Preparations for the inaugural Russian grand prix in 2014 appear to have hit a roadblock.

We reported last weekend that rumours were circulating in the Barcelona paddock that the Sochi race now appears “doomed”.

The state owned Moscow news agency Ria Novosti now reports that political issues have created “serious delays” in the race’s preparations, according to an adviser with the Russian Automobile Federation.

The official, Igor Yermilin, insisted that the project is not doomed, but he said very few efforts have taken place following the bureaucratic reshuffling of the local Krasnodar region.

He said some officials of the Omega company, responsible for the F1 circuit project, have lost their jobs.

“In the Krasnodar region there has been have been quite serious changes in the leadership,” Yermilin said, “including people from Omega who signed the contract on holding the Russian grand prix”.

The coastal city Sochi is also scheduled to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“The main thing at the moment is the Olympics — the grand prix is on the back burner,” said Yermilin.

Organisers of the New York street race have hit back at Bernie Ecclestone’s claim the inaugural 2013 date might be delayed a year.

The F1 chief executive had announced a race on the streets of New Jersey for 2013, and recent photos showed that work on the main pit building is well underway.

But Ecclestone told the BBC this week: “Maybe the New York race will be 2013. It’s a (question of) when. 2013 or 2014.”

Some sensed that the surprise news might be a diversionary tactic by Ecclestone, who is under intense pressure to cancel this weekend’s highly controversial Bahrain grand prix.

Indeed, a spokesman for the 2013 New York street race has reacted to the 81-year-old’s news with surprise.

“There’s nothing to it,” the spokesman, Stephen Sigmund, is quoted by NJBiz. “The race is on, as scheduled, for 2013.”

The race site is predominantly in the Port Imperial development, owned by Roseland Property Co.

That company’s managing partner Carl Goldberg said: “As the primary land owner for the race site, we continue to plan and prepare for a June 2013 race.”

 The BBC’s delayed and edited highlights of Sunday’s Australian grand prix attracted more viewers than the British broadcaster’s live coverage of the same Melbourne race a year ago.
From 2012, F1′s television coverage for Britain is being shared between pay-channel Sky – who have the full-time live rights – and the public broadcaster BBC.

Last year, the BBC’s live coverage of the 2011 season opener averaged 2.13 million viewers.

But the delayed highlights package for 2012, aired hours after the race finished between 2 and 4pm, attracted 2.7 million viewers.

The figures may, however, be a one-off, with Australia usually among the lowest-rating races in Europe due to the very early morning live timeslot.

Sky’s live coverage of the pay-channel’s 2012 coverage, meanwhile, averaged just 526,000 viewers.

A spokesman for the channel refused to comment on whether Sky was disappointed with the figures.

“It is the performance of the whole (F1) channel we are interested in. We are pleased with the launch of the channel overall,” he told the Guardian.

Eight of F1′s 12 teams are based in Britain.

 Timo Glock is hoping McLaren’s driver simulator is accurate.
That’s because he is relying on that data in hoping his 2012 car – the new Cosworth-powered Marussia MR01 – is fast enough to beat F1′s 107 per cent qualifying cut-off.

If not, he and rookie teammate Charles Pic could be left out of Sunday’s season opening Australian grand prix.

Some promotional running on demo Pirelli tyres aside, the MR01 sat out the entire pre-season period because it twice failed to pass one of the FIA’s mandatory crash tests.

“As it (the testing) was on the demo tyres, I can’t say much. The feeling was very good, but it’s just a feeling,” said Glock.

In addition to the Silverstone shakedown, he has done three days at the wheel of the car in the virtual world, thanks to the former Virgin team’s technology deal with McLaren.

In the McLaren simulator, German Glock said the car was fast enough to qualify for races.

“But I’m cautious,” he said, “because we do not have much experience with the simulator.”

Meanwhile, HRT is pushing to get a final shipment of components to Melbourne in order to put together a second 2012 chassis.

“If there’s a flight delay, it could be we miss P1,” Pedro de la Rosa told the BBC.

 HRT has confirmed that its 2012 car, the F112, will finally make its track debut on Monday.
Recently, the FIA barred Red Bull and Ferrari from tweaking their test schedules so that their Barcelona running could end on Monday.

But struggling backmarker HRT asked its rivals for special permission, given it had yet to use its separate allowed test day for ‘filming and promotional’ purposes.

Actually, the Cosworth-powered HRT is also being launched, debuted and shaken down, after a failed FIA crash test delayed progress for a team already recovering from a change of ownership and the exit of boss Colin Kolles.

A report in the German press said HRT has been focused not only on the ‘step nose’ 2012 car, but also buying up all the infrastructure needed for a new F1 team — like pitstop wheel guns at EUR 4000 apiece.

The team said Narain Karthikeyan will do the driving at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday, with Pedro de la Rosa and reserve Dani Clos also on hand.

EFE news agency quotes de la Rosa as admitting the first six months this year will be “very hard” for HRT.

Other Spanish reports said the F112 was finally fired up in the factory on Sunday.

“I’m very happy,” said de la Rosa, “but also I know how much work is ahead, because we are two months late and we are starting with virtually no preseason.”

Referring to Monday’s shakedown, he added: “It’s better than nothing and, for us, it’s almost a victory,” de la Rosa is quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

HRT is hoping to get one up on its tailender rival Marussia by at least running its 2012 car before shipping it to Australia.
Marussia, formerly Virgin, has announced that after failing an FIA crash test, it will be unable to run its new Cosworth-powered car at the final Barcelona test this week.

“Of course it’s a shame,” German driver Timo Glock told the DPA news agency, “but safety comes first.”

HRT’s 2012 single seater, however, has – despite a similar delay – at least now satisfied the FIA’s safety rules and is therefore allowed to run at the Circuit de Catalunya if able.

Indeed, in the Barcelona paddock this week, the HRT motor home is present.

But team figures Pedro de la Rosa and boss Luis Perez Sala have admitted that, while now homologated, the 2012 car is not quite ready to be tested.

“The truth is that, today, the goal is to try to debut on Sunday,” de la Rosa is quoted by the Diario Sport newspaper. “If not, we would have the possibility to do a test on Monday.”

The FIA has already declared that testing on Monday – the day after the final official Barcelona test ends – is not allowed because that would be the week before Melbourne.

But HRT is yet to do its allowed filming day, team boss Perez Sala is quoted as saying on Wednesday.

“We are in the construction phase of the car and it would be great to have it ready for Sunday,” added de la Rosa.

The former McLaren test driver also revealed that HRT’s new car is designed to run KERS, unlike the 2012 Marussia.

“It is designed to use it, but the team has decided to start the season without (KERS),” said de la Rosa.

With one group test and three weeks until Melbourne, Ferrari, Red Bull and Lotus have modified their pre-season programme.
According to widespread media reports, and confirmed by the top teams, Red Bull and Ferrari will delay their Barcelona running next week by a day.

They will therefore test between Friday and Monday rather than Thursday through Sunday.

It is believed they argued successfully to their competitors, who needed to unanimously green-light the change, that Mercedes set the precedent by leaving Jerez one day early recently in order to run alone on the day before this week’s Barcelona test.

Speculation indicates that Ferrari wants the one-day delay in order to gain more time to manufacture parts.

Following a difficult start to the life of the Italian team’s radical new F2012 car, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone this week said Ferrari “know what the problem is”.

“It’s not a (difficult) problem to fix,” he told reporters, “so I think you’re going to find that they are going to fix it quite shortly.”

Red Bull, meanwhile, wants some quieter running in order to test parts that have been held back by Adrian Newey’s technical team, according to rumours.

“They haven’t shown everything yet,” thinks Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, according to Bild newspaper.

And Lotus will almost certainly be granted an extra test day in addition to next week’s four days of Barcelona running, after the former Renault team pulled out this week after discovering a serious chassis problem.

“This request will probably be accepted by the other teams,” Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn confirmed to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Nico Rosberg’s father has questioned the decision by Mercedes to delay the launch of its 2012 car.
Nico Rosberg, the German-born son of 1982 world champion Keke, has publicly backed his team’s approach in not running the W03 in anger until now, a full group test after main rivals Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari got their new cars up and going.

“There is definitely some risk,” said former McLaren and Williams driver Keke Rosberg, 63.

“It’s Barcelona and so there could be some snow and the test could even be cancelled.

“Or if it happens to you what happened to Ferrari in Jerez, then you have even a shorter amount of time to fix everything.

“The tests are separated only by days and then there is the last one, and again it could be snowing or raining,” added Rosberg. “It’s not Andalucia, remember, but the Costa Brava.”

Rosberg said the issue for Mercedes and also Ferrari is the risks they are needing to take in order to catch up with last year’s pacesetters, Red Bull and McLaren.

“How could Ferrari be having such problems, when without the exhaust gases last year they won at Silverstone?

“Maybe it’s because they had to take such a leap, but when you do that there’s the risk it will go wrong.

“It’s the same for Mercedes, because last year they were in calm waters with a big gap to the top and the middle groups.”

The inaugural running of last month’s Korean grand prix has been brought into question with a piece of emerging news on Thursday.

Although F1′s FIA inspectors cleared the bespoke venue in Yeongam for the October 24 event, it has emerged that state inspectors have deemed mobile stands unsafe for an international F3 race scheduled for late November.

Organiser Barry Bland said in a statement: “(Local promoter) KAVO have had to cancel the (event) due to Force Majeure.”

He said the reason was a “legal technicality with the circuit”, and a KAVO spokesman told AFP news agency that the cancellation is due to “delayed approval from inspectors”.

KAVO, or Korea Auto Valley Operation, is a joint private venture involving the Jeollanam-do regional government.

The spokesman Kim Jae-Ho said the decision will not affect next year’s Korean grand prix, unconditionally scheduled on the 2011 calendar for 16 October.

“We will do our best to build complete mobile stands,” he said.

“Compared to the lack of experience, we believe the first F1 race was staged in a satisfactory way, but we need to make perfect preparations for the F3 race next year,” the spokesman added.

A third grand prix on the trot looks set to be disrupted by rain.

Bad weather affected the consecutive Japanese and Korean events recently, and rain is already disturbing the teams as they set up early this week at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil.

F1′s first sign of rain came at the weekend, when a golf tournament contested by Rubens Barrichello in Sao Carlos – a city of the Sao Paulo state – was cut short due to heavy rain.

And as the big teams including Ferrari set up at Interlagos on Monday, workers took cover inside the pit garages when a rain storm struck.

For the weekend, the initial forecasts predict possible showers across Friday and Saturday, with a reduced chance of rain for Sunday.

Last year’s Brazilian grand prix, held in mid October, was badly affected by rain, with delays protracting qualifying to an excruciating 160 minutes.

“There’s always a chance of rain,” said local Barrichello this week.

The holdup on Nico Hulkenberg’s contract extension for 2011 is because Williams wants him to commit for a very long time, according to a German report.

It has been reported that the British team is contemplating replacing the 2009 GP2 champion next year with the Venezuelan pay-driver Pastor Maldonado.

But Sir Frank Williams has now described 23-year-old German Hulkenberg as “exceptional”, raising doubts about the reason for the delay in his re-signing for 2011.

According to Sport Bild, the Oxfordshire based team wants him to sign a new five-year contract.

The deal will reportedly include a EUR15 million ‘out’ fee in the event that Hulkenberg wants to switch to a different team before the five year term is concluded.

New F1 circuits look unlikely to be able to emulate Korea, whose delayed Yeongam venue was given an eleventh-hour reprieve by the FIA.

Usually, the governing body inspects a new track 90 days before the inaugural race date, giving either a thumbs-up or down.

But in the case of Korea, with construction badly delayed, Charlie Whiting kept postponing the final inspection until mere days before this week’s event.

“Is that going to happen again? No,” said Nick Craw, FIA senate president.

He was speaking to the Austin American Statesman newspaper, after visiting the site of the 2012 United States grand prix and saying he was happy with the organisers’ plans.

American Craw said future races in India and Russia will also be subject to the 90-day rule, to almost certainly be reinforced by the FIA at its November meeting.

“That probably protects everybody’s interest a little better than running right up against the event and saying, ‘Golly gee, we’ve got it wrong’,” he explained.

However, the construction timetable for the Austin race is tight, and he revealed that he will lobby against the 90-day rule if race promoter Tavo Hellmund thinks it will be a problem.

And Hellmund confirmed: “We certainly don’t want the mandate of 90 days because the only track it would affect in the world would be this one.”

Williams’ decision about whether to retain Nico Hulkenberg for next season is not imminent.

While Rubens Barrichello is believed to have agreed terms for a second season with the British team, German rookie Hulkenberg’s future is less secure.

It is rumoured Williams is looking into replacing him for 2011 with Pastor Maldonado, Hulkenberg’s new successor as GP2 champion and substantially backed within Venezuela.

Barrichello admitted last month that the team was “analysing the Nico Hulkenberg situation” before scheduling an announcement about 2011.

Asked if Hulkenberg is still in favour at the Grove based team, chief executive Adam Parr answered: “Absolutely.”

But asked for details about the delayed confirmation of the team’s next lineup, he answered: “I cannot go into that,” adding that he doesn’t know when an announcement will be made.

Asked if the ‘cards are in the air’ regarding Williams’ driver lineup at present, he admitted: “I am afraid they are at the moment.”

Williams has delayed the announcement of its drivers for 2011 because the British team is considering whether or not to retain Nico Hulkenberg.

That is the suggestion of Rubens Barrichello, amid widespread expectations the Brazilian veteran has now signed a new contract to stay with the Cosworth-powered team next year.

“On my side I think it was an easier decision,” the 38-year-old is quoted by Brazil’s Globe Esporte.

“They (Williams) are waiting. I think they are analysing the Nico Hulkenberg situation in order to do it (an announcement) together for next season,” explained Barrichello.

“My part is done, all that is left is the papers to make it confirmed. That I will be with Williams in 2011 is 100 per cent,” he confirmed.

Williams has confirmed reports that Dickie Stanford is returning to grands prix in the team manager role.

Stanford, who previously held the role until he moved to a factory-based job in 2005, is replacing Tim Newton, who will now be based at Williams’ Grove headquarters as production manager.

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At a very wet Hockenheim on Friday morning, Red Bull announced a new sponsorship deal with LG, already F1′s official technology partner.

The Korean electronics giant’s logo will appear in three places on the RB6 car, as well as on the drivers’ overalls and helmet visors.

And at the press conference, LG’s Seoul-based marketing chief Dermot Boden played down continuing speculation that South Korea’s inaugural grand prix in October might have to be delayed.