| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 29th 2013, 09:50 GMT |
Lotus has emerged from the first four races as Formula 1's biggest gainer over 2012, and equally confident it can keep up its form for the remainder of the campaign.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 29th 2013, 10:09 GMT |
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says plans to float the sport on the Singapore stock exchange are now back on course, having been delayed last year because of the worldwide economic crisis.
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| By Scott Mitchell | Monday, April 29th 2013, 10:15 GMT |
Sergio Perez believes his drive to sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix is proof he can be successful with McLaren.
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| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Friday, April 26th 2013, 10:19 GMT |
Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says the team will keep a close eye on Esteban Gutierrez's performances after a a difficult start to the year, although she concedes is too early to judge the Mexican.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 26th 2013, 12:03 GMT |
Ferrari has singled out improved qualifying pace as a 'priority' as it bids to make up lost ground in the championship battle.
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| By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde | Friday, April 26th 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Force India is under no illusions about the task it faces to keep rival McLaren behind in the championship standings this year
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, April 25th 2013, 08:25 GMT |
Pirelli has elected to make just one minor change to its hard compound tyre for the remainder of the season, following a meeting in Milan earlier this week to decide if it needed to revamp its products.
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| By Matt Beer | Thursday, April 25th 2013, 09:09 GMT |
Michael Schumacher will drive a 2011 Mercedes Formula 1 car around the Nurburgring Nordschleife on May 19.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, April 25th 2013, 10:11 GMT |
Red Bull thinks that the Formula 1 title battle is still a four-way fight, even though it is leading both championships after the first flyaways.
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| Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 08:27 GMT |
Ferrari says it has identified an unprecedented mechanical failure that caused Fernando Alonso's DRS problem in the Bahrain Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 10:34 GMT |
Mercedes' difficult Bahrain Grand Prix is not a sign that its 2013 season is on the slide, insists team boss Ross Brawn
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| By Jonathan Noble and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 24th 2013, 11:41 GMT |
Nico Hulkenberg is still convinced that Sauber's 2013 car has the potential to be a regular top-10 runner and that his switch into the squad has not been futile
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 08:42 GMT |
Pirelli has told Formula 1 teams that it is unlikely to make any major changes to the tyres for the remainder of this season, ahead of a meeting in Milan on Tuesday to discuss the situation
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 10:26 GMT |
Qatar's Losail circuit is being considered as a venue for Formula 1 pre-season testing next year, AUTOSPORT has learned
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, 11:24 GMT |
Lotus believes that unlocking a better understanding of Pirelli's medium compound tyre is key to helping Kimi Raikkonen deliver the grid positions he needs to win more races and maintain his title shot
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 09:28 GMT |
Lotus boss Eric Boullier says his team has no reason to be disappointed at missing out on victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 09:46 GMT |
McLaren is not worried that the battle between Jenson Button and Sergio Perez at the Bahrain Grand Prix will boil over in to a feud
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 22nd 2013, 10:45 GMT |
Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes faces a "massive mission" to get on top of its rear tyre struggles, after a disappointing Bahrain Grand Prix.
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| Saturday, April 20th 2013, 16:42 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Marussia qualifying quotes
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 21st 2013, 08:37 GMT |
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn believes Formula 1 teams should re-examine the gearbox penalty rules, after Lewis Hamilton was handed a grid drop because of circumstances beyond his control
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 21st 2013, 10:12 GMT |
Formula 1 drivers will once again be left without cockpit warning lights for the Bahrain Grand Prix, after issues with the FIA's electronic marshalling system continued at Sakhir this weekend
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| Friday, April 19th 2013, 16:52 GMT |
Friday's press conference - Bahrain
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Saturday, April 20th 2013, 09:04 GMT |
Fernando Alonso put Ferrari back on top in the final free practice session ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Saturday, April 20th 2013, 10:00 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton will receive a five-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix as the Mercedes team has had to change his gearbox prior to qualifying
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 19th 2013, 08:54 GMT |
Sergio Perez is feeling the pressure to deliver results at McLaren, reckons Lewis Hamilton.
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, April 19th 2013, 10:20 GMT |
Heikki Kovalainen has described the Caterham CT03 as being "on a knife edge" after his first experience of the machine in free practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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| By Dieter Rencken and Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 19th 2013, 11:28 GMT |
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is open to the idea of making the Bahrain Grand Prix the season opener again.
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Thursday, April 18th 2013, 08:47 GMT |
Rodolfo Gonzalez will make his debut on a grand prix weekend when he drives the Marussia Formula 1 car in first practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, April 18th 2013, 10:05 GMT |
Pirelli's decision to switch its compound choice for the Bahrain Grand Prix was made several weeks ago and was not a reaction to what happened in China, AUTOSPORT has learned
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| By Aleksander Kabanovsky | Thursday, April 18th 2013, 10:31 GMT |
Russian Grand Prix organisers says construction work at the Sochi track is firmly on target, ahead of Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel's visit to the track next week.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 09:01 GMT |
Lotus has faith that Romain Grosjean will get on top of his early season troubles
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| By Edd Straw | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 09:08 GMT |
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has hailed Marussia driver Jules Bianchi's "great" start to the season.
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| By Edd Straw | Wednesday, April 17th 2013, 09:47 GMT |
Force India has no concerns about returning to Bahrain this year even though a van carrying its personnel was caught up in a petrol bomb incident last year
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| Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 09:58 GMT |
Bahrain preview quotes: Mercedes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 10:36 GMT |
Red Bull is sure that Mark Webber will not allow his recent setbacks to hurt his form
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| Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 11:11 GMT |
Bahrain preview quotes: McLaren
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Monday, April 15th 2013, 09:50 GMT |
Bahrain preview quotes: Sauber
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Monday, April 15th 2013, 11:03 GMT |
Bahrain GP: Pirelli preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, April 15th 2013, 11:15 GMT |
Red Bull believes its lack of pace in the Chinese Grand Prix was a one-off rather than an indication that it has fallen behind its rivals
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| Sunday, April 14th 2013, 11:44 GMT |
China race quotes: Williams
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Pablo Elizalde | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 11:48 GMT |
No driver has been penalised over the alleged use of the DRS under yellow flags during the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday
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| By Sam Tremayne | Sunday, April 14th 2013, 11:50 GMT |
Jenson Button says that McLaren's two-stop strategy, and not an upturn in pace, was to credit for his fifth place in the Chinese Grand Prix.
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| Saturday, April 13th 2013, 10:40 GMT |
Chinese GP qualifying quotes: Pirelli
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Saturday, April 13th 2013, 11:01 GMT |
Chinese GP: Saturday press conference
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Edd Straw | Saturday, April 13th 2013, 11:44 GMT |
Felipe Massa admitted that he was surprised at the turn of pace shown by some rivals after qualifying fifth for the Chinese Grand Prix
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| By Sam Tremayne | Friday, April 12th 2013, 10:31 GMT |
Sergio Perez admits his two Chinese Grand Prix practice crashes, coupled with the inconsistency of McLaren's MP4-28, have upset his confidence in the car
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| Friday, April 12th 2013, 10:33 GMT |
China practice quotes: Red Bull
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, April 12th 2013, 11:21 GMT |
Ferrari feels that it still needs a big lift in its qualifying pace before it can be satisfied with its form, despite Felipe Massa's fastest time in Chinese Grand Prix practice
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Thursday, April 11th 2013, 10:47 GMT |
Jenson Button has expressed surprise at Sebastian Vettel's declaration that he would think nothing of disregarding team orders again.
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Thursday, April 11th 2013, 10:51 GMT |
Ma Qing Hua will return to Formula 1 action on Friday when he takes part in first practice for the Chinese Grand Prix with Caterham
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| Thursday, April 11th 2013, 11:00 GMT |
Thursday's press conference - China
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Glenn Freeman | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 11:54 GMT |
Antonio Felix da Costa will stand in for Sebastien Buemi as Red Bull's Formula 1 reserve driver at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix
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| Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 12:04 GMT |
Felipe Massa has no doubt that Ferrari is part of a multi-team 2013 Formula 1 title fight despite having not won a race so far this season
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 10th 2013, 09:04 GMT |
Formula 1 heads to China this weekend for the resumption of a fascinating on-track battle, but all eyes will instead be on the off-circuit relationship between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
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| By Matt Beer | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 10:46 GMT |
Ferrari has promised it will not neglect its qualifying pace deficit despite long-run performance having become even more important with Formula 1's 2013 tyres
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| By Sam Tremayne | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 11:42 GMT |
McLaren admits it is under pressure to provide a car that Jenson Button and Sergio Perez both merit
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| By Glenn Freeman | Tuesday, April 9th 2013, 11:54 GMT |
Antonio Felix da Costa will stand in for Sebastien Buemi as Red Bull's Formula 1 reserve driver at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble and Sam Tremayne | Monday, April 8th 2013, 10:05 GMT |
Formula 1's best chance of effectively controlling costs is to ensure the stability of future regulations, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
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| By Pablo Elizalde | Monday, April 8th 2013, 10:17 GMT |
Formula 1 drivers should stop complaining about tyres because the best teams will still be the ones winning the races, according to former grand prix driver Jean Alesi.
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| Monday, April 8th 2013, 10:35 GMT |
China preview quotes: Caterham
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:20 GMT |
Chinese GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:35 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes he has barely shown a hint of what he can do in the 2013 Formula 1 season so far.
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| Friday, April 5th 2013, 13:04 GMT |
Chinese GP: Sauber preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:20 GMT |
Chinese GP: Lotus preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Matt Beer | Friday, April 5th 2013, 12:35 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes he has barely shown a hint of what he can do in the 2013 Formula 1 season so far.
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| Friday, April 5th 2013, 13:04 GMT |
Chinese GP: Sauber preview quotes
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'); if (google_ads[0].type == "text") { for(i=0; i '; } s += '' + '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 14:14 GMT |
Lotus team boss Eric Boullier believes his team's Malaysian Grand Prix performance was an aberration and that it can return to challenging for victory from China onwards
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| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 15:40 GMT |
Giedo van der Garde is optimistic that Caterham can regain supremacy in its back-of-the-grid battle with Formula 1 rival Marussia
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Thursday, April 4th 2013, 10:13 GMT |
Force India will have to compromise either its late-2013 performance or next year's car, reckons Paul di Resta, as he does not think his team can sustain dual development programmes.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 11:09 GMT |
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned that his team must keep its feet firmly on the ground despite admitting its strong start to the season has raised expectations.
The Brackley-based squad has bounced back from a poor end to the 2012 season to become Red Bull's closest challenger in the Malaysian Grand Prix last week.
Lewis Hamilton finished in third position behind the Red Bulls at Sepang, and afterwards declared that Mercedes is now Formula 1's second strongest outfit.
Wolff admitted that Mercedes's early form has inevitably raised hopes for the season, but insisted it was crucial to continue working without getting carried away.
"Of course," said Wolff when asked by AUTOSPORT if expectations had been raised after the first two races of the season.
"I was not so unhappy that we did not make it on pole because imagine how much the expectation would have been for the race.
"We had a good solid race, the world champion has still shown us that there is lots to do, and that we should switch our lights off later than the others in the offices.
"The expectations are there, but we must not let ourselves be carried away."
Wolff conceded, however, that the step forward taken by Mercedes was exactly what he had wished for.
"This is what I hoped for; this is where the team should be," he said.
"Being among the top teams, and winning a world championship, you need to put it all together," he said.
"I am happy [that] in the second race we have been consolidating that position, but it is about keeping working, keeping developing and looking forward. That race is already forgotten."
| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 15:50 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas admits both he and Williams are frustrated by the team's poor form in the 2013 Formula 1 world championship so far.
The Grove-based squad approached the season certain it had taken a step forward compared to 2012, during which its car proved fast enough to win in Spain.
But neither Bottas nor Pastor Maldonado managed to break into Q3 or the points in the Australian or Malaysian Grands Prix.
Maldonado has retired twice, with Bottas's 11th place at Sepang remains the team's best result.
Bottas admits that he was expecting to challenge for stronger results.
"Of course I was hoping to fight for better positions," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT if he was frustrated.
"The goal is to get higher and be consistently in the points.
"It's what the team was hoping for and what I'm hoping for so of course it's a bit disappointing.
"It is how it is now, we just need to get back there.
"We're understanding more all the time. We need more time but we will get there."
Bottas insists he is convinced of the potential of the Williams FW35 despite the lacklustre start to the campaign.
The team recently said it suspected the exhaust area was the biggest weakness of the car.
"It's a different car, [and] some things were better in the [2012] car," Bottas said.
"We have more potential to do better in this car though. It's not easy but we're learning more and more.
"The goal for this year is to improve the position from last year so we need to get working."
| By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer | Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, 11:37 GMT |
Esteban Gutierrez will not need long to prove that he deserves his Formula 1 place on merit and does not deserve the 'pay driver' label, insists Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn.
An inability to find adequate sponsorship was a key factor in erstwhile Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi losing his seat at the end of 2012. The Japanese driver is now part of Ferrari's GT line-up.
Gutierrez took Kobayashi's place and is the beneficiary of substantial support from the same Mexican programme that assisted Sergio Perez into F1.
But Kaltenborn said Gutierrez's backing was a secondary consideration.
"To us nationality doesn't matter at all. What matters at the end of the day is if he's a fast driver," Kaltenborn told AUTOSPORT.
"You have to look at so many aspects. Of course teams are putting in far more emphasis than they did in the past on the commercial implications a driver can have.
"They don't only look at what money the driver is bringing along, which we have always done by the way, you look at the talent of the driver.
"There were a lot of drivers when we engaged Sergio who also had come to us but we opted for Sergio because we felt that he's a very talented driver. It didn't take long and of course the world saw that.
"Suddenly that move was OK and he's no longer [seen as] a pay driver, which was tied with him in the beginning. With Kamui there was no commercial side involved and it is exactly the same now [with the 2013 drivers].
"First of all you do look at the performance potential, then you look at the commercial potential. That can either be that he brings his partner along or how marketable he is."
Gutierrez started his F1 career with 13th place in Australia and 12th in Malaysia.
"It shows how quickly he has adjusted to the F1 world because it is very different to being the third driver or running in the young driver test and when you are the race driver.
"I think he is showing very good performance."
| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Monday, April 1st 2013, 15:55 GMT |
Pastor Maldonado says he is a much more relaxed character this year and will therefore avoid the controversies that blighted his 2012 campaign.
Maldonado received multiple penalties for driving infractions and collisions last season.
He believes the situation escalated because he gained a poor reputation, but says he has now learned his lesson.
"Now I have more experience," said Maldonado. "I showed that I was ready to win when the opportunity was there.
"Everyone can have a difficult moment. At the same time, I had a hard time with the stewards, because after I had a couple of incidents, they were maybe looking at me more than the others.
"But you learn from your mistakes. I'm more experienced and more relaxed now, and I'm looking forward to being away from the stewards..."
Maldonado admitted that it had taken time to accept that his Williams was not always going to be a competitive car.
"Maybe I was pushing too much. I did not realise that the car did not have the performance to win all the races," he said.
"In the past I've always been fighting for victories and Formula 1 is completely different.
"Sometimes you need to be happy with a 10th place."
| By Edd Straw | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 10:22 GMT |
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has warned engines must not become the overwhelming performance differentiator when the new Formula 1 regulations kick in next year.
In 2014 F1 will switch to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 powerplants, with Force India continuing to use engines supplied by Mercedes.
But with the spread of performance relatively tight in recent years, during which the FIA has had a policy of occasionally allowing manufacturers to make changes to their frozen-specification engines for performance reasons, Fernley says the sport must ensure this relative parity is not lost.
"Yes, it is," Fernley told AUTOSPORT when asked if it is important for F1 to maintain this equilibrium of engines.
"It mustn't be like it was in the past when the engine differentiators were overwhelming. It would be a shame if we got there."
Force India has thrived under the current regulations, climbing from the bottom of the constructors' championship to be an ever-present in the top seven in the standings during the past three years.
But despite being keen that engines do not become too big a performance differentiator, Fernley accepts that it is important for the manufacturers to be allowed to play a bigger part in what happens on track.
"We have to take into consideration what the engine manufacturers want to do," he said.
"They are sinking an awful lot of money into the development of these engines and we have to listen to them to.
"There's a bit more scope than we have now, but overall it [engine performance] shouldn't be too big a differentiator."
Discussions are ongoing as to how engine homologation will be approached in F1 from 2014, with the sporting regulations yet to be published.
While the principle of having some form of homologation is accepted, the exact form that it will take is yet to be finalised.
AUTOSPORT SAYS
F1 editor Edd Straw
F1's engine freeze, combined with the reduction in costs of supply deals for customer teams, has created a level playing field in F1 that has made it easier for medium and small teams to compete.
There was a time when smaller teams would run engines that were a step, or multiple steps, behind the works operations. In some cases, minnows would even run at a bhp-deficit measured in three figures.
Under those circumstances, it was impossible for them to be anything other than back-of-the-grid fodder irrespective of how good their cars were.
This limited the benefit of even having a good car, hence the feeling that some outfits were simply treading water rather than seriously going racing.
There's no doubt that the 2014 season will be all about engine performance and it's unlikely that Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes will all come out with units that are as evenly-matched on performance as the long-in-the-tooth 2.4-litre V8s are.
While the performance of engines - or "power units" as they should more correctly but less intuitively be called given the green technology that is included - will be equal across those using the same manufacturer, there is a risk that one or two groups of teams will be at a major disadvantage.
What the sport must avoid is a situation where teams, some of which are already dancing around the edge of a financial precipice, have no chance thanks to the misfortune of choosing the 'wrong' engine supplier and have that weakness locked in by homologation rules.
| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Tuesday, April 2nd 2013, 11:09 GMT |
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned that his team must keep its feet firmly on the ground despite admitting its strong start to the season has raised expectations.
The Brackley-based squad has bounced back from a poor end to the 2012 season to become Red Bull's closest challenger in the Malaysian Grand Prix last week.
Lewis Hamilton finished in third position behind the Red Bulls at Sepang, and afterwards declared that Mercedes is now Formula 1's second strongest outfit.
Wolff admitted that Mercedes's early form has inevitably raised hopes for the season, but insisted it was crucial to continue working without getting carried away.
"Of course," said Wolff when asked by AUTOSPORT if expectations had been raised after the first two races of the season.
"I was not so unhappy that we did not make it on pole because imagine how much the expectation would have been for the race.
"We had a good solid race, the world champion has still shown us that there is lots to do, and that we should switch our lights off later than the others in the offices.
"The expectations are there, but we must not let ourselves be carried away."
Wolff conceded, however, that the step forward taken by Mercedes was exactly what he had wished for.
"This is what I hoped for; this is where the team should be," he said.
"Being among the top teams, and winning a world championship, you need to put it all together," he said.
"I am happy [that] in the second race we have been consolidating that position, but it is about keeping working, keeping developing and looking forward. That race is already forgotten."
| By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne | Sunday, March 31st 2013, 12:22 GMT |
Jean-Eric Vergne insists Toro Rosso's intra-team battle is not his primary focus and that he will not be satisfied simply by beating stablemate Daniel Ricciardo.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said both men have a genuine shot at a future Red Bull seat provided they impress over the 2013 Formula 1 campaign.
While Vergne has scored the team's only point so far, finishing 10th at Sepang, he insists beating Ricciardo is far from an all-consuming objective.
"People want to make out that there is a big fight," he said. "I don't care. I'm here to do my job and get the best result for the team.
"If I can be the driver that picks up the best result then I definitely want to be this driver and I will do everything for this.
"If we have the worst car though and always finish 17th or 18th every weekend I will not be happy at all.
"[In Australia] I was in front of Daniel after qualifying, but I was really pissed off and sad that I didn't make it through into Q3.
"The [intra-team] fight isn't enough for me; I want better performances."
Vergne added that he is confident the team can challenge for points on a more regular basis as the season progresses.
Toro Rosso set a target of finishing sixth in the constructors' championship when it launched the STR8 in February.
"The pace and performance of the car is good," he said.
"There are a few things we need to improve inside the team and on the car and hopefully we can improve this really quickly.
"[In Australia] I got the second fastest lap, I was much quicker than the guys in front. That was a positive - the car was looking pretty good."
| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Monday, April 1st 2013, 09:28 GMT |
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says he has been impressed with Sergio Perez's attitude amid a difficult start to the 2013 Formula 1 season for the British squad.
The Mexican driver joined McLaren for this year, replacing Lewis Hamilton after spending two seasons with Sauber.
Perez claimed at the end of last year that he saw no reason why he could not immediately fight for the title with McLaren, but its car struggles have meant he has scored just two points in the first two races.
Whitmarsh praised Perez's approach to McLaren's problems, and says his new driver is yet to put a foot wrong.
"He has done a solid job," said Whitmarsh. "It is easy to get rattled coming to a team like McLaren when you don't have a quick enough car.
"He is an intelligent guy. He is incredibly young but again in my mind he has not put a foot wrong."
Perez said recently that he had no regrets about his move to McLaren despite the team's form so far, and Whitmarsh reckons it is a blessing to have two drivers with Perez and Jenson Button's attitude.
"He is a team player," he said. "There are a few glimmers of positive things but we haven't started well.
"I am very, very blessed at the moment with the drivers we have got and their attitude and approach, and they are powering through."
AUTOSPORT says
Jonathan Noble, group F1 editor
Sergio Perez's recent comments that he would rather be facing his current difficulties with McLaren than winning races elsewhere certainly raised some eyebrows.
How could a youngster without a victory under his belt be embracing a struggle to get in to Q3 compared to fighting it out for a top step of the podium?
The answer comes simply from the Mexican having found somewhere that he feels is home.
He has moved on from his schooling experience with Sauber and the Ferrari Driver Academy to join what he feels is the big boy's league. He is not ashamed to call McLaren the best team in F1. And he is revelling in it.
Yes there have been difficulties - including the mistakenly early switch to slicks in Australian GP qualifying that dumped him out early - but he has kept his head down: focusing on delivering as much as he can with the machinery he has at his disposal.
In Australia it almost slipped under the radar that he finished less than two seconds adrift of Jenson Button.
Until McLaren gives him a better car, Perez knows that victory is something that can only be imagined for now.
But in talking things up, and loving the challenge he is facing, he is putting himself in the best position he can to seize that winning chance when it comes.
| By Matt Beer | Monday, April 1st 2013, 10:24 GMT |
Pirelli says it will wait until after the Bahrain Grand Prix before reviewing whether its 2013 Formula 1 tyres are forcing drivers to be too conservative.
F1's tyre supplier has been committed to delivering exciting racing and strategic intrigue since it took over from Bridgestone for 2011, and has ramped up its efforts again this year.
Both Red Bull and Mercedes cited the need to conserve the fragile tyres as the key factor in their team orders at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
That led to suggestions that Pirelli's high-degradation tyres were stifling the action rather than improving it.
Has Pirelli gone too far this year?
Asked for his view on this, Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery suggested the team issues skewed the picture, but said he was open to reviewing the rubber if low-key race finales became a pattern.
"I think we have to be happy," he said. "The two leading teams clearly had issues between the drivers, that maybe took away from what would have been an interesting finale.
"As for wheel to wheel stuff... it is something we will have to review after four races. It is still very early days."
Hembery still believes that the majority of the paddock is happy and Red Bull's criticisms are an exception.
"If the whole paddock is saying something then that is a bit different," he said.
"You have to do something and make a change and do something different, but if it is isolated and you work out why their concerns are coming forth, because it is not what they say on the surface it is something deeper than that, and you try and work it out.
"We think we know what it was and what it is, but if you go away and do things for one team you will have the whole paddock in uproar."
