Formula One 2011

[Katsuya]

To be fair, if we know anything about Robert Kubica, is that he has an odd knack from coming back quickly from stupid accidents.

Also, the "Kimi's quitting rallying to take over from Kubica, oh the irony!" rumours have begun.

[Starvinho]

BBC is reporting that Kubica has regained consciousness after his surgery. Good news

[Gazz]

One handed Kubica would still be quicker than 70% of the current F1 grid.

[Katsuya]

Apparently he's moving his hand o_0 Boullier said something along the lines of "not for a couple of months", too, and that it'd be quicker than a year. If he races this year I'm going to be so fucking happy

[Lineker]

Shocking about Kubica. My absolute favourite driver - hopefully he will make a full racing recovery and be back soon. I imagine that Renault will try for Kimi but will end up with Senna. Would be great if they could borrow Hulk from Force India. Here's the latest on his condition:

Robert Kubica is continuing to make good progress in hospital as he recovers from the serious injuries he suffered in his rally crash at the weekend.

The Renault driver is scheduled to remain in intensive care for another three days, but medical staff are encouraged by the way his condition has improved since his lengthy operation on Sunday.

Giorgio Barabino, who is head of the intensive care unit at the Santa Corona hospital where Kubica is being looked after, was quoted as saying by IVG.it that the Polish driver was coming along in an 'excellent' way.

"His conditions have improved and are good, considering the crash," Barabino said. "No infections have arisen in the post-surgery phase. The limb is well vascularised and his life parameters are all within the norm. There is a good medical evolution, considering the heavy traumas suffered.

"At the moment we are confident on the evolution of the medical situation. Kubica will have to stay in intensive care for between 48 and 72 hours, during which all kinds of checks of the arm's and hand's functionality will be carried out.

"As for recovery times, after this first day we are optimistic on the future: the patient is reacting in an excellent way.

"Within one week surgery can be performed on the fractured elbow and the humerus, which haven't been treated yet. Today [Monday] the driver has always been awake and conscious, even though he feels pain. Despite being sedated he talked with his manager and with hospital personnel."

Kubica has also elected to remain at the Santa Corona hospital, rather than be moved somewhere else.

"We are obviously delighted with this decision," Barabino added. "We are satisfied with our work and with this acknowledgement.

"Robert's medical evolution is excellent: he is able to drink and to execute small movements with the hand."

Although the hospital is encouraged with his progress, Barabino still thinks it could take up to one year for Kubica to fully recover from his injuries.

"It's difficult to make predictions," he said. "What's certain is that it's rare to find such a strong patient.

"A partial recovery will be possible within a few months: we'll see if he can reach a full functionality of his arm and hand. To reach an objective such as this, he would need one year anyway."

OK, elsewhere. Force India launch the VJM04 online today at 2pm GMT. It will be broadcast via the team's website, before the car makes its track debut when testing resumes at Jerez on 10 February.

Virgin Racing has launched its second Formula 1 car, the MVR-02, in an event at BBC Television Centre in London.

The team ran an interim car at Valencia last week to give itself extra time to work on the new design, which will make its track debut when testing resumes at Jerez on Thursday.

The car features a slightly lower nose than many of those unveiled so far in 2011, and tighter packaging at the rear end than its predecessor.

The change from 'VR' to 'MVR' in the chassis designation reflects the team's new partnership with Russian sportscar firm Marussia Motors - which has also led to a slightly revised livery for 2011.

Virgin finished at the foot of the constructors' championship table in its maiden F1 season, with early-season reliability issues costing it crucial ground in the battle against fellow newcomers Lotus and Hispania.

The team have stuck with the unique all-computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach for the MVR-02, a car they hope will elevate Virgin to a position where it can threaten the established midfield teams for points.

Virgin Racing designer Nick Wirth has promised that the new MVR-02 is 'better in every way' than its predecessor.

"Since the middle of year we worked on process, we calibrated how fast we had to improve and what did we have to work on," he said.

"We have done a huge amount of development of physics and what we are doing to catch up with everyone."

He is confident that his team has come up with a very good solution to the revised rear end technical rules, which include the banning of double diffusers.

"The back of car is heavily regulated from last year, and we managed to take this car and not only catch up where we were, but go above it in terms of aero efficiency - in every single way this car is faster and better than last year."

Virgin remains the only team to totally eschew windtunnel work in favour of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). But while the team finished last in the constructors' championship in 2010, Wirth is confident that its shortcomings were not due to its CFD approach - and that it has eliminated its weak points for 2011.

"Last year that [CFD] side of the whole equation worked very well," said Wirth. "We hit the numbers we thought we were going to do, which were a logical progression from our championship-winning sportscar programme.

"What caught us out, and other new teams to some extent, was reliability with hydraulics and gearbox, so that has been a focus for 2011.

"We have a dual track approach, apply what we are good at in aero to the gearbox - so more analysis and development on the oil system in the gearbox than we did in sportscars.

"We ran the new hydraulics of new car in Abu Dhabi and in testing. We are just much better prepared for this season."

The MVR-02 will not feature KERS this year, with Wirth saying the gains available from the energy recovery device were not large enough to justify spending time on it at this stage in the team's development.

"KERS is an interesting subject, great and relevant technology, linking to hybrid road cars like the Prius," said Wirth.

"It is extremely expensive and extremely heavy – it is worth about three tenths of a second. We are after three seconds.

"We don't want to promise Timo [Glock] we have found three seconds, but we have found a lot. It's more important to focus on aero."

More pictures.

Another CFD-only car from Virgin. No KERS could cost them badly though. Both the team and the drivers say they are aiming for early-season points and mid-table teams. Somehow I don't see that happening. The most important thing they need to do is sort out their reliability issues. They also toyed with the idea of a forward exhaust system:

Virgin Racing did evaluate whether to incorporate a Renault-style forward-facing exhaust system on its 2011 challenger, but in the end opted to stick with its own, more traditional, blown diffuser solution.

Renault has delivered one of the major technical innovations of 2011 with its exhaust exits coming out at the leading edge of the sidepods on its R31 - to optimise gas flow underneath the car.

Wirth is well aware of the importance of getting an effective blown diffuser, and recently tried out tests of the forward exhausts to see if it was a concept his team needed to feature on its new MVR-02.

"We had heard about it towards the end of last year, we heard rumours about it, and it is very cost-effective and easy for us to check other solutions out," Wirth said at the launch of his team's 2011 challenger.

"I can confirm that we have tried a solution very similar to what you see on the other car – and it gives results that are very different from ours.

"We actually went so far as getting our drivers to test it on a simulator to see whether it would be an advantage. We could see why they [Renault] have done it, but it takes a team of the financial, human and technical resources of Renault to make that happen. I think if you are fighting where they are, you might be interested in doing it but we are happy with the solution we have got."

Wirth reckons there are clear benefits to the forward exhaust idea, but did not believe Virgin Racing would gain enough, considering the huge resource needed to get it fitted on its car.

"We didn't think of it, don't get me wrong, but having seen it now - and having tested what it could do - I don't think we will be rushing to that solution any time soon," he said.

"It is a massive, massive undertaking what they have done – getting high temperature exhaust gases past a fuel system, past wiring, past hydraulics, past a cooling system, and most important – getting it past the side-impact structures, which are not normally tested at anything other than room temperature - so they have to satisfy the FIA that it is legal even when it is hot.

"That is just a massive job and hats off to them for having the bravery to do something like that."

When asked if he believed it would be difficult for other front-running teams to adopt Renault's idea, Wirth said: "I think it will be very easy for teams with massive, unlimited financial resources to do it – it won't be a problem."

HRT has unveiled the first graphic images of its new F111, and the revamped colour scheme that it will race with in 2011.

Following its battle just to get on the grid last year, team principal Colin Kolles has worked hard this winter to give the team a stable platform with which to make progress with in the season ahead.

With technical chief Geoff Willis and chief designer Paul White working hard on a new car, Kolles also brought in renowned design expert Daniel Simon to create a new corporate image.

The striking new look, which is mainly white with a chequered flag design at the rear and red flashes on the airbox and sidepods, is a total rethink on last year's grey colours.

Kolles said: "The F111 represents a significant step forward for Hispania Racing. We have made a big improvement for starting our second season in Formula 1 and what you see in our new car confirms Hispania Racing's commitment to F1."

HRT president Jose Ramon Carabante added: "We feel really proud of the car our drivers will run this forthcoming season. We are very pleased to introduce the first spec of the F111, which means a huge design-effort from our side. This is only a first step as we are planning several updates during the season."

The car features sponsor logos of Narain Karthikeyan's backers Tata, as well as spaces where other sponsors can feature their logos.

It is understood that the F111 will undergo its last mandatory FIA crash test this week before final preparations are made to get in on track at one of the pre-season F1 tests.

More pictures.

Much better colour scheme, for one. My favourite bit it is the "YOUR LOGO HERE" on the front wing. EWB should all chip in to get that logo space for ourselves.

[Katsuya]

Errrr...is it me or does that look ominously like a Super Aguri?

Also, sounds like people are saying Renault will probably look to Heidfeld.

[Lineker]

Force India unveiled its new VJM04 on Tuesday, with the team becoming the second outfit to utilise a blade-style roll hoop design in 2011.

The outfit opted to use its 2010 car during the first pre-season test at Valencia last week, but will give its new challenger a first run at the Jerez test that starts on Thursday.

As well as the roll hoop design, which is similar to that used on the Team Lotus car, the new car features undercut sidepods and an intricate front-wing concept.

Force India finished seventh in last year's constructors' world championship, and are hoping that the promotion of Paul di Resta as team-mate to Adrian Sutil will allow it to make solid progress.

You can watch Force India's car launch here.

Bruno Senna, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nick Heidfeld are the three drivers that Renault is considering as the replacement for Robert Kubica this season, team boss Eric Boullier has said.

The injuries that Kubica picked up in his rally crash last weekend look set to keep him out for at least most of the season ahead - meaning his Renault outfit need to find a stand-in for him that can capitalise on the promising early form of the R31.

Although the team's lead reserve driver Bruno Senna has a year of F1 racing under his belt, his lack of experience in developing a front-running car may force Renault to look elsewhere for someone who can help guide the team through 2011.

Speaking at a press conference at the Santa Corona hospital on Tuesday, Boullier said that the team was evaluating its options for a Kubica replacement – and suggested the current plan for one of the reserve drivers to test at Jerez this week.

"The first one driving will at the moment be our first test driver," Boullier was quoted as saying by IVG.it. "In the meantime, we will look for Kubica's substitute: the names considered are Senna, Liuzzi and Heidfeld.

"The team is close to Robert, we wait for him with open arms and we hope he can come back before the end of the season.

"It was Robert's choice, he wanted to go rallying at all costs and Renault authorised it. Now we just wait to know what the recovery time is for our driver."

Boullier said that Kubica was in high spirits considering his injuries, having visited him with team-mate Vitaly Petrov.

"We have been with Robert for about fifteen minutes: we have joked and we have found him very well. Obviously he immediately wanted to know the team's programme for this season."

[Katsuya]

Again, I shall repeat: please be Heidfeld, please be Heidfeld, please be Heidfeld, please be Heidfeld, please be Heidfeld, please be Heidfeld.

Also, wow, what a radical car Force India have put out. Like nothing they've ever done before

[Katsuya]

"Vitaly will drive the R31 on Thursday and Friday, as originally scheduled," the Lotus-backed team said.

"For Saturday and Sunday, the team will give mileage to Bruno Senna and will also evaluate Nick Heidfeld, who is a potential replacement for Robert Kubica as a race driver.

"The exact running order for the weekend will be confirmed on Friday evening."

[LUKIE]

I was totally hoping for the return of Jacques Villneuve, the most overrated driver of all time.

[Katsuya]

Times in Jerez as of 3pm:

1. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 20.709s

2. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m 21.483s

3. Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 21.755s

4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 21.914s

5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 22.257s

6. Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 22.689s

7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 23.963s

8. Vitaly Petrov Lotus Renault GP-Renault 1m 23.978s

9. Jarno Trulli Team Lotus-Renault 1m 24.792s

10. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 25.580s

The Ferrari looks worryingly quick, although you can hope Lewis/Webber/Petrov aren't doing quick laps and going for longer runs or different setups. Unfortunately, I don't think the same can be said for the Mercedes which just seems sort of...awful. I mean, that's so far behind the Toro Rosso cars...just...weird. Lotus don't look a whole deal quicker this year, unfortunately, although they've got a bigger gap over Virgin.

[Lineker]

Felipe Massa's Ferrari topped the opening day of this week's pre-season test at Jerez.

The Brazilian set Thursday's best time on the seventh lap of his first run of the day. That came exactly halfway through a stint, which is a positive sign for the Ferrari's pace on both a fuel load and tyre front.

Ferrari undetook just one more long run in the afternoon, with Massa completing 16 laps mostly in the 1m23-24s. He was also back in the 1m22s a few more times on shorter runs but at no stage did he lap within 1.5 seconds of his best.

Sergio Perez set the second-fastest time of the day. That lap came on the first flying lap of an eight-lap stint, during which his pace dropped away drastically through the 1m25s to 1m27s before he pitted. The Sauber did not run for more than eight laps at any time during the day.

Perez had earlier caused the first red flag of the day when he stopped at the exit of Curva Jorge Martinez - the second of the left-handers after the Dry Sack hairpin.

Mark Webber's best time may only have been good enough for third overall, but it was set on the first of a six-lap run. The Red Bull RB7 once again showed impressive consistency of pace over several longer runs - Webber had two more stints of longer than a dozen laps and was a fixture in the 1m23s throughout.

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth-fastest for Toro Rosso, lapping regularly in the 1m23s during mid-length stints and dipping down to a 1m21.7s for his best lap.

McLaren stuck mainly to short runs for the first day out of its new car, which ended up fifth. During his longest run, of 11 laps, Lewis Hamilton's lap times dropped from 1m23s into the 1m24s. His best time of the day, a 1m21.914s, was set on a single-lap run.

Jaime Alguersuari took over the Toro Rosso driving duties from Ricciardo for the afternoon and finished up sixth. He stuck mainly to five-lap bursts, his times ranging from consistent 1m22s up to one run entirely in the 1m27s.

It was a careful start for Force India's first run out with its 2011 car, but at the end of the day Adrian Sutil did 11 consecutive laps, circulating mainly in the 1m24s. He also did the best of his 28 laps early in that stint, putting him seventh at the end of the day.

After a quick stint to test the water, Renault's Vitaly Petrov spent the majority of his morning doing back-to-back installation laps. He settled into the 1m24s on his longest run of eight laps, and set his best time on the first of a five-lap run. He also caused a red flag by spinning into the gravel at Turn 1 late in the afternoon.

It was another day of testing that Mercedes has completed without yet showing any signs of a frontrunning pace. Nico Rosberg's times slipped from 1m24s to 1m26s on his longest run of the day, 17 laps - though he did set his best time of the day - a 1m23.963s - on the third lap of that stint, while carrying a significant fuel load.

The Mercedes was also the cause of one of the day's red flags as Rosberg stopped out on track mid-way through the day.

Lotus's best long run was of a dozen laps, peaking at a 1m24.792s and dropping into consistent 1m26s. Jarno Trulli was able to dip lower into the 1m24s on shorter runs later in the day.

Timo Glock did 42 laps today in the Virgin MVR-02, spending most of his day in the 1m25s - on shorter runs earlier on, and then during an eight lap stint to the session's close.

Pastor Maldonado completed just 14 laps for Williams, following a problem with the car's rear wing actuator in the morning. The team hoped to return to the track for more running in the afternoon but in the end managed just a couple of short stints.

Pos  Driver             Car                   Time       Gap

 1.  Felipe Massa       Ferrari               1m20.709s

 2.  Sergio Perez       Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.483s  + 0.774s

 3.  Mark Webber        Red Bull-Renault      1m21.522s  + 0.813s

 4.  Daniel Ricciardo   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.755s  + 1.046s

 5.  Lewis Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.914s  + 1.205s

 6.  Jaime Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m22.689s  + 1.980s

 7.  Adrian Sutil       Force India-Mercedes  1m23.472s  + 2.763s

 8.  Vitaly Petrov      Renault               1m23.504s  + 2.795s

 9.  Nico Rosberg       Mercedes              1m23.963s  + 3.254s

10.  Jarno Trulli       Lotus-Renault         1m24.458s  + 3.749s

11.  Timo Glock         Virgin-Cosworth       1m25.086s  + 4.377s

12.  Pastor Maldonado   Williams-Cosworth     1m34.968s  + 14.259s


All timing unofficial[/code]




Michael Schumacher set the fastest time of the second day of testing at Jerez for Mercedes.



The run on which Schumacher did the best lap was not a drastically low fuel run - at least not less than 10 laps.



But it still was not a complete turnaround for Mercedes because, despite the fastest time, it took a lot of laps for his times to stabilise - and when they did they were around a second slower than where Red Bull was on similar runs.



Felipe Massa was the only other driver to get into the 1m20s. The Ferrari was posting 1m21s at the beginning of eight-lap stints earlier in the day.



The times indicated the team was working on heavier fuel loads in the afternoon when his longer run times were between 1m26s and 1m28s. It once again ended the day with the most laps completed, 116.



McLaren made a slow start to the second day with the MP4-26, still working on system checks and installation runs throughout the morning. Jenson Button was on track more in the afternoon but still did not run for more than six laps at a time.



Button's times trickled down from the 1m23s, through the 22s and into the 21s a few times this afternoon.



Jaime Alguersuari was fourth-fastest for Toro Rosso, with his best time coming at the start of one of two 10-lap runs around lunchtime. Both of those began in the 1m21s and held steady in the 22s until the final lap.



The Spaniard caused one of the day's red flags by spinning off at Turn 9, then was back to working on shorter runs in the afternoon.



It was another quiet day for Red Bull, with Mark Webber once again producing impressive long-run times without setting any headline-grabbing single laps.



The RB7's best time came in a three-lap burst, but he was only a couple of tenths slower than that on a longer run later on. But it was the 19-lap run largely in the 1m24s that highlighted the potential - as nobody else was able to lap consistently at that pace on such a long stint.



Sauber did a lot of laps today, but never more than five at a time. Sergio Perez almost always began his stints in the 1m22s and dropped away through the 1m23s.



The Mexican cut his team's day short by crashing between Turns 7 and 8 and damaging the front end of the Sauber C30.



Force India stuck to mainly short runs on the second day out for the VJM04, with Adrian Sutil mainly in the 1m23s and 24s.



Renault did not grab too much attention with Vitaly Petrov also sticking mainly to short bursts. There was a big variation in his times throughout the day, but at best he settled into 1m23s.



He was another to cause a red flag by spinning - his coming at Turn 2 mid-way through the morning.



Pastor Maldonado went one step further and provoked a stoppage by crashing his Williams at the exit of Turn 4 with around 75 minutes remaining. He went through the gravel trap and into the wall, damaging the front and rear of the car.



The team had already lost a significant amount of running when it stripped and reassembled the KERS as a precaution following a warning from the unit in the morning. Maldonado had only done two laps after rejoining when he crashed.



Virgin Racing did some longer running around lunchtime, before Timo Glock set his best time of 1m22.208s to grab eighth place in the final half-hour.



Lotus was able to do some longer runs in the morning, with Jarno Trulli consistent in the 1m23s and 24s on the soft tyre. But it did not reappear in the afternoon due to an unspecified mechanical problem which requires spare parts from its UK base.



[code]Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps

 1.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m20.352s            112

 2.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m20.413s  + 0.061s  116

 3.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.009s  + 0.657s  69

 4.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.214s  + 0.862s  72

 5.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m21.613s  + 1.261s  113

 6.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m21.780s  + 1.428s  73

 7.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.857s  + 1.505s  56

 8.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m22.208s  + 1.856s  57

 9.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m22.493s  + 2.141s  65

10.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     1m22.591s  + 2.239s  38

11.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault         1m23.216s  + 2.864s  40


All timing unofficial

So yeah, the seat is basically Heidfeld's to lose now. Best choice for the seat, I have no idea how he wasn't already on the grid as it stood before Kubica injured himself.

Nico Rosberg has confirmed that he is now relying on a Bahrain update. I fear that Mercedes will flounder once again this year. At the other end of the spectrum, Lewis can't praise the new McLaren enough

The Hispania Racing team will skip this week's Jerez test and will instead take part in a Pirelli filming session at Monza.

The Spanish squad, which revealed images of its 2011 challenger on Tuesday, will be in action at Monza from the 14th to 16th of February during the Pirelli event.

The team said it will then travel to Barcelona for the final test in Europe.

"We are happy to support Pirelli in Monza," said team boss Colin Kolles in a statement.

In other words, we're still broke and still ain't ready yet.

Force India say they want fifth position in the constructors championship and to fight for podiums. Hmm. They have the drivers to do it but lets just wait and see on the car. Sutil says that it's a big improvement anyway.

Force India plans an aggressive development programme for its new VJM04 in a bid to ensure it avoids the drop off in performance that marred its results in the second half of last year.

The team launched its new VJM04 on Tuesday, and openly said its target for the season ahead was to finish fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

Technical director Andrew Green believes that a big push on both the aerodynamic front, and optimising its blown diffuser concept, would be key to delivering on that by maintaining strong form throughout the 20-race campaign.

"Exhaust management will be a big area of development this year," he explained. "There will be an upgrade for the first race, so there are some changes that will come into effect at the Bahrain test. Further down the line there are some big updates for the front of the car coming in for the first European race.

"Towards the end of last season there was a drop-off in our relative performance. In theory we were adding performance to the car, but it wasn't getting translated to the track. We decided to have a very close look at what was happening on the car, and what could be causing this.

"The bottom line is we didn't extract the most from the blown diffuser, thus over the winter we've taken a reasonable philosophy chance on the aerodynamics of the car in order to try and prevent the sort of drop-off in performance that we saw at the end of last year."

Force India has also spent some time ensuring it can get a better understanding on the new Pirelli tyres, and has hired former Bridgestone chief engineer Jun Matsuzaki to help it on this front.

The team is also keen to make inroads to the performance of its VJM04 in high-downforce spec, with Force India having a tradition of producing efficient cars that are very good in low-drag configuration.

"Looking back over the years the cars we have produced here have always struggled at the high downforce tracks - they always been 'slippery' cars," explained Green. "We've identified a problem, and now we have to fix it, and it means that potentially there's another strategic aero change coming as well."

He added: "There are some big developments in the pipeline, probably bigger than this team has seen for quite a while. I think we're looking for a much stronger finish to the season, and we do recognise the fact that there's an Indian GP on the calendar, and we are an Indian team. The plan is to be putting stronger performance on the car through the year that will lift us up the ranks."

Ford & Ferrari had a brief and quite frankly baffling bust-up:

American car maker Ford is suing Ferrari for a trademark infringement over the use of the F150 name for its latest Formula 1 car.

According to Ford, Ferrari has used the name "in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark".

Ford's F-150 pick-up truck is a top-selling vehicle in the United States.

"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark in naming its new racing vehicle the 'F150' in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark," Reuters quoted Ford as saying in a complaint filed in a court in Detroit.

Ford said its pick-up's logo (pictured, below) bears striking resemblance to that of Ferrari's car (pictured, above).

The American car maker is seeking unspecified damages and wants Ferrari to be blocked from using the trademark in the US.

Ferrari said it chose the F150 name to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

Ferrari has officially renamed its new Formula 1 car the 'F150th Italia' as an act of good faith to avoid confusion with Ford, in the wake of the American car company going to court over what it claims is a trademark infringement.

Ford's F-150 truck is a top-seller in the United States and the car manufacturer believes Ferrari breached its trademark in naming its new challenger the F150.

Although Ferrari has decided to rebrand its car, the F1 team says it does not understand why Ford believes there is any confusion.

"On the subject of the name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car, the Maranello company wishes to point out that it has sent a letter of reply to Ford, underlining the fact that the F150 designation (used as the abbreviated version of the complete name, which is Ferrari F150th Italia) never has, nor ever will be used as the name of a commercially available product - indeed there will definitely not be a production run of single-seaters," said a statement issued by Ferrari.

"In fact, it has always been the case in the history of Scuderia names, that they represent the nomenclature of a racing car project and are linked to a chronological order with a technical basis, or in exceptional cases, to special occasions.

"This year, the decision was taken to dedicate the car name to a particularly significant event, the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, an event of such great importance that the Italian government has declared, for this year only, a national holiday.

"For these reasons, Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford's viewpoint on the matter."

Ferrari has indicated that from now on, the car will become officially known as the F150th Italia.

"To further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150th Italia," it added.

Kubica watch

Formula 1 teams came together at the Jerez test this morning to publicly wish Robert Kubica a speedy recovery - as the Renault driver continues to make good progress in hospital.

As F1 teams got back into action for the second pre-season test, every car present displayed a Polish 'Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert' message on its car.

The phrase means: "Get well soon Robert."

The Formula One Teams' Association - FOTA- has also displayed the message on its official website.

The show of support for Kubica, who could be out for the entire season as a result of the serious injuries he picked up in his rally crash at the weekend, comes amid more positive news from the Santa Corona hospital where he is currently staying.

Kubica has left the intensive care unit and has been moved to the normal ward following another good night He is now scheduled to undergo surgery to his foot and humerus tomorrow morning, before having an elbow operation on Monday. The operations are expected to last around four hours each.

After that, Kubica will return to the intensive care unit for post-surgery course.

Italian media reports that, if all goes well, the Renault driver could be discharged from hospital as early as the end of next week.

Four of his remaining due ones were amalgamated into just the one. Eric Boullier will continue to let his drivers pursue potentially dangerous activities outside of racing, despite Kubica injuring himself on a rally. That's just foolish if you ask me. Nelson Piquet agrees and said at a Daytona event that he expects restrictions to be enforced. Vitaly Petrov has already confidently said that he is ready for more of a lead role and that can only help the guy, he really impressed me last year when he wasn't busy crashing. Meanwhilst Kubica himself is hell-bent on a 2011 return.

Robert Kubica is convinced he will return to the Formula 1 track a better driver once he has recovered from the injuries he picked up in last weekend's rally crash, as he insisted he 'must' get back this year.

The Pole is due to undergo another bout of surgery in Italy today to work on fractures he picked up in the accident.

And although he faces a lengthy recovery period, with doctors warning it could take a year for him to get back into an F1 car, Kubica says he is already focusing only on his return.

"I want to get back on the track stronger than ever, because after these accidents you aren't what you were before, you improve," Kubica said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It happened to me in 2007 too, after the crash in Canada. I was out for a race and when I got back I was better. A driver is not just throttle and steering wheel, it's more than that. There's a difference between someone who drives at 80 per cent and who does at 95 per cent: in that 15 per cent extra you find the abilities and the motivations coming out.

"Since 2007, I'm stronger head-wise as a driver. And it will be the same this time again, when I'll be back in good physical shape. I must return this year.

"I remember well my state when, seven years ago, when I was in a car with a friend driving, we were hit by another car driven by a drunk. Back then too, we ended up against an armco barrier and bent it, before falling down a cliff.

"It was the same right arm - massacred. But after four days it didn't feel as good as it feels now, and this reassures me. Dr Ceccarelli did the rest, and he assists me now too.

"I have an insane urge to cut the times with the best possible preparation. I don't even know what a bone is like, but since they are fixing it for me, it's up to me to make it work the way it's supposed to."

Kubica says he remembers nothing about the accident that left him with fractures to his legs and arms - and in danger of losing his hand.

When asked about his condition he said: "The fingers work, I can feel them, and the arm does too. But I'm undergoing surgery, and I will know only after that...

"I'm sorry for what has happened. It shouldn't have. I don't even know what happened; I can't remember anything of the crash. I found myself in hospital and everything was explained by my manager, Daniele Morelli, who has been here since Sunday."

Although Kubica says his future participation in rallies is not certain once he is back to full F1 fitness, he insists he was right in pursuing the hobby.

"Had I not done it, I would have stayed home regretting it," he said. "So I did it and now I'm in this bed. But rallies aren't just a passion. They are though, severe training for F1.

"I drive better in F1 because I did many rallies last year. Rallying helps your concentration, especially since there is almost no more testing in F1. Performance in F1 comes from a series of details.

"Rallying has allowed me to work on certain aspects of myself where there are still margins to improve. It's important in a season like this with 20 races."

Kubica's manager Morelli has also revealed that he was told to prepare for the worst when his driver arrived in hospital because of the severe blood loss he had suffered.

"When he arrived here he had only one litre of blood," Morelli said. "'Call the boy's parents,' the doctors told me on Sunday afternoon. I felt a chill in my spine."

Scary thought. He's a very lucky person that's for sure, as the video I posted a few posts back illustrates.

Pat Symonds, who has been out of F1 since Crashgate, has returned with Virgin Racing.

Pat Symonds is to return to Formula 1 in a consultancy role after agreeing a deal to help out the Virgin Racing team.

The former Renault technical director has been out of the sport since he left the Enstone-based outfit in the wake of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix race-fixing controversy.

He has spent his time since then involved in numerous other engineering and motorsport projects for his own consultancy business Neutrino Dynamics.

Although that had not included any current F1 teams up until now, last year he did help out one of the candidates that was pushing for a new entry for 2011.

Virgin Racing president Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that Symonds is now helping out his team - and that he believed his input would be useful.

"Pat is retained by one of our shareholders as an advisor, and he's advising the team," Lowdon told AUTOSPORT. "He's allowed to do consultancy work through his company. Quite a few people in the team have worked with him in the past and all the technical guys are really, really excited. I can see only positive things."

As part of a deal Symonds agreed with the FIA he cannot work full-time for a team until 2013, but he is allowed to work on a consultancy basis.

Speaking at the AUTOSPORT International Show earlier this year, Symonds expressed his hope that he would return to an F1 role in the near future.

"There are still lots of things I want to do," he said. "I am working as a consultant now and I am doing a lot of work in racing as well as in other areas. I still have a love of F1 because of the engineering. I absolutely have a passion for racing - you cannot keep me away."

& finally, Jenson wades in on tyre talk, as rivals tip him to do well on them due to his great ability to conserve them.

Jenson Button believes that Pirelli's new tyres are going to make the racing 'fun' in 2011 - as he had his first test on the rubber with his new McLaren MP4-26.

The former world champion is already optimistic that the characteristics of the tyres will suit his driving style this year - but he also thinks the nature of the tyres is really going to spice up the spectacle.

"There are big differences from the hard through to the medium, to the soft and super soft," he said at the end of testing in Jerez in Friday. "Big differences in terms of laptimes but also in terms of durability, degradation.

"It's going to be fun for racing. I know the soft is changing considerably but the other tyres are staying pretty much the same. I think it's what everyone wanted - tyres that are very different with quite a big gap between all the tyres.

"The viewers will know, and we'll all know, the differences between the tyres and I think it's good that people can all see that."

He added: "I've heard that people are finding a second from soft to super soft tyres, half a second from soft to medium, and half a second again from medium to hard. There's a lot of difference between the tyres so if you don't run one and you run one the next day you see a big difference in pace and competitiveness, so it's very difficult to know anything."

Button also spent some time on Friday experimenting with the new moveable rear wing - which he thinks is going some getting used to.

"I tried it a couple of times - not in anger, just to make sure it's working," he said. "It's just like pushing the KERS button, the extra boost you get from it.

"I sat behind the Renault on the main straight while he was adjusting it and I didn't realise quite how quickly it was going to move. It's an amazing bit of kit.

"It's comedy following someone using it because it just looks wrong, the rear wing moving like that - it looks like something has fallen off. It's going to take a bit of time to get used to it, but we'll get it pretty quick. The KERS I feel like I'm at home with already but I'm sure the rear wing is going to take a little bit longer."

Button expects to push his new McLaren a bit harder when he returns to the cockpit on Sunday, having spent much of Friday on evaluation runs.

"We haven't done a lot of set-up work to be fair, " he said. "We had a big change over lunch that took a long time, an hour and a half/two hours out of the day gone. But mostly it's just been small set-up work.

"There were a couple of changes at the end that were positive, I'm really happy with the progress we made at the end of the day.

"We haven't set the world alight but we've collected some data - it was important to do that. And Sunday we can have a crack at really seeing what the car can do."

He added: "I haven't got a clue where we are really. The important thing is that the basic balance of the car is reasonable and something to build on. Nothing stands out as an area we're weak. We're not weak."

[Katsuya]

Heidfeld's demolished Petrov's times and is fourth ATM, behind Alonso, Schumacher and Kobayashi. Let the conspiracy theory start that says they built this car solely for Michael and that's why Nico is struggling with it. Also, that Sauber is looking good and one would hope it's a more genuine effort than last year's "run no fuel and set good times!" debacle for sponsorship, since they have Perez's money.

ETA:

1. Nick Heidfeld Lotus Renault GP-Renault 1m 20.361s

2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 20.493s

3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 21.054s

4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 21.099s

5. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m 21.242s

6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 21.574s

7. Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 21.681s

8. Heikki Kovalainen Team Lotus-Renault 1m 21.711s

9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 22.227s

10. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m 22.945s

11. Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m 25.471s

I think he might just have got the race seat, do you?

Edited February 12, 2011 by Katsuya

[Gazz]

Nick Heidfeld : World Driver's Champion

[Lineker]

Heidfeld looked bitchin' in the black helmet/black car combo, no? He's come out and said how much fun he's had in the car and even though Senna is expected to run tomorrow, he claims he was already able to work on developing Renault's R31 before the end of his evaluation test with the team at Jerez. Boullier is mad keen on him so something extraordinary will have to happen to keep him out of the seat.

Nick Heidfeld set the fastest time of the third test day at Jerez during his audition to substitute for Robert Kubica at Renault.

The German set his 1m20.361s best at the beginning of an eight-lap run, seemingly on the soft or super soft tyre - given the immediate two-second drop-off and then steady but sharp decline over the rest of the stint.

Fernando Alonso took second place, 0.132 seconds behind Heidfeld. Ferrari was busy on track from the outset and posted its best time during a flurry of two and three-lap charges mid-morning.

Alonso then spent the afternoon with the F150th Italia stacked with fuel for several longer runs. The most impressive of which was 19 laps - lap three being a 1m25.4s and lap 17 a 1m26.6s, a drop-off of just 1.2s over 14 laps.

Mercedes was regularly in the low 1m21s during quick bursts this morning, but third-placed Michael Schumacher stuck to mainly long runs after lunch.

The MGP W02 showed signs of improved consistency today, staying within 1.3s of Schumacher's best lap for 13 laps before slipping by around 0.5s per lap over the next five.

McLaren lost a chunk of time in the middle of the day due to a shortage of spare parts. Come the afternoon, Lewis Hamilton took on a few single-lap bursts, jumping to fourth.

Kamui Kobayashi caused the day's first two red flags. The first came just over 20 minutes in when he stopped on the inside of the track at the exit of the Dry Sack hairpin with an electrical fault. The second was an hour from the end when he parked up on the escape road at the chicane with an engine problem.

But the Sauber's fastest lap of the day was still fifth overall. The time came on the lap prior to the first stoppage this morning. This afternoon, Kobayashi took on an 18-lap stint holding firm from the 1m25s to the 1m26s 14 laps later.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel did not commit to many long runs, mainly sticking to the staple five to eight-lap set-up tweaking and tyre evaluation stints. His best time was the only one of those in the 1m21s to be set during a run of as many as eight laps.

But the Red Bull was matching Ferrari's consistency of pace this afternoon, with Vettel posting 1m22.8s on lap four of a stint and 1m23.4s 11 laps later, losing just over a second.

Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) was never on track for more than six laps at a time. His fastest time came at the start of a four-lap run.

The Swiss then caused the final red flag when he stopped on the outside of the entry to Turn 9 with 10 minutes to go, leaving him seventh.

Heikki Kovalainen got some significant mileage in the Lotus T128 following reliability troubles for the car in the previous two days. His regular times ranged from 1m23s to 1m26s on a series of short runs during the afternoon. Then he posted a 1m21.7s with a single burst at the end to move to eighth.

Williams was once again delayed by a KERS problem, though Rubens Barrichello was able to get through a variety of mid-length stints after lunch and end up ninth.

The times varied widely as the team appeared to be sampling various tyre and fuel combinations. The FW33 seemed able to hang on to a set of tyres through a 10-lap run in the 1m24s.

It was short runs all day for Paul di Resta in his first outing in the Force India VJM04. The variation in times suggested the team was working on things other than performance.

The Scot had complained of struggling with the brakes earlier in the day and then caused a red flag when he spun off to the outside of Turn 9 with half an hour of running remaining, having locked the rear brakes.

Virgin worked on its long-run pace with 19-lap stints either side of lunch. Jerome D'Ambrosio's times worked down from 1m29s-1m30s on the first run to 1m27s-1m29s on the second.

His best effort of the day was a 1m25s and that came on the third lap of nine earlier this morning, indicating that the MVR-02 is still some way from showing its full potential.

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps

 1.  Nick Heidfeld       Renault               1m20.361s            86

 2.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m20.493s  + 0.132s  131

 3.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m21.054s  + 0.693s  114

 4.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m21.099s  + 0.738s  36

 5.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m21.242s  + 0.881s  84

 6.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m21.574s  + 1.213s  98

 7.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.681s  + 1.320s  92

 8.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault         1m21.711s  + 1.350s  61

 9.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m22.227s  + 1.866s  99

10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m22.945s  + 2.584s  64

11.  Jerome D-Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m25.471s  + 5.110s  72


All timing unofficial[/code]

As for today's latest on Kubica...


The doctor treating Robert Kubica at Santa Corona hospital says the surgery on his fractures yesterday was successful, but that one more operation is still required.


With the focus on saving Kubica's severely injured right hand immediately after his rally crash last weekend, work to properly fix the broken bones in his leg and arm was postponed until Friday.


The hospital had open to get everything completed in one long operation, but Dr Francesco Lanza said work is still required on Kubica's elbow.


"I'd say that, with its complexity it has gone well," Dr Lanza told IVG.it.


"It was possible to reduce the fractures of the shoulder and the humerus's diaphysis which had broken again under the plate that had been placed there seven years ago. A new, longer plate has been placed which covers both fractures, along with some bone grafts and bone stimulators.


"The elbow section was still left to be done, and that's a very complex part, the most complex to face. There was the anterior part related to the capitulum humeri and that has been attended to, while the posterior part will be postponed to another time because the patient needs to be positioned better, be turned over, but conditions don't allow to tackle a patient for so long just four or five days after receiving intensive care for serious general complications, so we have to go easy.


"We need to be thankful to our anesthetists for allowing us to complete at least this complex part thanks to their support. I think he will stay in intensive care tonight for post-surgery course, as that's the most obvious place to stay after so many hours of surgery, then he'll go to the regular ward after which we'll see.


"We will then face this last surgery operation on the olecranon, after which I'd say we will finally be finished with surgery on Robert."


Dr Lanza added that he hoped Kubica would be able to begin his rehabilitation before leaving Santa Corona.


"I think we will also be able to plan the rehabilitation phase," he said.


"This would be very advantageous for him because we are here, always ready to intervene should anything happen and for whatever advice is needed. The whole team inside this trauma ward is all around him."


Renault is testing Nick Heidfeld at Jerez today with a view to the veteran German standing in for Kubica until he has fully recovered.

Ordeal is far from over though, you have to hope that mentally he'll be fine too when it comes to competitively racing once again.


Force India stuff:

[spoiler]Force India has not used KERS or the moveable rear wing so far in testing at Jerez, choosing instead to focus on getting to grips with its new car.


The VJM04 ran for the first time on Thursday, and Paul di Resta sampled it for the first time today. He says the team will not run KERS tomorrow either.


"We've not yet tried the new systems," he said. "We're just running a basic car to get mileage and get the performance out of that first to see if any problems arise.


"We definitely won't run KERS. In terms of the wing, we will decide later tonight. We need to work out our priorities - what we want to learn tomorrow. We're not going to get through everything, but we need to work out what definitely needs to be done here.


"There's a lot of people running round just trying to get KERS to work, whereas we're putting miles on the car."


Di Resta covered 64 laps today - only McLaren and Lotus did fewer - and he says he is still getting himself into a rhythm with the car.


"You've got to understand it before you can go forward and I think building your way up is the best way, rather than running too fast into changing something," he said. "That can easily lead the team in the wrong direction very early.


"I think we've got a reasonable base. It's difficult to gauge where you are and I would have liked a bit more running - we didn't quite reach everything in our programme. But at the same time I think I've done enough laps to get myself up to speed and feeling comfortable."[/spoiler]

[Lineker]

Rubens Barrichello took Williams to the top of the timesheets on the final day of this week's Jerez test, setting the fastest lap of the week with a 1m19.832s.

The Brazilian's best time came on the last of a series of eight-lap runs that he embarked on early in the day, as he got plenty of mileage following Williams's delays earlier in the test.

There was a 1.3-second drop-off immediately after his benchmark 1m19.8s, though his times only faded by 1.2s over the rest of the stint.

Barrichello later produced the longest stint of the test so far in the afternoon, completing 25 laps that started in high 1m26s for 16 laps before slipping away to low 1m29s by the end. The Williams caused one of several red flags by stopping on the back straight with a hydraulic leak during the final hours.

Second-placed Kamui Kobayashi was another to trigger a stoppage when he put his Sauber into the gravel in the morning. His 1m20.601s best was something of a one-off, as his short morning runs tended to be in the 1m22s region. His afternoon was slightly interrupted by a powertrain issue, but still featured some consistent long stints, presumably on the harder Pirellis as his times dropped off by less than a second after 15 laps.

Crowd favourite Fernando Alonso placed the Ferrari third. This time also came during a short morning run before he switched to long, heavier-fuel stints for the afternoon. He did three runs of between 16 and 20 laps, with a pace drop-off of around two seconds from start to finish.

Sebastien Buemi kept Toro Rosso near the front in fourth, as he also followed the pattern of morning sprints followed by an afternoon on heavier fuel.

He was just ahead of Renault reserve Bruno Senna, who was 1.5s off the pace in fifth on his first day in the car. The Brazilian was being given development mileage for experience rather than as an evaluation for Robert Kubica's vacant seat, which seems certain to go to Saturday pacesetter Nick Heidfeld.

Despite losing some time with a water leak, Lotus again set an attention-grabbing time with sixth for Heikki Kovalainen. He did mostly short stints in 1m21s and 1m22s, eventually beating his Saturday best by a tenth.

Nico Rosberg did not repeat team-mate Michael Schumacher's pace for Mercedes and seems to be suffering the brunt of Mercedes' pre-season reliability troubles. He was seventh, having had a long delay in the pits as his car received a precautionary engine change after stopping on track in the morning.

The Red Bull RB7 continued on its path under the radar, with Sebastian Vettel setting just the eighth-fastest time today. That came early this morning and he spent the rest of the day doing long runs, seemingly with a lot of fuel in the car. His longest run was of 19 laps, holding steady in the 1m25s and 26s.

McLaren too showed no signs of chasing laptimes as Jenson Button worked mainly on long stints, lapping in the 1m25s for the vast majority of a 19-lap run this afternoon. Button was unhappy with the car's balance, though, and a mechanical problem then kept him in the pits during the later hours.

Virgin did not do much before Jerome D'Ambrosio stopped on track this morning. The team said it was going to replace an oil sensor but it turned out to be a four-hour delay before the Belgian returned for a short outing late on.

Paul di Resta was at the foot of the times for Force India. The Scot went off at the Dry Sack hairpin with just under half an hour remaining, due to a front suspension problem that pitched him into the gravel.

While his car was being recovered, grey clouds rolled in and a light rain began. By the time the track went green again, those that ventured back out - Buemi, Barrichello, Alonso and Rosberg - did so on intermediate tyres.

Buemi was consistently the quicker of the quartet, mostly in the 1m36s, but the session concluded before any meaningful wet running could be done or crossover data gathered.

Testing resumes for a further four days at Catalunya on Friday.

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps

 1.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m19.832s            103

 2.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m20.601s  + 0.769s  86

 3.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m21.074s  + 1.242s  115

 4.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m21.213s  + 1.381s  90

 5.  Bruno Senna         Renault               1m21.400s  + 1.568s  68

 6.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault         1m21.632s  + 1.800s  43

 7.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m22.103s  + 2.271s  45

 8.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m22.222s  + 2.390s  90

 9.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m22.278s  + 2.446s  70

10.  Jerome D-Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m22.985s  + 3.153s  45

11.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m23.111s  + 3.279s  99


All timing unofficial[/code]

Teething problems all around it seems!


Pirelli are 'on course' for what they aimed for:


[spoiler]Pirelli says the high levels of tyre wear experienced in testing at Jerez this week are exactly what it was aiming for with its 2011 rubber, as it tries to ensure exciting racing and strategic variety in Formula 1.


Drivers have noticed that the Pirellis fade quicker than last year's Bridgestones, but Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery said teams will have to get used to tyre management being a bigger factor in 2011 grands prix.


"The teams are going from a situation where they could probably do 50-60 laps on one set of tyres. But if we did that we wouldn't have any strategy," Hembery said.


"We are trying to find the fine balance between longevity and forcing teams to make tyre changes."


He added: "It's in line with what we were planning. It's actually a very complex thing to do. If you make a tyre that lasts too long, the teams will do one tyre change, which is what they have done in the past.


"To get away from that, you've got to almost force them to a point where the main choice of tyre can last around 100-110km in a race, considering that most races are between 300-320km."


Hembery dismissed suggestions that drivers might end up pitting as many as four times per race, saying he expected two-stop races to become standard.


Asked if he anticipated four-stop strategies, Hembery replied: "Not from the data we've seen, I'd question why anyone would be doing four. There might be three, but there is differences between teams.


"I still envisage two, and in the worst case maybe someone will have to do three, but four doesn't match the data that we've seen, that would be very strange."


He pointed out that Jerez was among the harder tracks on tyres, and not the sort of venue where Pirelli would select the super-softs as a race choice. The current pace difference between the super-softs and hards is currently around three seconds per lap, according to Pirelli.


Hembery believes drivers' tyre-management skills will now become crucial.


"The one thing we have noticed is that drivers that look after their tyres for the first four to five laps, it can have quite a significant impact on the longevity of the product," said Hembery.


The Pirelli chief also explained that there would be an adjustment to the super-soft compound for the next test at Barcelona, but that this had always been part of the company's development schedule.


He remained open to the possibility of adjusting the tyres during the season.


"We've always said that we are humble enough to know we can't possibly know everything after six months of testing on our own," said Hembery.


"But if there is a case, we will decide with the FIA. It will be with the FIA, not the teams, because you risk giving favouritism."[/spoiler]

[Lineker]

Robert Kubica is set to undergo final surgery on his elbow on Wednesday before he can begin his rehabilition, doctors have confirmed, as he continues to make good progress from the injuries he suffered in his recent rally crash.

The Renault driver underwent a lengthy operation on Friday for the numerous fractures he picked up during his accident on the Ronde di Andora rally, and is set to remain in intensive care for the time being to aid his recovery.

By keeping him in intensive care, it will also ensure that he does not have to go through another change of department before his final operation on Wednesday.

A statement by the doctors on Monday morning said: "Robert Kubica's general conditions are good.

"Kubica will remain in intensive care for two more days in order to undergo a complete check up and to avoid another ward change before the final operation. The clinical picture is so satisfying that it allows for programming of the final surgery for Wednesday."

Unfortunately for Robert, rehab will be the hardest part of the whole ordeal for sure.

[Katsuya]

Nick Heidfeld will drive for Renault for the foreseeable future after it was announced that the German is to replace the injured Robert Kubica.

Pole Kubica suffered multiple fractures and a partially severed right hand in a rally crash earlier this month.

Heidfeld said: "I'm motivated and can't wait for the season to begin."

The announcement comes as no great surprise after the 33-year-old impressed in a test at Jerez in Spain, setting the fastest time on Saturday.

Heidfeld was Kubica's team-mate at BMW Sauber for three-and-a-half years from 2006 to 2009 and is a highly experienced driver, having started 172 Formula 1 races over the last 11 seasons.

"I would have liked to come back to Formula 1 in different circumstances, but I'm proud to have been given this chance," added Heidfeld.

"Everything has happened so quickly, but I've been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at [the Renault factory at] Enstone.

"I really enjoyed the test last week in Jerez and I've already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative."

Heidfeld will test again at the four-day session which starts on Friday at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, driving the car on Saturday and Monday.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said the former Sauber, Jordan and Williams driver was the "ideal man for the job".

"The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly," said Boullier.

"We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us.

"He's quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car.

"We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly [Petrov] in Bahrain [next month]."

Kubica is expected to miss the entire 2011 season, although he told Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday that he was aiming to return to F1 before the end of the year.

The 26-year-old has undergone a number of operations since crashing his Skoda Fabia into a church wall in the Ronde di Andora rally 10 days ago.

His team have said his condition remains "good" and he was due to have a final operation on Wednesday to repair his remaining injuries.

It does suck that it's under these circumstances, but I'm just glad that Heidfeld's on the grid again and in a car that - if this is his last year - might mean he can end it on a high note. In other news, still no word on Hispania's number two driver.

[Lineker]

Sensible on the part of Renault and hopefully Heidfeld will remain on the grid in some capacity once Kubica is able to return. Talking of Kubica, he had had all of his surgery and is remaining in Italy for now to begin his rehab.

The big news is that the opening Bahraini GP is looking increasingly unlikely to take place. Read why:

The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix could become the target of anti-government protests on the island state, a local campaign group has warned.

In the wake of ongoing protests in Bahrain this week urging the government to consider political reform, fears are growing that the opening Formula 1 race of the season could be hit.

Nabeel Rajab, vice president of campaign group Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said on Tuesday that the grand prix was being viewed as an opportunity for protesters to publicise their cause.

"For sure F1 is not going to be peaceful this time," Rajab told Arabian Business. "There'll be lots of journalists, a lot of people looking and [the government] will react in a stupid manner as they did today and yesterday. And that will be bloody, but will be more publicised."

Riot police have been out in force in Bahrain, and tensions are high in the state after a man was killed at a funeral being held for a protester who died in clashes with security forces on Monday.

Bahrain is due to hold the second round of the GP2 Asia Series this weekend, while F1 testing is due to begin on March 3.

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his concern that unrest in Bahrain could affect the first race of the season.

Amid warnings on Tuesday from a campaign group in Bahrain that it will target the grand prix to publicise its cause, Ecclestone has admitted that the situation needs careful monitoring.

He has vowed to speak to Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman ibn Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa to get an update on the situation, but thinks it far too early to contemplate the possibility of calling the race off.

"The danger is obvious, isn't it?" Ecclestone told The Daily Telegraph. "If these people wanted to make a fuss and get worldwide recognition it would be bloody easy, wouldn't it?

"You start making a problem on the start grid in Bahrain and it would get worldwide coverage."

When asked if there was a possibility of the race being called off if the situation worsened, Ecclestone said: "I have no idea. It's hard to establish exactly what is going on.

"As I say, I'm speaking with the Crown Prince later on. We're watching events closely. We'll rely on what they think the right thing to do is."

Bahrain Grand Prix officials have promised that they will not allow the safety of visitors to its race to be compromised, as they vowed to respond if necessary to the political turmoil going on in the island state

With tensions high in Bahrain following the deaths of protesters campaigning for political reform, questions have emerged about the possibility of the season opening race being affected by the events.

A campaign group spoke out on Tuesday saying that it would target the grand prix to try and publicise its cause.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he is concerned by the situation, and Bahrain GP chiefs issued a statement on Tuesday night indicating that they were monitoring the events closely ahead of planned testing at the track and the race.

Bahrain International Circuit CEO, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, said: "The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the Kingdom and, at the Bahrain International Circuit, our focus at the present time is on delivering another successful event in the form of the 2011 Gulf Air Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We are monitoring the situation very closely indeed in association with the relevant authorities, and will respond appropriately to any further developments."

Concerns about the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and pre-event test have grown on Thursday, in the wake of the deteriorating political situation in the Gulf state reported to have left at least five people dead.

An overnight move by police to clear protesters from Bahrain's capital Manama resulted in violent clashes, with reports of at least four people being killed. This comes on the back of the deaths of two protesters earlier this week.

With a heavy police and military presence on the streets of Manama amid the government clampdown on the political protests, the mounting tension has prompted questions about whether the opening race of the season, scheduled to take place on March 13, can go ahead.

A leading campaign group in Bahrain said earlier this week that it would target the grand prix to publicise its cause, with Bernie Ecclestone conceding that he was worried about the situation.

Organisers of this weekend's GP2 Asia Series event in Bahrain were forced to postpone the opening day of track action for its event until Friday because medical personnel who should have been stationed at the track were needed to help the injured in Manama.

F1 has just more than one week to decide if the events in Bahrain will force a change of plans, as cars and teams are due to fly to the state for the final pre-season test that is scheduled to take place from March 3-6.

FIA president Jean Todt said on Wednesday, before the latest developments in Manama, that the governing body would wait until after this weekend's GP2 Asia race before deciding whether the governing body needed to take action.

"I always try not to over-react on breaking stories," Todt was quoted as saying by the Irish Independent during a visit to Dublin. "Number one, you have to check what is the reality - which is not always what you hear - and to react without too much emotion and to face properly the problem.

"There has been some movement in Bahrain. I understand things are improving and we have to wait.

"The next step is the GP2 race this weekend... Of course the essence of the FIA is safety; safety on the racing car, safety on the road, safety in our organisation. So that's what we are claiming, but at the moment there is no reason to have unnecessary concern."

The FIA may well have no choice but to act, however, if the situation does not show an improvement.

Bahrain itself may not want the world's media descending on it if there is widespread political trouble. Insurance companies may well baulk at the possibility of star drivers travelling there, and may refuse to cover other F1 staff if foreign consular recommend that their nationals do not go there.

The infrastructure of the event also complicates matters, with the majority of F1 personnel staying in Manama for the duration of the grand prix as there are few hotels elsewhere on the island.

Reports on Thursday suggested GP2 personnel being told not to return to hotels near trouble spots in Manama.

Bahrain Grand Prix chiefs said earlier this week that safety for its visitors remained a priority - suggesting it too would respond to any signs of trouble at the event.

Bahrain International Circuit CEO, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, said: "The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the Kingdom and, at the Bahrain International Circuit, our focus at the present time is on delivering another successful event in the form of the 2011 Gulf Air Formula 1Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We are monitoring the situation very closely indeed in association with the relevant authorities, and will respond appropriately to any further developments."

Bahrain Grand Prix officials said on Thursday that they remain focused on delivering a successful Formula 1 season opener next month, despite mounting doubts about the event taking place due to political unrest in the country.

With a number of deaths and injuries reported overnight after police acted forcefully against protesters in Bahrain's capital Manama, there has been reservations about whether F1 can go ahead with the opening race that is due to take place on March 13.

The chances of the event getting cancelled also increased after the GP2 Asia Series organisers announced on Thursday that they have called off this weekend's second round of the series after a request from the Bahrain motorsport federation.

"GP2 race has been cancelled in Bahrain. Big uncertainty about testing there next week. Hope our GP2 guys get home safely," wrote Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne on Twitter.

However, despite the speculation that Bahrain may have to cancel its F1 race plus the final pre-season test that is due to take on March 3-6, race organisers have reiterated that they are concentrating only on pressing ahead with plans for F1.

In a statement issued on Thursday by race organisers, Bahrain International Circuit CEO, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, said: "The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the Kingdom and, at the Bahrain International Circuit.

"Our focus at the present time remains on delivering another successful event in the form of the 2011 Gulf Air Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, [and] we continue to monitor the situation very closely indeed in association with the relevant authorities.

"Our priority at this time is ensuring the well being of everyone associated with this event, and we will respond appropriately to any further developments."

AUTOSPORT understands that teams will discuss on Friday whether or not to press ahead with plans for the Bahrain test.

A get-together of the sporting rules committee of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) had been scheduled for a while to take place in Barcelona, and sources suggest the issue of Bahrain testing has been added to the agenda.

The Bahrain test is a more pressing issue because teams will have to send freight to the test within the next week if it is going ahead. Although cancelling or rescheduling that test would not be too difficult, F1 chiefs would find it harder to find a new location for a season-opener if it is deemed that the Bahrain Grand Prix cannot take place.

Race freight from the teams has already left their factories, which would make it almost impossible for another event to be slotted in for the March 13 date.

Virgin Racing team principal John Booth told the BBC that a replacement race would be 'impractical' - meaning that if Bahrain was cancelled then the season would likely start in Australia.

"Our sea freight, like every other team's, left for Bahrain a month ago, and a lot of the equipment in the sea freight is vital of the running of the cars," he said. "So to run it somewhere else would be very difficult."

Hope this gets sorted out, we've had to wait long enough without F1 as it is!

Vettel has let slip in an interview that he dreams to drive for Ferrari one day. The real question is, how soon?

Ross Brawn insists he is comfortable with the way Mercedes GP's preparations for the new season are going - despite questions being raised about the form of the new W02.

Although Michael Schumacher topped the times on the second day of last week's Jerez test, the new Mercedes GP car has appeared to be struggling to match the long-run pace and consistency of rivals like Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.

The team is hoping, however, that a major aerodynamic upgrade scheduled for the Bahrain Grand Prix will help lift its form – and Brawn himself believes it has done the right thing in focusing only on reliability for now.

"We made a deliberate decision towards the end of last year to have a very 'plain' car for the first tests and a significant upgrade for the first race in Bahrain," he said in an interview published on Mercedes GP's official website.

"With the Pirelli tyres, and the return of KERS, we wanted to make sure that our new car was ready for the first test and this was certainly the correct decision.

"The final features for the Bahrain upgrade were confirmed recently and we are comfortable with the performance step that these developments will bring.

"Our current package includes some compromises, and we know that there is more performance to come from the car. Of course, we don't know where the other teams are, and what they have planned in terms of development. No one will have the full picture until the racing starts in Bahrain."

When asked about specific issues that the team needs to address, Brawn said: "Reliability is our main challenge at the moment.

"Although we have completed the third highest mileage of any team with our new car (a total of 2310km), our level of reliability is not where it needs to be yet.

"It's the normal pre-season process really, checking the components, ensuring that everything works together, with the added challenge of KERS and the new tyres. We have experienced our share of teething problems with the MGP W02 but we have solutions in the pipeline to resolve them."

Brawn has also denied that Schumacher's time-topping lap in Jerez last week was a glory run – although conceded that the car had not been fully fuelled.

"There is little point to wasting precious track time on low-fuel 'glory' runs when there is far more important work to complete," he explained.

"As Michael pointed out in Jerez, it was not a particularly low-fuel run, and we are keeping our heads down and concentrating on our own programme. Only each team knows the truth about its performance during the pre-season period, and knowing all the facts, I am satisfied with our progress over the first two tests."

Formula 1's tyre supplier Pirelli has announced the compounds that it will take to the first four races of the 2011 season.

The Italian manufacturer said the hard tyre will be the Prime tyre, while the soft will be the Option in Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China.

"This decision has been made in accordance with the track characteristics in the Middle and Far East, which offer high grip and a wide variety of speeds and corners, as well as ambient and track temperatures that are likely to be high," said the company in a statement.

Pirelli said its decision is aimed at having two pitstops at every race.

"The valuable data that we've collected from both official and private testing has shown us that our nomination of hard and soft tyres is the best way forward for both the drivers and the spectators, so we look forward now to a successful Grand Prix debut and a great show in the Middle and Far East over the next four races," said Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"We've enjoyed great collaboration with the teams so far, and with the nominated compounds for the next four races now known, I am sure that this will help to focus their development for the start of the season"

Formula 1 teams will get a chance to try out modified versions of the super soft and soft tyres in Barcelona testing this week - with Pirelli confident that drivers are now getting used to the characteristics of its rubber.

Although the high degradation of Pirelli's tyres caused a few surprises in early testing, Pirelli's motorsport chief Paul Hembery thinks that teams have made a lot of progress in understanding how to get the best out of their performance.

"We managed to collect a lot of data from our test with all the teams in Jerez and we've been very busy evaluating it to see what we can learn," said Hembery.

"What's interesting is that the emphasis during testing is changing: as the teams get up to speed with their new cars the work has become much more focussed, with some longer runs and potential race set-ups being evaluated. We've also got some evolutions of the supersoft and soft tyres, which was always part of our development schedule."

The Barcelona test will be the last time that teams will get a chance to evaluate all four tyre compounds, as for the final Bahrain test the only choices will be the hard and the soft that will be used for the race itself.

Hembery expects the challenges of Barcelona will help teams formulate better their tyre strategies for the season ahead.

"Barcelona is a track that both ourselves and all the teams are very familiar with, so I'm sure we will come back with plenty of information once more," he explained.

"Once more, the track characteristics are quite different to the two circuits that we have tested at before, which enables the teams to experience the behaviour of our tyres under a wide range of circumstances: something that will be crucial to formulating race strategies as the year goes on."

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says he sees no reason why Mark Webber could not stay at the the team beyond 2011 if he continues to perform as strongly as last year.

The Australian renewed his contract with the Milton Keynes-based squad just for one year, meaning he will be free at the end of the current season.

Horner has made it clear that Webber will not approach the year thinking this is his final season with Red Bull, and insisted they will talk about the future as the year develops.

Webber won four races in 2010 and led the championship for much of the latter part of the season, and Horner suggested the Australian could stay onboard if he continued to perform strongly.

"Mark isn't approaching this year that [as if] this is his final year," Horner told the Reuters news agency.

"I think we both agreed to keep the contract on a yearly basis at this stage in his career because it's important for us to see that he's got the speed, the motivation, the hunger and commitment.

"All of which look undiminished at the moment. If anything, [they are] burning brighter than ever.

"So we'll see how this season develops and obviously as we head towards the latter part of the summer then we'll start to talk about the following season. If he's delivering at the same level as he did in 2010 then why not?"

Horner also admitted that Webber found it hard for his team-mate Sebastian Vettel to come back and claim the title in the final race of the season.

"It was tough for Mark to take," Horner said. "But Mark's mentally a tough competitor and I think he will use that inwardly as motivation to come back even more determined, more focused and I think he's come back leaner, lighter and extremely motivated."

Shanghai has agreed a deal to host Formula 1 races until 2017, ending months of speculation about the future of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Although work still needs to be completed on the circuit for it to pass an FIA safety inspection ahead of this year's race, the Shanghai Sports Bureau has announced that a fresh deal has been agreed for the event.

Zhao Wen, vice mayor of Shanghai, told local media on Wednesday that officials had managed to negotiate a reduced rate for the event in a bid to keep it on the calendar.

"F1 is a calling card for Shanghai," she said. "I am confident about the success of the event in the years ahead."

Shanghai track bosses have also agreed to reduce ticket prices for the grand prix in a bid to attract more spectators.

[Lineker]

Former Jordan driver Zsolt Baumgartner has tweeted saying he has a big announcement coming tomorrow. Surely not a F1 return with Hispania!?