F1 figures have mixed feelings after this week’s Mugello test.

Amid speculation the Ferrari owned circuit would like a spot on the race calendar, it emerged that the famous Maranello based team pushed hard for the Tuscan facility to host the first in-season test in many years.

“It’s very beautiful and the food is very good,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, “but we are spending a lot of money and honestly we didn’t feel the need to come here.”

Indeed, the only circuits comparable to high speed Mugello on the F1 calendar are Monza, Spa and parts of Silverstone.

And testing at Barcelona prior to next weekend’s Spanish grand prix would have made infinitely more logistical sense.

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier said Mugello was “money spent needlessly”.

Of course, those in the Ferrari camp thought differently.

“I would do more tests during the season,” said Fernando Alonso. “One lap here is worth 100 at other places, without considering that one day here is worth a year’s work on the simulator”.

But Mark Webber said Mugello is too fast for a decent test circuit, but he was among those who enjoyed the layout.

And the Australian couldn’t understand McLaren’s opposition, which extended to both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button giving up their running to test drivers.

“It was an absolute no-brainer for (Sebastian Vettel and I) to be here,” said the Red Bull driver.

“Mileage is so limited these days that it’s good for me to be in the car. Any chance we get to drive the car in the real world, we’ll do it,” added Webber.

Sauber was the team with the biggest update package as F1′s ultra-rare in-season test began on Tuesday.

Kamui Kobayashi was in charge of the revised C31, which including a new exhaust and front wing represented “the biggest update package” of all the teams at Mugello, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

McLaren, in contrast, have taken “no great updates” to Tuscany, which explains why Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have left the task up to the British team’s test drivers.

It was a similar story in the Mercedes camp.

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, however, was in charge of testing a new McLaren-like exhaust for the FW34, while Ferrari also has a new exhaust for the F2012.

On Thursday, as the three-day test wraps up, the famous Italian team will debut other developments, including a new engine cover and sidepods.

A new front wing, nose and floor will only be ready for Barcelona.

There were no radical modifications on display by Red Bull, who instead want to use the Mugello test to work on car setup.

“We still need to learn how to get the most from what we have,” confirmed Bahrain winner Sebastian Vettel.

For that purpose, the Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit might not actually be the best venue.

“It’s great for driving,” said Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, “but for the engineers Barcelona would be a bit better because there are all types of corners.

“At Mugello they are mainly fast, and virtually none at low speed.”

Dani Clos insists he is delighted with his new role as HRT tester, despite some seeing him as little more than a ‘pay driver’.
A reporter for Spain’s Diario AS newspaper admitted to the 23-year-old from Barcelona that when he read the news about his Clos’ new role, he surmised that the driver must have some lucrative backers.

“That’s definitely not why I’m here,” Clos insisted.

He admitted however that he is also “looking at some options” to split his time between HRT and another race series this season.

“There are offers but I’m happy with HRT. Some people would give their right arm to be here.”

Clos conceded, however, that if he had lots more money to spend on formula one, he might have been appointed as Pedro de la Rosa’s teammate in the place of Narain Karthikeyan.

“It’s obvious that if you contribute more then you have more options,” he said, “but for me this is my place now, and where I have to be right now.”

He revealed that the role will include running on Friday mornings at grands prix, rather than the symbolic role played by many ‘test drivers’ nowadays.

“Yes, yes, I’ll do Fridays,” said Clos. “I will not be one of those who are there just to be there.”

He also denied that his new deal could fall apart the way countryman Andy Soucek’s did at Virgin in 2010, when the Spaniard was promised track time that never materialised.

“I have no fear in that regard,” insisted Clos. “I trust the team.”

 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.”

Eddie Jordan suspects Renault team management are guilty of “bullying”.
The former F1 team owner and boss, now a pundit for British television, is referring to Eric Boullier and Gerard Lopez’s outspoken criticism of Nick Heidfeld’s results and leadership qualities.

German veteran Heidfeld replaced injured regular Robert Kubica this season, but now Renault test drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are being linked with the seat.

Irishman Jordan told Sport Bild he has a theory about the pressure being put on Heidfeld.

“It could even be described as bullying,” he said.

“They probably want to wear him down so he throws in the towel voluntarily.”

Jordan, however, has a high opinion of 34-year-old Heidfeld.

“For me, he is Mr Consistency. I know this because Nick drove for me for a year. 2004 was a very difficult year for Jordan financially, and we could not give him the car that he deserved.

“The same is true also at the moment of the Lotus-Renault,” he added.

Romain Grosjean is set to become Renault’s third driver in 2011.
The source of the information is French broadcaster TF1′s commentator Christophe Malbranque.

24-year-old Swiss-born Frenchman Grosjean became Renault’s test driver in 2008, moving into the race seat in the middle of the next season when Nelson Piquet was ousted.

He was not retained for 2010, instead racing in GT, Auto GP and GP2, debuting at Le Mans and becoming one of Pirelli’s F1 test drivers.

Grosjean has contested just 7 grands prix, scoring no points.

Pirelli will soon name its formula one test driver.

Reports have linked Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld with the role of helping the Italian marque to prepare for the 2011 season.

It is believed Pirelli will conduct six tests before all the teams try the tyres for the first time in Abu Dhabi in mid November.

A spokesman for Pirelli’s F1 programme said this pre-Abu Dhabi testing, reportedly with a 2009 Toyota car, will not begin until “about September”.

“At the moment, we have produced the first scale models of the tyres, at 50 per cent size, for the purposes of wind tunnel testing,” he said.

“The four compounds are currently being worked upon, with the prototypes scheduled to come out next month.

“There was a test that took place at Paul Ricard in France recently, but that was for GP2 tyres.  There, we completed more than 120 laps with no problems.”

As for a driver for the F1 tests, the spokesman said an announcement can be expected “either next week or the week after”.

He said “two permanent test drivers” will be appointed, “one for F1 and one for GP2″.

“Details of the F1 car we will be testing with” will also be provided, the Pirelli spokesman added.