Lewis Hamilton: “Spanish Grand Prix Will Be Difficult To Predict”
Lewis Hamilton is expecting next weekends Spanish Grand Prix to be as unpredictable as the first four races, with the three-day Mugello test unlikely to return the grid to normality. In the opening four races, four different drivers won racing for four different constructors.
Heading into the Spanish Grand Prix, the trend could continue with Lewis Hamilton yet to win in 2012. If he does so in Spain, he will become the fifth different driver to win a race this season. However, if one of the Lotus driver wins in Spain, they will become not only the fifth different driver to win but also the fifth different constructor to win in five races.
“Our performance at Barcelona during winter testing looked promising – but the form of the season is still very hard to read, so it’s difficult to predict who’ll be at the front next weekend.” Explained the 2008 World Champion, “It’ll be interesting to see how straightforward overtaking will be this year. It’s always been a tough place for passing – as I found out last year – but I really hope DRS and KERS-Hybrid combined will make it a little easier. I think it’s going to be one of the toughest tracks of the year for overtaking, but I’ll be hoping for a strong performance in qualifying in order to make it as straightforward as possible in the race.”
Lewis Hamilton has never won a race around the Circuit de Catalunya, and will be eager to change that stat come next weekend. The McLaren driver currently resides 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship with 49 points, and will be looking to head to the Monaco Grand Prix leading the Championship after a successful race in Spain.
Jenson Button: “Barcelona Can Be A Funny Circuit”
As McLaren opted to take their reserve drivers’ Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett to the Mugello test, Jenson Button wowed thousands as he took to the streets of Budapest in a demonstration run as part of the ‘Raise Your Game Weekend’ event. The 2009 World Champion now heads to Barcelona, for the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.
The British driver won around the Circuit de Catalunya in 2009, racing for Brawn on his way to the Championship title. Since then, whilst racing for McLaren, Jenson Button has only managed a 5th and a 3rd place on what he has described as a ‘funny circuit’.
“Barcelona can be a funny circuit: we all test there so regularly that every driver knows it like the back of his hand, yet it can still be an extremely tricky place to get absolutely right.” Explained Jenson Button, “You need to have absolutely every box ticked if you’re going to win at Barcelona. It’s a place that punishes poor balance like almost nowhere else – if your car is understeering around here, then you’re going to really struggle.”
After a successful start to the 2012 season, winning first time out in Australia, Jenson Button will be hoping he can return to winning ways after a disastrous Bahrain Grand Prix. The Brit was forced to retire on lap 55 after a mechanical issue brought a premature end to his race. Both Button and Hamilton will be hoping the test week at Mugello can boost the team, with the unpredictability of the opening four races set to continue in the European season.
HRT Calm Heading Into Their Home Grand Prix
After skipping the Mugello test that took place earlier this week, HRT are heading to their home Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya calm after successfully moving into their new headquarters in Madrid.
The Spanish outfit suffered difficult start to the 2012 season, after initially failing to make an appearance at pre-season testing before then failing to qualify for the opening race of the season in Australia. However, since then HRT have taken step forwards at every Grand Prix, with Narain Karthikeyan even running as high as 10th at the Malaysian Grand Prix albeit in torrential conditions.
“The Spanish Grand Prix is the most important race for a Spanish driver, but this time it will be even more special for me because I’m racing with a Spanish team in my city of birth.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, who is preparing for his 6th Spanish Grand Prix of his career. “Not going to Mugello wasn’t an easy decision but it was important to go to the headquarters for the first time and work calmly because it’s the first time my car is in Europe. We’re playing at home in front of the best fans in the world. We’re looking forward to it and it’s something historic so I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible.”
As the other 11 teams headed to Mugello for the first in-season test since 2008, HRT calmly moved into their brand-new headquarters in Madrid. With the team now happily ensconced at their new base, and after a visit from FIA President Jean Todt, the Spanish outfit are now calmly looking ahead to the Spanish race.
“We’re really looking forward to taking part in this Grand Prix, which is the first time we’ll be racing at home this season.” Said HRT’s Team Principal, Luis Perez-Sala, “After the first four races we’re heading into this one with much more calm. We arrive more organized and better prepared after having rested a bit this week. It’s the first Grand Prix we travel to after having moved into our new headquarters, starting a great new chapter in the history of the team.”
With McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton even unable to predict the outcome of this weekends Spanish Grand Prix, it looks as though another exciting race is on the cards. HRT will be eager to get in the mix, and start reeling in the Marussia’s of Charles Pic and Timo Glock.
Mugello, Day 3: Grosjean Ends Mugello Test Fastest
After an eventful morning session, which saw Sergio Perez suffer a small fire in the pit-lane and Fernando Alonso crash his Ferrari, Romain Grosjean has ended the Mugello test fastest in the afternoon session. Sebastian Vettel finished 2nd, with Alonso back in 3rd after suffering a disastrous end to the morning period.
The afternoon session began in similar circumstances to how the morning session ended, with a red flag coming out not too long after the break for Heikki Kovalainen. The Finn had embedded his Caterham in the gravel at turn 1, causing a momentary delay for the proceedings.
After Force India decided to run Paul di Resta in the morning session, German Nico Hulkenberg made his first track appearance of the test week in the afternoon. The Force India driver’s first timed lap left him in 6th place, just ahead of his team-mate.
Romain Grosjean then flew to the top with a 01:21.159, around a tenth faster than the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel. The Frenchman then increased the gap to the Red Bull driver, with a 01:21.035. Lotus opted to run only one of their drivers’ at the Mugello test, alongside their reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio. The aim being to focus only on one driver after the unpredictable weather experienced on day one.
With just over an hour of running remaining, there was a short red flag as Sergio Perez ground to a halt whilst exiting the pit-lane. The Mexican endured a highly eventful final day of testing, after his Sauber momentarily caught fire in the pits during the morning session.
Daniel Ricciardo finished an impressive 4th overall, with Perez ending his eventful day 5th in front of the Force India of Hulkenberg. Pastor Maldonado was able to finish 7th, after electrical issues plagued his car early in the morning.
The F1 fraternity will now pack up and head to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the fifth round of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m21.035s 2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m21.267s + 0.232s 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.363s + 0.328s 4. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m21.604s + 0.569s 5. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.229s + 0.879s 6. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m22.325s + 0.975s 7. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m22.497s + 1.147s 8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.579s + 1.229s 9. Oliver Turvey McLaren-Mercedes 1m22.662s + 1.312s 10. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m23.002s + 1.652s 11. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m23.169s + 1.819s 12. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m23.466s + 2.116s
Vitaly Petrov Believes Mugello Is An Unsafe Track
Russian Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov has become the first and as of yet only driver to speak out negatively about the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello circuit, with the Caterham driver stating that the track isn’t wide enough and is too dangerous for F1 cars.
This statement comes after the remaining drivers’ who have driven on the track this week announced their pleasure and sense of fulfillment in driving around the Mugello circuit. Mark Webber likened 10 laps around the track to 1000 around Abu Dhabi in sense of satisfaction, whereas fellow Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo stated: “Love driving the beast round here. Awesome high speed circuit.”
“I don’t think we should have come here,” explained Petrov, who has contrasting views on the Mugello circuit. “It is not safe and wide enough. If you lose it, the walls are so close and you will smash into the tyres. It is not for Formula 1 and, if you lost the steering or the tyre pressure dropped or whatever, then it will be a big crash.”
It was earlier announced that the director of the Mugello circuit, which is owned by Ferrari, is eager to one day see the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello circuit host a Grand Prix. With other drivers adoring their time on the Italian circuit, it seems Vitaly Petrov won’t be returning to the Mugello circuit anytime soon.
Mugello, Day 3: Vettel Fastest As Ferrari Falter In Morning Session
Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel has ended the morning period fastest on the final day of the Mugello test, the first in-season test since 2008. Ferrari started the day promisingly, with a whole host of new updates to their car, only for Fernando Alonso to embed his car in the gravel at turn 12, with damage to the front wing setting Ferrari back.
As the morning session began, Heikki Kovalainen was the first out as the Finn made his first appearance on the track all week. The Finn was joined by the majority of the field as they completed their usual installation laps. Sergio Perez and Pastor Maldonado also made their first track appearances of the test, with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg scheduled to step into the Force India throughout the day as well.
Fernando Alonso set the initial pace for Ferrari, with the Italian outfit running several extensive upgrades to their car. His time was a 01:21.772, as Daniel Ricciardo and Heikki Kovalainen slotted into 2nd and 3rd places respectively. However, Alonso and Ferrari’s positive morning took a turn for the worse as the Spaniard was all-of-sudden seen embedded in the gravel with the front wing damaged. Whether the front wing failed on the car, or whether Alonso lost control of the Ferrari is as of yet unknown. This incident delayed Ferrari’s morning schedule by just over two hours as they set to fixing the damage.
There was further drama down in the pit-lane throughout the morning period, as the Sauber of Sergio Perez momentarily caught fire and engulfed the surrounding garages in smoke. This minor mishap failed to deter the Mexican from the track, as he completed over 40 laps throughout the morning. Pastor Maldonado suffered a miserable session as his Williams was plagued with electrical issues, which resulted in the Venezuelan only completing a handful of laps throughout the morning.
A second red flag of the morning was caused by the Force India of Paul di Resta, who stopped in the gravel at turn 11. Luckily for the Scot, no damage was sustained during his excursion through the gravel.
With Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari residing the pit-lane in sorry state of repair, this allowed Sebastian Vettel to leapfrog the Spaniard and set the quickest time of the morning with a 01:21.314, which he capitalized on shortly after with a 01:21.267. Yesterday’s pace setter Romain Grosjean wasn’t far behind the 2-time World Champion, as Lotus continue their competitiveness. Ferrari completed a stellar job in fixing Alonso’s Ferrari, as the Spaniard rejoined the track shortly before the lunch interval.
The final session of the week will continue after the lunch interval, before the teams and drivers take what they have learned from Mugello to the Spanish Grand Prix.
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m21.267s 2. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m21.334s + 0.067s 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.363s + 0.096s 4. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.143s + 0.876s 5. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.229s + 0.962s 6. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m23.071s + 1.804s 7. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m23.169s + 1.902s 8. Oliver Turvey McLaren-Mercedes 1m23.221s + 1.954s 9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.017s + 2.750s 10. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m24.310s + 3.043s 11. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m31.769s + 10.502s
Mugello Aims To Host F1 Race In The Future
As the final day of the Mugello test dawns, talks of the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello circuit one day hosting a Formula 1 race have begun to gather momentum. The Ferrari owned circuit has seen many of theTifosi attend the test week, eager to catch a glimpse of their beloved Scarlet Ferrari’s.
Although the Autodromo Nazionale Monza has a contract to host the Italian Grand Prix until 2016, Mugello’s circuit director Paolo Poli has stated that the circuit could well soon bid for a place on the F1 calendar.
“We are working to improve the track, to test the ability of the infrastructure and our potential to be able to think about something more,” explained Paolo Poli on Raisport 1 programme Mattina Sport. “The path is long, but we do not want to miss the opportunity.”
After two days of testing on the Mugello circuit, the first being struck by torrential rain, the drivers’ have praised the circuit no end, with Red Bull’s Mark Webber stating: “Ten laps around Mugello is the same as doing 1000 laps around Abu Dhabi in terms of satisfaction.”
With the Italian Grand Prix the only logical race to be held at the circuit if Mugello did one day host a race, the director of the legendary Monza circuit has voiced concerns at the thought of the Italian Grand Prix one day being held elsewhere.
“We have a contract with FOM until 2016,” reiterated Enrico Ferrari, Monza’s director. “We respect certain initiatives, but we should remember that Monza is part of automotive history and I think there is a desire for this tradition to be respected.”
The Formula 1 calendar is already bursting at the seams in years to come, with a second United States Grand Prix, a French Grand Prix and a Russian Grand Prix already confirmed for 2013 and 2014 respectively. With the F1 calendar already 20 rounds long, a possible solution could be to have the Italian Grand Prix alternate between Monza and Mugello, just like with the German Grand Prix.
Mugello, Day 2: Grosjean & Kobayashi Fastest Overall
The Lotus of Romain Grosjean and the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi have ended day two sharing the top place on the time sheets after a late run from the Japanese driver which saw him set an identical lap time to that set earlier by Romain Grosjean in the Lotus E20, on a day which saw contrasting weather in comparison to day one when heavy rain struck the track. Luckily for the drivers’ and teams’, sunny conditions and positively balmy temperatures were the conditions on day two.
The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber would finish 3rd and 4th for the day, with Felipe Massa’s Ferrari taking 5th.
After a relatively incident-free and quiet morning period, which saw Romain Grosjean fastest before the lunch interval, the afternoon session began in similar circumstances. Three teams’ had driver changes over the lunch hour, as Timo Glock and Sebastian Vettel replaced their respective team-mates.
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was scheduled to replace team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne after lunch in the Toro Rosso, but the Frenchman was seen back in the car as the afternoon period got underway. However, Ricciardo would take to the track late in the afternoon, with just 47 minutes left in the session. A quick lap of 1:23.411 would put the Australian into 8th place on the time sheets.
The Mercedes of Michael Schumacher was the first driver to venture out as the afternoon session got underway, the German clocking 144 laps over the course of the day.
It was nearly one hour into the afternoon period before the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel made his first track appearance of the week, setting an initial 01:27.194 on his first timed lap, finishing the day with a quickest lap of 01:21.825 good enough for 3rd.
Ferrari, who yesterday topped the days timing sheets, sent Felipe Massa out for some aerodynamic work as the session wore on. The Brazilian ended the morning session 3rd behind Grosjean and Webber. Massa would also join the track with 15 minutes left in the session to end the day on a long stint for the Ferrari team. With 106 laps in total completed, Massa was able to place 5th.
After setting no timed lap in the morning session, Force India’s Paul di Resta remained in the pits as the track action resumed after lunch. Force India’s lack of track time was due to a hydraulics issue, which the mechanics were quickly trying to conquer. Marussia also discovered a fault on their car, as they confirmed that a power steering issue had struck Timo Glock’s car. This issue forced the mechanics to change the steering rack, resulting in Glock unable to take the track for a while.
The first red flag of the day was caused by Kamui Kobayashi, whose Sauber had ground to halt at turn 12. However, the red flag was short-lived as the marshals quickly cleared the track. Kobayashi would then show there was no damage to his car by clocking the late run which would put him on par with Romain Grosjean.
The Mugello test concludes tomorrow on the third and final day before the teams head off for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m21.603s 2. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m21.603s + 0.000s 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m21.825s + 0.222s 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m21.997s + 0.394s 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m22.257s + 0.654s 6. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.422s + 0.819s 7. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.588s + 0.985s 8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m23.404s + 1.801s 9. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m23.982s + 2.379s 10. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m24.312s + 2.709s 11. Gary Paffett McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.480s + 2.877s 12. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m24.499s + 2.896s 13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.749s + 3.146s 14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m24.842s + 3.239s
Mugello, Day 2: Grosjean Fastest In Morning Session
After a miserable day weather-wise yesterday, the teams and drivers were greeted with glorious sunshine as they prepared for the second day of the Mugello test. Although the track was initially damp as the day got underway, Romain Grosjean was the fastest in the morning session as the teams tried to and make up for their lost time yesterday.
With Lotus opting to focus on only one driver for the remaining two days due to the changeable conditions, this meant Kimi Raikkonen will be absent from the Mugello test after D’Ambrosio drove yesterday.
Mark Webber was the first driver to set a timed lap on the second day, with a slow 02:20.133. The Australian driver, who has been linked with a move to Ferrari in 2013, will hand the Red Bull over to team-mate Sebastian Vettel for this afternoon. Bruno Senna then went quicker with a 01:53.242, on a track which still required the intermediate tyres. It was the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher who set the first competitive time of the day, with a 01:25.876. The 7-time World Champion completed only several laps yesterday afternoon, as the unrelenting rain played havoc with various teams plans.
The Lotus of Romain Grosjean then flew to the top, with a 01:24.152. The Frenchman remained at the top of the timing sheets for the rest of the session, further increasing his time to a 01:21.603 as the session wore on.
After Fernando Alonso topped the timing sheets yesterday, much to the adoration of supporting Tifosi, Felipe Massa was in the Ferrari today and slotted into 2nd place with a 01:22.257. Mark Webber then pipped the Brazilian driver to 2nd place, with a 01:21.997 as the session came to a close.
Gary Paffett is in the McLaren, after also having his track time impeded after yesterdays torrential rain. The British DTM driver ended the morning session 9th fastest, as rumors begin to gather momentum of McLaren testing the Mercedes “super-DRS” system.
Paul di Resta has assumed driving duties from Jules Bianchi at Force India, however he has yet to set a timed lap. The Silverstone based team have been plagued by hydraulic issues in the morning session. The British driver has, however, completed 7 un-timed laps so far today.
The afternoon session will Daniel Ricciardo, Timo Glock and reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel make their first track appearances of the Mugello test.
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m21.603s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m21.997s + 0.294s 3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m22.257s + 0.654s 4. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.422s + 0.819s 5. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.424s + 0.821s 6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m23.404s + 1.801s 7. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m23.982s + 2.379s 8. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m24.312s + 2.709s 9. Gary Paffett McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.480s + 2.877s 10. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m25.221s + 3.618s 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes No time
Drivers Happy With The Mugello Circuit
After the opening day of the first in-season F1 test since 2008, the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello circuit has been warmly greeted by the drivers’, many throughly enjoying their time on the track. Yesterday’s running was plagued by inclement weather, which limited the drivers’ time on the Italian circuit.
However, the heavy and persistent rain failed to dampen the drivers’ appreciation for the Mugello circuit, with 2-time World Champion Fernando Alonso even stating how he’d like to be able to race on it in the future.
“For me, it was a pleasure to be driving at this track again.” Explained the Ferrari driver, “The first and only other time was back in 2001, when I was testing for Minardi. It’s a spectacular track and it would be nice to be able to race on it!”
Other drivers’ also voiced their pleasure at driving around the Mugello circuit, with Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne saying how much he enjoyed his time on the fantastic track. Both the Mercedes’ drivers of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg also mentioned how fun the track was to drive, with the 7-time World Champion stating how nice it was to be warmly welcomed back by the Tifosi.
The test at Mugello continues into its second day today, before the conclusion of the three day test tomorrow. The F1 fraternity will then pack up before heading to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
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