Even amid the chaos of the 2012 pecking order, the star performer is obvious.

That is the view of former F1 driver Christian Klien, who confirmed to the Austrian news agency APA that one of his current roles is a simulator driver for the sport’s latest winning team, Williams.

“It (2012) is very open,” he said, “but for me Fernando Alonso stands out.”

Equal with Sebastian Vettel, Spaniard Alonso is at the top of the drivers’ world championship, a full eight points clear of Lewis Hamilton.

The Spaniard’s car has been the struggling Ferrari F2012, but he has never finished a race this season lower than ninth (China).

He has therefore scored points at every opportunity, even finishing first and second in Malaysia and Spain respectively.

“Alonso has an inferior car,” Klien explained, “but he uses every single little opportunity.

“He is the most complete driver who gets the most out of the package he has.”

Triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart agrees that, among arguably the most competitive grid of drivers since the late 80s, Alonso is the standout performer.

“Right now we have the best generation of drivers we’ve had for a while,” the famous Scot told the Spanish sports daily AS.

“Everyone talks about Vettel, who is a great driver, and also Hamilton of course, but there is also Button, Schumacher, Kimi — all champions.

“There are others like Webber who also have the quality to win, young drivers coming up, many of them are very good, but also it is true that Alonso is fantastic.”

Asked why the Spaniard has not added a title to his tally since 2006, Stewart said: “The explanation is easy — he hasn’t had the luck to get the best car.

“Now he has one that isn’t good, but it’s in those circumstances that you see even more the quality that he has,” said Stewart.

Given Alonso’s push to the top of the championship with a sub-standard car, therefore, all the talk about Ferrari writing off the 2012 championship has been silenced for now.

“We have to keep developing the car,” Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s team boss, said after Barcelona, where significant upgrades were brought to the F2012 package.

“We are not yet fast enough to consistently fight for the podium, but that is the only option if we want to be in contention for the title,” he insisted.

Christian Klien will be back in action for the HRT team at this weekend’s Brazilian grand prix.

The Austrian also replaced Japanese Sakon Yamamoto in Singapore due to food poisoning, but no reason has been given for the change of drivers ahead of the Interlagos event.

“I am very happy to get a second opportunity to do another grand prix here after Singapore and I hope that we are doing a good weekend with positive results,” said Klien, 27.

He has raced at Interlagos twice before, most recently in 2005 with Red Bull.

The Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung said recently Klien might return to the Cosworth-powered F110 cockpit in Brazil or Abu Dhabi in a last-ditch effort to help HRT beat Lotus to tenth place in the constructors’ championship.

After Sunday’s Korean grand prix, Christian Klien could return to the wheel of the HRT for one or both of the remaining races of 2010.

That is the claim of the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, recalling the 27-year-old’s strong performance with the struggling Spanish team in Singapore recently.

With his apparent food poisoning gone, Japanese pay-driver Sakon Yamamoto returned to the Cosworth-powered car in Japan and Korea.

But Kleine Zeitung said HRT is now considering putting reserve driver Klien back in the car for Brazil or Abu Dhabi, in a last-ditch effort to beat Lotus to tenth place in the constructors’ world championship.

Lotus has been the best of the three new teams in 2010, but neither it, HRT or Virgin has scored a single point.

Lotus is currently tenth due to Heikki Kovalainen’s 12th place finish at Suzuka, but an eleventh for HRT or Virgin at Interlagos or Yas Marina next month would see Lotus overhauled.

Only the top ten constructors share in the annual distribution of prize-money under the provisions of the Concorde Agreement.

Klien said in Yeongam that 2010 has shown that some pay-drivers are not necessarily the best value for F1 teams relying on the lucrative Bernie Ecclestone income.

“There is one at Virgin and Renault, and possibly two at Hispania,” he said.

But Klien acknowledged that a surprise result for HRT with the F110 car is unlikely.

“We are the only team that, since the season opener in Bahrain, has not aerodynamically improved its car,” he said.

He is therefore more hopeful about 2011.

“In March next year, I definitely see myself in a formula one cockpit,” said Klien.

An Indian newspaper said the 26-year-old rookie’s sponsorship stream is drying up, leading HRT team boss Colin Kolles to open talks with potential replacements.

Rumours suggest Dutchman Christijan Albers, Narain Karthikeyan and Pastor Maldonado, as well as Chandhok’s HRT test colleagues Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien, might be in the running.

“There is so much speculation and I don’t know if it is being started by other drivers who are trying to get in or whatever,” Chandhok told Reuters while visiting Silverstone at the weekend for the MotoGP race.

“Three weeks ago Bruno (Senna) was the one.  All over the internet it was ‘Bruno’s out and so and so is coming in with money’ and this week it seems to be my turn,” he added.

“As far as I know I am in Valencia, I am in the car and I am in for the rest of the season,” said Chandhok.
(GMM)

Jun.9 (GMM)  HRT could be set to sign a third test and reserve driver.

The new Spanish outfit has already appointed Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien to attend grands prix and occasionally drive during Friday morning practice.

According to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the third test driver could be Christijan Albers.

Dutchman Albers, 31, raced for Minardi and Midland in 2005 and 2006, and lost his Spyker drive due to sponsorship issues mid-way through 2007.

But he has retained his links to former Midland and Spyker boss Colin Kolles, including driving for his Le Mans and DTM teams.  Kolles is now the boss of HRT.

“Also last year there was a possibility (of being in F1), but there was no chance of driving, so that was useless,” said Albers.

“Colin knows how strong I am, especially technically.  With all the teams for which I’ve driven, we have made progress.

“I am keeping trying and it might succeed with the help of my loyal sponsors.  I have a partner that just might give that final push.

“But before I do something I like to be very well prepared,” he added.

The HRT and Sauber teams have moved to play down speculation that suggests their driver lineups may soon change.

In recent days, reports have said Bruno Senna might be replaced at the new Spanish team HRT by the higher-paying Japanese reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto.

And persistent speculation has dogged Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa this year, with the latest reports saying Italian GP2 driver Luca Filippi could become Kamui Kobayashi’s new teammate.

Both teams released interviews to the media on Thursday.

HRT’s interview quoted team boss Colin Kolles as suggesting he is happy with both Senna and his fellow rookie teammate Karun Chandhok.

“Karun and Bruno are very talented young drivers which developed well in the first races,” he said.

“I am confident and looking forward Bruno and Karun doing a good job in the coming races which will improve the overall performance of the team,” added Kolles.

He also said both Yamamoto and Christian Klien “did a good job” as they recently tested on Friday morning practice sessions.

Meanwhile, Sauber’s official interview was with Japanese rookie Kobayashi, and one question asked if he is enjoying working alongside the veteran de la Rosa.

“Pedro is a very nice guy, and with all his experience he is a really good teammate for me,” he answered.

“I’m the rookie, he knows everything and he shares it with me,” added the 23-year-old.

(GMM)

Christian Klien on Friday said he is expecting to be back at the wheel of HRT’s F1 car in Valencia.

Although fellow reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto was in regular Bruno Senna’s car at Istanbul, the Austrian had said 24 hours ago that he expects to appear again in free practice sessions in 2010.

Klien, 27, drove in Karun Chandhok’s F110 in Barcelona, but he will be unable to travel to the forthcoming Canadian grand prix due to the clashing Le Mans 24 hours.

“I had a very good debut in Barcelona, where I was immediately faster than Bruno Senna, who has been sitting in the car all season,” Klien is quoted by German Sky television.

“It is expected that I will sit again in the car in Valencia, and then we will see.  As they say, step by step.”

(GMM)

Christian Klien on Thursday said it has not been decided if he will drive during the opening practice session in Turkey.

Soon after he was appointed as a reserve and Friday driver by the HRT team, Austrian Klien drove in morning practice in Barcelona.

It then emerged that HRT’s other reserve driver, Japanese Sakon Yamamoto, would likely be in action on Friday morning in Turkey.

“All four drivers will be in Turkey,” Klien, 27, said, referring also to race drivers Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna.

“Who gets to drive the Friday practice is a decision entirely left to the team management after weighing all factors,” he explained.

“Track time has become a scarce commodity.  And the test ban hurts a new team even worse than the established ones,” said Klien.

(GMM)

The team’s new reserve and test driver is quoted by motorline.cc as confirming that his contract is for the entire 2010 season.

Despite contesting 48 grands prix dating back to 2004 and spending three full years as a test driver with works squads BMW and Honda, he received his new super license mere minutes before the 90-minute morning session began at Barcelona.

“The team has brought me in so I can give feedback to the engineers and compare the car with BMW and Honda,” said the 27-year-old, who was half a second quicker than race regular Bruno Senna.

“The car is obviously not up to formula one-standard,” added the Austrian.  “It has much too little downforce and the details are not as good as with the other cars.”

He explained that the Dallara-built car is “very difficult” to drive, insisting the Cosworth “engine is not the main problem”.

The Austrian has inked a contract with the new Spanish team HRT to add experience to the rookie race lineup of Bruno Senna alongside Karun Chandhok.

Having driven on Friday morning in Spain, mere minutes after Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone cleared the path for the renewal of his super license, Klien would not confirm if he is being paid for the role or is backed by paying sponsors.

He told Austria’s Salzburger Nachrichten: “The deal is for this season, I will be used on several Fridays but it is not decided how many or at which races.”

And after Senna made clear his view that the race drivers should be given all the practice laps by HRT, the Brazilian insists he has not fallen out with Klien.

“We know each other from the Le Mans series last year and have no problems.  If he can contribute with his experience, that’s good for the team because we need all the help we can get at this stage,” said Senna.

(GMM)

The pair shared the Circuit de Catalunya in morning practice, when the experienced Austrian Klien took over the cockpit usually driven by Senna’s fellow rookie teammate Karun Chandhok.

At the end of the session, Klien’s best lap was five tenths faster than Senna’s.

“There were two reasons,” Brazilian Senna told Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.com.

“First, he had the fast-shift transmission in his car, which is worth about two and a half tenths per lap, and secondly I had a problem with my engine cover,” he insisted.
(GMM)

(GMM)  Karun Chandhok is perhaps not too upset about sitting out Friday morning’s initial practice session at Barcelona.

The Indian rookie’s cockpit will be occupied by Christian Klien for the 90 minute session as HRT looks to benefit from the input of a more experienced driver.

But Chandhok might not be too upset about the decision after feeling ill for the past few days.

He explained on Wednesday that he spent “most of the day” in his Spanish hotel with a stomach bug.

And after spending Thursday at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday, he added via his Twitter account: “Feeling a bit better now so (teammate Bruno Senna) thinks I should attempt a real meal for dinner.

“Hmmm, well, I do have the morning off to recover!” Chandhok joked.

It rained overnight in Barcelona, and Friday morning was chilly and overcast.

Karun Chandhok will have to admit to being “amazed” after sitting out the morning practice session in Barcelona.

To both his and teammate Bruno Senna’s chagrin in Spain, the Indian rookie’s HRT car was occupied instead by new test and reserve driver Christian Klien.

Austrian Klien’s 26 laps were the first at a grand prix weekend since he practiced in a Honda in 2007, but he has been brought in by team boss Colin Kolles for his experience of 48 grands prix and three subsequent years of testing.

Before the morning session, Chandhok was quoted as saying by the BBC: “I’ll be amazed if he goes half a second quicker than Bruno; I highly doubt it.”

However, Klien was in fact exactly half a second quicker than Brazilian rookie Senna, cutting the deficit to F1′s other new teams to just five tenths.

Chandhok said: “Christian has got good experience of some good teams so he could bring something.

“The team is a little bit behind the game, so any information we can get from other people is useful.  It’s frustrating for me, I want to drive the car as much as possible.”

The Austrian 27-year-old joined the new HRT team earlier this week as a test and reserve driver, and is scheduled to drive Karun Chandhok’s F110 car in Friday morning practice in Spain.

But with less than 14 hours before that practice session kicks off, it emerges that Klien – a veteran of 48 grands prix and years as a test driver – does not possess the mandatory FIA document that would allow him to exit the Barcelona pitlane.

To the APA news agency, team boss Colin Kolles explained the apparent oversight.

“As long as the contract was not signed, we could not even ask for a super license,” he said. “It was all very last minute.”

Kolles said he was hopeful the situation will be resolved by Friday morning.

Christian Klien on Thursday moved to dispel any claims that he has walked into a stormy relationship with his new HRT teammates.

The Spanish team’s new test and reserve driver will take over Karun Chandhok’s F110 car on Friday morning, and fellow rookie Bruno Senna admitted in Barcelona that he is not keen to sit out sessions this year.

But Klien, 27, told Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.com that the pair have not complained to him.

“No, not at all,” said the Austrian. “We walked the track together and it was a good relationship.”

Klien however admitted that it is “understandable” that the two race drivers “want to sit in the car as much as possible” during the race weekends.

He said he is not sure if and when he will return to the Friday cockpit later in 2010.

“So far Barcelona is the first one planned, then the team will decide whether it will be the same for other grands prix,” explained Klien.