Formula One 2012

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Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has warned Formula 1 not to forsake its European heartland.

Only eight of the 20 races on the 2012 calendar will be held in Europe, which as a percentage is the lowest in the history of the world championship. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently suggested that the number could dwindle to just five in the future.

But di Montezemolo insists that if the sport fails to preserve its races in Europe, it could weaken F1.

"Maintaining the importance of Europe in Formula 1 is very important," he said.

"It's good to see F1 in India, in Russia, in Korea, in the Middle East and of course in the United States, but we must not lose our tradition and history in Europe, particularly when we see that some of the new circuits are not as good as Spa, for example.

"We have to be careful not to dilute the image of Formula 1."

Despite urging caution, di Montezemolo welcomed the planned return of F1 to the United States in 2012 after a four-season absence.

He admitted that he was puzzled that a higher priority was not given to running races in the USA with so many other countries joining the calendar in recent years.

"I'm very happy about the possibility of going to the United States finally," he said. "It was strange that F1 went to many countries, but not to the largest car market in the world."

Nico Hulkenberg is confident that Force India will start the new Formula 1 season stronger than it did in 2011.

The Silverstone-based team began last year with a car based largely on its 2010 machine before starting to bring in a radical aerodynamic package at May's Spanish Grand Prix.

This upgrade allowed Force India to come within five points of beating Renault to fifth in the Constructors' Championship and Hulkenberg is hopeful that the team can pick up where it left off in 2012.

"Hopefully we will start the season a bit stronger than we did in 2011," Hulkenberg told AUTOSPORT.

"If we had the car at the beginning that we had at the end of the year then we could have achieved fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

"The aim has got to be to have a strong car from early on that can take us into the points."

But despite being upbeat about Force India's progress, Hulkenberg admitted that it will be difficult to judge where the team stands with its car until on-track running starts.

This is partly down to rule tweaks for 2012 that will outlaw exhaust blown diffusers.

"There are some rule changes with the exhausts and also the front flexi wings that have been limited now," said Hulkenberg.

"It's impossible to say where you are in terms of development. I know what we are doing, but not what others are doing."

Hulkenberg added that he was grateful to Force India for recognising his potential and giving him a race seat in a deal announced on December 16.

The 24-year-old raced for Williams in 2010 and was selected based on his performances during 14 Friday practice outings for Force India.

"I always hoped when I was driving on Fridays that they would see what I can do," said Hulkenberg.

"It's still a very early stage of my career. I'm still not at my peak and that's why they gave me the chance by giving me the car for 2012."

Jarno Trulli is adamant that Caterham can break into the Formula 1 midfield and challenge for a maiden points finish in 2012 - and insists he is '110 per cent motivated' on helping the team achieve the goal.

Well documented struggles with the handling of the team's 2011 challenger - and particularly with the power steering system - led to speculation that Trulli could be replaced for 2012.

The Italian, a veteran of 252 grand prix starts, said that even in the worst moments of 2011 however he was focussed on helping the team to prepare for its third season of competition, as Caterham bids to realise its goal of breaking into the F1 midfield.

He insisted that changes to the technical team and the introduction of KERS have made the team's target of a maiden points finish an entirely legitimate goal for 2012.

"Things are getting really promising," Trulli told La Repubblica after a recent visit to the Caterham factory.

"We'll finally have the KERS we didn't have last year, and that's a big help. I remember that when I didn't have it, in Toyota, it was a problem that made the difference.

"The team's technical structure will improve too: new engineers are coming in all the times and the hiring of John Iley confirms the team's ambitions.

"I don't want to say I'm going to win races but I think the ambition to leave the group of newcomers and to get into the midfielders one is legitimate. We'll begin showing what we're capable of in the races and score our maiden points."

Trulli also spoke of his '110 per cent motivation' to help the team and win a further renewal to his contract, saying that he was confident his struggles this year could be identified and rectified.

"To be honest it wasn't the entire car I didn't like: I had many problems with our power steering and the feeling I'd get from it," he explained. "But I'm certain this problem will be solved next year and that the car will improve a lot.

"I was comforted by the fact that in the team everybody knew the technical problem I had, it was evident and the telemetry would show it. Heikki was able to adapt with his driving style, while because of my clean driving I wasn't able to at all.

"In the races I think I did a fine job for my team. You just need to look at the points table: the best results of the season came from me. I scored the two 13th places that ensured the team the 10th spot in the constructors' championship, a result worth plenty of money for us in F1 for only the past two years."

Trulli said that such prize money proved both his and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen's worth as professional drivers and rewarded the team's decision not to take a pay driver.

"Some teams are small and to survive they need to count the beans and so are forced to put the seat up for rent," he said. "These are economic decision. In my opinion it's not worth it.

"Just look what happened to Renault: while they had Kubica, a fine driver able to bring out the best from the car, they were considered the outsiders. As soon as Robert was out, they were finished. Petrov wasn't able to lead the team and the car, and Senna has demonstrated to be not good enough. Nick, with his experience, despite having done only half a season was able to score almost as many points as Petrov.

"So now they're trying to fix the situation by resorting to Raikkonen, who is no rookie, and Grosjean, who has [risen] through the ranks.

"These days it's a pursuit of survival, so a different kind of approach is necessary. But as soon as the ambitions grow a bit, that approach becomes a loser in my opinion.

"It's not a rule, but it's true that the ones that pay are less used to suffer. They're less determined. When you go through the ranks, often as a young boy, many times you find yourself in the conditions of being forced to win. Either you get the result or you don't have a second chance.

"I have precise memories about it. I was a kid, I was in karting; my father came to me with the most serious expression I've ever seen him, and said: 'Jarno, this is the last chance. We have a chassis, four wheels and an engine, we go to this race but we can't go beyond that.' The only thing I knew was that I would have won in any condition. My career only went on thanks to that victory."

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Michael Schumacher ended the season as Formula 1's top overtaker, with his impressive opening lap efforts throughout 2011 helping him edge out Sebastien Buemi.

In strategic data compiled by Mercedes GP over the course of the campaign, and obtained by AUTOSPORT, Schumacher's end-of-season tally has been recorded as 116 passes - just two ahead of his Scuderia Toro Rosso rival.

Schumacher's tally was most certainly helped by the fact that he was able to make up so many positions in the opening stint of races - because he often qualified further down the field that his car was capable of.

Nevertheless, the team was well aware that throughout 2011, Schumacher’s race pace was every bit as good as team-mate Nico Rosberg’s so he could recover well on Sundays - which points towards the amount of progress the seven-time champion has made since his F1 comeback.

The top 10 rankings for the best overtakers of 2011, according to Mercedes GP’s data, are:

Pos   Driver                 Passes

 1.   Michael Schumacher     116

 2.   Sebastien Buemi        114

 3.   Kamui Kobayashi        99

 4.   Jaime Alguersuari      94

 5.   Pastor Maldonado       91

 6.   Paul di Resta          90

 7.   Sergio Perez           87

 8.   Rubens Barrichello     86

 9.   Jenson Button          85

10.   Felipe Massa           82[/code]


With the top positions dominated by drivers who were often battling in the midfield, it shows that racing in the pack offers greater opportunities to notch up overtaking moves.


That also explains why world champion Sebastian Vettel, who more often than not started at the front of the field, ended the campaign fourth from the bottom in the rankings with just 27 moves over the course of the season.


Mercedes GP’s data is compiled for the benefit of its strategic department, and is based on a combination of video, timing data and GPS technology – rather than just simple lap charts.


Its end of season analysis shows that there were a total of 1486 overtaking moves over the course of 2011.


However, if you discount the moves that take place on an opening lap (150), and those that were helped because a rival had a damaged car (124), it leaves a total of 1212 moves throughout the campaign.


Further whittling the figures down to try and view only what many consider to be genuine overtaking moves, so not those on the three slowest teams (310) or by team-mates (80), as they can often help each other, it leaves a total of 822.


Out of these, 452 moves were considered normal overtaking moves, while 370 took place thanks to the use of the new-for-2011 DRS. It means DRS accounted for roughly 45% of the number of overtaking moves over the course of the season.


In terms of individual races, the Turkish Grand Prix witnessed the highest number of overtakes at 85 – ahead of Canada (79) and China (67). The races with the fewest moves were Monaco (16), Australia (17) and India and Brazil (18).


In terms of DRS’s impact, it accounted for the most moves in Turkey (50) and Abu Dhabi (50), ahead of China (37) and Spain (29).


Its smallest impact came in Monaco (2), with Melbourne (5), Silverstone (6) and Brazil (7) also offering limited opportunities.


Bruno Senna says there are no regrets about doing his eight-race stint for Renault in the second half of 2011, even though he missed out on a race seat with the renamed Lotus team for next year.


The Brazilian showed flashes of his potential by qualifying in the top 10 on four occasions and scoring his first points in Formula 1 with ninth place in the Italian Grand Prix.


However, he was unable to deliver such form every time out and the team believed that his consistency was the key thing that needed addressing.


And although Renault chiefs opted for Romain Grosjean to become team-mate to Kimi Raikkonen in 2012, Senna thinks that only positives came out of his F1 return - as he remains in contention for a race seat at Williams next year.


"It raised my profile massively in F1," Senna told AUTOSPORT. "So it was a great opportunity because before that I only had whatever was left as an image from 2010.


"Now, my profile has been raised and it's massively higher than it has ever been. Overall, it means I'm in a better position now even though the seat is not mine."


He admitted that Renault's eventual decision to take Grosjean did not come as a surprise, and that he was already looking for other opportunities by the time the news about his former French team-mate was revealed.


"Of course it was disappointing not to be there because there is good potential in the team, but it was not something that we were particularly surprised about. We had been looking at other options as we knew that it was not safe."

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Williams had to live through the disappointment of its worst ever season in Formula 1 if it was to fully understand what changes are needed to move it further up the grid.

That is the view of team chairman Adam Parr, who believes that although the lacklustre showings of 2011 were hard to deal with at the time, they were essential for highlighting the areas where Williams was weak.

In an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT, Parr said that the year gone showed that the structure Williams had in place before the arrival of Mike Coughlan, Mark Gillan and Jason Somerville was not good enough.

"In reality we've been in the middle ranks for some years now," he explained. "You don't have to do anything if you're plodding along in the middle in this sort of cotton wool world, and I think what's happened to us is that we have really seen not only that the current level of performance is unacceptable, but also the need to make radical changes.

"It was actually put very nicely by Mark Gillan. Patrick [Head] said to him, 'I wish this season was over,' and Mark said, 'Everything that we're experiencing out there is vital.'

"If Mark and the other new members of the team had joined at the end of the season, they wouldn't have seen many of the underlying problems.

"They would have seen the performance, but I think we've all had the opportunity to really get deep into the roots of it."

Parr adds that the fact Williams has gained an understanding of its deficiencies gives him reason to feel confident about its potential to recover.

"The good news is that sometimes in life you're not performing, but you don't know why," he said. "We understand precisely where we're weak, where the opportunities are, and what we have to do to get there.

"The next question is, do we have the people and resources in place to make those changes? And the answer is, absolutely.

"To be honest we needed some fresh eyes, turning over the rocks, looking at all the nasty stuff under the rocks, and bringing it to the surface, and just getting it out there.

"I've been here for five years and you adapt to the environment you're in and the way you do things, and you accept it. And what we have learned this year is that we can't accept certain things."

Karun Chandhok is hoping to dovetail a third driver role in Formula 1 next season with a sportscar campaign in the new World Endurance Championship.

The Indian, who appeared nine times as a Friday driver for Team Lotus this year as well as racing in Germany, accepts that it is very unlikely he will land a full-time cockpit for 2012.

However, he is hoping to secure another third driver role - possibly for the renamed Caterham team - as well as racing in sportscars.

"There are some opportunities to continue as a Friday driver and obviously I still want to be in F1," Chandhok told AUTOSPORT. "To get a race seat in F1 is almost impossible for 2012, so I don't think that's going to happen.

"But it's very clear that I must go racing again because standing on the sidelines for another year can't be good for me. That will also help me if there are F1 race opportunities in the future.

"My target is still F1, but the new World Endurance Championship is very interesting. There's only one clash with the F1 calendar, so I can keep my hand in there doing a bunch of Fridays and then hopefully combine it with an LMP1 programme.

"Competing at Le Mans is one of those boxes that you have to tick. I've raced at Monaco, Macau, Spa and Silverstone, and Le Mans is another one on that must-do list."

Chandhok is exploring various opportunities in sportscars, and would be willing to consider driving for a privateer team. This would allow him to build up experience in that type of racing, after spending the majority of his career in single-seaters.

"I'm sensible enough to know that I've got a lot to learn about sportscar racing," he said. "Everyone would love to start with a works team, but they already have strong driver line-ups.

"It's such a different type of racing. I'd love to do LMP1 with good experienced team-mates and a good team that I can learn from. There are a lot of options."

"Between the i1 series, sportscars and a third driver role, there should be enough to keep me busy."

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Damon Hill believes Kimi Raikkonen has "a couple more world championships" in him, and reckons returning to the sport at the age of 32 should not be a problem for the Finn.

Raikkonen left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season to compete in the World Rally Championship, but he will make his comeback next year after signing a two-year deal with the Lotus Renault team.

Raikkonen, regarded as one of the quickest drivers of his era, won the title in 2007 with Ferrari and has 18 grand prix victories to his name.

Former world champion Hill thinks Raikkonen's return is good for Formula 1, and he believes the Finn can still be champion again.

"It is great - and good luck to him," Hill told AUTOSPORT. "He is going to have to show that he has still got it, which he has got a good team to show that in, and he is still young.

"He has won a world championship already, and I had only just got into F1 at his age, so he has definitely got a couple of more world championships in him."

Hill, who retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, said he would also like to see a "titanic" battle for the titles next year, the Briton hoping Red Bull's rivals can push the team harder in 2012 after a dominant 2011.

"We want to see someone upset the applecart, although I think Adrian [Newey] is fantastic, and [sebastian] Vettel, [Mark] Webber and Red Bull Racing is a great team at the front - and they seem to be fun loving," he said.

"It is good to have that - but I know that they want to fight for it. They don't want it too easy. So a good titanic battle between three top teams would be fantastic to see."

Hill, however, said that despite Sebastian Vettel's dominance, the past season was thrilling.

He feels 2011 showed Formula 1 is in good shape, but he stressed the need to recognise the importance Europe has for the sport.

"Yes, I thought it was very exciting. It was a brilliant season. The sport is good, but there is still a lot that needs discussing. It is fantastic entertainment, but I just know that Europe and Great Britain is important to the sport.

"I think that is worth emphasising – it is not all about the bottom line. It is about going to place where people understand and appreciate the sport and they should not be denied access to it."

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Renault team boss Eric Boullier believes the absence of Robert Kubica was a bigger factor in the squad's poor 2011 season than the unsuccessful forward-facing exhaust layout.

After a promising start to the year, with two podiums in the opening two grands prix, Renault's season tailed off dramatically and by the end of 2011 it was often struggling to even get into the points, leaving its technical chiefs to admit that the radical exhaust arrangement had hampered the car.

But Boullier says the loss of erstwhile lead driver Kubica's services after the Pole was seriously injured in a pre-season rally crash was the main cause of Renault's slump.

Asked by AUTOSPORT what he felt was the primary reason why 2011 proved so tough for Renault, Boullier replied: "Robert, by far. By far because there was a direct sporting loss, which obviously was related to the speed, and was also a morale blow for the team and for everybody.

"But you had an indirect loss too - and this is one of the bigger values of Robert. It's mental strength, and also the commitment from the team to make it good and better. And this... we don't know how much it cost us, because maybe part of the development of the forward exhausts could have been done differently with the comments of Robert."

Kubica will definitely miss the start of the 2012 season as well, and looks increasingly unlikely to drive for Renault - which will soon become Lotus - when he returns. The team has now signed Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean for next year.

Despite 2011 proving so frustrating for Renault, Boullier believes the experience will have made the team stronger for the future.

"This year has been very tough for our people, for me and for everybody in the company because it was very frustrating," he said. "But maybe we will go deeper into understanding how we can be better.

"If the car had developed very well with Robert, then maybe we could have been chasing for the top three in the championship and we'd think, 'Wow, we are in good shape.' But, in fact, we would have missed a lot of things.

"For me with this experience, it maybe looks like a disaster but it was great to be learning."

Daniel Ricciardo believes he will have to take a more aggressive approach in his first full Formula 1 season with Toro Rosso in 2012.

After a promising partial campaign with HRT this year, the Australian has been given an STR seat alongside fellow Red Bull protege Jean-Eric Vergne, with Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari ousted to make way for the pair.

Ricciardo said he was confident he was quick enough for F1, but knew he needed to be more assertive in his racing now.

"I know I've got it but it's probably not consistent enough and at Formula 1 now it has to be as good as it can be," he told the Australian Associated Press.

"I think my actual starts are okay, the initial reaction off the line is fine. But a few times this year I got a good start and jumped the car [ahead] off the line but maybe didn't go hard enough into the first corner or went for the safer inside line.

"I probably need a little bit more aggression which I guess will come with experience at this level."

He admitted this was an area where Vergne might have an edge over him at present.

"He's got potential and he's quick," Ricciardo said of his 2012 team-mate. "We drive quite similar but he has probably what I don't have in the aggressive side.

"So maybe I can learn from him, at least in the junior categories that's been his style."

But Ricciardo reckons his smooth method pays off in tyre conservation, feeling he rapidly improved at this after a tough maiden grand prix at Silverstone, and became better at using the Pirelli tyres than his 2011 team-mate Tonio Liuzzi.

"I think they suit my style," Ricciardo said. "There were more races this year I think where I had better pace than Tonio.

"Definitely at Silverstone I had very little idea and that was shown in the pace but from then on I learnt very quickly.

"It can sometimes be frustrating when they fall off a cliff and you're going four seconds a lap slower but most of the time I was making them last longer than my team-mate.

"I don't tend to grip the steering wheel very hard and I've got a bit of a smooth approach as well."

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Red Bull Racing's technical chief Adrian Newey believes the team can still improve in some areas in 2012, despite a dominant showing during 2011 season.

Sebastian Vettel secured his second title in a row after 11 victories and 15 pole positions, with team-mate Mark Webber adding one more win to Red Bull's tally during the season as the team clinched the constructors' title again.

Although rivals expect Red Bull to have a harder time to make progress given its strong form in 2011, Newey is adamant the team can still take another step forward.

Newey also believes that the team that manages to cope better with the new exhaust restrictions to be introduced next year is likely to be strongest.

"All we can do is try and look at our own weaknesses from this year, and try and improve on them," Newey told AUTOSPORT.

"We still had some areas that could be improved upon, but as always it is going to be the development race through the winter.

"We have got some regulation changes - primarily the restriction of exhaust exit position and mapping - which means that the exhaust effect is almost zero now.

"So, everybody will be working to try and recover that lost downforce, and whoever comes up with the best solutions will probably be the winners next year."

Newey reckons Red Bull's rivals will probably feel hurt by the way the team dominated the 2011 season, and will be eager to fight back next year.

"I don't know. Possibly," he said when asked if his rivals were hurt by Red Bull's form in 2011. "I cannot comment on how anyone else is thinking or working.

"All I can say is that from our own point of view, it is to try and do as we always advocate - which is to get our heads down and worry about our own business and do the best job we can over the winter and see where it gets to."

And he conceded he never expected his team to have such an outstanding season following a winter-testing period during which Ferrari seemed to be very strong.

"No, you never do," he said. "All through pre-season testing you are never really quite sure, and it certainly seemed that Ferrari were going to be our main rivals, and McLaren were struggling with their exhaust system.

"But they did a painfully good and quick job of copying ours between the last test and the first race, so their performance in Melbourne was unexpected. And really after that it was really the usual development race.

"There were some circuits where it didn't quite pan out for us, mainly around the very cold weather of July/August where we struggled, but having said that, other races, which traditionally had not been happy hunting grounds over the last couple of years, like Spa and Monza, we were very competitive at."

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Paul di Resta believes Force India's strong end to 2011 has given the team the momentum needed to challenge for the top five in the 2012 F1 constructor standings.

Force India scored just four points in the opening five races of 2011, leaving it eighth in the constructors' battle.

From the 10th round in Germany however its fortunes dramatically improved, and it scored in every race bar Japan until the season's end - a run which included 12-point hauls in Singapore and the Brazilian finale.

Di Resta lauded such progress as 'incredible' and predicted that, should it be able to continue such momentum, the team would be able to take the challenge to its nearest rivals in 2012.

"If you see the difference from where we started this year to where we moved on to, it has been incredible," the Scot explained.

"Those foundation blocks that we built earlier in the year were going to compromise us a bit, but we came out a much stronger package towards the end of the year than we ever imagined we would be.

"If we can keep that momentum continuing into next year then we can take it to our nearest competitors, who were Renault."

Di Resta, who will partner Nico Hulkenberg in his second year at Force India, said he also expected himself to improve as a natural course of progression over the winter.

"I think you always go away from any class into the winter and you come back a stronger person - although I don't know why," he said.

"I believe that. It is not something to do with your emotions, it is not something that drives you, it just happens.

"I hope it does and I get a bit more speed, because if I get more speed then hopefully I can be more successful with it.

"It is great to come out where we were, to be in good spirits and certainly be very proud of Force India and what they have achieved this season."

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Patrick Head will tonight walk away from direct involvement in Formula 1 after 34 years active service with the Williams team, having stepped down from the outfit's board of directors with immediate effect.

Head, whose role with Williams was director of engineering, revealed his intention to back away from the sport at the Brazilian Grand Prix, following on from a technical and management restructure prompted by the teams' worst campaign in its history during 2012.

Head has chosen to focus on the company's thriving hybrid business and will remain a board director of Williams Hybrid Power Limited, but will not have any operational duties within the F1 set-up.

"I certainly did not have an ambition to end my involvement in F1 with the season I have just had behind us," he told AUTOSPORT at the end of November. "But when I have a look at what specifically I can do to assist Mike Coughlan, and Mark Gillan and Jason Somerville, I came to the conclusion that it isn't enough for me to carry on justifying doing the same thing.

"It is not interesting for me; it is not good for the company. I decided to have a change of focus now."

The 65-year-old added at the time that he had no intention to retire from work just yet.

"Certainly it is not the word retirement but I am not going to be directly part of the Williams F1 programme next year," he said.

"I am going to be doing some work for Williams Hybrid Power, which may sound a bit dry and dull but it is actually quite high tech and quite interesting."

In a statement released by the team, Frank Williams paid tribute to his long-time partner and friend: "Patrick and I have been in partnership for 34 years. During that time, he has been the leader of the technical team that has won the majority of our race wins and championships.

"This is a remarkable legacy and one which will be treasured and definitely not forgotten.

"Patrick is a very straightforward, hard working and truly gifted engineer who comfortably operates at a world class level. I will miss him very much, as I am sure his colleagues will, and he will always be welcome at Grove. Indeed, Patrick will still be seen around the factory as he continues to be involved in the development of our hybrid power activities."

Head began his motorsport career with Lola after graduating from London University in 1970. He formed Williams Grand Prix Engineering with Frank Williams at the end of 1977, having previously joined Williams' former team before he had sold to Walter Wolf a year earlier.

Head took a 30% stake in the new Williams team and together with Frank they went on to conquer the sport through the 1980s and '90s. During the period in which Head was actively a force in the team's engineering department it won 113 grands prix, secured seven drivers world championships and nine constructors' titles.

Williams remains Formula 1's third most successful team behind Ferrari and McLaren.

Ferrari is confident that the technical restructuring and staff changes it undertook during a disappointing 2011 campaign are now paying off as it strives to get back on terms with chief rivals Red Bull and McLaren this year.

The Scuderia finished a distant third in the constructors' championship and scored just one win - Fernando Alonso's at Silverstone in July. From early on in 2011 it was clear that Ferrari's 150 Italia had been too conservative a design, struggled to warm up the harder compound Pirelli tyres and its development suffered from poor correlation with the team's wind tunnel data.

But Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says internal restructuring that included the hiring of Pat Fry, who replaced Aldo Costa as technical director last June, resolved a lot of these issues and is now beginning to show results as the team ramps up its assault on 2012.

"When we see the stopwatch at the first qualifying for the first race, then we will know the answer," said Domenicali, "but I see some things that give us optimism that we are doing a reasonable job.

"We try to look ahead and change the organisation in order to make sure in terms of ideas and teamwork in the technical office, the work of the windtunnel and simulation, we are more prepared. I'm optimistic because of this.

"Then, as always, we know that the first result where we compare our job with our main competitors is the first qualifying for the first race. But we are working in the right direction."

In an interview AUTOSPORT conducted with Fry in December, the Englishman himself said that the correlation of data with the windtunnel was improving.

"You are never going to get perfect correlation," said Fry. "It's a constantly evolving thing. But we've learned a lot and we are improving. We are getting better. Even with track testing, you'd want that correlation, but once you can use mathematical modelling to analyse the car and work out what's quicker, that also allows you to make better decisions."

Fry also promised that the design team largely responsible for last year's car had been encouraged to be more adventurous with the 2012 machine.

"The group of engineers will be more creative," said Fry. "They are working a lot better.

"The aero department in particular has been a lot more creative and that's good to see.

Domenicali reckons that regulation stability between 2011 and 2012, should also help Ferrari's recovery. One of the few changes in the rules – the banning of hot-blown diffusers – might play to the team's advantage since it was an area where it struggled both aerodynamically and engine mapping – it's British GP win came when the technology was temporarily banned – compared to Red Bull and McLaren.

"In terms of regulations, what is the difference from last year and the year before? This year, the rules have changed so that the exhaust effect was an area where we were less strong."

Ferrari's president Luca di Montezemolo also thinks the team is now back on the right track.

"We want a competitive car," he said. "I think that Domenicali made some good improvements in the organisation without a revolution. Now we have people in charge of the team answering to Domenicali: Luca Marmorini for the engine, he was born in Ferrari, he went to Toyota for eight years for experience and then he came back. Then we have Pat Fry who is working very well. He is improving the areas in which Ferrari has less experience.

"I don't want a revolution, but I want step by step improvements season after season."

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Nico Rosberg does not believe that missing the first official Formula 1 test of 2012 will affect Mercedes' competitiveness this season.

The team announced recently that it would not take part in the Jerez test on February 7-10 in order to spend extra time developing its new W03 machine.

But the German believes that taking such a tactical approach will pay off in the long term and prevent a repeat of the team's uncompetitive start to the 2011 campaign.

"It is just the choice that they have made and I am happy with that," Rosberg told AUTOSPORT.

"It is the compromise between testing early enough and having enough time to develop. And they need to find a middle way - and they have decided that that is the best way to do it."

Rosberg believes that the new technical structure at the team, including 2011 arrivals Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa, will ensure that a late start does not have a knock-on effect on the team's early-season form.

"With the way the factory is going now, I am confident," he added.

"This year we would not have managed to do the first race if we had run the car that late, but with the way the factory is now optimised, I am confident that we can quite happily make it happen and the car can race very soon after the first test - with just a few bits and pieces that need to be sorted out. That shows already that the team is a big improvement."

Adrian Newey believes Sebastian Vettel will want to learn from the few mistakes he made in 2011 despite his dominant Formula 1 season.

Vettel became the youngest ever double champion last year after winning 11 races and taking a record-breaking 15 pole positions in the Red Bull.

Although the German made very few mistakes throughout the year, Newey reckons he will try to learn from what he did wrong in order to be even stronger in 2012.

"I think all I can say is that Seb is a very bright young man who is very determined, very inquisitive and tries to understand everything about both the car and his own performance, and if he makes a mistake, which being human of course he does, then he tries to learn from that," Newey told AUTOSPORT.

"So he will be analysing very carefully everything he has done this year and trying to improve on that.

"One example is after Montreal where he was distraught post-race - that he had been beaten, having dominated the whole race, on the last lap.

"Well, we all were to be honest. As a team we all learned a lesson from that, and I kick myself that we didn't take enough action in critical parts – as we could probably have done a bit more under the red flag, we could have said more about Jenson's progress in those last few laps. It is those little things that you have to try and learn from."

Vettel lost the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix on the final lap to McLaren rival Jenson Button, who went on the win the race.

Newey also insisted both Vettel and the team have not lost any of their desire to continue winning despite the success over the past two years.

"There is a huge desire and hunger," he added. "And that comes, to be perfectly honest – it comes wherever you are. If you are seventh you are aspiring to be higher, and wherever it is.

"And that is the funny thing about if you are doing well, from my experience, you don't feel as if you are doing anything differently to when you are not doing well. "

[MJB]

Formula 1 bosses have changed the rules to prevent drivers 'blocking' a rival who is trying to pass them.

The move was prompted by an incident involving Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton in Italy last season.

The new rule, officially published on Wednesday, forbids drivers from moving back on to the racing line if they have moved off it to defend.

It formally enshrines what had previously been an agreement between the drivers.

The new rule is article 20.3 of the F1 sporting regulations.

It says: "More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted.

"Any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off‐line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner."

It is this that so incensed Hamilton about Schumacher's driving in Monza - there was one incident between the second chicane and the first Lesmo corner which prompted the Englishman to get on the radio to his team and say: "I thought you were only allowed to make one move."

Schumacher's Mercedes team received a number of warnings from race director Charlie Whiting during his defence in Italy, and team boss Ross Brawn went on the radio to remind him to "leave room" for Hamilton when he was defending.

The previous rule that forbids drivers from forcing rivals off the track remains.

It is article 20.3 and it reads: "Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are not permitted."

The new sporting regulations also forbid drivers from "leaving the track without justifiable reason", an attempt to stop them taking shortcuts back to the pits during practice and qualifying to save time and fuel - as Sebastian Vettel did in Korea.

And in article 40.12, they lay out circumstances under which lapped cars can unlap themselves during a safety car period.

The epic 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, which ran for four hours and four minutes following a two-hour mid-race stoppage for torrential rain, has led to a new rule restricting the maximum length of races, including stoppages, to four hours.

And the penalties against which teams are not able to appeal have been laid out in the rules.

These are any drive-through or time penalty imposed for a driving infringement during the race, a driver being excluded from the race on the grounds he did not set a time within 107% of the fastest in the first qualifying session; and not having all the wheels on the car three minutes before the race.

Can't wait for the new season to start now, still no word from Williams or HRT as to who will take the second seat though.

[Lineker]

And here's the full story on the FIA's clarification plus some other Williams news.

The FIA, motorsport's ruling body, has issued a clarification about the defensive moves allowed in Formula 1 from the 2012 season.

The governing body had stated at the end of last year that, from the upcoming season, drivers would not be allowed to move back onto the racing line after having moved off it to defend their position.

On Wednesday, the FIA issued the new sporting rules, which state that drivers will in fact be allowed to move back onto the racing line, but leaving enough room between their car and the edge of the track when approaching corners.

The ruling body insisted just one move will be allowed to defend a position from a rival.

"More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted. Any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off-line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner," the new regulation states.

The FIA has also clarified the rule stating that all lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves and then join at the back of the field during safety car periods.

"If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" is shown on the timing monitors, any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car," the rules state.

"This will only apply to cars that were lapped at the time they crossed the Line at the end of the lap during which they crossed the first Safety Car line for the second time after the safety car was deployed.

"Having overtaken the cars on the lead lap and the safety car these cars should then proceed around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking, and take up position at the back of the line of cars behind the safety car. Whilst they are overtaking, and in order to ensure this may be carried out safely, the cars on the lead lap must always stay on the racing line unless deviating from it is unavoidable.

"If the clerk of the course considers track conditions are unsuitable for overtaking the message "OVERTAKING WILL NOT BE PERMITTED" will be shown on the timing monitors.

The Williams team has confirmed it is looking for a new title sponsor after the end of its deal with telecommunications giant AT&T.

AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the United States and one of the biggest worldwide, had been the team's title sponsor since the 2007 season.

Williams has removed all AT&T branding from its website.

"I can confirm that the team's contract with AT&T reached its conclusion on 31st December 2011 and will not be renewed for the 2012 season," a team spokesperson said.

The Grove-based squad endured its worst Formula 1 season in 2011, scoring just five points on its way to ninth place in the constructors' championship.

A team source told the Reuters news agency that Williams was in "advanced negotiations" with another telecommunications company.

Williams is yet to name its second driver for the 2012 season, with Bruno Senna, Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello believed to be in the running.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado has already been confirmed for the upcoming season.

Only 73 days to go until Melbourne!!

[Lineker]

Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastien Buemi will join the team as its test and reserve driver for the 2012 Formula 1 season.

The Swiss driver was left without a racing seat for this year after Toro Rosso decided to sign an all-new line-up for the upcoming season.

Buemi, 23, had been racing with the Faenza-based squad since 2009.

On Thursday, Red Bull confirmed Buemi will continue his relationship with the energy drinks company, joining Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing.

"It's good to remain with Red Bull for another year and have this opportunity with the World Championship-winning team," said Buemi.

"I would prefer to be driving at the races of course, but working with Red Bull Racing on the development of their car and providing them with feedback throughout the season is the next best thing."

Team boss Christian Horner added: "It was entirely logical for Sebastien to continue with Red Bull having been a member of the Junior Team since 2004. He already knows the team well from his time with us in 2008 and has gained significant race experience over the past three years.

"He will complete important test and simulation work for us throughout the year and will be in attendance at each grand prix."

Makes sense.

[EddieG]

As everybody knows, I blow anyone and everyone's dick if they're Dutch, but not this time!

Jos Verstappen arrested for trying to run over his girlfriend.

[Katsuya]

Why are they choosing Buemi over Alguesuari?

[MJB]

Could it be because he's in negotiations with Williams or HRT? I can't think of another reason why they'd chose Buemi, apart from maybe that Buemi's qualifying performances were marginally better than Alguersuari's last season.

[Lineker]

Buemi is slightly more experienced and therefore may be of more use from a collecting data/giving feedback on the car point-of-view. Plus Alguesuari won't end up at HRT I imagine - HRT said that they were surprised that he had been let go by Toro Rosso and were already in deep negotiations with other drivers.

Brings new and terrible meaning to the old F1 catchphrase of a Verstappen Slappen!

Lewis Hamilton is adamant McLaren will be in much stronger form in 2012, although he concedes Red Bull Racing will start the season as favourite again.

"Certainly. It will be up to us to be able to surpass it," Hamilton told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if Red Bull would still be the team to beat.

"From what I've seen, however, the new McLaren seems a lot better than last year's."

He added: "Basically Red Bull is an evolution of the aerodynamic concepts introduced in 2009. Midway through 2011 it was phenomenal, it was at the highest level and on top of that it almost never broke down.

"By contrast, when we had the same reliability, we lacked the same performance."

The Briton says he wants McLaren to hit the ground running with its new car in 2012, rather than having to play catch-up during the pre-season as in previous years.

"During the winter you always dream of arriving at the start of the season with a car that goes quick immediately," he said. "This hasn't happened in the last two seasons. I want it to happen this year. If we start well, we'll stay at the top more easily."

Hamilton also played down the pressure from team-mate Jenson Button, despite having finished ahead of him in the championship in 2011.

"Jenson is very quick and he's gathered a strong team of technicians around him. I'd like to be ahead of him all the times, and I'm not happy if the opposite happens.

"However, psychologically it's absolutely not a problem. Besides, he's an open and cheerful guy who I get along with. It would be nice to fight for the 2012 championship with him: that's just up to McLaren!"

And, despite a difficult 2011 season, the McLaren driver believes it was not such a bad year.

"Only a driver won more than myself and Jenson: Vettel. So it wasn't that bad after all."

[Katsuya]

Buemi only had an extra half season on him in F1 though. Just seems odd, Alguesuari's proved himself to be better over a season IMO.

[Lineker]

Maybe it's an age thing too - although there's only two years in it. Who knows. So either him or Hamilton to take over from Webber when he eventually retires?

[Lineker]

Kimi Raikkonen says that the fanfare surrounding his comeback to Formula 1 has had no effect on him since his return with Lotus was confirmed last month.

The 2007 world champion ended months of speculation by confirming that he would return to the sport after two years competing in the World Rally Championship. Since then the potential success of his comeback has become a huge talking point.

But Raikkonen, speaking after spending Thursday at the team's Enstone factory for a seat fitting, said that he doesn't care what other people think about his decision.

"There has been quite a bit of noise in the press about my comeback and there have been a lot of rumours," Raikkonen told the Lotus official website. "It has no effect on me.

"Sometimes you hear nonsense and sometimes you hear nice things. The main thing is that coming back is what I wanted and I have a good opportunity with the team so I'm happy.

"I have never really looked at what people say or think. I do my own thing and as long as I'm happy with it then that's the main thing for me."

The Finn added that his seat fitting marked the first time he had properly sat in a Formula 1 car since the end of his 2009 season with Ferrari.

"The last time I was at Enstone I quickly jumped into a seat, but this is the first time I have properly sat in an F1 car with a helmet on since the last race of 2009," he said.

"It felt a bit odd at first because the cockpit seems a bit small, but that's normal. It's just like in the past when I have done seat fittings - it feels a bit strange when you first step into the car but you quickly adjust."

[Lineker]

The Valencia government will seek to renegotiate its contract with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as further doubt is cast over the Spanish event.

Jose Ciscar, the vice-president of the Generalitat Valenciana, said on Thursday that the government must focus on reducing the costs generated by events like the F1 race.

"The big events are under full and absolute review. They are not viable as they have been until now," Ciscar said. "The big events have had an important value up until now but the circumstances force us to prioritise."

Ciscar said the Valencia government will write to Ecclestone to try to renegotiate its contract.

The vice-president did not go as far as saying the event is under threat, but admitted that "nothing can be ruled out".

"With contracts signed, we can't be imprudent because the penalty could cost us more. We have to find balanced solutions," he added.

Valencia has hosted the European Grand Prix since the 2008 season. In 2009, organisers signed a new, five-year contract with Ecclestone.

Bruno Senna insists his future in Formula 1 remains uncertain despite speculation having linked him with a seat at Williams in recent days.

The Brazilian raced with the Renault team in the second half of the 2011 season, but the squad has hired Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to race with it during 2012.

Senna has been linked recently with the second racing seat at the Williams team, the Grove squad yet to announce who will partner Pastor Maldonado.

Senna, Rubens Barrichello and Adrian Sutil are believed to be in the running.

Despite the speculation, the Brazilian said his situation has not changed.

"Despite some rumours, my situation remains the same as before," Senna wrote on his Facebook page. "I'm still not confirmed with any team and still battling for a place in F1. Let's keep fighting!"

Senna admitted at the end of last year that he would be ready to take a reserve-driver role if it meant he could run in free practice.

"To take a third-driver place it would have to be a similar type of role to what certain people had this year with driving on Fridays," Senna told AUTOSPORT back in December.

"That allows you to be active and do something relevant with the team. It would have to be with the right team, but it could be an option."