Full qualifying times for the third round of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park.

1. Will Power Penske 1m 10.1356s
2. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 1m 10.6501s
3. Helio Castroneves Penske 1m 10.6569s
4. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 1m 11.0701s
5. Scott Dixon Ganassi 1m 11.3557s
6. Takuma Sato KVRT 1m 11.4387s*
7. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 1m 10.6307s
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport 1m 10.6903s
9. Ryan Briscoe Penske 1m 10.7602s
10. EJ Viso KVRT 1m 10.7757s
11. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 1m 10.7760s
12. Mario Moraes KVRT 1m 11.5219s
13. Simona de Silvestro Stargate Works/HVM 1m 11.0262s*
14. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 1m 10.7449s
15. Graham Rahal Sarah Fisher 1m 11.1495s
16. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 1m 10.9524s*
17. Hideki Mutoh NHLR 1m 11.2855s
18. Raphael Matos de Ferran Luczo Dragon 1m 11.0507s
19. Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 1m 11.5340s
20. Vitor Meira AJ Foyt 1m 11.1348s
21. Alex Tagliani FAZZT 1m 11.5669s
22. Mario Romancini Conquest 1m 11.6020s*
23. Dan Wheldon Panther 1m 11.6095s
24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne 1m 15.9800s
25. Bertrand Baguette Conquest 1m 11.9800s*

* denotes rookie driver

This afternoon although Davide Valsecchi was quickest on track, five newcomers climbed again in the Top 10 finishers. GP2 Series Pre-season testing came to an end today (Friday) in Barcelona with rookies firmly proving their strengths and potential, Christian Vietoris leading the field in the morning session and setting the best laptime of the day. A total of six rookies finished in the Top 10.

On great form since the beginning of the three-day test session, rookie Vietoris at Racing Engineering took top spot one hour after the pitlane opened and stayed put until lunch break. Oliver Turvey moved up to second fastest in the last half hour of the session edging out Dani Clos on the second Racing Engineering car.

Also competitive was Charles Pic at Arden, finishing fourth, his strongest showing so far. Behind him was another Frenchman and newcomer, ART’s Jules Bianchi rounding the Top 5. Yesterday’s quickest man Jérôme d’Ambrosio finished in 6th place ahead of Pastor Maldonado, the two Super Nova cars – Josef Kral ahead of Marcus Ericsson, and Sergio Perez at Addax. The session was red flagged twice, first following the collision between Ho-Pin Tung and Adrian Zaugg at Turn 5, and then after Bianchi hit the barriers at Turn 3 because of a technical gremlin.

While Leimer topped the timesheet for most of the afternoon session, the last thirty minutes where once again extremely animated and saw drastic changes in the classification. It started with Davide Valsecchi taking the lead with Maldonado moving up to second place three hundredths behind. Fabio Leimer at Ocean confirmed his good form in third place ahead of rookies Sam Bird, Turvey and Bianchi. Giedo van der Garde finished in seventh place with Max Chilton, Luiz Razia and d’Ambrosio in tow.

This marks the end of pre-season tests for GP2 Series. The 2010 season will kick off in Barcelona alongside Formula One on May 7, 8, 9.

(YF1)

Impressions: Williams F1 Team preview the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix to take place at the Shanghai International Circuit on the weekend of 16 to 18 April 2010.

Sam Michael, Technical Director: After the issues we faced in Malaysia, we’re heading to China with a clear target of improving our performance. There are several key areas which we obviously need to concentrate on. Firstly, weneed to ensure that both drivers make it into the top ten again in qualifying in order to give them the best possible chance of scoring some needed points in the race. We also need to work on our starts.We have resolved the problem that Rubens had on the grid, and we will be carrying out a series of starts practices during the Friday sessions. In terms of car developments, we have been working hard on producing some aero improvements for the front and rear wings for Shanghai.

Rubens Barrichello: Shanghai is a really interesting circuit. It has a good combination of corners and that really long straight at the end of the lap which is perfect for overtaking. To hook up a quick lap, the car requires more aero strength, rather than mechanical, but an exact blend of the two which is always quite difficult to achieve. Together with the fact that the lap is also quite long with lots of different variables, setting up the car perfectly is hard work. I won the first race at Shanghai which is very special for me. I will always remember that win as it makes me think I can always do it again.

Nico Hulkenberg: Like Malaysia, I’ve previously raced in China; two seasons ago in A1 GP. It’s good to go to a Grand Prix with experience of the track. You can do as much training in the simulator as you want, but it doesn’t beat real, on track experience. The circuit isn’t one of my favourites, it’s very impersonal, but it does have a very long back straight which will be a good place for overtaking. Keep an eye out for that during the race as there should be some good action round that part of the lap. I am flying out to China on Monday, there’s no need to go out to this race early to acclimatise, but I do want to check out some of the sights as the city is quite cool. I’ll definitely be taking a trip to the Bund and the Oriental Pearl tower in nearby Pudong Park.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes preview the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix to take place at the Shanghai International Circuit on the weekend of 16 to 18 April 2010.

“Last year, they moved the race from the end of the season to the start, and the weekend was quite a bit colder and wetter than it had been before. The weather forecast doesn’t currently suggest this year’s event will be any different – but I’m optimistic that we’ll have a dry weekend and a more straightforward race than we did last year”, said Button.

“Nonetheless, it’s a track I enjoy: it’s a typical modern circuit – it has a real mix of corners, but it manages to combine some quite precise and technical sections with some faster corners and long straights. It’s a good drivers’ circuit while also being a place that benefits from a well-balanced car”, added.

“I think I’ve made some real progress in that area, though. I wasn’t completely happy with the balance of the car in Malaysia, so I spent a day back at the McLaren Technology Centre looking at how we could have done things differently in Sepang while also looking ahead to Shanghai”.

“Along with my engineers, I think we’ve developed an even better understanding of the MP4-25. We know how to fine-tune the car’s balance and how to develop it over a race weekend. Of course, it’s a continuous process, but the overall feeling is that we’re moving forwards – which, again, is always a positive.”

With the Chinese Grand Prix taking place on 18th April in Shanghai, the team is preparing for its next trip to Asia. It will be the first race with new Technical Director James Key on board.

Pedro de la Rosa: “The Shanghai Circuit is one I really like and enjoy. The last time I raced there was in 2006 and I finished fifth. It is a good track with a very long straight and nice overtaking opportunities. Overall the circuit has a great variety of corners, including hard braking for a hairpin and other corners which flow nicely. We are working hard on improving the performance of our car. There are 16 races to go, so the season isn’t over by any means. Looking at the reliability I’m quite relaxed. What happened in Malaysia was extremely unlucky and will not happen again.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I’m very excited to be racing in Shanghai for the first time in Formula One. I had a good weekend there with GP2 Asia in October 2008. I was second on the grid, set the fastest race lap and just missed winning after a safety car period. The circuit is very nice and the grandstand is really impressive. Actually I like the hard braking before the hairpin after the long straight. I feel it will be difficult for us in Shanghai, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I generally like racing in Asia, and with Japan not being that far away I usually see more fellow countrymen there than in Europe. Shanghai as a city is an exciting place too, but unfortunately we don’t get to see much of it as the track is pretty far away from its centre.”

Technical Director James Key: “I’m looking forward to the first race with the team. I arrived in Hinwil after the Easter weekend and met a lot of people. I got a very good impression of what’s going on. There is obviously work to be done, but the spirit within the team and the motivation are very high. What is now beginning to emerge is the direction we need to go in. Everyone is pushing very hard, and we are making plans at the moment on the direction we should go in the future to keep developing. I haven’t been to the track this year, so it’s going to be interesting to see how things are run, learn a bit about the tyres and talk to the drivers. It will be the first time I see the C29, so it will be good to have a close look at it along with Willy Rampf and go through it in detail.”

“As far as the circuit is concerned, it’s a fairly similar downforce level to what we have experienced on the past three circuits. It’s another purpose built track with some interesting features. There’s a very long straight, therefore downforce is a compromise. It’s a fairly high grip track, which might mean taking a little bit of wing off. Braking stability and traction are very important, and you have those two snail like corners which are tricky for the drivers. We have to see how the cars and the tyres deal with it. We hope for the best and will try to get some points.”

The Italian, who turns 60 in a few days, successfully overturned the FIA’s imposition last year of a lifetime ban, but the governing body is now working on an appeal. Flavio Briatore has admitted he might return to formula one after 2012.

Briatore, having stepped down not only as Renault boss but also as chairman of the London football club Queens Park Rangers in the wake of the ‘crashgate’ scandal, has ruled out returning to the sport as a manager.

But his friend, the F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, said a few days ago: “I think he could take up a role in the promotion of formula one.”

And Briatore has now told Italy’s Sky Sport 24: “I was thrown out as though a criminal. I will never come back to formula one as team manager, but perhaps (I will return) after 2012 in another role.”

FIA president Jean Todt’s new scheme, where an experienced former driver sits alongside the three other stewards at grands prix, is designed to add credibility to their decisions.

Alain Prost fulfilled the role in Bahrain, followed by eight time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in Australia and then Johnny Herbert at last weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

Austrian Wurz, 36, will be the fourth steward at the Chinese grand prix in Shanghai next weekend, according to Germany’s Passauer Neue Presse.

He last raced in F1 with Williams in 2007.

The formerly high-profile Williams, McLaren and Honda technical boss, who left Red Bull in the middle of last year, said in Malaysia that he was “disappointed” with the Dallara car and unsure whether significant progress could be made. It was reported from Sepang last weekend that the 50-year-old Briton, who began working with the new Spanish team as a consultant during its pre-season struggle for survival, was considering whether to now leave the outfit.

It was said he will make a decision about his future around the time of next weekend’s Chinese grand prix.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat, as well as Italy’s Autosprint, report that Willis’ departure is likely.

It is said that Briton Willis could switch to Force India, in the wake of technical director James Key’s move to Sauber.

Key was replaced in February by Mark Smith.
(YF1)

From his Swiss office on Tuesday, the 41-year-old’s day-to-day manager Sabine Kehm confirmed that the seven time world champion had reconsidered his earlier decision not to rejoin the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in 2010.

Kehm said in March that, with the German having played a leading role in his initial career until 2006, Schumacher now wanted F1’s new generation to carry the baton.

It was rumoured that the Mercedes driver did not get along with the GPDA’s chairman Pedro de la Rosa, who quit the association in protest after Schumacher’s Monaco ‘Rascasse’ parking incident four years ago.

In Melbourne, Spaniard de la Rosa stepped down and was replaced as chairman by Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld.

But on Wednesday, Kehm denied that Schumacher’s decision to rejoin the GPDA has anything to do with the Sauber driver.

She said: “Michael always supported the work of the GPDA, for many years as a director. After he retired the work had been successfully taken over by the younger drivers, and at first Michael was hesitant to join as he did not want to be involved again.

“But after some thoughts and discussions, mainly with Felipe Massa, he reconsidered this initial decision and will now be a silent member,” added Kehm.

Schumacher’s friend and former Ferrari teammate Massa, as well as friend and countryman Sebastian Vettel, are the new directors of the GPDA, replacing Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso.

After both his and Felipe Massa’s engines had to be replaced before the race in Bahrain, Fernando Alonso then retired at Sepang last weekend with a smoky blown V8. Ferrari has downplayed suggestions that last weekend’s Malaysian grand prix highlighted a major engine reliability problem for the Italian marque.

Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi’s Ferrari-powered Saubers also failed in the Malaysian heat, even though their problems were not related to Alonso’s.

Ferrari has now confirmed that the Sauber-spec engines failed due to “a malfunction of the electronic engine management”. All electronic control units fitted to F1 cars are supplied by McLaren Electronic Systems (MES).

The Maranello based team also said Alonso’s Sepang failure was sudden and isolated, and therefore not linked to the problems in Bahrain that were caused “by a momentary overheating”.

Ferrari said Alonso’s separate gearbox problem in Malaysia, where the Spaniard drove almost the entire race without a clutch, “could have caused some consequences for the engine”.

“A more precise analysis can only be made when the engine is back at the works (factory) on Wednesday afternoon,” added the team.

After a deceptively impressive winter season for the formerly BMW-owned squad, the C29 car has struggled for pace so far in 2010. Peter Sauber said he felt most sorry for departing technical boss Willy Rampf in the wake of the Swiss team’s Malaysian “debacle”.

On the grid formation laps at Sepang, Pedro de la Rosa’s Ferrari-powered car suffered an engine failure, and teammate Kamui Kobayashi’s V8 unit lasted just 9 laps more.

Malaysia was 56-year-old German Rampf’s last race at the helm, with former Force India technical director James Key, 38, starting work on 1 April.

“I feel most sorry for Willy Rampf. For nearly 15 years he was our loyal technical boss, and at his very last race he has to live through such a debacle,” 66-year-old team chief and founder Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

“Until the last day he fought for our team, and I know how much these losses affect him, even if he cannot do anything about it,” he added.

Ferrari is investigating the precise cause of the two engine failures, but Sauber said on Sunday that the problem was with the pneumatic system.

The failure aboard Fernando Alonso’s works Ferrari, meanwhile, was different.

F1’s three new teams aside, Sauber is the only entrant yet to score a single world championship point in 2010.

Peter Sauber, who is still looking for a main sponsor for his Hinwil based team, said: “Yes, it is our worst ever position.

“I knew that it would not be easy for us, but I didn’t count on it being quite so hard,” he added.

Michael Schumacher’s spokeswoman and day-to-day manager confirmed on Tuesday that the seven time world champion has rejoined the F1 drivers’ union, Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA).

We reported on Sunday that the 41-year-old signed up during the course of the Sepang race weekend.

Spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said last month that, with the German having played a leading role in the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in his initial career, Schumacher now wanted F1’s new generation to carry the baton.

“Now he really wants the others, who have taken over in the meantime, to continue,” she said.

It was rumoured that the Mercedes driver did not get along with the GPDA’s chairman Pedro de la Rosa, who quit the association in protest after Schumacher’s Monaco ‘Rascasse’ parking incident four years ago.

In Melbourne, Spaniard de la Rosa stepped down and was replaced as chairman by Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld.

Schumacher’s countryman and friend Sebastian Vettel, and his former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, have also now replaced Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso as directors.

Kehm confirmed on Tuesday that Schumacher is once again a member of the GPDA. It is believed the only non-member on the grid now is Schumacher’s countryman Adrian Sutil.

After the chequered flag flew in Bahrain, McLaren ordered Jenson Button to shortly begin a 30-hour return to Europe. Flying to F1’s next stop, Shanghai, would have cost the reigning world champion just five hours in the air, and only a couple more hours would have had him relaxing in his Japanese girlfriend Jessica’s native Japan.

But McLaren wanted Button, 30, to instead complete the 21,000 kilometre marathon for just a single working day at the wheel of the sophisticated driver simulator at Woking.

He will then fly from the UK back to Asia for a holiday, prior to completing the journey to China for round four next weekend.

“Thirty hours travel for one day,” Button smilingly contemplated before leaving Kuala Lumpur. “But it will be worth it, hopefully.”

After winning in Melbourne, Button comparatively struggled in Malaysia, climbing to eighth on Sunday while his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished a highly-commended sixth from lower on the grid.

Button is struggling with the balance of the MP4-25, while McLaren want him to hone the latest developments that are due to be added to the package in Shanghai.

“The great thing is our car is improving all the time, but I’m still not 100 per cent happy with its balance,” the Briton said.

“Hopefully we can sort out some of the problems in the simulator. It’s a long way back but they wouldn’t be sending me unless there were a few things to test.”

After a deceptively impressive winter season for the formerly BMW-owned squad, the C29 car has struggled for pace so far in 2010.

On the grid formation laps at Sepang, Pedro de la Rosa’s Ferrari-powered car suffered an engine failure, and teammate Kamui Kobayashi’s V8 unit lasted just 9 laps more.

Malaysia was 56-year-old German Rampf’s last race at the helm, with former Force India technical director James Key, 38, starting work on 1 April.

“I feel most sorry for Willy Rampf. For nearly 15 years he was our loyal technical boss, and at his very last race he has to live through such a debacle,” 66-year-old team chief and founder Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

“Until the last day he fought for our team, and I know how much these losses affect him, even if he cannot do anything about it,” he added.

Ferrari is investigating the precise cause of the two engine failures, but Sauber said on Sunday that the problem was with the pneumatic system.

The failure aboard Fernando Alonso’s works Ferrari, meanwhile, was different.

F1’s three new teams aside, Sauber is the only entrant yet to score a single world championship point in 2010.

Peter Sauber, who is still looking for a main sponsor for his Hinwil based team, said: “Yes, it is our worst ever position.

“I knew that it would not be easy for us, but I didn’t count on it being quite so hard,” he added.

(GMM) After finished last GP, Back at Maranello, Ferrari is hard at work to emulate the success of McLaren’s so-called ‘F-duct’ downforce-spoiling innovation.

On the British team’s 2010 car, the once-controversial solution – with the drivers controlling a flow of air through to the rear wing with their left knee – passed scrutineering at the Bahrain season opener.

At the next race in Melbourne, Sauber’s similar system made its first appearance, amid reports that Red Bull, Force India, Williams and Mercedes were also working on F-ducts at their respective factories.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said after Sunday’s Malaysian grand prix that Ferrari is also working on a version for the F10.

“We have seen that the advantage (of the system) is very, very big,” said the Italian, referring to the straightline speed advantage enjoyed by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

“We will bring it to the races as soon as possible, once we are sure that it is 100 per cent,” added Domenicali.