. Tell us about what sort of challenges you face?

MW: Ah, just said the tyres get destroyed through there; there's a few corners on the track where the tyres are having a hard time and that's normal, so it will probably be evident in the grand prix, how many stops we make, certainly more than two and less than six. Yeah, we'll have a few pit stops, I'm sure.

Q. Nico, well done to you; you said the tyre situation was good yesterday, still good?

NR: Well, it's going to be an issue, for everybody, for sure. It's just a matter of finding the compromise in the race, how much you can push, how much you need to save tyres for the length of the stint that you have.

Q. Also, looking back to the last race as well, obviously a good performance there, but it's looked good all this weekend as well. Are you happy with third on the grid or could you have done better?

NR: No, I'm happy for sure. It's really nice to see the progress that we're making, when you think where we were four races ago, and now it's huge steps, and really learning from the mistakes and the problems that we've had and really making the most of the car that we have and just extracting more and more from it. So that's really good and I think the team has been doing a great job there and that's why I'm pleased with third, but of course, we're still not where we want to be, so everybody's still going to keep on pushing.

Q. You've got two McLarens behind you and two Red Bulls ahead; is it attack or defence or both?

NR: No, I'm going to have a stunning start because I'm going to be on the clean side of the grid, so I'm going to go straight past Mark and then we will see!

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Nico, you're the first of the rest of the world behind the Red Bulls. Do you think you have the car to beat them tomorrow?

NR: For sure they're quicker at the moment, also in the race so just take it as it comes and I think strategy-wise we are very strong. Another positive is that I have a new (set of) option left for tomorrow because I didn't use it in Q3, so that's going to help me a lot in the race, for sure, so I'm confident that we can have a really good race. How good it's going to be we shall have to wait and see.

Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, you now have five successive poles; do you feel that you can beat Senna's record of eight successive poles?

SV: I think Ayrton was a master in qualifying. I don't know. I go race by race, you know. In the end, there are so many good guys and so many incredible records. I think the more you start talking about (them) the smaller your chances become, so I prefer to not to talk about it.

Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sorry that my question is not one of the nicest for the two Red Bull guys but of course everybody is thinking now that you are on the first row and last year we saw some funny things between you; could you give us your thoughts now about tomorrow?

MW: I think last year when I was in this room there was a different atmosphere, for sure. It wasn't the ideal race. There was a bit of momentum coming into that grand prix, obviously, a few different stories here and there so in the end there was contact, we had a crash. This happens in motor racing, very rarely between team-mates but it happened. I think it's a bit more straightforward these days. The racing is still intensive but the DRS and things like that make it a bit less intense in some ways. You can only do so much. I think we both learned a lot from last year, not just in that situation but in some other situations. At certain stages tomorrow, of course, if we're racing each other and we don't know, sitting here, how the race is going to unfold but there might be times when we're close to each other, and of course, we're not going to repeat what we did last year. Wisdom helps you, DRS also, and things like that. It's changed the racing a little bit, to be honest.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Mark, you're four tenths behind Sebastian on your best lap, so was it a good lap?

MW: Perfect. Couldn't go any quicker.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) So what can you do to beat Sebastian in qualifying ?

MW: I think they took me seriously. The Germans did especially. I think Seb's done a great job, he does a good lap in qualifying, most of the time, we're seeing in Q3 that he's done some phenomenal laps over the years and the bar is very high, clearly. Yes, maybe he didn't do a perfect lap. All of us can find a bit of time here and there but the race is tomorrow.

Q. (Ted Kravitz – BBC Sport) For Mark and Sebastian, can you just expand on the decision not to go out for a final run. Was it discussed in the briefing before qualifying what did each of you think when you were watching the final guys setting their times?

SV: We made the decision on Thursday. What do you expect? Of course we talk about it before qualifying. We talk about what can happen and so on, but you never know. You go into qualifying, you don't know before, especially this morning, how quick the others will be, how much fuel they had on board, you know what you do yourself but surely we have seen in the last race and other races that this year the racing has changed and it's important to

handle your tyre situation. Obviously for both of us, after the first run, we had the feeling OK, we might be safe – might be – but you never know. You play that game until that day arrives when maybe you are wrong, and other people prove you wrong. In the end, you never know. If it works you are the hero, if it doesn't, then you are not.

MW: But also, I don't know what the big deal is to be honest because it's not the first time that I've seen it this year. Nico did one run, we did one run, Heidfeld, Melbourne, I don't know, there's a few guys who have done one run, so it's not, as I said before, it's not rocket science what we did today, just did one run.

Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado do Sao Paulo) Nico, is the change of the exhaust system the main reason for the step forward?

NR: To be honest, we haven't changed that much on the car in the last few races. We're just getting the most out of what we had, because we just went a bit wrong at the beginning of the season, and a lot of things are just coming together and making it work. That's why I'm also looking forward to what's going to come now, once we get some more upgrades and everything is looking more and more positive. There's not one reason, it's just a lot of things coming together where we weren't working the car well, and now getting the most out of it. One area is even mechanical, very simple things where we went in the wrong direction so we moved back in another direction with the springs and bars. For example, even that area definitely gave us a chunk of lap time. Confused ourselves a little bit.

Q. (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) Nico, do you know what problems your teammate had this time?

NR: I don't know. I don't know what my teammate did.

Katsuya · May 8, 2011

Wow. There were times during that race I had no idea what was going on but for all the right reasons. Vettel looks unstoppable no matter what, especially since everyone else in the top five are too busy racing each other now, with Rosberg and the Renaults occasionally involved. Good to see Kamui managing to get to tenth, even if he lost a fair bit of time in one stint it seems :s

Lineker · May 8, 2011

Sebastian Vettel left the excitement in his wake as he took an untroubled third victory from four races in the Turkish Grand Prix.

Mark Webber eventually won a tough battle with Fernando Alonso to complete a Red Bull one-two, though Alonso at least got Ferrari back on the podium after its tough start to 2011.

The McLarens and Nico Rosberg were left to battle for the remaining top six places, producing some spectacular racing as Lewis Hamilton came through to fourth ahead of Rosberg and Jenson Button.

Vettel got a clean break immediately as Webber was jumped by Rosberg's Mercedes off the line. Hamilton tried to get around the outside of the Red Bull too at Turn 3, but ran wide and fell to sixth behind Alonso and Button.

It only took Webber five laps to cruise past Rosberg on the back straight using his DRS, but by that time Vettel was 4.4 seconds ahead and had enough pace to edge slightly further away even after that.

Alonso was past Rosberg as well two laps later, as the Mercedes found itself falling victim to a string of DRS passes in the opening stint. Webber could not shake the Ferrari off, and just after half-distance, Alonso used the trick wing to shoot down the outside of the Red Bull into the final complex to claim second.

He then pulled away for a while, but after their fourth and last stops, Webber was able to take a new set of hard tyres into the closing laps whereas Alonso's rubber was more tired. With seven laps to go, Webber repeated Alonso's earlier DRS move on the Ferrari to reclaim second, and though the Spaniard tried his utmost to re-pass on the outside both at Turn 1 and Turn 3, Red Bull's first one-two of the year was secure - though so was Ferrari's first podium of 2011.

Vettel was able to run much further on his tyres than his nearest rivals and looked like he might manage the distance on three stops rather than more popular four. But in the end he played it safe and mirrored his peers' strategy, maintaining an 8s cushion over Webber until they backed off on the final lap.

The most spectacular racing involved the McLarens, Mercedes, Felipe Massa and the Renaults. Button was the highest placed three-stopper, a strategy that allowed him to briefly lead and run fourth going into the final laps.

But Hamilton - recovering well after a delay at his second pitstop - and Rosberg were able to hunt down and pass Button using their fresher tyres late on, taking them to fourth and fifth as the 2009 champion had to settle for sixth.

Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi drove a superb race to come through from 16th on the grid to seventh on the same strategy as Button, but he too found it impossible to hold off the four-stoppers at the end, and fell to ninth behind the Renaults of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov.

Kamui Kobayashi made a three-stop plan work well to surge from 23rd on the grid to 10th, while Massa failed to score for Ferrari. He lost crucial ground when he ran very wide at Turn 8 after his third stop and fell deep into a crowd of yet-to-stop midfielders, and then was further delayed with a right rear wheel issue at his last stop.

The Ferrari got back up to 11th with a tough late move on Michael Schumacher, who had earlier broken his front wing when he turned in on Petrov as the Renault passed him into the final complex.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul, Turkey;
58 laps; 309.396km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h30:17.558
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 8.807
3. Alonso Ferrari + 10.075
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 40.232
5. Rosberg Mercedes + 47.539
6. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 59.431
7. Heidfeld Renault + 1:00.857
8. Petrov Renault + 1:08.168
9. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:09.300
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:18.000
11. Massa Ferrari + 1:19.800
12. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:25.400
13. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
17. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
20. D-Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps
22. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 5 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:29.703

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Di Resta Force India-Mercedes 45
Glock Virgin-Cosworth DNS

World Championship standings, round 4:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 93 1. Red Bull-Renault 148
2. Hamilton 59 2. McLaren-Mercedes 105
3. Webber 55 3. Ferrari 65
4. Button 46 4. Renault 42
5. Alonso 41 5. Mercedes 26
6. Massa 24 6. Sauber-Ferrari 8
7. Petrov 21 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
8. Heidfeld 21 8. Force India-Mercedes 4
9. Rosberg 20
10. Kobayashi 8
11. Buemi 6
12. Schumacher 6
13. Sutil 2
14. Di Resta 2

All timing unofficial[/code]

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned teams it would be 'suicidal' for them if the sport moved to News Corporation's pay-per-view channels as part of a takeover deal.

Amid signs of intense resistance from Ecclestone about the possibility of News Corporation buying into F1, the sport's commercial rights holder says teams would lose huge sponsorship interest if coverage was no longer on mass market channels.

"Murdoch hasn't got anything really big to drive their TV audiences and Formula 1 would be good for that," he explained in an interview with the official Formula 1 website. "They have been trying to buy the TV rights from us for a long time, but we won't because they are not free-to-air television broadcasters. They are a subscription service.

"Very recently they wanted to do something in Germany, in the UK and in Italy, where they are, but we couldn't do it. Sky is doing an incredible job but if you look at their audience they are nowhere. With these figures it would be almost impossible for teams to find sponsors. That would be suicidal."

Ecclestone suggests that News Corp should forget any plans to try and buy F1, because current majority shareholders CVC Capital Partners are not interested in selling.

"CVC has given the answer," he said. "They are the major shareholders and they do not want to sell. That is 100 per cent for sure."

He added: "Somebody might say that they want to do it, but it doesn't mean that when somebody wants to buy something the owner wants to sell. And CVC made it very clear that they don't want to sell.

"If people don't want to sell, others have to accept that fact. It's as simple as that."

Ecclestone also thinks that the shareholders of teams - who are due to meet with News Corp next week - should forget the idea of a rival bid for the series, or the possibility of a breakaway.

"I hope these people come to their senses," he said. "The teams should be happy to have somebody like CVC not selling to the wrong people, trying to maintain a good level for them and supporting me so that I can go to work and earn some money for the teams."

FIA president Jean Todt says there is little point in the governing body getting involved in discussions about the future ownership of Formula 1 - despite suggesting it was 'strange' that News Corporation and the Exor Group announced their interest so publicly.

After a surge of speculation about the future path of grand prix racing in the wake of Exor announcing a tie-up with News Corp to discuss future possibilities in F1, Todt has reiterated that the FIA is purely a regulator - so does not meddle with the commercial exploitation of grand prix racing.

"As you know the FIA is the regulator of the sport, so it is not involved with commercial matters," he said in Turkey. "F1 commercial rights do belong to CVC, and the CEO of CVC is Bernie Ecclestone. From what I know, CVC has no intention to sell. Will it be true in five years or 10 years? It is not a question for me; it is a question for CVC.

"If one day CVC is deciding that they want to sell the rights they have for the commercial organisation of F1... if it is during the period of my mandate, I need to speak with my people in the FIA to give an agreement about whether they are happy with the people who take over or whether we are not happy.

"And if I may say, another comment, but it is just an opinion, I feel it is strange to say: 'we want to buy before we know it is for sale'. The first action will be whoever is keen to take over the commercial rights, to find out with CVC, its CEO, and chairman of CVC, what is the situation with the commercial rights of F1."

The FIA has a famous veto, known as the 'Don King Clause' about the ownership of F1 – which gives it the right to reject the takeover of the sport by an organisation that it is not happy with.

Todt also clarified that although the FIA may not be delighted with the fees that the governing body got several years ago from the sale of F1's commercial rights for the next century, there was nothing it could do to change that now.

"You will say it's not a lot of money but it is a deal that was signed 10 years ago," he said. "Things have changed but at that time, everybody thought it was a good deal. That is life.

"You may buy a house 10 years ago and it increases in value by tenfold, but that is life. You have to accept it."

Formula 1 teams will be asked to support a move from FIA president Jean Todt for a return of limited in-season testing next year.

Todt believes that the introduction of a total ban on testing during the season from the start of 2009 has been a failure, which is why he is now pushing for a limited amount of running to be allowed.

He has tabled a proposal to allow three lots of two-day testing for discussion at the next meeting of the Formula 1 Commission, which takes place in Valencia on June 23, with the hope that it will be ratified for introduction in 2012.

If, however, teams are not in favour of the change in regulations, then Todt has indicated that he will force it through for 2013 instead.

"For me, it is a stupid decision to have no testing during the season," Todt said during a media briefing in Turkey on Sunday morning.

"In the past it was crazy to have unlimited testing during the year, but to go from unlimited to completely banned, it is not the right measure. It doesn't allow young drivers to test, it doesn't give the opportunity for young drivers to learn some experience in F1, and I will make sure that this situation will change for the future.

"It cannot come back to free testing, but teams now have simulation facilities in the factory, so we are not talking about [a testing ban] being a cost-saving for the big teams.

"So we will push for a few days of free testing during the season as soon as possible but by respecting the rules."

When asked when he thought that was likely to be: "I would have loved to have done it in 2011, but we could not impose it as there was no reason to impose it on safety grounds.

"So, it will be in 2012 if we get enough [support]. It is something that we are going to present at the next Formula 1 Commission which will be on the Thursday in Valencia, and if not then, we can implement it in 2013 without any agreement.

"At the latest it will be 2013, but hopefully people will accept a few days testing during the season from next year on."

Despite his push to change the testing rules, Todt said he was delighted with the early impressions of F1's 2011 regulations.

"I have been watching as much as I can qualifying, free practice and racing on television," he said. "I must say that mainly the last race was amazing. Three things have been introduced - adjustable rear wing, return of KERS and a new tyre. I think the combination of the three has helped tremendously to improve the show.

"I am always very cautious so I would not like to make any conclusion after three races, but if I was back as a team principal I would push my people to try to analyse all that happened.

"I must say I was very impressed with the race and strategy of Mark Webber [in China] because he started 18th and finished third, but he had three new sets of soft tyres. Definitely if you see, he was three seconds quicker [that other cars at times] and if you see the quickest lap time during the race, he was 1.5 seconds quicker than the second one, so it does mean a lot.

"I think really it is a lot to learn, it is a lot to understand and it is fascinating. I just had a short discussion with Stefano Domenicali on how many pitstops they think they need to do.

"Considering the tyres - I must welcome Pirelli because they made very brave decisions when they got into this sharp high-end technical, expertise and business."

FIA president Jean Todt has indicated there is no going back on plans for Formula 1 to switch to 1.6-litre turbocharged engines in 2013 - despite resistance from some teams.

Although the change of engine formula received unanimous support from manufacturers and the governing body when it was initially voted through, in recent weeks concerns have grown about the cost implications of such a big move.

But despite that, and Bernie Ecclestone's dislike of the change because he does not think the engines will sound very good, Todt is adamant that the rules are here to stay.

However, Todt is setting up a meeting with F1's engine manufacturers ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix to discuss the progress they are making with the powerplants.

"Nothing has changed. From 2013 it has been announced that it will be a new engine rule," said Todt during a media briefing in Turkey on Sunday morning. "It is nothing to do with the commercial rights holder [Ecclestone]."

He added: "It was unanimously voted by the WMSC [World Motor Sport Council], you have 26 members and among the members you have two representatives of the F1 world - one which is the oldest team representative, which is Ferrari, and the other one which is the representative of the commercial rights, which is Bernie Ecclestone.

"And I repeat that it was unanimously agreed. So in 2013 we will have the introduction of the new engine."

Speaking about the forthcoming meeting, Todt said: "Because I am happy to listen to comments, in two weeks' time, on Saturday May 21, I have asked our people to make a meeting in Barcelona for all the people involved with engine regulations. Most probably I will make my best to attend this meeting to hear the point of advancement of the development of the engine."

When asked if he could see any circumstances where the rules could be changed, Todt said: "We are in a world where things can change, you know. It is not only our little world of F1. You have other things happening in the world.

"Dramatic things could happen and then we would have to reconsider something. But at the moment there is no reason of reconsidering because it has been unanimously agreed, and after lengthy discussions and meeting with people who are involved in this business."

The FIA has done the right thing in giving Bahrain officials another month to indicate if they are in a position to hold the race, says its president Jean Todt.

Following the postponement of the season opener this year because of political turmoil in the Gulf State, the FIA had originally given Bahrain chiefs until May 1 to state if they were in a position for the race to be rescheduled this year.

The FIA was informed that Bahrain needed another month to give a definitive answer, and Todt says it was only right that a deadline extension was granted.

"We completely sympathise with the problems that are happening, and we all understand that it would not have been possible to keep the grand prix as the first race of the championship," explained Todt in Turkey on Sunday.

"So, talking with Bernie and talking with the government and the organisers of the Bahrain GP, we agreed at the World Council to give the limit until the May 1.

"Fortunately things have improved, but they were not in a position to commit definitely - and I had a discussion with Bernie, with the government, with the ASN, and they asked us if we would accept one more month, which means until the next World Council on June 3, which I accepted.

"I think if you are in a difficult situation, you need support. That is our responsibility. We need to give some support and it will penalise nobody to have a final answer by June 3."

When asked if he felt it right that F1 could return to a country that is still generating newspaper headlines because of the political troubles, Todt said: "Have you been to Bahrain in the last week? I have not been either, so I don't have the information.

"I have information that in Bahrain fortunately it is peaceful. But I think we need to have a report by early June of the situation in Bahrain, and then from there we will be able to monitor the situation.

"I don't think we could get involved in what is normal, what is not normal. Let's hope there is more peace in our world and we can enjoy the sport."

Bahrain Grand Prix chiefs told AUTOSPORT in Turkey that they were 'ready' for F1 to return this year.

Pirelli has announced its tyre compound allocations for three more grands prix, meaning it has revealed its intentions for every race through Silverstone in July.

The soft and supersoft choices used for Monaco will be retained for the following Canadian Grand Prix, before supersofts and mediums are used on the streets of Valencia. The company feels that as Valencia is a faster layout than Monte Carlo, a different tyre choice is appropriate despite both being street venues.

For the British GP, Pirelli is reverting to the hard and soft tyres as used in this year's opening five rounds.

Pirelli's motorsport chief Paul Hembery said: "Selecting the tyres is a very tough job for us, as in Montreal, Valencia and Silverstone we have no historical data, but we're feeling confident that the choices we have made, in close consultation with the teams and the FIA, should continue the Pirelli tradition of close racing that we have seen so far this year.

Nick Heidfeld was unimpressed with Renault team-mate Vitaly Petrov after the duo made contact during the Turkish Grand Prix.

Heidfeld's and Petrov's cars touched after going side-by-side in the series of corners before the start/finish straight as the duo battled for position.

The German felt Petrov had pushed him wide, and he made hand gestures to his team-mate after the move.

"Yeah, that's not nice. It shouldn't happen," Heidfeld told the BBC after the race. "He just pushed me wide and we made contact. It's not a safe thing to do."

Heidfeld went on to finish in seventh position, right in front of the Russian driver.

The German said he was happy with his speed during the race, but not with the result itself.

"Not totally happy with the race. I'm happy with the pace, which was good, but I was in traffic most of the time and if I had a bit more free space I could easily have got a better result, but at least we have the race pace.

"I just have to find out why in qualifying it didn't work out yesterday."

The FIA has decided against imposing a ban on DRS for the Monaco Grand Prix, despite safety concerns expressed by a number of drivers.

With several drivers worried that the use of the DRS at Monaco could prove dangerous, because of the tricky track and especially the risk of trying to take the tunnel with the wing open for an added straight-line speed boost, the FIA considered forcing teams not to run with the devices for that weekend.

However, not all teams were in favour of the idea as some felt that keeping the DRS in place was perfectly safe. Some also pointed out that they would face expensive development work on a new Monaco-specific high-downforce wing if the adjustable wing was not allowed for that event.

With no consensus among the teams, FIA race director Charlie Whiting wrote to the them on race day at the Turkish Grand Prix to confirm that DRS was to remain.

Williams technical director Sam Michael told AUTOSPORT that Whiting had seen no justification for banning DRS with only a few teams in favour of doing so.

"Charlie told us this morning," said Michael. "There were some teams that did not think DRS would be good there, but other teams were saying they did not agree [with the ban] and did not understand on what basis [it would be banned].

"So Charlie was quite straightforward about it. He said that there wasn't a strong enough argument to not have it, so it is staying. We were neutral on it, we didn't mind."

Post-race press conference:

[spoiler]TV unilaterals

Q. Sebastian, today most drivers needed to use Plan B but it all seemed to go very much to plan for you today.

Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I think we had a smooth race. Obviously a very good start which was crucial and then I was able to pull a gap, right at the first stint, which was important as we could then afford to stay out a lap longer, wait to see what the others are doing in terms of strategy and just react. We always had this three, four to eight-second cushion to the second guy and it makes my life easier, easier to find out which strategy really works. All in all I am very happy. We lacked the Friday. I had an accident on Friday and crashed the car badly and all the guys, not only the guys around my car but Mark's guys, helped a lot and together they fixed the car. It meant some extra hours for them which I am sorry for but I think yesterday and today makes up for it. I am very pleased with the result and big thanks to the team.

Q. Talk us through briefly your own tactics. It seemed you had to be quite fluid today?

SV: Yeah, it wasn't easy from the start to know what is going to happen. Of course you have a rough ideas about tyres and how long they will last but you really have to wait the first and maybe the second stint to see this is the trend, this is the way we are going. In the end, I think I could have afforded to stay out on my first set of prime, but you have to be in a position for whatever comes. I could have made it easily to the chequered flag, which gives us the pit-stop, around 15-20 seconds, but then again, if something happens or an accident elsewhere and a safety car comes out and obviously you are on a used tyre. I think it was the right thing to come in another time, even though it was just a very short fourth stint after the third stop. It was very much in control. I am very happy with how we communicated during the race and how we reacted so very, very pleased and I think since China we have definitely made a step forward. We have learned our lesson and we have to make sure that we keep this momentum into the next couple of races.

Q. Mark, an eventful race for you. You lost ground at the start and then again to Fernando during the race. How did you make your comeback?

Mark WEBBER: Yeah, it was eventful wasn't it. The start wasn't that easy out of that side of the grid, which we probably expected a little bit. But it is not the end of the world as we have seen the last race starting 18th, it doesn't really matter if you are on the dirty side or whatever, even if you're at the front. I spent a few laps trying to clear Nico (Rosberg), which is obviously not ideal and Seb got a bit of a gap. I was then a little bit on the back foot from there. I cleared Nico and the guys pitted me a bit earlier than I expected, as I knew that the undercuts were coming into play and clearly there was a gap for us to come into. That's the way it went. We made our bed in terms of our strategy from then on. The fight with Fernando in the middle of the race was a little bit unexpected. He drove fantastic today. It was a good fight. Both of us used the DRS to get the moves done, so that was part of it, but the tyres play a huge role. In the end I had a fresher set of tyres from qualifying and got the job done on Fernando and that was it really. Congratulations to Seb: another victory. He is on a roll obviously but this is the maximum I could get today.

Q. There were a lot of multiple phase overtakes today, passes lasting several corners. What was that like?

MW: I just think it is the way the circuit is on that last sector there. You try to get into the braking for 12 and then the guys can either run round the outside at 13 and then you have to try and have the rhythm or the line correct even to open the next lap. That is the reason why it is like that around here.

Q. Fernando, you were second for quite a bit of the race. Third at the end but you must be pleased with the pace of Ferrari today?

Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, absolutely. We did a good weekend overall. The car performed a bit better than what we did in the first three races of the championship. Finally we enjoy racing again and we enjoy a race fighting for the podium positions and as you said changing second and third position through the race. Finally we enjoy racing again.

Q. Tell us about the pass on Mark and where he got you back

FA: As Mark said we lost a little bit of time behind Rosberg at the beginning of the race, so we forgot anymore the possibility to fight with Sebastian for P1, so we concentrated on P2. I had a little advantage in terms of tyre degradation maybe at that part of the race compared to Mark and as Mark said we used the DRS and I was able to overtake him. Then, in the last part of the race, it was more or less the opposite. We had maybe a little bit of a disadvantage with tyre degradation and we lost the position again but it was okay. I think fighting with Red Bull in these days is quite difficult and we were close so hopefully next time we will try again.

Q. Sebastian, you're opening up quite a nice lead in the championship now. You have 93 points.

SV: It is good to get as many points as you can every single race. But it is a long, long way and we saw how quickly things have changed last year especially with Fernando coming and going and coming and going and in the end it was very, very close. We have to really go step-by-step, see every race on its own and try to maximise our points. But a good start to the season always helps, but it is a long, long way to go. Four out of 19, so you can work out how many points there are still to get so we have to keep focused.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Sebastian, three out of four wins and a second place. It has got to be the best start to the season hasn't it?

SV: Yeah, I think statistically you are right. Cannot really complain. A very good race today, very smooth and pretty much in control from the start to finish. It was a bit of a comfortable situation having Nico at the beginning behind me, at least for the first five laps, as I was able to open a gap maybe quicker than if Mark had been behind. Throughout the race I had this cushion and we were able to react rather than act, so very pleased. This one is for the guys, as I wrecked the car on Friday, but they got it back together and everyone played his role. Not only my mechanics, also Mark's mechanics helped a lot to fix the car and get ready for Saturday. I have to say, when I walked in on Saturday morning every little worry was gone immediately, as the mechanics gave me the impression that nothing happened, nothing is wrong and we will continue as usual. This helps a lot. People I see in the paddock, I see them from time-to-time, but people I see in the garage, I am working with them all year long and it means a lot if people that are close to you give you the impression there is nothing to worry about and they make you feel comfortable. It was a very good race and I am obviously very, very happy.

Q. It looked a comfortable race as well. It didn't look as though you had any dramas throughout. Was the car perfect as well?

SV: Especially the first two stints you have to really see where you are. The tyres are tricky to handle. We saw today again different strategies with different people. It is never perfect as naturally the tyres go away from you at some stage and you have to deal with that. I think there was nobody today with no tyre wear. I think we expected this circuit to be extremely challenging, especially around turn eight it was very difficult to handle. But being in the lead and having this extra cushion plus we also had the pace in case we had to react. We never had someone really close behind which might be a completely different situation. The pace was good today and the car I was very happy with, even with the lack of practice on Friday. Starting the race it is a bit uncertain, you have to find your reference points, braking points as with higher fuel you do not know where they are. If I think about braking where I did yesterday in qualifying then I think I did that once. But that was not the target. A very good race and as I said straight after very much in control.

Q. Mark, tell us about the start, were your worst fears realised?

MW: Yeah, it was, but no panic these days. It's a long race, last year's regulations and years before, when passing was very very difficult - yeah, you might be panicking a bit more but no huge panic. Good start from Nico and yeah, he was struggling in the first few laps. Obviously then Seb got the nice cushion and the gap and it's a bit like in tennis or squash, when you have the ball in control of what you want to do, Seb drove a great race and then when you're in control of the manipulation round the stops it's an accumulation of making life easier, so it worked out well for him today. I got the maximum I could, really. I would have not liked to have had the fight with Fernando earlier in the race, middle part but again, he drove a very good race and we had a little bit on there with Fernando using the DRS eventually to execute a move coming close to me. That was good and then at the end of the race I could come back. Obviously I had a slightly better set of tyres than Fernando did which is very important these days. We know the tyres are virtually everything and I arrived back on him and thankfully returned the favour. I was saying to myself 'I can't finish third having started eighteenth on the grid and then finished third having started on the front row.' So I needed to finish second, so thank God we did that. The guys did a great job all weekend, maximum result for the team, so we can't do much more than that as a team. Yeah, wasn't a bad car race, I think. I'll have a look at it on telly, see what it's like.

Q. Do you think you could have fought for the win if it hadn't have been for the gap at the start?

MW: Would have been difficult to beat Seb today. It would have made it easier, of course. When you get that four or five second buffer, probably four seconds, Nico was doing his race and that's fair enough. Could have made a cleaner move initially then Nico got me back so in the end, the result is as it deserves to be, I think.

Q. Fernando, as James was saying in the unilateral, third place must feel good, after the previous races.

FA: Yeah, it feels good. Obviously we capitalised on the opportunity. I think we were in condition to be second, maybe, in Malaysia. I touched with Hamilton when I was passing him for third and then we had the opportunity to catch Button as well for second so we missed that opportunity and today we had another one and finally we did it. It was a good race from us, I think, a good weekend overall. Friday we had some issues but Saturday and Sunday were perfect for the team, for the strategy, for everything. So yeah, very, very happy with the result but this is only the first step. We want to win races and first we need to be on the podium as we were today and now we need to keep moving forward.

Q. Obviously you had two battles with Mark, one went your way, the next one didn't. Was it down to tyre-wear that it didn't go your way right at the end?

FA: Yeah, I think that these days tyres make a huge difference. Even with three or four laps on the tyres you can feel the drop in performance so I think in the middle part of the race, when I overtook Mark, maybe my tyres were in better condition, because I was comfortable at that part of the race. In the last part, I think Mark had a new set of prime tyres and I didn't, and maybe that was enough to make a difference. We also saw cars performing a little bit better with hard tyres, cars performing better with soft tyres as well, so we need to see, try to analyse and anyway, fighting with Red Bull is not easy.

Q. Next race is in Spain, an important one obviously for your fans, what are your thoughts about that?

FA: Well, I think we need to keep working, keep understanding better this car, these tyres, the problems that we may have in the factory. I think we need to keep in this direction for Barcelona, this improving course that it seems that we start here and this has to be only the first step of our recovery and in Barcelona there is much more to come from us, I'm sure.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado do São Paulo) To both Red Bull drivers: what about the KERS performance in your car?

SV: I had no problems today. I think big compliments... for you maybe three weeks is a lot, for us, the drivers, it's maybe some time off, but for the team, they are working hard and today I had no problems from start to finish, so very, very happy.

MW: Yeah, same for me with the exception of the last part of the race. I drove past Fernando, we had a little bit of an issue which we had to manage, but the KERS was very good today, the guys have done a great job.

Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Sebastian, do you feel you have any weakness now in your driving, in your team, in your car, and the same question for Mark, do you feel that there is somewhere that you can beat him?

SV: It is a long way to go and surely we've had a good start but I think that the day you start to think that you are unbeatable is the day you get beaten, for sure. We all try to win, obviously, and all try to be better than the other guys but I think there's always someone at some point who will teach you a lesson and will give you a very hard time and beat you. We are racing at the highest level. Of course, I am very happy with today and the start of the season, very happy with how we work together as a team and pull together in one direction but I think there's never any time to really rest and think that really everything is under control. You have a lot of guys, Mark and Fernando here, Lewis and Jenson, Nico was very quick yesterday. Obviously they lacked a little bit of pace today in the race, but surely I think you can see that we've had four races now but every single team has had their highs and lows, so I'm very happy, as I said, because we have been very competitive in all four races and very quick, but sometimes it was quite comfortable, like in Australia, in hindsight, but other times it was very, very close. I just want to remind you of Saturday in Malaysia where for us it was not clear to beat McLaren in qualifying. Yesterday Mercedes were very quick. Next race, I heard some rumours – I don't know if it's true – but many teams are bringing a lot of updates and that will be the story of the next couple of races. Everyone keeps pushing and you have to take everything you can at the time.

MW: Yeah, Seb is on top of his game, he's had a good start to the season, no question about it, nearly the maximum so that's ideal for the rest of us, but it's up to us to do the best we can to try and bring this to a stop sooner rather than later. Every driver on the grid has weaknesses, some more than others but it's up to you to try and interrogate those sometimes when you can and that's what being in sport is all about. Seb's off to a great start, the team has done a good job.

Q. (Jaime Rodriguez - El Mundo) Fernando, do you feel that the car really has improved in comparison to other races, and what has been the main difference?

FA: Yeah, the car definitely feels much better now. We were more competitive yesterday in qualifying and more competitive today in the race than previous races. As I said yesterday, being in front of Button was a surprise for us, to have one McLaren behind and to be half a minute in front of them today is another surprise, so the car is definitely doing something better than what it did in the first three races. From the driver's points of view, difficult to feel this improvement, you just feel that the car is quicker, more grip overall, but as I said before, this is not enough, we cannot be happy with fifth in qualifying and third in the race, so we are going in the right direction but this is only the first step.

Q. (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question to all three of you: do you think that the tyres are having too great an influence? Today almost everybody had four pit stops. Is it not just too much, too confusing, also making it too easy to overtake?

FA: I think it's what people asked for last year. I think we saw two stops in Canada, people enjoyed that race. People, fans, journalists: everyone was asking for more of a show, for more pit stops, more fun and now we have all of that, so now if people are still not happy, we need to see what they want.

SV: The only thing which I think is a bit tricky – obviously every race is different and it's difficult to produce a tyre that is a two stopper everywhere, because tracks are different but I think the real hard time is really for the spectators in the grandstand. Sure, if they have a video wall in front of them it's possible for them to follow (the race) but after the first stint, especially when you have pit stops every ten to 15 laps, I think it makes it really difficult for the people coming here to visit and to watch, to follow. Sure, you maybe understand the first five, first ten, but then not everyone is following the leader or the guy in P2, P3. There's also guys from ten to twenty-four so it doesn't make it easy for the spectators. It's obviously very early to judge, still, because we've only had four races and one race it was possible to one-stop, here it was possible to four-stop so we need to see as we go and wait a couple of races.

Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Mark, for a driver, which way of reaching the podium is more enjoyable: your Chinese style or this Turkish style?

MW: Hmm. A lot more people probably enjoyed my China drive than I did, to be honest. I think that when you come up against drivers like Fernando and Jenson and Felipe, Nico, these guys, and you catch them at 2.5s a lap, it's nice but it's not very rewarding in terms of how you pass them. These guys have absolutely nothing to fight back with, so it was a podium which of course I took. Of course I had to drive well, consistently on the limit, blah, blah, blah as all the other guys were, but that was the tyres they had. Today was a different type of race. Of course, I was at the front – in the top few - the whole race and it was again, it was just fighting with Fernando, with just one guy. The race in China was fighting with lots of different guys. I had a new guy on the pit board for the Chinese Grand Prix and it was a very tough race for him to start at, so I think he made a much easier job today. Also referring back to the previous question about how the racing is, it's best I stop there.

Q. (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Fernando, could you have fought Vettel for the victory if it wasn't for Rosberg, or is this podium still completely unexpected?

FA: Well, the podium is a nice surprise and we have nothing really to say. We just need to be extremely happy, but I think for Mark and for me, it was difficult to fight for victory, nothing to say, I think Sebastian was 99 per cent favourite, but this one per cent chance that we had we lost in the first five laps behind Nico, because the more or less five, seven second distance to Sebastian was consistent all through the race. Without those five seconds, maybe we can't risk stopping two or three laps early and to force something or to push the Red Bull cars to the limit which we haven't been able to do at the moment.

Q. (Carlos Miquel – La Gaceta) Fernando, you really think it was possible to make one stop less, against Mark?

FA: No, I don't think so. I think that when we stopped… it's strange to stop ten or eleven laps to go but really from 14 laps to ten laps to go, the car was already difficult to drive in these last four laps, moving a lot and risking a lot. I imagine that another ten or eleven laps like this with that progression of degradation maybe you don't even finish the race.

Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Fernando, when you were fighting against Mark at the end, were you on the soft or hard, used, new? And in China you were struggling on the harder tyre; how was it here?

FA: Here was OK. I think I was with used hard.

Q. (Sudhir Chandran – Chequered Flag) If everything goes right, India is all set to host its first F1 race. I wanted your thoughts on a) F1coming to India and b) the pressure of driving in front of a billion people?

SV: I think we are looking forward to it. We've heard a lot of things, a lot of good things. One thing I heard is that it will be sold out and that there will be a lot of people there, so this will be fantastic. I think this race here has very often been criticised in the past for not having a lot of spectators. Today, I have to say that the atmosphere was quite good, and I really enjoyed the last lap, but surely there were some empty seats and I hope that all the effort that you make to build the circuit in India will be rewarded by a lot of people coming and no empty seats, so that's what I will be looking forward to most.

FA: Yeah, same thing. Fantastic news coming from the circuit and we are all really excited to race there for the first time. It's also a country that I want to visit and I will remain for a week there between the races so looking forward to it.

MW: Yes, obviously India has had some big events over the last few years, with the Commonwealth Games and the cricket World Cup – I don't know which side won the World Cup – yes I do - but I'm looking forward to going out there. Obviously Formula One going there is a big event, it should go smoothly. All of us always love to go to new venues, it's a beautiful country in many areas, so I'm looking forward to going to experience it and have some of the cricket players come and say hello to us guys.[/spoiler]

Lineker · May 10, 2011

Leading Formula 1 figures are adamant that the FIA has got its implementation of the DRS regulations spot on - despite criticisms that overtaking proved to be too easy in the Turkish Grand Prix.

The race at Istanbul featured one of the highest number of overtaking moves witnessed in an F1 race, and drivers appeared to have little trouble in passing slower cars ahead of them.

The relative ease of overtaking prompted some claims that F1's new 2011 rules have taken away some of the purity of the racing, but high-profile figures from the paddock are not so sure.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said: "It has taken away an element – and it could be argued that perhaps overtaking was a little too easy.

"But it is great the cars are able to get into a position, and drivers have to work really hard to get within that second to make use of it. It has added another element."

Renault technical director James Allison believed that the high level of overtaking in Turkey owed more to the varying tyre wear on different cars than the DRS

"I think that what you were seeing was a track where, because the tyre degradation was high and because different people chose three stops and some four stops – and even the four stops were stopping at different phases of that, it built up big differentials of performance.

"If you looked at people who were on the same strategy as one another, behind one another, they could not just breeze by on different laps. There were lots of laps where they were pinned behind other people for many laps, so I think the FIA got it again pretty spot on."

When asked if overtaking had become too easy and the races too complicated now, Allison said: "No I think it's alright. We are an entertainment business and I think it produces entertaining races."

Williams technical director Sam Michael believes that although DRS had worked too well in Turkey, the concept was still good ultimately for F1.

"It definitely meant you could just run optimum strategy, as you didn't have to worry about traffic," he said. "But that is sort of what the intention was. I think the DRS is still pretty beneficial for this sport though, and it is pretty good.

"Plus, when you have a big differential of speed when someone is on 15 lap old tyres and some are on brand new, they are going to go past you whether you have the DRS or not."

Rubens Barrichello believed that the unique track configuration at Istanbul – with the DRS running through a corner – made its benefit more extreme.

"If you took that [the DRS] off, there would be no overtaking," he told AUTOSPORT. "This track is a little bit of an Interlagos type of track. You have a slight angled corner, which is effectively a straight. That creates drag for a car going through it, and the car behind doesn't get that so then you have more tow.

"So this is a track where you can have more overtaking, and we need to have more of that. With the DRS here, it was almost like people were overtaking before the straight, because you have that drag reduction plus the type of corner that makes the overtaking possible."

Bruno Senna, who as Renault's reserve driver has watched all the races on television, felt the key to getting the amount of overtaking right was in tweaking the length of the DRS zone.

"I think if you looked at the GP2 race this weekend, it was natural overtaking," he told AUTOSPORT. "Everyone is bunched up on each other, and that is because the cars can run a bit closer.

"In F1, maybe without the DRS and the KERS, people will have more difficulty in overtaking each other. Here, it is a case of making it look very easy because a straight naturally helps overtaking, but other places it will be the right thing to do. If they put the DRS system a bit further down the straight then it wouldn't be so easy."

When asked if F1 had got the balance of overtaking and proper racing right, Senna said: "It is difficult to understand what is happening. And the problem is that sometimes you see people getting happy because their favourite car or driver overtook someone else, and then after five laps they will be sad because the other guy overtook them back because the tyres had gone or the DRS helped.

"Yet it is still racing and drivers have to do a lot. Maybe it is the case of trying to follow the recipe of GP2 a bit more, and getting the overtaking a bit more natural."

Formula 1 teams are set to rubber-stamp a move to abandon the return of full-spec ground effect on grand prix cars from 2013 at a meeting later this week.

As part of a major overhaul of regulations that are coming in place for two years' time, F1 teams had been considering a return to ground effect floor aerodynamics on - which would in theory have helped improve the ability of cars to race closer to each other on track.

However, following more detailed analysis of the implementation of the ground effect design, teams now feel that the move is too radical if they are going to achieve targets for downforce and drag that have been laid down by the FIA.

Meetings of FOTA's Technical Regulations Working Group (TRWG) over the Turkish Grand Prix weekend reached agreement that the ground effect plans should be abandoned for 2013 - and the move is expected to be signed off at a get-together of the FIA's Technical Working Group on Wednesday.

Williams technical director Sam Michael told AUTOSPORT: "That is the proposal. But it all has to be signed off on Wednesday.

"TWRG representatives had a meeting with FOTA and FIA last week, the day after a TRWG meeting and we met again on Sunday morning here to recap what happened - because three people went from TRWG: Paddy Lowe, James Key and Aldo Costa.

"The main thing was that the FIA had targets for downforce and drag, and it would have been very difficult to control to those targets [with a ground effect car].

"That is such a different design, whereas the current floor we have got, everyone has got a lot of experience with it. It means if you say that I want to target this drag and downforce, we can much more easily say that if you strip off this bargeboard or do this with the rear wing you can do it.

"With a shaped underbody, it is something that has not been in F1 for a long time, so a majority of teams felt that if you developed that you would end up significantly away from target."

The idea for a return to ground effect, first revealed by AUTOSPORT last September, had come from Patrick Head and Rory Byrne, who had been put in charge of formulating new concept chassis rules for 2013.

Michael Schumacher's former team-mate Johnny Herbert believes the seven-time champion will retire for good at the end of the 2011 season.

The German driver, who returned to Formula 1 last year following a three-year hiatus, has struggled to be as competitive as he was hoping for, often overshadowed by team-mate Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

Schumacher endured one of his toughest races since his comeback in last weekend's Turkish Grand Prix, where he went on to finish in 12th position.

Herbert, who drove alongside Schumacher at Benetton during the 1994 and 1995 seasons, reckons the German will not continue racing after this year.

The Briton also believes Schumacher is still as good as he was, but is now racing against better drivers.

"The simple fact is that he is no longer the best driver on the track," Herbert wrote in a column in Abu Dhabi's The Nation newspaper.

"Schumacher has not lost any of his skill - the new generation of young drivers are just better than him. It is a case that the level required to win in F1 has gone up and he is not at that standard anymore.

"I do not think he is any slower than he was when he was winning seven world titles; he is just struggling to cope with a situation he is not used to - he is no longer the best guy in the field and he does not have the best machinery at his disposal, as well as the fact that he has a team-mate in Rosberg who is consistently beating him."

He added: "He did not return just to run in the middle order. His dream was to win again and make Mercedes race winners, but it has not turned out that way and I would be surprised if he chose to continue."

Michael Schumacher has received the full backing from his Mercedes GP team, which says it has no doubts the German can help deliver strong results despite his difficult race in Turkey last weekend.

Schumacher missed out on the points in Istanbul after losing time early on in a collision with Vitaly Petrov which required him to make an unscheduled stop for a new front wing.

That left him too far down the order to join the fight for points, even though analysis of his pace over the full race distance showed it was better than many of the cars that finished in the top ten.

After stating in the immediate aftermath of the grand prix that the race had not delivered him 'big joy', speculation swirled that Schumacher was not enjoying F1 and that Mercedes GP could be forced to rethink the German's place in the team.

However, Mercedes GP said on Tuesday that it remains firmly behind Schumacher, and it is convinced the seven-time world champion is ready to produce the form that the team believes he is capable of.

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug told AUTOSPORT: "When success is missing, then criticism is a fact of life. When a seven-time world champion like Michael Schumacher doesn't achieve success, criticism rains down upon him.

"I understand why: people expect the very highest level of performance from Michael and Mercedes, which is fully in line with our own targets.

"An analysis of Michael's laptimes from practice and the race in Istanbul shows that he had good pace. Without the contact on lap two, and the time he subsequently lost having the front wing changed, he was quick enough to finish in sixth or seventh position.

"That speed isn't wishful thinking; it's a fact. With that kind of potential, results will follow of their own accord."

Haug said he was not surprised that Schumacher told the media he did not get much joy out of the Turkish GP, but believed that was to be fully expected from a man who has achieved such great success in the past.

"I can understand that Michael didn't have much fun on Sunday, racing so hard for 12th position knowing that, without his clash, he could have done better. I'm convinced he will [have fun] in Barcelona.

"We believe in our team, we believe in our drivers and we are working with calm and focus to achieve our targets."

Haug added that Mercedes GP never believed it would achieve instant success in F1, but thinks the progress the outfit has made already this season is evidence that it eventually will reach its target.

"We started 18 months ago in our new configuration, and we're competing in a very challenging environment. Like every other successful team before us, we need time to learn and develop," he said.

"This process is going in the right way and we've seen Nico [Rosberg] start from the second row in both of the last races. The fact that the 14 laps he led in China also currently put him equal second in this ranking, illustrates how dominant Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull has been so far this year."

Former FIA president Max Mosley has lost his court case on UK media law, in which the Briton tried to get British newspapers to warn people before exposing parts of their private lives.

Mosley had asked the European Court of Human Rights to change media law in the UK after the News of the World newspaper had made revelations about his sex life three years ago.

The court, however, ruled against Mosley on Tuesday.

"The court is of the view that article 8 does not require a legally binding pre-notification requirement. Accordingly, the court concludes that there has been no violation of article 8 of the convention by the absence of such a requirement in domestic law," said the court in a statement.

Rubens Barrichello has labelled the FIA's decision to allow teams to keep the DRS (Drag Reduction System) for the Monaco Grand Prix as 'wrong'.

On the back of complaints from drivers that using DRS around Monte Carlo could be dangerous - especially because of the risks of having to open it through the tunnel in qualifying - FIA race director Charlie Whiting consulted with teams in Turkey last weekend.

But with opinions among the outfits divided, and some contenders claiming that they would be forced to design expensive Monaco-only wings if DRS was banned, Whiting told them on Sunday that there was no grounds to ban it if not everybody was in favour.

That decision has not gone down well with Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) chairman Rubens Barrichello, who says he hopes F1 chiefs don't go on to regret it.

"I just think it is wrong," Barrichello told AUTOSPORT. "I would love the people at the top to sit in the car and try to do the tunnel with the DRS open.

"In my opinion, they are waiting for something bad to happen. And when it happens, they will just say, 'oh, next year we will not have it for Monaco.' The drivers have not been listened to right now and I think it is the wrong decision."

There are already growing concerns about the difficulties teams and drivers are going to face in Monaco - with high tyre degradation, marbles, likely safety car periods and an increased number of pitstops set to make the weekend very challenging.

Barrichello is fearful that with DRS allowed, drivers are going to have a risky time in the tunnel and that the event could be incident-filled.

"You are going to try to use it there," he said. "I can see a race with safety cars a long way. If they could listen still: I think Monaco is what it is. It is not overtaking territory.

"Do they think they can introduce overtaking through the DRS? They possibly can, but they might hurt someone. That is a voice from experience."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said in safety matters it was always better to keep complaints behind closed doors, but he suggested Monaco was going to be a hard weekend.

"There was a lot of debate between drivers yes and no [for having DRS]," said Domenicali. "I think Monaco could be tough, but when you speak about safety it is better to stay quiet and not say anything [in public].

"But for sure it will be very tricky. But this is the decision and we need to make the maximum use from it."

Lotus driver Jarno Trulli says the Turkish Grand Prix marked what he believes is "the end of qualifying" in Formula 1.

The degradation of Pirelli's soft tyres meant several drivers decided to do just one run in qualifying in Turkey, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa even deciding to not go for a second run despite failing to set a time in his first one.

Several other drivers decided to compromise their qualifying position in order to have a new set of tyres for the race.

Trulli believes the evidence from Turkey suggests qualifying has changed completely.

The Italian, writing in his column for Repubblica newspaper, also reckons the 2011 rules have had mixed effects, with the races being more spectacular but also more confusing.

"Like everything in life, the 2011 changes in F1 have some pros and cons," Trulli wrote.

"The pros are more exciting and spectacular races, which the public seem to like; the cons are grands prix that are a bit less comprehensible and, since Istanbul, what I call 'the end of qualifying.'

"For the first time this year we've seen that, once Q3 is reached, instead of trying to snatch pole position off the others like they always do, drivers and teams preferred to make their calculations and just be content.

"The truth is that strategy this year has a more decisive role than usual. Here at Istanbul, for example, the race started before the race itself by saving tyres. As I've always said, everyone's mission at this time is to learn the Pirellis. Well, after three races we finally have an initial and reliable measure of the level of tyre degradation.

"So, whoever had the capability and the strength to save a set of tyres on Saturday did just that. This thing obviously involved the drivers that made the top ten. As soon as they made the Q2 cut, they started to make their calculations. For many the problem was whether to utilize or not the remaining set of tyres. The ones that got into Q3 by a whisker, the outsiders, didn't even try.

"The top guys set the laptime then stopped. The others, the ones who usually animate the fight, did one try and quit at the first mistake. Some feel a formula that worked has been ruined. I don't want to say that. I simply observe that these are the rules and the drivers have adapted to them.

"There are pros and cons, I repeat: the pros are better races decided in the last 10-15 laps depending on the strategies and the tyres, while the cons are that qualifying is less spectacular and more tactical."

Mike Coughlan will return to Formula 1 with Williams as a better person, having learned from his involvement in the controversy surrounding the 2007 McLaren spy scandal.

That is the view of former Renault technical director Pat Symonds, who knows first-hand what it is like to be involved in a major F1 controversy after the part he played in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix race-fixing saga.

Symonds has backed the decision of Williams to appoint Coughlan as its new chief engineer, which comes after the former McLaren designer was banned from F1 for two-years for having in his possession in 2007 a secret Ferrari dossier.

Speaking for the first time since Coughlan's appointment was announced, Symonds told the Formula Fanvision podcast that he was sure Coughlan was the right man for Williams.

"People are saying, should he be employed when he was involved in the Spygate and everything?" said Symonds, who himself cannot yet return full-time to the F1 fold but is involved as a consultant for the Virgin Racing team.

"It is something which is close to my heart having been in these sorts of problems myself. All I can say is Mike did what he did, and he has been punished for it.

"I know from my own situation, when something like that happens you think very, very deeply about it and I think you come out of it the other end a better person, and I am sure Mike will."

Renault team boss Eric Boullier is positive about Robert Kubica's rehabilitation after meeting with the Polish driver after the Turkish Grand Prix.

Boullier flew to Italy straight after the Istanbul race to see Kubica, who is still recovering from his accident in February.

Renault said doctors consider the first phase of his recovery over and the Pole will now start heavy rehabilitation aimed at restoring the functionality of his hand.

There are more small operations planned for Kubica, who already underwent a successful one today.

Boullier insisted the recovery will be very long, but he is positive about how Kubica is progressing.

"Robert has made another step forward in his rehabilitation process and doctors are pleasantly surprised by the way in which his condition is improving", said Boullier. "Now, it is a matter of time and even if patience isn't Robert's first quality, he is fully aware that rehabilitation could be quite a long process.

"We spoke about the latest developments of the car and of the team, and he was also interested to hear more on the details of the R31, tyres and strategies.

"Robert is still very much involved, keeping in touch with his engineers, and we have been keeping him informed of every important decision the team has taken. He may not be with us all of the time this year, but he's very much a part of the Lotus Renault GP family."

Lineker · May 12, 2011

Renault is to lodge a request with the FIA to expand its engine supply deal to four teams in 2012, AUTOSPORT has learned, as talks with potential new partners - including Williams – enters an advanced stage.

The French car manufacturer already supplies Renault, Red Bull Racing and Team Lotus, but is keen to add another team to its roster for next year.

And with discussions about a deal looking promising, Jean-Francois Caubet, managing director of Renault Sport, has revealed that contact will now be made with the FIA to seek permission for a fourth supply deal for next year.

Under the current regulations, a manufacturer is only allowed to supply three teams, but it can expand on that if it gets permission from the governing body.

"The goal is to have more teams next year," Caubet told AUTOSPORT. "We want to have four teams but we need to have the approval from the FIA, because the limit is only three.

"We plan to write [to the FIA] as soon as possible – although we must have stability between ourselves, [other customer suppliers] Cosworth and others."

Although sources suggest that the most likely new deal could be with Williams – either for 2012 or 2013 – Caubet insisted that there were other possibilities too.

When asked that the state of talks with Williams, Caubet said: "It is not only them."

Williams has a deal with Cosworth until the end of 2012, but is understood to be evaluating its options - especially with the major overhaul in engine regulations for 2013 on the horizon.

Renault is keen to expand its customer supply deal because it wants to have as big a platform as possible for the new 2013 engines – and it believes it needs to start forging partnerships immediately with those partner teams that it will be working with when the 1.6-litre turbo charged units come into form.

"We are focusing on our 2013 work [with the teams], and the problem is that if you do not do that now, then you will never do that," said Caubet. "That is not only a problem for the strategy of Renault.

"We are fully focused on the 2013 engine, and the key element now is to start working on a technical level with the teams – and we are doing that.

"We know there are a lot of politics around, but we have such a big commitment about the 2013 engines that there is no question, no question. We are now working with the teams."

When asked if a possible delay to the introduction of the 2013 engines would be a problem, Caubet said: "If it was a delay it would be never. I told everybody, even Bernie [Ecclestone]: if you say 2015, you may as well say never."

Timo Glock fears his Virgin Racing team will struggle to qualify for races this season if it does not manage to get its latest upgrades working properly.

The team introduced several new components in the Turkish Grand Prix in the hope of turning its season around following a disappointing start to the campaign.

Glock, however, endured a difficult grand prix and admitted he had not been happy during the whole weekend. He was also forced to remove some of the updates because of problems with them.

The German driver reckons it is vital for Virgin to get the updates working if it is to avoid trouble qualifying for the races.

"If we carry on like this, it will be quite difficult to qualify for the races," said Glock. "If we cannot make updates work then we will be quite in trouble. But it is too early to say - I am behind the team, there are a lot of good people here and we just have to sort out some stuff for the future and change certain things."

He added: "We went to the full package on my car and it was not slow or anything it was just quite difficult to drive. In terms of driveability from the exhaust system which was difficult to get under control and everyone else in the paddock has the same problem.

"When you run it the first time it takes some time and it didn't work perfect for us, so we made a decision to go back and I had to go to the old floor and old exhaust system."

Glock also said the team needs to make changes to its structure to secure a stronger future.

AUTOSPORT understands Virgin is preparing to overhaul its technical department, in a move that could lead to a change of technical director Nick Wirth's responsibilities.

"We have to make changes for the future. Everyone knows where we are and the situation we are in, and we have a team where we, together, have to make changes for the future.

"We have to find a direction and find a way to make updates work – that is all I can say."

Glock said there was no point in feeling frustrated about the team having failed to take a step forward this year, as he reckons it has to focus on finding solutions on how to improve.

"Frustrating is maybe the wrong word. Everyone expected that we would make a step forward and we couldn't do it.

"In general, it doesn't make any sense for the team to be frustrated. We have to get on top of the problems and we have to make changes for the future to make it better."

Fernando Alonso is convinced he will be able to fight for this year's title if Ferrari can continue to perform like it did in Turkey.

The Spanish driver scored his first podium of the season at Istanbul, after his strongest outing of the year so far.

Alonso is now hopeful he will be able to stay in the championship fight if Ferrari can keep its momentum, despite Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel having scored three wins in four events.

"You know I like playing with numbers - and as I travelled backwards and forwards between home, Maranello and Turkey, I made a comparison between my first four races of last year and those of this year in the corresponding grands prix," said Alonso on Ferrari's website.

"What came out of this little game was that compared to 2010 I'm eight points short (49 versus 41) but in the same four races, this year I've brought home 13 more points compared to last year (41 versus 28).

"It's true that my current gap to the top of the drivers' championship is much greater (52 points) compared to what I had after Shanghai 2010 (11 points) but I well recall that after Silverstone we were 47 points away and we only had eight races left.

"Today we still have 15 grands prix to come. This shows that you can look at the same thing in two different, even completely opposite ways. What matters are results and we've started to make the podium: we must do that regularly and if so I'm convinced that we will again be able to fight for the title."

The Ferrari driver said the Turkish GP podium was a morale boost for his team, but admitted the Maranello squad cannot be pleased with a third place and must keep pushing to be able to win races.

"Third place was also important for the morale of the team. We were all unhappy with a start to the season that did not live up to expectations and we know how much good it does to see that the efforts expended every day are paying off.

"But we certainly can't be happy with a third place and what matters most is that we must be much more competitive in qualifying. If we always start from the third row or lower it's a struggle to fight for the podium.

"We have a lot of irons in the fire and we hope that as early as next week in Barcelona we will have new parts that allow us to take an important step forward in qualifying as well."

Felipe Massa says he is upbeat about Ferrari's progress in the Turkish Grand Prix despite a disappointing race for him.

The Brazilian finished the Istanbul race in 11th position following several problems during his pitstops, but he believes he was set for a fourth-place finish.

Despite the poor result, Massa was happy about the step forward taken by Ferrari both in qualifying and race trim.

"Given my previous track record in Istanbul, this was obviously a very disappointing result," Massa, a three-time winner in Turkey, said on Ferrari's website.

"I ended up eleventh, when I could have been challenging for fourth place and that was mainly down to poor pitstops.

"However, looking on the positive side, the aero updates we ran for the first time at this race definitely increased our performance level as can be seen from the fact that Fernando secured Ferrari's first podium finish of the year."

He added: "Even if we had a difficult qualifying and I did not even bother making a second attempt in Q3 to save tyres, the gap in terms of our qualifying to race performance did come down in Turkey, because we struggled less in qualifying and then made an even bigger step forward on Sunday, which is more proof that the car is improving."

Massa said Ferrari will need to analyse the problems suffered during his pitstops, after losing time in three of his four stops.

"I would say I had a few too many [problems], because without them I was definitely heading for a top five finish. This was frustrating for me and for the team. We do a lot of pitstop practice, but that Sunday it just did not work properly.

"We will have to study the problem and try and be more consistent, because in a single stop, just a small delay in changing wheels and you can lose position, as happened to me in Istanbul."

Lineker · May 14, 2011

Rubens Barrichello says the Williams team is missing a leader that helps the British squad return to the right path following a difficult start to the 2011 season.

Williams announced a restructuring of its technical department last week, with technical director Sam Michael confirming he will step down at the end of the year.

Mike Coughlan will be joining the team as chief engineer.

Barrichello welcomed the changes, but he feels there is a need to find a leader for the team.

"We are missing something still," said Barrichello. "We need to address the problems. It is good to have some of the top guys here to see, because Sam will give 100% up until the end, but we need a leader. We need a leader.

"Right now, it is almost like we have too many but not enough. A lot of people are trying to say something but in the end that is not the point. They need to focus on what they are doing.

"Sam looks a bit more relaxed because he has settled down a bit. We need, as soon as possible, something that brings the car along."

The Brazilian reckons he can help Williams bring key people on board thanks to his many years in the sport.

"I can possibly recruit more people, look at other teams. I can. I am a top ten guy in the paddock who has been around the longest. I know a few people and I am calling them.

"The engineering side is okay, but we need to focus on developing and sorting the problems out because right now we are getting from one race to another and is the problem getting sorted? We have had this KERS problem from the first race so depending on the weather attitude we are still struggling."

Barrichello believes there is still time to turn the team around, but he says everybody has to work hard to achieve it.

"I am possible the most positive guy in the paddock. I will always dream of a change. Right now what I said in the team, in the briefing - it is like a message that people send out to the world: everybody needs to do their individual thing to get out of this.

"Right now, it is too easy to say that Williams has gone, that it is in the past. But if each member does their little bit on their way of working, they are going to make it better and we need it better, because right now there is such a suffering with the way the car goes."

The Virgin Racing team will use Adrian Quaife-Hobbs to carry out straight-line testing in Spain next Sunday.

The team will conduct 300km of testing to evaluate aerodynamic components at the Idiada test circuit.

It will be the first time that GP3 racer Quaife-Hobbs has driven a Formula 1 car.

"I'm very much looking forward to driving an F1 car for the first time and must thank the Marussia Virgin Racing team for the faith they have shown in me in allowing me to carry out aerodynamic testing in their new car," he said.

"It's a great opportunity to get the chance to drive an F1 car as the team carries out computerised design testing with the new car.

"We'll be testing lots of aero parts and I'm really proud to be playing a part in it. Doing aero testing there is no pressure to perform but it will give me a great opportunity to see how the F1 team works."

(So much for pure CFD-only cars!)

FIA president Jean Todt has abandoned plans to create a Formula 1 commissioner to look after motor racing's top-level category.

The idea of appointing commissioners to each major FIA championship was a key element of Todt's successful election campaign in 2009.

But despite having appointed commissioners for a number of championships, including the WRC and WTCC, Todt has said that the structure of grand prix racing - with Bernie Ecclestone in control of the commercial rights - means there is little point in creating one for F1.

"I must say, I like to respect something when I promise it," said Todt, when asked about the idea of an F1 Commissioner.

"But for me it was a completely new experience when I went for this election. My advisors suggested that I should propose a commissioner to be the head of each FIA championship.

"As you may know, we have in each FIA championship a commission. We have the F1 Commission, we have the WRC Commission, we have the WTCC Commission and we have the GT Commission.

"And, except for F1, where the president of the commission is the commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, we have commissioners in each.

"We now have a rally WRC president – we have Jarmo Mahonen, who was the leader of my competitor during the campaign. We have in WTCC Alan Gow, from the UK, who is organising a very good British Touring Car Championship. And in GT, we have Christian Schacht, who is one of the top members of DMSB, the German sporting authority – who were part of my competitors during the campaign. I feel they are all really good.

"In this case, [F1] I feel it would be double to have a commissioner and a very strong president of the commission [Ecclestone]. So that is why I gave up this idea of having an [F1] commissioner."

Todt is into the second year of his presidency, and he thinks it is too early to ponder whether or not he stands for another term.

"I am just completing 18 months," he said. "It was quick. As you know the terms is 48 months, so I have 30 months in front of me. There is a lot I can do before I decide if I stand for re-election or not.

"At the moment, it is a tough job but I think with good people around me we can really develop the sport, the society, and the automotive [elements]. And we will see where we are."

Nico Hulkenberg has split with his manager Willi Weber, who was most famous for looking after the career of Michael Schumacher.

Hulkenberg is currently Force India's reserve driver, taking part in Friday sessions, and is pushing hard to find his way back into a race seat after being dropped by Williams at the end of last year.

In a short statement issued on his website, Hulkenberg has announced that he will now be looking after his own affairs in F1 - with backing from a former PR man.

"The 23-year-old Formula 1 driver from now on takes management matters in his own hand," said the statement.

"Both sides are currently working on a smooth changeover and on a satisfying solution for [everyone]. Hulkenberg will from now on be supported in executing his management issues by his former PR advisor Timo Gans."

Formula 1 teams are set to reject an offer from FIA president Jean Todt to bring back limited in-season testing from next year.

Todt revealed at last weekend's Turkish Grand Prix that he wants to bring an end to F1's in-season testing ban - and plans to discuss the matter with teams ahead of the European Grand Prix.

However, although Todt believes it makes sense for a return of some testing, teams are not convinced it will be a good move - as they fear it will simply lead to an escalation in costs.

When asked by AUTOSPORT for his feelings about the idea, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said: "I think that the balance that we have is right. Maybe we could do a bit more running on a Friday, or have a few more sets of tyres, which would encourage teams to run with more young drivers.

"The problem with testing is that as soon as you reintroduce it, you reintroduce test teams and the cost will escalate.

"One of the biggest cost savings we have seen is the reduction in testing, so I think the balance we have with the pre-season and the young driver test at the end of the year is right - and fiscally beneficial not just to the big teams but to the small teams as well."

Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer reckons that the return of testing would be a retrograde step for F1, at a time when big efforts had been made to reduce costs.

"We don't want to do it. Why go backwards?" he told AUTOSPORT. "There are some fundamental things that, when I was at Honda, at first we disagreed with but looking back I think we were wrong and [then FIA president] Max [Mosley] was right. One of which was getting rid of the qualifying car - we used to run qualifying engines. What an expense? For what? Nothing.

"Pace ferme. Another fundamental thing – to get rid of not just qualifying engines but cars. Great thing. It didn't hurt the show.

"Engines lasting more than they used to last. A fundamental thing that is right. Gearboxes lasting more than they used to last. A fundamental thing that is right. All of these things brought costs down and didn't ruin the show.

"No in-season testing saves a lot of money. We don't have a test team now. What would happen if we brought in-season testing back?

"We already do 19/20 races and our crew are stretched already. Now you are going to ask them to do another two or three tests. You will have two teams again and, once you have two teams, the costs escalate. Why go backwards on that front? Then you have to add on the cost of testing per kilometre as well."

FOTA chairman and McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told Reuters in Turkey that the needs of the small teams would be a big consideration in any move to see testing return.

"Many teams would like more testing but we've got to be respectful of the small teams as well. We've got to contain costs," he said. "If the larger teams start testing and it's seen as to the disadvantage of the small teams then that isn't good for the sport."

Even if the testing proposal is rejected at the F1 Commission meeting scheduled for next month, Todt indicated in Turkey that he would push through the regulations for 2013 instead – which will not need the approval of teams.

"I would have loved to have done it in 2011, but we could not impose it as there was no reason to impose it on safety grounds," said Todt.

"So, it will be in 2012 if we get enough [support]. It is something that we are going to present at the next Formula 1 Commission which will be on the Thursday in Valencia, and if not then, we can implement it in 2013 without any agreement.

"At the latest it will be 2013, but hopefully people will accept a few days testing during the season from next year on."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo suggested that his team would be in favour of a return to in-season testing.

"We are not able to do testing, to do training. F1 is only professional sport in the world where you can't train or test," he told CNN.

Good - we don't need testing. Todt is a bit of a pain in the arse tbh.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says Formula 1 teams will be open to the idea of forming their own championship from 2013, on the back of interest from News Corporation about getting involved in the sport.

A tie-up between News Corp and Italian investment group Exor, which has strong ties to Ferrari parent company Fiat, has prompted speculation that Ferrari could be evaluating the possibility of a breakaway series.

Now, in an interview with CNN, di Montezemolo has said that all options are open at the minute - as he suggested that there was no reason to feel the teams had to recommit to working with F1 owners CVC and Bernie Ecclestone beyond the end of the current Concorde Agreement.

"I think we have to be very pragmatic. At the end of 2012, the contracts of every single team with CVC will expire. So, we have three alternatives," di Montezemolo said in an interview broadcast on CNN on Friday.

"We renew with CVC, or we theoretically -- as the basketball teams did in the U.S. with great success -- we create our own company, like the NBA. Just to run the races, the TV rights and so.

"And third, to find a different partner. Bernie Ecclestone did a very good job but he has already sold out three times, so he doesn't own the business anymore. It is CVC that will sell. It will be the teams' decisions.

"At the end of 2012, the contract will expire, so theoretically CVC doesn't own anything. I think it is important to have alternatives. We will see. We have time to do it."

Di Montezemolo was also scathing of the current state of F1 – suggesting that new rules had made grand prix racing not as pure as it was in the past.

"We have gone too far with artificial elements. It's like, if I push footballers to wear tennis shoes in the rain. To have so many pitstops - listen, I want to see competition, I want to see cars on the track. I don't want to see competition in the pits," he explained.

"In the last race there were 80 pitstops. Come on, it's too much. And the people don't understand anymore because when you come out of the pits you don't know what position you're in.

"I think we have gone too far with the machines, too many buttons. The driver is focalizing [focusing on] the buttons, when you have the authorization to overtake. We have gone too far.

"Ferrari will push a lot with the authority - with the respect that we have to the federation and the other teams - to avoid going too far with F1. Because I think it can create problems for the television people and on the racetrack."

Di Montezemolo has backed calls from other leading F1 figures for the sport to do more to improve its promotion – and to embrace new media much better than it has up until now.

"We have to invest in the U.S. We have to improve new technologies in F1 for the people watching the television, for iPad, for the Internet. So I think we are in front of a very important moment," he said.

"We will race in Russia and India. F1, thanks also to Bernie Ecclestone, has become a worldwide sport. Now we have to find the best solution. It is important to invest for the future and the other teams."

lol, Ferrari. No person or team is bigger than Formula One as a whole.

Ferrari says there is 'no question' that Felipe Massa will remain at the team next year, despite speculation in recent weeks suggesting that he could move to another outfit in 2012.

Massa's future was thrown in doubt after a difficult start to this year, but his form improved on the back of a major rethink about his approach to car set-up ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

And, having shown his turnaround in form in China, when he fought hard for a podium finish, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said on Friday that the Brazilian would definitely be a part of the Maranello-based team next year.

When asked in an interview with CNN whether Massa's future with Ferrari was secure, di Montezemolo said: "Yes. Yes. He has a contract with us for this year [and] for next year. So absolutely yes, no question about it."

Di Montezemolo also said that he hoped Fernando Alonso would remain part of Ferrari for many years yet.

"Alonso is very, very strong," he said. "He is one of the best drivers I have seen in my career, very strong in the mind, very pushing with the team, but in a constructive way, but also very close to the team. So I want to have a long time Alonso."

Sauber plans to introduce a major update to its car for the Spanish Grand Prix, which it hopes will help it continue its fight for regular points scoring finishes.

The new developments will include further experimentation of the 2011-style blown diffuser, which a number of outfits are trying to get on to their cars as soon as possible.

Technical director James Key said: "We'll have a new, quite significant aero package on the car, which will be a completely new front wing, updates to the front and rear brake ducts, new bodywork, new devices around the floor leading edge and under the chassis, and we'll be testing the new exhaust system again.

"We'll also be continuing our work on the mechanical update we had in Istanbul, which proved to be positive. So it will be interesting to see how this works. If it works well it should give us a good few tenths of a second improvement in lap time. Our goal is to continue our good race form, to try to improve qualifying and finish as high in the points as possible."

Sergio Perez hopes that the new updates would be useful to help boost its qualifying form in particular.

"In Turkey we weren't able to show our potential and I hope this changes in Spain and, to begin with, we are better in qualifying," explained the Mexican. "We will bring an update for the car and I trust it will meet our expectations."

Lineker · May 15, 2011

Seven of the 11 wealthiest sportspeople in the UK and Irish Republic are current and former racing drivers, the Sunday Times sport rich list suggests.

Lewis Hamilton (£50m) joined names like Johnny Dumfries (£110m) and Eddie Irvine (£80m) towards the top of list.

Mr Hamilton saw his wealth grow by £15m in the past year.

But the top two places stayed with Wigan chairman Dave Whelan (£190m) and David Beckham (£135m). No women earned enough to make the top 100.

Boxer Lennox Lewis (£95m) and former rugby union player Sir Tony O'Reilly were the only other non-racers in the top 11, which saw three men tied in ninth spot.

Another big climber was Wayne Rooney, whose fortune increased by £4m to £37m, placing him in 17th place alongside England manager Fabio Capello.

Others who saw their wealth increase sharply in the past year include Fran Cotton and Steve Smith (both £28m), former rugby players and owners of the Cotton Traders sportswear company, and golfers Colin Montgomerie (£25m) and Luke Donald (£19m).

Out of the top 100 richest sportspeople, 51 are associated with football, 14 with motor racing and 11 with golf.

Bernie Ecclestone suggested that the door was open to the Austrian Grand Prix returning to Formula 1 when he made an unexpected visit to the official opening of the revamped Spielberg track - now rechristened the Red Bull Ring - today.

Although Red Bull and circuit chief Dietrich Mateschitz is not aiming to bring F1 back to the circuit at present, when asked if a grand prix would be possible at the refurbished venue, Eccletone replied "why not?"

He added: "This [refurbishment] should have been done 10 years ago. Without the rain I might have never realised it's the same area."

But Austrian triple world champion Niki Lauda was cautious about the chances of F1 coming back to the nation for the first time since 2003.

"It's a tremendous achievement by Dietrich and a fantastic thing to have this facility here," Lauda said. "But it would be much premature to speculate about a F1 comeback. These things take a long time."

The Red Bull F1 team is demonstrating its cars at Spielberg this weekend as part of the reopening. The track's first major event will be a DTM round at the start of next month.

Lineker · May 16, 2011

This weekend's Spanish Grand Prix will be the litmus test for Formula 1's 2011 regulations, reckons Williams technical director Sam Michael, with the Circuit de Catalunya posing the toughest challenge yet for moveable wings and Pirelli's tyre plans.

The Barcelona circuit has traditionally produced processional racing, with its long high-speed corners and lack of heavy braking zones making it very difficult for drivers to overtake their rivals.

But with the mixture of F1's Drag Reduction System (DRS) and Pirelli's push for multi-stop races having delivered a huge increase in overtaking opportunities, there is a good chance that this year's Spanish GP will deliver more excitement.

Michael believes that because Barcelona has been so hard in the past for overtaking, if this year's race is exciting, then it will show what a success the 2011 rules have been.

"I am sure there will be overtaking there," Michael told AUTOSPORT about his feeling on the prospects for the Spanish Grand Prix.

"The traditional tracks that were difficult, with the tyre situation and the rear wing things should be different. I think it will be a very good test. It has been the worst track in the past for overtaking."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said last week that he too believed the Spanish GP would provide a big insight into the success of the new rules.

"I'm particularly interested to see how the 2011 rule-changes affect Sunday's grand prix," he said. "We've seen how DRS and KERS Hybrid have influenced the racing so far this season, so we'll see how things progress at Barcelona given that the Spanish Grand Prix has previously shown limited opportunities for overtaking."

Opinions in the paddock remain split about whether the current rules have delivered perfect racing or are making overtaking too easy, with the early races having thrown up varying levels of strategy and passing.

Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer thinks that it may take another few races to work out just where the current rules are at.

"I think the jury is still out," he said. "In China it was fantastic, but maybe in Turkey there were too many pitstops and too much passing.

"With a lot of pitstops you get tyres differences and overtaking is too easy. I thought that China was great, fantastic - and perhaps Turkey was a bit more extreme. But let's give it a bit more chance - will it tend towards what we saw in Turkey or will it tend towards what we saw in China?

"The nice thing is that if we all agree it has been overdone then you can throttle it back – and maybe get rid of the DRS, or whatever. It is better than it was three years ago, that is for sure."

The Australian Grand Prix will remain at Albert Park as long as the event is a part of the calendar, local officials said on Monday as they ruled out talk of a switch to nearby Avalon.

The future of the race has been the subject of intense speculation, and grand prix chairman Ron Walker said earlier this year that a move to Avalon could be considered if the finances made sense.

During a parliamentary budget hearing in Melbourne on Monday, however, major events minister Louise Asher said that a switch to Avalon had now been dismissed - because of the £200 million cost it would take to stage the race there.

"The grand prix is going to stay at Albert Park," Asher was quoted as saying by local media.

"One of the reasons the branding of Melbourne has been so successful is that the grand prix is at Albert Park."

The high cost of the Melbourne event to taxpayers remains a major talking point in Australia, and Asher suggested that Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone would face tough negotiations when it comes to discussing a new deal beyond 2015.

"When we come to negotiate we will play hardball," Asher added. "I think taxpayers could get a better deal if the contract had less in it for my good friend Mr Ecclestone and more in it for Victorian taxpayers.

"I would love nothing more to have the grand prix stay on a contract that was fabulous value for taxpayers - the issue is whether I can deliver that."

Nick Heidfeld says his priority is to lift his and his Renault team's qualifying performances from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix - because that will boost their chances of securing another podium finish.

Although qualifying is no longer as important as it once was for deciding race positions, the evidence from the first races suggests that being in clear air near the front of the field does help significantly with helping drivers to look after their tyres.

And having experienced races both near the front and from the back, Heidfeld thinks it essential that he and Renault begin securing better grid positions.

"The race in Istanbul was good, we had good pace and I think generally we've got the speed to compete with the teams ahead," said the German. "If we have stronger qualifying sessions, we'll definitely give ourselves a good chance each Sunday. This is my main focus now."

He added: "This season requires a real team effort from everyone. I will need to concentrate on getting the most out of it, but I think it's too early days to speak about final championship positions just yet. Nico [Rosberg] is only a point behind me now and Mercedes have improved a lot over the last two races. However, we scored as many points as they did in Turkey so we can stay clear of them.

"The Ferraris are not far away - Felipe [Massa] has finished behind me in a couple of races and he is not many points ahead so my aim is to start challenging him in the standings very soon."

Renault will introduce a series of upgrades to its car this weekend that it hopes will deliver around 0.2 seconds of performance per lap.

Technical director James Allison said: "We bring another handful of aerodynamic upgrades for the next race - the development race never lets up. None of them are individually large, but there are six in total and they add up to another 0.15-0.20s per lap. It isn't a huge upgrade but if we can keep that up for every race then it starts to tell."

Allison believes that the nature of the Barcelona circuit, with its high tyre degradation, will again produce a large number of pitstops and plenty of overtaking.

"At some tracks these tyres are really on the edge – Turkey was one of them and Barcelona will be another. So having a very careful plan on Friday to prepare for the race is very important. Also, it has increasingly become clear to everybody to conserve tyres during qualifying in order to maximise results on Sunday."

He added: "By far the biggest influence over the ease of overtaking in Turkey was as a result of the track being very tough on the tyres. Barcelona is likely to be similar, with soft tyres that degrade up to 0.3 of a second per lap.

"This means that small variations in strategy yield very large differences in performance at different times in the race. Stopping just three laps different to another car will give nearly a 1s per lap difference in performance. Set against that, the DRS and KERS have only a second order effect on the ease of overtaking. We can expect another breathless race with a lot of on track action – not a traditional hallmark of the Spanish GP."

Force India driver Adrian Sutil is to face a criminal complaint for physical and grievous bodily harm from Eric Lux, CEO of Renault F1 team owners Genii Capital.

The complaint relates to an incident that took place in a Shanghai nightclub on the night of this year's Chinese Grand Prix. No official details relating to the incident have been released.

A statement issued on behalf of Lux by the Lalive law firm on Monday said: "In the view of the recent events which occurred in Shanghai on 17 April, Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against Mister Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm.

"As soon as the complaint is registered, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the team Force India will be notified.

"Furthermore, please note that Mr Eric Lux does not exclude commencing an action against any other persons involved in this matter."

Sutil confirmed to German media last week that he was involved in an incident in China, but insists there was no deliberate intent from him to injure anybody.

"During a private event, there was a very unfortunate action by me in which I hurt another person completely unintentionally," Sutil said in a statement to the German media.

"I regret the incident and have apologised accordingly. Since this was a private event and not directly related to Formula 1 or my job as a Formula 1 driver, I ask for understanding that I will say no more on this incident."

Force India was unavailable for immediate comment.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh DEAR.

Lineker · May 17, 2011

Lots of major news today.

Force India driver Adrian Sutil is to face a criminal complaint for physical and grievous bodily harm from Eric Lux, CEO of Renault F1 team owners Genii Capital.

The complaint relates to an incident that took place in a Shanghai nightclub on the night of this year's Chinese Grand Prix. No official details relating to the incident have been released.

A statement issued on behalf of Lux by the Lalive law firm on Monday said: "In the view of the recent events which occurred in Shanghai on 17 April, Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against Mister Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm.

"As soon as the complaint is registered, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the team Force India will be notified.

"Furthermore, please note that Mr Eric Lux does not exclude commencing an action against any other persons involved in this matter."

Sutil confirmed to German media last week that he was involved in an incident in China, but insists there was no deliberate intent from him to injure anybody.

"During a private event, there was a very unfortunate action by me in which I hurt another person completely unintentionally," Sutil said in a statement to the German media.

"I regret the incident and have apologised accordingly. Since this was a private event and not directly related to Formula 1 or my job as a Formula 1 driver, I ask for understanding that I will say no more on this incident."

Force India was unavailable for immediate comment.

Adrian Sutil's manager says the German driver will use every available means to "clear his name" following the criminal complaint that is set to be filed against him.

The Force India driver is set to face a criminal complaint for physical and grievous bodily harm from Eric Lux, the CEO of Renault F1 team owners Genii Capital.

The complaint relates to an incident that took place between the two following the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

Sutil's manager Manfred Zimmermann said that, should Lux proceed with his complaint, the German driver will do everything possible to clear his name.

He also said the German driver remained focused on the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix coming up.

"Following the recent press statement issued on behalf of Mr. Eric Lux, it has come to our attention, that he intends to submit a criminal complaint against Mr. Adrian Sutil regarding an incident that took place following the Chinese Grand Prix," said Zimmermann in a statement.

"Adrian has already explained, that his actions in China resulted in the accidental injury of Mr. Lux and has apologised unreservedly for his involvement in this unfortunate event.

"Should Mr. Lux proceed with his complaint, Adrian will use every available means to clarify his position and clear his name.

"In the meantime, no further comment will be made on the matter as Adrian continues to focus on the forthcoming races in Barcelona and Monaco."

Force India says it remains committed to its driver line-up for the Spanish Grand Prix despite the criminal complaint that is set to be filed against Adrian Sutil.

The Silverstone-based squad's driver said on Tuesday that he intended to use all means possible to clear his name following the revelation from Genii Capital's Eric Lux that he was set to file the complaint against the German after an incident between the two following the Chinese Grand Prix.

Force India said on Tuesday evening that it continued to "monitor the situation", confirming its driver line-up will remain unchanged for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

"Force India Formula 1 Team is aware of the statements made by both its driver, Adrian Sutil, and Mr. Eric Lux of Genii Capital, pertaining to events following the Chinese Grand Prix," said the team in a statement.

"Although the team continues to monitor the situation, it remains fully committed to its driver line-up at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix."

Formula 1's competitive order at the front of the field could be thrown on its head in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix with the FIA having made a major change to the exhaust blown diffuser regulations, AUTOSPORT has learned.

With the design and execution of blown diffusers being viewed as a key area of the 2011 development race, teams have been pushing hard with their concepts to try and eek out any competitive advantage they can.

One aspect that has been worked on a lot is in ensuring that a flow of exhaust gases keep pumping through the diffuser, to help increase downforce, even when the throttle is not in use.

But now, on the back of some teams expending huge effort in tweaking engine modes to help gain performance in this area, the FIA has acted and decided to clamp down on what they are up to.

High level sources have revealed that the FIA has written to teams informing them that from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix they will no longer be allowed to continue flowing gases through the engine when the driver is not on the throttle.

It is understood the directive to the teams tells them that, under braking, the throttle input can now be no larger than 10 per cent of its maximum. Some outfits had been gaining aerodynamic benefit from keeping the throttle flow at 100 per cent under braking.

To push this regulation change through, the FIA has deemed that throttle use will be allowed only for the purpose of increasing torque, not for 'aerodynamic performance'.

This effectively means that any team found to be using off-throttle blown diffusers could be in breach of the famous Article 3.15 of the technical regulations that outlaws moveable aerodynamic devices.

The change in regulations is set to hurt every team running a blown diffuser - although some may be hurt more than others.

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn said: "It will affect all the teams. These staccato exhausts you hear, I don't think you are going to hear them anymore.

"The teams have all been developing their engine management systems to get the maximum advantage from the exhausts, and the FIA want to push us in a different direction now so there will be changes there.

"I've no idea what will be the outcome there, but it has forced all the teams to have a fresh look at what they are doing in terms of engine strategies."

However, with McLaren having recently hinted that it viewed off-throttle engine maps as a key to Red Bull Racing's qualifying form, the change in regulations could mean the reigning world champion team is one of the worst hit.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT about the impact of the change in rules, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said: "I think that it is going to have an effect with all teams that have been utilising it.

"That appears to be 90 per cent of the grid, if you look at how many teams are running blown diffusers. It is not something unique to this year, it is something that started last year, so Barcelona will clearly show what effect this will have."

When asked if he thought the rules change had come about as the result of a complaint from a rival team to try and slow Red Bull Racing down, Horner said: "It is inevitable and the unfortunate consequence of success."

Silverstone bosses on Tuesday unveiled the circuit's new 'wing' complex that leading figures believe helps secure the venue's long-term future.

The new pit and paddock complex comprises a 16,500 square-metre building, which is 30 per cent larger than its predecessor, and that is part of the new start-line area at the British track.

The 'wing' facility, which is still unfinished, cost £27 million and the official opening event was attended by several motorsport figures.

BRDC president Damon Hill believes the new complex puts Silverstone at the forefront of the world and secures the future of the Formula 1 grand prix there.

"It is very important for everyone we managed to do this," said Hill. "There was a threat of the grand prix going somewhere else. Other places were putting up palaces, but now we have kept Silverstone at the forefront of the world."

Former world champion Nigel Mansell praised the work of the BRDC to build the facility.

"Silverstone for me is the best circuit in the world by miles. The crowd gets behind any British driver, and it is truly fantastic racing here.

"What the BRDC and board has done, they have done a fantastic job. Congratulations everyone at the BRDC."

Former grand prix driver Martin Brundle added: "I'm so excited by this. This is the result of a lot of effort from BRDC and BRDC board. The place looks great, it is a landmark building. It is the centre of the universe for motor racing."

Multiple MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi also attended the event and was hoping to jump onto the track today after missing last year's event.

"I'm very excited," said the Italian. "Last year I was at home injured, so I came here to see the track to make some laps.It is a great track, very technical and fast. It is always great to come to track where there have been great battles."

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn added: "I think the history of Silverstone cannot be manufactured - there are iconic things in F1 like Ferrari and Silverstone that cannot be manufactured. We had to preserve that, so the BRDC doing that is a great achievement."

Nigel Mansell believes Silverstone now has the opportunity to become the best motorsport facility in the world on the back of its latest revamp.

As the track unveiled its new £28 million 'Wing' pit and paddock complex on Tuesday, Mansell joined a host of stars in praising the efforts of the track owners, who have transformed Silverstone in recent years.

And, with the 'Wing' having also received backing from previous track critic Bernie Ecclestone, Mansell says he has no illusions about the opportunity Silverstone now has.

"Silverstone, where it needs to be now, is going to be, I hope, a world leader in the next 10 years," said Mansell at Silverstone. "We have always had the circuit here.

"Going forward, seeing what Damon [Hill, BRDC president] has done with his team and the board, and the BRDC members, you have now a 10-year opportunity to make this the best facility, bar none, in the world.

"The racing history of this circuit is second to none in the world. You have got every corner there - and to have a circuit that complements two wheels and four wheels is something very, very special too. So Silverstone now has moved forward in a massive way and hopefully it can be improved year-on-year."

While there has been no doubt that Silverstone's track layout is one of the best on the calendar, the venue has always faced a battle to create the facilities to take on state-of-the-art places like Abu Dhabi and China.

However, the 'Wing' marks the end of a first phase of developments, and leaves leading motor racing figures confident about where the Northamptonshire venue can go from here.

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said: "This place, Silverstone, it is the natural home of grand prix racing in the UK. I remember as a youngster supporting Mansell and Hill and seeing some fantastic races while I was growing up watching F1.

"As a team principal with Red Bull Racing we have been fortunate enough to win the grand prix for the past two years and would clearly love to make it a hat trick at the opening of facility.

"F1 visits some incredible facilities over the world. Silverstone has always stood out as a drivers' circuit but now with the complex and facility that this new 'Wing' provides, it really does set the benchmark among the GP circuits of having the combination exactly right – it is going to be fantastic to come back here, fantastic to see the pitlane alive with grand prix cars, and great for the fans."

Jenson Button said: "I think they have done a great job with the facilities, so it is great to see they have achieved so much in such a short space of time. We should all be proud of the new facility, and it lifts the British GP to hopefully being the best grand prix in the world."

Mark Webber added: "What is important today is to remember the politics that go on, particularly in F1 with a big sporting event, and that it is not easy to keep the venue and the event here.

"We have seen that Bernie is pretty tough at times, so that is a real credit to the guys that they have managed to do this. I can see a clear change in the last few years we have been here – the lawns are immaculate, and clearly today is the launch and there is a lot more to come. But you can clearly see the effort and there is a lot more precision going into things.

"That is something to be proud of going forward and the event will be here for a long, long time for the future – that is important for now and the future, the longevity, lots of different reasons."

Ecclestone was unable to attend the opening of the new 'Wing' on Tuesday – which boasted the presence of notable stars including Valentino Rossi, Button, Mansell, John Surtees, Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart.

However, Ecclestone did send a message of support – which included a tongue-in-cheek question as to why the track had not built such a good venue long ago.

"I'm very sorry that I'm not here on this important occasion for Formula 1 and the future of Silverstone," he said in a statement that was read out at the launch.

"But rest assured I've followed all the progress and the pits and paddock complex is a state of the art facility and will form the backbone of Silverstone's plans to become a world class facility.

"It's a great shame it couldn't have been completed 10 years' ago - but well done Silverstone."

Pirelli has confirmed it will introduce a new harder tyre for the Spanish Grand Prix, having tested the compound in the previous event in Turkey.

The compound, trialled during practice in Istanbul, is more durable and so will increase the gap between the prime and the option tyres, offering the teams a wider variety of strategies for the races.

Pirelli said, however, that it is still expecting three stops to be the norm in Barcelona this weekend.

"We said from the start of the year that we would introduce evolutions of the tyres if we believed that they would benefit the sport and Barcelona marks the first occasion that we have done this," said Pirelli's Paul Hembery.

"The new tyre - which we have tested extensively – reduces degradation and improves tyre wear.

"It's not a huge step over the original hard tyre but it does mean that there is a bigger gap between the soft and the hard tyre, which will definitely make things even more interesting on race day and give teams the opportunity to use more creative strategies.

"In Barcelona, based on the data we have seen in testing, we're probably expecting around three pitstops per car. It takes a lot longer to enter and leave the pits in Barcelona than it did in Turkey, and this is another factor that will have a definite influence on strategy."

Sebastian Vettel has raised his game this season following his maiden Formula 1 title, according to Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey.

And Newey reckons Vettel's improved form explains the gap between the German and his team-mate Mark Webber, who Newey believes is not driving any slower than last year.

"Sebastian will often work late trying to understand how the car is working and how he can improve," Newey told the Guardian in an interview.

"He's a quick learner and rarely makes the same mistake twice. At the moment he's really on top of his game. So far the gap between Sebastian and Mark has been bigger than last year.

"It's certainly not a case that Mark has been driving any slower - that's for sure. Mark's just taken a bit longer to adapt to the Pirelli tyres but the gap is closing."

Newey is still hoping Webber stays on at Red Bull last year, praising the contribution made by the Australian.

"I'm hoping Mark continues next season," Newey added. "Apart from being a great person, his contribution has been significant. He's been a pillar of the team from the start.

"Seb is very perceptive in his feedback in some regards and Mark is very perceptive in other areas. We listen to both and it helps the car."

The Briton, who won titles with McLaren and Williams, also admitted that clinching the crowns with Red Bull last year was the most satisfying of them all.

"In many ways, winning the constructors' and the drivers' titles with Red Bull last year was the most satisfying of all.

"When I left McLaren to come here in 2006 lots of people said: 'Newey's bitten off too much this time. He's going to fall on his face and wreck his career.'

"I try not to be affected by what other people say but everything we've achieved over the last five years has been amazing."

Adrian Newey has described Ayrton Senna's death as a "dreadful" event for him, admitting the Brazilian's accident changed him.

"Well, the little hair I had all fell out in the aftermath. So it changed me physically. It was dreadful," said Newey, the chief designer at Williams when Senna was killed in 1994, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

"Both Patrick Head and myself separately asked ourselves whether we wanted to continue in racing. Did we want to be involved in a sport where people can die in something we've created?

"Secondly, was the accident caused by something that broke through poor or negligent design? And then the court case started."

He added: "The court case was a depressing annoyance, and extra pressure, but it did not make me question whether I wanted to be involved in F1. It's the self-searching rather than the accusations that really matter."

Newey insisted, however, that he came close to quitting the sport after the accident.

"Yes. For the whole team it was incredibly difficult. I remember the day after the race was a bank holiday Monday and some of us came in to try and trawl though the data and work out what happened. They were dark weeks."

The Red Bull tech chief admitted he is not planning to watch the new Senna movie, as it would be too painful for him.

"No. It would not be an easy thing to do."

Katsuya · May 17, 2011

I'm over Sutil now. As much as I've tried to support him he's become bland, boring and consistently outside the points. I'd much rather he get his superlicence suspended and bring the Hulk in.

Lineker · May 17, 2011

I don't know what it was he is accused of doing but hopefully it won't be yet another court case lingering over this season. And those regulation changes to the exhaust blown diffusers will impact the rest of the year in a very big way for sure.

On a slightly lighter note, @TheVijayMallya has gone bonkers on Twitter.

Lineker · May 17, 2011

Formula 1 teams have been given a reprieve to continue using blown diffusers freely from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal, after the FIA had a rethink about going ahead with a major change to the regulations.

As reported earlier, the FIA issued a clarification to teams following the Turkish Grand Prix that would have banned them from using clever engine mapping settings to keep gases pumping through the diffuser even when the driver was off-throttle.

Teams had been benefiting from keeping gases flowing through the diffuser at the same rate as when the driver was on throttle, even when he was fully on the brakes. This maximised the downforce benefits gained from the use of a blown diffuser.

However, a directive from the FIA clarified that teams were only allowed to use the throttle settings for increasing torque, not for 'aerodynamic performance' - which effectively banned them from keeping gases pushing through the diffuser off-throttle.

That edict meant teams faced work to tweak their engine settings for this weekend's race at the Circuit de Catalunya, and leading figures - including Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner and Mercedes GP's Ross Brawn - said they were unsure how the competitive order would be affected by the changes.

However, following dialogue between the FIA and the teams, AUTOSPORT can reveal that the governing body decided late on Tuesday not to go through with the change to the blown diffuser regulations for Barcelona.

A high level source indicated that the decision had been taken because a number of 'unforeseen and unintended consequences' of the ban had been brought to the FIA's attention.

It is not clear what these consequences were, but teams that had benefited the most from the blown diffuser regulations may have complained about potential difficulties that they may have faced in making necessary changes to car set-up in such a short space of time.

Although off-throttle usage of blown diffusers remains in place for now, AUTOSPORT understands that the matter has been put to the top of the agenda for the next meeting of F1 think tank, the Technical Working Group.

It is understood that the FIA is keen for the off-throttle usage to be stamped out as soon as it can be implemented without causing further complications for the teams.

Lineker · May 18, 2011

Team Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne believes the updates to be introduced in the Spanish Grand Prix will make its car a full second quicker eventually.

The Norfolk-based squad will be running a major upgrade package from this weekend's race in Barcelona, and Gascoyne reckons it will allow the team to take a clear step forward into the midfield.

The updates include a new aero package as well as a different exhaust system and diffuser.

Gascoyne expects Lotus to gain a second once it can get everything working properly.

"It might take us a couple of races to fully exploit it, as I think it is going to depend on the blown floor and engine strategies and some people have more experience than us with that," said Gascoyne in the Team Lotus Notes magazine.

"But we expect our update to be significant. I think we'll see a big step and I think there is more to come over the coming races."

When asked how much he expected the updates to be worth, he said: "We're expecting it to be about a second, up to a second.

"It is a very significant update package. We think our update is going to allow us to take a clear step into the midfield, so that we are qualifying with them and out-racing them more and more.

"So, I think that we are reasonably happy, but Barcelona, it's got to see the next step forward."

Gascoyne also revealed the team is planning to introduce a blown diffuser, despite the FIA's plan to ban off-throttle systems.

"It's all built around the rear end. It's a Red Bull-style exhaust and diffuser package," he said.

"We didn't implement a blown diffuser last year, so we had one for the start of this year, but we were only able to really evaluate that in the wind tunnel from Christmas onwards, so we were playing catch-up in that area.

"I think with a lot of the teams, you can see it's been a hot topic at the start of this year, so it's pretty natural that that was going to be an area we looked at and we've seen from the development we've done that it's a very big step - far bigger than you normally would expect to be making, which is why everybody else has obviously done it.

"But the good thing is it means that we can catch up with those in front who already have it."

Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn believes Michael Schumacher will be back on form in the Spanish Grand Prix following a disappointing race in Turkey.

"I am sure the last race wasn't very joyful, and that is what he was referring to," said Brawn of Schumacher's comments after the Istanbul race, where the German finished down in 12th position after contact with Vitaly Petrov.

"When you have a race like that as any driver it is going to knock you back a bit.

"But I think he is pretty resilient and I am optimistic this weekend he will be back where we want him."

Schumacher said after the Turkish Grand Prix he was not experiencing "big joy" at the moment, but Brawn warned not to read too much into that.

"That is definitely taking it too far," said Brawn when asked if Schumacher's comments meant he was not enjoying driving in F1.

"I have spoken to him since then. We had a lot of technical discussions and he was hassling about what we were doing about the car, what is coming along, what improvements we have got - so nothing has changed. We are optimistic."

Brawn also reckons it is small things that Schumacher need to work on to get back to his best form.

"It is just looking at the things that go wrong. They are quite small, and although they are all significant in Turkey until final qualifying he was incredibly strong but then he had some problems.

"So it is that last little bit that he needs to finish off. If he was slow from the beginning then you would be worried, but I am not worried because he is still very quick."

McLaren engineering director Tim Goss has admitted that the ban on off-throttle blown diffusers would hurt the performance of his team.

Goss is adamant, however, that it will also be a setback for McLaren's main rivals too.

After the Turkish GP, the FIA issued a rules clarification that would have banned off-throttle blown diffusers, which use engine mapping settings to keep gases pumping through the diffuser even when the driver is not pushing the throttle.

The governing body, however, said on Tuesday evening that it had decided not to go through with the change to the diffuser regulations for this weekend's Spanish GP.

However, the FIA is believed to be keen for the off-throttle usage to be stamped out as soon as possible.

Goss, speaking during a Vodafone phone-in teleconference on Wednesday, admitted that his team would be affected by the changes.

"It's difficult to know," said Goss about how big an effect the changes would have in the performance of McLaren's car.

"All the teams are up to the same tricks with regards engine mapping. Certainly we exploit them.

"The latest set of guidelines the FIA has given us regarding engine mapping would be a performance setback for us if and when they come in. I know it would almost certainly be a performance setback to our major competitors.

"Whether it affects us more than our major competitors is something I don't know. I know what we get out of it and it's a substantial benefit. But I imagine it will be just as sizeable a setback to our competitors.

"We're just working to the latest set of FIA guidelines. We can react to whatever they tell us reasonably promptly, and for the moment it would appear that the FIA considers it quite a complex matter and they have to go back and consider exactly how they police it.

"So as a result it looks like in Spain it will be business as usual."

Goss admitted he did not know the reasons why the FIA had decide to take the decision to change the rules now.

"I don't know the background. I don't know if they've taken it upon themselves to clamp down on this, or whether somebody's prompted them to.

"Since mid 2010 it's become apparent to journalists and then the rest of the public that teams have been changing engine maps to get more out of the exhaust momentum and the effects of that on the rear of the car. This been around for a while, but there's been nothing mentioned about clamping down."

McLaren will have over ten new upgrades for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the team's engineering director Tim Goss said on Wednesday.

The British squad is also planning to bring the updates it did not take to Istanbul after Goss felt they would not be fully reliable over a race distance.

"As usual the relentless pace of upgrades continues," said Goss during a Vodafone phone-in teleconference. "We have a package of upgrades which we're taking to Spain. It's a package of about 10-12 upgrades, some of which will be recognisable from the outside and some that won't be.

"Our objective is to win races and championships and to do that we have to close the gap on Red Bull. We just keep chipping away at the problem. We had a package for Turkey that we took there. We're always trying to accelerate getting upgrades to the circuit as quickly as possible.

"Just prior to Turkey we had a minor issue that meant I wasn't confident that the upgrade would be durable over a race distance. So we pulled out of that at the last minute. We'll reevaluate all of our issues on Friday in Spain."

Goss also conceded he would be surprised if the Spanish Grand Prix is not an entertaining race thanks to the new regulations, despite the Barcelona circuit being notoriously difficult for overtaking.

"It's made a dramatic difference to the races so far and undoubtedly most of us would be quite surprised if the Spanish Grand Prix is not different to previous events. Clearly it's not all down to the DRS and KERS hybrid. The tyres and tyre life plays a large part in creating the race spectacle we've all got.

"I think most of us would be surprised if Spain is not an entertaining race. Tyre wear and life will play a large part in that and DRS will help. One of the most encouraging things for me this season is that the overtakes are not just happening in the DRS zone.

"If that were just happening then it would be very predictable. It makes it more exciting for the spectators and hopefully that draws more viewers to the sport."

Lineker · May 20, 2011

Fernando Alonso will stay at Ferrari at least until the 2016 season after extending his contract with the Italian squad.

The Spanish two-time world champion joined the Maranello outfit last year and admitted he would like to end his career at Ferrari.

Alonso had originially signed a deal to stay at the team until the end of the 2012 season.

The Spaniard finished in second place in the championship in his first season with the team last year.

"It is a great pleasure to have renewed our agreement with a driver who has always demonstrated a winning mentality even in the most difficult circumstances," said Ferrari `president Luca di Montezemolo.

"Fernando has all the required qualities, both technically and personally to play a leading role in the history of Ferrari and I hope he will be enriching it with further wins very soon."

Alonso added: "I am very happy to have reached this agreement. I immediately felt comfortable within Ferrari and now it feels to me like a second family.

"I have the utmost faith in the men and women who work in Maranello and in those who lead them: it is therefore natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day."

Fernando Alonso says he feels "happy and privileged" to have extended his contract with the Ferrari team until the end of the 2016 season.

The Spaniard joined the Maranello-based squad last year and had a contract until the end of 2012, but the team confirmed a four-year extension on Thursday.

"It was good news for me and my career to extend the contract and get an extension to 2016," said Alonso in Barcelona ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

"Also as I said last year the intention is to finish my career with Ferrari. I don't imagine a better place to race for a racing driver.

"I have been lucky to arrive here last year and I felt at home from day one and I have the possibility to race here until the end of 2016, so it will be seven years in Ferrari.

"I am happy and privileged, and maybe in 2017 we will have another contract. I will see if I am not too old and if Ferrari still want me."

Alonso said extending his deal with Ferrari was only a natural decision, given how comfortable he has been since he joined in 2010.

"It is not a big change in my mind, my head. It was already very clear that I wanted to race here for many years, and despite what the contract said, the stability was always 100% in my case. This was just a public confirmation, nothing changed inside the team."

He added: "I have to say it was a very easy decision for us. We started talking one or two weeks ago about the future and both of us wanted to continue. I was happy with the team and they seemed to be happy with me as well, so we said 'okay, we make an extension of the contract'.

"We agreed to 2016, and everything is more clear for us, for the team members and for everyone to have stability. It was a decision from both parts."

Although the two-time champion admitted it was impossible to tell how successful he will be at Ferrari, he feels he is at the best team to achieve more championship glory.

"F1 is impossible to predict and it is impossible to predict about wining championships even before you started. For sure I am in the best team possible to fight for world championships. Some other teams go up and down, they have good years and bad years.

"At Ferrari in the worst years you finish second or third in the world championship so this is something Ferrari can offer to a driver."

Formula 1 chiefs are considering a move to make the Indian Grand Prix the season finale on December 4, AUTOSPORT has learned, as a way of slotting the Bahrain GP back on the calendar.

As discussions continue between Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA and Bahrain officials about the race returning to the schedule, high level sources have revealed that Indian officials have been asked to look at a race date change to help accommodate the Sakhir event.

AUTOSPORT understands that the current plan being favoured, should Bahrain be given the green light to return to the schedule, is for the Middle Eastern race to take India's current October 30 slot.

There would then be a two-week gap before the Abu Dhabi GP on November 13, after which the young driver test would take place from November 15-17.

Brazil would then keep its current November 27 date, with India then being moved to December 4.

With the FIA due to decide on June 3 whether or not Bahrain can take place, sources suggest that chiefs want the end of season schedule reshuffle sorted before then rather than waiting to see what happens with the Gulf island state race.

Although it is understood Indian officials have been asked to look at the new date, no decision has yet been taken about whether it will happen.

FIA president Jean Todt said at the Turkish Grand Prix that he was happy to give Bahrain more time.

"We completely sympathise with the problems that are happening, and we all understand that it would not have been possible to keep the grand prix as the first race of the championship," he said.

"I think if you are in a difficult situation, you need support. That is our responsibility. We need to give some support and it will penalise nobody to have a final answer by June 3."

Adrian Sutil insists that the controversy about a nightclub incident in Shanghai is not proving to be a distraction from his on-track efforts this weekend.

The German is facing the prospect of a criminal complaint from Renault team shareholder Eric Lux over an incident that took place following the Chinese Grand Prix.

But despite huge interest in the story, and a larger than normal media scrum around him in Spain on Thursday, Sutil said that he was not letting the matter weigh down on him.

"To be honest, it is one part of my life - but I am concentrating on the racing at the moment and that is what counts," said the Force India driver.

"I am here in Barcelona to focus on my race this weekend, focus for the next one in Monaco. That is all that counts and that is all I can answer at the moment."

When asked if it was not hard to keep the focus on racing under such difficult circumstances, Sutil said: "There are always difficult situations but I have to live with it."

Sutil's manager Manfred Zimmermann clarified that there were no questions over Sutil's continued presence in the team, even though a statement from Force India issued last week only mentioned him racing in Spain.

"The team was asked, will Adrian be in the car in Barcelona? And the team said, yes he will be in the car in Barcelona. That is it," he explained.

When asked if Sutil will definitely be racing for the remainder of the season, Zimmermann said: "Yes, but you have to ask Vijay [Mallya, team principal]. But anything can happen. Are you sure Fernando will be in the car in Monaco?"

Michael Schumacher has insisted that his unhappy demeanour after finishing 12th in the Turkish Grand Prix did not mean that he was having regrets about his comeback with Mercedes.

After his tough Istanbul race, which was spoiled by early contact with Vitaly Petrov for which most observers blamed Schumacher, the German admitted in a television interview that the "big joy" was missing at present. But in Spain today he said that remark should have been taken as solely a comment on his race result, rather than a summary of his Formula 1 return as a whole.

"If you saw the whole interview then it should have been very clear that this was meant for this race [Turkey]," he said. "Having a car that was capable of fifth and sixth, and deducting all the unnecessary bits in the first two laps, I would have been most likely sixth and not being there, that is obviously not the biggest fun."

He said his mood remained positive heading into this weekend's Spanish GP.

"It is no different to any other event," said Schumacher. "If you think anything has changed in myself, no. That is certainly not the case.

"Even doing that race, I enjoyed part of that race, with the overtaking and the action I had, but then the result I certainly did not enjoy. I had no issues and no problem with anything that is coming up ahead of me now."

The seven-time champion added that he was relaxed about the extensive media coverage his post-Turkey mood had received.

"Naturally you prefer not to have unnecessary critics. But that is part of our life. I have been through this so often, and after every storm the sun always comes out," he said.

But Schumacher admitted that he still was not settled enough to eliminate the minor errors like the Turkey qualifying slip that left him back in eighth on the grid while Nico Rosberg qualified third, a second faster.

"Certainly I need to change something, in a way that avoids the mistake that I did in Turn 1 in Turkey, that leads to other things you do over the edge," Schumacher acknowledged.

"If you are in the flow and everything is right then you feel it, I am aware and I know that I am able to do this, but I know you have to pull it in the right moment of time and that success rate is not yet 100 per cent."

Sebastian Vettel says the fact that Fernando Alonso has extended his Ferrari contract through 2016 does not mean he sees the Italian team as 'out of bounds' until then.

The world champion emphasised that he remained happy at Red Bull Racing, but denied that Alonso's close relationship with Ferrari and preference for number one status would deter other top drivers from approaching the squad while the Spaniard was present.

"I don't think I ever said anywhere that the fact that maybe Fernando or Felipe [Massa] or any other driver drives for Ferrari means it is impossible to go there," said Vettel. "As far as I know, in Formula 1 teams have two cars...

"That will probably kick off some headlines now, but I am very happy where I am."

Vettel added that while Alonso's deal seemed unusually long, he felt many drivers would have taken such an opportunity.

"It's good for him, congratulations. I think it's an important step," said the German. "It's a long time from now onwards, and if he has the opportunity and he feels comfortable there then why not?

"I think all the drivers are feeling a little bit the same - if you feel in an environment where you feel welcome, you feel nice with the team and the guys."

But Vettel, who is contracted to Red Bull through 2014, said he had no interest in planning as far ahead as Alonso just yet.

"I'm not really thinking about these things too much and I don't think about where I will be in 2016. It's quite far away," he said.

"Really I'll go step by step and race by race, so next year's still quite a long way away. 2013... don't even ask, with all the new rules, so many things can happen. That's why it's very far away."

McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton believe that getting ahead of Sebastian Vettel and into clear air at the start is the key to beating the championship leader in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and beyond.

Vettel has only been defeated once in this season's four races so far, and the McLaren duo reckon being able to make an early break and control the often-chaotic races from the front has been key to his advantage.

"There is a very long drag down into Turn 1 here, and even if they qualify half a second in front of us - if you qualify right behind them you can get them into Turn 1," said Button at Catalunya today. "Then the race is anyone's from then on - it is not as straightforward as quickest car wins.

"I think [Red Bull] have done a great job so far this year, and so has Sebastian, [but] even if they are very fast in qualifying I still think you can race them."

Hamilton added: "The problem is, when Vettel starts on pole position it's easy because he has clear air. It's pretty much done and dusted by Turn 1 because he's able to look after his tyres and his engine, it's very, very straightforward. There's really not much to it.

"When you get stuck behind a car that's slower than you, the question is do you back off [and save tyres]? I tend to try and get past them as quick as possible, use the tyres in the early stages to get by. But at the last race it took me forever to get past Jenson, and once I finally got past, my tyres were destroyed

"If I can get the car on the front row, those problems will pretty much disappear."

McLaren has a variety of updates this weekend, and Button hopes the step will be big enough to get closer to Red Bull.

"We have got a lot of updates here, the stuff we were supposed to put on the car in Turkey makes the car look a bit sexy, and faster obviously. It is not just to make it look good," he said.

"So that's on the car, which is good. And also the updates we were always going to bring to Barcelona are here, so there is a reasonable amount of lap time.

"Tomorrow morning is going to be very busy for us, running through aero testing and in the afternoon we will have more of an understanding of what the car can do – not compared to others but the feel of the car for ourselves.

"Can we fight the Red Bulls? We can hope. That has to be the aim, I don't know if it is possible but that is what we are aiming for."

Hamilton agreed that McLaren would be more competitive this weekend, but suspects Red Bull will make a step of its own and could stay just out of reach.

"If they stay where they are pace-wise, in races they're a tenth or two quicker than us, but in qualifying it's four to seven tenths," he said. "If they have that gap still then we may be closing on it a little bit this weekend.

"But you have to assume that they are bringing some updates this weekend which will propel them a little bit further forward as well. So we might have just moved forward at the same time and rate as them and the gap might be the same. We'll find out in the next day or so."

Button added that he still thinks it is too early to declare Vettel unbeatable in this year's title race, despite his three wins so far and current 34-point advantage.

"He is a long way ahead, but I had a massive gap at the start of the year [in 2009] and Sebastian and Mark [Webber] nearly beat me, so that is a different situation," said Button.

"They have resources and they are willing to use them. So I think they are obviously very difficult to beat at the moment and that will be the case for a few races, but we are not giving up. It is something you will definitely fight for until the last race."

Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, has confirmed the DRS zone for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

The detection point will placed right before the final corner, with the activation soon after the start of the main straight.

It means the DRS zone will be longest available so far, with 830 meters to overtake along the Barcelona circuit's straight.

It is hoped the long DRS zone will boost passing moves on a circuit where overtaking has always been difficult.

Thursday's press conference:

DRIVERS ; Jaime ALGUERSUARI (Toro Rosso), Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari), Mark WEBBER (Red Bull), Sergio PEREZ (Sauber), Pastor MALDONADO (Williams).

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. A question to all the Spanish-speaking drivers. Do you feel it is a home race, particularly Pastor and Sergio, and about your home race, Jaime and Fernando. Sergio, does it feel like your home race?

Sergio PEREZ: Not really. It feels closer to home but my home is in Mexico. But I always enjoy it when I am in Barcelona and in Spain as well.

Q. Jaime, it is very much your home race anyway?

Jaime ALGUERSUARI: Yeah, I really feel nice when I drive here. It is very special for me as I have the crowd and the environment, the weather. I live in Barcelona, in the town, so it is cool to drive here and for me it is one of the best races in the year.

Q. Does it make it easier for you to race here or more difficult? Do you feel the crowd is behind you?

JA: Well, I think it makes no difference. For me it is easier as I am quite near from my house so I don't have to take a plane or anything. But it is really a one-off, one more weekend in the season and the track is quite cool as well to drive. It is quite enjoyable.

Q. Pastor, your feelings. I realise it is a long way from home.

Pastor MALDONADO: For sure it is not a home race but here in Barcelona there are many Venezuelan people. To be here is always fun. I am very happy to be here with the weather so good. We speak Spanish so that is great for me.

Q. Fernando?

Fernando ALONSO: Obviously, good to be here, Barcelona and Valencia, both races feel a home race for me. Racing in Spain is special. As Jaime said, good motivation. There are some extra pressures, but good pressure as there is a lot of support from the grandstands, from the people, hotels, et cetera, so it is a weekend that we normally enjoy a lot.

Q. Nigel Mansell always used to say it was worth an extra half-a-second a lap or so. Maybe a second depending on how he was feeling.

FA: A little bit optimistic that calculation, but you try to do the best you can and the whole team try to support you and have everything ready and try to find perfection in this weekend. So maybe one-tenth.

Q. Only a tenth?

FA: Yes.

Q. Mark, winner from pole here last year. You have finished seven out of the eight Spanish Grands Prix you have had here. Is this a good circuit for you?

Mark WEBBER: Seems to be, yeah. I didn't know I'd finished that many races here. I will try to keep that going and have a clean weekend and try to go one step further than the last few races and do what I did last year. It would be nice.

Q. How difficult is it to do that one step better. We know what you mean by that I think?

MW: We need a perfect weekend. We know that. To win at this level you need to get everything right. It is not like I am starting to try now. I have been trying the last few races. Turkey was the first race where I had a clean weekend with the car, which was nice, so we managed to have reasonable quali, reasonable first stint, and after that it was a good race with Fernando and we still managed to get a good result. But the other races have been a bit more chaotic for different reasons, but we look to have less chaotic races and keep it as Turkey was and keep executing a clean grand prix and getting it all right and that's what you need to do to win.

Q. Sergio, just give an account of your season so far. How do you feel things have gone for you?

SP: Well, so far I am very happy with my season. Even though I had a very good debut, finishing seventh, in the last races I had the pace to be on the points consistently. For one reason or another I could not manage in the end to get the points, but my adaptation to Formula One has gone very good so I am very motivated. The team has supported me a lot and I am very happy and looking forward for this weekend. I think now, after four races, I am quite ready to start to show the progress and ultimately to aim for the points.

Q. I think you have got a lot of updates here. It is difficult to know where that is going to put you. What are the hopes from those updates?

SP: I think we are quite optimistic. We hope everything goes according to our plan. Many teams are bringing updates so we have to keep pushing to keep improving. I think so far the car has been quick especially in the races. If you see the last race I had a problem with my front wing, I broke my front wing in the third corner, so I lost about 40 seconds but recovered from that to still finish 13th so the pace of the car is quite good. We have to keep improving and I am very optimistic we are going to do a good job this weekend.

Q. Jaime, you scored a point here last year. Your team-mate was running a genuine seventh place in the last race. What are you hoping for this weekend?

JA: I really hope the season turns around a bit for me and from this weekend onwards we can have a much better season. For one reason or another it was not really the best beginning for me and hopefully we can finish in the points. We will see if the strategy goes with us and it helps us to be more consistent in the race with tyre degradation and so on and we can score some points and hopefully, as I say, just turn around the season. Then we can score some points as well in Monaco and the next races. The target is to be in top 10 and we have shown it, we have shown we have potential and that this year the car is more competitive, especially on the Saturdays, than last year. We have showed it in qualifying. For me I am struggling a bit in the race. We did not have the chance to finish China or Malaysia in good conditions but in general we have good experiences from Sébastien (Buemi), who seemed to have no problems in the race and we will see where we can finish here.

Q. I think you were heading to the simulator in Milton Keynes after the Turkish Grand Prix. What did you learn there?

JA: Well, it was very nice, as you drive for Red Bull Racing and you test the simulator and you have a really nice feeling. It was worth going. Some things to learn and it is always nice to drive on the simulator.

Q. How long did you spend there?

JA: About two days we drove for here and Monaco. It was worth visiting.

Q. Pastor, just tell us about your season so far. How do you feel you have done so far this year?

PM: It was not so easy for us, especially at the beginning, the first two races, as we have some problems in both cars, so it was difficult to keep the car to the end of the races. I am improving every time, every race. The team is pushing and we are working so hard to be competitive and I am quite confident from now to be in the top 10. I think we can do that. The potential is so high in the team. We just need to put all the points together and to get the right things and finalise in top 10. The car is so quick, we just need to concentrate on some little things and we will see. Our potential is so high. I always said that. We need to be together in that moment. But it has been difficult for us but we can see that we can score some points.

Q. I think there are a lot of improvements on the car coming to this race? How do you feel about those improvements?

PM: As I told you before, the team did a very, very strong job, especially the past two weeks just to improve. We have a very good aero package here and hope that it will function. I don't know if you saw the last race we were very close to going into Q3 so I hope to be there this race. We do our best and let's see.

Q. Mark, what sort of updates have you coming here?

MW: No, nothing.

Q. Nothing? It always looks like Christmas Day down there?

MW: We don't have Christmas. Spark plugs, new spark plugs.

Q. Blown floor? What do you feel about that?

MW: What's the rule this hour.

Q. True. You tell me, I don't know.

MW: We don't know either. It changes every hour.

Q. What is your feeling about the performance you perhaps get from that? It has been around for quite a long time hasn't it?

MW: Yeah, it will affect all the fast teams for sure.

Q. Do you imagine losing it?

MW: Out of our hands, isn't it mate. At the start of the week it was banned, this week not, today not. Another Technical Working Group meeting after Monaco but I think it will affect all the top teams that have utilising this system, not just this year but obviously a little bit last year.

Q. A lot of people have been talking about overtaking at this circuit. Do you think it is going to change a great deal in this grand prix?

MW: It will definitely be better than what we have had in the past. It has to be. The tyres are playing a big role these days and the wing on this straight as well. The last sector in Turkey is a little bit more open for different moves, so turn one here is a bit different but you can still get the job done with the tyres and with the wing. It will be a different Spanish Grand Prix to what we have seen in the past in terms of overtaking. Not the most overtakes we have seen here in the past but that will probably change on Sunday.

Q. Can you still get close enough through that final corner?

MW: Yeah, if someone is in trouble on the tyres, it doesn't matter who you are.

Q. Is qualifying less important now or is it more important to conserve tyres?

MW: Well it was absolutely crucial in years gone by, qualifying, we know that. Where you finished the first lap in the seasons gone by particularly when refuelling was brought back in it was very, very sensitive. You had to get it right. When we had pit-stops before that with fuelling it was still important but you could still get something out of it by going longer, shorter and recovering a bit. But, at the moment, we know with these regulations you can recover the most we have seen in the last 10 years so it has changed a lot.

Q. Fernando, we have news that you have extended your contract to 2016 which is quite a long time. But you have also said you will probably end your days at Ferrari?

FA: Yeah, it was good news for me, for my career to extend the contract and to make an extension to 2016. As I also said last year the intention is to finish my career at Ferrari. I don't imagine any other better place to race for a racing driver. I have been lucky to arrive here last year. I felt at home from day one and now I have this possibility to be racing here. At the end of 2016 it will be seven years in Ferrari, so I feel very privileged, very happy to that, and in 2017 we will see maybe another contract, if I am not too old at that point and if Ferrari are still happy with me.

Q. What does it mean to have that stability and for a driver to know that you are in that team for so many more years?

FA: Well, it is not a big change in my mind or in my head as it was already for me very clear that I would race here for many years. Despite what the number of the contract said, which year it finished, the stability was already 100 per cent in my case and I felt the same with the team. This is just a public confirmation, nothing changed inside the team and stability is always good for a Formula One team. There are so many rule changes, so many things to look at, that for a driver point of view or a team point of view it is good to programme in the long-term to develop and to create a good partnership together and bring some success to Maranello.

Q. You have already won this race from pole position in 2006. And three second places here. You have finished eight out of your nine races here. I think what all your compatriots want to know is can you win on Sunday?

FA: Anything can happen in Formula One. Any of us sitting here can win the race. You never know what is going to happen. Red Bull is very dominant in this first part of the championship. It is difficult to beat them in the race. It is nearly impossible to beat them in qualifying, but this is something that we want to change and we want to change starting here in Barcelona. We brought some new parts in Turkey that seemed to work fine for us and we did a step forward and closed the gap a little bit with them. Second part of these new parts are coming here to Barcelona, so hopefully we can make another step forward and close even more the gap but knowing that, as some of the guys said, I think all the teams will bring some new parts. It is just time tomorrow to see, or wait for Saturday afternoon after qualifying, which of the teams did the better job and brought some extra parts here and we see how competitive the Ferrari can be after Barcelona. We are optimistic. We are confident. We have been working a lot and the intention is to close even more the gap and to be fighting with them very soon.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (David Croft - BBC Radio Five Live) Fernando, 2016 is a long time. Whose idea was it to start contract negotiations and extend it now, yours or the team's?

FA: Both, I have to say. I think it was very easy, very simple for us. We started talking maybe one or two weeks ago, about the future. Both sides wanted to continue. I was very happy with the team; they seemed to be happy with me as well. So we said, OK, we make an extension of the contract. We arrived at the date of 2016 and everything is more clear for us, for the team members and for everyone: to have some stability, as we said. It was a decision from both sides.

Q. (David Croft – BBC Radio Five Live) It's got to be the quickest contract negotiation ever, isn't it?

FA: Yeah, it was very... I think when both sides want to continue, it's the best thing. You find a compromise, a decision, very, very quickly.

Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Mark, last year you were mentioning Sebastian's qualifying; do you have an explanation for Sebastian's dominance this year, and do you think that the fact that you are coming up to the two races that you won against him last year will give you more strength and more confidence?

MW: What's absolutely clear is that we were very, very, very even on the Bridgestone tyres, and it's not quite like that on the Pirellis so far, particularly on new tyres. That's not an excuse, I'm just answering your question. That's the only thing that's changed. It's a big change for the drivers, obviously, to get used to that. Seb's doing a good job and clearly it's up to me to do better.

Races here? Well, look, I like Sepang, I like a lot of the tracks we've already been to but I didn't win there. This is another track that's not too bad. Monaco is a very unique venue, as we know, it's going to be very interesting this year on strategy. There's many tracks I enjoy driving on but haven't had victories on and there are some tracks which I've won at which maybe I don't enjoy as much. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this weekend. It's always been a good Grand Prix, particularly since Fernando's been at the front, in the Renault days. There's a good atmosphere with the crowd, good fireworks and all that sort of stuff. It makes a difference from the last venues; it's nice to race in front of people. They're passionate about it now, alongside their motorcycle racing. It's one of the reasons why I threw my helmet into the crowd last year, to give something back to the guys here. They're really passionate about the sport and that's good.

Q. (Toni Lopez – La Vanguardia) Fernando, in these six seasons until the end of your contract, how many championships would you like to win, at the least ?

FA: Formula One is impossible to predict and it's impossible to think about winning championships before I've even started. I think the intention is to keep enjoying racing. For sure, I think I'm in the best team possible to fight for World Championships. I think some other teams go up and down. They have good years and bad years. At Ferrari, in the worst season you finish third or second in the World Championship, so this is something that Ferrari can offer to a driver. So in these six years, I will try to enjoy racing and I'm sure that opportunity will come. Opportunity came last year. We missed it by only four points and hopefully we can repeat that fight and next time, hopefully, we can take it. But it's impossible to predict.

Q. (Andy Benson – BBC Sport) Fernando and Mark; last year the Red Bull was about a second a lap faster than anything else around here. This year, the Red Bull has been even quicker compared to the other cars than it was last year at other circuits, so what hope or chance is there of anyone getting anywhere near the Red Bulls this weekend?

FA: You're talking about his car so maybe he can answer. I think it's true that the gap was around one second here last year. This year, in some races it was even more than one second but we're working hard. I think all the teams who are trying to catch them are working hard and that gap should theoretically be less and less at every race. Here, I will be disappointed if it's one second again. So we try to give them a hard time this weekend.

MW: Yeah, there were two tracks that stood out last year: here and Budapest, particularly in qualifying where the car was very, very strong and it was a big surprise to us and also the opposition. Of course, we hope we have a nice advantage again, coming to this venue, but it's not a given. For sure, the car should perform well around here. The gap in qualifying was quite big, the race with Lewis last year, for me, was obviously under control. He was our closest rival, then he had a problem with the front left. Seb had a problem and Fernando got second. But the race was a bit different to qualifying in terms of pace. As we have seen, again in the last three years with the Red Bull, everyone talks about qualifying now, but that's generally been a trend that we are strong in qualifying and still strong enough in the race. We haven't been unsuccessful in races in the last few years either, so yeah, I hope we still have a good gap and see what happens.

Q. (Mike Doodson – Honorary) I guess this question is for the two veteran drivers, Mark and Fernando: with all the buttons and levers and stuff in the cockpit this year, you guys are busier than ever and inevitably it seems all the strategy is being done on the pit wall, because there are so many factors that they can perceive that you cannot. Do you regret that the driver no longer has the same control over strategy that perhaps he used to have in the past?

MW: I think that, as usual, you will never get everyone to agree on the first part of your question in terms of levers and buttons in the cockpit. Obviously, it becomes a little bit political sometimes on those issues, in terms of what some teams like and some teams don't but in the end, when we're all using the same button or buttons at the same time, particularly in qualifying, I'm not a huge fan of us patting our tummy at the same time for no real benefit for anybody. We're just going round the track doing the same thing, basically. If we're racing, it's a different story. Whatever we can do to help the show but there are parts of the weekend when we don't need to use all the toys for the benefit of anybody. For the strategy side of things, I think we've seen the racing change, of course. It's not often that you see what happened with Fernando and I in Turkey, where Fernando comes past me and then I can come back past him again later in the race. I would like to see the last time we saw that in a grand prix, for a clean… no mechanical problems on the cars, obviously. It was just a different situation that we went through in the grand prix, so that was a little bit unusual and probably will happen again in the future. That's mainly because of the tyres, so the tyres are now playing a big role in how the grands prix are executed and you're right, yes, we're getting a lot of help from the pit wall. We've always had that, particularly in the fuelling days. In terms of influence from the pit wall, I don't think that much has changed. It's now maybe as busy – maybe a little bit more busy for us in the car than it was in fuelling days, for us, not to manipulate the strategy but we've got to try and look after the tyres a bit and that sort of stuff. In the fuelling days, it was basically just flat out and you were going against the fuel in the car. Strategy-wise, I don't think a huge amount has changed in the cockpit, more pit stops but it's the same for everyone. So the people are helping us as much as they were in the early two thousands and late nineties.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Fernando, do you consider that Mark plays a key role in the championship because he's the only one, apart from Sebastian Vettel, who drives a Red Bull and so he could take points out of Sebastian? And on that matter, how do you consider yourself, Mark?

FA: I think Mark, for sure, last year was taking some points from Sebastian. That hasn't happened in these four races. In the numbers, when you see the championship now, you see that Vettel is quite far in front and then a group of six or eight cars, not too far behind one another. It's only Sebastian who has got a bit too far ahead at the moment and this is also thanks to his fantastic driving in these first four races: no mistakes, very quick and he deserved all those points. So it's up to us, now, to recover this gap, it's up to us to have more competitive cars, better cars than Red Bull, so we are working on that and winning races. If we do that – the championship is long – to recover the gap and there are still plenty of races, but to do any reaction or any recovery in terms of points, you need to have the best car. It's happened in many years, it happened in 2006 to me. I remember I had a gap of 32 points to Michael in Canada, which is more or less 75 or 80 points today, and Michael had the same gap to me with two races to go. So you can catch up any distance, but you need to have the best car in one part of the championship, so we are working on that. And as you said, if it happened like last year that the Red Bull was the quickest car but sometimes Mark was winning, sometimes Sebastian was winning, sometimes they didn't finish races, sometimes they crashed together and if we can have something like that, it will be even better.

Q. (Andy Benson – BBC Sport) Fernando, you arrived in Turkey saying that you thought the car would be two tenths quicker than it had been before, compared to the others. It turned out to be a lot more than that: you nearly halved the gap to Sebastian in qualifying. Where did that come from and what are you expecting from this weekend?

FA: Well, it came from race pace and from tyre management, I think, because in qualifying, I think in Malaysia it was one second again. In China, it was 1.4s and Turkey was one second behind pole position, so more or less the same distance. But the race pace depends on how is the tyre management you can have in the race, how easy your car is in that particular race, concerning the set-up or whatever you can find on Friday; it helps the Sunday performance, so in Turkey, it seems that we went in the right direction in terms of set-up of the car, in terms of tyres and we were a little bit more competitive than expected in the race. So we would like to bring that experience to these coming races and hopefully we can keep having some advantage in tyre wear and tyre behaviour. And here, I don't know. We will see how is the performance of the car, how the new parts work but as I said, the most important thing is how you approach the weekend and how you manage your tyres.

Lineker · May 20, 2011

Red Bull Racing kicked off the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in perfect fashion, with Mark Webber topping the opening practice session ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

In a session taking place under very clear skies, Australian Webber set a time of 1m25.142s early on and stayed unchallenged for the remainder of the 90 minutes.

Webber was over a second quicker than Vettel, the championship leader having a low-key start to the weekend in the second Red Bull.

Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg was third quickest, with local hero Fernando Alonso in fourth in the quickest of the Ferraris. Team-mate Felipe Massa finished down in 16th position.

Rookie Sergio Perez enjoyed a strong start to the weekend with the fifth fastest time in the Sauber, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren and Michael Schumacher in the second Mercedes.

Massa was the first driver to complete a timed lap early in the session, but was soon outpaced by Rosberg and Schumacher, although neither posted a significant time as teams carried out installation laps to check their newer upgrades.

Perez jumped to the top of the times some 20 minutes into the session, the Sauber driver's 1m27.512s staying as the benchmark for some time until Webber bettered that by around half a second with less than an hour to go.

On his following lap, however, the Australian went nearly two second quicker, becoming the first man to lap in the 1m25s, improving even more minutes later after going through the pits.

Pastor Maldonado was the protagonist of the first and only incident of the day when he went off the track at Turn 12, the Williams driver avoiding contact but having to get out of the car so his car could be recovered from the gravel.

The Venezuelan, however, was unable to return to action in the morning.

FP1


Pos  Driver                Team                  Time              Laps

 1.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m25.142s    	     27 

 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m26.149s  + 1.007  20

 3.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m26.379s  + 1.237  29

 4.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m26.480s  + 1.338  27

 5.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m26.738s  + 1.596  26

 6.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m26.988s  + 1.846  19

 7.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m27.016s  + 1.874  32

 8.  Nick Heidfeld         Renault               1m27.132s  + 1.990  21

 9.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m27.138s  + 1.996  22

10.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth     1m27.212s  + 2.070  20

11.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault               1m27.241s  + 2.099  22

12.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m27.471s  + 2.329  23

13.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth     1m28.005s  + 2.863  11

14.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m28.027s  + 2.885  26

15.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes  1m28.163s  + 3.021  22

16.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m28.654s  + 3.512  28

17.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m28.819s  + 3.677  23

18.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m28.995s  + 3.853  9

19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault         1m29.231s  + 4.089  21

20.  Jerome D-Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth       1m30.896s  + 5.754  18

21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth       1m31.235s  + 6.093  24

22.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth          1m31.268s  + 6.126  23

23.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault         1m31.418s  + 6.276  12

24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m32.106s  + 6.964  25


All Timing Unofficial[/code]




Mark Webber led the way again in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, but there was encouragement for Red Bull's rivals as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was just 0.039 seconds off the pace as he split Webber and team-mate Sebastian Vettel.



For a while in the middle of the session, the Red Bull duo were nearly two seconds clear of the field - and that was not solely because they had tried the soft tyres (which appeared today to offer a 2s lap-time boost) before most as Renault, Red Bull's nearest rival at that point in the afternoon, was on the same rubber.



But when McLaren switched to softs, the gap closed considerably, with Hamilton getting between the Red Bulls and closing to within 0.039s of Webber.



Jenson Button took fourth in the other McLaren, 0.7s off the pace. Fernando Alonso was top Ferrari in fifth, a further 0.3s down and just ahead of the Mercedes. Both Alonso and Hamilton had enjoyed spells on top using hard tyres in the first half-hour before the soft-tyre runners came into play.



Felipe Massa was 0.8s off his Ferrari team-mate Alonso's time in eighth, followed by Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber.



Renault's early switch to softs had given it a few minutes in the limelight mid-session, but by the end Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov were down in 10th and 12th, either side of the second Sauber of Sergio Perez.



Further back, Lotus' upgrade package looked like it was paying dividends as Heikki Kovalainen beat Adrian Sutil's Force India and got within 0.3s of the German's team-mate Paul di Resta.



Like practice one, the session proved relatively uneventful. Both Massa and Hispania's Tonio Liuzzi visited the gravel, and Hamilton, Alonso and Button had traffic frustrations with Narain Karthikeyan, Jaime Alguersuari and Petrov respectively.





[code]FP2


Pos  Driver              Team                   Time                Laps

 1.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault       1m22.470s            35 

 2.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes       1m22.509s  + 0.039   27

 3.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault       1m22.826s  + 0.356   37

 4.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes       1m23.188s  + 0.718   32

 5.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari                1m23.568s  + 1.098   34

 6.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes               1m23.586s  + 1.116   35

 7.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes               1m23.981s  + 1.511   30

 8.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari                1m24.278s  + 1.808   30

 9.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari         1m24.290s  + 1.820   33

10.  Nick Heidfeld       Renault                1m24.366s  + 1.896   31

11.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari         1m24.483s  + 2.013   38

12.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault                1m24.786s  + 2.316   43

13.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m25.296s  + 2.826   33

14.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth      1m25.303s  + 2.833   38

15.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m25.457s  + 2.987   34

16.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth      1m25.603s  + 3.133   43

17.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes   1m26.073s  + 3.603   32

18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault          1m26.417s  + 3.947   37

19.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes   1m27.123s  + 4.653   20

20.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault          1m27.189s  + 4.719   34

21.  Jerome D-Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth        1m28.036s  + 5.566   36

22.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth        1m28.062s  + 5.592   28

23.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth           1m29.469s  + 6.999   28

24.  Tonio Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth           1m29.476s  + 7.006   31


All Timing Unofficial

Red Bull Racing says there is no rush to try and extend Sebastian Vettel's current contract, despite Ferrari tying down Fernando Alonso until the end of 2016.

Alonso agreed on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix to commit the next five years of his career to Ferrari - which effectively rules out another top-line driver like Vettel or Lewis Hamilton making the switch to the Italian team.

And although that situation boosts Red Bull Racing's chances of keeping Vettel on board beyond his current deal, which runs out in 2014, the team is happy to wait before thinking about extending his contract.

Speaking about the implications that the Alonso situation has had on Vettel remaining at Red Bull Racing, team principal Christian Horner said: "You only have to look at things and ask why would Sebastian want to leave at the moment?

"You can see how happy he is. You can see how comfortable in the environment he is and the kind of performance he is delivering.

"And that is the most fundamentally important thing – for a driver to be comfortable in the environment. And while he is comfortable, delivering and enjoying what he is doing – then hopefully the relationship will go on for a long time."

He added: "It is down to us. 2014 is a long way away. We love having Sebastian in the team, and he loves driving for the team, driving for Red Bull.

"He has grown up as a Red Bull junior and graduated through the programme. When the timing is right we will talk about the future, but we feel we addressed the relatively long-term future earlier this year."

Felipe Massa thinks it is too early for him to start talking with Ferrari about his longer term future, despite Fernando Alonso having committed himself to the team until 2016.

Massa's current contract runs through the end of next year and, despite speculation that the deal could be cut short at the end of this season, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said last week that there was no doubt the Brazilian would be a part of the outfit in 2012.

And although Alonso's decision to commit to Ferrari for another five years has been secured now, Massa says that he is not yet in a position where he wants to consider his longer term ambitions.

"I am not at the right time to renew a contract," explained the Brazilian in Spain. "We will wait and see how it is going to be with my long future - and I don't know yet how it is going to be."

Massa said that he had already congratulated Alonso on putting together his new deal – which all but guarantees the Spaniard will see out his career at Ferrari.

"I think it is good for him, no?" explained Massa. "To sign to race for Ferrari, it is a good emotion. Renew a contract for a long time is for sure good for him, so I already congratulated him."

Massa is hoping that a raft of updates to his car, which will be the first developments since Ferrari resolved its wind tunnel calibration problems, will put the team in contention to fight for a podium in Barcelona.

"I expect a better result here compared to all the races in 2011," he said. "I hope we can have a better result here compared to other places, and I hope we can see our car stronger. And that is what we are working for."

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says that Fernando Alonso's new deal through 2016 does not exclude the possibility of Lewis Hamilton joining the Italian team in that time.

Although Alonso's lengthy deal has been taken as a sign that Ferrari would be looking for a 'number two' driver to put alongside him, Domenicali said the door was always open to an established champion like Hamilton, regardless of Alonso's presence.

"I consider Lewis one of the top three drivers at the moment, the fastest drivers," Domenicali said.

"So in that respect for sure I consider him a potential driver for the strongest team, so I don't see why I have to say no to that question. Never say never in life.

"People can change and have a different approach, we see so many things going on everywhere in the world. Lewis is a strong driver and in the future who knows what can happen."

Domenicali preferred not to comment on how Alonso - who had a famously fractious relationship with Hamilton at McLaren in 2007 - might respond to being paired with the Briton again.

"If I speak about it, it is not correct for the other driver we have, who is Felipe [Massa], I want to feel that my drivers have a better atmosphere in the team, the focus is to make sure that both of them work in the best environment they can," said Domenicali.

"But in life, never say never. I don't want to say that that is a possibility, but I don't want to exclude the possibility. There are a few drivers that are really very strong, but speaking about this subject now it is not correct for the team now, I am focused to extrapolate the maximum value out of the drivers that Ferrari has."

Formula 1 teams are set to resist a push by the FIA to change the blown diffuser regulations this year.

As AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this week, the FIA intends to prevent teams from continuing to blow exhaust gases through their diffusers when a driver is off-throttle.

The ban had originally been intended to come into force at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, but that plan was dropped after some teams complained - and the matter will now be discussed in next month's meeting of F1 think-tank the Technical Working Group.

Although AUTOSPORT understands that the FIA is set on ensuring that the blown diffuser rules are changed, leading outfits say they do not agree with what is happening.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier, whose team has the most complex use of a blown floor on the grid with its forward facing exhaust layout, does not understand why there is a need for the change.

"This has come as a surprise, completely out of the blue," Boullier told AUTOSPORT. "I understand some technical reasons from Charlie [Whiting, FIA technical delegate], but we have demonstrated that we are not on the same page on this.

"For me it is strange that it came out of the blue like this, as a change of the regulations during the season is always tricky. And even if Charlie claims it is not a change of the regulations, it looks like it is.

"It doesn't cost a lot of money to do it, it is just mapping of the engine. Everybody is chasing performance, so I don't see why we should have to change it. But we are not the regulator of the championship. That is the FIA."

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said he doubted there would be much support from teams in the TWG to go ahead with a ban.

"I think is a responsible thing to discuss it in the TWG," explained Horner. "I think that it is the right forum to discuss it, and I am sure there will be some positive debate in there.

"Whether it is something required for this year or next year, I doubt that you will get unanimous consent for this year - that would be my personal opinion. But we will see."

When asked if Red Bull Racing had lobbied the FIA to delay the ban, Horner said: "We took a fairly pragmatic view. We certainly felt last week that it was something the FIA wanted, so our opinion was it was going to affect lots of teams in an equal manner and maybe some worse than others, but we weren't overly concerned about it.

"However, it was time consuming to be spending time thinking of an alternative when that wasn't required."

Although teams like Red Bull Racing are understood to use around 45 per cent of throttle flow for the blown diffuser when the driver is off the accelerator, sources suggest that Renault's use is as high as 95 per cent - so a limit of 10 per cent as proposed by the FIA would require a major overhaul of the way it operates its car.

"We would definitely be affected," said Boullier. "So we will resist, yes, for sure.

"But, in the end, we have to respect the FIA decision – and Charlie has accepted to listen, to discuss and to understand.

"If after that he still wants to get rid of it, then why fight more? They decide on the regulations and if they want in the end to clearly get rid of this, then we have to deal with it."

The FIA has warned teams running with off-throttle blown diffusers at the Spanish Grand Prix that there is a risk of them being subject to a protest this weekend.

Although motor racing's governing body decided to hold back on a move to immediately outlaw teams from pumping gases through their blown diffusers when drivers were off the throttle, it has not wavered from its belief that the practice is against the regulations.

FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting said in a media briefing on Friday that although the governing body would not act to disqualify cars this weekend, it could not rule out a team not running such off-throttle blown diffusers - like Williams, Virgin Racing and HRT - from protesting.

"It is always a possibility," said Whiting. "I've made that clear to the teams that it could happen and then we will take it to the stewards in the normal way.

"We have always maintained in all of our technical directives that we have sent for many years now that this is merely the opinion of the technical department, and anyone is free to challenge it in front of the stewards. It doesn't happen very often but it has happened in the past. As you know with the brakes in Brazil, for example, in 1998.

"But it can happen and I've told the teams that were pleased that we decided to postpone this introduction that it could happen."

When asked if there was the chance, then, that the FIA would have to disqualify the majority of the grid, Whiting said: "I would like to think that that probably wouldn't happen, but one never knows. It is not beyond the realms of possibility. A protest is open to anybody as you know, then it will go before the stewards."

Whiting said that the FIA had decided to act on off-throttle blown diffusers because it was worried about how extreme some solutions were becoming.

"It became apparent to us through examination of data that what we thought was a fairly benign feature was turning into something that was being used, in our opinion, illegally," explained Whiting.

"An exhaust system is there for the purpose of exhausting gases from the engine, so when you are off throttle it is not doing that – therefore driver movement is being used to influence the aerodynamic characteristics of the car.

"We were becoming increasingly concerned about the increase in extremes, shall we say. Then a bit of fuel, a bit of spark, retard, it was getting more and more extreme and that was the main reason for it."

He added: "These things start off little and start off appearing to be quite benign, but then they get worse and worse and worse. And we are now faced with the possibility of even more extreme systems coming along, so we felt it was time to do something about it.

"Of course exhaust blowing is not new, it has been around for years, but I think Red Bull really took it to another plain with their low exhaust at the beginning of last year, and it became clearer and clearer through engine mapping that it was time to do something about it.

"It got more and more and more extreme. It is by no means unusual – these things happen. It happened with brake ducts for example and aerodynamic appendages on brake ducts, and in the end you realise you have to do something about it. So, it was really not at all unusual."

And amid suspicions that the FIA acted after a complaint from a team not running an off-throttle blown diffusers, Whiting said: "We often do react if a team writes to us about something.

"They will ask us to circulate that correspondence in order to flush out what other teams might be doing. That was the case [in this instance], but the team concerned did not want us to divulge who it was."

Renault boss Eric Boullier believes Formula 1 chiefs should think hard about whether it is right to hold a grand prix in Bahrain this year, amid an increasing likelihood of the race being slotted back onto the schedule.

As AUTOSPORT revealed yesterday, Bernie Ecclestone is considering making the Indian GP the season finale on December 4 so that Bahrain can be held on Delhi's current October 30 date.

No final decision on the matter will be taken until the next meeting of the FIA World Council on June 3, however, with Bahrain organisers adamant that they are ready to hold the race.

Boullier says that although from a sporting perspective his team would be happy to race there if F1 deems it is safe enough in Bahrain, he thinks there are other political issues that need thinking about.

"If, security is guaranteed; if the foreign ministries in England allow us to travel there; if my guys are happy and if there is a race happening there, we will be happy to race there," he said.

"But the next question would be in the political context - do we have to race there? That is another subject - and I don't really want to enter into that debate.

"But the question has to raised. Does F1 have to go there? It is maybe too early to go there after the dramas.

"At the end, if I have to balance it, I have to support the idea of racing - but I also have to say that it also maybe not fair to go race there this year. So there is a little bit of a balance to find."

Bahrain is due to lift a state of emergency, which has been in place for several weeks, on 1 June.

Lewis Hamilton has labelled Pirelli's new hard tyres as "a disaster" following Friday practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Pirelli's new, harder compound is making its racing debut this weekend after having been trialled during the Turkish Grand Prix weekend.

The Italian manufacturer is hoping the harder tyre will allow teams to choose from a wider variety of strategies, as the gap between that and the soft rubber is now bigger.

McLaren driver Hamilton, however, slated the tyres on Friday and is expecting most drivers to use the soft one a lot more.

"The super-hard tyre is a disaster, so that wasn't nice to drive," said Hamilton after practice.

When asked what he meant by a disaster, he added: "A disaster, to drive. A two-second difference, and they don't last that long.

"I don't know why they brought that tyre, because I thought the other one was pretty good. It looks pretty difficult to switch it on and then to last.

"I think we are about two and a half seconds off the pace with that tyre. Then we switch to the normal soft and it's fantastic. I think you will see most people with that tyre during the weekend."

Team-mate Jenson Button admitted the performance of the tyres came a shock to him.

"It's hard, seriously hard," he said. "It was the first time I've run it I think, at the other races we didn't run it because we tried to put mileage on the actual hard tyre we had. So it was a bit of a shock.

"I don't know if other people are struggling on it or not. We've all got to work with the same tyre so we've got to make the best out of it. At the moment we're struggling on it, so you've got to do your best. I don't think you'd want to run more than one stint on it."

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso said he did not expect anyone to be able to use only the harder tyres now in the first qualifying segment tomorrow, as he reckons the gap is just too big.

"Hopefully someone tries," he said. "I think it's a bit different. There was already a big difference in the first four races, and for whatever reason they decided to change the hard tyre and bring a slower tyre.

"And now it's difficult to think about going in Q1 with the hard tyre, so I think 95 per cent of the people will try to use one soft unfortunately in Q1. We'll see if anyone takes the risk. I don't know how much margin Red Bull had today."

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali conceded the situation was difficult, but he claimed there is nothing to do but to cope with it.

"I don't know what Lewis said - they are the tyres we have to race so that is the situation," Domenicali said. "For sure the lack of grip today was a problem but I was saying to our drivers and team, we need to maximise what we have.

"In this moment the situation is not great in that respect, that is the tyres we have here and we need to make sure the drivers and the team will use it in the best way.

"Nothing will change at least in the short term and we need to maximise it, because for sure for qualifying and the race it will be very difficult. It will be another challenge for the drivers and the teams."

Red Bull driver Mark Webber, quickest today, admitted it was hard to extract the best from the new rubber.

"It did go a little bit longer than the old hard would have done here. My first set was pretty decent and we had a pretty good run, but in the second set there was a bit of mystery. We didn't get the performance out of those that we would have liked.

"In the end I think Pirelli are still learning as we go along. The tyres are a huge factor, you can gain and lose a lot of time when you get them right and wrong, and Pirelli are still learning as well."

Pirelli insists that its new hard tyre is far from being the 'disaster' that Lewis Hamilton has suggested - as it believes it will come into its own in Sunday's race.

Hamilton joined a number of drivers in complaining that the new harder compound tyre, designed to be more consistent and last longer than its predecessor, offered less grip and was too slow.

Pirelli's director of motorsport Paul Hembery concedes that the tyre does not perform as well as the old one, but reckons that the tyre will show its benefits in Sunday's race by offering teams a strategic option.

"It is slow – it has less grip, I don't deny that," said Hembery, when asked by AUTOSPORT about his response to Hamilton's comments. "But you have to look at the positives.

"We were asked to make a differentiation between the soft and the hard. If you go back to Istanbul where the hard tyre was basically lasting one or two laps longer than the soft and having a performance disadvantage, it didn't come into strategic play.

"What we've now seen, and there are variations between teams – some vast variation between teams – we are seeing between 10 and 14 laps difference between the soft and the hard in terms of estimated life.

"Some teams have a very high estimated lifespan – I don't want to say who they are because that will be very important for their strategy come race day."

Hembery admits that the two-second per laptime difference between the soft and the hard tyre is bigger than he had wanted to see – but still thinks the hard tyre will be of use to the teams.

"In terms of performance, we have seen two seconds, which is more than we saw in testing. But the degradation levels between the hard and the sort are high. The soft is degrading about two tenths per lap, and the hard about one tenth per lap – so there is going to be a cross-over point.

"And it means the hard tyre will actually come into play for once in terms of strategy, which it hasn't done before.

"If you saw what was happening in Istanbul it was a direction that would have been replicated here. We would have had a four stop strategy with everyone going soft and then using the hard right at the end probably, so from that point of view it will come into play in terms of strategy."

Hembery also suggested that if drivers are so unhappy with the tyres they should have complained about the rubber when it was tested in Malaysia and Turkey.

"I can understand that it is different, very different, but why didn't they say those comments when they tested them in Malaysia or in Istanbul? We didn't have those comments – maybe they didn't test them correctly, didn't take it seriously enough.

"I can imagine that it has changed the balance of the car, I can appreciate that, so it is an extra technical challenge and that is something that we will get through in our debrief tonight.

"The only information I can give you at the moment is that there is definitely a significant increase in tyre life and a significant increase in degradation between hard and soft."

When asked if the one-stop was a possibility, Hembery said: "We need to look at the data tonight, but I have to say that somebody might look at that. For Q2 people? It is getting there. It is getting there. It is not so far out.

"I could certainly imagine someone having a go with two, I have heard some say it is going to be four stopper again, that would really surprise me based on the initial data I have seen, as they have to use the hard.

"Degradation is one tenth – I have seen a 20 laps analysis from one team and it was less than one tenth."

Cosworth is worried that the cost of Formula 1 engines could spiral out of control when new regulations come into force in 2013.

The current 2.4-litre V8s will be replaced by turbocharged 1.6-litre units in two years' time in a bid to make cars more environmentally sound by increasing fuel efficiency.

FIA president Jean Todt is to meet with representatives of all F1 engine manufacturers on Saturday in the Barcelona paddock to discuss the progress each is making with their units.

Cosworth's F1 general manager Mark Gallagher believes that cost is one factor that still merits serious discussion and will raise the point with Todt.

Gallagher said: "The one aspect of the 2013 regulations that concerns us - and it is a significant concern – is that when we look at our customers and we consider the future from the point of view of business in F1, that we are here to service customers and we know customers don't have appetite to spend money on F1 engines.

"Costs remain an issue and regulations as currently drafted do leave a number of options to spend a great deal of money.

"With new regulations, while being welcome from the point of view of innovation, what would never be welcome is creating a financial space race. That is not what we want at a time when we are emerging from the most difficult economic time for many, many teams.

"We believe there is a responsible discussion to be had in terms of costs involved in 2013."

Gallagher stated that Cosworth, which currently supplies engines to Williams, Virgin and Hispania, is still intent on remaining in F1 beyond 2012, despite the company's concerns over costs.

"We're completely committed to F1 long term," he added. "I said last year when we came back to F1, that the three years Cosworth was away was something we didn't want to see repeated. We are back in F1 long-term and we are totally committed to 2013."

"But what we want to do is to be in F1 long-term and to provide highly-competitive engines, but engines that are also affordable and sustainable for our customers – because without that there isn't a business."

The FIA is in talks with Ferrari to discuss whether or not the team can continue to use its new rear wing for the remainder of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

The revised rear wing that ran in Friday practice features a higher than normal Gurney-flap on the rear - which Ferrari has managed to introduce through an interpretation of the slot-gap separator regulations.

FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting said on Friday that the governing body was looking into the wing design - and would decide before final practice whether it thinks the concept is legal.

"We are aware of the developments on the Ferrari wing and we are discussing them with them," explained Whiting.

When asked whether the team would be able to keep it on its car, Whiting said: "That depends on what we decide tonight. It's a very clever interpretation of the rules and we have got to decide whether it's a good interpretation of the rules. It will be clear tomorrow."

Whiting said that the issue with the rear wing related to the way that article 3.10.3 allows the height measurement of the rear wing not to include the slot supports.

"It is article 3.10.3, which deals with slot gaps separators, the devices which are normally just vertical, which keep the distance between the profiles constant," he said. "The fact that the separators have to totally encircle the profiles ensures the profiles remain the same.

"We had an issue with changing profiles a few years ago. The separators can't be more than 200mm apart. It's an alternative interpretation of that rule that we are currently discussing."

The FIA will allow the DRS to be used twice in race conditions in future, starting from next month's Canadian Grand Prix.

The DRS will be available to drivers both on the back straight, on the approach to Turn 11, and on the start/finish straight in Canada, according to FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting.

This will allow drivers to open the DRS on the back straight, close it again for the right/left Turn 11/12 combination and then re-open it on the run to Turn 1.

There will also be two zones for the European Grand Prix at Valencia, which follows Canada. The first will be located between Turn 10 and Turn 12, with the second between Turn 14 and Turn 17.

"The DRS zone will be on the last straight and the pits straight," said Whiting when asked by AUTOSPORT to confirm where the two zones will be in Canada..
"There will be one detection zone. The initial detection will be after Turn 10, then they can have another go [on the main straight]."

Although the FIA has allocated single overtaking zones so far this season, Whiting revealed that the technology had only become available to run multiple sectors ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix.

However, he considered the software to be too new to use it for the race at Istanbul Park.

"We only had the software available to us in Turkey," said Whiting. "I thought it was too new [o use it there] I wanted to make sure there were no bugs in it.

"We don't think there's anywhere suitable here because they have to be consecutive straights. It becomes more complicated the further apart they are because there's more likelihood of a change in position of the drivers. So the first realistic opportunity we felt was Montreal. In Valencia, currently, it will be between Turns 10 and 12 and between 14 and 17."

Whiting also confirmed that there will be two DRS zones for the European Grand Prix at Valencia, which follows the Canada race.

However, during both Sunday's Spanish and next week's Monaco Grands Prix, there will be a single overtaking zone on the start/finish straight.

Despite criticism from some quarters that overtaking was too easy in the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago,Whiting believes that the length of the DRS zone was correct. He believes that the ease of overtaking was, in some cases, magnified by the speed advantage that a chasing car carried into the zone before opening the rear wing slot.

"Turkey was, I think, the right length," said Whiting. "Nico [Rosberg] was overtaken twice in the early laps. Thought that looked a bit easy, but when you actually replay it, you can see very clearly that he had a massive speed advantage before he got to the Dissector.

"I don't believe that it was wrong, it was just about right. We had lots of times when drivers couldn't actually overtake into Turn 12. But when you examine the speed deltas, that explains why we had some easy overtaking there, in my view."

Whiting confirmed that there would be no change to the plan to allow the DRS to be used unrestricted during qualifying and the race in Monaco.

Some drivers, described by Whiting as "a majority", believed that the DRS would be dangerous if used in Monaco, with the tunnel section in particular causing concern.

However, when the concerns were discussed in Turkey, there was not unanimous agreement among the drivers to prevent its use.

"I've spoken to the drivers a few times about it and it was quite clear that the majority of them did not want to use it in Monaco," said Whiting. "However, there is no evidence to support the theory that it is unsafe.

"Obviously, we are not waiting for an accident to happen, but there is simply no evidence to support the theory that it is going to be dangerous.

"So as it has been introduced as an overtaking aid, it would be somewhat perverse not to allow it in the place where you need overtaking the most. There is no reason not to use it in Monaco as far as we can see."

Kimi Raikkonen still refuses to close the door on a possible return to Formula 1 and says he does not have any set plans for 2012.

The 2007 F1 world champion, who retired from the sport in 2009 following his third season at Ferrari, has been linked to possible F1 returns for the past couple of years, first with Red Bull Racing and most recently with Renault.

The Finn has spent the last couple of seasons in the World Rally Championship and this weekend he enters his first NASCAR race, competing in the Truck Series for frontrunner Kyle Busch Motorsports.

When asked at Charlotte Motor Speedway about how far he wanted to get with his NASCAR experience, Raikkonen told reporters he does not have any firm plans beyond next week, when AUTOSPORT has learned he may enter his first Nationwide Series race.

"I don't have any big plans, I don't have any plans for next year in anything that I do," said Raikkonen. "I'll see how it is because I didn't have any expectation when I came here [to NASCAR]. It's a bit like when I went to rallying. It's the same story here, for sure it's a different sport and different racing than what we have in Europe but it's very popular here.

"I had the plan to do rally this year so this [NASCAR] is really when I have time... If I completely suck here probably there's no reason to come back so hopefully it goes better than today. I don't know yet. We go day by day and see how it goes. What comes in the future, it comes."

Raikkonen was emphatic in saying has not closed the door completely on a possible return to F1.

"There were many reasons why I stopped [in F1]," said Raikkonen. "I always said that I don't know if it's going to be forever or not but after that I wasn't really missing Formula 1. I wanted to try other things and I had a perfect opportunity to go and do rally and learn that and now I have time to come here and see how NASCAR is.

"I'm happy how things are now but I never really have said that I'm never going to go back [to F1]. Maybe I will never go, maybe I'll go, but only the future will tell.

"Like I said before I have no plans for next year. I never really had any plans for this year before January so it may get quite late to know exactly what I will do."

Besides his NASCAR outings, Raikkonen will continue to compete for his own Ice 1 Racing team in the WRC. His next rally will be the Acropolis in Greece next month.

Friday's press conference:

Senior Team Personnel: Jose CARABANTE (HRT), Jean-Francois CAUBET (Renault Sport F1), Stefano DOMENICALI (Ferrari), Mark GALLAGHER (Cosworth), Adam PARR (Williams).

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Jean-Francois, how will the diffuser rule effect you depending on whether you have them or don't have them?

Jean-Francois CAUBET: Normally (becomes inaudible) because we worked over the winter on the exhaust. We did a lot of work, but I think the FIA decision was a good decision and the next meeting in June probably, the technical meeting, will find the definite decision. But probably we will keep it like that.

Q. Are you in favour of keeping it?

J-FC: Yes, because if you change the rules I think we will find another solution where we will spend a lot of money nearly for the same thing.

Q. Is it true that Renault are looking for another customer team from an engine point of view?

J-FC: Yes, today we are providing three teams, Red Bull, Lotus Renault and Team Lotus and probably for 2014 we are looking for one more team. We have the capability to provide four teams.

Q. And that is with the new engine regulations?

J-FC: Exactly.

Q. Are you in favour of those regulations?

J-FC: I think Renault is very clear on this point. We are fully supporting the FIA. It makes a lot of sense for a carmaker like Renault to be road relevant. I think it is a key point for the future of Formula One. We have started work now for a few months and we will be ready next year, November, to provide for four teams.

Q. Adam, it seems as though the team is evolving at the moment. Going into different areas in business. For example, could you explain your link up with the Jaguar Land Rover type of deal?

Adam PARR: We are doing some development of our business but obviously what's happening here at the track is still central to why we exist. But the Jaguar Land Rover partnership is phenomenal for us because they are a fabulous company. They are growing extremely fast. They are investing £1billion a year over the next five years in their base. They launched last year the CX75 concept car and over the last few months we have developed that concept into a road car, a super car, which we will be building with them over the next couple of years. To have a relationship with a company like Jaguar Land Rover is phenomenal opportunity for us and we are very proud of that. We're also very exited about the car itself. It is going to be an astonishing car. A 200mph super car with the emissions less than a Prius, so it is a very exciting project.

Q. Is that the sort of thing, therefore, that you see your KERS development effecting as well? Where you can take that sort of engineering?

AP: Yes, we will be using our KERS technology in the CX75 and, of course, the power train is a downsized internal combustion engine with turbo and a large KERS system, front and rear axle. Very much the concept which we hope we will see in Formula One in 2013.

Q. What are your feelings about those regulations?

AP: Our view is no secret. For several years we have said Formula One needs to move to more sustainable technology. We were big supporters of KERS and we think the new engine formula is fundamental to the future of the sport. We understand that there are other views on that subject, but fundamentall, if Formula One isn't about new technology areas and leading what happens on the road and elsewhere, then I am not sure exactly what it is about. We believe it is essential.

Q. And the diffuser rule. What is your feeling on that?

AP: We have mixed feelings because since Spa last year we have been using the same technology. If it is illegal we are illegal. On the other hand, to take it to another level is a significant investment for us and logically we would like to understand the legality of it before we do it. I think we will be very interested to see how that plays out over the next month.

Q. Mark, to some extent Cosworth had some advisory role in the engine regulations. What was the thinking behind that?

Mark GALLAGHER: I think the view was always that the manufacturers, from the outset, agreed with the FIA that having an independent engine manufacturer available to Formula One teams was a good idea. The view was: if Cosworth was involved in the creation, or the formation, of the rules for 2013 and the way the engine would be conceived, that if we could do it,† then any car manufacturer could do it. I think that was really the concept at the beginning of why Cosworth was involved and that was certainly the case at the beginning of last year.

Q. From a manufacturing point of view how involved are you in the KERS business as you don't seem to provide KERS and your teams don't seem to use them?

MG: Well, of course, in Formula One we worked with Williams on the KERS and the KERS system that is fitted to this year's engine is a Williams system. We have really developed that in collaboration with Williams, so we have taken what was last year's engine and completely reconfigured it, re-engineered it to accept the Williams KERS system, and that has been a terrific collaborative partnership between two engineering companies to provide that solution. Cosworth, as a group, has got a major electronics and electrical division and you can imagine that a lot of the automotive companies that come to us for research projects, and indeed delivery of complete power train solutions, these days most of them that come through the door want to have some degree of hybridisation, so it is a technology we are involved in. But in Formula One terms, it was absolutely sensible for us, with Williams particularly, to work as we have done and, of course, that system can now be utilised by any of the other teams that are customers to Cosworth so, for example, if Jose (Carabante) or Marussia Virgin Racing wanted to have a KERS system it is available through Cosworth.

Q. Is it bad news to hear that Renault are sniffing around and wanting to supply another team?

MG: No, maybe they might want to supply Stefano with an engine. I think Cosworth is not the only potential victim of Renault wanting to have a fourth team. But, actually, Cosworth wants to have a fourth team and I am sure if Norbert Haug was sat here he might say he would like a fourth team. The reality is, in all seriousness, competition on the track technically is always matched by competition off the track commercially. We are well used to that at Cosworth and we believe we have an extremely good product and we don't really fear competition from anyone.

Q. Stefano, is this pretty much a home race for you with all this support for Fernando Alonso?

Stefano DOMENICALI: For sure it is special event as you feel the atmosphere that is around mainly Fernando. It is an added pressure that we have on top of the fact that as you know we announced yesterday the extension of the agreement. That is an important element at this stage of the season that put once more here in Spain something special. But this is part of the game. We know that wherever we go the supporters of Ferrari are a lot and this is the greatest thing of our brand.

Q. The contract with Fernando. Is it a surprise to be such a long contract?†

SD: No, I think it is a natural evolution of the relationship between the team and Fernando. It is a natural evolution as it gives a sign of stability for the future. It is important in this moment when a lot of things are changing, it is important for the guys that are working at home, to see how Fernando wants to keep fighting with us. It is a sign of great responsibility to all of us as we know how strong he is† and how dedicated he is to the team. That is the reason why we felt it was the right decision for us.

Q. Coming to the engine regulations. It is always perceived Ferrari are against them. is that the case or is it a wrong view?

SD: As you know we always discuss our position. As you can imagine, on the road car side we are a manufacturer that produces a very specific car with a very high number of cylinders. But as always in our co-operation with the FIA we are discussing it and I think the discussion is still on and in a constructive way we are trying to work on this subject as it is an important element for the future, both on the technological side, but also we need to consider the level of investment that the new project needs. These are the things we need to consider as a lot of things have moved on in a couple of months and it is another thing that has to be considered, full stop.

Q. What are your feelings on the diffuser regulation?

AP: Well, the diffuser is something that some teams started a good job earlier than other teams so, as always, a big reward to the one that understood the potential of that development on the car. Then, of course, we have seen that and we were working flat out to see how we can improve that area of the car. The meeting that will (take place) in two, three weeks is fundamental, as we need to understand what will be the future of the development. If that area, let me put it this way, closed, then we need to target a new area of development, and as you know, the season is very long. But after I would say six, seven grands prix, the margin that some teams can have taken put the other teams in a different situation so that's another element the technical people will consider.

Q. Jose, as a home race how important is this for you as a Spanish team.

Jose CARABANTE: Yes, this race for us feels like home. For us it is a very special weekend. The atmosphere is different, so we always try to do the best here. We feel Montmelo is like home and it is a very, very amazing weekend so let's see what happens.

Q. Very often there is discussion about the health of the team. How healthy is it and does it have the money to continue?

JC: Okay, after our first season it was not an easy beginning. Now I think we are in a different position and the result is clear. We are improving in all the areas. I think that every race we are looking at how we can improve and the result is clear. We are also starting to think about 2012. There is already in place a contract with the Mercedes wind tunnel that is going to mean that for next year we have time to prepare properly the programme.

Q. And your feelings about the diffuser. Do you want the diffuser or would you prefer a different decision from this meeting?

JC: What is important, especially for a small team, is also about the costs. This is something that that we hope stays in consideration. The costs in Formula One, I think that it should be affordable and should be in the right way. We need stability in the technology side and we need to know what the future is going to be otherwise we take the wrong way and it is† going to be difficult to start in a different way and we are not in a position to spend money. just trying things. We just hope the decision is clear and we hope that the small teams opinion will be taken into consideration.

Questions from the Floor

Q. (Joris Fioriti - Agence France Presse) I have two questions for Adam Parr. You've experienced a terrifying beginning of the season with no points in four races. Why does your car work so badly; What can be done to solve the issue and what's the atmosphere in the team like?

AP: Well, the atmosphere of a racing team, when you have a performance like this is very tough, for all of us. In my opinion, the reason why the car is slow is lack of downforce, which is affecting every aspect of performance and particularly the degradation of the tyres, so that's the area we are focusing on. As I said, it's not a party.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) How do those performances endanger Williams's life in terms of finances and would you have floated part of the company on the stock exchange if you had known those results?

AP: It's a good question. Obviously, if we don't improve our performance, it does have some effect on our financial position. But that takes time, and we have some time in which to turn things around, and we, of course, have taken very prompt and very decisive action to do that. One of the things that I know about markets is that if you knew yesterday what was going to happen tomorrow, then you'd be a very rich man, so I don't think there's much point at looking at what I would have done if I had known things now which I didn't know before.

Q. (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Stefano, just looking at the situation of your second driver, after Fernando signed his contract yesterday. Felipe's contract expires at the end of next season, so does that of Lewis Hamilton. Is Lewis a driver that you would consider signing for Ferrari, and secondly, given what happened between Lewis and Fernando at McLaren in 2007, is it possible that those two drivers could ever work at a team like Ferrari?

SD: I consider Lewis one of the top three drivers at the moment, one of the fastest drivers, so in that respect, for sure, I consider him a potential driver for the strongest team. So I don't see why I have to say no to your question. So, I can reply to both of them in the same way. For sure, never say never. In life, people can change, can have a different approach. We have seen so many things happen everywhere around the world, but for sure, Lewis is a strong driver and who knows what can happen in the future?

Q. (Alberto Antonini – Autosprint) Jose, as you establish yourself as a team in your second year, are you planning some restructuring for 2012, like employing some more people, more technicians or readapting your structure?

JC: For the future, one important point is that there is already a programme in process with the wind tunnel. Another priority that I would like to mention is that we are always thinking of the possibility to move all the team to Spain and we are working hard on this. I think that the idea of having all the team together, especially here in Spain, will make us a strong team.

Q. (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) We have three representatives from the engine companies here: Ferrari, Cosworth and Renault. How committed are your operations to the 2013 regulations and more particularly Mark, how committed is Cosworth to Formula One after 2012?

MG: Thanks Dieter. We're completely committed to Formula One long term. I think I said last year, when we came back into Formula One, that the three years that Cosworth had been away from Formula One were something that we never wanted to see repeated, so we're back in Formula One long term. We're totally committed to 2013. We have been heavily involved, from the outset, in the creation of the 2013 regulations in terms of our input to those discussions and we work as hard as ever and of course when a new programme comes along, you actually re-double your efforts because you're running the current programme and also looking to the future. The one aspect of the 2013 regulations that concerns us, and it's a significant concern, is that when we look at our customers and we consider the future from the point of view of Cosworth as a business in Formula One, we're here to service our customers and we know that our customers do not have an appetite to spend more money on Formula One engines, certainly, so we believe that there is a responsible discussion to be had about the costs involved in the 2013 programme because what we want to do at Cosworth is simply to be in Formula One long term providing highly competitive engines but of course, engines that are also affordable and sustainable for the teams that are using our engines, because without that, they won't be a Formula One business for teams, if they can't afford to compete. So we're very clear that the costs remain an issue and the regulations, as currently drafted, do leave a number of options to spend a great deal of money, and I think there was always a clear understanding that to have new regulations, whilst being welcomed from the point of view of innovation, would never be welcome from the point of view of creating a financial space race which I think everyone in Formula One does agree – or at least they should agree – is not what we want at a time when we're really still emerging from what has been a very difficult economic time for many many teams.

SD: For me, on my part, I've always said it's pretty easy. I totally share the second part of Mark's answer but as always in this discussion, we do it with the other manufacturers and the FIA, so I think it's something that of course we are progressing in this discussion and really, you know our position is not really to make official declarations outside but try to work in a constructive way with all the parties involved. But I think that what Mark said is really a fundamental point. If I may add to that, for sure Ferrari's position is not willing to find new customers because our structure is basically the one that we have so the future for us will always be to supply the engines to ourselves and a maximum of two customers, no more than that.

J-FC: For Renault, things are very clear. We have fully committed to the 2013 engine. In terms of strategy, it perfectly fits with the market. We conducted a long study on what would be the future market for road cars and we think that in between five and six years, probably 60 or 70 per cent of the total car market will be hybrid or electric, so to have a relevant engine is a strategic problem. In terms of costs and price, in terms of price, we don't think there will be a huge difference between the current engine and the future engine, except probably the battery.

Q. (Italian) Stefano, there are some complaints today concerning the tyres. Is the situation as tough and as terrible as Lewis has said or not?

SD: I don't know what Lewis said.

Q. (Italian): Terrible tyres.

SD: Terrible tyres. OK. But that's the tyres that we have to race, so unfortunately that's the situation. For sure, the lack of grip today was a problem, but I was saying to our drivers, to our team, we need to maximise what we have. At this moment, for sure the situation is not great in that respect but this is the tyres that we have here and we need to make sure that the drivers and the team will use them in the best way because, as I said, nothing will change, at least in the short term, and we need to maximise it because for sure, for qualifying but also in the race it will be very difficult, it will be another challenge for all the drivers and all the teams.

Q. (Italian) Adam, it is said that it was Williams who suggested to the FIA to have a look at the blown diffuser situation. Is that correct or not?

AP: As I said earlier on, we have been doing this exhaust blowing since Spa last year but there is another level which other teams are doing, as Stefano said, they were clever enough to do that. Before embarking on any major investment, we would always check the situation with the FIA because there are some arguments concerning the legality of this, especially because of a change in the rules this year compared with last year so yes, we – and I don't know if we are the only team – but we have checked the situation with the FIA to make sure before we spend a lot of money.

Q. (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) Stefano, could I just ask you about the answer you gave to the Lewis question? Surely Fernando wouldn't want to have Lewis in the team, wouldn't let you have him in the team, would he?

SD: Why are you so worried about that? We have had a priority unfortunately about that, about our situation at the moment. But I think, first of all, if I speak about that, I feel that it is not correct for the other driver that we have, Felipe. As a team principal, I want to make sure that both of my drivers feel really that they have the maximum atmosphere within the team. So really now the focus is to make sure that both of them are working in the best environment that they can. Going back to your question: as I said, in life, never say never. I don't want to say that by saying that, that it's a possibility but I don't want to ignore the possibility also with other drivers that are very strong: Sebastian Vettel is another very, very strong driver. There are a lot of drivers – well, a lot is a big word – but there are a few drivers that are really very strong but I don't think that speaking about this subject now is correct for the team, because I am totally focused to extrapolate the maximum value out of the current drivers that Ferrari is very happy with.

Q. (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) But you said Lewis is a possibility and I know Felipe is a possibility and he will be looking at his own career as well. Would you say that Mark Webber is a possibility, because he's out of contract at the end of this year?

SD: I can say that everyone is a possibility but I didn't say that he was a possibility, I said never say never to very quick drivers. As I said before, I consider Lewis to be one of the top three drivers of them all.

Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Question to Mr Carabante: your team is the only one in the paddock which is not a member of the Formula One Teams' Association. I was just wondering if you had any plans to rejoin and if not, what advantage you get from being outside?

JC: OK, first of all, I would like to say that FOTA is not our enemy, we just took the decision last year to take a different way because we think that it is the right decision for the interests of the Hispania team. OK, Stefano says that you can never say never, so I cannot say what is going to happen in the future but right now, I think that we have taken the best decision for the interests of the team.

Q. (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) To the two non-engine representatives: how do you people feel about the 2013 engines, particularly given the fact that they could possibly increase your engine budgets by anything up to five times over the present levels unless they are subsidised by the manufacturers?

JC: This is very, very important, as you say, especially because of the costs. For a small team, as we are, the budget is very important, so we have to try to ensure that all the costs are affordable for us. This is very important. At the end, we will take the decision that the regulations say but for sure, the best for us – not just for us, for all the teams – that have a good and affordable budget and this, I think, should be the future.

AP: As I said, I think we're very passionate in believing that we must bring new technology into Formula One in 2013. From my personal perspective and our team's perspective, if you look at sponsorship in Formula One, there are very few teams, if any, bringing new sponsors into Formula One and the fundamental reason for that, without any question, is the sustainability of the sport, because if you look at our global audience, you look at geographical presence, you look at the quality of the racing, especially with these tyres, it is absolutely riveting. Formula One is in fantastic health on its own current terms, but there is a fundamental flaw which is that many companies do not want to be associated with the sport at the moment because of the perception that it is not green enough and there is not a single big company in the world for whom sustainability is not a core part of their brand. So I think that for the sake of the future of the sport and attracting new sponsors, attracting a younger audience, we absolutely need to do this and as far as the costs are concerned, I agree that what Mark and Stefano said, that the rules as set out today, could be improved a little bit, in very minor ways that would make a significant reduction in the cost for developing and providing those engines. So I think that with an intelligent debate, which is going on at the moment, we can achieve everything that everybody wants.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Stefano, you said before that Lewis Hamilton was part of your top three of your fastest drivers. I guess Fernando Alonso is another; who would be the third driver?

SD: Sebastian Vettel.

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) OK, and the second question: why is Ferrari always threatening to withdraw from Formula One whenever there are issues about engines or anything? Doesn't it weaken your position in the end?

SD: Maybe I don't understand. Who is thinking to... did you hear anything from me, thinking about withdrawing from Formula One?

Q. (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) From your side no, from Luca di Montezemolo last week.

SD: Well no. I don't think that he said that. The only one who is here, with all respect, that has always been in Formula One is Ferrari, since the beginning. All the others can speak and say something but they came, they went away. Facts. In Italian there is saying that is not really good to say but facts are the relevant thing, you know.

Formula One 2011

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