Two days after winning in Spain, Williams is scrambling to put together the equipment it needs to contest next weekend’s Monaco grand prix.

Mere hours after Pastor Maldonado secured the once-great British team’s first victory since 2004, a huge fire broke out in the pits, leaving one team member still in a Barcelona hospital with burns.

“His family are in constant communication and he is in good spirits,” Williams said in a media statement.

The Oxfordshire based team is now making efforts to ensure it can race in Monte Carlo, having lost a lot of equipment in the fire.

Mercifully, however, Bruno Senna’s car appears to have survived, with the Finnish broadcaster MTV3 saying an initial inspection of the chassis showed no devastating damage.

Maldonado’s winning car was in parc ferme at the time of the incident.

“We had a lot of damage and lost a lot of equipment, including IT equipment,” chief operations engineer Mark Gillan said, according to the Daily Mail.

“Over the next couple of days we will be looking at where we are parts-wise.

“We will have everything we need to run operationally at Monaco, but we may be missing a few of the extras because obviously we don’t carry a complete set of spares for everything,” he said.

It is believed more than one rival team has offered to help Williams by loaning the Sir Frank Williams-led outfit any equipment it needs.

A McLaren spokesman confirmed the Woking based team has offered to help.

Germany’s Bild newspaper said Williams’ damage bill runs into the millions.

Team manager Dickie Stanford denied a rumour the fire was caused by a cigarette in the vicinity of Senna’s fuel tank while it was being emptied.

“We don’t know the cause, but we would never allow smoking in the pits,” he insisted.

Williams and F1′s governing FIA are investigating.

Official track action in 2012 has now begun, but the pecking order is still totally unclear.
“The tea-leaf reading will go on until after the third practice session (on Saturday),” Peter Sauber told Switzerland’s Blick.

Only after that one-hour session will Melbourne qualifying be looming, but many paddock insiders believe Malaysia – a more ‘normal’ circuit – will be a better barometer.

The confusion is greater in 2012 because the field is apparently so tightly packed.

“I’ve never known it as open as this,” said McLaren’s Jenson Button, who set Friday’s fastest laptime. “Never.”

Lewis Hamilton agreed: “I’m convinced that Red Bull, Mercedes and us are equal.”

Red Bull, however, is widely believed to be the frontrunner, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber said they were unhappy with the balance of the RB8 on Friday.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” said Webber.

Also unclear is just how good the new Mercedes is, after Michael Schumacher in second practice returned to the ‘P1′ position he had become so familiar with in his first career pre-2010.

“When I saw the (W03) car on track I immediately sent a text to Norbert (Haug),” Alex Wurz revealed to Sport1, “(saying) ‘looks very good’.

“I honestly have to say they are not yet on Red Bull’s level, but they are not too far away,” the former F1 driver, who is in Melbourne as Williams’ new driver mentor, added.

It seems clear that Ferrari ranks somewhere beneath the top trio, and Spain’s Marca newspaper reports that a substantially-redesigned chassis will not get up and running until the European season begins in mid-May.

“We definitely haven’t seen the real picture yet,” Fernando Alonso is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, after going fourth quickest in both of Friday’s sessions.

“Vettel is not as bad as tenth,” he insisted, “and Kovalainen is not as good as eighth.”

Red Bull’s Christian Horner admitted: “Qualifying will be the first time we have driven with empty tanks.”

Team advisor Dr Helmut Marko added: “We are satisfied, it looks quite good. But McLaren is very strong, and the Mercedes (cars) will be in the top five.”

Triple world champion Niki Lauda told Germany’s Speed Week: “I am sure the championship this year will be decided later that it was in 2011.

“The top cars and the whole field appears to be closer together — it could be a great season.”

Pirelli will use the former Renault team’s 2010 car for private track testing this year, the sport’s official tyre supplier announced on Wednesday.
Until now, the Italian marque has tested with Toyota’s 2009 car, the TF109, which was deemed now too outdated to use for the next generation of Pirelli tyre.

“The Toyota is no longer able to generate the same sort of forces that we need to simulate in order to meet the current requirements of formula one,” said motor sport director Paul Hembery.

Another reason is that the Toyota’s fuel tank was not big enough to simulate a race-load of fuel, for the current regulations that came into force in 2010.

Pirelli said the Renault R30, originally raced by Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov, will be run in plain black carbon, driven by a test driver whose identity will be revealed “later this month”.

The car will be adapted to simulate this year’s regulations, and run by Pirelli’s own technicians, “with no team member connected to a current formula one team” in order to “ensure complete impartiality”.

Pirelli said it will test four or five times this year, beginning in May, with an observer from each F1 team invited to attend.

 Even the formula one teams do not trust end-of-day testing timesheets as a guide to the sport’s likely pecking order.
That is the claim of HRT’s chief engineer Toni Cuquerella, in the context of Force India and Sauber setting Wednesday’s pace at Barcelona, and the grandee Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes runners spread further down the order.

So while a full-tanks race simulation versus a qualifying run could make an obvious 4 or 5 second per lap difference, the games being played in pre-season testing are more complex, he explained.

“In Jerez or Montmelo, let’s say, all you need is to pop 30 kilos more fuel in and your times are increased by a second on average,” the Spaniard is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

“In that case, all you have to do (as a team) is refer to your time and add the second. The problem is that only they know that they are doing it,” said Cuquerella.

“That’s why no one trusts anyone,” he added.

HRT is not running at this week’s Barcelona test.

 Renault is a secret to Red Bull’s recent success in formula one, the French carmaker claims.
The common perception, however, is that the energy drink-owned team has dominated the sport in recent years despite Mercedes-Benz actually supplying a more powerful 2.4 litre V8 engine to Red Bull’s rivals.

“The Mercedes engine is indeed about 15 horse power more powerful than ours,” confirmed Renault Sport F1′s Jean-Francois Caubet.

“But in terms of driveability and fuel economy, it is our engine in front. So when it comes to the bottom line, we are a little bit better than Mercedes,” he claimed to Germany’s Sport Bild magazine.

The most crucial factor, Caubet claimed, is the engine’s fuel economy amid the backdrop of the recent ban on in-race refuelling.

“Because our consumption is lower, Red Bull can start the races with 15 to 18 litres less petrol in the tank than the competition,” he said.

“That makes a big difference.”

Another factor is Sebastian Vettel’s driving, he agreed, with the back to back world champion having a “very fuel efficient” style, and being “extremely interested in the data”.

“They are both key factors when the driver wants to use the engine perfectly,” said Caubet.

The pace shown by Renault’s new formula one car at last week’s Valencia test was genuine, team boss Eric Boullier insists.

Before his rally crash on Sunday, Robert Kubica left Valencia having set the fastest time of the first group test of 2011 in the newly launched R31, which features innovative front-exiting exhausts.

“We did not try to just do a (good) laptime with soft tyres and a drop of petrol in the tank,” insisted Boullier, who was speaking before Kubica crashed during Sunday’s Ronde di Andora rally.

“It (the laptime) just came after we started to adjust the settings for the first time and (adjust) the car to the Pirelli tyres,” he is quoted by French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet’s column in Auto Plus.

“The car became more comfortable for Robert, and he did his time,” added Boullier.

Mark Webber has admitted he might not be “hungry enough” to extend his career beyond 2011.

The Australian has signed on with Red Bull for another season, with some suggesting the short contract extension is a sign of slight tension between him and the Austrian-owned team.

But Webber, 33, insists he only wanted to commit for one more year.

“I am taking each year as it comes now,” he is quoted by Auto Bild Motorsport.

“In two years, perhaps I will not be hungry enough anymore,” said Webber.  “But that doesn’t mean I’ll end my career in 2011.

“If you had asked me in 2005 if I would still be in formula one in 2011, I would have said ‘no way!’

“People think I’m under pressure because I have to fight each year for a contract, but that’s not right.”

Webber admitted a future move from Red Bull to another team is “rather unlikely”.

He also confessed he is not sure why he is so competitive at the wheel of the RB6, having won two races and is still within sight of the championship lead despite his frightening Valencia crash.

“Why?  No idea,” said Webber, when asked about his consistency and speed in 2010.

“One thing; in 2009 I was not a big fan of qualifying with full tanks, while this year I’m back in my element with the light cars in Q3,” added Webber, who on early Friday morning stunned onlookers by completing a F1 pitstop in front of London’s Houses of Parliament.

(GMM)

After separation from HRT Dallara driven the development of their own design team is continuing. Under the leadership of the new technical adviser of the team, Geoff Willis, will soon begin work on next year’s car. “The team would like to get there, to hold its own destiny in hand,” Willis said in an interview with ‘MotorsportTotal’.

“We are currently putting together a small technical group,” said Willis on. This also forces in Britain would be committed. “There are a few people, I want to buy that are there at short notice.” Basically, it was but the goal of the team, its basic long-term rearing in the Hispanic space. In the short term but we must also avoid even the UK.
“In the current Formula 1 world, it is obviously a little easier to carry out such a program in the UK because there is now even a larger group of people living and working,” says Willis. By setting the rules whereby the number of employees per team will be limited further in the future, are especially available in the UK market appropriate staff.

The fixed strain on employees but would rather remain within manageable limits. “In terms of design, so of course we want to do everything themselves in the long term. In the short term but it does not matter at first, if many people are employed, or whether one takes freelancers under contract.”
When the program will definitely start, is still not fixed. “The decisions as to look like the design strategy of the team for 2011 but needs to be made soon,” said Willis. “I’m probably a little uneasy if you have not ordered until the end of July. Ideally, I would like to get on with an aero program, but I think we still have a few weeks time.”

“We are in the fortunate position that we will not build one way or our own gear. The gearbox and the engine is provided by third parties. Coupled with the fact that we have the rules for the coming year in relation to the size of fuel tanks and know the weight, we do not have to play some games in the wind tunnel. This saves us some time so start. If we were to design and build our own gear and we had to have in April. “This season is taking HRT a Cosworth engine and an Xtrac gearbox back.
While striving so in terms of design and development for more personal responsibility, the manufacturing of the parts will continue to accepted by third parties. “For teams of our size, it becomes more and more the norm to leave the actual production done outside the home,” said Willis. In the past we have tried to manufacture as much yourself as you could meet only as certain quality standards.

Meanwhile, it highlighted a considerable number of reliable formula-one suppliers, including in Austria, Germany, England, and Italy. “Now we can say pretty directly, you can do everything external. At least that is certainly our model. But we would certainly not give the complete program to third parties. One way or HRT will have in many ways, the technical control.”

A clear rule is likely to be written into the regulations as a response to the incident at the end of qualifying in Canada.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton was fined and reprimanded by stewards for driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a test sample.

“We must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be qualifying as light as possible,” FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn said in Montreal.

The situation was reportedly discussed in a meeting on the Sunday of the race, with the FIA’s Charlie Whiting clarifying that drivers who run out of fuel during subsequent qualifying sessions will be summoned to the stewards.

And according to reports in Finland’s Turun Sanomat and Autosprint in Italy, the issue was further discussed on Monday at the F1 Commission, ahead of the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva on Wednesday.

It is believed a new rule will require a certain amount of fuel to be in the tank after the final qualifying segment.

(GMM)

Jun.13 (GMM)  F1′s governing body has issued a rule clarification after Lewis Hamilton was penalised and reprimanded for an incident at the end of qualifying in Montreal.

The McLaren pole sitter was fined $10,000 after driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a sample to be tested by the FIA.

Not everyone was happy with the British team’s actions.

“I don’t know all the details so it’s hard to comment,” Mercedes team boss and FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn is quoted as saying in Canada.

“But we must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be running as light as possible.”

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, the situation was discussed on Sunday during a meeting of team bosses and the race director Charlie Whiting.

Whiting reportedly clarified that, in future, any car that runs out of fuel at the end of qualifying will be summoned to the stewards, risking penalties if the reason for the stoppage is not ‘force majeure’.

Jun.12 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton has kept his pole position after a post-qualifying stewards investigation in Montreal.

The officials looked into whether the McLaren driver should be penalised after he drove slowly on his in-lap at the end of Q3.

The British driver was asked by his engineer to pull to the side of the circuit so that enough fuel was left in his tank for a fuel sample to be taken.

It has emerged that Hamilton was fined $10,000 and officially reprimanded, but the grid order for Sunday’s Canadian grand prix will stand.

Jun.12 (GMM)  Stewards are looking into whether Lewis Hamilton should be penalised for an incident at the end of qualifying.

The 2008 world champion achieved pole position in Montreal, but on his ‘in lap’ was asked by a McLaren engineer to stop the MP4-25 at the side of the track.

The radio call, broadcasted live on television, informed 25-year-old Hamilton that the reason for the stoppage was to ensure there is enough fuel in the tank for the FIA to test a sample.

“The FIA don’t take kindly to you not having enough fuel to get into the pits at the end of the lap — they’ll be taking a look at that,” predicted BBC commentator Martin Brundle.

Allowing McLaren to get away with running Hamilton’s car too light in Canada, which is a performance advantage, would set a precedent whereby cars are regularly fuelled to stop on the circuit after a final flying lap.

McLaren did not mention the incident in its post-session press release.

Jun.12 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton cracked Red Bull’s run of qualifying dominance on Saturday by securing pole position for the Canadian grand prix.

But the McLaren driver was using a different tyre in the decisive Q3 segment — the fragile ‘option’ or softer compound, as opposed to the harder ‘prime’ fitted to the next-best Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

The three prior practice sessions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve proved that Bridgestone’s products are struggling this weekend; particularly the option.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said earlier in Montreal that it had fallen apart “like cheese” in Canada, moving some to surmise that by qualifying with it on Saturday, McLaren is gambling on an early safety car.

9 of the previous 12 Canadian grands prix have seen the safety car appear.

“We would hope for an early-ish safety car, but I think the quickest way to run the race anyway is to start on the soft tyre, run a short (first) stint, and run on the prime for most of the race.

“If there’s a safety car it’s a very strong strategy,” team boss Martin Whitmarsh told the BBC after qualifying.

However, Vettel told reporters that he thinks Red Bull is beginning the race on the “right tyre”, because the softer one lasts only “a couple of laps”.

Hamilton acknowledged that the option “goes off quite quickly” but raised the high “possibility of a safety car”.

The 25-year-old Briton had to be delivered to parc ferme in an FIA car, after his engineer told him to stop on the circuit on the in-lap so there is enough fuel left in the tank for a mandatory fuel sample.

“The FIA don’t take kindly to you not having enough fuel to get into the pits at the end of the lap — they’ll be taking a look at that,” predicted BBC commentator Martin Brundle.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is fourth ahead of the second McLaren of Jenson Button, while Vitantonio Liuzzi qualified sixth in what Brundle describes as a “career saving performance”.

The tires play in the return of the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1 are probably the biggest role. On Friday, the Montreal track was extremely slippery, the tires were no liability on the slopes, heavy graining was the result. Even if Renault was one of them is not spared, though the times of Robert Kubica again could augur well.

“The track is very demanding on the tires, especially with the new coating. It is very slippery, you get no energy in the tires,” says Kubica. “Today, the tires have reduced greatly. The tires are simply not in the correct work area. For tomorrow we need to improve. All had trouble with the tires and a new surface – or a combination of both.”
“Added to that the track and the brakes heavily burdened, because there are many straight lines, is delayed to the end,” he continues. “Care must therefore also on its brakes. We must find the right compromise between speed and reliability.”
Despite the good times would not comment on Kubica estimate for the rest of the weekend. “I had the training on Friday has never been an expectation, because that can be quite confusing,” he explains. “We hope that we will qualify in the top ten. We see that all are very close.”

Since the last Canadian show, things have changed in Formula 1: Nachtankverbot, the slicks are back and a heavily revised aerodynamics. To major changes on the route led the not. “The track is indeed the same,” said Kubica. “Two years ago we had problems with it, that set off the asphalt. This year the surface is good, but very slippery. The cars are already very different from two years ago. But all the characteristics of the track is still the same.”

(MTS)

Jun.9 (GMM)  Jenson Button has played down claims that McLaren’s risky gamble with its fuel loads was the reason for the near-disaster during the Turkish grand prix.

It has emerged that because Lewis Hamilton and teammate Button chased the Red Bulls so hard at Istanbul Park, the drivers were instructed throughout the race to conserve fuel.

Button’s race engineer at one point described the situation as “critical”, shortly after Hamilton had slowed down too much and triggered their wheel-to-wheel battle for the lead.

Afterwards, Hamilton lamented the poor communication and Button was accused of ignoring veiled team orders, sparking the rejoinder that McLaren could have avoided the entire situation by simply running a less aggressive fuel strategy.

But speaking to the Toronto media on Tuesday, 30-year-old Button said the team is right to run the cars as light on fuel as possible.

“If you’re running with two and a half extra kilos in the car, that’s one tenth a lap, which over the course of the race is five seconds.  So you try to be as close on fuel as possible,” he insisted.

It is believed that Hamilton’s winning car had just one litre of fuel left in the tank after he pulled into parc ferme, while Button’s MP4-25 contained only slightly more.