Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

News Round Up part 1 :

Melbourne to stay on the F1 calendar forever ?
The F1 ringmaster, Bernie Eccelstone, has said that he would like to extend the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit’s contract as it expires in 2015.
The circuit that surrounds the Albert Park lake was first introduced onto the F1 calendar in 1996 and will be the opening Grand Prix on the 17th of March. However, the local government and some resident groups have questioned renewing the contract because of the cost to the taxpayer.
The government haven’t said yet if they are interested in renewing the contract, but Bernie Ecclestone seems happy to do so. The 82 year old said, “We hope we’re going to be in Melbourne forever. We’re happy with Melbourne and I’d be happy to sign a 50-year contract. We don’t have a problem with Melbourne.”
”I understand we do get a little bit of criticism. I don’t know why. You start wondering are we really wanted in Melbourne?”
”It appears to be [wanted] now; whenever these sorts of things happen I’m told, ‘Don’t be silly about that, it’s just one or two people making a noise. We’re happy for Formula One to be there.”
Before the 1996 season, the Australian Grand Prix was staged at the Adelaide Circuit. Other circuits have shown an interest in taking the Grand Prix from Melbourne.
”We get proposals from other parts, but we’re happy in Melbourne,” Ecclestone continued.
”Everybody loves Australia and loves Australian people, and it’s good to be there… and Melbourne, in itself, is a nice place.”

Marussia on the market for new engine supplier for 2014 :
Marussia on the market for new engine supplier for 2014Published on 28 Feb 2013 10:02 Marussia is on the market for a new engine supplier, sporting director Graeme Lowdon has admitted. Although Cosworth has not ruled out supplying a turbo V6 for the all-new 2014 regulations, Marussia is now the British company's only customer for the existing V8. And most paddock experts expect only Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari to supply V6s next year. "My understanding is that Cosworth won't be making a 2014 engine," Lowdon explained at the FOTA Fans' Forum in Barcelona. "I don't work for Cosworth, but that is my understanding."
With Renault currently supplying four teams, and looking set to add Toro Rosso to its roster next year, representatives of the French marque this week ruled out supplying six teams in 2014. Currently, Mercedes (McLaren and Force India) and Ferrari (Sauber and Toro Rosso) have two engine customers apiece.

Lotus remains only top team without title sponsor :
Lotus looks set to begin the 2013 season without a title sponsor. Late last year, it emerged that the Genii-owned team was close to announcing a $30 million per year deal with Honeywell, the American technology giant. But last month, Switzerland's Speed Week reported that the deal is now "a way off".
"We've had discussions and some of them were quite advanced," Genii's Gerard Lopez, without mentioning Honeywell, told Reuters this week. "It's important to have the right package. And the right package is to a large extent also financial. I guess we could probably have signed a couple of things that leaked out but we think we are better off making sure that we sign what is the right thing for us," he added. "We will probably end up with something during the season." It is believed Lotus' 2013 livery was designed with the Honeywell deal in mind. Now, in the highly-prominent red-coloured area on the top of the engine cover near the airbox, the stylised words 'Kimi' and 'Romain' are featured on Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean's cars respectively. Lotus is the only top team without a title sponsor.

Caterham struggles with lack of traction on CT03 :
Caterham has followed Williams' lead by removing a dubious solution for its Coanda-effect exhaust from its 2013 car. Williams tweaked the specification of its FW35 as last week's testing concluded, it was clear Caterham was also now fielding a more conventional design.
In the green car, Frenchman Charles Pic ended Thursday's running a half-second behind the Marussia. In Speed Week, technical expert Gary Anderson said the black and red Lotus is offering drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean "outstanding" traction. "In that respect," he said, "the Caterham is the opposite of a Lotus."

Villeneuve - "Alonso capable of driving whole race at the limit " :
Romain Grosjean, denounced by Mark Webber last year as the 'first lap nutcase', insists he has changed for the better ahead of the 2013 season. But 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve doesn't think so. "The only reason he has the chance of winning is because he has an incredible car," French Canadian Villeneuve, who has been signed up by F1's new French broadcaster Canal+ for 2013, said.
"His only problem is that he does not learn from his mistakes," the former Williams and Sauber driver is quoted by France's RMC Sport. "I found all of last year's nonsense amazing," continued Villeneuve. "He didn't change from the first to the last race. It's a shame because he is a very fast driver."
Of the other F1 drivers, outspoken Villeneuve admitted that his favourite is Fernando Alonso. "The best car is certainly Adrian Newey's Red Bull. But apart from Alonso, there is no driver capable of driving at the limit of the car the whole race. When Vettel does, he makes mistakes," said the 41-year-old.
"The only standout is Alonso. After him, maybe Lewis Hamilton. He is no longer at McLaren, with his family, and so he is not protected any more, but he is a fighter so it will be very interesting," added Villeneuve.

'Young' Mark Webber not getting tired of Formula 1 :
Mark Webber has dismissed any suggestion he has replaced Michael Schumacher as F1's oldest driver speeding towards the paddock exit. With Schumacher now back in retirement, Australian Webber, who turns 37 in August, is the oldest active race driver on the grid. Combined with his new one-year contract for 2013, the situation has raised expectations this season could be the Red Bull driver's swansong. "I don't see this as my last year in formula one," Webber told the Sun newspaper. "I have signed one-year contracts for the last four years here even when I am fighting for the world championship." Webber said it is arguable he is even the F1 driver closest to the finish-line, as Jenson Button has actually contested more grands prix. "(But) it means absolutely jack sh*t," he insisted. "If Michael Schumacher was still on the grid, then how would that make me feel any different? I still feel 25. I know I am not but I feel young. I don't feel as though I am getting tired when driving the car. I feel good," said Webber.

Caterham appoints Hari Roberts as Head of Aerodynamics :
Caterham F1 Team has announced that Hari Roberts has joined the team as Head of Aerodynamics. As Head of Aerodynamics Hari will be working closely with Technical Director Mark Smith and Performance Director John Iley. He brings with him a wealth of aerodynamic, trackside and simulation experience from his previous roles which includes working with Jordan, Renault F1 Team and, most recently, Lotus F1 Team, giving him the perfect platform to play an important role in Caterham F1 Team's long-term plans to challenge for honours in Formula One.
Hari Roberts: "I am excited about the challenge that lies ahead with Caterham F1 Team and I am delighted to have renewed my working partnership with Mark, and started a new partnership with the whole team. Caterham F1 Team has the potential to grow into a serious force in Formula One and I am looking forward to playing an integral role in helping the team fulfil its potential."
Mark Smith: "I am delighted that Hari has joined our team, particularly as his appointment extends an excellent working relationship that I have had with him over many years with teams including Jordan and Renault F1 Team. He gives us more senior leadership in a critical area of the team’s development and it is another sign of our shareholders’ ongoing commitment to our team's growth that we have appointed someone of Hari’s calibre to the role of Head of Aerodynamics."
"From a starting point of zero just over four years ago Hari now joins a team of over 120 very talented people in our Technical Office. We have also invested in such core areas as our dedicated model shop at Leafield, the ongoing development of our High Performance Cluster (HPC), which powers our CFD and design functions, and our driver in the loop simulator – all of which give us the tools needed to fight with the most famous names in motorsport in years to come."

Hamilton - New Mercedes 'definitely' a winner at some point :
Having consistently played down his expectations for 2013, Lewis Hamilton is now predicting a win. Until this weekend, most pundits had been forecasting a Red Bull versus Lotus battle for the forthcoming season opener, with next-best McLaren and Ferrari perhaps slightly off the ultimate pace.
But on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton exploded to the top of the times with the winter's best laptime. Nico Rosberg then went even quicker in the first half of Sunday, the last day of running before the circus heads off to Australia. "Everywhere in the paddock, respect is being shown for Mercedes," said Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Tobias Gruner. There are, however, outstanding questions. Didn't Mercedes also show good pace before last season, when ultimately the 2012 car fell badly off the development pace? And isn't there a huge difference between one-lap qualifying pace and the new tyre-degradation dominated grands prix?
Finally, is the W04 really a title contender? "It's not 'no chance' and not 'definitely we will'," Hamilton said. "We will definitely be able to win a race at some point." Added Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg: "At the very least, Mercedes' betting odds have changed now!"


Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Luciano Burti 5th March 1975
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Happy Birthday to your 38th anniversary

Unofficial Sunday test times from Barcelona:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.130, 131 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:20.494, 120 laps
3. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.444, 122 laps
4. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:21.541, 118 laps
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:21.658, 50 laps
6. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:21.664, 112 laps
7. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.415, 42 laps
8. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.514, 100 laps
9. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.524, 31 laps
10. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:23.115, 116 laps
11. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:23.167, 62 laps
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.628, 91 laps
13. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:24.103, 49 laps

Jos Verstappen 4th March 1972
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Happy Birthday to your 41st anniversary

Unofficial Saturday test times from Barcelona:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:20.588, 117 laps
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:21.266, 94 laps
3. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.627, 109 laps
4. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.305, 34 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.468, 31 laps
6. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:22.553, 99 laps
7. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.658, 59 laps
8. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:22.694, 101 laps
9. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.223, 114 laps
10. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:23.380, 46 laps
11. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus, 1:23.448, 16 laps
12. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:24.028, 74 laps
13. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:24.235, 126 laps

Short News :

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes fastest on last day :
Mercedes ended the final day of 2013 pre-season Formula 1 testing on top thanks to Nico Rosberg.
The German recorded a 1m20.130s at Barcelona on soft tyres after trading fastest laps with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso for much of the morning session. Most teams concentrated on higher fuel runs or the harder tyres in the afternoon, so there were few improvements after the break. That meant the top duo's advantage remained at around one second, with Jenson Button's McLaren third from the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.
Force India's Paul di Resta finished the morning in fifth, but was knocked down a place by one of the few improvers of the afternoon. Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus spent most of the morning in the pits thanks to a gearbox problem. A couple of soft-tyre runs towards the end of the afternoon nevertheless lifted him to fifth.
The only other changes to the timesheets in the afternoon came from drivers who had not been part of the morning session. Valtteri Bottas took over from Pastor Maldonado at Williams and was just over 0.1s slower than the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner as the FW35 took seventh and ninth.
At Marussia, Max Chilton took over from Jules Bianchi. A late improvement meant he recorded 1m24.103s, but that was almost a second slower than his new team-mate's best from the morning.
Red Bull again proved difficult to read. A mix of unmarked tyres and harder rubber meant Sebastian Vettel never went for a headline time and thus ended up eighth.

1. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - W04 : 1:20.130 laps 131
2. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - F138 : 1:20.494 + 0.364 laps 120
3. Jenson Button : McLaren - MP4-28 : 1:21.444 + 1.314 laps 122
4. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - C32 1:21.541 + 1.411 laps 118
5. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - E21 : 1:21.658 + 1.528 laps 50
6. Paul di Resta : Force India - VJM06 : 1:21.664 + 1.534 laps 112
7. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - FW35 : 1:22.415 + 2.285 laps 42
8. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - RB9 : 1:22.514 + 2.384 laps 100
9. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - FW28 : 1:22.524 + 2.394 laps 31
10. Charles Pic : Caterham - CT03 : 1:23.115 + 2.985 laps 116
11. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - MR02 : 1:23.167 + 3.037 laps 62
12. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - STR8 : 1:23.628 + 3.498 laps 91
13. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - MR02 : 1:24.103 + 3.973 laps 49

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Otto Stuppacher
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Born : 3rd March 1947 - Died : 13th August 2001

Short News :

Hamilton tops penultimate day for Mercedes :
Lewis Hamilton ended the third day of the final pre-season Barcelona test on top of the timesheets.
The weather was the best seen so far and the Mercedes driver's morning effort of 1m20.558s, set on Pirelli's soft tyre, proved quicker than anyone could manage in the afternoon. It is also the fastest lap seen at the Spanish circuit in 2013. For some time nobody got within a second of Hamilton, but Felipe Massa eventually did in the afternoon. The Ferrari driver had several short runs on both soft and supersoft rubber.
His best of 1m21.266s on the supersoft moved him ahead of Adrian Sutil's Force India, just before a wheel came off the F138 and brought out the red flags. Sutil, who was second fastest in the morning, ran a race simulation in the afternoon, but his earlier 1m21.627s effort was still good enough for third.
Despite delays in the arrival of new Williams parts, and his subsequent late start to the day, Pastor Maldonado ended up fourth. He handed the FW35 over to F1 rookie Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon. After several runs on harder tyres, he got within 0.2s of his team-mate to finish fifth.
Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez was next thanks to his efforts in the morning. Like Sutil and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, he focused on longer runs in the afternoon.
Mark Webber spent much of the day doing aero work or trying the harder tyres. After the late red flag, he had a quick run on the soft tyre and set 1m22.658s to end the day seventh fastest for Red Bull.
Thanks to Kimi Raikkonen's illness, Romain Grosjean returned to the Lotus for the afternoon and set a best of 1m23.380s for 10th spot.

1. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - W04 : 1:20.558 laps 117
2. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - F138 : 1:21.266 + 0.708 laps 94
3. Adrian Sutil : Force India - VJM06 : 1:21.627 + 1.069 laps 109
4. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - FW35 : 1:22.305 + 1.747 laps 34
5. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - FW35 : 1:22.468 + 1.910 laps 31
6. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - C32 : 1:22.553 + 1.995 laps 99
7. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - RB9 : 1:22.658 + 2.100 laps 59
8. Sergio Perez : McLaren - MP4-28 : 1:22.694 + 2.136 laps 101
9. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - STR8 : 1:23.223 + 2.665 laps 114
10. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - E21 : 1:23.380 + 2.822 laps 46
11. Davide Valsecchi : Lotus - E21 : 1:23.448 + 2.890 laps 16
12. Jules Bianchi : Marussia F1 Team - MR02 : 1:24.028 + 3.470 laps 74
13. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - CT03 : 1:24.235 + 3.677 laps 126
14. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus - E21 : no time : laps 0


seriously ?
Felipe Massa Loses a Wheel


Tomorrow will be the final and last day of testing ,before they ship everything to Melbourne -Australia for the first race of the 2013 season !!!

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

i'm looking forward to see the new season

Short News :

Grosjean quickest for Lotus on day two :
Romain Grosjean topped the second day of the final pre-season Formula 1 test at Barcelona.
The Lotus driver had brought the morning session to a premature halt when his car stopped out on the circuit, but he ended up fastest with a 1m22.716s lap on soft tyres in the afternoon.
Jenson Button's McLaren had set the pace in the morning and he looked strong for most of the afternoon.
With the day starting wet and gradually drying until a shower at the very end, Button's morning time was soon surpassed in the afternoon. But runs on the medium-compound slick Pirellis kept Button near the top of the timesheets and his 1m23.181s was the day's best medium-tyred time.
Pastor Maldonado's Williams jumped to third in the closing minutes, just getting his run in before the rain, which has dogged Barcelona testing this year, returned. That left him ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who also made a late improvement, and the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg in fifth.
Adrian Sutil, recently confirmed as Force India's second driver, actually topped the times after lunch, but the squad elected not to do as much running later and he slipped to sixth.
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso concentrated on longer runs, with Alonso in particular running consecutive stints on the hard tyre when the track was at its best. That meant he ended up at the bottom of the times. An otherwise clean session was interrupted twice in the last 20 minutes. First, Giedo van der Garde's Caterham stopped and then, after the restart, Maldonado's Williams brought the day to a slightly early conclusion.

1. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - E21 : 1:22.716 laps 88
2. Jenson Button : McLaren - MP4-28 : 1:23.181 + 0.465 laps 72
3. Pastor Maldonado : Williams - FW35 : 1:23.628 + 0.912 laps 75
4. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing - RB9 : 1:23.743 + 1.027 laps 65
5. Nico Hulkenberg : Sauber - C32 : 1:23.744 + 1.028 laps 79
6. Adrian Sutil : Force India - VJM06 : 1:24.215 + 1.499 laps 62
7. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso - STR8 : 1:25.483 + 2.767 laps 61
8. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - MR02 : 1:25.598 + 2.882 laps 75
9. Giedo van der Garde : Caterham - CT03 : 1:26.316 + 3.600 laps 48
10. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP - W04 : 1:26.655 + 3.939 laps 120
11. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari - F138 : 1:27.878 + 5.162 laps 102
12. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - FW35 : no time set : laps 0

Jules Bianchi to replace Luiz Razia in Marussia Formula 1 team :
Jules Bianchi will race for Marussia this season after the team was forced to terminate Luiz Razia's contract .
The Frenchman will test for the team at Barcelona on Saturday and then complete half a day of running on Sunday. Although the deal is not believed to have been signed yet, Bianchi will make his debut in the Australian Grand Prix later this month. Bianchi is known to be able to bring some money to Marussia, although he will struggle to match the starting price being quoted by the team, believed to be just over the £5 million mark.
Razia was announced as a race driver during the first pre-season Formula 1 test at Jerez after his backer made an initial payment for the seat. F1 newsflash understands that second scheduled payment deadline was missed, which led to the team pulling Razia from the car in last week's Barcelona test and running team-mate Max Chilton for all four days. Marussia allowed extra time for the agreed backing to appear and held off on making a decision until the Friday of the final test, but has now been forced to take the decision to drop Razia.

Kind Regards
Shaky-schumi

Short News :

Summary: Who test when during the last winter test ? :
Red Bull:
- Thursday : Mark Webber
- Friday : Sebastian Vettel
- Saturday : Mark Webber
- Sunday : Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari:
- Thursday Felipe Massa
- Friday : Fernando Alonso
- Saturday : Felipe Massa
- Sunday : Fernando Alonso

McLaren:
- Thursday : Sergio Perez
- Friday : Jenson Button
- Saturday : Sergio Perez
- Sunday : Jenson Button

Lotus:
-Thursday : Romain Grosjean
- Friday : Romain Grosjean
- Saturday : Kimi Raikkonen
- Sunday : Kimi Raikkonen

Mercedes:
- Thursday : Lewis Hamilton
- Friday : Nico Rosberg
- Saturday : Lewis Hamilton
- Sunday : Nico Rosberg

Sauber:
- Thursday : Esteban Gutierrez
- Friday : Nico Hülkenberg
- Saturday : Esteban Gutierrez
- Sunday : Nico Hülkenberg

Force India:
- Thursday : TBC *
- Friday : TBC *
- Saturday : TBC *
- Sunday : TBC *

Williams:
- Thursday : Valtteri Bottas
- Friday : Valtteri Bottas
- Saturday : Pastor Maldonado
- Sunday : Pastor Maldonado

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
- Thursday : Jean-Eric Vergne
- Friday : Daniel Ricciardo
- Saturday : Jean-Eric Vergne
- Sunday : Daniel Ricciardo

Caterham:
- Thursday : Charles Pic
- Friday : Giedo van der Garde
- Saturday : Giedo vand er Garde
- Sunday : Charles Pic

Marussia:
- Thursday : Max Chilton
- Friday : TBC *
- Saturday : TBC *
- Sunday : TBC *
TBC = To Be Confirmed

Official: Force India signs Sutil for 2013 :
Adrian Sutil has been confirmed as a Force India driver for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign, with the Silverstone-based outfit announcing his comeback at the final pre-season test in Barcelona. The German reunites with Paul di Resta and will make his first race start since the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix later this month.
Sutil, whose Formula 1 debut came under the Spyker guise back in 2007, beat Jules Bianchi to the vacancy. He returns after being replaced by Nico Hülkenberg at the end of 2011, the year in which he was charged with grievous bodily harm for attacking Genii Capital Chairman Eric Lux with a champagne glass in a Shanghai nightclub. Speaking of his new deal, Sutil says he is overjoyed to be given 'a second chance'.
"I’m delighted to be back in Formula 1, especially with a team I know so well," explained Sutil, who turned 30 last month. "I’m very happy and I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me a second chance. Having been away from the sport, I’m even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula 1.
"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 this week, working with the team in the simulator and getting myself in the best possible shape for Melbourne." Force India's Team Principal, Dr. Vijay Mallya, added that the choice between Sutil and Bianchi was far from straightforward. Having given the decision 'great consideration', the 57-year-old businessman said Sutil's experience and knowledge of the team played in his favour, but he is determined to continue working with Bianchi in 2013.
"The decision over our driver line-up has not been an easy one and we have given it great consideration over the last few months," said Mallya. "It was a close call, but ultimately we felt that Adrian’s experience and historic links to the team gave him the edge, and 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. I’m hopeful we can continue working with him this year to help him develop into a future Grand Prix driver." During their sole season as team-mates in 2011, Sutil outscored di Resta by 42 points to 27, with the pair guiding Force India to sixth in the Constructors' standings.

Barcelona F1 test: Mark Webber tops first day for Red Bull on the last 4 days of testing :
Mark Webber put Red Bull on top of the timesheets on the opening day of Formula 1's final pre-season test at Barcelona on Thursday. The Australian's 1m22.693s lap time was set on soft-compound Pirelli tyres with just seven minutes of running remaining and put him 1.655s clear of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.
After the late-morning rain left drivers with a wet track to tackle, rain tyres were the weapons of choice during the early afternoon running, with Webber recording a series of 1m44s laps.
Track conditions soon improved enough for intermediates, with Paul di Resta the first man to try the green-stickered Pirellis in his Force India. Webber having lowered the pace to the 1m38s bracket, it was Felipe Massa who was the first to gamble on a switch to slicks, the Ferrari driver using medium-compound rubber to gradually bring the times down into the 1m30s. By that stage conditions were dry enough to allow a range of tyre strategies to be deployed, with medium, soft and supersoft rubber all being used at various points during the afternoon. A late red flag, caused when Massa's Ferrari stopped at the exit of Turn 9, led to a flurry of fast times during the 12 minutes that remained. Webber and Hamilton initially exchanged the top spot before the Red Bull driver twice went quicker still to end the day on top. Hamilton, who suffered a quick spin at Turn 1 while on pushing hard on slicks, was followed by Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso, the Williams of Valtteri Bottas and McLaren's Sergio Perez. Hamilton completed more laps than anybody else. His total of 113 was one more than Massa. Perez was the only other driver to get into triple figures.

1. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing - RB9 : 1:22.693 laps 90
2. Lewis Hamilton : Mercedes GP - W04 : 1:24.348 + 1.655 laps 113
3. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso - STR8 : 1:25.017 + 2.324 laps 59
4. Valtteri Bottas : Williams - FW35 : 1:26.458 + 3.765 laps 85
5. Sergio Perez : McLaren - MP4-28 : 1:26.538 + 3.845 laps 100
6. Esteban Gutierrez : Sauber - C32 : 1:26.574 + 3.881 laps 92
7. Paul di Resta : Force India - VJM06 : 1:27.107 + 4.414 laps 57
8. Felipe Massa : Ferrari - F138 : 1:27.541 + 4.848 laps 112
9. Max Chilton : Marussia F1 Team - MR02 : 1:28.166 + 5.473 laps 78
10. Charles Pic : Caterham - CT03 : 1:28.644 + 5.951 laps 83
11. Romain Grosjean : Lotus - E21 : 1:34.928 + 12.235 laps 52

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Jean-Pierre Wimille
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Born : 26th February 1908 - Died : 28th January 1949

Pedro de la Rosa 24th February 1971
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]
Happy Birthday to your 42nd anniversary

Short News :

Here are some statistics of the 2nd wintertest done by tyre supplier Pirelli :
Testing Facts:
The teams are allocated 100 sets of tyres per car per year for testing purposes. After an initial contact with the 2013 range for the first time in Jerez, they again concentrated on expanding their knowledge of the new tyre characteristics this year, and how they interact with the new cars: all of which were present for the first time in Barcelona.
Ambient and track temperatures were cool: generally between 10 to 15 degrees centigrade ambient, which was on the whole cooler than the previous Jerez test. This led to some graining, which occurs when a tyre slides if it is not up to temperature, with the friction against the track surface tearing off strips of rubber.
With most of the initial work on new cars already completed in Jerez, the teams were able to also focus on longer runs and race simulations with varying fuel loads. Between two and three pit stops are expected at the first grand prix in Australia: some of the teams that carried out race simulations stopped the equivalent of four times in Barcelona, demonstrating that the ideal target should be met in the more typical conditions of Melbourne.
More Testing Facts:
The time difference between the slick compounds was in the region of 0.5s per lap, but the unusual weather conditions in Barcelona meant that this was not entirely conclusive.
Most laps of Barcelona: V Bottas – 355 laps; F Alonso – 283 laps; M Chilton – 241 laps
The teams sampled the Cinturato Green intermediate and the Cinturato Blue full wet tyre for the first time on Friday. The wet-weather tyres have a new rear construction this year, which improves traction at the rear in particular and reduces snap oversteer.
The fastest overall time of the test set by Fernando Alonso on day three (1m21.875s) comfortably beat the fastest time during testing last year at Barcelona: 1m22.030s (set by Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus).
Barcelona is an extremely technical circuit that tests most aspects of a car’s overall performance. The most stressed tyres at the Circuit de Catalunya are those on the left.
Testing numbers:
Total number of sets brought to Barcelona: 385 sets which equals 1628 tyres
- of which supersoft tyres: 24 sets
- of which soft tyres: 87 sets
- of which medium tyres: 132 sets
- of which hard tyres: 97 sets
- of which intermediate tyres: 40 sets
- of which wet tyres: 27 sets

Total amount of sets used: 303
- of which supersoft tyres: 5 sets
- of which soft tyres: 53 sets
- of which medium tyres: 127 sets
- of which hard tyres: 84 sets
- of which intermediate tyres: 24 sets
- of which wet tyres: 10 sets

Longest run: 24 laps on the hard compound
- 36 laps of the medium compound
- 31 laps on the soft compound
- 16 laps on the supersoft compound
- 29 laps on the intermediate compound
- 22 laps on the wet compound

Highest / lowest ambient temperature over four days: 20 °C (Day 2) / 7 °C (Day 4)
Highest / lowest track temperature over four days: 26 °C (Day 2) / 6 °C (Day 4)

Who was the fastest driver after 4 days of testing tin Barcelona this week :
Fastest lap per driver :
1. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:21.848
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.875
3. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:22.160
4. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:22.188
5. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.197
6. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:22.611
7. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:22.623
8. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.675
9. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:22.726
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.826
11. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:22.840
12. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:22.877
13. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.024
14. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.366
15. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.718
16. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.971
17. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:25.124
18. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:25.115
19 Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:25.732
20. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:26.177
21. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:26.243

Number of laps per team :
1. Williams - FW35 : 367 laps
2. Ferrari - F138 : 364 laps
3. Sauber F1 team -C32 : 353 laps
4. Mercedes AMG F1 - W01 : 335 laps
5. Toro Rosso - STR8 : 329 laps
6. Red Bull Racing - RB9 : 322 laps
7. McLaren - MP4-28 : 315 laps
8. Caterham - CT03 : 293 laps
9. Force India - VJM06 : 283 laps
10. Lotus - E21 : 247 laps
11. Marussia F1 Team -MR02 : 241 laps

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

I want to tell u this before the championship begins.

I want to send u this message of what will surely happen this year.

I was just sure 2 months ago but only now i write what you will see in the next november.

THIS YEAR THE WINNER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP 2013 WILL BE

KIMI RAIKKONEN !!!!

remember this and you will see..