Adam Cooper F1

The FIA stewards have decided not to take any action against Red Bull after meeting with representatives of the team and Renault.

A report from technical delegate Jo Bauer had noted an engine map irregularity related to off throttle blowing of the diffuser.

In effect the stewards were persuaded that the rule was not written precisely enough so it could not be applied successfully.

The stewards reported: “While the stewards do not accept all the arguments of the team, they however concede that as the regulation is written, the map presented does not breach the text of Art 5.5.3 of the Formula One Technical Regulations and therefore decide to take no further action.”

Red Bull is under investigation by the FIA this morning after technical delegate Jo Bauer reported that he found an engine mapping irregularity.

Rivals confirm that the matter clearly relates to off throttle blowing of the diffuser, which is not permitted this year.

A technical report from Bauer said: “Having examined the engine base torque map of car numbers 01 and 02 it became apparent that the maximum torque output of both engines is significantly less in the mid rpm range than previously seen for these engines at other events.

“In my opinion this is therefore in breach of Article 5.5.3 of the 2012 F1 Technical Regulations as the engines are able to deliver more torque at a given engine speed in the mid rpm range.

“Furthermore this new torque map will artificially alter the aerodynamic characteristics of both cars which is also in contravention on TD 036-11.”

The stewards are now considering the matter, who  have the power to cancel the qualifying times of both drivers.

When this writer and a colleague told a surprised Horner of the FIA bulletin he said: “I’m not aware of any irregularities, and the result was declared after qualifying.”

Lewis Hamilton was frustrated to qualify only eighth in Hockenheim after being fastest in Q2 as once again McLaren had a difficult Saturday.

The team lost performance in the switch from intermediate to extreme wet tyres between the two sessions. Hamilton ended up just behind team mate Jenson Button, although both men gain a spot from Mark Webber’s penalty.

“It is a bit of a mystery for us, and I think we’re trying to understand these tyres,” said Hamilton. “At Silverstone the extreme worked really well for us, and we couldn’t work the intermediate. And then this weekend the intermediate was working really well and when we got into the extreme in Q3 for some reason it wasn’t getting any faster, and it was really like driving on ice. Jenson was saying the same thing, we were just sliding.

“You’d go into Turn One and the whole car was just drifting, so [we were] just not working the tyres, keeping the temperature. We asked the engineers and they said the temperatures just drop and we struggle to maintain the temperatures in them. It’s something we need to continue working at, but obviously it doesn’t put us in the best position in Q3. But the car is better.”

Asked to elaborate on how the latest update package has improved the car, Hamilton was optimistic that the race would show the benefits.

“We’ve picked up a little bit of grip, so when we’re driving in the dry the rear end feels a little bit stronger this weekend. But to what extent and how much quicker it is I don’t know, because we haven’t back-to-backed it. But it think tomorrow will be a good test for us. If we’re stronger throughout tomorrow then that should be the main reason.”

World Championship leader Fernando Alonso made it two poles in two races after an impressive performance at a wet Hockenheim.

In the end Alonso set the two fastest times of the day with his last two laps. Although he made it look easy, he insisted it was a tough session.

“I think the problem is that you don’t know the conditions,” said Alonso. “It was similar in Silverstone. You wait five, seven minutes in the garage and then you have completely different grip and completely different standing water in places that you don’t expect.

“So in the out-laps you try to memorise a little bit where the water is and how much to push, to feel a little bit with the car the grip. Then you start opening the lap you go surprise after surprise with the car, having moments everywhere, especially with aquaplaning into Turn Six.

“I think when you have this type of conditions it’s very difficult to put a clean lap together and it’s very easy to finish in the gravel or to finish in the grass, the wall or whatever. So, those type of conditions are a little bit of a survival moment, that you need to finish the qualifying and see afterwards what position you get.

“You try to complete the lap, to avoid any problem, and then whatever the position is, you are happy, because you know you were at the maximum, or you felt that you were at the maximum. So when they tell you, you are on pole, it’s obviously a very happy moment.

“But the race is tomorrow, today was good but we need to concentrate for tomorrow and also look at the sky – because the weather has been so changeable at the moment – yesterday and today – and tomorrow we need to be ready for anything.”

One of the keys to Alonso’s performance today was the decision to pit during Q3 for a fresh set of extreme wets in the search for extra grip in the closing laps.

“I think it was a very good decision in the end, because obviously I didn’t know what timed lap you could do if you kept running but as soon as I put on the second set of tyres, I found a little bit more grip in the car. Also the track was improving obviously, but I think we improved a little bit more thanks to the tyres, not only the track conditions, so I’m happy with the strategy today and I think it was the right call.”

The encouraging thing for both Alonso and his team is that the F2012 has been consistently fast in recent races, in all kinds of circumstances.

“Yeah, the car is performing well in all conditions this weekend, which didn’t always happen: we were quick on inters and not extreme and vice versa, sometimes good on wets and not so competitive on dries but it’s true that this weekend both Felipe and me were happy with the balance of the car and also quite competitive in all conditions, so overall, until now it’s been a very good weekend for us in terms of car performance, but we need to finish the job tomorrow.

“Tomorrow we will try to do our best. Whatever the position will be at the end is difficult to know because we didn’t have enough dry running, I think, to know about degradation, tyre performance etc, because Friday we had some rain in FP1 and this morning in FP3 was not a big preparation for the race either, so tomorrow is a question mark for everybody.

“We will all start the race in the same condition with some things to learn during the race, very open in strategy, very flexible because, as I said, we don’t have enough information from the weekend so far.”

Michael Schumacher will start from third place for the second race running after another strong wet weather performance at Hockenheim.

The former champ only just made it out of the dry Q1 session after being hampered by a car problem, but when it mattered in Q3 he secured fourth place, before gaining  a spot from Mark Webber’s grid penalty.

“We had a little technical issue that we had to solve in Q1, our car wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do,” said Schumacher. “But finally we fixed it and we were able to perform.

“I was just lucky enough to make it, with a tenth of a second, in P17. It was a little bit of a scary moment. In the wet we were always at the top end, just a bit unfortunate that we couldn’t keep that right to the end. We couldn’t get two good laps in at the end. Plus our tyres just started to lose the momentum. Alonso was clever enough to find out about that and change.”

Early in Q3 Schumacher could be heard on the radio saying that conditions were too dangerous, but he said the track improved: “Initially it was probably a little bit over the top, but then it developed very quickly, thanks to no further rain, so it was OK to run. But difficult.”

Asked about his long time reputation as a ‘rainmaster’, Schumacher had an interesting answer: “Look at Malaysia, I thought exactly the same, and I was nowhere! I think it’s a package. If the package is in my hands I can still do reasonably good. I would naturally love to see rain tomorrow, because we’re definitely stronger in rain conditions than we are in the dry, but we have to figure out what we can do in the dry as well.”

Regarding the race, Michael will be happy to hang onto his third place.

“I guess we’ll be very happy if we can keep in that position. It would be beautiful. We predict our strength to be fifth to seventh position, but if we can make a podium, that would be optimum.

“It’s good for the home crowd, good for our supporters. We have so many people coming here to support us, particularly tomorrow we’re going to see a lot more, so it’s a nice way to start the race.”

Maria de Villota has left hospital in the UK and returned to Spain to continue her recovery.

The Marussia test driver was injured in a freak accident at Duxford Airfield some 18 days ago, and the fact that she was able to travel is an indication that she is making good progress.

“Over the course of the past two weeks, Maria has made significant progress,” said the team in a statement. “More comfortable and familiar surroundings, plus the support of her wider family and friends, will undoubtedly provide a more conducive environment in which Maria can commence the next phase of her recovery.

“The Marussia F1 Team have remained in close contact with the medical team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital since Maria’s admittance and would like to express their gratitude for the remarkable care and attention that she has received there.

“The Marussia F1 Team – the staff, race drivers Timo Glock and Charles Pic, and all those associated with the Team – wish Maria well with the next stage of her recovery. The management team will continue to liaise closely with Maria and her family and provide any assistance possible during the coming months.”

Scuderia Toro Rosso technical director Giorgio Ascanelli appears to have left the Italian team, although official confirmation has yet to emerge.

A sheepish team principal Franz Tost said today: “I can only tell you that Giorgio Ascanelli is on holiday and there’s confidentiality between the two parties. That’s all that I can say to this.”

Sources suggest Ascanelli was in dispute with Tost about the level of resources devoted to car development.

The former Ferrari and McLaren engineer was always highly rated by STR drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, who drove for the team in 2007 and 2008.

Although he has been linked with a return to Ferrari the team has denied such a possibility, but given his McLaren history it’s not impossible that he could take a job with a UK-based team.

Sebastian Vettel admits that Friday in Hockenheim was something of a wasted day as the rain prevented the local hero from assessing the true form of the latest incarnation of the Red Bull RB8.

Vettel was 12^th in the morning session and an encouraging third in the wet in the afternoon, although in the mixed conditions times meant little.

“I think mostly I tried to get used to the conditions,” said Vettel. “It’s not impossible we have some rain tomorrow and on Sunday, the weather forecast is not looking great, so we’ll see.

“Obviously I would have loved to have had a dry session, especially this afternoon to get a couple of runs and be able to test a couple of things on the car. If conditions are like that, changing all the time, you are between extremes and intermediates, the circuit is drying, half dry, half wet, then it’s difficult to get a proper read.

“It’s difficult on Friday if the conditions are like that. We only have one set of tyres for free in intermediate conditions [ie which have to be used on Fridays], the extremes we have to carry them into tomorrow’s practice and potentially qualifying and the race. You obviously try to save the mileage on them, and you only have one set of intermediates for free. It’s limited the amount of work you can do just because you don’t know the kind of weather you can expect.”

As ever Vettel was a little coy about what sort of updates he had wanted to test: “We’re always pushing and having little bits here and there, no major upgrade I think, nothing you can see. I would have loved to have dry conditions just to see how the car works, how it feels, and that’s the only chance you get to get consistent laps and try whatever you want to test.”

Vettel also made an interesting observation about McLaren after Jenson Button was fastest in the dry FP1 session.

“They looked very competitive this morning, no doubt, we couldn’t go that pace. But I think we were not entirely happy this morning. It’s a Friday, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion.

“They looked very competitive in Silverstone on Friday as well and their weekend wasn’t so good. I think it can turn out one way or the other tomorrow and we have to look up to see what kind of weather we get.”

Michael Schumacher admits that he had lost concentration when he crashed in the wet FP2 session at Hockenheim today.

In the closing minutes of the session Schumacher went off at the fast right into the stadium, and touched the barrier with the front and rear of the car. He had been fourth in the dry morning session.

“Basically I was not fully concentrated,” said Schumacher. “I was on the radio and I was doing some other changes to the car, and touched the white line. That’s it.

“Cosmetically it looks almost all four corners touched on the barriers, so that’s not the nicest way, but the impact wasn’t too big.”

Schumacher admitted that Mercedes hadn’t learned much in today’s mixed conditions.

“It didn’t help us a lot, conditions, being so inconsistent, I don’t think we learned a great deal.

“It is what it is, so you’ve got to the best out of it. Nevertheless we’ve got to qualify probably in wet conditions, so that’s why it’s good sense to be out today and try the car and get the set-up right and so on. But it’s a guess work for Sunday.

“It’s OK. Any time we’ve been out, we’ve been top end.”

Sebastian Vettel emphasised today what a German GP victory would mean to him, especially after he finished only fourth in his home race last season.

Bizarrely he has never won a Grand Prix during the month of July, although he has little time for that unusual stat.

“Yeah, obviously it would be very special to win here,” said the double World Champion. “I think first of all to have the chance to race in your home country is something that’s very special, and being able to win would be incredible. We try again – but I don’t believe in a bad month or a bad date in that regard.”

As the half way point of the season approaches Vettel has 104 points less than he had at the same stage last year, after nine races.

“It’s different, of course. Obviously we had an incredible year last year, good start, a lot of points, a lot of wins. This year we’ve had two DNFs and all in all, I think it has been a tricky season. Obviously a lot of guys and a lot of cars that are very competitive, so naturally I think it’s a different season so far but feeling-wise, I feel as happy as last year really, so looking forward to this weekend, but I think we have a long season ahead of us.”

Today Vettel recalled some very early memories of visiting Hockenheim to watch F1 cars in action – including getting ripped off by a bottled water seller!

“Yeah, I remember the first time I came here was with my father in I think 1992. I was five years old and we came on a Friday, it was raining like crazy, on the old track. We were waiting for the cars to come, for Michael to come, but they only did the installation lap but that was already enough because just to hear the cars, the sound, see them, see the spray, was unique. So that’s a nice memory.

“A couple of years later I watched again a Formula One Grand Prix, from the main grandstand and it was very hot. I remember they sold water for 10 Deutsche Marks, which was really expensive at the time, and later on when we left we found out that they had just refilled the water bottles from the tap, so that was quite a good business.

“After that, through Formula BMW and Formula 3, a lot of racing here. It’s not far away from where I was born, where I grew up, therefore it’s obviously special to come here.”

Vettel said he likes the Hockenheim atmosphere, especially in the rowdy campsites: “I haven’t been camping myself but two years ago, last time we’ve been here, we’ve been to the campsite to visit the fans, so yeah, there have been plenty of fans and obviously the atmosphere was very special. I don’t know if you have been there already but if you haven’t then you should go – I think you will get a beer for sure.

“So, yeah, it’s a good atmosphere, a good vibe, so I think the people come here and enjoy the whole weekend. Hopefully the weather is not like Silverstone this week, otherwise it will be quite poor for them.”