YallaF1 Magazine 11 Aptil 2012

yallaf1

11.04.2012

IN THIS ISSUE

CHINA PREVIEW VETTEL BUTTON HAMILTON BOULLIER GROSJEAN RAIKKONEN

FERRARI

CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?

IN THIS ISSUE

FIRSTframe WORD FIRST

Cover: Ercole Colombo

11 April 2012

FERRARI CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? FIGHTING TALK FROM SEBASTIAN VETTEL JENSON BUTTON INTERVIEW LEWIS HAMILTON INTERVIEW MCLAREN GEARED UP FOR CHINA KIMI RAIKKONEN INTERVIEW ROMAIN GORSJEAN INTERVIEW ERIC BOULLIER INTERVIEW MONISHA KALTENBORN UPWARDLY MOBILE ADRIAN NEWEY OBE TONY FERNANDES ON THE DEFENSIVE AND MUCH MORE...

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Not long ago we were on about how Ferrari was in c with their 2012 car.

Maranello top management, although not calling crisis, were not happy their latest F1 creation and made their feelings known. Highly commendable brave in the age of corporate speak. Bravo!

Perhaps as a reward for their honesty, they arriv China with Fernando Alonso top of the points stand despite the ‘complex’ F2012 being well off the pace The pace setters in turn are probably the ones in s crisis right now as neither McLaren, nor Lotus for matter, have capitalised on their handy cars, while Bull have perplexed by their lack of performance struggles so far this season.

Ferrari’s Pat Fry gives the low down from Maran while McLaren, Lotus and Red Bull talk the talk ahea Shanghai, which in turn is likely to be overshadowe the ‘will we or won’t we’ race in Bahrain debate.

In this issue we cover all the bases as Formula 1 up again, after a rare three week break, with busi resuming this weekend in China, followed a week by the Bahrain Grand Prix... supposedly.

Enjoy!

Content & Credits • • • •

Editor: Peevee Sub Editor: Adrian Nel All content sourced from YallaF1.com Content providers: PVM, GMM, Reuters, FIA, Red Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Force india, Sau Toro Rosso, Williams, Marussia, Caterham, HRT, P Cosworth, Renault and other F1 related organisat • Main Photography by Sutton Images • Additional photography provided by F1 te including Getty Images, LAT, Hoch Zwei, Er Colombo • Contact: info@yallaf1.com 4

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Cover story ferrarI crisis? what crisis?

PAT FRY: I WASN’T EXPEC OUR DRIVERS LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP

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ven before the F1 winter testing in February had come to an end, the media and “F1 experts” were already talking about Scuderia Ferrari being “in crisis.” This phrase is hardly new, having been used countless times in the 62 year history of the most successful team in the sport.

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CTING TO HAVE ONE OF

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Cover story ferrarI crisis? what crisis?

However, in interviews with the press, the drivers and senior management did not deny the fact that the F2012 was displaying some shortcomings in overall performance, particularly on the aerodynamic front and in terms of top speed.

There were positives too, such as the F2012’s inability to get tyres up to tempe’ature quickly - apparently having been solved. However, the opening round in Melbourne showed that the Ferrari did not have the measure of the fastest cars.

However, just seven days after he finished fifth in the Australian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso stood on the top step of the Sepang podium and got down from it leading the drivers’ championship. How could this happen? A miracle? An accelerated one week development programme?

Nothing of the sort as the team’s Technical Director Pat Fry explained.

“Our position is down to a combination of circumstances, especially the fact that Fernando had two very good races,” began the Englishman. “In Melbourne, after an issue in qualifying, Fernando’s good start and good first corner made up for a lot of things. The weather conditions at the last race worked in our favour, as our car worked well there and he made the most of the opportunities that came his way. We got the pit stop calls right and the pit crew did a fantastic job, so that every time Fernando came into pit lane, we either gained places or extended the lead still further. For Fernando, it’s great to be leading the championship, something I would have not expected just a few weeks ago.”

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Cover story ferrarI crisis? what crisis?

“I certainly wasn’t expecting to have one driver leading the championship. From quite early on in testing, we realised we had quite a few issues we needed to sort out.

Everyone at the factory has been working hard at that, as we still have a long way to go. I think our dry qualifying performance is still around 8 tenths off the best while we want to be the best ourselves. Damp low grip conditions suit our car and flatter some of the issues we have with the F2012 at the moment. You could see that in Melbourne on Friday and again in the race in Malaysia.”

While the Scuderia’s Spanish double world champion has his name at the top of the points table, team-mate Felipe Massa has yet to score a point, struggling more with the car balance. “The car is quite difficult to drive and Fernando has managed to get the most out of it, while with Felipe, we have struggled to find the right balance to keep him happy,” admitted Fry. “In addition, in Malaysia, we had Felipe on intermediates after the red flag but we had a lot of understeer and so we took the gamble of an additional pit stop which did not work out. The fact the tyres were only graining and not worn out was about the only call we got wrong from the pit wall at the last race. It was a set-back for Felipe, one of a few unfortunate circumstances for him.”

“If I was asked to rate the overall performance of the Scuderia so far, I’d mark it differently depending on different sections of the company,” continued Fry. “The team, the mechanics at the track have worked very well: in Melbourne we had the quickest pit stops and in Malaysia the speed of the pit crew and the strategy 11.04.2012 ISSUE 14

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Cover story ferrarI crisis? what crisis? saw us gain position or time on others every time we pitted. However, ranking the actual performance of the package, I’d rate it much lower. Another plus is the way the team is responding, dealing with the stresses of trying to play catch-up. The Manufacturing department, working on some of the more aggressive requests we’ve made, has responded very well. So, it’s been a great team effort, but we haven’t done a good job in getting the car out on track to be quickest from the start.”

Technical development of a 1 car usually moves along two paths: the first one follows a plan set out even as the car is first being designed and built, while the second feeds off lessons learned during testing and races. At the moment, because of the performance shortfall, the Scuderia is also having to move down a third path, which involves trying to speed up development and introduce updates earlier than planned.”

“We are constantly working on improving the issues we have,” said Fry. “New parts are coming through and we are trying to get them to the race track as quickly as possible – We will have five updates for China, some are quite visible others less so. Then there will be a bigger upgrade package for Spain. It would be nice to have them earlier, but we have already brought forward some parts we were developing for Spain and we should have them in China.”

Naturally, Fry’s main focus is within his own team, but he can allow himself a quick assessment of the F1 hierarchy after the opening back-to-back races.

“I was slightly suprised by Red Bull’s comparative lack of pace. McLaren were relatively quick but I would have put these two teams the other way round if you’d asked me a month ago. Mercedes also seem quick, but they have similar rear tyre degradation to the past, so while they are good in qualifying, their race pace drops away and Lotus is the other team that has done a good job, looking quick from the very first test in Jerez.”

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Cover story ferrarI crisis? what crisis?

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There have been eight Chinese Grands Prix to date and Scuderia Ferrari has won three of them, starting with Rubens Barrichello’s victory in the event’s inaugural year, 2004. Then, 2006 and 2007 saw victories for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen respectively.

Fernando Alonso won from pole in 2005, although not at the wheel of a red car and the Spaniard was also on the podium for the two following years in second place. Felipe Massa has also enjoyed the view from the spectacular podium at the Shanghai International Circuit, coming home third in 2007 and doing one better the following year.

The Shanghai circuit is just under five and a half kilometres in length and the facility itself is built on an epic scale as a testament to China’s desire to be the biggest economic powerhouse on the globe. It is one of designer Hermann Tilke’s more challenging track layouts, with many long corners that generate high lateral g-forces, so good overall balance and stability under braking are important aspects of the car package.

Pirelli is providing its Soft and Medium compound tyres, but the smooth surface means tyre wear is not usually a problem here, although with few races held during the season, the track can be rather dirty for the first day of practice.

“Shanghai is a good mixture,” confirms Fry. “There are long low speed corners where you need a good front end and there’s a requirement to brake and turn in at the same time, so carrying speed through the first corner into the second is particularly interesting. There are some reasonably high speed corners too and a 1.3 kilometre straight with the DRS zone at the end of it should make it interesting for the race.”

The Chinese Grand Prix has often been affected by rain and no doubt that would suit the plans of the Scuderia, given Alonso’s wet weather performance in Malaysia…

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FOR THE RECORD sebastian vettel

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: AS A TEAM WE CAN ACCO

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ouble world champion Sebastian Vettel is adamant that he and Red Bull Racing can still mount a serious world championship title challenge, despite a below par start to the season.

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OMPLISH ANYTHING

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FOR THE RECORD sebastian vettel Last year little could touch Vettel and his team - they were simply way ahead of the bunch. But what a big difference a few months have made between seasons. Last year he won the first two races on the trot, fast forward twelve months and he has only scored once, in Australia where he finished second.

Fortunately his bad form is taking place in what is the start of the longest season in the history of Formula 1, which means there is still time for a comeback.

Vettel reflected after Malaysia, “I admit, the first two races weren’t exactly perfect but they weren’t that bad either. We proved we can able to compete with

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the strongest teams and that’s very important. When you get a mishap like the one I had in Malaysia, however, well then even we are helpless - but that’s just how F1 works. Of course I would have preferred a slightly better start to 2012, but it’s a long season.”

The ‘mishap’ was his coming together with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan.

As Vettel lapped the much slower HRT, near the end of the race, the Indian driver appeared to veer into the back of the Red Bull, resulting in a puncture and ending a possible podium finish for Vettel.

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FOR THE RECORD sebastian vettel The world champi0on’s reaction has been well documented, and he remains unrepentant, “So soon after the race, I feel like I should be honest rather than playing the ‘smiling boy’. Sometimes it takes ten minutes after finishing a race to return to normal, sometimes you need a night’s sleep to check things off and look ahead positively.”

With China approaching Vettel is his normal cool self, time obviously helped heal disappointment and fuel the desire to return to his winning ways, “We now have 18

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more races ahead of us and we will do all we can to defend our titles. From a pure sporting perspective, I have more points now than I had at this point in 2010 when I won the championship. So I’m only looking forward.”

“We have a very good car and I still have a good chance — it is still the goal to fight for the title. I have total faith in the team, the car and myself. There’s still much for us to do, but together as a team we can accomplish anything,” insisted the champion.

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INTERVIEW Jenson button

JENSON BUTTON: WHATE THE CHINA SHOULD BE I

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enson Button goes to China lying third in the world championship standings thanks due to his fine win at the season opening Australian Grand Prix, but a week later, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, drew a blank at Sepang. He will be looking for a reversal of fortune in Shanghai. here he looks ahead to next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

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EVER HAPPENS THE NTERESTING

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INTERVIEW Jenson button You called the Malaysian Grand Prix a ‘bad day in the office’ – does that change your preparations for this weekend’s race in Shanghai?

Jenson Button: Not really, it makes you a little keener to get back in the cockpit as you’re always a bit more determined to be looking ahead rather than looking back.

But, like I say, it doesn’t really make any difference. In fact, the three-week break has been extremely relaxing – I was able to get away, relax and keep training. It’s still the start of a very long season, so it’s good to keep fit and refreshed. I’ve usually gone well in Shanghai, it’s a circuit I really enjoy and I’m looking forward to the race weekend.

You memorably won here in 2010 – what is it about the circuit that makes it special?

JB: Well, the facilities are amazing, but it’s a very good, modern circuit – the first two sectors are pretty technical, there are some interesting combinations of corners and you need a good, responsive car to go well. Then the track opens up, the straight is one of the longest in Formula 1 – it just keeps going – then you’re into the hairpin and the final turn, both of which offer good opportunities for overtaking. There’s no one particular corner that stands out, but that’s good, because it means they’ve done a good job with the whole track. And if it rains, then it’s going to be another extremely unpredictable race as we’re all still learning about the cars and tyres in damp conditions. Whatever happens, it should be interesting.

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INTERVIEW Jenson button

What will be the key to a good race performance in 2012?

JB: There will be the usual set-up compromises: setting the car up to offer good downforce through some of the faster corners, but without sacrificing too much speed along the straights. We saw different teams address that balance in different ways over the first two races, so it will be interesting to see if things sta this weekend after a few weeks back in Europe. Tyre wear will also be very importa real disparity between the compounds – so getting the preparation right will be cr 11.04.2012 ISSUE 14

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art to converge ant – last year we saw a rucial.

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INTERVIEW LEWIS HAMILTON

LEWIS HAMILTON: IMPOR RESULTS IN THE BAG WH

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ewis Hamilton has started from pole twice in two races this season but has failed to turn the top slot on the grid into race wins, nevertheless he goes to China lying second in the championship standings and will fancy his chance on a circuit where he has won twice before. The 2008 F1 world champion speaks ahead of the weekend in Shanghai.

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RTANT TO GET GOOD HILE WE CAN

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INTERVIEW LEWIS HAMILTON You opened your winning account in China last year, are you hoping for the same this season?

Lewis Hamilton: I’m looking at the championship as a whole – although, of course, I’d love to win every race, it’s more important to be in a good points-scoring position at every race.

I think the first two races have shown that, as a team, we’re definitely in positions to win. I think Malaysia was a good example of how to pick up points when you’re looking at the championship – and that was something I really took away as a positive from that race. But yeah, I’ll be heading to China looking to win – but it’s just as important to pick up some good points if, for whatever reason, a win isn’t on the cards.

What do you like about the Shanghai International Circuit?

LH: I have some vivid memories of racing in China – some good, some not so good! I’ve won there twice – both were victories I’m really proud of: in 2008, it was a very important race, and I really needed a good result for the championship – we had a pretty much perfect weekend with pole position, fastest lap and the race win.

Then in 2011, coming off the back of a difficult weekend in Malaysia, I had a great race, kept pushing every lap and managed to take the lead right at the end. It was a very important win because it showed that we could be a force in the championship that year.

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INTERVIEW LEWIS HAMILTON Your two third positions have consolidated your position in the championship – is that the key to a good season?

LH: I won’t deny that I’m disappointed to have had two pole positions and not to have been able to convert either of them into victories, but I prefer to think of it that luck just hasn’t been on my side, and that it will swing my way sooner or later. I also think last year taught me the value of consistency: it’s no use chasing a great result if you can’t back it up with a strong finish the following week. So maybe I’m just playing myself in gently: after all, in 2007, I didn’t win a race until the sixth round, and I was in the hunt for the title all through the year. I still don’t think the pecking order has settled down yet, so it’s important to get some good results in the bag while we can. It will be very interesting to see how the order has shaken itself out over the last three weeks – it’s going to be an interesting weekend.

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for the record mclaren

MCLAREN TO UNLEASH S TO THE MP4-27 FOR CHIN

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cLaren technical director Paddy Lowe has revealed that his team head to China with their containers packed full of upgrades for their pace setting MP427, and expects their main rivals to be carrying equal amounts of new bits for their respective cars.

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SPATE OF UPDATES NA

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for the record mclaren

During a media phone-in session he said, “We have quite a few upgrades for this event, on pretty much all sections of the car. So we’re hoping for a reasonable step in performance. However, we expect that is only what we need to do to stay where we are, in terms of qualifying and race pace. I would be surprised if our principal competitors aren’t also coming with reasonable steps forward. So that’s the name of the game.”

McLaren head to China leading the constructor’s standings with two races down and 18 scheDuled to go and, as yet, no real pecking order has emerged.

Lowe explained, “It’s a relentless battle for in-season development, particularly amongst the top teams. It’s started already and we’ll have to play our part and see if we can maintain the qualifying lead we had at the first two races.”

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Much fuss has been made about the F-duct style ‘super DRS’ which Mercedes have on their 2012 car and many teams are reportedly on the verge of copying the system, but McLaren’s technical boss is not yet fully convinced that the mechanism is legal.

“I think there are a number of points being debated behind the scenes. I think what we need at this point is clarity,” he said.

And added, “I would say it would have been better to have clarity before now. So we’ll have to see what the next event – in China – will bring us in that sense. Until we’ve got clarity it’s difficult for us to commit a huge amount of effort in that direction. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

Lewis Hamilton won the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

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interview kimi raikkonen

KIMI RAIKKONEN: THE TE HARD TO KEEP GOING IN

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imi Raikkonen’s return to Formula 1 has been impressive to say the least, the likes of Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipladi have hailed the champion’s return, both admiring the remarkable ease with which the Iceman has plugged back into the sport at the highest level.

Before the season resumes in China, the 2007 F1 world champion had time to reflect on the first two race and looks ahead to Shanghai where he won in 2007.

Two races in – how does it feel to be back?

Kimi Raikkonen: Two races done, eighteen to go. So far it has been more or less alright for me and the racing isn’t any different than before.

The E20 certainly feels good. We’re working to get the steering exactly right for me – and we’re almost there.

The speed in the car is good – and this applies to qualifying and race pace.

It’s been two frustrating races in terms of where we started. We shouldn’t have started so far back in Australia, and the penalty for changing the gearbox before the Malaysian Grand Prix cost us finishing positions too, but that’s motor racing.

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EAM IS WORKING VERY N THE RIGHT DIRECTION

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interview kimi raikkonen The E20 certainly seems to have good pace…

KR: We can say it looks good so far.

The car was very good in qualifying at both races. Romain was third in Australia then I was fifth fastest in Malaysia. At Sepang it could have been better. I made a couple of mistakes in the final run in Q3. I lost some time there, so it could have been better than fifth, fourth or even third. I felt the speed was there in the car. Obviously, it was a good car to qualify.

Race pace doesn’t seem bad either; you’re back to setting race fastest laps…

KR: The race was difficult with the conditions and honestly the best approach was to fight to keep the P5 position. When I first went out on the slicks it was so dark that it was difficult to see the dry line on the circuit. Once I could make out the line I drove fast enough to keep the position. I felt that there was more pace possible from the car but I didn’t want to take any risks. To set the race’s fastest lap is nice, but not as good as winning.

How was the feeling with the Pirelli wet tyres?

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interview kimi raikkonen had done only one installation lap with them beforehand, so we didn‘t even know how to adjust the front wing for the wet race. But the start went okay, we actually managed to gain a few places, but then there was an incident with a couple of cars in front of me, so I had to go on the grass again like in Australia to avoid them. I lost some places, but I made it through the first lap, anyway.

What are your thoughts of the Shanghai International Circuit?

KR: It’s just another race track – I don’t have particular favourites or anything like that. It’s quite similar to Albert Park and Sepang in what it requires from the car so that should be good for us. We have some new parts for the E20 so that should also be good. I’m sure all the other teams have new parts for their cars too, so we won’t know where we are until we get there.

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You’ve gone pretty well in China before, do you feel good going there?

KR: I won there in 2007 and that was a good feeling as that was the year I won the World Championship. It’s a proper race track and there are good opportunities for overtaking. Our car looks good so let’s see what happens when we get out on track.

Are you happy with the E20 and the evolving relationship with the team?

KR: The team is working very hard to keep us going to the right direction.

Obviously, we have a good and solid car to work with. It has been quick everywhere so far. The weather and other situations at the two races we’ve had mean we haven’t seen the best of it. I feel comfortable with my relationship with the team. It’s clear they are racers like me and that is the best way to get the maximum from the season.

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interview romain grosjean

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: WHE YOU MUST ADMIT IT AND

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he season has started with a great deal of promise for Lotus, but ultimately the results have not materialised – as yet – for Romain Grosjean. With another new track to learn in China, the Frenchman is looking for a fresh start to kick off his season which has been a big disappointment thus far.

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EN YOU MAKE MISTAKES D NOT REPEAT THEM

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interview romain grosjean After some time to reflect, how do you feel things are going now we’re two races in to the season?

Romain Grosjean: We can certainly say that we have good performance from the car. We’ve got through to Q3 at both races so the car is performing very well. We were able to fight for the front row in qualifying and the pace in the race is very good. In China I hope we can have a more standard race with everything in order with regards to the start, the race – and not a crazy amount of water on track as we did at Sepang – and we can finally achieve the good result which we are capable of.

Two short races – is this now an issue for you?

RG: When you make mistakes you have to admit it and not repeat that mistake. When it’s not your fault – well it’s not your fault. The first two races were tough and we didn’t get a result. On the other hand I know that we can do some great things in the future races. My season starts properly in China.

What do you think of theShanghai circuit?

RG: It will be my first time driving the circuit. I’ve been watching some on-board videos and it looks pretty nice. I hope it will suit the E20. We have a new package which will hopefully be beneficial. I’m looking forward to discovering another new circuit. There are plenty of good, interesting corners by the looks of it. If we get a good result I’m sure it will become a track that I love.

How excited are you about a new aerodynamic package coming for the E20?

RG: It’s great to see how much the factory is behind us and working very hard to give us updates. We’ve had a promising start to the season and we all want to get the best in every area, so a new aerodynamic package is quite exciting; I can’t wait to see how it looks and then experience how it feels on track. Then, most importantly, I want to see the lap-time gain.

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interview romain grosjean Now you’ve had some decent track time at two Grands Prix, how comfortable are you feeling with the car and how close are you to delivering 100% from the interaction between you and the E20?

RG: The E20 gives me a great feeling. We have seen some interesting things in Malaysia and we are always learning more about how it reacts. We gained a very good impression at Australia and Malaysia. We have a few areas where we know what to do and a few areas where we know what not to do in terms of set-up. I’m sure for Shanghai we will be able to find the best setup quicker than at the first two races. I think there is still scope for me to feel more comfortable and confident with the E20, but it’s a very nice car to drive and with the new aero package it should be even better; then with all subsequent packages better and better…

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How intense did you find the first two races with your return as an F1 race driver and the back-to-back nature of the two Grands Prix?

RG: A race weekend takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. But when you are in the car, the adrenalin takes over and you never feel tired. When you get back home, you normally need a bit of a rest. You relax and it’s then that you feel tired. Over the race weekend there’s so much happening that you don’t have time to feel tired.

Compared to last year, where do you think we are in the relative order?

RG: We’re definitely a step forwards, we just need to be able to show this in a normal race. We’ve seen that we are looking good in qualifying where we’ve been either the second or third fastest team which is very good.

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interview eric boullier

ERIC BOULLIER: I FEEL FR HAVE NOT DELIVERED AS

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espite the frustrations of the opening two races, Lotus team principal Eric Boullier focuses on the achievements of the team so far this year, and a positive outlook for the remainder of the 2012 Formula 1 world championship season.

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RUSTRATION THAT WE S WE SHOULD HAVE

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interview eric boullier How’s your report card for the team now we’re two races into the season?

Eric Boullier: It’s been something of what an Englishman might describe as a curate’s egg. Parts of the season have been satisfying. They include the pace of the E20, which is clearly there in both qualifying and race trim. Both drivers have put in strong qualifying performances – Romain in Australia and Kimi in Malaysia. Kimi has shown that it’s not taken him long to remember what’s

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required of a Formula 1 driver and is right on the pace as shown in two strong races from where he’s started on the grid. Also, our tyre degradation looks promising, as well as the car’s reaction to set-up changes.

As a counterpoint to this, parts of the season have been bad; Romain has only completed a handful of race laps; Kimi has started from further back on the grid than we wanted at both races for all sorts of reasons – bad timing from the

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interview eric boullier

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team in Australia and the gearbox change in Malaysia. The upshot of this is we have only 16 points in the constructors’ championship when we had potential for far more from the first two races.

From a personal viewpoint, I do feel a bit of frustration that we haven’t delivered as well as we should have done. We know we can do better, and we hope to prove that in the next races. On the other hand, I’m so proud of what the team has achieved this winter that I can’t help but have a little smile on my face.

So what does the team do now?

EB: The positives we have give us a strong basis to score good points this season, and on the evidence so far we are well placed to fight for our target of fourth place in the constructors’ championship. The aero package we’re bringing to China is proof that we’re leaving no stone unturned. We are focused on developing and improving the E20, while both drivers know their objectives and are working well with the team.

We can put down many of the negative aspects of the first two races to bad luck, or factors which we will all learn from. We expect to be securing some more solid points in the near future, with both cars in the top 8.

What’s the feeling at Enstone now the E20 has been proven against the opposition in race conditions?

EB: After a disappointing end to our 2011 season, people have pushed even harder in order to create what James Allison describes as the best car ever produced by Enstone. Only a top team is capable of such a reaction. Before the season started, there was a feeling that the E20 had solid potential, and we’ve seen this proven at two Grands Prix. There is still work to be done of course, but the atmosphere at Enstone has been galvanised by the strong performance of the car seen at Albert Park and Sepang. The E20 is good, but we are all working tirelessly to make it better.

How do you view the performance of the drivers?

Considering that both have come back from two years away from Formula 1, their performances have been strong. Kimi has shown that he hasn’t lost any pace. He is both quick in qualifying, and very consistent in the race. His tyre management, also, is quite impressive, while his technical feedback is extremely precise. He performed very well in the two races, with strong racecraft and setting the fastest race lap in Malaysia shows 65

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that he can deliver exactly as before. Romain has shown a good pace also. He just needs to get some race laps completed – his season starts in China.

You’ve announced big name sponsors for the team – tell us about this...

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as a team. These brands not only recognise the value of Formula 1, but they recognise the value of our team. We have a proud heritage at Enstone and we hope to add to that heritage with strong results in the future. Our partners and sponsors are a vital aspect of this and that we are able to attract the names we have in the current economic climate is a fantastic achievement for everyone at the team.

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for the record SAUBER

MONISHA KALTENBORN S FIRST FEMALE BOSS

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onisha Kaltenborn will become F1’s first ever female team been announced by Peter Sauber, who at the age of 68 has retire, before his 70th birthday.

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m boss. This has just s hinted that he might

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for the record SAUBER

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Indian Kaltenborn, 41, is already Hinwil based Sauber’s chief executive, while Peter Sauber remains the team principal.

“I have always said that I will not be sitting on the pitwall as a 70 year old,” Sauber told Der Sonntag newspaper.

“With certainty, my successor is Monisha Kaltenborn. That is for sure.

When it (the handover) happens is still open.

“She will be the first female team boss inF1 history,” Sauber continued. “She’s been with us for 13 years, always with leading roles. I’m sure she will do the job very well.”

Sauber, in fact, has already departed the pitwall once before, when he sold his team to BMW and handed over to Mario Theissen.

Somewhat reluctantly, he returned in 2010, having rescued the Hinwil based employees in the wake of German carmaker’s sudden withdrawal.

“I could not jump into the breach a second time,” smiled Sauber, hinting that his retirement this time around would be final.

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for the record ADRIAN NEWEY

ADRIAN NEWEY HONOURE

F

resh from becoming Adrian Newey OBE, Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer spoke about: surprising first pay packets, engineer’s pride and of course what it means to receive the honour of those three letters after his name.

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ED BY QUEEN WITH OBE

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for the record ADRIAN NEWEY So tell us, what was Tuesday like for you?

Adrian Newey: I had a very special day, a day that only the English can have. I went to Windsor castle and was lucky enough to have the Queen give me my OBE. It was an absolutely amazing day, she is a phenomenal woman. We did have a quick chat when she handed the medal over, or when she pinned the medal to me I should say. She knew I was involved in motor racing. I told her I’d had the honour of meeting her once before when she opened the McLaren factory and had shown Prince Phillip around. She remembered it and recalled that I tried to get him in the car. She knew I had moved to Red Bull, so she’s obviously incredibly well informed. We had a quick chat about Red Bull and shook hands.

What does it mean to you to receive an OBE? AN: It’s funny, I’m not very good at thinking about these things until I actually get there, as I tend to live in the present, so it was only really when I sat down having received it and waited to meet my family again that I thought, this is amazing. I very clearly remember getting to the end of my first month at Fittipaldi’s, the first team I worked for, and, on receiving my salary for the month, thinking ‘This is amazing, I’m actually being paid for a job that I love doing – I don’t think I’m very good at it and they haven’t even rumbled I’m not good at it yet!’ So, to be sitting there 11.04.2012 ISSUE 14

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for the record ADRIAN NEWEY

receiving an award from the Queen thirty-odd years later was an amazing experience. I’m also very proud of the fact that engineering has been recognised, in as much as obviously I’m an engineer, and therefore as a profession, we’ve been recognised. I think that unfortunately Britain does have a habit of forgetting its proud heritage in respect of the industrial revolution and its ingenuity over the years of coming up with amazing designs. So, for it to come to the forefront again in terms of an OBE made me very proud as an engineer.

Where is your medal now?

AN: At the moment it’s lying on the kitchen table, but my grandfather received two medals during the Second World War, so it will be very shortly taking its place proudly alongside his two medals.

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for the record caterham

CATERHAM BOSS TONY F DEFENSIVE OVER TEAM’S

T

ony Fernandes has given a strident defence of his Formula 1 team, Caterham who have yet to seriously challenge the pecking order despite preseason ambitions targeting the midfield.

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for the record caterham The former Team Lotus outfit, headed by the cheery Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes, entered its third season with high hopes it was set to join the midfield mix.

Instead, the green cars – whilst still the cream of the backmarker group – are still better only than fellow stragglers Marussia and HRT. MTV3’s well-known analyst Mika Salo has advised lead driver Heikki Kovalainen to therefore quit Caterham at the end of 2012.

“Something has been wrong with the car,” Kovalainen is quoted as saying by Turun Sanomat newspaper this week. “We need to see what is not right.”

Fernandes, meanwhile, is looking fervently on the bright side, insisting

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Caterham has done markedly better than F1’s other 2010 start-ups.

“We are competitive,” he told the Sun, reminding that Caterham was the last 2010 team given its official entry by the FIA a few years ago.

“We’ve blown away Marussia and HRT when in actual fact they have been there six months longer,” insisted Fernandes. “We are half a second away from the established midfield … you must remember that this team is only two years old.”

“When I started, we were nine seconds away from the front. Last year we were about four seconds away from Red Bull. This year, on certain laps, we lapped at the same pace as them. So I am very happy and I am strengthening the team all the time,” he added.

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preview 2012 CHINESE grAnd prix, sHANGHAI

CHINESE GRAND PRIX PR ARE WE IN FOR A SHANG

A

fter a relaxing Easter weekend, Formula 1 heads back east for the third round of the 2012 F1 World Championship season – the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

By James Rossi

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REVIEW GHAI SURPRISE?

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preview 2012 CHINESE grand prix, sHANGHAI In 2011, Lewis Hamilton produced a thrilling comeback after opting for a threestop strategy when Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel risked stopping just twice. He climbed from 5th position to pass the German with a handful of laps to go, and in doing so notched up his first victory of the season. The other notable performance came from Mark Webber, who had begun the race in 18th, but stormed through the field to stand on the last step of the podium.

Performance-wise, the Shanghai circuit is similar to Sepang. There is a mixture of high-speed and extremely low-speed corners, not to mention the mile-long back straight which should see the likes of Mercedes gain a huge advantage.

As is becoming the norm, the circuit characteristics will play into the hands of Schumacher and Rosberg in qualifying.

It appears to be common knowledge that McLaren will continue to be strong, as the MP4-27 seems to be suited to all types of circuits. The Woking squad will not be resting on their laurels either, as the top teams will be expected to have brought some minor adjustments and upgrades for their machinery.

How will Sebastian Vettel react to after a turbulent Malaysian Grand Prix weekend?

In 2010, it appeared as though he was susceptible to pressure, with a couple of high-profile incidents throughout the season, and it is interesting to note that when things do not fall perfectly into place for him, he reverts to similar behaviour, his reaction to the incident with Karthikeyan perhaps being a case in point.

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preview 2012 CHINESE grand prix, sHANGHAI The Shanghai circuit will perhaps show up Red Bull’s relative weaknesses most, as they lack straight-line speed and a lot of the downforce that made them so strong last year. Some fear that another victory will simply be out of reach.

Approaching the third race weekend of the season, we are yet to see the true potential of Lotus. Fresh off the back of losing their title sponsor, the Enstone based team need a dry, incident and penalty free weekend. In qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen was less than four tenths off Hamilton’s pole time before taking his penalty. And in amongst the various incidents and weather-related hindrances, both the Finn and

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Romain Grosjean have shown that the E20 is capable of fighting for podium positions and perhaps even a victory in the right circumstances. However, the circuit on which they compete this weekend may not be the best on which to highlight their performance.

Another dark horse will yet again come in the form of Sauber. With scattered showers predicted throughout the race weekend, the ability of Sergio Perez to read conditions and adapt accordingly will be tested as it was in Malaysia.

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preview 2012 CHINESE grand prix, sHANGHAI One feels that with each passing weekend, the young Mexican is putting pressure on the downtrodden Felipe Massa for the second driver’s seat at Ferrari. It would be most unlike the Italian marque to dump a driver mid-season, but with the Brazilian out of contract at the end of the season, it appears to be only a matter of time before we see different faces at Maranello. Questions must also be asked about the fortunes of Kamui Kobayashi, who was also once considered to be a young superstar in the making. Do not doubt how much pressure the Japanese driver is under to deliver against the new golden boy of F1.

This weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix will suit cars which have particularly good top speed and acceleration, with a number of slow to medium-speed corners testing the cars’ ability to change direction quickly and efficiently.

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In this regard, expect to see McLaren pull away from the field slightly.

Red Bull will be fighting off the likes of Lotus and Ferrari come the race, but a clever bet may be on a Mercedes pole position. If their ‘Super DRS’ is still deemed legal, the lengthy back straight will be their playground.

Weather predictions appear to be mixed, with a showery Friday leading into a mostly dry Saturday for qualifying. Sunday however may be a different story, with sunny weather and scattered showers predicted. The DRS zone is unchanged from 2011, off Turn 13 and halfway down the straight near the end of the lap.

What Shanghai surprise do we have in store this weekend?

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REPORT BAHRAIN DEBATE

BAHRAIN ORGANISERS D TO HOST THE RACE AS S

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ahrain Grand Prix organisers summoned support for thei Tuesday and said a campaign for it to be cancelled was bein and “extremist groups”, as the race organisers go on the off

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REPORT BAHRAIN DEBATE It said a briefing by the Lotus representatives had been sent to all 12 team principals on April 5 and ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, where a final decision is expected.

Bahrain, which has endured almost daily protests and unrest since an uprising against the government in February last year was bloodily suppressed, is due to follow on immediately after China.

There have been increasingly vocal calls for it to be cancelled, however, with one unnamed team principal telling Britain’s Guardian newspaper that all the teams were hoping the FIA would call off the race but were leaving the decision to the sport’s governing body.

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“Yes, there is a need to keep the circuit and the teams secure and they are doing this and they feel very comfortable about the arrangements,” the Lotus report said in excerpts reproduced in the Bahrain circuit statement.

“If there is going to be protestation then it will be confined to peaceful protests — you will maybe see some banners being waved and maybe some tyres on fire but that is all they expect.

“We came away from Bahrain feeling a lot more confident that everything is in hand,” it added. “If it wasn’t for a few more police you wouldn’t know any difference from last year we were there.”

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Last year’s race had to be cancelled due to unrest after an initial postponement and the last race there was in 2010.

The circuit statement also quoted John Yates, a former assistant commissioner in the London Metropolitan police who now advises Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, as saying policing would be low-key and discreet.

“There is nothing that in any way warrants for the race to be postponed,” he added.

Circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani said in a statement that “armchair observers” had been driving the debate at the expense of neutral parties “who have taken the trouble to investigate the situation at first hand.

“This, combined with the scaremongering tactics of certain small extremist groups on social networking sites, has created huge misconceptions about the current situation,” he added.

He urged all stakeholders in the sport to “listen to those with an informed, educated view of the situation and to form their view on the facts of the situation as presented by neutral first-hand observers.”

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), which represents Lotus, Caterham, Force India, Marussia, McLaren, Mercedes and Williams, said it was not possible for the teams to cancel the race.

“There’s been some media speculation recently to the effect that the teams may seek to cancel this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” FOTA said in a statement.

“That wouldn’t be possible. Teams are unable to cancel grands prix. We race in an international series called the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and it is therefore for the FIA to offer the teams guidance on these issues.”

FOTA does not represent Ferrari, HRT, Red Bull, Sauber or Toro Rosso.

The governing International Automobile Federation has said it is in daily contact with foreign embassies and authorities in Bahrain while F1’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone is eager for the race to go ahead.

Al Zayani said last month that the race contributes $220 million directly to the local economy and $400-500 million indirectly.

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big picture chinese grand prix winners 2004 - Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari

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big picture chinese grand prix winners 2009 - Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull

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big picture chinese grand prix winners 2010 - Jenson Button, McLaren

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Ayrton - Monaco by Pascal Rondeau/Allsport

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