FORMULA 1 - 2012


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Spaniard Clos joins HRT in reserve role:

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Dani Clos has joined the HRT Formula 1 team in the role of test and reserve driver, the outfit confirmed on Monday.

The 23-year-old GP2 driver, most recently tested with the team at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi last season and impressed to such an extent that the outfit will allow him to partake in several free practice sessions during the 2012 season.

The Spaniard will start to exert his functions as the team's test driver immediately and will be with the team for the third pre-season test in Barcelona from the 1st to the 4th of March, when HRT are set to debut the F112.

"I'm very proud to be a part of HRT Formula 1 Team," said Clos. "It is a great step in my career, something that I have dreamt of all my life and, finally, my dream is starting to come true.

"I’m very impressed with the job the team is doing; they’re achieving fantastic things in a short space of time. The team has changed a lot since we met in the Abu Dhabi tests and I think it’s a great opportunity and an honor to form a part of this new team. What they’re achieving is very important for motorsport in our country and has a lot of potential.

"Also, being alongside Pedro de la Rosa is very important for me, since he and Karthikeyan can positively contribute to me becoming a better driver.

"I want to thank Saúl Ruiz de Marcos and Luis Pérez-Sala for the trust they’ve shown in me from the start and, above all, I would like to thank the people who have always been by my side, such as Leonardo Soldevila and my father. For me a new chapter is beginning, one where hard work and dedication are going to be my priorities; I’m going to give it my all so that this phase is as successful as it can possibly be for the team, my teammates and myself."

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT, added: "I'm very happy to have Dani on the team. He's a quick, talented driver who, above all, is very willing to progress. The incorporation of Clos is another step in our project of restructuring HRT but also fits in with our desire to promote young motorsport talents. I'm sure that it will be a very positive experience for both parties."

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Lotus bosses say team atmosphere will bring out Kimi Raikkonen's best:

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Lotus will bring the very best out of Kimi Raikkonen, team bosses Eric Boullier and Gerard Lopez have stated, who believe the 2007 world champion is a much more dedicated team player than his past reputation suggested.

Raikkonen has impressed Lotus since joining the team for his Formula 1 comeback after two years in rallying, and was quickest on the first day of winter testing at Jerez last week.

Lopez said Lotus had found Raikkonen to be a totally different character to how he was presented during his last F1 stint.

"For most people it's probably one of the big mysteries, because you hear the hearsay and so forth, but we feel very good with him and he clearly feels at home," Lopez told AUTOSPORT.

"He smiles a lot when he's with us! But most importantly that says he feels more like part of the family."

Lopez added: "I think Kimi has a public image that honestly from what we've seen does not translate into how he really is. He's a very hard worker, very good at providing feedback, and has a good team spirit.

"Once we talked to him, once we understood why he was coming back, we really felt comfortable. If you look at what happened [at the test], nobody can say that he's not on the pace."

Boullier believes the way Lotus works is proving ideal for Raikkonen.

"We tried to handle his personality and make sure that we don't bother him too much with too many intrusions, and he's a real racer," said Boullier.

"This team is full of proper racing people and he has fitted very well because we speak the same language.

"We are flexible, but our system is very racing-orientated, and that suits him very well."

MIKA: I'd personally like to see Kimi return and dominate because he is a real racer at heart and a great one at that.:2thumbs:

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Jarno Trulli sure he will keep his Caterham drive:

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Jarno Trulli says he is confident his seat at Caterham is safe going into the 2012 Formula 1 season, despite ongoing uncertainty over his position.Vitaly Petrov was linked with Trulli's drive during the winter, with the team known to have held discussions with funded drivers. Caterham's new reserve Giedo van der Garde has also been rumoured to be a candidate for Trulli's race seat. The Dutchman tested the new Caterham CT01 at Jerez last week, the day before Trulli's first run in the car.

But asked if he would be racing in F1 this year, Trulli replied: "We are safe, yes."

He acknowledged that economic considerations might play a part in Caterham's driver decisions at some point, but said he had no indication so far that he was in jeopardy.

"I do understand the position of some teams and that unfortunately, economically we are going through a very tough time worldwide and there are some teams that are running into trouble," Trulli said.

"I don't know the real situation of the teams but I do know that they have to look for sponsors and paying drivers, so at the moment all I can say is I am contracted with the team and I will be testing.

"If something different happens I hope that someone from the team comes and talks to me earlier, but so far we never had a talk about it through the winter."

Trulli played down the significance of van der Garde trying the car before him.

"At the last moment they signed van der Garde and it is important for the team to have a third driver with a bit of experience, so they let him drive," Trulli said.

"He did a reasonable good job in mileage and from there we will start programming the next few tests because I was scheduled to drive at the beginning."

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Kamui Kobayashi relaxed about Sauber reliability:

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Kamui Kobayashi says the reliability issues that struck Sauber in the first week of winter testing are nothing to be concerned about.Although Sauber had a trouble-free first day of running at Jerez last week, it lost mileage to problems on each of the following three days of testing.

But Kobayashi said all the glitches were typical new car teething problems.

"This is just four days with the new car, problems happen sometimes. It's a new car. This is why we are here," he said.

"We need to get lots of mileage and investigate problems. We had a couple of problems and we have to improve that. The mileage for four days is quite a lot so this is quite natural stuff.

"In my first season in 2010, we hardly had any problems in the winter, but once we started the races we had big problems. Compared to that, I think we are in good shape. We just had a couple of troubles and we just have to understand that."

He added that Sauber had yet to do much performance work on the C31, but that he felt the car's basic potential was good.

"We're still checking the aero numbers and the small changes to check everything for development. We haven't worked for the set-up, so I don't know how much potential we have, but we can definitely improve a lot," said Kobayashi.

"This is the first step of development. They're going to check the numbers and let's see. But for me, I'm happy with the car.

"The balance was pretty good for me. I think the platform itself is good."

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Keep Formula One in Europe:

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As of 2012, 8 of the 20 Grand Prixs will be hosted by European countries. This may not seem a staggering statistic as such, however there is a possibility that more European races may be axed as Bernie Ecclestone attempts to spread Formula One to Asia and the Americas. And it's quite obvious that Ecclestone is not particularly concerned about this shift, us fans should be.

In 2007 the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola was culled and a year later Magny-Cours hosted it's final race as of now. Both the Nurburgring and Hockenheimring, as most fans will know, alternate hosting the German Grand Prix each year.

These tracks are the life blood of Formula One. Think of Rubens Barrichello's first win at the Hockenheim on slicks in the wet against Hakinnen (I was going for Hakinnen ;) ) on wet tyres. And yes, the Green Hell and Imola have been host to their share of tragic events, but that's what gives these events legendary status and really, this is what Formula 1 is all about.

Nobody remembers the Nurburgring for it's amazing scenery, they remember it for very nearly killing Niki Lauda who courageously (although some may argue foolishly) returned to racing the same season. And Catalunya? Instantly images of Senna and Mansell dueling into turn one come to mind. Yes, I am fully aware that these classic venues I am refering to may have changed throughout the years, it does not detract from the history and passion intertwined into corner and kerb.

My point is simple: Formula One will not thrive in a watered down environment. The race calendar can not be continued to be watered down with mindless Middle Eastern, Asian and American races.

This point comes in the wake of rumors that both the European Grand Prix in Valencia and the Spanish Grand Prix may be in jeopardy due to financial issues while Belgium may have to alternate with France to accomodate both tracks.

A compromise involving alternation of races is fully unnecessary while we have uncompelling events like Abu Dhabi and Korea on the calendar. Grands Prix which will remain as such thanks to Herman Tilke's modern blunders. The Austin Grand Prix and the possible New Jersey race don't give a glimmer of hope either, as Bernie seems intent on clogging the season with glamour races, held in high paying countries.

Formula One needs to remain in Europe on classic tracks to maintain viewer interest. Think of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso Dueling into Eau Rouge and Vettel clinging on to first place around the outside of Alonso at Monza. Contrast this with the 2010 Abu Dhabi and Bahrain Grand Prixs. There's a reason why classic tracks don't need DRS and don't give processional races and we need more of these back on the calendar.

Also on a side note, bring back the tyre wars (Although with certain limitations so that all teams can benefit from a tyre supplier) and also bring back refuelling which in my opinion, made the race so much more tactical and entertaining.

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Hi all I have to agree the Mclaren is by far the prettiest car on this years grid ,I have to agree with Keith something about the chrome paint work , :thumbsup:

P.S I am chopping at the bit bring it on ,the off season is terrible ,and over here in OZ there's no motor racing period :thumbsdwn:

OZ :cigar:

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Those step noses sure take some getting used to... reminds me of matchbox cars somehow.

Can't wait for the season to start!! :hungry:

They sure do but on some cars they look ok such as on Lotus, Ferrari.

The Sauber not so much maybe because of the matte color on the livery?

Can't wait to see MercedesAMGs' racer.:thumbsup:

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Mercedes to unveil W03 in Barcelona pit-lane:

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Mercedes will be the next team to launch its 2012 car after confirming the covers will come off the W03 on Tuesday 21st at the second pre-season test in Barcelona.

The Anglo-German outfit will reveal the car in the pit-lane at 08:20 local time, before it makes its debut on-track at 09:00.

The team believes its decision to run their 2011 car, the W02, at the first test, giving them an additional two weeks development time with the W03, will pay off.

Michael Schumacher will drive the car on Tuesday and Thursday while teammate Nico Rosberg will drive on Wednesday and Friday.

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Parliament group says Bahrain GP should not be cancelled:

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An All-Party Group from the British parliament has expressed its disagreement with calls to cancel the Bahrain Grand Prix.Last week, members of the House of Lords wrote to the FIA to urge the governing body to cancel April's grand prix amid continued unrest in the kingdom.

In another letter published by The Times today, the UK-Bahrain All-Party Parliamentary Group said it believes that the grand prix is an incentive for Bahrain to prove "its sincerity in the cause of reform" of the country. The letter argues that the cancellation of the grand prix would do the cause of reform "no service".

All-Party Groups are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within parliament.

"Bahrain has been conveniently lumped together with other nations and labelled part of the 'Arab Spring'," the group said in a letter published by The Times.

"Yet the response of the government of Bahrain has been notably different. Bahrain invited independent human rights lawyers, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), to investigate and has started to implement its recommendations.

"In addition to elections that have led to a four-fold increase in women elected to parliament, Bahrain has also asked John Timoney, the former New York police chief, and John Yates, the former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to overhaul policing, Sir Daniel Bethlehem, the FCO's former principal legal adviser, to review judicial processes, and opened detention facilities for inspection by the Red Crescent.

"Those who want Bahrain to continue on the path of genuine reform will do the cause no service by cancelling the Grand Prix this year.

"Indeed, surely the presence of thousands of Western visitors and journalists in the run-up to and during the event will act as an additional incentive to the authorities in Bahrain to show the international community its sincerity in the cause of reform and that their support for Bahrain is well placed?"

Meanwhile, violence escalated on the anniversary of last year's uprising. The BBC reports that security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters who gathered in the kingdom's capital Manama.

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Peter Sauber says James Key's exit a logical conclusion after successful partnership:

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Peter Sauber believes parting ways with technical director James Key was the only option the team had after the ex-Force India man decided that he wanted to leave the team.The Hinwil team announced earlier this month that Key was leaving the squad he had joined in April 2010.

Sauber has decided not to bring in a replacement technical director and has instead opted to create a new structure instead.

Key had played a key role in helping Sauber with the transition from manufacturer-backed operation under BMW ownership to a private team again.

Sauber said that with Key keen to leave the team to return to work in the UK, there was no choice but for the relationship to end.

"James joined us in a phase when we had to undergo the painful transformation from a manufacturer to a private team, and he was one of the key factors behind returning stability to our squad," said Sauber.

"In the phase that followed it became more and more obvious that the cooperation was not working as both sides had hoped. As James wanted to leave the team, it was the logical conclusion to let him move on."

Sauber believes his team will need to use its development resources better this year in order to avoid the kind of slump it suffered last season following a strong start to the campaign.

"2011 was divided into two very different parts. We had a good first half and a difficult second one," he told F1.com.

"This year we will have to allot our development resources in a way that will help us improve over the whole course of the season and help us keep and defend our position."

And the team boss says the goal for the upcoming season is to maintain a consistent level of performance all year long.

"We had a good start and a disappointing end. This season we want to have the same start as last year but we want to keep that level of performance throughout the whole season. If we are able to do that then the final count will look more pleasant."

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Bruno Senna believes Barcelona test will show truer picture of Williams's form:

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Bruno Senna thinks the second F1 test at Barcelona will show a truer picture than Jerez about where his Williams team stands.The majority of the Formula 1 teams ran with their new cars at Jerez last week, in the first of three pre-season tests in 2012.

Senna was the busiest man during the test, covering a massive 250 laps, and finishing as 15th quickest overall out of 23 drivers.

He believes, however, that it is very hard to tell where his team stands, although he believes Williams is on par with other teams in the midfield.

"It's hard to say. We were not following the same sort of testing programme as everybody else," said Senna of the competitiveness of the Williams.

"I think we are there together with other guys in the midfield but we will only find out for real in Barcelona when people start doing more straightforward test programmes and then we will see."

He added: "I think we have a strong platform and we have a few ideas in terms of what we want to do with direction, but you know each track is different. Jerez is very unique track in terms of how it makes the car behave, so for sure we are going to get to Barcelona and learn a bit more about the traditional circuits."

Senna is confident Williams's car will be stronger in the next test at Barcelona as a result of the productive work done at Jerez.

"Well we have been testing a lot of stuff in the car to try and improve tyre consistency, to improve it in the high and low speed, every test we did had an objective and we getting to know the car better and this is the main objective of this test at Jerez.

"And now when we come to Barcelona we know the car better, we know the tendencies and the most important thing to know is which direction to go in when we face a problem."

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Kevin Magnussen will drive for McLaren in young driver F1 test as he gets extended role:

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McLaren has announced that Kevin Magnussen will have an extended role this year as a member of the team's Young Driver Programme.The 19-year-old, son of former grand prix driver Jan, will start working in McLaren's simulator alongside Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, and will also take part in the Young Driver F1 in Abu Dhabi later this year.

Magnussen, who finished runner-up in the British Formula 3 championship last year, joined McLaren's development programme in 2010.

"Racing is the core business of McLaren," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh. "By enabling talented drivers to fulfil their potential, our Driver Development Programme is a strategic investment in the future of that business and the sport as a whole.

"We've been delighted by Kevin's progress, aptitude and work ethic thus far. The time was right for him to take the next step and we look forward to helping him gain the experience he requires."

In addition to his McLaren role, Magnussen will compete in the Formula Renault 3.5 series with Carlin this year.

"I'm really pleased by this new agreement with McLaren," he said. "The team has shown great faith in me so far and I feel that this is an important step in my career.

"F1 is a highly pressured, data-driven environment, and anyone who wants to get there and succeed within it has to master all the technical aspects of the discipline. This is a great opportunity and I look forward to working with the team and playing a part in Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' future."

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Lotus's technical director James Allison encouraged by team form in Jerez F1 test:

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Lotus technical director James Allison says that his team was happy to run the most laps of anybody in the first pre-season Formula 1 test at Jerez last week.The team topped the first day of the test with Kimi Raikkonen, and ended the week with Romain Grosjean setting the quickest time of all the new cars present.

It racked up 404 laps over the four days without much in the way of mechanical dramas, leaving it at the top of the mileage chart.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT about the amount of work Lotus got through at Jerez, Allison said: "Pretty pleased because we've spent a lot of time on the track instead of in the garage, last year it was the other way round so that's been good."

"We had done quite a lot more running than everybody else so I think that's very, very helpful. The car seems to work quite well, we're pretty happy."

The new Lotus E20 has already gained praise from rival teams and drivers. And while Allison is keen not to get carried away, he accepted that the car had got off to a good start.

"I think everyone can work out we're not at the back and it looks reasonably positive," he said.

"Everyone down the pitlane will say that it doesn't matter, but it's good fun and good gossip. Everyone enjoys trying to guess what everyone is doing and we enjoy it as well, but honestly it doesn't mean much until we get to Melbourne.

"Only thinking about this car and the context of this car, we've been fortunate that it's been well behaved pretty much from the first lap. Not just mechanically; both the drivers had a good feeling with it straight away."

Allison also praised the work carried out by reigning GP2 champion Grosjean as the Frenchman prepares to return to F1 race action for the first time since his 2009 outings with Renault.

"Romain looked very, very fast straight away, and we've got a very good driver line-up," he said. "I think Roman is very fortunate to have a team-mate like Kimi, and he can have a benchmark to judge himself against."

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Vergne hopes to keep tension low:

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Jean-Eric Vergne believes keeping the "tension" to a minimum will be key to a successful working relationship between himself and Daniel Ricciardo.

The stakes are likely to be high at Toro Rosso this season after Red Bull Racing team owner Dietrich Mateschitz made it clear that they are likely to promote one of their junior drivers to race alongside Sebastian Vettel should Mark Webber decide to call it quits at the end of this year.

With a potential Red Bull seat on offer, it could lead to tension between rookies Vergne and Ricciardo this campaign.

However, the Frenchman warns that they can't afford to allow other aspects to ruin their relationship at STR.

"There was not too much tension when climbing into the car [during the test at Jerez]," he told RMC Radio.

"You have to forget about all those different aspects when you think about the work you need to do. We had four good days of testing, and the engineers are working now for the next test in Barcelona at the end of the month.

"There is a competition with my team-mate but, at the same time, we can't [let it] go in the wrong direction.

"You always want to beat everybody, but my team-mate is also the only other person who is driving the same car as I."

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