F1′s season of confusion looks set to continue, with an uncertain weather forecast only adding to the uncertainty ahead of the Spanish grand prix.

The bizarre 2012 contest stepped into yet another gear on Saturday, with events unfolding to put the previously-derided pay driver Pastor Maldonado on pole, alongside the crisis-ridden Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

And the Pirelli tyre predicament, worsened on the challenging Circuit de Catalunya layout and under hot Spanish skies, will continue to confound teams on Sunday, with temperatures set to drop and rain clouds predicted to gather.

“I am telling you now, honestly,” said Red Bull’s Mark Webber. “We don’t have even the slightest idea who will benefit when it gets colder.”

The German magazine Auto Motor und Sport laid out the fascinating if bewildering situation as of Saturday in Spain: “Sebastian Vettel doesn’t know why his car suddenly lost grip in qualifying.

“Jenson Button has no idea why he couldn’t generate any tyre temperature on the 40 degrees track. Williams don’t know why Pastor Maldonado clocked the second fastest lap.

“Mercedes’ engineers had to admit they still don’t understand the Pirelli rubber.”

Acting team principal Bob Bell smiled tortuously: “If we did understand, we’d be on pole. But even Pirelli don’t know all the answers.”

Writing in O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, Livio Oricchio estimated there are up to 12 candidates for victory.

“A grid of madness!” said former F1 driver Patrick Tambay on France’s RMC Sport. “And it’s not over yet.”

So, is Michael Schumacher – having sat out Q3 in order to save tyres for the race – now even more critical of Pirelli?

“I’ll leave it with what has already been said,” he insisted late on Saturday.

After Sebastian Vettel’s first win of the season in Bahrain recently, Red Bull could now maintain its grip on 2012.

That is the claim of the legendary triple world champion Niki Lauda.

Red Bull has been the dominant force since late 2009 and 2010, and Vettel was untouchable last year as he successfully defended his drivers’ championship breakthrough.

But four different teams have won so far in 2012, and only the last of them were Red Bull and Vettel, as the energy drink-owned team’s superiority appeared to have waned.

After Bahrain, however, Red Bull and Vettel are back, Lauda told Germany’s Auto Bild Motorsport.

“In Bahrain, they got the car and the tyres right for the first time, and they won,” said the Austrian.

“They will have improved the car further in Mugello, so I see enormous potential for another dominant season,” he added.

Lauda acknowledged that the blown diffusers of the past seasons was Red Bull’s “great strength”, and now that is gone.

“Nevertheless, Red Bull is the team to beat,” he insisted.

Sebastian Vettel has hit back at what he thinks was an “exaggerated” reaction to Michael Schumacher after the recent Bahrain grand prix.

Schumacher, Vettel’s countryman and friend, had heavily criticised the sport’s official supplier Pirelli, despite the Italian marque’s 2012 tyres being widely credited for the exciting grands prix seen so far this year.

“It’s been a bit exaggerated,” world champion Vettel, referring to the reaction to Schumacher’s comments, is quoted by Sport Bild.

“Ultimately, we all have the same tyres, but of course as a driver you always want more grip, whether from the tyres or from the car.

“It is in our nature to want more — more especially than the others,” he smiled.

“When I talk about this with Michael, it’s not so dramatic. He has been around for a long time and has seen a lot, also when it comes to tyres.

“I don’t think he is so easily shocked,” insisted Vettel.

* Energy drink Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz made a rare visit to the sport’s action on Thursday, catching the final day of Mugello testing.

All this year’s title contenders know after four ‘flyaway’ races in 2012 is that they do not know what will happen in Spain next month.

“The only certainty is uncertainty,” read the German headline at Netzeitung.

With F1 generally regarded in the wider world as a sport with predictable results, this is an entirely new situation.

“The statistics show that it’s been nine years since there have been four different winners in the first four races,” said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali.

Indeed, the famous Italian team as well as McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull have won the opening races of 2012, and also with potentially winning pace have been Lotus and Sauber.

“More than that,” continued Domenicali, “you have to go back 29 years to find the last time four different cars won.”

One explanation is that F1 has never been more competitive, with plenty of well-oiled teams and no fewer than six world champion drivers on the grid.

But Domenicali thinks Pirelli is the dominant factor.

And not everybody is happy about that. Michael Schumacher told Bild newspaper that this year’s tyres degrade so fast that rubber “flies from the rim” if he pushes too hard in a corner.

“We drive around like the safety car. It is not a satisfying situation,” the seven time world champion said.

Pirelli’s motor sport director Paul Hembery is unimpressed with the rebuke, insisting that the Italian marque is only trying to “make tyres that make the races exciting”.

“We cannot take individual drivers into consideration,” the Briton insisted.

“It would be dead easy for us to make tyres that don’t break down. Then the top ten would also be the top ten in the race.

“But no one wants to see boring processions,” Hembery claimed.

Agreed the Swiss headline at Blick: “Pirelli is sweeping away the boredom”.

Indeed, not even the other Mercedes driver, Shanghai winner Nico Rosberg, agrees with Schumacher.

“It’s total chaos. You don’t know who is going to be fast at the next track,” he is quoted by DPA agency. “Formula one has become almost unlike any other sport.

“Yes, you cannot drive any laps any more at full throttle. Often, it’s like driving on ice. But that’s a big and an interesting challenge,” said the German.

Undoubtedly exciting for the fans, but the teams are having to adapt quickly. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport said on Sunday that Vettel’s victory could mean Red Bull resumes its dominant grip on F1.

Dr Helmut Marko doesn’t think so. “We don’t even know who our opponents are!” he exclaimed.

The 2012 season has kicked off promisingly, with more overtaking moves recorded in the first two races than in the same exciting period last year.

The finding is significant, given the highly lauded contribution early in 2011 made by the new passing aid ‘DRS’, and new official supplier Pirelli’s heavily-degrading tyres.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper said 2012 has so far broken even the all-time records of early last season, when there were 63 overtaking moves – excluding the first laps – in Australia and Malaysia 2011.

This year, there were 70 passes in Australia-Malaysia combined.

It bodes well for this weekend’s Chinese grand prix, after last year’s Shanghai race saw no fewer than 63 separate in-race overtakes, including Lewis Hamilton’s winning move on leader Sebastian Vettel.

“China proved to be one of the most fascinating races in our first year, so we have a tough act to follow,” said Pirelli’s Paul Hembery.

“However, the philosophy we have adopted this year actually extends the window of peak performance on the slick tyres, which means that the drivers should be able to race harder and closer,” he added.

Yet another factor at the 2012 Chinese grand prix could be the weather, with F1′s travellers already sampling wet Shanghai roads early this week.

That forecast would suit Malaysia winner Ferrari, with technical director Pat Fry admitting that the Italian team’s 2012 car is almost a second off the pace in the dry.

“Damp, low grip conditions suit our car and flatter some of the issues we have at the moment,” he said.

 Mika Salo – a former Ferrari, Sauber and Toyota race driver – has admitted his surprise at how F1 technology has moved on since he retired in 2002.
The now 45-year-old Finn got back at the wheel of a modern grand prix machine last weekend at Suzuka, during the Ferrari Racing Days event.

“The power came as no surprise,” he told the broadcaster MTV3, “but the grip was quite unbelievable.

“It was almost contrary to the laws of nature, how hard you could be pushing on sixth or seventh gear in a corner.

“I would have needed many more days to really get back on terms with it,” said Salo. “I have to admit there is no way I could do a race right now.

“Secondly, my fitness really is not enough — I have such a sore neck and hands now that I could barely carry my bag at the airport,” he added.

Sebastien Buemi, Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2012, spent time watching Wednesday’s Barcelona test action from a trackside vantage point.

“I like the Red Bull and the Force India the best,” said the Swiss, after Nico Hulkenberg set the surprise pace.

“(McLaren’s Lewis) Hamilton and Hulkenberg can brake late and get back on the gas early.

“You can tell that the Red Bull has fuel on board, but still the (RB8) is very good. But you can see that the tyres are old,” explained Buemi.

He was most surprised, however, by Hulkenberg’s Force India, congratulating the Silverstone based team: “They have made a very good car.”

Former third driver Hulkenberg smiled: “I could have gone even faster.”

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Buemi is also impressed with the McLaren.

“It looks good, it has grip — not quite as much as the Red Bull, but close.”

But in trouble, according to former Toro Rosso racer Buemi, is Ferrari.

“Oh dear, that doesn’t look so good,” he commented after Fernando Alonso passed by. “He’s playing with the throttle because there’s no traction.”

Like Hulkenberg, Sauber’s Sergio Perez was also setting the pace on Wednesday, but Buemi reveals that the Mexican was running new soft tyres.

“That distorts the picture, just as the level of fuel does.

“For me, Red Bull is in front, then comes Force India and McLaren,” said Buemi. “They are not too far away.”

After step noses and clever exhausts, the latest buzzword in the Jerez paddock is ‘Lotus’.
The former Renault team is turning heads with its new black and gold E20 car, which has been consistently the quickest 2012 car throughout the opening test of the pre-season.

“I am one of the happiest guys in the world right now,” said Romain Grosjean on Thursday after easily outpacing Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

The reigning GP2 champion was also quicker than the 2012 McLaren, steered for the first time on Thursday by Lewis Hamilton.

“The Lotus looks quite impressive,” said Briton Hamilton.

Drawing conclusions based on test results is an unreliable practice, but the body language in the Lotus garage so far is confident.

“At the moment they are quicker and more consistent.

“There are more question marks about us, Ferrari and McLaren,” said Vettel.

“For the first test it looks good,” team boss Eric Boullier admitted to Finnish broadcaster MTV3, “but still you can’t really speculate on anything.

“Between here and Melbourne, all the cars will change a lot.

“It is true that today we have a good car, we are able to drive a lot of laps and that is why we are at the front,” he added.

After watching the action trackside from a corner, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport that the E20 is “a missile with an incredible amount of grip”.

“The Red Bull and the Lotus make the best impression,” agreed 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, who is also at Jerez.

Hamilton described Grosjean’s best time – 1.18.4 – as “good”, while Red Bull’s Webber wanted to know what compound of Pirelli tyre was fitted to the Lotus.

Told it was the medium, the Australian admitted: “Then it was a very good lap.”

Grosjean smiled: “The car is easy to drive and predictable everywhere, especially in the fast corners, and when you go over the limit it is easy to get back.”

Said Webber: “If Grosjean can do those laptimes then we will all have to watch Kimi (Raikkonen).”

Bridgestone ready for Interlagos – The short but fast circuit with the winding inside the tires poses a special challenge
Interlagos is the penultimate disconnect for Bridgestone. For the route, which runs counter-clockwise to bring the Japanese with the mean and the super soft compound. The weather could also play a role, but the intermediates and the rain tires have recently done in South Korea a good job.

“Brazil is a beautiful country and South America is an important growth market. So it is important for Bridgestone to show presence in the form of the race,” said motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa. “. We have manufacturing facilities in Brazil and appreciate the support from our staff, we have worked in the past with many Brazilian drivers and enjoyed their feedback we are looking forward to the enthusiastic fans at the track.”
Interlagos is a short distance with a narrow core, but fast sections. The asphalt is very bumpy, leading to a compromise on the voting. “It is a beautiful but challenging course,” said Hirohide Hamashima, which is responsible for tire development. “Although it is the second shortest track on the calendar, it has an impressive line and exciting corners.”

“There are mainly medium-fast and slow corners. This means that the mechanical grip and stability are important on the rear axle. The weather can be a deciding factor because it can be very hot or very wet. To maximize performance, needs is a good balance through the turns before it goes uphill towards the finish. There is something reminiscent of an oval. ”
“The first corner is a good overtaking Elle, but you can barter for quick there a brake disks. Caution is called for,” says Hamashima. “In the last two races, we should show a strong performance, but mainly it comes to safe tires. Our engineers work closely with the teams so they can get the best.”

The F1 paddock is expecting rain at the new Yeongam venue.

After a dry inaugural race weekend in South Korea so far, forecasts are predicting rain later on Saturday and overnight, with a very high chance of more heavy showers on race-day morning.

And the threat of rain for 1500 local on Sunday – the scheduled race start – is more than 50 per cent, leaving some drivers worried about the effect of a wet track atop the new and already low-grip surface.

“It’s going to be tough whatever the weather does,” warned McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Help from Germany ensured that Korea’s new F1 circuit is able to host its inaugural grand prix this weekend.

That is the claim of Hermann Tilke, the architect of the circuit but retained only as an ‘advisor’ to the actual construction of the venue in Yeongam.

When it became clear that the Koreans were struggling to complete the facility, Tilke stepped in, reportedly providing workers and machinery, primarily to get the track surface in racing condition.

“In the end we sent workers over from Germany, otherwise it probably wouldn’t have worked,” he is quoted by Auto Bild Motorsport.

Tilke insists that fears the track surface will break up this weekend are unfounded.

“We have used a special formula — one that dries quickly and is ready immediately,” said the German, who said the only problem encountered by the drivers will be low levels of initial grip due to the bitumen sitting above the asphalt.

But Tilke admitted that, earlier, he did have “some doubts” that the circuit would be ready, according to France’s L’Equipe.

“It was necessary to analyse the problems and find solutions,” he said.  “We (Tilke GmbH) helped, but the construction companies in Korea worked hard.

“Overall, everything should be fine, but there might be some shortcomings here and there.”

Indeed, on Thursday as the F1 paddock filled up, many of the sport’s travellers moaned about plumbing and late media shuttles to the circuit, whilst highlighting the circuit’s imperfections.

“F1 has raced in a parking lot in Las Vegas, a desert in Bahrain and a swamp in Shanghai.

“But never on a building site in the middle of nowhere,” said Bild newspaper, as 1500 Korean soldiers hurriedly screwed in seats in the grandstands whilst workers painted dirt track verges green.

“We can hardly expect to be perfect from the outset,” said an event spokesman.

The good news is that organisers are expecting a healthy crowd – perhaps 90,000 on Sunday – for the track action, although it is understood this number of tickets has not yet been sold.

“We don’t expect too much on our first attempt at this event,” acknowledged the spokesman.  “We hope interest in F1 (in Korea) will increase after this.”

Hermann Tilke on Wednesday sounded confident the newly laid track surface at Yeongam will survive this weekend’s inaugural Korean grand prix.

With the top layer so recently laid and oils still seeping to the surface, it is feared this event could be a repeat of Spa in 1985, when the F1 cars had to go home because the track broke up.

But Tilke, the architect who designed the 5.6km layout, said he is not worried about the strength of the surface.

Instead, he predicted it will be a challenge for the drivers.

“It will probably have little grip in the beginning.  But they are the best drivers in the world and must cope with it,” the German, whose company provided machinery and expertise for the laying of the asphalt, told DPA news agency.

“It will be very slippery in the beginning.  But the track will become faster by the seconds until Sunday,” he added.

Also sounding bullish on Wednesday was McLaren’s chief engineer Phil Prew, who had worried about the state of the brand new asphalt before arriving in Korea.

“I walked the circuit this morning and the track surface didn’t look too bad,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

“It wasn’t particularly greasy underfoot and it looked – from what you can tell – smooth, well-laid and consistent all the way around,” added Prew.

Ferrari will only get its real blown rear diffuser up and running at a forthcoming grand prix.

It was believed that the Italian team began running the Red Bull-style low exhaust layout at Valencia.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reveals that, in fact, the European GP was only the first phase in a multiple-step development for the F10 car.

The first step was a new gearbox, debuted only by Felipe Massa because Fernando Alonso was in the middle of the four-race mandatory period for his existing transmission.

The Spaniard will get the new gearbox at Silverstone, as well as a new rear suspension layout.

The real benefit of the new gearbox/suspension layout, however, is yet to come.

It is reported that the new layout allows a steeper shape of the diffuser, but the downforce advantage will only come when the exhaust fumes are directed through the diffuser.

Currently, Ferrari is working on ensuring that the blown exhaust does not actually compromise grip due to a sporadic airflow.

It is only at a later date that the entire concept will be up and running.

At Silverstone, the F10 will feature the new gearbox and new housing for the suspension.  Ferrari is introducing the update in stages, so that when the final concept is ready, the team does not have to wait for Alonso and Massa to reach the end of their four-race gearbox phases to debut it.

“In Valencia, we introduced significant updates on the F10 and there will be more in Silverstone and the races after that,” Alonso confirmed.

And last year, succeeded the “red bull” on the course in Northamptonshire a double victory. The signs are so good, but is happy not only because of technical director Adrian Newey to forward to the next Grand Prix at Silverstone (July 9 to 11).

For the team headquarters of Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes is 30 minutes away from Silverstone. “So many of our employees the chance to see the race immediately,” said Newey. Whether they will experience a strong performance of the team, the design guru but can not promise yet: “There are so many variables such as the track temperature, so many things that can affect the performance of the team.”
Unlike in Valencia Red Bull will be at Silverstone have no major upgrade here, but only minor modifications, mainly at the front and rear wings. “We were in Valencia with a new diffuser and another F-shaft a few innovations here, all of which have worked well,” says Newey.
“The team has worked incredibly hard and Sebastian drove a great race,” continues Newey. “He brought the car really well through the race, after he blocked during restart after Safetycarphase the brakes and made the left front tire was flat. And it was a great relief that Mark was after his big crash in order.”

Meanwhile it had become difficult to find under the new regulations still tricks that bring a big step forward with it, continues Newey, but he added with a grin: “It is interesting to see how popular our exhaust systems along the pit lane has become! ”

Newey is now but once the first rounds of the Red Bull looking forward to the new section of the Silverstone course. “Like all other teams, we got the floor plan map and simulated,” he says. “But we have to address details such as bumps and Gripwechsel, we know only when we are driven there. It looks good in any case and as I noted at the MotoGP race there, the drivers loved it.”

Lewis Hamilton on Friday admitted McLaren might struggle to keep up with rapidly-progressing rivals this weekend in Valencia.

While the British team will only run the innovation in two weeks at Silverstone, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have got Red Bull-style ‘blown diffuser’ exhaust layouts up and running on the streets of the Spanish port city.

Hamilton is the championship leader and has won the past two races, but on Friday afternoon was just fifth fastest, behind and surrounded by the ‘blown diffuser’ teams.

“It was always going to be interesting to see how quickly the blown diffuser cars could get up to speed — and they looked very competitive this afternoon, particularly over a single lap,” said the 2008 world champion.

“And the grip they appear to have through the high speed stuff could make them difficult for us to touch,” added Hamilton.

His teammate Jenson Button, just ninth quickest in the final session, commented: “We’ve just got to fight it out here and get the best out of what we’ve got.”

(GMM)