Ross Brawn has scolded Mercedes’ critics as a protest threat continues to hang over the Australian grand prix.
Lotus is concerned the silver W03 features illegal aerodynamic solutions, and on Saturday raised the prospect of post-qualifying or post-race protests.

“It’s an option,” boss Eric Boullier is quoted by the Sun.

“All I can say is Red Bull and ourselves do not believe the Mercedes system is legal.”

Asked about the prospect of an official protest, Mercedes’ Brawn is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport: “That would be very disappointing.

“If someone believes a car is illegal, then he should protest before the weekend, not afterwards.”

Brawn’s argument is that a pre-event protest gives the FIA a chance to respond and, if necessary, request a team make changes to its car before official results are filed.

He continued: “We have always informed the FIA about what we are doing.

“On Wednesday of this week they took a close look at the system in our garage and found it to be legal.

“As long as the FIA has this opinion, we will use the system,” said the Briton.

Brawn, in fact, smells diversionary tactics, amid earlier speculation about the legality of some exhaust solutions — notably Red Bull’s.

“The discussion about our system has diverted the focus from the exhaust issue,” he agreed.

Interestingly, McLaren has stayed out of the debate so far, stating simply on Saturday that it will not join a Lotus and Red Bull protest.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh has now revealed his designers are working on something similar.

“We think we know what to do,” Auto Motor und Sport quotes him saying. “In general it is difficult with the limited space in a formula one car to integrate systems at a later date.

“But I don’t think we are going to have problems,” added Whitmarsh.

So far in 2012, McLaren stands all alone — with not only the fastest car, but also the best-looking one.
With almost every other team fielding an ‘ugly’ stepped nose, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button dominated qualifying in Melbourne with their sleek silver machine.

A report in the Mirror suggested McLaren’s rivals have all made “a design blunder”.

“We felt it (the conventional nose) was the right decision and we’re pleased it looks good and it’s reasonably quick as well,” smiled team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

As for the direction taken by McLaren’s rivals, including Red Bull who pioneered the ‘high nose’ philosophy for the now-past blown exhaust era, Whitmarsh insisted: “It’s not a question of right or wrong.

“But there’s no doubt which one looks best. Ultimately, it’s which one is quickest.”

Writing in Autosprint, Alberto Antonini wondered if Saturday in Australia marked “the end of an era”, after Red Bull dominated the past few seasons in formula one.

“A new era in F1 has begun,” agreed Marca newspaper’s Marco Canseco.

At least for now, there is no obvious signsof panic at Red Bull, with Mark Webber telling Speed Week: “There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the car, we just haven’t got everything out of it.”

As for Sunday’s Melbourne opener, former driver and RTL commentator Christian Danner predicted: “I think the McLarens are unbeatable.

“Behind them we will see a wonderful fight for third place, with Grosjean, the two Mercedes drivers and, of course, Sebastian Vettel.”

Narain Karthikeyan was unequivocal as he walked through the paddock gates on Saturday.
“I have to qualify. There are no two ways about it,” said the Indian.

It had been a difficult winter and an even more difficult season opener so far for the struggling Spanish team.

Saturday would be even worse, with Karthikeyan and his teammate Pedro de la Rosa indeed failing to get within 107 per cent of the fastest time in ‘Q1′.

Often, the FIA allows drivers who fail to qualify to start the race anyway, but the new F112 has simply not merited a free-kick in Melbourne.

“We did everything we could,” de la Rosa is quoted by EFE news agency.

“In the end, we have so much room for improvement and it is true to say that we have to change many things, we know what they are, so all I can say is that we all have to be patient.

“I said when I arrived in Australia that this is a test for us; this is our preseason. The downside is we are doing it in front of all the cameras.

“It should be done already but it was not possible for us, so what we do now is work for Malaysia and the following races and focus on the areas that are important to make the car better.”

A report in AS newspaper said the biggest problem with the F112 car is the hydraulic system, which cannot be repaired in time for next weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

“I am proud of this team — you cannot ask for more than 24 hours a day of work from people,” said de la Rosa.

On the brighter side, fellow straggler Marussia did manage to qualify on merit in Australia.

“We’ve all had a great lift but we have a long way to go and plenty of hard work to do to make the car quicker,” said Timo Glock.

He told Auto Motor und Sport that it will some time.

“Over the next few weeks we will do the little things first,” said the German. “Unfortunately we don’t have the capacity of someone like Red Bull so we would rather work a little longer on a big update.”

 Rumours are swirling in the Melbourne paddock that Red Bull and Lotus are preparing to lodge a post-qualifying protest.
“I’ve heard something like that,” confirmed Mercedes’ motor sport director Norbert Haug to German Sky television.

They are reportedly unhappy with the new ‘F-duct’ solutions seen on the W03 car.

British television Sky confirmed that team boss Eric Boullier has confirmed that Lotus will protest the outcome of Saturday afternoon’s qualifying result.

“The FIA has its opinion and so do we,” Haug added.

“I remember the noise made about the double diffuser; a noise, incidentally, that came from the same place,” said the German.

 Red Bull has been isolated from F1′s other teams, as the FIA is asked to step in and police their cost-cutting efforts.
Last year, there remained suspicions the energy drink owned team – the winner of the past two world championships – flouted the ‘resource restriction agreement’ (RRA).

But the agreement was only an initiative of the teams’ trade union FOTA, which has now essentially collapsed.

Moreover, the agreement includes only financial sanctions for breaches, and Red Bull was never penalised anyway — Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo said recently he didn’t push the issue “Because I didn’t want it to be an excuse for our performance”.

A letter has now been addressed to FIA president Jean Todt requesting that the governing body step in and make the RRA an official sporting regulation.

Breaches would therefore carry a sporting sanction, such as the loss of points, or race bans.

“Yes, it (the letter) was unanimous. Most of the teams have signed it,” said Lotus team boss Eric Boullier.

He would not, however, confirm the identity of the teams that did not sign.

But a report in the Kolner Express newspaper claims “only two teams did not sign: Red Bull and the sister team Toro Rosso”.

 Two teams are in danger of sitting out Sunday’s Australian grand prix.
“The idea, here, is to qualify for the race,” Marussia’s Timo Glock told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper from Melbourne.

The hurdle that the struggling former Virgin team – as well as HRT – must get over, is the 107 per cent rule in Q1.

It is an even higher hurdle than last year, because Pirelli has made its harder tyres softer in 2012 — meaning the difference between the tyres being used by the quickest cars and the slowest cars in Q1 will be smaller.

More bad news is that Red Bull has brought new parts to Australia that could make qualifying-specialist Sebastian Vettel even faster on Saturday.

“If that’s true then the qualifying test for us – with zero kilometres under our belts – is almost impossible,” admitted Glock.

At HRT, the situation is arguably worse — especially for Pedro de la Rosa, who was little more than a spectator on Friday as the Spanish team built up his Cosworth-powered car at the eleventh hour.

“Keep smiling, be patient,” he is quoted by Auto Motor Und Sport, when asked what his mantra is in Melbourne.

“We need to think more in the medium term. We are experiencing the birth of a new racing team.

“For us, this year is not just about getting the new car up and running — over the next months, we are taking the whole team to Madrid.

“At the moment we are still operating from Madrid, Valencia and Munich,” he explained.

The Spanish team’s new boss Luis Perez Sala agreed that qualifying at Albert Park is a big ask.

“For us it has been almost a success just to be here in Melbourne because it has been very tough,” he said on Friday.

As for the 107 per cent rule, “It will be difficult for us,” said the former Minardi driver.

“I’m not thinking now about the speed of the car, I’m just trying to get all the things done that we need to do as best as possible to get into (practice) tomorrow.”

He said HRT will try again next weekend, in Malaysia.

“I would like them (the team) to relax a bit and we will see. Malaysia? Shanghai? Whatever.”

HRT has survived a close call in Melbourne, after crucial parts of Pedro de la Rosa’s chassis did not arrive in time for scrutineering.
The back-of-the-grid Spanish team had to apply to the FIA for an exemption to Thursday’s scrutineering deadline, because pieces of the suspension for the second car had yet to arrive from Europe.

And even when de la Rosa’s car was ultimately cleared to enter the Albert Park circuit shortly before first practice, the mechanics were still hard at work ‘dressing’ it for action.

Ultimately the late start was of little consequence, when the sporadic rain around the Victorian capital made a wet deposit just before practice, ensuring that early action was scarce.

But de la Rosa did not even appear later in the session.

More showers are possible later in the day and also on Saturday, but Sunday’s season-opening race should be dry.

Ross Brawn in Melbourne has admitted he would like to keep working with Michael Schumacher beyond 2012.
The seven time world champion’s three-year Mercedes contract expires this season, and the 43-year-old said on Thursday he has “no timetable” for talks with the Brackley based team.

There have been reports Mercedes sees McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton – also with an expiring contract – as a potential successor to Schumacher.

Team boss Brawn, however, admitted he hopes Mercedes and Schumacher live up to their expectations in 2012.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Michael,” he told SID news agency, “because that would mean we are successful in what we are doing.

“If Michael stays in the team, that would mean that we are coming closer to our goals,” explained Brawn.

“At some point in the season we will decide to continue, or do something else.”

Schumacher, however, denied that 2012 is “any more important than any other” season in terms of his future.

 Pat Fry, Ferrari’s technical director, thinks Red Bull remains clearly ahead of the F1 field.
There is lots of talk that the reigning champion team is now closely matched by McLaren, with a big chasing group nipping at the heels headed by Mercedes.

But Briton Fry told the Guardian newspaper: “I think Red Bull are ahead of the rest at the moment. Maybe half a second.

“We’re guessing about fuel levels used in testing but I would say Red Bull are between five and seven tenths ahead of everyone else.”

Fry recently wrote off Ferrari’s chances of a podium this weekend in Melbourne, but – at least in the most recent hours – drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are sounding more positive.

“At the moment we don’t know who is fast and who is not,” insisted Alonso, according to Marca. “Don’t pay much attention to what is said.

“We are not even going to know anything until Malaysia — a normal circuit.”

HRT’s Pedro de la Rosa, at least, is daring a prediction.

“Maybe (Sebastian) Vettel will win again, but if he does, he will have more sweat on his shirt,” the Spaniard is quoted by EFE agency.

As for Ferrari’s apparent problems, de la Rosa commented: “All I know is what I read, but think about how much time has passed since the last test.

“Two or three weeks in formula one is a world.”

Ross Brawn insists great wealth has not affected his drive to succeed.
As team boss, the Briton bought Brackley based Honda for a nominal pound after the 2008 season, before ‘Brawn GP’ and Jenson Button raced to the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

At the end of that campaign, Brawn sold the team to Mercedes, and the Financial Times claims the Briton – still team principal – collected dozens of millions of dollars.

“I’m obviously a lot wealthier now than before and you wonder if you still have the same motivation to get up in the morning,” Brawn said.

“But it did not alter my perspective or my passion and ambition to succeed in racing.”

His job now is to win for Mercedes, and 2012 is year three, and the end of Michael Schumacher’s initial contract.

“If it does not come off I will have to recognise there is something missing, something I am not able to do that perhaps someone else should have a go at,” revealed Brawn.

 Gary Paffett is next in line for a Force India race seat this weekend in Australia.
The Silverstone based team’s new regular Friday and reserve driver, Jules Bianchi, is unavailable this week as he tests ahead of the Renault World Series.

Force India has therefore asked McLaren, its technical partner, for help.

With Pedro de la Rosa now at HRT, Briton Paffett is the famous British team’s new official reserve driver.

He has already been in action this weekend, demonstrating McLaren’s 2011 car to the crowds at Albert Park on Thursday.

And Paffett, 30, will step into Force India’s car during the race weekend, should bad fortune befall the team’s regular drivers Nico Hulkenberg or Paul di Resta.

“I’m happy to be available for Force India for this weekend,” said the DTM driver.

He will not participate in Friday morning practice.

“Of course, it’s unlikely that I will be called up and hopefully it won’t happen, but it’s nice to know that the team thought of me,” said Paffett.

 A general consensus has emerged about the likely pecking-order this weekend in Australia.
Based on winter testing, this year’s longest-ever F1 season looks set to be very closely contested, but experts, pundits and insiders fairly agree about the rough shape of Saturday’s Melbourne grid.

“From what I saw in the tests, Red Bull and McLaren seem to be at a similar pace,” Francesco Nenci, Kamui Kobayashi’s race engineer at Sauber, told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

“Then comes Mercedes and then our team along with Lotus and Ferrari. But we’ll only really find out here,” he told Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio in Melbourne.

Steve Nielsen, Caterham’s sporting director, roughly agrees.

“Red Bull and McLaren are the best, Mercedes is a little bit behind and then it’s Lotus, Ferrari, Sauber and Force India,” he said.

And given that the top three teams will presumably dominate the first six positions in Q3, the last part of qualifying “should be exciting”, Nielsen smiled.

But so will the fight at the front, with McLaren’s Jenson Button desperate to end Red Bull’s two-year run of dominance.

“With quite a big change in the regulations in terms of the blown diffuser, now is the interesting time to see whether Red Bull can hang onto the advantage they have had,” said the Briton.

“If they can, it is going to be very difficult to beat them over the next few years.”

 Ferrari will not appoint an official reserve driver in 2012, the famous Italian team has confirmed.
The Maranello based team’s former reserve, Jules Bianchi, has stepped up to the Friday role at Force India.

Also on Ferrari’s books are Davide Rigon, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gene.

But in the event Felipe Massa or Fernando Alonso are unable to race at any point this season, Ferrari will “take one of the drivers who are running around the paddock”, a spokesman told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“Last year we saw that Pedro de la Rosa was there and ready to go when Sergio Perez needed to be replaced at Sauber,” the source added.

For example, it is believed ousted Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari accepted the full-time radio co-commentary role with the BBC in the hope he will be needed by a team at some point this year.

Mercedes, too, will not have its official reserve – Sam Bird – on site throughout the long 2012 season.

“It makes little sense with the test limits to pay for an experienced test driver full-time,” explained Norbert Haug.

 With an eye on the usual suspects McLaren and Ferrari, Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz thinks yet another team could be a real challenger in 2012.
Referring to Mercedes, he told the Austrian newspaper Kurier that the Ross Brawn-led team seems to have come up with “very good improvements” and “a major development”.

He is believed to be referring to clever new systems on the W03, with the latest discovery said to boost top speed significantly by combining ‘DRS’ with a new and legal F-duct solution.

Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko agrees that the Mercedes idea is “shrewd”, adding that there is not time to fit a similar system to the RB8 before Melbourne.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda told Germany’s RTL television: “I think the McLaren and the Red Bull cars are on par.

“Mercedes is the big question mark — I think they are also really fast.”

Finally realising Mercedes’ apparent speed, a newspaper recently crowned the Brackley based team the ‘Bluff champion’ of the 2012 winter.

Michael Schumacher, however, insists it has not been a deliberate strategy.

“Formula one is just so complex that we simply don’t know much about how the other teams are going. Clearly, the W03 is a step forward,” he told Bild-Zeitung.

“The question is how big our step has been compared to the others. We really need to wait until the first race.”

 Williams will not rush into signing a new title sponsor, chairman Adam Parr insists.
The famous British team performed woefully in 2011 and lost its naming backer ATT, yet recently revealed improved turnover and profits.

And Parr told Reuters the Grove based team has more than $45 million in the bank.

“I am very satisfied with what we have done overall with the business,” he said.

“We don’t have a title sponsor at the moment and obviously that’s an important initiative for us. But it’s something that you have to get right because your title sponsor is the most visible of your partners,” Parr explained.

“In many ways, it sets the character of the team. You want a title partner who is very active in the way they promote and activate the partnership.

“This is not something we are going to rush into, this is something we want to get right.”

For the moment, Williams’ main source of income appears to be the controversial deal with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA, including Pastor Maldonado as driver.

“PDVSA is an important partner of the team in financial and other respects but it is by no means the only one,” insisted Parr.