Grand Prix International

09.05.2012

GRAND PRIX INTERN ATIONAL IN THIS ISSUE

MASSA ROSBERG KOBAYASHI SCHUMACHER SPAIN PREVIEW GROSJEAN REBORN ALONSO UNPLUGGED

GILLES REMEMBERED WEEKLY FORMULA 1 MAGAZINE & NEWS DIGEST BY YALLAF1.COM

IN THIS ISSUE

FIRST WORD

COVER: SUTTON IMAGES

9 May 2012

GILLES VILLENEUVE REMEMBERED

Early May is always a bittersweet month, no what year, as we are confronted with memorie fatal accidents which stole from us two of th most loved stars - Ayrton Senna (1 May 1994) a Villeneuve 8 May 1982) - we did our Ayrton ho the last issue and this week we pay tribute to G Two very different drivers, from different gen and totally opposite backgrounds, yet united fact that racing was in their blood.

We also have a most interesting Fernando Alo unplugged’ piece as the Spaniard comes up w talking point quotes when engaging with h media fans!

We stick our necks out and declare Romain Gro the ‘real deal’ and say watch the Frenchman b household name – make that world champion Speaking of which Michael Schumacher is still off this Pirelli’s latest offerings, while laughin way to the bank as the second highest mone in the history of sport - only a Tiger has bank cash than the seven times F1 champ. Among goodies we also preview Spain. Enjoy!

ROMAIN GROSJEAN IS THE REAL DEAL FERNANDO ALONSO VERY UNPLUGGED MUGELLO TESTING AFTERMATH FELIPE MASSA CONFIDENCE GROWING FERNANDO ALONSO & THE MAGIC BUTTON KIMI RAIKKONEN INSPIRED NICO ROSBERG WANTS HIGH SPEED GRIP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AND THE RAW EGGS MEGA-BUCKS SCHUMI SPANISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS BIG PICTURE GILLES VILLENEUVE AND PLENTY MORE....

Content & Credits • • • •

Editor: Peevee Sub Editor: Adrian Nel All content sourced from YallaF1.com Content providers: PVM, GMM, Reuters, FIA, Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Force india Toro Rosso, Williams, Marussia, Caterham, HR Cosworth, Renault and other F1 related organis • Main Photography by Sutton Images • Additional photography provided by F1 teams i Getty Images, LAT, Hoch Zwei, Ercole Colombo • Contact: info@yallaf1.com

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COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE

JODY SCHECKTER: GILLE DRIVER IN THE HISTORY

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errari marked the 30th anniversary of the death of fan favourite on Tuesday with the Canadian’s son Jacques behind the wheel o at the Italian team’s Fiorano test track.

e Gilles Villeneuve of one of his cars

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ES WAS THE FASTEST OF MOTORSPORT

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE With double world champion Fernando Alonso and Brazilian Felipe Massa looking on, the 1997 world champion stepped into the 1979 312 T4 that his father drove to three victories that season.

Also present were some of the Berthierville driver’s old mechanics, former technical director Mauro Forghieri, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and current team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Watching with them were Villeneuve’s widow Joann and daughter Melanie.

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“Gilles gave the public what they wanted. And he did not care about the championship, he drove each race as it came,” declared Montezemolo.

“I recall when Enzo Ferrari told me he’d spotted a youngster with great temperament and talent who raced snowmobiles in Canada. He had a pre-contract with McLaren, but Ferrari wanted to bring a breath of fresh air into the team.

“He was an extraordinary driver and human being.”

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE Villeneuve, runner-up in the 1979 championship to South African team mate Jody Scheckter, died in practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder after a collision with a March driven by Germany’s Jochen Mass.

The car was destroyed, cartwheeling across the track while the driver was hurled from the car into the metal catch fence. He was declared dead in hospital that evening.

Ferrari immediately withdrew and went home.

Adored by the passionate tifosi for his thrilling, on-the-edge driving style that drew comparisons with pre-war ace Tazio Nuvolari - but seen as an accident waiting to happen by some of his less enthralled contemporaries - Villeneuve remains an enduring Ferrari idol.

The Canadian Grand Prix circuit in Montreal is named after him while his photo still has pride of place in restaurants frequented by Ferrari employees in Maranello.

“He wasn’t after a championship, he wasn’t political. He got in the car to do the fastest laps all the time, and it is only the race itself that mattered,” said Jacques Villeneuve, who won his world title with Williams.

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COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE “He was just passionate about his driving and his racing and that’s what you can remember about him. It is not the races he did in a good car, it is the races he did in a bad car.

“He lived his passion and he lived it truly. He never lied about it, what you saw is what you got,” added Jacques.

“When he got in the car everybody knew that he would make them dream. He would do whatever was possible out of that car. If he ended up last in a race he would fight to get back to the top, he would never give up.

So everybody knew that they could count on him to give whatever was

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available.”

After his funeral service in Berthierville, thousands had stood in silence along the road as Villeneuve’s coffin was taken back to Montreal for cremation.

In a moving eulogy, Scheckter had paid tribute to a friend and team mate he described as “the fastest driver in the history of motor racing” and “the most genuine man I have ever known.

“But he has not gone,” added the South African, who had retired in 1980.

“The memory of what he has done, what he achieved, will always be there.”

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FERRARI PAY HOMAGE TO

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s part of the special celebrations held on 8 May 2012 at the Fiorano Circuit, in memory of Gilles Villeneuve, there was a round table discussion chaired by respected Gazzetta dello Sport writer, Pino Allievi, which recalled Gilles Villeneuve through recollections and films from that era.

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O THEIR FAVOURITE SON

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE The Canadian Formula 1 driver raced for Ferrari from 1977 until he died tragically during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on 8 May 1982.

From the first phone call from Enzo Ferrari to the signing of the contract, on 29 August 1977, those present looked back at Villeneuve’s time with Ferrari and how he became a legend that galvanised all of Italy, when it was going through a period of great change.

His son Jacques recalls the ten years he spent alongside his father: “The whole family always went to the races and we lived in the motorhome…it was much better than going to school! Most of the

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memories I have are from the race track, sitting down watching the races.

So ninety percent of what I remember of my father is him as a driver, not home very often, always on the go and if he wasn’t in a car, then it was a helicopter or a plane. But that seemed normal, he was my father. I think I am lucky to be driving at a time when cars are safer, otherwise maybe I’d be dead too, given that like him, by nature, I tend to go always right to the limit.”

Jacques was asked how he thought his father would have reacted to him racing: “He would have been happy, because it was his dream to see me become a racing driver.”

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE On this subject, Felipe and Fernando also revealed they had received a lot of support from their parents. “My father always helped me, because he raced too,” said Felipe. “Even if he was doing it for fun in touring cars and was not a professional driver. I dreamed of racing from when I was a kid and racing like my dad meant everything to me. From the start in go-karts to my arrival in F1, he has always been close to me.”

The father figure was also a vital element for Fernando: “Especially at the start, when he wanted my sister to race and built her a kart. Luckily

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for me, she didn’t like it, so I took over and that’s how it all started. I was two and a half years old and he had tied a rope to the back of the kart so I couldn’t crash. I can imagine it can’t have been too much fun, hanging onto a rope after working all week, but he definitely had a great passion for it.”

Both drivers were too young to have known Gilles, but they are well aware of the legend through hearing of his deeds and in fact, both of them have been team-mates with Jacques.

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE “The tales about him were some of the most amazing I’ve ever heard of in F1 and he had a driving style and an aggressive nature at the wheel that was out of the ordinary,” said Felipe.

For Fernando, there can be no better tribute than that of footage from that time, as well as the feelings generated by his talent, the fact he is remembered for memorable climbs back up the field and the high esteem in which he is held, especially within Ferrari.

Asked if the F1 of today could have coped with his temperament, Ferrari

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Vice President Piero Ferrari had this to say: “Gilles had an aggressive driving style, but was never incorrect in his dealings with his adversaries. Things are very different today, everything is controlled, especially the cars. And if today, a driver drives in an aggressive fashion, then he is likely to be slow, because now you need a special driving style to set quick times.�

Jacques sees impropriety among the drivers of today that was not there before. In the past, accidents would occur and those involved were heroes, not victims or creators of incorrect moves.

COVER STORY GILLES VILLENEUVE

An opinion shared by Fernando, who also feels that some of a driver’s tasks today involve executing mechanical actions, that are almost robotic, while Felipe called into question the difference between the contemporary F1 cars, with high downforce levels and those from a time when mechanical grip meant they often had to be driven sideways.

Bringing to an end this thrilling account were the words of Mauro Forghieri, who was Technical Director at the Scuderia in the Villeneuve

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era and a stalwart of the team during that period: “He wasn’t taking part in the World Championship, he was simply racing in each race and that was it for him. He would race with a hastily put together chassis because, at the time, there were only one hundred and sixty two of us, including Commendatore Ferrari and we did not have time to build new cars. These cars were very demanding to drive physically and today, you just could not race with them.”

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FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN

ROMAIN GROSJEAN THE R TO STAY THIS TIME AROU

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omain Grosjean likes to be at the top of the timing screens. Ask anyone who has worked with the Frenchamn, right from his junior racing days, he always gets a kick of ending any session faster than anyone else.

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REAL DEAL IS HERE UND

FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN He is a true racer, has been since a very early age and has an Ayrton Senna style mentality in a race car - ruthless, dtermined and utterly fast - but unlike the Brazilian great, Grosjean has the capacity to replace the brooding intensity with a cheerful, Jacques Laffite, style smile most of the time, a ggenuine joie de vivre.

Grosjean had a forgettable introduction to Formula 1 in 2009, but it must be remebered he was fast tracked into an imploding Renault team who had fired Nelson Piquet for under-performing in the Renault R29 which was a dog of a car which only Fernando Alonso managed to extract anything out ot - and he is the benchmark driver of the modern era.

And then crashgate exploded and changed the face of the entire French squad, where survival of the team as an entity was paramount drivers did not matter as Alonso was heading off to Ferrari and Grsojean had not risen to the occasion.

It must also be remembered that prior to being plucked into the crumbling Renault team, Grosjean was having a healthy run in the GP2 Series at the time. Second only to Nico Hulkeberg and he probably would have challenged the German to the crown had his tenure in the feeder series not been curtailed.

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FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN After the Renault debacle Grosjean was forced to take a step back. He had a few outings in Auto GP, Sportscars including Le Mans 24 Hours and FIA GT before returning to GP2 for the second half of 2010.

In 2011 - his real renaissance year - he powered to the the GP2 Series main title, with five wins en route to the top prize with the DAMS team. He had earlier in the year added the 2011 GP2 Asia Series championship to his existing 2008 GP2 Asia title.

At the end of the season he was rewarded with Friday free practice duty

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for Lotus at the Abu Dhabi GP and Brazilian GP. On 9 December 2011 it was announced that Grosjean would partner Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus team for 2012 - he was back where many of his nner circle believe he belongs.

Early on, in 2012, the signs were there as Grosjean showed blistering pace in pre-season testing and topping the timing sheets more often than not as has always been his custom. With Lotus delivering a handy car in the E20, things were looking good.

FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN

But the script writers of life had a few cruel surprises for the smiling Frenchman, in the form of a couple of very early retirements from the first two of his comeback races, despite a show of his intent with third place on the grid for the season opener in Melbourne.

The pressure was on and intense, the smiling less frequent. Then, as all great sportsmen tend to do, Grosjean dug deep and bounced back with fifth place in China followed by a headline grabbing third place in Bahrain, his

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first ever F1 podium. The relief was palpable. The smiles are back!

While others, such as Sergio Perez, have had sensational cameos this season, Grosjean’s presence at the sharp end of proceedings has been more sustained and consistent.

Aided by a fine car, our prediction is that he will go far this year and that the French have a world champion in waiting. Grosjean is the real deal, he will be around for years to come along with that contagious smile.

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FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN

Date of birth: 17 April 1986 Place of birth: Geneva, Switzerland Nationality: French 2000 – 2003: Karting & Formula Renault Romain raced Karts from junior categories through to ICA karts, as well as completing Formula A races in 2002. He combined Formula ICA in 2003 with the start of his car racing career. Ten wins from ten saw Romain crowned Swiss Formula Renault champion.

2004 – 2005: Formula Renault 2.0 Romain competed partial seasons in both the French and European Formula Renault championships, finishing as second best rookie in the 2004 French championship, including 1 win and 3 podiums. He won the title with 10 wins the following year.

2006 – 2007: F3 Euroseries Romain finished 13th in the F3 Euroseries, which included two wins during the British F3 Championship rounds. For 2007, he took the title in impressive style in a closely-fought series, with a total of 6 wins, 6 podiums and 4 pole positions.

2008: GP2 Series & Renault F1 test driver In 2008, Romain combined his responsibilities as test driver for the ING Renault F1 Team with campaigns in the GP2 Asia Series and GP2 Series. He won the Asia series, taking four wins along the way. Romain was also a frontrunner in the main Series, winning two races.

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FEATURE ROMAIN GROSJEAN 2009: GP2 Series & Renault F1 test and race driver 2009 was to prove to be a year of opportunity for Romain. He started the year as test driver for the ING Renault F1 Team as well as contesting the GP2 Series. By the European Grand Prix he was a full-time race driver for the team, starting seven Grands Prix as team-mate to Fernando Alonso.

2010: Regroup and refocus He contested the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship, winning the first Championship Race. He also returned to single seaters scoring a first and second at his first event in the Auto GP series, and within three further races the title was his.

In July he returned to the GP2 Series, which proved to be a precursor to a full-time return the following year. Late in the year, Romain became Pirelli’s test driver.

2011: Renaissance man The 2011 season proved to be highly successful, with the GP2 Asia Series and the GP2 Series titles won, and a return to an F1 car with Friday runs at Abu Dhabi and Brazil for Lotus Renault GP. 2012: Back where he belongs Debut with Lotus at the Australian GP which ended in a DNF within a few laps. Malaysia was another DNF with only a handful of laps completed. But the turnaround came a week later with fifth in China and third in Bahrain his first F1 podium finish. Of many?

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: IT’S

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ost who have followed Romain Grosjean’s career in the lower leagues have known that the young Frenchman is superstar material; his dominance in GP2 stretches back a few years and it was just a matter of time before he announced himself on the world’s biggest stage – on Sunday he gave a glimpse of his potential as he powered to third place in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

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A DREAM COME TRUE

INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN Back in 2009 Grosjean was fast tracked into F1, during turbulent times at Renault, alongside Fernando Alonso, and he flopped famously despite being the pace setter in GP2 at the time. He retreated back to the feeder series and in a couple of years made his way – deservedly – back into F1, with Lotus who believed in him and through Gravity Management who engineered his return to the top tier of the sport.

The belief has been vindicated as Grosjean has shown impressive pace and now the results are starting to happen. He spoke to media ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

How does it feel to have a full-time F1 drive?

It’s a dream come true to get this drive. A fantastic emotion and a fantastic challenge as well. I think the team has a really good line-up for this year, with Kimi and myself.

How do you view this season – you had a part season two years ago – so is this a part-rookie year?

It’s difficult to say how I should view this season. For sure I did seven Grands Prix alongside Fernando [Alonso] and the experience I gained from that was helpful - and is still helpful today. On the other hand there are still some circuits that I don’t know. But I don’t think we can say I’m a rookie, just because of the experience I have. Let’s say that I am a young driver who still has plenty of things to learn in Formula One, but we are all expecting a good season.

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN How did you get the drive for 2012?

The process for getting the 2012 drive really began with GP2, where my goal was to bring DAMS back to the top and show that I can be a team leader. For sure winning the title was something that we all wanted, but championships can depend on many things. Then there were the two Friday morning sessions in Formula One, which were a real test in terms of seeing if I had the speed, feedback and everything the team was looking for. I knew it was very important and it went well, but then you just have to wait. That was the most difficult part, but I knew I’d done everything - the best I could do - so I had no regrets. I was waiting and just trying to read the faces of the people in the team to imagine what the decision would be! That’s always part of this job. You get used to it year after year.

How and why is the 2012 specification Romain Grosjean different compared to the 2009 version?

Compared with 2009 I am two years older! No big difference, just an improvement in terms of many small things, including maturity. The 2009 experience was very helpful for me to understand things and grow up from that point. So it was difficult, but very good as well. The 2012 Romain Grosjean sees life a little bit different.

My aim is to enjoy my number one passion, Formula One. What is your biggest challenge in 2012?

Formula One is a big, big challenge, but I think the biggest challenge personally is to get 100 per cent out of myself and the car, every time.

No mistakes. That is the life of a Formula One driver. You need to get 100 per cent out of the car, focus, concentrate and improve lap after lap.

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How difficult to understand and how critical for performance are the tyres this season?

RG: The difference between compounds is a little bit bigger than it was before. We have seen that it’s really difficult on the strategy side to get the best results. You have to strike a balance between taking sufficient risks to beat your

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN

opposition but not so much that you encounter difficulties; equally you lose out from being too conservative. You can gain a lot of time from an aggressive strategy, but you can lose a lot of time from an aggressive strategy. Barcelona is the hard and soft tyre allocation. Let’s see how it goes, but I think both compounds work very well on our car. It will be harder for qualifying as the lap time difference between the two compounds will be bigger so maybe we will have to use the soft tyre from Q1 onwards.

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Great drive to third in Bahrain and your first podium in Formula 1 - talk us through that race...

For sure it was great. It was a strange feeling so far. But I was very proud of the team, all we did in the race. We knew we had a good car but I think we were surprised at the beginning by how quick we were. And we chose a different strategy to Kimi. It turned out to be not too bad at the end. Our car is very competitive in what so far has been a very tight season. Every small detail makes a huge difference, so the team is working very hard [at]

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN

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After a difficult first two races you said that your season starts in Shanghai. Points there and a podium in Bahrain were the result.

What can happen next in Barcelona?

RG: We will have to see what we can pull out of the hat! We still need to build step by step. The two last races have been really good, both for the team and for myself. I will give my best in Barcelona and the goal for the next races is to get as far up the driver standings as I can.

I still have a lot of things to learn, I’ve only completed four Grand Prix as a full time driver for the season. It’s not too much experience but every Grand Prix I finish is a fantastic experience for me. For sure the podium in Bahrain gives me confidence for Barcelona.

How much more developed is the car

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bringing new pieces as well and then putting back the old and trying to see which one is the best – not always easy when you have so little running.

But I think we can be very happy with what we did and personally I’m very, very happy to have been on my first podium. I was saying first points, then top five, then podium but I jumped one step. The next step will be victory but well, that will take time and now I think we can be happy.

INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN from the pre season tests in Barcelona?

RG: In the test we attended we were P1 after the four days so hopefully we will be there again! Every team is working very hard to develop their cars. We have a good understanding of the E20 after the Mugello test and we hope to bring some new parts to Spain too.

It’s always a battle to keep ahead in the race to get faster. As we have seen this season, the competition is very close, and a small improvement can make a huge difference.

The Circuit de Catalunya is a track the team know well…

RG: We know the track well from testing in the winter, it’s an even track on its handling requirements from the car, and as we head back to Europe it will be a good benchmark for the rest of the European campaign. Everyone knows Barcelona very well because of testing. The first sector is pretty fast with the first four corners, then a slow final sector between turns 10-15. Out of turn 15 you need a good rear end of the car with strong traction. It’s important not to overheat your rear tyres and degradation will be key in Barcelona, as when you reach high degradation on your tyres you are nowhere on lap time. Tyre management will be the key for a good performance in the race. Let’s see what the temperatures are like. If it’s as hot as Bahrain, the E20 should work well.

Any particular challenges you expect from the weekend in Spain?

RG: In Barcelona it will be important to qualify well, and it will be much harder to overtake than Bahrain.

Qualifying is an area where we can still improve a little bit ourselves, we have some ideas of how to improve, and hopefully we’ll get on to the front row.

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO

FERNANDO ALONSO VERY

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ernando Alonso has recently embraced Twitter in a manner whic has hit 460,000 followers on the social network (he has just over his fans and the Ferrari driver has been surprisingly honest and f

ch few Formula 1 drivers have done and in a short space of time r 24,000 Facebook likes) and has used it as a platform to engage forthcoming with his answers to their questions.

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Y UNPLUGGED WITH FANS

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Alonso wrote on his website, “As I promised, I have already read all the questions that you have sent to my Twitter and Facebook accounts. I´ve worked flat out! You´ve made me sweat blood!! Even more than in the car!

Altogether, more than 7.000 questions that have livened up our neverending flights from one GP to another!”

“You´ve asked me to be honest and sincere in my answers. And I always will be, never doubt that. As I clarify in the interview, I´ve always shown myself as I am, although I have had to see myself – and not recognize myselfon lots of front covers of newspapers. For the things that really matter, I´m still the same person: the same guy that made his debut in F1 eleven years ago. I don´t consider myself different from anybody else: I miss the people who matter to me as any of you would do if you had to spend more than 280 nights far away from home because of your job. When I put on my overall, I´m competitive and a real fighter until the last lap. When I take it off, I´m a son, a brother and a friend, like any of you.”

“I´ve been asked in a lot of messages about my teammates. I´d like to clarify, once and for all, my unconditional support for Stefano and Felipe. As I explain to you, it´s always easy to praise when things go well, but it´s even easier to criticize when things go bad,” added thre two times world champion.

Recently Alonso took time out to answer questions from fans and here are the highlights which we have entitled ‘Fernando very unplugged’ for obvious reasons!

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Which is, in your opinion, the most difficult turn in the Championship?

FA: Mmmmm... Turn 14, Malaysia.

How do you know if the lap you are doing is good?

FA: We have a reference on the steering wheel that updates itself every metre on the track and shows you the difference with the best lap time you´ve done – which it memorizes. So, for example, when I go out for Q2, I have a reference of my Q1 lap time. On the straights you usually look at it to know how the lap is going and how much more you can

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n a wet race, when you are behind some other cars and you have almost no visibility, are you scared?

FA: I wouldn’t say I’m scared, because fear and competition aren´t compatible. Of course, when you are driving down a straight at 300 km/h and you can´t see a thing, and you can´t stop accelerating because the driver who is behind you can´t see you either… It isn´t nice, trust me.

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mprove on the last turns.

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO How much rubber in centimetres does a tyre lose per race?

FA: New tyres don´t even have a centimetre!

They lose about 4 or 5 millimetres…

Do you feel capable of completing a lap in a Formula 1 car on the old Nurburgring?

FA: Yes. Why not? There are places and corners where a current F1 would have problems with the pot holes and bankings, but you can do a lap anywhere.

If you had to choose between breaking strongly off line with a lot of marbles, or driving on the grass at 300 km/h… What would you do?

FA: You wouldn’t brake hard in neither case; you’re more likely to carry out a manoeuvre to save that turn and try to recover the time on the next laps, but I think I prefer grass to marbles.

What is the best feeling when you are driving a Formula 1 car?

FA: Turning and braking. Ferrari´s most powerful road cars can give you a similar sensation when accelerating to that of a Formula 1 car. But no car will ever get close, not even a bit, to the turning and brake force of an F1 car.

At 300km/h, senses are reduced to 80%. Do you work on intuition techniques or mental control?

FA: No. I knew nothing about the senses! I´ve been behind a wheel for 27 years, maybe they’re already used to going at 300km/h…

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On trips between different Grands Prix, Do you fly with conventional airlines? Or do you use a Ferrari charter flight?

FA: We fly with conventional airlines. For some of the European races the team charters flights, together with Toro Rosso, coming out of Italy. If I am in Italy before or after the race, I join them!

What is the difference between the way you train with Fabrizio Borra and Edoardo Bendinelli?

FA: I´ve been working with Fabrizio for a lot of years. He´s in charge of the technical parameters and also assesses my fitness and medical aspects. With Edoardo it´s more physical training, working on improving my fitness. With training and osteopathic techniques we can always maintain our bodies at its 100% potential. With the preparation I receive from both of them, I am ready to take on the demands of, not only a driver, but any sport you can imagine. So it’s safe to say I’m in good hands…

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What do you do once the race is finished? Where do you go?

FA: When the race is finished, you have to weigh yourself and attend the different televisions. Then you change your clothes, have a shower and attend the written media. After that you have an afternoon snack and go to the post race briefing with all the engineers, which usually takes one hour, and is where you review all the information of the GP. Then, to the airport: sometimes you go home, sometimes you go to a sponsor event, sometimes to Italy to work on the simulator…

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When you brake, Do you stop accelerating completely? Or do you tap the accelerator when you reduce gear?

FA: You stop accelerating completely. In the past, in other categories, you had to do it. Anyways, you can adjust the engine brake with the 1000 buttons you have on the steering wheel in order to have more or less effect – depending on the turns.

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Do you consider yourself a cautious driver? Do you think that you have lost aggressiveness as you have become older?

FA: I don´t think I am a cautious driver: I think I am a competitive driver and a fighter until the very last lap of the Grand Prix. With more or less success, better or worst results, but I’ve always got a fighter’s spirit. I don’t think I’ve lost aggressiveness over the years, I’ve achieved the biggest comebacks of my life in the last two years.

Do you still share the money you win after a victory with your mechanics?

FA: Yes, I think it´s fair to share with those who have helped you to get on the podium or win a race. It would be unfair for me to take all the credit.

There are girls driving in Moto GP, and we have already seen female test drivers in F1. What do you think about driving alongside women?

FA: It would be fantastic to share the grid with female drivers. I think it´s one of the bases of any sport, a coming together, with everyone practicing sport in equal terms.

Have you ever driven being injured? What injuries?

FA: Yes, sometimes. Sometimes you have muscular injuries, like a micro tear caused in training, tendinitis, a neck strain as a result of fatigue… But it’s just like in any other sport. I think the time I suffered most was at the beginning of last season, when I was suffering from an injury to the sciatic nerve which caused me a lot of pain to the leg towards the end of races. I also had a fever in a couple of races: at the end of the race I felt as if I was at the very limit of my strengths.

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO How do you manage to stop a bad moment in your personal life from affecting your performance in a Grand Prix?

FA: When you step into one of these cars, believe me, you’re not thinking about anything else.

What do you think of Felipe Massa?

FA: He´s one of the best drivers in the world, and he has shown it during his whole career. It’s easy to praise when you have a good car but also to criticize when you have a bad one. I lived similar situations during my last stint at Renault, when some of my teammates were unfairly criticized and now, they are being praised once again.

Do you think McLaren could have made changes to your car at any GP in 2007 without telling you?

FA: I don´t know, but it isn´t important now. I´ve been lucky enough to compete for McLaren and give my 100% to help what was my team at that time.

Do you think that Ferrari would do better if Briatore took over Domenicali´s job?

FA: Stefano´s work is fantastic in every sense and I can´t think of anyone better than him. As I explained before, it only takes one race to pass from criticism to praise. I’m very good friends with Flavio and we talk frequently. He´s one of the most intelligent people I´ve ever met.

What’s been the toughest GP for you to take on psychologically?

FA: The 2009 Valencia Grand Prix, just a few days after my grandmother’s death.

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Have you ever doubted your driving skills?

FA: No, I´ve never doubted my chances.

Pizza or sandwich? Beach or mountain?

Dog or cat? Series or film? Champions League final or NBA finals?

FA: Pizza, mountain, dog, series, mmm... probably NBA… How long is your bed? On what side of the bed do you sleep? How many hours do you usually sleep? Do you snore? Do you dream?

FA: I spend more than 270 nights sleeping in hotels, so I don´t know how long it is… ;)) The bigger, the better!! Right side, 9-10 hours, I don´t snore (I sleep-talk sometimes). I don´t usually dream.

Are you afraid of travelling alone being who you are?

FA: I don´t think I am different to anybody else!!! No, I´m not scared… :)) Is it hard for you to live so far away from your family and friends? You´ve been travelling around the world for so many years…

FA: Try and imagine it! It must be hard for any human being not to be with the people who matter most to them 270 nights a year.

What is your favorite quote?

FA: “Piano piano, si arriva lontano.”

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Have you ever imagined what you would have been if you weren’t an F1 driver? Who would you be? What kind of job would you have? What kind of life would you live?

FA: I love sports, so I imagine myself doing a different sport (cycling, football…).

If not, maybe I would have studied Mathematics and become a teacher (it was my favourite subject at school) :)))) A simple question: Are you ambidextrous?

In some photos it looks like you using your left hand and in others your right one ;)) FA: That’s difficult to answer… ;)) I’ve used my left hand to write since I was a kid, but at school, teachers always tried to make me change to my right hand. So I’m a bit of a mix now, I’ve got more strength with my left, I play football with my right, tennis with my left for serving and right for playing. So, as I said, it’s difficult to answer, I guess we can say ambidextrous!! ;)) What is the thing you most hate doing?

FA: To iron shirts!!

Is there any place you have never been and would like to visit?

FA: The North Pole.

Could you define in one word: Spain, Italy, Ferrari, Real Madrid and yourself?

FA: Spain: Life, Italy: Tradition, Ferrari: Passion, Real Madrid: Friends and myself: Warrior

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Where, when, how and with whom did you start cycling? What do you like more road cycling or mountain bike?

FA: I started cycling with my father when I was a child, and then on my own. It´s a sport where you need nothing more than a bike and a helmet to get to know yourself and your body, teach it to suffer and sacrifice itself. I prefer road cycling…

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Why have you waited so long to show the Fernando of now and let another image of you be created?

FA: I think I´ve always shown myself as I am. People that have known me H for years usually say that I haven´t changed. In fact, I think that essentially t I have the same views as before on important things. Many times when I F

How many languages can you speak?

FA: Spanish, Italian, English and French.

How many driving licenses do you have? I mean: motorcycles, cars, trucks, planes…

FA: I have a car and motorcycle licence.

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read my quotes on the covers of newspapers I feel very distant from that character. It’s as if it’s not me. Then you see columns making opinions, signed by people who don’t even know you and have never spoken to you. Between one thing and another, a character has been created which has nothing or little to do with me…Until now…

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO How is your track in Asturias doing?

FA: I´d like to say that it´s going well. The circuit is completely finished.

We are talking about the best go-kart track in the world, and something that I’m very excited about for the coming years. The construction of the museum is delayed and I’m afraid that we’re not going to be able to inaugurate the facilities this year, as we would have liked. Every attempt we’ve made to unblock the situation has crashed the current political situation in Asturias. We’re going to continue to wait, but won’t do so indefinitely…

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What is the funniest thing the press has said about you?

FA: I´ve got some very good friends that are journalists. It´s a subject that we usually laugh about at almost every Grand Prix. Rarely do you find a week without a dramatic scoop. I´ve had to read how my best friend was flying the plane I crashed with in Kenya, meetings and impossible signings with other teams… So many times people come up to me and say to me: “I know you can’t say anything about it, but I’ve heard that…”.

What are you supposed to answer? If you can´t say anything!!

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Which book have you read and reccomend?

FA: The way of the Samurai, The art of war, and The Assassins´ Bridge (written by Pérez Reverte), they kept me company during the Asian swing.

I guess you are aware of the jokes Buenafuente makes to persuade you to go to his TV show.

Will you ever go?

FA: Never say never. If he still has a show on TV in the future...

Who did you first call after that third position in Brazil 2005 when you won your first F1 world championship?

FA: My mother.

Recently you said that it was easier to see you winning the Championship, than for Real Madrid to do the double. Are you so sure about it?

FA: This is an example of how they alter what you say. During a radio interview, I was asked the one million dollar question: “What is easier?

For you to win the Championship or for Madrid to do the double?” The first thing that goes through your mind is to say that you don’t know and that both cases are very difficult. But as the whole interview has a pessimistic tone and given the car’s performance so far, I said: “It’s easier for me to win”. And you get a good laugh out of it just by seeing the look on their faces! If you listen to the interview that’s the tone and intention of the answer. What you read one day later in big bold letters makes them sell more newspapers but it doesn’t tell the truth.

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How many overalls and pairs of boots do you usually take to every circuit?

FA: We take eight overalls, five pairs of boots, five pairs of gloves and four or five helmets every race. Of course we don´t use all of them, so we take them for several races.

I would say that every year we use: 14-15 overalls, 10 pairs of boots, 15-20 pairs of gloves and 11-12 helmets.

Overalls, boots and gloves are given to the sponsors, auctioned for charity or kept at Ferrari’s Museums. As I have already said, I usually swap helmets with other drivers at the end of the season. I have almost all the helmets of the drivers I have driven with!

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What items have you collected from your career, yours and/or others?

FA: I collect helmets from all the other drivers on the grid, I’ve got a few missing, but I’ve almost got all of them…;))

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I remember when you used to drive with Antonio Garcia. Were the battles on track more noble than now?

FA: You always fight with everything you can, but it´s true that when you are a child, rules are stricter and you are quickly shown a black flag and they don´t allow you to drive for the rest of the weekend. I´ve been lucky enough to have Race Directors in Asturias and Spain who are very strict with the respect you have to show for other drivers, and that´s basic in go-karting and promotional categories.

INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO Do you prefer to be alone just before the start on the grid? We rarely see you giving interviews at that point in time.

FA: I do two or three interviews every race on the grid!! But they’re normally for Spanish TV. But yes, in general, those moments should be more private and orientated towards preparing…

Is it forbidden for drivers to practice dangerous sports? Even if you are on holidays?

FA: No. Nothing is forbidden, but we must use our common sense and avoid as many risks as we can, be it during the season or on holiday.

Have you ever been scared in a car as a co-pilot?

FA: With another driver I don’t think so because they react in a similar manner to what I’m thinking. Perhaps, at some point, with another person or a friend yes, because you don’t know too well if they’re in control of the situation or not…

Are you a backseat driver?

FA: When you are the passenger, do you like to teach or dictate to the driver how to do it right?Never. I´m a silent passenger… As long as the driver respects the speed limit and the law, I won’t say anything…

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INTERVIEW FERNANDO ALONSO

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Have you traveled a lot around Spain?

FA: Well…. I’ve got to get to know almost all of them! I’ve been to most of W them but only because of work: hotel, airport, promotional act or a race F and on to the next destination. So I can’t say I know all of those cities!

L What do you find most enjoyable during a race weekend?

FA: Apart from the racing, of course :)I enjoy visiting new countries; new

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What is the best thing you have ever made with Lego?

FA: [Smiling] I haven’t played much with Lego! Not long ago I made a big Lego Ferrari with Ferrari for some photos with a sponsor…

s it difficult for you to drive a road car after driving an F1 car?

FA: I drive carefully, after having left all my adrenaline at the track…

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cultures that we discover during the year..

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MUGELLO DAY 1: ALONSO FASTEST ON RA

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ormula 1’s first full in-season test, at Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Tuscany, since 2008 was badly disrupted by heavy rain and low cloud, nevertheless it was Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso who topped the timing screens at the end of the day.

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AIN DISRUPTED DAY

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Alonso provided some cheer for the hardy spectators who braved a dark and wet Mugello for the first day of F1 testing. With rain disrupting the early running and ruining the afternoon session, Alonso’s late morning time of 1m22.444 was comfortably fastest of the first day, at the picturesque Ferrari owned venue in the Tuscan hills.

Mark Webber went second quickest for Red Bull Racing and Jean-Eric

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Vergne third for Toro Rosso. Behind the top three many teams opted to give a run to third and reserve drivers. Jerome d’Ambrosio was fourth quickest for Lotus, Nico Rosberg fifth for Mercedes. Kamui Kobayashi came next for Sauber. Oliver Turvey was seventh for McLaren and Jules Bianchi eighth for Force India. Rodolfo Gonzalez was ninth for Caterham, Charles Pic tenth for Marussia and Valtteri Bottas eleventh for Williams.

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REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Both McLaren and Mercedes switched their drivers for the afternoon, but owing to the incessant rain, Gary Paffett was restricted to a handful of laps and was half a minute off the pace while Michael Schumacher set no time.

The only non-attendees were HRT, who opted out of the test, saying they preferred to concentrate on getting their new factory set up in Madrid. With the track wet many teams completed an installation lap when the pitlane opened and then headed to the garage to wait until the circuit dried.

Only by mid-morning with the dry patches appearing did testing begin in earnest. Among the most notable things on display were heavily revised bodywork on Kobayashi’s Sauber and a large sensor suite bolted to the back of Webber’s RB8. Approaching lunch Jean-Eric Vergne was quickest, with Alonso and Rosberg right behind him. All three men had also stopped out on track at various times, Vergne causing the first red flag, spinning off on the still-wet track. Alonso managed to go fastest before coming to a halt. He had completed 38 laps.

Little running occurred in the afternoon as the rain increased.

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REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Eventually the session was red-flagged as the cloud cover made it impossible for the medical helicopter to operate, and while things cleared up a little later on and the track went green again, there was little additional running, Alonso stayed top, having completed 46 laps. “It’s a shame about the rain, which complicated the running of this first day of testing and a shame for the spectators who deserved to see more of a show,” said Alonso. “We had a pretty busy work programme, but we only managed to get through a part of it. Therefore, it’s impossible to give a serious evaluation, especially as we did so little dry running. I can only say that, for me, it was a pleasure to be driving at this track again: the first and only other time was back in 2001, when I was testing for Minardi. It’s a spectacular track and it would be nice to be able to race on it!”

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Alonso’s view was echoed by second-placed Webber: “Obviously, the weather wasn’t great today, so we didn’t get to do much running in the dry.

Really, we only got one decent run on the slicks. Then it rained after lunch and with limited sets of wets available, you can’t do that much. We’re hoping for better over the next couple of days.

“It’s an important test. We have a lot of information to gather and, while today didn’t quite work out as expected, I’m optimistic that over the course of the next few days we’ll get the information we need. I have to say this is a fantastic track. It’s very challenging for the driver and very quick. I don’t know if we’ll ever race here in the future, you never know, but to see the crowd here today was very special. A lot of people came to watch and that’s great.”

REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Mugello Day 1 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012 Best Lap Times P Drivers 1 Fernando Alonso 2 Mark Webber 3 Jean Eric Vergne 4 Jerome D’Ambrosio 5 Nico Rosberg 6 Kamui Kobayashi 7 Oliver Turvey 8 Jules Bianchi 9 Rodolfo Gonzalez 10 Charles Pic 11 Valtteri .Bottas 12 Gary Paffett 13 Michael Schumacher

Teams Ferrari Red Bull Toro Rosso Lotus Mercedes Sauber McLaren Force India Caterham Marussia Williams McLaren Mercedes

Times 1:22.444 1:23.648 1:23.891 1:24.048 1:24.100 1:24.736 1:25.303 1:25.475 1:27.197 1:27.359 1:29.179 1:50.898 -:--.---

Laps

46 +1.204 24 +1.447 32 +1.604 40 +1.656 49 +2.292 48 +2.859 30 +3.031 19 +4.753 35 +4.915 45 +6.735 28 +28.454 4 +--.--5

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LAT Photographic

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MUGELLO DAY 2: GROSJEAN AND KOBAYA

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eams made up for the rain disrupted one opening day of testing a full programme at Mugello on day two of the test, with Lotus Sauber inseparable at the top of the order.

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REPORT MUGELLO TESTING While McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull have already won in 2012 it was their nearest challengers who topped the timesheets on day two. Romain Grosjean Kamui Kobayashi both posted times of 1:21.603 on a day where fine weather replaced the prvious day’s thunderstorms many of the teams maximised their time on track. Grosjean set his time during the morning,with Kobayashi joining him as the day drew to a close. “It’s always good to end the day on top, but we have to remember that in testing lap times mean very little,”

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said Grosjean, who was awarded first place on the timing screens by virtue of having set his time earlier. “This test gives us an opportunity to try things that we wouldn’t have time to do during a race weekend, so hopefully it’ll help us to keep pushing forward.”

Behind them came Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber who were sharing the unning for Red Bull. Vettel’s best time in the afternoon was two-tenths off the pace set by Grosjean and Kobayashi, and a tenth ahead of his team-mate.

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Between them they managed 118 laps. “We had absolutely truck loads of stuff to go through, but so far so good,” said Webber. “Mileage is so limited these days it was good to be in the car again; this test has been very useful.”

Fifth quickest was Felipe Massa for Ferrari. Massa spent much of his day doing half-speed aero runs with a now-familiar sensor top hat fitted to his role hoop. He still managed to breakthrough the 100-lap mark when his team switched to a study of tyre behaviour later in the day.

Jean-Eric Vernge completed his test for Toro Rosso before handing over to Daniel Ricciardo in the afternoon. Vergne was testing different diffusers in the morning, while for Ricciardo the job was back-to-backing different exhaust packages. “This was the best day’s testing I have done,” said Vergne

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after his shift. “We had no problems, we got through a lot of items on the job sheet and, as a first impression, the new elements we tested seem to work well. Daniel still has more things to try tomorrow and if we can put all the best elements of this test together, then I am hopeful it could represent a step forward in Barcelona.”

Michael Schumacher in eighth place put in more miles than anyone else with 144 laps. “Unlike yesterday, we were able to gather really a lot of data, and like this we are learning more and more about our car which is absolutely positive,” said Schumacher. Ninth was Charles Pic for Marussia, who completed 46 laps and then handed over to Timo Glock. Glock, however spent much of his afternoon in the garage with his steering rack being replaced.

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REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Vitaly Petrov put in 112 laps for tenth place as Caterham tried out various components of its Barcelona upgrade package. “We completed everything we targeted in today’s runplan,” said Petrov. “This afternoon we started running some new parts and even though it’s too early to make any judgements on what sort of step forward they give us, I can say the new rear wing we tried immediately felt like it was giving us more downforce.”

Gary Paffett continued for McLaren and managed to complete 59 laps

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before a gearbox issue halted his progress in the afternoon. Paul di Resta’s day was more severely curtailed, the Scot managing just fourteen laps after a hydraulic problem caused Force India to spend most of the day in the garage.

“It’s never nice to spend so much time sitting in the garage, but we had a few reliability concerns that we needed to resolve before we continued running,” explained the Silverstone based team’s chief engineer Jakob Andreasen.

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“We suspected the issue was elated to the hydraulic system of the car so changed that as a precaution. At the same time we chose to make the most of the downtime by bringing forward the engine change, which had been planned for the end of the tough day for the guys in the garage, but they did a great job to get the car out for th give Paul the chance to complete a handful of laps in preparation for Thursday,” adde Last on the time sheet but with a solid 100 laps in the bag was Bruno Senna for Willia pattern laid down in the winter the team concentrated on aero and mechanical wor seemed in no particular hurry to set quick times. “We gained a lot of information from our runs and have some good knowledge to carryforward into Thursday,” said Senna. “We aim to continue improving and to be competitive on the final day. Mugello is an awesome track. It’s really fast and physically challenging.”

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e session. It has been a he final half hour and ed Andreasen. ams. Following the rk and

REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Mugello Day 2 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012 Best Lap Times P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Drivers R.Grosjean K.Kobayashi S.Vettel M.Webber F.Massa J-E.Vergne D.Ricciardo M.Schumacher C.Pic V.Petrov G.Paffett T.Glock P.Di Resta B.Senna

Teams Lotus F1 Sauber Red Bull Red Bull Ferrari Toro Rosso Toro Rosso Mercedes Marussia Caterham McLaren Marussia Force India Williams

Times 1:21.603 1:21.603 1:21.825 1:21.997 1:22.257 1:22.422 1:22.588 1:23.404 1:23.982 1:24.312 1:24.480 1:24.499 1:24.749 1:24.842

--+0.000 +0.222 +0.394 +0.654 +0.819 +0.985 +1.801 +2.379 +2.709 +2.877 +2.896 +3.146 +3.239

Laps 97 87 64 54 106 65 22 144 46 112 59 37 14 100

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MUGELLO DAY 3: GROSJEAN AND LOTUS

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ay three of Formula 1 testing at Mugello went the same way as day two with Romain Grosjean’ quickest again in the Lotus E20, but this time the Frenchman hogging top spot on the timing screens by himself.

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END TEST ON A HIGH

REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Another full day saw the F1 teams take their last opportunities of the 2012 season to test with their regular drivers. Yesterday’s sunshine was replaced by cloud and so with slightly cooler track temperatures, many teams took the opportunity to run harder tyres – though the performance of most seemed unaffected by the change.

For the second day in a row Romain Grosjean’s Lotus was the fastest car at Mugello, two-tenths quicker than Sebastian Vettel. “We were conducting a specific programme of evaluating components, so to be quick relative to our opposition even when we were not looking specifically to try to top the times is

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satisfying,” reflected Grosjean. “I’m happy at the progress we’ve made here in Italy and looking forward to seeing how well this translates into lap time when we get o Barcelona.”

Vettel and Red Bull were happy with their efforts, having gone past the 100ap mark again and suffered no mechanical problems: “It’s been a useful couple of days and I’ve enjoyed the track a lot,” reflected Vettel. “As usual we now have a ot of data to get through and that will take some time. We tried a few things and he results look encouraging; it’s always difficult to tell whether we improved and by how much, but we got some good laps and some good information.”

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Third quickest was Fernando Alonso who took to the track with a Ferrari F2012 featuring a heavily revised rear end. Alonso was the fastest man on track early in proceedings but his progress came to a halt when he hit the b came back to the garage on a low-loader and spent two and a half hours in the gara “The feeling I have after the test is a positive one,” said Fernando in the evening. that have produced the response we were expecting and that is the most positive n means that what we see in the factory in Maranello has now also been confirmed on Fourth quickest was Daniel Ricciardo for Toro Rosso who also managed heavily always hope they will deliver a big improvement, but the reality is that we must now Pérez for Sauber ahead of Nico Hülkenberg for Force India. Having got very little run Paul di Resta (tenth fastest) in the morning before handing over to Hülkenberg in th

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barriers. The damaged car age for repairs before Alonso could get underway again. . “We have introduced a few small – and I stress that word – aerodynamic updates, news, which means I am confident for the future, in the short and the long term. It n track.” mileage and pronounced himself pleased with the day. “With new parts you w look at the data to see where we really are,” said the Australian. Fifth was Sergio nning over the first two days the Silverstone-based outfit decided to continue with he afternoon.

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REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Following Hülkenberg was the Williams with Pastor Maldonado taking over today. He spent much of the morning in the garage as technical problems grounded the car. “We had a disappointing start to this morning’s session with an electrical problem that necessitated stripping the car, thus incurring a large loss in track time,” confirmed chief operations engineer Dr Mark Gillan. When the problem was fixed Maldonado was able to get out and run a modified programme of 63 laps.

Chinese Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg had a busy day for Mercedes. While only eighth quickest he racked up 129 laps for the Silver Arrows, equivalent to just over 670km and behind him McLaren had a productive run with Oliver Turvey in the car, concentrating on testing various front wing and exhaust iterations. Di Resta followed Turvey on the time sheet, ahead of Heikki Kovalainen, whose 139 laps was

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comfortably the most mileage of the day.

“I enjoyed myself out there – even though a lot of what we were doing was pretty repetitive, it’s still a good place to drive an F1 car around and having got through everything we’d planned it’s good to leave this test on a positive note,” said Kovalainen. “We tried a variety of new parts and it felt like we may have found a couple of things that we can take to the next race. You can never tell just how much of an improvement something has been until you go

through all the data, but the fact we’ve brought new

parts that feel like a step forward is good.”

Bringing up the rear of the field

was Timo Glock who managed

110 laps for Marussia, putting

behind them the steering issues

which blighted their running a

day earlier.

REPORT MUGELLO TESTING Mugello Day 2 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012 Best Lap Times P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Drivers R. Grosjean S. Vettel F. Alonso D. Ricciardo S. Perez N. Hulkenberg P. Maldonado N. Rosberg O. Turvey P. Di Resta H. Kovalainen T. Glock

Team Lotus Red Bull Ferrari Toro Rosso Sauber Force India Williams Mercedes McLaren Force India Caterham Marussia

Time 1.21.035 1.21.267 1.21.363 1.21.604 1.22.229 1.22.325 1.22.497 1.22.579 1.22.662 1.23.002 1.23.169 1.23.466

 +0.232 +0.328 +0.569 +1.194 +1.290 +1.462 +1.544 +1.627 +1.967 +2.134 +2.431

Laps 66 106 98 117 118 55 63 129 99 34 139 110

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FOR THE RECORD FELIPE MASSA

FELIPE MASSA: I AM CON WORK WE’VE DONE IN TH

F

elipe Massa had his turn in the cockpit of the Ferrari F2012 on the second day of official F1 testing at Mugello and remains confident despite not getting to sample a batch of upgrade parts earmarked for the team’s troublesome, off the pace car.

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NFIDENT ABOUT THE HESE PAST FEW WEEKS

FOR THE RECORD FELIPE MASSA On day two of the Mugello test, Wednesday, Massa took over the cockpit of the F2012 from Fernando Alonso who was on duty on the first day and again on the final day – the Spaniard set to run some of the new development upgrades which the team hope will see them back at the sharp end of proceedings - with Massahaving to wait until Barcelona to sample the new goodies.

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The car driven by Massa, at Mugello, was virtually the same as the one the team raced in Bahrain, as he explained after his day behind the wheel, “The car was in almost identical trim to the one I drove in Bahrain. We worked mainly on the tyres, on studying their behaviour over short and long distances and also looked at a handful of aerodynamic components, as well as various different set-ups on the car.”

FOR THE RECORD FELIPE MASSA Massa, who did 106 laps on the day, said, “It’s obvious we need to make a good step forward as soon as possible if we want to be competitive. I am confident about the work we have done in these past few weeks, but we won’t really know if we have reached our targets until we get to Barcelona.”

“We can be sure the other teams have also worked a lot, so if we want to make progress, we will have had to make a significant leap forward in performance terms. It is a very long championship, but we need to make up ground in the next three to five races if we want to achieve our goals and this is a key moment to improve our situation,” added the winner of 11 grands prix.

Meanwhile, while Massa pounded around the Ferrari owned circuit in the Tuscan hills, Alonso was whisked off to Maranello where he met with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali.

The team pointed out on their website: “Back at the factory, everyone is pushing right to the very last moment on the design and production of new parts. Every extra available work day is an asset not to be wasted.”

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FOR THE RECORD FERNANDO ALONSO

FERNANDO ALONSO: I AM FUTURE BUT THERE’S NO

F

ernando Alonso survived a mild off on the final day of testing at Mugello which cost him a couple hours of track time, on a day that the Ferrari F2012 sported some significant upgrades which have instilled renewed confidence in the Spaniard.

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M CONFIDENT FOR THE O MAGIC BUTTON

FOR THE RECORD FERNANDO ALONSO At the end of the day he explained somewhat sarcastically of his Turn 12 excursion, “First of all, I want to put everyone’s mind at rest, my family and friends: I’m fine, no harm done after hitting the crash barrier at seven kilometres an hour.”

On serious note, Alonso said of the final day at the Ferrari owned track, “We made up for the time lost this morning in the afternoon in terms of quantity, given that the final mileage is more or less what we had planned for, but not in terms of quality, because the track had changed this afternoon, mainly because of the wind.”

“However, I am very pleased with these three days of testing. The feeling I have after the test is a positive one. We have introduced a few small, and I stress that word, aerodynamic updates, that have produced the response we were expecting and that is the most positive news, which means I am confident for the future, in the short and the long term.”

“It means that what we see in the factory in Maranello has now also been confirmed on track. Furthermore, we have worked on other areas, especially the tyres, doing short and long runs, on set-up and also on starts, given we were also trying out a new clutch.”

“I cannot say if today at Mugello we can claim to have made up some ground, but in Barcelona, we will have more important updates and we hope that there, we can begin to close down the gap that separates us from the teams currently at the top.”

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FOR THE RECORD FERNANDO ALONSO

“We have decided to favour development time in the wind tunnel rather than bringing forward all the new components to this test. Sure, it would be nice to be able to test all the updates on track first, but it is also nice that we can count on all the possible development potential for every single part. Barcelona will be a key moment in the season, but not a decisive one.”

“It’s not a case that we will suddenly find ourselves back on pole position, because there is no magic button. We must start by no longer

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struggling to get through to Q3 and get closer to the top six, then continue with development in the following races, making a step forward in Monaco, Canada and Valencia also.”

“That is the only way in which we can contemplate finding these seven or nine tenths – it’s hard to assess exactly how far off we are on the basis of the first races – which separate us from the leaders. Certainly, I am not denying that next weekend’s event is a significant one: we cannot allow ourselves to struggle to get into Q3 if we want to fight for the title.”

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FOR THE RECORD FERNANDO ALONSO When asked for feedback on the new exhaust layout, Alonso explained, “There’s no difference in terms of driving compared to the one I tried on Tuesday. The exhausts are not the critical area this year, which can be seen from the fact that so far, cars with different configurations have won and, in Bahrain for example, the Red Bull won with the downward facing exhausts,

but the quickest car on track was the

Lotus, which has straight ones.”

Regarding the first in season testing since

2008 the 28 times

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grand prix winner said, “I prefer this calendar to last year’s because after the first races, one understands a lot more about the car and so one can make modifications that have a sense to them.”

“Indeed, for me I would do more tests during the season. Then, I must say it was a pleasure to be driving at this circuit again: one lap here is worth a hundred at other places, without considering that one day here is worth a year’s work on the simulator, at least as far as I’m concerned.”

Alonso lies fifth in the championship standings, with four races run, but is only ten points adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel as the F1 circus heads to Barcelona for the Spanish GP weekend starting on 11 May.

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FOR THE RECORD KIMI RAIKKONEN

KIMI RAIKKONEN: AFTER PROBABLY STARTED TO T

J

ust four races into his Formula 1 comeback and Kimi Raiikonen st in Bahrain. The Iceman however was not completely happy - afte his grasp. He will be looking at Barcelona, where he won in 2005 the opportunity to add to his win tally.

tood on the second step of the podium last month ter all, the victory in the Lotus E20 was so nearly in 5 with McLaren and 2008 with Ferrari, to give him

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CHINA PEOPLE THINK WE ARE IDIOTS

FOR THE RECORD KIMI RAIKKONEN It took you four races into your comeback before you achieved a podium are you surprised at this?

KR: I never had any doubts in myself and it is clear we have a good car so in some ways the podium could have come sooner. We had the car already in the first three races to be up there, but we made some small mistakes and it cost us a lot. I would have been much happier if we had managed to get the victory, but nevertheless it’s a good result and the team deserved it for all their hard work.

We have been good in every race so far, so hopefully we will be regular visitors to the podium this season.

Are you frustrated not to have taken the win?

KR: I chose the wrong side to make it past Sebastian (Vettel). I didn’t make it past and after that, I pretty much knew that was it. Of course, I wanted to win. I would have been much happier with myself after the race.

You didn’t attend the Mugello test, is this an issue for you?

KR: We didn’t have any major new parts to test and we don’t race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn’t test. I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona.

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FOR THE RECORD KIMI RAIKKONEN You must have completed a lot of laps of the Circuit de Catalunya over the years; what are your thoughts of the track?

KR: I have tested there very many times. It’s a challenging circuit – great fun with a good car, but not that great with a not so good car.

Usually a car going well in Barcelona, goes well everywhere. We had a good car there for the second pre-season test even if the car wasn’t quite together for the first one.The car has improved and I feel more comfortable in it.

What are your thoughts o the strategies needed for KR: No matter what the ty to make a strategy to suit are fine for me. For the str engineers and we make th can. Sometimes we get it r Sometimes we get very clo After the race in China and in Bahrain, people probab that we are idiots and can

But we showed in the race why we did what we did. It was close already in China and this time our strategy paid back very nicely for us. It’s all part of racing and the same for everyone.

Are you looking forward to racing in Europe?

KR: I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel too far and all the energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the real season starts while coming back to Europe. For me it’s just great.

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on the Pirelli tyres and r the best results? res you always have them best. The tyres rategy I work with my he best choices we right, like in Bahrain. ose, like in Shanghai. d after the qualifying bly started thinking nnot do anything right.

FOR THE RECORD KIMI RAIKKONEN What do you think can be achieved in the Spanish Grand Prix?

KR: I expect Lotus to be very competitive at Barcelona. It’s going to be very, very close between the top teams. This is the only circuit where the teams have already tested with the new cars, and the set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it even more interesting and even tighter at the top.

You have some good memories of the Spanish Grand Prix?

KR: Yes, I have won there twice, and there’s nothing better than winning in any Grand Prix. Those two wins are my only podiums in the event.

Four races completed; what do you want to achieve from the next four?

KR: Let’s see what happens.

As I’ve said, the car feels good everywhere we’ve been so far. I am here to race and I race to win.

That is the target for me and the team. We want to win Grands Prix.

We have a good car and we saw in Bahrain it is good enough to win.

That’s the target.

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FOR THE RECORD NICO ROSBERG

NICO ROSBERG: WE NEED CAR IN THE FAST CORNE

M

ercedes racked up 1715 kilometres over the course of three days of testing at Mugello, and one of the overriding conclusions by Nico Rosberg is that the team’s W03 is lacking speed in fast corners of which the Ferrari owned circuit in Tuscany has more than a few.

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D TO IMPROVE OUR ERS

FOR THE RECORD NICO ROSBERG Summing up his final day in the cockpit Rosberg pointed out, “There is still a lot of work to do of course, and we do need to improve our car in fast corners, but overall I am pleased with the progress that we have made here this week.”

He added, “It has been a good testing programme for us here in Mugello, and I have been able to complete a lot of mileage in my Silver Arrow around this amazing track.

Today [Thursday] we learned a lot about tyre management, and this should help us at the next race in Barcelona.”

Chinese GP winner Rosberg completed 129 laps, setting the eighth best time in the process.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn summed up the three days of testing, “We have had a good week in Mugello, and been able to complete much of our planned test programme despite the loss of some track time on Tuesday due to the poor weather conditions. The first opportunity for in-season testing for some time has proved beneficial, particularly as it has enabled us to test some new development ideas and take a closer look at improving the car from things that we have identified over the first four races. Mugello is a great track and I know that both Nico and Michael have enjoyed the experience of driving there this week.”

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FOR THE RECORD MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: WE DRIVE LIKE WE ARE O

M

ercedes AMG driver Michael Schumacher has again criticised Pirelli’s Formula 1 tyres by saying they make him feel like he is driving on raw eggs.

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: ON RAW EGGS

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FOR THE RECORD MICHAEL SCHUMACHER The seven times world champion, who has not stood on the podium since he began his comeback in 2010, told CNN in an interview that the Italian tyres were having too much of an effect on racing.

“They are so peaky and so special that we don’t put the cars or ourselves to the limit,” he said ahead of this week’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the start of the European season after four long-haul races.

“We drive like on raw eggs and don’t want to stress the tyres at all.

Otherwise you just overdo it and then you go nowhere,” said the 43-yearold German, who won his titles with Benetton and Ferrari.

Pirelli replaced Japanese brand Bridgestone as sole supplier at the end of the 2010 season and have been credited for livening up the racing with tyres that are less hard-wearing.

Schumacher, whose team mate and compatriot Nico Rosberg won in China last month for the first victory by a Mercedes works team driver

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since 1955, had also criticised the tyres after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula One’s most successful driver had complained then that drivers could not push their cars to the limit because of the need to save the tyres.

Pirelli responded to the criticism last month with disappointment and pointed out that the former Ferrari driver had seemed happy enough before the season started.

“Others were getting on with the job and getting their tyres to work.

His comments during winter testing were that he was very happy with the tyres, and now he seems to have changed his tune,” said motorsport director Paul Hembery.

FOR THE RECORD MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

SCHUMACHER SECOND H SPORTSMAN OF ALL TIM

S

even time world champion Michael Schumacher has been beaten to the post in the race to be the world’s richest sportsman, according to the Sunday Times’ annual listings, the seven time world champion’s $823 million in career earnings is beaten only by golf legend Tiger Woods.

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HIGHEST EARNING ME

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Hoch Zwei

FOR THE RECORD MICHAEL SCHUMACHER Woods has earned $869 million in his own ultra-successful career, the newspaper found. And the Sunday Times said the pair have each earned hundreds of millions of dollars more than other high-earning sportsmen, including Michael Jordan ($516m), Roger Federer ($316m) and David Beckham ($258m).

F1’s two other representatives, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, were way down the top-twenty list, with their respective earnings at about $161 million apiece.

McLaren’s world champions Lewis Hamilton ($89m) and Jenson Button ($85m), meanwhile, appear only on the list for British sportsmen, and they are both outpaced by the $129m earned by former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine mainly through property investment.

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However, Hamilton and Button have each earned more in their careers than David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell, former BAR boss David Richards (all $80m) and Sir Jackie Stewart ($67m).

Those earnings, however, are all dwarfed by Bernie Ecclestone’s estimated $4 billion, although the 81-year-old F1 chief executive does not appear at all on the list of the world’s richest overall.

That list is headed by mega-earners like Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim, who according to the Sunday Times is worth $71 billion.

In a Formula 1 career which began in 1991, Schumacher has made 291 grand prix starts, won 91 times, scored 154 podium finishes, 68 pole positions and 76 race fastest laps. he has driven for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and currently he is with Mercedes.

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PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA

SPANISH GRAND PRIX: BA EXPECTED TO SPICE UP T

A

fter a three week hiatus, keen eyes turn to the Circuit de Catalu Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 2012 Formula One W Preview by James Rossi.

unya for this weekend’s World Championship.

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ARCELONA SIZZLER THE TITLE FIGHT

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Situated a half-hour drive northeast of Barcelona, the Circuit de Catalunya lies in the heart of an industrial region, nestled next to a motorway and a number of factories.

It is a favourite for F1 teams as it has played host to pre-season tests for over two decades. It is often said that if a car is strong around this circuit, then it will be successful at most circuits, as its mix of high and low speed corners test aerodynamic efficiency like no other track on the calendar.

The first three grands prix of 2012 showed much promise in terms of unpredictability, with three different winners from the first three events.

However, normal service was soon resumed in Bahrain after Red Bull found a simple yet effective solution to their exhaust configuration troubles, which enabled Sebastian Vettel to restore order and claim his first victory of the season.

Since then, the first in-season test since 2008 has taken place at Mugello, with many eyes turning to the struggling Scuderia Ferrari to see if they can climb up the grid after a relatively disastrous beginning to their campaign (a weather affected victory notwithstanding). One might say that Malaysia was a weather ‘effected’ victory, given that the results provided by the F2012 on March 25th were arguably largely

attributable to the heavy rain on the The dark horse continues to be L could have been a 1-2 in Bahrain, pa are wising up to the idea that with a incident-free weekend, the Enstone of running at the front of the field. In Mugello test, both Fernando Alonso have gone on record to say that they had the fastest car over the three da Will Kimi Raikkonen claim his firs

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or will it be his younger team mate who romps to a debut win? It seems only a matter of time before one of the two steps onto the top of the podium.

McLaren started the season strongly and have progressively been sucked back in by Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus. Their problems lie with tyre management, with Jenson Button unable to find heat in his four during a poor Malaysian Grand Prix, and both cars going through bad periods of degradation in Bahrain.

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e day.

Lotus. After what addock insiders a clean and team are capable ndeed, after the and Helmut Marko y (Lotus) clearly ays. st win since 2009

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Allied to this, the Woking squad have not helped themselves during their pitstops, with a number of high-profile mistakes costing the team and drivers valuable points. McLaren believe that they still have the fastest car, and focused on gathering data during their three-day visit to Italy, instead of testing any big upgrades.

One more team to look out for in Spain will be Sauber, as they showed searing pace in the form of Kamui Kobayashi during the last days of testing in Catalunya. Despite higher temperatures now than in mid-February, it appears as though the Sauber car has fundamental pace, which should be exhibited this weekend.

With noises coming out of the media that Mark Webber has been in contact with Ferrari to replace the ailing Felipe Massa, Sergio Perez will want to reassert his authority as the number one contender for Ferrari’s second seat.

As far as weather is concerned, the first two days of running will be dry and warm, with temperatures reaching 23 degrees. However, Sunday is looking to be fairly wet, with a 60% chance of precipitation. The forecast should develop as the week progresses, but we could be looking at the first wet Spanish Grand Prix since 1996 and the occasion of Michael Schumacher’s first win for Ferrari.

The DRS zone will remain unchanged this season, with the activation point being on the entry of the final corner and the zone itself beginning along the start / finish straight.

With the weather, four different winners in four races and more upgrades expected, another thriller is in prospect.

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LEWIS HAMILTON: IT’S G TO OVERTAKE IN BARCEL

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ewis Hamilton has showed strong pace in all four races of the season thus far, but has yet to win and he goes to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix expecting a tough contest, especially when it comes to overtaking on a circuit which every driver and team knows very well.

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GOING TO BE TOUGH LONA

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Previewing the weekend in Spain, Hamilton said, “I think it’s going to be one of the toughest tracks of the year for overtaking, but I’ll be hoping for a strong performance in qualifying in order to make it as straightforward as possible in the race.”

The combination of KERS, DRS and Pirelli have spiced up the F1 show and Hamilton believes Barcelona will test these elements, “It’ll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year. It’s always been a tough place for passing – as I found out last year – but I really hope [the] DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier.”

“Nonetheless, we had a great race there last year – I pushed Sebastian [Vettel] all the way to the finish. I think we have a comparatively stronger car this year, so I hope we can have another strong race,” said Hamilton who will be hoping to add to his 17 F1 career wins and notch up his first Spanish GP victory.

“Our performance at Barcelona during winter testing looked promising – but the form of the season is still very hard to read, so it’s difficult to predict who’ll be at the front next weekend,” added the 2008 F1 world champion.

“It’ll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year. It’s always been a tough place for passing – as I found out last year – but I really hope DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier.”

McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, shares similar views, “I sometimes think of the Spanish Grand Prix as a useful acid test as to the effectiveness of the year’s regulations; it’s a tough, technical circuit where passing is limited. If the racing is good here, then we’re normally set for an interesting year: for 2012, we’ve already seen that the combination of DRS and KERS-Hybrid can spice up proceedings.”

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JENSON BUTTON: YOU N BOX IF YOU’RE GOING TO

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ircuit de Catalunya is the best know circuit to every grand prix driver and F1 team, and Jenson Button believes that it will be the small things that will make the difference at the Spanish Grand Prix.

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NEED TO TICK EVERY O WIN AT BARCELONA

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Although McLaren have won at Barcelona eight times in their history, they have not been on the top step of the podium since 2005; Button explains what will be required to win again in Spain, “You need to have absolutely every box ticked if you’re going to win at Barcelona. It’s a place that punishes poor balance like almost nowhere else – if your car is under-steering around here, then you’re going to really struggle.”

“Because every team is so dialed in to the track, even having a well-sorted car isn’t necessarily the answer because it’s sometimes the smallest differences that determine the order ” predicts the Englishman who won the 2009 race at the wheel of a Brawn GP car.

Button, winner of this season’s opening race in Australia, is a fan of the circuit, “Barcelona can be a funny circuit: we all test there so regularly that every driver knows it like the back of his hand, yet it can still be an extremely tricky place to get absolutely right.”

“There are no particularly standout corners, but the blast up the hill through Turns 7, Turn 8 and the fast right-hander at Turn 9 have a great flow and feel great when you nail it – especially in qualifying,” said the 2009 F1 world champion who will be starting his 213th grand prix on Sunday in Spain.

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA

RED BULL TARGET STRO

F

resh from his triumph in Bahrain last month, Sebastian Vettel is in a positive frame of mind and expects an interesting weekend as the F1 world championship heads to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for round five, while team mate Mark Webber is targeting a repeat of his 2010 victory at the venue.

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ONG WEEKEND IN SPAIN

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Speaking ahead of the Spanish GP, Vettel said, “Of all the current GP tracks, Barcelona is the one that we know the most because we have done so much testing there in recent years. That said, the knowledge that you gain at the tests doesn’t always help due to the changing wind direction that occurs there, which can sometimes give you a nasty surprise, especially into Turn 1.”

“In general, a car that functions well aerodynamically in Barcelona will work everywhere – so it will be an interesting weekend. We have been working on the package for Barcelona at this week’s test, but we will still have set-up work to do there on arrival,” revealed Vettel who leads the championship standings after four rounds.

Webber said, “We head to Barcelona with good miles on the car and an understanding of some new avenues. I like the Barcelona track, we do a lot of work there and it’s a track that’s been good to me in the past. I got pole there for the last two years and converted it to a win in 2010, so I’m looking for a strong weekend.

It’s tight amongst the teams, so we’re mindful that we need to get everything right to get a good weekend.”

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PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA

LUCA DI MONTEZEMOLO: HAVE A COMPETITIVE CA

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errari’s title tilt could hinge on the competitiveness of the updated F2012 this weekend, in Barcelona.

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WHAT I WANT IS TO AR IN BARCELONA

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA “What I want is to have a competitive car in Barcelona,” insisted Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on Tuesday.

“That’s what I’ve asked for,” he is quoted by Brazil’s O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

Ferrari had congregated at its Fiorano test track, to watch Jacques Villeneuve drive the 1979 single seater to mark the 30th anniversary of his father Gilles’ fatal crash.

But Montezemolo’s disappointment is with the latest Ferrari, which has been heavily updated since the Bahrain Grand Prix, three weeks ago.

“Our technicians are confident, but we will have to see how our opponents have advanced too,” he added.OEdSP correspondent Livio Oricchio claimed “Montezemolo knows” that anything other than a big step forward in Barcelona will mean Ferrari has to “start thinking about” its 2013 project instead.

“Now we have to make a quantum leap, to have a car that is more competitive, less difficult to drive, and gives confidence to the fans,” Montezemolo is quoted

by La Stampa newspaper.

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PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Ercole Colombo

“Let’s see how it goes in Spain,” he told RAI television. t “I have asked for an extraordinary response from our engineers,” Montezemolo is also quoted as saying by Italy’s Sky Sport 24. e La Gazzetta dello Sport, meanwhile, quoted Fernando Alonso as saying: “Our goal is to be world champions in November, and if we are I

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to succeed then we must do better than we’ve done so far.”

Team boss Stefano Domenicali agreed: “We expect a significant evolution that will bring us closer to the step we need.

“The Spanish Grand Prix is definitely open, as is the championship. say this because we believe.”

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TYRE STRATEGY WILL BE

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t the Spanish Grand Prix, for the first time this season Formula 1 teams will have the choice of Pirelli’s (silver banded) hard tyres or (yellow banded) soft tyres, which the Italian manufacturer believes will provide a very different challenge to the past four races.

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E VITAL IN BARCELONA

PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA The asphalt at Circuit de Catalunya is known to be abrasive. Combine that with hot weather, throw in several medium to high speed corners and the ingredients are in place to ensure that teams must be at the very top of their strategy game in both qualifying and on race day.

Previewing the race Spain, Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said, “We’ve nominated the soft and hard tyre in order to highlight performance differences that will create a different challenge for the teams, showcasing both the speed and durability of our products. There is a whole step in between our two nominations for the first time this year and this should allow the teams to come up with a number of different tyre strategies that could make a big difference to the final outcome.”

“With many teams having expanded their knowledge of our tyre range and having tested new components at Mugello, we’re expecting a closely-fought Spanish Grand Prix – and maybe even the fifth different winner in five races,” suggested Hembery.

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PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Pirelli test driver Jaime Alguersuari echoed his boss’ opinion, “The choice of the hard and the soft compound is going to make things very exciting as degradation is likely to be high and there is a lot you can do with the strategy.”

“You need reasonably high downforce but in the end it always has to be a compromise because the lap is so varied.

That’s really the challenge of Barcelona: to get the most out of the car and the tyres at every point of the lap,” added the former Toro Rosso driver.

Pirelli technical tyre notes: • The key to a quick lap time in Barcelona is finding the right compromise between aerodynamic grip and mechanical grip. Most teams run a stiff set-up at the front, to help turn-in, but go softer at the back to gain traction.

• Changing wind direction is a factor that has an important impact on car set-up, especially during the first corner. Nine out of the last 10 races at the track have been won from pole position – with the exception being last year, Pirelli’s first season in Formula One. • Just under 60 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle, with the cars at their top speed of more than 305km/h for around 16 seconds on the straight.

The set-up calls for a medium to high level of downforce.

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KAMUI KOBAYASHI: OUR THE CAR IS A STEP FORW

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eading to the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Kamui Kobayas team have made a significant step forward with their impress comparable with the big budget teams in the first four rounds

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shi is confident that his Sauber sive C31, which has shown pace s of the season.

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PREVIEW SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA Kobayashi, previewing the weekend in Spain, said, “At the Mugello test I definitely had the feeling our new update to the car is a step forward for us. This is good, of course, but only at the Barcelona circuit will we be able to tell how much of an improvement it really is. Not only because testing never allows for proper comparisons to the competition, but also because the Circuit de Catalunya is special. It has everything – fast corners, medium speed corners and slow corners.”

The Japanese driver, who has yet to stand on a grand prix podium in his 44 Formula One race starts to date, pointed out, “Although everybody knows that track so well, it is very difficult to get the set up [correct] there.”

He added, “If you really manage to get it right there [at Circuit de Catalunya] this normally means the car can be fast on other circuits as well. It will be a challenging weekend for us drivers as well as for the car and the engineers, and I am very much looking forward to going racing again.”

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