Sauber confirm sponsorship from football team Chelsea | 2012 F1 season

Sauber have confirmed a new sponsorship deal with English Premier League football club Chelsea.

The C31 will race with Chelsea logos from the next round of the world championship in Spain.

Team CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said: 'A partnership like this between Formula One and Football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies.

'In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest ' and international ' level. The Sauber F1 Team and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas. We are looking forward to exploiting these opportunities, and we congratulate Chelsea on making it to the final of the Champions League.'

Sauber dropped hints about the forthcoming deal by running the slogans 'Out of the blue' and 'True blue' on its cars' engine covers in the last two races.

The deal will also see Sauber logos displayed on advertising boards at Chelsea's stadium.

2012 F1 season

• F1 even closer in 2012 than it was in 2010
• Mugello test crucial for Ferrari's championship chances
• Sauber confirm sponsorship from football team Chelsea
• First win makes Rosberg the Chinese GP Driver of the Weekend
• F1 should fix flawed rules before changing tyres

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Image © Sauber F1 Team

Mugello test crucial for Ferrari's championship chances | 2012 F1 testing

In-season testing in F1 has largely been consigned to the history books.

But for this year the teams agreed to move three days of pre-season testing into the gap between the opening 'flyaway' races and the start of the 'European season'.

Starting tomorrow the teams will be running at the Mugello circuit outside Florence in Italy.

It's home ground for Ferrari ' less than two hours' drive from their factory ' and the Scuderia have a lot of work to do to get on the front runners' pace.

The F2012 has been 1.5% slower than the fastest cars over the four races so far this year, which translates to around 1.2 seconds for a lap of Mugello. At best they appear to have the sixth-quickest car in F1 at the moment.

Last week team principal Stefano Domenicali said not all the changes that will be on the car at the next race in Spain may be run at Mugello. It is likely the changes will include revised exhausts aimed at improving the flow around the rear of the car to increase downforce in a manner already being exploited by other teams.

Ferrari know the test is a precious opportunity to turn their season around. Fernando Alonso has done sterling work to stay within ten points of the leader in the drivers' championship, but a major step forward in performance is needed if he is to remain a title contender.

Other teams have expressed doubts about the value of the test, particularly as Mugello offers few similarities with many tracks on the F1 calendar. McLaren are not sending either of their race drivers and Jenson Button said they will not be bringing major improvements for the MP4-27.

Lotus, Force India, Williams and Caterham will also use the opportunity to give their test drivers some running.

Red Bull made a breakthrough with their exhaust set-up in Bahrain and further developments in this area are likely for the world championship leaders.

For Marussia the session offers them the first chance to test their MR01 outside of a race weekend. However HRT will pass on the opportunity, saying last week they were too busy moving headquarters to attend.

As always F1 Fanatic Live will be running throughout the three-day test.

Mugello test driver line-up

Mugello circuit

There are 15 turns on the 5.245km (3.259-mile), clockwise track.

The quickest lap of the circuit by an F1 car is Rubens Barrichello's 1'18.704 in a Ferrari F2004 in 2004.

The last F1 test with current machinery was in January 2009, with Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa driving for Ferrari. The test was wet for the first three days before drying on the final day, allowing Massa to set a quickest lap of 1'23.981.

Later that year Schumacher drove a 2007-specification Ferrari at Mugello (pictured top) as he considered making a return to the team to replace the injured Massa.

Mugello test weather forecast

Temperatures are forecast to rise from the low to mid teens during the three-day test. There is a chance of rain on the first day of the test but the following days are expected to stay dry.

2012 F1 season

• F1 even closer in 2012 than it was in 2010
• Mugello test crucial for Ferrari's championship chances
• Sauber confirm sponsorship from football team Chelsea
• First win makes Rosberg the Chinese GP Driver of the Weekend
• F1 should fix flawed rules before changing tyres

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo

F1 even closer in 2012 than it was in 2010 | F1 statistics

The performance data for the first four races of 2012 reveals the top eight teams in F1 are even closer than they were in 2010.

The three newest additions to the grid have also closed the gap to the leaders, giving us a close and unpredictable season.

Car performance in the first four races of 2012

This graph shows how far each team were off the fastest lap time at each race weekend this year, as a percent. Use the controls below to show/hide different teams.

2012 much closer than 2011

When you compare the graph above to the same data for last season, it's clear to see how much closer the teams are this year.

In the last two races we have seen the top five or six teams covered by just 1% of lap time. For much of last year the same gap covered half as many teams.

In 2011, the midfield were within 3-4% of the leaders' pace. This year that deficit has shrunk to less than 2% ' even closer than it was in 2010.

This is unfortunate for Caterham, who were 4-5% off the pace last year (when they were Lotus) and have cut that to 3-4% so far this year, but are still not quite on the pace of the midfield. They are planning to introduce an exhaust upgrade at the Mugello test to close the gap.

The true gap between the fastest and slowest cars may well be smaller ' the lower order teams don't get to run in Q2 and Q3 which usually see better conditions and faster lap times.

F1 gets slower

One striking details about the three races on tracks which also held Grands Prix last year is that F1 cars have been consistently slower by the same amount this year. Here are the fastest laps of the weekend for these three races:

This is despite Pirelli producing softer tyres compounds this year which should lead to faster lap times.

The slower performance of the cars this year and the tightening up of the field probably share a similar cause: the restrictions on exhaust-blown diffusers, which the likes of Red Bull and McLaren used to such great effect last year.

Ferrari's performance

Ferrari diverted resources into their 2012 car early as they struggled last year.

Given that, their performance has been little short of disastrous in the opening four races, never getting within 1% of the fastest time. On two occasions they've only had the eighth-quickest car.

The raw data of Ferrari's recent decline makes for startling reading. They were 0.48% off the pace in 2010, 0.83% off last year, and 1.5% off in the first four races of 2012.

They need to make a considerable step forward in this week's test at Mugello and arrive in Spain well within that crucial 1% mark ' ideally cutting the deficit to less than half a percent.

Sauber's one-lap pace

Sauber improved their qualifying pace in rounds three and four as the graph above shows.

However this seems to have been accompanied by a loss in race pace. Their drivers slipped down the order in Shanghai and failed to score in Bahrain.

Have the adjustments they made to the C31 to make it more competitive in qualifying hampered them in the races?

Can Lotus last?

Lotus (who were Renault last year) began 2011 strongly, scoring podiums in the first two races. But their form dipped over the course of the season as they struggled to develop their unconventional front-exit exhausts.

The team have begun this season even more strongly, finishing second and third in the last race. It took them four races to deliver on the potential they showed at the very first round, when Romain Grosjean was only out-qualified by the two McLarens.

The question now is whether the team can sustain that form over the rest of the season. They're third in the constructors' championship at the moment, but will surely come under pressure from Mercedes and Ferrari.

2012 F1 season

• F1 even closer in 2012 than it was in 2010
• Mugello test crucial for Ferrari's championship chances
• Sauber confirm sponsorship from football team Chelsea
• First win makes Rosberg the Chinese GP Driver of the Weekend
• F1 should fix flawed rules before changing tyres

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Images © Sauber F1 Team, Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo

'If you're not winning 'you're not trying' review | Review

'If you're not winning 'you're not trying', the insightful documentary on Lotus's 1973 world championship campaign, has been re-released on DVD by Duke Video.

The video gives a first-hand account of most of the season's races from a perspective far closer than any film crew is likely to get these days. We hear from team owner Colin Chapman and manager Peter Warr, and see them discussing set-ups and tactics with drivers Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson.

The film reveals the tension of following a race in the days before live sector-by-sector timing and pit walls festooned with TV screens. The first a team learns of a driver hitting trouble is when he fails to come around at the start of a lap.

It also shows a camaraderie between team principals that has been eroded by the intensity of modern F1 competition. Chapman and Ken Tyrrell, the men whose cars won most of the races that year, are often seen sharing a joke.

There is much candid footage of Colin Chapman making the kind of blunt assessment of his drivers that you would never hear from one of today's team principals.

Asked if Peterson should be sent out during practice at Monaco Chapman replies, 'no, he'll only wreck the thing' and tells the mechanics to give Peterson the same settings Fittipaldi is using as 'he'll drive whatever we give him'.

Later on Chapman remonstrates with Jean-Pierre Jarier, a future driver of his, for dragging gravel onto the circuit ahead of the start at the Osterreichring.

The race footage isn't comprehensive but it shows some interesting moments and angles ' including a view of the first-lap shunt at Silverstone that year which came close to wiping out the cameraman.

The tragic end to that year's championship means the film has a poignant end. There is a dreadful sense of the unfolding horror at Watkins Glen as drivers return to the pits with grim news about Francois Cevert.

This film gives a fascinating glimpse into how the sport was almost four decades ago ' still amateurish in so many ways, but with visible first vestiges of the coming era of ultra-professionalism.

It's a shame the publishers didn't take the opportunity to add to it for its DVD release, by way of new interviews or a DVD commentary. It could have helped add to the aspects of the season which are not well covered by the narration, such as Fittipaldi's growing unhappiness which caused him to move to McLaren for 1974.

That aside, this is a video that any fan of the period would enjoy. For those that are, make sure you check out Warr's recently-released memoirs as well.

F1 Fanatic rating

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'If you're not winning 'you're not trying'
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Reviews

• "If you're not winning ...you're not trying" review
• "Formula 1: All the races" review
• "Formula 1 in Camera" review
• "Meet Sebastian Vettel" review
• "Grand Prix Heroes" DVDs review

Browse all Reviews

Button to do McLaren demo run in Budapest on Tuesday | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Jenson Button to do a demo run for McLaren in Hungary next week.

F1 Fanatic Live

Join us later today for live comments during the fourth round of the IndyCar season from Sao Paulo. Coverage in the UK starts at 4:30pm on Sky Sports F1.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Jenson Button and Vodafone bring Formula 1 to the streets of Budapest (McLaren)

'Throughout the weekend, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Fanzone will offer visitors a unique insight into the life of a Grand Prix team; they can try their luck at changing a wheel in a pit stop challenge, compete with their friends in a race simulator, and even try on a real Vodafone McLaren Mercedes racing helmet.'

F1 flotation boosted by £4.4bn 'guarantee' (The Telegraph)

'It will value the F1 Group at around $10bn and up to 30% of it will be listed, with CVC remaining the majority owner.'

The Inside Line ' on McLaren's Lewis Hamilton (F1)

'Q: If you could give your younger self some advice what would it be?
LH: That it is slippery on the pit-lane entry in China!'

F1 test driver Susie Wolff: It's incredibly physical driving at 280 kph (CNN)

'Many girls who are really interested in motorsport watch Formula One and see no females there, so maybe they don't understand what they could do. I appreciate that I can have a positive influence in some kind of way. But I feel I still have a lot more to achieve before I can turn around and say I did something special, as a female in a man's world.'

F1 Classic Video: The Scarab F1, 1962 (Formula One Update)

A brief look at one of F1's less successful entrants.

America's most influential athlete (MotorSport)

'For the second year in a row five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has been ranked by Forbes magazine as America's most influential athlete.'

Comment of the day

Thanks to everyone who entered yesterday's Caption Competition. Among my favourites were those from Runforitscooby, Marcus Aurelius, Philonso, F1George and Prisoner Monkeys.

However I picked this one from Alexf1man as the best:

You see Felipe, I am not only faster than you but I also have more followers!

From the forum

• Will Power on pole position ahead of Dario Franchitti for the Sao Paulo Indy 300
• The 2012 DTM seasons begins today at the Hockenheimring
• A great win for Tom Dillmann in GP2 yesterday

Happy birthday!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today.

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

The Zolder circuit in Belgium held its final Grand Prix today in 1984.

Michele Alboreto set the first pole position of his career and drove to victory for Ferrari, with Derek Warwick second for Renault.

Rene Arnoux took third in the other Ferrari.

Keke Rosberg rose through the field from 20th at the start to run third, only to slip to fourth when he ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap.

Here's edited footage from the race showing Rosberg's progress:

Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

Caption Competition 12: Ferrari team mates | Caption Competition

This week's Caption Competition involves the two Ferrari drivers.

Here's Fernando Alonso showing Felipe Massa something on his phone during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend.

What's going on here? It's over to you to supply the funniest caption.

A selection of the best will be featured in the daily round-up.

Caption Competition

• Caption Competition 12: Ferrari team mates
• Caption Competition 11: Schumacher and Vettel
• Caption Competition 10: Alonso and Raikkonen
• Caption Competition 9: HRT drivers
• Caption Competition 8: Schumacher and Rosberg

Browse all previous Caption Competitions

Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo

Lotus told Grosjean not to hold Raikkonen up | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: New video from the Bahrain Grand Prix shows Romain Grosjean was instructed to let Kimi Raikkonen past for second place.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Bahrain video race edit (F1)

Highlights from Sunday's race, including Lotus telling Romain Grosjean: 'Kimi is faster than you, do not hold him up.'

• Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain?

Romain Grosjean ' 'I Hope the next step will be wins, and then maybe more'' (Lotus)

Teams: Perfect strategies key in 2012 (Autosport)

Ferrari head of race operations Diego Ioverno: 'I would expect in three or four races that the field will be more spread. The top teams will go away and the others will stay the same, because the top teams can develop their car more. But saying that, understanding tyres is much more difficult this year, so anything may happen.'

Pirelli responds to fans criticism that tyres are too big an influence on racing (James Allen)

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery: 'At the start last year there was a lot of discussion and you will find that two or three races from now we won't be having this discussion. Because the engineers will work out how to maximise the performance on the car they will find a balance and a relative level of normality will occur.'

Too much emphasis on Pirelli tyres (MotorSport)

'Surely we want to see a race that is not governed by tyres, that is run without constant interruptions for rubber. There is a balance of course and we should not return to rock-hard tyres. But Grand Prix racing must now take a step back, review the rate of degradation, and settle on a less extreme strategy for mixing up the order. We want racing on the track, not in the pit lane, please.'

'F1 is the new cricket' (The Times of India)

Narain Karthikeyan: 'The popularity of the sport is growing by the day. Formula One is in India to stay. Cricket has always attracted the crowds and hence the sponsors in India but with the IPL (Indian Premier League), a saturation point is fast approaching.'

Bernie and Fabiana to tie the knot despite him vowing to 'remain single for the rest of his life' (Daily Mail)

Ecclestone is getting married for the third time.

Comment of the day

Lots of interesting points on yesterday's discussion about tyres. DaveW believes the pendulum has swung too far:

If your car lacks basic balance, there is no driving around that or managing it any more. Look at Button, not known as a tyre destroyer. He had a dynamic imbalance in Bahrain from the start his race was basically finished'this tires would simply evaporate way early, forcing an early stop, and a spiral out of contention. Pirelli is not allowing 'car control' or anything else to prevail over a poor handling car. It actually punishes this skill. More generally, Pirelli threatens to take complete control of the 'racing' and to put it in one dimension'the sphere of guessing-managing the degradation curve.

If, as Keith says, as in 2011, the teams will crack the code and figure out how to lower and smooth the degradation curve, what will have been the point of Pirelli's attempt to create fun chaos? It will have just been an experiment in computer modelling for the teams. Will they then revise their construction formula to start the game over again?

As far as the race ratings going up due to Pirelli, I think people are going to soon realise what is happening is not the racing they know and love. Like doughnuts and other sugary treats, this product will give tummy aches in large doses.
DaveW

From the forum

• Davide Valsecchi claims his third win in seven days in GP2
• The Rally Argentina gets started ' and it's going to be a long, punishing event

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Russell G. and Varun!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

The 1957 Grand Prix of Naples ' a non-championship event ' was won by Peter Collins at the wheel of a Lancia-Ferrari D50.

Button doubts benefit of Mugello test | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Jenson Button says McLaren won't have 'massive updates' for the Mugello test.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Testing is pointless! Button dismisses Mugello session despite Bahrain woe (Daily Mail)

'The reason why we're not there is because we've never been to Mugello before. I don't really think we will be a benefit because there aren't any massive updates to try.'

Sebastian Vettel says his Red Bull team have lost confidence (BBC)

'It is tight and we're not as confident as we used to be. So small things can make a difference in qualifying and have a big impact on the race.'

Daniel Ricciardo blog (Red Bull)

'When I came around to begin the second lap I knew I was 16th, I knew I had a damaged car and I knew the advantage I'd had starting sixth had blown away. You want to pretend it's not happening and imagine you're going to get another chance. The pitboard says otherwise.'

Protection Bracket (FIA)

'Meet the forward roll-hoop ' the latest step in the FIA Institute's meticulous research into improved cockpit protection for Formula One and other open-wheel single-seater drivers.'

• FIA tests 'front roll hoop' to evaluate F1 safety improvement

How F1 dodged a bullet in Bahrain (Autosport ' subscription required)

'In the final analysis, F1 had no business being in Bahrain ' and ducked a bullet for three straight days; for that it should be truly thankful and not patting itself on the back.'

Schumacher: get a grip (MotorSport)

'Speed, within reason, is contextual. I have always been quick to shout at the TV whenever a director has lingered on a car in qualifying that is obviously on an in-lap. Yet a wheel-to-wheel dice has me purring no matter what the (F1) speed at which it is being conducted. Michael, you might be having to pussyfoot at the moment, but it's making for great viewing.'

F1 gears up for Singapore float (FT, registration required)

'Mr Brabeck-Letmathe will take the chairmanship if the flotation proceeds, which is pencilled in for June and which is expected to offer up to 30 per cent of shares to investors.'

Formula One Revs Up IPO (Wall Street Journal)

'Sports teams looking for cash from Singapore have stumbled in the past, though. Manchester United's planned IPO last year turned into a tough sell as potential investors balked at the heavy debt load of the team. Formula One could run into similar problems. According to a statement from CVC last month, Formula One Group refinanced part of its debt to cut its debt load from $2.9 billion to $2.2 billion, extending its maturity by four years to up to 2014.'

'Red Bull must have breathed a sigh of relief' (ESPN)

Karun Chandhok: 'A slight tweak to the rear bodywork around the exhaust seemed to help the team and when it came to qualifying, Seb once again delivered one of his special Q3 laps to take pole. Just when Mark Webber must have started thinking he was going to have the upper hand this year, the reigning world champion bounced back on the first weekend where the Red Bull had race winning pace this season.'

'State tourism dept keen to promote F1 demo drive' (The Times of India)

'Kerala tourism department was pleasantly surprised to learn that Narain Karthikeyan was interested in holding a demo drive in Thiruvananthapuram. After a brief interaction with the driver at his office here on Thursday, tourism minister A P Anil Kumar said: 'This is such a novel idea. I have a fair idea of what it entails. Kerala tourism department is definitely keen to promote an F1 demo drive.''

Comment of the day

Yesterday's debate on whether Lotus should have used team orders in Bahrain to let Kimi Raikkonen past Romain Grosjean prompted interesting points from both sides:

I, too, find it commendable that they decided to let the two drivers figure it out. If Grosjean had been in any other car, Kimi would have had to pass him legitimately in just the same way. It's a race and likewise you must be able to prove your worth. With two cars on the same strategy, Kimi had the same tools/ability to put himself in the position that Romain was in. And he did thusly once he passed him. You're there to race against your team mate just as much as every other car on the track.
Joey-Poey

I voted yes. People are correct in saying it didn't necessarily cost Kimi victory, but the team should make every effort to ensure that one of their drivers takes the top spot. F1 is both a driver and a team sport, and in this case I feel that the advantage should have been handed to Raikkonen, as Grosjean wouldn't have been disadvantaged by the order ' he would be overtaken anyway.
Ciaran

The poll is still open, add your vote here:

• Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain?

From the forum

• Add your nominations for best pass of the Bahrain Grand Prix
• Sky will show this weekend's IndyCar race live on their F1 channel after originally announcing it would only have delayed coverage
• Staying with IndyCar, how will Barrichello get on in his home race?

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to El Gordo!

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On this day in F1

Heinz-Harald Frentzen scored his first Formula 1 victory for Williams in the San Marino Grand Prix 15 years ago.

The Ferrari duo of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine joined him on the podium.

Championship leader Jacques Villeneuve easily led to begin with, only to drop out with gearbox problems.

Here's the start of the race:

Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

F1 should fixed flawed rules before changing tyres | Comment

Michael Schumacher's words after Sunday's race have prompted a discussion over tyres in F1.

'I had to drive at a pace to manage the tyres to finish with tyres left over,' said Schumacher.

'We should question whether that should be the case. It's unsatisfying and not what a Formula 1 event should be.'

There is a debate to be had over how far F1 should go to improve the quality of racing by using tyres that degrade.

But let's get one thing straight from the off: When Michael Schumacher says an F1 event should not involve an element of tyre conservation, he is completely wrong.

Conserving tyres: Part of a racer's skill

Schumacher may have seven world championships and 91 Grand Prix victories, but his grasp of the sport's history is not his strong suit.

This is best illustrated by his reaction to leading a Ferrari one-two at Magny-Cours in 1998, when he questioned whether the team had ever achieved such a result before. Of course they had. They're Ferrari. In fact, they'd had 41 of them.

If Schumacher's knowledge of F1 were better he might remember some of the many examples of tyre conservation giving us great F1 races.

Such as the 1987 British Grand Prix, which Nelson Piquet tried to complete without a pit stop. Team mate Nigel Mansell changed tyres, dropped back and passed him for the lead with two laps to go. A similar situation played out 30 years earlier with Juan Manuel Fangio at the Nurburgring.

We could go back even further. Think of Tazio Nuvolari at the Nurburgring in 1935. Nursing his tyres, he was over a minute behind the leaders at one point. But Mercedes' Manfred von Brauchitsch gambled on finishing the race only changing his Continentals once. As he began to struggle, Nuvolari was there to snatch an historic win.

Schumacher's quote jars in comparison to this from Gilles Villeneuve, after he had won the 1979 South African Grand Prix: 'I waited until the fuel load lightened before pushing the tyres too hard.

'Then when I felt either the front or back tyres go off I adjusted my driving style to bring them back again. Jody [Scheckter] came close and if I had made a mistake he could have overtaken me easily.'

These are just a few examples of races where the battle for first place was shaped by tyre conservation ' there are countless other cases of Grand Prix where drivers grappled with the agonising question of whether to make another pit stop or try to hang on until the end.

The idea of giving drivers a set of tyres that can be pushed as hard as possible all race long is a recent development, one which made racing more uniform and less exciting ' until Pirelli came back.

Have they gone too far?

Having dismissed the notion that tyre conservation has no place in F1, we should ask if the sport has gone too far in terms of trying to spice up the racing by using tyres that are more prone to degrading.

Other drivers have made this point. In his column for Sky Martin Brundle noted: 'I was talking with two F1 drivers, a world champion and a multiple race winner, and they had very similar concerns to Michael in that they can't push the cars anywhere near their limits. 'Physically my granny could drive the race' quipped one to underline how far away from the limits they are.'

Remember that when Pirelli came into F1 in 2011, they were asked to supply tyres that would be more challenging for drivers and produce better racing.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said in 2010: 'When we have been working with GP2 and F1, they have said they would like us to take an aggressive approach.

'It would be better from a tyre maker's point of view to take a conservative approach, so people then do not talk about the drop off of the tyres. But from a sporting perspective, and for the show, we probably want both these tyre choices to have decay.'

Recall also that teams initially struggled to make the tyres last at the beginning of 2011, but by the end of the season they found it less difficult and the racing had suffered as a result.

Following Schumacher's complaints Hembery posted on Twitter: 'At the end of last year we had huge criticism for conservative choices and races were boring. Make your mind up. We are doing what is asked.'

This time last year we often saw drivers make four pit stops during races. That wasn't the case by the end of the year, not at present, and it's likely we'll see teams make further progress with the tyres in the coming races.

Therefore Pirelli should avoid making knee-jerk changes to the tyre compounds. However the rule makers and teams should consider two changes to the tyre rules which would improve the sport.

Change the rules, not the tyres

First, the 'top ten tyre rule' ' which requires all drivers in Q3 to start the race with the tyres they qualified on ' should be scrapped.

It was intended to encourage some drivers in the top ten to start the race on the harder tyres. Since its introduction in 2010 it has rarely had that effect.

Worse, it now seems to be encouraging drivers not to set times in Q3. In Bahrain Lotus gambled on not sending Kimi Raikkonen out for another run in Q2, content at missing the top ten and saving more fresh tyres for the race. We saw much the same last year.

Forcing the top ten drivers to start the race on worn tyres reduces the teams' strategic options. A problem which is compounded by another unnecessary rule which also needs to be scrapped.

This is the 'mandatory tyre change' rule, which forces drivers to use both types of tyre compound during the race.

Because of this rule, no-one can gamble on completing a dry race without a tyre change. Everyone knows that everyone else will have to make at least one pit stop and can plan and second-guess them accordingly.

The rule was first brought in when Bridgestone became F1's sole tyre supplier in 2007, amid concern that the end of the tyre war meant that tyres would cease to be a talking point and Bridgestone would receive little publicity from their involvement in F1.

That is clearly not a concern for Pirelli. Therefore this rule is not needed from a sporting or marketing perspective. Last year 83% of F1 Fanatic readers supported getting rid of it.

No knee-jerk needed

Pirelli's tyres have produced some terrific racing since they were introduced last year.

Despite a one-sided championship contest, the 2011 season saw our highest rate the race results since 2008. Two of this year's first three races ranked within the top ten.

Tyre conservation is an important part of an F1 driver's skill: just like getting the set-up right, nailing a fast qualifying lap, lapping consistently in the races, overtaking and everything else.

Instead of making knee-jerk changes to the tyres, F1 should address areas of the rule book which several years' experience have taught us are not working as desired.

Getting rid of articles 25.4 (e) and (f) of the sporting regulations would give teams more strategy options, make the racing less artificial, and give the drivers a little more tyre life to play with on race day.

F1 should fix those before tackling the trickier question of whether slightly less aggressive tyres would ultimately give us even better racing.

Comment

• F1 should fixed flawed rules before changing tyres
• F1 handed Bahrain more than just a propaganda victory
• The Bahrain Grand Prix: A matter of conscience
• Williams should give Senna his fair share of track time
• F1's Bahrain Grand Prix brinkmanship is all about money

Browse all comment articles

Image © Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Pirelli/LAT

First win makes Rosberg the Chinese GP Driver of the Weekend | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg was emphatically voted Driver of the Weekend for the Chinese Grand Prix after scoring his first F1 pole position and win.

The Mercedes driver gathered a comfortable majority of votes over Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

The scope of Rosberg's victory is reflected by the proportion of votes with third in the poll Button getting over 100 times fewer votes than the Mercedes driver.

Driver of the Chinese Grand Prix Weekend poll ' top three

1. Nico Rosberg ' 69.1%
2. Lewis Hamilton ' 10.0%
3. Jenson Button ' 6.4%

Nico Rosberg

Qualifying: 1st
Race: 1st

Rosberg waited 110 Grandd Prix to get his first ever pole position in F1. He secured it on Saturday in Shanghai with a superb lap.

When the lights went out on Sunday, he maintained the lead from his team mate Michael Schumacher and never looked back to get his first ever and very deserved F1 victory.

I can't even contemplate voting for anyone other than Nico.

His qualifying lap was simply mesmerising to watch. Absolutely perfect, and a strong hit back after his previous mistakes in Q3.

And of course he won the race. His strategy was right and off the top of my head, I can't think of one mistake he made the whole weekend.

I'm sure others drove a good race too but I can't see them in Rosberg's shadows.
Silverkeg

I can't vote for anyone other than Nico. Mesmerising in qualifying, on top form in the race, and credit to the Mercedes engineers for sorting the tyre woes for the weekend.
Matt

Rosberg, without a doubt. He drove a solid race and didn't buckle under pressure.

He drove almost flawlessly during the race and continued to set competitive times right to the very end which is a tribute to his ability to look after the tyres this weekend. His qualifying lap was very smooth so all in all he was the driver of the weekend for me.
AndrewTanner

Can't be anyone else but Rosberg. There were other drivers who had a good weekend, but no one but Rosberg deserves to win this poll. Rosberg put in a superb qualifying lap and was almost faultless in the race.
Slr

Lewis Hamilton

Qualifying: 2nd
Race: 3rd

Hamilton qualified behind Rosberg but penalty for gearbox change saw him starting seventh.

He moved up at the start and spent the majority of the race in the traffic cautiously fighting with other drivers. He managed to finish the race third for the third time in a row which gave him the championship lead.

I voted Hamilton for the first time this season. Good qualifying performance to stick it in second. Wasn't his fault he got the penalty, but didn't let it stop him from getting another podium.

He was always in more traffic than Button, so didn't really have much of a chance to pass him. When he did get clear air behind Button he started slowly closing, but then had to pit and was behind more traffic. Fantastic performance that had me on the edge of my seat.
James

Jenson Button

Qualifying: 5th
Race: 2nd

He had problems with grip in practice and qualifying sessions but made up a few positions at the start. He looked strong to challenge for the win, but a ill-fated pit stop eventually destroyed his chances.

Button. Because if it weren't for the pit problems he could have attacked Nico (and make sure he would have passed him eventually). Well deserved win by Rosberg anyway
OmarR-Pepper

2012 Driver of the Weekend results so far

Rosberg was the third different driver voted Driver of the Weekend in three polls so far.

Jenson Button is in the top three for the second time this year, while Lewis Hamilton ' for the first time.

The Driver of the Chinese Weekend poll brought the greatest gap between the first and second place since 2011 German Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton got over 76% of votes.

2012 Chinese Grand Prix

• First win makes Rosberg the Chinese GP Driver of the Weekend
• Rosberg's China win rated fifth-best race of last five years
• Top ten pictures from the Chinese Grand Prix
• Rosberg becomes F1's third second-generation race winner
• Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend

Browse all 2012 Chinese Grand Prix articles

Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei

Vergne denies Toro Rosso seat is audition for Red Bull | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne says he is not in a 'fight' with team mate Daniel Ricciardo for a Red Bull seat in 2013.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Jean-Eric Vergne Q&A: I'm no rookie (F1)

'Some people will tell you that we are in a fight for the Red Bull cockpit, but I don't see that right now. I am racing for Toro Rosso and I want to help make the car a points contender.'

Boullier says Grosjean can be champion

'More than the podium finish, what was impressive is the fact that he finished so close to Kimi [Raikkonen] and just ten seconds behind Sebastian Vettel.'

Lotus E20: Overview and Development (ScarbsF1)

'Unlike its rivals there isn't a stand-out feature or innovation that's obvious on the E20. Development from the Renault R31 with its ill fated front exit exhausts (FEE) has been iterative and logical.'

Nestle man lined up for F1 chair (Reuters Africa)

'Peter Brabeck, the chairman of Swiss food group Nestle, has been lined up to chair Formula One motor racing should it go ahead with a planned flotation in Singapore, a source close to the matter said.'

Bahrain Special: How Regime Supporters Became The 'Silent Majority' for 3 Foreign Journalists (Enduring America)

'Results have been mixed, despite the spending of millions of dollars on public-relations firms and in-house publications, especially amid the recent controversy over the Bahrain Grand Prix. Today, however, we tell a story of success for the regime and its supporters:'

A final note on Bahrain (Joe Saward)

'I hear that there are attempts going on to discredit the story I have written about Bahrain and the people with whom I spoke.'

Bahrain: Vettel the only winner (GrandPrix)

'Official promotional slogans proclaiming 'UniF1ed ' One Nation in Celebration' were in wide circulation. Aside for the blatant use of the treasured 'F1' symbol, this undisputed claim made Ecclestone's tired assertion that sport and politics don't mix appear as inappropriate as a Grand Prix in this troubled country.'

The Italian Dilemma (Will Buxton)

'It's an all too familiar story. Talented Italian lacks budget and doesn't get the chances he deserves. But why does it always seemingly affect Italians over any other nationality?' Read my comment on this article here.

House of Comments Hansard debate 24th April 2012 (Parliament)

'I understand that the owners of Lotus F1, which by the way came second and third in the recent Bahrain Grand Prix, have expressed an interest and said that they would see no reason to move any of the business away from the UK.'

Formula One Betting: All's fair in love and tyres! (Unibet)

My new article for Unibet.

Comment of the day

Hays33d on attitudes towards safety improvements in F1:

I'm always surprised by the closed mindedness and resistance when it comes to safety innovations, or at the very least, the exploration of them.

Yes, it has been a long time since an F1 driver was killed, but in other open wheeled classes, like with Surtees, it still happens. Remember when Senna and Ratzenberger were killed the general feeling was that F1 had advanced so far that it was unlikely to see a death again. People got complacent.

Let's look at this from another perspective. What current safety regulation do you believe makes F1 today worse off? I can't think of one and I guarantee you that when many of the new regulations were suggested someone said, 'You can't make racing 100% safe. What are they doing to our wonderful sport? What are they trying to accomplish? This will be tragic for the sport!'
Hays33d

From the forum

• Who is Sauber's secret sponsor?
• Name the greatest F1 team principals
• Are you going to the next race in Spain? Join in the discussion here

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to MarkD!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Jean-Pierre Beltoise turns 75 today. The French driver scored his only world championship race win in the soaking wet 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, driving for BRM.

• 1972 Monaco Grand Prix flashback

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain? | Debates and polls

Lotus had their best finish of the year so far in Bahrain, claiming second and third place.

But could they have used team orders to help Kimi Raikkonen take victory? And would they have been right to do so?

In the second stint of the race, Raikkonen was running in third place on new tyres while team mate Romain Grosjean, second, was on used rubber.

Grosjean was doing similar lap times to leader Sebastian Vettel, while Raikkonen was catching the pair of them at around four tenths of a second per lap.

By lap 21, Raikkonen was within a second of his team mate, with Vettel a further 5.4 seconds up the road.

For

Raikkonen lost around two seconds trying to pass his team mate. Had Lotus radioed Grosjean on lap 20 with a clear instruction to move over for his team mate, Raikkonen might have saved that time and caught Vettel sooner, giving him a greater opportunity to overtake.

Lotus would not have been breaking the rules by doing this. The ban on team orders, which was introduced in 2003, was lifted at the end of 2010.

One team which did use team orders during the race was Force India, who instructed Nico Hulkenberg to let Paul di Resta past.

Against

Team orders may no longer be illegal, but that doesn't mean teams have to use them, nor that they're always desirable. Giving second-rate treatment to one driver is not the way to get the best out of them.

Raikkonen was able to pass Grosjean of his own accord after a few laps. It's by no means certain Raikkonen would have passed Vettel had he caught him sooner. In the third stint he only caught the Red Bull at around two to three tenths of a second per lap, and after a single attempt at a move at turn one he slipped back again.

Force India used team orders because their drivers were on significantly different strategies, unlike the two Lotuses.

I say

Lotus had every inducement to use team orders in Bahrain, so it's interesting that they chose not to. It's a reminder that not all teams treat their drivers the same way.

Raikkonen lost more time earlier in the race falling behind Felipe Massa. That, plus the difficulty he had passing Vettel when he caught him, means we can say quite confidently that not using team orders did not cost Lotus a certain win here.

It's not hard to imagine how other teams would have handled the situation differently. Had the two cars been Ferraris, with Fernando Alonso catching Felipe Massa, we surely would have seen an early call for Massa to make way ' after all, Ferrari had no compunction about doing so when team orders were illegal.

While Lotus would have been within their rights to use team orders on Sunday, they should be applauded for not doing so and leaving their drivers to sort it out for themselves.

I would prefer to see the FIA bring back and enforce the team orders ban to ensure all teams do likewise in future.

You say

Should Lotus have used team orders on Sunday? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain?

An F1 Fanatic account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here.

Debates and polls

• Should Lotus have used team orders in Bahrain?
• Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• Rate the race: 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
• Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• Rate the race: 2012 Chinese Grand Prix

Browse all debates and polls

Image © Lotus F1 Team/LAT

Rosberg's China win rated fifth-best race of last five years | Rate the race result

The Chinese Grand Prix was rated the fifth-best race since the beginning of 2008 by F1 Fanatic readers.

It was rated a strong 8.648, as Nico Rosberg took his first race win, ahead of a frantic battle for second place.

However this was still lower than the rating for last year's Chinese Grand Prix, which is the highest we've recorded so far.

Here's what F1 Fanatic readers had to say:

It started a bit slow, fewer overtakes then we'd have liked but it wasn't awful, just a slow burner until it was apparent that everyone was on different strategies and that's when the excitement built into the crescendo that was the final 20 laps. Great stuff!

If Button hadn't had that bad pit stop and was able to challenge Nico for the win, then I'd have made it ten, possibly.

Still, like last year, the Chinese GP has come alive and is actually having lot of people turn up, I expect that was a result of last year's race and they'll probably get more people there next year as a result of today's race.
S.J.M

Like many others, TommyB appreciated the race for second:

That battle for second was one of the best things I've ever seen in F1. First half of the race was a 5/10 second half an 11/10.
TommyB

It was a tough day for the teams' strategists. Nick.UK summed up their difficulty nicely:

They had to decide whether to keep position on a track where DRS wasn't helping and try and defend, or come in and lose 10-15 positions and try and get them all back with only 15 odd laps left.

They had to make a call, and despite the result for Raikkonen I still think it was the right one. They could pit and near enough guarantee no points, or stay out and keep some, as Vettel managed.
Nick.UK

There was debate surrounding the complexity of the different strategies, and whether it was a good thing:

I loved all the confusion with the strategies. I don't mind using my brain to try and figure out the real race positions when people are on different strategies. Personally I love it.
infernojim

So much was going on I couldn't really follow it and I wasn't sure if cars were passing for position or because they were on differing strategies, which sapped my enjoyment of it slightly. Still a good race though!
Dan Thorn

However not everyone raved about the race:

Maybe I watched a different race to many here. The first three-quarters was very dull. Any chance of a fight for the win was ended with Button's last pit, the DRS didn't work and the overtakes were a mainly result of tyres falling off the cliff and it was fairly predictable who was going to suffer (i.e. the ones who two-stopped).

Obviously the ones who didn't suffer so much deserve a lot of credit ' Grosjean, Vettel and of course Rosberg.
Brum33

Michael Schumacher's retirement disappointed many who wanted to see a battle for the lead. Amid some criticism of the pit-crews Arijitmaniac argued that it's not fair to blame one man:

He was doing his job. For whatever reason the wheel failed to be secured, but he was trying really hard to get it secured when Michael left.

In such tense situations these mistakes can happen. I see this more as a failure to act as a team, can't put the blame on one man.
Arijitmaniac

Icthyes pointed out the historical significance of Rosberg's victory:

A new Grand Prix winner and (I think) only the third son of a race winner to win a race. The other two (Hill and Villeneuve) became world champions, so a good omen for Rosberg.
Icthyes

Although Kimi Raikkonen may disagree, some were sad to see the race finish:

I looked up and saw Lap 56/56 and I didn't want it to end.
Dusty in California

Previous rate the race results

What did you make of the Chinese Grand Prix? Was it the best race of the season so far? Have your say in the comments.

2012 Chinese Grand Prix

• Rosberg's China win rated fifth-best race of last five years
• Top ten pictures from the Chinese Grand Prix
• Rosberg becomes F1's third second-generation race winner
• Vote for your Chinese Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• 2012 Chinese Grand Prix lap charts

Browse all 2012 Chinese Grand Prix articles

Image © Mercedes

HRT to miss Mugello test | 2012 F1 testing

HRT have announced they will not participate in the three-day test at Mugello next week.

Team principal Luis Perez-Sala said: 'The start to the season was a little bit rushed for us and, since the cars were set up for the first time, we have been working on them at the Grands Prix.

'The team and the material have just got back from Bahrain after leaving for Australia in early March. And they return, for the first time, to the team's new headquarters at the Caja Magica in Madrid. This move is very important for us and by not going to Mugello we can work thoroughly on the car to prepare for the Spanish Grand Prix.

'We won't have the new upgrade package until then so we've preferred to focus on what can contribute more to us, which is teamwork at the headquarters. And there is a lot to do.'

2012 F1 season

• FIA tests 'front roll hoop' to evaluate F1 safety improvement
• HRT to miss Mugello test
• F1 handed Bahrain more than just a propaganda victory
• 30 years ago today: Villeneuve and Pironi's fatal feud at Ferrari
• Caterham to run Rodolfo Gonzalez at Mugello

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Image © HRT F1 Team

F1 handed Bahrain more than just a propaganda victory | Comment

F1 gave the Bahrain regime a propaganda victory from the moment they arrived in F1 to put on a race billed as 'UniF1ed ' one nation in celebration', until they left the circuit, passing banners bearing the new legend 'UniF1ed ' we did it!'

Last year the Bahrain royal family shelled out £25m ($40m) for a race that never happened after pro-democracy protests were brutally suppressed. This year they were determined to get their money's worth.

Eyeing a pay day estimated at $220m, much of which will filter its way back to them, the ruling royal family could afford to spare no expense when it came to security.

Those who came to race, and more importantly those who came to write about it, were cocooned in a Truman Show world into which Bahrain's pro-democracy protesters could not intrude.

Clearly, some preferred life that way. The day after Bahraini protester Salah Abbas Habib Musa was found dead in a nearby village, Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost lavished praise on those running F1 for keeping them from being inconvenienced:

'I want to thank his royal highness prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa crown prince, the FIA, its president Jean Todt as well as Bernie Ecclestone and the organisers, especially their chairman Zayed Alzayani for their work in ensuring this race took place. From our perspective, we encountered no problems, neither at the race track nor in Manama.'

Manipulating the media

The transparently manipulative PR tactics of the Bahrain government provide further evidence of how F1 was used to push a politically convenient view of the country. Those who came to report on Formula 1 were allowed in. Those who came to report on the country, by and large, were not.

After the race Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley ' whose own team members witnessed a petrol bomb attack ' insisted that 'the Bahraini authorities' have laid themselves bare to the world's media. If that is not transparency, what is?'

In fact, they did nothing of the sort. The Bahrain government plainly wanted to restrict journalists to writing about how wonderful their race was and nothing else.

That much was made clear when a member of the ruling family and government spokesman Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa tried to peddle the 'transparency' line to one of the very news organisations his country had attempted to shut out:

The Bahrainis blocked the attempts of journalists to report the real situation in the country, while cosying up to those who kept their eyes fixed on the track.

But even those who tried to ask questions they thought the authorities would approve of were censured for not being sufficiently sycophantic.

Those media outlets which wished to see both sides of the story sent their F1 reporters beyond the confines of the paddock. It friction between those who had seen what the Bahrainis wanted them to see, and those who had been out the examine the country for themselves.

'I like those who criticise journalists doing their job from the beach in Dubai and one, incredibly, who thought was all quiet from Starbucks,' said The Times's Kevin Eason, the latter remark seemingly directed at an article by Joe Saward.

'They should be ashamed that they call themselves journalists. They treat the word with great disrespect. Apologist perhaps.'

F1 supports the Bahrain regime

In light of the Bahrain regime's blatant attempts to manipulate reportage of the event, claims by those in F1 that the media 'politicised' the race don't hold water.

F1's presence was not wholly negative ' it gave wider attention to the protesters and a chance to make their voices heard. But it was of far greater value to their oppressors, both in presenting a misleading view of life returning to normal in Bahrain, and in lining their pockets ' all those security forces need paying for, of course.

The backing of F1 acts as an inducement for the Bahraini government to continue stalling the reforms its people are crying out for. By its complicity F1 endorsed the governemnt's policy of repression.

If those responsible for the sport ' be it Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, the team owners or their employees ' choose to believe otherwise, or insist it was merely a media creation, they are deluding themselves. To the rulers of Bahrain, the media were just another inconvenience to be manipulated.

F1 put on pretty little show without questioning why it was there or what its presence was being used for and spent a weekend in the service of a cruel and oppressive regime.

After the race

It remains to be seen where Bahrain will go from this. The hunger striker whose appeal was, quite cynically, scheduled for the day after the race, faces another delay in his hearing.

The authorities say they will investigate the protester's death. A doctor who inspected they body unofficially found 'shotgun pellet wounds, broken bones, friction burns and other injuries'.

Predictably, Bernie Ecclestone is adamant next year's race will go ahead and the Grand Prix will remain on the calendar 'forever'.

During the weekend Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn asked for a debate on their presence in Bahrain: 'We are here now, and after this event we need to sit down and discuss it.'

Further developments over the next 12 months will be covered here.

Comment

• F1 handed Bahrain more than just a propaganda victory
• The Bahrain Grand Prix: A matter of conscience
• Williams should give Senna his fair share of track time
• F1's Bahrain Grand Prix brinkmanship is all about money
• The FOTA Fans Forum needs to ask the questions that matter

Browse all comment articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty images, Ferrari spa

FIA tests 'front roll hoop' to evaluate F1 safety improvement | 2012 F1 season

The FIA has tested a front-mounted roll hoop in an effort to improve safety in single-seater racing cars.

The video above shows a test of a roll hoop mounted in front of a driver's helmet to protect them from objects striking the front of the car.

A trial was commissioned in response to the accidents including that which claimed the life of Henry Surtees in Formula Two in 2009, and Felipe Massa's injuries in the Hungarian Grand Prix the same year.

In the test, a wheel and tyre assembly weighing 20kg was fired at the roll hoop, supplied by Lotus, to test how well it could protect the driver from such debris.

FIA institute technical adviser Andy Mellor told the FIA's IQ magazine: 'The roll-hoop basically did a very good job. It was able to keep a wheel away from the driver's head.

'We tested it both by firing the wheel down the centre of the car, and also coming at it from an angle.'

Mellor added: 'At this stage it's almost pure research, which we need if we're to understand what the loads are in such impacts. We're not at all looking at final solutions as such.'

The Formula One Working Group will consider the outcomes of the test. Maintaining good visibility would be an obvious problem with such a solution.

The FIA previously tested jet fighter-style canopy for the same purpose.

2012 F1 season

• FIA tests 'front roll hoop' to evaluate F1 safety improvement
• HRT to miss Mugello test
• F1 handed Bahrain more than just a propaganda victory
• 30 years ago today: Villeneuve and Pironi's fatal feud at Ferrari
• Caterham to run Rodolfo Gonzalez at Mugello

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

D'Ambrosio to drive for Lotus at Mugello | 2012 F1 season

Lotus have confirmed reserve driver Jerome D'Ambrosio will get his first taste of the E20 in next week's test at Mugello.

D'Ambrosio, who raced for Virgin in 2011, will drive the car on the first day of the three-day test on May 1st.

Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean will run on the following two days.

D'Ambrosio said: 'It's an amazing opportunity for me, and I'd like to thank Lotus F1 Team for giving me the chance to experience the E20; it's a great car and I can't wait to drive it.

'I know the team from my rookie day in Abu Dhabi in 2010, and I've felt very comfortable at Enstone this year which I'm sure will be a big help. Kimi and Romain needed time in the car during the winter after two years away, so the fact that this test has been put on the calendar after the first four races of the season gives me an opportunity to drive

'It will be very valuable for me to get back into a Formula 1 car after six months, which has felt like quite a while. I've said all along that a third driver position with a top team would be much better for my career this year, and I'm starting to see the benefits of that strategy. I've learnt a lot so far with Lotus F1 Team, and this is just the beginning.'

The test will give the team valuable additional development mileage as they missed four days of pre-season testing following a suspension failure at the Circuit de Catalunya.

2012 F1 season

• Caterham to run Rodolfo Gonzalez at Mugello
• Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox
• D'Ambrosio to drive for Lotus at Mugello
• Top ten pictures from the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend
• Domenicali: Mugello test "very important" for Ferrari

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Top ten pictures from the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

A selection of the ten best pictures from F1's controversial weekend in Bahrain.

Bahrain International Circuit, Thursday

F1's presence in Bahrain was the subject of intense debate. Following the cancellation of last year's Grand Prix due to the situation in the country, the organisers promoted the 2012 race under the politically provocative slogan 'UniF1ed: One Nation in Celebration'.

Michael Schumacher, Friday practice

Lock-ups were a frequent sight in practice as drivers grappled with tyre degradation on the hot track.

After the race Michael Schumacher was critical of Pirelli's tyres, telling reporters: 'I'm not happy about the situation, let's see what happens in future.

'If it was a one-off car issue, you could say it's up to us to deal with it. But basically it is everybody, with maybe one or two exceptions, and if it is 80% of the field that has this problem, then maybe the tyre supplier should think about that.'

McLaren, Friday practice

A close-up of the cooling vents on McLaren's MP4-27 ' a vital feature given the high ambient temperatures in Bahrain.

The team had their worst race to date this season, bringing home just four points. They lost the lead in the constructors' championship and Lewis Hamilton fell behind in the drivers' title race.

Daniel Ricciardo, qualifying

Daniel Ricciardo starred in qualifying, taking a career-best sixth on the grid. But he made a poor start and by lap two had fallen to 17th place.

Bahrain Grand Prix

Not the sort of burning rubber you usually associate with motor racing ' tyres were set ablaze by protesters, sending plumes of smoke into the sky during the race.

Romain Grosjean and Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain Grand Prix

Romain Grosjean made a superb start and passed Hamilton for second place on lap seven.

He went on to lead in his 11th F1 race and scored his first podium finish.

Nico Hulkenberg, Bahrain Grand Prix

A TV helicopter hovers behind Nico Hulkenberg's car during the race. The disturbed air from his rear wing distorts the view of its tail.

But the cameras had seemed to overlook the two Force Indias during qualifying.

On Friday the team did not run during second practice. They did so in order to return home during daylight, after several team members were caught up in a petrol bomb attack while travelling from the circuit earlier in the week.

This prompted speculation that they were deliberately overlooked during Saturday's coverage for breaking ranks with the other teams. Counter-claims that the FOM director had avoided showing the cars because of their alcohol sponsors were undermined when the VJM05s reappeared on TV screens during the race.

'Nobody cares if someone is ninth or eleventh,' said Bernie Ecclestone, when asked why the Force Indias had not been shown.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Bahrain Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel certainly did care about the person who started eleventh ' because he appeared on his tail halfway through the race.

He came under serious pressure for the lead from Kimi Raikkonen. But the Red Bull driver held him off to win by 3.3 seconds.

Paul di Resta and Fernando Alonso, Bahrain Grand Prix

Paul di Resta saved a squirt of KERS to beat Fernando Alonso to the line and equal his best-ever F1 finish of sixth place.

Red Bull, Bahrain Grand Prix

Red Bull celebrate their first win of the year but Mark Webber (extreme left) doesn't look too overjoyed.

'I couldn't stay with those guys ' the two Lotuses and Seb ' so I had to consolidate from there,' he said afterwards.

'I am pleased the weekend is over,' he added. 'There should be no real celebrations today. We can leave. We saw the size of the crowd today.'

More Bahrain Grand Prix pictures

• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix in pictures
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying in pictures
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix practice in pictures
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix Thursday pictures

2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

• Top ten pictures from the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend
• Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years
• Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso cleared over incidents
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps

Browse all 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix articles

Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty images, Red Bull/Getty images, Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Force India F1 Team, Red Bull/Getty images, Force India F1 Team, Red Bull/Getty images

Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox | F1 technology

John Beamer explains how Williams have refined the radical gearbox they developed last year ' and produced a more competitive car.

One of the early season stories has been the relative resurgence of Williams. The team that scored just five points last year already have 18 on the board after the first four races.

Over the winter they switched to Renault engines and recruited a new technical team. Consequently the FW34 has challenged for points in the first few races of the season.

The banning of exhaust-blown diffusers means F1 design this year is less about trick aerodynamics (Mercedes' Double DRS aside) and more about good old-fashioned aerodynamic efficiency.

To this end one design trend in recent years has been to compress the coke-bottle zone and use heavily undercut sidepods to maximise flow over the diffuser. More flow over the diffuser reduces the pressure gradient of the diffuser and air stays attached to it, enhancing its effect.

In 2011 one of Williams' design objectives was to reduce the size of the gearbox as much as possible to maximise the area behind the engine. This micro-gearbox was carried over into 2012 with only minor modifications. The first illustration shows a close-up of the gearbox ' the drive shaft is the bronze/orange axle and you can see how it plugs into the differential.

This compact design was enabled by a switch to pull-rod suspension. By placing the suspension components by the floor (as opposed to above the gearbox for a push-rod) a lot of space is cleared. There are two engineering issues to overcome.

Typically the upper wishbones are mounted at the top of the gearbox. Now this has disappeared there is a need to attach the wishbone to something and that something needs to be sufficiently strong to withstand the forces transmitted by the suspension.

Williams' solution is to raise and reinforce the gearbox casing to act as an anchor for the wishbones. This is a change to the FW33 design which featured a 'Z'-link suspension to ensure the wishbones could successfully manage the forces.

In addition to making the geometry work the differential has to be lowered (otherwise it is physically impossible to shrink the gearbox) and the driveshaft angled sharply.

This is a potential disadvantage as the angled driveshaft may result in a small torque deficit as the rotational energy is translated into wheel motion (through some sort of angled gearing in the upright). It is noticeable that the FW34 sports a less angled driveshaft than its predecessor.

To appreciate the small size of the gearbox it is helpful to look at a three-quarters side view ' this is shown in the second illustration. From the drawing it is easy to see the volume of space that the FW34 has in front of the rear wing. Airflow over the 'coke bottle' zone and particularly the beam wing is less obstructed.

Providing the design team can deliver a reasonable suspension implementation the low-line gearbox will be a net benefit to performance. This should be achievable given the extent to which teams have compromised the front suspension set-up for considerable aerodynamic gain. Given the role the diffuser plays in overall aerodynamic performance the 'coke bottle' zone will play a critical role in overall performance.

One new development raced in Melbourne was the so-called 'monkey seat' above the beam wing ' see the final illustration. This is a simple device to add rear downforce.

Many teams attach the monkey seat directly to the beam wing, which potentially impedes the efficiency of the wing although the effect is small. Williams have attached the device to its small gearbox. It's a neat solution.

Williams has got off to a good start compared to last year. The question now is whether the team has the resources to develop the car successfully throughout the season ' and whether other teams will consider their compact gearbox a route worth exploring themselves.

F1 technology

• Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox
• The problems with Ferrari's front pull-rod suspension
• How the Red Bull RB8's exhaust feeds its diffuser
• Michael Schumacher shows how to start an F1 race
• Front wing design case study: Mercedes W03

Browse all F1 technology articles

Image © Williams/LAT ' Illustration © John Beamer for F1 Fanatic

Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

Which F1 driver had the best race weekend in Bahrain?

Compare all the drivers' performances below and vote for who you think was the best driver of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

Driver notes

Sebastian Vettel ' Red Bull made some small changes at the back of the RB8, including sealing a gap to redirect the exhaust flow, and suddenly it all clicked again for Vettel. After snatching pole position by a slender margin he used it as a platform for a 2011-style victory. He built up a big lead at the start which proved vital as Raikkonen came on strong later in the race.
Mark Webber ' Fourth for the fourth race in a row ' and out-qualified by Vettel for the first time this year. He got away well at the start despite lacking KERS, but was unable to keep the charging Lotuses behind him.

Jenson Button ' Didn't look happy with the balance of his car all weekend. Qualified his usual two-tenths-or-so off Hamilton but lost ground at the start. He was then passed by Raikkonen before making an early pit stop as his tyres started to go off sooner than expected. Was in with a shout of sixth when a host of problems ended his race: 'In the last few laps, the car sounded really noisy. I think the initial problem was an exhaust failure, then my puncture, and then a differential failure; so I had to retire.'
Lewis Hamilton ' Qualified in the top two again and held the place at the start. But his lap times tailed off quickly and he was passed by Grosjean. Slow pit stops cost him over 13s in pure time, plus more being caught behind traffic. Spent the final stint trying to pass Alonso, but couldn't repeat his successful move from earlier in the race.

Fernando Alonso ' Last week he scraped into Q3 at the expense of Vettel, this time it was Raikkonen. Made a great start, threading his way through to gain four places and hold fifth. Was passed by Hamilton after his second pit stop but Ferrari's reliably quick service got him back ahead again. Had the finishing line been further down the straight he might have taken sixth off di Resta.
Felipe Massa ' Finished seven seconds behind Alonso in what was clearly his best performance of the year so far. Started 14th but was up to eighth by the end of lap one. Fell behind Rosberg at the first round of pit stops and finished the race ninth.

Michael Schumacher ' His unlucky start to the year continued in qualifying, when a DRS problem consigned him to elimination in Q1. That plus a gearbox change left him 22nd on the grid. He gained four places on lap one, then picked off the Toro Rossos and Petrov. Clean air in his second and third stints allowed him to make more progress, and he inherited a point when Button retired, holding Perez behind him.
Nico Rosberg ' Was in the hunt for pole position until he made a mistake at the final corner and slipped to fifth. A poor start left him ninth and he lost time in the second stint stuck behind Alonso. When he jumped the Ferrari at the second stint he defended his position very firmly, provoking public criticism from Alonso after the race. But the stewards found nothing untoward in his driving in this incident and a similar one with Hamilton where the McLaren driver got ahead. After the McLarens took themselves out of the picture, he passed di Resta for fifth.

Kimi Raikkonen ' Missing Q3 might have done him more good than harm as it meant his was equipped with more new tyres for the race. Lost crucial time after he was mugged by Massa in the opening laps before he re-passed the Ferrari. Fresh tyres in the first two stints helped him overhaul his team mate. He then had a crack at Vettel for the lead, but admitted afterwards. 'I chose the wrong side.' Dropped back from Vettel in the final stint and finished second.
Romain Grosjean ' Made a great start from seventh on the grid, moving up to fourth before passing Webber and Hamilton to run second. Lacking the benefit of fresh tyres he dropped behind Raikkonen at the end of their second stint, complaining that the team had left him out too long on his worn tyres. Closer to his team mate's pace in later stints, he ended the race less than seven seconds behind for his first F1 podium.

Paul di Resta ' Reached Q3 despite the team suffering the disadvantage of missing second practice due to safety fears following a petrol bomb attack earlier in the week. He was the only driver to make a two-stop strategy work in the race, offering little resistance to those much faster than him, choosing his battles with care. Kept a little KERS in hand to defend from Alonso at the exit of the final corner, which was enough to grab sixth place by a quarter of a second.
Nico Hulkenberg ' Dropped back with a clutch problem at the start. Ran a three-stop strategy and had to make way for his team mate at one point. Passed the tyre-hobbled Kobayashi late in the race to take 12th.

Kamui Kobayashi ' Was the only driver to start the race on medium tyres but had wheelspin and lost a place. Tried to run a two-stop strategy but his tyres went off late in the race.
Sergio Perez ' Sauber split their strategies, Perez running a three-stopper after starting eighth. He was passed by di Resta early on and slipped out of the top ten. Poor straight-line speed left him powerless to pass Schumacher at the end of the race, leaving both Saubers out of the points.

Daniel Ricciardo ' An exceptional qualifying performance put him sixth on the grid. Unfortunately his start was a disaster, and he came around at the end of lap one behind his team mate who'd started 17th. Never showed anything like his qualifying pace in the race: 'I need to be hard on myself now and find out what I did wrong to make sure I don't do it again,' he said. 'It was a race to forget.'
Jean-Eric Vergne ' Continued to be slower on Saturday ' but quicker on Sunday ' than his team mate. 'We must find a solution to this, because if we can start further forward with the pace we have, then we should see a more positive result on Sunday,' he said.

Pastor Maldonado ' Started 21st after a gearbox change but got up to 11th after his first pit stop. Had just switched to medium tyres at his second pit stop when a left-rear blow out sent him into a spin and out of the race. The team are investigating the cause.
Bruno Senna ' Made a good start from 15th but slipped back through the pit stops before stopping three laps from home: 'Towards the end I started feeling a lot of vibration in the brake pedal. The engineers were looking at it, so I kept pushing as you never know what will happen, but the vibration got worse and the decision was made to pit to avoid risking an accident.'

Heikki Kovalainen ' Qualified 16th, beating Vergne on merit and taking advantage of Schumacher's problems. But he was hit from behind on the opening lap and sustained a puncture. He recovered to finish 17th.
Vitaly Petrov ' Lost time with a damaged floor in FP3, then didn't like the balance of his car on softs in qualifying. But showed encouraging pace for the team during the race, finishing 14s behind Ricciardo's Toro Rosso.

Pedro de la Rosa ' Started in front of Glock but was never going to be able to keep the car there. 'We have to gain some speed per lap, more than anything because we want to be fighting our rivals on a consistent basis,' he said.
Narain Karthikeyan ' Ran a four-stop strategy ' the only driver to do so intentionally ' yet finished just half a second behind his team mate. 'My race performance was extremely good, I'd say it was my best Grand Prix so far this season,' he commented.

Timo Glock ' Made a mistake on his qualifying lap, leaving him on the back row of the grid. Struggled for pace in the race and was unhappy with the balance of his car, saying: 'I had no balance in the car, no speed and no chance to push after the second or third lap. The rear tyres dropped off massively and every time I did try to push, the rears locked under braking and I had no braking stability.'
Charles Pic ' Started in front of Glock and stayed there in the race, lapping more quickly than his experienced team mate. Retired with a problem with his engine's air valve system on lap 24.

Qualifying and race results summary

Review the race data

• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix lap charts

Vote for your driver of the weekend

Which driver do you think did the best job this weekend?

Cast your vote below and explain your choice in the comments.

Who was the best driver of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend?

An F1 Fanatic account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here.

2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

• Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years
• Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso cleared over incidents
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix lap charts

Browse all 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix articles

Ecclestone vows Bahrain return as journalists arrested | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the F1 Fanatic round-up: Bernie Ecclestone says the Bahrain Grand Prix will remain on the calendar.

Meanwhile journalists attempting to report on the situation in the country are arrested following the Grand Prix.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Bahrain has a secure F1 future, says Ecclestone (Reuters)

'Asked whether the race would stay on the calendar, the 81-year-old Briton told Reuters: 'Absolutely. Forever. No problem.''

Ben de Pear (Channel 4 News foreign editor) via Twitter

'Bahraini authorities and Ecclestone say journalists free to report in Bahrain, but we along with many media organisations were refused entry. Team arrested, surrounded by masked men and the driver assaulted taken away separately, last seen bleeding from his arms and we [are very] concerned.'

Channel 4 News team arrested in Bahrain (Channel 4 News)

'Channel 4 News has been in contact with him and his team, and are concerned about the welfare of the team's local driver who was arrested and assaulted in front of the team, and then separated from them. When last seen he appeared to be bleeding from slashes to his arms.'

William Hague (British foreign secretary) via Twitter

'Very concerned about detention of Channel 4 journalists in Bahrain. Our Embassy is seeking urgent consular access.'

Bahrain Grand Prix passes amid surreal atmosphere with little disruption (The Guardian)

'[Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed al Zayani gave] some seriously implausible figures. He claimed that 28,000 spectators attended the race, even though the empty stands suggested that Bahrain had voted with it's weary feet. It was claimed that 70,000 had come to the three days of racing, surely another gross exaggeration.'

Martin Rowson on the Bahrain Grand Prix controversy ' cartoon (The Guardian)

More criticism of yesterday's race.

Truth survives the teargas and tantrums (The Times, subscription required)

'But [Jean Todt] got lucky: the circuit was safe, mainly because it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox, and the only price to pay was the life of the young protester ' 'Freedom, not Formula One', they shout ' allegedly shot by security forces on Friday.'

Bahrain F1 race completed amid tight security (FT ' registration required)

'Tight security at checkpoints on the way to the track caused tailbacks as the authorities tried to curtail attempts by protesters to bring their pro-democracy demands into the heart of the event.'

Fuming Schumi slams Pirelli (Sky)

'The main thing I feel unhappy about is everyone has to drive well below a driver's, and in particular, the car's limits to maintain the tyres.'

Pirelli responds to Schumacher criticism (Autosport)

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery: 'I'm disappointed to hear those comments from someone of Michael's experience. Others were getting on with the job and getting their tyres to work. His comments during winter testing were that he was very happy with the tyres, and now he seems to have changed his tune.'

Red Bull boss Christian Horner surprised by good start to 2012 (BBC)

'That puts us in the lead of the drivers' and constructors' championships after the flyaways [long-haul races], which is certainly not we were expecting after the first couple of races.'

Comment of the day

Was Nico Rosberg's defensive driving really so bad? Slr says not:

At the time I saw it as Rosberg defending one side, and Hamilton and Alonso deciding to pass down the same side anyway. If it was like Schumacher and Barrichello at Hungary, then a penalty might have been just.
Slr

From the forum

• Davide Valsecchi clinches GP2 sprint race win on last lap

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Wonderduck!

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On this day in F1

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the crash which brought Stirling Moss's Grand Prix career to an end.

Moss crashed while racing a Lotus in the Glover Trophy race at Goodwood today in 1962. He had lost time earlier in the race with mechnical problems, and was chasing the fastest lap record when he came off the track, crashed into a banking and had to be cut from his car.

Moss suffered head injuries and later announced his retirement from racing. However he continued to compete until historic events until last year.

Image © Lotus F1 Team/LAT

Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix stats and facts

Sebastian Vettel started from pole position for the first time this year ' and the 31st time in his 84-race career.

On Sunday he scored his 22nd race win, giving him as many as Damon Hill, putting him 11th on the list of all-time winners.

Several times last year he was warned not to set fastest lap at the end of the race to preserve his car. That seemed to be less of a concern as he was chased home by Kimi Raikkonen, and Vettel posted the tenth fastest lap of his career.

He now has as many as Graham Hill, John Surtees and Mario Andretti.

Pole position, fastest lap and victory gave Vettel his fourth hat-trick ' his others coming at Britain in 2009, and Valencia and India last year. Only ten drivers have achieved more, including Michael Schumacher (22) and Fernando Alonso (5).

Vettel has become the fourth different leader of the world championship in as many races this year, following Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

Four different teams win first four races

He is also the fourth different driver to win in as many races this year. The last time that happened was in 2003, when David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Giancarlo Fisichella and Michael Schumacher won the first four races.

Red Bull became the fourth different team to win in the opening four rounds, which hasn't happened since 1983. On that occasion the winners were Brabham (Nelson Piquet), McLaren (John Watson), Renault (Alain Prost) and Ferrari (Patrick Tambay). There was a fifth different winner in the next race ' Keke Rosberg for Williams.

This was Red Bull's 28th win and 39th pole position ' the latter putting then level with Brabham. Only five teams have set more pole positions than Red Bull.

Two Lotuses on podium for first time since 1979

Kimi Raikkonen made his return to the F1 podium for the first time in three years ' he last stood there when he finished third for Ferrari at Monza in 2009.

Team mate Romain Grosjean joined him for his first podium appearance. He is the first Frenchman to stand on the podium since the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, when Jean Alesi came third for Sauber.

This also meant we had two Lotuses on the podium. To find when that last happened you have to go back 33 years and two iterations of Lotus to the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix, when Carlous Reutemann and Mario Andretti finished second and third.

Interestingly, the pair were driving different cars: Reutemann a Lotus 79, which had won the championship the year before, Andretti the new Lotus 80, which proved uncompetitive and made just that single visit to the podium.

The last single-car podium finish for a Lotus was Nelson Piquet's third place in the 1988 Australian Grand Prix.

Today's Lotus are, of course, a continuation of the Toleman/Benetton/Renault outfit. Their last two-car podium finish came in the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, won by Fernando Alonso with Giancarlo Fisichella in third.

Webber four times fourth

Mark Webber finished in fourth place for the fourth race in a row. This many consecutive finishes in the same position other than first place is quite unusual: it's only happened on four previous occasions:

No-one has ever finished in the same position (other than first place) for five consecutive races, so this decidedly random record is Webber's to win in Spain.

More Bahrain Grand Prix stats and facts

Four Renault-engined cars filled the top four places. This last happened in the 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix, won by Jacques Villeneuve (Williams-Renault) followed by Jean Alesi (Benetton-Renault) and their team mates Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Gerhard Berger.

Two drivers led races for the first time in their careers: Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean.

This was the first time Lotus had led a race since Ayrton Senna in the 1987 Japanese Grand Prix.

For Force India, it was only the second time they'd ever led a race, the first being at Spa-Francorchamps in 2009, courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella. Sixth place for di Resta equalled his best result in F1.

Eight different drivers have led laps in 2012 which is as many as we saw in the whole of last year.

And eight different drivers have finished on the podium, one more than last year.

For his 15th F1 start Daniel Ricciardo lined up a personal best sixth on the grid for Toro Rosso. But just as when Jaime Alguersuari started sixth for them in Spa last year, it all went wrong at the start ' Ricciardo damaged his front wing and was shuffled back in the back.

Ricciardo is 4-0 up against Jean-Eric Vergne in qualifying this year, but Vergne has been ahead of him on the track for 194 out of 226 laps.

Felipe Massa scored his first points of the year, leaving the Caterham, HRT and Marussia drivers the only ones left on zero.

Sauber failed to score points for the first time this year.

Review the year so far in statistics here:

• 2012 F1 championship points
• 2012 F1 season records
• 2012 F1 race data
• 2012 F1 qualifying data
• 2012 F1 retirements and penalties
• 2012 F1 strategy and pit stops
• 2012 F1 driver form guides

Spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Bahrain Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.

2012 Bahrain Grand Prix

• Vote for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix driver of the weekend
• Four teams win first four races for first time in 29 years
• Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso cleared over incidents
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix lap charts

Browse all 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix articles

Image © Ford