Rubens Barrichello on Wednesday admitted he is keenly awaiting the arrival at Williams of Mike Coughlan.

Coughlan, out of F1 since being sacked by McLaren and subsequently banned by the FIA amid the famous spy scandal, will join the British team in June, while departing technical director Sam Michael serves his last six months.

Until then, 39-year-old Barrichello admitted he is frustrated to be “driving my balls off and finishing nowhere”, but insists he is not thinking of quitting.

“The car’s not there, you are fighting all the way. But having said that it’s just too early to think about walking away,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun.

“I’m sure I will (turn things around), but I’m suffering here at the moment.”

Barrichello, well clear of his record 300th grand prix, admitted the thought of former McLaren chief designer Coughlan joining is a motivating factor.

“The team is going through a tough period. And right now the family needs to hang on and create a nice environment. It’s almost cuddling time to get things going.

“We just need to wait until Mike Coughlan comes in and hopefully that will give us direction with some technical leadership,” he said.

Alain Prost will be the ex-driver representative on the stewards’ panel in Monaco this weekend.
It is the four time world champion and former team owner’s second appearance in the role, after kicking off the FIA’s driver representative era in Bahrain last year.

Prost, now 55, is one of the most successul drivers in F1 history; his 51 wins bettered only by Michael Schumacher’s 91.

He dominated in Monaco between 1984 and 1986, and also won in 1998 when his arch-nemisis Ayrton Senna crashed at Portier whilst easily leading.

It also emerged in Monte Carlo on Wednesday that the FIA has installed “higher kerbs and speed bumps” to stop drivers from short-cutting the chicanes at the tunnel exit and the Swimming Pool.

At the same time, teams were struggling to get their motorhomes up and running after being delayed by the Ste-Devote fire.

Ferrari has laughed at reports it could be in the middle of a new spying scandal.
After the Spanish grand prix, Helmut Marko accused the famous Italian team of secretly listening in on Red Bull’s race strategies.

“We have noticed that Ferrari is doing some kind of espionage,” the Austrian said.

“We called Mark (Webber) into the box relatively late, and yet they (Ferrari) managed to get Alonso in as well. They had been able to respond to us.”

It is believed Marko’s suspicions hardened when Red Bull issued fake commands for its drivers to pit in Barcelona, and Ferrari still moved to respond.

“We can only laugh at that,” Ferrari spokesman Luca Colajanni is quoted as saying by German-language sport1.de.

“It is clear that everybody observes everybody else,” he added.

There is little tension in the Red Bull driver line-up this year because Sebastian Vettel has the clear upper hand.

That is the belief of outspoken former triple world champion Niki Lauda, who predicts that Mark Webber will also struggle to keep up with his teammate in Monaco this weekend.

“No. Vettel is simply faster than Webber,” the great Austrian told Cologne tabloid Express when asked if the high conflict between the pair seen in 2010 might soon return.

Australian Webber appeared to get his campaign back on track last weekend with pole in Barcelona, but German Vettel ultimately won his fourth race of the season.

“We will see that again in Monaco, so again there will be no discussion or tension. I would bet already that he (Vettel) will be three tenths faster,” said Lauda.

He also commented on the decision by Ferrari and Fernando Alonso to extend the Spaniard’s contract through 2016.

“I don’t understand it,” said Lauda. “I always did two year contracts, which was a mutual actual on both sides to promote competition. With a long contract, you lose that.

“I am sure that with Ferrari this is a combination of Alonso and the sponsorship of the bank Santander, but if I was Ferrari I wouldn’t have done it for so long,” he insisted.

Organisers of the Bahrain grand prix must boost their staff numbers if the race is to be rescheduled in 2011.
The Financial Times reports that, as the troubled island Kingdom’s government cracked down on protesters recently, about a quarter of the Bahrain International Circuit’s staff was arrested, suspended or sacked.

The potentially damaging claim was revealed by one of the detained staff who, according to the report, “declined to be named for fear of retribution”.

The source said two senior staff are among those who were detained.

“They (police) were all slapping and kicking me as they led me down the corridor,” he said.

“He put my head between his legs, flipped me on to the floor — and then the beatings really began.”

The Sakhir circuit declined to comment, but a government source said the staff were removed for applauding the cancellation of the race.

“Allegations are exaggerated or unfounded to gain international sympathy,” claimed government spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa.

The deadline for the rescheduling of the 2011 race is June 3.

The quest for pole position has lost its importance amid F1′s new spectacle of 2011.
That is the claim of veteran drivers Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barrichello, with the former claiming earlier this month that the strategy chaos caused by the Pirelli tyre situation has meant “the death of qualifying”.

“Now I can confirm it,” the Team Lotus driver wrote in his latest column for La Repubblica in the wake of the Spanish grand prix.

“The drivers are focusing more on saving a set of tyres than doing the fastest lap, and in the race the reason becomes clear.

“Who has more tyres, wins,” added Trulli.

Williams driver Barrichello agrees that the situation, with the Pirelli tyres degrading heavily and a big gap in performance between the compounds, is causing teams to radically re-think the importance of qualifying.

“Some big teams will be thinking seriously about using only hard tyres in qualifying, dropping to 16th or 17th, and having three sets of new soft tyres for the race,” the Brazilian is quoted by Agencia Estado.

“Depending on the track, that could be the best way,” added Barrichello.

Joan Villadelprat has questioned Ferrari’s decision to oust its technical director.

Villadelprat, a veteran engineer who in the 80s worked for the famous Maranello based team, had predicted the rolling of heads in the days before it was announced Aldo Costa had “relinquished” his top post.

“The pressure on Ferrari at the moment is brutal,” he wrote in his El Pais column on Monday, after both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were lapped in Barcelona.

“Things must change, that’s obvious. But they must avoid at all costs the rolling of heads, a typical reaction at Ferrari when things are not going as planned.

“Rather, they need to consolidate the technical team and give them confidence to keep doing their job. They are back moving in the right direction but they need more time,” insisted Villadelprat.

Two days later, the Spaniard told the sports daily AS that he does not think the departure of Costa is the right response.

“In a company like Ferrari you cannot succumb to panic. After five races this was not the time to make big changes but the pressure was too great.

“Without doubt, going on now without Costa is a counterproductive measure because he is the same man who last year produced a fantastic car for Ferrari,” added Villadelprat.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Autosprint reported rumours that others at Ferrari – probably those closest to Costa – may also shortly lose their jobs.

Also noteworthy is that in Ferrari’s brief media statement on Tuesday about its “technical side”, chief designer Nikolas Tombazis was not even mentioned.

Sauber and Sergio Perez can count on their powerful Mexican backing well into the future.
Carlos Slim Domit, the son of the world’s richest man, was in Barcelona last weekend to check on Telmex and other Mexican sponsors’ backing of rookie driver Perez and the Swiss team.

“I am very proud, as is the whole country,” said Slim, referring to the form displayed so far by 21-year-old Perez.

Asked how long he planned to support the driver and his new team, he answered: “A long, long time.

“Why not?” he added when asked by Blick newspaper if a five-year partnership can be envisaged. “We have a long term goal. We want to win the world championship one day.

“We have the time and with Perez a racing driver with great potential. He is only just beginning his great career,” said Slim.

He was told by Blick that ultimate success in formula one costs many hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We will support Sauber with the necessary resources for as much development as possible. We are very happy with this team. We are like a family,” added slim.

Unlike the other races so far in 2011, Monaco will not be an overtaking-fest, according to Ross Brawn.

The combination of the new ‘DRS’ rear wing system and Pirelli’s high-degrading tyres has caused an abundance of passing this year, even in Barcelona last weekend, the scene of usually processional grands prix.

But Monte Carlo will be a track too far for F1′s new formula, Brawn suspects.

“The finish line straight is too short,” said the Briton, alluding to the 380 metre ‘DRS’ zone that can be used by chasing drivers in the race.

“With our strategic planning we do not think overtaking will be much easier than before,” Brawn told Auto Motor und Sport.

“Even a driver two or three seconds faster struggles to overtake,” he said.

Brawn therefore thinks qualifying will, as ever, be arguably the most important day in Monaco this weekend.

“Track position is probably the decisive factor,” he agreed. “So grid position will be more important than at any other track.”

There are, however, some unknown factors — including the possibly extreme degradation of Pirelli’s so far unraced super-soft tyres, and the influence on a barrier-lined street circuit of the rubber ‘marbles’ seen so far in 2011.

“I’m not worried at all,” insisted the tyre supplier’s Paul Hembery to Auto Motor und Sport.

Ferrari on Tuesday announced that Aldo Costa has left his job as technical director.
As the Italian team grapples with its poor start to the 2011 season, a media statement said Costa “relinquishes” his role “to take on new responsibilities within the company”.

Briton Pat Fry is now in charge of the chassis, while the engine and electronics remain in the hands of Luca Marmorini.

Sebastian Vettel is a brilliant driver and his countryman Nico Rosberg is in the same league.
That is the view of Gerhard Berger, who watched Vettel’s first grand prix win in 2008 as the team co-owner on the Toro Rosso pitwall.

“He is a killer,” the great Austrian told Bild newspaper, “and his great advantage is he doesn’t look like it. He looks like a nice young man from your neighbourhood.”

Two years older than 23-year-old Vettel is fellow German Rosberg, who has not yet won a single race despite having almost two seasons more experience.

But the son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg has consistently beaten Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, prompting Berger to observe: “I see him on a par with Vettel.

“All he lacks is a fast car.”

Ferrari might have more to say in the coming days about the banning of its innovative new high rear wing in Spain.
Before the Italian team’s red cars were lapped during the Barcelona race, the FIA told them to revert to a conventional rear wing design because the one used in practice took an interpretation of the rules too far.

“I do not say anything,” said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo afterwards from Italy, according to ANSA news agency, “but I want to comment on the matter in the coming days.”

Fernando Alonso led the race early but insists the team took a backwards step relative to the opposition.

“We were too slow on soft tyres and very slow on hard ones,” he is quoted as saying by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

The Spaniard added that a lack downforce is the main issue but he is refusing to give up.

“We took a step forward but at the same time McLaren and Red Bull took two,” he said.

“I have not given up but we need a better car. Let’s see what happens at Valencia at the latest.”

Team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted by La Stampa newspaper as saying Monaco, Montreal and Valencia will be crucial races to compare the performance in Spain due to the different tyres that will be in use.

Spain’s AS newspaper said Ferrari is coming under pressure from major sponsor Santander, whose boss Emilio Botin reportedly had some hard words with Domenicali at the Circuit de Catalunya.

“There is no doubt that in 2012 there will be new staff in key positions at Ferrari,” wrote the authoritative Livio Oricchio in his Jornal da Tarde column.

And Alonso is quoted by O Estado do S.Paulo newspaper: “Let’s have a very different car in Canada, and the next three races we have the soft tyres with which we are faster.”

Added Domenicali, according to Autosprint: “After these races, we will see where we are and what direction to take.”

Audi motor racing chief Wolfgang Ullrich has reinforced the Volkswagen Group marque’s decision to stay away from formula one.
As a debate rages about F1′s 2013 rules, it had been hoped that the turbo 4-cylinder formula would entice new manufacturers – like VW – onto the grid.

But Ullrich told Car Magazine that Le Mans-style endurance racing is the better bet for Audi.

“There’s a very good reason why we are not in F1,” he said. “There’s no relevance to the road.

“At Le Mans, one of our cars will cover 325 miles more than an F1 car will cover in an entire season, our average speed including pitstops will be 20mph higher than an F1 car and we will use 42 per cent less fuel.

“You cannot argue with those figures,” he said.

Sunday’s was the best drive in the meteoric career of Sebastian Vettel.
That is the claim of triple world champion Niki Lauda, who said despite Spain being the reigning world champion’s fourth win of 2011, the pressure applied by Lewis Hamilton made it clearly the best.

“I’ve always said Sebastian is a great racing driver, but today he drove the biggest and best race of his life,” Lauda said on German RTL television.

Barcelona did, however, raise a crucial question: how could McLaren’s Hamilton apply so much pressure in the race following Red Bull’s clear superiority in qualifying 24 hours earlier?

“I cannot give the answer,” Alex Wurz said on Austrian television ORF, “or I could immediately sell it for a lot of money.”

Asked the same question, Vettel is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport: “We’ve got a few theories.”

The mystery raises an interesting prospect for Monaco, where Fernando Alonso expects ‘DRS’, KERS and the Pirelli factors to not be great enough to overcome the overtaking problem on the famously tight street circuit.

“In Monaco, if you are in front, it will be difficult for anyone to pass you,” the Spaniard, who was lapped on Sunday despite leading the Barcelona race early on, told reporters in his native tongue.

“We know the important day in Monaco will be Saturday,” Alonso continued. “For the first time this year qualifying will be more important.”

Fernando Alonso was angry with Pirelli after Sunday’s Spanish grand prix.
To the delight of the partisan Spanish crowd, the Ferrari driver audaciously led at the start but ultimately finished a lap down and fifth.

“The superhard tyres … it’s a question for the Pirelli guys,” Alonso told EFE news agency after the Barcelona race.

“Why did they bring a harder tyre that grips less than the other one, degrades more and goes two seconds slower?”

Pirelli motor sport director Paul Hembery, however, insisted he was pleased in Spain, despite agreeing that four pitstops per driver is still too many.

“It was fantastic,” he said of the developed hard tyre. “There was zero wear, but of course you had to make it work.

“We did not want to see four pitstops (per driver), but you have to look at the leaders, who lapped the entire field.

“It is difficult for us to develop a tyre strategy that covers everybody,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

He said one solution to the four-stop problem would be, when the hard tyre is to be supplied, for Pirelli to drop the soft tyre and replace it with the medium.