*MH*

ff just lost my post [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] gutted [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

I can't remember what DC or Fernando actually said about Jenson [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]
i think DC said something about how he would go and celebrate with jenson and how they were good mates.
Fernando smiled while looking sweaty and so damn sexy and said some comment about how it is a great experience to be on the podium and in the press conference etc, etc. Ofcourse Malaysia 03 was Fernando's first podium and it is amazing how far he has come since then. Fingers crossed that it will spark things off for Jense even more [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Fernando Wallpaper

*MH*

I'll post some of the pictures when we get on to the next page [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] don't want to slow things down too much for anyone with dial up.


SCHUEY WINS AS BUTTON BREAKS HIS DUCK
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 11:32

Michael Schumacher kept his cool in the Malaysian humidity to take his second win of the season.

But the big news for British race fans was the fact that Jenson Button finally ended his 68-race wait for a podium with a brilliant third position.

Schumacher was kept honest throughout the race by second-placed Juan Pablo Montoya, but the German delivered yet another consummate performance and never looked in serious trouble.

There was a serious sense of deja-vu when Schumacher and team-mate Rubens Barrichello made flawless starts. Not so Mark Webber who, from second on the grid, got bogged down and was swallowed up by the field.

As at Melbourne, the Ferraris made serene progress in the first couple of laps – but a brief shower soon shook things up.

Schumacher was able to cope but Barrichello, on the harder Bridgestone tyres, was all over the place and dropped to fourth behind Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen.

Although Michelins grip better than Bridgestones in damp conditions, the rain actually played into Schumacher’s hands by helping to lower the track temperature.

Schumacher had gambled on soft compound tyres and the risk paid off, in part because temperatures stubbornly remained a full 10°C lower than during Saturday’s qualifying.

However, this should not detract from Bridgestone’s achievement in producing a tyre capable of living with the Michelins in what were still hot conditions.

Schumacher pitted relatively early but it swiftly became evident that all the leading runners were on three-stop strategies.

Montoya briefly closed to within three seconds of the German after the first round of stops but had overcooked his tyres and Schumacher stretched his lead out again.

The Colombian was unbowed but every time he edged back into contention, Schumacher responded. And when Montoya fed out of his final stop behind the other Ferrari of Barrichello it was all over.

The Brazilian had to stop again, eventually finishing fourth, but it sealed Montoya's fate.

Back in the midfield, Webber fought back strongly from his terrible start until he was tagged by Ralf Schumacher, puncturing his right rear tyre. That ended the luckless Aussie’s hopes and he later spun off.

Raikkonen initially looked comfortable in third place, holding off first Barrichello then Jarno Trulli. But Button, who had been running fifth, got the jump on the lot of them when he delayed his second stop and emerged in third.

Things were to get worse for Raikkonen when his McLaren ground to a smoky halt on lap 40. Another Mercedes engine failure? Whatever, the Finn’s championship hopes now look all but over before the season has even begun in earnest.

David Coulthard at least salvaged some pride for McLaren with sixth but the gloomy atmosphere in their garage was in marked contrast to the riotous celebrations over at BAR.

Third place did not just represent the best result of the Briton’s career, it probably also goes down as the pinnacle of the team’s achievements thus far. Although Jacques Villeneuve scored two podiums for BAR, they both owed something to good fortune. This one was achieved on merit.

Among the teams BAR outpaced were Renault. Jarno Trulli had looked a good bet for the podium in the early stages while Fernando Alonso rocketed through the field, going from last place to eighth in a matter of laps.

But Pat Symonds’ tactical calls failed to pay off for once and the team eventually had to settle for fifth and seventh places, probably less than they were expecting at the outset of the weekend.

Eighth place looked like it was heading to BAR’s Takuma Sato, one of the few drivers to opt for a two-stop strategy but the Japanese driver suffered an engine failure just four laps from the finish.

Instead, Felipe Massa of Sauber claimed the final point. It was deserved reward for the Brazilian, who had raised eyebrows by outpacing team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella all weekend.

It is a toss-up whether the day belongs to Schumacher or Button but two things seem certain. One, this race was a vast improvement on the sterile procession of Melbourne and, two, both Schuey and Jense can expect more of the same in the rest of the season.


JPM TARGETS CONSISTENCY
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 11:27

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Williams need a consistent car to take the challenge to Ferrari.

The Williams driver had to settle for second place in the Malaysian GP after failing to catch race winner Michael Schumacher.

While closing the gap to the German to just a few seconds at one point, the Williams driver was unable to put Schumacher under any real pressure.

He said: “I had a good first few laps and I managed to get in front of Rubens. Then I had quite a smooth race. Towards the end I was trying to catch Michael because I felt my car was just getting better and better.

“Unfortunately, after my third and last stop I exited the pitlane behind Rubens. I tried to pass him but then I preferred to back off as I did not want to compromise a good second position.

“I realised at this point that the most important thing was taking home some valuable points for the team and for myself.”

Asked if he thought Williams could take the challenge to Ferrari, Montoya said: “It’s hard to say. It’s very early days, the car still needs quite a bit of work.

“We need to be at their level or above and to get above you need a car that is consistent enough to win everywhere and we are close in some places but we still nee to do quite a bit of work, but I think we did a good job here.

Team-mate Ralf Schumacher, a previous winner at Malaysia, had an eventful day after hitting Jaguar’s Mark Webber. His race came to an end on lap 28 after he suffered an engine failure.

He said: “I had a reasonable start but got trapped in traffic, so I lost several positions and dropped to 9th place.

“At the third lap I had contact with Webber and my front wing was damaged, causing massive understeer, especially in sector two which was obvious from my times.

“I was trying to overtake Mark but then I realised there was not enough room and I backed off, trying to avoid the collision, however Mark didn't give me enough space.

“Finally I had a technical failure, which caused an early end to my race.”

Chief operations engineer Sam Michael added: “The team did a good job today with excellent pit stops.

“We were happier with our race performance than we were in qualifying.

“However, we still have a lot of work to do on the chassis, engine and tyres. The whole package needs improving and we will be pushing hard to close the gap in the championship.

“Juan had a good start and drove a fighting but cool-blooded race. Ralf struggled after the start and then had the engine failure.”

LUCKLESS KIMI STAYS POSITIVE
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 11:30

Kimi Raikkonen was determined to look on the bright side despite suffering another retirement in Malaysia.

Raikkonen suffered a transmission failure while running fourth at Sepang. The retirement means he is already 20 points adrift of Michael Schumacher in the championship.

However, the Finn was philosophical about the blow and insisted he was heartened by the progress the team has made since the first race of the year in Melbourne.

He said: "It's never nice not to finish a race, not only for me but also for the team.

However, whilst we need to become even more competitive at least we have taken a step in the right direction, and I know everybody will continue their efforts to improve even further.

“We were close to getting on the podium today, but in my second pitstop we struggled to get the fuel nozzle to come off, so we lost important time to BAR and Jenson could take third.

“A few laps later something broke in my transmission, and that was the end of that. I'm now hoping that we can take another step in time for the next race in Bahrain."

Team-mate David Coulthard did make the finish, but had to settle for sixth place.

He said: "We can take some satisfaction from the fact that we have improved our package since Melbourne, but we still have some way to go.

“Sixth place is not brilliant, but at least we have improved and I know that everybody in the entire team will continue to work hard until we are where we want to be which is at the front."

And Coulthard sportingly sent his congratulations to fellow Brit Jenson Button, who clinched his maiden podium with third place.

He said: “I’m very happy for him. We get on very well off-track, and he’s obviously a hard racer on track, as I would be.

“He’s been a little bit quicker in the first two races and he’s been close to getting a podium for quite a while now so I think it’s a great day for him and John and the rest of the family.

“I’m looking forward to joining him for a little celebratory drink with a bottle of champagne.”

ECSTATIC BUTTON CRAVES MORE
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 12:43


He's broken his duck, now podium-sitter Jenson Button wants more of the same.

Button relished his first trip to the podium in Malaysia – the first in his 68-race career.

The Briton drove a sensational race in the heat of Sepang to bring his car home in third place behind Michael Schumacher and second-placed driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

Button had missed out on a podium on five occasions, having to settle for fourth.

At the same race last year the BAR driver was in third place before his suspension broke. This year he as gone one better and is delighted to finally mix it with the big boys.

“Amazing! It’s as much as the team’s as it is mine, they’ve worked so hard for this.

“It’s not the pinnacle of what we want but it’s a step in the right direction. I’m ecstatic and I can’t wait to get back to the team and congratulate them.”

But it wasn’t plain sailing for the Briton who clashed wheels with Renault’s Jarno Trulli at the start and then just laps from the end team-mate Takuma Sato retired with an engine failure, causing Button and team members alike to wonder if the same demise would end his race.

He added: “I touched Jarno [Trulli] after the start and I thought something might me wrong, but everything felt fine.

“I had a good fight with him in the first few laps and it was nice to have a gap behind me.

“For the past two years I’ve had cars breathing down my neck for the last lap so it was nice to have a bit of a gap.

"It's a great feeling we've worked so hard, and I have in my career, and this is the first time I have been on the podium in four years so it's been a struggle but with a lot of hard work it is a fantastic feeling to be here.”

Button insists there’s still more to come from the 005 and has called for more consistency.

He said: "It would be nice if we could be as consistent as we have been here, that is what we have been fantastic at.

“Qualifying we seem to be pretty consistent but I don't know, we have to wait and see.

"Things can change within the season as we saw with Williams last year, they seemed to be able to make a huge step forward.

“We hope we can move forward at the same time as all the other teams."

Team boss David Richards - who has not seen a team podium since the German GP in 2001 - was delighted with his charge and admitted he has always had a strong faith in Button.

He said: “I would describe it as another step up the ladder. This year we’ve always thought a lot of the car, Honda have done a great job with the engine and the switch to Michelin tyres.

“I’ve also always had great confidence in Jenson’s ability so to see him on the podium today is great for his father and for myself.

“It’s his first ever podium and it’s been niggling at him for a few years ever since he’s been in F1: ‘Why haven’t I been on the podium?’ Great opportunities have always just gone by but today was the day.”


BRIATORE EXPECTED MORE
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 10:35

Renault boss Flavio Briatore was not satisified with fifth and seventh in the Malaysian GP.

Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso both scored points to continue the team’s 100 per cent record this season but Briatore made it clear he had expected more from this weekend.

He said: "It is a disappointing result for us after we had expected to fight at the front here in Malaysia.

“When Fernando was stuck in the pack, we decided to change his strategy but unfortunately, the result didn't match up to our expectations.

“As for Jarno, he had an eventful race and he fought well for his fifth place.

“The team worked very well all weekend, and we will learn from our mistakes in order to achieve our full potential in Bahrain in two weeks' time."

Trulli and Alonso were both happier with the way the race had gone than their boss.

The Italian said: "It's a satisfying result, given that I started eighth and all our competitors were very strong today.

“After my first stop, the front tyres started graining, and I lost time in the second and third stints relative to my closest rivals. The car was understeering a lot during this part of the race.

“Having said that, we were reliable and once again have two cars in the points: we can't be too disappointed."

Alonso, who started last after spinning in qualifying, added: "I am pleased to score two points after what happened yesterday. Obviously, everything changed for us after qualifying and in that perspective this is a pretty positive result.

“ It is always difficult here in Malaysia, and our mistakes during the weekend didn't make life any easier. But when you finish seventh after starting last, things could be worse."

Renault’s tactical guru Pat Symonds was disappointed that his strategy calls did not produce bigger dividends.

He said: "Jarno found himself among very competitive opposition, and when everybody is running similar strategies, it is hard to be creative.

“Fernando soon found himself among potentially slower cars and we decided to change to a two-stop strategy to try and help him past them. Unfortunately, this didn't work, but neither did he lose any positions."

WEBBER: WE'LL KEEP ON LEARNING
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 10:26

Mark Webber was philosophical after a string of disasters at the Malaysian GP.

The Jaguar driver qualified in a spectacular second place for the Sepang race only for his efforts to be thwarted after his Jaguar made a slow start off the grid.

He quickly found himself swallowed up by the rest of the field and had his work cut out to make his way through the pack.

But then his charge was scuppered after contact with the Williams of Ralf Schumacher causing a puncture to his rear tyre.

Webber had to nurse his car round for nearly a lap to get to the pits. To add salt to an already seeping wound, he was then giving a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane.

But he fought back with a determination that will have been noted by the big brass at Williams only for his race to come to a premature end on lap 26 when he spun.

He said: "I couldn't get away and then Ralf drove into the back of me because he was p***ed off that I'd overtaken him.

"I got a puncture from that and had to stop and then I spun out. It is absolutely frustrating.

“I had a lot of rear tyre wear but that was my fault because I've got to drive in those conditions. But we'll keep on learning.”

Team-mate Christian Klien was also slow off the mark and the team have admitted they will hold an investigation into the problem.

Klien, who finished the day 10th, said: "My start was not good and I am certainly frustrated with this.

"I did however, actually enjoy the race and it was good for me.

"Before Bahrain we will be looking to understand more about why I had a slow start and why the fuel cap did not open.

"The main thing for me is finishing after what has been an incredibly tough ninety minutes but also rewarding for me."

Mark Gillan, head of vehicle performance, added: "This has been a very unsatisfactory finish to the weekend for all of us.



"Both R5s were slow pulling away at the start and after many good practice starts this weekend we will be investigating this throughly on our return to the factory."



"We at Jaguar Racing have a lot of hard work ahead of us between now and Bahrain as we know that we have a competitive package and getting both drivers to the finishing line and scoring points is what we are capable of."


MASSA TAKES POINT AT 'HOME' RACE
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 12:57

Malaysia was a suitable venue for Felipe Massa to score his first point since returning to F1 with Sauber.

The Swiss team are sponsored by Malaysian national oil company Petronas and have a good record at the track, having scored points on each of F1’s last two visits to Sepang. Massa himself was sixth at the 2002 event.

The Brazilian overcame a clutch problem to clinch eighth place and said: “In the end this was a really good result for us.

“I scored my first point here in 2002, so it's good to come back and do the same two years later. This was very important for us, to score a point for Petronas."

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella had to settle for 11th place after his engine stalled twice during pitstops.

But the Italian insisted: “The car wasn't too bad in between all that."

Another driver to suffer pit dramas, albeit of a different kind, was Olivier Panis.

The Frenchman expained: “I was running quite strongly in tenth place until a radio communication problem resulted in an unscheduled pitstop.

“It is a real pity because the car felt good and was handling well. The final result showed that we could have been in contention for a point today.”

Panis’ frustration was doubled by the fact that he was caught speeding in the pitlane during his stop that never was and received a further drive-through penalty. He signaled his disgust to team bosses with a series of gestures to the pit wall.

Team-mate Cristiano da Matta unluckily finished just shy of the points in ninth spot and admitted: “It is a bit frustrating.”

The word ‘frustrating’ also came to Jordan engineering boss James Robinson’s mind when asked for his verdict on his team’s race.

Nick Heidfeld ran strongly early on before retiring with a transmission problem while Giorgio Pantano could manage only 13th.

Robinson said: “It was disappointing not to get Nick across the line at the end as he did a fantastic start and was running high up the order and one of the last ones to pit which, strategy-wise, was good.

“It's encouraging although somewhat frustrating that we may have had the chance to score a point with Nick as he was fighting with Massa at the beginning and he finished in the points.”

Minardi managed to get both cars to the end of the race in 14th and 16th place - but not without some dramas. Zsolt Baumgartner suffered from a chassis imbalance all race while Gianmaria Bruni had to drive the last 30 laps without power steering.

Team boss Paul Stoddart said: “14th and 16th positions probably don’t do justice to gutsy efforts from both our drivers today.

“With the reliability enjoyed by most competitors, it was the best we could do, but having said that, it’s always good to get both cars home.”


SCHUEY HAILS BRIDGESTONE TYRES
Last Updated: Sunday, 21 March , 2004, 11:26

Michael Schumacher praised tyre supplier Bridgestone after taking victory at the Malaysian GP.

The Ferrari driver led from the start with his only real challenge coming from the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya. But the German always had him covered.

It was expected that the hot temperatures and humidity would favour the Michelin runners as the teams headed to one of the most challenging grands prix of the season.

But Bridgestone have obviously been working hard over the winter to produce a tyre to suit the hotter conditions earning praise from Schumacher.

He said: "The difference we had compared to last year was one of the reasons, and Bridgestone did a fantastic job.

"To win in such conditions is a good result. When we needed to be quick we were, but the beginning of the race was tough and unpredictable where the water was.

"I had to be cautious. It was a tough fight until the end. It was pressure all the way."

Schumacher is now seven points ahead of his nearest rival, team-mate Rubens Barricehllo, in the championsip, but he refuses to get carried away and knows there is still a lot to play for.

He added: No doubt, it's only two out of 18 races - 16 to go.

"I have 20 points in my pocket, which is more than last year. But relaxed would certainly be the wrong word. It was pressure all the way."

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was likewise delighted with the Japanese manufacturer and put the win down to their meticulous work.

He said: "Bridgestone did a fantastic job. This win is down to them. It was a close race.

“The tyres were great towards the end of the stints and it is a real tribute to Bridgestone and the job they have done.

"These are conditions in which we would have struggled, but I think we had the best tyre. For us it is a measure of what we managed to achieve over the winter, tyre testing, car testing and to have won in Australia and here is really very, very good.

"I can't praise Bridgestone enough - they are doing a great job this year."

Team-mate Rubens Barrichello had a less successful day and while chasing third-placed driver Jenson Button hard towards the end, the Brazilian had to settle for fourth spot.



Rubens Barrichello: “I pushed hard all race long, doing as much as I could. I made a different tyre choice to my team-mate and it did not pay off.



“On top of that, in the opening laps, when it rained, my tyres quickly lost temperature and that’s why I lost a few places.



“Unfortunately, the two seconds that kept me away from Button in the fight for the podium were lost when I was overtaking Baumgartner.



“In any case, I’m satisfied with the car, which confirmed its potential.



“Of course, I would like to have won, but at least I brought home five points which will be important for the championship.”

L i N d $ @ y

its true that DC & jenson are good friends. when jenson went here, he was asked who else is his close friend in F1 and he said DC. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

awww, i guess malaysia is a first for a lot of drivers huh? [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] i can't wait for bahrain! a totally new track and a first win for whoever wins! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

*MH*

SCHUEY RULES OUT 2002 REPEAT
Last Updated: Monday, 22 March , 2004, 15:09

Michael Schumacher does not believe Ferrari will dominate this season the way they did 2002.

The world champions have started the season in commanding fashion, winning both of the first two races.

It has led to concerns that we may be in for a repeat of two years ago, when Ferrari won 15 out of 17 grands prix. .

However, Schumacher has warned his team that they must stay on their game throughout the year and cannot expect an easy ride.

He said: “I think it's easier to lead the championship, from the position we are in than to come from where we had to come last year.

“But no doubt it's only two out of 18 races, 16 to go and we all know how quick development can be for various teams.

“I think it's going to be a hard year, honestly.”

Schumacher highlighted the next race in Bahrain as an event where things could go wrong if Ferrari weren’t careful.

He said: “We have another tough race to come in Bahrain. Nobody knows exactly what's going to happen there, what sort of characteristics it has, who it favours and what's going to happen in the meantime with development for the various teams.”

But Schumacher conceded that he was in a considerably stronger position after two races than he had been in 2003.

He said: “We have the 20 points in our pocket which is certainly a lot more than we had last year but there is still a long way to go.”

MONTOYA ACCUSES 'DIRTY' RUBENS
Last Updated: Monday, 22 March , 2004, 12:15

Juan Pablo Montoya has accused Rubens Barrichello of deliberately blocking him during the Malaysian GP.

Montoya emerged from his final pitstop just behind the Brazilian, who held him up to allow team-mate Michael Schumacher to build a decisive lead.

Barrichello and Montoya are firm friends but the Colombian was less than happy with his chum’s behaviour this time around.

He said: "It was a shame I came out of the last pitstop behind Rubens. I got a bit of a run on him and as soon as I moved he closed the door straight away and his pace backed off."

Asked if it was a ‘dirty move’, Montoya replied: "Yeah. As soon as I went to move he moved and there was no point even trying to pass. There were 12 laps to go, I had new tyres so I just backed off and cruised."

Montoya said that once Barrichello had blocked him, he settled for second place.

He said: "At the end we backed off the revs, we backed off everything when Rubens got in the way. I went to pass him and he blocked me.

"If I hadn't had Rubens in the last stint, I think we could have been quite a bit closer because at the end I was really cruising.

"In a non-Ferrari, it's better to back off than to go out of the race. It's better to go home with eight points.

"Last year I think I had 12 points after five races. I have got 12 points now from two races. It's like last year - keep scoring points and see what happens in the end."

'FERRARI HAVE TO MAKE MISTAKES'
Last Updated: Monday, 22 March , 2004, 16:38

Michelin boss Pierre Dupasquier has admitted that only mistakes from Ferrari will give others teams a chance of victory this year.

Ferrari and tyre partners Bridgestone took their second successive win of the season at Malaysia last weekend, a circuit and climate that was expected to suit the Michelin-shod teams.

Following the race Dupasquier believes the only way that Ferrari can be stopped is if they slip up.

When asked if the Michelin runners would be able to challenge Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, Dupasquier said: "No, not in the near future. Ferrari and Bridgestone, like last year, have to make mistakes to help us a bit.

"All our partners are competent, they have resources available and they are experienced. The problem is to really put everything together. They are just missing a few little things.

“Last year, Ferrari made so many errors that they gave us a nice opportunity. We spoiled it, but we had it last year, definitely."

The Frenchman did insist though that Ferrari’s early dominance was not down to the Bridgestone rubber and that Michelin still ruled the tyre roost.

He said: "Bridgestone will never be ahead of us.

"Do not confuse Ferrari and Bridgestone. If they had Michelin tyres on their car, there would be no championship any more.

“We are not at fault, but everyone has to push. It is a total. If you have one weak point anywhere, it doesn't work."

But Bridgestone are confident they have produced a tyre that can be consistent in all conditions.

Technical manager Hisao Suganuma said: "There is no doubt that this week was a turning point our rivals can expect us to be strong this year even if we have a scorching European summer.

"A fantastic sight to see Michael on the top spot of the podium it really showed that the Bridgestone tyre performance was consistent and quick in these tough conditions. Track temperatures were in the forties and still we had a strong performance."

*MH*

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

I have posted something in my LJ that I want you to read. You don't have to. It probably doesn't even interest you but to me it has been a major thing so maybe you wanna take a look. [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] i would post it here but it is unfair to force everyone to read it when really it is just about me and my thoughts about something.

L i N d $ @ y

okay, i will read it later during my 15minute break from work. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

my co-worker is soooo sweet! she doesn't watch f1 but she watched the sepang GP just so she can talk about it with me! [img]smilies/glow.gif[/img] and then my other co-worker (who doesn't watch too) shocked me by asking if JPM is cute. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

foreva_99

[img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img]

I had this really cool (and long) post but, then FF came and ate it on me. I hate it when that happens. FF is a little [img]smilies/crazy.gif[/img] sometimes. Sorry, had to get that smilie in somehow.

[img]smilies/party.gif[/img] On Jense for winning and could Mark have had any worse luck then what he had on Sunday. It would have been awesome to see him and Michael going into the first corner side-by-side and maybe even seeing Mark come out on top [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] That is just wishful thinking from an Aussie fan.

Thanks for all the news and pics. Love coming here and seeing all the lovely page decorations.

foreva_99

Awww that is so sweet Linds. Wish that my friends would do the same for me. What did you tell your friend when she asked about JPM?? I think that he has his cute moments.

*MH*

FIA bows to qualifying pressure
A new schedule for the next GP

Motorsport chiefs bowed to pressure from television producers and drivers on Wednesday by agreeing to change the controversial new qualifying procedures after just two rounds of the new Formula One season.

From the next race in Bahrain, there will be a one-hour gap between the pre-qualifying session (13:00 local time) and the grid qualifying session (14:00 local time) on the Saturday.

At the moment, the two single-lap sessions are run back-to-back. The system was introduced instead of having one on Friday and one on Saturday but fans, television broadcasters and drivers have all complained that the new format was too boring.


Paul Ricard : Pizzonia on top
Five teams and nine drivers at the French track

BMW Williams, Renault F1 and BAR Honda joined the McLaren Mercedes and Panasonic Toyota Racing teams at the Paul Ricard HTTT today.

Marc Gené and Antonio Pizzonia drove for BMW Williams, French driver Franck Montagny with Renault F1 and Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson driving for BAR Honda. Alexander Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa went on with McLaren Mercedes testing while Ricardo Zonta and young driver Ryan Briscoe continued their testing duty for Panasonic Toyota Racing.

The five teams and nine drivers shared the 2Dsc track solution (4,157km including an hairpin corner, the South and North chicanes in the Mistral straight and the Signes chicane at the end of the Mistral straight).

Temperatures: air from 07C° to 12C°; track from 09C° to 19C° - Mistral Wind

Paul Ricard testing - 24/03/04
1. A. Pizzonia Williams-BMW 1'11"501 94 laps
2. A. Davidson BAR Honda 1'11"728 127 laps
3. T. Sato BAR Honda 1'11"806 115 laps
4. M. Gené Williams-BMW 1'12"060 89 laps
5. P. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1'12"126 67 laps
6. A. Wurz McLaren-Mercedes 1'12"317 98 laps
7. R. Zonta Toyota 1'12"740 134 laps
8. F. Montagny Renault 1'12"989 113 laps

When's it an advantage to be 10th?
Brawn wants clarification about engine rule

Question ... when might it be an advantage to be tenth on the Formula One grid?

Answer ... when your grand prix racer was the fastest-of-all in qualifying-trim and a fresh V10-engine is fitted and ready to burn- rubber in the 300-km race.

That's precisely why Ferrari tech-director Ross Brawn has sought a clarification from the governing FIA on a finer-point of new single- engine regulations.

Brawn said the requirement was 'not entirely clear' in Malaysia.

He wants to know if Renault should have been allowed to replace the engine of Fernando Alonso just because the Spaniard had mucked-up his qualifying-lap.

TACTICAL PLOY

Is an F1-team allowed to change the engine as a 'tactical ploy,' he wonders.

He added: 'Or do you need to show you actually have a problem?'

It is understood that teams were told that if engine-changes were regularly made for seemingly 'tactical reasons,' then the loophole would be closed by the FIA.

Ross Brawn therefore says the rule needs 'tightening' now.

'You could go to Monza and put the car on pole with a qualifying-engine,' he said, 'and then change to your race-engine and just go back ten-places.

'But you'd have a very strong engine for the race.'

Schu is sport's second-highest earner
The German made a massive $64 million in 2003

Six-times F1 champion Michael Schumacher is the second-highest earner in sport.

The German made a massive $64 million (US dollars) during the 2003- season.

Only golfer Tiger Woods earned more, with a $103 million annual- income.

BECKHAM

England football-captain David Beckham comes next, with $36.1 million, followed by boxers Oscar de la Hoya ($33.1 million) and Roy Jones Junior ($27 million).

Kevin Garnett (basketball), Shaquille O'Neal, female tennis champion Serena Williams, Alex Rodriguez (baseball) and Michael Jordan all earn more than $20m.

Button's podium-dream nearly ended
Trulli says 'Sorry Jenson!'

Jenson Button's debut podium nearly went missing at the first F1- corner.

Italian racer Jarno Trulli, who drives a Renault, admitted on Monday that he 'definitely' hit former team-mate JB's BAR-Honda off the Sepang start-line.

'I didn't mean [for it] to happen,' said Trulli.

'Fortunately it didn't spoil his race - sorry Jenson!'

24-year-old Button diced with Jarno throughout the Malaysian GP.

'We hit wheels on the straight so that was a little worry,' said the Briton.

NICE FIGHT

'I thought something must be wrong. But I went around the next corners and everything felt fine - I had a nice fight with him for the first few laps.'

Trulli said he enjoyed the duel, which also involved Rubens Barrichello.

'We all passed each other a few times,' said the Renault racer.

'It was all very clean, very good fun.'

A late-race technical glitch on his 006 car, however, was not so much fun as Jenson was told to slow down and run less revs while a Ferrari ran him down.

'It was a nightmare,' said Button.

Who's better?
Webber or Alonso?

Who's better - Formula One racers Fernando Alonso or Mark Webber?

Both drivers started their grand prix careers at back-of-the-grid outfit Minardi, owned and run by Australian airline-entrepreneur Paul Stoddart.

'I don't think there's much in it,' he said at Sepang.

Stoddart's support for Webber, also an Australian, is well-known in pitlane.

In terms of talent, he thinks Webber is as-good as the young Renault star.

F1 PACKAGE

'They're both stronger than any other driver I've worked with,' he added.

But in assessment of the total 'Formula One package,' the Minardi principal believes he has only ever seen one driver on a par with Jaguar's Mark Webber.

'He lives, thinks and breaths F1,' said Stoddart.

'Michael Schumacher is the only other guy like that in the game.

'If Webber goes to Williams you're looking at a world champion.'

Alonso blames team for lost points
'I don't even know why they changed it'

Fernando Alonso blamed a disappointing result in Malaysia on his F1 team.

When the Spaniard came in for service in his second out of three scheduled pit-stops Renault, without notice, had decided to top him up to go to the finish.

'What we did was not what we had planned,' he told reporters.

'I don't even know why they changed it.'

DIDN'T PAY OFF

Alonso, 22, started at the rear of the grid but the team decided to change the strategy when his charge for the front halted in a gaggle of slower cars.

'I think I could have finished even higher up,' Alonso said.

The man behind the decision, Pat Symonds, admitted the move didn't pay off.

'But he didn't lose any positions,' the engineering chief insisted.

Alonso said he was not consulted or even warned of the strategy- switch.

He concluded: 'Yesterday, I made the mistake - today, the team did.'

Barrichello reject Montoya accusation
'I don't know where this has come from'


Rubens Barrichello reacted with confusion to a complaint from his F1- friend.

Fellow South American charger Juan Pablo Montoya accused Rubens and Ferrari of deliberately holding-up his charge to track-down race- leader Michael Schumacher.

'I got a run on him,' said the BMW-Williams star in Malaysia, 'in turn-four, but as soon as I moved he closed the door on me and then he backed his pace off.'

Barrichello denied any ploy or intentional Ferrari-tactics.

NOTHING DELIBERATE

'I don't know where this has come from,' the Brazilian told Autosport.

'I had a slow Minardi in front of me and I lost three seconds. Juan was just behind me. Maybe that's why Juan is pissed-off - he didn't try to pass me.'

Tech-boss Ross Brawn agreed that Ferrari didn't instruct Rubens to hold Juan up.

'Rubens was second and Montoya was third,' said the burly Englishman, 'so we're not going to wave him past. But it was nothing deliberate that went on.

'Maybe Juan was just a little emotional.'

*MH*

click on the picture for the full size version

glittery helmet













[ 03-24-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

Mei Zhuo

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

[img]smilies/drool.gif[/img] all those pics! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] jenson looks so cute! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] kimi too and fernando too [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

marie: okay, i'll read your LJ later, thanks forposting all those pics and news [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

and i'm just so happy for jenson that he finally got a podium finish! [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img] and too bad for kimi that he encountered engine failure. and poor mark, basically his day just sucked!

*MH*

BAHRAIN WANTED RACE CANCELLED
Last Updated: Thursday, 25 March , 2004, 15:08

Bahrain GP organisers made a desperate attempt to cancel the race earlier this month.

Circuit supervisor Philippe Gurdjian asked Bernie Ecclestone to put off the grand prix until next year, according to Autosport magazine.

But when the F1 supremo refused, organisers had no choice but to intensify work on the circuit in a bid to get it ready for the inaugural race on 4th April.

Gurdjian said: "The race will go ahead but we will not be 100 percent ready, although the track is finished.

"Two weeks ago we thought there was no way we could hold the race and we decided to cancel it but Bernie said no. So we just had to get more people in to get the job finished."

Williams' Marc Gene became the first man to lap the circuit in an F1 car during the track's grand opening last week.

Team technical director Patrick Head said: "The night before there were still people out laying kerbstones and painting.

"They've done a remarkable job in the time but I should be careful where you put your hands in case the paint is still wet."

Bahrain will become the first Middle Eastern country to host an F1 grand prix when the race starts in just over a week's time.

OASTLER QUITS MOTORSPORT
Last Updated: Thursday, 25 March , 2004, 17:33

Jaguar chief engineer Malcolm Oastler has decided to retire, the team have announced.

The team revealed on Thursday that Oastler would be leaving the team in mid-June. He plans to return to his native Australia to embark on 'a rural venture'.

Oastler, who joined the team in 2002 as a consultant, said: "I’ve had a fantastic 20 year stint playing racing cars, but I don’t think it’s something you should do forever. As much as I love the technical aspects and the people, the lure of the southern sun and the beach have won the day.

"I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone I have had the pleasure of working with throughout my career. In particular, I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone at Jaguar Racing.

"This was far from an easy decision for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Jaguar in helping to make the team competitive.

"My key challenge over the past year has been to ensure we produce a competitive racing car and in the Jaguar R5, I believe we have achieved that result. A comprehensive development programme over the course of this season will ensure that remains the case."

Jaguar managing director David Pitchforth paid a generous tribute to Oastler.

He said: "We are sad to see Malcolm leave given his valuable input to our programme and wish him the very best for the future. He has contributed an enormous amount to motorsport over a twenty year period with his designs having graced everything from Formula Ford to F3000, Indycar and Formula 1.

"Since joining Jaguar Racing in 2002, we have benefited enormously from Malcolm’s input into the R4 upgrade programme and the design and development of our 2004 challenger, Jaguar R5.

"We had agreed from the onset with Malcolm that his tenure with Jaguar Racing would be relatively short-term and focused upon what were critical short-term objectives aimed at ensuring the competitiveness of the Jaguar R4 and R5.

"Malcolm’s role as Chief Engineer allowed him great autonomy and freedom between various departments and it is a role that worked very well indeed for both parties. His engineering experience and acumen have manifested themselves clearly in this year’s racing car.

"I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at Jaguar Racing in wishing Malcolm all the very best of luck for the future."

Oastler made his name at Reynard, and was farmed out to British American Racing when Adrian Reynard joined forces with Craig Pollock to found the team in 1999. The Australian parted company with BAR in 2002.



SAUBER DENY WINDTUNNEL FIRE
Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 March , 2004, 14:04

Sauber have denied reports that there has been a fire at their new state-of-the-art windtunnel.

Several websites reported on Tuesday that a fire had broken out at the team’s Hinwil facility.

But Sauber insisted that the incident was no more dramatic than a simple short circuit on a transformer.

A team statement read: “On internet pages, today, there have been reports circulating about a fire in the Sauber wind tunnel.

”The truth is that there was a short circuit in one of the transformers this afternoon.Fire alarms were triggered because of smoke development.

”However, there was no fire, which means there was no damage to the building.

”Repair work on the transformer is expected to take about one week, and the work in the wind tunnel will resume upon completion of the repairs.”

The reports come just a week after a fire broke out at Ferrari’s Maranello HQ, damaging several prototype cars.

Sauber only opened the new windtunnel last December. The full-scale facility cost $55 million to build and is arguably the most high-tech tunnel in F1.


BY ROYAL INVITATION
Last Updated: Thursday, 25 March , 2004, 17:58

The King of Bahrain has offered to put up Michael Schumacher in his palace during next week's grand prix.

Schumacher's manager Willi Weber said the kingdom was going to unprecedented lengths to ensure the world champion's safety at the first ever F1 race to take place in the Middle East.

However, Schumacher has turned down the offer to stay at the palace because he doesn't want to be 'a nuisance'.

Weber told the Mirror: "I have spoken to the secretary to the King of Bahrain and he promised that everything that can be done will be done.

"Michael will have an armed guard and the king is providing one of his personal cars for Michael to ride in.

"The king even offered to let Michael stay at the palace and it was a fantastically kind offer but with his schedule Michael didn't want to be a nuisance."

Bahrain is on terrorist alert for the race and Schumacher will restrict his movements to shuttling between his hotel and the circuit. Other drivers have been told to avoid the centre of Bahrain's capital, Manama.

Drivers' security will check their cars for explosive devices and vary their routes to the track. Bahrain's National Guard will be stationed around the perimeter of the track for the duration of the event.

A circuit spokesman said: "There is a big effort for security for this event.

"Our security people are taking advice from high level sources from the military and intelligence networks around the world."


RENAULT PLEASED WITH START
Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 March , 2004, 11:59

Renault are delighted with their 100 per cent record so far this season.

The French-owned team are one of only two outfits – the other being Ferrari – who have brought both cars home in the points in each of the first two races of the year.

That reliability is made all the more admirable by the fact that Reaault lost technical director Mike Gascoyne over the winter and have an all-new engine.

Engine boss Rob White said: "It is rewarding to be one of only two teams to have scored points with both cars in Melbourne and Sepang.

"Our preparations during the winter and prior to the events have allowed the race team to focus on achieving the best race results without the spectre of reliability concerns.”

While White oversees progress at the engine base in Viry-Châtillon, Bob Bell has replaced Mike Gascoyne as chassis technical director at the team’s Enstone headquarters.

He too is pleased with the way the season has begun – and is hoping the team will continue the way they have started.

He said: "At the moment, we have a 100 per cent finishing record and are third in the constructors' championship.

"If we can still say the same at the end of the year, then that is a result we will be pretty pleased with."

Renault were a little disappointed with fifth and seventh places at Sepang – but White said this showed how far the team had come.

He said: "It is an indicator of the strength of the Enstone-Viry collaboration that we collected points with both cars in Malaysia despite believing we did not make the most of the package.”

Fernando Alonso in particular could have done better at Sepang, throwing his car into the gravel on his qualifying lap. That meant he started last – and the race was always going to be about damage limitation from there.

Bell said: "We saw in Malaysia that this season, more so than ever, there is absolutely no margin for error.

"The regulations, and the general level of competitiveness at the front of the field, mean the penalties for even the smallest mistake are extremely high."


RALF WILLING TO TAKE WILLIAMS PAY CUT
Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 March , 2004, 15:09

Ralf Schumacher is ready to sign a performance-related deal with Williams, his manager has said.

Willi Weber said Ralf was determined to stay put at Williams and that he had a constructive meeting with team bosses in Malaysia last weekend.

But Weber admitted that Ralf would have to accept a cut in his basic salary to stay on at Williams for a seventh consecutive year.

He said: "The fact is that we lose some money from what we earn this year. Not lose, but the fixed payment will be reduced.

"If Ralf is doing well, gets on the podium or wins races, then the money increases and will be the same as what we have now."

Schumacher’s future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months.

Only last week Weber was quoted as saying that Ralf would sign for Renault if Williams did not successfully conclude negotiations before the Bahrain GP next month.

But Weber has now said: “There's no deadline but Ralf wants to know what is going on.

"I don't want to say it's a deadline after Bahrain. Even after Hungary is enough time. Ralf wants to stay and I think that's the story."

Renault denied last week that they had held any talks with Ralf, a claim that Weber is now willing to back up. He also said he had not spoken to Toyota, another team rumoured to be interested in the German.

Weber said: "Fact is, I have not spoken with Toyota and Renault about Ralf because again we want to stay in the team.

"Williams are the main choice. We had a small meeting on Saturday and I can say it was very good."


DENNIS: WE’RE CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN
Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 March , 2004, 13:05

Ron Dennis has warned that McLaren race wins will not come any time soon.

Dennis’ comments come in the wake of another dismal race for the team which has left them down in fifth place in the championship.

This time last year McLaren took victory at the Malaysian GP with driver Kimi Raikkonen notching up his maiden win.

A year on though and the team have yet to secure their next win.

Dennis has admitted that it will take several races before McLaren find their winning form again, but he has no doubt that the team will return to their former glory soon.

He told Reuters: "I think it's going to take a little more than one race to get into a position of winning but we will get there.

"I take some encouragement from the weekend but one's got to be balanced. We're not here to come second, third or fourth. We're here to win.

"It's a bit of a mountain to climb, but we're climbing it."

Developments to the troublesome MP4-19 are due for the Spanish GP at the beginning of May. In the meantime Dennis admits the team will have to plough on.

He said: "It's still going to be tough for a couple of races.

"I think things will improve after that. We're hopeful of quite a bit coming on to the car for the Spanish Grand Prix.

"It's going to be tough until then but we'll just keep working away at it."

In Malaysia Raikkonen sustained his second successive retirement while team-mate David Coulthard brought his car home in sixth.

Despite it being one of McLaren’s worst starts to the season, Dennis takes heart from the fact that the team’s performance in Malaysia was an improvement on Melbourne.

He said: "I think it's a more encouraging performance but we're under no illusions.

"There's quite a lot of work to do yet.

"I think there was a clear indication that most of the Ferrari performance or dominance in Australia was down to the tyres.

"They certainly have got a very good tyre and I think in cooler conditions they are going to be very difficult to match in respective tyre performance.

"But generally I think we got the car performing quite well through the weekend. It was a step."


Paul Ricard : Button takes P1
A good day for BAR-Honda

BMW Williams, Renault F1, BAR Honda, McLaren Mercedes and Panasonic Toyota went on with the Paul Ricard HTTT test session with test drivers Antonio Pizzonia, Franck Montagny, Alexander Wurz, Pedro de la Rosa, Ricardo Zonta and Ryan Briscoe and official team drivers Ralf Schumacher, Takuma Sato and Jenson Button. The weather was sunny in the morning and became cloudy in the afternoon.

The nine drivers continued testing on the 2Dsc track solution (4,157km including a hairpin corner, the South and North chicanes in the Mistral straight and the Signes chicane at the end of the Mistral straight), working on aerodynamics, engine or suspension, but also for some of them on tyre testing to prepare for upcoming Grands Prix.




Each team worked on their own test program developing what might be needed for the next GP in Bahrain, which obviously will be a totally new experience for almost all of the teams. The Paul Ricard HTTT's intensive test session also provided solutions for the next European GPs, starting with Imola on April 25th.

Temperatures: air from 07C° to 14C°; track from 09C° to 22C° - Slight west Wind

Paul Ricard testing - 25/03/04
1. J. Button - BAR-Honda - 1'11"047 - 119 laps
2. A. Pizzonia - Williams-BMW - 1'11"211 - 129 laps
3. P. de la Rosa - McLaren-Mercedes - 1'11"390 - 67 laps
4. T. Sato - BAR-Honda - 1'11"427 - 80 laps
5. R. Schumacher - Williams-BMW - 1'11"520 - 104 laps
6. A. Wurz - McLaren-Mercedes - 1'12"358 - 31 laps
7. F. Montagny - Renault - 1'12"468 - 134 laps
8. R. Zonta - Toyota - 1'12"585 - 94 laps
9. R. Briscoe - Toyota - 1'12"641 - 110 laps

L i N d $ @ y

i said "uh, he's okay." i actually liked JPM when i first started watching F1 but then...off-track, he's a totally different person. at least kimi is the same on & off-track. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

marie: thanks for all the news! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] btw, i lost your LJ link. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

fla: [img]smilies/wave.gif[/img] getting excited for bahrain already! i think it airs here at almost 7pm. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

*MH*

linds - the LJ link is on the last page... but anyway once again the LJ link

I've never liked JPM [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] never managed to forgive him for taking Jenson's place at Williams... even though Jenson knew when he joined Williams that JPM was gonna take the season for the next season. When the same thing happened at Renault with another driver and jenson I managed to forgive that driver very, very quickly and I adore that man now [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

ETA: Bahrain is on at about 12pm our time so it's not too bad [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] an hour earlier than normal... during the college holidays and as far as i know i have no other plans for the day [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

[ 03-26-2004: Message edited *MH* ]

²Jens

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

Sorry I was MIA the last two weeks. I bought a new PC but I didnt thought that I have to wait two weeks till the distribution.

Cool that Button finished third in Sepang. Also congrats to Schumacher and Montoya! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Sorry Lindsay, But It looks like Kimi have a run of ill luck at the moment. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

I looking forward to the next race in Bahrain. The layout of the racetrack is amazing. But the new qualifying is so boring. I don't like it! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]