Red Bull is lamenting the limited role that can be played in 2012 by F1′s aerodynamic genius Adrian Newey.

For the past few years, the energy drink owned team has enjoyed its dominance largely because of the airflow magic wrought by Briton Newey.

But in 2012, with reigning back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel just one of the five different winners so far, Pirelli rubber is king.

“I doubt Williams really know why they were so strong,” team boss Christian Horner, referring to Pastor Maldonado’s shock Barcelona pole and win last weekend, is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Horner insisted that, rather than the winner being the team with the best overall package at each race, success this season is about “understanding the characteristics of the tyre and the window in which they work”.

“It’s not that the midfield teams have made a quantum leap aerodynamically from last year to this year,” Horner insisted. “But from a performance point of view, this is what they have done.”

The logical conclusion is that aerodynamic cleverness has taken a back seat.

So will Red Bull knock a million or two off Newey’s huge annual retainer?

Horner laughed. “Adrian is not just an aerodynamicist, and aerodynamics are still important anyway. But now it’s about harmonising everything, and these tyres are simply remarkably complex.

“Two races ago Nico Rosberg dominated, but in Spain he was almost lapped. It is very difficult to predict what’s going to happen next — a nightmare for the bookmakers,” he smiled. “A lottery.”

The situation has split F1 into two camps: those who love it, and those who do not.

“It has become like a GP2 championship,” Maldonado, the junior category’s 2010 champion, is quoted by The National newspaper.

“The drivers can make the difference and the teams can still work on the strategy and the car.”

The bizarre situation has left everyone scratching their heads, like Jenson Button.

He can scarcely believe that what looked a championship car – his 2012 McLaren – was beaten in Spain by Shanghai winner Nico Rosberg, who was almost lapped.

“The Red Bulls did a better job at the weekend than us in terms of points, but still they weren’t quick when you compare them to Williams, Sauber, Lotus and Ferrari,” he told PA Sport.

“Five different teams winning five different races, we really don’t know what’s going on, and I think that’s the same up and down the pitlane.”

Five races in, F1′s cleverest brains are still yet to decode the mystery of the bizarre and fascinating 2012 season.

As was the case when he utterly dominated last year, Sebastian Vettel is still leading the drivers’ points chase.

But, before last weekend, if he had been told that Williams’ Pastor Maldonado would be the winner of the Spanish grand prix, the German admitted: “Well, I would have put a lot of money on them!

“I think the odds weren’t bad,” he smiled.

Indeed, the major British bookmaker William Hill was taking bets at 500-1 prior to the Barcelona weekend.

A spokesman confirmed that only two bets at 10 pounds or above were placed on Maldonado prior to qualifying.

“I’m sure Williams don’t understand why they just won the race here,” McLaren’s Jenson Button is quoted by the Guardian newspaper.

But the previously-derided ‘pay driver’ Maldonado is not the only potential new winner in 2012, after Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Vettel won the opening four grands prix.

A detailed look at F1′s specialist reporting in the past few weeks shows that Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Michael Schumacher, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi are all also widely regarded as genuine victory candidates in 2012.

And given that their teammates have won grands prix this season, even the struggling Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna should be added to that list.

“Dammit, let’s go for (HRT’s) Karthikeyan!” wrote Chris Hockley in the Sun newspaper.

“It’s really quite crazy right now,” Vettel, who despite his young age would count himself among F1′s currently perplexed purists, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“What’s happening is difficult for us to explain,” he added.

The situation has split the F1 audience, with the purists shaking their heads, and others marvelling at the unprecedented spectacle.

“The spectacle has taken over the sport,” said the Paris daily Le Figaro.

“Even the teams can’t be sure who will be the hare and who will be the tortoise at any given track,” wrote Hockley.

Alonso, who is the joint championship leader, is in the purists’ camp.

“Of course it is attractive for the spectators that we are going to Monaco not knowing if we will fight for victory or be left out of the points,” he is quoted by El Pais.

“But in a way, after eleven years in formula one and now I’m at Ferrari, I would like to have more stability,” the Spaniard admitted.

Sir Jackie Stewart said: “What’s going on is unbelievable, which I think is the outcome of the new rules, new tyres — I think it’s many factors,” he told the Spanish sports daily AS.

“What’s happening,” said Maldonado’s race engineer Xevi Pujolar, “is that these tyres are allowing teams who do not have the biggest budgets to be eligible for really good results.

“The reason is that the most important thing now is to have a good setup and also some luck with the temperature.”

Pirelli, F1′s tyre maker, has received both criticism and praise for its huge role.

“Pirelli have been both bold and brave,” Sun journalist Hockley said. “It can’t be easy for a manufacturer to make tyres that sometimes wear out faster than you can say Mercedes.”

Marco Tronchetti Provera, the Italian marque’s company chief, is unapologetic.

“What we have provided is what the teams have asked for, and it was not easy,” Italian language reports quote him saying. “Our engineers have done an extraordinary thing.”

Kimi Raikkonen insists he is “not interested” in formula one — except the cars, and winning.

Asked by the reporter for Bild am Sonntag newspaper if the famous Finnish character might remove his sunglasses for an interview, 2007 world champion Raikkonen replied simply: “No.”

At the end of his fourth race since returning to F1 from rallying, the 32-year-old was back on the podium in Bahrain.

“It’s not going too bad,” he said. “I like what I’m doing, that’s enough. I don’t care if someone says whether I’m doing it well or not.

“Still, it’s disappointing when you’re only second. Who knows what’s going to happen at the next race,” the Lotus driver added.

Just after leaving F1 at the end of 2009, Raikkonen said he disliked everything about the sport — except the cars.

Nothing has changed.

“No. I’m only here for racing,” said Raikkonen.

“All the other bulls**t I can do without. If you took away the cars from formula one, I would not be there.

“Formula one plays no role in my personal life. I have a real life! I think for many people, their life is formula one. For me it’s not.”

Well-known Brazilian commentator Reginaldo Leme has defended Felipe Massa, amid the Ferrari driver’s career crisis.

Massa’s Ferrari seat hangs in the balance, and according to his boss Stefano Domenicali, he will have to improve in order to simply stay on the F1 grid with any team next year.

But Leme has pointed the finger of blame at Ferrari’s struggling F2012 car.

“It is very difficult to give an explanation for any driver’s bad phase,” Leme acknowledged on the Redacao Sportv programme.

“The car is very bad. The fact that Alonso is always scoring (points) just shows that the Spaniard is the best driver of this generation.

“No other driver, however good, could get anything out of that car.

“I think that’s what’s happening with Massa,” said Leme.

Massa will drive Ferrari’s heavily updated Barcelona-spec car at the Mugello test next Wednesday, while Alonso will drive on Tuesday and Thursday.

Turning his attention to the 2012 championship, meanwhile, Reginaldo Leme said consistency is more important than ever before, with four separate teams having won races so far.

“Look at Webber — he has been fourth four times and is third in the championship. Hamilton has been third three times and is right in contention.”

Jenson Button has revealed he will “definitely” remain loyal to McLaren for the next few years.

It was reported this week that the 2009 world champion received an “offer” from Ferrari last year to replace the struggling Felipe Massa.

According to the Brazilian news agency Agencia Estado, those talks took place prior to October last year, when the 32-year-old Briton signed a new ‘multi year contract’ to stay at McLaren.

“I had a listen to what some of the other teams could offer me,” Button confirmed.

He also appeared to leave the door open to a Ferrari move in the future, admitting it would be “exciting” to be paired with Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

But Button has now insisted that he is perfectly happy at McLaren, despite the common paddock perception that the British team lacks the sort of “passion” seen at Ferrari.

“We have a great atmosphere, everyone thinks it’s a very cold, very grey team,” he is quoted by the Daily Mail.

“People talk about Ferrari and them being very passionate, and they are. But I don’t think most people realise how passionate this team is, and how much they want to achieve.

“So I’m very happy here, and you never know what’s going to happen in the future,” said Button.

“I’m not going to sign my life away, but I’ll stay here for the next few years, definitely.”

Button also lived up to his promise to “hurt” himself after a poor result in Malaysia recently, finishing sixth overall in the Waikoloa Lavaman triathlon in Hawaii.

“Yeah, I did (hurt myself),” he smiled immediately after the event. “My gluts are killing me. “They say that means you are riding the bike correctly, but it hurts.”

Lewis Hamilton has promised to stop partying and focus more on performing, the 2008 world champion has told mainstream British newspapers.
The McLaren driver had a tumultuous 2011 season on and off the track, but the 27-year-old has vowed to bounce back now.

“Last year quite a lot of times I went out and enjoyed myself thinking that these things don’t affect you but in actual fact they do, they have a knock-on effect,” he said.

It resulted in him being beaten by his teammate Jenson Button, even though F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone tips Hamilton to bounce back in 2012 because “he’s faster (than Button)”.

“He (Button) didn’t win the world championship — if he did, it would have been even worse,” said Hamilton.

“Now I’m looking forwards. This year is what matters. Last year has absolutely no bearing on me, I don’t care about last year. It’s what’s ahead of me which will define me,” he added.

 The recently revealed ‘W-duct’ aside, another technical secret has been discovered aboard Mercedes’ newly launched W03.
Rumours insist the German squad was the last to reveal and test its 2012 car because it boasts a few highly innovative ideas that could drive Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg to the middle of the podium.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that mechanics working for the Brackley based team are making more efforts than usual to hide the front and rear of the car, and erecting huge screens in front of the pits between test runs in Barcelona.

But a big secret is now out of the bag, and it’s located beneath the rear rain light and being described by insiders as “like a double diffuser”.

Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport said the feature is believed to produce an effect similar to the one pioneered by Mercedes’ predecessor Brawn GP in 2009, which resulted in the championship for Jenson Button.

And according to Auto Motor und Sport, the concept differs to the banned double diffuser because the air is channelled through holes at the rear of the engine cover.

The concept, despite complying with the FIA’s blown diffuser clampdown, also reportedly involves the clever redirection of exhaust gases.

And yet another innovation on the Mercedes could be a passive ‘F-duct’-style addition to the car’s new rear wing, working alongside the ‘DRS’ system.

When asked about the ‘ducts’, Rosberg and Schumacher played it coy: “What’s that?” Rosberg answered, while Schumacher joked that it sounds like something that should go “quack!”

“They are a good team,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Sky when asked about Mercedes.

“They have some good people so it would be foolish to underestimate them.”

Meanwhile, TZ newspaper in Germany reports that the FIA could be set to clamp down even harder in the area of exhaust blowing.

There are rumours Renault and Mercedes-powered teams are still using clever engine mapping techniques for aerodynamic effect.

 Lotus could become the next team to withdraw from the formula one teams association FOTA.
Already departed are HRT, Sauber and Toro Rosso and also the top teams Red Bull and Ferrari, leaving fellow grandees McLaren, Mercedes and the others on the wrong side of their competitors’ former unity.

Now, this week, team owner Gerard Lopez has been quoted as admitting that Lotus is contemplating pulling out.

The reasons for the withdrawals appear different, with Red Bull having been accused of breaching the gentleman’s Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) and Ferrari rumoured to want to use its individual power to shape the future of the sport’s rules and structure.

The formerly BMW-owned Sauber, however, insisted that recent cost-cutting in formula one has not made it easier for smaller teams to survive.

“The RRA was a step in the right direction, but now other steps must urgently follow,” he told F1′s official website.

“It definitely has not become easier for the smaller teams.”

But beneath the surface, unity has not broken down completely, argues McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh, who doubles as the FOTA chairman.

It is true, for example, that the new non-FOTA members will continue to respect aspects of the body’s agreements, such as the summer factory closure.

“I’m not too hung up on the brand ‘FOTA’,” Whitmarsh said recently.

“I think what’s important is that the teams realise there are critical issues within this sport where it will be better if we cooperate and take sensible decisions, and I hope and believe that we’ll continue to do that.”

He added last month: “Relations between McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari remain very good indeed.”

Ferrari’s worrying start to the 2012 pre-season got a boost on Friday when Fernando Alonso topped the times in the famous team’s new car.
Earlier, when Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz was in the paddock, he wondered to Blick newspaper: “What’s up with Ferrari?”

Former Ferrari driver Mika Salo answered: “They’re having problems at every corner.”

But although not as quick as the impressive Lotus earlier this week, Spaniard Alonso was faster than all comers on the last of the four-day session at Jerez, including Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who had technical problems.

Typically, Alonso was giving nothing away.

“This time is worth nothing as is the one I set yesterday and those of the previous days,” he said.

He was also not getting excited about Lotus’ potential title challenge.

“I don’t know as even for them it’s a bit early and I would rather just say I am very happy to see Kimi (Raikkonen) back.

“He’s a great driver and a great person,” said Alonso.

Fernando Alonso has urged Felipe Massa to up his game in support of his three-race charge for the 2010 world championship.

Spaniard Alonso said in Japan last weekend that the full backing of his Ferrari teammate won’t make “a big difference” to his chances so long as he is on the pace and securing strong results.

“Having the teammate close, or not close, is not a big difference if you do well,” he had said.

But now equal on points with Sebastian Vettel and 14 behind the leader Mark Webber with three races to go, Alonso has revealed he thinks next weekend’s Korean grand prix could be “decisive for some” of the remaining challengers.

“And for me it will be important also to be able to count on my teammate Felipe,” said Alonso in Tokyo, according to Ferrari’s official website.

Massa has had a string of disappointing results recently, amid rising pressure from his team leadership to perform strongly in support of Alonso’s title bid.

Added Alonso: “I know that he will be really hoping to make up for two negative results and he has all the capacities required to return to the podium.

“What’s more, it will be very useful to work together to discover all the secrets of the new track so we can prepare our cars in the best way.  In a moment like this every detail matters to achieve our goals,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Brazilian journalist close to Massa has scolded sections of the media for speculating that the 29-year-old will be ousted by Ferrari at the end of the season.

“It takes a lot to shock me, but when you hear in the media that Ferrari are replacing him with Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi and Adrian Sutil, it makes me angry,” wrote Livio Oricchio in O Estado de S.Paulo.

Jul.7 (GMM) Renault on Wednesday said Robert Kubica has extended his contract to include the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The 25-year-old Pole moved to the team this year from BMW, and after an impressive start had been linked with a move either next year or in 2012.

But in a media statement, he said committing to Genii Capital-owned Renault for two more seasons was a “straightforward decision”.

“What’s important for me is to be in the right atmosphere, with a good group of people, where everybody is pulling in the same direction,” said Kubica.

The statement said Renault wants to challenge for the title “over the coming seasons”, and had “convinced Robert” that the team “can match his own high ambitions”.

“To do so (win the title), we need a driver of Robert’s calibre; somebody who is fast, totally committed and doesn’t make mistakes,” said team boss Eric Boullier.

When Mark Webber in failed to overtake Heikki Kovalainen, the rear wheel of the Lotus drivers, met the Australian was just a passenger. His car lifted into the air, turned 180 degrees in the air rang with the cockpit down on the tarmac, turned 180 degrees again and then slid with even high speed into the tire barrier. The Red Bull driver was able to enter the car luckily unhurt on their own.

“Well, you always need two for a tango, right?” Webber said in an interview with the ‘BBC’. ‘In this incident we were both involved. I looked for the best wind shadow lookout to do the job and to pass him. He defended himself pretty hard, and inside, blocked suddenly become very aggressive.
“Finally, I was surprised by the fact, as he braked early,” said the experienced racer. “This is what caught me cold. It did not matter where I was, or how close I was driving in the slipstream, I still had everything under control.”

“This was a horrible incident. Obviously, I was surprised about what happened on the access to this curve. At first I thought, ‘Okay, it me pass’ can be, because the speed difference was of course enormous. Then he started, the door , zuzuschmeißen and he showed this little maneuver. I thought ‘What’s he doing there? “.”

“Yes, he was slowed by the gas, or whatever. It turned out that this was the case 80 meters earlier than I had slowed down in the previous round. This means that this was the case in a different category than in the few laps before. “

Michael Schumacher has rejected rumours he might make room at Mercedes next year for Robert Kubica.

It is has been suggested that team figures want Pole Kubica, 25, to race alongside Nico Rosberg in 2011, despite Schumacher having a three year contract.

But although Schumacher slumped to just 15th on the Valencia grid, he said on Saturday he can “handle the pain” of his current situation.

“I’m not here with a short-term view, that I just look from race to race and I have to have a single result.

“From my point of view we have a three year programme.”

Asked if the criticism hurt, or made him more determined to return to the top, the 41-year-old told reporters: “Neither nor.

“I know what’s going on and I care about what is real and what I know and have to worry about.

“Once we can solve our problems then there is reason to believe we can do much better, and even win races this year,” he added.

Team boss Ross Brawn said at the Spanish street circuit that Mercedes has “not spoken” to Kubica.

“I spoke to him at Brawn GP a year ago when we were looking at the future, but we haven’t spoken to him since then.

“There’s no discussions going on, we’re very happy with Michael, we’ve got to sort the car out, that’s the main issue,” he insisted.

Interestingly, Brawn did admit that he has “socialised occasionally” with Kubica on the seaside coast of Tuscany, where they each have a house.

(GMM)

Mark Webber has indicated he is in no rush to sign a new contract with Red Bull.

In the wake of his two wins within a week in Spain and Monaco, the Austrian team has indicated it is keen to re-sign the 33-year-old for 2011.

But Australian Webber has also been linked recently with a switch to Ferrari, and he told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper that he is not certain who his employer will be next year.

“I’ve just won two races, back-to-back, and people are asking me where I’m going to drive next year,” said the joint championship leader.

“I’m very close to the guys at Red Bull, we’ve been through a lot, and I have a great relationship with them. Yet things happen and change very fast in this business, and you never know what’s around the corner,” added Webber.

Interestingly, after boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko commented on Webber’s situation post-Monaco, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz is now quoted as wading in on the status of Sebastian Vettel’s current teammate.

“They have different personalities, but when they go into battle they are winners,” the Austrian billionaire told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag.

Mateschitz also described Webber as a “stereotype of the fair, athletic sportsman”.
(GMM)

Timo Glock is looking for an improvement from Virgin Racing before committing long-term to the new British team.

Despite interest from established teams for this year, the German signed with Virgin with a contract that is believed to be for a multiple-season term.

The team has notably struggled for pace and reliability, with Glock only notching up his first finish of the season last weekend in Spain.

That was with the much-vaunted updated VR-01 car featuring a bigger fuel tank, which was not substantially faster in Barcelona than the older model still driven by Lucas di Grassi.

Asked if he is already contemplating how to extract himself from his long contract, 28-year-old Glock said on Tuesday: “If the situation never changed, eventually you would have those sorts of thoughts.

“But at the moment I’m not thinking about that, and neither am I walking around looking for somewhere else (to drive).  We have to wait for a few more races and then see,” Glock told motorsport-total.com.

He admitted that the updated car did not work “as expected” around the Circuit de Catalunya.

“Especially on Friday it was a disaster because I was even slower than the old car.  What’s going on, I don’t know.

“At least we have sorted out the tank.  The fuel supply (issue) for qualifying is significantly improved, but the aero updates have not worked in the way we wanted.”

Virgin’s technical boss Nick Wirth is famously developing the VR-01 car with only computer technology, and asked if the lack of a wind tunnel is hurting the team, Glock answered “I don’t know.”

(GMM)