No predictions from Kubica and Heidfeld
Both BMW Sauber drivers had a trouble free first day on the new street circuit round the harbour area of Valencia, which received compliments from every direction. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld completed their evaluation of the harder and softer tyre compounds as planned, and both of them see room for improvement before the start of the European Grand Prix.
Kubica led the way for the team with the eighth fastest time in the afternoon session with a best lap of 1:40.149s but it was a bit of a struggle for Heidfeld. The German veteran was 18th best on a 1:41.084s.
Robert Kubica
"In the First Free Practice session we concentrated on learning the new circuit. The surface was still very dirty in the morning, so we had to wait until the track picked up some grip. In the Second Free Practice the conditions were better, although it was still quite slippery, and our main focus was on tyre evaluation and basic set-up work. Anyway, the track conditions were changing every thirty minutes. Because of this it is quite tricky to make a prediction for tomorrow. We now have to analyse the data."
Nick Heidfeld
"I really like the new Valencia street circuit as they have done a very good job on the lay-out. Of course at the start the track was extremely dirty, but obviously the conditions are the same for everybody. We had no technical problems and I was able to do the tyre comparison as planned. I'm not happy with the lap times yet, so now we shall look into the data and figure out how we can improve."
Willy Rampf, Technical Director
"Although this is a new track, there were no surprises for us as regards the car's set-up. The circuit is as we expected, and we were well prepared. As usual on Friday we concentrated on comparing the tyres and race preparation. We were able to complete the programme without any technical problems. Because we cannot use any previous information to refer to for this new track, we shall now analyse all the data. We shall pay special attention to comparing the sector times so we can make the right set-up changes for the rest of the weekend."
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
McLaren to opt for rotation next year.
Team McLaren-Mercedes employees will not be expected to attend every race next season.
McLaren-Mercedes team boss Ron Dennis has confirmed that the squad plans to rotate its team members travelling to events next season.
Although the schedule for 2009, which was released by the FIA back at the end of June, is only provisional, currently not only will there be the addition of a race in Abu Dhabi - taking the total number from 18 to 19 - but the three-week August break, which Formula 1 is in at the moment, has also been abolished.
Dennis believes this could lead to problems and that it will crucial to give staff time off so that they get at least some time to spend with their families.
"They don't get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshops," Dennis explained to CNN.
"It's a key ingredient of keeping people motivated and happy when you are addressing the calendar, which makes next year's one difficult for them.
"We will have to accommodate that by rotating people. They will not be expected to go right through the season."
The F1 calendar has expanded considerably in recent years and while 16 use to be the maximum not so long ago, it has continued to gradually increase and may well go up to 20 or even 21 in 2010, with India and Korea both poised to be added to the fold.
"I think the absence of the August break in the calendar next year is very tough," McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh added in a separate interview with Reuters at the start of July.
"It worries me how hard it is going to be on the teams, but I think that's a management challenge - how we're going to deal with that and make sure we don't burn people out during the course of the season."
"The August break was introduced as a means of genuinely giving everyone a rest in the middle of tough seasons," continued Honda team principal Ross Brawn. "Now we want to expand the number of races and not do that (have the break), so we end up having to look at reserve squads and back-up mechanics and groups of people who can take over so the other guys can get a rest.
"Without doing that, to have a whole race team that can't take a holiday from what would effectively be February until November is not easy. We've been through this before. I think it's a shame."
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Dennis wants to bow out with title
Lewis Hamilton (pictured left with Dennis) leads the drivers' standings by five points from Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari, while the Briton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen - also from Finland - is a long shot as he is 24 points off the pace with seven races remaining.
Dennis, 61, has not won the title with McLaren for nearly a decade.
"If I do step back, I would want to do that with a title," he told German publication Auto Motor und Sport.
Hamilton roared on to the Formula One scene last season, almost winning the drivers' title as a rookie.
The Mercedes-backed squad have improved as the present season has worn on, helping Hamilton to win two consecutive grands prix in Britain and Germany before suffering a puncture in Hungary last weekend.
Auto Motor und Sport claimed that Dennis has poured all of McLaren's energies into improving the current car rather than focusing upon development for next season's machine.
Dennis was at the centre of a spying controversy last year and at loggerheads with Italian outfit Ferrari, but stayed on as head of his Woking-based team.
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
Kubica Maintains Title Ambitions
Robert Kubica is refusing to throw in the towel on his Formula One world title dream.
Since Kubica's victory at the Canadian Grand Prix which saw him take over the lead at the top of the drivers' standings, the BMW Sauber star has struggled.
A fifth place in France was followed by the Pole sliding off into the gravel and out of a wet British Grand Prix before an off-the-pace display in Germany 11 days ago.
It means he trails leader Lewis Hamilton by 10 points, with his challenge seemingly fading fast after BMW Sauber failed to match McLaren in particular in terms of development.
But a defiant Kubica said: "While there is a mathematical chance to win you have to try to give your maximum because things can change quickly.
"After the first race in Australia, Hamilton had 10 points and I had zero, but then after seven races I was leading so you cannot give up."
Kubica, who made his debut in the Hungarian Grand Prix two years ago, believes he can still fight with McLaren and Ferrari.
"After the first four or five races of the season the gap was stable, and we are still more or less there," assessed Kubica.
"In Hockenheim, Hamilton and (Felipe) Massa were much quicker, but as for the rest, like Kimi (Raikkonen) and Heikki (Kovalainen), we had a very similar race.
"I've just been unlucky in the last two grands prix, especially at Hockenheim because until the safety car came out I was doing well, running in fourth.
"But then the safety car changed things completely, with some cars behind jumping to the front, so I'm hoping for better luck this weekend."
One of the problems for Kubica is that team-mate Nick Heidfeld has suddenly cut out his qualifying errors and is now posing more of a threat.
The German has closed the gap to Kubica to seven points, yet the 23 -year-old said: "I'm not surprised.
"It's not a help or hindrance he is scoring points. There is no difference. It doesn't haven't an influence on my driving.
"It's better for the team, but then all the teams are trying to put their drivers in the best position."
Kubica is likely to have the support of up to 40,000 Polish fans on Sunday, which he hopes will prove an asset.
"Hungary is kind of my home grand prix because it is the closest to Poland," added Kubica.
"In previous years I've had big support from them, so I'm looking forward to a good race, good atmosphere and good weather."
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
Testing a new damper on the VJM01s
The Force India team started its preparations for this weekend's British Grand Prix today at an unusually warm and sunny Silverstone Circuit.
Following a successful three-day test at the same track last week, the team completed further mileage with its major new aerodynamic and mechanical package, including a new inertia damper, front wing, sidepods and 'shark's fin' engine cover.
With dry conditions today but rain predicted over the weekend, work focused on gathering more information on this new package and comparing the tyres compounds available this weekend. Giancarlo Fisichella completed a total of 61 laps over the day, recording the 19th and 16th quickest times in the morning and afternoon sessions respectively. Adrian Sutil also had productive practice sessions, putting in 46 laps of the 5.141km Northamptonshire circuit as he too completed his scheduled programme.
Adrian Sutil
"Overall not such a bad day. We did some positive work this morning with the damper, it feels quite good and now we have to decide whether we use it or not for the race, but I feel pretty confident when we do run it. Aero wise there was an improvement carried over from the test, about two or three tenths, but overall I think I can improve everything a little bit more for tomorrow. I saw the potential today and on different laps I've had sectors that have looked quite good, now we just have to put it all together."
Giancarlo Fisichella
"It was a normal Friday for us. We have made a small step forward with the new package and over the longer runs there seems to be a more consistent balance and under braking the car feels more stable. We're getting there, but the other teams have also made some improvements and there is still some work to do. We will have to see what happens tomorrow with the predicted rain."
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer
"A very productive day, with no real problems on either car, really just working through tyre comparisons and set up options for the weekend. We ran the front inertial damper for the first time on both cars, and the performance seemed positive. Overall the package of improvements we've got here seem to be working well and we appear to be closer to the midfield group. We just have to see what the weather brings for the next two days."
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
Hamilton to go full tilt for the title
"They (Ferrari) are strong just everywhere but so are we," the 23-year-old Briton saidahead of his home grand prix at Silverstone next week.
"I really think the next 10 races, the second part of the season, is really when we put the hammer down and when we rise above the rest," he said after racing model cars with patients from the Great Ormond Street hospital for children at the headquarters of team sponsors Abbey.
Hamilton led the championship after winning the Monaco Grand Prix last month but has failed to score points in his last two outings.
The Briton, who lost the title battle to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by a single point last year, is now fourth overall in the standings led by Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa.
"I plan on winning as many races as possible for the rest of the season," said Hamilton.
"I want to get more wins, that's what we all work for. And I really do believe we can do that. You've just got to be in the right place at the right time.
"You've got to learn to take a step back and realise okay, you don't have to do anything, just drive the way you normally drive and you will be fine, you will get by," added the youngster.
"And you know with a bit of luck we will pull together as a team and win this championship.
"And I feel better prepared than ever before to win this championship, so even though it is very close it makes it more exciting for me and for the team and the world watching, but you know it is a great season."
Raikkonen won at Silverstone last season after Hamilton, who finished third, had taken pole position on his first Formula One race appearance in front of his home fans.
"Last year it was incredible how much support I had," said Hamilton.
"This year it's even more, so I am even more... nervous but excited at the same time - to see the atmosphere and see how much support I have. But I know it will give me a lot of good vibes."
Hamilton said he had not been affected by setbacks in Canada, where he drove into the back of Raikkonen's stationary Ferrari in the pit lane, and France where he was penalised 10 places on the starting grid and then handed a drive-through penalty in the race.
"It's just part of the learning curve. You have your ups and downs and in life, we expect to have ups and downs and if you don't then that's not reality," he said.
"This is motor sport, the pinnacle of motor sport, and for sure there are going to be some very tough times," added the McLaren driver.
"I am sure I haven't met my toughest time in my life as yet but all of this is preparing me for it but then there will be a lot of highs so I am looking forward to that as well."
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
Alonso encouraged by Renault practice form.
Double F1 world champion Fernando Alonso puts Renault back on top of the timesheets for the first time in a long time during practice for this weekend's French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.
Renault got off to a strong start in practice for its home grand prix this weekend at Magny-Cours, with former race-winner Fernando Alonso thrilling the partisan crows by setting the fastest time in the afternoon session - equating to second-quickest overall.
The Spaniard triumphed in the French Grand Prix en route to the first of his two, back-to-back F1 world championship crowns with the Régie three years ago, and with the Enstone-based concern undeniably now on an upward curve once more following 18 months spent in the doldrums, the 26-year-old fully intends to capitalise on it.
"We had a small engine problem at the end of the morning session," he related, "but my mechanics did a remarkable job to fix the car and we were able to continue our free practice programme this afternoon without any problems.
"We tried several new elements that we ran in the test last week, and everything went well and we completed our programme. Looking ahead to qualifying tomorrow, I think our level of performance is rather encouraging."
There were similarly positive vibes at the close of play from under-fire rookie team-mate Nelsinho Piquet, who paddock whispers suggest could have just two races left now to save his seat. The Brazilian lapped eleventh-fastest in the morning session before ending up ninth overall, just under eight tenths adrift of Alonso's time.
"The day has gone well," the 22-year-old confirmed afterwards. "We have been able to do a lot of running and as a result collected lots of data, which I hope will allow us to continue improving after we have been through it this evening.
"We still need to make some small changes to improve the behaviour of the car, but overall I am satisfied with this first day. It's certainly a good start to the weekend."
A more cautious viewpoint was taken, however, by Renault's executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, who sought to underline that it is rarely possible to gauge an accurate reading of drivers' and teams' respective levels of competitiveness from the opening day alone.
"We had an engine problem this morning," the Englishman acknowledged, "which was unfortunate, but at least it happened towards the end of the session and so didn't have too much of an impact on our programme.
"We spent most of the day evaluating various different approaches for the race, and while it's always good to see your car at the top of the timesheets, we know this is not always a true indication of our ultimate level of performance. Nonetheless, both cars completed their programmes today and we have some useful information, which is a good basis for the rest of the weekend."
"We had an engine problem this morning with Fernando," concurred the squad's head of engine track operations Denis Chevrier, "which is never a good thing, but it only happened in the final ten minutes of the session, so it did not have too much of an impact on our programme today.
"We completed most of what we wanted to, so we end the day with some interesting data. Our two drivers have made good progress and we have learned a lot of things, which leaves us in good shape to continue our progress tomorrow."
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
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