YallaF1 Magazine 29 February 2012 by Peevee Media

yallaf1 29.02.2012

IN THIS ISSUE PECKING ORDER HAPPY BUTTON WEBBER TALKS FORMULA 1 MAGAZINE & NEWS DIGEST BUEMI AMAZED NEWEY & WILLIAMS BARCELONA TESTING WHAT BERNIE REALLY WANTS PHOTO FEATURE SENNA AND PROST

FERRARI F2012 HAVE MARANELLO GOT IT WRONG AGAIN?

IN THIS ISSUE COVER PHOTO: SUTTON

ALONSO ON FERRARI SLOW PROGRESS

FIRSTFRAME WORD FIRST 29 February 2012

BARCELONA TESTING THE FIRST EDITION

This week’s YallaF1 Magazine comes out on the eve of Barcelona preseason testing - the second and final edition - so we refresh your memory on what actually happened during the first visit to the venue of the Spanish Grand Prix a week ago. In between the usual suspects have been filling the void of real F1 news with quotable quotes. Leading the charge was the big chief himself, Bernie Ecclestone, teasing Red Bull by saying he would like to see Michael Schumacher in the second RB8. You have to give it to the old geezer, he really knows how to grab the headlines and wind people up. Nico Rosberg - who has yet to win a grand prix continues his invisible war with Schumi by claiming Mark Webber was a tougher teammate. Heikki Kovalainen lets us all know that he cares less who his teammate is as it does not affect him - until he gets beaten by him one supposes. And uncommonly Alain Prost, the four times world champion and F1 legend, also has some interesting things to say about the Senna movie, Williams demise and F1 in general. Enjoy!

WILLIAMS MISS NEWEY

Content & Credits

WHAT BERNIE REALLY WANTS...

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MASSA ON THE F2012 PECKING ORDER WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY MCLAREN UP FOR THE TITLE FIGHT ROSBERG ON WEBBER AND SCHUMACHER KOVALAINEN ON HIS NEW TEAMMATE

BUEMI AMAZED PROST SPEAKS BIG PICTURE: PROST AND SENNA AND MUCH MORE... 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

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Editor: Peevee Assistant Editor: Roy Franco Sub-Editor: Adrian Nel All content sourced from YallaF1.com Content providers: PVM, GMM, Reuters, FIA, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Force india, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams, Marussia, Caterham, HRT, Pirelli, Cosworth, Renault and other F1 related organisations. Main photography by Sutton Images Additional photography services provided by F1 teams including Getty Images, LAT, Hoch Zwei, Ercole Colombo eMagazine production by YallaF1.com Contact: info@yallaf1.com 4

2012 PRE-SEASON: FERRARI SPECIAL WROOOM WITH A VIEW AND FORTY YEARS OF HEROES

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COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES

FERNANDO ALONSO: WE ARE NOT WHERE WE

nother study day for Scuderia Ferrari: the F2012 is a complex creature according to Fernando Alonso’s comment when he met the press on the afternoon after his final session in Barcelona at the wheel of the F2012 last week. He reckons it will need a few more days work to get a full understanding of it’s behaviour. The new car completed 400 kilometers on day two, many of them with several parts covered in the green colour aero spray used to check the passage of the air across the surface of the bodywork and wings. In addition many changes were made as various set-up choices were evaluated. On the day Fernando tried all four compounds available, so it’s easy to see how difficult it is to interpret the significance of the order on the time sheet, for fans and experts alike. “We are trying different components on the exhausts and other areas,” said Fernando. “Then on the track, and back in Maranello, everyone is working hard on analysing the data in order to improve the performance, a job that takes time. In Jerez, we said that we would start from a more solid base in Barcelona and that has been the case and we hope it will be the same next week at the final session.”

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WANT TO BE

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Ercole Colombo

COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES “Then, we are trying to put everything together to be as well prepared as possible for Melbourne, when we will really understand where we are. Our targets are ambitious, which they have to be given [that] we are Ferrari and they remain unaltered: we want to be in good enough shape to win right from the very first race. I think we are probably not the quickest today, but neither are we the slowest. In Australia, when the temperatures should be very different, we will know where we are compared to the others.” Speaking to media after his second day in the F2012 Fernando gave an honest appraisal of the car’s current level: “At the moment, we are not where we want to be, nor where we want to be in Australia, but I remain optimistic. We still have six days of testing and we will see how it goes. It’s also hard to say how the others are doing: Red Bull is definitely very strong, as is normal in fact, given how they have gone over the past three years, but you can’t say that McLaren or Mercedes for example, who seem to be behind, are not strong themselves, maybe even more so than Red Bull.” “This has been a more laborious winter for us than in the past because we have a more complex car, which features very innovative ideas but that requires greater effort from everyone, from the drivers who drive it, the engineers who run and develop it and the mechanics who have to put in over twenty hour days. It’s always nice to have a car that is immediately ready, quick and reliable, but that is not always synonymous with winning.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Alonso: This has been a more labo

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orious winter for us than in the past

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COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES

Alonso: I prefer to have a quick car and then make it reliable “Last year, we did a race simulation at the end of the first test and then in Melbourne we were a second and a half off pole position.” Among the positives to emerge over the last six days of testing is the new Ferrari’s ability to do a time right from the very first lap, which was the Achilles Heel for the 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

F2012’s predecessor [the F150th Italia] “It’s true that from what we have seen so far, we have always done a good job of warming up the tyres and getting the most out of them immediately. This year, the performance between the different types of tyre is much closer and there is not the big difference

e, rather than have one that is strong but slow between one compound and another that we saw in 2011.â&#x20AC;? Fernando was frank when admitting the area where the new car needs to improve: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We definitely need to make progress on the aerodynamic front, especially at the exit of corners. Every driver always wants more

grip and more downforce, but one cannot judge the performance of the others from the outside. Maybe we would have wanted to have a complete picture of the car from the very start, but I prefer to have a quick car and then make it reliable, rather than have one that is strong but slow.â&#x20AC;? 13

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COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES During a press junket organised by Santander on Monday in Madrid, on the eve of the final preseason test, Alonso tried to sound more upbeat about the uncomfortable situation, the Maranello team find’s themselves in, which is receiving huge coverage in the influential Italian media. “We are continuing with development of the new car,” said the two times F1 world champion. “Maybe we are only taking small steps forward, but they are coming constantly: in Barcelona, the F2012 was better than it had been in Jerez and it will be better still this week and even more so in Melbourne. There is still a lot of work to do, but as of today, there is no reason why we should not be ready for the first race.” “It’s true there are only four more days of testing and we will have to also make use of the first Friday at a race weekend to continue with development, but the car is reasonably complex and needs time, as was the case over the first eight days. It is definitely too early to say where we are compared to the others. Red Bull is very strong, but that’s hardly a surprise,” observed Alonso. “For our part, it will be useful to get off to a good start as this always takes the pressure off the team, but if we do not turn out to be competitive enough to challenge for victory immediately, then it’s important that it’s not just one person doing the winning. If one thinks about it, the difference in performance between us and Red Bull in 2011 was not that different to what it had been in 2010 and yet two years ago, we came to the last race leading the championship, while last year we were hardly ever in the title fight,” added the Ferrari driver. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Alonso: It is definitely too early 14

to say where we are compared to the other

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Ercole Colombo

COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES

FELIPE MASSA: IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHE WE ARE COMPARED TO THE OTHERS

n its eighth day of testing the Ferrari F2012 broke through the 100-lap barrier that had almost seemed like a dream. Despite a long pause during the lunch hour on the final day of testing in Barcelona, necessary to carry out an important set-up change at the front of the car, Felipe Massa managed to complete 103 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya, equivalent to about 470km. The final timesheets matter little – the 1.23.563 earned fifth place on the day’s classification – but much more meaningful was the smile on Felipe Massa’s face as he came into the motorhome where the journalists were gathered for the usual end-of-test press meeting. “Yes, I am happy, not only because we finally did so much mileage without problems but above all because we managed to improve the car in a significant way,” said the Brazilian driver. “The situation has changed above all compared to the morning, especially from the point of view of consistency of the lap times. The important thing is that, after having evaluated so many solutions, both on the exhausts and at the front, we are now taking a direction in which we can work to get the best set-up. There’s still a lot to do, for example on the exits of corners, but I’m satisfied and from the next Barcelona test we will be able to really start true and meaningful testing.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

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ERE

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COVER STORY FERRARI TROUBLES Felipe added: “Today [Friday] we could certainly have done a better lap time but that wasn’t our target. We had so many things to test over the course of these few days and our priority was to identify what is worth working on for the early races. We managed that and now we can concentrate on those areas with a large margin for improvement, like set-up and how to use the tyres. In the afternoon we were able to do some long series of laps with pretty consistent times, which I didn’t manage in the morning. The warm-up, that has been a particular problem for me in recent years, is also much improved – so much that I can consistently put together a time on the first lap. The car doesn’t have anything new on it but it’s definitely improved since Jerez.” The positive day has not however stopped Felipe from keeping his feet on the ground about the chances for the first race and the season as a whole. “We are ready to fight but it’s impossible to say how we really compare to the others,” replied Massa when asked if he could send a message of hope to the Ferrari tifosi. “We will discover that only when we all run with low fuel and soft tyres at the same time on the track, which will be during qualifying for Melbourne. Today people can say whatever they want but until we are all in the same conditions words count little. It’s true that I’ve seen some strong teams: Red Bull above all but also others like Sauber, Force India and Williams if you look at this week’s times.” Felipe was also asked if he was getting used to the idea that his future with Ferrari could be decided based on results; “No, absolutely not. I’m heading into the season aiming to do my best, inside and outside the car, as I look to be competitive and to be able to fight for the most important goals like wins and results. If you drive with your mind on anything else you won’t do your own work properly.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Massa: Impossible to say how

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Ercole Colombo

w we really compare to the others

REPORT PRESEASON PECKING ORDER

RED BULL HAVE UPPER H MCLAREN STRONG, MERCEDES HAVE SECRET FERRARI TROUBLED AS L

ost leading specialist publications believe that Red Bull Racing, with the Adrian RB8, continue to be the pacesetters in Formula 1, with McLaren with their MP4the most likely challengers again, while speculation mounts that Mercedes AMG weapon they have yet to unleash on their recently unveiled W03. On the downside Ferrari appear to be struggling to come to terms with their ‘complex’ n there has been little noise coming out of Enstone where Lotus are furiously overcoming on their E20 - all this before the Formula 1 circus heads for the final preseason testing at Catalunya in Barcelona.

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HAND,

TS, LOTUS GO AWOL

n Newey penned -27 looking to be G have a ‘secret’

new F2012 and g a design flaw t Circuit de

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REPORT PRESEASON PECKING ORDER In their recent analysis, outlets including Auto Motor und Sport (Germany), La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) and Autosport (Britain) believe world champion Sebastian Vettel again has the best car at the start of the season. “They still have an advantage, but it’s smaller,” agreed Jenson Button, according to O Estado de S.Paulo. His boss Martin Whitmarsh added: “Red Bull has a solid, fast car, better than us in slow corners, but we’re better in the fast ones.” Sonntagsblick, however, sees McLaren actually ahead of the energy drink-owned team, with Mercedes in third place and Force India a surprise fourth. “Red Bull is faster (than Mercedes),” said the German marque’s boss Ross Brawn, “and clearly a little more than we had hoped for,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. The international publications said Lotus, amid their chassis flaw issues, rank anywhere between third (Auto Motor und Sport) and eighth (Blick). According to the same press, Ferrari is in trouble, ranking no higher than fifth in the lists of the aforementioned publications — and the authoritative Auto Motor und Sport predicting nothing short of a disastrous season for the fabled Italian team. Felipe Massa is quoted by Spanish reporters as saying Barcelona was “a little more positive” than the Jerez test recently, and he was asked to rank the development of the new F2012 car out of ten. “Probably more than five. There is still much to do, but now we are closer than we were,” said the Brazilian. As for whether the car is a race winner, Massa added: “I hope so, but it’s very difficult to say anything in testing,” he is quoted by Finland’s Turun Sanomat. Indeed, Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi ended 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Brawn: Red Bull is faster and

clearly a little more than we had hoped for

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REPORT PRESEASON PECKING ORDER

Whitmarsh: Red Bull has a solid, fast car, better than us in slo

last week’s Barcelona test with the quickest time, but Blick’s veteran correspondent Roger Benoit warned against taking that too seriously. “When with the same tyres at the same time, (Mercedes’ Nico) Rosberg was a second faster per lap than Sauber’s Japanese 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

driver,” he said. “In testing, the truth is seldom revealed – if the teams used lie detectors, they would all be laying exploded around us.” According to the Sun newspaper, Kobayashi confirmed: “I don’t think McLaren and Red Bull are slow.

“We don’t really wish for wins or podiums. For us this is a bit too far away.” Instead, the midfield battle looks extremely tight, with Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio surmising that Sauber, as well as Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams are all in there.

“It will be race to race,” Toro Rosso’s Giorgio Ascanelli told the Italian press. “From what we’ve seen so far, this fight will be amazing.” And Oricchio concluded: “As for HRT and Marussia, who have not even presented their 2012 cars, they undoubtedly have capable 29

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ow corners, but we’re better in the fast ones

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REPORT PRESEASON PECKING ORDER people, but also almost as many difficulties.” Earlier in the week reports Speculation mounted on why Mercedes AMG were last to reveal and test its 2012 car because it boasts a few highly innovative ideas that could drive Michael Schumacher and Rosberg to the middle of the field, snd possibly onto the podium. Auto Motor und Sport reports that mechanics working for the Brackley based team are making more efforts than usual to hide the front and rear of the car, and erecting huge screens in front of the pits between test runs in Barcelona. But a big secret is now out of the bag, and it’s located beneath the rear rain light and being described by insiders as “like a double diffuser”. La Gazzetta dello Sport said the feature is believed to produce an effect similar to the one pioneered by Mercedes’ predecessor Brawn GP in 2009, which resulted in the championship for Jenson Button. And according to Auto Motor und Sport, the concept differs to the banned double diffuser because the air is channelled through holes at the rear of the engine cover. The concept, despite complying with the FIA’s blown diffuser clampdown, also reportedly involves the clever redirection of exhaust gases. And yet another innovation on the Mercedes could be a passive ‘F-duct’-style addition to the car’s new rear wing, working alongside the ‘DRS’ system. When asked about the ‘ducts’, Rosberg and Schumacher played it coy: “What’s that?” Rosberg answered, while Schumacher joked that it sounds like something that should go “quack!” “They are a good team,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Sky when asked about Mercedes. “They have some good people so it would be foolish to underestimate them.” Meanwhile, TZ newspaper in Germany reports that the FIA could be set to clamp down even harder in the area of exhaust blowing. There are rumours that Renault and Mercedespowered teams are still using clever engine mapping techniques for aerodynamic effect. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Horner: Foolish to unde

erestimate Mercedes

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FOR THE RECORD MCLAREN

MCLAREN ALL FIRED UP FOR 2012 TITLE CHARGE

orld champions Red Bull are the obvious preseason favourites, while Ferrari struggle to understand their complex F2012 and Mercedes admit they are not yet ready to win, but the noises emanating from the McLaren camp are upbeat and positive. Compared to last winter, the difference is stark, as team boss Martin Whitmarsh explains: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were too bold and the [2011] car was neither competitive or reliable,â&#x20AC;? he is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

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FOR THE RECORD MCLAREN

Hamilton: We are much more comfortable and confident abo “What we did, turning it around, was a miracle because we changed the rear of the car completely. We almost didn’t believe it because we found a second, if not a second and a half.” After his own tumultuous 2011, Lewis 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Hamilton has also been given reason to smile, recalling: “Last year we struggled to do 30 laps a day. “Now we’re doing 120, and honestly I can’t remember the last time we did,” said the 2008 world champion. 36

“We are much more comfortable and confident about fighting with any of the other teams,” added Hamilton. “I’m really surprised with how the car behaves in the fast corners. “I think the base is much better than what we had last year, especially in that area.”

His teammate Jenson Button is also sounding confident, targeting at least a podium in Melbourne next month. “If we are there or thereabouts at the start of the season then it’s 100 per cent game on for the title,” he is quoted by the Mirror. 37

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out fighting with any of the other teams

FOR THE RECORD JENSON BUTTON

JENSON BUTTON: I HAVE THE BEST MANAGER, BEST PA AND BEST PHYSIO IN F1

hile Lewis Hamilton pounded around the Barcelona test track, McLaren team mate Jenson Button was downing a swift pint of beer and trying his hand at pool in the upstairs room of a London pub. It would be unwise to draw any conclusions from the contrast, however. If the relaxed Englishman won a prize for the fastest loser in a McLaren organised media challenge, although having Reuters as playing partner contributed in no small measure to the defeat, he is just as hungry as Hamilton to pocket a second Formula One title. The 2009 world champion, who will take over from the 2008 winner at the Barcelona test on Thursday, made no excuses for defeat on the scuffed green baize and does not expect to need any when the season starts in Melbourne on March 18. “Last year I felt that I did the best with the car I had, that I really grew with the team, really felt a big part of McLaren, not just a driver but a big part of the team,” said Button, the 2011 overall runner-up after winning three races. “So there are no excuses this year. I feel that we have everything.” “The relationship I have with my 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

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FOR THE RECORD JENSON BUTTON

Button: Last year I felt that I did the best with the car I had engineers and mechanics is very good, and there’s a really good understanding there,” added the 32 year old, who won his title with Brawn GP and then switched to McLaren for 2010 where he had to come to terms with being in what many saw as ‘Hamilton’s team’. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

“There’s nothing to fall back on and say ‘This is the reason why we didn’t win in 2012.’ I’m very happy now with my position in the team, and winning the world championship with McLaren would be amazing,” said Button, whose team started 2011 with an 42

uncompetitive car but rapidly caught up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With any team it would be amazing, but with a team youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been with for two years and had such a good relationship with and feel a big part of after such a short period, it does mean more than just arriving and

driving the best car.â&#x20AC;? Button had that in 2009, when Brawn emerged from the embers of Honda after the departing Japanese handed the team over to Ross Brawn and Mercedes made engines available. 43

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FOR THE RECORD JENSON BUTTON The team’s very first test was astonishing, with Brawn setting the pace right from the start. By the end of the second day, when Button was in the car, rivals knew the game was up very early on. The 2012 McLaren has not done that but stands out among the ‘ugly’ stepped-nosed new cars as the only one with an unbroken, elegant sweep. Red Bull’s double world champion Sebastian Vettel said on Tuesday that its performance looked “very strong”. “There’s nothing to say we’re one and a half seconds quicker than anyone, there’s also nothing to say we are not fast,” agreed Button, who tested it first at the Jerez circuit last month and said the team was “on target”. “Our programme is our programme and we are just getting on with it. It feels nice to drive, I feel very comfortable in the car, and it does everything you expect it to. It’s just developing it now for the first race.” The Briton enjoys a close and supportive entourage of his father, manager, physio and girlfriend at races, something Hamilton has sought to recreate this season with Mika Hakkinen’s former manager Didier Coton joining him. “I have the best manager in F1, the best PR man, best PA and best physio. So for me over the winter I’ve not refined anything in any way,” said Button. “It’s good to be back. I feel very confident in my ability, and in my input into the car and the team feeling I’m doing my part. It’s all moving in the right direction, so I’m happy.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Button: I’m doing my part. It’s all m 44

moving in the right direction, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy

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FOR THE RECORD MARK WEBBER

MARK WEBBER: BEING AT THE FRONT IS A BIG FACTOR FOR ME TO STAY HUNGRY

ed Bull driver Mark Webber has warned he will quit Formula 1 if he cannot secure a top seat for the 2013 season, as the 35-year-old Australian is the only prominent member of the world champion energy drinks team who does not currently have a contract beyond this season.

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FOR THE RECORD MARK WEBBER Red Bull driver Mark Webber has warned he will quit Formula 1 if he cannot secure a top seat for the 2013 season, as the 35-year-old Australian is the only prominent member of the world champion energy drinks team who does not currently have a contract beyond this season. It is rumoured Dr Helmut Marko wants to replace him for 2013 with either Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric Vergne, triggering rumours Webber could be a potential replacement for Felipe Massa at Ferrari. “The only possibility is if Massa decides to leave Ferrari, or Ferrari decides to leave Massa. There could maybe be an opening there,” 1980 world champion Alan Jones told GMM. But if Red Bull and Ferrari both pass up Webber, his options for 2013 appear limited. “I’d need something competitive,” Webber told AAP news agency. He warned that he would not consider sliding down the grid to a less competitive team, “It’s pretty clear that I’ve earned my stripes on the way through so I won’t be doing that on the other side – going the other way,” said Webber. “Being competitive, being at the front, is certainly a big, big factor of me staying very hungry and motivated.” And so hungry is the 2011 Brazilian grand prix winner that, according to F1’s official website, the already-lean and tall Webber has lost weight ahead of this season. “I am no light version – I’ve just lost some kilos, that’s all,” he confirmed. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Webber: It’s pretty clear that I’ve e 48

arned my stripes on the way through

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FOR THE RECORD NICO ROSBERG

NICO ROSBERG: WEBBER WAS TOUGHER TEAMMATE THAN SCHUMI

ico Rosberg has named Australian Mark Webber as his toughest teammate in Formula 1 so far, despite the German currently being in the same team as seven times Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. Rosberg made his grand prix debut as Webber’s team mate at Williams in 2006, moving four seasons later to Mercedes. While at Williams, Rosberg also raced as teammate to Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima. Rosberg’s Mercedes move in 2010 coincided with Schumacher’s return to formula one, at the same Brackley based team, where they have been teammates ever since. When asked by Sport Bild who his toughest teammate has been, he answered: “Mark Webber in 2006, then Michael.” And he hopes he will be in front of his famous current teammate yet again in 2012, particularly with Mercedes hoping its new W03 is a race winner. “To be the first German to win in the new Silver Arrow would be an absolute dream for me,” said Rosberg, whose father Keke won the title in 1982. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

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FOR THE RECORD HEIKKI KOVALAINEN

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: NEW TEAMMATE DOES NO

aterham driver Heikki Kovalainen insists he has “no concerns” despite having to start work with a new teammate – in newly signed former Lotus driver Vitaly Petrov – less than a month before the 2012 Formula 1 season is set to begin in Australia. In 2010 and 2011, and since the formation of the former Lotus team, Kovalainen has shared the green garage with fellow grand prix winner Jarno Trulli. Now, Caterham has replaced the Italian veteran with the much less experienced Vitaly Petrov, who has moved his Russian backing from Lotus (formerly Renault). “I got along well with Jarno, but a new teammate doesn’t change my life in any way,” Kovalainen insisted to Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper. “I have met with Vitaly here in Barcelona and I don’t have any concerns. He is definitely a strong competitor but I always give 110 per cent to beat my teammate. “I don’t underestimate anyone,” he added. Kovalainen admitted that Petrov might have to adjust to the fact that Caterham is smaller than Lotus, and the car not as competitive. “Of course he has to get used to the team,” he said, “and if he has any questions, I’m available. “But Vitaly is a professional driver and in F1 it is expected that the driver is able to start tackling the programme right away.”

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OT CHANGE MY LIFE

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST

BARCELONA TEST DAY 1: VETTEL SETS THE EARLY

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ouble world champion Sebastian Vettel topped the timing sheets at the end of the first day Formula 1 testing at Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday, but the real drama was that Lotus packed up their E20 with what appears to be a flaw with the chassis, which a couple of weeks earlier - in jerez - was the pick of the bunch. At the wheel of the Adrian Newey penned Red Bull RB8, Vettel did 79 laps and posted a best time of 1 minute 23.265 seconds around the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

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: Y PACE IN BARCELONA

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST On track, the world champion set his time late in the day on a set of Pirelli hard tyres, after also topping the timing screens in the morning session – a time set on the soft tyre. “It’s clear that the cars have less grip than last year, but we try to come back from that slowly. It’s difficult to judge where we are compared with the others right now. It’s all based on feeling and the feeling I have inside the car at the moment is fine. I think we had a good day today, with no trouble. We had a long lunch break when we made some changes, but not because anything broke down. All in all, it was a good day,” said Vettel. Next up, 0.175 seconds down on the top time, was fellow German Nico Hulkenberg who ended the day just shy of 100 laps and quickest of the Mercedes powered brigade in the Force India VJM05. He had been quickest for most of the morning, before Vettel topped his time before lunch. Hulkenberg summed up his day, “Once gain it’s good to do so many laps and I’m pleased with how things went today. It was only my second day in the car and I’m still bedding in and getting used to things, but after each run I felt a bit more comfortable. We started with some aero runs and more data gathering this morning, and then moved to longer runs in the afternoon. The car feels consistent and the drivability is good so I feel positive.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Vettel: It’s clear that the cars have 58

less grip than last year

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST Unlike Vettel few drivers improved their times in the afternoon session, which was substantially warmer and arguably not ideal to target fast laps. Most drivers opted for longer runs during the second half of the day. Third quickest was Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren MP4-27, the 2008 world champion was sampling the various Pirelli options on offer and appeared focused on long runs during the course of the day. He tallied up 114 laps. Once again very much at the sharp end of the times was Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso STR7 which is proving to be a handy piece of kit straight out the box. Fourth fastest at the end of the day, he was also the last of the four drivers to break into the 63 seconds zone around the Catalan circuit. Behind the Ferrari powered Toro Rosso was Maranello’s finest, Fernando Alonso on duty in the F2012 concentrating on medium length runs at a pretty handy pace. With 75 laps on the board he ended the day fifth fastest. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but isn’t that what we are here for?” said Alonso. “I don’t think we will see anything different over the coming days, because before we can see what this car is really capable of, we must piece together all the pieces in the jigsaw. I know there is much expectation from the outside, but we are totally focussed on ourselves, without giving a thought to what is going on around us. We will only start to properly understand the situation 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Hulkenberg: I’m still getting used

in Melbourne.” After taking the wraps off the Mercedes AMG W03 earlier in the morning, seven times world champion Michael Schumacher was first in the cockpit, racking up 51 hassle free laps in the new Silver Arrow. “My initial feelings with our new car 60

are diff ove rule late we def look

d to things

certainly good. I’m happy with the ferent evaluations that we have done er the last week, but obviously with the e changes, we won’t know more until er. It’s certainly an improvement and have worked hard on the areas we had ined last year. The aerodynamics figures k good so I’m not worried about the

shape of the nose! Even though we had the hydraulic problem today, I’m pleased with all the mileage we have achieved so far with the new car,” Schumacher eported after his first full day in the new car. The only other driver within one second of Vettel’s best was Sergio Perez in the Sauber C31 with 66 laps to his credit and 61

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST the seventh best time of the day which was 0.954 seconds down on the top time. The team experienced some technical niggles that affected their programme negatively. Bruno Senna’s programme was used to maximise the Brazilian’s track time, as he would only have one day behind the wheel, in the Williams FW34, and accomplishing the task with 97 laps on his board and the eighth best time. . With less than a dozen laps into the day, Heikki Kovalainen’s Caterham CT01 suffered a rear track rod failure which curtailed their programme. The Finn eventually got going to complete 31 laps and set the ninth best time. Lotus were the biggest ‘losers’ on the day as Romain Grosjean only completed 7 laps before parking the Lotus E20-02 with an issue which the Frenchman explained: “I was very quickly aware that the car wasn’t responding as it should.” The problems escalated to the point that the team was forced to withdraw from the test and terminate their test prematurely, which meant that Kimi raikkonen would be missing out on much needed and valuable track time. (See separate story) Last on the timing sheets but with the most laps to his credit was rookie Charles Pic at the wheel of last year’s Marussia MVR02. Although six seconds off the pace he will be glad to have notched up 121 laps experience in an F1 car, albeit last year’s model.

Barcelona Testing Day 1 Results – Tuesday, 21 February 2012 P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Drivers Vettel Hulkenberg Hamilton Ricciardo Alonso Schumacher Perez Senna Kovalainen Grosjean Pic

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Teams Red Bull RB8 Force India VJM05 McLaren MP4-27 Toro Rosso STR07 Ferrari F2012 Mercedes AMG W03 Sauber C31 Williams FW34 Caterham CT01 Lotus E20 Marussia MVR02 62

Times 1.23.265 1.23.440 +0.175 1.23.590 +0.325 1.23.618 +0.353 1.24.100 +0.835 1.24.150 +0.885 1.24.219 +0.954 1.25.711 +2.446 1.26.035 +2.770 1.26.809 +3.554 1.29.248 +5.983

Laps 79 97 114 76 75 51 66 97 31 7 121

Schumac

cher: My initial feelings with our new car are certainly good

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST

BARCELONA TEST DAY 2: HULKENBERG TOPS IN THE FORCE INDIA VJM

ico Hulkenberg had an impressive and productive day in Barcelona where he racked up over 100 laps around Circuit de Catalunya, in the cockpit of the Force India VJM05, and ended the day fastest of all at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

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M05 :

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST The German, who returns to the F1 grid after a year on the sidelines as the team’s reserve driver, set his time during a flurry of quick laps in the morning session and stayed top of the timing screens for the rest of the day. Hulkenberg’s best time of 1 minute 22.608 seconds was over a half second up on the best time set 24 hours earlier. He completed 112 trouble free laps during the course of the day and in total 209 laps over the two days. He now hands over the VJM05 to team mate Paul di Resta for the final two days. Like Hulkenberg most drivers set their best times in the morning, concentrating on longer runs in the afternoon. He summed up his day in the cockpit of the VJM05, “We started the day with some aero work – trying some constant speed runs and collecting more data. Then, the rest of the day was spent working on the balance of the car and trying out all four tyre compounds. I did some short runs, long runs and just got a feel for the tyre characteristics and how the car reacts to them. Once again the car has been very drivable all day and our baseline set-up has proved to be a good starting point for running all the different compounds.” Second fastest was Sergio Perez in the Sauber C31, who again was the fastest Ferrari powered driver on the day. The Mexican was merely 0.040 seconds down on the Force India, with 85 laps to his credit. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Perez: We are working in the right

direction

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST Perez said, “Today was a lot better, even though in the end we lost a bit of track time because of the exhaust problem. I am happy with how things went, we have gathered plenty of information to go through now and I believe we are working in the right direction. I hope we get some more work done with Kamui driving the next two days, and then we will be well prepared for next week’s final pre-season test session.” World champion Sebastian Vettel, who topped the timing sheets a day earlier, ended his final day at this test in Barcelona third quickest in the Red Bull RB8. The German and his team were experimenting at length, particularly in the morning where they only clocked up around 30 laps. There was an interesting period when Vettel was out at the same time as Lewis Hamilton, the pair running nose to tail for a few laps before Vettel passed the McLaren driver who was on a long run. Hamilton ended up doing 120 laps, more than any other driver and setting the sixth best time on the day. Vettel spoke to media afterwards, “I think we are on the right road with the car. The first impressions at the last test were fine. The car reacted the way we expected. I keep talking about the loss of downforce compared to last year, as we don’t have the tools we had, but this is the same for everyone, not just us. So, we’ll get on top of it and we’ll spend the coming days trying to make improvements, find more performance and make the car faster. But so far, so good.” Ferrari have gone to great lengths to point out that they are on their own mission in Barcelona, not caring what their rivals are up to but rather focused on maximising their understanding of the Ferrari 2012. Nevertheless Fernando Alonso was 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Vettel: I think we are on the

right road with the car

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST one of the few to improve his time in the afternoon to end the day fourth fastest, with 87 laps on his board. The Spaniard was half a second down on Hulkenbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best. Daniel Ricciardo had a strong showing in the morning but drive shaft issues on the Toro Rosso STR7 curtailed his afternoon track time. He finished his two days fifth fastest with 50 laps to his credit. The much anticipated Mercedes AMG W03 broke cover a day earlier and was probably still being bedded in with Nico Rosberg on duty in the cockpit. No doubt the German also familiarising himself with the new Silver Arrow. He tallied up 82 laps and was seventh on the timing sheets. Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas took over the FW34 cockpit from Bruno Senna and racked up 117 laps in the process. Pastor Maldonado takes over testing duties for the team for the final two days. Vitaly Petrov was back in action after securing his seat with Caterham between the Jerez test and the current sessions in Barcelona. The Russian did 69 laps in what was essentially a familiarisation day at the wheel of the CT01. Again racking up an impressive amount of laps, albeit in the 2011 Marussia MVR02, was French rookie Charles Pic who was slowest of all but did have 108 laps to his credit, making 229 laps in two days! Absent were both the HRT and Lotus teams, with HRT still to crash test their 2012 car and Lotus rushing back to Enstone to rectify a chassis flaw after one day in Spain.

Barcelona Testing Day 2 Results â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wednesday, 22 February 2012 P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Drivers N.Hulkenberg S.Perez S.Vettel F.Alonso D.Ricciardo L.Hamilton N.Rosberg V.Bottas V.Petrov C.Pic

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Teams Force India VJM05 Sauber C31 Red Bull RB8 Ferrari F2012 Toro Rosso STR7 McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes AMG W03 Williams FW34 Caterham CT01 Marussia MVR02 72

Times 1:22.608 1:22.648 +0.040 1:22.891 +0.283 1:23.180 +0.572 1:23.639 +1.031 1:23.806 +1.198 1:24.555 +1.947 1:25.738 +3.130 1:26.605 +3.997 1:27.343 +4.735

Laps 112 85 104 87 50 120 82 117 69 108

Vitaly Pet

trov made his debut for his new Caterham team

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST

BARCELONA TEST DAY 3: MALDONADO FASTEST AS BIG TEAMS REMAIN L

t has been a long time since Williams were at the top of any timing screens in Formula 1, and it will no doubt be encouraging and somewhat satisfying – although relatively meaningless – that Pastor Maldonado ended day three of Barcelona F1 testing, at Circuit de Catalunya, with the fastest time of the day.

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LOW KEY :

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST Maldonado set the best time of 1 minute 22.391 seconds before noon, with the track at it’s very best, on a set of Pirelli super soft tyres. The Venezuelan extracted pace from the Williams FW34 which hitherto was either dormant or hidden, as the car did not give any hint of such speed at Jerez or during the first two days in Barcelona. Maldonado’s time was also the fastest so far this week around the Spanish Grand Prix venue and almost a second faster than anyone else on the day, with 107 laps to his credit. Maldonado said at the end of the day, “It was a good day today, as we completed all of our planned programme with no issues. We have put more mileage on the car which is great for everyone here and back at the factory as we now have a lot more data to analyse. The car is progressing well and I feel everything is going in the right direction.” Second fastest at the end of the day was Michael Schumacher. Back in the cockpit of the brand new Mercedes AMG W03, he worked hard to rack up 127 laps – more than anyone else has managed in a single day so far. The seven times world champion set his fastest time in the morning session as did most of the others, with the afternoon dedicated to longer runs. “I’m very happy with the race simulation that we ran this afternoon. It confirmed what we have seen from the first tests with our new car, and that we don’t seem to have any big issues with reliability. The small things from the last two days I would rate as typical testing issues. So from my side, I am happy with our first full testing session, and we have definitely improved our game which is what we wanted to achieve. To what extent, we can only see later, but I am finishing with a positive feeling,” said the seven times world champion at the end of the day. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Mercedes: I am happy with ou

ur first full testing session

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST Kamui Kobayashi ended the day one lap shy of 100 and third quickest on the timing sheets in the Ferrari powered Sauber C31. Also clocking up a substantial mileage was Jenson Button in the McLaren MP4-27, who ended the day fourth fastest after 114 laps on the charts. He spent most of the afternoon doing setup runs in a dozen lap bursts. Button said afterwards, “We’ve done a lot of reliability work over the past three days – more than 100 laps on each day. Most of that has been longer runs, getting used to the feeling of the car over a long-run and set-up work for the longer runs.” Toro Rosso rookie Jean Eric Vergne was fifth fastest, ahead of Felipe Massa in the Ferrari F2012 and Mark Webber in the Red Bull RB8 - the latter two sharing identical times of 1 minute 24.771 seconds on the final timing sheets. Paul di Resta in the Force India VJM05, the car that Nico Hulkenberg used to set the pace on the second day, was eighth fastest. Timo Glock was back in action for the first time this year,albeit in the 2011 Marussia MVR02, having missed out on Jerez testing. He was ninth fastest with 108 laps to his credit. Slowest of all was Caterham new boy Vitaly Petrov who racked up a useful 70 laps on his second day in the CT01, but was over four seconds down on Maldonado’s best. If anything, day three in Barcelona was an example of how topsy turvy and perhaps even meaningless testing times can be, particularly at this stage of proceedings – however there is no doubt that Maldonado would rather be sitting pretty at the top of the timing sheets, than down the bottom where Petrov languishes. Barcelona Testing Day 3 Results – Thursday, 23 February 2012 P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Driver: Maldonado Schumacher Kobayashi Button Vergne Massa Webber Di Resta Glock Petrov

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Team: Williams FW34 Mercedes AMG W03 Sauber C31 McLaren MP4-27 Toro Rosso STR7 Ferrari F2012 Red Bull RB8 Force India VJM05 Marussia MVR02 Caterham CT01

Time: 1.22.391 1.23.384 +0.993 1.23.582 +1.191 1.23.918 +1.527 1.24.433 +2.042 1.24.771 +2.380 1.24.771 +2.380 1.25.646 +3.255 1.26.173 +3.782 1.26.448 +4.057 80

Laps: 106 127 99 114 78 84 97 83 108 70

Button: W

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a lot of reliability work

REPORT BARCELONA TEST

BARCELONA TEST DAY 4: KOBAYASHI LEAVES SPAI

amui Kobayashi powered his Sauber C31 to the top of the timing screens this morning, on the final day (of four) of the first stanza of testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and remained there for the rest of the day.

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: IN ON A HIGH

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST Webber: We’ve done well over these two first tests

Kobayashi used a set of Pirelli soft tyres just before lunch to set a time of 1 minute 22.312 seconds, which made him the fastest man at the Spanish Grand Prix venue this week, although only by a mere 0.079 seconds! The Japanese driver also completed the most laps on the day, with 145 to his credit despite bringing about the second red flag with 15 minutes left in the day’s proceedings. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

Second best on the day was Pastor Maldonado in the Williams FW34, who also set his best time in the morning, ended a quarter second down on Kobayashi’s best with 134 laps on his chart. He said afterwards, “I’m quite happy. We achieved a very good mileage today. The set up changes we did in the morning meant an improvement in lap times, which, of course, is very positive. There is still 86

a lot of work to do in terms of understanding the car and the different tyre compounds at different fuel levels, but we are working in the right direction. I think it was a good test for us.â&#x20AC;? Paul di Resta brought out the first red flags of the day shortly before noon when he briefly lost control of the Force India VJM05 and got on the gravel at Campsa Corner. He recovered to compete 101 laps and set the

third best time. Di Resta said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was another successful day and a good way to end the week. I had a small trip through the gravel in the morning, but nothing that caused too much of an issue, although we lost half an hour of running. The important thing is that we still managed to do our long runs in the afternoon and I could feel the changes we made compared to yesterday. 87

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REPORT BARCELONA TEST It’s given me a good impression of the car’s balance and consistency, and we’ve seen that our long run pace is improving step by step.” Next up on the timing screens, in fourth place, was Jenson Button who amassed 115 laps in a productive day for the Woking squad. Notably the 2009 world champion set his time on hard tyres during the morning. Ferrari and Red Bull were again somewhat subdued, or in F1 parlance: focusing on their own programme to the exclusion of everything else. And perhaps as a result Felipe Massa was fifth fastest with 103 laps notched up in the Ferrari F2012 and Mark Webber sixth on the timing sheets with 85 to his credit in the Red Bull RB8. “Today we got through a lot of stuff! We tested a lot of elements and everything worked well, especially since we had such a big programme. That can mean not a lot of laps and a lot of garage time, but we gathered a lot of good information today and that’s a pleasing way to finish the week. We have a lot of work to do back in Milton Keynes over the next few days to get the car ready for the next test. We’ve done well over these two first tests and the feeling is pretty good,” said Webber. Next up, seventh fastest, was rookie Jean Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso STR7 ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes W03 and slowest of all on the day Heikki Kovalainen in the Caterham CT01, who only did 70 laps due to a forced engine change. A suspension problem prevented any more running In Barcelona for Timo Glock in last year’s Marussia MVR02. Also absent were HRT who did not turn up for the test and Lotus who packed up after their first day to sort out a chassis flaw.

Barcelona Testing Day 4 Results – Friday, 24 February 2012 P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Drivers Teams Kobayashi Sauber C31 Maldonado Williams FW34 Di Resta Force India VJM05 Button McLaren MP4-27 Massa Ferrari F2012 Webber Red Bull RB8 Vergne Toro Rosso STR7 Rosberg Mercedes AMG W03 Kovalainen Caterham CT01

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Times 1.22.312 1.22.561 +0.249 1.23.119 +0.807 1.23.200 +0.888 1.23.563 +1.251 1.23.774 +1.462 1.23.792 +1.480 1.23.843 +1.531 1.26.968 +4.656 88

Laps 145 134 101 115 103 85 92 139 70

Di Resta: The i

important thing is that we managed to do our long runs

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FOR THE RECORD FRANK WILLIAMS

FRANK WILLIAMS: IT WAS A MISTAKE TO LE

ir Frank Williams has admitted it was a mistake to let Formula 1’s most respected designer Adrian Newey leave the Williams team over a decade ago. Aerodynamic specialist Newey, who has since built championship winning cars for McLaren and Red Bull, left Williams in 1997 – the year Jacques Villeneuve won the Grove based team’s last title. Williams, a woeful ninth in the constructors’ standings last year, has not won a race since 2004. “He (Newey) wanted some shares that I didn’t want to give to him at the time,” Williams told F1 Racing magazine. “(That) was arguably, with hindsight, a mistake. Wheelchair-bound Williams, 69, also admitted that last year’s Cosworth powered car was not good enough, triggering a restructuring of the famous team and a switch to Renault engines. “It (the FW33) was deficient in most of the areas that matter, but we were completely lacking in the most important one of all, which is aero,” he said. “And probably a bit of horsepower. It just wasn’t a quick car.” But Williams admitted that there is one element his team will continue to lack in 2012. “There’s only one of him,” he said, referring to Newey. “Adrian is quite a remarkable individual.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

ET ADRIAN NEWEY GO

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FOR THE RECORD BERNIE ECCLESTONE

BERNIE ECCLESTONE: I’D LIKE TO SEE SCHUMA

Vet

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ACHER IN A RED BULL

ccording to Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Michael Schumacher can be a winner with Mercedes this season but ideally he would be alongside double world champion Sebastian ttel in the Red Bull team.

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FOR THE RECORD BERNIE ECCLESTONE Schumacher, the 43 year old seven-times world champion, is starting the third season of his comeback still chasing his first podium finish since he retired as a Ferrari driver in 2006. Vettel has during this time won the last two championships, taking 11 victories last season and wrapping up the title with four races to spare. Ecclestone said he did not want to see that domination again this year, when there will be an unprecedented six champions on the starting grid, and hoped Schumacher would come good. “It would be nice, wouldn’t it, if he did,” he told reporters after announcing a new commercial partnership. “I’d like to see him in a good car. I’d like to see him in the second Red Bull. I don’t think Sebastian would mind.” That would not please Mark Webber, Vettel’s current team mate, but Ecclestone said he had nothing against the popular Australian. “I’m just saying it would be nice to see him (Schumacher) in the car where you know that if he doesn’t win, it’s his fault and not the car’s.” Asked whether he felt the older German – who has looked in fine form in preseason testing – could still win, Ecclestone replied: “Yeah, sure.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

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FOR THE RECORD SEBASTIEN BUEMI

SEBASTIEN BUEMI: I AM AMAZED BY THE NE

xed Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi has revealed surprise and disappointment with his former team’s reaction, after it made a clean sweep of its 2011 driver lineup getting ready for 2012. The Swiss driver and his teammate Jaime Alguersuari were given their marching orders just before Christmas, leaving the aforementioned Spaniard without a role this season. Buemi has at least kept his F1 career alive with the Red Bull reserve role, but the 23-year-old has expressed disappointment with comments made recently by his former team boss Franz Tost. “Of course I would prefer to race for myself,” he told the Blick newspaper, “but maybe this new role is the opportunity of my life.” At the same time, he takes issue with Austrian Tost, who was appointed to head Red Bull’s rookie team Toro Rosso. He said recently: “We are talking about a double world championship-winning team (Red Bull), which means that drivers who get elevated there must have the ability to win races and championships. “And it was from that perspective that second thoughts set in when it came to Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari,” said Tost. Buemi responded: “After we were put out, Alguersuari and I said not a single bad word about Toro Rosso, we were always loyal. “So I am amazed that from the boss there [came] suddenly such negative comments.” 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

EGATIVE COMMENTS

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IN DEPTH ALAIN PROST

ALAIN PROST ON: SENNA MOVIE, WILLIAMSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DOWNFALL, MODERN F1

lain Prost speaks in depth about Formula 1 today and in the past in an interview with Russian website F1News, here are highlights of what he had to say.

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IN DEPTH ALAIN PROST

Prost revealed that he has no desire to see the highly-lauded feature film about his former nemesis Ayrton Senna. The awardwinning ‘Senna’ movie focuses strongly on legendary Senna’s on and off-track rivalry with Frenchman Prost, who was portrayed as the 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

politicking villain. “I haven’t seen it and I don’t want to see it. I definitely don’t agree with how they went about it. I spent a lot of time trying to explain to the makers that they are wrong,” said Prost who was known as ‘The Professor’ in his heyday.

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Prost conceded it will be difficult for the once-great Williams to return to the top in F1. The Frenchman won the last of his four world championships with the British team, which in 1993, was utterly dominant. But Williams has not won a single race since 2004, and last year

finished the constructorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; standings a woeful ninth, having scored only a handful of points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I talk often with Frank Williams, and this winter I even tried to help find him some sponsors, but failed. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult for them, as [once] you get yourself into financial 105

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IN DEPTH ALAIN PROST problems, it’s so hard to get out of them,” said Prost whose own team collapsed in 2001. The Frenchman was also asked about the late Ayrton’s nephew Bruno, who in 2012 will race for WilliamsRenault, a combination that in 1993 powered Prost to the last of his four titles. “Bruno is a great guy and I mean that sincerely. I cannot judge his ability as a driver, because it’s premature to talk about that, but he is a good person,” said Prost. He believes it is “absolutely impossible” for F1′s newest teams to ever break the dominance of the sport’s top five. He is referring to small privateers Caterham (formerly Lotus), Marussia (formerly Virgin) and HRT (formerly Hispania), who were enticed into formula one in 2010 following the departures of manufacturers Honda, BMW and Toyota. Prost was adamant; “I will say quite frankly that they cannot become competitive in today’s F1. It’s impossible”. They can make some progress, but – of course – you must immediately put the question ‘What goals do they pursue? To break into the top five with a new team like this in formula one – it is absolutely impossible.” The 57 year old has backed France’s touted return (in 2013) to the formula one calendar. Until recently, the four time world champion was involved in a project to bring the sport to Paris. “That’s a closed chapter. I really regret that, because – believe me – it was the best project I had seen in a long time.” admitted Prost. 29.02.2012 ISSUE 08

The latest proposal is for France’s Paul Ricard to share an annually alternating grand prix date with Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium’s fabled, and much loved circuit. “Obviously the best thing would be for 106

Fran prix adm this i why

In his F1 career which spanned 13 years, Prost notched up four world championship titles, 51 wins, and 106 podiums. During this period he drove for McLaren, Renault, Ferrari and Williams, winning races with all these teams. 107

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nce and Belgium to have their own grands each year. But unfortunately you have to mit that Europe is facing great difficulties, so if is the only way for the race to happen, then y not? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better than nothing,â&#x20AC;? said Prost.

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Estoril, Portugal, 21 September 1986

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Paul Ricard, France, 3 July 1988

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Estoril, Portugal, 25 September 1988

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 26 March 1989

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Suzuka, Japan, 21 October 1989

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Suzuka, Japan, 22 October 1989

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Suzuka, Japan, 22 October 1989

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Suzuka, Japan, 21 October 1990

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Suzuka, Japan, 21 October 1990

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Donington Park, England, 11 April 1993

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BIG PICTURE ALAIN PROST & AYRTON SENNA Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 28 August 1988

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