No Kimi Raikkonen At Mugello
Due to the horrendous weather at Mugello yesterday, Lotus have opted to focus on only one driver for the remainder of the week. This means Frenchman Romain Grosjean will be in the car for the two remaining days of testing, contrary to Lotus’ original testing plans which was to see Kimi Raikkonen in the car today.
After heavy rain intervened in yesterday’s opening day of the Mugello test, Lotus lost valuable track time. They were able to complete only 40 laps throughout the day, with Belgian reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio at the wheel of the E20.
“We’ve opted for one driver for the next two days so we can make better use of the time after losing this afternoon’s running.” Explained Lotus’ Track Operations Director, Alan Permane. As day two dawns at the Mugello circuit, the teams will be hoping to achieve some dry running, as they try and implement new upgrades ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mugello, Day 1: Alonso Remains Quickest As Heavy Rain Intervenes
After a wet start to the opening day of the Mugello test, further heavy rain brought to an end any planned dry running in the afternoon. As the lunch hour came to a close, the heavens opened resulting in another long wait for any track action.
Although the persistent inclement weather resulted in many drivers’ remaining in the dry and warm paddock, Gary Paffett took an adventurous outing in his McLaren. The British DTM star set his first timed lap of the day with a lowly 01:50.898, a time which left Paffett 12th and last after not partaking in the drier morning session.
With the rain showing no sign of stopping, Valtteri Bottas braved the elements and ventured out on track. The Finn completed several laps consistently in the 01:40s before the team called him back in to the pits, with thunder and lightning adding to the execrable weather at Mugello.
The heavy rain at Mugello most certainly isn’t a great advert for in-season testing, which makes its return today for the first time since 2008. With the rain relentlessly lashing down, coupled with thunder and lightning, the session was red flagged because the light was so poor that the emergency helicopter would be unable to take off if needed.
Due to the heavy rain, the order remains the same as the morning session, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso fastest. This will likely be the only plus side for the loyal Tifosi fans,who have come to see their beloved scarlet Ferrari’s at this weeks test.
Tomorrow will see the session continue into hopefully much drier conditions, as the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Paul di Resta, Bruno Senna and Sebastian Vettel make their first track appearances of the week.
Mugello, Day 1: Alonso Fastest In Morning Session On Drying Track
After a highly competitive and unpredictable opening four races of the 2012 season, the Formula 1 fraternity have now begun the first in-season test since 2008 at Italy’s Mugello circuit. Fernando Alonso came out on top in the morning session on day one, on a drying track after heavy overnight rain.
As the day began many of the competing drivers’ exited the pits and completed their installation laps, reminiscent of a Friday practice session during a Grand Prix weekend. However, due to the wet track it was well over 30 minutes before the first timed lap was set. Lotus opted to make some alterations to their car as the track dried out, with bodywork being taken off the E20 to allow the mechanics to make tweaks to the car.
Eventually the first timed lap of the day was set by the Marussia of Charles Pic, with a 01:56.595. No sooner had the Frenchman set this time before it was beaten by reigning GP3 Champion and Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. The Finn has made numerous appearances during Friday practice sessions’ throughout 2012, and will hand the Williams over to Bruno Senna tomorrow.
The first red flag of the day was caused shortly after these initial times were set as Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne embedded his car into the gravel at turn 2. With the track still relatively damp in places, Pirelli’s Cinturato full wets and intermediates were the tyres of choice early on.
Fernando Alonso then gave the Tifosi something to cheer about, as the Ferrari driver went quickest with a 01:37.670. The Italian’s joy was short-lived as the Spaniard caused the second red flag of the day, stopping on track at turn 8. Nico Rosberg also stopped on track at turn 4 in a separate incident.
As the track returned to green after the Mercedes and Ferrari were cleared, the Lotus of Jerome D’Ambrosio went fastest with 01:37.539 before bettering his time to a 01:36.980 a lap later. In a day which featured many reserve drivers’, Valtteri Bottas brought his Williams back to the top shortly after with a 01:35.904.
With the track quickly starting to dry out, times began to naturally tumble as drivers’ began sampling dry rubber. This saw Fernando Alonso, Jean Eric Vergne and Kamui Kobayashi all go top throughout the morning before the Ferrari of Alonso eventually returned to the top with a 01:23.947, which he capitalized on with an even quicker 01:22.444 before the lunch interval.
Mark Webber currently sits 2nd for Red Bull after a relatively quiet morning period, with the McLaren of Oliver Turvey currently 7th. For the afternoon period, Gary Paffett will step into the McLaren and Michael Schumacher will take over driving duties at Mercedes. With a much drier track, quicker times are expected when track action resumes at 2pm local time (1pm BST).
Morning times:
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m22.444s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m23.648s + 1.204s 3. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m23.891s + 1.447s 4. Jerome d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault 1m24.048s + 1.604s 5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.100s + 1.656s 6. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.736s + 2.292s 7. Oliver Turvey McLaren-Mercedes 1m25.303s + 2.859s 8. Jules Bianchi Force India-Mercedes 1m25.475s + 3.031s 9. Rodolfo Gonzalez Caterham-Renault 1m27.197s + 4.753s 10. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.359s + 4.915s 11. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m29.179s + 6.734s
McLaren Using Adjustable Rear Brake Duct?
A rumor has begun to gather momentum in the Formula 1 paddock of McLaren using a mechanic adjustable rear brake duct, which alters the heat going into the tyre via the wheel. The device could be providing the Woking based team with a legal way to manage their tyre temperatures during a race weekend.
During pre-season testing, the device was first spotted and has been supposedly used since the Chinese Grand Prix after McLaren suffered with tyre temperature issues in the wet race in Malaysia. The device works by a mechanic adjusting the brake duct opening around the disc which in turn sends more heat through the wheel, thus increasing the temperature of the tyre.
It is currently unknown as to whether this device is present on any of the other cars on the grid. The device isn’t classified as ‘moveable aero’, and therefore is considered legal as it is believed the device isn’t adjusted during the race.
In a season which has been heavily dictated by the Pirelli tyres so far, this device could well begin to be copied up and down the grid. With a three-day test at Mugello starting today, it’ll be interesting to see whether the device is used and whether any of the other teams introduce a similar device as they prepare for the beginning the European leg of the season.
Sauber Enters Partnership With Chelsea FC
Swiss Formula 1 team Sauber have confirmed that they have entered into a partnership with Chelsea Football Club, one of the English Premier League’s top teams. These reports confirm speculation after Sauber had “Out of the Blue” and “True Blue” on their cars at the Chinese and Bahrain Grands Prix.
This new partnership will see Chelsea’s club logo on the Sauber, which will be first seen at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks time. In return, Chelsea will have Sauber’s F1 logo at home matches at Stamford Bridge on advertising boards which surround the pitch. The Sauber logo will also be seen on Chelsea’s interview walls, which will further enable the logo to be seen on TV.
“A partnership like this between Formula One and Football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies.” Explained Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber’s CEO. “In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest – and international – level. The Sauber F1 Team and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas.”
Sauber have had a very competitive start to the season, with a phenomenal race in Malaysia where Sergio Perez finished 2nd behind the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. The Mexican could’ve won the wet/dry race, yet made a slight error in the closing stages of the race whilst hunting down Alonso in the lead.
“This is an innovative partnership that will see a football club link up with a Formula 1 team like never before, bringing together two of the world’s biggest sports and uniting our fans.” Said Chelsea’s Chief Executive, Ron Gourlay, “We felt that this Swiss team, the fourth oldest of the existing teams, reflects our own ideals perfectly. We share many philosophies when it comes to how the respective organizations are run, from the development of young talent to constantly striving for success. Sauber’s philosophy towards grassroots development has produced some of the best drivers in F1, which mirrors our dedication to develop promising young football talent through our Academy.”
As Sauber prepare for the Mugello test tomorrow, and the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix later in May, Chelsea are currently locked in a grueling Premier League fight with the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. The London side are also gearing up for the FA Cup final next weekend against Liverpool, before the Champions League final against Bayern München.
Mugello Test Preview
For the first time since 2008, Formula 1 teams’ and drivers’ are preparing to take part in an in-season test at the Italian circuit of Mugello. After in-season testing was banned for the 2009 season, only pre-season and young drivers’ tests allowed the teams’ to run their cars outside of official F1 weekends.
The 2012 Formula 1 season has got off to a highly competitive and unpredictable start, with four different drivers’ in four different cars’ having won the opening races in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain. Although the season has been highly unpredictable, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel currently sits atop the Drivers’ Championship, with Red Bull currently leading the Constructors’ Championship.
For the next three days, the teams and drivers will partake in a three-day test at the 5.245km (3.259m) Mugello circuit in Italy, as they prepare for the European season which could determine the potential Championship contenders for 2012.
The opening day of the test tomorrow will see many teams run their reserve drivers’, with McLaren opting for Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey in favor of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Day one will see the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Jules Bianchi and Jerome D’Ambrosio driving for their respective teams on day one.
The track action will get underway at 9am local time, and run through until 6pm local time with an hours lunch break at 1pm. The weather for day one looks set to start with sunny intervals before the threat of rain creeps in towards the afternoon, with days two and three set for glorious sunshine in which teams will be eager to test various upgrades in preparation for the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix in May.
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg (AM), Michael Schumacher (PM), May 1; Michael Schumacher, May 2; Nico Rosberg, May 3.
Marussia: Charles Pic, May 1; Charles Pic (AM), Timo Glock (PM), May 2; Timo Glock, May 3.
Red Bull: Mark Webber, May 1; Mark Webber (AM, Sebastian Vettel (PM), May 2; Sebastian Vettel, May 3
Caterham: Rodolfo Gonzalez, May 1; Vitaly Petrov, May 2; Heikki Kovalainen, May 3.
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso May 1 and 2; Felipe Massa, May 3.
Lotus: Jerome D’Ambrosio, May 1; Kimi Raikkonen, May 2; Romain Grosjean May 3.
Sauber: Kamui Kobayashi, May 1 and 2; Sergio Perez, May 3.
Force India: Jules Bianchi, May 1; Paul di Resta, May 2; Nico Hulkenberg, May 3.
Williams: Valtteri Bottas, May 1; Bruno Senna, May 2; Pastor Maldonado, May 3.
McLaren: Oliver Turvey (AM), Gary Paffett (PM), May 1; Gary Paffett, May 2; Oliver Turvey, May 3.
Toro Rosso: Jean Eric-Vergne, May 1 and 2 (AM); Daniel Ricciardo, May 2 (PM), and 3.
Picture Copyright © Ferrari
McLaren Stick With Turvey & Paffett For Mugello Test
McLaren have decided to stick with their original testing plans for next weeks Mugello test, which will see the Woking-based team run their test and reserve drivers’ Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett instead of their main drivers’ Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
After a disastrous Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw Hamilton suffer two embarrassing pit-stops and Button retire with mechanical issues, the 2008 World Champion disclosed his desire to partake in the Mugello test. However, McLaren have decided to run both Turvey and Paffett during the three-day test instead, as initially planned.
The plan for McLaren is to have Oliver Turvey in the car on the Tuesday morning on day one, before current DTM driver Gary Paffett takes over in the afternoon session. Paffett will spend all of day two in the car, before 25-year-old Oliver Turvey brings proceedings to an end on day three. This will offer both drivers’ valuable time in car, something which McLaren were unable to offer in previous seasons’ due to the strict ban on in-season testing.
With Hamilton itching to get back in the car to iron out the problems the team faced in Bahrain, Jenson Button seems happy to sit out the Mugello test, “I don’t really think we will be a benefit because there aren’t any massive updates to try. For the test drivers to put some miles on parts and try some very extreme things, then I think it’s good, but it’s not necessary for us to be there.”
Jenson Button heads to the start of the European season in Spain with one victory under his belt, albeit only 4th in the Championship standings. McLaren, however, are nine points clear at the top of the Constructors’ Championship and will be eager to capitalize on their early points haul at the next few races.
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Red Bull & Toro Rosso To Complete Young Drivers’ Test In Abu Dhabi
With the 2012 Formula 1 Young Drivers’ test set to take place at either the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi or at Silverstone in the U.K., it has come to light that only Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso wish to complete the test at Abu Dhabi.
The yearly test session at Abu Dhabi, which is aimed at giving up-and-coming drivers’ the opportunity to drive Formula 1 cars’, could well be moved to Silverstone and take place the week after this years British Grand Prix. However, this proposal could well cause further complications for teams’, as many drivers’ who would take part in the test could well be tied up in their own Series’ such as World Series by Renault or Formula 2.
With Red Bull and Toro Rosso seemingly prepared to “go it alone” and test at Abu Dhabi towards the end of the year, Pirelli are now making the relevant preparations. This means they will offer Red Bull and Toro Rosso with the same tyre specification that will be issued to the other 10 teams at Silverstone, so that no team can gain any advantage over the other.
“We have 12 partners and we have to go along with what the partners want.” Explained Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembrey, “Ten of them would appear to want to go to Silverstone, and two of them to Abu Dhabi – so it means we will not be taking any of the new products to the young driver tests. We have found in the past the young driver test is of limited use for a variety of reasons. The teams at the last young driver test were trying a lot of items for next season, and trying new drivers, so while it gave us indicative results, it was of overall very limited value.”
However, if the week after the British Grand Prix looks set to be plagued with inclement weather, the 10 teams wishing to test at Silverstone will have to ability to cancel their plans at the last minute.
The first in-season test since 2008 is scheduled for next week at Italy’s Mugello circuit, and will feature a host of drivers’ including various reserve and test drivers alongside the main drivers’ of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Picture Copyright © Force India F1 Team
Valtteri Bottas To Partake In Mugello Test
Williams reserve driver, Valtteri Bottas, will partake in the Mugello test next week for the Grove based team alongside fellow drivers’ Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna. The Finn, who is the reigning GP3 Series Champion, has already got behind the wheel of the Williams in three Friday practice sessions this season.
In an opening day that is looking more and more like a Young Drivers’ Test, Bottas will be joined by fellow Formula 1 reserve and test drivers’ Oliver Turvey (McLaren), Gary Paffett (McLaren), Jerome D’Ambrosio (Lotus), Jules Bianchi (Force India) and Rodolfo Gonzalez (Caterham).
Last season, Valtteri Bottas dominated the GP3 Series, winning the Championship with 62 points which included four victories along the way. This season, as the Williams reserve driver, the 22-year-old will partake in fifteen Friday morning practice sessions.
Valtteri Bottas will hand the Williams over to Bruno Senna for the second day, before Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado drives on day three at Mugello. After a relatively successful start to the season in comparison to 2011, Williams will be eager to continue pushing forward. For the Finnish driver, it’s a added opportunity to once again show the F1 fraternity what he has to offer, as he strives to become the 9th Finnish driver in the history of the sport.
Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team
Jules Bianchi To Open Force India’s Mugello Test Programme
Force India’s Mugello test programme will get underway next week at the hands of their reserve driver Jules Bianchi, who will join regular drivers’ Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg in sharing driving duties for the Silverstone based team.
The former Formula Three EuroSeries Champion took part in pre-season testing with Force India, and was last seen behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car at the Chinese Grand Prix when he drove during Friday practice. The Frenchman will drive in eight more Friday practice sessions’ for Force India throughout 2012, alongside his duties for Tech 1 Racing in the World Series by Renault Championship.
Jules Bianchi will hand the car over to Paul di Resta on Wednesday, before German driver Nico Hulkenberg brings the test session to a close on the third and final day at Mugello. Force India will then pack up and head to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix and round five the 2012 Championship.
Picture Copyright © Force India F1 Team
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