Emerson Fittipaldi, the successful Brazilian driver of the 70s, has tipped Jenson Button as a strong contender to match his own tally of two world championships come the end of the 2012 season.

“From what I can see, it will be between Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. They are the big favourites,” the 65-year-old is quoted by Brazil’s Globo.

“Obviously, if Ferrari improves, then Fernando (Alonso) is spectacular. Lewis Hamilton is very aggressive, very fast, but I think Jenson is very clean, easier on his equipment and the tyres.

“I think this (season) is best suited to his (Button’s) style,” said Fittipaldi.

McLaren’s Button, however, is not so sure, pointing out the unusually closely-packed 2012 grid, and the big role being played by the Pirelli tyres.

“You don’t know who is going to be your main opponent on Sunday,” Auto Motor und Sport quotes the 2009 world champion as saying.

“It could be Red Bull, or Mercedes, or Ferrari, or Lotus or even Sauber,” he smiled. “So who do you focus on for the strategy?”

This weekend, F1 will find out whether the hot track temperatures in Bahrain will reshuffle the order. Button laughed when asked if it means McLaren will pull ahead of Mercedes this weekend: “We hope so, but we don’t know!”

Michael Schumacher, whose career stretches all the way back to 1991, said 2012 is the “closest season I’ve experienced”.

As for what happened in China, where his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg won from pole for the first time, the German admitted: “I really didn’t think that would happen.”

It is for that reason that Button warned against writing off F1′s reigning champions, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel said he is not expecting “miracles” in Bahrain, but he also said: “We still haven’t seen a team that is clearly above all the others.

“Maybe McLaren is the most consistent, but they didn’t do what you expected them to do in Shanghai …”

Jenson Button is an outright favourite for the 2012 title, according to former F1 driver Mika Salo.
The Finn, Salo, will be a regular in the paddock this season with the MTV3 broadcaster, except for this weekend’s season opener for which he is detained to test last year’s Ferrari at Suzuka.

Asked however in a pre-season interview to name some likely challengers to Sebastian Vettel’s crown, the 45-year-old answered: “Jenson Button is not necessarily the quickest driver, but he is able to collect points consistently.

“I would not previously have put him as a favourite, but when Hamilton had his personal problems, Button was immediately on the case.”

Behind Vettel and Button, Salo predicts Hamilton and Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg to be on the favourites’ heels.

“It will depend on Hamilton, and whether or not he splits with his girlfriend every other weekend.

“Nico will be strong, if he has a good car. Webber, I think, is a bit past it, especially if Red Bull is no longer as dominant as they have been,” he added.

They are the reigning back-to-back world champions and the favourites heading into 2012, but Sebastian Vettel has admitted Red Bull is not perfect.
“Yes, last year was nearly faultless”, the German is quoted by the Guardian newspaper.

But he admits he made mistakes.

“Fridays have been poor,” said the world champion. “I made mistakes. I crashed the car.”

Dr Helmut Marko elaborated: “He threw the car away four times unnecessarily.”

Vettel, 24, continued: “We got the concentration back when it mattered but on Fridays you only have a couple of hours to prepare the car — so we can improve on that.

“We had a meeting in January and went over the things that we need to do better and you would be surprised. It was a long list. There were lots of points to improve.”

Even heading into the fresh 2012 season, there are already new items on that list: Marko bluntly described the final day of pre-season testing, when Vettel did a paltry 23 laps and was dead-last, as “shit”.

But amid rumours the team might have to scrap its Melbourne update package for now, the Austrian insists Red Bull collected “sufficient” data from Mark Webber’s work last Saturday.

“We had three very good tests, but not perfect,” Vettel admitted to RMC. “Sure, there were a few pieces here and there that worked less well than expected, but overall there were not too many surprises.

“I feel good with the car, it (Sunday) was no big deal.”

McLaren’s Jenson Button, however – runner-up to Vettel last season – is keen to ensure Red Bull feels as much pressure as possible heading into 2012.

“In the last two years we weren’t able to (apply pressure) all that often,” he is quoted by the Koln Express, “but I think this year will be different.

“I want to see how they are when they are feeling that pressure,” the Briton added.

Fernando Alonso has named Mercedes as a dark horse for the 2012 season.
Together at the German marque’s new works team since 2010, Michael Schumacher’s return to F1 has been the subject of much criticism while it has been said teammate Nico Rosberg could go his entire career without a win.

But Alonso, the lead driver at Ferrari, insists he does not underestimate the German duo, or the Ross Brawn-led Mercedes team, even though they were soundly beaten by Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari in 2011.

“In formula one, the car is always the most important (element),” the Spaniard is quoted by EFE news agency.

“We know that Mercedes didn’t have a great year but we have to respect them. With a car capable of winning races, Rosberg and Michael are among the favourites,” said Alonso.

In fact, when contemplating the field of 2012, 30-year-old Alonso insists Schumacher – 43 next month – remains the reference for his rivals.

“I say (it’s) Schumacher, because we all respect a driver who has been champion seven times.

“He has always been very fast and there is nothing left for him to prove,” he added.

Toro Rosso’s current drivers are still unsure if they will be racing beyond the 2011 season.

Team owner Red Bull’s driver manager Dr Helmut Marko is famous for the pressure he puts on contracted drivers.

And hanging over Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi’s heads at present are the advancing careers of Marko’s latest favourites Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

“We have not talked about the future or next year’s contract,” Spaniard Alguersuari told the EFE news agency at the weekend.

“It is very important that the whole team is focused on the rest of this year,” he added, referring to Toro Rosso’s push to beat Sauber to seventh in the constructors’ world championship.

According to veteran Blick correspondent Roger Benoit, Swiss Buemi is in exactly the same situation with “five penalty shots” yet to kick in Japan, Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

“I know it’s going to get harder and harder up to the finale in Sao Paulo but I can live with the pressure, and my morale is intact,” the 22-year-old, who trails his teammate Alguersuari by 3 points, said.

He confirmed that Toro Rosso is pushing hard to beat Sauber.

“We have a different car now; front and rear, everything has changed,” said Buemi before his flight to Tokyo.

Australian Ricciardo, meanwhile, is currently at HRT but tipped to move to Toro Rosso in 2012.

But “All this is rumour,” he insisted to the Press Trust of India at the weekend.

Nico Rosberg quickly backtracked on Friday after insulting women sports stars as well as disabled athletes.
The Mercedes driver had been asked about the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, which kicks off in Germany on Sunday.

When asked if he watches women’s football as well as men’s, he answered: “Yes, it’s like the Paralympics — people who are not quite as good but overall it’s still exciting.”

Later realising his comments had been interpreted as offensive, the German said “the level (of premier women’s soccer) is really high. I am going to watch it and I think the Germans are the favourites.”

At least Rosberg, 25, knew the World Cup is about to kick off. According to Abendblatt newspaper, both Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez drew a blank when also asked in Valencia about the tournament.

“Women’s World Cup — is there such a thing?” Mexican rookie Perez enquired.

Mark Webber set Friday’s fastest practice time, but the Australian also sat out the end of the afternoon session while Red Bull repaired an electrical problem.

But in the sister RB6, 2009 winner Sebastian Vettel had been the quickest runner in the morning, demonstrating that the Austrian-owned team is still the favourite for British grand prix victory.

McLaren debuted its Red Bull-like blown exhaust layout on Friday, but Lewis Hamilton – the fastest of the two MP5-25s – was 1.5 seconds off the pace.

His teammate Jenson Button, nearly two seconds too slow in the afternoon, said: “We know it (the new package) will take a little bit getting used to and I am sure there is setup work needed, so we are going to have a busy couple of days getting it right.”

Closest to Webber’s ultimate pace was Fernando Alonso, but the Ferrari was four tenths slower in the afternoon session.

“I am quite optimistic for the weekend, but we know the characteristics of the track are maybe not the same as Canada or Valencia, so we will see,” said the Spaniard.

“I think Red Bull are clearly the favourites at the moment,” added Alonso.

A warm weekend of weather might be expected at Silverstone for the forthcoming British grand prix.

The weather has been nice in England so far this week, with the mid-twenties temperatures forecast to persist through to the formula one event on July 9-11.

But there has also been some cloud in the skies, and more possibilities of light rain are predicted for next weekend and an event that is so often blighted by bad weather.

“I’m sure when we go racing the clouds will come in like every year, and it will start to rain,” laughed German driver Adrian Sutil, who drives for the locally-based Force India.

Briton Lewis Hamilton won his home race in 2008 but last year, like the rest of the field, was annihilated by the dominant Red Bulls.

And despite leading the world championship, the 25-year-old is expecting Red Bull to again lead from the front.

Hamilton, whose British countryman Jenson Button also drives for the British team McLaren, said: “It’s going to be tough.  We can’t go into it thinking we’re the favourites because the Red Bull, as it stands, is definitely the fastest car.”

Jun.17 (GMM) Hopeful teams are facing a delay in the FIA’s decision about the final place on the 2011 formula one grid.

That is the claim of Joan Villadelprat, whose Spanish outfit Epsilon Euskadi as well as Nicolas Todt’s ART are considered the two favourites for the 13th team entry.

The FIA’s expression of interest process ended in April, with teams then lodging full applications and a fee by the end of June followed by “due diligence leading to a decision in July”.

But Villadelprat has now indicated that a delay is likely.

“I am optimistic about our chances,” he is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint, “but worried that the FIA will make a decision probably in August.”

“That gives the team an extremely short preparation time.

“It is therefore unavoidable at this stage to invest in the 2011 project without knowing whether we will be on the grid.”

Villadelprat said he is targeting a start-up budget of EUR 100 million, which is substantially more than the amount being spent this year by any of the three new teams.

“With a lower budget we would only make up the numbers,” he said.

Jun.9 (GMM)  Jacques Villeneuve is tipping a strong race for the McLaren team in Montreal this weekend.

The 1997 world champion will be at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, whose layout is named after his late and revered father.

“I really love this track and I think the cars equipped with the F-duct should have a good performance,” Villeneuve, 39, is quoted in a column at rds.ca.

“It is a circuit requiring low downforce and with low speed corners, which I think will suit McLaren,” added the French Canadian.

“But we must not forget about Red Bull, whose qualifying this year has been monumental.”

The Red Bulls have indeed monopolised pole position so far in 2010, and for the past couple of months have been the standout favourites for grand prix victories.

But Turkey two weeks ago showed that McLaren’s MP4-25 is stepping up to the pace of the RB6, and combined with the Mercedes engine and the F-duct, the British team might now be seen as the favourite for the Montreal win.

“A few races ago people were predicting a Red Bull runaway and I think people now suspect that the whole thing’s going to be a lot closer than that,” said team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

“I think predicting the outcome of this coming weekend is impossible for any pundit to do and that’s how the sport should be,” he added.

Two touted contenders for victory in Sunday’s Turkish grand prix had a troubled afternoon practice session at Istanbul Park.

Frustrated Barcelona/Monaco winner and joint championship leader Mark Webber, although second fastest behind Jenson Button, suffered what is suspected to be a failed engine failure.

After skilfully reversing his Red Bull through a gap in the fence, the Australian then amusingly lost his temper with Turkish marshals who could not decipher his desire for a fire extinguisher to be used to chock the wheel.

2006-2008 Istanbul winner Felipe Massa, meanwhile, had the canvas showing on a set of his soft Bridgestone tyres after spinning sideways in the challenging Turn 8.

(GMM)

Red Bull’s three title rivals are conspiring against the team with a common goal — to rein in the dominance of the RB6 car.

According to Germany’s Bild-Zeitung tabloid, the dramatic solution was devised after Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber scored every pole position in 2010 so far, and then pulled even further ahead with developments debuted in Barcelona last weekend.

Bild said the “secret pact” between McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes involves the “exchange of data” about the technical superiority of the latest car designed by Adrian Newey.

Ross Brawn is quoted as saying: “In some areas Red Bull have gone in different directions.  Our people are looking at it closely.”

And Ferrari’s Stefano Domenical is quoted by L’Equipe: “Red Bull has taken a big step forward in performance (in Spain).  We saw it Friday and Saturday and with Mark’s performance on Sunday.

“This is a reference for us.  We are not overstating it but we have to look more carefully at it and understand,” he added.

It was earlier wrongly believed that the RB6 was hiding some sort of variable ride-height system, but Bild reveals that one of the actual reasons for the car’s competitiveness is the exhausts.

We reported during the February tests that Red Bull had put stickers on the car to make it look like the exhausts were located conventionally, when in fact they were located much lower.

Bild said the lower exhausts, hidden from view by six mechanics on the Barcelona grid, contribute to the car’s superior aerodynamics.

It is also reported that Red Bull could begin using a McLaren and Ferrari-like F-duct system at Istanbul in two weeks.

Gerhard Berger told APA: “They are clearly the championship favourites.  Even without the air-duct, Red Bull are the fastest.”

(GMM)

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

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.