Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
Friday, 11th of May 2012
Weather: Sunny – Air 30ºC, Track 45ºC

10.00-11.30 FORMULA 1 PRACTICE SESSION 1
Pedro de la Rosa F112-02 #22 23rd (19 laps) 1:29.107
Dani Clos F112-03 #23 24th (19 laps) 1:31.618

14.00-15.30 FORMULA 1 PRACTICE SESSION 2
Pedro de la Rosa F112-02 #22 23rd (26 laps )1:28.235
Narain Karthikeyan F112-03 #23 24th (2 laps)

The time has finally come and the highly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix finally got underway today with the first free practice sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya (4.655 km). The day started with Dani Clos lining up alongside Pedro de la Rosa, making it a historic moment for the team and Spanish motorsport as a whole. The Spanish duo were able to try out the aerodynamic upgrades and compare data until Clos’ car came to a halt as a result of an electrical issue towards the end of the session.

The team worked hard at midday to solve the problem and get Narain Karthikeyan out on the track on time for the second session. It wasn’t to be but the team continued to fight against the clock and, in the end, the Indian driver was able to get on the track with half an hour to go in the session. But the car said enough was enough immediately and Karthikeyan wasn’t even able to finish two laps. On his behalf, de la Rosa completed a total of 26 laps comparing the two aerodynamic options with the two tyre options.

“I’m happy to have got into the car for the first time today, albeit for a short first encounter. The feeling I had when I left the pits and saw the Spanish crowd, whilst driving for a Spanish team alongside Pedro, was unbelievable. It was my first time in the new car and I wasn’t 100% comfortable since the car is built for Narain, so I had to adapt. We were able to carry out some aerodynamic work and try out some different things on the car so I’m pleased to have completed my job for the team”.

Pedro de la Rosa: “Today was the day to try out the aero package we’ve brought to Barcelona, so we completed various short stints to see how the car behaved with the changes. It was interesting because the car has effectively taken a step forwards, but we need an even bigger step, especially at such a tough circuit as this one where there are many quick turns and where you need to improve the balance of the car. There’s still plenty to do and a lot of data to analyze to have a better understanding of how to get the most out of these upgrades”.

Narain Karthikeyan: “I’m disappointed to have not got any laps under my belt today; it’s certainly not how I was aiming to start my weekend in Barcelona. Tomorrow will be an uphill struggle as we’ve only got one hour in the morning to get the car ready for qualifying in the afternoon, so we’re really going to have to get our heads down and work hard. Hopefully we can make up for the time lost today and turn things around tomorrow”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “Today was a day of mixed feelings. On one hand it was very nice to see Dani make his debut but on the other hand we suffered a lot of electrical issues on Narain’s car. It’s a new chassis and there’s a lot of work to do with any new car so it’s not that strange for things to not work out first time round. It looks like the upgrades we’ve brought have worked well, which makes us optimistic for the future. Now we have to fix our immediate problems and work so that the weekend turns out the best way possible”.

Jerome d’Ambrosio has revealed he could drive one of the Lotus cars during Friday morning practice sessions at some point in 2012.

The former Virgin driver, who is managed by Lotus boss Eric Boullier’s Gravity company, was appointed as the team’s third and reserve driver for this year.

But, until now, it was not known if the role would involve Friday morning practice duties.

Asked by the La Libre newspaper when he will be seen on the grid once again, Belgian d’Ambrosio answered: “I hope in 2013.”

He will get his 2013 campaign up and running on Tuesday, when he gets the chance to drive Lotus’ current E20 for the first time at the Mugello test.

The 26-year-old said on Monday: “I will try to show what I can do every time I have the opportunity, not only tomorrow but also during the Friday morning tests that I can participate in.”

D’Ambrosio admitted he would rather be racing this year, but insists that his role at Lotus is a good stepping stone.

“I’m not complaining,” he said. “I remain convinced that my decision to become a reserve driver with a big team was the best thing for me.”

And he insisted he is not jealous of the similarly-aged Romain Grosjean, who took the E20 to the podium in Bahrain recently.

“Honestly not,” said d’Ambrosio. “I would be a fool to think that if Romain had crashed twice more I would replace him in Barcelona.

“Instead, what Grosjean has done confirms that young guys can be trusted. I am glad to see him succeed.

“I don’t come to grands prix hoping one of my teammates is hurt. I’m here to learn, not to laugh.”

He thinks Lotus could win a race in 2012.

“It’s possible, yes,” said d’Ambrosio. “The E20 works well when it’s hot, degrading the tyres not too much.

“In Bahrain, we had the best car in the race. We cannot afford to miss opportunities.”

Giedo van der Garde will combine his new F1 reserve role with another season in the GP2 series this year.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who has raced in the F1 feeder category in the last few years, will be Caterham’s reserve driver this year and appear in Friday morning practice sessions on a number of occasions.

According to a report in De Telegraaf newspaper, it has now emerged that van der Garde will race for Caterham’s GP2 team as well.

“The agreement will be announced officially on Monday,” said the Dutch report.

Van der Garde commented: “I want to stay sharp by being with Caterham Racing (GP2 team).

“I am very happy with my role as reserve driver, but when you’re on the road for the whole year with the F1 team and do only a fair number of Friday practices, then you would miss your rhythm.

“I just wanted to keep up some racing.

“I will be involved in everything with the F1 team and at every race, but when I need to race, then my full focus will be on GP2,” he added.

Valtteri Bottas has given some insight into Williams’ decision to switch to Renault power for this year.
For the past two years, the famous British team has been independent UK marque Cosworth’s highest profile customer.

But for 2012 the Grove based team has switched to Renault, the maker of world champion Red Bull’s engines, as well as fellow customers Lotus and Caterham.

“The Renault engine is more powerful,” revealed Williams’ test driver Bottas.

“It is also smaller in size, which is good for the aerodynamics, and has a lower fuel consumption,” he told the MTV3 broadcaster.

The 22-year-old Finn, who is managed by Williams co-owner Toto Wolff, will drive the FW34 on Wednesday at the Barcelona test.

He will also contest 15 of this season’s Friday morning practice sessions.

“This season will definitely be better than the last,” said Bottas, “when it was Williams’ poorest in history.”

Cosworth still supplies the struggling Marussia and HRT teams.

HRT F1 Team has reached an agreement with Dani Clos by which the young 23-year-old driver from Barcelona will become test driver of the Spanish outfit for the 2012 season.

The incorporation of Clos is another step in the team’s aspirations of establishing itself as a platform for young talents to reach the pinnacle of world motorsport.

Dani Clos will form an integral part of the team, taking part in several free practice sessions on Fridays and travelling to every Grand Prix throughout the season, with the main objective of learning and getting to know the team. There is a lot of hard work ahead of him but Dani will have the whole team’s support, including that of his teammates Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa, to help him learn and progress in such a demanding environment.

Dani Clos experienced his first contact with the team this past November, during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, and made the most of the opportunity given to him. The good sensations that the team and driver had, along with the objective of strengthening HRT F1 Team, helped to reach a quick agreement that was desired by both parties.

The Spanish driver will start to exert his functions as the team’s test driver immediately and will be with the team for the third pre-season tests in Barcelona from the 1^st to the 4^th of March.

Dani Clos: “I’m very proud to be a part of HRT Formula 1 Team. It is a great step in my career, something that I have dreamt of all my life and, finally, my dream is starting to come true. I’m very impressed with the job the team is doing; they’re achieving fantastic things in a short space of time. The team has changed a lot since we met in the Abu Dhabi tests and I think it’s a great opportunity and an honor to form a part of this new team. What they’re achieving is very important for motorsport in our country and has a lot of potential. Also, being alongside Pedro de la Rosa is very important for me, since he and Karthikeyan can positively contribute to me becoming a better driver. I want to thank Saúl Ruíz de Marcos and Luis Pérez-Sala for the trust they’ve shown in me from the start and, above all, I would like to thank the people who have always been by my side, such as Leonardo Soldevila and my father. For me a new chapter is beginning, one where hard work and dedication are going to be my priorities; I’m going to give it my all so that this phase is as successful as it can possibly be for the team, my teammates and myself”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT: “I’m very happy to have Dani on the team. He’s a quick, talented driver who, above all, is very willing to progress. The incorporation of Clos is another step in our project of restructuring HRT but also fits in with our desire to promote young motorsport talents. I’m sure that it will be a very positive experience for both parties”.

-Ends-

Dani Clos – Profile

Date of Birth: 23rd of October 1988

Place of Birth: Barcelona (Spain)

Nationality: Spanish

Height: 1,77cm

Weight: 68 kg

Country and place of residence: Barcelona (Spain)

Website: www.daniclos.com

Twitter: @daniclos

Dani Clos was born in Barcelona on the 23rd of October 1988. With a renowned trajectory in karting, Clos made his debut in single-seater racing in 2004 in Formula Renault Italia 2.0, going on to win the Championship in 2006. A year later he joined Renault’s F1 programme and took part in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2008 he entered Williams F1’s young drivers’ programme and finished in 2^nd in the 24H Barcelona race. In 2009 he made his debut in the GP2 series, with a 3^rd place finish in Portimao being his best result. In his second year in GP2 he achieved his first win in Turkey alongside various podium finishes. Last year, Dani Clos took one win and two podiums in what was his third season as a GP2 driver. Also in 2011, he took part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi with HRT F1 Team, completing total of 377.67km in one day and leaving a very good impression on the team.

Career Summary:

2011: GP2: Racing Engineering, 9^thin the Championship

F1: Young Driver Test with HRT F1 Team

2010: GP2: Racing Engineering, 4^thin the Championship (1 race win)

2009: GP2: Racing Engineering, 21^stin the Championship

2008: F3 Euroseries: Prema Powerteam: 14^thin the Championship

2007: F3 Euroseries: Signature Plus: 13^thin the Championship

2006: Formula Renault 2.0 Italia: Champion (8 race wins)

Renault 2.0 Eurocup: 7^th position

2005: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0: 32^ndin the Championship

Italian Formula Renault Championship: 16^th in the Championship

 Heikki Kovalainen insists he does not need number one status at Caterham.
Entering his third year with the former Lotus team, and with his teammate Jarno Trulli reportedly on the cusp of being ousted, it is an open secret in the paddock that Finn Kovalainen is the favourite.

But that doesn’t mean the 30-year-old needs a favoured status.

“I think I’ve been able to take my place in the team with at least an equal footing with my teammate,” he is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

“As long as we have the same, I do not need anything else. It has worked so far,” insisted Kovalainen.

What he would like, however, is an assurance from the team that he will not be sidelined on Friday mornings by test drivers.

For 2012, Caterham has signed Dutch GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde to take part “in a number” of morning practice sessions.

“It is still being discussed,” insists Kovalainen. “It is still open.

“Of course, I am firmly of the view that we don’t need that — I would like to drive all the sessions.”

Red Bull avoided a repeat of last year’s ‘wing-gate’ by letting Mark Webber keep his latest specification front wing at Suzuka.
At Silverstone 2010, Australian Webber kicked off the controversy by angrily declaring ‘Not bad for a number 2 driver’ after winning the British grand prix.

The win came after the team took the front wing off his car because the only other version collapsed on Sebastian Vettel’s RB6 in practice.

At Suzuka, a similar situation arose when Vettel crashed at Degner on Friday morning.

But the German then tackled the rest of the weekend until qualifying with an older spare front wing replacement, and was duly outpaced in all the practice sessions by McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Suddenly, Vettel returned to the front in qualifying — with a brand new front wing.

“The team did everything to bring it back and just in time it arrived (from Milton Keynes) for qualifying,” the 24-year-old said.

Team boss Christian Horner told Reuters he never considered simply taking Webber’s front wing away again.

“Last time (at Silverstone), it failed and we had one left and it wasn’t anything to do with the driver,” he said.

“Yesterday it was purely down to him (Vettel), that’s why he looked pretty pissed off when he got out of the car because he knew he’d damaged a front wing that he knew there were only two of in Japan at that time.”

Lewis Hamilton’s troubles continued on Saturday after missing out on pole position at Suzuka.
Even though Red Bull has utterly dominated qualifying in 2011, Jenson Button dominated the practice sessions at Suzuka and the sister McLaren was holding provisional pole until the closing seconds of Q3.

As Vettel and Button went quicker on their final attempts, however, Briton Hamilton failed to start his flying lap before the chequered flag flew.

He looked gutted in parc ferme and the television unilaterals, insisting he still had a couple of tenths of pace in store for his last attempt.

Hamilton said he was “attacked” at the end of the out-lap by Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher, describing their moves as “dangerous”.

“We told him not to back up and let so many cars by. Unfortunately he got hussled at the last corner,” McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said on BBC 1.

Red Bull’s world champion Sebastian Vettel put himself on pole position for a second successive Formula One title at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 24-year-old, who needs just a point on Sunday to become the sport’s youngest double champion with four races to spare, pipped McLaren’s Jenson Button by just nine thousandths of a second in a knife-edge qualifying session.

“Yes baby, that’s what I’m talking about,” screeched Vettel into the team radio as he powered to his 12th pole position of the season, from 15 races, his fifth in succession, and Red Bull’s 16th in a row dating back to the end of last year.

“We got a new front wing out just in time, it wasn’t easy but fortunately we did,” said the German, who had a wake-up call when he crashed in Friday’s opening practice and damaged the nose of his car more than the team let on.

“We sat down after the practice session this morning and fortunately got everything together and we were able to get every single bit out of the car in qualifying which was crucial.”
Jenson Button

Jenson Button congratulates Sebastian Vettel after qualy

Button, fastest in all three practice sessions, is the only driver who can deny Vettel the title at Suzuka but he must win and hope the German fails to score to keep the championship alive for another weekend.

Vettel has won from pole for the past two years at Suzuka and has finished his last 16 races in the points, with fourth his worst result of the season so far.

“Nine thousandths not good enough, there you go,” said Button, who earlier in the week likened his challenge to Vettel to that of a four-year-old taking on an adult in a 100-metre sprint.

“I felt like I got everything out of the car. Fair play to the whole team, to be able to really fight the Red Bulls around here on a circuit they have dominated on is a great job.”

McLaren’s 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton qualified third and Brazilian Felipe Massa, with whom he controversially clashed in Singapore last month, will line up alongside for Ferrari in what promises to be a lively start.
Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will start from third on the grid

Hamilton had been quickest after each had set a lap in the final phase of qualifying but then failed to cross the line in time to get a second run after Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher squeezed him out.

“With Lewis it was tight, we told him not to back up and let so many cars by,” said team boss Martin Whitmarsh. “Unfortunately he got hustled by at the last corner and in so doing missed out on posting a time in the last lap.”

Hamilton was reluctant to go into detail but clearly felt aggrieved.

“I felt I had a couple of tenths at least left. I felt like I was in position to fight with these guys but it was a bit dangerous at the last corner, I had Mark attack me and I had Michael down the other side, it was very strange and that’s why I lost out,” he said.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Webber, looking no closer to winning a race this season, filled the third row.

Saturday, 8 October – Qualifying

Reuters

Red Bull and Ferrari will fight it out for victory this weekend, David Coulthard has predicted.
“It would appear that Ferrari and Red Bull have the edge on McLaren,” the Scot, a veteran of almost 250 grands prix, surmised after watching the practice sessions at the Nurburgring on Friday.

“Red Bull have taken pole at every race this year and I would expect that trend to continue,” he told the Telegraph.

It is a neat summary in the wake of Ferrari’s continued resurgence and the fact that McLaren, as at Silverstone two weeks ago, appears to have taken a step backwards.

Also looking stronger is Mark Webber, with his team orders stoush with Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel appearing to have given him wings.

At the same time, championship leader Vettel appeared to struggle somewhat in front of his home crowd, but forecast rain and low temperatures could give him the edge over Ferrari in the coming days.

“In the rain we still have a problem,” admitted Silverstone winner Fernando Alonso to Auto Motor und Sport. “The worst thing for us is a wet and cold track.”

German Vettel told O Estado de S.Paulo: “Our forecast is for rain.”

With his 80 point lead, however, the weather is a minor concern for the bigger picture. More important for Alonso is a consistently quick car — and for McLaren to improve.

“I need six or seven ‘teammates’ to be able to finish ahead of Vettel and take points off him. Otherwise it (the title) is going to be difficult,” he said.

There are also mind games at play, with McLaren’s Jenson Button openly admitting to trying all he can off the circuit to add to the current tension at Red Bull.

“I love it that there is a disagreement. It is what McLaren need,” he said.

Pirelli has many ideas about how to maximise its involvement in F1 as the sport’s official tyre supplier.
That is the claim of the Italian marque’s British motor sport director Paul Hembery, who spoke to Auto Motor und Sport at Valencia, the eighth race since Pirelli took over from the now departed Bridgestone.

He said the first idea is about the supply of wet-weather tyres.

“If the first two practice sessions are wet, then we need an additional set of intermediates for the rest of the weekend. We have agreed that this should come in to the regulations for next year,” said Hembery.

As for the basic construction and compounds, he said Pirelli is fairly happy even though the target is “two to three pitstops per car” rather than four as has been seen on occasion this season.

“We wanted to wait for the mid season. After Silverstone we will get together and show the teams a few things,” he said.

Hembery said the plan is then to make significantly faster tyres in 2013.

“The aerodynamics will be reduced so we want to give the teams a little boost on the laptime,” he revealed.

“There are many things. Maybe we will increase the number of different tyres; maybe we’ll bring three compounds to a race, maybe with a total of six to choose from.

“I don’t know yet. There are lots of ideas,” said Hembery.

Another idea is for a “super sticky” qualifying tyre that lasts for only one lap.

“In the end for something like that the decision is with the teams. They might say no,” he explained.

Red Bull will decide whether to use KERS for the rest of the Monaco grand prix weekend after Thursday’s practice sessions.
The technology has caused problems for the otherwise dominant team so far in 2011, and at Monaco its influence is questionable due to the many tight corners and absence of significant straights.

The energy-recovery unit in Sebastian Vettel’s car functioned only intermittently en route to a narrow victory over Lewis Hamilton in Spain last weekend.

“I was playing around with the buttons and the brake distribution so it wasn’t an easy race and obviously McLaren and Lewis especially gave us a very, very hard time,” he said.

His teammate Mark Webber told Auto Motor und Sport in Monaco: “We will test with it on Thursday.”

German Vettel admitted that removing KERS from the RB7s after practice is an option.

“If we have some problems again, we need to consider if it makes more sense to concentrate fully on the driving,” he said.

Mark Webber has played down his chances of beating Sebastian Vettel to pole, but insists he is on the right track to catching his widely-lauded Red Bull teammate.
After a difficult opening four races to 2011, the Australian was quicker in both Friday practice sessions at Barcelona, the scene of his victory from pole a year ago.

“I have improved, but I still have not been as fast as Sebastian in qualifying,” he admitted in an interview with O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

“From pole, he can manage the degradation of the tyres. I drop behind with faster wear and have to replace them before him, compromising my race. But he (Vettel) is driving like never before,” acknowledged Webber, 34.

He knows the time is now to kick-start his campaign for the 2011 championship.

“I have to stop this winning streak of Sebastian’s,” said Webber. “If he wins the next three or four it will be bad for me and for you (the media),” he added.

Webber said the FIA’s decision to ban off-throttle exhaust blowing in the next few races is “absurd”, and Red Bull’s F1 consultant Helmut Marko agrees.

“Anything we invent is immediately questioned,” he is quoted by Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

But: “In the event that the regulations are rewritten, we already have a solution,” he warned.

Jaime Alguersuari insists he has no problem with new Friday driver Daniel Ricciardo breathing down the necks of Toro Rosso’s regular racers in 2011.
Australian Ricciardo is the new cream of Red Bull’s young driver programme and next in line to take a Toro Rosso to the grid.

In 2011, the 21-year-old will switch between Alguersuari and teammate Sebastien Buemi’s race cars in the Friday morning practice sessions, but Spaniard Alguersuari insists he fully accepts the situation.

“His appointment is a very good confirmation of the operation of the Red Bull junior team,” said 20-year-old Alguersuari.

“Without this programme and the determination of Dr Helmut Marko, I would not be in formula one,” he is quoted by France’s autohebdo.fr.

Marko’s driver development scheme has gained a reputation over the years for being particularly cut-throat, but Alguersuari has only praise.

“Sure, but that’s what the Red Bull programme has taught us. For us there is nothing more normal than to see Ricciardo, Buemi, Vettel or myself do our best without worrying about the others,” he insisted.

Alguersuari therefore wishes Ricciardo all the best for 2011.

“His participation in the Friday practices will be a great experience for him, because he will be sharing information with me and Buemi and it will make him a better driver and a serious candidate for a place at Toro Rosso in the future,” he said.

Using a football analogy, Alguersuari contrasted Red Bull’s approach to drivers with Ferrari’s.

“Red Bull is like Barcelona, building its drivers from when they are 15 and turning them into champions,” he is quoted by Diario AS in Spain.

“Ferrari is more like Real Madrid, buying the most expensive players in the market.”