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Webber: Tyres are “old news” in 2012 | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:34:47 +0000

Mark Webber, 2012

Mark Webber says the teams expect few surprises from the changed tyre compounds in 2012.

Speaking following the launch of the Red Bull RB8, Webber said: “They’ve changed the tyres a little bit this year but I think it’s pretty much old news.

“The tyres have been around for a while now, the teams get on top of that stuff reasonably quickly, and the drivers. I’m talking in the space of a few months to half a year which is pretty quick. The teams know what we’re in for this year and we can get stuck into the races.”

Webber echoed team mate Sebastian Vettel’s view that the changes to the exhaust-blown diffuser rules will have a significant effect on the cars:

“The characteristics of the RB8, we’re looking for a car that’s very drive-able, which means not only from an engine side – Renault do a good job there – but also aerodynamically, we need to have a car that’s functional on all circuits in all temperatures.

“Clearly we need to get the most out of the tyres which was a huge thing last year for everybody. That’s pretty much done now, everyone knows how the tyres behave, that’s old news, we need to move on and develop the car as best we can.

“Without the exhaust effect into the blown diffuser, which was a very powerful thing the teams had last year, this year that’s changed, so that’s going to be a key area trying to understand the losses we’ve had there.”

He added that continuity was a key reason for the team’s strong performance in recent years:

“The success of the team in the last few years has been exceptional. So every time we launch a new car there is a lot of anticipation and excitement.

“But some nerves and also some expectations: the bar is very high, we have cleaned up in the last few years, the constructors’ championship was very dominant. So both drivers have been performing towards the front and the team has been very reliable.

“We know that we have to keep working very hard and continuity has been a key factor in that. All of our partners have been great for us. There’s no reason in 2012 we can’t be challenging for top results again.”

2012 F1 season

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Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Vettel expects rules changes to close up field | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:36:46 +0000

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2012

Sebastian Vettel says he expects a “very tight” battle in 2012, unlike his dominant championship victory last year.

Speaking following the launch of the Red Bull RB8 he said: “It would be wrong to go into this season and expect 2011 to happen again. As in, getting into the lead early and having a big gap to the competitors in the championship.

“I think it will be very, very tight this year, and everything else will be a surprise to be honest.”

Vettel said the lack of room for innovation will level the playing field:

“Looking at the cars, there is not much room we have left to play for designers to find something extra. The last two years we had two big things taken away: the double-diffusers plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust.

“We’re missing that, so therefore I think it’s difficult to create a difference. We’ll see, obviously we hope that our car is better than all the others. But it will be difficult and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in, I think the gaps will be even closer than they have been.”

Asked about Bernie Ecclestone’s remarks that it would be good if Vettel didn’t dominate in 2012, the world champion said: “I hope he’s wrong, obviously!

“It’s difficult to say, every season we start from zero again.

“Everyone has the same chance. We are all building our new cars and until we put them on the track to race each other we don’t really know, so we’ll see.

“I’m as confident as I can be at this point and hopefully we’ll have a good couple of days testing to prepare the season well.”

Vettel also said he hadn’t come up with a pet name for his new car yet: “To be honest last year we found a name for the car I think Wedneday before the first race. We might be a bit earlier this year but so far no names. We have a couple of candidates, top candidates, but nothing is decided yet.”

2012 F1 season

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Image © Red Bull/Getty images

‘More mature’ Grosjean looking forward to F1 return | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:51:38 +0000

Romain Grosjean, Renault, Interlagos, 2011

Romain Grosjean says his brief experience of F1 in 2009 will stand him in good stead on his return this year.

Speaking as the Lotus E20 was launched Grosjean said: “It’s difficult to say how I should view this season.

“For sure I did seven Grands Prix alongside Fernando [Alonso] and the experience I gained from that was helpful – and is still helpful today.

“On the other hand there are still some circuits that I don’t know. But I don’t think we can say I’m a rookie, just because of the experience I have. Let’s say that I am a young driver who still has plenty of things to learn in Formula One, but we are all expecting a good season.”

Groejean added: “I don’t know Albert Park, I don’t know Shanghai, I don’t know Canada, America nobody knows, India I don’t know and Korea I don’t know. So in the early stages of the season I know all the tracks except Albert Park and Shanghai. I know Sepang and Bahrain. We will see what happens.

Grosjean described how he got himself in a position to get back into F1:

“The process for getting the 2012 drive really began with GP2, where my goal was to bring DAMS back to the top and show that I can be a team leader. For sure winning the title was something that we all wanted, but championships can depend on many things.

“Then there were the two Friday morning sessions in Formula One, which were a real test in terms of seeing if I had the speed, feedback and everything the team was looking for. I knew it was very important and it went well, but then you just have to wait.

“That was the most difficult part, but I knew I’d done everything – the best I could do – so I had no regrets. I was waiting and just trying to read the faces of the people in the team to imagine what the decision would be! That’s always part of this job. You get used to it year after year.”

He added: “Compared with 2009 I am two years older! No big difference, just an improvement in terms of many small things, including maturity.

“The 2009 experience was very helpful for me to understand things and grow up from that point. So it was difficult, but very good as well. The 2012 Romain Grosjean sees life a little bit different. My aim is to enjoy my number one passion, Formula One.”

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Image © Renault/LAT

Raikkonen expects no problems adjusting to F1′s changes | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:36:11 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, Valencia, 2012

Kimi Raikkonen says he isn’t expecting a hard time returning to F1 after two years away.

Speaking at the launch of the Lotus E20 he said: “I’ve driven with KERS before and DRS is just a button. Once you’ve done it a few times it will become automatic.”

Asked about the introduction of the Drag Reductions System last year he said: “In 2010 I didn’t really follow Formula 1 but I saw more races last year.

“It doesn’t really look different, but there is overtaking in some different places where people can just drive past by opening the rear wing and the driver in front has no chance to defend himself – so is this really overtaking? I don’t think it counts all the time. But for sure the show is better.

“The tyres make a difference too, as there is a big speed difference between when the tyres are new and when the tyres are old. In the old Formula 1, you had to be so much faster than the guy in front of you to have any chance to overtake, but now with the tyres and the DRS, it’s different.”

He said his brief appearance in NASCAR last year reignited his passion for racing:

“When I did the NASCAR races, I enjoyed the racing and I want to do more racing. I still want to do rally and if I could I’d do them both at the same time – but this isn’t possible.

“For sure I will do rallying again in the future. I want to do racing as I had a really good time in NASCAR racing against other people and I realised that I was missing this – that’s when I decided that if there was a good chance to return properly that I would do it.”

He also refuted claims his motivation suffered after winning the world championship in 2007: “There’s always talk about my motivation, written by people who don’t know me and couldn’t have an idea on how strong my motivation is.

“If I didn’t feel I had the motivation, I would stop. My feeling is that I probably drove some of my best races in my last season in Formula 1 and I was very happy with my performance. I’ve never had any issues with motivation.”

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Image © Lotus F1 Team

Karthikeyan: Indian Grand Prix performance key to HRT return | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:46:43 +0000

Karthikeyan performed well on his comeback for HRT in India

Narain Karthikeyan says his performance in his last outing for HRT in the Indian Grand Prix helped secure his return with the team in 2012.

Karthikeyan qualified 0.022s behind Daniel Ricciardo at his home race. He finished 32 seconds ahead of his team mate, who was forced to make an extra, 42-second pit stop due to a faulty wheel.

HRT issued the following Q&A with Karthikeyan after confirming him as their second driver for 2012.

Q: It has finally been revealed that you will occupy the last seat available as an official driver, how are you facing this new challenge in Formula 1?
NK: It all really started after the Indian Grand Prix, where we had a good performance which led to the belief that I am still competitive to drive in Formula 1.

It is no secret how difficult it is to stay in F1 at this time, but I ensured that I was physically and mentally ready for any opportunity that arose. So I can’t wait to get back in the car and return to action once again.

Q: The uncertainty you’ve faced in the period spanning from the end of last season until the moment you’ve been confirmed can’t have been easy to handle. What have you done to keep yourself occupied?
NK: Well, there were more ups and downs than I can remember, positive and negative days – sometimes I just gave up but it was quickly followed by yet another glimmer of hope. It was exhausting mentally, but like the adage goes, all’s well that ends well.

There was plenty to keep me occupied during the winter though, like I said earlier I trained as hard as I would have if my drive was confirmed last season; fitness is critical in F1 and racing in general. Then there were lots of discussions, which meant a lot of travelling – flights, hotel stays and those sorts of things. So I didn’t have a whole lot of time to sit and mull over things, to be honest.

Q: This will be your third season in Formula 1, what targets have you set yourself?
NK: As far as results go, it largely depends on the development of the car, although I must say that things are looking promising. Otherwise, I have no doubts in my ability, I am extremely confident as last year and after the first few races, I drove better than ever. So I’ll be pushing hard no doubt about that.

A lot of things change this year even though it is the same team, and I am sure it’ll be for the better. The new management is wholly focused on all-round improvement and from what I have seen – they will do so.

Q: Practically the whole structure is new with respect to 2011, what sensations have the new directors given you?
NK: The team has some very capable and experienced people on-board now, like the new team principal Luis Perez-Sala and my team mate Pedro de la Rosa.

So things are definitely changing for the better ever since the new owners have taken over. Saul (Ruiz de Marco, HRT F1 CEO) has a very good approach to what F1 should be, by applying his entrepreneurship experience to the team and I’m sure that it will lead to better things. Everyone knows it is impossible to change things in F1 overnight but we have certainly taken strides in the right direction.

Q: How would you define yourself as a driver?
NK: One thing’s for sure – I never give up. I’m here, against all odds and expectations, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. I have worked incredibly hard, I believe in my ability and know that I am as quick as anyone else out there.

Q: What do you know about and what would you highlight about your team mate Pedro de la Rosa?
NK: My first ever test was with Jaguar in 2001 and I remember Pedro was the team driver at the time. Even though I don’t know him very well, I know that he’s very experienced and from what I’ve seen, has a pleasant personality. We should be getting on well – it is not about trying to beat each other but working harmoniously to help the team progress as a whole. Healthy competition will collectively allow us to get the maximum out of the car and fast-forward the development process.

He has a vast amount of developmental experience with a front-running team – so it’ll count a lot for the team in terms of approaching things and making the most out of our resources.

Q: What do you think you can contribute to the team this year?
NK: I am going to push as hard as possible, both inside and outside the cockpit and do whatever it takes to help the team progress in its rejuvenated form. Continuity is important in Formula 1 so I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running this year starting with some actual pre-season testing unlike last season where I first drove the new car on the opening race weekend in Australia.

So there is all the incentive for me to ensure that I carry the team forward by delivering results and ensuring that nothing is left on the table as far as performance is concerned.

Q: Coming from a country with not much motorsport tradition, what led you to pursue the dream of making it to Formula 1?
NK: Ever since I started my racing career, I had just one goal in mind – Formula 1. It was definitely an unconventional dream to have, considering we had very little by the way of motorsport in India.

Understandably, at the time I failed to realise what an uphill task it was. A more concrete picture emerged when I started racing in Europe, and it was during that time I came to terms with the harsh realities in earnest. We didn’t know the right steps to get to F1, but several setbacks made my resolve only stronger and my perseverance ultimately paid off when I made my debut in 2005.

Q: Last year you made history by becoming the first Indian driver ever to race at the Indian Grand Prix. What dreams do you have left to fulfill?
NK: For me, Formula 1 is a continued dream, it is always ultra-competitive and competing at the pinnacle of the sport is what I love. So I am very happy to have the opportunity to continue living my dream and I have every intention to make the best out of it.

More information on the 2012 F1 season.

2012 F1 season

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Narain Karthikeyan takes final F1 seat at HRT | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:09:45 +0000

Narain Karthikeyan, HRT, Buddh International Circuit, 2011

Narain Karthikeyan will return to F1 with HRT in 2012, the team has confirmed.

Karthikeyan started eight races for HRT last year before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. He made a one-off return to the team at the Indian Grand Prix.

HRT previously announced their other driver for 2012 will be Pedro de la Rosa.

Karthikeyan said: “It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team.

“I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012. I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose. I am delighted to have signed with HRT F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definite potential for progress.

“We need to understand that F1 is new to India, we hosted our first race only last year which was a resounding success. To build on that momentum, an Indian driver will certainly keep the interest engaged throughout the season. I am proud to secure an opportunity to forge a stronger connection between India and Formula 1 once again.”

HRT team principal Luiz Perez-Sala added: “I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability. He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year.

“Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in. I’m sure that the fact that he will continue to work and drive on a regular basis will help him take a step forward this season. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone’s input will be fundamental.”

Karthikeyan’s signing completes this year’s driver line-up. Here’s the full list of 2012 F1 drivers and teams.

2012 F1 season

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Suspended jail sentence for Sutil | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:21:54 +0000

Sutil was found guilty of grievous bodily harm

Adrian Sutil has been handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence by a court in Germany.

Sutil received the sentence along with a €200,000 fine after being found guilty of inflicting bodily harm on Eric Lux in a nightclub in Shanghai last year.

The former Force India driver told the court he had apologised and claimed he had only meant to spill his drink Lux on when he wounded him with a champagne glass during the fracas. Lux is the CEO of Lotus owners Genii Capital.

Sutil is without a drive for 2012 having lost his seat at Force India to Nico Hulkenberg last year.

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Jerome d’Ambrosio joins Lotus as third driver for 2012 | 2012 F1 season

Keith Collantine — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:27:18 +0000

Jerome d'Ambrosio raced for Virgin last year

Jerome D’Ambrosio will be Lotus’s third driver in 2012, the team has confirmed.

D’Ambrosio raced for Virgin in 2011 but was dropped by the team at the end of the year.

He was previously a member of the team’s young driver programme (when they were Renault) and tested for them in 2009 and 2010. The team said D’Ambrosio will take the place of Kimi Raikkonen or Romain Grosjean if either are unable to race.

D’Ambrosio said: “It’s a great feeling to be joining Lotus F1 Team. It’s an exciting next step in my career.

“I contested a complete season in F1 as a race driver for a smaller team where I learnt a lot about Formula 1. Now, I have the opportunity to work with one of the top teams with great potential for my future development.

“With my recent race experience, I know I can make a valuable contribution. Of course, I would love to be racing, but racing with a top team.

“Being associated with Lotus F1 Team should be more beneficial and this is the choice I have made. This opportunity is one I couldn’t afford to miss. My desire to get back in a race seat in the future is motivating me to do the best job possible in my new position.”

Team principal Eric Boullier added: “In Jerome we have someone we know well who integrates beneficially with the squad. He impressed as reserve driver for us in 2010 and at the end of that year he made a strong showing in the young driver test.”

See the updated list of 2012 F1 drivers and teams.

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Kimi Raikkonen continues his F1 familiarisation in Valencia | F1 pictures

Keith Collantine — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:14:54 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen continued testing for Lotus in Valencia today.

Here are pictures from his second day at the track:

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Kimi Raikkonen makes his F1 return with Lotus | Pictures

Keith Collantine — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:44:12 +0000

Kimi Raikkonen returned to an F1 cockpit for the first time since 2009 today.

The 2007 world champion drove a Renault R30 in Lotus colours at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

Raikkonen, who sported a new helmet design on his return, had to drive a two-year-old car due to testing restrictions. Lotus will launch their 2012 F1 car on Fenruary 5th ahead of the first test session in Jerez.

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