Penalised Karthikeyan sorry for Button, Vettel accidents during Malaysian GP

Narain Karthikeyan has apologised to Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel for getting involved in incidents with them during the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The HRT driver tangled with Button at Turn 9 shortly after the race restart as they battled for position, and then later on tagged Vettel's left rear as he was being lapped in the closing stages.

Although he said he was not to blame for either collision - and Button later took responsibility for his incident - Karthikeyan has expressed regret at what happened.

"The first stage of the race was brilliant," Karthikeyan told  "It was a new place for us, and we had never experienced anything like this. Obviously when the race restarted we knew we were going to go backwards, because the car is not so good anyway.

Ferrari boss Domenicali vows to protect Massa after difficult start to F1 season

Ferrari needs to rally around Felipe Massa in order to lift his performances in future grands prix, according to team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Massa finished only 15th in Malaysia on Sunday, more than 95 seconds adrift of his winning team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The result extended his streak without a Formula 1 podium to 23 races.

With Ferrari Academy driver Sergio Perez - who has already been linked with a race seat with the Italian team in 2013 - finishing second, the speculation surrounding Massa's future has continued to grow.

But Domenicali refused to condemn his driver, instead insisting that it was up to the team to help re-establish the Brazilian's confidence behind the wheel and to improve the F2012 car that he has to drive.

Sauber denies suggestions that Perez was ordered to not attack Alonso in Malaysian GP

Peter Sauber has denied any suggestions that Sergio Perez was ordered to not attack Fernando Alonso for victory in Malaysia - because it would prevented engine partner Ferrari taking an important win.

Perez was closing in on Alonso for the lead of the race in Sepang when a call came on the radio late on for him to take care.

His engineer told him: "Checo, be careful, we need this position, we need this position"

Shortly after that order was made, Perez ran off the track and lost valuable time – which cost him any chance of overhauling Alonso for a shock win.

Fernando Alonso holds off Perez to win sensational Malaysian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso held off Sergio Perez to take victory in a remarkable Malaysian Grand Prix, that saw changing weather, a long red flag, and a sensational lead battle between two unlikely contenders.
Alonso's victory took the Ferrari driver into the world championship lead, despite the team's tough start to the season, but only a late error prevented Perez passing the double champion to take what would have been one of Formula 1's most surprising wins ever for Sauber.

Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button outside the points after a disastrous race. Sebastian Vettel also failed to score due to a clash in traffic, though his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber claimed fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Bruno Senna (Williams).

Most of the field used intermediates for the start, which took place on a track dry in some parts but extremely wet in others.

The McLarens held their grid formation into the first corner, as Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher battled for third until making contact and both spinning as the Lotus slid into the Mercedes, allowing the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Vettel into third and fourth, ahead of Alonso. Grosjean would put the Lotus into the gravel for good on lap three.

Jenson Button says the Malaysian Grand Prix will be unpredictable

Australian Grand Prix winner Jenson Button reckons that quick thinking in the pits and being flexible on strategy will be vital in Sunday's race at Sepang, after admitting that he still does not know which Pirelli tyre compound will perform better in the race.

Button, who once again qualified second to McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.15s, said that the extreme heat and humidity has made it impossible to predict the rate of tyre degradation on the medium and hard tyres Pirelli has brought to Malaysia.

"It's a tough one for us," he said. "Physically it's tough, but also it's tough on the tyres, and for strategy because the humidity and the heat is so high that you really don't know how long the tyres are going to work.

"So you really have to be thinking on your toes, and I think we are pretty good at that.
"Going into the race it is so difficult to know what to do in terms of the set-up, in terms of the front wing, the tyre pressures. You can get it so wrong and then you are screwed really, and that's not down to looking after the tyres, it's down to having the wrong balance.

"So a lot of hard work tonight to work out where we should be for tomorrow's race. And strategy we have really got to think on our toes because at the moment we don't know which tyre we should be using for most of the race."

Lewis Hamilton beats Jenson Button to Malaysian Grand Prix pole position

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button maintained McLaren's 2012 qualifying superiority as they repeated their Melbourne grid result and filled for the front row for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher produced the best qualifying performance of his Formula 1 comeback as he took third for Mercedes, while world champion Sebastian Vettel chose to run the harder tyre and will start fifth for Red Bull.

Just as had been the case in Australia, Hamilton's first pole shot in Q3 was sufficient to secure the top spot, as his 1m36.219s proved unbeatable.
Button was second fastest after those runs, but was pushed back by Schumacher. Mercedes had left it late in Q2 and looked in danger of being eliminated before surging into the top 10, and then went for just one run in Q3.

That meant Schumacher was back in the pits by the time Button launched his retaliation, the McLaren edging the Mercedes off the front row by just 0.023 seconds. Schumacher beat his team-mate Nico Rosberg by five places and a little under 0.3s.

Majority' of Formula 1 teams commit to new Concorde deal

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has announced that a 'majority' of teams have committed to the sport beyond 2012.

In a statement issued on his official website shortly before the start of final free practice, Ecclestone said that a number of outfits including Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing had agreed to a new Concorde Agrement.


"I am very pleased to announce that we have reached commercial agreements with the majority of the current Formula 1 teams, including Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, about the terms on which they will continue competing in Formula 1 after the current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this year," said Ecclestone.

The news comes after a week of speculation that Ecclestone had offered terms to teams - which included extra payments to Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, plus the possibility of some outfits taking a shareholding if the sport was floated.

Vettel: Red Bull closer to McLaren on race pace in Malaysia

World champion Sebastian Vettel believes Red Bull may be closer to McLaren in terms of race pace in this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.

The German, however, admitted he was not entirely pleased with his car yet after finishing down in 10th position in this afternoon's practice at Sepang.
Vettel also conceded he was unsure if he will be able to fight for pole tomorrow.

"It is hard to say," he said when asked if pole position was on the cards. "McLaren looked very strong today, morning and afternoon. I haven't seen the long runs, I think we are closer by the looks of it in long-run pace so we will see what we can do."

Vettel, who finished in second place in the season-opening race in Australia, said he still needed to work to get the car ready for qualifying.

"I'm not entirely happy maybe. This afternoon I would have liked to have been further up but it is one lap you are looking at," said the Red Bull driver.

Lewis Hamilton stays on top in second practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton completed a perfect day's work as he continued to lead the way after the second free practice session at Sepang on Friday.

The 2008 world champion appeared to have put the disappointment of Melbourne behind him as he ended the day more than 0.3s ahead of the chasing pack, his leading pursuers Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

Hamilton dominated for much of the session as the two McLarens and the two Mercedes vied at the top of the times.

In contrast to his team-mate Button, Hamilton had a trouble-free day. He set the fastest time early on, then lost the top spot to Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso, before moving back to the top of the times at half distance.

Ten minutes later the 2008 world champion was usurped by Schumacher's 1m38.533s on a low-fuel medium-tyre run. Hamilton re-emerged from the pits and banged in a response of 1m38.513s - also on mediums. He followed that up with a 1m38.172s.

Button was in there too with the sister McLaren, just two thousandths slower than Schumacher, the Briton having lost more time in P2 to a minor brake issue - he spent a period in the pits during P1 because of an oil leak.

Lewis Hamilton maintains McLaren form with fastest time in first Sepang session

Lewis Hamilton continued McLaren's strong form by setting the fastest time in the opening free practice session ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

The Briton topped the morning by half a second over world champion Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull, with the two Mercedes next up. Melbourne winner Jenson Button was hampered by an oil leak and was back in ninth for McLaren.

Although forecasts of rain later encouraged teams to complete plenty of mileage this morning, it was still half an hour into the session before serious times were set, with Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher leading briefly for Lotus and Mercedes respectively before Hamilton and Vettel began a battle for first place.

Sebastian Vettel says there is nothing wrong the Red Bull that track time won't solve

Sebastian Vettel believes Red Bull Racing needs more track time in order to extract the full potential from its car, which he reckons has no fundamental issues. Red Bull, the dominant force last season, was unable to challenge McLaren for pole or victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. But while Vettel qualified down in sixth position, but recovered in the race to finish second behind Jenson Button. The Red Bull driver believes his team will be stronger once it has enough track time to fine-tune the RB8. "I think we need track time to really understand what is going on in the car," said Vettel at Sepang. "I don't think we have a problem in the car as in we don't understand what is going on, or the front end is weak or the rear is a disaster. "It is fine tuning here and there. We have seen it in previous years that fine-tuning can make quite a difference if you know exactly what your car needs, to fine-tune it towards the race or qualifying or whatever you may need.

FIA rejects claims that Mercedes's rear wing is illegal

Lotus and Red Bull Racing's complaints that the DRS-activated F-duct on the Mercedes rear wing is illegal have been rejected by the FIA,

The two outfits wanted clarification on the matter ahead of this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, with both teams reckoning the duct that helps stall the Mercedes wings for a straight-line speed boost is a breach of the rules that prevents driver activated aerodynamic devices.

Discussions between the FIA and all the teams involved have taken place throughout Thursday in the Sepang paddock, but the governing body has not changed its stance on the matter.

The FIA informed the outfits that it remains convinced that the concept is legal because it is passive, and there is nothing in the rules that outlaws a device that is activated by movement of the DRS.

McLaren will trust the FIA to make a definitive judgement on Mercedes' rear wing system

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale says his team will trust the FIA to take a definitive judgement on the wing system that Mercedes is operating in Formula 1 this year.

Lotus and Red Bull have openly questioned whether the device - which features a hole on the Mercedes W03's rear wing endplate uncovered by the movement of the DRS wing and directed air to the front wing to stall it for a straightline speed boost - is within the regulations. The teams elected not to lodge a protest in Australia, but to ask for further clarification after the race.

In a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes teleconference, Neale said that he believes Mercedes would have cleared the system with the FIA before using it, and so would rely on the sport's governing body to make a definitive ruling rather than getting involved in the row.

Alonso says Ferrari will have to race defensively again in Malaysia

Fernando Alonso is not expecting the Malaysian Grand Prix to be any easier for his Ferrari team, saying the Italian squad will have to race defensively again.

The Maranello outfit endured a difficult start to the season in Australia last weekend, with both Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa qualifying outside the top ten.
Alonso recovered well in the race to finish in fifth, but the Spaniard's pace was no match to that of the leading outfits.

With just one week between the Melbourne and the Sepang races, Alonso is aware that he can't expect things to be easier for Ferrari.

"In Malaysia, we will once again be racing on the defensive," Alonso said on Ferrari's website. "There's no other way we can go about it, given that the F2012 is practically identical to what we ran in Australia. We will have to try and adapt it as well as possible, knowing it won't be easy."

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn hits out at rival teams' exhaust designs

Ross Brawn has taken a swipe at the exhaust designs of some rival teams, suggesting they have not been created in the way the rules intended.

Amid an ongoing row over the design of a DRS-activated F-duct on Brawn's own Mercedes car, the team principal thinks that it is wrong that his team is being singled out for technical scrutiny.

"Every year that I can remember, there is debate and argument," said Brawn about his car being at the centre of paddock gossip in Australia. "And probably, to be honest, what we have done is taken the spotlight off the exhaust systems that people are running because they are nowhere near what was intended by the FIA.

"The FIA probably told you all that we were not going to have exhaust blown diffusers any more. We thought we were not going to have them. But several cars have got them.

Michael Schumacher certain Mercedes can turn flashes of pace in Melbourne into strong season

Michael Schumacher says he is confident the speed Mercedes showed in Australian Grand Prix qualifying will not turn out to be a one-off - despite the team's disappointing race and Melbourne's habit of sometimes producing anomalous results.

Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg was fastest in Q2 in Australia, and Schumacher qualified fourth, with the pair then running third and fourth early in the race.

A gearbox problem halted Schumacher, while Rosberg fell back with high tyre wear and was classified only 12th following a last-lap collision with Sergio Perez's Sauber.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Schumacher said the fact that Mercedes had not managed to maintain its pace all through the Melbourne weekend had not dented his confidence that 2012 could be a very strong season for the team.

"After the disappointment of how the first race in Melbourne turned out, I am flying to Malaysia with a big sense of anticipation, because we saw in Australia that our car is capable of putting us in the mix," he said.

"Of course, we haven't forgotten that the circuit in Melbourne is not really representative of the true competitive picture, but nevertheless the car gives me a good feeling for the season ahead.

"Sepang will be interesting for everybody because it will be the first clue to the real relative strengths of all the cars. The range of slow and fast corners give a good indication of where you are, which always makes the race in Malaysia fun for the drivers and engineers, and overall a big challenge for both man and machine."

Team boss Ross Brawn agreed that Mercedes now just had to deliver.

"We have a fundamentally good car, now it is up to us to optimise its performance and achieve its potential on track," he said.

Pirelli invites F1 teams to send observers to first running of test car in Jerez

Pirelli has invited Formula 1 teams to send observers to the first running of its new 2010 Renault test car at Jerez in May, to prove that no outfit will gain an unfair advantage.

F1's tyre supplier spent the winter trying to find a suitable test car, after its previous 2009 Toyota model was too outdated to continue providing useful development data.

After the teams failed to deliver a satisfactory solution, Pirelli eventually agreed a deal to run a 2010 Renault car, which will be operated by independent staff rather than employees of the currently-named Lotus outfit.

The decision to get hold of a more modern car has prompted talk that the Lotus team could benefit from valuable tyre data from the tests. But Pirelli has been quick to deny this.

"We have invited all the teams to send an observer and see what we are up to," Hembery told about the May Jerez test. "Just so they that we are doing things in a fair way for everybody."

Red Bull, Lotus seek final ruling on Mercedes' rear wing ahead of Malaysian Grand Prix weekend

Lotus and Red Bull are keen to get a final ruling on the legality of DRS-activated f-ducts ahead of this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, amid the ongoing row over the Mercedes design.

Both teams met with the FIA's Charlie Whiting over the Australian GP weekend to express their belief that the concept used on the Mercedes rear wing is in breach of regulations that prevent driver-activated aerodynamic devices.

The Mercedes design features a hole on the inside of the rear wing endplate, which is covered when the DRS is not in use but uncovered when the DRS wing lifts up.

It is understood that this hole ducts air all the way through to the front wing - where it escapes through slots in the underside to help stall it for a straight-line speed boost.

Both Lotus and Red Bull considered the possibility of a protest against the Mercedes in Australia, but elected against doing so for now because they preferred to try and sort the matter out behind closed doors.

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier said though that the next few days would be key to trying to resolve the matter in an amicable way.

McLaren says title hopes are in its own hands following Australian GP victory

McLaren's world championship hopes now rest in its own hands following Jenson Button's performance in the Australian Grand Prix, according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

With the Woking-based team having delivered on its target of starting the season with the quickest car, Whitmarsh says it is now in control of its own destiny as it pushes to improve the MP4-27.

"We can win this if we improve the car at a quick enough rate," said Whitmarsh in Australia. "So that is clearly what we are going to set out to do.

"We have got two fantastic drivers and a strong team, and now it is up to us. We are starting from the right place.

"We know we have got to improve the car on a race-by-race basis, and if we don't do that then that is the nature of this sport.

Jenson Button storms to Australian Grand Prix victory

Jenson Button opened the 2012 Formula 1 world championship with a commanding victory for McLaren in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

World champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) managed to get up to second from sixth on the grid, fending off polesitter Lewis Hamilton's McLaren and the second Red Bull of Mark Webber. Fernando Alonso salvaged fifth place from Ferrari's difficult weekend, having proved much more competitive in the race.

Button claimed the lead at the start with a better getaway than his pole-sitting team-mate, and then quickly established a lead of three seconds, which stayed stable through the opening stint.

The two Mercedes occupied third and fourth initially, but Vettel overtook Nico Rosberg on the second lap, and Michael Schumacher's run in third lasted only until lap 10, when he retired with a gearbox problem. That elevated Vettel into third, but the champion was 12 seconds down on the McLarens by then and could make little impression.

Ross Brawn hopes Australian GP not overshadowed by 'legal' rear wing row

Ross Brawn hopes that the Australian Grand Prix does not get overshadowed by a protest over his Mercedes team's rear wing - as he remains adamant there is nothing illegal about it.

Rivals Lotus and Red Bull Racing both believe that the DRS-activated F-duct on the Mercedes is a breach of the regulations - because they claim it is an aerodynamic device that is activated by the actions of a driver.

However, the FIA does not agree with that view – which means that if ongoing talks about the matter do not reach a satisfactory conclusion on Sunday morning then there remains the possibility that one of the two unhappy teams could lodge a protest at the end of the race.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn is keeping his fingers crossed that such a situation does not pan out – especially because his team has had approval from the FIA to run the device that is believed to help blow air over the lower area of the rear wing to help stall it for a straight-line speed boost.

"There were some stories earlier that there were going to be some protests, but I think that would be very unfortunate and it is not really the way to resolve these issues," said Brawn, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the rear wing situation.

Button expecting tight fight at the front despite McLaren front row lockout in Australia

Jenson Button thinks there is still everything to play for between the top teams in the Australian Grand Prix, despite his McLaren team locking out the front row of the grid.
The Briton will start alongside pole position man Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne, with Lotus, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing's fastest men right behind him.

But despite McLaren holding the edge, Button says his outfit is heading into the first race of the campaign with an open mind about the outcome.

"Over a long run I don't think anyone knows who is going to be quick," he explained. "We hope that we are, but I am sure we are going to have some competition over the race distance.

"The Red Bulls obviously were not so quick in qualifying compared to us, but you can never discount them. They will be quick in the race. The same as the Lotus. Their long runs seem pretty good as well, plus there is Mercedes.

"It's those four teams that we have seen over the winter and here this weekend that have been competitive. The gap between those teams, I don't know what it is yet, but I think it will be those four teams fighting at the front."
The mixed weather conditions that have greeted teams this weekend means that there has not been enough time to properly evaluate long-run degradation figures.

And that means teams are heading into the race slightly unsure about how best to choose their tactics.
Button added: "I think most people have done eight laps on a set of tyres, not because they last longer but because of the conditions, and winter testing.

"I think if you look at winter testing too much you can get lost. I think coming here we are very open minded on the race - and we really don't know what is going to happen yet."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh echoed Button's thoughts that getting through the afternoon with the right approach was important.

"We have had very limited long running here," he said. "It is the first race of the new year with these tyres, and we have to be agile. We need to look at the data and listen to the drivers and between us make sure that while we want tyres to last as long as possible, that we don't hang out there too long.

"Once we get into serious degradation, we will be there with a plan a, a plan b, a plan c and a plan d. We will have a lot more information by lap 10, 12 or 14 tomorrow than we have right in front of us at the moment."

Lewis Hamilton leads all-McLaren front row at the Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton got McLaren's bid to topple Red Bull in the 2012 Formula 1 title race off to a flying start as he took a commanding pole position for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, ahead of team-mate Jenson Button, while world champion Sebastian Vettel was only sixth.

Hamilton's 1m24.922s lap in Q3 put him 0.7 seconds clear of his rivals at first, and proved unbeatable.

Romain Grosjean took a spectacular third for Lotus on his F1 return, while Michael Schumacher achieved his best qualifying result for Mercedes in fourth, and the Red Bulls had to settle for row three, with Mark Webber outqualifying Vettel.

Further back, Ferrari's fears of an awful start to the campaign came true as neither of its cars reached the top 10, and Kimi Raikkonen's F1 comeback got off to a surprisingly bad start as he was eliminated in Q1.
Hamilton looked assured of pole after his first Q3 run, and although his rivals closed in, none could match his time.

Instead they fought over second place, which changed hands in quick succession in the closing moments as Webber - who chose to do just one Q3 run - Schumacher, Grosjean and finally Button took turns to close in on Hamilton.

Brawn plays down performance advantage of Mercedes' DRS-activated F-duct

Ross Brawn has played down the performance advantage of his DRS-activated F-duct, as the first pictures of the design in action emerged on Friday.

The photograph published here shows a hole on the inside of the endplate that matches the shape of the activated DRS flap. The hole would be covered when the DRS is not activated, but is then open when the wing lifts.

It has been suggested that when the slot is open, air is fed through the inside of the endplate and into the hollow main plane, before emerging out of the central section of the wing where it helps stall the wing for a straight line speed boost.

However, sources at rival teams say they are keeping a close eye on whether or not the hole is feeding air to other areas of the car - such as the diffuser or even the front wing.

Michael Schumacher tops second practice for the Australian Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher set the pace in a rain-affected second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion set his 1m29.183s lap on the last of the session, on a track that was improving in terms of grip with every second of running, but in spite of being at the right end of the roulette wheel the Mercedes driver had look good for it throughout the last frantic 20 minutes of running.

In the end Schumacher denied Nico Hulkenberg another giant-killing headline, and the young German had to settle for second best this time. Sergio Perez was third fastest for Sauber.

Torrential rain during the break between the two sessions rendered much of FP2 largely pointless, and it was Perez and Schumacher that were nominally fastest on the intermediates by the time the teams reached a natural pause around two thirds of the way through the practice.

As Albert Park fell silent, it was clear many of the teams were protecting their new cars from the walls that enclosed the slippery surface - aware perhaps that spares are at premium at this point in the season.
Only in the last 20 minutes did they deem it safe enough to venture back out and the session finally came alive when it was dry enough to run on slicks.

And during this period it was Hulkenberg who starred as he embarked on a battle with Schumacher for top honours - the Force India driver on the soft tyres and the Mercedes using mediums. Hulkenberg's team-mate Paul di Resta also had a brief spell at the top of the times before fading to sixth.

Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest in the Ferrari ahead of Kamui Kobayashi - who had a wild ride at the final turn on his last lap.

Felipe Massa, Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg and world champion Sebastian Vettel completed the top ten.
Neither McLaren driver featured much in the session as they preferred to stay out of the danger zone, and both ended up behind Timo Glock's 12th placed Marussia.

There were several visits to the grass and run-off for much of the field, including Perez, Jean-Eric Vergne, Webber and Kovalainen, but no contact with the barriers.

Jenson Button fastest for McLaren in opening Australian Grand Prix practice

Jenson Button led a McLaren one-two in the first free practice session of the 2012 Formula 1 season in Melbourne.

Damp conditions early on meant relatively little serious running until the final half an hour, with Button going quickest by 0.245 seconds over team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Michael Schumacher was third for Mercedes, followed by Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and home hero Mark Webber (Red Bull).

World champion Sebastian Vettel was a quiet 11th in the second Red Bull.
Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne had the honour of leading the field out for the first time in an official session in 2012, and the Frenchman and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo had the track largely to themselves at first - choosing to rack up laps while the circuit was still drying, whereas most waited in the pits until conditions improved.

It was Ricciardo who duly logged the season's first flying lap with a 1m47.448s after 20 minutes.
Nearly an hour passed before the Albert Park circuit was in good enough shape for slick tyres. Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi - who by that time was the fastest man on intermediates - led the move to dry tyres and blew his previous benchmark away by just over five seconds.

Mercedes F1 team's rear wing concept deemed legal by FIA

Mercedes' hopes of delivering on its strong winter testing form have received a boost, with the FIA confirming ahead of the Australian Grand Prix that a radical wing concept the team has pioneered is fully legal.

The Brackley-based outfit stirred up interest from its rivals throughout pre-season testing with its W03 featuring its own version of a rear-wing F-duct concept - that some suspected was activated by vents being opened when the upper wing elements moves during DRS activation.

It is understood that rival teams queried the legality of such a system – which vents the air through the endplates and in to the main plane, to help stall the wing and boost straight-line speed – with the FIA.

However, despite the way the system effectively makes use of driver movement when he activates the DRS, the FIA has no doubts that it complies with the regulations.

When asked  to clarify the situation, the head of the FIA's F1 technical department Charlie Whiting said: "Some teams are questioning it on the basis that they thought F-ducts were banned. Well, F-ducts are not banned.

Lewis Hamilton unsure of what to expect in F1 opener in Australia

Lewis Hamilton says he has no idea what to expect from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
 
The British McLaren driver, however, reckons Red Bull, plus Lotus, Mercedes and Ferrari are looking strong.

"I'm not expecting anything," Hamilton told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

"I would like that to be the case [to win] but we can't expect anything. Whatever the case we're going to be working as hard as we can to get to the top and do the best with what we have."


He added: I really, really don't know. When I look at all the data on long runs it looks like we are in the top three or four, in terms of our long run pace and our degradation.

Fernando Alonso urges Ferrari to keep believing it can perform strongly this year

Fernando Alonso has urged his Ferrari team to not lose the belief that it can still deliver strong results this year - despite expectations of a difficult start to the campaign.

Ferrari is bracing itself for a tough time at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, with technical director Pat Fry warning at the final test that he did not expect the team to be able to fight for a podium finish.
But despite the low expectations and a difficult winter testing programme, Alonso has faith that Ferrari can recover.

"We have to stay cool and calm and take one step at a time, starting with the race in Melbourne, where we will get an initial impression," Alonso told the official Ferrari website.

"Once we know where we stand, then we can set ourselves more precise targets. One thing's for sure, with the will to win that inhabits everyone at Ferrari and with the history we have behind us, we feel a responsibility to do well: for us, for our fans and for our partners and that goes for all of us. We must all pull together to reach this target."

Alonso says that his confidence that Ferrari can sort itself out is based on the fact that it knows exactly where its car is under-performing.

"We definitely still need to improve a lot, working on our understanding of the F2012, adapting my driving style to a new car which, with the loss of aerodynamic downforce at the rear and the new Pirelli tyres, is a bit harder to drive," he said.

Sebastian Vettel still hungry for more success despite two F1 titles in a row

Sebastian Vettel has warned his rivals that he is still hungry for more success in Formula 1, as he bids to secure a third consecutive world championship title.

On the eve of the opening race of 2012 in Australia this weekend, Vettel says that his dominance of last year has not dimmed his desire for victory - and that he will get upset if he is not winning again this time out.

"My target was always to win the world championship, and after winning the first world championship it is a great relief in many ways because you have proven to yourself that you can do it – which is more important than anything else as it is something that no one can take from you," he said during a Red Bull promotional event on St. Kilda beach on Wednesday.

"All in all it is a great relief but that doesn't mean that you don't care what happens next. It is the opposite – you know it all starts again, everyone starts from zero again and you want to do it again naturally.

"So I have never had to ask myself the question, do I want this again or why am I here? Nothing has changed. I am still hungry, and I am still getting upset when there is someone else beating me – which is a good thing for sure.

Rival Formula 1 teams refuse to discount struggling Ferrari

Ferrari's rivals are refusing to write off the team's chances of being a strong force in Formula 1 this year, despite its troubles in testing.

The Maranello-based outfit has not delivered the car it hoped to have for the start of the campaign, and technical director Pat Fry recently ruled out its chances of fighting for early podiums.

However, with Ferrari having still shown flashes of single-lap speed in the build-up to the campaign, and as it has huge resources to plot its recovery, the opposition are not discounting its prospects for 2012.

Lotus boss Eric Boullier, who saw his team deliver a race simulation run in the final test that would have seen it finish ahead of Fernando Alonso, told

"It is too early and we have seen Ferrari has a lot of resources, and are also very competent people - so you never know how it will be.

"I would be waiting for the development of the car, and it is not because of one race simulation where we were supposedly faster than them that we are going to beat them this season. We have to keep focused on our car and we have to do our best.

"For sure the package we have this year looks promising, but it is going to be very tough and we need to not miss any opportunity in the first races, because it is going to be tough to score points or take podiums."

Formula 1 teams predict 'freaky' start to 2012 season and plenty of surprises

Formula 1 fans have been told to brace themselves for an unpredictable start to the season - with the competitiveness of the grid likely to throw up some big surprises in the early part of the campaign.

With pre-season testing suggesting little separates the teams this year – with some outfits appearing quicker in single-lap trim while others excel over race distances – plus Pirelli's aggressive tyres making strategy difficult, leading figures reckon the start of the year will be thrilling.

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier "Yes, it is going to be a freaky one! Qualifying in Melbourne and the first races are going to be unpredictable.

"The tyres are going to make things very interesting. If you push too hard in qualifying then you are going to be screwed for the first part of the race – and if you pit too early it may mean you need to make an extra stop.

Kimi Raikkonen: Nimble Lotus will suit Melbourne's Albert Park

Kimi Raikkonen believes the new Lotus E20's suitability to Melbourne's Albert Park circuit stands him in good stead ahead of his return to Formula 1.

While the 2007 world champion remains guarded on his own chances and refuses to be drawn on testing form, Raikkonen says he believes that the driver friendly Lotus will at least give him the best possible opportunity to perform well in the season opener on Sunday.

"You need a car with good traction and everything from testing says that the E20 has good traction so that will help us," he said. "Strong turn-in and stable braking help too, and those areas also feel good with the car so we are well placed.

"The track can be a bit slippery at the beginning of the weekend and the Melbourne weather is not always very warm; the Melbourne weather can definitely be a bit tricky. This will be the first race so I don't know how we’ll compare to the other teams.

Whitmarsh says no single team appears set to dominate in Australia

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes that no single team appears set to dominate heading into the 2012 Formula 1 season-opener in Australia.

In contrast to Red Bull's supremacy during the 2011 championship, pre-season testing at Jerez and Barcelona failed to produce a clear favourite as several drivers and teams took spells at the top of the timesheets.

Whitmarsh said long-run data and driver feedback gave his team the sense it will be competitive at Melbourne, but insisted that neither McLaren nor any of its rivals look set to dominate 2012's opening round.

"The bad news is we don't look dominant; The good news is that no-one else [does] either," Whitmarsh said during a Vodafone phone-in on Monday.

"Our sense it that we are competitive. The car seems quite reliable, the drivers like it and they seem to be quite buoyant.

"We always say it at this at this time of year, but fuel loads, tyre programmes and test programmes interfere with the ability of the teams to judge performance.
"Race simulations and longer runs give a better indication though of where teams are at than headline lap times, and based upon that we feel that we are competitive."

Asked whether he felt McLaren would be in a position to fight for the championship, Whitmarsh said: "I wish I could say yes.

FIA Charlie Whiting expects further exhaust rule clampdown for 2013

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting has admitted that further adjustments to the sport's exhaust regulations are likely to be required for 2013 to stop teams finding ways of replicating the effect of the blown diffuser.

Changes to the rules this year are aiming to make it impossible for exhaust gases to be directed in a way that helps the underfloor aerodynamic performance, but there have been suggestions that some teams are finding ways to achieve a similar effect within the revised rules.

In a Q & A about the 2012 rules issued by the FIA, Whiting acknowledged that the blown diffuser situation was a work in progress.

"Our objective is to prevent teams operating a blown diffuser, which under certain circumstances infringes Article 3.15 (moveable aerodynamic device)," he said. "In combination with additional constraints on engine mapping, as described in technical directive number 36 and incorporated into the SECU code, it will limit designers' ability to exploit exhaust gases for aerodynamic effect.

Lewis Hamilton says he starts 2012 Formula 1 season in best ever mindframe

Lewis Hamilton says he will start the 2012 Formula 1 season feeling better prepared that at any other time in his career, but will keep things in perspective if he does not win in Melbourne.

McLaren looks set to be Red Bull's main title rival based on winter testing, and with his team having enjoyed a much smoother build-up than 12 months ago, Hamilton said he heads for Melbourne in an optimistic mood.
"I actually feel more relaxed and ready for the new season than I think I've ever done," he said.

"Everything has gone smoothly with the car - which is more than we can say for last year! - and it just seems to be a responsive and reliable package. My final day in the car – with the aero package we plan to run next weekend – also felt good: the car was a useful step forward.

"Of course, we haven't tested it in competition yet, but there's plenty to feel optimistic about.
"It's a bit weird to have driven the car for a whole month and still not done a really fast lap – I guess we'll really find the limit next Saturday.

"Obviously, this is always the time of year when you're feeling positive, but we've got plenty to look forward to. I'm going to get off the plane in Australia with a big smile on my face."
Team boss Martin Whitmarsh believes both Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button are beginning the year in the best possible form.

Stefano Domenicali sure Ferrari capable of recovering

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali remains optimistic that his team can mount a late surge in the 2012 Formula 1 title race even if it endures a tough start.

The Italian squad's technical chief Pat Fry predicted at the end of winter testing that podiums could be out of reach following a difficult build-up.

Domenicali acknowleged that Ferrari might get off to a low-key start, but argued that this did not mean the whole year would be a write-off.

"Let's hope we can do like Italy at the 1982 football world cup: colourless friendly games, three draws in the first three proper games, and then the title," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Asked if Ferrari was "scared" of how it might fare in Australia, Domenicali said: "No, because in the end we got the performance. Ours was just an operation of transparency by saying we weren't happy with the level of performance."

Kimi Raikkonen 'fully prepared' for return, says Lotus boss Eric Boullier

Kimi Raikkonen is ready to impress on his Formula 1 return, and will not be at a disadvantage because of his disrupted pre-season testing programme.

That is the view of his team boss Eric Boullier, who thinks Raikkonen did enough over the winter to get fully prepared despite losing running at both the second test and on one day in Barcelona last week.

"I think he has shown us already what he can do," Boullier told , referring to the fastest time the former world champion set at the last Barcelona test.

"We will never recover from the four days we lost, and of course they would have been welcome. Both Kimi and Romain [Grosjean] would have benefited from the mileage, but it is like it is.
"We have to deal with the facts and I must say we did the best with the remaining days we had."

Raikkonen had said over the winter that the biggest issue he faced was understanding Pirelli's tyres - but Boullier thinks he is well on top of that matter.

"Kimi is good at this, but Romain is still lacking a little bit of experience," he said. "However, he [Grosjean] showed very good progress from Jerez to Barcelona on tyre management for the race, so I am confident he will do it."

Lotus owner Gerard Lopez told Gazzetta dello Sport this week that he too was convinced Raikkonen would impress in 2012.

Felipe Massa insists podium not out of reach for Ferrari

Felipe Massa still believes that Ferrari can fight for a podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix, despite its difficult pre-season testing programme.

With Ferrari still not at the level it hoped to be with its F2012 as it heads to the first race of the season, technical chief Pat Fry reckoned last week that the outfit would struggle to finish in the top three.
Massa, though, is more optimistic - and thinks that Ferrari's testing troubles may not be repeated once cars run in anger for the first time.

"It's true that every year we do less testing so it gets more difficult to understand how the situation stands between the various teams," Massa was quoted as saying on the official Ferrari website. "Last year we went very well in the tests then we arrived in Melbourne and we found ourselves a second away from pole position.

"I won't hide the fact that we are not 100 per cent satisfied with what we have done in these three test sessions in Spain and I would have preferred to be a bit quicker. We have a totally new car and we must still learn about it and get all its potential out of it.

Michael Schumacher not getting carried away despite strong pre-season for Mercedes

Michael Schumacher is not getting carried away with the positive winter testing programme his Mercedes team has enjoyed - and says the lessons of last year have made him more cautious ahead of the first race.

Twelve months ago, Schumacher and his Mercedes team believed they had a car capable of fighting at the front after topping the final pre-season test, only for its W02 to fall well short of those expectations.

This time around, Schumacher feels that Mercedes is in much better shape, but he says that he is keeping expectations more in check.

"The car is reliable which is already good," he told his official website. "The first impression was already quite positive. We were driving out of the box with the car and everything went well, so there is potential.

Red Bull Racing says not pushing the limits with its new exhaust configuration

Red Bull Racing has dismissed talk that its new exhaust configuration is pushing the limits of Formula 1's technical regulations, despite suggestions from rival teams that the FIA may need to look at it.

The reigning world champions revealed its latest aerodynamic package on the penultimate day of last week's Barcelona test - with the exhausts situated as far forward as possible so as to help energise airflow around the Coke-bottle area of the car.

The fact that there appear to be slots in the rear floor area of the RB8 has led rivals to suspect that Red Bull Racing could even be trying to direct exhaust flow into the diffuser area - something that the new regulations was supposed to have outlawed.

Some of Red Bull Racing's rivals have expressed interest in what Red Bull Racing is up to - and think the FIA's head of technical department Charlie Whiting should take a close look at the design.
But Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says his team sees no issue with its design – which is similar to the concept also being used by Sauber and McLaren.

Pirelli to use Renault R30 as test car to work on 2013 Formula 1 tyres

Pirelli has announced a Renault R30 from the 2010 season will be its new test car.

The Italian manufacturer had been looking for a new car to use for testing purposes as the Toyota it had been using up until now was deemed too old.

Pirelli said the Renault R30 will be adapted to simulate the latest technical and aerodynamic regulations.

The car will run with a carbon fiber black Pirelli livery and the test team will be run by Pirelli with no team member connected to a current Formula 1 team.

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo hopes Fry's no podiums prediction proves wrong

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says he is hoping the predictions that the Italian squad will not be fighting for podiums at the start of the season prove wrong.

Technical director Pat Fry said at the end of testing last week that he believed the Maranello squad was not competitive enough to fight for the top places at the start of the year after a difficult winter of testing.

Asked if he was excluding podium finishes at present, Fry said: "At the moment, I'd say yes. But I suppose I'm always slightly pessimistic."

Di Montezemolo is hoping the predictions prove wrong when the season starts, but suggested he would like Ferrari to recover quickly if that is the case.

"I hope these predictions don't turn out to be correct," di Montezemolo was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "Should that be the case, I'd like to know how many seconds it takes to recover."

Fernando Alonso says Ferrari's plight is not as bad as critics suggest

Fernando Alonso insists it is too early to write Ferrari's season off despite its difficult time in testing, but admits the team needs to work hard to understand its new car.

Ferrari's technical chief Pat Fry said at the end of winter testing on Sunday that he did not believe the team was competitive enough for podium finishes at present.

Addressing the staff at the Maranello factory today, Alonso acknowledged that Ferrari was in a difficult position, but said predictions of a terrible season ahead were unfounded.

"The new single-seater has some characteristics which are difficult to understand and maybe we're not where we want to be yet," he said.

"But we've all lived through many Formula 1 seasons and we all know very well that until we're in Australia we don't really know where we stand regarding to the others.

"There's lots of talk and many ideas, but nobody knows the truth. For example yesterday Red Bull, considered by many to be the frontrunner, had only a few laps and the last time on the sheet: if something similar had happened to us, hell would have broken loose, but here nobody really noticed it.

Eric Boullier says E20 can bring Red Bull and McLaren into Lotus's sights

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier says his squad is now confident it can close in on pacesetters Red Bull and McLaren during the 2012 season after its impressive performances in testing.

After a tough 2011 - its last year under the Renault banner - the renamed Enstone squad has appeared to make a massive step forward in winter testing, setting the pace on three out of four days at Catalunya last week with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.

Although Red Bull and McLaren remain favourites heading for Melbourne, when asked if he felt those teams were out of reach, Boullier told  "If I think this I should give up now.

"What is very encouraging is that even if we believe strongly that they are ahead of us, then the gap last year to this year has been reduced so it shows we can catch up. We obviously need to push more on this but we can close the gap, and it is up to us to do better this year and do even better for next year."

Red Bull downplays reliability worries despite toubled last day of F1 testing

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has played down worries about his team's reliability ahead of the new season, despite some troubles in the final Barcelona test.

The reigning world champion introduced its latest update package for the final two days at the Circuit de Catalunya, but it did not complete the kind of mileage that it had hoped for.

On the final day, a gearbox problem on the RB8 meant Sebastian Vettel was only able to do 23 laps as a number of rivals were able to complete race distances.

But although Vettel himself rated the team's winter testing programme as 'happier than 5 [out of 10] and less than 10 - something in between', Horner seems more upbeat.

"It has been a respectable winter for us to be honest," he told "We pushed hard through that first test. We have ticked most of the boxes that we wanted to, and that is the thing with the way testing is constructed. You are doing your dirty washing in public on many occasions.

Schumacher says tyre degradation not a worry for Mercedes F1 team

Michael Schumacher is unconcerned by the level of soft tyre degradation experienced by the Mercedes team during the final pre-season Formula 1 test of 2012 at Barcelona this week.

Schumacher suffered one-lap drop-off of 3.3 and 3.7 seconds across stints of 10 and 11 laps respectively during the afternoon, while the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton's McLaren lost just 2.5 and 2.8s in longer stints on the same rubber - and while track conditions were similar.

However, when asked if there were any concerns about the amount of drop-off being experienced from the soft tyres, Schumacher said: "No".

Pedro de la Rosa appointed GPDA chairman for 2012 F1 season

Pedro de la Rosa will take over from Rubens Barrichello as the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association for 2012,

Barrichello lost his seat at Williams for this season, meaning the GPDA needed to find a new chief, but drivers had already agreed last year that de la Rosa would step into the vacant position under such circumstances.

"The agreement we had at the end of last season was that if Rubens would not be in Formula 1, then I would take over," HRT driver de la Rosa told

"That was the vote from the drivers, so I will take over.
"But it's only because Rubens is not here. Otherwise he was doing a super job and everyone was happy for him to continue. It's a position I have inherited, and I'm happy to continue my work from two years ago."

Struggling Ferrari not expecting early podiums in 2012

Ferrari technical chief Pat Fry has admitted that at present he does not believe the team is competitive enough to finish on the podium in the Australian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have struggled to get consistent frontrunning pace out of the Ferrari F2012, which is a radical departure from the team's recent designs, in testing.

Asked where he felt Ferrari stood and if he was excluding podium finishes at present, Fry replied: "At the moment, I'd say yes. But I suppose I'm always slightly pessimistic."

He admitted that Ferrari had plenty of ground to make up, and that a decision to change its exhaust position mid-way through testing had added to the challenge.

Grosjean says Lotus must target an aggressive development programme in 2012

Lotus must target an aggressive development programme in 2012 if it is to build on the early promise shown by its new E20.

That is the view of Romain Grosjean, who feels the outfit has delivered itself a good platform for the start of the campaign with a car that is easy to work with.
"You can trust the car and push it to the limit," said the Frenchman. "If you push a little bit too much you know what is going on next, and this is really good when you are driving the car.

"You push hard and it understeers in the fast corners, then if you push a little bit harder there will be a little bit more understeer. But what is not coming is that you have a snap from somewhere and you don't understand what is going on, which is not really nice when you are driving.

"This car is really good on that aspect, and you can get quite easily on the paper a good laptime."
Grosjean believes, however, that the ultimate potential of the team will rest on how well it can keep improving its machine.