Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Drivers Championship Standings :

01 Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull - 107
02 Kimi Raikkonen : Lotus - 86
03 Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - 78
04 Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes - 62
05 Mark Webber : Red Bull - 57
06 Nico Rosberg : Mercedes - 47
07 Felipe Massa : Ferrari - 45
08 Paul Di Resta : Force India - 28
09 Romain Grosjean : Lotus - 26
10 Jenson Button : McLaren - 25
11 Adrian Sutil : Force India - 16
12 Sergio Perez : McLaren - 12
13 Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - 7
14 Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - 5
15 Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - 5

Team Championship Standings
01 Red Bull - 164
02 Ferrari - 123
03 Lotus - 112
04 Mercedes - 109
05 Force India - 44
06 McLaren - 37
07 Toro Rosso - 12
08 Sauber - 5

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Result of a crashfull race of Monaco :

Nico Rosberg wins wild race for Mercedes :
Nico Rosberg finally secured Mercedes' first Formula 1 win of the 2013 season as he maintained the lead throughout a Monaco Grand Prix interrupted by two safety cars and a red flag. Mercedes was unable to repeat its qualifying one-two, as Lewis Hamilton fell to fourth behind the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Rosberg held his lead at the start and was able to maintain an advantage of around two seconds for the majority of the race, whether in tyre conservation mode or showing his true pace. Hamilton lost ground when the safety car came out amid the first scheduled pitstops. Felipe Massa repeated his qualifying crash at Sainte Devote, prompting the interruption and sending the Ferrari driver to hospital for checks.
As all those yet to pit immediately dived in to do so, Hamilton had to queue behind team-mate Rosberg and emerged behind the two Red Bulls. Hamilton then spent the rest of the race mounting attack after attack on Webber for third, getting alongside through Rascasse at one point but never making it ahead.
Rosberg was not rattled by a mid-race stoppage, caused when contact between Max Chilton's Marussia and Pastor Maldonado's Williams sent the latter flying violently into the Tabac barriers. Maldonado was unhurt in the incident, for which the stewards punished Chilton with a drive-through penalty. While Rosberg cruised to victory ahead of the Vettel-Webber-Hamilton train, which only spread out in the final moments, the rest of the pack engaged in some spectacular and wild racing. Force India's Adrian Sutil pulled off brave passes on Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso into Loews. He then benefited when contact between Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez at the chicane late on left the Lotus with a puncture and caused damage that would ultimately force Perez to park. Button came through to sixth, having earlier had a spat with his McLaren team-mate Perez when the Mexican cut the chicane to hold him off. Perez was ordered to let Button past, but overtook him cleanly at the same spot later on. He then had another chicane incident with Alonso, and this time it was the Ferrari asked to move aside having cut the corner. Raikkonen was next on Perez's list, but on that occasion the chicane move ended in contact. Alonso lost out to Button in the traffic jam behind Perez's wounded car and finished a subdued seventh. Jean-Eric Vergne chased the Torro Rosso home in eighth. Paul di Resta converted 17th on the grid to ninth place, thanks to pitting as early as lap nine and making his tyres last to the end. Raikkonen's recovery drive ultimately earned him a point, as he overtook Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber on the final lap.
The other major incident came when Romain Grosjean ploughed into the back of Daniel Ricciardo at the chicane, causing the final safety car. Jules Bianchi also crashed, slewing into the Sainte Devote barriers, having earlier sustained damage on debris from the Chilton/Maldonado crash.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP
2. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing
3. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing
4. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP
5. Adrian Sutil : Force India
6. Jenson Button : McLaren
7. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari
8. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso
9. Paul di Resta : Force India
10. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus
11. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber
12. Valtteri Bottas : Williams
13. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber
14. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team
15. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham
Did Not Finish :
16. Sergio Perez : McLaren
17. Romain Grosjean : Lotus
18. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso
19. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team
20. Pastor Maldonado : Williams
21. Felipe Massa : Ferrari
22. Charles Pic : Caterham

Fastest lap : Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.577
Pitstop Jean-Eric Vergne : 1
Bat. 2 Teams : Alonso > Raikkonen
Grid Pos. Esteban Gutierrez : 13th place

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Mercedes GP cars will race under investigation because of some tire-tests (1000km test) they have done with Pirelli.
Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed.

Result of the Qualifying of Monaco :

Nico Rosberg takes third straight pole in Mercedes one-two :
Nico Rosberg claimed his third Formula 1 pole position in a row in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, as Mercedes fended off Red Bull's challenge to fill the front row again. After practice sessions that had suggested a Mercedes versus Ferrari battle, Red Bull raised its game in a qualifying session that began damp and remained drizzly until the end. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were provisionally first and second following the first Q3 runs, and with the rain appearing set to increase, it looked like Red Bull might have the front row sealed.
But Mercedes found more pace in the last seconds, with Lewis Hamilton first leaping to the front on a 1m13.967s, and then Rosberg pipping him by 0.091 seconds. Vettel was 0.013s down on Hamilton as he denied Webber third place. Kimi Raikkonen took fifth for Lotus, while Ferrari had a tough session.
Fernando Alonso could only manage sixth, and his team-mate Felipe Massa did not take part at all as the damage from his practice three crash could not be repaired in time. McLaren's Sergio Perez and Jenson Button were seventh and ninth, split by Adrian Sutil's Force India. Jean-Eric Vergne completed the top 10 in a strong performance for Toro Rosso. There was an element of lottery to getting into the top 10 as Q2 came to a frenetic end, with everyone diving for slicks in the final four minutes and then trying to get the best out of an ever-quicker track. Romain Grosjean was among those to lose out. His 13th place was an anti-climax after a star Q1 performance, when he had shot to the front briefly on the single flying lap he had time for once Lotus had repaired his practice crash damage. The other big story of Q2 was Giedo van der Garde's effort. The Dutchman got Caterham through Q1 for the first time in 2013 and was a top-10 factor when Q2 was at its most slippery. He eventually ended up 15th, beating Q1 pacesetter Pastor Maldonado's Williams. Maldonado was two places behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Also out in Q2 were Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, who share row six. Paul di Resta was left enraged with Force India's tactics as he missed the Q1 cut and ended up 17th. Esteban Gutierrez also fell in the first segment, behind Charles Pic in 19th. Jules Bianchi will join Massa on the back row, having parked on his out-lap with a fire in his Marussia's airbox.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - 1:13.876
2. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - 1:13.967 + 0.091
3. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - 1:13.980 + 0.104
4. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - 1:14.181 + 0.305
5. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - 1:14.822 + 0.946
6. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - 1:14.824 + 0.948
7. Sergio Perez : McLaren - 1:15.138 + 1.262
8. Adrian Sutil : Force India - 1:15.383 + 1.507
9. Jenson Button : McLaren - 1:15.647 + 1.771
10. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - 1:15.703 + 1.827
Q2
11. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - 1:18.331 + 4.455
12. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - 1:18.344 + 4.468
13. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - 1:18.603 + 4.727
14. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - 1:19.077 + 5.201
15. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - 1:19.408 + 5.532
16. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - 1:21.688 + 7.812
17. Paul di Resta : Force India - 1:26.322 + 12.446
Q1
18. Charles Pic : Caterham - 1:26.633 -
19. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - 1:26.917 + 13.041
20. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - 1:27.203 + 13.327
21. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - no time -
22. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - not time -

Time : 1:13.876
Pole : Nico Rosberg
Team Bat. : Van Der Garde > Pic
Grid Pos. Valtteri Bottas : 14

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

shaky-schumi wrote:Red Flag !!!!!
Very hard Crash of Felipe Massa

Car is damaged very very hard !!!!! Not sure if it's going to be ready for qualifying ...there are only 2 hours left

Result of a crash full ( Massa ,Grosjean , Sutil ) 3rd practice session :

Nico Rosberg blitzes messy final practice :
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg completed his clean sweep of Monaco Grand Prix practice session top spots by leading a crash-strewn hour on Saturday morning. The German's 1m14.378s lap was nearly seven tenths of a second clear of the rest of the field, although the latter part of the session was interrupted by crashes for Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean and Adrian Sutil, causing two red flags.
Massa's accident was the first and the biggest.
He locked up his Ferrari's front wheels at the start of the Sainte Devote braking area, slamming into the barriers on the left-hand side approaching the corner before going into the wall on the outside of the turn. The Brazilian got out unhurt.
Shortly after the restart, Sutil lost control of his Force India through Massenet, sliding sideways into the wall.
That did not require a stoppage to clear up, and in the gap between incidents that followed, Grosjean was one of the few to get a quick time in, jumping to second.
But on his final run the Lotus driver braked too late into Sainte Devote after possibly being distracted by Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes rejoining from the pits. Grosjean slid sideways into the barriers in a repeat of his Thursday crash. With only a minute of the session remaining, the red flag brought the morning to a close.
Rosberg managed to get a sublime lap in between the shunts, moving comfortably clear of the field despite clouting the barrier at Portier as he got his Mercedes sideways out of the corner. Grosjean retained second, ahead of Sebastian Vettel - who had been quickest before the field switched to super-softs, but encountered traffic on a potentially quick late run. Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and Hamilton completed the top five.
Kimi Raikkonen had a harmless trip down the Mirabeau escape road before taking sixth, followed by Mark Webber, Paul di Resta, Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - 1:14.378
2. Romain Grosjean : Lotus -1:15.039 + 0.661
3. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - 1:15.261 + 0.883
4. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - 1:15.286 + 0.908
5. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - 1:15.311 + 0.933
6. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - 1:15.380 + 1.002
7. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - 1:15.550 + 1.172
8. Paul di Resta : Force India - 1:15.594 + 1.216
9. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - 1:15.861 + 1.483
10. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - 1:15.926 + 1.548
11. Sergio Perez : McLaren - 1:15.958 + 1.580
12. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - 1:15.976 + 1.598
13. Jenson Button : McLaren - 1:15.976 + 1.598
14. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - 1:16.060 + 1.682
15. Adrian Sutil : Force India - 1:16.068 + 1.690
16. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - 1:16.105 + 1.727
17. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - 1:16.427 + 2.049
18. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - 1:16.933 + 2.555
19. Charles Pic : Caterham 1:17.902 + 3.524
20. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - 1:18.102 + 3.724
21. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - 1:18.706 + 4.328
22. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - 1:19.228 + 4.850

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Red Flag !!!!!
Very hard Crash of Felipe Massa

Car is damaged very very hard !!!!! Not sure if it's going to be ready for qualifying ...there are only 2 hours left

Monaco GP: the winners (last 5 editions)
2008 Hamilton – Mc Laren
2009 Button – Brown Mercedes
2010 Webber – Red Bull Renault (2° place Vettel and 3° place Kubica) - fastest lap on race: Vettel
2011 Vettel – Red Bull Renault (2° place Alonso and 3° place Button) - fastest lap on race: Webber
2012 Webber – Red Bull Renault (2° place Rosberg and 3° place Alonso) - fastest lap on race: Perez
- In previous years also two wins for Alonso(2006-2007) and one for Raikkonen(2005).
In the last nine years only once, who got the pole position on Saturday, has not won the race the following day.
It happened in 2008. Pole for Massa, but victory for Hamilton
Last win for Ferrari team: 12 years ago (2001 M. Schumacher)
Pole position: (last 3 editions)
2010 Webber – Red Bull Renault – pole time 1m 13.826
2011 Vettel – Red Bull Renault – pole time 1m 13.556
2012 Webber – Red Bull Renault – pole time 1m 14.381* the best lap time was 1.14.301 (Schumacher - Mercedes) but he was given a five-place grid penalty.
Also 2 pole position for Alonso(2006-2007) and 1 for Raikkonen and Massa
Rosberg and Hamilton(Mercedes): never in pole at Monaco, but in this season the two teammates have got 3 consecutive pole position in the last 3 races.

2013: Free Practice One (1.16.195) Free Practice Two (1.14.759) tomorrow........
2012: FP1 (1.16.265) - FP2 (1.15.746) - FP3 (1.15.159) - Qualifying (1.14.301)
2011: FP1 (1.16.619) - FP2 (1.15.123) - FP3 (1.14.433) - Qualifying (1.13.556)
and for the game:
season 2013: Team battle(Caterham) Pic vs Van der Garde 3-2 after 5 races
Average qualifying position: Pic (20,8°) Van der Garde (21°).
Bottas: Grid position 16°(Melbourne) - 18°(Sepang) – 17°(Shanghai) – 15°(Bahrain) – 17°(Barcelona)
Average qualifying position (16.6°) after 5 races.

Another side of yesterday's training before GP Monaco

[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]

last year gp monaco podium
1 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 78
2 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 78 +0.6 secs
3 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 78 +0.9 secs
pole position
1 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:14.301

23/05/1972 rubens barrichello brasilian f1 driver
[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

Result of the 2nd practice session :

Rosberg fastest again in second practice :
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton proved that Mercedes' Formula 1 rivals are right to fear its Monaco pace as they went first and second in Thursday afternoon practice in Monte Carlo. Following his consecutive poles in Bahrain and Spain, and fastest time in practice one in Monaco, Rosberg continued his strong run by topping the second session on a 1m14.759s. He set that lap less than half an hour into the session and it remained unbeaten for the rest of the afternoon, as teams instead focused on just how far they could push both the soft and super-soft tyre compounds. Although there were plenty of radio comments about tyre overheating and wear, as well as the usual Monaco traffic complaints, the Pirelli situation did not seem desperate for any teams.
The gap between the two Mercedes at the front was 0.318 seconds. Ferrari was Mercedes' next rival once again, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa third and fourth. Mark Webber put Red Bull into the top five this time, but his team-mate Sebastian Vettel's day remained quiet as he took ninth. As is often the case on a practice day, Kimi Raikkonen and Lotus set ominously rapid long-run times that hinted at far more threatening race form that the headline pace suggested. The Finn and his team-mate Romain Grosjean were sixth and seventh, despite the latter having the first crash of the F1 weekend when he slid into the Sainte Devote barriers on only his 11th lap. Jenson Button was eighth for McLaren, followed by Vettel and the two Force Indias.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - 1:14.759 -
2. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - 1:15.077 + 0.318
3. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - 1:15.196 + 0.437
4. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - 1:15.278 + 0.519
5. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - 1:15.404 + 0.645
6. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - 1:15.511 + 0.752
7. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - 1:15.718 + 0.959
8. Jenson Button : McLaren - 1:15.959 + 1.200
9. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - 1:16.014 + 1.255
10. Paul di Resta : Force India - 1:16.046 + 1.287
11. Adrian Sutil : Force India - 1:16.349 + 1.590
12. Sergio Perez : McLaren - 1:16.434 + 1.675
13. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - 1:16.823 + 2.064
14. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - 1:16.857 + 2.098
15. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - 1:16.935 + 2.176
16. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - 1:17.145 + 2.386
17. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - 1:17.184 + 2.425
18. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - 1:17.264 + 2.505
19. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - 1:17.892 + 3.133
20. Charles Pic : Caterham - 1:18.212 + 3.453
21. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - 1:18.784 + 4.025
22. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - 1:19.031 + 4.272

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Result of todays 1st practice session :

Nico Rosberg tops first practice session :
Nico Rosberg narrowly led a close first free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday morning.
The Mercedes driver, who is hunting for a third straight pole position after topping qualifying in Bahrain and Spain, set a 1m16.195s. That was enough to edge out Fernando Alonso's Ferrari by just 0.087 seconds.
The majority of the quick times came during a busy spell in the middle of the session. There was scant track action in the opening half-hour, but once the frontrunners came out, leading positions shuffled frequently for a brief period before the field settled into longer runs. Felipe Massa had swapped the top spot with Rosberg a few times before the Mercedes and Alonso's sister Ferrari pushed the Brazilian down to third.
He then dropped another spot to fourth when Romain Grosjean put his Lotus ahead with one of the few late improvements. Grosjean had earlier lost a little track time after a minor brush with the barrier meant his car needed attention in the pits. Lewis Hamilton completed the top five in the second Mercedes.
Monaco specialist Pastor Maldonado is banking on this weekend giving Williams some much needed encouragement. Sixth in practice one was a good start. The Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were back in seventh and 10th, split by McLaren duo Jenson Button and Sergio Perez.
The only significant incident of the session came when Adrian Sutil spun and gave his Force India a knock at Sainte Devote in the closing minutes. Hamilton had earlier skated down the escape road at the same point.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - 1:16.195
2. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari -1:16.282 + 0.087
3. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - 1:16.380 + 0.185
4. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - 1:16.394 + 0.199
5. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - 1:16.469 + 0.274
6. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - 1:16.993 + 0.798
7. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - 1:17.020 + 0.825
8. Jenson Button : McLaren 1:17.129 + 0.934
9. Sergio Perez : McLaren - 1:17.378 + 1.183
10. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - 1:17.380 + 1.185
11. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - 1:17.509 + 1.314
12. Paul di Resta : Force India - 1:17.548 + 1.353
13. Adrian Sutil : Force India - 1:17.625 + 1.430
14. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - 1:18.193 + 1.998
15. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso - 1:18.454 + 2.259
16. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - 1:18.754 + 2.559
17. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - 1:18.830 + 2.635
18. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - 1:19.067 + 2.872
19. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - 1:19.203 + 3.008
20. Charles Pic : Caterham - 1:19.438 + 3.243
21. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - 1:19.773 + 3.578
22. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - 1:20.225 + 4.030

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Monaco Grand Prix. The history of Formula One. The first edition of this race was held in 1929 since then the most of the circuit has remained the same. A legendary track on which have raced all the greatest past champions: Caracciola, Rosemayer, Nuvolari, Varzi, Fangio, Ascari, Moss, Hill, Clark, Stewart, Lauda, Prost, Senna (Ayrton holds the record for the most victories: six times with 5 pole in only 10 editions from 1984 to 1993 and 8 times on the podium), and Schumacher(5 wins). The narrow streets of Monaco have always been an important exam for generations of pilots. For me the Monaco Grand Prix is never boring, also if this GP is often a lengthy procession of cars. Here surprises are always lurking and you pay a heavy price for the slightest error because barriers are so close and guard rails run alongside the track. Every curve and every sector are full of memories. Very famous is the first corner: Saint Devote, where many accidents have especially occurred at the race start(for example in 1980). Characteristic are the tunnel and the tight and slow hairpin now called Grand Hotel (formerly known as the Loews and before as the Old Station). Monaco circuit is the shorter track of the whole championship with the average hourly lowest of the season. Only one drs zone, but fortunately here is almost useless. Downforce Level: very high, the most important thing at Monaco is create the downforce. Brake demand: high. Tyre wear: Low. Pirelli tyres for this race will be soft compound (yellow stripe) and supersoft compound (red stripe). The mandate to Pirelli was to have a high tyres degradation for 2/3 stops per race and Pirelli have done what was required of them, but in recent weeks there have been many discussions on this topic. Now tyres are becoming increasingly important and, in my opinion, it is strange to hear the engineers that ask to the pilots during the team radio “don't damage the tyres, don't push”. How different is this Formula One from what I saw in the past.
Here is the schedule of the weekend at Monaco
tomorrow, Thursday free practice session 1(morning) and 2(afternoon)
Friday is traditionally a rest day
saturday: fp3(morning) and qualifying(afternoon)
Sunday: the race at 14,00

News Round Up part 4 :

Honda confirms return to F1 as partner for McLaren :
Honda on Thursday confirmed its 2015 return to formula one, announcing it will supply engines to its 80s and 90s works partner McLaren. "We're proud and thrilled to be joining forces once more to take on the world in formula one," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh in Tokyo. Honda pulled out of F1 amid the global financial crisis at the end of 2008, with its Brackley based team becoming Brawn GP and then Mercedes. Before the switch to Honda in 2015, McLaren said on Thursday it will continue to work "diligently and professionally" with Mercedes power in 2014, as F1 transitions to turbo V6 power. Honda president Takanobu Ito said: "We have the greatest respect for the FIA's decision to introduce these new regulations".

Lotus dissapointed with tyre change mid-season :
Eric Boullier has revealed Lotus is "a little disappointed" with Pirelli's decision to change its 2013 tyres mid-season. Amid the media furore and the complaining of prominent teams like Red Bull and Mercedes, F1's official supplier announced that it will revert to elements of last year's tyre design for the Canadian grand prix next month and beyond. But Lotus boss Boullier stressed that only "some teams" actually welcome the changes "because it can help their performance". Indeed, teams including Lotus and Barcelona winner Ferrari were happy with the existing Pirelli tyres. "Unlike Red Bull," Boullier told France's Canal Plus, "who have a policy of developing the car based solely on aerodynamics, we are among the teams like Ferrari, who took into account the Pirelli factor when designing the car. So we're actually a little disappointed by this change," he admitted. "I don't know a lot of other sports where, let's say in football, they decide to increase the size of the goals in the middle of a season," said Boullier. Similarly, Pirelli's test driver Jaime Alguersuari argues that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the 2013 tyre, praising drivers like Ferrari's Fernando Alonso who "understand the tyres where others do not". "I don't see the drama," the Spaniard told the sports daily AS. "When Vettel was winning in 2011 it was like this, but when things go well, you don't complain."
"What is happening now is that a few understand the tyres while others do not. So there is Alonso with Ferrari, and also Raikkonen and Lotus (who understand). It happened to me in 2011," former Toro Rosso driver Alguersuari continued. "I had a horrible start to the year, but from mid-season we began to understand the behaviour of the compounds."

Ecclestone not thinking of retiring after bribery charge :
Bernie Ecclestone has played down the notion he might quietly retire off the back of his German bribery charges. Although F1's 82-year-old chief executive and his Munich lawyers insist the official charge sheet has not actually been received, it is now widely accepted that prosecutors will ask the district court to hear charges related to the Gerhard Gribkowsky corruption affair. It will be alleged Ecclestone paid Gribkowsky - who has already been jailed - $44 million amid the sale of the sport's commercial rights to current owners CVC. "No, that's nonsense," Ecclestone is quoted by German newspaper Bild. "The money I paid him had nothing to do with the sale of formula one shares." Asked if he will nonetheless retire as a result of the bribery charges, he insisted: "No. I don't think so. The shareholders will have to decide. Forget this story -- when my contract expires, they can replace me with whoever they want." As for the German charges, Ecclestone said: "All I know is, I am innocent. And in the end the truth will come out."

McLaren - Button wil drive here as long as he wants :
McLaren on Thursday opened the door for Jenson Button to lead the charge for the new works Honda partnership beginning in 2015. Button's existing contract does not extend that far, and so when the 33-year-old was mentioned and quoted in Thursday's official statement, it did not say if the Briton would still be in the cockpit. But McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale said on Thursday: "I was just laughing with Jenson about it. "Jenson will drive here as long as he wants to. He fits our values and our culture really well. He's here with the workforce this morning and it's more a question of hoping he will still be here in 2015," he added.
Neale said the Honda deal is essentially a "works" one, but clarified that there is no exclusivity -- meaning the Japanese manufacturer could sign customer teams. "All manufacturers and engine suppliers coming into formula one know that they do so with an expectation that, should they be required, they are prepared to supply more than one team," he said. Neale said McLaren is currently "the only team working with Honda", but rumours suggest Sauber and Lotus have made enquiries to the Japanese marque about price.

Most teams can't afford 2014 V6 engines :
Most formula one teams cannot afford to pay the prices quoted by engine manufacturers for next year's all-new turbo V6 engines. That is the claim of the German newspaper Bild, insisting that grandees Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes aside, the other seven teams are balking at the price demanded by F1's three V6 suppliers Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes. "Even in Barcelona," said Bild correspondent Helmut Uhl, "you could feel the strange, invisible tension." He wrote that, world champions and 'works' partner Red Bull aside, 2014 customers Williams, Caterham, Toro Rosso and even the highly competitive Lotus cannot afford to pay French supplier Renault the fee of EUR 23 million per season. Mercedes, supplying McLaren and Force India, has reportedly lowered its price to between 18 and 20 million, while Sauber and Marussia are being asked for 15m by Ferrari.

'Neutral observer' Lauda hails Pirelli's tyre change :
Niki Lauda has hailed Pirelli's move to alter the design of its 2013 tyres ahead of the Canadian grand prix next month and beyond. Lotus, arguably the team with the best grip on the Italian supplier's controversial tyres this year, is not happy with the decision. "It's clear that Pirelli have found themselves in a difficult situation and under pressure from different quarters," team boss Eric Boullier said. "I hope they (the changes) are not too extreme."
Within the pitlane, the bulk of the 'pressure' put on Pirelli came from Red Bull and Mercedes. Mercedes' W04 is perhaps the fastest car in the entire field over one lap this year, but it chews alarmingly through the tyres over a race distance. Asked what he thinks of Pirelli's change of tack for Canada and beyond, chairman Lauda said: "This is very positive, and I'm speaking as a neutral observer and not the Mercedes chairman. "No one understands what's going on anymore, and there are no more man-to-man fights, because everyone is just focused on the tyres. It can't be the intention of racing that the slowest man wins," the great Austrian told Osterreich. "Everyone is just hoping he gets into the window where the tyres work, and often it's a coincidence only," added Lauda. Former driver Mika Salo, meanwhile, has played down Lotus' fears the team will be overly disadvantaged by the Montreal tweak. Backing the move, the Finn told MTV3 broadcaster: "There didn't seem to be any drivers left who were happy with the tyres. It was clear that something was wrong with them. But I don't think it's anything for Lotus to panic about, as they were also good on last year's tyres. If they are able to use the tyres better now, then they will also use these (new) tyres better," added Salo.

No news on Ecclestone bribery charges until June :
It will be at least June before anything more is known about Bernie Ecclestone's bribery charges. It is believed F1's 82-year-old chief executive has been charged by Munich prosecutors regarding his payment of $44 million some years ago to now jailed former banker Gerhard Gribkowsky. But a spokeswoman told German news agency DPA that the district court will not make a decision about how to proceed with the charges "within three to four weeks". She would not comment further.

McLaren plays down Mercedes fears for 2014 :
McLaren has played down suggestions Honda will unfairly benefit from the great British team's continuing collaboration with Mercedes next year. It was announced in Tokyo on Thursday that McLaren will be powered by 'works' turbo V6 engines provided by Honda from 2015. But, before then, McLaren will run with customer Mercedes power next year, as the sport switches to the all-new and radical engine regulations. The situation has raised some red flags: will the development of Honda's new V6 benefit from the insight gained from the ongoing McLaren-Mercedes pairing? Is Mercedes' intellectual property in danger?
"We have discussed that at length with Mercedes," said McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale, "and we have made sure Mercedes has all the comfort it needs. "It is not in Honda's interests either," he insisted. "Honda is very honourable as an organisation, as is Mercedes. McLaren will operate in a scrupulous way between both of those two organisations." Neale said it is in both Mercedes and McLaren's interests to ensure the 2014 collaboration - prior to the shift to Honda - is successful. "We need each other to be successful, so we have a confidence in our partnership," he added. "We recognise there is mutual dependency. Although we are competitive on circuit, behind the scenes there is the highest of regard between the two organisations."

Ferrari joins Lotus in mid-season tyre tweak criticism :
Ferrari has joined Lotus in criticising Pirelli's mid-season tyre tweak. Following early-season criticism, culminating in the furore after Barcelona recently, Pirelli announced it is making key changes to its controversial 2013 tyres for next month's Canadian grand prix and beyond. Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez was the first to react, likening the change to widening football goals because one team was always striking the post. Now, in the anonymous 'Horse Whisperer' column posted on the official Ferrari website, Ferrari has lashed out at those who claim four-stop strategies in F1 show that the tyres are too extreme. Undoubtedly, the Ferrari writer is referring to the kind of criticism made by world champions Red Bull. "It's a shame that these worthy souls kept quiet two years ago when, at the very same Catalunya circuit and on the Istanbul track, five of the six drivers who got to those two podiums made exactly the same number of pitstops," the column read.
Ferrari also recalled the 2004 French grand prix, when Michael Schumacher won at Magny Cours with a four-stopper that left Ferrari and Bridgestone "showered with praise" within the paddock. "Today however, it seems one must almost feel ashamed for choosing a strategy that, as always for that matter, is aimed at getting the most out of the package one has available," the column added.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi