| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 26th 2013, 12:03 GMT |
Ferrari has singled out improved qualifying pace as a 'priority' as it bids to make up lost ground in the championship battle.
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| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Friday, April 26th 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Force India is under no illusions about the task it faces to keep rival McLaren behind in the championship standings this year
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| By Charles Bradley and Glenn Freeman | Sunday, April 28th 2013, 08:04 GMT |
Robert Kubica has confirmed to AUTOSPORT that he has driven in the Mercedes Formula 1 simulator.
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| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Friday, April 26th 2013, 10:19 GMT |
Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says the team will keep a close eye on Esteban Gutierrez's performances after a a difficult start to the year, although she concedes is too early to judge the Mexican.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 26th 2013, 12:03 GMT |
Ferrari has singled out improved qualifying pace as a 'priority' as it bids to make up lost ground in the championship battle.
You have viewed over 30 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Friday, April 26th 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Force India is under no illusions about the task it faces to keep rival McLaren behind in the championship standings this year
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| By Jonathan Noble and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 11:41 GMT |
Nico Hulkenberg is still convinced that Sauber's 2013 car has the potential to be a regular top-10 runner and that his switch into the squad has not been futile
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| Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 12:13 GMT |
Mercedes will have switched more than half its workforce on to its 2014 Formula 1 car by May, says the firm's motorsport boss Toto Wolff
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 15:00 GMT |
Mark Webber says he is happy with his own performances despite his disappointing points tally and will bring himself back into contention once Formula 1 returns to Europe
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 11:24 GMT |
Lotus believes that unlocking a better understanding of Pirelli's medium compound tyre is key to helping Kimi Raikkonen deliver the grid positions he needs to win more races
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 14:09 GMT |
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh will continue to resist calls from his outfit to switch efforts to its 2014 car, even though this year's title hopes are slipping away
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 15:26 GMT |
Pirelli wants to have a more detailed look at the damaged tyre from Lewis Hamilton's car in Bahrain, amid suspicions its failure in practice may not have been down to debris
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 14:11 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton believes that the cooler conditions of upcoming races in Europe will suit Mercedes, after the team struggled to look after its tyres in the Bahrain Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 15:12 GMT |
Jenson Button and Sergio Perez have settled their differences over their Bahrain Grand Prix duel in a behind closed doors meeting with senior team management, AUTOSPORT has learned.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 15:24 GMT |
Q & A: McLaren on driver rivalry
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, April 21st 2013, 18:41 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Ferrari race quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Sunday, April 21st 2013, 18:45 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Marussia race quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Craig Scarborough | Sunday, April 21st 2013, 19:31 GMT |
Ferrari suffered an unusual problem with Fernando Alonso's car in the Bahrain Grand Prix, when the rear wing flap became stuck open when the Drag Reduction System (DRS) was used early in the race
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, April 20th 2013, 16:27 GMT |
Paul di Resta believes Force India can repeat its strong performance from last year's Bahrain Grand Prix in this year's race
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Saturday, April 20th 2013, 16:32 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton said the pace of his Mercedes slipped back in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying after good progress was made in final practice
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| Saturday, April 20th 2013, 16:42 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Marussia qualifying quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Friday, April 19th 2013, 15:34 GMT |
Ferrari and Lotus insist they cannot be confident about their Bahrain Grand Prix race prospects despite emerging as early favourites by the end of Friday practice.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 19th 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Pirelli will decide next week whether or not any changes are needed to its compounds for this year, but warned its critics that any changes are likely to be minimal.
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| Friday, April 19th 2013, 16:52 GMT |
Friday's press conference - Bahrain
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, April 18th 2013, 16:07 GMT |
Sergio Perez is amazed that he has faced a barrage of criticism after his poor Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Thursday, April 18th 2013, 15:35 GMT |
Formula 1's 2013 format is delivering great entertainment for fans, reckon Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button, so drivers just have to adapt to it.
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| Thursday, April 18th 2013, 15:54 GMT |
Thursday's press conference - Bahrain
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Edd Straw | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 09:47 GMT |
Force India has no concerns about returning to Bahrain this year even though a van carrying its personnel was caught up in a petrol bomb incident last year
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 14:02 GMT |
McLaren admits that its Spanish Grand Prix update package "has to deliver" after Jenson Button had to use an alternative strategy to finish fifth in China last weekend.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 15:52 GMT |
Sauber believes it still has a lot to do to get on top of the struggles it has had with its 2013 car so far this season.
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| Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 16:21 GMT |
Bahrain preview quotes: Force India
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 16:41 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 16:44 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Red Bull preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 15th 2013, 11:58 GMT |
McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh says Sergio Perez knows he needs to up his game this season, and he has urged the Mexican to be tougher on track
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| By Edd Straw | Monday, April 15th 2013, 14:26 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo believes that he must use his career-best seventh-place in the Chinese Grand Prix as a foundation for more consistent results.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 15th 2013, 16:06 GMT |
Lotus insists it is not worried that Red Bull may try to lure Kimi Raikkonen away next year.
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| By Sam Tremayne | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 13:18 GMT |
Felipe Massa admits he does not fully understand his loss of pace mid-way through the Chinese Grand Prix.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 14:09 GMT |
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has furiously dismissed suggestions of a conspiracy against Mark Webber on the back of a nightmare weekend at Shanghai for the Australian
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 19:52 GMT |
Formula 1 teams running rookie drivers during Friday morning practice are set to get an extra set of tyres from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards
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| By Craig Scarborough | Saturday, April 13th 2013, 19:02 GMT |
Red Bull has suffered another weekend of grid penalties as result of refuelling errors in China, with Mark Webber dropped to the back of the grid after stopping out on the circuit during qualifying
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 04:02 GMT |
Mark Webber will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the pitlane after his Red Bull team elected to change his gearbox and make other set-up modifications
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 06:59 GMT |
Force India is seeking clarification from the FIA about whether or not physios should be included in Formula 1's staff number limits.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, April 13th 2013, 05:37 GMT |
Formula 1 drivers are to face the 'long walk' in the paddock after Bernie Ecclestone green-lighted plans for a motorhome mix-up.
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| By Matt Beer | Saturday, April 13th 2013, 06:54 GMT |
Mark Webber fears he will have to start at the back of the Chinese Grand Prix grid after a fuel pressure issue halted his Red Bull in Q2.
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| By Matt Beer | Saturday, April 13th 2013, 07:02 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Mercedes in a Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session dominated by tyre strategy.
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| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Thursday, April 11th 2013, 16:00 GMT |
Fernando Alonso has laughed off suggestions that Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa has the upper hand in qualifying now.
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| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 12th 2013, 03:30 GMT |
Nico Rosberg led team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two in opening Chinese Grand Prix, as the squad returned to the scene of its first modern-era Formula 1 victory one year ago
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, April 12th 2013, 05:41 GMT |
Sergio Perez's crash in the pit entry after the chequered flag in Friday morning practice for the Chinese Grand Prix was caused by a loss of front tyre temperature, according to McLaren sporting director Sam Michael
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 10th 2013, 09:04 GMT |
Formula 1 heads to China this weekend for the resumption of a fascinating on-track battle, but all eyes will instead be on the off-circuit relationship between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 10th 2013, 13:00 GMT |
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has played down talk that development of new ultra-sophisticated suspension systems could lead to a spending war in Formula 1.
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| Wednesday, April 10th 2013, 19:17 GMT |
A bullish Sebastian Vettel says he is unhappy that the 'multi 21' team orders row overshadowed Red Bull's Malaysian Grand Prix one-two, and believes it is time to move on from the controversy
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| By Sam Tremayne | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 11:42 GMT |
McLaren admits it is under pressure to provide a car that Jenson Button and Sergio Perez both merit
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| By Glenn Freeman | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 11:54 GMT |
Antonio Felix da Costa will stand in for Sebastien Buemi as Red Bull's Formula 1 reserve driver at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix
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| Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 12:04 GMT |
Felipe Massa has no doubt that Ferrari is part of a multi-team 2013 Formula 1 title fight despite having not won a race so far this season
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| Monday, April 8th 2013, 15:04 GMT |
China preview quotes: Williams
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Pablo Elizalde | Monday, April 8th 2013, 15:27 GMT |
Williams is pinning its hopes of turning its fortunes around early in the season with a big upgrade package that will be introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix
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| Monday, April 8th 2013, 15:52 GMT |
China preview quotes: Marussia
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:20 GMT |
Chinese GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:35 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes he has barely shown a hint of what he can do in the 2013 Formula 1 season so far.
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| Friday, April 5th 2013, 13:04 GMT |
Chinese GP: Sauber preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:20 GMT |
Chinese GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:35 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes he has barely shown a hint of what he can do in the 2013 Formula 1 season so far.
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| Friday, April 5th 2013, 13:04 GMT |
Chinese GP: Sauber preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:20 GMT |
Chinese GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:35 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes he has barely shown a hint of what he can do in the 2013 Formula 1 season so far.
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| Friday, April 5th 2013, 13:04 GMT |
Chinese GP: Sauber preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Thursday, April 4th 2013, 10:13 GMT |
Force India will have to compromise either its late-2013 performance or next year's car, reckons Paul di Resta, as he does not think his team can sustain dual development programmes.
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| By Edd Straw | Thursday, April 4th 2013, 12:14 GMT |
Formula 1 teams are set to hold an extra pre-season test in 2014 to allow more track running for the new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines.
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| By Edd Straw | Thursday, April 4th 2013, 13:11 GMT |
Jules Bianchi suspects that it won't be until the Spanish Grand Prix that he is able to show his full potential.
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| By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 11:37 GMT |
Esteban Gutierrez will not need long to prove that he earned his Formula 1 place on merit and does not deserve the 'pay driver' label, insists Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn
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| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 14:14 GMT |
Lotus team boss Eric Boullier believes his team's Malaysian Grand Prix performance was an aberration and that it can return to challenging for victory from China onwards
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| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 15:40 GMT |
Giedo van der Garde is optimistic that Caterham can regain supremacy in its back-of-the-grid battle with Formula 1 rival Marussia
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| By Edd Straw | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 10:22 GMT |
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has warned engines must not become the overwhelming performance differentiator when the new Formula 1 regulations kick in next year.
In 2014 F1 will switch to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 powerplants, with Force India continuing to use engines supplied by Mercedes.
But with the spread of performance relatively tight in recent years, during which the FIA has had a policy of occasionally allowing manufacturers to make changes to their frozen-specification engines for performance reasons, Fernley says the sport must ensure this relative parity is not lost.
"Yes, it is," Fernley told AUTOSPORT when asked if it is important for F1 to maintain this equilibrium of engines.
"It mustn't be like it was in the past when the engine differentiators were overwhelming. It would be a shame if we got there."
Force India has thrived under the current regulations, climbing from the bottom of the constructors' championship to be an ever-present in the top seven in the standings during the past three years.
But despite being keen that engines do not become too big a performance differentiator, Fernley accepts that it is important for the manufacturers to be allowed to play a bigger part in what happens on track.
"We have to take into consideration what the engine manufacturers want to do," he said.
"They are sinking an awful lot of money into the development of these engines and we have to listen to them to.
"There's a bit more scope than we have now, but overall it [engine performance] shouldn't be too big a differentiator."
Discussions are ongoing as to how engine homologation will be approached in F1 from 2014, with the sporting regulations yet to be published.
While the principle of having some form of homologation is accepted, the exact form that it will take is yet to be finalised.
AUTOSPORT SAYS
F1 editor Edd Straw
F1's engine freeze, combined with the reduction in costs of supply deals for customer teams, has created a level playing field in F1 that has made it easier for medium and small teams to compete.
There was a time when smaller teams would run engines that were a step, or multiple steps, behind the works operations. In some cases, minnows would even run at a bhp-deficit measured in three figures.
Under those circumstances, it was impossible for them to be anything other than back-of-the-grid fodder irrespective of how good their cars were.
This limited the benefit of even having a good car, hence the feeling that some outfits were simply treading water rather than seriously going racing.
There's no doubt that the 2014 season will be all about engine performance and it's unlikely that Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes will all come out with units that are as evenly-matched on performance as the long-in-the-tooth 2.4-litre V8s are.
While the performance of engines - or "power units" as they should more correctly but less intuitively be called given the green technology that is included - will be equal across those using the same manufacturer, there is a risk that one or two groups of teams will be at a major disadvantage.
What the sport must avoid is a situation where teams, some of which are already dancing around the edge of a financial precipice, have no chance thanks to the misfortune of choosing the 'wrong' engine supplier and have that weakness locked in by homologation rules.
| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 11:09 GMT |
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned that his team must keep its feet firmly on the ground despite admitting its strong start to the season has raised expectations.
The Brackley-based squad has bounced back from a poor end to the 2012 season to become Red Bull's closest challenger in the Malaysian Grand Prix last week.
Lewis Hamilton finished in third position behind the Red Bulls at Sepang, and afterwards declared that Mercedes is now Formula 1's second strongest outfit.
Wolff admitted that Mercedes's early form has inevitably raised hopes for the season, but insisted it was crucial to continue working without getting carried away.
"Of course," said Wolff when asked by AUTOSPORT if expectations had been raised after the first two races of the season.
"I was not so unhappy that we did not make it on pole because imagine how much the expectation would have been for the race.
"We had a good solid race, the world champion has still shown us that there is lots to do, and that we should switch our lights off later than the others in the offices.
"The expectations are there, but we must not let ourselves be carried away."
Wolff conceded, however, that the step forward taken by Mercedes was exactly what he had wished for.
"This is what I hoped for; this is where the team should be," he said.
"Being among the top teams, and winning a world championship, you need to put it all together," he said.
"I am happy [that] in the second race we have been consolidating that position, but it is about keeping working, keeping developing and looking forward. That race is already forgotten."
| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 15:50 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas admits both he and Williams are frustrated by the team's poor form in the 2013 Formula 1 world championship so far.
The Grove-based squad approached the season certain it had taken a step forward compared to 2012, during which its car proved fast enough to win in Spain.
But neither Bottas nor Pastor Maldonado managed to break into Q3 or the points in the Australian or Malaysian Grands Prix.
Maldonado has retired twice, with Bottas's 11th place at Sepang remains the team's best result.
Bottas admits that he was expecting to challenge for stronger results.
"Of course I was hoping to fight for better positions," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT if he was frustrated.
"The goal is to get higher and be consistently in the points.
"It's what the team was hoping for and what I'm hoping for so of course it's a bit disappointing.
"It is how it is now, we just need to get back there.
"We're understanding more all the time. We need more time but we will get there."
Bottas insists he is convinced of the potential of the Williams FW35 despite the lacklustre start to the campaign.
The team recently said it suspected the exhaust area was the biggest weakness of the car.
"It's a different car, [and] some things were better in the [2012] car," Bottas said.
"We have more potential to do better in this car though. It's not easy but we're learning more and more.
"The goal for this year is to improve the position from last year so we need to get working."
| By Matt Beer | Monday, April 1st 2013, 10:24 GMT |
Pirelli says it will wait until after the Bahrain Grand Prix before reviewing whether its 2013 Formula 1 tyres are forcing drivers to be too conservative.
F1's tyre supplier has been committed to delivering exciting racing and strategic intrigue since it took over from Bridgestone for 2011, and has ramped up its efforts again this year.
Both Red Bull and Mercedes cited the need to conserve the fragile tyres as the key factor in their team orders at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
That led to suggestions that Pirelli's high-degradation tyres were stifling the action rather than improving it.
Has Pirelli gone too far this year?
Asked for his view on this, Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery suggested the team issues skewed the picture, but said he was open to reviewing the rubber if low-key race finales became a pattern.
"I think we have to be happy," he said. "The two leading teams clearly had issues between the drivers, that maybe took away from what would have been an interesting finale.
"As for wheel to wheel stuff... it is something we will have to review after four races. It is still very early days."
Hembery still believes that the majority of the paddock is happy and Red Bull's criticisms are an exception.
"If the whole paddock is saying something then that is a bit different," he said.
"You have to do something and make a change and do something different, but if it is isolated and you work out why their concerns are coming forth, because it is not what they say on the surface it is something deeper than that, and you try and work it out.
"We think we know what it was and what it is, but if you go away and do things for one team you will have the whole paddock in uproar."
| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Monday, April 1st 2013, 13:58 GMT |
Force India has been vindicated in its decision to devote so much of its pre-season preparation to tyre work, reckons Paul di Resta.
The team did not stand out during the winter, but has begun the 2013 Formula 1 season as the fifth-quickest, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes.
Although Force India's Malaysian Grand Prix was wrecked by a wheelnut issue, it led in Melbourne with Adrian Sutil and has been a consistent top-10 factor.
Di Resta puts this down to Force India working so hard in ensuring its 2013 car was in harmony with the latest generation of Pirellis.
Force India: F1's great overachiever
"I think it was a good approach in the winter," he said. "Some days we sacrificied a lot of lower fuel running to work on high fuel runs.
"We were very aware of what we wanted to achieve and where we wanted to be with the car and I think we've done that.
"[The early performance] was credit to how that worked and the data that we fed back was essentially all in preparation for Melbourne."
The Scot said being gentle on tyres was a fundamental part of the VJM06's DNA.
"Essentially, we had a different wear profile," di Resta explained. "There is something that you can work into it to influence it.
"What we saw in Barcelona [testing] was high degradation and everybody talked about the tyres but essentially in Melbourne it was more of an anormal circumstance in terms of the temperatures and the track temps.
"But I think we were quite clear in our approach and how we were fixed for the weekend."
| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Monday, April 1st 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Pastor Maldonado says he is a much more relaxed character this year and will therefore avoid the controversies that blighted his 2012 campaign.
Maldonado received multiple penalties for driving infractions and collisions last season.
He believes the situation escalated because he gained a poor reputation, but says he has now learned his lesson.
"Now I have more experience," said Maldonado. "I showed that I was ready to win when the opportunity was there.
"Everyone can have a difficult moment. At the same time, I had a hard time with the stewards, because after I had a couple of incidents, they were maybe looking at me more than the others.
"But you learn from your mistakes. I'm more experienced and more relaxed now, and I'm looking forward to being away from the stewards..."
Maldonado admitted that it had taken time to accept that his Williams was not always going to be a competitive car.
"Maybe I was pushing too much. I did not realise that the car did not have the performance to win all the races," he said.
"In the past I've always been fighting for victories and Formula 1 is completely different.
"Sometimes you need to be happy with a 10th place."
| 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.
After a return to form last year that peaked with its Spanish Grand Prix victory, the Grove-based outfit came into 2013 feeling that it was well-placed to build on the momentum.
Instead, it was left baffled by a lack of performance in Australia, where Pastor Maldonado labelled the car 'undriveable' and said the team was back to its dark days of 2011.
Technical director Mike Coughlan suspects that the biggest issue is sorting out the exhaust area of the car.
Having only started experimenting with the in-vogue Coanda exhausts at the final race of last year in Brazil, Williams came late to the party. And the difficulties even a manufacturer team like Mercedes had with the concept showed that getting it right is not the work of the moment.
"We didn't have Coanda in 2012, but we ran it in Brazil," explained Coughlan. "We could see the potential, but I was very nervous about it as there was a lot of work to do."
One of the difficulties in getting Coanda to work properly is that the area of hot exhaust gases is so complicated and can only be mastered with top level computer simulation facilities.
"It's not something you can do particularly well in the windtunnel because you have to understand the transition from low [car] speed but high exhaust flow, to high speed and low exhaust flow.
"You certainly see huge potential there because sometimes you are checking floor pressures and you think 'wow'. But then out on track the tyre is moving around, and the yaw rate is changing.
"But we can see a direction and I think we can enhance it in time for the next race."
Coughlan has already admitted that the team may consider the radical step of reverting to its 2012 exhausts until it masters the Coanda.
And the steps forward that will come from getting on top of exhausts go beyond simple downforce points - because it is as much about driver confidence under braking and cornering as well.
"We need to go away and get a more consistent platform for the driver," said Coughlan. "As soon as you have a situation where there is a loss of downforce on corner entry, then the driver is a bit spooked, so he corners at low potential.
"Although you can show him he has a lot more grip now, the problem is he doesn't feel confident. We have given the drivers a difficult platform to use."
While sorting out the exhausts is unlikely to be the work of the moment, Williams does at least have some time to get it sorted.
It has already pencilled in some aero testing, and despite its issues it sees no reason why it cannot be a regular challenger for points in a campaign where the top four teams appear to have stepped clear of the midfield.
"We have a straightline test booked before Barcelona for two days which we will do, and we are gearing up for some tests which will open up what we are talking about," explained Coughlan.
"We have seen enough pointers here and in the tunnel to know that if we can fix something we will open up a great deal of potential. We think fundamentally we have a car that can be in the lower reaches of the top 10."
While such a target may not be as high as it had hoped over the winter, it is at least a step away from the doldrums that Maldonado feared at the very first race.
| By Edd Straw and Phillip Horton | Saturday, March 30th 2013, 15:03 GMT |
Charles Pic insists he has no regrets over his move from Marussia to Caterham.
Caterham has finished ahead of Marussia in the constructors' championship for the past three consecutive seasons, last year snatching 10th from Marussia in the Brazilian season finale.
So far in 2013 however Caterham has yet to beat Marussia outright in qualifying, even if Pic did split Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton in Malaysia.
The Frenchman says Caterham's form over the opening two grands prix has not given him any misgivings about his switch between camps.
"I don't see things like that," Pic said when asked by AUTOSPORT whether he regretted his move.
"I had a great year with Marussia but now I am very happy to be with Caterham for this year and the future. It's not frustrating at all.
"There are some areas where we need to progress and that's it. It's our job to fix issues and make steps forward."
Pic added that Caterham will have to wait for upgrades before it can progress as tweaking the set-up will not be sufficient.
"We have to wait a few races [for updates] but I have trust in the team so I'm sure we can have a good step forward."
"With the tyre temperature and degradation [it helps] but you cannot find one second with set-up.
"Of course we are pushing hard with set-up and tyre management to optimise these things but at this time we wait for the updates."
| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Sunday, March 31st 2013, 12:22 GMT |
Jean-Eric Vergne insists Toro Rosso's intra-team battle is not his primary focus and that he will not be satisfied simply by beating stablemate Daniel Ricciardo.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said both men have a genuine shot at a future Red Bull seat provided they impress over the 2013 Formula 1 campaign.
While Vergne has scored the team's only point so far, finishing 10th at Sepang, he insists beating Ricciardo is far from an all-consuming objective.
"People want to make out that there is a big fight," he said. "I don't care. I'm here to do my job and get the best result for the team.
"If I can be the driver that picks up the best result then I definitely want to be this driver and I will do everything for this.
"If we have the worst car though and always finish 17th or 18th every weekend I will not be happy at all.
"[In Australia] I was in front of Daniel after qualifying, but I was really pissed off and sad that I didn't make it through into Q3.
"The [intra-team] fight isn't enough for me; I want better performances."
Vergne added that he is confident the team can challenge for points on a more regular basis as the season progresses.
Toro Rosso set a target of finishing sixth in the constructors' championship when it launched the STR8 in February.
"The pace and performance of the car is good," he said.
"There are a few things we need to improve inside the team and on the car and hopefully we can improve this really quickly.
"[In Australia] I got the second fastest lap, I was much quicker than the guys in front. That was a positive - the car was looking pretty good."
