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Di Resta excluded from qualifying

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 30 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, June 29th 2013, 18:50 GMT

Paul di Resta, Force India, British GP, Silverstone 2013Paul di Resta has been excluded from qualifying at the British Grand Prix after his Force India was found to be under the minimum weight limit.

The Scot had secured fifth on the grid at Silverstone but his car came in 1.5kg underweight in post-qualifying scrutineering.

Even with a mandatory fuel sample on board, the car weighed only 641.5 kg - which is 0.5 kg below the minimum weight.

After the FIA drained the car of fuel, it was found it weighed just 640kg, two kilogrammes under the limit.

With a 0.5kg tolerance accepted for the scales' accuracy, it was ruled that the car was officially 1.5kg underweight.

After the matter was referred to the race stewards, it was decided that the team had been in breach of the regulations and di Resta was thrown out of the results.

He can now start the British GP from the back of the grid.

It is understood the issue revolved around the weight of di Resta himself after qualifying - as the driver and car are combined to reach the 642kg limit.

There are suggestions that di Resta's weight check at the end of qualifying was 1.5kg below his normal weight - which he had been after free practice.

Although some consideration was given to appealing the matter because of the discrepancy, Force India in the end has decided to accept the verdict - meaning di Resta will start his home race last.


19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Revised British Grand Prix grid

Saturday, June 29th 2013, 19:19 GMT

The British Grand Prix grid changed post-qualifying for all bar the Mercedes and Red Bulls, as Paul di Resta's exclusion from the results dropped his Force India from fifth to the back

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Weather a threat to Mercedes hopes

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, June 30th 2013, 08:33 GMT

British Grand Prix talk is often dominated by the weather, but Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will give the skies more attention than normal ahead of the race because track temperature appears key to their chances of victory.

With their Mercedes team openly admitting that it is not yet convinced it is on top of its race day tyre issues, efforts in recent weeks have been focused on moving the car development and set-up in a direction that is better for the rubber.

But any extra outside assistance is welcome, which is why the fact that the best weather of the weekend is arriving in time for the race is not ideal.

Hamilton storms to British Grand Prix pole

WARMER WEATHER NOT IDEAL FOR MERCEDES

For although the cool temperatures on Friday left every team struggling to find grip - because tyres do not get into their optimum operating window and can suffer from graining – the warmer it gets the worse it can be for Mercedes.

As the temperatures rise, the front tyres start gripping better – which puts more onus on a car to look after its rear tyres. This has been Mercedes' Achilles' heel so far this year.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn admitted that rising temperatures were changing the demands of the car – which is why he is cautious about the chances for the race.

"We saw from Friday into Saturday, and even in to qualifying, that the load is now moving back onto the rears," said Brawn, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the impact of the warmer weather.

"Initially it was the left front that was the tyre that was suffering, so we have to watch in the race that it doesn't go too far.

"Once you get into difficulties on the rears, then that becomes a less manageable situation. If it is on the front, then there are things you can do that mean you don't lose as much time."

"We are mindful of it and doing what we can, and that will be the challenge of Sunday."

NO REPEAT OF SPANISH GP PAIN

F1 teams have become used, in recent races, to encountering rising temperatures between Saturday and Sunday, but the high-speed nature of Silverstone is likely to make it more of a challenge for the teams.

"We are trying to anticipate it," Brawn said. "I think we have more tools at our disposal in terms of the car itself.

"We have made some modifications to try and reduce that sensitivity, so we will find out more in the race.

"We would prefer it if the conditions stayed the same all weekend – in our car at least – so I honestly don't know how we will fare.

"I don't think it will be anything like as difficult as we had in Barcelona, which I think was an extreme situation. And we must remember it was only a few races ago in Malaysia where we were able to race hard from beginning to end.

"We are just on this edge, the edge of a cliff, and if we don't fall over it we are okay. So we have to do things to move the car away from the edge of the cliff."

One of the characteristics of the 2013 tyres that teams have found is that once the rubber gets too hot then it is very difficult to bring it back into the right operating window – even by backing off.

Nico Rosberg is convinced that things will not be as bad as they were at the Spanish Grand Prix – where the team went from pole position to being lapped – but he knows it is not in the clear yet.

"It is not difficult to do less than the Spanish Grand Prix," said the German. "I can say for quite certain that we are looking better than back then.

"We have made changes and bought changes to the car all along, all the time, trying to understand it better, but it is very, very complex.

"We are getting there, but there are still other teams that are doing better jobs on Sundays – inevitably the Red Bulls that are just behind us.

"But we had decent runs on Friday with the high fuel so it should be possible to do a good result. But how good we don't know."


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Webber to leave F1 for Porsche

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 27 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Matt Beer Thursday, June 27th 2013, 08:20 GMT

Mark Webber has announced that he will leave Formula 1 at the end of the season to join Porsche's new LMP1 sportscar programme.

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Webber didn't consider staying in F1

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, June 27th 2013, 10:10 GMT

Mark Webber has revealed that staying in Formula 1 in 2014 was never a consideration for him, even though he had options to remain in the sport.

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Red Bull won't rush Webber replacement

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, June 27th 2013, 10:48 GMT

Red Bull will not rush into making a decision on who will replace Mark Webber next year

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Brawn: FIA testing clampdown required

Written By kolimtiga on Rabu, 26 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 09:09 GMT

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has faith that the FIA will get a better grip on policing Formula 1 testing in the future, after suggesting matters have got out of control in recent years

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Stevens joins Caterham programme

Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 11:21 GMT

British driver Will Stevens has been added to the Caterham Racing Academy young driver roster

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Gutierrez not worried about critics

By Edd Straw and Matt Beer Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 11:47 GMT

Esteban Gutierrez says he is only focused on his own and the Sauber team's perception of how he is faring in his rookie season rather than worrying about external critics

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F1 to use new side impact system in '14

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 25 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Monday, June 24th 2013, 16:53 GMT

Formula 1 teams will use a new side impact system in 2014 designed to improve protection in the case of an oblique angle of impact.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mercedes: rookie test ban will hurt

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, June 25th 2013, 08:18 GMT

Mercedes boss Ross Brawn says his team's development programme for the rest of the season will be hampered by having to miss Formula 1's young driver test

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Mexican GP has a 'good future ahead'

By Edd Straw Tuesday, June 25th 2013, 11:22 GMT

Carlos Slim Domit believes there is a "good future ahead" for the Mexican Grand Prix, which it is hoped will return to the Formula 1 calendar in the next few years.

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McLaren still 'very far' from victories

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 24 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Dieter Rencken and Jonathan Noble Monday, June 24th 2013, 10:16 GMT

McLaren is 'very far' away from being in a position to think it can win a race this season, reckons Sergio Perez.

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Lowe to attend British GP with Mercedes

By Jonathan Noble Monday, June 24th 2013, 10:31 GMT

Paddy Lowe will attend his first Formula 1 race in his new role with Mercedes at this weekend's British Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT has learned.

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Britain preview quotes: Force India

Monday, June 24th 2013, 11:50 GMT

Britain preview quotes: Force India

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Lotus set for biggest upgrade of year

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 23 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:11 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of getting his Formula 1 world championship challenge back on track at the British Grand Prix have been boosted with Lotus planning to run its biggest upgrade of the year

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Horner declines to criticise FIA verdict

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:29 GMT

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has welcomed the fact that the FIA Tribunal confirmed Mercedes broke the rules in testing its 2013 Formula 1 car - but has drawn short of saying whether the penalty handed to the team was enough

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Ferrari perplexed by Mercedes verdict

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 17:06 GMT

Ferrari has suggested it is 'perplexed' by the decision of the FIA International Tribunal to only hand down a reprimand and young driver test ban to Mercedes for testing of a 2013 Formula 1 car

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Lotus set for biggest upgrade of year

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 22 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:11 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of getting his Formula 1 world championship challenge back on track at the British Grand Prix have been boosted with Lotus planning to run its biggest upgrade of the year

You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.


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Horner declines to criticise FIA verdict

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 14:29 GMT

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has welcomed the fact that the FIA Tribunal confirmed Mercedes broke the rules in testing its 2013 Formula 1 car - but has drawn short of saying whether the penalty handed to the team was enough

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Ferrari perplexed by Mercedes verdict

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 17:06 GMT

Ferrari has suggested it is 'perplexed' by the decision of the FIA International Tribunal to only hand down a reprimand and young driver test ban to Mercedes for testing of a 2013 Formula 1 car

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Renault unveils its 2014 V6 F1 engine

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 21 Juni 2013 | 19.03

Friday, June 21st 2013, 11:15 GMT

Renault has unveiled its 2014 turbocharged Formula 1 engine at the Paris airshow

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Renault releases 2014 F1 engine audio

Friday, June 21st 2013, 11:35 GMT

Renault has released an audio clip of the sound from its 2014 Formula 1 engine

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Mercedes reprimanded, will miss test

By Jonathan Noble Friday, June 21st 2013, 11:43 GMT

Mercedes has been banned from taking part in this year's young driver test, and given a reprimand, for using a 2013 car during Pirelli testing

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FIA says it didn't grant test permission

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 20 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, June 20th 2013, 08:51 GMT

The FIA insists that Mercedes and Pirelli were never granted official permission by the governing body to run its 2013 car during the post-Spanish Grand Prix test.

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Mercedes claims it didn't break rules

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, June 20th 2013, 09:58 GMT

Mercedes has argued that its running of a 2013 car during the post-Spanish Grand Prix test at Barcelona was not a breach of the regulations.

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Mercedes challenges Ferrari's tyre test

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, June 20th 2013, 10:38 GMT

Mercedes claims that if it is found guilty of breaching Formula 1 testing rules by running its 2013 car at Barcelona, then Ferrari should also be sanctioned for its Pirelli tyre test earlier this year

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Button expects stronger British GP

Written By kolimtiga on Rabu, 19 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Dan Cross and Jonathan Noble Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 16:37 GMT

Jenson Button McLaren F1 2013Jenson Button has faith that he and McLaren can still give home fans something to cheer about in the British Grand Prix, despite recent struggles.

On the back of a disastrous performance in Canada, where McLaren's long-running record of 64 consecutive points finishes came to an end, Button believes the high-speed nature of Silverstone will be a better stomping ground.

And although he is not expecting a miraculous jump to the front of the grid, he reckons the weaknesses of his current car will not be as exposed this time out.

Speaking at Silverstone on Tuesday about his prospects for the British GP, Button said: "There are many things a driver needs to be good at here, but he also needs to be working with a good team and driving a good car.

"With us, this grand prix is going to be a difficult one. But I think we'll be stronger here than the previous races because it is a fast flowing circuit.

"I think we do have OK downforce, but the problem for us has been the ride quality of the car.

"There is a massive amount of movement of the car which really hurts the airflow and hurts the aerodynamics. Here it shouldn't be so much of problem, except for Turn 1 [Abbey] which is going to be a little tricky for us."

Button may be bracing himself for a tougher weekend than he would like, but he insists that he is still looking forward to the June 30 event.

"Even in the difficult times, that are much worse than now, I still love coming to Silverstone because of the support you get from the crowd," he told AUTOSPORT.

Jenson Button McLaren F1 2013"I remember going on stage back in 2008 when we were really poor [with Honda], and still I received massive support, which was really nice and that really helped me for the rest of the season.

"I'm looking forward to racing here and hopefully seeing a full house. We will fight and do the best we can.

"It's going to be very difficult [to get] even a podium, but the most important thing for us is to get the best out of what we have.

"Hopefully that will be enough for the fans we want to do so well for, because they've been so supportive."


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Rules not details key to Paris hearing

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, June 19th 2013, 11:32 GMT

Ever since news of the Mercedes secret tyre test first emerged on the morning of the Monaco Grand Prix, Formula 1 has been obsessed with the details of the case.

But debate about whether it was private or secret, just how many kilometres the team did on 2013 rubber, and why its drivers ran in unbranded helmets will become largely irrelevant on Thursday.

Instead, when the FIA's International Tribunal opens for session at 9:30 local time in Paris, Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn and Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery will be cross-examined to find out simply whether or not the rules have been breached.

WHAT THE RULES SAY

The Mercedes test case revolves around a three-day 1000 kilometre tyre test that the team did for Pirelli with its 2013 car in the week after the Spanish Grand Prix.

F1's Sporting Regulations appears to be fairly clear in defining that such running of a current design is not allowed.

Article 22.1 states: "Track testing shall be considered any track running time not part of an Event undertaken by a competitor entered in the Championship, using cars which conform substantially with the current Formula One Technical Regulations in addition to those from the previous or subsequent year."

It furthermore clarifies that no track testing can take place in a period that spans 10 days before the start of the first race of the season and December 31.

The only exception is the young driver test, four one-day aerodynamic tests at straight line or constant radius sites, or in cases where a replacement driver needs some emergency mileage to get up to speed.

Ross BrawnWhile it appears that Mercedes' running of its W04 is a straightforward breach of the rules, the matter is complicated by clauses in the supplier contract that Pirelli has with the FIA.

In it, Pirelli is allowed to conduct 1000 kilometre tests with current teams using a 'representative' car.

Although it is believed that there is no strict definition of what a representative car is, equally there is nothing that states a representative car cannot be from the current campaign.

The crux of Mercedes' defence will therefore revolve around whether or not Pirelli's right to run a representative car in its three-year old contract supersedes what is stated in the current Sporting Regulations.

Mercedes will certainly have sought permission from the FIA about running a 2013 car - and would not have been brazen enough to take a chance on such an obvious breach of the rules if it did not believe it was allowed to do so.

But believing you are within the rules, and actually being within them, are two completely separate things. For even if you do not intend to break the rules, that does not stop you being punished if you are found guilty of breaking them.

WHAT WILL THE TRIBUNAL LOOK FOR

The International Tribunal has already received written submissions from Mercedes, Pirelli and the FIA over the matter.

Its mandate to work out whether or not the rules were broken will revolve around the correspondence between the three interested parties - and questioning of the main parties in the Paris hearing.

What took place at the test is of little consequence, for it is the simple use of the 2013 car itself - not what it did – that really matters.

FIA logoPredicting how deep the investigation needs to delve into the lines of communication between Mercedes, Pirelli and the FIA will ultimately depend on just how much debate there was about using a 2013 car, and how clear each party was about the others' intentions.

Was, for example, any FIA approval on the basis that every other team had been offered such a test, so in theory unanimous support was forthcoming for a future rule change?

Or was it explicit that the FIA's legal interpretation was Pirelli's contract supersedes the rules, so there was no question that running a 2013 car was allowed?

Then, once the FIA's stance has been clarified, the IT will need to look at whether Mercedes' use of a 2013 was a blatant bid to cheat – as some of its rivals have all but suggested – or simply an unwilling transgression made in good faith.

Only then can a ruling be made on what - if any - punishment should be handed down.


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How the International Tribunal works

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, June 19th 2013, 11:41 GMT

FIA logoFormula 1's attention moves to the FIA's headquarters in Paris on Thursday for an International Tribunal (IT) hearing into the Mercedes secret test controversy.

The case marks new territory for everyone involved, because it is the first time that the IT has been called in to use for such a high-profile matter.

F1's previous controversies, like the McLaren spy case in 2007 and the Singapore race fix scandal, were ruled on by the FIA's own World Motor Sport Council.

AUTOSPORT explains exactly what the IT is, how it works and what it could do.

Rules not details key to Paris hearing

WHO SITS ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL?

The International Tribunal (IT) was set up in 2010 by the FIA General Assembly as part of a new judicial system.

Its remit is to rule on matters that cannot be immediately dealt with by race stewards.

The FIA statutes state: "The IT hears cases that have been submitted to it.

"It applies and interprets the present Rules with the aim of enforcing the Statutes and Regulations of the FIA, including the International Sporting Code."

The current president of the IT is Briton Edwin Glasgow, with the vice-president Laurent Anselmi coming from Monaco.

One of the key elements of the IT - a 12-man panel - is that it is completely separate from the governing body.

In the FIA statutes, it is declared: "The IT operates totally independently from the other bodies of the FIA and the members of the FIA."

HOW WILL THE TRIBUNAL HEARING WORK?

Once it was decided that Mercedes and Pirelli had a case to answer, then the President of the IT has to appoint a panel made up of at least three members - one of whom will be designated 'the President of the Hearing'.

The exact composition of the panel has not yet been confirmed - although some of the 12 IT members are automatically ruled out.

To ensure independence, no members of the judging panel will be allowed to be the same nationality as one of the main parties of the case.

With Mercedes racing under a German licence, and Pirelli being an Italian company, then judges from both those countries cannot be allowed to take part.

Both defence and other interested parties have already asked to submit written evidence before the hearing - and the final proceedings will be open to the media.

WHAT WILL THE TRIBUNAL BE LOOKING AT?

One of Mercedes' explanations for running a 2013 car at the Barcelona test was that it received notification from the FIA that it would be OK to do so.

Nico Rosberg Mercedes F1 2013The FIA in its only public statement so far suggested that such approval was conditional on the Pirelli test opportunity being available to other teams.

Pirelli itself has stated several times that it did offer every team the chance to take part in its planned testing programme.

While the details of the correspondence between the FIA, Mercedes and Pirelli will be of interest to onlookers, such intricate elements of the case may not matter so much to the IT.

Its role instead is to simply decide whether or not there has been a breach of the regulations.

Mercedes' rivals are adamant that the team running its 2013 car in testing at Barcelona was breaking the rules, irrespective of any separate agreement that existed with Pirelli.

The IT statutes make it clear: "Unless stated otherwise, offences or infringements are punishable, whether they were committed intentionally or negligently."

WHAT PUNISHMENTS CAN IT HAND OUT?

The IT plans to announce its verdict on the matter as soon as possible after the hearing finishes - although that may not be until Friday if its deliberations take some time.

If the IT decides that there has been a breach of the rules, then the judging panel will hand out whatever punishment it thinks is appropriate.

Although there have been some suggestions that one sensible solution to ensure parity for the teams would be to allow Mercedes' rivals a similar three-day Pirelli test, such an option does not appear possible under the FIA statutes.

Pirelli tyresThe IT's punishments are limited to fines, bans or the alternative sanctions laid out in the International Sporting Code (ISC).

The ISC says available sanctions are listed in the order of severity: reprimand, fines, obligation to accomplish some work of public interest, time penalty, exclusion, suspension or disqualification.

The FIA also states: "For the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA World Rally Championship, a penalty consisting of the withdrawal of points over the whole of the Championship may be imposed.

"The International Tribunal may also impose directly bans on taking part or exercising a role, directly or indirectly, in events, meetings or championships organised directly or indirectly on behalf of or by the FIA, or subject to the regulations and decisions of the FIA."

AUTOSPORT will bring you live coverage from the FIA International Tribunal hearing.


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Faster tracks to benefit Ferrari - Massa

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 18 Juni 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Monday, June 17th 2013, 14:27 GMT

Felipe Massa, FerrariFelipe Massa believes Formula 1's return to fast venues like Silverstone will help Ferrari get back on terms with Red Bull.

The recent venues of Monaco and Montreal have not played to the strengths of the Ferrari package, and Massa's team-mate Fernando Alonso has lost ground to Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' championship.

But rather than feel that the last two outings are an indication that Ferrari's development push has stalled, Massa thinks that the next few races will show that the Maranello outfit can still deliver the form that has helped it win two races so far this year.

"I think Silverstone can be a bit better for us," explained Massa. "The car was very strong in Barcelona and in China.

"Montreal was a completely different track compared to where next we are going, to Silverstone and Nurburgring, where you have a lot of lateral corners.

"There are a lot of medium and high-speed corners, so we will see. I think will be better on normal tracks."

Massa also feels that he is due a change of fortune to lift his own performances, having lost decent results through tyre issues in Bahrain and a spate of crashes in Monaco.

"I'm not very happy for what's happened - Bahrain for the tyre, Monaco for the two crashes and in Canada with qualifying," he said.

"So definitely I want to get to the next race with a lot of luck and show our potential every time in qualifying and in the race. I know we have the pace, and that is important."


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Raikkonen title bid in the balance

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 10:40 GMT

Kimi RaikkonenKimi Raikkonen may insist that Lotus cannot dig any deeper, but the squad needs to address its form quickly as its Formula 1 championship challenge risks stalling.

The Finn established himself as Sebastian Vettel's main title threat early on, as Lotus's excellent tyre management helped him win in Australia and regularly finish on the podium.

Raikkonen held second in the standings until Spain, at which point he was only four points shy of Vettel.

But the Lotus driver has been unable to keep up his consistent form, and his cause was not helped by a collision with Sergio Perez in Monaco and then tyre struggles in Canada.

The extent of Raikkonen's woes is highlighted by his points tally from the last four races, where he has not only been outscored by Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber, but he has also lost a whopping 41 points to Vettel in the standings.

From breathing hard down the neck of Vettel early on, Raikkonen is now 44 points adrift of his Red Bull rival.

HOW THE DRIVERS HAVE SCORED IN THE LAST FOUR RACES

Sebastian Vettel 80
Fernando Alonso 53
Nico Rosberg 45
Mark Webber 43
Kimi Raikkonen 39
Lewis Hamilton 37

A BIGGER PUSH TO WIN

With a gulf now opening up between Raikkonen and Vettel, Lotus is well aware that it will need to start producing race wins if it is to close that gap quickly enough.

Raikkonen's laidback attitude off track may give the impression that he is as relaxed on it when it comes to results, but he is adamant Lotus is giving nothing less than 100 per cent to try to win more races.

"We always try and win," said Raikkonen. "It is not going to just change our race result if we try to do something different.

"We have mostly had the speed, and we will keep trying, but there is not just a way to be more aggressive and you have a better chance. We always try that.

"It has just not been possible. We have been up there and been OK. Monaco was not as good as we hoped. But there is still a long way to go."

CAR UPDATES AND TYRES NOW KEY

Lotus boss Eric Boullier told AUTOSPORT in Montreal that he expected his team to be back at the front at the British Grand Prix, thanks to a speed boost from car updates and F1's return to more normal high-speed tracks.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, Canadian GP 2013, Montreal"We have some good developments coming for Silverstone so that should help us keep up and close the gap to the leader," said Boullier. "With normal tracks we should be able to get the best out of our car."

The statistics from the last few races have highlighted, however, how essential it is for Raikkonen to do exactly that, just as his strong form earlier in the year has left rivals not ready to write him off just yet.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: "I think ultimately you cannot write off Kimi.

"If he can put together a run of race results, just as Lewis, or Mark could, he can get himself back in the championship hunt."


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Sutil: Force India form validating Pirelli

By Edd Straw and Jonathan Noble Tuesday, June 18th 2013, 11:19 GMT

Force India F1 2013Adrian Sutil says Force India's strength in looking after its tyres shows there is nothing wrong with the job that Pirelli is doing.

Pirelli came under pressure earlier this year to make its products more conservative on the back of a high number of pit stops at some events.

But Sutil thinks that the responsibility for excessive degradation has to be shouldered by teams instead, because his own Force India outfit has shown what it is possible to do.

In Canada, Paul di Resta completed 54 laps on the set of medium tyres that he started the race with.

Speaking about the tyre situation, Sutil said: "Paul's pace was good and it just shows we don't have a tyre problem.

"Everybody talks about Pirelli tyre problems, but it is a good tyre, we saw that in Canada.

"We can do one stop if the car is working properly. I think it was a good race for different strategies.

"I was on a two-stop. I think both would have worked, two-stop and one-stop were very similar."

Force India was one of the outfits that stood firm against a push by rivals to try and change the tyres mid-season.

Sutil fully supports his bosses' stance, which has resulted in Pirelli giving up on plans to tweak its rubber at this stage of the campaign.

"I don't want a compound change. This is not allowed," said Sutil. "We have rules and you have to respect the rules. So you do not change the rules during the season.

Force India F1 2013"There is nothing more to say. It's not allowed to have a new compound and there is no danger with the tyres.

"We have no problem with the tyres.

"It's just some teams get on a little bit better with the tyres and some others want to change it.

"Let's see what comes out, but I just want the rules to be respected and I don't want a big change of tyres."

The only tweak that Pirelli is now planning is to revise the bonding process of its tyres to minimise the chance of a repeat of the delaminations that affected a number of drivers earlier this year.


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