Red Bull is lamenting the limited role that can be played in 2012 by F1′s aerodynamic genius Adrian Newey.

For the past few years, the energy drink owned team has enjoyed its dominance largely because of the airflow magic wrought by Briton Newey.

But in 2012, with reigning back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel just one of the five different winners so far, Pirelli rubber is king.

“I doubt Williams really know why they were so strong,” team boss Christian Horner, referring to Pastor Maldonado’s shock Barcelona pole and win last weekend, is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Horner insisted that, rather than the winner being the team with the best overall package at each race, success this season is about “understanding the characteristics of the tyre and the window in which they work”.

“It’s not that the midfield teams have made a quantum leap aerodynamically from last year to this year,” Horner insisted. “But from a performance point of view, this is what they have done.”

The logical conclusion is that aerodynamic cleverness has taken a back seat.

So will Red Bull knock a million or two off Newey’s huge annual retainer?

Horner laughed. “Adrian is not just an aerodynamicist, and aerodynamics are still important anyway. But now it’s about harmonising everything, and these tyres are simply remarkably complex.

“Two races ago Nico Rosberg dominated, but in Spain he was almost lapped. It is very difficult to predict what’s going to happen next — a nightmare for the bookmakers,” he smiled. “A lottery.”

The situation has split F1 into two camps: those who love it, and those who do not.

“It has become like a GP2 championship,” Maldonado, the junior category’s 2010 champion, is quoted by The National newspaper.

“The drivers can make the difference and the teams can still work on the strategy and the car.”

The bizarre situation has left everyone scratching their heads, like Jenson Button.

He can scarcely believe that what looked a championship car – his 2012 McLaren – was beaten in Spain by Shanghai winner Nico Rosberg, who was almost lapped.

“The Red Bulls did a better job at the weekend than us in terms of points, but still they weren’t quick when you compare them to Williams, Sauber, Lotus and Ferrari,” he told PA Sport.

“Five different teams winning five different races, we really don’t know what’s going on, and I think that’s the same up and down the pitlane.”

Five races in, F1′s cleverest brains are still yet to decode the mystery of the bizarre and fascinating 2012 season.

As was the case when he utterly dominated last year, Sebastian Vettel is still leading the drivers’ points chase.

But, before last weekend, if he had been told that Williams’ Pastor Maldonado would be the winner of the Spanish grand prix, the German admitted: “Well, I would have put a lot of money on them!

“I think the odds weren’t bad,” he smiled.

Indeed, the major British bookmaker William Hill was taking bets at 500-1 prior to the Barcelona weekend.

A spokesman confirmed that only two bets at 10 pounds or above were placed on Maldonado prior to qualifying.

“I’m sure Williams don’t understand why they just won the race here,” McLaren’s Jenson Button is quoted by the Guardian newspaper.

But the previously-derided ‘pay driver’ Maldonado is not the only potential new winner in 2012, after Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Vettel won the opening four grands prix.

A detailed look at F1′s specialist reporting in the past few weeks shows that Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Michael Schumacher, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi are all also widely regarded as genuine victory candidates in 2012.

And given that their teammates have won grands prix this season, even the struggling Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna should be added to that list.

“Dammit, let’s go for (HRT’s) Karthikeyan!” wrote Chris Hockley in the Sun newspaper.

“It’s really quite crazy right now,” Vettel, who despite his young age would count himself among F1′s currently perplexed purists, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“What’s happening is difficult for us to explain,” he added.

The situation has split the F1 audience, with the purists shaking their heads, and others marvelling at the unprecedented spectacle.

“The spectacle has taken over the sport,” said the Paris daily Le Figaro.

“Even the teams can’t be sure who will be the hare and who will be the tortoise at any given track,” wrote Hockley.

Alonso, who is the joint championship leader, is in the purists’ camp.

“Of course it is attractive for the spectators that we are going to Monaco not knowing if we will fight for victory or be left out of the points,” he is quoted by El Pais.

“But in a way, after eleven years in formula one and now I’m at Ferrari, I would like to have more stability,” the Spaniard admitted.

Sir Jackie Stewart said: “What’s going on is unbelievable, which I think is the outcome of the new rules, new tyres — I think it’s many factors,” he told the Spanish sports daily AS.

“What’s happening,” said Maldonado’s race engineer Xevi Pujolar, “is that these tyres are allowing teams who do not have the biggest budgets to be eligible for really good results.

“The reason is that the most important thing now is to have a good setup and also some luck with the temperature.”

Pirelli, F1′s tyre maker, has received both criticism and praise for its huge role.

“Pirelli have been both bold and brave,” Sun journalist Hockley said. “It can’t be easy for a manufacturer to make tyres that sometimes wear out faster than you can say Mercedes.”

Marco Tronchetti Provera, the Italian marque’s company chief, is unapologetic.

“What we have provided is what the teams have asked for, and it was not easy,” Italian language reports quote him saying. “Our engineers have done an extraordinary thing.”

Australian F1 fans are this week rejoicing in local hero Mark Webber even more than usual.

Pressure applied by the Red Bull driver was reportedly instrumental in returning the sport to the live television airways in Australian capital cities.

Fans were outraged with Australian broadcaster Ten’s decision to take formula one from its high definition channel One, which in turn meant viewers in Perth and Adelaide had no live coverage at all.

Angry fans bombarded Ten’s Facebook and Twitter pages with criticism abuse, and urged Webber to help their cause.

Webber obliged.

“Come on (Ten), I hear our great Australian motor sport fans are not happy with rescheduling of timings of the GPs,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Let’s go live.”

Within an hour, Ten reinstated Perth and Adelaide’s live broadcasts — and in full HD.

“The next time Ten wants to tangle with its motor sport audience, perhaps they should ask Mark Webber first,” read a report at The Australian newspaper.

Statistically, the Chinese grand prix raced straight into the history books as one of the most exciting formula one events of all time.

“For me, we are having some of the best races in formula one history,” agreed Jenson Button after finishing Sunday’s Shanghai race behind Nico Rosberg.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper reports that only three grands prix in the history of the sport played host to more individual overtaking moves.

The report said there were 72 passes in total on Sunday, not including the first corner of the race. Seven of the moves were on Kimi Raikkonen on one lap, after the Lotus driver’s Pirelli tyres gave up the ghost.

Last year in Shanghai, there were 63 passes. So far in 2012, there were more overtaking moves in China, Malaysia and Australia compared to the same races last season.

Canada 2011 still stands as the site of the most passes during a single grand prix, at 89.

In second place are the 1983 US grand prix and the 2011 Turkish grand prix (79 passes), followed by China last weekend.

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is celebrating the spectacle of the 2012 season so far.

“Who’s going to predict who will win?” he said, referring to this weekend’s grand prix in Bahrain. “I won’t.

“We’ve had three very different races and I think we are going to have potentially 20 very different races this year.”

 Ferrari will not appoint an official reserve driver in 2012, the famous Italian team has confirmed.
The Maranello based team’s former reserve, Jules Bianchi, has stepped up to the Friday role at Force India.

Also on Ferrari’s books are Davide Rigon, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gene.

But in the event Felipe Massa or Fernando Alonso are unable to race at any point this season, Ferrari will “take one of the drivers who are running around the paddock”, a spokesman told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“Last year we saw that Pedro de la Rosa was there and ready to go when Sergio Perez needed to be replaced at Sauber,” the source added.

For example, it is believed ousted Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari accepted the full-time radio co-commentary role with the BBC in the hope he will be needed by a team at some point this year.

Mercedes, too, will not have its official reserve – Sam Bird – on site throughout the long 2012 season.

“It makes little sense with the test limits to pay for an experienced test driver full-time,” explained Norbert Haug.

A few days ago, Red Bull’s team boss said Jenson Button – not the other McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton – is a more likely championship challenger for 2012.
On the eve of the new season, Christian Horner has now told British reporters that – with Hamilton’s current contract expiring this year – it is “difficult to envisage Lewis in our team”.

Hamilton, the 2008 world champion who had a tumultuous 2011 and was famously beaten by Button in the drivers’ points standings, insists he doesn’t mind.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of (the remarks) but they definitely don’t wind me up,” the Briton is quoted by the BBC.

“There are a lot of opinions, and everybody has their right to an opinion, but it doesn’t really affect me.

“It doesn’t really matter at the end of the day when I go out and do the job.”

In fairness to Hamilton, he sounds confident and refreshed heading into the new season, has patched up his relationship with his girlfriend, and appointed Didier Coton to look after him in the paddock.

“Lewis was a child prodigy — this is the problem,” 1996 world champion Damon Hill told the Sun. “When you have been brought up from an early age to be a product, at some point something will crack.”

Another pundit, former McLaren driver David Coulthard, urged Hamilton not to be put off by Red Bull’s apparent lack of interest in his services.

“I don’t think Lewis will ever be out of demand for the top teams,” said the Scot.

“What are Lewis’ other options? I don’t think Mercedes are waving around a cheque book — I’d be surprised if Michael (Schumacher) and Nico Rosberg are in the top-four earners in formula one.

“You also want a competitive car and if McLaren give him that, then he will probably stay,” said Coulthard.

Bernie Ecclestone has expressed frustration with the attitude of Australia’s formula one race organisers.
The F1 chief executive is pushing for the Melbourne race, with a contract through 2015, to be held at night for a more favourable live timeslot back in Europe.

He may even be offering a fee subsidy, but formula one remains controversial within the Victorian state parliament, with taxpayers footing $50 million bills annually.

Ecclestone has reacted by offering to sit down and negotiate an early end to the Albert Park deal.

“If the government wanted to, we could certainly come to some terms, I suppose,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun from London.

81-year-old Ecclestone reportedly wants the government, led by premier Ted Baillieu, to come clean about his plans for the future.

“It would just be nice for somebody to say to me ‘Bernie, definitely, 100 per cent, we don’t want to renew our contract’,” he said.

So Ecclestone reportedly warned that Baillieu should begin talks now if he wants to keep the sport in Melbourne.

The premier’s spokesman reportedly said the government will not ‘take an open chequebook’ to the negotiations.

 2012 US grand prix founder Tavo Hellmund is suing the Austin event’s backers.
The latest speed-bump in the Circuit of the Americas project is Hellmund’s lawsuit against Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs, claiming he would have made $500,000 per year as chairman for the next decade.

Hellmund also wants “access to the … books” and “declaration that he cannot be removed as a manager”, the lawsuit claims according to the local Austin American Statesman.

Hellmund did not immediately comment, while Epstein said the former promoter no longer works on the project.

“This is just a latest step in a pattern of behaviour,” said the Circuit of the Americas in a statement.

“Mr Hellmund uses negative press to try and create an advantage for himself at every turn.”

Fernando Alonso is by far the highest paid active grand prix driver, according to reports in the Spanish press.

The El Mundo report, citing information from Business Book GP, compiled a list showing that Alonso’s annual Ferrari retainer – excluding external endorsements – is EUR 30 million.

That is almost double the next largest retainer, owned by 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, at 16 million, although it is believed Kimi Raikkonen is being paid a similar amount this year due to Ferrari’s breach of contract.

Felipe Massa comes in at third with 14m, meaning the Brazilian is paid less than half the income of his Ferrari teammate.

Reigning world champion Jenson Button is reportedly paid EUR 9 million; significantly less than his McLaren teammate, but more than seven time world champion Michael Schumacher (8m).

Mercedes also pays Nico Rosberg EUR 8 million, which is marginally more than Robert Kubica’s 7.5m.

Interestingly, Rubens Barrichello (5.5m) earns more than Mark Webber (4.2m), but Sebastian Vettel’s 2010 retainer is reportedly just 2 million.

According to the list, Red Bull’s Vettel is therefore paid less than Lotus driver Jarno Trulli (3m), and approximately the same as Trulli’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen.

Timo Glock earns 1 million by driving for Virgin; more than the EUR 700,000 reportedly paid to Williams rookie Nico Hulkenberg.

Also earning less than 1 million are the Sauber drivers (500,000 each), Vitaly Petrov, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi (400,000), and the Force India drivers and Lucas di Grassi (200,000).

Bruno Senna is reportedly the lowest paid active driver, with a 150,000 retainer; 200 times less than Alonso.

Jun.16 (GMM)  Organisers of the inaugural Korean grand prix, scheduled to be held in October, have played down renewed fears the event might be called off.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone recently checked on construction progress of the Yeongam circuit and dismissed rumours it will not be finished on time.

But political tensions between South Korea and the rogue North have since ramped up, after the South blamed the North for the sinking of a naval vessel and the North retaliated by threatening all-out war.

“If there is (war), we won’t be there obviously,” Ecclestone told reporters in Turkey.

The latest development on Wednesday was a news conference given by the North Korean ambassador to the UN, threatening military action if the UN condemns the sinking.

“Our people and army will smash our aggressors with merciless counter reaction if they dare to provoke us despite our repeated demands and warnings,” said ambassador Sin Son Ho.

Sources recently indicated that the tension is slowing down construction of the 5.62 kilometre track, while teams are currently reluctant to charter equipment to Korea or book airline seats or hotel rooms.

But in a media statement, the race promoter Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) dismissed the speculation.

“We are extremely pleased with the progress of the circuit, facilities, and preparations for the grand prix,” said chief executive Yung Cho Chung.

“Construction is on schedule for completion this summer, and we have encountered no obstacles whatsoever, either logistical or political,” he added.

Many countries complain of declining audience figures at the Formula 1 race, but after the Turkish is pleased to now, the Canadian Grand Prix on a regular Plus. In Montreal today, even had the tickets be set because the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is now completely sold out!

Even at today’s pit walk, thousands Formula 1 fans, even though it was raining heavily in part. But the Canadians have always had something left for the Grand Prix racing after a year and are downright hungry. What is more, much more fans than in past years have come from Europe to the famous flair in Montreal once even able to witness live.

“There are thousands of fans that the Canadian Grand Prix have ever seen on TV and were now ready to fly across the Atlantic to a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal-style witness,” said organizer François Dumontier of the Octane Group. “We welcome them, just like all the other fans. And I invite all of Montréal to come too!”

As the tickets were issued last December, there was in Quebec immediately a run on the Formula 1 Montreal will be the first Grand Prix to be completely sold out this season. Therefore, the organizers have decided to commence with the advance booking for 2011.

Fears are growing that the inaugural Korean grand prix this October may have to be called off.

Although Bernie Ecclestone recently dismissed rumours that construction of the new Yeongam circuit might not be finished on time, political tensions between South Korea and the rogue North have been ramping up.

South Korea pointedly blamed the North for the recent sinking of a naval vessel that killed 46 sailors, and the North retaliated by threatening all-out war.

“If there is (war), we won’t be there obviously,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone told reporters in Turkey.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper cites sources as saying the political situation may already have further slowed down construction of the 5.62 kilometre circuit.

Amid the uncertainty, it is believed that the F1 teams association FOTA is not currently prepared to charter some of its equipment to Korea ahead of time if there is no guarantee of a race.

Moreover, it emerges that most teams have not yet booked airline tickets and hotel rooms for their staff, even though plans for the subsequent Brazilian and Abu Dhabi events are well advanced.

“This is a clear sign of how seriously they are worried about the possibility of cancellation,” said well-known Portuguese journalist Luis Vasconcelos.

If Korea is cancelled, there will be an extremely rare four-week break between the Japanese and Brazilian grands prix.

(GMM)

Cosworth is not in Rubens Barrichello or Lucas di Grassi’s good books at the scene of the Turkish grand prix.

Williams’ Rubens Barrichello, just fifteenth on the grid at Istanbul Park, said the British team is “suffering” from a lack of power.

“The engine that we brought did not work,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Globo.  “The straightline speed is not good.”

Lucas di Grassi is also unhappy, having been outqualified by Bruno Senna of the struggling HRT team.

“My lap was good,” said the rookie, who is finally at the wheel of Virgin’s updated VR-01 car this weekend.

“The car was good in the corners, but the engine was not working on the straights or in acceleration.”

Di Grassi will have a fresh engine fitted for Sunday’s race.

(GMM)

Cosworth’s business manager has scolded reports that HRT will struggle financially to make it through the 2010 season.

The speculation was triggered by Bernie Ecclestone, when the F1 chief executive was quoted as suggesting the new Spanish team is in difficulties.

But Cosworth’s Mark Gallagher said the general attitude about the sport’s new teams is wrong.

“There has been something of a tendency to find fault or criticism with the new teams wherever possible and I think this criticism is quite unjust,” he said on Monday.

Cosworth powers all of the three new teams in 2010, as well as Williams.

“From a Cosworth perspective all three new teams work hard and are good commercial as well as technical partners,” Gallagher added.

“I think we are in a better position than most to comment on their condition and what we see is nothing but positive.”

He also addressed reports that Williams, the only established team on Cosworth’s books in 2010, has been disappointed with aspects of the engine so far.

“The engine has achieved or exceeded its targets but we have also seen some issues which we are working hard to resolve,” said Gallagher.

(GMM)

The Daytona 500 is the only event with a unique qualifying system on the NASCAR circuit.  In the primary qualifying, only the front row (the pole position and the second fastest driver) are locked into the race positions.  Since 2005, NASCAR’s top 35 owners points standings from the previous season automatically qualifies those teams (not the drivers) into the event.  The top two teams that are not within the owners’ Top 35, automatically qualify in the Gatorade Duels, a pair of 150 miles (240 km) races. This is followed by a combination of last years’ owners points, pole qualifying speed and if needed, a past champions’ provisional fills out the field.

Qualifying

One round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series timed qualifying will be held. Each team may run two laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time. The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two and are the only guaranteed positions, filling the front row for the Daytona 500. • The Gatorade Duels, the 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.  The race won by Matt Kenseth with car number 17 on February 15 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach.  The Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya finished in 14^th position, and the race was called off with 48 laps to go after a severe rainstorm that had been lingering throughout the area hit the track.

Who is your favorite for Sunday’s Daytona 500?