Last Sunday proved that Pastor Maldonado is no mere ‘pay driver’.

“If he was a fool, he would not be with us, no matter how much money he brings,” Sir Frank Williams is quoted by Brazil’s Globo Esporte.

Venezuelan Maldonado, whose links to the state owned oil company PDVSA and president Hugo Chavez controversially deliver many millions to Williams’ Oxfordshire based team, became F1′s fifth different winner of 2012 last weekend in Spain.

It has helped him to shake off the ‘pay driver’ insult, Williams insisting he is now a potential world champion instead.

“Without a doubt. He is very fast and makes no mistakes,” the newly 70-year-old Briton said.

Williams does, however, acknowledge that Maldonado’s money was a key factor in the decision to sign him.

“Yes, it was to some extent,” he said. “I don’t deny that. But he’s also a real driver. He fully deserves to be on the team, with or without money.

“The truth is that if you don’t have money, you don’t get to be in formula one,” added Williams.

Team shareholder Toto Wolff agrees: “If you want to race in GP2, you need a few million pounds. So, the drivers need not only to be fast and talented, but able to attract the sponsors.

“So let’s forget this thing about ‘pay drivers’,” he insisted.

Triple world champion Nelson Piquet, however, has some lingering doubts.

He ran Maldonado in his own GP2 team some years ago, and this week recalled a driver who was often “too aggressive” and made too many mistakes.

“We’re not talking about a guy who shone in his youth, like Nico Rosberg,” said the famous Brazilian, “or someone like Lewis Hamilton, who always had everything he needed thanks to Ron Dennis.

“In GP2, when you don’t stand out in your second year, you begin to be doubted. In Maldonado’s case, he only shone in his fourth year.

“Perhaps because of this he only made it to formula one as a paying driver, without having anything special, apparently. He was perceived as just a good pilot, but clearly no Alonso.

“Now he was at the right place at the right time but he still managed to beat Alonso in Spain as well as another world champion, Kimi (Raikkonen). So hats off to him.”

Sebastian Vettel has defended his former mentor Michael Schumacher.

The seven time world champion has been roundly criticised since last Sunday’s Spanish grand prix, after crashing into Williams’ Bruno Senna at the end of the Barcelona straight.

He called the Brazilian driver an “idiot” on the radio and later defended the outburst, but the FIA did not agree, imposing a five-place qualifying penalty for Monte Carlo for causing a collision.

“For us, that manoeuvre of Michael’s cost us a lot,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Austrian Servus TV.

He said the debris from the crash not only damaged Vettel’s front wing, but led to the reigning world champion having to serve a drive-through penalty due to activating his DRS wing in the yellow-flag zone.

German Vettel, however, defended Schumacher.

“In those situations we don’t have much time of course,” he said, “and you can get very great speed differences (between the cars) on the straights.

“I think it should be classified simply in the category of racing accidents. Unfortunately it happens,” said the reigning world champion.

“Of course you can always say what is what afterwards,” added Vettel, “just as you can say that it always takes two to tango.”

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug was less eager to comment, although he did tell Germany’s Sport1 that the team “accepts the verdict of the race stewards”.

He does not agree with the seven time world champion, but Norbert Haug insists he can understand Michael Schumacher’s criticism of the current generation of Pirelli tyre.

Mercedes driver Schumacher slammed F1′s official supplier after last Sunday’s Bahrain grand prix, saying the 2012 tyres degrade so quickly that they are not good enough for the pinnacle of motor racing.

“We drive around like the safety car. It is not a satisfying situation,” he said.

Schumacher’s boss Haug, however, does not fully agree, insisting Pirelli has contributed to a “very great competition” in 2012 featuring “very good races”.

“Of course, for a driver, there is always a certain frustration when you think you could be going faster, but you are having to be careful,” Haug told German reporters including Sport1.

“That’s just the nature of the racer,” he added.

Haug said Schumacher’s comments also prove that Mercedes does not muzzle its drivers, who may freely express their personal opinions.

Peter Sauber is sporting some bumps and bruises this weekend following a fall in Melbourne.
Switzerland’s Blick newspaper reports that the 68-year-old team owner and boss fell at the paddock entrance at Albert Park last Sunday, taking the brunt of the impact with his elbow and wrist.

“It still hurts,” he admitted. “All I could think of at the time was to protect my face.”

Sauber was treated by McLaren doctor Aki Hintsa, who said Sauber was lucky not to have injured himself more badly.

 Contrary to recent speculation, McLaren does not yet have a Mercedes-style new F-duct on its dominant 2012 car.
When boss Martin Whitmarsh said in Melbourne that he would not be joining a theoretical protest against the Mercedes innovation, many suggested it was because the MP4-27 is already hiding something similar.

Not yet, although the FIA did take a long look at the silver car in Melbourne.

“If they were looking for an F-duct, we don’t have one,” Whitmarsh smiled to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

In fact, the scrutineers were checking and then re-checking the height of the MP4-27′s front wing.

But the F-duct might be coming.

“All the teams are going to be trying to extract the maximum within the permitted regulations,” confirmed managing director Jonathan Neale in a media teleconference this week.

But he also revealed that McLaren doesn’t yet “understand well enough” how the Mercedes system works.

Melbourne winner Jenson Button and his teammate Lewis Hamilton will therefore race a basically unchanged McLaren this weekend in Malaysia.

But Hamilton’s downbeat mood has been picked up with the news that he was beaten by Button from pole last Sunday due to a minor clutch issue.

“It wasn’t my fault,” said the Briton, “but we now understand and know how to improve in the future.”

As for their differing race performances, Hamilton insists he now understands “the reasons” for Melbourne “and it puts me in a really positive frame of mind” ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

After all the pre-season hype, the Melbourne paddock banter about its clever F-duct system and a strong showing in qualifying, Mercedes failed to shine in last Sunday’s season opener.
The situation has many paddock regulars confused as to just how good the new W03 really is.

“Good question,” Michael Schumacher told Bild newspaper at an event this week in Malaysia. “We don’t know yet.”

Agreed Finnish commentator and former F1 driver Mika Salo: “It’s going to be interesting.

“Malaysia requires a lot more from a car aerodynamically than does Australia.

“I am sure McLaren will still be at the front, but Red Bull and Mercedes will probably be closer.”

So what happened to Mercedes’ early promise in Australia?

“In the race we had some problems, especially with the tyres — they degraded too quickly,” revealed team boss Ross Brawn.

But for Sepang, “We have an idea about how we can get it under control,” he added.

If that is true, then Sir Jackie Stewart is looking forward to seeing “the old Michael Schumacher” for the first time since he initially retired in 2006.

“He is driving well again,” the famous Scot told Kolner Express newspaper, “but so too is Nico Rosberg.

“They have a much better car than last year, and Michael is finally showing what he is capable of.

“I don’t know if that will be (good enough for) victories, but for sure we will see him again on the podium,” added Stewart.

 From the depths of 2011, Williams is now ‘not far’ from the pace of F1′s strongest teams.
That is the claim of Pastor Maldonado, who in the newly Renault-powered and Mike Coughlan-designed FW34 qualified eighth and was pushing Fernando Alonso for fifth in the race when he crashed out of Sunday’s season opener in Melbourne on the last lap.

It indicated a major turnaround for the formerly championship-winning team that collapsed to a dismal ninth place in last year’s points standings.

Venezuelan Maldonado hopes last Sunday was indeed the start of a Williams resurgence.

He said this weekend in Malaysia “should be interesting”.

“McLaren and Red Bull look strong, but we are not far away,” he is quoted by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

“We were very close to (Red Bull’s) Mark Webber in the first and second stints,” said Maldonado.

“I think we are faster than Ferrari, Sauber and Force India,” he added.

Maldonado’s last-lap crash in Australia cost Williams a full ten points — double the team’s tally of the entire 2011 season.

“We need points in the future,” he acknowledged, “but we are also now more relaxed now.”

 F1′s governing body will assist in the investigation of Dan Wheldon’s death.
Briton Wheldon, 33, was killed in a 15-car crash last Sunday on lap 12 of the 2011 Indycar finale in Las Vegas.

According to the Associated Press, the Paris based FIA as well as the US sanctioning body ACCUS “will assist in a full investigation” of the fatal crash.

Indycar confirmed the news whilst saying “the safety of our drivers, their crews … staff, racetrack staff and spectators is always our paramount concern”.

 With his second consecutive title now wrapped up, Sebastian Vettel is continuing to impress the international media.
The Red Bull driver secured his crown recently in Japan with a third place but quickly returned to the top step of the podium in Korea last Sunday.

“He is now chasing after Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season,” said Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The celebrations at Suzuka did not rob Vettel of his determination,” added the report.

Other publications were also impressed with Vettel’s determination to win even without the goal of a championship.

“He is hungry for more success and never satisfied,” praised Corriere dello Sport.

Agreed Tuttosport: “Vettel is a cannibal, like his hero Schumacher.”

The German’s will to keep his foot on the throttle even with the title wrapped up was demonstrated by his unprecedented pace on the last lap in Korea.

“I think they (the team) will kill me now,” joked Vettel afterwards. “They came on the radio and said ‘idiot, you got it (the fastest race lap)’.

“It’s a small thing; it’s probably more to do with the ego because there are no points (for it) so it’s really stupid from my side but now I’ve got it, I’m happy.”

Red Bull will travel to high speed Monza next week with less-than-expected levels of trepidation.

The championship leading team was expecting its Renault engines to suffer on the long straights of Spa-Francorchamps, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber – with blistering tyres – delivered a one-two finish instead.

Italian grand prix venue Monza, meanwhile, is an even higher speed venue, and without many of the kinds of corners seen in Spa’s sector two that suited Adrian Newey’s RB7.

“In the last two years it (Monza) has not been a good track for us, so we’ll see,” Briton Newey is quoted as saying by Autosprint after accepting the constructors’ trophy on the Belgian grand prix podium.

Runaway points leader Vettel is happier with the prospect of racing at Monza after winning last Sunday.

“The car felt so fantastic (at Spa) and the balance was fabulous so it (Monza) should be manageable,” said the German.

Team boss Christian Horner admitted the Belgian result was a surprise.

“In many respects it was, yes, because power is a dominant factor and we thought it would perhaps favour some of our opponents more,” he said.

The RB7 was wearing a noticeably thin rear wing profile at Spa and the bespoke item will return to the car next weekend.

“I think that if we want to get close to certain engines on the straight we have to run a bit less wing,” confirmed Horner.

Despite Lewis Hamilton no longer thinking the 2011 title fight is effectively over, not everyone in the F1 paddock agrees with him.

Renault’s departing team manager Steve Nielsen told Brazilian O Estado de S.Paulo correspondent Livio Oricchio that he thinks Sebastian Vettel will wrap up his second championship long before the 2011 season has ended.

“I believe the points gap will grow and that will Vettel will do it by Suzuka,” he said, referring to the Japanese grand prix in October.

After Suzuka, there are still four grands prix left to run, and Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary admits he is also worried.

“We are entering dangerous territory here; slow death by asphyxiation,” he wrote after Valencia. “Not since Michael Schumacher bored everyone into submission in 2004 have fans been forced to contemplate hegemony on this scale.”

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said before leaving Valencia last Sunday that Vettel is “sure to be champion” in 2011.

Former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore told Radio Monte Carlo that he reckons Vettel will have won by Monza, two races before Suzuka, but Rubens Barrichello thinks that is unlikely.

“To win at Suzuka he needs to increase his gap to 100 points, which at this rate is very possible,” said the Brazilian.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali is reserving his judgement until after Silverstone, where the off-throttle blown exhaust clampdown takes effect.

“There may be a change in what we have seen so far, even if I recognise that Sebastian has a considerable advantage.”

Bernie Ecclestone has leapt to Lewis Hamilton’s defence amid criticism of the 2008 world champion’s recent driving tactics.
Commentators including Niki Lauda have harshly criticised the 26-year-old for his recent aggressive driving, including crashes and controversy at the most recent grands prix in Monaco and Canada.

But F1 chief executive Ecclestone insisted: “People have been wrong to rubbish Lewis.

“What we want is people racing, and all the people who watch it want that,” he told the Independent.

Hamilton’s boss Martin Whitmarsh also urged Hamilton, who collided with his teammate Jenson Button in Montreal, to keep racing rather than worrying too much about crashing.

“If he holds hold back for fear of having contact then he won’t be the great racer he is and do the job he has to do,” said the McLaren team principal.

Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen wrote in his De Telegraaf newspaper column that the criticisms of Hamilton in recent days have been “exaggerated”.

“He has had two unfortunate races, but each incident must be viewed separately,” said the Dutchman. “In Monaco with Felipe Massa, he did something stupid.

“But the collision with Button last Sunday was not Hamilton’s fault. I could understand his overtaking attempt there and Button could have given him more space.

“Despite all the commotion Hamilton is a great driver. He just needs to empty his head now and get luck back on his side,” said Verstappen.

Christian Klien thinks there is no chance Hamilton will change any time soon.

“He is just a very aggressive driver; a thoroughbred,” the Austrian told Red Bull television Servus TV. “We (F1) need that and it’s because of that many races are so exciting.”

Robert Kubica has given his first interview since suffering horrific injuries last Sunday in a rally crash.

La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Pino Allievi spoke in Italian with Renault’s Polish driver, as the 26-year-old vowed to “come back stronger than before”.

“I don’t remember anything about the accident, but these things make you stronger,” said Kubica. “I’m sorry to my mother.”

Referring to his worst injury – his right hand that was almost severed by armco barrier that penetrated his Skoda Fabia rally car – he revealed: “The fingers work, the arm as well.

“But only after working really hard will I know for sure.”

Veteran journalist Allievi said Kubica’s face was relaxed as he spoke with determination about returning to F1.

“I’ll be stronger as a driver, in the head. I have to return this year. My right arm feels better now than when I was hit by a drunk seven years ago,” said Kubica.

He spoke about his passion for rallying.

“It’s a tough workout, severe, for F1 it helps with concentration … whether I’ll still do it, we’ll see.

“It was nice to see Briatore, an exceptional person. Then Alonso, Lopez, Petrov, Alesi, Liuzzi — beautiful, the track never lets you see the true face of the people.”

Good news emerged from Italy on Wednesday afternoon: Robert Kubica can move all five fingers on his injured right hand.
The limb was partially severed in a rally crash last Sunday, raising a question mark about the Pole’s future in motor racing.

But his hand surgeon Igor Rossello is quoted by SID news agency: “The operation went perfectly.

“It is a great result that Kubica can now move his hand, because the surgery was long and complicated.”

The next hurdle for the 26-year-old Renault driver is an operation not on Thursday as originally scheduled, but instead on Friday, to work on his injured right shoulder and foot.

A few days later, Kubica will return to the operating table for elbow surgery.

Rossello said Kubica then faces a long period of rehabilitation.

“He will need to work hard every day.”

Before that, however, the grand prix winner will be interviewed by Liguria police who are investigating the crash, in which Kubica’s Skoda Fabia was skewered by a length of armco barrier.

Renault team owner Gerard Lopez visited Kubica in hospital on Wednesday.

“Robert is a great loss for us at the moment that is forcing us to revise our plans. This is clearly a difficult time.

“We don’t know yet if and when Robert will return. If it will be a long recovery and he will not be back this season, we need to rely on an experienced driver.

“The fate of our season will depend on this new driver, as without Robert it is difficult to predict how we will fare. Obviously, we need a driver capable of winning the championship.”

Ivg.it said Lopez is meeting with Renault team boss Eric Boullier today.

Robert Kubica is slowly coming to terms with his injures and the lost opportunity of 2011.
That is the admission of the Pole’s manager Daniele Morelli, after Renault said on Tuesday that an improving Kubica “reacted well to the news about his condition and is ready to fight for his comeback”.

The reality, however, is that while the alarming medical bulletins have eased, the 26-year-old will be in hospital for weeks at least.

And there remain question-marks not about the future functionality of his right arm that was partially severed during a minor rally event last Sunday, but also his other injured limbs.

Morelli was one of the few people able to speak with Kubica on Tuesday while doctors eased pain sedatives in order to gauge the grand prix winner’s neurological condition.

“I told him about the accident, and the extent of his fractures and injuries, and Robert was shocked,” Morelli is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

“He understood that he will be out (of F1) for quite a long time and he is suffering with that,” Kubica’s manager admitted.

“He would have already been driving the new car again at Jerez,” added Morelli.

At the end of his first stint with the new R31, Kubica ended the Valencia test last week with the fastest time overall.

“It’s the first time a team has conceived a car with Robert integrally in mind,” Morelli continued.

For F1, it is a tragedy that the R31/Kubica combination might have been a true title contender, but Morelli said the overriding feeling at present is relief.

“We are happy because for the first 12 hours the question was whether Robert would survive. When he reached the hospital his condition was critical,” he revealed.

“But now we are planning already to leave the ICU,” said Morelli.

Kubica’s manager also acknowledged the debate at present about the wisdom of combining being a full-time F1 driver with the much more dangerous pursuit of road rallying.

“Robert loves rallying, and he had done the previous 12 without any problems. Actually, I hadn’t thought about that — it looks like this was number 13,” he said.

13 is considered such bad luck that no competitor uses the number on the F1 grid.

And Morelli said Kubica’s reported EUR 6 million retainer for the 2011 season is the least of his concerns.

“Every driver has insurance,” he revealed, “but this is the matter that concerns us the least of all.

“We are all conscious of what lies ahead, the effort that is going to be put to have Robert sitting in a cockpit once again,” added Morelli.