FIA Thursday  Drivers Press Conference - Hungarian GP 

Drivers: Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Q: Robert, you organised a karting event last weekend. Can you tell us about it and how it relates to Formula One?
Robert Kubica: To say I organised it, is a bit too much. We did have some idea with Timo (Glock) to go karting for a very long time but it never worked out for one year. Then finally we fixed a date. We knew that maybe Michael (Schumacher) was coming, so we asked some drivers and they joined us, so we had good fun, a good days of driving. Also a bit of competition because once you have drivers, even if it is not an F1 track, but karting there is always competition. There is always someone who wants to be the fastest but overall I think it was good fun. There were drivers which drove for the first time in karts, so they really saw it is a hard job and it was good fun.

Q: So who was there and who was fastest?
RK: Michael was the fastest. (Vitantonio) Liuzzi was also very good.

Q: And you?
RK: I was not bad. It depends what you were testing. We were just testing with the chassis as we are preparing for a World Championship which will take place in September. I have also my driver down there and he was the fastest apart from F1 drivers. We tried testing, just preparing materials and chassis for the world championship.

Q: Let’s come to this race.
RK: Back to reality.

Q: You were there two days racing.
RK: Yes, two days.

Q: You made your debut here a couple of years ago and you were in the points until you were disqualified. This is going to be your 50th grand prix. What are your feelings about this circuit?
RK: Well, I mean as you mention, I made my debut here, so it is kind of a circuit which I will remember for very long. Always fantastic atmosphere due to Polish fans which are always coming here with good atmosphere, good cheering. Unfortunately, I have never scored good results here. I did last year and the year before a points’ finish but never 100 per cent what we could do. For this year I think we have the smallest chance to make a good result from the Hungarian Grand Prix, so I hope to make a good race.

Q: Your best is fourth in qualifying and fifth in the race. It is a circuit which a lot of people really enjoy though, isn’t it?
RK: Yeah, I think this is the kind of track which you either like or you don’t like it at all. I am a driver who likes it. It is a bit different. It is true that it is a bit too small maybe for an F1 car but it is very challenging physically and also for the cars. You have to find the best balance that is possible. It is always very demanding on the tyres, so there are many things which you have to take care of.

Q: Jaime, welcome to Formula One. How do you want your name pronounced, throughout the world?
Jaime Alguersauri: I know it’s a little bit tough. My name is ‘Heimi Al-gay-shuari’. 

Q: What are your feelings about coming into Formula One at this stage, half way through the season? How much Formula One mileage have you done already?
JA: To be honest, I have done just two aero tests. For sure I am really happy to be here, to learn the car and learn a new situation but at the end it is just another car for me, another car in my racing career, in my life. I am very happy to drive and I am looking forward to it.

Q: It might be suspected that because you haven’t done GP2 you don’t know the circuits. What is the situation?
JA: I know this track. I raced here before. I am quite lucky for that. I know more or less all of the tracks in Europe but obviously the overseas ones I don’t know them really, like Japan, Singapore and Brazil, so for sure it is a good year to learn the tracks in Formula One as well.

Q: What has been the reaction in Spain?
JA: I think very good. They wanted another Spanish driver, so they have it now.

Q: Kimi, let’s go forward to next weekend and Rally Finland. What are your thoughts about that?
Kimi Raikkonen: I think it will be a completely different thing. I have done a few rallies but it is like club races compared to the Finland Rally. I will just go there and have fun and hopefully we are going to make it to the end and that would be nice.

Q: There are quite a few modifications to the car this weekend. What are you expecting from them?
KR: Yeah, I mean my car has some new stuff. A new front wing from what we had in the last race but unfortunately we only had one part. We have some new floor parts and a rear wing. Hopefully it will help us. This circuit is more like Monaco and the car seemed to be working pretty well there, so hopefully we can have a bit better weekend than the last one.

Q: You have been on the podium here for the last two years. And you’ve won and you’ve been on pole position, so your thoughts about the circuit as a whole?
KR: It is quite a nice circuit. For driving it is quite a good challenge. It is not easy to get the car right here but for the racing it can easily get a bit boring. It is a bit more like Monaco though here it is slightly easier to overtake but you need to be quite a bit faster than the guy in front of you to get past him. We will see how it goes but it is a nice place to come.

Q: What about the advantage of KERS coming out of the final corner going down into the first corner? Is it the main place for overtaking?
KR: Yeah, if you get a good run out of the last corner, then definitely the KERS will help you. On the start it will help you as it is quite a long straight before the first corner. Sure we will find out some advantage with the KERS and anyhow with that we always seem to be faster, so for us it is only a good thing.

Q: Mark, obviously the last race was a fantastic victory for you. What has happened since then? What are your feelings now coming into this? Has it been a great weight off your shoulders?
Mark Webber: It has been busy since the German Grand Prix. In Australia, there has been a lot of press down there. I actually had a pretty busy week planned anyway without the victory. It has been busy, no question about it. It is a bit of a weight off my shoulders of course, it is always nice to get off the mark. It would have been nicer to do it before but did not really have the chance. Germany was a great opportunity for me to do it off the pole position and it worked out very well for me and it was a big day for me and the team getting a one-two, capitalizing on our performance. That is also what we are focussing on, so it was great.

Q: And since then a great piece of news today that you have signed for next year?
MW: Yes, looking forward to staying with the guys again next year. We have had a good relationship ever since we started together and we have been through some pretty tough times in terms of development. But obviously at the moment we got hold of the new regulations pretty well. The car has been quick at all venues. We know there are going to be some teams coming towards the end of the championship. I think also starting this weekend with Renault, Ferrari and McLaren. Those guys are coming but I am very, very happy to stay at Red Bull in the future. I think we can have a good 18 odd months together and we will see what happens at the end of next year.

Q: What are your feelings about his circuit? You have a best in qualifying of third and a best finish of sixth in 2003.
MW: Well, as Kimi has already mentioned, it is pretty similar to Monaco. It is not exactly Spa or Suzuka or Silverstone but it is another track on the calendar that we have to cope with. It is not too bad. The rhythm in the second sector is sometimes quite rewarding, trying to get it alright at the top there. It is a different track, no question about it, to a lot of the other ones. It is very different to others we race on, very tight and twisty. It has always been the same. I don’t mind driving here actually, it is a pretty good little track and one that you have got to get your head around. There is no point whinging about it, everyone has got the same piece of tarmac and we have got to do the best job we can. 

Q: Looking at the last couple of races, how much do you believe Red Bull Racing made a step forward and how much do you believe that it was a bit of a drop off in the performance of Brawn? What is the relationship between those two?
MW: Well, Jenson (Button) for sure had a very strong race in Turkey. That was the last time we raced in slightly warmed conditions. Silverstone and the Nurburgring were a bit cooler and we capitalized with the two one-twos. We know we have added some performance to the car. We don’t know what Brawn have done to their car but we know we are going faster. If they do start closing this weekend they will do that. We are doing our best and they are doing their best. We don’t really think that people are going slower. We think our performance the last couple of races was because we have been going faster.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Jaime, it has been suggested already that because you lack experience and because you are so young and that you do not have the mileage underneath your belt and because there are there are other drivers out there that are perhaps more deserving of a drive in F1 that you shouldn’t really be in the sport at such a young age. What would you say to those people that are suggesting that?
JA: I know I am not really experienced. I know I need some mileage in the car and that is what we are here for. I think as I said before that this is a new car for me, a new championship for me. I need to learn and I need to have experience. The first weekend around here we know it is not an easy track to do the first race but obviously this is the situation right now and we have to do our best job and drive the car. The most important thing to learn the tracks as much as we can this year and to get the best possible experience from that.

Q: (Ed Gorman - The Times) Mark, can you just detail what the technical position of the car is this weekend? Are there any changes specifically for this race?
MW: Very small, very small. Not big changes at all. A few very tiny mechanical and aerodynamic changes but not like the big changes we have seen in the past, so quite small.

Q: (Peter Windsor - Speed TV) Mark, I noticed when you mentioned the teams that you thought were going to come up in the second half of the year you didn’t mention BMW. I just wondered if you think that Robert’s out of it now?
MW: Ah, well. We know Robert’s a great driver. He was in with a chance in the championship last year. It goes to show how fickle these cars are obviously, but he’ll be back again when he gets a quick car. I think the situation we saw in Nurburgring was that Lewis was not too far away. There was only one McLaren with that type of package (the latest) and also Fernando was pretty strong as well, so there are signs that there are teams coming back and Ferrari have always been pretty close. This type of track is probably a little bit more suited maybe, so we will see how the whole back of the championship goes but I think at this venue in particular, you guys are in for a bit more of a tighter race between all teams. 

Q: (Marco Degl’Innocenti - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, what’s your target from now until the end of the season, what’s your target for Ferrari? 
KR: I think the team target is to try to finish in third place in the championship. I think that’s what we’re aiming for. For myself, I will try to win as many points as I can, as many good results as we can and that’s all we can try to do. 

Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Mark, apart from all the interest in Australia about the win, has there been any interest from the corporate side, the corporate Australia in actually getting behind you and putting some money behind you? When you came into this sport you had several Australian backers and you haven’t got any now and I don’t think there are any in Formula One anymore. 
MW: Hey, look, it’s quite difficult for them to compete against the European markets over here. I think with the Australian dollar (being as it is) it’s not that easy to be honest, and also, I’m part of the Red Bull family, very much so and fully immersed with them. I don’t want to have Fred’s Lawn Mower Service on my sleeve for the sake of disrupting the Red Bull brand, so Red Bull is very important to us. 

Q: (Sven Pistor - ARD Radio) Mark, how do you describe your relationship right now to Sebastian Vettel in your team?
MW: Amazing. It’s so good, it’s brilliant! We’re like brothers! It’s fine. It’s the same as every other team-mate I’ve had. We have professional relationships. It’s obviously the most asked question of me from all the German press but at the end of the day we turn up, we drive the cars, we go home. We’re not ringing each other between races to see what we’re up to. He’s here to do a job and so am I. 

Q: (Sarah Holt - BBC) A question for you, Jaime. Speaking of relationships with your team mates, I wanted to ask you how Sebastien has been helping you? The two rookies are in the same team; I guess he hasn’t got much experience either. Has he been able to help you at all?
JA: To be honest I think everyone is working on his own, because he also has a lot of work to do and he’s also learning, as you said, he’s in his first year. I’ve not really talked with him so much but we will do these days, for sure, and at the end, for sure he needs to learn, I need to learn and everyone needs to gain experience. 

Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Jaime, what’s your state of mind right now? Are you very stressed? Are you confident? What do you think can happen at this race and the next ones? 
JA: I’m relaxed, I know what I can do, I know what people expect from me and the most important thing is that I know what I have to do. As I said before, it’s another car, another race in my racing career, and in the end it’s just one steering wheel and two pedals like everything. That’s the target: to learn and to drive. 

Q: (Carlos Miquel - Diario AS) Jaime, this morning you were visited by Fernando Alonso. What did Fernando say to you and how is your relationship with him? 
JA: We had a talk this morning. He obviously congratulated me for getting the seat. He’s very happy and he told me to have fun, enjoy the moment and that’s what I would say to another driver if it was the same situation. 

Q: (Ed Gorman - The Times) Another one for Mark: can you just give us a bit more of a sense of how you see the balance of power with Brawn, in particular the technical advances that your car’s made as against the better climatic conditions here for the Brawns? Do you feel that you guys can be up with them, even in conditions which perhaps suit their car better? 
MW: Absolutely. We need to race them this weekend. We’ve closed in the constructors’ championship, not just in the last two races but races before that and they were also hot, although Jenson won, but collectively as a team, we’ve done well. That’s why we’re second in the championship and we’re not a million miles away from the Constructors, so we’re happy to go to every venue, any conditions, and race against Brawn, of course we are. The track temperatures and all those kind of things - we haven’t yet had this package at a very, very hot venue. We don’t have the luxury these days of testing in Jerez and getting a feel for different things, so the only time we get to do it is when we go racing. So actually it’s pretty hard to know how the balance of power will be come Sunday. But there’s no question about it, we expect to be competitive. Whether we have the advantage that we’ve had in the past remains to be seen. That’s the way we went into Nurburgring. We thought - and they thought - that they would be closer to us in Nurburgring, and maybe some other people did as well, but actually it turned out that Nurburgring was better than Silverstone. We’d have more of an answer if we tested but we don’t, so we’re doing our testing on Sundays now and there’s just a bit more at stake. 

Q: (Mark Webber) I’ve got a question for Kimi. I want to know who’s doing Kimi’s pace notes? Is he brave man or not? 
KR: Yeah. He used to do it before for Tommi Mäkinen, so he should be OK. He’s survived until now, so he should be OK. 
MW: Honestly, I think it’s a real credit to Kimi that he’s having a crack at it. It’s a really brave thing to do, so I wish Kimi all the best for tackling one of the hardest rallies in the world. We should take our hats off to him, so good luck with it. 
KR: Cheers. 

Q: (Istvan Simon - Autopiac) Robert, last year when you came here you were one of the favourites for the World title and lots of Polish flags were in the grandstands. This year it’s a completely different situation. How has it changed your mind, your preparation for this race? 
RK: It hasn’t had any effect on my preparation for this race. As usual, I’m preparing as always, trying to prepare physically as far as possible as well as technically with the set-up and of course with the work we have to do for all races. Every time it’s a new race it’s a different story, so we are trying to extract the maximum from our car and trying to do our best. Of course we know that this year our best is much more limited than it was last year but anyway we will try to do as well as we can. 

Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Mark, can I ask you, as one of the oldest race winners - without being too ageist about it - how would you have coped, coming in to Formula One as a 19-year old? 
MW: Probably wouldn’t have been ready, to be honest, but these days they seem to be ready a lot earlier. I’ve never been a big fan of Formula One being a learning school but it seems like it is these days. I don’t think Formula One is a learning school. When you arrive in Formula One you should be ready. It’s not a place to learn. Anyway, some guys are doing that but it’s harder without testing these days. I think we’re going to see a bit more of it, maybe, in the future where guys are learning. It’s not the same case as when we had a guy here a few years ago lapping eight seconds off the pace which was totally ridiculous. Jaime won’t be like that, he will be quick enough, obviously, and he’s going to learn but they’re coming younger every time now but that’s the way it is. After Formula Ford they want to be in Formula One. It was only Kimi, a long time ago, and after that we had quite a big gap. It’s quite cheap if you can do it that way, go from Formula Ford to Formula One, it’s a cheap option but it’s not that easy when you arrive.

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Formula One teams and the sport’s governing body were unable to end their increasingly bitter dispute on Friday after Ferrari applied to a French court for an injunction against proposed FIA rule changes.

Ferrari are one of four teams who have threatened to withdraw at the end of this season unless fundamental revisions are made to the new regulations.

The Italian team, as well as Toyota, Red Bull and Renault, claim that an optional 40 million pounds (44.8 million euros) cap to be imposed for next year could create advantages for those that agree to the new budget.

FIA president Max Mosley and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone attended a meeting with team bosses at a Heathrow Airport hotel in London to discuss the crisis.

But at the end of the showdown talks no solution was agreed, with teams leaving to discuss alternatives.

“During the meeting it became apparent that Ferrari have made an application to the French courts to apply for an injunction to stop us doing what we want to do,” Mosley said.

“It was a friendly meeting but the teams have gone off to see if they can come up with something better than the cost cap.

“But what we have said to them is that it’s really not possible, if you are going to dramatically reduce the costs, to do anything better than a cost cut.

“We think that when they think about it when they consider it properly they will come back and agree.

“I’d be very surprised in the end if they do leave.”

Ecclestone claimed it had been agreed that all the teams should run under one set of regulations, ending fears of a two-tier championship.

“I think the most important thing that upset everybody is the two-tier technical system, and I think it’s been agreed that we shouldn’t have that, we should just have one set of regulations,” he told the BBC.

“I think everybody is more or less happy with the budget cap, it’s just a case of how much. I don’t know if that means it will be higher or lower, it’s a case of sorting that out.”

The teams who oppose the new regulations say that those who accepted the budget cap, thereby having access to various technical benefits which are currently banned under current specifications, would have an unfair advantage.

Speaking before the meeting, Renault boss Flavio Briatore was adamant that “the rules should be written by us” the teams rather than imposed from above by the FIA.

“They can’t be imposed by Max without him speaking to anyone. That’s an unacceptable way to work.”

Briatore stressed that the teams angered at the new rules were not seeking to form a breakaway championship but wanted to give their views regarding an alternative solution.

The deadline for teams submitting entries for next season is May 29 but Williams chief executive Adam Parr warned that “time is running out,” while adding that Williams stood by its support of the budget cap.

As some fret over the budget cap and its consequences the changes are to the liking of former Formula One outfit Lola, which indicated it is envisaging a return to the circuit.

The stable last raced in 1997 but said in a statement that it fully backed the FIA revamp and wanted a 2010 season slot.

“The budget cap is prudent, considering the backdrop of global economics. It also takes into account the need for new teams to be able to compete credibly against established entrants.”

Massa: “There will always be a Ferrari on the track” 
“I understand the motivation, why the Company got to this point. The idea of having a Championship with two velocities, with cars, which for example are allowed to have flexible wings or an engine without a rev limiter, is absurd. We’ve already seen this year that the rules’ uncertainty not only led to a lot of confusion for us involved, but mainly for the fans. Imagine what might happen with what has been set up for 2010.

For a driver racing a Ferrari in Formula 1 is a dream and I made mine come true. Since I was a child Ferrari has been the synonym for racing for me; that’s why I’m convinced that even if the Scuderia is forced to leave Formula 1, there will be other competitions, where it will be possible to admire the Reds on the track.”

Raikkonen: “I can’t imagine a Formula 1 without Ferrari” 
“It’s difficult to think of a Formula 1 without Ferrari. When I drove for McLaren the Scuderia from Maranello was the benchmark, the competitor you had to be compared with. Since I arrived here I understood that it is much more than just a team, it’s a legend, perpetuated via its road and racing cars.

I always had the passion for racing with everything with an engine and I always thought of Formula 1 as the pinnacle of motor sports, in terms of competition and technology. Obviously if there really were rules like the ones set by FIA, it would be difficult to imagine a Formula 1 we had until today.

I can’t imagine drivers racing each other on the track with cars built according to different rules; that wouldn’t be good for the sport itself or for the fans. If that should happen, it would be too bad and I understand that a Company like Ferrari is thinking about racing somewhere else.”

Dear friends,

I want to thank you personally for the numerous messages of support we received from all over the world over the last hours on our website and via email. It is important to know that we can count on the support of our fans all over the world and that our fans completely share the motivations, which brought us to take such a decision. If we were forced to leave the Championship we were part of over the last 60 years of our history and where we set all the records in terms of victories, it is because they want to change the nature of its founding values.

If it really was like that, then I have to say that our cars will race in other competitions, where – and I am absolutely convinced about that – they will find the enthusiasm and the passion of millions of fans, following us in every corner of the world. Racing is part of Ferrari’s DNA and this is something that will never change.

Luca di Montezemolo

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

Bahrain GP 2009 - Thursday Drivers Press Conference

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA

Drivers: Timo Glock (Toyota), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Nelson Piquet (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

Q: Different fortunes for many of you. For three of you not a very good start to the season. For one of you a slightly extraordinary start. Timo, let’s start with the good news. Three points scores, two of them from the pit lane. What are your feelings about the start to the season?
Timo Glock: Yeah, it was not a bad start, I would say. Like you say two times from the pit lane. I didn’t really expect the points but we had a strong race in Melbourne and Malaysia as well with the right tyre choice. We did everything right in the race and again in Shanghai in wet conditions we had quite a good pace and two times from the back of the field after the start behind the safety car and after I damaged the front wing I had to go in the pit. I think I was again behind the whole field and to come into the points again was good and we have to be satisfied with it.

Q: Kimi, you qualify in the top 10 but then it all seems to go away from you. A best of 10th so far. What are your feelings about it so far?
Kimi Raikkonen: I mean definitely not what we wanted or what I wanted either but we don’t have the speed right now in the car unfortunately. We are going to get some new parts at the next race but this race probably can be a bit difficult again. Hopefully the testing here helps a bit and it will be slightly better for us but I don’t know yet. We need to wait and see.

Q: Robert, a similarly disappointing start. Is it reliability or performance?
Robert Kubica: I think both of them. A bit of bad luck as well, I would say, in the first three races of the season. Not an ideal start of the year but that is how it is and we hope to get better soon. Bahrain will be difficult but for sure we hope for some points.

Q: Nelson, the same thing with you. You have qualified each time 17th but still hoping to get into the points.
Nelson Piquet: Yeah, for sure. I think this weekend should be a big weekend for both of us and the team because we have the new diffusers and obviously it is going to be a dry weekend, so we are not going to have any problems. We are really going to be able to show our new pace of the car. I think hopefully both cars can score points and we can start from zero here again.

Q: Are you worried about your future or do you think that is going to be the magic ingredient?
NP: I think it has been a crazy start to the year. Two races in the wet and in Australia, unfortunately, we were going to finish quite well and I had a little brake failure. Qualifying is not very good and I am struggling a little bit to get the performance out of the first lap. But I think obviously we had a tough car fighting between from 10th to 15th over there was very tight. Now with the new diffuser it should be much easier to be running closer to the top 10. It is a different story when you are running there, you get into less problems and this track should suit us quite well.

Q: And they always seem to give you a lot of fuel as well just to make things a little bit more difficult.
NP: Yeah, but that’s what happens when you don’t have a very good position at the beginning of the race. That’s always a risk you have to take to try to get lucky with the safety car or get lucky because of the weather or the cars around you are going to be lighter and overtake them when they go into the pits. But the important thing is to qualify closer to the front and then you can have a better strategy for the race.

Q: Robert, you qualified on pole here last year and finished third. And you have tested here as well. Does that make for anything?
RK: Well, as you mention we have a good memory from here. Although we finished third it couldn’t be better but we were right behind two Ferraris which were very strong here last year. Today’s situation is a bit different for both of the teams, for us and for Ferrari. We are not as strong as we were. This situation makes it more difficult for the coming weekend. We have been testing here. I only drove one day because on two days I stopped because of the sand storm. It can be quite an advantage, a small advantage, but I am not expecting miracles because we were strong here last year and we have been testing, we will be mega.

Q: What about KERS? You tried that in China. Are you going to try that again? Did you feel it was an advantage?
RK: Yeah, I will use KERS tomorrow. 

Q: And then see what happens for the rest of the weekend?
RK: Yeah, the plan is to run it through all the weekend.

Q: And how did you feel? You felt it was an advantage obviously?
RK: Well, if I felt it was an advantage in China I would have used it the whole weekend. As you know I removed it but the result in China on Saturday was not what I was expecting. It is quite difficult for myself to use it but I hope in Bahrain I will face less problems with the balance and weight distribution issues.

Q: Kimi, same thing. When are you likely to be using it again?
KR: I don’t use it tomorrow. The other car will run it and then we will make the decision which way we go. We either take it and use it if we don’t have any issues with it and we will put it also in my car but really we want to look a little bit and compare the two cars with and without and see a little difference. That’s our main thing tomorrow.

Q: You have never seemed to be a massive fan of KERS.
KR: It is probably faster in quite a few places but the car was not too bad the last race in qualifying. I think we could have been faster even there but we had an issue with it. It is not much different driving with or without it for us.

Q: The diffuser modifications. When would you expect to get that?
KR: Hopefully we will have the new parts for the next race in Barcelona.

Q: You have been second and third here in the past and you tested here as well, so are you feeling a little bit more confident about this?
KR: Like I said, hopefully the testing at the beginning of this year will help us this week. It has usually been okay for us. Of course we are not in the position we were the last few years right now but I still think we should have a better chance here than maybe at some previous races.

Q: Timo, Toyota tested here. Your feelings about here?
TG: Yeah, we have to wait and see. The test we did here was quite different to the conditions we have now. It is much warmer. This will be one point for tomorrow to see where the car is. We are still missing a little bit with the car we had in the winter tests. The winter tests were pretty consistent. Every time we went out in the car it didn’t really have any problems with the set-up and now over a race weekend when we start on a Friday on a green track it is a bit tricky with the car and we have to try and find a way to get it more consistent over the weekend and have a stronger start. A good qualifying is important to start more in the top 10, top five, to be able to fight for the podium.

Q: In terms of the development race are you happy with the pace of that and are you now looking to use KERS as well?
TG: No, so far at the moment we are not planning to use KERS but we have to be careful in terms of development. We have to be stronger now I think even than in the winter time to keep that advantage against the other teams. Everybody will come up with a new aero package in Barcelona and we have to fight for that position where we are at the moment. For me Red Bull made quite a big step in China. They were really quick and we have to fight that we can stay in that position where we are at the moment.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) You were just talking about the Red Bull performance in China. Were you surprised by it?
TG: For me they were quite strong already at the tests and at the end they developed from race to race. The race in Australia showed already the pace. Sebastian (Vettel) was in P2 in the race and in Malaysia as well they were quick, so for me it is not a big surprise but I think they made a little step or they were maybe just a little bit better sorted out. The temperatures in Shanghai were quite cold compared to the other races and maybe that is part of the difference but for me they looked strong in testing. 

Q: Kimi?
KR: Yeah, I mean they have been looking fast every race. Like Timo said they were a bit stronger in the last race. I don’t know if they got some new parts or not but they have definitely been strong all year.

Q: Robert?
RK: Same.

Q: Nelson?
NP: Hopefully they won’t be too quick when they get the new parts. Otherwise that is going to make our life a lot more difficult.

Q: (Lukasz Ceglinski - Gazeta Wyborscza) Robert, Renault, McLaren and even Force India have had some significant updates on their package. You will basically drive the same car as in Australia. Do you feel frustrated about that? 
RK: Not really. This is the reality, that we didn’t get any big upgrades until now and we will not get any here as well, just a few really small ones. Somehow we have seen this last year, I’m pretty sure, so it’s not really frustration, this is the situation. We are waiting for the Barcelona package which will probably be a big step forward, we hope so, but as you know, everybody else is working as well. Everybody is expecting to move forward in Barcelona with their new aero packages, everyone is working, so we have to see how we will be compared to them in Barcelona. 

Q: (Bill Johnson - The National) Principally to you, Kimi: are you surprised at those who are making the early running in this season’s drivers’ championship and if so do you welcome the so-called new kids on the block getting onto the podium that you used to regard as your own territory?
KR: It’s normal for them to be there. I don’t think that they are new in Formula One. It’s not a big surprise. Those teams were fast in the winter testing. We are missing speed right now. Hopefully we can turn it around pretty quickly, I expect at the next race. They are welcome. For sure we would rather be there but right now we are not in a position to fight for those positions, so we just need to make the best (performance) as we can here and then hopefully get back to where we should be in the next race. 

Q: (Dan Knutson - National Speed Sport News) For all of you: we’ve had four races in five weeks. In the past you would all be going testing next week. Are you looking forward to the time off or would you prefer to be going off and trying lots of news parts? 
KR: When you have a situation like the one we are in, it would probably be nice to try the new parts before the race but that’s how it is, we’re having some time off, so we go to the next race and sort it out there. 
TG: In the end, we have to wait for Barcelona as Kimi said, to test the new parts on Friday in free practice but it’s not an easy situation because when you get new parts for the race weekend and you have to try them while the track is evolving it’s quite tricky to sort that out but at the end we all have to deal with it, it’s all the same. The time off after the first four races is not too bad. I think everybody has travelled quite a lot. The mechanics have had a hard life as well and I think everybody is happy to have a couple of days off. 
RK: In our situation it would be good to have days of testing, although you have to have something new to test otherwise it doesn’t make sense. I think that it would be good, in our situation, to have a couple of days running at some track. 
NP: I’ve had four weekends of races and one weekend of roadshow, so I’ve had five busy weeks but obviously if I could test it would be good, the same for everybody, no testing, so one week’s rest a little bit. 

Q: Robert, Kimi, does it mean you will probably go to the factory and go through everything and maybe some simulation? 
RK: We go to the factory, of course, but I think the problem for everybody is known, so you don’t need additional input from the driver. We don’t have simulators, so there will be no simulation but of course we try to help the team as much as we can from the driver point of view but as I said, I think the problem is known by everybody and there is no need for additional meetings or things like that. 
KR: Similar story, all the people are working one hundred per cent, they know what they’re doing. It’s more the time that’s against us than anything else. I have some other work to do anyhow. I don’t know if I will go to the factory or not. If they need me, yes, but people know what they’re doing. We usually plan the meetings if we need something but we are here and we always discuss all those things, so it probably won’t be necessary to go there. 

Q: (Sarah Holt) Kimi, do you feel under extra pressure, personally or from within Ferrari, to score points for the team or for yourself this weekend? 
KR: For sure I want to score points but I don’t feel any pressure. We try to do our best every time and unfortunately we haven’t managed to score any points so far. We are all one team and we all don’t feel so good when we have bad races but that’s how it is right now unfortunately. We do the best that we can here and hopefully we get some points. 

Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Kimi, can you believe you are in this position after three races without a point compared to 18 months ago when you were World Champion? 
KR: Things change quickly in Formula One, we know that. There are new rules. Of course we had pretty good winter testing. We probably saw in the last test that we were not where we wanted to be, exactly, but it hasn’t been the start of the season that we were looking for as a team but we just need to work harder and improve the situation and get back to where we want to be. We know that we can do it but it takes a while. That’s unfortunately the situation where we are. 

Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Do you think you are far away from Red Bull and Brawn GP? 
TG: For me, it looks like it’s a bit track dependent. We were quite strong in Malaysia and in Shanghai we struggled a bit, so for me, behind Brawn and maybe the gap to Brawn is slightly bigger, slightly lower depending on the track, but for me they look quite strong in Q3 in China as well with a lot of fuel on board. After Brawn, I think it’s always track dependent who is quicker. 
KR: We are probably one second behind them, so I think it depends a bit from circuit to circuit but that’s more or less where we are and we know that, so we are aiming to catch them up and of course, when you’re once behind, it’s not easy because everybody is also going forward, so it’s hard to catch up completely but for sure we are going to get much closer next race. 
RK: I think the gap is similar to Ferrari as we have seen in the last three races, we’ve been close together, sometimes in front, sometimes behind them, so I think the gap is very similar as Kimi mentioned. 
NP: Hopefully with the new aero package that we have here we can fight them. Maybe this track is a bit different compared to China but I think we’re going to be much closer than we were but we should be with them. 

Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Can I ask Robert a similar question to the one that Kimi was asked regarding your position here because this time last year you had a reasonable chance of winning, you were on pole. You come here with three races gone and you’re yet to score points. Would you have believed that this time last year, that you would be four races into the championship and still looking for that? 
RK: Of course it’s difficult to predict what will happen in Formula One but we have seen today’s situation is completely different to last year. There are new teams which are very strong. There are big teams in the past which are now struggling. This is the reality. There is nothing to panic about. We have to keep working, keep improving and stay calm and everybody will be going in the same direction to get back on the track where we would like to be with our goals, with our targets, as a team, as a driver. The situation is not the best, it’s not ideal but we have to take it step by step, move forward and try to catch the front runners.

Source - F1’s Official Website

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The FIA International Court of Appeal (ICA) has rejected protests against the diffusers used by the Brawn, Toyota and Williams teams, after concluding that their ‘double decker’ designs comply with the 2009 regulations.

BMW Sauber, Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault had all questioned the legality of the diffusers, but following Tuesday’s hearing in Paris, the ICA decided that race stewards in Australia and Malaysia had made the right call in declaring them legal.

Full statement from the FIA: 
The FIA International Court of Appeal has decided to deny the appeals submitted against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the Stewards on 26 March at the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia and counting towards the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. 

Based on the arguments heard and evidence before it, the Court has concluded that the Stewards were correct to find that the cars in question comply with the applicable regulations.

Full reasons for this decision will be provided in due course.

Source - The Official Formula 1 Website

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The FIA has released the following statement:

“Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been invited to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday, 29 April, 2009, to answer charges that, in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, it

- on 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton in Car No. 1 to allow Trulli in Car no. 9 to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue; 

- procured its driver Hamilton the current World Champion, to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards; 

- although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise; 

- on 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement;

- on 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards’ hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing that what he was saying to the stewards was not true.”

In response, McLaren issued the following press release:
“McLaren acknowledges receipt of an invitation to appear at an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on April 29, received this afternoon. We undertake to co-operate fully with all WMSC processes, and welcome the opportunity to work with the FIA in the best interests of Formula 1. 

“This afternoon McLaren and its former sporting director, Dave Ryan, have formally parted company. As a result, he is no longer an employee of any of the constituent companies of the McLaren Group.”

Source - F1’s official website

Press Release

Stewards Decision - Australian GP 

02/04/2009 

PENALTY IMPOSED ON DRIVER NO 1 LEWIS HAMILTON AND COMPETITOR VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES

SUMMARY OF KEY CONSIDERATIONS

At the first hearing following the Australian Grand Prix the Stewards did not have the benefit of the radio exchanges between driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and his Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes nor did they have access to the comments to the Media given by Lewis Hamilton immediately after the end of the race.

From the video recordings available to the Stewards during the hearing it appeared that Jarno Trulli’s car left the track and car No 1 moved into third place. It then appeared that Trulli overtook Hamilton to regain third place, which at the time was prohibited as it was during the Safety Car period.

During the hearing, held approximately one hour after the end of the race, the Stewards and the Race Director questioned Lewis Hamilton and his Team Manager David Ryan specifically about whether there had been an instruction given to Hamilton to allow Trulli to overtake. Both the driver and the Team Manager stated that no such instruction had been given. The Race Director specifically asked Hamilton whether he had consciously allowed Trulli to overtake. Hamilton insisted that he had not done so. 

The new elements presented to the Stewards several days after the 2009 Australian Grand Prix which led to the reconvened Stewards Meeting clearly show that:

a.    Immediately after the race and before Lewis Hamilton attended the Stewards Meeting he gave an interview to the Media where he clearly stated that the Team had told him to let Trulli pass.

b.    Furthermore, the radio exchanges between the driver and the Team contain two explicit orders from the Team to let the Toyota pass.

The Stewards, having learned about the radio exchanges and the Media interview, felt strongly that they had been misled by the driver and his Team Manager which led to Jarno Trulli being unfairly penalised and Lewis Hamilton gaining third place.

Source & audio available at FIA

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