Toys and Prams

"Which would you prefer Lewis? The soft teddy? The Sylvanian Families house and figures? Star Wars figures? Action Man doll? Barbie even?"
"All of 'em please Martin. Please please, pretty please with a cherry on the top!"
"Ok but only if you promise not to throw these ones out of the pram I am paying you squillions a year to sit in..."
"I promise, I promise! I'll be a good boy - honest"
"OK,  there you go. Oops, you dropped your dummy now silly boy. There, that's better..."

I have to be honest, while I admire Lewis Hamilton's aggressive nature behind the wheel and would never wish to see him abolish it (contrary to others banging that drum) I am growing tired of his endless moaning after each race as he continues to throw his toys out of the pram.

As with all racing drivers, it is always the fault of another upon matters of contact on the circuit and while it has been hardly surprising to see Lewis adopting this stance in the wake of his troubled runs in Monaco and Montreal recently, his comments regarding the performance of his McLaren and of his title aspirations for the year are it is in bad taste.

Speaking after Sunday's European GP in Valencia where he finished 4th and Sebastian Vettel claimed a 6th win in 8 races, Hamilton said: "It's finished really. In the sense of the championship it's almost over already."

He then did all he could to garner support for his upcoming home race at Silverstone by declaring: "I'm not looking forward to it, I'm really not looking forward to it. I'll be going there as prepared as I can, racing as fast as I can, but we really might struggle." The PR department at Silverstone will no doubt have been raising a glass to those pre-race ringing endoursements...

However the 26-year-old clearly woke up rejuvenated on Monday as he posted on his official Twitter account: "To all our supporters, ignore what u read in the papers today. My team will never give up & I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!!!!
"Bring on silverstone, ur support will make a world of difference to us. I'm going to the factory now to do all I can with our team."

Trouble is Lewis, the papers only reported what you actually said so you cannot lay the blame at their door on this occasion. The Ali G gag after his Monaco debacle went down like the Titanic and his assessment of suitable places to overtake other drivers were highly questionable in the rains of Montreal so a safe game was necessary in Valencia. All the while, Vettel romped to yet another win in a team Lewis unquestionably wishes employed him.

Come to think of it, given his obvious frustration at the inability of McLaren to provide him with a consistent race-winning machine since his title winning campaign in 2008, is it any wonder he is unable to hide his displeasure at being unable to drive an Adrian Newey-designed winner?

He is currently a man ill at ease with himself, his team or the attitude of consecutive Race Stewards and feels his talent deserves more respect. Lewis' attitude suggests he believes he deserves a bye within certain areas of the sport and while his cavalier technique should not be discouraged,it can only be acceptable when applied with correct judgement.

In contrast to the adolescent attitude of his team mate, Jenson Button was also disappointed to have had a poor showing but notably failed to be defeatist.
"We had the fastest race car in Barcelona, Monte-Carlo and Montreal, but we didn't have the fastest race car here in Valencia today,” he said. “However, you can take it as read that we'll be working flat-out over the next ten days to do our utmost to ensure that we have as fast a race car as we possibly can for Silverstone.”

Sure, button also appreciates that McLaren have a lot of work to do to catch Red Bull, but every other driver out there is in the same boat but still they offer no comments of a similar nature to Hamilton.

The new regulations banning the 'off-throttle' devices from next Sunday's British GP could see Red Bull loose their advantage a little but will that be enough to appease Lewis? Who knows but it's going to be fun reporting what he does say after the race-but please remember, don't believe what we write, will you...

Senna

I tried my hardest but the end result was never in doubt, I cried....
There, I said it. yes, I, cried.


'SENNA' is the work of genius and sitting through the docu-film for over an hour and a half was to re-visit why I fell in love with Formula 1 and motor racing in the first place. It was a wonderful visualisation of a man with a talent not of this world and it is unquestionably a brilliant collage of imagery that beautifully encapsulates all that was Ayrton Senna.


In capturing the main points behind the Brazilian's 10 year grand prix career, the viewer is subjected to footage of artistry in its purest form. Pictures of Ayrton making his Lotus Renault literally dance as he feathered the throttle around the Australian streets of Adelaide in 1985, or those on-board, mesmerising clips of Monaco in 1988 and 1989 as we ride with the McLaren Honda between the tight confines of the principality, all contribute to providing a glimpse into the passion with which Brazil's favourite son drove.


He was an emotional driver in extreemis, and while his blatant denial of wrong doing in the aftermath of the infamous Suzuka collision with Prost in 1990, was almost laughable yet the passion in his voice at the injustice he perceived had been directed at him the previous year, almost made you side with him...


I thought the coverage of that weekend in hell back in 1994 was wonderfully handled and while sad, it was warming to see previously unseen footage of those three days at Imola which ended in such tragedy.
Roland Ratzenburger's crash footage was preceded by a short clip of the man himself in discussion with a member of his Simtek team moments before his fatal run. Explaining that he was trying to stop over driving the car and needed to calm down was harrowing in the extreme when the following few minutes delivered the crash, the terrible scenes after the impact and Senna's clear distress at the fate of his fellow driver.


Since Sunday May 1st, I have always been convinced that Senna was not mentally ready to race that fateful day and upon observing the pre-race images of the triple world champion sat in the cockpit of his Williams Renault FW16, frowning, shaking his head and sighing, I realised that he was in no fit state to race. We had known he was unhappy with the handling of the car until his death and that even during the weekend of Imola he is seen discussing these issues with the car's designer Adrian Newey and race Engineer David Brown. "The car is just unstable in every way" Ayrton is heard saying repeatedly and when you combine such factors with the anguish he was still obviously feeling at the demise of Ratzenburger the previous day, it makes those images of Senna in his final few moments all the more poignant.


The subsequent funeral was mammoth and the footage screened before me brought tears to the eyes and failed to dissipate until I had left the auditorium.


In the final minute of the film, Ayrton is asked who was the driver he most feared and admired throughout his entire career: "Terry Fullerton," is the immediate response.


Don't know who he is? Look him up and you'll see why he was held in such high regard by Senna. 
The fact that Fullerton is not mentioned in the film is the only gripe I have with the movie. Showing Ayrton Senna in every light was not an easy task though personally, I feel that had his early career in karting been given more allocation, a greater picture would have emerged of why Ayrton Senna became the driver he was - and an idol to millions...

Anticipating 'Senna' movie...

Well, this is it, the moment has finally arrived for me to make my way to the cinema and indulge myself in a couple of hours of joy, laughter and tears no doubt.


Much has been said of the Senna film and the impact it has had on audiences since it's general release in the UK on June 3rd and while non have been more eager to see it than I, knowing the emotions I am going to go through has meant needing to find the right moment to go.


today is that moment and while I am smiling at the thought off seeing this docu-film about a man who was my childhood idol, I am anxious at the thought of what I know will be heart-wrenching for me and countless Ayrton fans the world over.


Imola 1994 was the blackest day in contemporary Formula 1 and the memory of sitting the front room of my parents house,watching the accident unfold alongside my father, the two of us gasping in astonishment, will last forever. Much was said in the years that followed, opinion polls were unanimous in their results that Senna was a legend and in death, will forever remain so.


What many didn't appreciate was that away from the track, Ayrton was capable of such generosity and kindness and from my understanding of the film, this is not lost on the audience and for that, i am thankful. He was a staunch Brazilian national and the people of Brazil worshiped him and both won and lost with him on the circuit during his short F1 career.


He was to me and millions the world over,  a true inspiration and I hope in a few hours time, to be reporting on a wonderful motion picture.


In fact, I know I will.

Press release Monaco GP – Qualifying – Saturday, 28.05.2011   Further update on Sergio Pérez     Weather: sunny and dry, 23°C air, 45°C track     After Sergio Pérez‘s heavy accident in the final minutes of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, of course, the relief that the 21-year-old Mexican didn’t suffer any serious injuries is the overriding emotion inside the Sauber F1 Team. He was taken to the Hospital Princesse Grace in Monaco where he underwent an extensive examination. The medical staff informed the Sauber F1 Team that he escaped the shunt with concussion and a bruised thigh. Pérez will remain in hospital at least overnight and will definitely not start the race on Sunday.   Until the accident Pérez had shown his strongest qualifying performance so far in what is his first Formula One season. He made it into Q3, the qualifying session for the top ten drivers. In Q2 he had finished ninth on a fresh set of super soft tyres (1:15.482 min). The accident happened when he was on his final fast lap in Q3 on another fresh set of super soft tyres. He crashed into the barrier in the fast section after the tunnel. According to the current information, the team has no indication there was a technical failure, but it is investigating the accident further to find the reason for it.   For his team mate, Kamui Kobayashi, qualifying was over after Q2. With a lap of 1:15.973 min on fresh super soft tyres he qualified 13th. The Japanese said: “Sergio’s accident was, of course, a shock and I’m obviously happy he has no severe injuries. In the beginning I didn’t know about the accident because I had been taken for a doping test. In qualifying I still had difficulties with my car, which kept bouncing too much despite some further set-up changes we did in the third free practice. Nevertheless, from my grid position points are within reach and this is what I’m heading for tomorrow.”   Team Principal, Peter Sauber, said: “Of course we are very relieved that Sergio wasn’t seriously injured. Up to the accident he was doing very well in qualifying, and also better than expected as he had outperformed all his direct competitors. For Kamui it didn’t go too well in qualifying, but we know what his skills are and expect them to play a role in tomorrow’s race.”   The team’s Technical Director, James Key, said: “First and foremost we are obviously relieved with the reports that Sergio is okay. It’s always very worrying for a team when you see an accident of that magnitude, so it’s good to hear that he is fundamentally okay. We are looking into what happened. There is no indication at the moment from the data we have seen that there was a problem with the car. But we have to talk to Sergio to investigate further what happened.”

Delusions of grandeur

When Michael Schumacher and Ferrari made the long awaited announcement back in 2006 that the seven-time world champion would be retiring from the sport he had dominated for many a year, the consensus was that the German had been pushed out via the imminent arrival of Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren.

The shoddily handled announcement came immediately after the chequered flag fell at the end of the Italian Grand Prix and in the post-race press conference, Michael was as uncomfortable as I had ever seen him. Despite his best efforts to deny it, it was clear the Maranello hierarchy had decided to announce the deal with Raikkonen and that Michael – who ideally wanted more time to finalise a decision, would have to like it or lump it.

The team was, correctly, looking after the interests of itself and it’s investors. One couldn’t help but feel that the man who had helped transform the once limping horse into a prancing one that galloped all over the record books, was being forced into early retirement.

The following years saw Michael unable to prevent the urge to ‘race’ from rearing it’s addictive head and before long the German was competing once more, albeit on two wheels rather than four. An accident in a minor bike race in 2008 resulted in a hairline fracture of the vertebrae and apparently a lucky escape from more serious damage.

After Felipe Massa’s unfortunate crash in Hungary 2009, Ferrari needed a replacement and immediately the rumour mill went into overdrive suggesting Schumacher would make a comeback. Initially, it seemed as likely to happen as seeing the Pope come out of a brothel but within days it was confirmed that yes, the red Barron would don his helmet once more. Ultimately however, the neck hadn’t healed sufficiently to permit a return and so with a heavy heart, Michael confirmed he would not, after all, be seen in a racing car once more.

Fast-forward six months and with Jenson Button leaving the Brawn GP which had just been bought outright by Mercedes – previously only the engine supplier to the team, there was now available a potentially race-winning seat. While the rest of the world was asleep, Schumacher and former partner-in-crime Ross Brawn quietly came to a deal for the German to return to the sport via a 3-year contract.

While many questioned the move, most were anticipating the prospect of seeing how the old master would compare with the likes of new team mate Nico Rosberg and more importantly, the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Inevitably, much fanfare accompanied the German at the start of last year’s return to action but it was in essence, a disaster. The MGP-01 held not a candle to it’s predecessor which had taken Button to the title and Michael was emphatically out performed by his team mate in most areas.

Many have begun to wonder if the German will put himself through another winless year and perhaps more poignant, for the first time in his career, sorry, careers, his employer is contemplating a replacement for the seat he occupies.

Back in 2005, the BAR team - and in particular Jenson Button, were prevented from reaching the top step of the podium several times courtesy of Michael Schumacher who was enjoying another year of driving the best car in the field.

Despite being one of the main reasons Button had to wait a further year before his first win, the 2009 world champion is convinced that these days, grand prix racing is more competitive and thus, Schumacher’s end goal is all the more harder to achieve.

“Michael is in a very different situation to the one he was in before he retired,” Button declared during a recent McLaren Mercedes teleconference. “When he was at Ferrari he was in a competitive car and he knew that at almost every race he went into, he had a chance of winning.

“It’s a very different situation now and for me, over the last twelve years I’ve raced in the sport, it has got more and more competitive in terms of drivers and teams that can fight it out at the front.”

There is little doubt that with age comes a gradual decline in performance. Ok, yes Nigel Mansell was 39 when he strolled to the F1 title in 1992 and yes, Andretti was still racing competitively in Indycars at the age of 53 two years later but the fact still remains that performing at the level of your immediate competitors in the hardest championship in the world, is not easy for a man of 42.

At the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, Niki Lauda casually informed Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone that he was retiring from the sport with immediate effect; declaring that he no longer wished to "drive around in circles" and that he had simply had enough.

His charter airline Lauda Air was in need of his attention and so it was that the then double world champion hopped on his plane – literally, and turned his back on the sport, returning home to Austria.

Fast forward three years and Lauda, now requiring additional funds to stabilize his business, was back, now a McLaren driver intent on winning a third title. Despite initial concerns about his speed having lost some polish from team sponsor Marlboro; the Austrian promptly won his third race back on the streets of Long Beach before winning that elusive third crown in 1984.

Granted, having John Watson as team mate was never going to be a problem for Lauda and the fact that in McLaren, he had a car at his disposal that was usually there or thereabouts in terms of pace. For his title winning year and his final one in 1985, a young Alain Prost arrived and immediately out-paced his more experienced team mate. Aware that on speed alone, Prost was untouchable, the calculating Austrian won the championship through strategy and stealth before limping out of the sport for the final time a year later – annihilated by the younger Frenchman who picked up the first of his four titles.

“I think that today, it’s a lot tougher for a driver that’s spent three years out of the sport to then come back,” Button says. “I don’t know if Michael is as good as he was in his twenties but I think it’s more competitive now and he has a competitive team mate in Nico. I think he’s doing a pretty good job but he’s not setting the world alight because he is racing against some very talented drivers.”

The trouble for Michael though, is that because unlike Lauda before him, he has returned, then quickly won a race, his reputation as a race winner is being devalued with every passing grand prix.

The German Grand Prix is scheduled to be the 278^th start of his illustrious career and what better way to celebrate it than by announcing his retirement. At least this way - and unlike the façade that was Monza five years ago, he could bow out under his own terms, safe in the knowledge that the employee was dictating proceedings, not the employer. 

Thursday's press conference - Monaco

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 19:16 GMT

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES - Graeme LOWDON (Marussia Virgin), Vijay MALLYA (Force India), Adrian NEWEY (Red Bull), Peter SAUBER (Sauber F1 Team), Martin WHITMARSH (McLaren)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. Graeme, what do you feel about this race. Is this going to be your best chance for points here?
Graeme LOWDON: Monaco always has the potential for an unpredictable race and with the best will in the world that is our best chance at the moment until we can move the car further forward. We had a good run here last year until we had some car problems and I think now we are on top of the reliability problems that we had as a new team last year so we are looking forward to the race.
Q. You talked about bringing the car forward which is basically upgrades. Is there now going to be a regular flow or has there been a regular flow?
GL: There has been although we kind of went on hold a little bit in Barcelona. We were developing a blown exhaust system on the car and then following the directive from the FIA we decided that we would have to hold until the meeting next month when there is going to be a clarification of what direction to go in. We won't, in terms of pace... I don't think we will be moving much forward in this race but certainly we plan to keep moving forward as you have to of course. We will see what this clarification looks like and then determine then the direction we are going.
Q. Is there any technical contribution coming from Marussia?
GL: Marussia were sponsors of our team last year and then moved into an investment ownership element towards the end of last year so they are now gainfully integrated with the team and certainly in the future I think we will see information going in both directions. They have some really exciting road car plans for the long-term future and we are looking forward to playing our part in that as well.
Q. Vijay, in some ways again perhaps your best chance here. We saw (that) a couple of years ago when you really were looking on course for points until Kimi Raikkonen ended your chances. Is this race a good chance for points as well?
Vijay MALLYA: Yeah, absolutely. Since the beginning of the season we knew that at least for the first few fly-away races we would still be in the development mode. We were hoping to launch a serious aero package in Barcelona. We haven't got everything together quite yet but certainly there are improvements that are already showing during free practice here in Monaco. This is a fantastic race, my favourite, I would love to score points here.
Q. We always tend to see you as a representative of your nation. How is the Indian Grand Prix coming along?
VM: Coming along really well actually. The track is almost ready and will be ready well in time. The recent press reports apparently quoting Bernie (Ecclestone) saying that if Bahrain is re-instated then the Indian Grand Prix may actually be pushed back to December obviously raised a lot of questions at home. But whether it is October 30th, as scheduled, or later in the year we are ready and quite happy with the progress the promoters have made.
Q. What's the reaction at home especially now that Narain Karthikeyan is back in a race seat?
VM: Well when Narain and Karun (Chandhok) were both on the grid there was a lot of joy and celebration in India. But as you may know Force India have launched the "One In A Billion" hunt. It is going very well. We have had a few rounds already and we hope to identify some talented Indian kids in the not too distant future.
Q. Is there going a lot of interest in that?
VM: Huge amount of interest, absolutely. In fact, people contact me directly saying 'my son or daughter is one month less than the prescribed age of 14 of a few days older than the limit of 17 and can we please get them in'. There is a huge amount of interest.
Q. Peter, tell us about the contribution James Key has made to your team?
Peter SAUBER: The C30 is James Key's car and the car is a clear step forward. He is doing a good job and thanks to him we were able to move forward.
Q. Tell us about the modifications and the programme of development. How great is that? And, modifications for this race?
PS: Small modification to the front wing, rear wing, brake ducts and we have a modification on the front suspension.
Q. And then in terms of general developments. Are you expecting something every race?
PS: General development is on the aerodynamic side. I think that is the same for all the teams. We tried very hard on the exhaust side but it doesn't work.
Q. When you are looking ahead at your next team to overtake as it were, which team is that? Which is your target team?
PS: The target is to go forward and to keep the gap to the team in front of us and especially to keep the gap to the teams behind us.
Q. You don't want to catch and overtake Renault, for example?
PS: If it's possible, why not?
Q. Adrian, just tell us what the problem was with Mark's car this morning?
Adrian NEWEY: It was a cut wiring loom, a gearbox wiring loom, which meant he lost one of the potentiometers on the gearbox barrel.
Q. Is that a major setback for him to lose the whole session?
AN: I am sure it's a pain. The question is whether that will have any affect on his qualifying, come, hopefully, Q3.
Q. Interesting the situation with the pit-stop procedure change. What has accelerated that?
AN: Sorry, I am lost here.
Q. We understand that Christian (Horner) mentioned after Spain that because of the way Ferrari were stopping and were mirroring your stops, you were changing your procedure.
AN: We suspected that Ferrari were able to judge when we were going to stop before we went on the radio to the drivers to say stop, so we made a small change based on what we thought they were spotting. Whether that was correct or not who knows?
Q. Is it just being a bit paranoid?
AN: Depends whether they were doing it or whether it was just one of those co-incidences. I cannot comment really.
Q. KERS seems to have been a recurring problem right from the start of the season. Give us some indication of how difficult it is to get it right as perhaps we just don't understand in the media?
AN: KERS is a complicated project. It needs a lot of research, lots of development. The packaging route that we have chosen, whilst the system has its roots in the Renault Marelli system that was run a couple of years ago, it has been altered in various ways to suit the package we want for our car. That has caused some problems. It's not proving easy to completely eliminate it. We have hopefully learnt how to change it, but it is challenging for us. It is not really our forte, KERS development. We are an aerodynamics and, sort of, chassis composite engineering group rather than a KERS group.
Q. Have you had to establish an entire new department?
AN: Yes we have, but the department is quite small. With hindsight probably a little bit too small and there is quite a lot of inertia to these things. It is not easy to react quickly to a problem.
Q. One of the things about this race is using the super soft tyre. Can you give us a little bit of information about how the super soft tyre performed. Did it perform how you expected or better or worse this afternoon?
AN: It seemed okay this afternoon. Difficult to know exactly what to expect of it. This circuit is one of the lightest, or even the lightest, on tyres that we go to. Hence Pirelli's choice to bring a softer range than we have had to date and it seems to be coping well with that.
Q. They have suggested 10 laps, even less than 10 laps, per stint on the super soft. Is that pretty much confirmed or can you not say until Sunday itself?
AN: Certainly the indication from today is they should last longer than that. But it is difficult to be concrete and as have seen in the first five races what happens on Friday can change in either direction on Sunday.
Q. Martin, that is the most extraordinary thing about this season. It is just unpredictable except for the fact that Red Bull are going to be fairly close to the front and probably on the front row.
Martin WHITMARSH: Certainly, that is not too unpredictable at the moment. I would like it to be a bit less predictable. I am very happy if you keep asking Adrian questions. I would like to ask him a few myself. We made some progress in Spain. I think our guys were able to race with Adrian's and that was a step forward for us. We were not quite quick enough in qualifying. Had we had a better track position I think it would have been an even greater race but nonetheless it was exciting and encouraging. This circuit is very different from one week ago and from where we are going afterwards. This is a very specialist circuit. I think it is one which the drivers, the competitive drivers, believe they can go out and win so that makes it exciting. I suspect, I hope, it is going to be a bit closer this weekend. I think the strategy here is challenging. We know how difficult it is going to be to overtake here. I am not sure if DRS is going to be that helpful in my opinion but I can understand why people didn't want it going through the tunnel. But clearly the new chicane has been the overtaking place on the circuit so to not use DRS prior to that is a little bit of a shame in my view but we will see. Hopefully we will have a good weekend.
Q. You mentioned in the preview how important your performance through sector three was in Barcelona and it encouraged you for here. Has that been borne out today? MW: I think we have, like Adrian and all the guys here, had Friday as a learning day. During the first session this time we only had one set of tyres, I am sure Adrian had some aero bits to try. We had a few aero bits to try. You are getting that information. You are doing some fuel heavy runs to see how durable the super soft is and also the soft tyre. The super soft tyre looks very consistent on all the cars. We are getting a lot of data and now the strategists and engineers can work hopefully to improve the set-up for tomorrow and also try and make sure we get it right in the race.
Q. We mentioned the pit-stop concerns that Red Bull Racing have. Do Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have similar pit-stop concerns?
MW: No, we don't. I don't know anything about that particular issue. I think you call the stops and try and make them as quick as you can. Inevitably, sometimes it is nice to know when others are making them but you judge that by where you see their tyre performance. It is very clear this year that if the driver goes longer than his tyres should have done then he lost lots of time so you can generally see just by looking at lap times when somebody is about to come in.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q. (Alberto Antonini - AutoSprint) Coming out in the paddock yesterday, you could see that there was still a lot of action going on. Some of the facilities hadn't been completed, they were still being set up. So, I just wondered whether it's sensible, given the size of the current infrastructures, to have back-to-back races, coming to a place like this? Is it turning into a sort of logistic nightmare?
MW: Well, it's incredibly tough. Back-to-back races have always been tough on the crew and the team. Clearly because Monaco starts one day earlier, it's just that little bit tougher. There was a lot of action here, now there's a lot made of a forklift incident with Jenson but I think Jenson's probably done more dangerous things here in his life, both in cars and out of cars in Monaco, so I think it was probably a little bit overstated. It's tough. I'm sure that we're grateful – just as all the teams are here – to the people who build garages, build hospitality units, rebuild the cars to make sure we can be here racing.
GL: We've probably got the smallest motorhome of anybody here but dare I say, one of the friendliest. We tend to have to wait until all the large structures are put together before we can put ours together but I think we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Formula One and the finances of Formula One are very complicated nowadays and these structures do actually play an important part in servicing the requirements of sponsors and guests. So it is an important part of the whole show, and the people who put them together do a tremendously professional job under very tight circumstances. I take my hat off to them.
VM: Well, we sometimes pay the price for our own enthusiasm. We wanted to create a sort of Taj Mahal out of our motorhome. In the process we created a pretty heavy and complex structure that requires a lot more time to erect and disassemble but that's life, we're used to it. We know that they're going to be back-to-back races and the guys coped pretty well.
PS: Yes, it's tough but we have done it in the past many times.
Q. (Pierre Van Vliet – F1i Magazine) Martin, what is FOTA's position regarding the 2013 engine rules following the Barcelona meeting last week?
MW: I think FOTA's view is that this really is a decision for the engine manufacturers, not for the teams themselves. I think teams want to have affordable engines and they've made those points to the engine manufacturers and to the FIA and I have to say that those views appear to be respected. I think that with any rules changes, it would have been great if we could have introduced more engine manufacturers into Formula One but unfortunately, we're perhaps coming out of a recession, we were a little bit too early with these changes, but at the same time, we have to move forwards in Formula One, we have to be seen with developing technologies that are relevant to the needs of society, so there will always be an emotional pull to the past. Lots of us speak about 'wasn't it great when we had V12s', 'wasn't it good when we had V10s', isn't it great that we've got V8s?' And I think we must be careful that we don't get emotional about those things. What we need is Formula One to be the pinnacle of motor sport, to have the most advanced powertrain and they've got to be affordable for all of the teams. I think also, we need as many engine manufacturers in Formula One, we need independent manufacturers like Cosworth. We need to make sure we don't lose any of the engine manufacturers we've got now. We're very fortunate as a sport to have Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault with us. We'd like to make sure that we've still got them in 2013 and beyond and I hope, in time, find ways in which other automotive companies find this sport attractive to invest in it.
Q. (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Vijay, could I ask you on what basis you took the decision to allow Adrian to continue racing after his incident in Shanghai. And secondly, you've just launched your own driver development programme, I think for 14- to 16-year olds; is he still a good role model for the team?
VM: As far as my position is concerned, there has been a press release issued which describes an incident. We have not heard of any formal complaint being registered in any country for any sort of misconduct by Adrian. So it would be highly inappropriate for us to presume that he did something. It would be equally presumptuous that he would guilty of wrong-doing and take action against him. So my position is very clear: if at all we receive a formal complaint or there is some form of formal legal enquiry in any country, we'll take appropriate action at that time but we can't be presumptive.
Q. (Edd Straw – Autosport) Adrian, there was a lot of talk in Spain about the legality of the exhaust-blown diffuser operating while the driver is off the throttle. What's your interpretation of the legality of that, specifically relating to article 3.15 and could you explain your reasoning behind the position you take on this technology?
AN: Well, I think the key to 3.15 is that it talks about 'driver over-run then the throttle should be closed' then in brackets 'idle speed' so it seems to be implying that the throttle should be closed at idle, which it clearly is. What the throttle does on over-run at other times is not clear in the regulations, not as expected. Certainly, in the case of Renault, then they open the throttle to full open on the over-run for exhaust valve cooling, and that's part of the reliability of the engine. It has been signed off through the years for dyno testing and for them to change that would be quite a big issue, because the engine's not proven that it would be reliable if the throttle remained closed in that situation. Obviously if other people are going further and perhaps firing the engine on the over-run then clearly exhaust valve cooling is not part of that and that would be something that presumably they would need to explain to keep Charlie (Whiting, technical delegate) happy.
Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Vijay, you mentioned the Indian Grand Prix and Bernie's comments about it but I was wondering if you've spoken to Bernie or talked to him about it and what is your personal position on any possible re-scheduling of that race?
VM: There are no issues on whether the track will be completed or not. That track will be ready well in time. There's a huge amount of interest. I can tell you that people are already clamouring for tickets and it's a major step forward in Indian motor sport and sport in general in our country, so everybody is looking forward to it. Whether it's October 30th or December 4th - I believe that's what the media report said – really doesn't matter to us. In fact, in December the weather is cooler in India and Delhi in particular so it shouldn't impact the race in any way.
Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Can I just ask the other team bosses whether it would impact on them at all, to be racing in December?
AN: Makes for an awfully long season, doesn't it? It is for the people involved.
MW: I think it's tough on the team, simple as that. I think the teams will go to the races that are on the calendar, that's for sure, but I think it makes it a very long season. The guys started working very hard in mid-January, building cars to go testing and it will make it a very, very long season for them.
PS: I think first we have to wait for the decision about Bahrain.
GL: I agree with Martin. I think it does make it quite tough on the teams. I think one of our guys is getting married on December 4th as well, so we might have a problem.
Q. (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Question for all of you: what kind of advice would you give for a teenager who is beginning to study and one day wants to work in Formula One? What piece of advice would you five guys give?
AN: I guess the first question is where he or she wants to work, so is it technical, is it in marketing and so on and so forth? In my own area, on the technical side, I think by and large, academic studies help, so going to a good university, if that's possible, is clearly useful. At that point the person probably needs to decide which area they are going to specialise in, is it mechanical, aerodynamics, electronics, maths etc? Try and get some experience as well, even if it's working with a very small team, then anything that helps to build your CV and show that you are a committed, dedicated to motor racing and have both an academic flair and a real enthusiasm is mainly what we're looking for.
MW: I don't have much to add to what Adrian said. I think you have to be realistic. Those of us who are working in Formula One or in motor sport, are very, very lucky. It's a great career but it's massively competitive, it's still a relatively small industry so I think if anyone sets their sights on a career within motor sport they should also have a Plan B because however good you are, you might not be fortunate enough to get in.
VM: A lot of Indian technology companies are already supporting established Formula One teams but I represent a country that is full of aspiration, with 500 million youngsters under the age of 18, aspiration levels run really, really high and everybody wants to be part of Formula One because of the image that Formula One has. But I'm not just very, very pleased with the level of response in our one-in-a-billion hunt for a driver, the number of CVs and applications coming through from people who want to be involved in engineering and design is quite incredible. There's a lot of talent out there. In the technology industry per se, India has been in the forefront for many decades and there is talent out there and we can use that talent as well, as we go forward. We have some internships already running for young Indian engineers so yes, there's a huge amount of opportunity.
GL: I agree with Adrian, it's a mixture of experience but also knowledge. There's a remarkable number of people who look to get into a racing team who haven't prepared themselves with either and it constantly amazes me. I'm sure like all the other teams, we operate internships as well, with SMT University – I'm sure the other guys work with various universities and have close links with them, with education, which is important and there is no secret, it's hard work and application, and if you're prepared to put in the hard work and apply yourself, then anybody can get into the sport. But as Martin says, whether they stay in is a different matter.
Q. (Ian Parkes – Press Association) As you know, the state of emergency is due to be lifted in Bahrain on June 1, two days ahead of a decision being made about the Grand Prix, but I was wondering if any of you have made representations to either Bernie or the FIA that it is arguably morally and ethically wrong to still be going to Bahrain after what has happened there this year and is still going on?
PS: I think it's important that we be safe and the other point is that if we have three back-to-back races; that's really crazy.
VM: Well, I understand that there's a team principals meeting at 5pm to discuss this and after that I'm sure it will be debated at the World Motor Sport Council of which I'm a member, and I think it would be rather inappropriate for me to pre-judge the issue here, so let's wait for all the team principals to meet and to discuss it at the FIA level and see where we go.
GL: I think you asked 'have we made any representations?' Certainly I haven't and John (Booth) hasn't but that's more because the situation so far is not clear in terms of what the recommendations would be from the FIA and from FOM etc and so we just have to wait and see what develops. As a company, we want to play an important role in this sort of decision as well, but I don't think we necessarily have all the information.
MW: No representations, but I think, as Vijay said, I think it's probably something that's best discussed with the FIA and amongst the teams rather than via a press conference in any case.
Q. (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) Could I ask Doctor Mallya: are you in the situation with Adrian Sutil that regardless of what he has or has not done, you're obligated to put him in the car for the year? If he's got a contract, he's got a contract.
VM: You know, contracts do not supercede misconduct so unless I'm convinced that there is misconduct the contract shall prevail. And I'm not willing to jump to any conclusions, based on a press release that has been given out by a potentially or supposedly aggrieved party. I don't know what happened there, none of my people know what happened at that particular incident so there's a due process of law. So if Adrian is to be charged with misconduct, let him be charged. If and when he's charged, I will assess the situation.

When is a tyre not a tyre?

I find Lewis Hamilton's assertion earlier today that the new super-hard Pirelli tyre debuting this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix a totally unhealthy viewpoint.

For some reason, many involved directly within the teams, to say nothing of their multi-million pound darlings that sit in the cockpit, have seen it fit to criticise the new rubber on offer rather than try to adapt their driving skill. the result is that their is now a wider differential in lap performance between the hard and soft tyres which should allow the teams a chance to explore the use of more attacking race strategies.

 

"The super-hard tyre is a disaster," Hamilton declared after the first day  of running at the Circuit de Catalunya. "It wasn't nice to drive and I don't know why they (Pirelli) have brought that tyre because the previous one was pretty good. This looks pretty difficult to get it to switch on, and we're now about two and a half seconds off the pace. We were thinking 'Wow! This is insane to drive'. Then you go out on the soft tyre, and boom. There is such a huge difference between the two tyres. The soft is fantastic, so I  see most people driving that for the weekend, using as short a stint as possible with the new tyre in the race. It's not good." 

Me thinks the double world champion doth protest too much... 


As usual, his McLaren team mate Jenson Button has confirmed that while the tyre is certainly different to the previous spec, there is a job to be done nevertheless: 
"The tyre is seriously hard, and a little bit of a shock but we've all got to work with the same tyre and make the best of it, but I don't think you'd want to do more than one stint (in the race) on that tyre" 


The bottom line is that while not everyone is bound to find them much to their liking, the drivers are all in the same boat and need to just get on with the tyres they have been provided with. Sure they may be a shock to the system but for those who can manage their tyres, chances are that Sunday's race will prove more eventful than the previous four rounds so far.


If Hamilton fails to win in Fernando Alonso's back yard though, there is much to suggest whatever happens,  he could lay the blame for a poor result soundly at the door of Pirelli and given that the company has done more than the Drag Reduction System to promote overtaking, that would cast a negative light over the 2008 world champion.


Hamilton is prone to throwing his toys out of the pram and while no-one can criticise his confidence and commitment in the car, I for one am growing a little tired of his negative attitude towards the tyres. For too long F1 fans have been crying out for entertaining racing and courtesy of Pirelli, we now have the basics of what could and should prove to be a healthy future for the sport in terms of on-track excitement.


Don't tell Mr Hamilton though, otherwise who knows who he'll hit from the pram...