Sauber Set To Introduce New Rear-Wing For Spanish Grand Prix

Sauber are planning on introducing a new rear-wing for the Spanish Grand Prix next time out around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, a race where many teams are expected to introduce their first true upgrades package after the first four flyaway races. These upgrades for Sauber will consist of a new rear-wing and various aero updates.

After a slightly uncompetitive opening four races for the Hinwil-based outfit, they will understandably be hoping that their new upgrades allow them to move further up the order after once again becoming stuck within the highly competitive midfield. Although Nico Hulkenberg scored a handful of points at the Malaysian and Chinese Grands Prix and even led eight laps around the Shanghai International Circuit, his team-mate has unfortunately been unable to enjoy such successes in his debut in the sport.

Despite several strong seasons in the GP2 Series for Lotus GP [now known as ART Grand Prix], the Mexican driver has struggled greatly during his first few races behind the wheel of the Ferrari-powered C32 machine. During qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Gutierrez crashed heavily in the inclement weather conditions. At the Malaysian Grand Prix he managed to qualify 14th and finish 12th, however he failed to continue improving at the Chinese Grand Prix after a collision with the Force India of Adrian Sutil.

Naturally Esteban Gutierrez’s uncompetitiveness is not all his fault, as Sauber’s new car has not yet lived up to their C31 machine of last season, which immediately enabled Sergio Perez to step upon the podium at the Malaysian Grand Prix and again later in the season at the Canadian and Italian Grands Prix. However, both Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez will be hoping the dawn of the European season is a change in luck as they continue to strive for competitive results for the outfit. During Friday practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, the duo will evaluate the new upgrades. The team’s ambition is to see both of their drivers finish in the points, something which has not occurred for the outfit since the Italian Grand Prix last season.

“Although Barcelona is a track we know well from winter testing, the higher temperatures do change how the tyres perform, so we have to adapt to that. The first two sectors are biased towards higher speed corners, whereas the third sector is dominated by a technical sequence of lower speed corners, hence the set-up is always a compromise.” Explained Sauber’s Head of Track Engineering, Tom McCullough. “We have some further aero updates, including a modified rear wing, and we will be evaluating these during Friday practice. Qualifying is particularly important here as overtaking can be difficult in the race. Our target for the race is to finish with both cars in the points.”

Last season Sauber were an extreme threat to many of the front-running teams such as McLaren and Ferrari, with both Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi both qualifying and finishing the races competitively. Such a threat seems to have vanished during the winter period for Sauber, however they will no doubt continue to improve as the season progresses. Both Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez know what it takes to be competitive, and simply require a machine capable of taking the fight to the sharper end of the grid.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Pirelli To Offer Teams With 2013 Development Tyres At Brazil

Pirelli have announced they will offer the teams with a prototype of the 2013 tyres for the opening two practice sessions at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, which will see either Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso be crowned a triple World Champion. Next year’s Pirelli tyres will feature different characteristics to this year’s compounds.

Pirelli’s controversial P Zero and Cinturato tyres have greatly effected the results this season, and have kept the teams perplexed for the majority of the year. As the season has progressed, the teams have gradually managed to work with the tyres, with normality being resumed as Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull enjoyed a resurgence in the latter half of the season. Pirelli aim to continue making life difficult for the teams and drivers next season, with the tyres set to once again change over the winter period.

As the teams and drivers prepare for this weekend’s grand finale around Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit, Pirelli have decided to offer the teams with a prototype of the 2013 tyre for the teams to test during the opening two practice sessions on Friday. With the compounds and construction of the tyres once again set to alter, the teams and drivers will understandably be eager to begin working with the new tyres.

“We’ll be bringing some of our 2013 prototype tyres to Brazil in order for the teams to get a taste of them during free practice.” Explained Pirelli’s motor sport director, Paul Hembery. “With no testing until February otherwise, this will be an extremely valuable opportunity for them to see what our new tyres are like as they finalize their 2013 cars – so let’s hope that it doesn’t rain on Friday!

“Both the compounds and construction will be different, which means that the characteristics of the new tyres will be altered, with a wider working range and some compounds that are slightly more aggressive. We’ve yet to finalize where exactly all the compounds will sit in relation to each other, which is why we are calling the tyre to be used in Brazil a ‘prototype’ rather than giving it a specific nomination, but it will be very representative of our general design philosophy next year.”

With rain forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Pirelli will be hoping Friday’s two practice sessions remain dry to allow the drivers to test the new prototype compounds. This past season has been greatly effect by the Pirelli tyres, and it seems next year will also be centered around the tyres as the teams and drivers strive gain as much knowledge as possible ahead of the new season.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Friday Water Leak Did Not Disrupt Vettel’s Preparations

Sebastian Vettel has explained how his water leak during the second practice session on Friday did not disrupt his preparations for the remainder of the weekend, something the German confirmed as soon as the issue was rectified by instantly returning to the top of the timing sheets shortly after his mechanics fixed the issue.

The reigning World Champion has remained dominant since, with Vettel topping the third and final practice session as well as securing pole position for the 56-lap race on Sunday. Despite loosing 55 minutes of track time during practice two when the German was forced to return to the pits with a water leak, Sebastian Vettel lost none of his fearsome pace and bounced back like a boomerang towards the end of the session. Since then, the Red Bull driver has remained unbeatable at the front, and is looking the favorite for victory in the race.

“No, not really, because we were still able to get a decent run on lower fuel and one on high fueling yesterday afternoon.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, when asked whether the issue affected his preparations. “The boys did a good job to get the car ready in time, just to have enough for two runs, as I said, a short run and a long run, so that was very important, otherwise you are a little bit… not in the dark because Mark had a solid P2, free practice two, but obviously you don’t, you can’t tick all the boxes you would like for Sunday.”

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull will be hoping the mechanical gremlins of the past do not reappear during the 56-lap United States Grand Prix, as Sebastian Vettel strives to take not only the race victory but also the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship. Should the German finish the race 15 points ahead of Championship rival Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel will become the youngest triple-World Champion in the history of Formula 1!

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Max Chilton Eager To Receive Friday Practice Running With Marussia

Marussia’s new reserve driver Max Chilton has expressed hope that he can partake in several Friday morning practice sessions towards the end of the season, as the Briton aims to become the next British sensation in the sport. Chilton took a dominant feature race victory in GP2 at Singapore earlier today, racing for the Marussia-backed Carlin outfit.

Chilton’s new role as the Marussia F1 reserve driver will commence once the F1 circus arrives at Suzuka next month for the Japanese Grand Prix, one of the favorites on the F1 calendar amongst the paddock. From there, Formula 1 heads immediately to Yeongam for the Korean Grand Prix. However, it is at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November where rumor has it that Max Chilton could make his F1 debut at an official race weekend.

“There is no agreement as such, but I think there is a strong possibility I can have a go this year,” explained Max Chilton to Autosport at Singapore. “I’ve driven Abu Dhabi in an F1 car and that is the one I would love to do. I have done a lot of GP2 running there too, so that is the one where I would feel most comfortable, so hopefully I will get the chance. But nothing is agreed as yet.”

With the GP2 Series coming to a conclusion this weekend at Singapore, Max Chilton will be able to fully focus on his reserve driver duties at Marussia for the final races of the season. Max Chilton has competed in the GP2 Series since 2010, and has this season shown his true potential behind the wheel of the Marussia-backed Carlin outfit alongside Indonesian team-mate Rio Haryanto. The Briton currently sits 4th in the Drivers’ Champion, with only one final sprint race remaining at Singapore.

Picture Copyright © Marussia F1 Team

Ma Qing Hua To Drive Once Again In Practice At Singapore

HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua will once again get behind the wheel of the F112 at an official F1 event next time out at Singapore, as the Chinese driver continues his valuable learning experiences with the Spanish-outfit. The 24-year-old made F1 history last time out in Monza, becoming the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport.

After initially partaking in HRT’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone back in July, Ma Qing Hua is now preparing to participate in his second official practice session in F1. Many teams up and down the paddock have utilized the opening practice session of the weekend to run their reserve drivers, such as Valtteri Bottas [Williams] and Jules Bianchi [Force India] making regular appearances for their respective teams. With HRT set to introduce several new upgrades at the Singapore Grand Prix, Ma Qing Hua will be instrumental in testing the new updates.

“I’m very happy to drive the F112 for a second time in a row and I really appreciate the opportunity HRT is giving me.” Explained Ma Qing Hua, “It will be very exciting to drive an F1 [car] around the streets of Singapore. It’s a very demanding track for all of us, but it will be even more of a challenge for me as this is only the second time I will be driving the car at a race weekend. I have prepared myself in the simulator as well as doing some specific exercises to be used to driving at night. This is yet again another step in my career and I look forward to getting more experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as well as doing my best to help the team to prepare for the race.”

Ma Qing Hua will once again replace Narain Karthikeyan for the opening session of the weekend, before the Indian driver makes a return behind the cockpit of the F112 for the second practice session later in the afternoon. Narain Karthikeyan has also never raced around the Marina Bay street circuit, and will be eager to utilize the 90-minute second practice session to learn the track.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Ma Qing Hua To Make F1 Debut At Monza Practice

HRT’s development driver, Ma Qing Hua, will make his first track appearance at an official Formula 1 race at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix when he becomes the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport. He will replace Narain Karthikeyan for the opening session on the Friday, and will team-mate Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa.

Throughout the majority of the season, HRT have elected their reserve driver Dani Clos to take part in numerous Friday practice sessions, however this weekend will see a slight change as 24-year-old Ma Qing Hua gets behind the wheel of the F112 for the first time since the Young Driver Test at Silverstone back in July. The Shanghai-born driver completed 483.062km during the Silverstone test, and greatly impressed the team as well as securing himself a Formula 1 Super License which enables him to partake during official race weekends.

“This is a very important step towards my dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.” Explained Ma Qing Hua, “It will be my second time in the car, after the Young Driver Test in Silverstone, and I’m very excited about driving at a circuit like Monza. The objective of this session is to continue advancing with my programme, rack up more miles and experience at the wheel of an F1 car and help the team with whatever they need. I’m excited but also calm about it because I’ve been training hard in the past months to be prepared when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve also worked on the simulator to get to know the circuits a bit better and how a Formula 1 car reacts.”

This weekend will see Ma Qing Hua make F1 history as he becomes the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport, after Dutch-born Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung tested for Williams and Renault as well driving in the GP2 Series. This will be the second time HRT have made F1 history this season, the first coming at the Spanish Grand Prix when it was announced that Dani Clos would be driving for them alongside Pedro de la Rosa in first practice. This therefore created the first ever all-Spanish line-up in a Spanish F1 team at all places, Spain.

“Personally, it fills me with satisfaction to be able to give Ma the opportunity to make his debut at a Grand Prix, and to do it in FP1 at a classic circuit like Monza makes it even more special.” Said HRT’s team principal, Luis Perez-Sala. “Since we started working with him in March everything has been very quick but he’s responded and overcome every phase accordingly. From tests with World Series or GP2 cars, passing through sessions on the simulator, to the Formula 1 tests in Silverstone where he completed 500 km with no problems. He’s shown to us that he’s on a good level and has transmitted the necessary confidence to take the next step, which is to make his debut at a free practice session of a Grand Prix.”

Narain Karthikeyan, who will sit out the opening practice session for Ma Qing Hua, will naturally make a return behind the cockpit of the F112 during the second practice session in the afternoon. Just like at Spa-Francorchamps last time out, this will be the Indian drivers first appearance at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza since his debut season in 2005 with Jordan.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Narain Karthikeyan Looking Forward To “Intense” Third Practice

Narain Karthikeyan failed to complete a lap of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit today in either of the two practice sessions, with the heavy rain and perilous conditions denying the Indian driver the opportunity to take to the track in second practice. With Dani Clos in the car in the morning period, Karthikeyan will have to wait until third practice tomorrow morning to take to the track for the first time.

Both Dani Clos and Pedro de la Rosa could only manage 24 laps combined during the opening practice session earlier this morning, with the team then deciding against running at all during the second practice session as the rain intensified and the track conditions became steadily worse. With the weather forecast to be dry tomorrow, this means the third and final practice ahead of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix in the morning will be extremely busy, as the teams and drivers strive to complete valuable dry weather running.

“Today I was unable to do any laps as the conditions were terrible, but you can’t fight against these things so the best thing is to focus on tomorrow.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, who was unable to take to the track all day. “No rain is anticipated so we will work on making up for lost time from the very start and to get some feel for the car. It will be an intense session but I’m really looking forward to going out on track”.

Tomorrow will be Narain Karthikeyan’s first time around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit since his debut season with Jordan back in 2005, a race in which the Indian driver finished 11th. Unlike other competitors this weekend, Pedro de la Rosa confirmed at the start of the weekend that HRT will not be introducing any new upgrades until the Singapore Grand Prix in several weeks time.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Giedo Van Der Garde Confirms F1 Return With Caterham

Dutch GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde has confirmed he will once again return behind the wheel of the Caterham CT01 towards the end of the season, when the Formula 1 circus arrives at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Dutchman will then partake in practice sessions at Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil as well as several days of testing at the Young Driver Test. Giedo van der Garde currently races for Caterham Racing in the GP2 Series, which comes to an end in September with a season finale around the Marina Bay Street Circuit at Singapore. Once GP2 has ended, Giedo van der Garde has confirmed will return to his reserve driver duties for the Caterham F1 team.

“When the GP2 season is over, I will have five Friday practices in Formula 1 and two days in the Young Driver test,” explained Giedo van der Garde in an interview with GPUpdate.net. “The first practice session will be in Japan, then I’m also driving in Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil.”

Giedo van Garden has so far only made one Friday practice appearance for Caterham, at the Chinese Grand Prix back in April. The Dutchman currently sits 5th in the GP2 Drivers’ Championship, with 129 points scored which includes one race victory in Spain. This season has seen many reserve drivers partake in Friday practice sessions, including Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Jules Bianchi (Force India) and Dani Clos (HRT), amongst others. It is as of yet unknown who van der Garde will replace during these sessions, although the Dutchman replaced Vitaly Petrov back in April at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Williams Confirm Valtteri Bottas For Young Driver Test

Williams have confirmed that their reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will get behind the wheel of the FW34 for two days at the Young Driver Test at Silverstone, and will join fellow young drivers Ma Qing Hua [HRT], Max Chilton [Marussia] and Rio Haryanto [Marussia]. The reigning GP3 Champion has taken part in six Friday practice sessions this season, as well as a number of straight line aero tests.

Valtteri Bottas took part in the Young Driver Test last year with Williams, when the event was held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. After much deliberation, Williams have emerged as one of only several teams wishing to carry out the Young Driver Test at Silverstone this season.

“I’m really looking forward to the test this week.” Explained Valtteri Bottas, “In total I’ve only had four full test days in a Formula One car alongside the FP1 sessions this season, so I really want to get some good mileage in. We have some interesting things to test this week as well as a longer race simulation planned, which, provided the weather stays good, will be a great experience for me. I’m looking forward to being able to do some longer runs in the Williams Renault FW34, as well as strengthening my relationship with the engineers”

With Valtteri Bottas already very knowledgable within the Williams due to his driving duties for the team on Friday mornings, the Finn will be eager to take another step forward during this test in his dreams to become Finland’s next Formula 1 driver. Bottas has shown decent pace during his six Friday practice outings for Williams, and will striving to show even more of that pace on both the Thursday and the Friday at Silverstone.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Bruno Senna Under Threat From Valtteri Bottas

As Pastor Maldonado romped to his maiden Grand Prix victory during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, his team-mate Bruno Senna was involved in a collision with Michael Schumacher and subsequently retired from the race. Although the incident was in no way Senna’s fault, his future with the team is looking in doubt for 2013 and beyond.

With Williams reserve driver and reigning GP3 Champion Valtteri Bottas impressing Williams throughout his various Friday practice sessions, speculation is now growing that the Finnish driver could replace Senna in the near future. The 22-year-old has already driven for the Grove-based team in four Friday practice sessions this season, and has shown impressive pace alongside Pastor Maldonado. For all of these sessions, Bottas has replaced Senna in the car, and will allegedly continue to do so throughout the remainder of 2012.

Williams have also signed two new Finnish sponsors recently, both of which sponsor Bottas. Wihuri, a Finnish International Industry and Trade Conglomerate, and have sponsored Bottas since 2006. The other new sponsor is a Finnish welding manufacturer called Kempii, a company which has sponsored Bottas since 2008. The Finnish driver is also managed by Williams investor Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff, who’s wife Susie Wolff née Stoddart is a Williams test driver.

Although Senna scored the first World Championship points for Williams this season, he has failed to progress through to Q3 in any qualifying sessions so far. During the Spanish Grand Prix, Senna wasn’t even able to progress through to Q2, whereas his team-mate qualified on the front row. With Williams undeniably grooming Bottas for an eventual race seat at the team, it seems the writing is on the wall for Bruno Senna. The next few races will be imperative for the Brazilian, as Maldonado aims for further race victories and podiums in 2012.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team