F1 News
Date: 25/March/2012
While the pre-race favourites for Sunday’s Malaysian F1 Grand Prix saw their hopes washed away by a torrential storm, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was left to fend off a surprise attack from Sauber’s Sergio Perez to take his first win of 2012.
Starting just eighth on the grid, Alonso had little chance of racing the McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull drivers in the dry - but a rain storm just before the start threw the established Sepang formbook out of the window.
The rain was so intense that the decision was taken to red flag the race and it took almost an hour for the restart.
When it did Alonso, whose Ferrari team has been under immense pressure after an uncompetitive start to the year, and young Mexican Perez - starting only his second F1 season - took full advantage of the new playing field on offer.
Perez had already made great gains by a smart switch to extreme wets early on, allowing him to reach third place (from ninth on the grid) within six laps.
Alonso was two places behind, but passed pole sitter Lewis Hamilton during the change from wets to intermediates, while race and world championship leader Jenson Button lost part of his wing after tangling with a backmarker.
Alonso and Perez were one-two from lap 16 of 56 onwards - Alonso’s speedy pit stops getting him ahead - but despite holding a debut podium, Perez proved he has plenty of fire in his belly by chasing down Alonso after the final tyre change, to slicks on the now dry track.
Perez’s dream victory hopes ended when he ran wide with just a handful of laps to go, allowing a relieved Alonso to confirm his first win since last year’s Silverstone round by two seconds.
“Definitely, a big surprise with the win,” said Alonso. “We were not competitive in Australia, we were not competitive here and our goal was just to score as many points as possible. Today we scored 25. It’s an unbelievable result.
“I think we maximised the potential we have in our hands at the moment. Keeping calm in some extreme conditions. We started with inters and switched to extreme tyres because the aquaplaning was very bad and we overtook Vettel in that pit stop because we anticipated (it by) one lap.
“Then we came in with Lewis to change for inters after the restart. I exited in front, so it was just the pit stop itself that was quicker. I was making positions little by little with perfect calls from the team, so this victory is definitely for them. It’s a tough time for us at the moment but this Sunday we will remember.”
Despite the excitement of his first podium, Perez may have a few sleepless nights about the win that got away.
“I think the win today was really possible,” confirmed Perez, who didn’t finish high than seventh in his rookie F1 season. “When I caught Fernando I knew I would have to be quick to overtake him because I was having a lot of degradation in my front tyres.
“So I went looking for a way to get him and then I just ran a bit wide and touched the kerb. It was completely wet and that was the end of the win, probably. It was very difficult obviously to get Fernando but I think the win was possible.
“I have to say the team has done an incredible job. They called me always on the right time, especially the first pitstop.”
Adding spice to the Perez result is speculation that he might be called up by Ferrari to replace the struggling Felipe Massa, who crossed the line 15th on Sunday.
“It’s only rumours… I will stay with Sauber for the whole season,” Perez insisted.
Hamilton completed the podium, followed by Mark Webber (Red Bull), Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Bruno Senna (Williams).
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) joined Button in sinking down the order due to racing incidents. Alonso now leads the championship by five points from Hamilton, with Button ten points from the top in third.
Hamilton heads McLaren front row, ‘majority’ commit to F1
F1 News
Date: 24/March/2012
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix from pole position, having been fastest in all but one of the four track sessions so far this weekend.
It was the McLaren driver’s second pole in a week, having also started from P1 in last weekend’s Australian season opener.
On that occasion Hamilton was pipped by team-mate Jenson Button on the run to turn one, and later lost out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, leaving the Englishman a dejected third on the rostrum.
After such a strong weekend, nothing less than victory will suffice for Hamilton on Sunday, when he will be concentrating on keeping Button - again starting alongside him - at bay into to turn one, then maintaining his tyres for as long as possible.
“It’s been a good weekend so far,” said Hamilton. “It’s a long haul down to Turn One and I think there are going to be interesting strategies tomorrow. The key is looking after your tyres. They are having a seriously hard time around here, especially under 150 kilos of fuel. I’ll do everything I can to make sure we’re as competitive as possible.”
Button, just 0.149sec slower than Hamilton, applied a little further pressure by highlighting the fast-starting form of third on the grid Mercedes star Michael Schumacher.
“I think it’ll be an exciting start and not just for us two on the front row but the Mercedes is renowned, especially Michael, for getting good starts so it’s going to be a fun Turn One I think,” he said.
Seven time world champion Schumacher, without a podium since coming out of retirement in 2010, stands an excellent chance of spraying champagne for the 155h time in his career on Sunday.
“I think it’s quite an achievement to be third, particularly knowing that we have chosen a car that should work much better in the race. I would rather be compromised for qualifying; that’s a situation which I hope will pay back tomorrow,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is one of the few teams not thought to yet be included in a surprise statement released by Formula One Group Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone on Saturday:
"I am very pleased to announce that we have reached commercial agreements with the majority of the current Formula One teams, including Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, about the terms on which they will continue competing in Formula One after the current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this year."
Once a new Concorde Agreement is in place the stability it brings will cause the value of the sport to increase and thus be the ideal time for the rumoured floatation of some shares by CVC Capital Partners, which owns F1’s commercial rights.
Date: 24/March/2012
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix from pole position, having been fastest in all but one of the four track sessions so far this weekend.
It was the McLaren driver’s second pole in a week, having also started from P1 in last weekend’s Australian season opener.
On that occasion Hamilton was pipped by team-mate Jenson Button on the run to turn one, and later lost out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, leaving the Englishman a dejected third on the rostrum.
After such a strong weekend, nothing less than victory will suffice for Hamilton on Sunday, when he will be concentrating on keeping Button - again starting alongside him - at bay into to turn one, then maintaining his tyres for as long as possible.
“It’s been a good weekend so far,” said Hamilton. “It’s a long haul down to Turn One and I think there are going to be interesting strategies tomorrow. The key is looking after your tyres. They are having a seriously hard time around here, especially under 150 kilos of fuel. I’ll do everything I can to make sure we’re as competitive as possible.”
Button, just 0.149sec slower than Hamilton, applied a little further pressure by highlighting the fast-starting form of third on the grid Mercedes star Michael Schumacher.
“I think it’ll be an exciting start and not just for us two on the front row but the Mercedes is renowned, especially Michael, for getting good starts so it’s going to be a fun Turn One I think,” he said.
Seven time world champion Schumacher, without a podium since coming out of retirement in 2010, stands an excellent chance of spraying champagne for the 155h time in his career on Sunday.
“I think it’s quite an achievement to be third, particularly knowing that we have chosen a car that should work much better in the race. I would rather be compromised for qualifying; that’s a situation which I hope will pay back tomorrow,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is one of the few teams not thought to yet be included in a surprise statement released by Formula One Group Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone on Saturday:
"I am very pleased to announce that we have reached commercial agreements with the majority of the current Formula One teams, including Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, about the terms on which they will continue competing in Formula One after the current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this year."
Once a new Concorde Agreement is in place the stability it brings will cause the value of the sport to increase and thus be the ideal time for the rumoured floatation of some shares by CVC Capital Partners, which owns F1’s commercial rights.
Hamilton straight back in his stride at Sepang
F1 News
Date: 23/March/2012
Having failed to hide his disappointment at slipping from pole to third in last Sunday’s Australian F1 season-opener, Lewis Hamilton got back into his stride in style by leading both Friday practice sessions at Sepang in Malaysia.
The McLaren driver shot out of the blocks to sit half-a-second clear of Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel in the morning session - then held off another German star, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) by 0.36sec in the afternoon.
“It’s been a good day for me,” said Hamilton. “We’ve made a few changes to the balance of the car since the last race and I’m much happier - but we’ll still be making changes to improve our long-run pace, which can always be better.
“I went wide a couple of times on my long run in the afternoon, and looking after the tyres will be a tough call in the race – so it’s all about finding the right balance.
“Around here, overtaking will be a little more possible than in Melbourne. Nevertheless, starting from the front will still be the best position for the race, and that’s what I’ll be going for tomorrow.
“We’ve got to keep pushing, stay hydrated and remain focused - there’s a lot of hard work ahead.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button, who won last weekend’s race, moved from ninth in the morning to third place in the afternoon session at the sweltering Sepang Circuit.
“The morning was a little frustrating: we had an oil leak which cut my session short, but it didn’t really matter as the track was still dirty,” explained Button.
“In the afternoon, I did some positive running on both tyre compounds - I think we have a good understanding of the tyre. But it’s going to be tough on both compounds around here with all the humidity and the heat.
“I think the race will be tough for all of us - unless the circuit improves a great deal, there’s going to be quite a few stops on Sunday!
“The aim for tomorrow is pole – you make your life a lot easier if you start from pole position, so we’re putting a lot of work into single-lap performance.”
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Mark Webber (Red Bull) and rookie Jean-Eric Vergne (STR-Ferrari) completed an unpredictable afternoon top eight.
Date: 23/March/2012
Having failed to hide his disappointment at slipping from pole to third in last Sunday’s Australian F1 season-opener, Lewis Hamilton got back into his stride in style by leading both Friday practice sessions at Sepang in Malaysia.
The McLaren driver shot out of the blocks to sit half-a-second clear of Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel in the morning session - then held off another German star, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) by 0.36sec in the afternoon.
“It’s been a good day for me,” said Hamilton. “We’ve made a few changes to the balance of the car since the last race and I’m much happier - but we’ll still be making changes to improve our long-run pace, which can always be better.
“I went wide a couple of times on my long run in the afternoon, and looking after the tyres will be a tough call in the race – so it’s all about finding the right balance.
“Around here, overtaking will be a little more possible than in Melbourne. Nevertheless, starting from the front will still be the best position for the race, and that’s what I’ll be going for tomorrow.
“We’ve got to keep pushing, stay hydrated and remain focused - there’s a lot of hard work ahead.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button, who won last weekend’s race, moved from ninth in the morning to third place in the afternoon session at the sweltering Sepang Circuit.
“The morning was a little frustrating: we had an oil leak which cut my session short, but it didn’t really matter as the track was still dirty,” explained Button.
“In the afternoon, I did some positive running on both tyre compounds - I think we have a good understanding of the tyre. But it’s going to be tough on both compounds around here with all the humidity and the heat.
“I think the race will be tough for all of us - unless the circuit improves a great deal, there’s going to be quite a few stops on Sunday!
“The aim for tomorrow is pole – you make your life a lot easier if you start from pole position, so we’re putting a lot of work into single-lap performance.”
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Mark Webber (Red Bull) and rookie Jean-Eric Vergne (STR-Ferrari) completed an unpredictable afternoon top eight.
Simoncelli death darkens Alonso’s Sepang memories
F1 News
Date: 22/March/2012
Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso says that he will never feel the same way about the Sepang Circuit, venue for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, following the tragic death of MotoGP star Marco Simoncelli.
Rising Italian hero Simoncelli was killed after falling and then sliding across the track in front of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards in last October’s motorcycle grand prix.
Sepang holds special memories for Alonso, having been the scene of his first F1 pole and podium, but they are now mixed with sadness.
“This will always be one of my favourite circuits because your first pole and first podium in Formula One you always remember, and both things here in 2003,” said Alonso.
“So, it’s a circuit I love to drive. It’s quite technical and quite interesting.
“At the same time, after the accident of Marco last year racing here will always be a little bit sad, knowing that one of our colleagues died here. It will always be difficult to race.
“I think the Ferrari family and all Italians who love sport and motorcycling will remember him always. His death was something one could never have expected. He will always be a hero to us.”
Earlier in the day Alonso, team-mate Felipe Massa and members of the Ferrari team paid tribute to Simoncelli at the corner which claimed the former 250cc world champion’s life.
“We wanted to go to Turn 11 to pay a tribute to Marco’s memory,” confirmed Massa, who joined Alonso in holding a pit board saying ‘Sic, always with us’.
“I think it was the least we could do for him, for his family and for all his fans. I think that all weekend long, we will drive here with thoughts of Marco.”
With Alonso only fifth in last weekend’s Australian season opener, which Massa failed to finish, the Ferrari drivers are facing an uphill battle if they are to pay a podium tribute to Simoncelli on Sunday.
Date: 22/March/2012
Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso says that he will never feel the same way about the Sepang Circuit, venue for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, following the tragic death of MotoGP star Marco Simoncelli.
Rising Italian hero Simoncelli was killed after falling and then sliding across the track in front of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards in last October’s motorcycle grand prix.
Sepang holds special memories for Alonso, having been the scene of his first F1 pole and podium, but they are now mixed with sadness.
“This will always be one of my favourite circuits because your first pole and first podium in Formula One you always remember, and both things here in 2003,” said Alonso.
“So, it’s a circuit I love to drive. It’s quite technical and quite interesting.
“At the same time, after the accident of Marco last year racing here will always be a little bit sad, knowing that one of our colleagues died here. It will always be difficult to race.
“I think the Ferrari family and all Italians who love sport and motorcycling will remember him always. His death was something one could never have expected. He will always be a hero to us.”
Earlier in the day Alonso, team-mate Felipe Massa and members of the Ferrari team paid tribute to Simoncelli at the corner which claimed the former 250cc world champion’s life.
“We wanted to go to Turn 11 to pay a tribute to Marco’s memory,” confirmed Massa, who joined Alonso in holding a pit board saying ‘Sic, always with us’.
“I think it was the least we could do for him, for his family and for all his fans. I think that all weekend long, we will drive here with thoughts of Marco.”
With Alonso only fifth in last weekend’s Australian season opener, which Massa failed to finish, the Ferrari drivers are facing an uphill battle if they are to pay a podium tribute to Simoncelli on Sunday.
Button puts win ‘to bed’, Red Bull recover, Ferrari flop
F1 News
Date: 18/March/2012
Jenson Button gave McLaren victory in the first F1 race of the 2012 season in Melbourne on Sunday, in a race that saw Red Bull battle back from a poor qualifying but little change in fortunes for the under-pressure Ferrari team.
Button bolted past team-mate and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton into turn one and effectively remained at the head of the field to the chequered flag.
A safety car period to retrieve Vitaly Petrov’s motionless Caterham briefly threatened Button’s dominance, but the Briton was able to stay out of reach and finished 2.139sec clear of Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.
Speaking after his third Australian grand prix victory, Button revealed a strange coincidence: “We arrived this year and my missus said ‘we’re actually in the same bedroom when you won those two previous years’ - so maybe that’s the reason why!
“Every race you win is very special, but I think starting the year strong for this team is really important. The last two years have been tricky coming into the first race, so to come away with Lewis’ pole yesterday and the victory today puts us in a great position for the next few races and on the right foot.
“Big thank you to everyone within the team. I saw our mechanics this morning who said ‘this [grand prix working hours] curfew’s great - it’s the first rest we’ve had since the start of the year’, so big thanks to all of them and everyone at Woking that’s worked those extra hours to get these extra parts out. Fantastic day.”
Vettel began the race in just sixth place, directly behind team-mate Mark Webber. The young German was able to get past Hamilton in the final round of pit stops - which coincided with by the safety car - and his drive through the field stamped out suggestions that the reigning champions are in trouble.
“We decided to stay out when Lewis came in, then the Safety Car came out. I’m not sure, maybe it helped us a little bit to get past Lewis,” he said. “We had a great stop so I think that was the most important thing.
“When the Safety Car came out I thought I would be in a good position to have a go at Jenson… but I didn’t! He was just too quick [on the restart]. Two corners and he seemed to be gone and I was struggling to get up to speed.
“I think I held up Lewis, he was a couple of laps very close with the DRS enabled, so it wasn’t very easy to get away from him but Jenson was out of sight. So there was no way we could have stayed with him. He completely deserved to win today.”
Hamilton, having started the new season so well on Saturday, once again cut a dejected figure on the podium.
“It was just a bit of a tough day [for me] but we have plenty of races ahead so I just have to keep my head down,” he said.
Attempts to tease out why he felt it was such a tough day brought little response, Hamilton revealing only that he “lost too many places at the start”, “didn’t generally have great pace” and couldn’t share any light or where he had lost a substantial amount of time near a pit stop.
The good news for Hamilton is that he looks to have finally got his wish of a Red Bull beating car - and will have little time to dwell on the Albert Park performance before next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
“We always said in winter testing that McLaren looks very strong,” said Vettel. “They had a very solid winter, no issues with the car. They did a lot of laps every day so we expected them to be strong.
“Yesterday they did surprise everyone a little bit with their pace in qualifying. Today in the race I think it was looking a bit better for us, but nevertheless, they are the ones to beat at the moment.
“We need to address [our] problems and make sure we give them a harder time next week,” he added.
But if Red Bull have ground to gain on McLaren it is nothing compared to the performance leap needed at Ferrari, under pressure to deliver a title challenge after managing a solitary race win in last year’s championship.
Instead, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa qualified twelfth and 16th. Massa then failed to finish after tangling with compatriot Bruno Senna, while Alonso spent the closing stages defending fifth from the other Williams of Pastor Maldonado, who eventually crashed.
Alonso finished over 20-seconds from Button despite the intervention of the safety car.
The Spaniard said: "Today the car was better than yesterday and we were closer to the leaders. However, we still have a lot of work to do to reach those who are ahead of us in terms of performance; not just McLaren and Red Bull, but also Mercedes and Lotus.”
Both the Mercedes and Lotus team also left Melbourne with little to show for their efforts, but could feel satisfied with the raw speed of the 2012 racers.
Mercedes star Michael Schumacher battled Vettel for third before a terminal gearbox issue, while Lotus rookie Romain Grosjean likewise failed to finish after qualifying in an excellent third place.
Grosjean’s team-mate and returning former champion Kimi Raikkonen rose from 18th to seventh in his first grand prix since 2009.
Date: 18/March/2012
Jenson Button gave McLaren victory in the first F1 race of the 2012 season in Melbourne on Sunday, in a race that saw Red Bull battle back from a poor qualifying but little change in fortunes for the under-pressure Ferrari team.
Button bolted past team-mate and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton into turn one and effectively remained at the head of the field to the chequered flag.
A safety car period to retrieve Vitaly Petrov’s motionless Caterham briefly threatened Button’s dominance, but the Briton was able to stay out of reach and finished 2.139sec clear of Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.
Speaking after his third Australian grand prix victory, Button revealed a strange coincidence: “We arrived this year and my missus said ‘we’re actually in the same bedroom when you won those two previous years’ - so maybe that’s the reason why!
“Every race you win is very special, but I think starting the year strong for this team is really important. The last two years have been tricky coming into the first race, so to come away with Lewis’ pole yesterday and the victory today puts us in a great position for the next few races and on the right foot.
“Big thank you to everyone within the team. I saw our mechanics this morning who said ‘this [grand prix working hours] curfew’s great - it’s the first rest we’ve had since the start of the year’, so big thanks to all of them and everyone at Woking that’s worked those extra hours to get these extra parts out. Fantastic day.”
Vettel began the race in just sixth place, directly behind team-mate Mark Webber. The young German was able to get past Hamilton in the final round of pit stops - which coincided with by the safety car - and his drive through the field stamped out suggestions that the reigning champions are in trouble.
“We decided to stay out when Lewis came in, then the Safety Car came out. I’m not sure, maybe it helped us a little bit to get past Lewis,” he said. “We had a great stop so I think that was the most important thing.
“When the Safety Car came out I thought I would be in a good position to have a go at Jenson… but I didn’t! He was just too quick [on the restart]. Two corners and he seemed to be gone and I was struggling to get up to speed.
“I think I held up Lewis, he was a couple of laps very close with the DRS enabled, so it wasn’t very easy to get away from him but Jenson was out of sight. So there was no way we could have stayed with him. He completely deserved to win today.”
Hamilton, having started the new season so well on Saturday, once again cut a dejected figure on the podium.
“It was just a bit of a tough day [for me] but we have plenty of races ahead so I just have to keep my head down,” he said.
Attempts to tease out why he felt it was such a tough day brought little response, Hamilton revealing only that he “lost too many places at the start”, “didn’t generally have great pace” and couldn’t share any light or where he had lost a substantial amount of time near a pit stop.
The good news for Hamilton is that he looks to have finally got his wish of a Red Bull beating car - and will have little time to dwell on the Albert Park performance before next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
“We always said in winter testing that McLaren looks very strong,” said Vettel. “They had a very solid winter, no issues with the car. They did a lot of laps every day so we expected them to be strong.
“Yesterday they did surprise everyone a little bit with their pace in qualifying. Today in the race I think it was looking a bit better for us, but nevertheless, they are the ones to beat at the moment.
“We need to address [our] problems and make sure we give them a harder time next week,” he added.
But if Red Bull have ground to gain on McLaren it is nothing compared to the performance leap needed at Ferrari, under pressure to deliver a title challenge after managing a solitary race win in last year’s championship.
Instead, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa qualified twelfth and 16th. Massa then failed to finish after tangling with compatriot Bruno Senna, while Alonso spent the closing stages defending fifth from the other Williams of Pastor Maldonado, who eventually crashed.
Alonso finished over 20-seconds from Button despite the intervention of the safety car.
The Spaniard said: "Today the car was better than yesterday and we were closer to the leaders. However, we still have a lot of work to do to reach those who are ahead of us in terms of performance; not just McLaren and Red Bull, but also Mercedes and Lotus.”
Both the Mercedes and Lotus team also left Melbourne with little to show for their efforts, but could feel satisfied with the raw speed of the 2012 racers.
Mercedes star Michael Schumacher battled Vettel for third before a terminal gearbox issue, while Lotus rookie Romain Grosjean likewise failed to finish after qualifying in an excellent third place.
Grosjean’s team-mate and returning former champion Kimi Raikkonen rose from 18th to seventh in his first grand prix since 2009.
McLaren dominate, Red Bull suffer in Melbourne F1 qualifying
F1 News
Date: 18/March/2012
Lewis Hamilton edged out McLaren team-mate Jenson Button by 0.152sec during qualifying for the first round of the 2012 F1 season at Melbourne’s Albert Park in Australia.
It was Hamilton’s 20th pole and the best way possible to put last year’s on and off-track troubles behind him.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back here and to get off to such a good start,” said the former world champion. “I think this is mine and Jenson’s first one-two – I believe at least – in qualifying, so it’s fantastic to start the season this way. I’m massively proud of the team, working incredibly hard as every year they do, but just to see that it’s never-give-up and this is the result of that.
“I can’t believe that I’ve had so many pole positions,” he added. “For me, every one has been special and particularly this one. To come straight into the season and start off so well through qualifying – we’ve still got a day ahead of us – but it’s a fantastic feeling and of course, with the tough couple of years past, it’s definitely good a way to start off on the right foot.”
Fellow Englishman Button said the secret of the McLaren performance had been a much stronger pre-season.
“I’m going to echo what Lewis said: the team have done a fantastic job this winter. We knew that we had to have a good winter. It was something we were lacking the previous two years and we definitely did have that.
“Very happy to be on the front row and hopefully we can race well from here tomorrow. I was actually a bit surprised by the gap back to the Red Bulls and some of the other teams but, yeah, we’ll definitely take that.”
Button wasn’t the only one to be surprised. The majority of the paddock expected the Red Bulls to unleash their usual qualifying blitz, instead local star Mark Webber and reigning double champion Sebastian Vettel were left just fifth and sixth.
Vettel’s lap time was 0.7sec slower than Hamilton, leaving Lotus-Renault ‘rookie’ Romain Grosjean as the best of the non-McLaren drivers in third.
“I think we’re all probably surprised [by the Red Bulls],” said Hamilton. “I always thought that the Lotus was going to be quick this weekend and of course I’m surprised that we are so fast.”
Button added: “I don’t know what Red Bull have been up to. Sebastian obviously took a trip into the gravel this morning, which wouldn’t have helped their preparations. But Red Bull haven’t lost it. They’re still going to be competitive and we can never forget that but at the moment, we’re going to enjoy this moment and go out tomorrow and hopefully have a great race.”
Shock of the day Grosjean, starting his first full F1 season, was justifiably proud of such a strong start. The Frenchman was forced to rebuild his reputation after struggling when parachuted in to replace Nelson Piquet Jr in the then Renault team during 2009.
“It’s really nice to be back in Formula One,” said Grosjean. “Winter testing went pretty well and today I’m very proud to be part of this experience with Lotus. I think a few people believed in me the first time and today I’m back, well, almost to the top, and I’m very proud to be with those guys here and hope we can keep going that way all season long and then it will be a very nice story.”
Grosjean will start alongside seven time world champion Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) on row two of the grid. Grosjean’s team-mate and returning former champion Kimi Raikkonen qualified just 18th on the grid.
Date: 18/March/2012
Lewis Hamilton edged out McLaren team-mate Jenson Button by 0.152sec during qualifying for the first round of the 2012 F1 season at Melbourne’s Albert Park in Australia.
It was Hamilton’s 20th pole and the best way possible to put last year’s on and off-track troubles behind him.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back here and to get off to such a good start,” said the former world champion. “I think this is mine and Jenson’s first one-two – I believe at least – in qualifying, so it’s fantastic to start the season this way. I’m massively proud of the team, working incredibly hard as every year they do, but just to see that it’s never-give-up and this is the result of that.
“I can’t believe that I’ve had so many pole positions,” he added. “For me, every one has been special and particularly this one. To come straight into the season and start off so well through qualifying – we’ve still got a day ahead of us – but it’s a fantastic feeling and of course, with the tough couple of years past, it’s definitely good a way to start off on the right foot.”
Fellow Englishman Button said the secret of the McLaren performance had been a much stronger pre-season.
“I’m going to echo what Lewis said: the team have done a fantastic job this winter. We knew that we had to have a good winter. It was something we were lacking the previous two years and we definitely did have that.
“Very happy to be on the front row and hopefully we can race well from here tomorrow. I was actually a bit surprised by the gap back to the Red Bulls and some of the other teams but, yeah, we’ll definitely take that.”
Button wasn’t the only one to be surprised. The majority of the paddock expected the Red Bulls to unleash their usual qualifying blitz, instead local star Mark Webber and reigning double champion Sebastian Vettel were left just fifth and sixth.
Vettel’s lap time was 0.7sec slower than Hamilton, leaving Lotus-Renault ‘rookie’ Romain Grosjean as the best of the non-McLaren drivers in third.
“I think we’re all probably surprised [by the Red Bulls],” said Hamilton. “I always thought that the Lotus was going to be quick this weekend and of course I’m surprised that we are so fast.”
Button added: “I don’t know what Red Bull have been up to. Sebastian obviously took a trip into the gravel this morning, which wouldn’t have helped their preparations. But Red Bull haven’t lost it. They’re still going to be competitive and we can never forget that but at the moment, we’re going to enjoy this moment and go out tomorrow and hopefully have a great race.”
Shock of the day Grosjean, starting his first full F1 season, was justifiably proud of such a strong start. The Frenchman was forced to rebuild his reputation after struggling when parachuted in to replace Nelson Piquet Jr in the then Renault team during 2009.
“It’s really nice to be back in Formula One,” said Grosjean. “Winter testing went pretty well and today I’m very proud to be part of this experience with Lotus. I think a few people believed in me the first time and today I’m back, well, almost to the top, and I’m very proud to be with those guys here and hope we can keep going that way all season long and then it will be a very nice story.”
Grosjean will start alongside seven time world champion Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) on row two of the grid. Grosjean’s team-mate and returning former champion Kimi Raikkonen qualified just 18th on the grid.
Mercedes: Tech gossip great for F1
F1 News
Date: 16/March/2012
In the absence of conclusive track action, attention switched to the latest ‘top secret’ technical development during day one of the 2012 F1 season at Melbourne’s Albert Park on Friday.
The two wet/dry practice sessions finished with McLaren’s Jenson Button and then Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher on top. However the mixed conditions meant Button’s morning time was almost two seconds quicker than Schumacher’s afternoon best.
And with Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel no higher than tenth, little was being read into the lap times, but there was more than enough speculation off-track to make up for the slow on-track start.
The main technical talking point was the Mercedes team, which looks to have found a way to use the movement of the ring wing DRS (Drag Reduction System) to stall either the front or rear wing.
By stalling a wing the car rids itself of unneeded downforce on the straights, which allows higher top speeds. Critically, in terms of legality, the Mercedes system has no direct input from the driver or moving parts.
Instead air is thought to be diverted into a special duct which is only exposed when the DRS ‘overtaking aid’ is activated. Air is then channelled to most probably stall the front wing. A less complicated (but less effective) system would redirect this air to stall parts of the rear wing.
DRS can be deployed by the driver throughout practice and qualifying, then when within one-second of the car in front during a race.
Team principal Ross Brawn wouldn’t be drawn on the details, but insisted the interest generated was great for Formula One.
“It’s great for Formula One, because for me the magic of Formula One is not just the drivers, it’s the technology, the engineering, the innovation, the stories that fill the web pages and the media,” he said.
“Today it’s us, tomorrow it will be somebody else. That’s why Formula One is so fascinating, why it’s so appealing to our fans and enthusiasts.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of Formula One racing. Obviously I’m not going to go into detail of what people are calling the ‘Fduct’. I’m surprised they are calling it that, because I don’t quite know what that means.”
Brawn added that other teams will already be in the process of creating similar devices.
“We have an interesting system on the car and it’s not complicated at all, so I’m sure other teams are looking at it and they need to decide if it’s worthwhile or not,” he said.
“But it’s not in the same magnitude as the diffuser concept that we had or even the exhaust concepts the cars ran the last few years. It’s obviously helpful, that’s why we’re doing it but it’s not a massive performance gain.”
Brawn’s final comment playing down the significance of the system promoted a light-hearted exchange Williams’ Adam Parr, who quipped: “That’s a relief to hear, so we can stop developing ours?”
“I would like you to spend all your money on it, Adam, and then we can get on with other stuff,” smiled Brawn.
“That wouldn’t take long!” quipped Parr, whose leading driver Pastor Maldonado was eighth and 17th in the two Friday sessions.
Final practice and qualifying takes place on Saturday.
Date: 16/March/2012
In the absence of conclusive track action, attention switched to the latest ‘top secret’ technical development during day one of the 2012 F1 season at Melbourne’s Albert Park on Friday.
The two wet/dry practice sessions finished with McLaren’s Jenson Button and then Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher on top. However the mixed conditions meant Button’s morning time was almost two seconds quicker than Schumacher’s afternoon best.
And with Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel no higher than tenth, little was being read into the lap times, but there was more than enough speculation off-track to make up for the slow on-track start.
The main technical talking point was the Mercedes team, which looks to have found a way to use the movement of the ring wing DRS (Drag Reduction System) to stall either the front or rear wing.
By stalling a wing the car rids itself of unneeded downforce on the straights, which allows higher top speeds. Critically, in terms of legality, the Mercedes system has no direct input from the driver or moving parts.
Instead air is thought to be diverted into a special duct which is only exposed when the DRS ‘overtaking aid’ is activated. Air is then channelled to most probably stall the front wing. A less complicated (but less effective) system would redirect this air to stall parts of the rear wing.
DRS can be deployed by the driver throughout practice and qualifying, then when within one-second of the car in front during a race.
Team principal Ross Brawn wouldn’t be drawn on the details, but insisted the interest generated was great for Formula One.
“It’s great for Formula One, because for me the magic of Formula One is not just the drivers, it’s the technology, the engineering, the innovation, the stories that fill the web pages and the media,” he said.
“Today it’s us, tomorrow it will be somebody else. That’s why Formula One is so fascinating, why it’s so appealing to our fans and enthusiasts.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of Formula One racing. Obviously I’m not going to go into detail of what people are calling the ‘Fduct’. I’m surprised they are calling it that, because I don’t quite know what that means.”
Brawn added that other teams will already be in the process of creating similar devices.
“We have an interesting system on the car and it’s not complicated at all, so I’m sure other teams are looking at it and they need to decide if it’s worthwhile or not,” he said.
“But it’s not in the same magnitude as the diffuser concept that we had or even the exhaust concepts the cars ran the last few years. It’s obviously helpful, that’s why we’re doing it but it’s not a massive performance gain.”
Brawn’s final comment playing down the significance of the system promoted a light-hearted exchange Williams’ Adam Parr, who quipped: “That’s a relief to hear, so we can stop developing ours?”
“I would like you to spend all your money on it, Adam, and then we can get on with other stuff,” smiled Brawn.
“That wouldn’t take long!” quipped Parr, whose leading driver Pastor Maldonado was eighth and 17th in the two Friday sessions.
Final practice and qualifying takes place on Saturday.
Favourites poker faced on eve of F1 2012
F1 News
Date: 15/March/2012
Out of the limelight throughout winter testing, 2012 Formula One favourites Red Bull and McLaren continued to remain poker faced on the eve of this weekend’s Australian season opener.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon in Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel - chasing a third straight title - was first to plead for patience as the media tried to gauge who will set the pace.
The German said: “It was difficult to read testing one hundred per cent. It’s important to have a good feeling in the car. We were quite happy with that, but it’s unknown at this stage what is going to happen. It’s good to finally be here and only a couple of days before we really find out.”
But Vettel added that it may take several races for the full picture to emerge.
He explained: “This track [a temporary racetrack] is very different to a ‘normal’ track, such as Barcelona, where we were testing a couple of weeks ago. So, tomorrow [in practice] we will not know much more. You don’t know about fuel levels etc. Really, we have to wait until Saturday and then it’s the first couple of races that will show you a trend. Sooner than that is really not possible.”
Team-mate and local star Mark Webber felt a ‘good snapshot’ will be possible after the first two rounds.
The Australian said: “We had a pretty good winter so we need to see how it’s going to unravel this weekend and then Malaysia is just around the corner. So we have two big races where we’re going to get a really good snapshot of the performances of the cars.
“We feel like we’ve done pretty well but we have McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes - lots of good guys doing well. So it’s going to be very exciting and difficult to see who’s going to do the business.
“I think we’re all just looking forward to getting our helmets on and getting on with it. We’ve been talking about it for nine weeks now, about who’s doing what and we’re just sick of talking about it and want to get out there.”
2011 championship runner-up Jenson Button is hoping that he and the McLaren team can build on a better-than-usual winter.
The Englishman said: “The last couple of years have been a little bit tricky for us over the winter, but this winter everything seems to have gone to plan. It’s difficult to know where we stand, as everyone has said, but I’m happy with what we’ve done.”
One of the biggest stories heading into the new F1 season is the return of former champion Kimi Raikkonen, who forms part of an all-new driver line-up with Romain Grosjean at the Lotus team (previously Renault).
The black-and-gold Lotus has set promising winter lap times, including being fastest of all with Raikkonen in the third and final test, despite being missing one outing due to emergency chassis modifications.
Since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2009, the enigmatic Raikkonen spent time in the WRC before committing to a 2012 grand prix return. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Finn claimed he had rarely watched F1 during his sabbatical.
Raikkonen said: “I had other things to do than watch the races. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like the sport. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be here. I always liked the sport and the racing but like I said, I was busy doing other stuff.
“I watched some races when I was home and it was on TV, but I didn’t try to go to the TV and watch it somewhere, like it was something I had to do. I’m happy to be back, like I said, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back.”
The main visual difference for the 2012 season will be the ‘ugly’ stepped-nose design created by the majority of teams to meet the latest regulations - although notably not McLaren. “Ours looks great,” smiled Button.
“Yeah, the noses look ugly for sure,” commented Webber. “That’s disappointing. Adrian [Newey)] always makes beautiful cars. I still think ours looks better than the McLaren, but the McLaren looks nice too and we’ll see which one gets the most champagne.
“It’s an ugly regulation but that’s the way most of the teams have gone.”
Free practice one and two for the Australian Grand Prix, the first of 20 rounds, will be held at Albert Park on Friday.
Date: 15/March/2012
Out of the limelight throughout winter testing, 2012 Formula One favourites Red Bull and McLaren continued to remain poker faced on the eve of this weekend’s Australian season opener.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon in Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel - chasing a third straight title - was first to plead for patience as the media tried to gauge who will set the pace.
The German said: “It was difficult to read testing one hundred per cent. It’s important to have a good feeling in the car. We were quite happy with that, but it’s unknown at this stage what is going to happen. It’s good to finally be here and only a couple of days before we really find out.”
But Vettel added that it may take several races for the full picture to emerge.
He explained: “This track [a temporary racetrack] is very different to a ‘normal’ track, such as Barcelona, where we were testing a couple of weeks ago. So, tomorrow [in practice] we will not know much more. You don’t know about fuel levels etc. Really, we have to wait until Saturday and then it’s the first couple of races that will show you a trend. Sooner than that is really not possible.”
Team-mate and local star Mark Webber felt a ‘good snapshot’ will be possible after the first two rounds.
The Australian said: “We had a pretty good winter so we need to see how it’s going to unravel this weekend and then Malaysia is just around the corner. So we have two big races where we’re going to get a really good snapshot of the performances of the cars.
“We feel like we’ve done pretty well but we have McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes - lots of good guys doing well. So it’s going to be very exciting and difficult to see who’s going to do the business.
“I think we’re all just looking forward to getting our helmets on and getting on with it. We’ve been talking about it for nine weeks now, about who’s doing what and we’re just sick of talking about it and want to get out there.”
2011 championship runner-up Jenson Button is hoping that he and the McLaren team can build on a better-than-usual winter.
The Englishman said: “The last couple of years have been a little bit tricky for us over the winter, but this winter everything seems to have gone to plan. It’s difficult to know where we stand, as everyone has said, but I’m happy with what we’ve done.”
One of the biggest stories heading into the new F1 season is the return of former champion Kimi Raikkonen, who forms part of an all-new driver line-up with Romain Grosjean at the Lotus team (previously Renault).
The black-and-gold Lotus has set promising winter lap times, including being fastest of all with Raikkonen in the third and final test, despite being missing one outing due to emergency chassis modifications.
Since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2009, the enigmatic Raikkonen spent time in the WRC before committing to a 2012 grand prix return. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Finn claimed he had rarely watched F1 during his sabbatical.
Raikkonen said: “I had other things to do than watch the races. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like the sport. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be here. I always liked the sport and the racing but like I said, I was busy doing other stuff.
“I watched some races when I was home and it was on TV, but I didn’t try to go to the TV and watch it somewhere, like it was something I had to do. I’m happy to be back, like I said, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back.”
The main visual difference for the 2012 season will be the ‘ugly’ stepped-nose design created by the majority of teams to meet the latest regulations - although notably not McLaren. “Ours looks great,” smiled Button.
“Yeah, the noses look ugly for sure,” commented Webber. “That’s disappointing. Adrian [Newey)] always makes beautiful cars. I still think ours looks better than the McLaren, but the McLaren looks nice too and we’ll see which one gets the most champagne.
“It’s an ugly regulation but that’s the way most of the teams have gone.”
Free practice one and two for the Australian Grand Prix, the first of 20 rounds, will be held at Albert Park on Friday.
Weight gain divides MotoGP manufacturers
MotoGP News
Date: 7/March/2012
There may only be three manufacturers still competing in the MotoGP World Champion, but they still failed to reach unanimous agreement over a late minimum weight change for 2012.
The Manufacturers association, the MSMA, can block any technical changes proposed within MotoGP’s Grand Prix Commission - provided its members are in unanimous opposition.
But when Dorna and teams’ association IRTA proposed to raise the 2012 minimum weight in late 2011 the MSMA opposition was not unanimous - allowing the other parties to push the rule through.
This left Honda and Yamaha furious, since they have now been forced to add 4 kg of ballast to their 2012 bikes.
Honda Racing Corporation Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto said: “I was so disappointed about this rule change. We did the test at Valencia in November and then suddenly the regulation changed. It’s not fair.”
Yamaha’s Motorsport Manager Masahiko Nakajima used even stronger language: “Personally I am so frustrated about the GP Commission decision. Because to change the weight in December. Impossible!
“We had already made all the assembly parts and some spare parts. Then they changed 4 kilos! If we have one year lead time we can prepare. For example in braking performance, one kilo less is a big difference, so 4 kilos you can imagine!”
The reaction of the normally reserved Japanese indicates that it must have been Ducati that refused to tow the MSMA line.
The Italian factory, running late with its 2012 design, has dismissed suggestions that it has gained an advantage from the last-minute weight amendment - but does admit to being in favour of the weight gain from a cost-cutting perspective.
Ducati Corse general manager Filippo Preziosi said: “We were open to that solution because we think that the minimum weight is one easy way to decrease cost. So where you have titanium bolts, you could put steel bolts.
“The technology interest and show of the championship is not affected by the material of the bolts. The same goes for the exhausts and things like that. The easiest way to have a cheaper bike is to increase the minimum weight.”
Honda and Yamaha are still experimenting with where to locate the extra weight, which can have a profound effect on handling. Nevertheless, the Japanese machines have dominated the top end of the timesheets during the opening two tests of 2012.
MotoGP minimum weight will rise by a further 3kg, to 160kg, for the 2013 season.
Date: 7/March/2012
There may only be three manufacturers still competing in the MotoGP World Champion, but they still failed to reach unanimous agreement over a late minimum weight change for 2012.
The Manufacturers association, the MSMA, can block any technical changes proposed within MotoGP’s Grand Prix Commission - provided its members are in unanimous opposition.
But when Dorna and teams’ association IRTA proposed to raise the 2012 minimum weight in late 2011 the MSMA opposition was not unanimous - allowing the other parties to push the rule through.
This left Honda and Yamaha furious, since they have now been forced to add 4 kg of ballast to their 2012 bikes.
Honda Racing Corporation Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto said: “I was so disappointed about this rule change. We did the test at Valencia in November and then suddenly the regulation changed. It’s not fair.”
Yamaha’s Motorsport Manager Masahiko Nakajima used even stronger language: “Personally I am so frustrated about the GP Commission decision. Because to change the weight in December. Impossible!
“We had already made all the assembly parts and some spare parts. Then they changed 4 kilos! If we have one year lead time we can prepare. For example in braking performance, one kilo less is a big difference, so 4 kilos you can imagine!”
The reaction of the normally reserved Japanese indicates that it must have been Ducati that refused to tow the MSMA line.
The Italian factory, running late with its 2012 design, has dismissed suggestions that it has gained an advantage from the last-minute weight amendment - but does admit to being in favour of the weight gain from a cost-cutting perspective.
Ducati Corse general manager Filippo Preziosi said: “We were open to that solution because we think that the minimum weight is one easy way to decrease cost. So where you have titanium bolts, you could put steel bolts.
“The technology interest and show of the championship is not affected by the material of the bolts. The same goes for the exhausts and things like that. The easiest way to have a cheaper bike is to increase the minimum weight.”
Honda and Yamaha are still experimenting with where to locate the extra weight, which can have a profound effect on handling. Nevertheless, the Japanese machines have dominated the top end of the timesheets during the opening two tests of 2012.
MotoGP minimum weight will rise by a further 3kg, to 160kg, for the 2013 season.
Raikkonen rises as F1 testing ends
F1 News
Date: 5/March.2012
Returning former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen caused a stir by leading the timesheets during Sunday’s final day of pre-season testing in Catalunya.
Raikkonen’s form completed a perfect recovery for the Lotus team, formerly known as Renault, which had been forced to abandon the previous test completely due to chassis problems.
Modifications to the front-suspension mounting points were duly made in time for Raikkonen and rookie team-mate Romain Grosjean to take part in the final track action before practice begins for the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on March 16.
18-time GP winner Raikkonen, preparing to start his first F1 season since 2009, said:
"Of course, the fastest time at the end of the day looks good but no-one will know how fast any of the cars are until we get to qualifying at Albert Park. All the changes we have made over testing have been improving the car, so we’ll have to see what happens in Melbourne in a couple of weeks’ time. I’m feeling positive."
Raikkonen’s lap time put the Finn on top by 0.22sec from Fernando Alonso, driving for Raikkonen’s former Ferrari team, although on combined times Sauber’s Sergio Perez was an impressive runner-up courtesy of a pace-setting day three time.
Date: 5/March.2012
Returning former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen caused a stir by leading the timesheets during Sunday’s final day of pre-season testing in Catalunya.
Raikkonen’s form completed a perfect recovery for the Lotus team, formerly known as Renault, which had been forced to abandon the previous test completely due to chassis problems.
Modifications to the front-suspension mounting points were duly made in time for Raikkonen and rookie team-mate Romain Grosjean to take part in the final track action before practice begins for the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on March 16.
18-time GP winner Raikkonen, preparing to start his first F1 season since 2009, said:
"Of course, the fastest time at the end of the day looks good but no-one will know how fast any of the cars are until we get to qualifying at Albert Park. All the changes we have made over testing have been improving the car, so we’ll have to see what happens in Melbourne in a couple of weeks’ time. I’m feeling positive."
Raikkonen’s lap time put the Finn on top by 0.22sec from Fernando Alonso, driving for Raikkonen’s former Ferrari team, although on combined times Sauber’s Sergio Perez was an impressive runner-up courtesy of a pace-setting day three time.
Stars surprised by MotoGP race simulations
MotoGP News
Date: 5/March/2012
MotoGP races could see more sideways action and increased physical effort in 2012 following revealing comments regarding the rate of tyre wear at the recent Sepang test.
This season marks the switch from 800 to 1000cc engines, but a more subtle change is in the form of revisions made by tyre supplier Bridgestone.
Following criticism of the time taken to get last year’s tyres up to operating temperature, Bridgestone has made construction changes for 2012. This will mean that the tyres warm-up far sooner, but will also degrade at a greater rate.
This degradation, magnified by the larger engines, resulted in a dramatic drop in tyre grip after just a handful of laps when the likes of Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow completed their first race simulation on the 2012 Yamahas.
Former world champion Lorenzo said: “It was really tough physically, doing the race simulation on the last day, but it was very important to see what happened.
“This year it will be really, really hard to keep a constant pace to the end of the race because after just three or four laps the rear tyre grip suddenly drops, and then it continues to drop steadily after that.
“So the rider that can manage his tyres to the end of the race will have a strong season.”
The effort of hanging on to a sliding 200mph motorcycle for so many laps has also prompted Lorenzo to ramp-up his training. “Now I need to train very hard to be more prepared physically,” he said.
Tech 3 rider Crutchlow gave a similar verdict: “I did a long run and the new tyres were sliding around quite a bit. It made it very physical, but quite good and it looks like tyre management is going to be more important than ever.”
Lorenzo and Crutchlow were fourth and fifth fastest at the test, but the pace-setting Repsol Hondas of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa did not to complete a race simulation.
Lorenzo, runner-up to Stoner last season, said: “If we can improve the race pace by two or three tenths that would be perfect.”
One more pre-season test remains, at Jerez, before the start of the 2012 racing season.
Date: 5/March/2012
MotoGP races could see more sideways action and increased physical effort in 2012 following revealing comments regarding the rate of tyre wear at the recent Sepang test.
This season marks the switch from 800 to 1000cc engines, but a more subtle change is in the form of revisions made by tyre supplier Bridgestone.
Following criticism of the time taken to get last year’s tyres up to operating temperature, Bridgestone has made construction changes for 2012. This will mean that the tyres warm-up far sooner, but will also degrade at a greater rate.
This degradation, magnified by the larger engines, resulted in a dramatic drop in tyre grip after just a handful of laps when the likes of Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow completed their first race simulation on the 2012 Yamahas.
Former world champion Lorenzo said: “It was really tough physically, doing the race simulation on the last day, but it was very important to see what happened.
“This year it will be really, really hard to keep a constant pace to the end of the race because after just three or four laps the rear tyre grip suddenly drops, and then it continues to drop steadily after that.
“So the rider that can manage his tyres to the end of the race will have a strong season.”
The effort of hanging on to a sliding 200mph motorcycle for so many laps has also prompted Lorenzo to ramp-up his training. “Now I need to train very hard to be more prepared physically,” he said.
Tech 3 rider Crutchlow gave a similar verdict: “I did a long run and the new tyres were sliding around quite a bit. It made it very physical, but quite good and it looks like tyre management is going to be more important than ever.”
Lorenzo and Crutchlow were fourth and fifth fastest at the test, but the pace-setting Repsol Hondas of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa did not to complete a race simulation.
Lorenzo, runner-up to Stoner last season, said: “If we can improve the race pace by two or three tenths that would be perfect.”
One more pre-season test remains, at Jerez, before the start of the 2012 racing season.
Stoner shakes his way to the top at Sepang
MotoGP News
Date: 5/March/2012
Reigning champion Casey Stoner proved he will again be the man to beat in MotoGP’s new 1000cc era, having continued his unbeaten 2012 run during the second test at Sepang in Malaysia.
But it wasn’t plain sailing for the Australian. Stoner had to overcome continued shaking problems with his new 1000cc Repsol Honda and missed day two when engine checks grounded all of the RCV riders.
Honda Racing boss Shuhei Nakamoto explained: “We stopped testing because we didn’t know exactly what had happened to cause the warning light on Dani Pedrosa’s bike (on day one) and if an engine blows up it is dangerous for the riders. Now we understand. The engine has no problem at all. We have not had to modify the engines or change the performance.”
Stoner returned for the final day to finish 0.175sec clear of Pedrosa at the head of the timesheets. The top five riders were covered by less than 0.52sec, but Stoner warned he was far from his limit.
Stoner said: “When I did my fast lap it was with 52 degrees of track temperature, the highest of the day, and 19 litres of fuel. So we’re pretty happy. We thought we could have gone faster this afternoon, but we’d finished everything so there was no need to risk anything.”
Another factor likely to worry his rivals is that Stoner stayed on top despite continued chatter problems with his Honda through the corners. The chatter (vibration) has been present ever since the latest Bridgestone tyres were fitted to the new Honda.
Stoner admits he may have to race with the issue: “The fact that we’ve had it this long and not really improved it means we might have to do race one, and maybe more, with the chattering.
“We’ll try and improve it, but if we can’t we’re still competitive.
“We’ve definitely got a few more tenths in us without the chatter, but my main concern is if we get to tracks where maybe we haven’t got the perfect feeling, the chatter will make it worse.”
Stoner will aim to complete a 2012 pre-season sweep during the third and final test at Jerez from March 23-25.
Date: 5/March/2012
Reigning champion Casey Stoner proved he will again be the man to beat in MotoGP’s new 1000cc era, having continued his unbeaten 2012 run during the second test at Sepang in Malaysia.
But it wasn’t plain sailing for the Australian. Stoner had to overcome continued shaking problems with his new 1000cc Repsol Honda and missed day two when engine checks grounded all of the RCV riders.
Honda Racing boss Shuhei Nakamoto explained: “We stopped testing because we didn’t know exactly what had happened to cause the warning light on Dani Pedrosa’s bike (on day one) and if an engine blows up it is dangerous for the riders. Now we understand. The engine has no problem at all. We have not had to modify the engines or change the performance.”
Stoner returned for the final day to finish 0.175sec clear of Pedrosa at the head of the timesheets. The top five riders were covered by less than 0.52sec, but Stoner warned he was far from his limit.
Stoner said: “When I did my fast lap it was with 52 degrees of track temperature, the highest of the day, and 19 litres of fuel. So we’re pretty happy. We thought we could have gone faster this afternoon, but we’d finished everything so there was no need to risk anything.”
Another factor likely to worry his rivals is that Stoner stayed on top despite continued chatter problems with his Honda through the corners. The chatter (vibration) has been present ever since the latest Bridgestone tyres were fitted to the new Honda.
Stoner admits he may have to race with the issue: “The fact that we’ve had it this long and not really improved it means we might have to do race one, and maybe more, with the chattering.
“We’ll try and improve it, but if we can’t we’re still competitive.
“We’ve definitely got a few more tenths in us without the chatter, but my main concern is if we get to tracks where maybe we haven’t got the perfect feeling, the chatter will make it worse.”
Stoner will aim to complete a 2012 pre-season sweep during the third and final test at Jerez from March 23-25.
Dejected Rossi ‘didn’t fix anything’
MotoGP News
Date: 5/March/2012
Valentino Rossi’s optimism ahead of next month’s start to the 2012 MotoGP season wilted in the Malaysian heat during the second pre-season test of the year.
The Italian megastar looked to have regained some of his old swagger as he spoke of aiming for an opening-round podium, after finishing his debut test on the new Ducati in fifth place.
But the dejected Italian was thwarted in his efforts to improve during the second Sepang test and plummeted to tenth place as a result.
Rossi, who suffered his first winless MotoGP season after moving from Yamaha to Ducati in 2011, said: “The only positive is that the distance to first place is a bit less. But unfortunately our position is a lot worse.
“Being just behind the factory Hondas and Yamahas after the first test was positive, but everything we tried here to fix our biggest problems didn’t work.
“We are closer to the top (1.0s), but now we also have the satellite Yamahas and Hondas in front of us. We are very worried for this reason.
“Unfortunately with this bike I’m not able to go faster and faster like the guys on the other bikes. We have to understand why.”
Ducati has made massive changes to its MotoGP racer to try and unleash seven-time champion Rossi’s enormous potential, including switching from carbon-fibre to a more conventional aluminium frame.
Rossi said: “I think we have improved from last year because I had two or three moments where with last year’s bike I would have crashed!
“But it is not enough….unfortunately we didn’t fix anything.”
Indeed, despite the radical technical changes for the new 1000cc MotoGP era, Rossi seems to be struggling with disturbingly similar issues to last season’s 800cc bike.
The 33-year-old is battling to turn the bike, using the brakes too much to compensate and is too slow in the corners as a result.
Confusingly, team-mate Nicky Hayden - the only manufacturer rider slower than Rossi - is facing different issues.
The American, able to test properly for the first time this winter after undergoing recent shoulder surgery, is losing time on the way out of the turns.
Hayden said: “The bike feels better for me on braking and into the corner, and I like the feedback it gives me. Now we need to work on some vibration and on corner exits.
“The bike has different problems to last year I would say.”
The third and final pre-season test will take place at Jerez, in Spain from March 23-25.
Date: 5/March/2012
Valentino Rossi’s optimism ahead of next month’s start to the 2012 MotoGP season wilted in the Malaysian heat during the second pre-season test of the year.
The Italian megastar looked to have regained some of his old swagger as he spoke of aiming for an opening-round podium, after finishing his debut test on the new Ducati in fifth place.
But the dejected Italian was thwarted in his efforts to improve during the second Sepang test and plummeted to tenth place as a result.
Rossi, who suffered his first winless MotoGP season after moving from Yamaha to Ducati in 2011, said: “The only positive is that the distance to first place is a bit less. But unfortunately our position is a lot worse.
“Being just behind the factory Hondas and Yamahas after the first test was positive, but everything we tried here to fix our biggest problems didn’t work.
“We are closer to the top (1.0s), but now we also have the satellite Yamahas and Hondas in front of us. We are very worried for this reason.
“Unfortunately with this bike I’m not able to go faster and faster like the guys on the other bikes. We have to understand why.”
Ducati has made massive changes to its MotoGP racer to try and unleash seven-time champion Rossi’s enormous potential, including switching from carbon-fibre to a more conventional aluminium frame.
Rossi said: “I think we have improved from last year because I had two or three moments where with last year’s bike I would have crashed!
“But it is not enough….unfortunately we didn’t fix anything.”
Indeed, despite the radical technical changes for the new 1000cc MotoGP era, Rossi seems to be struggling with disturbingly similar issues to last season’s 800cc bike.
The 33-year-old is battling to turn the bike, using the brakes too much to compensate and is too slow in the corners as a result.
Confusingly, team-mate Nicky Hayden - the only manufacturer rider slower than Rossi - is facing different issues.
The American, able to test properly for the first time this winter after undergoing recent shoulder surgery, is losing time on the way out of the turns.
Hayden said: “The bike feels better for me on braking and into the corner, and I like the feedback it gives me. Now we need to work on some vibration and on corner exits.
“The bike has different problems to last year I would say.”
The third and final pre-season test will take place at Jerez, in Spain from March 23-25.
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