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.

A Dutch GP2 driver is edging ever nearer a formula one race cockpit for the 2011 season.

Earlier this month, 25-year-old Giedo van der Garde’s manager revealed he is in talks with several teams and has received “concrete offers” from two.

Former Dutch F1 driver Jos Verstappen said at the time that he believes van der Garde’s talks were with Virgin and Lotus.

And now the Dutch magazine formule1.nl reports that he is in “extensive negotiations” with Virgin, who are believed to be seeking a pay-driver to be Timo Glock’s next teammate.

Interestingly, van der Garde’s manager Jan Paul ten Hoopen is also the commercial director of the Dutch fashion brand McGregor, who are set to stop sponsoring the Williams team.

And van der Garde’s father-in-law is Marcel Boekhoorn, a major shareholder of McGregor, who with ten Hoopen apparently visited Virgin’s team headquarters earlier this week.

“It’s a possibility,” answered van der Garde when asked if he is going to make his F1 debut with Virgin in 2011.

“I’ve only heard that we are talking; I have no idea if it will come to a deal.  That is my management’s job.

“Drivers are often the last to know.  I only know that they are working on it and I hear there have been some meetings.  I don’t know any more,” he insisted.

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.”

Apr.24 (GMM) The Serbian outfit, headed by Zoran Stefanovich, also said it has “signed an agreement” with the mayor of Stara Pazova, located 25 kilometres from Belgrade, for the construction of a F1 circuit and team headquarters.

“This is proof that we want to put ourselves on the map as a serious hi-tech company, and that we are serious about competing in formula one for the long term,” said Stefanovich on the team’s re-launched website.

Stefan GP confirmed that it is bidding for next year’s final spot on the grid, revealing that talks for its failed 2010 plans had taken place with drivers including Sebastien Loeb, Christian Klien and others.

However, Mike Coughlan appears no longer part of Stefan’s plans, due to the publication of an airbrushed photograph that once featured the disgraced former McLaren designer.

“We want to be a part of F1 for both the long and short term future, and I hope that we will finally have the success we deserve,” added Stefanovich.

Apr.19 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed claims that next month’s Spanish grand prix could be cancelled.

It was confirmed on Monday that this weekend’s Japanese round of the MotoGP series has been called off due to the travel disruptions caused by the volcanic ash above Europe.

And football games on Thursday between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, and Hamburg and Fulham, could also be scratched, with UEFA to make a decision “in the coming days”.

Mercifully for F1, there is now a rare three-week break between Sunday’s Shanghai round and the opening of the European season in Spain.

But with the hundreds of tonnes of freight, including the cars, stranded at Shanghai airport – while F1′s six 747 jets are grounded in Europe – it is currently impossible to predict when the team factories will be reunited with their equipment.

“The main concern is getting the engines back because they have to be worked on,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone told the Times.

“But I am sure everything will be all right,” said the 79-year-old, who despite having a private plane in Shanghai is currently unable to return to Europe.

“We know there will be a Spanish grand prix, we just don’t know where yet,” he joked to another reporter in China, adding that his plan-B is “suicide”.

“There is no question of cancelling the Spanish grand prix,” he insisted. “Of course, it is causing everybody problems, but we will find a way to get everyone home.”

The movement of F1′s actual people is less problematic, albeit expensive: several teams – including Ferrari and McLaren – are organising private charters on Tuesday or Wednesday into Spain, where some major airports are still landing planes.

The personnel will then return to their respective team headquarters by bus.

Other F1 people have diverted to Dubai or even as far afield as the US, in the hope of finding another air route back to Europe.

As for the freight, the end of the air chaos could even be nigh, after British Airways, Air France and KLM tested planes in European skies without problems, and Niki Lauda’s airline conducted a test with an Airbus A320 from Vienna to Salzburg.

“The flight was the best ever, with blue skies. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” said the triple world champion.