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Narain Karthikeyan has been confirmed for the second HRT seat, alongside Pedro de la Rosa.

The Indian told this writer at his home race that he was hopeful of finding sponsorship for 2012 – given the boost in interest that weekend – and he appears to have done just that.

The team, which is clearly in urgent need of funding said that he was re-hired on the basis of “the principle of continuity contributing to the stability and reliability of the team and, at the same time, offering Narain Karthikeyan the necessary confidence to progress.” So now we know…

Karthikeyan won’t drive until the second test at Barcelona at the end of this month, although it’s not clear whether the 2012 car will be ready by then.

Karthikeyan said: “It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team. I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012. I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose. I am delighted to have signed with HRT F1 Team.

“With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definite potential for progress. We need to understand that F1 is new to India, we hosted our first race only last year which was a resounding success. To build on that momentum, an Indian driver will certainly keep the interest engaged throughout the season. I am proud to secure an opportunity to forge a stronger connection between India and Formula 1 once again”.

Team boss Luis Perez Sala added: “I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability. He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year.

“Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in. I’m sure that the fact that he will continue to work and drive on a regular basis will help him take a step forward this season. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone’s input will be fundamental”.

McLaren’s technical team say that the new MP4-27 has little in common with its predecessor – with only a few elements of the fuel system carried over.

The team is hoping that it gets off to a much better start than in 2011, when it had a disastrous winter testing programme.

“Our main objectives for the 2012 season were to optimise downforce despite the changes to the blown floor, and to improve our understanding and utilisation of the Pirelli tyres, which were new to us last year,” said technical director Paddy Lowe.

“One of the more satisfying challenges was being able to develop and expand our knowledge of the Pirelli tyres. It’s our second season with Pirelli – 2011 was very much a learning year. We have used our experience from the past 12 months to design the car’s layout, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics around improved tyre utilisation.”

Meanwhile director of engineering Tim Goss confirmed that the car is very different.

“Although you can’t see it, there’s a lot on this car that’s changed,” said Goss. “However, this year has seen more of an evolutionary set of rules, so there’s less of the unpredictability that comes from balancing resources between seasons during a time of greater regulatory change.

“I think the most obvious change is the loss of the U-shaped sidepod, which we pioneered on last year’s car. We reverted to a more conventional sidepod shape for this season because the U-shape was less suited to the new exhaust geometry restrictions.

“For 2012, the exhaust tailpipes now have to exit along the U-channel – so that particular feature was no longer really viable due to the new geometry restrictions. As a result, we decided to adopt a different approach to the way we feed the rear of the car. We have cleaned up the roll-hoop area and now have much tighter rear bodywork.”

Inevitably the new exhaust rules have made a big difference.

“The regulations around the exhausts are very prescriptive: the exhausts must now exit within a very tight space at the rear of the car in order to minimise their aerodynamic influence.

“The final 100mm of the exhausts must be cylindrical – so they can no longer be oval, or flattened – and must be sited at a particular vertical and horizontal angle – between 10 and 30 degrees upwards. That’s to direct the exhaust exit away from the floor.

“In previous years, the exhausts exited directly into the rear corner of the floor; we can’t do that anymore so, as you’d expect, that changes the flow characteristics at the rear of the car. The knock-on effect is that all of the aerodynamic devices at the rear of the car have had to be re-designed.”

The new McLaren looks pretty good - and has a 'normal' nose

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton unveiled the McLaren MP4-27 in Woking this morning, and both drivers were in upbeat mood as they saw the car in the flesh.

The car doesn’t not have the ugly stepped nose seen on the Caterham and expected to be a feature of other cars in 2012.

“With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we’ve really been able to focus on the detail with this year’s car,” said Button. “I still think we had a very fast package last year – it was very strong in certain areas – and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we’re hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane.

“We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull – and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial.

“I know that the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27. It may look like a direct evolution of last year’s car, but we’ve analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week.

“I know that everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we’ve made and our competitiveness this year.”

“I’ve been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I’ve been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me,” said Hamilton.

“I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we’ve been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car.

“Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations – that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas.”

The new Lotus F1 car is to be called the E20, as it will be the 20th car to be designed in Enstone under the Benetton, Renault and now Lotus names.

It had been referred to as the R32 – at least in Tweets from driver Romain Grosjean!

Team boss Eric Boullier explained: “Our naming of the chassis to recognise Enstone’s importance to the team’s evolution highlights our recognition of the contribution of the facility and the personnel who work tirelessly every year to produce the very best car possible.

“We certainly hope that this is the case with the E20 and we are looking forward to revealing the car to the world and seeing it out on track for the first time. There are a number of technical changes from last year and we have an exciting new driver line-up to extract the maximum from the E20 through the twenty Grands Prix of the 2012 season, including the 500th race for this team through its different incarnations. We hope that the E20 proves to be a performing Enstone design.”

Jules Bianchi is to be Sahara Force India’s reserve driver this year, after weeks of speculation about his chances of landing the job.

The Frenchman will drive the new car in testing and will do at least nine Friday morning practice sessions.

The last two drivers to have the job, Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, both graduated to race seats with the team.

Bianchi is a protégé of Ferrari, and along with Sergio Perez is considered as a possible future race driver for the Italian team. Force India will provide him with race weekend experience that Ferrari would not be able to offer him.

The 22-year-old Jules is the great-nephew of Lucien Bianchi, who finished a distant third for Cooper in the 1968 Monaco GP, and was killed in Le Mans testing the following year.

Bianchi said: “I’m obviously excited to join Sahara Force India and the chance to get track time during race weekends is an important step for me. Being regularly in a current car is the best way to learn quickly and I hope it will put me in a strong position to one day move into a race seat.

“The next few months will be really exciting as I get to know the team, see how they work, and prepare for my time in the car. I would like to thank everyone for believing in me and especially Sahara Force India for giving me this great opportunity.”

Vijay Mallya said: “We always keep an eye on young, talented drivers and his performance in GP2 certainly impressed us all. By giving Jules the opportunity to be part of our 2012 campaign, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to young drivers.

“We are proud of our track record in this regard and I have no doubt that Jules will quickly settle into the team and make a valuable contribution to our efforts on track this season.”

First of the 2012 breed - would you have picked this nose?

Caterham boss Tony Fernandes is in optimistic mood in the light of the launch of the new CT01, the first 2012 F1 car to break cover.

The Malaysian entrepreneur expects the rebranded team to make good progress this year.

“This car represents another step forward for us,” said Fernandes.” The detail right across the whole package is light years ahead of where we were when we first started out, and we are all excited about seeing what it can do when we get on track. I’m also very pleased that we were able to show our fans the car so soon.”

Fernandes said he was pleased that the unusual nose has attracted attention.

“Personally I love this car, and it’s very flattering that people want to talk about our car and our team, but the main consideration is that it is quick. As long as it is quicker than last year’s car I don’t think the looks matter, and I am sure that when all the other cars are unveiled we will see a pretty common thread running through all of them. I actually think it’s beautiful. It’s different, and different does not equal ugly – in fact I think its difference is what makes it beautiful, but then I am probably a bit biased.

“However, it is important to remember that how the car looks and behaves is one part, admittedly a major part, but just one part of what makes this team who we are. Caterham is the name we will race under for many years to come, but we still have the same DNA we have had since day one, back in 2009.

“We are the same team but every day we are growing stronger and what underpins that growth is the people in our team who have been with us since the early days, and the people who have come on board and share our vision. We are still very proudly green and yellow and I think that says rather a lot about who we are.

“For me this is a new year, a new start as Caterham, and the next chapter in our story. This is the first time our whole design team has really been able to get its teeth into creating our own product and I know it will be a progression from the T128, technically and in terms of its performance.”

Fernandes said that the clear aim this year was to score points.

“Target wise, I have been quoted as saying I want us to score a point this year and that really has to be the aim. It has to be. Towards the end of last year we were so close to the midfield cars, but our lack of KERS limited our capabilities.

“This year, however, with the people and facilities we have in the factory and the wind tunnel, and with KERS, I am confident that we will become a danger to many of the midfield teams, and yes, I want us to achieve a point somewhere in 2012 – maybe two if we are very lucky!”

The Caterham is the first car to show us the results of the 2012 nose rules

Having released an official image yesterday Caterham has today issued a Q&A with Mike Gascoyne, and given that it’s our first chance to hear a technical boss talk in detail about a 2012 car, I thought it was worth running in full.

Here’s what he has to say:

Can you give a technical overview of what the team has been up to during the winter and where are we on the creation of the CTO1?

“Well, in short, we’ve been designing and building our new racing car! Throughout the off-season we’ve been focusing on a number of key elements of the development of this year’s car, including a lot of work on optimising the wind tunnel. We have taken into consideration the changes in the technical regulations this year, most noticeably around the nose box and the push-off tests we had to pass.

“The rules around crash testing now mean that the cars have to be homologated before the first test, which meant bringing forward all the homologation tests by a month to six weeks before T1. From that point of view, we had a very successful development programme and we fully homologated the chassis before Christmas and, actually, I believe we were the first team to pass all the tests.

“The design of the car has been progressing since early 2011. It’s the first year of real stability for us on the technical side, and by keeping the Renault Sport F1 engine and Red Bull Technology gearbox, we know exactly what we’re working with and what we can expect. Each year so far we’ve effectively not only had a new design team but also a new gearbox and engine combination. Now, however, we have a very stable design team under our Technical Director Mark Smith, and this means we can take a much bigger step forward in terms of the detail of the design – and that really showed in the homologation process.

“The car build has gone very smoothly. The car will be completely ready for the first test in Jerez on February 7th. In terms of aerodynamic development, we’ve continued our programme in Italy but have augmented that with a development programme in the Williams wind tunnel, which has significantly increased our resources. All of that means I think we’ll be able to have a better and more competitive car, and we look forward to getting it out, testing it, and proving what the numbers are telling us.”

What are the big changes. What should the untrained eye be looking out for?

“Aerodynamics is always the main focus of performance and improvement. Last year it was all about the blown diffuser, which we struggled with because not having it in 2010 meant we were always playing catch up throughout the 2011 season in comparison to other teams.

“The fact it’s banned this year certainly plays to our advantage. Other teams had so much more development time, they were able to get much more out of it than we were ever able to, so that eliminates a little of the competition in terms of technical development. But really, aerodynamics is always one of the main features of development and that’s why we’ve put so much additional resource into it.”

And KERS?

“Yes, it’s no secret that we’ll have KERS on the car this year. Towards the end of last year it really started to affect us racing with the midfield cars. It hurt us in qualifying and in our eventual race positions. At the last race in 2011, Heikki made a good start and gained a lot of positions but then lost out by not having KERS.

“Having KERS embedded into our 2012 car is another good step forward for us. We had our best ever qualifying in relation to the cars ahead of us in Brazil, and with KERS we could have possibly out-qualified a few of them. So, again, we have another good reason to be very positive about 2012.”

What about this nose? It’s creating quite a lot of debate…

“Yes, well the regulations have changed to limit the height of the nosebox to try to ensure that noses don’t get too high. Our challenge is that you always want to get the chassis as high as possible to allow clean air flow to the underside of the car, and what you see on the CT01 is our solution to that.

“As we’re the first car out it is obviously stirring up a lot of debate, but because of the 2012 regulations I think you’ll probably be seeing this type of nose on most of the cars this year.”

What are our targets for 2012?

“I think we need to see the car on track first and get feedback from the first tests. Until we run the car, we only have numbers and simulation data to work with. But every team wants to move up the grid and we’re no different. We finished 10th in the last two years, which has been our target, but now I think it’s time we moved forward again. Let’s see what happens we get out on track.”

The first pictures of a 2012 car have emerged today thanks to Caterham

Here is the first official image of the new Caterham CT-01, issued by the team in response to ‘unofficial’ pictures appearing on the web today.

The car was due to be unveiled in F1 Racing magazine, which is supposed to be available tomorrow, but some readers received their copies today and have been busy posting the images.

All designers have had to respond to the new rule which calls for a lower nose, and the Caterham is the first to demonstrate the unusual ‘stepped’ look, with bulges where the suspension meets the chassis followed by a drop to the rest of the nose – although the effect is not entirely clear from this side angle.

The rebranded Marussia team will miss the first test of the season in Jerez, despite having originally planned to run the 2011 Virgin – mainly to give rookie Charles Pic more seat time.

The team has now decided to skip Jerez completely and run the old car at the second test of the year in Barcelona on February 21-24, before bringing out the new car for the second Barcelona session – and the last before the season – on March 1-4.

The new model is totally different from its predecessor, following the departure in the middle of last year of former technical director Nick Wirth.

Speaking via Marussia’s Twitter feed, team principal John Booth said: “The MR01 will be almost entirely ‘new’, with very little carryover.

“Unfortunately our programme has slipped and there seems little point in fielding the new car before we can optimise the run plan for it.

“We will hopefully gain more constructive track time than we might otherwise have achieved had we rushed the new car out for the second test.”

Jerome D’Ambrosio has been announced as third driver for Lotus, alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.

D’Ambrosio, who drove for Virgin last year, is managed by the Genii organisation, via its Gravity offshoot.

“It’s an exciting next step in my career,” said the Belgian. “I contested a complete season in F1 as a race driver for a smaller team where I learnt a lot about Formula 1.

“Now, I have the opportunity to work with one of the top teams with great potential for my future development. With my recent race experience, I know I can make a valuable contribution. Of course, I would love to be racing, but racing with a top team.

“Being associated with Lotus F1 Team should be more beneficial and this is the choice I have made. This opportunity is one I couldn’t afford to miss. My desire to get back in a race seat in the future is motivating me to do the best job possible in my new position.”

Team boss Eric Boullier said: “To have a third driver who is highly motivated, fresh and talented and who contested the full 2011 season is highly beneficial for us. In Jérôme we have someone we know well who integrates beneficially with the squad.

“He impressed as reserve driver for us in 2010 and at the end of that year he made a strong showing in the young driver test. He also showed strongly in his rookie season as an F1 race driver. I am looking forward to working with Jérôme again and think he is a perfect addition to our driving strength.”