*MH*

hitzi - awwww bless u darling. are u still feeling unwell [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] [img]smilies/hug.gif[/img] i hope that you feel better soon [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

you're welcome bel. I haven't started a thread in ages [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] so it was nice to do one again [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img]

linds - remember on JB OT i mentioned Kimi in f1racing magazine advertising a watch? well that is the advert [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] a double page spread of that [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] or was ours slightly different... well kimi was on one page and i think the watch was on the other [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] i was like [img]smilies/jaw_drop.gif[/img] when i saw it [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

so now we have two drivers advertising watches on this page [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

*MH*

double post... sorry

[ 03-17-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

*MH*

FIA PROPOSE QUALIFYING CHANGES
Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 March , 2004, 13:11

The FIA have proposed minor alterations to F1’s qualifying format.

The sport’s governing body said the sport’s commercial rights holder would like to see the second of the new back-to-back qualifying sessions start at 2pm.

At it stands, the entire qualifying procedure begins at that time, with the second, crucial session beginning within two minutes of the first one.

The change has been requested “in order to facilitate television scheduling”.

By nailing the second session down to a 2pm start, it would make it easier for TV companies to join the action midway through the qualifying procedure.

The proposition has been circulated to the teams and, if agreed to unanimously, will be subject to a fax vote of the Formula One Commission.

Should the change be given the green light, it would come into force at the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of April.

The sport’s new qualifying format has been widely panned since it was introduced at Melbourne a fortnight ago, not least because it dragged on for 1hour 52mins.

It is possible that more major changes will yet be made but the FIA is committed to retaining the existing format for at least the next two races.

MCLAREN OPTIMISTIC OF IMPROVEMENT
Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 March , 2004, 16:52

McLaren are confident they will improve on their disastrous Melbourne performance in Malaysia.

Managing director Martin Whitmarsh said the team had learnt some important lessons in testing at Valencia last week.

He is hopeful that this weekend’s race at Sepang will yield a higher standard of performance and more points than the Australian GP a fortnight ago.

He said: "Our overall performance at the Australian Grand Prix was not at the level we are aiming for this season. However the Formula 1 world championship is about 18 events, not just one and the West McLaren Mercedes team is fully focused on taking the significant performance step that is required to achieve the desired outcome.

“We had various development programmes taking place between Australia and Malaysia, including the four day test at Valencia, Spain with Pedro at the wheel of the MP4-19.

“We worked on a number of programmes, completing more than 1,000kms and have received some useful feedback, which we will incorporate and consequently hope to improve our competitiveness for Malaysia."

Kimi Raikkonen is heading to a track where he took his maiden and so far only grand prix win last year.

But the Finn admitted that his immediate targets this weekend would be more modest.

He said: "The Malaysian Grand Prix is of course an event that has good memories for me, as I took my debut Formula 1 victory at last year's race.

“Although I would like to repeat that result, the main focus for this weekend is to work on improving our performance from Australia and hopefully to score some points to kick-start our 2004 season.”

Team-mate David Couthard, eighth in Melbourne, added: "The Australian Grand Prix was not an ideal start to the season for myself, Kimi and the West McLaren Mercedes team.

“Everyone has been working hard on the test track and our facilities in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart and hopefully we will be able to improve in Sepang.”

HEIDFELD EYES SEPANG TREBLE
Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 March , 2004, 12:40

Nick Heidfeld is hoping to make it a hat-trick of points finishes at Sepang this weekend.

Heidfeld was eighth in the Malaysian Grand Prix last season and fifth the year before.

The German, who retired from the Australian GP with a clutch failure, said: "I am looking forward to this race very much.

“I scored points here the last two seasons and of course I would like to do it again.

“I hope that we have more success than in Melbourne and I am optimistic because there are some differences with the tyres and the car for this weekend and hopefully we will get something out of analysing our last race."

Team-mate Giorgio Pantano is visiting Sepang for the first time. It is the second race running that he will be forced to learn a circuit from scratch – and this time he also has Malaysia’s oppressive humidity to contend with too.

He said: "I think the track looks beautiful and hopefully will be easier to learn than Albert Park.

“The heat and humidity is a little bit worrying but have I travelled to Kuala Lumpur early to train in these climate conditions.

“It's my second grand prix and I'm keen to see what we can do - I know the car and team better so I hope we can achieve an improved result. The last race was a good experience for me and for sure, there's a lot more to come."

Engineering boss James Robinson is backing both the team’s drivers to cope with the unique demands of the race.

He said: “This race will test the drivers and cars to the limit, with track temperatures of up to 54ºC and very high humidity levels.

“One of our strengths is our young and fit driver line-up as these conditions play heavily on driver fitness.”


DIXON TO TEST FOR WILLIAMS
Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 March , 2004, 16:33

Reigning IRL champion Scott Dixon is to test for Williams.

The New Zealander will get a chance to stake his claim for a 2005 race drive at Paul Ricard next week.

A source close to Williams told the BBC that the object of the test was to assess Dixon's potential as the team considers its options for 2005.

Dixon is only 23 years old but already has a terrific pedigree. He was Rookie of the Year in ChampCars in 2002 before winning the IRL title at his first attempt last season.

The Kiwi became only the third driver to win on his IRL debut at Homestead last year and set a new record midseason by leading an incredible 343 consecutive laps.

It is highly likely that Williams will be looking for two new race drivers for 2005 with Juan Pablo Montoya off to McLaren and negotiations with Ralf Schumacher stuttering.

Dixon drives for Ganassi, a team who have close ties with Williams. Both Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya drove for the US team before moving across the Atlantic to join the Grove outfit.

WILSON BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 16:28

Justin Wilson has agreed to drive a Lola in the Sebring 12 Hours race later this month.

The event, the first round in the American Le Mans series, will be the Brit’s first competitive outing since he lost his Jaguar drive at the end of last season.

Wilson will drive for the CITGO Racing Taurus Sports team. He will be partnered by fellow Brit Phil Andrews and Venezulan female driver Milka Duno.

Duno became the first woman to win a top-level motor race in two decades when she took victory in the Homestead Grand-Am race last month.

Wilson, who finished sixth in the Sebring race two years ago, said: "It will be great fun to get back into a sports car again.

"The opportunity came along quite late but I am looking forward to returning to Sebring for a second time.

"I know Milka just made history at Homestead and I'm looking forward to working with both her and Phil.

"I'm sure we can put on a competitive performance. I am treating this race as an opportunity to get race-sharp for the upcoming season in open-wheel cars, and I am looking forward to getting out there."


GAZZA EXPECTS SACK SPECULATION
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 16:27

Mike Gascoyne has said he half-expects to read in the papers that he will be sacked after Toyota’s dismal start to the season.

The newly-installed Toyota technical director has not forgotten there was speculation over his future after he failed to make an immediate impact at Benetton.

Gascoyne of course turned things around brilliantly at the Enstone-based team and they become solid frontrunners shortly after being renamed Renault.

The Brit knows that similar miracles will also be expected of him at Toyota. But he is also aware that there will be speculation over his future if he fails to turn his new team into winners.

He told ESPN: “People like to jump on the bandwagon, and I am sure that people will be writing that I will be sacked by midseason as they did when I was at Benetton.

“But look at the car I left them with - it goes pretty quickly.”

Gascoyne has insisted he is not troubled by the burden of expectation weighing on his shoulders at Toyota.

He said: “There is no pressure at all.

"I am very confident because what needs doing I've done and I know how to do. We can be a top class racing team.

“We will improve and grow together. But it can't happen overnight."

A lap of Sepang


McLaren Mercedes third driver Alex Wurz describes a typical lap of the Sepang F1 circuit which will host this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.

"Crossing the start line at the Sepang circuit, you reach a speed of 190mph / 303kph in seventh gear on the long pit straight before braking dramatically for the tight complex, which incorporates a downhill gradient. The right-hander is taken at 53mph / 85kph in second, with your speed dropping slightly for the left turn that follows immediately. As the track is fairly wide at this point of the track there are often good opportunities for overtaking under braking. Accelerating out, the track leads to the long right-hander of turn three that sweeps you round onto a short straight.

Pushing hard on the throttle, you reach some 180mph / 290kmh in sixth gear before braking sharply, dropping down to 64mph / 103kph in second for the tight right-hander of turn four. On the exit, you quickly flick up through the gears as you approach the flowing left of turn five, which is negotiated at 160mph / 225kph in fourth gear. The tighter right of turn six follows and requires a slight touch on the brakes, bringing your speed down to 109mph / 175kph still in fourth.

Another quick sprint along a short straight comes next, at speeds of 152mph / 244kph, on the approach to the two right-handers of turns seven and eight. Turn seven is taken at 120mph / 193kph, the slightly more open turn of eight sees your speed increase by 10kph. As you exit the corner, you continue to push hard on the throttle along the straight that leads to the very tight turn nine. Braking hard as you enter the complex at the back of the circuit, the left-hander, is negotiated in second gear at 50mph / 80kph. On the throttle as you exit, you build and maintain your speed through the long, right-hander of turn ten, reaching some 131mph / 210kph in fourth gear.

Turn eleven, a 90-degree right-hander is taken at 77mph / 124kph. Another short burst of power takes you to turn twelve. Keeping your speed through the corner, you then dab the brakes, dropping to 110mph / 176kph in third for the slower right hand of turn thirteen. Flicking down a gear, the sharp right of turn fourteen swings you round almost 180-degrees at some 71mph / 114kph onto the straight that runs parallel to the start-finish straight, separated by the massive grandstand. Powering along the straight and 181mph / 290kph in seventh, you then braking sharply to negotiate the hairpin of turn fifteen, at 66mph / 106kph in second, which flips you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap."

foreva_99

[img]smilies/drool.gif[/img] I am so loving that Kimi picture at the moment. Hope that the ad comes here to Australia. I am going to have to get me a copy [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

marie: yup, i remember that. but its more appropriate to post it here. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] i always see those DC tag heuer ads so its about time kimi has one too. i hope we'll get a HUGE ad on the highway just like with DC...

bel: even if its just for that ad, i'm gonna buy the magazine! come to think of it, i always buy the magazine. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

*MH*

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] hey all

my mum buys f1racing magazine for me [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] it's odd because before we subscribed I always had to buy it... and then we subscribed and she pays for it on direct debit and I haven't had to pay her anything yet [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

*MH*

JPM: NO MALAYSIAN MIRACLE
Last Updated: Thursday, 18 March , 2004, 10:39

Juan Pablo Montoya does not have high hopes of taking the challenge to Ferrari in Malaysia this weekend.

The Williams driver reckons the team will be stronger than in Melbourne but admits they team need a miracle to take victory.

He said: "I don't really expect a miracle. It's very hard to say we are going to have a miracle...or say it's a car that's going to win some races."

The Colombian finished the first race of the season in Australian in fifth place behind his team-mate and the Renault of Fernando Alonso.

But more worrying was that the two Ferraris were head and shoulders above the rest of the field a gap that Montoya believes will only be gradually reduced.

At this weekend’s Malaysian GP though Williams will have the advantage of using Michelin tyres, renowned for their superior performance over Bridgestone in hot and humid conditions.

Bridgestone believe they have produced a better tyre for such temperatures leaving Montoya uncertain of how Williams will fare this weekend.

He said: "We might surprise ourselves and have a car that is quick enough to win here.

"Or maybe we'll surprise ourselves by being 10th. It's very hard to judge.

"Melbourne showed we still need to do quite a lot of work.

“We're on the right track but it's a shame we're not quicker or as quick as we wanted to be. It might take some time to find more pace, but we should be stronger here."


Renault drivers stop off in Singapore
En route from the Maldives to Kuala Lumpur


The Renault F1 Team drivers stopped off in Singapore on the way to Kuala Lumpur for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

En route from the Maldives to Kuala Lumpur, the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team drivers yesterday stopped off in Singapore for the press and public launches of the new Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet, and also to compère a charity auction on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymthoma Foundation for children suffering from leukaemia.

Held at The Pines Club in Singapore, the event proved a resounding success, raising over $23,000 for the nominated cause, whose patron is Mrs Goh Chok Tong, wife of the Singapore prime minister.

"We were more than happy to make use of our profile to raise money for this cause," commented Fernando Alonso. "It is a fantastic privilege to be part of Formula 1, and an event like this really reminds us how lucky we are. I am pleased that this auction was able to make a meaningful contribution to the hospital."

The drivers arrived today in Kuala Lumpur, spending the afternoon at the circuit with their engineers in order to begin preparations for Friday’s opening practice sessions.

*MH*

Alonso saddened by Madrid bombings

Spaniard Fernando Alonso said Thursday that a victory in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix would be overshadowed by last week's train bombings in Madrid. Alonso learned of the tragic terrorist attack on the Spanish capital while spending time in the Maldives following the Australian Grand Prix.

The 22 year-old, from Oviedo in north Spain, said he was shocked and saddened by the events and said a second career victory at Sepang on Sunday would be blackened by the loss of the 201 killed in Madrid. "I will wear two things during the race -- the Spanish flag on my helmet and something on my arm," said Alonso, who is a major Real Madrid soccer fan. "I was in the Maldives and it was difficult to have any news because we didn't have any Internet, phones, etc, etc.

"But I spoke with home one day and they told me and I felt so shocked, sad because it had happened to normal people, like you, like me, workers, kids going to school. It was a sad and difficult moment. We are living at a difficult time around the world, everywhere, not only in Spain. And I want to express here my condolences to all the families. It's difficult for Spain and for the whole world."

Alonso became the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner last year when he won in Hungary and has helped Formula One gain popularity in Spain since joining Renault at the start of 2003. He recorded his maiden pole position in Malaysia last year, but knows victory will be difficult as he attempts to add to his third place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago. "It will be difficult," he added. "Victories are always very hard in Formula One, but it's one of the best moments of the year to have one first place."


Ralf ready to take team-mate Montoya out of Malaysia GP
Ralf Schumacher stoked up his rivalry with Williams team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya here Thursday as he admitted he was prepared to run the Colombian off the track in this weekend's Malaysia Grand Prix.

The two have been at odds since almost colliding at the start of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Montoya was attempting to return to the Albert Park track after running wide onto the grass, but the pair touched paint as Schumacher closed the door
on his team-mate.

The pair eventually finished a distant fourth and fifth -- Schumacher ahead of Montoya -- behind the dominant Ferraris, but the German said he will go further if a similar incident occurs at Sepang in Sunday's race. "The only thing I have to say is that it was a pretty strong move and next time I will have him off the track," Schumacher said.

"It was just a move that was based on me making space for him, which I did not, obviously because that early in the race I did not want to put our positions into danger on the basis of scoring as much as possible and getting the best out of the weekend. I just think that move was not the right thing to do."

Montoya will leave the Williams team at the end of the season and join McLaren after being angered by what he felt was preferential treatment Schumacher received when winning last year's French Grand Prix.

Schumacher, who is still in discussions over his future beyond the current season, insisted he has a good relationship with Montoya and claimed the latest disagreement between them comes from the fact both are born winners. "To be honest, we have a reasonable relationship as team-mates, that's not the thing," he added. "Sometimes we clearly do not agree on the circuit, which is normal because we both want to win. I am concentrating on the team's problem at the moment, which is trying to reduce the gap (with Ferrari).

"The only thing I would add is that if somebody brakes into a corner with the intention of either crashing into somebody or he gives you space then that is the wrong move, let's put it that way."


Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello
FIA Thursday press conference - Part 1
Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello were present at Thursday's first FIA press conference for the Malaysian GP.

Q: It’s interesting that you and Ferrari see Fernando and Renault as the greatest threat to your current supremacy after Melbourne. Is that the case? Why?
Rubens BARRICHELLO: It goes back a little bit. In testing, if you analyse it, you see that they have been doing very good times, maybe not as much on new tyres, but they have been very competitive throughout long runs, simulations, and things like that. So the race two weeks ago was just proof of that and I think they have the most competitive car behind us, and so it seems that because they have been competitive here last year, it’s only natural to think that they could be competitive again.

Q: You were on the podium here last year, and on pole position, it’s obviously a favourite for you?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, obviously it was a fantastic race for me last year and I hope to repeat a good weekend. Every race, every year is different and more and more difficult, but we’re happy with the car. It seems that we don’t have any reliability problems, it’s quite strong and we hope to finish the race and to score more points because it would be a good result, we think.




Q: You talk about this being a challenging circuit, what is it that makes it so challenging?
FA: You have all types of corners here in Sepang. You have very slow corners, high speed corners, downhill, uphill, long straights. So it’s difficult to set up the car for all parts of the circuit. For the driver, it makes it a very tough race, for the temperature, there are a lot of laps and it will be an interesting weekend, I think.

Q: Now you’ve been preparing in Maldives, what have you been doing there?
FA: Nothing! We relaxed a little bit, we did a lot of preparation for this race. You know the temperature there was quite similar to here so we brought the two trainers with us and we worked very hard, but at the same time we relaxed a little bit. We did different things: snorkelling, beach volley, the kind of things that you can’t do in Europe at the moment and it was quite fun.

Q: And there was poor old Rubens going round and round Valencia, working hard while everyone else was on holiday! Is that true? RB: Huh, huh. So I deserve to win, thank you! Q: It’s interesting, you were the only top race driver from the top four or five teams who was actually testing.
RB: I was probably the only one, if you think about it. There were several other teams, and although they had the test drivers there, of the ones who were racing, I was probably the only one. Tough business. I wish I could have been in the Maldives!

Q: But after this one, you’re going back to Brazil.
RB: Yeah, yeah. So they can go back and test - for me.

Q: But I think it’s an interesting point that you were the only race driver to go back and test and maybe some of the other teams were thinking ‘hey, why aren’t our guys going back to test?’
RB: I tell you, it wasn’t my choice. To be very honest with you, the first day I was useless. It was no good at all. Even though I had a good night’s sleep, I was no good. I felt like my helmet was up here (draws line just below his eyes) and things were acting like... I couldn’t react to everything. I was lucky it was raining, so I didn’t do many laps. The next day was OK, so I was able to test, but I actually told the team that I think Badoer was probably more useful than I was because to go back and forward was a bit too much. If you talk about Malaysia, it’s one flight of twelve hours, but from Australia was like two flights of 12 hours so I wasn’t in good shape on the first day of the test; the second, I was OK.

Q: I don’t know how warm it was there for you, but it’s obviously going to be very warm here. A lot of people say that it was an advantage for you in Melbourne, that it was cooler, but how much are you prepared and how much is your tyre company prepared for the kind of conditions we are going to see here? And how much of it is guesswork?
RB: At the end of the day, it’s a guess for the two companies, Michelin and Bridgestone. There’s nowhere in Europe you can get a track with that sort of temperature so Valencia, I guess, was the closest one. We had something like 25 degrees on the asphalt whereas here you can have more than 40. But the tyre that I tried to pick for here wasn’t the fastest one, just because it was fastest in Valencia didn’t meant it was faster here or good here, so you had to go for a feeling, you had to go for experience on the race track, just guessing, just really transporting every data that you had to Malaysia and see what comes. Even so, it’s very difficult for everyone because if it’s a bit hotter than in other years or a little cooler in other years, then you’ve made a bad choice. So it was a bit of guessing and a bit of safety on the two tyres that we’ve brought.

Q: Fernando, did you feel disadvantaged to Ferrari, for instance, because of the tyres during the race in Melbourne?
FA: Well, I felt the whole package was disadvantaged. I think it was impossible to follow the Ferraris in the first part of the race and I don’t know if it was because of the tyres or the car is better than ours, we will find out in the next Grands Prix.

Q: One thing that Rubens said after qualifying at Melbourne was that because the two qualifying sessions were so close to one another, he wasn’t at 100 per cent in the first session but he was in the second. What about your situation?
FA: Yeah, I was more or less the same. Now both qualifying sessions are very close, you can’t make any mistakes in the first one because you would probably miss the second one or you would have to take the T-car and you lose ten places, so there’s no reason to push too much in the first session. But anyway, you have to get a good position to start. But I think we will see some strange ‘Qualy Ones’ (first part of the qualifying session) this season.

Q: But Rubens, you are saying that the first qualifying session isn’t necessarily that important?
RB: Especially in Melbourne it was not important. I’ve learned over the last four or five years that if somebody doesn’t run for an hour, and there are no cars on the track, and you come back, the track is at least a second slower, the first time out. The second car has a bit better (track conditions), the third and so on. After five cars have run, the track gets to a minimum of the problem. So knowing I was the first car out, there was really no point, there was no point at all. I guess Malaysia is going to be a bit different, because the track is ready all the time, and with the heat... Sometimes being the first car it’s actually cooler, so you can actually get an advantage from that. But having said that, I just thought there was no point in pushing in the first qualifying session and it’s going to be that for the whole year, even because you’re sitting at the press conference, and you tell us ‘have you noticed that Juan Pablo was first in the first qualifying?’ You always haven’t noticed, because it has gone by to the second qualifying so quickly. So there’s no value for whoever finished first, second or third in the first qualifying.

Q: Would there be more value if it was on a Friday, do you think?
RB: I think so because then it’s a different day, you have time to get it in the press, you have everything. At least it gives you a chance to push. I won my first Grand Prix last year when on the Friday I spun, if you remember, so I was dead last on Friday, and then I came on Saturday and I was on pole. So at least you have different situations. If it was last year like this year, I would have ruined my chances of being on pole.

Q: What are your feelings, Fernando?
FA: Yeah, more or less the same. Probably Friday qualifying gives you a little bit of safe time, if you have any problems with the car, to repair the car and be ready on the Saturday. As I said before, if you have spun or damaged the car in the first qualifying, you have to take the T-car, you lose ten places. It’s difficult to push at the maximum in the first qualifying I think.

Q: Is it team policy that you don’t push hard, or is it just your own personal feelings?
FA: For me it’s personal feeling, but I’m sure that the team would not be happy if I damaged the car in ‘Qualy One’.
RB: Me too, but they could keep the same philosophy. But if you go out on Friday and you’re trying to go for a time and you damage (your car) and you have to take the T-car and lose ten positions, I think that’s something which would at least maybe make it more interesting for the public. But make it separate again.

Q: One other question, before I throw everything open: I believe there’s been a fire at Maranello over the last few days. Has it affected the racing team at all? What do you know about it?
RB: Nothing. Has there been a fire there? I left my car in Monaco, so it’s OK.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Marco Evangelisti - Corriere dello Sport): Fernando, sorry about this question, but how did you react when you learned what had happened in Madrid last week? And are you going to wear some sign of condolence, a black armband or something, during the race?
FA: Yeah, I will wear two things: the Spanish flag on the helmet and something on my arm. I was in the Maldives and it was difficult to have any news because we didn’t have any internet, phones, etc, etc. But I spoke with my home one day and they told me and I felt so shocked, sad because it had happened to normal people, like you, like me, workers, kids going to school. It was a sad and difficult moment. We are living at a difficult time around the world, everywhere, not only in Spain. And I want to express here my condolences to all the families. It’s difficult for Spain and for the whole world, I think.

Q: (Fredrik Huldt - Auto Motor & Sport): There’s been a lot of talk about tyre testing up until now. Most of it, I guess, has been running on dry tyres. There’s a possibility of rain, at least, on Sunday. Can you comment on that?
RB: We’re very much prepared. We’ve been doing some work on wet tyres too. If it rains, maybe it will be a bit cooler, so maybe nicer? But apart from that, there’s no comment really. We’re quite okay, prepared.
FA: We hope no rain, at least dry conditions for the Michelin runners would be a little bit better. But you never know. Wet races are always a little bit different, a little bit crazy, and maybe we can have an advantage with a wet race. In Sao Paulo last year we saw a wet race and the Michelin runners were not too bad in that race. If it rains, it’s the same for everybody.

Q: (Kevin Garside, The Daily Telegraph): Fernando, given the tragic events of last week, I’m sure it would be marvellous to dedicate a victory to all those who lost their lives, and it would be a great morale booster to the people of Spain. Do you think you are in a position to deliver something like that this weekend?
FA: It will be difficult. Victories are always very hard in Formula One, but it’s one of the best moments of the year to have one first place.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport):Fernando, do you feel that, of the Michelin runners, Renault has a bit of an advantage over Williams-BMW and (McLaren-Mercedes from what you’ve seen in Melbourne and from winter testing?
FA: Well, it’s a little bit too early to say after only one race but I’m sure that in Melbourne we were a little bit quicker than McLaren, they seemed to have a few more problems than us, especially reliability. I think Williams is very strong, I think they have very competitive cars. The race in Melbourne was a little bit difficult for them. I think they got a lot of traffic after the first corner and I think they will again be very strong here. I don’t think we have any advantage compared to them. They will be very hard to beat.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri): Many people commented on the very good start that you and Jarno had in Melbourne. Is it just a better system this year or you and Jarno have trained a lot on this and came out pretty well?
FA: The reaction was very good. No, obviously the team did a very good job this winter. We tested the starts a lot. We worked very close with the technocentre as well, with the normal cars at Renault, and I think the good starts also came from the natural traction that the cars have, probably more than the others. But, as before, it’s a little bit too early to say. We have had only one race and we hope to repeat it here as well.

Q: (Marco Evangelisti): You were talking about the technocentre at Renault; how do they get involved?
FA: They work very close to the team, in terms of traction control, in terms of engine, fuel saving, also in safety. They do a lot of crash tests for us, with the Formula One as well and they have been working very closely for the last two years.

Q: Does that happen at Ferrari as well, particularly with the Fiat Group?
RB: For us it’s probably a little bit easier because there’s just one company working on the whole package. It happens much more often that things that we experiment with on the racing car go to the road car. But it could happen with some ideas from other people as well.

Q: (Paolo Ianrieri): Looking forward to the next race in Bahrain, what sort of information do you have at this stage, a completely unknown circuit in terms of racing?
RB: At the press conference today, a guy said it was more humid and hotter than here, so I told him we were going to die inside the car. That’s the only information I have because before I had heard it was hotter but not humid at all. So that’s pretty much like Brazil. But I’ve only seen the racing track on paper. I’ve no idea which is Shanghai and which one is Bahrain. I’ll probably get there very early just to get a feel for it.
FA: Same thing. I know the track from the paper but I’ve heard that it’s very hot and dry, not humid, and now we will find out.

Q: Fernando, we know there is a good relationship between you and Jarno Trulli. What about the rumours saying that next year Ralf Schumacher could be your teammate?
FA: I know nothing. I know nothing. I don’t think so. I’m very happy to work with Jarno and I hope that next year we stay at Renault again.

Q: Did you speak with Jarno about what happened at the first turn, because Jarno was a little bit disappointed in Melbourne?
FA: No, no. We didn’t speak, but everything was OK. We spent all week playing football in the Maldives and nothing, nothing obviously to speak about. You, the press, you take a little more. We say one thing and you write more things than we said.

Q: Were you just playing football, or are you still playing tennis?
FA: Continuing. We play football - tennis this time.

Q: Who wins?
FA: The physios won. We are very disappointing. In doubles it’s Jarno and me against them and we lost - every day!


David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher
FIA Thursday press conference – Part 2

David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher were present at Thursday's first FIA press conference for the Malaysian GP.

Q: How did you see your own team’s car’s performance at the last Grand Prix, the opening Grand Prix of the year?
David COULTHARD: I think it was quite clear to all of us that it was not where we wanted to be and we just got on with the hard work of trying to develop the package rather than wasting too much time talking about it.
Ralf SCHUMACHER: Pretty similar actually. It was clear to see certainly we are not pretty happy with it. First of all being behind Ferrari so far away, then obviously behind Renault, that is what we didn’t expect, but I am sure we can turn it around. It will take a bit of time but I guess it will be a bit different here anyway. Melbourne was pretty cool for our circumstances at least for the tyres and everything, so it should be better here.

Q: Do you feel the same about that David?
DC: Yeah, I think if you just look back a year ago then the gap Ferrari had in Melbourne was significantly more than they had here. Obviously the two races were affected one by weather and one by Michael having an incident at turn one, but if that same trend follows then it will be much closer. I think the warmer conditions as well will help the tyre choice we have here.




Q: How much of a surprise was it to be back where you were in Melbourne? Was it a bit of a wake-up call for both teams?
DC: I don’t think that... certainly for me when I was looking at winter testing, we were always a little bit behind in our one-lap performance and at different times our race pace was reasonable. But then you are presuming the level of fuel you are running relative to the others, just based on how many laps they’ve done but they could finish a 20-lap run and still have significant levels of fuel on. So, it wasn’t a big surprise that were weren’t quick in Melbourne and I think inevitably, when you are on the front line you are more aware of that and I think it was more of a surprise to other people, other members of the team.

Q: Was it a surprise to Williams to be where they were?
RS: Definitely. I think winter testing went pretty well for us, we were pretty much at the top, so we expected to be at the top in Melbourne as well. Qualifying, at least for my team-mate, was decent, but then in the race it was clearly a different world. That is what we didn’t expect and we woke up pretty quick. We were really surprised, yes.

Q: So, both teams have got improvements in the pipeline, the normal development. Has that now been accelerated? What is the situation post-Melbourne?
DC: Well, we had a reasonable test last week in Valencia and we have some new parts to run on the car which were actually available before Melbourne but we didn’t have the right conditions in Imola at the last test prior to going to Melbourne to be confident they were actually a step forward. In that situation you leave them on the shelf until you can actually evaluate them properly, so I expect if we were able to re-run Melbourne now with those parts we would be a little bit quicker.
RS: Well, we tested as well. There are no significant changes here for us because we are a bit short of time. For Bahrain we expect something but for here it is basically the same package, only little changes.

Q: David, it has been said that you were ‘rev limited’ during the Melbourne weekend. Can you confirm or deny that?
DC: I could confirm that all Grand Prix cars are rev limited, so anyone who is in any doubt, obviously you have got that... I think inevitably in these sort of situations you can get misquoted by trying to give someone a direction and I was asked a question on whether we had been handicapped at all on engine performance to achieve reliability and I said they should speak to someone from Ilmor, meaning you will get an exact answer based on the facts. My read on it was it might have been perceived as me trying to say ‘oh, talk to Ilmor, I am not happy about something’ which wasn’t at all the case. If you used the rpm detector that is on the bottom of the tv screen - although I don’t know how accurate it is - I don’t believe you would see us as being significantly lower in rpm compared to our competitors and not significantly different from last year.

Q: Obviously, turning around an engine is somewhat different to a chassis - at least you can bolt bits onto a chassis whereas an engine is a bit more fundamental.
DC: Oh, its incredible the technical challenge of getting an engine to work over 18,000 rpm. It’s quite phenomenal to imagine how they can get them all to hang together and obviously technically it is much more tricky to get the engine to work. But I think our starting point this year is reasonable considering where we finished last year and the one-engine rule, which obviously means a lot more kilometres on one engine.

Q. Did you feel handicapped by the one-engine rule? You didn’t seem to enjoy it.
DC: Well, the problem Kimi had wasn’t actually an engine problem it was another problem that led to the failure, so I think we have got a much higher level of confidence in reliability which will see us run more laps during practice. Inevitably, when you are not sure 100 percent or you want to give a bit of a margin, then you restrict the mileage you do. I don’t see the benefit of that to Formula One as a whole - to the fans, to the drivers - in restricting the laps. I can see the cost benefit in one engine for the entire weekend but whether we will ever get back to the complete free running that we saw in the past when you had an engine for each day... ultimately it might not make any difference - maybe people don’t really mind what happens on a Friday.

Q: What were your feelings about the one-engine rule over the weekend?
RS: We weren’t limited in mileage, we did our programme, but in a way it is right. And anyway I cannot see the cost saving effect. Talking to our supplier there is no difference basically. And obviously for smaller teams it is going to be more difficult because we will see less driving, definitely.

Q: How about the lack of launch control? Did you enjoy that?
RS: Well, it could be an advantage because starting is not going to be as consistent as it used to be but it is something the driver takes care for and it is another mistake we could do and not blame it on the team so it makes our life more difficult.
DC: My start in Melbourne, from doing the analysis afterwards, was the third or fourth best start after the Renaults, who were obviously the best. So I was reasonably happy with that and if it was to continue as a trend and we can improve on that then if you can average your starts out like that all year then you would be reasonably happy. Obviously it is an important part of a race and as we move up the grid hopefully we will be able to make good use of it.

Q: Ralf, since the Australian Grand Prix your name has been connected with Renault and Toyota. Are these just rumours? What is going on?
RS: I have no intention to stop yet, or for the next ten years maybe. No, but, definitely, my clear...I just... I’m pretty clear about what we want to achieve with Williams this year. Obviously we are a bit far away from that at the moment but we saw last year that can always turn around, so I am pretty confident in that. And whatever will be the future, as soon as we know it, we will let you know, obviously.

Q: But is Renault true? Is Toyota true? Have you been talking to all these people?
RS: At the moment I am talking to BMW-Williams, that is the team where I am and where I would like to stay and we are still talking about it. That is all I can say.

Q: David, should you leave McLaren, would you consider one of the vacancies, should there be two, at Williams?
DC: Yeah Ralf, hurry up and make a decision, for God’s sake! Yeah, it is my intention to be on the grid next year and obviously that means finding the most competitive drive I can other than McLaren, because McLaren’s position is quite clear.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Stan Piecha - The Sun):Ralf, after Melbourne Juan Pablo was quoted as saying you nearly had him off the track. Do you have anything to say on that?
RS: Um, the only thing I have to say is that it was a pretty strong move and next time I WILL have him off the track.
DC: Phew, that’s brilliant! Oh, sorry, I was just meant to think that! I was thinking how mild the question was, because I was thinking you would have said something a bit more like ‘Juan Pablo said you were an idiot...’ you know, really wind him up, but you didn’t need to!

Q: (Stan Piecha) Do you feel that strongly about it?
RS: No, it was just a move that was based on me making space for him, which I did not, obviously because that early in the race I did not want to put our positions into danger on the basis of scoring as much as possible and getting the best out of the weekend. I just think that move was not the right thing to do at the time.

Q: (Stan Piecha): And have you had a word with him about it?
RS: I don’t need to say anything about it, other than what I said before.

Q: (James Allen - ITV): So, presumably what you are saying is you detect quite a significant difference in him and his approach to racing this year. How much of that do you put down to the fact that he knows he is leaving the team at the end of the year and that he knows he doesn’t have much to lose in his relationship with you or the team?
RS: To be honest, we have a reasonable relationship as team- mates, that’s not the thing. Sometimes we clearly do not agree on the circuit, which is normal because we both want to win. Otherwise I am concentrating on the team’s problem at the moment, which is trying to fill the gap, that on whatever my team-mate does, to be honest.

Q: (Byron Young - The Daily Mirror): What didn’t you like about his manoeuvre?
RS: I think I have said enough about it. The only thing I would add is that if someone brakes into a corner with the intention of either crashing into somebody or assuming that he will give space then that is the wrong move, let’s put it that way.

Q: (James Allen): David, what sort of timetable do you think you are working on in terms of turning this situation around? You have an enormous amount of experience now and you have been in this position before in the mid nineties. Based on your experience, what is your view of how long it will take to get the thing turned around?
DC: Well, even before we went to Melbourne the 19B was already in the pipeline so there was a number of changes already put in process and the ones that can be accelerated will be. Certainly, I don’t have an absolute date on what the outcome of the post-mortem from Melbourne will be, a lot of the analysis is still being done, but I would expect that before we get halfway through the European season we will see some significant changes.

Q: (Shing Huei Peh - The Straits Times): Can both of you comment on how the heat affects your driving here?
DC: Obviously you lose more fluid and it is medically proven that as you lose fluid you lose performance so you are just trying to make sure the training you have done beforehand is to acclimatise to that as much as possible and that the amount of fluid you take on board will reduce the performance loss.
RS: Yeah, very similar. I think that besides losing fluid it is not a big problem. It is really depending on how hard it is to drive. When I won here two years ago it was a nice easy Sunday afternoon drive but last year it was more difficult. It depends whether the car is easy or difficult to drive.

Q: Do you both have water bottles in the car? Do you have fluid available during the race?
RS: Yeah, if I want to, yes, maybe I will take some on board
DC: I haven’t had over the last several years because of not having run it in other races and the one time I did run it here it was a relatively straightforward race and I never used it until the in-lap. Obviously from a team point of view, in terms of packaging, they are not so keen to have it in there but I have requested it will be in for this weekend.


Schumacher talks down terrorist fears
In Bahrain
World champion Michael Schumacher talked down fears of terrorist action at next month's inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix as he prepared here Thursday for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.

Bahrain will hold the first Formula One race in the Middle East on April 4 and with current global conditions there are concerns the event could be targeted by terrorist groups.

But Schumacher said: "I expect Bahrain will be a very safe place because the safety measurements will be very high. They will do all they can to prevent anything from happening.

"If you look in history at how many times and how many places have been attacked then it can be at any time and in any place. Is it safe to be here? You do what you feel you have to do and what is right to do."

The sport's governing body, the FIA, set a precedent in 2001 when they went ahead with the Italian Grand Prix just days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. And without any direct threat to the Bahrain event the organisers are committed to making their new event one of the biggest and best on the 18-race Formula One calendar.

*MH*

awww i wonder what his singing voice is like... [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]











what has Jarno done?

foreva_99

Is there anything better than seeing rivalry in the same team?? I love it. Ralf is going to have something to prove this year since he knows that Monty will be leaving at the end of the season and he needs to prove that he can mix it with Monty and the big boys [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Awww Marie. You're mum sounds really nice is she is buying the magazine for you. I still have to buy my own [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

wow, the boys from renault looked like they're having a blast in sepang! [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img] i wonder how alonso's singing voice is too? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] and what happened to trulli's arm?

new pics since we're on a new page! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Mei Zhuo

[img]smilies/wave.gif[/img]

it's race weekend! [img]smilies/hotpinkie.gif[/img] i can't wait! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

[img]smilies/in_love.gif[/img]




GO KIMI!!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

L i N d $ @ y

double post!

foreva_99

Loving those new pics Linds.

They are worthy of two of these little guys [img]smilies/drool.gif[/img] [img]smilies/drool.gif[/img]