Impressive Ricciardo top in Abu Dhabi
Some of Formula One's brightest talents got their first taste Formula One action on day one of young drivers test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning.
Thirteen drivers were in action in the pre-lunch session and Daniel Ricciardo, driving Red Bull's double winning RB6, posted the best time of 1:40.803 in the first session.
The 21-year-old Australian completed 46 laps around the Yas Marina Circuit and his time was nearly two seconds better than that of the next fastest man on the track Paul di Resta. Ricciardo's time is a really good effort as Sebastian Vettel posted a 1:39.394 to grab pole for Red Bull during Saturday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying.
The Force India reserve driver's best effort was 1.933 seconds off Ricciardo's time while McLaren's Oliver Turvey was a further 0.197 slower. The Silverstone-based team opted to run two drivers in the morning session with Belgium's Antonio Félix da Costa the other to get some lap times in.
Mercedes' Sam Bird and Jean-Eric Vergne from Toro Rosso completed the top five with a 1:43.201 and 1:43.392 respectively in cool conditions in Abu Dhabi.
Jules Bianchi, who will be promoted to the reserve driver role at Ferrari next year, was eighth fastest but his best time was more than three seconds slower than that of Ricciardo.
Meanwhile, Venezuelen Pastor Maldonado - who has been heavily linked with moves to Williams and Hispania for the 2011 season - was the busiest man on the track as he completed 59 laps with a best time of 1:46.278.
2010 365 Media Group Ltd All Rights Reserved
Mercedes optimistic after practice
Mercedes is optimistic after a positive showing in the first two practice sessions for the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher only finished 10th and 11th respectively, but the drivers' happiness with the set-up choices were enough to make the team feel happy ahead of the weekend.
"We made some good progress today and are definitely going the right way with the set-up. It took some time and a few steps in different directions to find the improvements, and whilst there are some issues that we need to solve, overall it is looking okay," Rosberg explained.
Schumacher, who is racing on this circuit for the first time, echoed the positive spirit:
"We did not really face any special issues so I really look forward to tomorrow's qualifying," he said.
Team boss Ross Brawn agreed that it had been a promising first two sessions in the desert:
"We achieved some interesting evaluations today which should stand us in good stead to have a positive final race weekend of the season here," he said.
2010 AUTOSPORT.COM
'Team orders could result in jail time'
Massa could be charged with fraud if he allows Alonso to pass him or if he does anything else that would somehow alter the result of Sunday's race in Interlagos, according to prosecutor Paulo Castilho, known for taking up sports causes in Brazil.
"Massa or any other driver who does anything to fraud the result of the race can be arrested and formally charged," he told The Associated Press on Thursday.
"It doesn't mean that it will happen, it will be up to the local authority in charge of the event to decide whether the law has been broken."
The law mentioned by Castilho says that it's a crime to "fraud by any means, or contribute to fraud, in any way, the result of a sporting event."
Massa arrived at the Brazilian Grand Prix saying he would give way to his teammate if needed on Sunday, just like he did while leading the German GP in July so Alonso could earn more points in the race for the title.
"I would do it again, I'm a professional driver," Massa said earlier this week.
The move in Germany prompted F1 officials to fine Ferrari $100,000 for using team orders, which are banned in F1, but none of the drivers' was punished.
Massa was heavily criticised by some fans and local media for relinquishing that victory.
He dismissed any problems with fans, however, if he is required to help Alonso again this eekend.
"Even after the race in Germany, when I arrived in Brazil, the people were very nice with me, very fantastic, pushing me forward," he said.
Massa's situation is akin to 2007, when he led the season-ending Brazilian GP but pitted early to allow teammate Kimi Räikkönen into the lead, giving the Finn the race victory that clinched the world title by a single point.
Alonso can win the title if he wins Sunday's race and Red Bull's Mark Webber finishes fifth or worse.
He can also clinch the title by finishing second if Webber is eighth or worse, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton fourth or worse and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel third or worse.
"If there is enough evidence showing that the team orders are affecting the result unfairly, the local authority can make the arrests of those involved," Castilho said.
Alonso has 231 points with two races to go, 11 points more than Webber, 21 more than Hamilton and 25 ahead of Vettel. Massa is not in contention for the title.
Alonso said he is hoping that Massa runs well enough to win the final two races of the season, keeping his rivals from getting the victories.
"It's best to have Felipe winning the races because then he is taking 25 points away from everybody else," the Spaniard said.
Massa and Ferrari officials could not be reached to comment on the prosecutor's warning.
The prosecutor's warning against team orders was first reported by the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Brazil's largest.
2010 365 Media Group Ltd All Rights Reserved
Sauber relaxed over inexperienced duo
Peter Sauber says he has no concerns that his 2011 driver line-up will be too inexperienced, as he brings in rookie Sergio Perez alongside Kamui Kobayashi, who only made his Formula 1 debut at the end of 2009.
The Sauber duo will have just 21 grands prix between them at the start of next season, but Sauber pointed out that experience had been irrelevant this year, when veteran Pedro de la Rosa disappointed alongside Kobayashi. He also felt the car's unreliability had been a bigger factor than any driver issues in Sauber's slow start.
"With a rookie and with Pedro, who was out of Formula 1 for many years, we scored one point in the first eight races. In the next eight races, we scored 36 points," Sauber told AUTOSPORT.
"With a reliable car, reliable engine and gearbox, it would have also been possible to score 36 points in the first part of this period. With a rookie and - I don't like this word - old driver, we could have been in a good position."
He reiterated his delight with Kobayashi, who has impressed greatly with his charging style in F1, despite the low expectations generated by his mostly-mediocre GP2 career.
"We are all positively surprised by Kamui," said Sauber. "What is significant is the fact that the rookie scored significantly more points than the experienced driver in our case. I am convinced [Kobayashi] can make another step forward next year."
Sauber's greatest ever season came with a very inexperienced driver line-up, when the team ran second-year driver Nick Heidfeld and Formula Renault UK graduate Kimi Raikkonen in 2001, and took a superb fourth in the constructors' championship.
The team boss said that season's achievements had convinced him that rookies should not be under-estimated, and he feels other outfits have come around to the same opinion.
"Historically Frank Williams was not a friend of rookies, but this year he signed [Nico] Hulkenberg and he is doing a good job," said Sauber.
"Same with Ron Dennis - some time ago he always had the [established] stars but then he tried it with [Lewis] Hamilton and was very successful as well. We are not the only ones.
"In 2001, with Kimi and Nick - it was Nick's second year of Formula 1 and the first year for Kimi - it was a very successful year for us, with fourth place in the championship."
2010 AUTOSPORT.COM
Alonso gives Korea the thumbs up
Fernando Alonso has given South Korea's new F1 circuit a positive review, saying he expects a "spectacular" race.
Alonso wrote on his Ferrari blog on Wednesday he expects "no big surprises" at the first South Korean Grand Prix, which offers a "very interesting circuit that should be fun to drive, especially the last sector."
The Spaniard added that the circuit reminds him of those in Bahrain, Turkey and Abu Dhabi - which were also designed by Hermann Tilke - with several overtaking spots on offer.
"It's a mix of various ones. The first sector reminds me a lot of Bahrain: long straights with heavy braking that lead into 180 degree turns," he said.
"The second is similar to Turkey, especially Turn 11 which makes you think of Turn 8 in Istanbul, while the final one is similar to the third sector in Abu Dhabi."
Alonso is second in the Drivers' Championship, 14 points adrift of leader Mark Webber with three races - and 75 points - left.
2010 365 Media Group Ltd All Rights Reserved
Webber: Title race is on a knife-edge
Mark Webber may be leading the Championship, but the Australian says he does not see himself as the outright favourite for the title ahead of the Japanese GP.
Webber, who has an 11-point advantage over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with four races remaining, remains calm despite being in the driver's seat for the title, which has not been won by an Australian since Alan Jones clinched the Championship for Williams in 1980.
"It's on a knife-edge, but I'm very relaxed, and this is just another race for me," Webber said.
"I'll do my best, give nothing (to my rivals), and leave no change on the table. The points will look after themselves."
Webber heads a quintet of drivers - Alonso, his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - separated by just 25 points, the equivalent of a race win.
While the 34-year-old has his nose in front, he says it is far too early to adopt a cautious approach to the final races.
"I'm not the favourite. I think we're all pretty even at the moment, and it can change pretty quickly, in a good way or a bad way for me," he said. "I need to keep racing hard and going for victories - that's what we need to do."
"I have a bit more scope, but I'm not looking to abuse that advantage because it can go very fast," he added.
"The points advantage is a nice thing to have. It would be more important if it was the last race, but this isn't the last race."
Webber comes into this weekend's Japanese GP off a podium in Singapore a fortnight ago, a result that seemed unlikely when he clashed with Hamilton midway through the race.
The Englishman had to retire his McLaren on the spot with suspension damage, but Webber was able to continue despite his right front tyre almost coming off the wheel rim in the final stages of the race.
The Australian admitted that luck played its part in finishing in Singapore, but would not hesitate from engaging in a wheel-to-wheel battle with the combative Briton again if the situation arises.
"I think both of us would do the same thing again and go to the point where it's on the limit," he said.
"When people are going to fight into the same corner, inevitably, when you've got two guys that are competitive, contact can happen.
"Both of us knew that there wasn't much between us getting through that corner, and in the end, both of us didn't. But Lewis is a great competitor, and I expected nothing less from him."
2010 365 Media Group Ltd All Rights Reserved
Brawn rules out FOTA chairmanship
Ross Brawn has ruled himself out of the running to become new chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) later this year - despite being viewed by many as favourite to take over the role.
FOTA's system is supposed to see a new chairman from its members elected each year, with McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh currently in charge after taking over from Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo in December.
AUTOSPORT understands, however, that the candidates for chairman can only be from those teams that have previously won a championship title.
That means out of the current teams on the grid, potential successors to Whitmarsh are Mercedes GP's Brawn, Renault's Eric Boullier, or Williams' Adam Parr or Frank Williams.
With the election not due to take place until December, however, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner could also put himself forward if his outfit is successful in capturing a title.
Brawn's vast experience and lengthy role as head of FOTA's technical group had seen him emerge as a strong candidate for the chairman's position - but he has made it clear he is not interested in the role.
"I have enjoyed my two years as head of the technical group and I think that is enough for anyone," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT if he was interested in the FOTA chairman position.
"All of us want to put something back into the business that we have all done so well out of, so it is not an ambition of mine for sure.
"Like all the team principals, we have a day job to do as well as the other stuff, but we know how important it is to the business to have an organisation like FOTA and I take my hat to first Luca di Montezemolo and now Martin Whitmarsh for giving a direction to FOTA that it needs from its chairman.
"I think theoretically there is a possibility that Martin could continue, which I would be very happy with, but we have to have discussions and see - but it [the chairmanship] is not something that I aspire to."
Parr, who is Williams' CEO, has already publicly put himself forward as a candidate - even though the position will not be voted on for several months.
2010 AUTOSPORT.COM
|
