Heikki Kovalainen has admitted some disappointment about Caterham’s progress in 2012.

In its third season of formula one, and despite being clearly more impressive than its direct rivals Marussia and HRT, the Tony Fernandes-led team intended to take a step forwards this year.

Caterham took some upgrades to the Mugello test last week, but according to Finnish sources Turun Sanomat and MTV3, not all of them worked.

“The car has a pretty good balance, but the lap times are not good enough,” Finnish driver Kovalainen is quoted as saying.

“It’s good to drive but it’s just too slow,” he insisted.

“We did not get all the updates to work as we had hoped, so in Spain we have only some things that are new,” added Kovalainen.

The team is yet to score a point.

 Michael Schumacher will beat Nico Rosberg to the wheel of Mercedes’ 2012 car.
After the major teams unveiled and ran their new cars at Jerez last week, Mercedes’ W03 will be launched and debuted early next week at Barcelona, at the second of three pre-season tests.

The Brackley based team has announced that seven time world champion Schumacher, who last year finished 13 points behind his teammate Rosberg, will be at the wheel throughout the first day of testing on 21 February.

The 43-year-old said recently he doubts the W03 will be a title contender, despite strong pace with the 2011 car at Jerez last week.

And Rosberg said: “You can’t really compare the lap times with other teams, but it was interesting to learn a lot with our 2011 car.

“Now I’m really looking forward to the two Barcelona tests with our new silver arrow.”

Williams’ official launch took just five minutes in the Jerez pitlane on Tuesday, before the new Renault-powered FW34 had a difficult birth.
“Unfortunately testing was cut short with a couple of initial teething problems which we are currently investigating,” said engineer Mark Gillan.

Official testing action burst into life in 2012, with every team except Marussia – and nine all-new cars in action for the first time – kicking off their campaigns.

Returning 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen was fastest all day.

“The lap times don’t matter today,” Lotus’ Finn insisted.

“I do have a good feeling, and that was not always the case in my career after the first day of testing,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“But I would rather be P1 at the end of the first race than at the end of the first test day,” smiled Raikkonen.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber, with the team’s brand new title-defending car only the third quickest of the 2012 runners, agreed.

“If what we saw today happens in Melbourne, then we’ll talk again,” he laughed, explaining the missed morning of testing as due to a crucial part being held up at an airport shrouded in fog.

The Guardian also reports that a Red Bull truckie was stopped for speeding.

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier, however, is convinced Raikkonen’s speed is real – and his motivation intact – after two years away.

“Believe me, he is there.”

Agreed technical director James Allison: “You can tell Kimi is a class act.”

Like fellow top team Red Bull, the new McLaren also had a low-profile day, with Jenson Button just eighth quickest.

But he didn’t accuse Lotus and Raikkonen of showboating.

“Maybe he (Raikkonen) was running heavy,” said the 2009 world champion. “We maybe haven’t seen eye to eye a lot of the time when we’ve been racing, but he’s a very quick driver, a world champion.

“He’s obviously in a very competitive car, and whatever they did today – low fuel or whatever – it was still quick.”

Struggling on Tuesday was Caterham, whose new car could not be restarted following damage to the engine starter shaft, and Toro Rosso with an oil leak.

And Felipe Massa was just ninth in the new Ferrari.

“It is obviously too early to say if this year we will be able to win or not,” said designer Nikolas Tombazis.

Sebastian Vettel – 1st: “It was an interesting qualifying session; a new circuit and a new challenge – obviously I’m very happy to be on the front row. I don’t know if being on the left or the right side of the track (we are on the left), is really an advantage or not; there’s not one side that seems to be the clean side, as we tend to run down the middle. It was a good battle and after the first run it was very close, so I knew I had to do a little bit better on the second. We decided to only do one timed lap each time, it was still a bit slippery, but overall I’m very happy. Tomorrow it going to be a long race, we start starting the best possible position, so we’ll see what happens.”

Mark Webber – 3rd: “This new venue has been a good challenge for us. It was tricky to work out the right strategy for qualifying. The tyres weren’t easy for one timed lap, so we had to work out how to do the right strategy – lots of teams tried different styles to get the best lap time out of the car. The first sector was tricky to get right on one timed lap. I could have done better in the first sector on my first lap in Q3; I couldn’t complete my second, as there were yellow flags after Massa’s incident. Overall it’s a good job for the team, we’ve come to a new venue, prepared well and we’ve laid a good foundation for a very good race tomorrow.”

Christian Horner: “A great qualifying for the team to have established our 16th pole and a new record for the most poles secured by a team within a season. Also to have achieved a front row lock out after Lewis’ penalty of yesterday has put us in the best position to start tomorrow’s race. The dilemma was whether to do one or two laps, but in the end Sebastian managed to make two laps which were effectively good enough for pole. Mark running two laps on his first set of tyres in Q3 was the right strategy, so first and second on the grid is a great place to be starting the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at a circuit that has been a real challenge for the drivers and is a really exciting venue.”

(Renault) Cyril Dumont: “A wonderful pole position again for Sebastian at this first Indian Grand Prix; I’m pleased for him. I think we had the pace today to lock out the front row – but anyway, we will start first and second on the grid tomorrow. That’s the best place to start the race – we’ve clearly got the pace on low and high fuel, so it could be interesting tomorrow.”

In a further blow to Red Bull’s hopes ahead of the Italian grand prix, Pirelli has issued yet another clampdown on its guidelines about tyre camber.
It had already emerged that, after the tyres on the winning RB7 cars worryingly blistered at Spa two weeks ago, F1′s official supplier had told teams to limit their camber angles to just 3.75 degrees at Monza.

Previously, the recommendation was 4 degrees, with designer Adrian Newey admitting that the camber on the Red Bulls in Belgium was set slightly higher.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that the camber directive issued by Pirelli for Monza is actually just 3.25 degrees.

As recently as Hungary in late July, the recommendation was 4.5 degrees.

Pirelli chief Paul Hembery said Monza is “very hard” for the tyres, with aggressive camber increasing the risk of overheating “especially with the hot weather that is predicted”.

McLaren’s Jenson Button thinks the new cautious approach “will put some people in trouble” in terms of lap time.

Mark Webber on Saturday said he is worried formula one could be falling into the pack.

The Australian repeated his 2010 pole position at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday, but he was a full second slower than he was for the quickest qualifying time a year ago.

But that is not the main concern; the degradation of the tyres supplied this year by Pirelli means that at the end of a long run, the pace can now be compared to the junior GP3 category.

“We need to be careful with our long run pace that we don’t get too close to the other categories,” said the Australian.

“I don’t think the long runs are particularly impressive for a formula one car round here,” added Webber.

“If you look at a GP3 lap time, I think they did a 1:38 and some of my laps at the end of my long run (in practice) were in the 1:30s, and I think the budget’s a little bit different,” he said.

Agreed Lewis Hamilton: “Too slow at the moment, isn’t it?”

(TMS) Williams test on Thursday for the first time be KERS – rewinds from Pastor Maldonado easy 101 rounds and gets to know the FW33
After Williams had had on the first two of the three days of testing at Valencia technical problems with its new KERS, Pastor Maldonado was on Thursday over a hundred laps with the system. The rookie was the seventh fastest lap time of the day (1:14.299 minutes), with which he was also much faster than his experienced team-mate Rubens Barrichello during the day before.

“I now feel much more comfortable in the car,” said the man from Venezuela, who tried out on Thursday next KERS also the new, adjustable rear wing. “I work better with the team and develop the car both in long runs than short stints. I feel better from time to time I get in the car.”
Maldonado was in high spirits on Thursday, after he received an important visitor at the racetrack: the Venezuelan ambassador to Spain, looked over at the Williams box and inquired of the largest motorsport hope of his country after the recent progress. “It was the first time that I met the ambassador, and for me it is great that he came here and supported me personally.”

“To know people like the ambassador behind me is very important to me. This shows that Venezuela supports me and the sport is very strong,” said Maldonado, who in the form of the state oil company PDVSA a sponsor in the back, prominently this season visible on the rear wing of the FW33 is.

Williams technical director Sam Michael was the last day of testing at Valencia also satisfied. While Barrichello was on the first two days of KERS still brake and electrical problems, Maldonado was able to try out all the systems of the new car extensively. “He did a good job you were to know all the control systems,” said Michael.
“There is a lot, think about the driver’s cockpit must now, with KERS, the rear wing, the brakes and the tires, which must be maintained at temperature,” gone, drove the experienced engineer. “We have made several changes to the vote to get to know the car, and some long runs down to temperature checks carried out.”

Jarno Trulli rewinds on Thursday T128 with the new Lotus only from a few installation laps – private test on Friday
Without power steering, but with plenty of optimism for Jarno Trulli completed the test program on Thursday of the Lotus team. The Italians, after all, turned 38 laps at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, without, however, to set a lap time.

An assessment of the potential of the new Lotus T128 Trulli also dares not reason. “But I have no power steering feels good, and therefore it is the car can not really try, ” the veteran told Autosport. ”

Apart from the problems with the steering but the car had gone well. “Of course we’ll soon find out how good this car in terms of lap times and where we stand in terms of performance, ” admitted Trulli. “A few parts on the car are missing, of course, and we can not really work in the vote. In Jerez, we will come down on the car properly and learn to understand.”
Before the team from next week to pitch his tent in southern Spain, Trulli and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen on Friday will complete a further day of testing at Valencia. Lotus expects the power steering back then, which had meanwhile sent for repair the team headquarters in England.

In calculating the maximum speed is the penultimate Jorge Lorenzo: 318 hours in the company of Smith and Spies, well 8 km / h in less than Dani Pedrosa. A difference to the leaders of the world important but not decisive enough to be able to detach the second in the qualifying official in Aragon Motorland improving, and much, compared to yesterday.

“I’m glad to be able to better than yesterday, “says Lorenzo. “I changed a little my driving style to adapt better to the circuit, lap after lap I managed to improve and I was faster. Unfortunately we lose too straight, so we must be at ease in other areas to try to get a good lap time. For maximum speed we can no longer do anything, but fortunately we know how to make the bike better in the remaining parts of the circuit.

Lorenzo the goal for the race tomorrow will not change: the search for the 13th consecutive podium finish this season for valuable points in the championship.

“For us, tomorrow it can be an exciting race because there are so many fans. It will be a great fight, but I will do my best to get on the podium, “stated that it was the leader of the world today wore a helmet” Tomizawa replication.

Sunday at Valencia finally vindicated his decision to sign rookie Kamui Kobayashi, according to team boss Peter Sauber.

The Japanese impressed with his feisty debut drives at the end of last year, when Toyota was on the way out of formula one and Timo Glock was recovering from injury.

On the strength of those brilliant flashes, Sauber signed the 23-year-old to complement the veteran Pedro de la Rosa for 2010; the Swiss team’s first season in the wake of BMW’s departure as owner.

Kobayashi’s Valencia weekend did not get off to a great start when he was out-qualified by de la Rosa, but his name featured prominently throughout the race.

He leapt towards the front because he started on the harder tyres and didn’t pit with the bulk of the field, but when he was running prominently his laptimes were fully competitive and he comfortably held off the reigning world champion Jenson Button.

He made his mandatory pitstop with only four laps to run, famously overtaking first Fernando Alonso and then Sebastien Buemi within sight of the chequered flag.

“Kamui was absolutely amazing,” said founder Sauber before leaving Spain.

“The lap times which he put in while he was in third were stunning.”

And Sauber added on Wednesday: “Signing a rookie is always something of a risk; on Sunday Kamui delivered confirmation that we made the right decision.”

As F1′s top men battled for pole position at Valencia, the spotlight was once again on an underperforming Michael Schumacher.

His Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was also sitting out the decisive Q3 qualifying segment, but Schumacher was six tenths off the young German’s pace and a dismal 15th on the grid.

Criticism of the 41-year-old’s F1 return has already been intensifying, amid new rumours Mercedes might want to replace him for 2011 with Robert Kubica.

“If it was any other driver, other than the great Michael Schumacher, we’d be looking for his head, or most of the press would be looking for his head, because clearly this performance in the past couple of races has been very poor,” said BBC pundit Eddie Jordan on Saturday.

David Coulthard thinks his old rival is cutting corners on the kind of detail that, in his first career, made him the most successful driver ever.

“He’s running the (rev) limiter in some places — that’s just sloppy,” the Scot said in Valencia.

“In his first career, even when his car wasn’t performing he would deliver a lap time … even on a bad day.”

For the first time, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has admitted some disappointment with Schumacher’s situation.

“We’re a bit disappointed at the moment.  Michael would admit he’s not where he wants to be.

“We’re seeing signs of progress in some races but not in others, but we’ve not had a great car this year, which has not helped him,” added the Briton.

At the sharp end of the grid, Red Bull defied its own predictions by qualifying one-two at Valencia — with the F-duct now fully up and running.

“Valencia should not be our strongest circuit,” said delighted pole sitter Sebastian Vettel, ahead of his teammate Mark Webber and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

The two Ferraris are fourth and fifth, followed by the consistent Robert Kubica.

In the sunny Valencia enjoyed Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa a smooth first day of practice for the Grand Prix of Europe. It was necessary to find the right balance for the car to optimize brake stability and to gain experience with the two compounds of Bridgestone tires on the street circuit. However, the residue on the top 10 but was again quite large.

“We now have a huge program processed and everything went very well,” said Kobayashi, the 14th with 1.623 seconds gap was. “The new aerodynamics package we need to work on the car balance. It is quite reasonable, but we have to analyze lots of data from today and I am sure there is in it even more. This morning I took the route less polluted than expected . faster tire wear was an issue in the first practice, but in the afternoon, no more. ”
Pedro de la Rosa was 15, was just fractions of a second slower than his teammate. “We have during the day made many changes to the car, to prepare us for tomorrow’s qualifying,” said the Spaniard. “Mainly we have focused on the braking stability. Both tire compounds have on the warm asphalt works pretty well and I did not expect to difficulties, as we have had in Canada. I am today for the first time went on this course. It took a few laps in order to familiarize myself with to catch properly especially the many break points, but I liked the track quickly. ”
“Today, we are no technical problems with the cars,” said technical director James Key had, “and that was good, because in both sessions we had much to do. Adapt We had the car set to the new aero package. This is the first step, to make the car lighter mobile. Basically, we have already found a direction that we can track for tomorrow, but today we must look at all the information evening and see what measures we can implement. ”

He continued: “We still have to work on consistency. If you look at the sector times look, they do not reflect truly reflect the lap times. We need to ensure that drivers can get out of a complete round of the best from the car. We have some areas have made progress and in others still to be done. ”

(TMS)