| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Friday, March 29th 2013, 13:10 GMT |
Lotus's chances of hanging on in the 2013 Formula 1 title battle depends on its financial resources, reckons Romain Grosjean.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 29th 2013, 17:29 GMT |
Williams might have been surprised by its early season struggles, but the team is upbeat that it does at least have some answers as to where it has gone wrong
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| By Edd Straw and Phillip Horton | Saturday, March 30th 2013, 15:03 GMT |
Charles Pic insists he has no regrets regarding his move from Marussia to Caterham
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Friday, March 29th 2013, 11:15 GMT |
Marussia believes Jules Bianchi is making the rest of the Formula 1 paddock sit up and take notice with his strong showings in his rookie season so far.
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Friday, March 29th 2013, 13:10 GMT |
Lotus's chances of hanging on in the 2013 Formula 1 title battle depends on its financial resources, reckons Romain Grosjean.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 29th 2013, 17:29 GMT |
Williams might have been surprised by its early season struggles, but the team is upbeat that it does at least have some answers as to where it has gone wrong
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Thursday, March 28th 2013, 12:42 GMT |
Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn believes Nico Hulkenberg's drive in the Malaysian Grand Prix was the kind of performance that shows the team was right to hire him
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| By Dieter Rencken and Sam Tremayne | Thursday, March 28th 2013, 12:58 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo believes Toro Rosso can make strides in performance simply by improving its understanding of the current car.
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| Thursday, March 28th 2013, 14:48 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel has apologised in person to Red Bull staff for ignoring team orders at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Wednesday, March 27th 2013, 11:57 GMT |
Fernando Alonso is still convinced he can start the European season in a stronger championship situation than last season, despite the blow of his early retirement in Malaysia.
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| By Matt Beer | Wednesday, March 27th 2013, 15:19 GMT |
Flavio Briatore insists Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has his utmost respect, despite his criticisms of Horner over the handling of the 'multi 21' team orders affair at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Wednesday, March 27th 2013, 16:51 GMT |
Romain Grosjean's efforts to become a more consistent and focused Formula 1 driver are paying off, according to his Lotus team boss Eric Boullier.
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| Tuesday, March 26th 2013, 11:33 GMT |
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull partnership cannot continue into 2014, reckons ex-Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore, who has been part of Webber's management throughout his F1 career
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 26th 2013, 12:40 GMT |
Felipe Massa believes he is on the brink of ending his long Formula 1 win drought given Ferrari's 2013 form and his improved mindset
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 26th 2013, 17:02 GMT |
Force India believes its Malaysian Grand Prix wheelnut issues hid just how competitive it was in the second round of the 2013 Formula 1 season
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 25th 2013, 12:32 GMT |
Ferrari says that Fernando Alonso is staying positive about his championship hopes following his retirement from the Malaysian Grand Prix.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 25th 2013, 14:52 GMT |
McLaren believes it has made some progress with its troublesome MP4-28, but it is under no illusions there is still plenty of work to do.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 25th 2013, 16:52 GMT |
Ross Brawn believes that instructing his drivers to hold position in the closing stages of the Malaysian Grand Prix was a no-brainer because both Mercedes cars were marginal on fuel.
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| Sunday, March 24th 2013, 15:25 GMT |
Malaysian GP race quotes: Williams
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 24th 2013, 15:31 GMT |
Malaysian GP race quotes: Marussia
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 24th 2013, 17:34 GMT |
Sunday press conference - Malaysia
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 24th 2013, 04:52 GMT |
Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that Lewis Hamilton pleaded with him last year to engineer a move to Red Bull
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, March 24th 2013, 05:05 GMT |
Pastor Maldonado will start the Malaysian Grand Prix with a new Renault engine
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| Sunday, March 24th 2013, 05:08 GMT |
The Brazilian Grand Prix could switch to Rio de Janeiro within the next three years, suggests Bernie Ecclestone
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, March 23rd 2013, 05:11 GMT |
Red Bull says it accepts McLaren's apology for the ECU problems that hit Mark Webber's car in Australia, although it suggests that glitches remain.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, March 23rd 2013, 05:52 GMT |
Formula 1 drivers will continue to be left without cockpit warning lights this weekend, following further problems with the FIA's telemetry system.
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Saturday, March 23rd 2013, 06:02 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel highlighted his position as favourite for pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix by going quickest in final practice at Sepang.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 22nd 2013, 03:47 GMT |
Sergio Perez insists McLaren's troubled start to the 2013 Formula 1 season is not making him regret joining the team
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 22nd 2013, 04:14 GMT |
Toto Wolff is to take on increased responsibilities at the Mercedes Formula 1 team, with CEO Nick Fry to leave his role
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 22nd 2013, 06:58 GMT |
McLaren is still seeking answers as to exactly what has gone wrong with its new car, as it continues to work on its problems.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, March 20th 2013, 15:54 GMT |
Felipe Massa says that he has started the 2013 season "ten times better" than the form he had one year ago
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, March 20th 2013, 17:41 GMT |
Lotus thinks there is scope for it to be even stronger in the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend than it was on its way to winning with Kimi Raikkonen in Australia
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, March 20th 2013, 17:27 GMT |
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is convinced his Formula 1 team is more on top of the tyre situation than it was last year, despite a repeat of problems in the Australian Grand Prix
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| Tuesday, March 19th 2013, 14:27 GMT |
Malaysia preview quotes: Force India
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Edd Straw | Tuesday, March 19th 2013, 14:42 GMT |
Ferrari chief designer Nikolas Tombazis has admitted that the changeover from using Toyota's Cologne windtunnel to its refitted one at Maranello will compromise work on its 2014 challenger.
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| By Edd Straw | Tuesday, March 19th 2013, 17:08 GMT |
Max Chilton believes that learning to minimise the time lost to blue flags is a priority after his Formula 1 debut in the Australian Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 18th 2013, 11:14 GMT |
Kimi Raikkonen is back to his very best, reckons Lotus team boss Eric Boullier
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 18th 2013, 13:38 GMT |
Red Bull says there are no grounds for concern about its form in the Australian Grand Prix even though it failed to convert a front row lockout into a victory
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 18th 2013, 16:25 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton is convinced that Mercedes learned lessons in the Australian Grand Prix that will give it a much stronger race performance in Malaysia this weekend.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Sunday, March 17th 2013, 11:27 GMT |
Adrian Sutil said he was amazed he could stay in the lead of the Australian Grand Prix, his first race since spending 2012 on the sidelines
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| Sunday, March 17th 2013, 11:28 GMT |
Australia race quotes: Ferrari
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 17th 2013, 11:31 GMT |
Post-race press conference - Australian GP
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 17th 2013, 02:17 GMT |
Australia qualifying quotes: Pirelli
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, March 17th 2013, 02:24 GMT |
Australia qualifying quotes: Lotus
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, March 17th 2013, 03:41 GMT |
Adrian Sutil has been given a reprimand for driving unnecessarily slowly in the pits during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
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| By David Evans | Friday, March 15th 2013, 13:18 GMT |
Citroen driver Robert Kubica has admitted he would "give all his money" to return to Formula 1 racing.
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 16th 2013, 03:06 GMT |
Formula 1 drivers will be left without in-cockpit warning lights in the Australian Grand Prix because of a telemetry problem.
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Saturday, March 16th 2013, 04:01 GMT |
Romain Grosjean put Lotus on top of the times in final practice for the Australian Grand Prix as the rain hit the Albert Park circuit and Sebastian Vettel hit trouble.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 15th 2013, 05:13 GMT |
Uncertainty about the implications of Formula 1's aggressive new Pirelli tyres on qualifying and the race, rather than questions about the competitive order, are dominating teams' thoughts in Australia
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 15th 2013, 05:34 GMT |
McLaren has admitted that it is not in the position it wants to be for the Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix
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| By Matt Beer | Friday, March 15th 2013, 07:02 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel was quickest again in the second Friday practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, this time leading team-mate Mark Webber in a Red Bull one-two.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, March 14th 2013, 05:30 GMT |
McLaren's long-running title sponsorship deal with Vodafone will end later this year
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| By Matt Beer | Thursday, March 14th 2013, 05:50 GMT |
Marussia has recruited Rodolfo Gonzalez as its reserve driver for the 2013 Formula 1 season
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Thursday, March 14th 2013, 06:34 GMT |
Fernando Alonso believes there is nothing to choose between Formula 1's top five teams going into this weekend's season-opener in Melbourne, and reckons the quintet will be comfortably clear of the rest of the pack
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| By Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 12th 2013, 11:02 GMT |
Marussia starts the 2013 Formula 1 season in its best ever shape, reckons team boss John Booth, despite its turbulent winter of driver shuffling
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 12th 2013, 11:57 GMT |
Formula 1 risks triggering an 'insane money war' over its top technical talent, according to Lotus team boss Eric Boullier
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| Tuesday, March 12th 2013, 15:40 GMT |
Australia preview quotes: Marussia
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Kevin Turner and Matt Beer | Monday, March 11th 2013, 14:58 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo believes Toro Rosso still needs time to find the sweet spot with its 2013 Formula 1 car.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Monday, March 11th 2013, 16:25 GMT |
Pastor Maldonado was a new man in the final Formula 1 races of 2012 and can put his wild reputation behind him, reckons Williams technical chief Mike Coughlan.
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Monday, March 11th 2013, 17:14 GMT |
McLaren cannot be comfortable about its reliability going into the 2013 Formula 1 season, admits team boss Martin Whitmarsh, but it has no qualms about prioritising its new car's pace.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Aleksandra Jurczak | Friday, March 8th 2013, 17:37 GMT |
Williams rookie Valtteri Bottas admits he feels fortunate to have been able to secure a Formula 1 seat primarily on the grounds of talent
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Saturday, March 9th 2013, 12:46 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes allows him to focus on his driving more than his previous Formula 1 team McLaren
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, March 10th 2013, 15:15 GMT |
Fernando Alonso thinks Ferrari is going to have push flat-out on its 2013 car for the whole of this season, rather than have the luxury of being able to devote ever-more resources to next year's Formula 1 challenger
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Friday, March 8th 2013, 14:39 GMT |
Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, has confirmed this year's calendar will have 19 races after efforts to get the 20th event back failed
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| By Jonathan Noble and Aleksandra Jurczak | Friday, March 8th 2013, 17:37 GMT |
Williams rookie Valtteri Bottas admits he feels fortunate to have been able to secure a Formula 1 seat primarily on the grounds of talent
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Saturday, March 9th 2013, 12:46 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes allows him to focus on his driving more than his previous Formula 1 team McLaren
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Friday, March 8th 2013, 14:39 GMT |
Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, has confirmed this year's calendar will have 19 races after efforts to get the 20th event back failed
You have viewed over 30 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| Friday, March 8th 2013, 14:06 GMT |
Australian GP preview quotes: Sauber
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble and Aleksandra Jurczak | Friday, March 8th 2013, 17:37 GMT |
Williams rookie Valtteri Bottas admits he feels fortunate to have been able to secure a Formula 1 seat primarily on the grounds of talent
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, March 7th 2013, 11:05 GMT |
Ferrari believes just a podium finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix will ratify that it is in the 2013 Formula 1 championship hunt
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, March 7th 2013, 11:35 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel believes that Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have 'dangerous' potential ahead of the new Formula 1 season
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| Thursday, March 7th 2013, 13:00 GMT |
Renault believes it has not got the credit it deserves for its recent title successes with Red Bull.
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| Wednesday, March 6th 2013, 10:52 GMT |
Le Mans winner and former Formula 1 driver Allan McNish will be part of BBC Radio 5 Live's commentary team for the 2013 Formula 1 season
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| By Kevin Turner | Wednesday, March 6th 2013, 12:36 GMT |
Esteban Gutierrez says he wants to build his confidence in his maiden Formula 1 race in Australia later this month rather than pushing for a star debut
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Wednesday, March 6th 2013, 15:52 GMT |
Sergio Perez says winter testing with McLaren has convinced him that it is realistic to have lofty ambitions for his maiden Formula 1 campaign with a top team
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| By Kevin Turner and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 5th 2013, 13:00 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo says he could not be satisfied with another year near the foot of the Formula 1 midfield now he is starting his second full season
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 5th 2013, 16:09 GMT |
Lotus team boss Eric Boullier is confident his squad will out-last many of its current Formula 1 rivals even though owner Genii is still looking for a partner
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, March 5th 2013, 17:51 GMT |
Williams duo Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas are confident that they have the car needed to challenge near the front in Formula 1 this season given the team's winter improvement
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 4th 2013, 14:07 GMT |
Ferrari duo Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa insist they are not worried that Red Bull has emerged from winter testing as the team to beat.
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| By Kevin Turner | Monday, March 4th 2013, 18:13 GMT |
Marussia's new signing Jules Bianchi believes the team has improved more than most of its Formula 1 rivals over the winter
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 4th 2013, 13:10 GMT |
Fernando Alonso has warned his rivals that he is in even better shape than he was last season, as he sets his sights on delivering his first Ferrari world championship
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, March 3rd 2013, 17:51 GMT |
Ferrari is predicting some 'shocks' at the Australian Grand Prix, with tyre uncertainty clouding the Formula 1 pecking order
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| By Jamie O'Leary and Matt Beer | Sunday, March 3rd 2013, 16:56 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel admitted he was disappointed with Red Bull's final days of 2013 Formula 1 testing, but said tyres were such a big factor it was hard to know how to feel about the car itself
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| By Jamie O'Leary | Sunday, March 3rd 2013, 17:59 GMT |
Kimi Raikkonen has no concerns over the reliability of his Lotus, despite losing a large chunk of the final day of Formula 1 testing at Barcelona to a gearbox problem
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, March 2nd 2013, 18:08 GMT |
Lotus expects Kimi Raikkonen to return to action for the final day of the Barcelona test, after being unable to run on Saturday because of food poisoning.
The Enstone-based outfit was forced to fly Romain Grosjean in from Paris to try and complete its test programme after Raikkonen was struck down overnight with illness.
Although a final decision about Raikkonen's fitness will be made on Sunday morning, team principal Eric Boullier said that the indication was that everything would be okay.
"He is feeling better," said Boullier, when asked by AUTOSPORT about Raikkonen's condition.
"I think he is missing driving obviously. He has confirmed he wants to drive tomorrow. He feels ready to drive tomorrow, so I am going to wait for the final assessment from our doctor. But I think he is going to be okay."
Grosjean, who will remain in Barcelona until tomorrow just in case Raikkonen is not fit enough to drive on Sunday, revealed that he only found out that he needed to return to the track when he woke up in Paris.
"I was a bit lazy this morning," explained the Frenchman. "I was supposed to wake up between 9.30am and 10am to do personal stuff in Paris, but I woke up earlier at 8.30am.
"I switched on the mobile phone and I had a message from Alan [Permane, Lotus director of race engineering], and he said, 'can you call me back because Kimi is not well? We would appreciate it if you could make it to Barcelona.'
"I called him back and said, 'we will try the easiest solution to bring me here'. It wasn't easy because basically it is Saturday and there are not thousands of flights. So I am happy to be here. I got here at 1.50pm and jumped in car and had a few laps."
| By Jamie O'Leary | Saturday, March 2nd 2013, 18:50 GMT |
Davide Valsecchi's brief run-out for Lotus on the third day of Barcelona testing was enough to convince the GP2 champion that he is already quick enough to compete for top-six finishes in Formula 1.
The Lotus reserve driver was told only 15 minutes before the session was due to get underway that he would be standing in for Kimi Raikkonen, who was too unwell to drive.
He completed fewer laps than anybody else during the morning - 16 – and set the ninth fastest time. He was not helped when his E21 was halted by a minor technical glitch that also caused a red flag.
The Italian then handed the car over to Romain Grosjean, who had returned from Paris during the morning, for the remainder of the day.
"It was nice to drive and to do some laps, even if really I only did seven laps that were not coming into the box," he said. "It's a good thing to get some time in the car.
"Here at Lotus the drivers will be fighting for podiums, so I should be strong enough to fight for the top five or six.
"I think right now, if Kimi could finish third in Australia, then I could finish sixth.
"I would like to be strong enough to fight for victories in Formula 1 and I don't see why I can't be fast enough. When I am there, I'm sure I'll get my opportunity."
Valsecchi admitted that his preparation for taking over Raikkonen's car had been far from ideal.
"This morning I found out I was driving at 08:45, which was great," he said.
"The problem is that all my stuff is in Australia, so I used all of Raikkonen's equipment; seat, overalls, shoes... Everything except the underwear, which wasn't there.
"It wasn't so much of a problem. When they told me 'you have to use Raikkonen's seat', I just thought 'it's the seat of an ex-world champion, so it will be fast'."
Valsecchi confirmed that his next scheduled outing for the team would be in a two-year-old Renault, equipped with 2013-spec tyres and engine.
The test is due to take place at Paul Ricard on April 1-3.
AUTOSPORT special testing coverage:
Gallery Testing blog Technical blog Live commentary
| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Saturday, March 2nd 2013, 18:57 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton believes his Mercedes team will be in a position to win this year, despite downplaying rapidly rising expectations after posting the quickest time in testing at Barcelona on Saturday.
The Briton recorded the fastest time at the Spanish circuit so far this year, finishing the day more than seven tenths of a second clear of his closest rival, Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
Although Hamilton has said in the past that he was not expecting to win a race this season, his car's form in testing has led to a change of mind, and he thinks that at some point a victory is now on the cards.
"I think we definitely will be able to win a race at some point during the season," said Hamilton.
"I hope we can, at least, but when that will be, who knows?"
He insisted, however, that there was no reason to get carried away about even loftier ambitions based on today's performance.
"I don't think it's anything you need to be impressed with really," he said of today's time.
"I think everyone's doing their own programmes and everyone's on different fuel loads so it's just another testing day for us."
He added: "I think it's important to bring everyone back down to Earth and realise that we've still got a lot of work to do.
"But Mercedes are doing a great job, both in the engine department and also with the car, it's obviously a lot better than it was last year."
AUTOSPORT special testing coverage:
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| By Kevin Turner | Friday, March 1st 2013, 19:08 GMT |
Sauber drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez believe the C32 is not yet working well on the 2013-specification intermediate tyres.
Although the car has shown promising dry-weather pace, it has not been so strong in the mixed conditions that have been a feature of testing.
F1 rookie Gutierrez believes using the Pirelli intermediates is the C32's current weakness.
"We did work on the set-up considering we are struggling a little bit with the intermediate tyres," he said after the first day of the final Barcelona pre-season test.
"We did our best and I think it was a very useful time to work on that, but that is our weak point. We are just struggling to make temperature in the tyres."
The more experienced Hulkenberg, who took over on day two, played down the issue, but did concede there was work to be done.
"I think the [low track] temperature plays a role into that as well," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT about the problem.
"I didn't really do a timed lap on the full wets [for comparison] - I felt at no point was it wet enough to put them on - but the intermediate needs some work.
"We need to understand and get it going."
Hulkenberg also confirmed that the C32's Melbourne specification would be determined on day three at Barcelona.
"From then onwards we will pretty much know the [Melbourne] spec," he added.
"There's always room for improvement everywhere. As I have said before, I think we can still work on the low-speed performance."
| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 1st 2013, 20:00 GMT |
Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes will not suffer a repeat of turning a promising winter test programme into disappointment this year.
Last year, the team headed to Melbourne positive about its Formula 1 chances after some confidence-inspiring running in pre-season testing.
But problems with the tyres and reliability left it struggling to score points in the opening two races before its victory in China.
Rosberg thinks the team has had just as good a winter this time around, but believes it is better placed to capitalise on it when the season kicks off in Melbourne in a fortnight's time.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if he was as pleased with how things were going as he was last year, he said: "Unfortunately, yes!
"Because we did have a very decent end to the winter season testing last year but then it didn't go quite so well at the first two races. Quite badly actually. But I am confident we can do a bit better."
He added: "We are pleased in general. It has been a good winter. We've gone through the whole winter, but I don't want to speak about any performance level, or where I think I am or where others are.
"It is just not possible to know at the moment really. I think the way you can describe our winter is 'pleased' and that is it."
Although Rosberg says there are still items he wants to tick off on the final day of testing on Sunday, he has no complaints about the way things are going.
"I look forward to the last day and making the most of that, as testing is quite limited," he said. "We are never going to be happy that everything is done because that is nearly impossible in this limited time of testing, but it is good.
"I have got through everything that has been important for me. We are on top of all our main reliability issues now, and have really improved a lot there."
| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, March 1st 2013, 20:43 GMT |
A 'shocked' Luiz Razia told AUTOSPORT he will not give up on securing his Formula 1 dream, despite losing his Marussia drive because of a sponsor problem.
Less than a month after he was announced by the team for 2013, Razia had his contract with the Banbury-based team terminated on Friday after a sponsor failed to keep up with its payment schedule.
Razia did everything he could to try and keep his deal alive but in the end events conspired against him, with Marussia opting to sign Jules Bianchi instead.
In his first interview since finding out that he was being replaced at Marussia, Razia said the late disappointment was gutting but ultimately made him even more determined to secure his place on the grid.
"I'm in a kind of shock, because you expect to be in F1, you are there, announced, testing, and then you are out - and not because of a driver fault," he told AUTOSPORT.
"I did everything right in what I could do, but it was really just a circumstantial thing that happened, and that was it.
"But I still am here. My career is still shining and I can overcome this difficult situation. It is just something that has happened to me. Sometimes life does this to you.
"My main goal is to be in F1, so all my effort is there. I am now without any grounds, but I will go with my family, and we will be sad for a while, but I will get back to the category.
"I was there two weeks ago, and I didn't feel I shouldn't be there for this season."
No anger towards Marussia
Razia said he was not upset with Marussia over what happened as he fully understands the difficulties the outfit would have faced if it did not secure much-needed sponsorship funds.
"I could be angry. I could be very selfish, but I am not. I am really tolerant with these things.
"I understand the position of Marussia and I like the team. They treated me very nicely there and, to be honest, they were trying to sort out the situation for me.
"They chose me because they wanted me there in the first place, so there are no hard feelings.
"It is also fair to say that Bianchi had a difficult situation and, to be honest, he deserved the drive."
Razia believes there will be opportunities for him in the future and he has not ruled out securing a role with an F1 team for 2013.
"I don't want to lose this opportunity, as I hate losing more than I love winning," he said.
"I need to find a situation where I am going to be feel competitive, where I can overcome this and get back in the car as soon as possible.
"I will see what is best for me now and put together what I need to be in F1. For now, I just need to regroup my thoughts."
| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, February 28th 2013, 19:13 GMT |
Williams has opted to abandon the controversial exhaust vane that featured on its launch car, following the FIA's ruling that it felt the design was illegal.
The FW35 had appeared at last week's Barcelona test with a two-part vane inside the Coanda tunnel, which was designed to help channel exhaust gases down to the crucial floor area of the car.
Although Williams was adamant that it felt its concept was allowed by the regulations, an inspection by the FIA of its car - as well as the Caterham that originally had a single flap at the exhaust - ruled differently.
Williams said it would evaluate the situation after last week's Barcelona test before deciding what to do for the first race.
A decision has subsequently been made to abandon the idea, with the Williams running without the vane during Thursday's opening day of testing.
When asked by AUTOSPORT about whether or not the change would be permanent, Williams chief race engineer Xevi Pujolar said: "Yeah, we have made some modifications and now it is finished. We have changed it and that is it."
| By Kevin Turner and Pablo Elizalde | Thursday, February 28th 2013, 19:22 GMT |
Jean-Eric Vergne believes Toro Rosso has made significant progress after introducing new updates at Formula 1's final winter test.
The Faenza-based squad introduced the tweaks on the first day at Barcelona and, despite the poor weather conditions, the Frenchman said he could immediately feel the difference.
Vergne completed 59 laps on his way to the third quickest time of the day.
"We have new upgrades here [and] we are really happy," Vergne said.
"There were many things we wanted to test and we could follow the programme quite well despite the bad conditions.
"In the wet I think we were looking competitive. In the dry at the end of the day it was looking more or less OK.
"It was only four laps so it was quite tricky to have a good feeling, but just in those laps it gave me good feedback."
The Toro Rosso driver refused to go into details about the upgrades, but said there were "little things to come" over the rest of the test.
Vergne admitted, however, that it was still too early to judge where Toro Rosso is in the pecking order.
"It's impossible to say [where we are]," he said. "You never know what fuel the other guys are on.
"The only thing I know is that we have a better car. I prefer to wait until Melbourne qualifying to say anything more."
| By Jamie O'Leary and Sam Tremayne | Thursday, February 28th 2013, 20:27 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton says he prayed Adrian Sutil would win a return to Formula 1 in 2013.
The German lost his place on the F1 grid at the end of the 2011 season. That year Sutil was also involved in a nightclub fracas for which he later received an 18-month suspended sentence.
Hamilton had been present at the club on the night of Sutil's transgression, but did not appear in court to testify.
The Briton said he has tried to get in touch with Sutil, who he knows well after their time as team-mates in Formula 3, since the incident and had emailed him while travelling to Barcelona to congratulate him for winning a return to the sport.
"I've emailed him several times," Hamilton said.
"A while ago when I heard there was a potential that he would get the seat I said I would pray for him, that I really hoped he gets it, that he deserves it [and that] I hope to see him back in F1.
"And then I emailed him on the way here as soon as I found out and said congratulations, I'm really happy for him."
Hamilton said he was yet to talk to Sutil but would welcome the opportunity to do so.
"I haven't heard back from him but I'm sure at some stage we will get to talk," he added.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him; I haven't seen him for a while.
"I think it's a great opportunity for him, I really wish him all the best for the year.
"I [left a message saying] 'I hope you go out and prove to everyone that they made the right decision'."
