Adam Cooper F1

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali admits that the Italian team is not where it wants to be heading into the 2012 season, but he is confident that the situation will improve.

He denies that there is any sense of panic in the camp ahead of Melbourne.

“There is none of this, just an awareness of where we stand,” said Domenicali. “We have been realistic when communicating about the problems we have had, because transparency is part of the way I go about things.

“The lack of satisfaction comes from the fact we did not meet our technical targets and so everything refers to ourselves. Where we are compared to the others, we do not know for certain and our lack of satisfaction might also turn out to be excessive. Having said this, a clearer picture of the hierarchy on track will only emerge after the first four races.”

Domenicali defended the decision to go for a more radical car for 2012.

“We had asked our engineers for an extreme car, because without that, we would have been unable to close the gap to the best. The first configuration of the exhausts showed good potential, but it caused problems – the tyres overheated and the performance was unstable. Therefore we had to change, even if I certainly was not happy about it. We are still working on the original set up, but we will be unable to test it until the Mugello test at the beginning of May, because we believe it could give us a good performance advantage.

“Sport goes in cycles. Over the last thirteen years, McLaren has won just one Constructors’ and one Drivers’ title, Renault had two fantastic seasons and then nothing, Brawn had a one-off, Mercedes has only managed two podiums in three years and at the moment, this is the Red Bull cycle.

“In 2010, we began a new technical cycle. Important steps were taken in terms of the organisation and working methodology and here I’m thinking mainly about the areas of simulation and strategy. Aerodynamics is not yet at an adequate level. It’s not easy finding the right people, but this has to be a stimulus for those who work for us. I tell you this as someone who experienced the Schumacher era first hand and I recall how much we suffered before getting there. Ferrari will be back with another winning cycle as the basics are in place to achieve it.”

Regarding the team’s potential rivals, Domenicali said: “This year, Red Bull again starts out in front. McLaren is on form, Mercedes has taken a step forward and Lotus is looking strong, but they also began well last year.

“Toro Rosso and Force India also seem good, especially on a flying lap. So there might be some surprises at the start and then the situation will settle down but I expect everyone to be much closer to each other than in 2011.”

He admitted that there was pressure to get the job done.

“I’ve got pressure on my back, which is as it should be. I am not the one who designs the car: my task is to give my people everything they need in terms of organisation and structure. Having said that, I am very much aware of my responsibilities. There is pressure, but I feel the support of the whole team and of President Montezemolo.”

Domenicali also made some interesting comments on the RRA: “The agreements relating to cost reduction are still valid and we are evaluating if it can be up to the FIA to ensure they are respected, introducing sanctions of a sporting nature.

“Why didn’t we ask for the checks that were outlined in the agreement to be made last year? Very simple, because we did not want it to sound like an excuse for our performance. As for the Concorde Agreement, I can only say that we are moving forward. Maybe, after what happened to the ocean going liner of the same name, we should not call it this anymore…”

Alexander Rossi has been confirmed as Caterham’s test driver, alongside Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, who has already been announced as the team’s reserve driver.

Although no races have been listed, he will gain more F1 experience running in Friday practice sessions.

The American will also continued to race in the Renault 3.5 series with Caterham.

Team principal Tony Fernandes said: “Today’s announcement marks an important next step for Caterham F1 Team and Alexander’s career. As our official F1 Test Driver, Alexander is a key figure in our long-term plans  and the investment we are making in him now will help him make the most of the natural talent he has at his disposal.

“We see 2012 as an important year for Alexander as he will be combining a full calendar in World Series by Renault, a championship he has a very good chance of winning, with his Test Driver role and giving him the chance to take part in FP1 gives him the platform from which he can grow into an even bigger F1 role.”

Rossi said: “In the past year I have spent time in Hingham at the factory and built solid relationships right across the team. I feel really comfortable with everyone and am looking forward to growing as a professional with Caterham and acquiring as much experience as possible from Friday Practice, the F1 simulator and time with the team.

“Winter training has been very good as Pro Performance, Caterham F1 Team’s physios, are looking after all my fitness and nutrition, preparing me for this season and my next step to F1. I am fully ready for the task at hand. I have not been in a car since the F1 rookie test in Abu Dhabi last November, but have been on the simulator.

“I am very eager for World Series by Renault testing to begin next week and get down to work, where I’ll be running with Arden Caterham in the classic green and yellow colours. The 2011 season was good, but now I have that experience under my belt and I’m determined to fight for the championship throughout the 2012 season. This is going to be an incredible year!”

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has approved three last minute tweaks to the F1 Sporting Regulations, ahead of the first race in Melbourne.

The changes are outlined in the FIA’s words as follows:

– One set of dry-weather tyres may now be carried over to Saturday if both Friday sessions are declared wet; it is hoped that this will result in teams carrying out more laps on Saturday.

– Changes have been made to the personnel curfew to ensure the rest periods remain constant throughout the season, irrespective of the timing of practice sessions at particular events.

– The race director may now prohibit the use of the adjustable rear wing (DRS) if he feels visibility is too poor in wet conditions. This has been done as a result of safety concerns over large speed differentials between cars.

Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn is confident that the team has made a big step since last season, and is in good shape heading to Melbourne.

The team has been stuck in fourth place for the past two years, but Brawn is clearly optimistic.

“We are well prepared, both at the factory and on track, as a result of our structured development and testing plan,” he said in a Melbourne preview. “And I am confident that we are in a good position. How this translates to our performance relative to the competition is, of course, the key question and it will be interesting to see how it all shapes out next weekend.

“My thanks to all of the team at Brackley and Brixworth for their hard work
and dedication over the winter months and I hope we will be able to reward them with a strong season.”

Norbert Haug added: “Starting the third season with our Silver Arrows works team, we think we are better prepared than the two years before, which indicates that our learning process is heading in the right direction. The Mercedes F1 W03 has run reliably since its first run on 16 February, completed 4,450 km during pre-season testing, and achieved an average daily testing mileage of 472 km – this equates to an average of more than one and a half Grand Prix distances during each of the nine test days.

“After testing, we know we have a solid basis to work from and a good platform for development. Understandably, there is much speculation about the pecking order of the new season, and finally we will get a first answer on Saturday afternoon during qualifying in Melbourne, when everybody has to put their cards on the table.”

Williams Grand Prix Holdings has announced an improved financial performance for the year to December 31 2011, with overall earnings up by 14.8% or £13.5m.

A company statement said: “On a like for like basis the core business, which combines the traditional Formula One business and diversification using our Formula One derived IP, has seen turnover increase from £90.8m to £102.3m, and EBIT increase from £8.2m to £9.8m. This has driven an overall Group turnover of £104.5m (2010: £91m) and an EBIT increase of 20.6% to £7.6m.

“The results of the investment businesses, Williams Hybrid Power and Williams Technology Centre Qatar, are growing as expected and are in line with the board’s long-term business plan.”

Regarding the improved performance, Williams chairman Adam Parr added: “The Group has enjoyed a strong performance over the last 12 months, in spite of continuing difficulties in the global economy. Our 2011 Annual Report shows strong results and our current cash position is excellent. At 29th February 2012, the Group held net cash of £29.2 million. We can therefore look ahead with confidence.

“We have made a number of new technical appointments that will strengthen our performance in Formula One and we are delighted with our new partnerships with Renault in Formula One and Jaguar on the C-X75 hybrid supercar project. Our new business developments across Williams Hybrid Power, Williams Advanced Engineering and the Williams Technology Centre Qatar are delivering promising results.”

Pirelli will use a 2010 Renault R30 for its tyre test programme this year, as a replacement for the now outdated Toyota TF109.

One of the main drawbacks of the latter was that it dated back to the refuelling era, and thus had a small tank and could not be run with a representative heavy fuel load.

No driver has been confirmed as yet for the programme.

The choice of the Renault came after long discussions with the teams, as there as an obvious concern that a team directly involved in the testing could gain an advantage.

Explaining the decision, Pirelli said: “The 2010 Renault will be adapted to simulate the latest technical and aerodynamic regulations, as Pirelli develops new tyres for the future. With official in-season testing limited to one session at Mugello in May, a test programme with a contemporary car will play a vital part in Pirelli’s tyre development throughout the year. In order to ensure complete impartiality, the test team will be run by Pirelli with no team member connected to a current Formula One team, in the same carbon black Pirelli livery as was used last year.”

“Four to five tyre tests are anticipated for this season, just as was the case last year, in Barcelona, Jerez, Spa and Monza. The first test is due to take place in May, with the remaining test dates still to be decided.  All of the current teams will be invited to send one observer to each test, although no data or other information about the test programme will be supplied.”

“It was clear from an early point that we needed a more modern solution for our test car, as while the Toyota TF109 has served us extremely well, it is now three years old,” said motor sport boss Paul Hembury. “Technology as well as the regulations have moved on considerably since then, and the Toyota is no longer able to generate the same sort of forces that we need to simulate in order to meet the current requirements of Formula One.

“At the top of our agenda is the need to treat the teams entirely equally, which is why the test team will be run independently and all the teams will be able to send an observer to the tests.

“Our new test car will be running to current fuel regulations, with no refuelling, so we will be able to simulate a full race distance and the change in balance with the car and tyres. The final piece of the jigsaw will be to recruit a test driver, and we hope to announce this within a month. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Toyota, who have given us exceptional support as we developed our range of tyres for 2011 and 2012. They have played a significant part in our achievements in Formula One to date, and now we look forward to building on this in the future with a new range of tyres.”

The Marussia MR01 is now cleared to race after passing its final FIA crash test today.

The car was allowed to have a shakedown on a promotional day at Silverstone yesterday, and had already passed an ‘unobserved’ test.

“After a challenging few weeks for the team, we are pleased to have overcome the last hurdle of the final FIA-observed crash test, which we passed today,” said technical consultant Pat Symonds.

“The component in question actually passed an ‘unobserved’ crash test but has been performing inconsistently in the observed tests. The previous fail was only marginal so we needed to have a slightly more robust solution in place. A few minor adjustments to the original concept of the component was all that was required.

“We were all thrilled to see the new car out on track over the past two days and whilst we have a lot of catching up to do, we take heart from the fact that everything is back on a more positive trajectory. We now look forward to the challenge of the season-opener in Melbourne next weekend.”

The new Marussia finally appeared on track today

The Marussia MR01 has been shaken down at Silverstone today after the team failed to make the Barcelona test.

The car failed the 18^th and final FIA crash test, which forced the team to skip Spain and instead run it on a filming or promotional day, and on demo tyres.

The car has been designed by a revamped team after the departure of Nick Wirth last summer. It has also benefited from the team’s technical relationship with McLaren.

“We are very pleased to be running the new MR01 for the first time this morning,” said team principal John Booth. “It has been a long and frustrating wait for everyone in the team but we can now get back on track – literally – and start working towards the first race of the season in Australia next weekend.

“Today is the first of two promotional events, so while the drivers will be able to get a feel for the car, they won’t be able to draw any real conclusions until we start running in anger in Melbourne. Nevertheless, this is an important day for us and we’ll enjoy every minute on track with the new car.”

HRT has confirmed that it will shakedown its new F112 in a filming day at Barcelona on Monday.

The team said: “The F112 will see then the light and will cover its first kilometres during this promotional filming session. Narain Karthikeyan will be the driver in the cockpit on this occasion. Pedro de la Rosa and Dani Clos will also be present to see how the new car evolves.”

Given that it has had all winter to get itself organised – and could have done some proper testing on race tyres if it had readied the car even a day earlier – the schedule does not bode well for the team’s prospects.

Tavo Hellmund, the man who kickstarted the US GP in Austin, is suing his partners in the project.

Hellmund was marginalised last year when he failed the meet his obligations with Bernie Ecclestone and the contract for the race was cancelled. A new one had to be negotiated by his fellow partners, in other words the actual investors in the project, led by businessman Bobby Epstein.

The suit suggests that the original contract could not be fulfilled because the other partners withheld the required funding.

Hellmund has not been involved on a day-to-day basis for some time.

However, his suit indicates that he still owns just over 20% of the project – and claims that he was due a $500,000 salary over 10 years.

More on the story from my Autoweek colleagues: 120309942