Kimi Raikkonen has admitted his failed negotiations with Williams ultimately turned out for the better.

When he decided to try to return to F1 this year, the 2007 world champion negotiated at length with Williams.

When those talks faltered, he turned to his second option, and quickly came to agreement with the former Renault team Lotus.

The Enstone based team has been the surprise of the 2012 season so far, and in Barcelona Finn Raikkonen is arguably the overall favourite.

He was asked by Turun Sanomat newspaper if the performance of Lotus, his only actual option for a race seat this year, has surprised him.

“Well, I had another option,” said the 32-year-old, referring to Williams.

“It’s hard to say what kind of results I would have had with Williams. They would have been pretty good as well but perhaps not quite as strong as we are doing now,” said Raikkonen, who finished second in Bahrain recently.

He said he has not been surprised.

“Last year (as Renault) they weren’t bad at the start of the season,” said the former Ferrari and McLaren driver.

“But they had decided to put the exhaust at the front of the car and were not then able to develop the way they needed.”

Tony Fernandes has admitted he would have liked corporate Malaysia to have backed his formula one team.

The Malaysian entrepreneur founded a UK based start-up team in 2010, calling it Team Lotus before a bitter spat developed with the Lotus name’s owner Proton.

“While I was building a formula one team, I was being sued by my own countrymen,” he told The Star newspaper.

“We’re the only true formula one team developed in Malaysia.”

Now called Caterham, the team’s only Malaysian sponsorship is from AirAsia — Fernandes’ own low-cost airline.

“Never mind that we were not sponsored (by Malaysia), that’s a company’s prerogative,” he said. “But, we were sued.”

Some have accused Caterham of not having progressed much since 2010, but Fernandes strongly disagrees.

“Two years ago we had nothing. We’re now 1.5 seconds away from Red Bull who are the world champions. We’re closing the gap.

“You can’t build Rome in a day,” he insisted.

Tony Fernandes has given a strident defence of his formula one team, Caterham.

The former Team Lotus outfit, headed by the cheery Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes, entered its third season with high hopes it was set to join the midfield mix.

Instead, the green cars – whilst still the cream of the backmarker group – are still better only than fellow stragglers Marussia and HRT.

The Finnish broadcaster MTV3′s well-known analyst Mika Salo has advised lead driver Heikki Kovalainen to therefore quit Caterham at the end of 2012.

“Something has been wrong with the car,” Kovalainen is quoted as saying by Turun Sanomat newspaper this week. “We need to see what is not right.”

Fernandes, meanwhile, is looking fervently on the bright side, insisting Caterham has done markedly better than F1′s other 2010 start-ups.

“We are competitive,” he told the Sun, reminding that Caterham was the last 2010 team given its official entry by the FIA a few years ago.

“We’ve blown away Marussia and HRT when in actual fact they have been there six months longer,” insisted Fernandes.

“We are half a second away from the established midfield … you must remember that this team is only two years old.

“When I started, we were nine seconds away from the front. Last year we were about four seconds away from Red Bull.

“This year, on certain laps, we lapped at the same pace as them. So I am very happy and I am strengthening the team all the time,” he added.

But one of Caterham’s direct rivals, HRT, is looking to make a major step forwards this weekend in China, having struggled recently in the wake of team supremo Colin Kolles’ departure.

“We come into this grand prix having had much more time to prepare the cars,” Pedro de la Rosa is quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.

“We will bring small improvements to China but what we really need is the cars back in Europe and then the team can concentrate at the (new headquarters) Caja Magica.

“Step by step we will improve,” said the Spanish driver.

Pirelli is reportedly considering signing a 2011 race driver to be the official tyre supplier’s new test driver.

AS newspaper in Spain said Jaime Alguersuari, formerly at Toro Rosso and now travelling the F1 calendar as a co-commentator for British radio, is a front-runner.

Pirelli has secured the use of a 2010 Renault for private development testing this year, which is expected to begin in May.

AS said the “only obstacle” to a deal for 22-year-old Alguersuari is that Pirelli, an Italian marque, is also interested in grand prix winner Jarno Trulli, who raced last year with Team Lotus (now Caterham).

There are no Italian race drivers in F1 this year.

Years after F1′s ‘spygate’ sagas, the issue could be set to return to the very top of the governing body’s agenda.

Force India claims Caterham and their common former wind tunnel partner Aerolab were this week “found liable” by a British court of using Force India data for the Team Lotus car of early 2010.

Vijay Mallya’s Silverstone based team said the ruling has been “referred for the consideration” of the FIA.

But Aerolab has hit back, insisting the judge “entirely rejected” Force India’s charge of “systematic copying”.

“On the contrary, such misuse as I have found to have occurred mainly consisted of opportunistic copying of CAD files by CAD designers in order to take a short cut,” the wind tunnel company quoted judge Justice Arnold as saying.

Nonetheless, Caterham was ordered to pay EUR 25,000 to Force India, but not the 18 million requested by the team.

“We were deeply disappointed with the damages award,” Force India deputy team principal Robert Fernley told the Guardian.

He said Caterham/Aerolab did not make a simple “short cut” in copying the CAD files, but copied “front and rear break duct systems, the front wing, the rear wing, the barge boards, the vortex generators and the diffuser”.

“The judge might say it’s not systematic but in my view it’s pretty extensive,” added Fernley.

Force India is expected to appeal.

And if the FIA intervenes and charges Caterham with theft, “it would cost Caterham tens of millions for the money they received for finishing tenth in the world championship for the past two years”, wrote Guardian correspondent Paul Weaver.

“And that is before any fine.”

 Caterham’s hopes of pushing into the midfield in 2012 are not dead yet.
That is the claim of team owner and boss Tony Fernandes, despite the former Team Lotus looking to have once again emulated the pecking-order of the past two years by outpacing only Marussia and HRT in Australia.

“We have obviously improved our pace relative to our 2011 speed,” the Malaysian businessman said.

“But the teams ahead have also improved, so even though we are closer than this time last year we still have work to do to bridge the gap in qualifying,” he added.

Fernandes insists, however, that the race pace shown by Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov in Melbourne last weekend was “on a par” with some other teams.

Former F1 driver and Finnish commentator Mika Salo, however, is not impressed.

“The Caterham car is neither fast nor reliable,” he told MTV3.

 Force India has been ordered by a British court to pay over a million dollars.
With team boss Vijay Mallya already in financial strife over his collapsing airline Kingfisher, his Silverstone based team must now pay Italian wind tunnel Aerolab.

The high court judge on Wednesday said the amount, which according to the Daily Telegraph will skyrocket to over $6 million once legal costs are added, is for unpaid fees following a copyright dispute with Aerolab and Caterham.

The newspaper said the bill could be the final straw for struggling Mallya, who may now cede control of Force India to 42.5 per cent shareholder Subrata Roy, another Indian billionaire.

But Force India hit back in a media statement on Wednesday by revealing that Aerolab and its client Caterham were found “liable for copyright infringement”.

“Some parts created using Force India confidential information were used on the Team Lotus race cars in the early part of the 2010 season,” it read.

Force India said it has referred the court’s ruling to the FIA.

 Marussia needs to get the basics right before worrying about KERS, Timo Glock explained on the eve of the 2012 season.
The experienced German, and his rookie teammate Charles Pic, enter the new season with essentially no testing, after the former Virgin team struggled to push its new car – the MR01 – through the FIA’s mandatory crash tests.

Last year, the Cosworth-powered team was soundly beaten by its closest rival Team Lotus, who as well as changing its name to Caterham for 2012 has also added a Red Bull KERS system to its Renault-powered package.

“On the subject of KERS, it is of course a disadvantage not to have it,” Glock is quoted by the SID news agency.

“But we have said that our focus is right to first get rid of the four seconds of aerodynamic deficit, before we worry about the money and the manpower we need for five tenths with the KERS,” added Glock.

“We have to get the foundation right first,” said the almost 30-year-old.

Team Lotus will retain its green and yellow identity in formula one next year despite being reborn as Caterham.
Group Lotus and the Tony Fernandes-led team jointly announced on Wednesday that the bitter naming dispute and legal battles have been called off.

The deal, ending amicably according to a media statement, results in Renault becoming Lotus in 2012 and Team Lotus adopting the name of Fernandes’ recent acquisition Caterham, a niche British lightweight sports car maker.

It means full control of the historic Lotus name finally falls into the control of Dany Bahar, the Group Lotus chief.

“We understand that this has been a very difficult and confusing time for the fans of the sport and the Lotus brand,” he said.

In 2010 and 2011, under the Lotus Racing and Team Lotus names, Fernandes’ team has run in the historic green and yellow colours of the fabled brand.

“We are proud of what we have achieved by bringing the Team Lotus name back to formula one when many tried,” said the team’s chief executive Riad Asmat.

“Although we are sad to say goodbye to Team Lotus we are excited about owning our own future and being in control of our own destiny. Now we have no one to be compared to.

“We make our own history and we will remain green and yellow,” he announced.

Red Bull has not only the fastest car, but also the fastest pit crew in formula one this year.
With Pirelli supplying heavily degrading tyres this season, the efficiency of a pit crew has taken on a new importance.

An analysis distributed by Mercedes has found that Red Bull Racing, the reigning and now back-to-back drivers’ and constructors’ champions, has left a grand prix event this year with the fastest pitstop time on eight separate occasions.

In second place is Mercedes, with seven fastest pitstops, while F1′s traditional grandees McLaren and Ferrari recorded only a single fastest pitstop apiece.

Red Bull is also leading the pack in terms of the consistency of its pitstop times, with the analysis showing the team changed its cars’ tyres fastest on average at nine of the 17 grands prix in 2011 so far.

Again, Mercedes comes a close second, with five best average pitstops (China, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Korea).

McLaren had the fastest average pitstops twice, and Force India once (at Monaco).

Overall, Red Bull and Mercedes’ pitstops have been 0.3 seconds faster than McLaren, with Force India (+0.4) and Ferrari (+0.5) next best.

Interestingly, HRT’s pitstops have been by far the slowest in 2011, a huge 1.6 seconds off the next-slowest pit crew, Virgin.

And the other new-in-2010 team, Team Lotus/Caterham, is mixing it with established names including Williams, Sauber and Toro Rosso.

“That sort of attention to detail is what separates the quick from the really quick and it is down to hard work, practice and attention to detail,” said technical boss Mike Gascoyne.

The F1 world is continuing to adjust to its new surroundings in India.
Bruno Senna revealed to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper that he is carrying around in his pocket a bottle of disinfectant.

“Each time I greet someone, I use it (on my hands),” said the Brazilian, referring to the risk of food poisoning.

Rubens Barrichello, meanwhile, laughed when he revealed that one of his rivals – believed to be Sebastian Vettel – is carrying around a bottle of whiskey.

“Someone told him to rinse out his mouth after eating anything,” said the Williams driver.

Felipe Massa is remembering his mother’s advice to think positively whenever he sees a cow. “They’re everywhere!” exclaimed the Ferrari star.

The smiling Barrichello added: “I heard a bell outside my hotel room and came out to the terrace — it was an elephant passing by.”

At the new Buddh circuit, the drivers think the layout will be exciting, but there are some off-track dramas.

A recurring one was clearly apparent during Thursday’s official driver press conference when a blackout struck mid-sentence.

“Listen, mate,” an unnamed engineer told the Guardian, “the place is chaos. The electricity doesn’t work, the gas doesn’t work and there are problems with the plumbing.”

Blick correspondent Roger Benoit revealed that a coffee machine exploded on Thursday due to faulty wiring.

Team Lotus driver Karun Chandhok told the Times of India: “These are only small issues and I am sure they will be sorted out soon.”

Brazilian Massa, also referring to the inescapable poverty suffered by residents just outside the circuit, told the Independent: “It reminds me very much of my country 20 or 30 years ago.

“Brazil has grown a lot since then, and so now, I believe, with events such as this, will India.”

 French GP2 driver Charles Pic’s manager has confirmed talks about securing a place in formula one next year for the 21-year-old.
Pic, fourth in this year’s GP2 championship, has been linked recently with a Toro Rosso test in Abu Dhabi next month, and possibly a race seat with Virgin in 2012.

His mentor and manager Olivier Panis, however, indicated that a role as a “third driver” for Pic is most likely.

“We have had discussions mainly with Team Lotus and Virgin Racing,” said the former grand prix winner, working with Pic’s management Lagardere.

“There are two other possibilities that Charles will be in F1 next year, as a third driver, but nothing is signed yet and the discussions are continuing,” Panis told the French daily L’Equipe.

He admitted that the first step for Pic is a seat in November’s young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

“It is important he takes part in the rookie days in order to gain experience,” said Panis.

Karun Chandhok has warned motor racing that danger and risk must not be removed entirely.
The recent Indycar and MotoGP deaths of Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli respectively has put the spotlight on how to further reduce the danger of premier motor sport.

F1 is regarded as much safer than the aforementioned sports, but Team Lotus reserve driver Chandhok insists no form of racing should be completely safe.

“Enough element of danger is also involved in F1,” he told the Press Trust of India. “But it’s an exciting career and the essence of excitement would get lost thinking of too much safety measures.

“You have to take your chances on the track. No one asked us to join formula one or placed a gun on our head that you have to race. It’s a career we chose,” he added.

Chandhok insisted that global motor racing should not be regarded as in “crisis”.

“It is not like that,” he is quoted by Calcutta’s Telegraph. “What has happened in the last one week is extremely sad but accidents do happen.”

 Team Lotus will contest the Indian grand prix with its regular driver lineup, the BBC said on Tuesday.
Reserve driver and Indian native Karun Chandhok had been hoping to move into the race cockpit this weekend but had flagged issues relating to Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen’s 2011 contracts.

It is also believed the Tony Fernandes-led team does not want to jeopardise its lucrative tenth place in the constructors’ standings.

Chandhok told the Press Trust of India on Sunday: “You will definitely see me in Friday’s practice session and there I will definitely give my best.”

(reuters) According to Sauber chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn. Her Swiss-based team are sponsored by dairy company Amul for Sunday’s Delhi race and she suggested other Indian firms might also now see the sport as part of a bigger picture rather than just focusing on one or two local drivers at the slow end of the grid.

“In India, all these years, it’s been so difficult to get a sponsor from the country,” the Indian-born Kaltenborn told Reuters in an interview.

“India has got such big brands and the market is huge and still people have been very cautious to get into Formula One.

“It wasn’t that easy (for a team) to get a brand from India without having any link to a (local) driver. So I think it’s all the more remarkable a brand (like Amul) has done this and I hope a lot more will follow now,” added Kaltenborn.

Narain Karthikeyan is the only Indian to have scored points in Formula One, with the now-defunct Jordan team in 2005, and he will be back on the starting grid with struggling HRT for Sunday’s race at the Buddh International circuit.

While he has healthy support from industrial giants Tata and Hero Motors, Karthikeyan will still be languishing among the tailenders.

Spanish-owned HRT have yet to score a point since their debut in 2010 and Karthikeyan’s is likely to be a one-off home appearance after he was dropped to make way for Australian rookie Daniel Ricciardo.

Karun Chandhok, India’s other F1 driver, is now only a reserve at Team Lotus – also yet to score a point.

Sauber have Mexican Sergio Perez and Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi as their drivers and are battling against Force India for sixth place in the constructor championship.

Force India, owned by liquor and aviation tycoon Vijay Mallya along with Indian business conglomerate Sahara Group, do not have Indian drivers either.

“Maybe more (Indian companies) will follow that don’t necessarily just look for the link with the driver,” continued Kaltenborn, an Austrian citizen who is married to a German and lives in Switzerland.

“Here it’s the team, the people, the drivers, the key personnel. I think if one brand is prepared to associate themselves with the team, and a team name, I hope it gives others the kick as well to do that.”

Kaltenborn said the arrival of India on what is now a 19-race global calendar provided a direct link with the public for local companies to build on.

“Since cricket is so big (in India) it takes a lot now for a company to say ‘No, we choose the platform of Formula One’,” she said.

“Until there was a race there was not really a link to the sport. Now with the first race being staged there they have a direct link, they can use it in their prime market.

“It could be the start of something to attract more Indian partners into the sport.”

Many of those companies may not have products to sell outside India but the likes of Sauber are hoping they will wake up to what the sport can provide in increasing brand visibility to a growing domestic audience who watch the races on television.

Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has already signed up for the race title sponsorship.

Kaltenborn, who was born in Dehradun and whose parents emigrated to Austria in 1979 when she was eight, looked forward to going to a race in a country where she had a personal as well as professional connection.

“I think it’s going to be really great,” she said.

“Suddenly the media attention and also from the people has just ramped up whereas half a year ago it was not that much. It has just suddenly come. I think that tells you what dimension this event is going to have.”