Adam Cooper F1

Mark Webber insists that he’s moved on from the Malaysian GP team orders saga and just wants to get back on track in China this weekend.

Sporting a savage new haircut after an Australian barber got a little too enthusiastic, Webber said today that too much was read into his comments, and especially his intention to get away from it all in his home country.

“I was always going to Australia after that race,” he said. “Obviously it was mentioned after the race in the press conference and people put two and three together and get more information I suppose. It was a little bit of a break for all of us – three weeks, it was Easter as well – so good to go down there for a bit of relaxation after the back of winter testing and the first few races. But you get pretty anxious pretty quickly.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car here and getting on with the racing again. This track always provides good racing actually. We’ve seen a few over the last few seasons here, apart from Nico last year obviously when he was very strong off the front, but generally we’ve had some good Grands Prix here. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car. Procedurally, the team, everything is fine. Obviously it was a bit of an interesting weekend in Malaysia but, yeah, looking forward to getting racing here.”

Pressed on what happened in the last race, Webber revealed more of what was going through his mind that day.

“It’s normal that there’s a lot of emotions going through you because we put a lot of effort in, everybody does, there’s never any guarantees for any Grand Prix victories so if the race is going quite well… still had a good result, obviously, but not the result that I would have liked but in the end, we know what happened.

“But Malaysia is not just one event in this scenario. We know we’ve had many scenarios in the past, so there’s a lot of things which then come into your mind – positive, negative, whatever – how you can make things better in the future, so for me… yeah, and you’ve still got to drive the car, that’s my job, so I still got the car home, good result and yeah, looking forward to this race.

“I think it’s normal for a driver to have a lot of emotions in the car generally. You’ve got to try and get the emotions down, but it’s part of our job, whether you’re leading Monte Carlo and finishing the race there with different emotions and different disappointments, ups and downs, it’s completely normal that in the cockpit we have emotions in the cockpit.”

Regarding his future plans, he said: “First of all, I’m definitely keen to finish the season off. Obviously a lot of people were even questioning that one which was certainly not something that was in my mind. I’m definitely keen to race this year and put together a very strong campaign and challenge for more wins, and you do enough of that and some more things can happen. So that’s the first goal.

“The next part is, year by year, that’s how it’s always been for me, so come the summer, I will talk to Dietrich [Mateschitz] and then go from there. If I’m driving well, performances are good, then we’ll make some decisions in the future but at the moment, it’s the second or third race and I’ve never ever made decisions on my career at this point in the season and don’t see… obviously it’s a bit of a topic at the moment for different reasons, but I don’t see why I should make any decisions at the moment for the future.”

Ferrari’s development programme has been in tents

Ferrari technical director Pat Fry says he’s optimistic about the potential of the F138 after the first two races, but the Englishman concedes that the car is still lacking qualifying performance.

“We’ve shown reasonable race pace and on all the tyre types we have used so far we have performed well,” said Fry on the team’s website. “However we still have a way to go to be quickest in qualifying and we are working very hard on that at the moment.

“We’ve been concentrating on the longer runs, even if they are not as long as in the past, because this year we expect more pit stops during a race. However, we have not ignored our qualifying pace. I am sure there is more to come on this front, as we learn more about our car and start getting the best out of it.”

Fry stressed once more that the season will be all about the development race between the teams.

“The key will be to try and move our car development programme forward quicker than the other teams do. It’s a tough cycle that will last all year and we need to at least match our 2012 development pace if we are to perform better in qualifying. So far, we have worked well, all the way through from design to manufacture, improving on how we did things last year in terms of actually getting new bits onto the car. Also, our aero correlation is better.”

Regarding this weekend’s race in China, he said: “Shanghai is a challenging mix of different corner types and a 1.2 kilometre straight. Is it going to suit our car better than some others? It is too early to say, as there are too many unknowns. For example, it will be the first weekend this year that we will use the Pirelli soft compound, along with the medium.

“At the end of this Grand Prix, we will have a clearer picture of how all the tyres compare to one another. So to some degree, Shanghai will be another learning exercise for everyone, although we can say that our pace, relative to the other teams, has been okay on all the tyres we have tried so far.”

Christian Horner has given some interesting extra insight into the Multi 21 affair, and in confirming that Sebastian Vettel has extended his apologies to the whole team, has tried to draw a line under the affair.

In a lengthy interview with Sky’s Ted Kravitz he suggested that Vettel’s decision to ignore the team orders was at least partly prompted by the fact that the German had saved new tyres for that final stint.

“I think it was fairly obvious what we wanted to achieve,” said Horner. “I think he decided to take things into his own hands at that point, and obviously achieved his target of making the pass on Mark and winning the race.

“Obviously he was quite surprised at the reaction after the race. Again he received a call from his engineer pretty soon after that final stop, and then I spoke to him a couple of times. And so I think the message that we were trying to convey was quite clear.

“The situation was that he was very focussed and very transfixed on making the most of the tyre he had on the car, a new set of tyres that he’d saved from the previous day, and capitalising on that in the early laps after that final pit stop.

“He probably underestimated the effect of his actions. But he’s a race driver, he’s a fiercely competitive individual, you don’t win 27 Grands Prix and three World Championships and the amount of pole positions that he’s achieved without being a very driven individual.

“He had a new set of tyres available at that last stint and he wanted to make the most of it. We all know there’s a bit of history between the two of them, and I’m sure that was somewhere at the back of his mind as well.”

Pressed by Kravitz Horner on RBR’s failure to control the situation he continually came back to the fact that racing drivers are competitive.

“I think with any race driver, any seriously competitive race driver, of course team orders goes against what they compete for. We saw it with Mark in 2011 at Silverstone, we saw it on previous occasions, we saw it at the final race in Brazil at the end of last year only two races ago. It’s a tricky one, because obviously the interests of the driver are different to that of the interests of the team.

“Team orders are permitted, they exist in F1. The constructors’ championship for the team has equal or more important to the drivers’ championship, because the constructors’ championship where the funds are distributed on.

“So of course, there are different objectives going on within a Grand Prix, that of the drivers, and that of the teams.”

Horner stressed once more that concerns about tyre wear prompted the order to hold station.

“I think he was very motivated to win that race. I think he recognised that stopping when he did in the damp conditions at the beginning of the race was what dropped him behind Mark. Mark drove a great race. Our approach has always been to give priority to the lead car, which we automatically assumed was Mark, after that first round of pit stops. Having effectively got to that final stop with the cars in order we had concerns over tyre wear.

“It was something we’d been monitoring through the Grand Prix – and had genuine concerns of not running out of tyres before the end of the race. And with the Mercedes not too far behind, having shown better degradation that we had on Friday, for us it was vital to then manage that part of the race, to ensure that we navigated our way safely to the end.

“Of course the two drivers fighting each other, following in close proximity wasn’t part of that game plan, because that’s the one way to really quickly burn up your tyres.”

Force India has confirmed a deal with Mercedes for the turbo era, beginning in 2014.

The deal includes engine, associated systems and gearbox. Until now the team has used gearboxes supplied by McLaren.

Dr Vijay Mallya said: “Our new agreement with Mercedes-Benz for the coming years is the most significant in the history of Sahara Force India. With new powertrain regulations being introduced next year, I can’t think of a better partner to work with as Formula One enters a new and exciting era. The agreement gives us the long-term stability we require and will enable us to continue our journey towards the front of the Formula One grid.”

Toto Wolff added: “It is a significant milestone to announce our first long-term agreement for powertrain supply under the 2014 regulations. Sahara Force India was our first genuine customer in Formula One back in 2009 and we are delighted to enter an expanded, long-term relationship with them from 2014 onwards.

“This long-term agreement offers excellent value in terms of the balance between price and performance. We hope it will mean Mercedes-Benz and Sahara Force India working together for the entire life cycle of the new powertrain generation.”

Fernando Alonso believes that he would have had the pace to fight for victory in the Malaysian GP, had he not been an early retirement.

He said that the opposition was much closer than it had been in the first race in Australia.

“I think today we had a good car, and I don’t think we were too far from the Red Bull pace, especially in the race,” he said on Sunday evening. “They didn’t have the easiest weekend in Malaysia. In Australia they were very strong, first and second in all practice, first and second in qualifying, and they were very good and fast. Also Lotus was very consistent in Australia, and we knew that.

“But in Malaysia no one was especially quick. I think we could really fight for a win, why not, with the Red Bulls. But obviously from the television it’s difficult to know.”

Alonso says that the team still needs to find some one lap pace in the dry: “We know that we miss some performance from the car. Q2, that is more representative one, because in Q3 we had rain – and in Q3 in Australia was with dry tyres but a wet track, so we didn’t have normal Q3s so far. So the last reference was Q2 here, and we were six-tenths off Rosberg.

“So for sure we are still missing some pace, and in China and Bahrain we will try to reduce this gap. We have three weeks now to work in the factory and bring some parts. Everyone will do it but hopefully we can take a bigger step than the others.”

Meanwhile Alonso rued the bad luck that saw his front wing get trapped under the car and send him off the road at the start of the second lap. He said it was easy to suggest that the decision not to pit was wrong, although his assertion that the wing began to drop off just before the pit entry would appear to have been a little wide of the mark, given that it was clearly dragging along the ground almost immediately after the contact with Sebastian Vettel.

“We touched with the front wing the car of Sebastian. It was a very, very small touch, but enough to damage the front wing a lot. It was extremely bad luck in my opinion, that incident. And then we were constantly talking on the radio on the first lap.

“The car felt OK, more or less, in the first two sectors, and from the television the team saw damage on the front wing, but we knew that on lap three or lap four we’d switch to dry tyres, so if we make it to that lap we’d save 20 seconds or maybe 30 seconds in the race. So at that point we said at the moment maybe everything looks OK, you don’t have the front wing performance that you should expect, but we see the next lap how it develops, this problem, and maybe we’ll make a decision.

“Unfortunately in the back straight the front wing dropped and we started to see some sparks from the floor and more damage, and at that point we were five seconds before the pit entry and we didn’t make it, and then on the next straight the wing fall and it was underneath the car and it was not possible to turn. So a lot of circumstances went in the wrong way, maybe the decisions can be wrong or good, it’s very easy afterwards to see what is the best thing to do.

“But I think it was extremely unlucky combination of things that happened. So many crashes in Australia in Q1, we saw people going off in the parade laps here, and nothing happened. We touched one car at 10km/h and we didn’t even have the luck to lose the front wing, the wing stayed half just to make us crash after one lap. This is the fact. It can be a wrong decision or good decision, you never know until afterwards, but the unlucky factor is there for sure.

“Looking now, after the incident, for sure it was the wrong decision to make. But at that point it was risky, but it was maybe the right thing to do. Who knows?

“If this unlucky combination didn’t happen, and we stopped on lap 3 and we changed the tyres and the nose and we win the race here, we were heroes.”

Claire Williams has been confirmed as deputy team principal of the team founder by her father Sir Frank.

A statement today said that she working alongside Sir Frank she will “play a pivotal role in the day to day running and long term development of the race team. The position will strengthen the future of the team and create a clear succession path for Williams.”

The announcement was delayed after the recent death of her mother Ginny.

Claire started with the team as press officer in 2002, later become head of communications, head of investor relations, and latterly director of marketing and communications.

Sir Frank Williams said: “Over the past decade Claire has worked tirelessly for Williams. Her knowledge of the sport and passion for the team is unquestionable, and I’m proud to say that during her time here she has proven herself to be one of our most valuable assets. With Claire being appointed Deputy Team Principal, I know the future of Williams is in extremely safe hands. This appointment also had Ginny’s blessing who I know would have been incredibly proud to have seen Claire taking on this position by my side.’’

Claire Williams said: “I have grown up in the sport and have learnt the ropes from one of Formula One’s legendary Team Principals and as a result I feel well equipped for this new challenge. I understand the commitment that every person within the team gives each day to see our car out on the track and I am determined to see us back at the top.

“I don’t underestimate the challenges that lie ahead but I have the full support of the Board and a very talented Executive Committee who will be invaluable as I move forward in this role. It has been a sad month for my family and Williams as a company following the death of my mother, but as the season takes hold we must look to the future. It will be a privilege to play a part in taking the team into what I hope will be a successful next chapter.”

Stefano Domenicali says that managing two competitive drivers it’s not easy – but stresses that Ferrari’s drivers are mature enough to understand that the team comes first.

Ferrari has not been without team order controversies in the past, and with Felipe Massa now back on form, having outqualified Fernando Alonso in the last four races, there could be more to come.

“For sure it’s not easy, you can see what is happening in other teams,” Domenicali said when asked by this writer after the Malaysian GP. “I never speak about the others, you know me. You go and speak with them, it will be fun!

“But it’s something from the general point of view that it’s part of the competition, it’s part of the fact that every driver believes that he’s the strongest, and it’s good to be like that.

“And it’s part of the maturity of the drivers that are working with Ferrari to understand that.”

Calm before the storm – Webber’s final stop. Photo: AC

It’s a measure of just how much turmoil Sebastian Vettel created in the Red Bull camp that even his number one supporter and mentor Helmut Marko was frustrated at the way the Malaysian GP turned out.

Intriguingly he tried to defend the team’s awkward situation by implying that Mercedes had favoured Lewis Hamilton.

“We have to go through everything,” Dr Marko told this blog. “Obviously it’s not what we expected. After the last stop we saw that Seb was very, very quick on his out lap, so it was obvious that they would come together, or side to side. That was the problem. Before then it was not necessary, because they were so much apart.

“The team did the right thing, we told the drivers to keep positions, and all of a sudden they were side-by-side, and at this stage it went out of control. But it shows that we don’t have this number one and number two like Mercedes. But it shouldn’t be like it was, because we were all worried about the tyre wear, and we were lucky to finish one-two.”

Marko admitted that it was not easy to manage two very competitive drivers: “We have to work it out internally. It’s a positive thing, it’s not like Mercedes where it’s ‘bang, you stay behind.’ When you do have guys like Sebastian and Mark in such a situation there’s no way of controlling it.”

He conceded that in an era where saving tyres is so important such situations are bound to arise.

“It’s very hard to manage, but in the end we were lucky, because the tyres stayed together much better than we expected. They both did very fast laps in the last stint, so maybe we have to be a little less critical to Pirelli.”

Marko said he had no problem with Vettel telling the team earlier in the race that Webber was too slow and they should “get him out of the way,” a message that led to considerable criticism of the German’s attitude.

“It was correct, because Hamilton was behind him, and was getting into DRS. Mark got the message and immediately went faster, so that worked as a team should work. He just said Mark is too slow. Look what was in the rear – it was Hamilton and Rosberg, not only were they coming into DRS, there was a danger that they could do an undercut.”

Stefano Domenicali admits that Ferrari took a big risk in leaving Fernando Alonso out with a damaged front wing after his first lap touch with Sebastian Vettel in Malaysia.

The team hoped that it would stay in place for four or five laps and take the Spaniard into the window for the switch to dry tyres, but it came off and went under the car at the start of the second lap, sending Alonso off the road.

While there was some logic to the decision to stay out Ferrari sources admit that the team had been too greedy, adding that some of those involved in the decision couldn’t actually see the TV pictures that clearly indicated that the wing was not just damaged but was askew and already dragging along the track.

“I think at the end of the day I think we took a risk that was quite high, and didn’t pay off,” said Domenicali. “After the touch the race of course I would say in those conditions is not over, but almost over. And considering the situation where there was this transition from wet to dry that was coming in… In normal conditions it was very obvious that you come in and do the stop, no doubt. In this condition of transition if you believe that the wing can stay alive or survive, you try to take the time, because here as we know the track is getting dry very quickly, so you may have the chance to pit first with the dry tyres and be the hero of the weekend.

“But unfortunately the wing didn’t say there. Effectively it didn’t move out, it just went under, so we couldn’t go back to the pits. That was the thinking behind it, to be very open.

“The decision was from the pit wall. Fernando of course, he was feeling the car, but you cannot really see exactly the damage from the point of view that he has in the car. As always it’s something where we take responsibility as a team. It was unfortunate.”

As for Alonso’s reaction, Domenicali added: “I think that Fernando is very mature. He’s not happy of course about the result, because it’s zero points in the championship, it’s very heavy. He’s very mature, he’s looking forward, positive, because he feels that we have something to play with. It is a shame when you lose important points in these conditions, but he’s totally focussed now, looking forward to the next one.”

Domenicali stressed that it was important to move on.

“It was a shame because I think that today we could have taken good points out of the race. That’s why it’s important to close this Sunday, not positive, and looking ahead. I believe the championship is very long, we see that the performance of the others is very good, but we have also seen during these two races there were so many different performances between different cars in different conditions that it’s almost impossible to understand something.

“I see a lot of overreaction from other teams on the tyres, another thing in my view that it’s better to stay cool and calm about, as always in life. It’s a shame because after this Sunday I believe we could have taken much more points, but let’s move on and target China, because it will be another important Grand Prix.”

Regarding Ferrari’s place in the current pecking order, he said: “I don’t know exactly where, but for surely between the leaders. There are tracks where our car will perform better, there are certain tracks where some others will perform better than ours. For sure Red Bull is still the strongest at the moment, but we will see. Mercedes has done a step, Lotus is very competitive, it will an interesting and challenging season, but we will be there, no doubt.”

After finishing third in Malaysia Lewis Hamilton admitted that he felt a little awkward that team orders were required to keep him ahead of Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes hit fuel consumption problems, although Hamilton suffered more than his team mate.

“We just had a big team talk just now, and everyone’s been fantastic,” said Hamilton. “The guys did a great job today, and Nico in particular did an exceptional job and showed great maturity. It was a very unique and difficult position for me to be in, and I’m going to work hard to make sure I’m not in that position again.

“We look at the positives. We are the second fastest team, which is a massive bonus. To be that close at some stages – you’ve got to remember that i was competing with the Red Bulls at some stages in the race – and to be in that position was a great feeling. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough fuel in the car, more so in my side, so I was fuel saving from lap 25 or something.

“So it was very much an impossible task to challenge the guys in front. At the end I was fuel saving like you couldn’t believe, I was lifting and coasting everywhere, so there was no way I could compete with any of the people around me. But that’s motor racing. I’m sure if we were all on the same fuel it would have been a different situation. I’m confident with that.”

Asked if about the prospects of winning races this year, he said: “We’re the second quickest team at the moment, we’re not the quickest, but if we keeping working in the direction that we are going there’s all the possibilities that we could be the quickest at some stage this year.”