Mercedes’ highly-anticipated 2012 car made its track debut this week during a secret test day at Silverstone.
“Lots of questions about Silverstone and shakedowns,” admitted the Northamptonshire based team on Twitter on Thursday.

Youtube video footage, captured by a trackside observer, showed the ‘step’ nose W03 turning laps at the British grand prix venue, which is located just a 15-minute drive from the German team’s Brackley headquarters.

Mercedes said the test was for “filming” purposes, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher’s equally sharing the allowed 100 kilometres of running.

Italy’s Autosprint website said the car appeared “fairly conventional”, despite speculation the late test debut is due to the team keeping an explosive technical innovation close to its chest.

Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s car designer, admitted he and Mercedes’ rivals might have a very close look at the W03 if the rumours about the technical secret are true.

“If it comes out and goes three seconds quicker than anybody else, yes of course,” he is quoted by Reuters.

“Other than that, simply because its later doesn’t mean to say you are going to suddenly show more attention at that than anybody else’s.”

Meanwhile, after the struggling Spanish team’s 2012 car recently failed two mandatory FIA crash tests, HRT will sit out next week’s Barcelona test.

Last week at Jerez, Pedro de la Rosa ran at the wheel of the 2011 car.

Jenson Button is hoping bad weather will help him end his podium drought at Silverstone this weekend.
The 2009 world champion has not only never won his home British grand prix, he has not even stood on the podium after any of his eleven previous races at the famous Northamptonshire venue.

31-year-old Button and his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton left Valencia two weeks ago downbeat on their chances of matching the Red Bulls on the circuit’s high speed curves.

But a weekend weather forecast predicting likely rain has brightened his spirits.

“If you look at the pace in Valencia you’d say we were nowhere near close enough to the Red Bulls,” said Button.

“Our car seems to work well in the wet so if it rains it’s not so good for fans sitting out there but for us, in terms of our pace and a result, wet weather could be good.”

Red Bull’s rivals also have their fingers crossed that Adrian Newey is right, as the dominant RB7′s designer on Tuesday admitted the blown exhaust clampdown will affect the car “quite heavily”.

“Our car was designed around the exhaust,” the Briton is quoted by the BBC.

“So it might be that it’s going to be more of a hit for us, but it’s very difficult to forecast,” added Newey.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) insists it has not run out of money to complete sweeping renovations at its British grand prix venue Silverstone.
The circuit-owning BRDC announced on Thursday it is seeking investors to help realise “the full potential of Silverstone”.

A new pit and paddock complex is being constructed at the Northamptonshire venue, and there have been rumours that money is running short.

But the BRDC insisted that if a “suitable investor” is not found, “we will continue with the development ourselves, albeit at a slower pace”.

Some observers interpreted the announcement as a desperate plea for more money, but BRDC chairman Stuart Rolt dismissed that view.

“You can see our accounts every year and they will tell you we are making money,” he told the Telegraph.

“If there’s one thing I want to get across it is that the rumours of impending financial peril are complete rubbish. These are exciting times,” he added.

Bruno Senna will return to the wheel of his HRT car at Hockenheim in two weeks.

The new Spanish team has replaced the Brazilian at Silverstone with reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto, amid speculation the Japanese is better funded.

But Senna, 26, is at the Northamptonshire venue on Friday and has been locked in meetings with team boss Colin Kolles and manager Chris Goodwin.

Hispania then said in a statement that the team “decided to give an opportunity” to Yamamoto, who turns 28 on Friday.

“Bruno Senna will continue to drive in the remaining races,” the statement added.

Yamamoto is more than a second off the pace of team regular Karun Chandhok at Silverstone, and during the afternoon session looked to be suffering from a sore neck.

HRT’s statement referred to “the rumours” about Senna’s financial position, but neither Senna, Goodwin or Kolles would explain the true reasons for the Silverstone situation.

As Thursday evening fell at Silverstone, a rumour swept the paddock that Bruno Senna has been dropped by HRT.

The speculation was treated with scepticism by some, given the Brazilian rookie’s PR visit during the day to the nearby Cosworth factory.

And just three hours ago, he wrote on Twitter that he is “looking forward to the weekend at Silverstone”, and last week an official team statement quoted him as saying: “I am looking forward to the British grand prix.”

But team boss Colin Kolles told reporters at the Northamptonshire venue late on Thursday that reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto will race Senna’s car this weekend.

He said more details would be provided in the morning, amid rumours the Japanese former Spyker and Super Aguri driver Yamamoto has simply stumped up with enough money to buy out Senna’s race seat.

A hotel popular with formula one teams, spectators and media personnel has burned down just days before the British grand prix.

A stone’s throw from Silverstone, the double storey Premier Inn hotel – based at the popular Green Man pub – caught fire on Monday night and was attended by more than 50 firefighters.

One woman was hospitalised and two men have been arrested.

“There have been no similar fires reported in the area and there is no suggestion that there is any link to the British grand prix,” said Northamptonshire West CID inspector Andy Glenn.

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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.”

(GMM)  While Ferrari and Toro Rosso have been running cars recently in Italy, Michael Schumacher was at the wheel of the 2010 Mercedes at Rockingham.

The combined oval and road course circuit is located in Northamptonshire, about an hour’s drive from Mercedes’ F1 headquarters, where the 41-year-old German has been this week to look over the updated W01 for the Spanish grand prix.

Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm confirmed to the DPA news agency that the seven time world champion did drive at Rockingham this week for team filming purposes.

The circuit was reportedly closed for the session and Schumacher is said to have covered about 100 kilometres.

“We are looking forward to evaluating the impact (of the car developments) on our pace whilst remaining conscious that this is very much a first step in improving our competitiveness,” said team boss Ross Brawn before travelling to Barcelona.

Apr.30 (GMM)  Silverstone has admitted to stretching its financial abilities “further than ever before” to pay for its circuit changes.

The Northamptonshire venue’s new 760 metre ‘Arena’ section was launched on Thursday, and for the 2011 race the start-finish line and pit and paddock complex will be moved to the straight after Club corner.

It is believed the new facilities are a requirement of the new 17-year grand prix contract, and BRDC chairman Damon Hill admits the financial cost is a risk to the circuit owners.

Asked if Silverstone’s coffers are now stretched to the limit, the 1996 world champion answered: “Not to the absolute limit, but certainly stretching further than has been stretched before.

“I think it’s a necessary risk.  The alternative was very possibly that the British grand prix would have gone off the calendar.”

Hill talked up the talents of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton at Thursday’s event, admitting that Silverstone is now relying on Britain’s “tradition for producing world class drivers who will eventually drive people through the gate”.