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Quick description
Needs high brake cooling to avoid calipers overheating, but brake wear is not an issue
Maximum downforce needed, compared to better efficiency aero package
Very low grip, especially on Thursday P1, and track improves considerably over race weekend
All setup changes between sessions are usually shadowed by track improvement
Highest percentage of low speed of all circuits & the season's slowest corner at T6
Track was partly resurfaced in 2010 and 2011 and bumps have been removed for 2012
General
Race Laps: 78
2011 Air/Track temp (°C): 21/34
2011 Pitlane altitude (m): 2
2011 ATM Press (HPA): 1000
2011 Hum (%): 40
2011 Wind (kph): NNE 10

2011 Timing
Qualifying
P1: VET (1:13.556 Q3)
P2: BUT (1:13.997 Q3)
P3: WEB (1:14.019 Q3)
CF1T best: P18 KOV (1:17.343 Q1)
CF1T delta to best Q2: +2.136 (102.7%)

2011 Race
P1: VET (1:16.267) L78
P2: ALO (1:16.471) L77
P3: BUT (1:16.463) L78
CF1T best: P13 TRU; P14 KOV (1:20.678) L66
CF1T delta to best race lap: +4.411 (105.7%)

Circuit Particularity
Bumpiness: Medium
Overtaking chance: Low
Kerbs: Low / medium
Ride height setting particularity: Don’t need much higher ride height than standard track
Engine severity: Very Low
Gearbox severity: Very high
Lat/Long grip: Longitudinal
Aero eff ratio: Very low
Track grip evo during w/e: Very high
Aero settings: Very high (max)
Brake wear severity: Medium / high
Brake cooling necessity: Very high

Safety car history
2011: 2 (34-36, 69-72)
2010: 4 (1-6, 31-33, 43-45,75-78)
2009: none

To see a Renault Sport F1 telemetry trace from a Heikki Kovalainen lap in Monaco 2011, and a detailed explanation of what is being measured from Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader, go to the latest issue of Caterham Notes here: www.caterhamf1.com/notes

Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen: "Monaco's the race everyone in F1 wants to win, and it's not just a famous F1 race, it's one of the biggest annual events in the world. For drivers it's a pretty hardcore race, in and out of the cars, but it's a challenge I really enjoy and racing around the streets is one of the real highlights of being an F1 driver.

"On track it's one of the races where the pack bunches up a bit and that might give us a chance to do something special. Last year I finished 14th, one of our higher finishes of the season, so hopefully we can improve on that this year. We have KERS this year and a car that has good race pace, and as our car is slightly easier on the tyres than some of the teams ahead, maybe that will help us achieve a high race finish."

Vitaly Petrov: "I’ve raced a lot in Monaco, not just in Formula One. I had a podium there in GP2 when I finished second in 2009, which was good. In F1 I’ve raced there twice. The first time wasn’t so great but last year was pretty good, right up until the point I crashed! That was so disappointing, but I couldn’t avoid it. We had a good strategy and I’d had a good race up to that point, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. Monaco is an unbelievable place though. Normally, between Barcelona and Monaco we have just one week and I’d leave Barcelona on Sunday night and drive to Monaco, because on the Tuesday of the race week we have the football match for the F1 drivers, which is always great.

"The track itself is always a little bit dirty at the start of the weekend and it’s quite difficult to get tyre temperatures up during the lap. It’s tricky because the walls are so close. If you make one mistake or have a little bit of oversteer, you don’t even get a chance to correct it - you’re in the wall. It takes quite a bit of mental preparation and you need to be totally focused for every single lap of every session. The race itself? The atmosphere in the race is incredible. It’s just an amazing place to drive a racing car and I really love it."

Mark Smith, Caterham F1 Team Technical Director: “Monaco is a unique challenge, for the drivers and the teams. The fact we are in very different garage conditions to normal, and in a cramped paddock, makes it a tough race for the truckies, the mechanics and the engineers, but it is a race we all look forward to and one that everyone wants to do well at.

“The short length of the lap and the limited high-speed sections means there is much less difference in lap times than at somewhere like Barcelona. We all use high downforce settings, and we have a specific aero configuration we will use in Monaco and probably Hungary, but the days of cars sprouting all sorts of special wings just for Monaco are behind us. The cars may not look hugely different to how they appeared in Spain, but we do have as much downforce as we can find for the whole weekend in Monte Carlo.

“The other challenges are managing the brake cooling and tyre wear. Even though it’s a stop – start lap, the brakes are not put under huge strain as the speeds never get as high as a normal track, but there is a real emphasis on making sure we cool the brakes as efficiently as possible, and that is something we worked on at the Mugello test, so we are happy we have a good solution for that.

“For the tyre wear we have planned as well as we can, but we have seen so far this season that until we are actually out on track it’s almost impossible to know which teams will be hard on the tyres and which teams will be able to manage the degradation levels well. We have the soft and the supersoft compounds in Monaco, and if the wear rates on the softs are anything like we saw in Spain, strategy will be critical.”

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: "Before looking ahead to Monaco I want to talk about what happened after the race in Spain. We performed well in the race itself - both cars ran faultlessly and Heikki and Vitaly put in strong drives, managing their tyres well and getting as much performance as they could from the cars that afternoon.

"After the race I was absolutely delighted for Sir Frank and the whole Williams F1 Team that they won their first race in eight years. Williams is one of the cornerstones of F1 today and Sir Frank and Patrick have served as mentors for me in F1 so I owe them a great deal. When I saw what then happened in their garage I was obviously concerned for the safety of my team and all the people from teams up and down the grid who showed incredible bravery, putting themselves in the middle of a very dangerous situation to help a fellow team.

"Since the team returned to base I have received a very gracious communication from Jean Todt, thanking our boys for helping put the fire out on Sunday. The actions of the Williams team, people from our team and everyone else who helped out, stopped the situation escalating and it makes me incredibly proud to be part of a sport that shows such bravery and spirit. For us, teams like Williams set the standards we must reach on track, but we showed on Sunday that when faced we adversity we behave like a championship winning team. That spirit is at the heart of our team and it is what we will call on to keep progressing and keep fighting to emulate the teams ahead."

]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6167 Thu, 17 May 2012 18:37:26 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6166
Moscow, Russia - 17th May 2012
Russian Helicopters, one of the global leaders in the helicopter industry, is glad to announce an official partnership with Caterham F1 Team, one of the 12 participants in the FIA Formula One World Championship. From the Monaco Grand Prix, the Russian Helicopters logos will be seen on the Caterham F1 Team cars and in future the drivers’ overalls and the team’s race garages.
Russian Helicopters is a subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation Oboronprom. It is one of the global leaders in helicopter development and production with a number of special, innovative and widespread models, both civilian and military. Russian Helicopters is dominant in the Russian and CIS markets and is the leading player in the fast growing Indian and Chinese markets. The company is also rapidly increasing its presence in the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.

As a global market leader Russian Helicopters leads the field in the use of innovative technological methods. This provides the perfect synergy between its high-tech business and the high-tech world of Formula 1. The global business interests of Russian Helicopters takes the company into markets worldwide, and now, through its partnership with Caterham F1 Team, Russian Helicopters will also be represented at Grands Prix all over the globe.

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal of Caterham F1 Team, commented on the deal: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Russian Helicopters into Caterham F1 Team. It is a sign of the increasingly strong relationships we are growing in Russia that we can attract partners of this calibre and we look forward to repaying their faith in us and Vitaly on and off track."

Dmitry Petrov, General Director of JSC Russian Helicopters: “Russian Helicopters are delighted to announce the start of our partnership program with Vitaly Petrov’s Caterham F1 Team. It is important for Russian businesses to support projects which positively raise the profile of Russian interests worldwide and as Russian Helicopters is a global high-tech company it is a natural step for us to support Vitaly, as Caterham F1 Team’s Russian driver, in his role in a high-tech sport which is enormously popular all over the world. Our helicopters are actively marketed internationally and I am sure that our involvement in Formula 1, a sport that is popular worldwide and is at the pinnacle of modern technology, will help us to strengthen the international image of Russian Helicopters, as well as contribute to the growth of investment in the Russian economy.”

Russian Helicopters is a subsidiary of UIC Oboronprom, which in turn is a part of Russian Technologies State Corporation. It is one of the global leaders in helicopter production and the only helicopter design and production powerhouse in Russia. Russian Helicopters is headquartered in Moscow. The company comprises five helicopter production facilities, two design bureaus, a spare parts production and repair facility, as well as an aftersale service branch responsible for maintenance and repair in Russia and all over the world. Its helicopters are popular among Russian ministries and state authorities (Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Emergency Control Ministry), operators (Gazpromavia, UTair) and major Russian corporations. Over 8000 helicopters of Soviet/Russian make are operated in 110 countries worldwide. Traditionally the demand is highest in the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Russia, and CIS countries. Russian Helicopters was established in 2007. In 2011 its IFRS revenues increased 27.8% to RUB 103.9 billion and deliveries reached 262 helicopters.

Caterham F1 Team began in September 2009 when shareholders Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin were granted entry into the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Just six months later, the team had two cars classified in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, a platform which served to propel the team, then on track under the guise of Lotus Racing, to the position of fastest new team in F1. 2011 saw the team race as Team Lotus, successfully achieving its goal of winning tenth place in the championship and closing the gap to the established midfield teams ahead. For 2012, Caterham F1 Team is the new, long-term identity the team is racing under and the home of Russian driver Vitaly Petrov, who joins Heikki Kovalainen as one of the two race drivers pushing to join some of the most famous names in global motorsport as they challenge for honours in Formula 1.


]]> General http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6166 Thu, 17 May 2012 10:53:10 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6165
Hinwil, 17th May 2012 – At the Spanish Grand Prix last Sunday Sauber F1 Team driver Kamui Kobayashi managed to equal what was up to then his best race result in his Formula One career. The Japanese came fifth at the Circuit de Catalunya, just as he had done at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2011.
Kamui, once again you have managed to score ten points for the team. What are your thoughts looking back at the race?

Kamui Kobayashi: “The most important thing for us was to have confirmation that our new aero package was working well. It is definitely a step forward. After I had a difficult qualifying because of an hydraulic problem, I had to start ninth. I think the race performance as such was better than my fifth place suggests. Traffic in the race makes it more difficult to handle the tyres. If you looked at Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in qualifying, you could also see it wasn’t an easy job for him to improve positions in the race traffic after he was forced to start last on the grid. Overall I am very happy and proud of what a great job the guys back in the factory did to further develop the car and, of course, what the crew at the race track did.”

Does the Sauber C31-Ferrari’s new aero package deliver what you expected?

Kamui Kobayashi: “Yes, I think we have improved in the areas we wanted to. The car is better balanced through the corners now. In terms of stability I would say it is about the same, but stability always depends a lot on the track conditions.”

You had two super overtaking manoeuvres in Spain. Have you regained confidence in the car?

Kamui Kobayashi: “I think so, I definitely had confidence in the car in Barcelona when overtaking. I also feel with the update we can now handle the tyre management better during the race. We had been a bit weak on that side before.”

How do you think the car can perform on the narrow street circuit of Monaco?

Kamui Kobayashi: “It obviously provides an entirely different challenge than that of the Circuit de Catalunya. In Monaco the car is bouncing on bumps, you have understeer and oversteer when you are driving on the limit and the track doesn’t forgive any mistakes. I think our car will be better in Monaco than it was last year because it has improved in slow corners. In 2011 I finished fifth, so the target should be to finish higher up this year. However, even if you are given the best car in Monaco, in the end a lot is down to the driver to get the ultimate tenths of a second out of it.”

You will be attending the Champions League final of Chelsea FC versus Bayern Munich on Saturday. Have you ever been in a football stadium before for such a big match?

Kamui Kobayashi: “No, I have never seen a match of that level. I only attended some games of lower leagues in Italy. Normally I am not a big fan of watching other sports, as I would rather concentrate on my own training. But now after I have decided to be a supporter of Chelsea FC I am very much looking forward to seeing them play in the stadium. This is professional sport at the highest level and I am getting very excited about going to Munich on Saturday!”

What are your targets for the forthcoming races?

Kamui Kobayashi: “We have seen five different winners in five races. So you could say almost everything is possible this year. I believe we have a good car and good chances for good results. The final outcome always depends on a lot of factors. But what you have to do for success is to get every small thing perfectly right over the entire weekend. And this is what I’m aiming at.”

]]> General http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6165 Thu, 17 May 2012 10:52:16 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6163
Hinwil, 16th May 2012 – In the interests of continuity, Peter Sauber has taken the decision to transfer a third of the stake in the Sauber Group to CEO Monisha Kaltenborn. Sauber, the Team Principal and President of the Board of Directors of all Sauber Group companies, will retain the remaining two thirds.
“When BMW pulled out of Formula One in 2009, Monisha Kaltenborn was instrumental in the team’s survival and since then she has been doing outstanding work in her capacity as CEO,” says Peter Sauber. “Transferring one third of the stake to her represents an important step for me in providing continuity. My desire is to ensure that the company continues to be led as I would want over the long term. Monisha Kaltenborn and my son Alex, who joined the company as Marketing Director in 2010 and has since also been a member of the Board of Management, both embrace this aim. It means we can offer our employees a positive outlook for the future.”

CEO Monisha Kaltenborn adds: “For me this step is a mark of the greatest possible trust, which I will do everything in my power to justify.”

]]> General http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6163 Wed, 16 May 2012 16:13:11 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6162
15 MAY 2012

Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, giving Williams F1 its 114th victory in Formula One. He came home 3.1s ahead of Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. Our Chief Operations Engineer, Mark Gillan, sums up the weekend.

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer:
Q: Mark, how much satisfaction do you derive from Pastor Maldonado’s victory in the Spanish Grand Prix?
MG: This is a massive result for Williams and of course it is incredibly satisfying, especially given the tribulations of the 2011 season. However, this business is all about continuous improvement and it is important that we continue to deliver.

Q: How would you describe Pastor's personal performance in qualifying and the race?
MG: Simply stunning - a master class from start to finish. He was strong all weekend, winning the race from pole despite a strong challenge from Alonso. One can't ask anymore from a driver.

Q: Going into the race weekend, were you confident that the FW34 was a race-winning package?
MG: We were confident that the FW34 was an improved package but of course you never know what upgrades other teams have made for their European upgrade packages.

Q: Pastor did 25 laps on his final set of tyres. How critical was tyre wear during the race?
MG: Managing tyre degradation was the key to the race, so a long final stint was a calculated strategy decision, but we were reasonably confident based on our Friday data that this stint length was possible.

Q: Bruno Senna struggled for pace relative to Pastor. Did he have any particular technical issues?
MG: No there were no technical issues with the car.

Q: After the race a fire broke out in the Williams F1 pit. First, is everyone okay? Second, do you know what caused it? Third, what was the extent of the damage?
MG: I would like to reiterate our thanks to everyone in the paddock who helped the Williams team on Sunday to control the fire. There were a number of people who attended the circuit medical centre, mostly as the result of smoke inhalation. One team member remains in hospital having suffered burns, but he is in a stable condition and in good spirits and has returned to England today for further medical care.

Investigations into the actual cause of the fire are ongoing and are being performed in collaboration with the local authorities and the FIA. The extent of the damage is still being accessed and will not become fully clear until both the cars and equipment have returned to the factory. What is clear is that our garage IT equipment and infrastructure have been badly damaged.

Q: Monaco comes next. What chance Williams F1 can score its first win in the Principality since 2003?
MG: On the back of a win we go to Monaco with high hopes but there is a prodigious amount of work to be done prior to the event to recover from the fire.

]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6162 Tue, 15 May 2012 22:43:04 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6161
Monday 14 May 2012

Following yesterday’s fire which occurred in the team’s garage after the Spanish Grand Prix, Williams F1 can confirm that a further two team members have now been released from hospital and have returned home having received treatment for smoke inhalation.
One member of the team remains in hospital in Spain having suffered burns in the incident. He is stable and will return to the UK within the next 48 hours to receive further medical care. His family are in constant communication and he is in good spirits.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are on-going in collaboration with the FIA and local authorities.

The team would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and support over the past 24 hours.

Sir Frank Williams, Team Principal of the Williams F1 Team, said, “I was pleased to welcome back to the factory the majority of our team this morning. One of our people remains in Spain for further medical assistance, but we are all looking forward to his imminent return.

“Everyone at Williams F1 is extremely relieved that this event was contained as quickly as it was and the damage which occurred was, relatively speaking, limited in its nature. While the incident was unexpected and definitely most undesirable, it has demonstrated the genuine cohesiveness, camaraderie and spirit of co-operation that exists within the Formula One paddock. The astonishing response from the teams and other paddock personnel was immediate, unconditional and overwhelming.”

]]> General http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6161 Mon, 14 May 2012 22:13:53 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6164
monday 14 may 2012
With five rounds of the World Championship now under our belts, there's been a lot to take away from the season so far for Lotus F1 Team; so what did we learn at the latest venue – the Circuit de Catalunya – and what's in store next for Kimi and Romain?
One podium, two fastest laps and twenty-seven points is not a bad a return from a single race – particularly in one of the most tightly contested Formula 1 seasons in recent memory. Perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that the team was slightly disappointed with what could certainly be described as a strong performance.

So what does this tell us? Well, for starters there is a definite belief flowing through the veins of Enstone that this season has all the potential to produce not just points, but podiums and even race wins. The E20 has certainly proven to be capable of such results, and the drivers more than able to extract that performance from the car.

Friday in Barcelona may not have seen either car at the head of the times, but a string of simulation runs demonstrated the pace of the E20 over a race distance – of course the most important factor over the course of the weekend.

A similar pattern emerged through Kimi's running on Saturday morning, instilling a confidence that the race could provide a very strong result for the team. Despite the Finn pointing out understeer through certain sectors of the lap, the car appeared just as stable (if not more so) than any of its competitors, who were also experiencing the same hindrance.

Of course, the fuel pressure issue that halted Romain's session almost as soon as it had begun should be noted as a mark on the book. However in the grand scheme of things, to have had just a single minor technical issue throughout the season so far – and one which was instantly resolved by the mechanics in time for qualifying – can also be seen as a tribute to both the reliability of the E20, and the superb work of the men in the garage.

Qualifying itself once again gave positive indications as to the performance of the car. Although not threatening the ultimate pace of the Lewis (Hamilton), both Kimi and Romain sailed through to the pole position shootout, with both admitting that minor mistakes (through turns eight and nine respectively) perhaps cost them even stronger starting slots than their eventual P5 / P4 positions (later upgraded to P4 / P3 after a penalty for the McLaren).

The main event – Sunday's race – threw a familiar spanner in the works; temperature variation. The team has found throughout the season that the E20 works best in warmer conditions; a trend which was once again realised here (most prominently at the beginning of the Grand Prix).


With a significant temperature drop from the heat of Friday and Saturday, the drivers were unable to stay in touch with the leaders in the early stages. However, as the race went on and rack temperatures rose the E20 began to come into its element, with Romain's fastest lap of the race standing at over a second quicker than the next non-Lotus F1 Team competitor – despite missing a significant portion of his front wing end plate.

In addition, the decision to run a second set of scrubbed soft tyres during the second stints showed, somewhat surprisingly, that the hard rubber was in fact the faster option in Barcelona. While this may seem counter-intuitive, it provides another valuable piece of information for future races.


]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6164 Mon, 14 May 2012 16:24:00 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6159
Montmelo, May 13th - The FIA can confirm that a fire broke out in the Williams garage after the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix. The flames were quickly brought under control through the combined intervention of staff from Williams, Caterham and Force India, supported by the circuit fire services.

Thirty-one team members were seen by Circuit Medical Centre staff and all have been released, with the exception of seven who were transferred to a variety of local hospitals where they are receiving treatment.

The FIA is collaborating closely with the Spanish authorities investigating this incident and will be providing a further update as soon as more information becomes available.

]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6159 Sun, 13 May 2012 23:17:00 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6160
13 May 2012
Pastor Maldonado sealed the first victory for the newly revived Williams-Renault partnership in today's Spanish Grand Prix.
The Venezuelan scored the victory from pole position, marking the first win for the collaboration in its latest incarnation. The Williams-Renault link was renewed for the 2012 season after its initial run from 1989 to 1997. The win is the 114th for Williams, the 64th for the Williams-Renault partnership and Renault's 144th in F1.

Lotus F1 Team put a second Renault engine on the podium with Kimi Raikkonen finishing in third position. Team-mate Romain Grosjean came home in fourth, giving the Renault RS27 engine a total of three of the top four positions.

Red Bull Racing-Renault experienced a more difficult race, with Sebastian Vettel finishing in sixth. The reigning world champion served a drive-through penalty for not observing yellow flags and then took on a new front wing at his last pit stop. Mark Webber came home in 11th, just outside the points after an early stop for a new front wing.

Caterham F1 Team again achieved a double finish with Heikki Kovalainen 16th and Vitaly Petrov 17th.

Unfortunately Williams' Bruno Senna retired from the race on lap 13 after an incident involving Michael Schumacher.

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are tied for the lead of the drivers' championship while Red Bull Racing continues to lead the constructors' championship. Lotus F1 Team has edged closer to second, with Williams sixth, on equal points with Mercedes. Caterham remains in 11th.

Jean-François Caubet, Renault Sport F1 managing director

Naturally we are delighted for Williams and we are all very proud that the collaboration is doing justice to its heritage. The engine-chassis package has worked very well all season and has promised to score some huge results – obviously this one is the best we can get! It's a testament to all at Grove and Viry that the new deal can achieve success so early on in its life cycle.

Naturally we were concerned that the celebrations were mitigated by the fire in the Williams garage after the race. No one from Renault Sport F1 was seriously injured, but our thoughts go to our colleagues at Williams and also our partners at Caterham who were involved. We wish them all a speedy recovery.

Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations

Across all our clients, the engine has performed efficiently this weekend. We know Barcelona incredibly well from the winter testing but there are nevertheless some tricky parts to get right, including providing drive and response in the slower sections while retaining good top speed down the straight. To get three engines in the top four again is fantastic and shows our preparations paid off.

Congratulations to Pastor for his first win, and to Williams for its first win since 2004. Scoring a victory so early on in an engine-chassis partnership is a fantastic achievement and shows just how aligned the systems and procedures on both sides of the table are.

We wish all our colleagues at Williams well, particularly in light of the incident after the race, and look forward to continuing the momentum throughout the season.

]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6160 Sun, 13 May 2012 22:27:00 +0200 http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6158
Another two sided afternoon for Scuderia Ferrari, with one driver on the podium and one out of the points. Fernando Alonso finished second at the end of a race in which he was in contention for the win from start to finish, while Felipe Massa finished fifteenth, having been given a penalty at a crucial point. With the first quarter of the championship completed, Fernando leads the Drivers’ championship equal on points with Vettel, while the Scuderia remains fourth in the Constructors.
Stefano Domenicali: We came to Spain with the double objective of making progress in terms of performance and for Fernando to stay in touch with the leaders of the Drivers’ classification: this afternoon we can say we achieved both our goals. It’s a shame for Felipe who has been plagued with bad luck all weekend: yesterday there was traffic in qualifying and today, a penalty probably prevented him from finishing in the points after he had made up a lot of places at the start. Once again, Fernando drove an extraordinary race, fighting for the win from the first to the last lap. There were some unfortunate incidents, getting past Pic for example, but we must always admit that, in the closing stages of the final stint of the race there was no longer a margin to attack Maldonaldo. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Pastor for his first Formula 1 win and Williams for returning to winning ways after a break of several years: yesterday, Sir Frank shared with the world of F1 a celebration for his seventieth birthday and it seems that someone up there was also aware of it and wanted to give him a present! As from tomorrow, we will return to thinking about the development of our car, because we are not yet fast enough to fight consistently for a podium finish, which is the only option if we want to be in the hunt for the title. The championship is incredibly finely balanced, as can be seen from the fact we have had five different winning teams in as many Grands Prix. Despite all the difficulties we have experienced in this first part of the season, Fernando leads the classification along with the reigning champion: this must be a boost for all our people who work at home and at the track. We expect Felipe to react and fight back after this unlucky weekend, starting in Monaco: we absolutely need his points to also fight for the Constructors’ title.”

Fernando Alonso: “This second place feels like a victory. Having finished the race in Sakhir almost a minute off the winner, today we overtook one of the two Red Bulls and we fought right to the very end for the win. On top of that, we have made up a lot of points on the Red Bull and the McLaren drivers, which makes the outcome of this weekend even more positive. At the end of the second stint of the race came the key moment: maybe Maldonaldo pitted a bit early and we stayed out on track, but we lost time behind a backmarker for a whole lap, partly because there was a yellow flag on the last part of the main straight. Then, with seven laps to go, I suddenly lost grip at the rear: I asked the team if something was broken because the handling of the car changed from one moment to the next, for no apparent reason. However, in the final stages, the Williams was still very quick and, right at the end, we were also lucky to hang onto second place as Kimi was coming back at me. This championship is very hard to interpret with all the different winners and the performance of the top teams going up and down from race to race. We definitely did not do the best job when it came to designing the car – there is still much to do – but we can be proud of how we got the most out of our potential, probably over and above the limits of the car. After two Grands Prix – China and Bahrain – where we suffered a lot, to be back for the podium is very positive and gives us confidence for the rest of the Championship. We must continue to bring updates all the time for the car, because it is all very close and the slightest thing can make the difference.”

Felipe Massa: “Today my race was affected by a penalty that I had to take on lap 28. Honestly, I don’t think I did anything wrong and I believe it is better to look into the detail of what happened, because I was in the middle of a group of cars and I definitely did not try to overtake anyone. It’s a real shame, because up until then, the race was going well for me and a place in the top ten was comfortably within my reach. I was in the group with the Red Bulls and the McLarens and I could match their pace. I had a good opening lap when I managed to make up a lot of places. I am happy that Fernando was able to fight for the win all the way to the end, as it shows our car’s potential has definitely improved: we still don’t have the quickest car but it seems we are going down the right road. I want to congratulate Pastor, who is a great friend: the taste of a first Formula 1 win is something amazing and I can understand how he feels right now.”

Pat Fry: “In the race, we again confirmed that we have made a step forward in terms of the performance of our package, but it is not yet enough. Also today, we managed to make the most of our potential with Fernando, while Felipe was definitely not lucky with the penalty that ruined what, up to that point, had been a pretty good race. We knew tyre degradation would be the key and so it turned out. The fight with Maldonaldo was very close and maybe some incidents played a deciding role, such as at the time of the second stop and in the final moments of the race, when Fernando suddenly felt a drop in performance, the causes of which are not yet clear. Second is an absolutely positive result but, to make an objective evaluation, we have to take into account all the elements over the weekend, even those outside our own operation, which produced this race result. There is still a lot of work to do to have a car that is really capable of fighting for the win at every track and in all conditions. Having said that, I am equally sure that having one of our drivers leading the classification, even if he is equal on points with Vettel, represents a reward for the work everyone has done to raise our performance level and it is also a further motivation to do even better in the near future.”

Race

Driver Pos. Time Gap Laps FL L
Alonso 2nd 1:39.09.145 + 3.195 66 1.27.390 46
Massa 15th 1:39.27.047 + 1 Lap 65 1.28.448 47


Weather: air 24/23°C, track 33/35 °C. Cloudy. Chassis: Alonso 295, Massa 294.

]]> races http://www.f1-pics.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=6158 Sun, 13 May 2012 21:57:02 +0200