Romain Grosjean: “Sepang Is Probably My Favorite Track”

Romain Grosjean is looking forward to this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, as it takes place around the Frenchman’s favorite circuit on the calendar. After making his first appearance around the track in 2008 during his time in the GP2 Asia category, the circuit instantly became a firm favorite due largely to its wide and fast flowing nature.

Last season saw Romain Grosjean retire from his first Malaysian Grand Prix, after the Frenchman collided with Michael Schumacher on the opening lap and then spun out of the race when the heavens fully opened on Lap 3. This season the Frenchman will understandably be hoping for a much more competitive outing around the Sepang International Circuit, especially after his team-mates success last time out.

“Sepang is probably my favorite track of the whole season.” Enthused Romain Grosjean, “I first raced there in 2008 as part of the GP2 Asia Series and I really loved the circuit. It’s nice and wide, with fast flowing corners and a lot of undulation which makes it great fun to drive. The last corner is a tricky one, but I enjoy everything about racing there. Well, maybe not the heat and humidity, but at the end of the day it’s just another challenge for the drivers! I’m really looking forward to it.”

Romain Grosjean endured a tough race weekend last time out in Australia, in stark contrast to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who stormed to race victory with ease. The Frenchman could only manage 8th during qualifying, and struggled with what he believed was a damaged car to finish 10th during the 58-lap race. On a plus side Romain Grosjean’s race was clean and devoid any incidents, however it’s unquestionable that after Kimi Raikkonen’s victory the 26-year-old will be striving for success in the remaining races of the season.

“It’s a shame as everything looked positive after qualifying in the morning [at Australia], but in the race something felt wrong with my car.” Explained Romain Grosjean, “I sat down with my engineers to analyze where the problem came from and we hopefully will be able to perform better in the future. The car felt so good at times over the weekend, but then at other times it wasn’t where I wanted it to be. It meant that the race felt long and pretty difficult for me. It was very frustrating and I’m disappointed for the team and for myself as I wanted to start the season with a strong result.”

Last season Romain Grosjean seemed to take one step forwards and then two back in what became a frustrating and topsy-turvy year for the Frenchman. This season Grosjean is adamant he has changed his ways, and will be striving to prove his worthiness in a team which is now fighting at the top of the sport’s echelon.

Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team

Pirelli Australia 3D Track Experience (Video)

Video Copyright © Pirelli

Kimi Raikkonen Ends Jerez Test Fastest For Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen has ended the Jerez test fastest for Lotus, after the Finn’s second day behind the wheel of the Renault-powered E21. The Iceman was followed home in 2nd by the Fore India of Jules Bianchi, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 3rd.

Yet again the day began in sunny but chilly weather conditions, as the Caterham of Charles Pic became the first driver to take to the track once the session began. The Frenchman was followed out by many drivers up and down the grid, including the Force India of Jules Bianchi and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. The 2008 World Champion instantly set the first timed lap of the day, with a 01:37.864, as the Briton set to making up for lost time after his incident on Wednesday.

As more drivers began to set their first timed laps of the day, the Mexican of Esteban Gutierrez went fastest with a 01:21.766. The Sauber driver then instantly improved upon his time at the top with a 01:20.797, and was joined on the track by fellow countryman Sergio Perez. This became the first time two Mexican drivers had been on a track since 1968, when Pedro Rodriguez and Moisés Solana competed at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:20.561, with the Red Bull driver keen to defend his Championship crown throughout the coming season. Vettel continued to lower the benchmark as the morning progressed, eventually setting a 01:20.155. However, Esteban Gutierrez soon rose above the German, setting a 01:19.996 as he continued to gather important track time for the new Sauber C32 machine.

Despite a busy morning out on the track, Pedro de la Rosa was one of the only drivers yet to complete a timed lap for Ferrari. Eventually the Spaniard left the confines of the pit lane and took to the Jerez circuit, only for his Ferrari F138 to splutter to a halt in a plume of smoke after two laps. This caused the first red flag delay of the day, however the Ferrari was quickly cleared and the track action was soon resumed. It was later confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa’s Ferrari had suffered from a gearbox failure.

Once the cars began circulating the Jerez circuit once again, Lewis Hamilton and then Sergio Perez rose to the top, with the latter setting a 01:19.696. However, proceedings were once again brought to a halt when the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez stopped offline at the Senna Chicane, with the Swiss outfit confirming they were carrying out a fuel check on the C32 thus resulting in Gutierrez running out of fuel.

Kimi Raikkonen shot to the top of the timing sheets once the track returned to green flag conditions, however the Iceman was soon thwarted by the ever-competitive Sebastian Vettel who set a 01:18.789. Esteban Gutierrez momentarily displaced the Red Bull driver, however Sebastian Vettel quickly resumed his top spot with a 01:18.565. Track action was brought to an unorthodox halt in the afternoon, when a hole was spotted between Turns 9 and 10 around a foot from the track.

A Jerez track official investigates the hole.

This discovery saw the red flag return as track officials investigated the issue further, with team personnel also visiting the scene of the delay. Initially the track officials tried to cover the hole with what was described as a black plastic version of a sleeping policeman. However this idea was quickly altered, and the hole was filled with cement which enabled track action to resume shortly after. The lengthy delay due to the hole in the track saw 30 minutes added to the testing time, with proceedings instead set to end at 17:30 local time.

Force India’s Jules Bianchi set the fastest time of the day as the teams once again returned to the track, with the Frenchman setting a 01:18.175 behind the wheel of the VJM06. Bianchi’s day was soon ended when Force India elected to return Paul di Resta behind the wheel, with the Briton set to see out the remainder of the day for the Silverstone-based outfit. Whilst Paul di Resta set his first timed laps of the day, Kimi Raikkonen shot to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:18.148 for Lotus.

Despite the additional time after the delay for the hole in the track, Kimi Raikkonen remained fastest as the fourth and final day drew to a close at Jerez, therefore ending Formula 1’s time at the circuit for another year. The Finn was followed home in 2nd place by the Force India of Jules Bianchi, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 3rd for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton completed the most amount of laps for Mercedes with 145, with the Briton clearly making up for the lost ground of the opening two days.

The Formula 1 fraternity will reconvene on February 19th at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the second pre-season test, and the first of two to be held at the circuit. The second test will also see Williams unveil their new FW35, after using the Jerez test to gather valuable information using an updated version of their 2012 FW34.

TODAY'S TIMES

Pos  Driver                 Team            Time                Laps
 1.  Kimi Raikkonen         Lotus           1m18.148s           83
 2.  Jules Bianchi          Force India     1m18.175s  + 0.027  56
 3.  Sebastian Vettel       Red Bull        1m18.565s  + 0.417  96
 4.  Esteban Gutierrez      Sauber          1m18.669s  + 0.521  142
 5.  Jean-Eric Vergne       Toro Rosso      1m18.760s  + 0.612  92
 6.  Lewis Hamilton         Mercedes        1m18.905s  + 0.757  145
 7.  Sergio Perez           McLaren         1m18.944s  + 0.796  98
 8.  Valtteri Bottas        Williams        1m19.851s  + 1.703  92
 9.  Pedro de la Rosa       Ferrari         1m20.316s  + 2.168  51
10.  Charles Pic            Caterham        1m21.105s  + 2.957  109
11.  Luiz Razia             Marussia        1m21.226s  + 3.078  82
12.  Paul di Resta          Force India     1m23.435s  + 5.287  49

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Turkish Grand Prix Set To Return

Recent reports have suggested that the Turkish Grand Prix around the Istanbul Park circuit could be poised to make a return to the Formula 1 calendar, with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and circuit owners Intercity Auto Rental Company allegedly close to confirming the nations return to the F1 calendar.

The new deal, which could be announced as soon as next week during the FIA Summit at Istanbul, could potentially see the nation return with a seven-year-deal. Turkey first held a Formula 1 race back in 2005, a race which was won by the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen. The race ran until 2011, when Bernie Ecclestone announced a hike in the fees for hosting an event, which effectively sparked the end of Turkey as a host of a Formula 1 event.

However, with Bernie Ecclestone striving to find a location for one more race next season, the 82-year-old seems extremely interested in entering negotiations with circuit owners Intercity Auto Rental Company. Mr. Ecclestone initially wanted the French Grand Prix to make a return next season, however with such a race ruled out for 2013, could Turkey fill the one-race void which is currently plaguing the Formula 1 calendar.

“I personally know Bernie Ecclestone for many years.” Explained Intercity Auto Rental Company boss Vural Rk to GoCar.gr, “We presented our projects for Istanbul Park to him and he was impressed. He promised to decrease his 26mUSD demand. The Turkish state will pay 13.5mUSD and I will pay 5mUSD from my personal budget, so we will finish a deal at nearly 20mUSD per year. Bernie’s biggest problem was lack of audience, we guaranteed 50,000 spectators. We want to make a 7-year-deal for Turkish GP.”

Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed he would be happy to discuss the return of the Turkish Grand Prix with the track owners, however it is as of yet unconfirmed whether or not the race would make a return in 2013 or 2014. The Istanbul Park circuit is widely regarded as one of the best modern circuits designed by Hermann Tilke, with Turn 8 one of most daunting corners in Formula 1. It is unquestionable that the return of the venue would be well received within the F1 fraternity, especially Felipe Massa who remains the only driver to have won the race on more than one occasion.

Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team

Lewis Hamilton: “There Are Definitely Some Improvements We Can Make”

Lewis Hamilton has admitted there are definitely improvements that can be made to the McLaren after the two opening practice sessions of the weekend ahead of the United States Grand Prix, where the McLaren duo enjoyed a relatively productive opening day. Both Hamilton and Button initially struggled with the green track in the morning.

The 2008 World Champion was the last driver to win a race on American soil back in 2007, around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield circuit. The Briton is understandably eager to once again become victorious in America, however Red Bull once again ended both sessions fastest around the new Circuit of the Americas. Despite Red Bull’s fearsome early pace, Lewis Hamilton is remaining confident ahead of qualifying and the race on Sunday, although he has admitted there are improvements that can be made on the car.

“This is a great drivers’ track – it’s very tough to pull together three perfect sectors. Turn One probably looks more exciting from the outside than it does from inside the cockpit – it’s certainly not easy, though. You can get oversteer, or lock up, and it’s tricky to get a perfect line through there. Overall, we’ve had a good day. Our main difficulty this morning was switching on the tyres in the cooler conditions. But we’ll make some changes overnight – there are definitely some improvements we can make.”

Both Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button were mildly surprised with the lack of grip throughout the opening practice session in the morning. Although the drivers expected the track to be exceedingly tricky, the cooler temperatures only exacerbated the lack of grip yielded by the brand-new circuit. As more and more rubber is laid down throughout the weekend, grip around the track should improve just in time for race day on Sunday.

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team

Sauber Duo Unhappy After Opening Practice At Austin

Both Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez are unhappy after the first day of running at the new Circuit of the Americas in preparation for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, despite both drivers thoroughly enjoying the new track layout. Kamui Kobayashi struggled with the tyres, whereas Sergio Perez struggled with the balance of his car.

With the Circuit of the Americas a completely new circuit, the track surface was incredibly low on grip, thus presenting the drivers with a monumental challenge in learning the layout during the opening two practice sessions on Friday. Many drivers pushed beyond the limits and made minor mistakes as the opening day progressed, however the Sauber duo struggled with both car set-up and getting the Pirelli tyres to work, as they began preparing for qualifying and the race.

Kamui Kobayashi in particular struggled greatly with the Pirelli tyres throughout both practice one and two, as the Japanese driver struggled to get enough heat into the tyres. With the combination of low track temperatures and hard tyre compounds, this procedure was made all the more difficult for a man striving to retain his seat with Sauber for next season.

“The high speed corners of the new circuit are very enjoyable, I really like driving here.” Explained Kamui Kobayashi, “The first session was about getting familiar with the track and waiting for the tarmac to improve for a better grip level. I must say I have big warm up problems with both compounds. It just doesn’t work in qualifying if you need ten laps to get the tyres to work. We will now go and look for solutions.“

Unlike Kamui Kobayashi, team-mate Sergio Perez had no such issues with the tyres during the opening two practice sessions. Instead, the Mexican driver found difficulty with the set-up of his Sauber. Since confirmation of his move to McLaren for 2013, Perez has failed to score a single World Championship, a fact he will unquestionably be striving to alter this weekend at Austin.

“We had a good day in terms of getting all the programme done without any issues.” Said Sergio Perez, “The track is amazing, and I especially like the first sector a lot. I really believe we will see a great race here and I can’t wait to race in front of so many Mexicans. Nevertheless I am not happy with the balance of my car yet, but I’m confident we will manage to improve it.“

With Sergio Perez regarding this race as his home Grand Prix, what with the track so close to Mexico, the 22-year-old will be eager for a competitive result this weekend as his Sauber career draws to a conclusion. Kamui Kobayashi on the other hand has no confirmed contract next season, and will be aiming to impress the Sauber management in the final two races to secure the remaining seat next season alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Sebastian Vettel Leads The Way After Opening Practice At Austin

Sebastian Vettel has ended the opening practice session fastest ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, after the drivers took to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas for the first time ever. The McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was 2nd, with Championship contender Fernando Alonso a distant 3rd.

After much anticipation, the first official session around the new Circuit of the Americas began in glorious sunshine and chilly weather conditions. There was only one driver change for the opening practice session of the weekend, as HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua replaced Narain Karthikeyan alongside Pedro de la Rosa for the opening 90 minutes.

Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver to take to the Circuit of the Americas, in doing so making history. The Finn was immediately followed out by many other drivers, including Marussia’s Timo Glock and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, all of whom made minor mistakes almost immediately due to the tricky track conditions. With the Circuit of the Americas having never been raced upon, the track was incredibly dusty and ‘green’, providing the drivers with a tricky opening practice session.

Slight concerns were raised in the early stages of the session, when smoke was seen ominously emanating from the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher after the German had completed his installation lap. However, the issue was quickly addressed by the team, and Schumacher was instantly back in the car, ready to go.

The early pace in the session was set by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi, with a rather slow 01:54.846. However, the Japanese driver was quickly able to improve upon his time, with a 01:48.517. Mark Webber instantly challenged Kobayashi’s dominance, and the duo became locked in a battle for supremacy at the top of the timing sheets. Eventually it was Mark Webber who emerged as the fastest driver on the circuit, setting several blistering lap times which eventually saw the Red Bull driver set a 01:43.672 as the track conditions gradually improved.

Lewis Hamilton then surged to the top of the timing sheets with an impressive 01:42.603, before Championship contender Fernando Alonso asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:42.538 for Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg made several minor errors as he pushed to the limits around the new track, as the German driver spun at both Turn 1 and Turn 13. Lewis Hamilton momentarily rose to the top, before Fernando Alonso returned to the top with a 01:40.603.

However, Lewis Hamilton was quick to once again storm to the top of the timings sheets, as Heikki Kovalainen spun at Turn 9. The McLaren of Hamilton continued to improve at the top of the timings sheets, as Mark Webber became the latest driver to spin as he made a minor mistake at Turn 8. Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to dip beneath the 01:40s as the session entered its closing stages, with a 01:39.543 being his personal best.

Despite Lewis Hamilton’s dominance throughout the latter half of the session, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel eventually rose to the top with a sensational 01:38.692. This time raised many eyebrow within the paddock, however the German was not finished yet, as he set a stunning 01:38.125 as the checkered flag emerged signaling the end of the opening session.

The teams and drivers will return to the Circuit of the Americas later in the day for the second practice session, as they continue to gain valuable track knowledge. Both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel already look comfortable around the new circuit, as they continue squabbling for the Championship.

Pos  Driver              Team                   Time                 Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault       1m38.125              30
 2.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes       1m39.543s  + 1.418s   28
 3.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari                1m40.337s  + 2.212s   29
 4.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes       1m40.528s  + 2.403s   29
 5.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault       1m40.650s  + 2.525s   30
 6.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari                1m40.966s  + 2.841s   26
 7.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes   1m41.023s  + 2.898s   29
 8.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari         1m41.036s  + 2.911s   28
 9.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes               1m41.159s  + 3.034s   32
10.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari         1m41.473s  + 3.348s   29
11.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes   1m41.783s  + 3.658s   29
12.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m41.825s  + 3.700s   28
13.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m41.833s  + 3.708s   29
14.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault          1m41.880s  + 3.755s   23
15.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault          1m41.998s  + 3.873s   27
16.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault       1m42.539s  + 4.414s   30
17.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes               1m42.588s  + 4.463s   25
18.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth      1m43.288s  + 5.163s   23
19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault       1m43.443s  + 5.318s   28
20.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault       1m43.522s  + 5.397s   23
21.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth      1m44.464s  + 6.339s   24
22.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault       1m44.548s  + 6.423s   29
23.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth           1m46.917s  + 8.792s   13
24.  Ma Qing Hua         HRT-Cosworth           1m48.559s  + 10.434s  19

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Fernando Alonso Denies New Circuit Is An Advantage

Fernando Alonso has denied that the new Circuit of the Americas is an advantage in his Championship battle with Sebastian Vettel, as the Spaniard continues to strive to thwart the reigning World Champion. With no one driver having driven the new track in anger, all 24 drivers will require extensive practice laps in the early stages of the weekend.

However, with the 24-car field theoretically equal when it comes to track knowledge, Fernando Alonso believes there is no advantage to be gained by visiting a new venue at such a crucial stage in the Championship. The Ferrari driver is confident of a successful race weekend at the United States Grand Prix, which should create the perfect setting for what should be a grand finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix next weekend.

“I don’t think it’s an advantage for it to be a new circuit.” Explained Fernando Alonso, “I think we all will adapt very quickly in first practice and we all have simulators and everything that we use to prepare for the race, so I think that’s more or less the same as every other race. Confident? I’m very confident, I trust my team, I trust myself. We are honest with ourselves, we know that we don’t have the quickest package out there. We were leading the Championship until three races ago and we are ten points behind the leader. Our strong point is to score more points than the others on Sunday and I’m sure we will do this in the next two races.”

Although Sebastian Vettel can be crowned Champion this weekend, Fernando Alonso need only finish within 15 points of the reigning Champion to keep his Championship hopes alive for the final race in Brazil. The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo has been the venue for many nail-biting Championship encounters in the past, and 2012 could well become the latest thrilling episode around the Brazilian circuit.

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Pirelli To Offer Teams With An Extra Set Of Tyres For Practice At Austin

Pirelli will offer the teams an extra set of hard tyres for practice ahead of the United States Grand Prix, to allow the teams to complete extra running to quickly learn the brand-new layout. No driver or team has any knowledge on how the track will evolve, with only simulator work to help them prepare for the race weekend.

With the majority of the grid eager to take to the Circuit of the Americas as soon as practice one gets underway on Friday, Pirelli will also be in the dark as they too have little knowledge on the track from a tyre perspective. To counter this lack of knowledge, the sole tyre provider have opted for a slightly conservative tyre allocation of the P Zero Hard (silver) and Medium (white) tyres for the weekend.

“The Italian firm is bringing the P Zero Silver hard and P Zero White medium tyres: a reasonably conservative compound choice for a circuit where there are still a number of unknown factors when it comes to tyre performance.” Read a statement from Pirelli ahead of the race weekend, “The teams will be given an extra set of the hard tyre for Friday’s two free practice sessions in order to help them learn the all-new track.”

Seeing as the track is completely brand-new, grip levels are expected to be rather low during the early stages of the weekend. Along with what looks to be a tricky layout, the teams and drivers could well be in for a tough race weekend in Texas. With the Championship nearing its conclusion, the venue could well spice things up further in what has already been an unforgettable season.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Circuit of the Americas Webisode – Part 1

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