FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Suzi Perry replaces Jake Humphrey as BBC presenter

Suzi Perry will present the BBC's Formula 1 coverage from the start of next season, replacing Jake Humphrey.

Perry, 42, previously presented the BBC's MotoGP coverage for 10 years, as well as reporting on other sports.

"Motorsport is my life and I've really missed being away from the grid," said Perry.

"I am so excited to be joining the BBC. Working alongside such an eminent team and the F1 world is a huge honour and I can't wait to get started."

The BBC also confirmed that the British, Belgian, Italian and Brazilian Grands Prix are among 10 races that will be shown live on terrestrial television.

However, the Monaco Grand Prix will not be shown live on the BBC.

There will be extended television highlights of the action from Monte Carlo and the other nine races that are not part of the BBC's live TV coverage.

All 20 races will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 live or 5 live sports extra, with live text commentary on the BBC Sport website.

The BBC extended its agreement to show Formula 1 though to 2018 in July 2011, sharing rights to the sport with Sky Sports where previously it had been the exclusive UK broadcaster.

Beyond her experience in sport, Perry has presented television programmes across entertainment, technology and travel, most notably the Gadget Show on Channel 5 since 2003.

"She'll bring real energy and years of experience to one of the biggest jobs in sports broadcasting," said BBC Head of F1 Ben Gallop.

"Her presenting ability, coupled with her love and knowledge of motorsport, make her an excellent addition.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Jake Humphrey for his enormous contribution to the coverage over the last four years and we all wish him the best for the future."

Humphrey, who presented the BBC's Formula 1 coverage from the start of 2009, announced in September that he would leave at the end of the 2012 season to front BT Vision's Premier League football coverage.

The rest of the BBC's presentation team for 2013 "will be confirmed in due course", according to the corporation.

Live Grands Prix:

• China, 14 April
  
• Spain, 12 May
  
• Canada, 9 June
  
• Silverstone, 30 June
  
• TBA*, 21 July
  
• Belgium, 25 August
  
• Italy, 8 September
  
• Japan, 13 October
  
• India, 27 October
  
• Brazil, 24 November
  

* venue yet to be confirmed by Formula One Management

MIKA: She's certainly a hell of alot better to look at than Jake Humphrey..

[Bartolomeo]

Has NBC's announce team been confirmed 100%?

I know Matchett, Hobbs and Diffy are on board but didnt know who the pit reporter is and what Will Buxton will be up to? He hasnt said much on hisTwitter feed lately

Bart

[winelover]

Great stuff Mika. Can't wait for the new season, so many stories will unfold. My favourite character on the grid is Kimi and I think Lotus have a great line up with him and Grosjean.

[winelover]

P.S Thanks again Mika for all of your endeavours.

G

[MIKA27]

Great stuff Mika. Can't wait for the new season, so many stories will unfold. My favourite character on the grid is Kimi and I think Lotus have a great line up with him and Grosjean.

You and all who read and contribute by way of reading and or posting are most welcome.

I too have a gut feeling this is Lotus' season, great to have Kimi back, he is a true title contender. I also believe Romain Grosjean is one to closely watch, he is a really fast talent and hs great skill if he can avoid some collisions, there is no reason why he cant be a winner...

Many thanks to all, I am humbled by the amount of readers there are as well as those who post and PM me from time to time. I love this sport and its a no brainer why we can't continue this thread year in and year out whilst also reading up on cigars, if not enjoy one whilst reading the thread and FOH forums.

[MIKA27]

D'Ambrosio chasing 2013 drive

Jerome d'Ambrosio is keen to race in Formula One this season but concedes that securing one of the last two race seats is "difficult."

Having raced for Virgin, now known as Marussia, back in 2011, the Belgian driver was left without a seat when he was dropped by the backmarker outfit.

The 27-year-old remained in Formula One as a test driver after Lotus team boss Eric Boullier, who manages d'Ambrosio through Gravity Sport Management, signed him.

And although d'Ambrosio could retain his Lotus role, the 27-year-old, who contested one race in 2012 when he filled in for the banned Romain Grosjean in Italy, says he is keen to land a race-seat for this season.

"I continue to strive for Formula 1 because that's my thing," he told Le Vif.

"My management company is working hard but it is difficult since many experienced drivers have not yet got a seat. We shall see."

There are just two seats still unconfirmed for this season, one with Force India and the other with Caterham.

[MIKA27]

'Petrov backing to secure Caterham seat'

Vitaly Petrov is reportedly set to retain his Caterham seat although the deal won't be confirmed until all the sponsorship money has been paid to the team.

Although Caterham were rumoured to be making an announcement on Charles Pic's 2013 team-mate late last week, the team remained silent.

According to reports in Finland it was because the backmarker outfit was still considering "all options."

However, other sources now claim the team has finally come to a decision.

Turun Sanomat reports that Caterham's second seat will go to Petrov but that the deal will not be concluded until the "required sponsorship money has been paid into the team's account."

The article added that although Bruno Senna and Luiz Razia both came to the negotiating table with hefty sponsorship behind them, they were ruled out.

The reason for this was that Caterham felt neither driver had the experience needed to lead the team, which already has one inexperienced driver in Pic.

[MIKA27]

Maldonado prays for Chavez recovery

Venezuelan Formula One driver Pastor Maldonado on Sunday publicly prayed for the recovery of the country’s president Hugo Chavez.

Backed by the state-controlled oil company PDVSA, 27-year-old Maldonado expressed relief late last year when socialist incumbent Chavez was re-elected.

“Long live democracy!” the Williams driver had exclaimed on Twitter.

But Chavez is yet to return from Cuba, where he has reportedly been undergoing treatment for cancer and a severe lung infection.

It is being argued by his opponents that if he cannot return for his scheduled inauguration on Thursday, he may have to hand in his presidency as per the constitutional laws.

The Associated Press reports that Maldonado, alongside other Venezuelan athletes, attended a church in Caracas and prayed that “very soon he’s here with all of us”.

[MIKA27]

Buemi set to sign new Red Bull deal

Sebastien Buemi will not be on the Formula One grid in 2013 but will remain Red Bull’s official third and reserve driver, the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick reports.

It has already been reported that the former Toro Rosso racer, who served as Red Bull’s reserve in 2012, is now definitely out of the running for this year’s second Force India seat.

Sonntagsblick said the 24-year-old Swiss is this week in Brazil, where he is competing in Felipe Massa’s annual Florianopolis kart race.

“Before that,” said veteran correspondent Roger Benoit, “Buemi will again be signed as reserve driver for Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

“Team advisor Helmut Marko has agreed the renewal with Buemi,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Belgian newspaper Le Vif reported that Jerome d’Ambrosio is likely to remain Lotus’ official third driver in 2013.

The 27-year-old, who is managed by Lotus team boss Eric Boullier’s Gravity stable, has been working to return to the grid.

“My management is working hard,” said d’Ambrosio, “but it’s difficult because there are many experienced drivers without teams. We’ll see.”

[MIKA27]

Ferrari to launch F2013 before first Jerez test

Ferrari’s 2013 car will be launched on 2 February 2013, according to the well-connected specialist Italian magazine Autosprint.

The report said that the car, codenamed 664 and probably to be officially called the F2013, will almost certainly be revealed to the world live via the internet, from Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters.

Autosprint added that the car has already passed the FIA crash tests.

The report also said that Williams’ new FW35 will be launched on the opening day of the first pre-season test, at Jerez on 5 February.

Toro Rosso’s STR8 will reportedly be unveiled on the very same day, also at Jerez, in southern Spain.

[MIKA27]

FIA selects F1 doctor Hartstein’s successor

The FIA has picked a successor to ousted Formula One doctor Gary Hartstein, although the name of the new doctor has not been revealed.

American Hartstein, groomed by the late Prof. Sid Watkins to succeed him in 2005, last month admitted that he was furious that the Jean Todt-led FIA had decided not to renew his contract.

“I might launch a crusade to get some answers, or get my f***ing job back, or let the world know what’s really going on on the medical side of the FIA,” he said on Twitter.

Switzerland’s Speed Week is now reporting that, according to sources in France, Hartstein’s successor has been selected.

“The name is still a secret,” read the report.

Speed Week added that “even a push by the F1 drivers in favour of the Belgian-domiciled American Hartstein was apparently fruitless”.

[MIKA27]

LOTUS BOSS, GERARD LOPEZ SETS BOLD TARGETS FOR 2013:

Lotus F1 boss Gerard Lopez has set his team a bold objective for this season: finish in the top three of the Constructors’ championship table this year and end the season on the same level as the best teams.

Last season Lotus ended up fourth after a strong year, particularly with Kimi Raikkonen, who was third in the Drivers’ standings ahead of both McLaren drivers.

But if their other driver Romain Grosjean had been more consistent they might have gone some way towards bridging the 75 point gap to McLaren. The Frenchman scored just 96 points compared to his team mate’s 207.

But Lopez, who owns the team 100% via his Genii Capital investment company, told Gazzetta dello Sport that the team proved several things in 2012,

“The quality of the drivers; the speed of Grosjean; the development push, which meant that we arrived at the last race in our best shape; the confirmation that for the second year in a row we were able to build a competitive car. If we can optimise these four things we’ll be at 100%.”

At the launch of the E20 in February last year Lopez said the objective was, “to bring the car up to the front of the pack, probably trying to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season.”

Lopez is proud of the performance Raikkonen put in last year, particularly as many people told him that the Finn would be unmotivated,

“That makes me smile,” he said. “I was sure it would be like this, Raikkonen put in a great work load to compliment his talent and the results are the fruit of that. Here he feels like he is being used for what’s most important and for the rest of the time he is free. He’s found a balance. I speak to him every week and he feels good. He has enthusiasm and desire. I want drivers, not robots.”

As for Grosjean, Lopez defends his driver whose wildness led to him sitting out the Italian Grand Prix after a ban was imposed, but adds, “There were other drivers who had more reprimands than him..but he paid the price for the others. However he showed he’s quick. I’m expecting a lot from him this year.”

The final note is on the rumours around Lopez wanting to sell the team. He says, “We (Genii Capital) won it 100%. But we’ve always said that if there are any investors who want to get involved with shares, we are ready. But I have no intention of selling the team, because it’s a fantastic way to develop our business. With the sponsors we talk not only about their place on the car, but also about wider business activities.”

[MIKA27]

Parr: Williams can be title contenders in '13

Former Williams CEO Adam Parr believes the Grove team is now in a position to challenge for the Constructors' and Drivers' titles in 2013, should they continue to build upon the structure he put in place.

Parr, who left the team ahead of the 2012 season, says he takes great pride in helping to build a "race-winning technical team" which enabled Williams to secure its first victory since 2004.

"My proudest achievement was helping to turn around the team financially and then putting in place a race-winning technical team," the Brit toldRichland F1. "So I guess you could say the Spanish GP in 2012 was my best moment in F1 – even though I wasn’t in it!"

Should Williams develop another competitive car this season, Parr believes they have a shot at taking both titles as long as Pastor Maldonado and rookie Valtteri Bottas deliver.

"If Williams give Pastor and Valtteri a car as competitive as the one in 2012 and they both do their best at every race, then Williams can take the World Championship and either of them could take the Drivers'," he added.

Parr also admitted he was sad to see the team drop Bruno Senna, who he hopes secures a seat for 2013, but says ultimately the team had to promote Bottas.

"There is no question that Valtteri is hugely talented and the team needed to retain him one way or another," he explained. "On the other hand, I believe in Bruno and that his weakness is lack of experience and his strength is his ability to learn.

"He will continue to get better. So I hope to see him racing again in 2013."

[MIKA27]

Hi all - I shall be away the remainder of this week, off to a much deserved break away with the wife and kids to Apollo bay (The Great Ocean road) seeing we have a great summer here.

The weather here has been into the early 40's ('C), so heading off where there is a great beach, fantastic quiet location with few people and a nice stock of cigars which I'll be enjoying.

I shall be back Saturday so catch up with you all then. Be well.

[OZCUBAN]

BBC Sport remembers F1's greatest drivers of all time

Jim Clark, Dutch GP, 1965

The Formula 1 grid this year contains six world champions and a depth of talent that stands comparison with any era of the sport.

So at a time when the current field is blessed with so many great drivers, it seems appropriate to reflect on the great names of the past, and how the current top names compare.

BBC Sport will this year run down a list of 20 of the greatest drivers in F1 history, revealing one on the Tuesday before every grand prix, The greatest drivers of all time starting next week ahead of the season-opening race in Australia.

The list has been compiled by the BBC F1 team. Each member was asked to come up with their own personal list of the 20 greatest drivers since F1 started in 1950. The rankings provided were combined to produce a BBC F1 top 20, which we will count down through the season from 20 to one.

In each episode, veteran commentator Murray Walker will provide his personal reflections in a career highlights video featuring the driver, whom chief F1 writer Andrew Benson will profile.

The BBC list does not pretend to be a definitive all-time top 20 - all such things are in any case subjective, given the difficulty of comparing drivers from different eras.

But what it does is highlight just what a golden age F1 is going through at the moment. Four of the 20 drivers on the list are racing in 2012. Two other current drivers only just missed out, being ranked in 22nd and 23rd places overall when the lists were combined.

That underlines why Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - inarguably one of the greatest drivers of this era - felt moved to say earlier this year that "the level of the championship [is] higher than ever".

The 2012 season is shaping up to be one to relish - both of itself and in the context of a sport with rich history. A history into which we hope to provide an interesting insight this year...

Here is the list of greatest drivers, including video of Murray Walker's view...

Number 1 - Ayrton Senna

The greatness of the man and the brilliance of his driving is remembered easily, the occasional darkness of his psyche perhaps less so.

Number 2 - Juan Manuel Fangio

Juan Manuel Fangio set records so immense that, in percentage terms, they will surely never be beaten.

Number 3 - Jim Clark

Jim Clark towered over his era, a period when he made many grands prix mind-numbingly boring. Yes, the Lotus was often the best car, but Clark's supremacy was not in doubt.

Number 4 - Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher's monumental achievements came about through a perfect storm of an exceptionally talented and hard-working driver, ground-breaking technical achievement, a bottomless pit of money and a ruthless management that exploited every last avenue to its benefit...

Number 5 - Alain Prost

Alain Prost drove like poetry and was an integral part of one of the greatest rivalries sport has ever known...

Number 6 - Stirling Moss

Sir Stirling Moss is the ultimate proof that statistics count only for so much when assessing the worth of a grand prix driver...

Number 7 - Jackie Stewart

Sir Jackie Stewart's enduring legacy stretches much further than 27 grand prix wins in 99 races, three world championships and being one of the greatest drivers ever to set foot in a Formula 1 car. It is that he had a bigger effect on his sport than arguably any man in history...

Number 8 - Sebastian Vettel

The Red Bull driver has undoubtedly had a stellar career so far - 22 grand prix victories, at a rate of more than one in four races, 33 pole positions and the youngest double world champion in history. All by the age of 25 and in just five seasons in F1...

Number 9 - Niki Lauda

Just 42 days after suffering horrendous burns in a crash at the Nurburgring, Lauda, swathed in bandages, was grinding out a determined fourth-place finish in Monza. It was a moment that defined the Austrian's revered career...

Number 10 - Fernando Alonso

Alonso's standing has been affirmed by his majestic form in 2012 as he moved on to 30 grand prix victories and started his pursuit of a third world title. An F1 career that began in 2001 could yet become even more sensational...

Number 11 – Alberto Ascari

In 1952, the first of the two consecutive world titles he secured with Ferrari, Ascari won every championship F1 race bar the first. Heading into the final race of the 1953 season, he had won 11 of the previous 13 grands prix...

Number 12 - Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve won only six grands prix in a career that spanned a little over four years, yet 30 years after his death his name still shines out like a beacon as a symbol of the heroic qualities that to many make up the very essence of a grand prix driver...

Number 13 - Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell was the personification of drama in a Formula 1 car.

Whether it be daring overtaking manoeuvres, his muscular handling of some of the sport's defining cars, or the histrionics and apparent persecution complex that accompanied much of his career, there was never a dull moment when the moustachioed Midlander was around...

Number 14 - Mika Hakkinen

Michael Schumacher says his toughest rival in his first career was Mika Hakkinen, which is quite a compliment from a man who also raced against Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and lost his final world championship battle to Fernando Alonso...

Number 15 - Lewis Hamilton

When Lewis Hamilton burst onto the Formula 1 scene in 2007, taking on and often beating the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso in equal cars, in Italy they gave him the nickname 'Il Phenomeno' - the Phenomenon...

Number 16 - Nelson Piquet

Few drivers have had perceptions of them shift as dramatically throughout their careers as Nelson Piquet.

For a while in the mid-1980s, Piquet was regarded as the best driver in the world but, as his career went on, his stock fell and at the end he slipped out of F1 almost unnoticed - and largely unlamented...

Number 17 - Emerson Fittipaldi

Emerson Fittipaldi was a trailblazer in more ways than one.

He was the man who paved the way for future generations of Brazilian drivers to make their country synonymous with Formula 1...

Number 18 - Jack Brabham

Sir Jack Brabham is one of a select band of just eight drivers who have won the world title three times or more, but his achievements go far beyond that. He is also the only man to have won a title in a car bearing his own name...

Number 19 - Graham Hill

Damon Hill makes a thought-provoking observation about his father Graham.

Despite winning two Formula 1 titles, as well as being the only man to win the 'triple crown' of F1 world championship, Le Mans and Indy 500, Graham Hill always had the image of a 'trier' - a man who made it to the top through hard graft, rather than the easy talent of his contemporary Jim Clark...

Number 20 - Jochen Rindt

Throughout Formula 1 history, there have been drivers who, through ability and charisma, have left an impression that transcends their limited results. Jochen Rindt, number 20 on BBC F1's list of the greatest drivers of all time, is one such man...

[OZCUBAN]

Fernando Alonso rejects Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko's criticism

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has dismissed criticism aimed at him by Red Bull motorsport's advisor Helmut Marko.

Marko said the Spaniard was "busy with politics and funny comments", something which he felt affected his title bid.

But Alonso said on his Twitter account : "I enjoy reading Red Bull still think we will be the strongest rival for next year! And this even before we start testing! Flattered!!"

Marko also said his team's driver Mark Webber could not cope with pressure.

Marko's comments come in an interview with Red Bull's in-house magazine, the Red Bulletin.

In it, he also extensively praised Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who won his third consecutive title in 2012.

Marko said: "Sebastian's driving was virtually flawless. But he is a phenomenon: it is always like that. After the summer break, his performance curve shoots up. That's what happened in previous years, too.

"I don't know how he does it, but to keep doing it cannot be a coincidence.

"That brings us back to his method of preparation, the way he shuts himself off from the rest of the world, so that he can still call on reserves that other drivers might not have: Fernando Alonso, for example, who is busy with politics and funny comments.

"Vettel ignores it all, he doesn't read the newspapers, or the internet. And that's the point, you see, we concentrate on our job: to make the fastest car and the best team possible."

He added: "Alonso is constantly involved in politics.

"I believe we saw the stress he was under towards the end of the season.

"Saying things like, 'I'm competing against (Lewis) Hamilton, not Vettel,' and 'I'm up against (Red Bull design chief Adrian) Newey,' these psychological skirmishes. We said, "Just ignore him.'"

Marko's comments about Vettel being "virtually flawless" will raise eyebrows, not least because he made more mistakes in 2012 than did Alonso, who was driving an inferior car.

But perhaps the most controversial remarks concern Webber, who has driven for Red Bull since 2007 and won two races in 2012.

Marko said: "For much of his career, Mark was never in a top team, but he was always regarded as a high flyer if he only could get into the right team.

"Then Red Bull puts him in a car - a possible winner - and suddenly along comes this young kid and he snatches the booty from under Mark's nose. Psychologically it's not easy, of course; this would gnaw away at anyone's confidence. It's more than understandable.

"It seems to me that Webber has on average two races per year where he is unbeatable, but he can't maintain this form throughout the year. And as soon as his prospects start to look good in the world championship, he has a little trouble with the pressure that this creates.

"In comparison with Seb's rising form, it seems to me that Mark's form somehow flattens out. Then, if some technical mishap occurs, like with the alternator for example, he falls relatively easily into a downward spiral.

"No driver remains unaffected by this, because the tension is palpable. In 2010, it was particularly extreme. "

[OZCUBAN]

F1 2013: What the year ahead has in store for teams and drivers alike

The teams have been working on their new cars for months and they will start to appear at the end of January. The testing starts in the first week of February and the first race is on 17 March.

The season has a lot to live up to after the thrills and spills of 2012, in which seven different drivers won the first seven races for the first time and the title went down to the final grand prix, decided by just three points between two of the finest drivers in history, with German Sebastian Vettel emerging champion and Spain's Fernando Alonso second.

With the rules virtually unchanged, making it harder than ever to find an advantage, 2013 could be just as close. Let's take a look at what's in store for the year ahead.

Red Bull

Three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel appears to have an unquenchable desire for success

After three consecutive drivers' and constructors' championships with Vettel, and an unchanged driver line-up completed by Mark Webber, Red Bull remain the team to beat.

Vettel was able to overturn what had been a 40-odd point advantage held by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at mid-season because of a major step forward on the car from the Singapore Grand Prix.

And while Red Bull's design chief Adrian Newey has admitted that the lack of rule changes makes it "increasingly difficult" to find an advantage, if anyone can, it will be him.

Red Bull's titles have been achieved thanks to an incredible level of competitive intensity, but can they keep that up for a fourth consecutive season?

The same goes for Vettel himself. He seems to have an unquenchable desire for success and his love of statistics means he almost certainly has his heart set on becoming only the second man to take five titles in a row after compatriot Michael Schumacher - which would require him to win in 2013 and 2014.

But the very fact that only Schumacher has done that before proves how hard it is, not just to keep up the technical excellence but to maintain the required motivation, too.

Ferrari

Championship runner-up Fernando Alonso is committed to Ferrari for four more years

For Ferrari, the big questions heading into 2013 all surround the team. Can they finally make a car good enough to challenge for wins on pure performance, rather than relying on circumstances and the relentless talent of Alonso?

Last year's F2012 car was not as bad as some made out - or at least it wasn't once it had had its update for the start of the European season - but it was never close to the McLaren or the Red Bull on outright pace.

As a result, towards the end of the season, there were perhaps the first very small hints of a slight frustration creeping into Alonso's relationship with the team.

The Spaniard has come very close to winning two of the last three titles, despite having an inferior car, and he has on paper committed to Ferrari until the end of 2016.

But if 2013 turns into another year struggling against the odds, how much will that affect the bond between him and Ferrari?

Another key feature of 2013 will be Felipe Massa's form. Will he continue at the high level he reached in the final third of last year or slump back to where he was at the start of 2012?

McLaren

McLaren will be able to concentrate on satisfying one driving style rather than two

How McLaren cope without Lewis Hamilton will be one of the major themes of 2013.

On the face of it, it should not be too big a loss - statistically, Jenson Button actually outscored Hamilton in their three years as team-mates and won only two fewer races.

But this is yet another example ofstatistics being unreliable gauges of F1 reality.

On pure pace, there is no doubt who was the faster driver and Hamilton's stats are skewed by his difficult 2011 season, when he came close to personal meltdown, and the team's poor reliability and operational record in 2012, which cost him at least three victories. Bad luck - in terms of collisions with other drivers for which he was blameless - deprived him of another.

In that context, it was not hard to find someone in F1 towards the end of the year predicting a difficult year for McLaren in 2013.

The theory went as follows: Take out Hamilton's fantastic qualifying pace, knock a place or two off Button's average grid position because Hamilton will not be there to keep him on his toes, and stick new driver Sergio Perez four or five places behind Button, and you go from the two McLarens qualifying on the front row and in the top six, to the top eight and somewhere around 13th. And that's assuming the same quality of car.

It could, though, go completely the other way. Button's main flaw is that while he is close to unbeatable in a car with which he is happy, he often struggles when the car is not to his liking.

He and Hamilton have completely different driving styles and, rather than satisfy both, McLaren can now pursue one development direction that favours Button. If that works, Button could be a contender all season.

The big unknown is Perez. Not everyone in F1 is convinced that he was the best possible choice in terms of performance, that finance had nothing to do withMcLaren choosing him or that he is ultimately good enough.

The pressure is truly on the Mexican to prove them wrong.

Mercedes

Mercedes will be worth watching in 2013 after Lewis Hamilton's arrival

Lewis Hamilton's arrival presages a fascinating period at Mercedes, who need to dramatically improve the performance of their car.

Publicly, Hamilton has done his best to play down expectations and explain that he realises there is a lot of work to do. But privately, while he does not expect to challenge for the championship, he does think he will be able to win races in 2013.

How will he cope if that is not the case? Will a £19m ($31m) salary be enough to enable him to accept this as a work in progress - or will he do what he did at McLaren when the car was not competitive, and become moody and withdrawn?

The team realise that the time has come to up their game, but can they realistically close a second-a-lap gap to the likes of Red Bull over the winter or have Mercedes effectively written off 2013 and taken aim at the regulation changes of 2014?

The internal battle between the drivers will provide a further fascinating plotline.

Most expect Hamilton to comfortably have the beating of Nico Rosberg, but the German will realise his career standing is on the line. He is an intelligent man and will be doing everything in his power to turn the team towards him. How will Hamilton respond?

They might not be title contenders, but Mercedes will be well worth watching in 2013.

Lotus

The signs are looking good for Lotus as they aim to build on a successful 2012

Lotus's 2012 cannot be considered anything other than a success: the car was quick after a couple of shaky seasons and the gamble on Kimi Raikkonen's return paid off.

But it could have been even better.

There are those in the team who feel they should have won more races and even challenged for the title - would have done, in fact, if they had had their former driver Alonso in the car.

Raikkonen showed remarkable consistency throughout the year, but his qualifying left a lot to be desired in the first half of the season.

And while Romain Grosjean showed great pace, he was wild and horrendously error-prone.

The foundations, though, are there for a strong 2013. If the team can develop the 2012 car effectively, Raikkonen can qualify more consistently and Grosjean can cut out the errors, the team could challenge at the front all year.

The rest

Valtteri Bottas has taken Bruno Senna's seat at Williams for next season

There are some interesting sub-plots further down the grid.

There was the sense in 2012 that Sauber had produced a fantastic car out of which the team and their drivers rarely extracted the best.

If the team can develop it effectively and keep it at more or less the same comparative level, will the arrival of the highly promising Nico Hulkenberg mean a step forward in terms of pace and consistency? Between the lines, it seems the team believe so.

Hulkenberg finished 2012 very strongly indeed with Force India, firmly putting in the shade Scot Paul di Resta, who had edged their battle in the first half of the season. Can Di Resta recover from the disappointment of not being picked up by a top team and get himself back on track?

Williams did not score anywhere near as many points as they should have done given the performance of their car. They won a race for the first time in eight years but finished only eighth in the constructors' championship, behind two teams who did not.

Pastor Maldonado was quick but error-prone and Bruno Senna's qualifying performances were lacklustre.

With another season under his belt, and a winter to reflect on becoming a grand prix winner, can Maldonado deliver his occasionally electrifying pace more consistently without the red-mist moments that wrecked his 2012?

And will Finn Valtteri Bottas, who has replaced Bruno Senna at Williams, deliver on a potential that seems so rich?

At Toro Rosso, will either Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric Vergne do enough to earn a call-up to the senior Red Bull team or be jettisoned in favour of the next generation?

And, now heading into their fourth year in the sport, can either Caterham or Marussia bridge the still-significant gap between them and the back of the midfield group?

It promises to be another fascinating year.

[OZCUBAN]

Sergio Perez wants McLaren to fight for Formula 1 title

New McLaren signing Sergio Perez says his ambition is to fight for the Formula 1 championship in his debut season.

The Mexican, recruited to replace Mercedes-bound Lewis Hamilton, joins aftertwo seasons with Sauber.

"Hopefully we can have a very strong car and fight for the championship. That has to be the target," Perez said.

Perez, 22, said it would not be easy to replace Hamilton but admitted he would have to be competitive from the start.

"I don't feel the pressure but obviously you have to deliver here in McLaren," said Perez, who will get his first taste of the 2013 McLaren at the first pre-season test in Jerez, Spain from 5-8 February, ahead of the start of the season in Australia on 17 March.

"You are coming here to deliver results, to win championships. This is the target when you come to McLaren, the best team in F1, you have to really deliver the results."

Perez pledged to "do my very best, give my very best to McLaren".

And he added that he expected no problems working with team-mate Jenson Button.

"I think we will work very well together for the team but obviously the target is to beat him and all the others. But I think myself with Jenson, we are a very good team."

Perez was talking on his first day working for McLaren at the team's base in Woking, Surrey, where he arrived at the wheel of one of the company's open-top sportscars.

He compared his feelings to those of making his F1 debut with Sauber two years ago.

"It's similar in terms of emotion," said Perez, who is 23 later this month. "It's something new for you but this is a lot bigger."

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Two killed in Dakar rally crash involving British team

Support vehicles and fans watch the drivers in the Dakar rally as it passes through the sand dunes of southern Peru

Two people have been in killed in Peru in a head-on collision involving a support vehicle for the Dakar rally.

The victims were travelling in a taxi which hit a Land Rover from a British team of injured army veterans. Seven people - three of them Britons - were injured in the crash.

Peruvian police are investigating the circumstances of the accident.

The Dakar is billed as the world's toughest race. It has been staged in South America since 2009.

Three members of the British team, Race2Recovery, were flown to hospital in Lima. They are reported to be "stable and conscious" with injuries described as "non-life-threatening".

The men were named as Justin Birchall, 40, a team driver and civilian volunteer from Burnley, Lancashire, whose vehicle retired earlier in the race, former Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer and Gulf War and Falklands war veteran Lee Townsend, a team mechanic, from Yate near Bristol, and retired Army Major John Winskill, 42, the team logistics expert, who is from Durrington, near Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Four passengers from the taxi are also being treated in hospital.

Another taxi overturned while swerving to avoid the crash wreckage, but no-one in this vehicle is thought to have been seriously hurt.

Race2Recovery, which raises funds for military charities, said their vehicle had been travelling a convoy of support vehicles.

The team leader, Captain Tony Harris, said: "Our hearts go out to the families and relatives of those who have died in this tragic accident and we offer them our condolences and sympathy."

Captain Harris, who lost a lower leg while serving in Afghanistan, said that the team had agreed to continue the race.

"The team decided before we even started that we would continue our endeavour. This is obviously a huge shock but we know that we have the blessing of the injured. They want the team to finish."

The rally began in Lima on Saturday and will finish in southern Chile on 20 January.

It was moved to South America after the 2008 race along the former route - from Paris to Dakar - was abandoned because of threats to the competitors from armed groups in North Africa.

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Hey guys, back again from holiday, was great to get away, I'm burnt to a crisp but that's what we were after!

Many thanks to Steve for posting some news on F1 and the Dakar rally, horrible news about the two deaths.

Very much appreciated!

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Surtees calls for revised path to F1

John Surtees says there needs to be an overhaul in how young drivers make their way into F1 to ensure that the most talented succeed.

As belts are tightened around the world, more and more teams are turning to drivers who have personal sponsorship deals to fund their careers.

Surtees, though, believes a system needs to be put into place to ensure that talent finds a way to the pinnacle of motorsport.

"What we need is a structure whereby you have success rewarded by the advancement of career," the 1964 F1 World Champion said while on the Autosport Stage.

"Where else other than in motorsport can you win one series and then be rewarded by a team at the next level telling you 'that will be £550,000 for a season please'? It's terrifying."

"We need a specified number of formulas laid down and recognised internationally so that if you win one, you get a scholarship to move into the next category, and keep that going all the way to Formula 1."

Surtees, though, concedes teams do need money but that it should not come at the expense of talented drivers without funding.

"When I ran my team, I was frustrated by having to take pay-drivers, but I always tried to make sure I paired them with a driver I really believed in.

"But back when I raced, the stopwatch was far more important.

"When I made the transition from bikes to cars, I did races all over the world on each, and it didn't cost me a penny because people offered me drives an rides that were already paid for.

"Even when I started my team I put our car on the grid for the British Grand Prix at a cost of £23,000. That included £7500 for the Cosworth engine - a very competitive engine at the time, and £500 for the gearbox.

"It's a very different technological age now."

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Whitmarsh promises 'equal treatment'

Martin Whitmarsh maintains Sergio Perez and Jenson Button will have "equal treatment" this season despite it being the Mexican's first at McLaren.

Perez has joined McLaren after a successful 2012 campaign with Sauber in which the 22-year-old secured three podium finishes on his way to tenth in the Championship.

Unveiled to the world as a McLaren driver on Wednesday, Perez had his first official walk-about at the Woking factory where he spoke of his desire to not only beat his new team-mate Button but also to win his first Drivers' Championship title.

"When you come to McLaren, this [winning the title] must be your target, otherwise you shouldn't join McLaren," said Perez. "Everybody here is working for that goal and I'm coming here to do the same."

The McLaren driver's goal has been given a boost by Whitmarsh's confirmation that Perez will receive the same treatment as Button despite the latter having spent more years with McLaren than Perez has even had in Formula One.

"People like to have that debate," Whitmarsh told Sky Sports News.

"The fact is Jenson has got the advantage in terms of knowing the team, he has the experience and he is a World Champion.

"Jenson will be very generous with his time and his share his opinions, but when he pulls out of the garage, Jenson will want to beat Sergio and Sergio will want to beat Jenson.

"That is the mentality in our team. They will have equal treatment. I think that competition in the team is good."

As for his new signing, Whitmarsh concedes that only time will tell if in Perez McLaren will have another World Champion on the books.

"I am happy at this stage and I am excited as we are about to run the cars. He is very young, very talented and that is exciting.

"We have had the good fortune to bring young drivers through like Lewis Hamilton and Mika Hakkinen and turn them into World Champions.

"We don't know if that is going to happen, there is a lot of pressure on Sergio to deliver in this team, but he has impressed me so far."

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'Turkish government refused to pay'

Turkey won't return this season after the government refused to help cover the cost of hosting the grand prix.

With the calendar down to 19 races after New Jersey failed to deliver, there had been talk of Turkey taking the 20th slot on the calendar.

Earlier this week, though, Bernie Ecclestone announced that negotiations had broken down due to a lack of financial agreement.

Now the local Hurriyet Daily News had added to that revealing that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoga vetoed the deal.

The newspaper claims that "the project, set to cost Turkey around 20 million dollars in total, was supposed to receive 13 million dollars of state funding.

Erdoga however, did not give his approval, and the project fell apart."

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Stewart slates 'disorganised' stewarding

Sir Jackie Stewart has hit out at Formula One, saying there needs to be more consistency as highlighted by the "disorganised function" at the title decider.

Days after Sebastian Vettel was crowned the 2012 World Champion, questions were raised about whether or not he had overtaken another car under yellow flags in Brazil.

The Red Bull racer's move was eventually deemed legal but only after days of headlines that cast a shadow over the sport.

"Was the judgement of yellow and green flags right or wrong in Brazil and why would that have to come up on a Wednesday or Thursday?" Stewart told City A.M.

"That is a huge statement of a disorganised function that it should come up then.

"The whole world is celebrating a new World Champion and then that happens on a Wednesday. That is a poor declaration of management."

Stewart believes one of the problems is Formula One's stewards' policy and - not for the first time - has called for the sport to have at least one permanent steward.

"How can you possibly have four different stewards at every grand prix? Why have you not got one professional?"

The triple World Champion says the solution is for "one man who goes to every race who is going to make consistent judgements and has got authority."

That, though, was not his only gripe as Stewart called for FIA President Jean Todt, who has been in the job since taking over from Max Mosley in 2009, to take a more hands on role.

"I am surprised how silent Todt has been. I expected him to have more presence. I don't know whether he's biding his time. I don't think he is by any means not smart so there must be a reason."

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Ferrari start work on new base

Ferrari have revealed they have started work on new facilities at their Maranello headquarters that will be home to their Formula One team.

The new building is located in a car park and is situated between the renowned Cavallino restaurant and the current race team headquarters, which dates back to the days of late founder Enzo Ferrari.

"The first excavations have indeed begun of the foundations of the building that will house the offices of the management, engineers and administrative staff along with the working areas of the team," the team said on Ferrari.com.

The Italian squad also confirmed that they will launch their 2013 challenger in early February, with the exact date for the launch yet to be confirmed.

The presentation will take place at Maranello and will take place before the first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain from February 5-8.