2013 F1 testing day 11 in pictures | F1 Pictures

Better weather greeted the teams for the penultimate day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. Here are pictures from the track today.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Adrian Sutil, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Valtteri Bottas, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Adrian Sutil, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jules Bianchi, Marussia, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Pastor Maldonado, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Sergio Perez, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Adrian Sutil, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Pastor Maldonado, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Pastor Maldonado, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Pastor Maldonado, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Sergio Perez, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Adrian Sutil, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jules Bianchi, Marussia, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jules Bianchi, Marussia, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Ross Brawn, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Adrian Sutil, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Banner, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Sergio Perez, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jules Bianchi, Marussia, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jules Bianchi, Marussia, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2013

More images will be added here.

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Bottas aims to stay out of trouble in debut season | 2013 F1 season

Valtteri Bottas expects the F1 field will be even closer than last year and says staying out of trouble and getting to the finish will be vital.

Asked if this year will be as close as last year Bottas said: 'I think probably even more'.

'I think everyone understands there cars now much better and many cars are just carry-overs and more developed,' he said.

'So I would expect to be even closer and I think that's good because sometimes a driver can have more impact and it's just better for the race.'

Speaking to journalists in Barcelona, Bottas said his priority in his first season was to make sure he finished as many races as possible:

'In F1 I've seen it's so important to finish the race and to see the flag because if you want to take the points first of all you need to finish the race.

'So it shall be the main thing next year to always try to finish the race. That's something I learned from just watching outside.'

He acknowledged he has some ground to make up after spending last year as a test driver: 'For sure in racing situations, last year because I didn't race, I haven't improved. And the only thing to improve your racing skill is to race.'

'But I think before last year I already got quite a good level at least in the categories before in races. Normally all the races went well.'

Bottas added he is especially looking forward to some of the more traditional venues on the calendar:

'Myself I like a bit more the old school kind of tracks like Spa and Suzuka. I really like those nice, fast, flowing and a bit less run-off area, that's always good, makes it more difficult to find the limit.'

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Image © F1 Fanatic | f1fanatic.co.uk

Is 3D or Ultra HD the future of F1 broadcasting? | Debates and polls

Sky broke new ground yesterday by offering the first ever live F1 broadcast in 3D, of the F1 test session at the Circuit de Catalunya.

F1's adoption of high definition broadcasts took a long time to arrive. For several years, fans asked when F1 would go HD, only to be disappointed.

Is there a similar appetite developing for F1 coverage in 3D? Or is the next stage in high definition coverage the real future of F1 broadcasting?

3D

Digital 3D films have been on show in cinemas for several years. And there are subscription television services, such as Sky in the UK, which offer 3D broadcasts.

But the technology has struggled to win mainstream popularity. Sales of 3D television sets have disappointed as consumers have been unimpressed by the picture quality and by the need to wear special glasses to view it.

I had a chance to watch some of Sky's footage today. While the 3D worked well for close-ups of cars in the pit lane and some other angles, it added less to shots of the cars in motion.

Ultra HD

The next step in high definition broadcasts is Ultra HD. While 1080p HD ' the current standard ' provides a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, the Ultra HD format defined in October promises resolutions from 3,840 x 2,160 (4K) to 7,680 × 4,320 (8K).

These will offer vastly more detailed, colourful and realistic images. But the technology is still in its early stages: the first Ultra HD television sets have price tags which look like they belong on cars and finding the bandwidth to supply the vast amount of data needed is a major challenge.

However Ultra HD is making its first steps towards the living rooms of the world. Japan has revealed plans to broadcast some of the 2014 World Cup, which takes place in Brazil, in 4K resolution via satellite.

Over to you

One technology is available now, the other is some way off. But which broadcasting format are you most interested in for Formula One coverage?

Have you watched any of the current F1 test broadcasts in 3D? Is there any need to improve on current HD broadcasts?

Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Which broadcasting technology are you most interested in for F1?

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.

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Image © COTA/LAT

Di Resta sympathises with Bianchi | 2013 F1 season

Paul di Resta sympathised with Jules Bianchi and congratulated Adrian Sutil on returning to Force India as his team mate.

Bianchi drove for Force India during nine practice sessions last year and has driven their new car twice in testing. But the team chose to re-hire former drivers Sutil for 2013.

'I welcome Adrian back, I said whoever the team choose I'll be very supportive,' said Di Resta. 'Jules was very close to us as well and you've got to feel a little bit sorry for where he is.'

'But I think Adrian, we've worked well together, we're good friends, we'll work our way together, we'll push the team on. The board have taken the decision he's they right person they want to represent Sahara Force India.

'The good relationship will start from where it left off in 2011. But at the end of the day it is competitive and I want to come out on top.'

Despite the uncertainty over its driver line-up having an effect on who has driven the VJM06, Di Resta is encouraged by the progress the team has made with it:

'I think we're further forward at this point than we were last year. So I think that's a positive to take.'

'But [we're] fully focused on making it faster because we've still got three days ahead of ourselves before the car gets shipped to Melbourne. That's when it counts and that's where we need to arrive in good shape, likely to pounce upon the attack from our midfield competitors.'

He added the car would not be radically changed between now and the first race of the season:

'There's things slowly going on the car but essentially I think this is the car we'll be racing in Melbourne, what we arrived here with. We're looking to maximise what we can from that.

'I think that's something we did last year ' rather than get carried away with upgrades coming let's understand the package we've got and slowly but surely introduce things that are going to benefit it in the right way.'

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Image © Force India

Grosjean ends his last day of testing on top | 2013 F1 season

Romain Grosjean went from the bottom of the times sheets on Thursday to the top of them on Friday.

Making his final appearance in the Lotus E21 before the first race of the season, Grosjean set the quickest time around the Circuit de Catalunya today with a lap of 1'22.716.

Rain disrupted activity at the track for the second day in a row. The tenth day of testing began on a very wet circuit with more rain falling.

It took until the lunch break for the track to dry sufficiently for drivers to be able to use slick tyres. Much of the afternoon running was dry, but few drivers elected to carry out long runs.

Nico Rosberg was an exception, completing well over 100 laps in the Mercedes.

The latter minutes of the session were disrupted by a red flag caused when Giedo van der Garde came to a halt on the run to turn five.

The Caterham was recovered in time for the cars to return to the track but another stoppage for Pastor Maldonado with five minutes to effectively ended the session.

Two other stoppages earlier in the day were caused by Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean, both of which also appeared to experience technical failures.

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Image © F1 Fanatic | f1fanatic.co.uk

Sutil to make F1 comeback with Force India | 2013 F1 season

Adrian Sutil will return to Formula One with Force India this year, the team have announced.

Sutil was picked ahead of rookie Jules Bianchi for the final seat on the F1 grid this year.

'I'm very happy and I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me a second chance,' said Sutil.

'Having been away from the sport, I'm even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula One. Things went really well at the Barcelona test last week and it almost feels as though I've never been away.

'Driving the car felt so natural and I was able to get back in the groove quickly and find the limit. Now my focus is on making the most of the final test session this week, working with the team in the simulator and getting myself in the best possible shape for Melbourne.'

Team principal Vijay Mallya said the decision 'has not been an easy one' and that Sutil's 'experience and historic links to the team gave him the edge'.

Mallya added Sutil 'will provide us with the best possible chance of realising our ambitions for the coming season'.

'If he can rediscover the exceptional form he showed in the second half of 2011, I'm confident that we can pick up where we left off at the end of 2012.

'As for Jules Bianchi, he has impressed us enormously with his speed and work ethic, and I'm hopeful we can continue working with him this year to help him develop into a future Grand Prix driver.'

Sutil drove for the team between 2008 and 2011, and in 2007 when it was Spyker. But he was dropped from the team's line-up at the end of 2011 and replaced by Nico Hulkenberg.

In January last year Sutil was given a suspended jail sentence for an incident in a nightclub in Shanghai the year before. He was found guilty of wounding Eric Lux, the CEO of Lotus owners Genii Capital, after hitting him with a champagne glass.

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Image © Force India