FIA Include Ferrari In Test Row

The FIA has asked Ferrari to reply to a disciplinary inquiry along with Mercedes, following an in-season test conducted by the Scuderia between the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix. This comes after Mercedes also conducted a private test between the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.

During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, it came to light that Mercedes had conducted a private test with Pirelli around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya only days after the Spanish Grand Prix. This understandably sparked controversy within the paddock, as the team went from suffering greatly with tyre wear to dominating the entire race weekend. Red Bull in particular launched a protest against both Pirelli and the German marque with regards to their secret test, with both believed to be in breach of Article 22.4 of the sporting regulations.

Although Ferrari’s test was run with a two-year old Formula 1 car and by their Corse Clienti division, the FIA released a statement on Friday night requesting both the Scuderia and Mercedes reply to a disciplinary inquiry from the sport’s governing body. It is believed Ferrari could also be in breach of Article 22.1 of the sporting regulations, which clarifies whether or not a previous years car can be used in a test session.

“The FIA has asked Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Team which have taken part in tyre tests in the 2013 season to reply to a disciplinary inquiry in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.” Read the official statement from the FIA, “This follows the Stewards’ Report from the Monaco Grand Prix and represents supplementary information required by the FIA in the light of the replies received from Pirelli, who were asked for clarifications on Tuesday May 28th.”

With the Canadian Grand Prix quickly approaching, it seems “test-gate” is far from being resolved between Pirelli and the various teams involved. The revised tyres which were scheduled to be introduced around the Circuit du Gilles Villeneuve will only be used during practice, and will instead by fully introduced at the British Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Sergio Perez Eager For Another Good Result At Singapore

Sergio Perez is hoping for yet another glorious result at the Singapore Grand Prix in several weeks time, as the Mexican driver strives to once again finish towards the sharp end of the field. Perez has finished on the podium three times this season, and currently sits 9th in the Drivers’ Championship, with 65 points scored.

After yet another superlative performance last time out at the Italian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez is eyeing yet another decent result once the Formula 1 circus arrives at the Marina Bay street circuit for the Singapore Grand Prix. Although Sauber have only scored a combined total of five points during previous races at Singapore, both Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi are confident the Ferrari-powered Sauber C31 will be much more competitive at this season’s event.

“The Singapore Grand Prix is a very special race on an extraordinary track with an unique schedule.” Explained Sergio Perez, “I generally like street circuits and the one in Singapore is physically quite demanding, but I feel prepared for that. Also for our car it should be an okay track to race on. I am very much looking forward to it and I want to get in another good result for the team at that very prestigious race.”

Unlike at the Italian Grand Prix, a one-stop strategy is not expected throughout the 61-lap race. Due to the high probability of safety car periods during the race, a flexible strategy could be crucial to success. Although the drivers are confident ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Sauber’s Head of Track Engineering Giampaolo Dall’Ara believes the Marina Bay street circuit will be the toughest of the final seven races for the outfit.

“Singapore is a street circuit with lots of corners and short straights. Therefore overtaking is difficult, which makes qualifying particularly important.” Said Giampaolo Dall’Ara, “The track surface is not very rough. Pirelli will allocate the supersoft and the soft compounds, which should work well in qualifying, but I don’t expect any chance of a one-stop strategy in the race. Out of the seven upcoming races I expect this one to be the most difficult for our C31, but we will have our next aero update in Singapore, which should help to compensate for this and still put us in a position for a strong race.”

All of Sauber’s podiums this season have been achieved by Sergio Perez, however Kamui Kobayashi has also remained a highly consistent driver for the outfit. With qualifying set to be one of the keys to success around the Marina Bay street circuit, Sauber will be striving to qualify as well as the Belgian Grand Prix where the Swiss-outfit started the race from 2nd and 4th on the grid.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Josef Kral Takes Lights To Flag Victory In GP2 Sprint Race

Josef Kral has taken his maiden GP2 victory after a dominant lights to flag victory during the GP2 sprint race, ahead of the late charging DAMS of Felipe Nasr. The Brazilian driver only just clinched 2nd ahead of James Calado at the final corner of the final lap, in yet another sensationally exciting GP2 sprint race.

Once the five red lights went out at the start, Josef Kral immediately stormed into the lead, robbing pole man Felipe Nasr as the field negotiated turn 1. Further back and total carnage ensued as Johnny Cecotto jr. collided with Max Chilton, tipping the Briton into a spin as the other drivers took drastic avoiding action. Championship contender Luiz Razia suffered a major blow on the opening lap, as the Brazilian was forced wide on the exit of turn 4 after running side-by-side with the Lotus of James Calado. Luiz Razia spun of the wet grass right across the track, and collected the DAMS of fellow Championship contender Davide Valsecchi, who took extreme avoiding action, running onto the grass and tapping the barriers.

This thrilling opening lap set the pace for the rest of the race, as James Calado set to hunting down race leader Josef Kral. At the end of the opening lap, many drivers including Championship contenders Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi pitted. Johnny Cecotto jr. was the first retirement, after eventually peeling off the track due to his collision at the start with the Carlin of Max Chilton.

Whilst Josef Kral asserted his authority at the front of the pack, the Lotus of Esteban Gutierrez became locked in a battle with the Trident Racing duo of Julian Leal and Stephane Richelmi. Luiz Razia’s dismal race continued on lap 6, as the Brazilian driver pitted once again for new tyres in what was turning out to be his most uncompetitive race of the season.

Sergio Canamasas, who raised many eyebrows yesterday for his questionable defending, spun at turns 18 and 19, on his way to becoming the second retirement of the race. The Spaniard was then joined in retirement by Championship contender Davide Valsecchi, who eventually pitted for retirement after his off with Razia on the opening lap. Esteban Gutierrez’s race was practically ruined on lap 10, as the Mexican tried to overtake the Trident of Stephane Richelmi at turn 7. This maneuver subsequently ended in tears, as the two collided and were forced to trek through the gravel trap before eventually rejoining the race.

As the race entered it’s closing stages, it became apparent that no driver would be able to catch the dominant Josef Kral. However, the battle 2nd place was gathering momentum throughout the closing laps, as James Calado began to defend his position desperately against the DAMS of Felipe Nasr. The Brazilian driver was unable to find a way around the Briton until the final corner of the final lap, adding insult to injury to James Calado who desperately needed the victory.

The GP2 Series now moves swiftly on to the historic Autodromo Nazionale Monza, for the penultimate round of this highly entertaining season. With neither Luiz Razia or Davide Valsecchi scoring points in the race, the Championship leading duo remain tied atop the Championship on 204 points apiece.

Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Services

Jenson Button Takes First McLaren Pole For Belgian Grand Prix

Jenson Button will start tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix from pole-position, after clinching pole in a thrilling qualifying session around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. In conditions starkly contrasted to yesterday, Button will line up alongside the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi in what should be yet another enthralling Belgian Grand Prix.

The Marussia duo of Charles Pic of Timo Glock were the first two drivers to take the track once the session got underway, with Pic setting the initial pace with a 01:53.493. Nico Rosberg, who incurred a 5-place grid penalty prior to the qualifying session, then shot to the top with a 01:51.125 as the times quickly began to tumble. Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez then shared the top spot momentarily as the opening session progressed, with the majority of the drivers circulating on Pirelli’s P Zero hard tyre compound.

Championship leader Fernando Alonso then asserted authority over the proceedings, after ending the final practice session earlier in the morning fastest overall. Jenson Button then surprised many by going fastest, complaining of understeer only moments beforehand. Pastor Maldonado then incurred the wrath of the stewards once again, as they announced the Venezuelan driver was under investigation for allegedly blocking Nico Hulkenberg.

Many of the drivers then opted to switch to the medium tyre compound as the session entered it’s closing stages, as the Williams of Pastor Maldonado went fastest with a 01:48.993. Nico Rosberg’s woeful day continued as the session drew to a close, as the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo progressed to 6th and demoted the German to 18th and subsequently into the drop zone along with the usual suspects of the two Caterhams, Marussias and HRTs. This means the Mercedes driver will start on the last row of the grid for tomorrow’s race, once he takes his grid penalty.

Sergio Perez wasted no time in taking to the track once the second qualifying session got underway, whilst the McLaren mechanics frantically worked upon Jenson Button’s car, fixing some minor damage to the Briton’s rear-wing. Perez naturally set the initial pace with a 01:48.880, however Mark Webber then went top with a 01:48.662. The Ferrari of Fernando Alonso then continued to assert authority, however as the track rubbered in, the times quickly improved as the session progressed.

Lewis Hamilton then shot to the top of the timing sheets, with a 01:48.563 for the McLaren driver. However, Kimi Raikkonen immediately disposed of the 2008 World Champion as the Finn shot to the top with a 01:48.414. Jenson Button then continued to raise eyebrows amongst the paddock as the Briton stormed to the top with a blisteringly quick 01:47.654. This time looked unbeatable, as many drivers retook to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit to try guarantee themselves a spot in the all-important top ten shootout.

As Q2 came to a close, no-one was able to challenge Jenson Button’s illustrious time at the top. As the checkered flag fell, all eyes were on reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who was amazingly unable to progress through to the top ten shootout and was eliminated along with Nico Hulkenberg, Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo and Bruno Senna.

The all-important top ten shootout had all the ingredients to be a thrilling spectacle around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, and the track action most certainly lived up to its expectations. Paul di Resta and Kimi Raikkonen were the first two drivers to take to the track, with the Finn setting the initial pace with a 01:48.205. However, Jenson Button continued his uncatchable momentum through to Q3 and set another sensational lap time with a 01:47.686.

As the session came to a highly entertaining conclusion, Jenson Button improved upon his time with a 01:47.573, as the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi slotted neatly into 2nd position with 01:47.871. The other McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was unable to match his team-mate and ended the session a disappointing 8th.

With Jenson Button surrounded by former GP2 stars Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado, tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix has all of the ingredients to be a literally stunning race with the possibility of fireworks as the field negotiates the La Source hairpin at the start. Jenson Button has never won around Spa-Francorchamps, and is perfectly poised to alter that stat during tomorrow’s 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix.

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap
 1.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m47.573s
 2.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m47.871s  + 0.298s
 3.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m47.893s  + 0.320s
 4.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m48.205s  + 0.632s
 5.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m48.219s  + 0.646s
 6.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m48.313s  + 0.740s
 7.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m48.392s  + 0.819s***
 8.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m48.394s  + 0.821s
 9.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m48.538s  + 0.965s
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m48.890s  + 1.317s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m48.993s                                Gap *
11.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m49.722s  + 0.472s
12.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m49.362s  + 0.112s
13.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m49.742s  + 0.492s
14.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m49.588s  + 0.338s
15.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.763s  + 0.513s
16.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.572s  + 0.322s
17.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m49.958s  + 0.708s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m50.126s                                Gap **
18.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m50.181s  + 1.188s***
19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m51.739s  + 2.746s
20.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m51.967s  + 2.974s
21.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.336s  + 3.343s
22.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m53.030s  + 4.037s
23.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m53.493s  + 4.500s
24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m54.989s  + 5.996s

107 per cent time: 1m56.622s

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Scott Dixon Storms To Victory At Mid-Ohio

Scott Dixon stormed to yet another victory around the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier today, after snatching the win away from pole man Will Power during a tense pit stop on lap 29. Simon Pagenaud clinched 3rd, as Championship contenders Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves endured less-than-successful races floundering at the back.

The race started in relatively clean fashion, as the Penske of Will Power led Target Chip Ganassi’s Dario Franchitti through the opening few corners. Further back Justin Wilson spun, but was able to rejoin as the pack jostled for position in the early stages of the opening lap. Oriol Servia’s race suffered an early blow on lap 3, as the Spaniard pitted with a suspected mechanical issue.

Justin Wilson was striving to redeem himself after his mistake at the start, as the Briton stormed through the back of the pack and was up to 17th position by lap 7. Helio Castroneves became the first driver to make a scheduled pit stop on lap 9, along with Graham Rahal and JR Hildebrand. The Brazilian driver started the race from a lowly 23rd, after incurring a 10-place grid penalty for an unauthorized engine change.

The leaders began their first pit stops on lap 28, as Dario Franchitti, Simon Pagenaud, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway all peeled into the pits whereas Will Power and Scott Dixon continued to circulate out on track in 1st and 2nd positions. However, the leading duo pitted only a lap later with Will Power only just scampering out of the pits still in the lead.

Back in the midfield, and likes of Alex Tagliani, Ryan Briscoe and Tony Kanaan were locked in a frenetic battle. With many drivers using their push-to-pass devices, it was amazing how neither drivers made serious contact as they negotiated turns 4 and 5. Briscoe and Tagliani did make contact, but only lightly as the pair continued out on track.

As the race progressed, Will Power continued to assert unyielding dominance over the proceedings. The Australian driver has yet to win a race around the tricky Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, however that stat looked likely to change as the race entered the halfway stage. Will Power’s Championship surge received a boost on lap 54, when Championship leader Ryan Hunter-Reay reported a mechanical issue on his Andretti Autosport car. The American driver began to drop through the order, as a pit stop confirmed it was a fuel injector issue. However, Hunter-Reay continued to circulate out on track, way back down in 21st position.

On lap 58 the top four all pitted together, as Will Power, Scott Dixon, Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti all peeled off into the pits. The Target Chip Ganassi mechanics carried out a blistering pit stop for Dixon, as the Kiwi rejoined only just ahead of Will Power. It was later discovered that it took a fraction of a second longer for the Penske mechanics to attach the fuel hose to Power’s car, thus compromising the Australian driver’s lead.

Whilst Dixon and Power battled for supremacy in the pits, James Hinchcliffe assumed the lead albeit for only two laps. The Canadian driver pitted on lap 60, and made contact with reigning Series Champion Dario Franchitti upon pit exit. This forced the Scotsman to pit once again for a new nose cone, and demoted him further down the order.

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s race finally came to a premature end on lap 82, after his mechanics tried their best to rectify the issue several laps beforehand. This was a huge boost for Will Power, who would take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship regardless of only finishing 2nd to Scott Dixon.

As the checkered flag fell it was Kiwi Scott Dixon who crossed the line in 1st, ahead of the Penske of Will Power in 2nd and the impressive rookie of Simon Pagenaud in 3rd. The race ran caution free for the second race weekend in succession, the first time this has occurred in the sport since 1987. The IZOD IndyCar Series now heads to the daunting Sonoma Raceway in California, where Will Power will be out to further increase his lead at the top in his quest for Championship glory.

Results - 85 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team/Car                        Time/Gap
 1.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi Dallara-Honda      1h39m48.5083s
 2.  Will Power           Penske Dallara-Chevy           + 3.4619s
 3.  Simon Pagenaud       Schmidt Dallara-Honda          + 4.5402s
 4.  Sebastien Bourdais   Dragon Dallara-Chevy           + 5.5822s
 5.  James Hinchcliffe    Andretti Dallara-Chevy         + 7.5663s
 6.  Tony Kanaan          KV Dallara-Chevy               + 12.328s
 7.  Ryan Briscoe         Penske Dallara-Chevy          + 27.9601s
 8.  Marco Andretti       Andretti Dallara-Chevy        + 28.1691s
 9.  JR Hildebrand        Panther Dallara-Chevy         + 29.2325s
10.  Alex Tagliani        Herta Dallara-Honda           + 31.1722s
11.  Graham Rahal         Ganassi Dallara-Honda         + 31.4387s
12.  Josef Newgarden      Fisher Dallara-Honda          + 32.0754s
13.  Takuma Sato          Rahal Dallara-Honda           + 32.4073s
14.  Giorgio Pantano      Ganassi Dallara-Honda         + 33.9166s
15.  Rubens Barrichello   KV Dallara-Chevy              + 35.2863s
16.  Helio Castroneves    Penske Dallara-Chevy          + 35.9205s
17.  Dario Franchitti     Ganassi Dallara-Honda         + 36.9834s
18.  Justin Wilson        Coyne Dallara-Honda           + 42.0974s
19.  James Jakes          Coyne Dallara-Honda           + 46.4304s
20.  EJ Viso              KV Dallara-Chevy              + 46.8068s
21.  Mike Conway          Foyt Dallara-Honda            + 46.9535s
22.  Ed Carpenter         Carpenter Dallara-Chevy          + 1 lap
23.  Simona de Silvestro  HVM Dallara-Lotus               + 2 laps
24.  Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti Dallara-Chevy          + 6 laps
25.  Oriol Servia         Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy       + 7 laps

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Williams Team Personnel Released From Hospital

Following on from yesterday’s disastrous fire in the pit-lane after the race, Williams have confirmed that a further two team members have been discharged from hospital after being treated at the tracks medical facilities beforehand. However, one team member has remained in hospital after receiving serious burns. 

After being treated for smoke inhalation, the two team members that were discharged from hospital have now returned home. The third team member who has remained in hospital at Spain is in a stable condition, and will hopefully be able to return home within the next 48 hours. Williams have confirmed that his family are in constant communication, and that he is in good spirits. 

The cause for the fire is as of yet unknown, with the Grove-based outfit still working with the sports governing body, the FIA, and local authorities to try and ascertain how this atrocity came about. 

“I was pleased to welcome back to the factory the majority of our team this morning.” Said Williams team principal, Sir Frank Williams, “One of our people remains in Spain for further medical assistance, but we are all looking forward to his imminent return. Everyone at Williams F1 is extremely relieved that this event was contained as quickly as it was and the damage which occurred was, relatively speaking, limited in its nature.The astonishing response from the teams and other paddock personnel was immediate, unconditional and overwhelming.”

This incident tarnished the celebrations that were ongoing, after Pastor Maldonado secured Williams’ 114th race victory. With the team suffering damage to their equipment in the blaze, the rest of the paddock has been united in helping out, and the team are confident they will travel to the Monaco Grand Prix in full force in two weeks time.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

France Still Working On F1 Return

French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, has said that a deal to bring Formula 1 back to France is nearly complete. However, more work is required before they can finalize a date for the sports return and a venue for which the race would alternate with.

With talks to bring Formula 1 back to France dominating the motor sport headlines lately, it was expected that the French Prime Minister was set to announce a definite date yesterday. However, with the nation still hard at work finalizing their plans, we have been left non the wiser after Francois Fillon’s announcement. It was initially expected that Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps would be announced as the track with which the French Grand Prix would alternate with.

“It is not possible to organize a Grand Prix [in France] every year,” the French Prime Minister said to the local media. “We are working on the idea of organizing a Grand Prix every other year at Castellet and every other year in another country. The organizers have approved F1, but without saying what the other country will be. The proposals are quite reasonable, but it is not done yet.”

With such uncertainties regarding which venue the French Grand Prix would alternate with, it’s conceivable to believe the race may not take place until 2014. During Francois Fillon’s visit to Paul Ricard, he also explained how the event will not receive financial backing from the government. This means the race must promote itself, which could prove extremely difficult in these trying financial times.

Picture Copyright © Force India