YallaF1 Mag 8 February 2012 by Peevee Media

yallaf1 08.02.2012 ISSUE.05

FORMULA 1 MAGAZINE & NEWS DIGEST

KIMI ON TOP AS TESTING BEGINS MORE NEW CARS

IN THIS ISSUE RAIKKONEN TOPS ON DAY 1 OF TESTING RED BULL RB8 VETTEL SPEAKS ABOUT THE YEAR AHEAD NEWEY STAYING NOT KEEN TO MOVE FERRARI F2012 BREAKS COVER LOTUS E20 UNVEILED GROSJEAN IS HAPPY HAMILTON SPEAKS BUTTON SPEAKS FORCE INDIA VJM05 LAUNCH SAUBER C31 LAUNCH WILLIAMS FW34 BREAKS COVER KARTHIKEYAN IS BACK AND MUCH MORE... 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

FIRSTFRAME WORD FIRST 8 February 2012 Finally the 2012 Formula 1 season has got underway, well for the die-hards at least, and - as if he did not grab enough headlines of late - Kimi Raikkonen gave an indication that it might not take him terribly long to get re-acquainted with F1 by posting the fastest lap of the first day at Jerez de la Frontera. Good news all around because The Iceman has a legion of fans and irrespective of what the ‘experts’ say there is some thing to say about the achievement - even if it be a mere psychological boost. As someone in the office said: rather top of the timing sheets than down there with the HRT... Also in this issue we have all the new car launches with related sound bites and imagery to go with these. Also some interesting interviews and quotes that may just come back and haunt those who uttered the words - time will tell. Enjoy the issue, enjoy the season and keep on visiting YallaF1.com! Content & Credits • All content sourced from YallaF1.com • Content providers: PVM, GMM, Reuters, FIA, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Force india, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams, Marussia, Caterham, HRT, Pirelli, Cosworth, Renault and other F1 related organisations. • Main Photography by Sutton Images • Additional photography services provided by F1 teams including Getty Images, LAT, Hoch Zwei, Ercole Colombo • eMagazine production by Motorsport27 • Contact: info@yallaf1.com

2012 PRE-SEASON: FERRARI SPECIAL WROOOM WITH A VIEW AND FORTY YEARS OF HEROES

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REPORT JEREZ TEST

JEREZ TEST DAY 1: WELCOME BACK KIMI RA

fter a two year lay-off, Kimi Raikkonen ended day one of the first official Formula 1 test at Jerez fastest of all in the Renault E20, sending a signal down the pit lane that the Iceman is back! 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Raikkonen spent most of the day top of the timing screens, and was quickly up to a strong pace, proving that the two years away did little to temper the Finnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blistering speed. 8

AIKKONEN!

It also suggests that the E20, pretty much like it’s ill-fated predecessor – the R31, is a handy piece of kit, straight out the box. Raikkonen powered around Jerez in 1 minute 19.670 seconds, racking up 75 laps in

the process, which was 0.102 seconds up on next best, Paul Di Resta at the wheel of the new Force India VJM05. Notably Raikkonen’s best time on the day was faster than the best time set 9

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REPORT JEREZ TEST last year at Jerez, after the first day, in similar conditions. Raikkonen summed up his day: “It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan. We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tyres. The tyres were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day. The lap times don’t matter today. I’m happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn’t have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good.” The team’s technical boss James Allison observed, “You can tell Kimi is a class act. He gets in the car and is on the pace straight away; there’s no building up to it. His commitment is instant and the lap times show that. His fitness level is also good which has allowed him to be consistent, and he hasn’t had any major ‘moments’ out on track; he seems to have everything very much under control.” Di Resta, second on the timing sheets, had a productive day racking up 101 laps and setting a best time of 1 minute 19.772 seconds. Next best was Nico Rosberg in the 2011 Mercedes MGP-W02, who was in the cockpit in the morning ticking off 56 laps before handing over to team mate Michael Schumacher for the afternoon. The seven times world champion ended the day sixth fastest and amassed 42 tours of Jerez. The much anticipated Red Bull RB8 made it’s track debut, but was delayed as parts arrived late, but with Mark Webber behind the wheel the Adrian Newey brainchild looked rapid right from the outset, with the Australian taking a mere four laps to get into the top 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Raikkonen: It was a positive f

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first day

REPORT JEREZ TEST three best times and clocking 300km/h plus at the speed traps. Ominous signs from the world champions. It was an early shower for Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso STR7 as he coasted to a halt with an oil pressure problem, which brought out the first red flag of the day. Ricciardo’s day was over but he will be pleased with the fifth best time of the day with 57 laps on the board. Kamui Kobayashi in the Ferrari powered Sauber C31 ended the day seventh best, but ran out of fuel to prompt the second and final red flag of the day. Somewhat subdued on the opening day were Jenson Button (McLaren MP4-27) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) who ended the day eighth and ninth fastest respectively. Button more than two seconds off the pace and Massa three seconds down on Raikkonen’s best. Heikki Kovalainen rounded out the top ten in the Caterham CT01, with Pastor Maldonado running the Williams FW34 with Renault power for the first time, ending the day 11th and Pedro de la Rosa in last year’s HRT slowest of all. For sure these are early days and reading anything into Raikkonen’s early pace is a moot exercise, but for any team to rather end the first day at the top of the timing sheets than at the bottom will be a morale booster, which will be heartily welcomed by the Enstone team, having endured a torrid 2011 and entering 2012 with an all new driver line-up. And of course the Iceman is back! Welcome back Kimi Raikkonen! 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Kobayashi caused the first red fla his Sauber ran out of fuel

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ag of 2012 when

REPORT JEREZ TEST Jerez Testing Day 1 - Tuesday, 7 February 2012 Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 11.

Driver Kimi Raikkonen Paul di Resta Nico Rosberg Mark Webber Daniel Ricciardo Michael Schumacher Kamui Kobayashi Jenson Button Felipe Massa Heikki Kovalainen Pastor Maldonado Pedro de la Rosa

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Team Time Lotus-Renault 1m19.670s Force India-Mercedes 1m19.772s Mercedes 1m20.219s Red Bull-Renault 1m20.496s Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m20.694s Mercedes 1m20.794s Sauber-Ferrari 1m21.353s McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.530s Ferrari 1m22.815s Caterham-Renault 1m23.178s Williams-Renault 1m23.371s HRT-Cosworth 1m23.676s

+ 0.102 + 0.549 + 0.826 + 1.024 + 1.124 + 1.683 + 1.860 + 3.145 + 3.508 + 3.701 + 4.006

Laps 73 101 56 53 57 41 106 60 69 28 25 44

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INTERVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN

KIMI RAIKKONEN: I THINK PEOPLE EXPECT

What are your thoughts on how Formula 1 has changed over the last two years since you last competed? Raikkonen: In 2010 I didn’t really follow Formula 1 but I saw more races last year. Why F1? It doesn’t really look different, but there is Kimi Raikkonen: Formula 1 is something overtaking in some different places where very special in my racing career, and you people can just drive past by opening the always want to race at the toughest level, rear wing and the driver in front has no so Formula 1 is where you want to race if chance to defend himself – so is this really you have a choice. overtaking? I don’t think it counts all the time. But for sure the show is better. The What do you think of the team now tyres make a difference too, as there is a you’ve completed two days testing? big speed difference between when the Raikkonen: I’m happy with the team, they tyres are new and when the tyres are old. are very nice people, very easy going and In the old Formula 1, you had to be so it was nice to work with them for the two much faster than the guy in front of you to days I did in the R30. I think we’ll have a lot have any chance to overtake, but now with of fun in the season ahead and hopefully the tyres and the DRS, it’s different. we will get some good results. I want a strong enough car to challenge for good Do you have anything to prove with your results. return? Raikkonen: I think people expect things When did you decide to finish rallying from me, but as long as I know that I’m and to go back to Formula 1? giving 100% and I’m happy with my Raikkonen: When I did the NASCAR races, I driving then I’m happy. If those aspects enjoyed the racing and I want to do more are true and it’s not enough, then it’s not racing. I still want to do rally and if I could enough. I’d do them both at the same time – but this isn’t possible. For sure I will do rallying How well do you know your new teamagain in the future. I want to do racing as mate, Romain Grosjean? I had a really good time in NASCAR racing Raikkonen: I think we will have a good against other people and I realised that I relationship. I met him before Christmas was missing this – that’s when I decided and I raced against him in 2009. He seems that if there was a good chance to return a very nice and normal guy, so I don’t see properly that I would do it. any problems there. he 2007 Formula 1 World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, talks of his return to the sport with the Lotus after two years away trying WRC and Nascar.

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T THINGS FROM ME

FOR THE RECORD RED BULL RB8 BREAKS COVER

RED BULL RB8 ADRIAN NEWEY’S MASTE

eigning world champions Red Bull Racing unveiled the Adrian Newey designed RB8, on Monday 6 February, which will carry their hopes of attaining a hat-trick of both constructors and drivers F1 world championship titles. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will again spearhead the team’s onslaught on the biggest prize in motorsport. The car features the stepped up nose as seen on all the cars unveiled thus far, except on the McLaren MP4-27. Newey who penned the last two F1 world championship conquering cars for the energy drinks stable said: “The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose.” He added, “We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation. I’d say RB8 is the fourth generation of what started with the 2009 car, the RB5. So I guess this is the great grandson of that car.” Team principal Christian Horner outlined the team’s objectives: “The team’s goals are quite simple. It’s to try and defend both titles in the manner [in which] we achieved them. Of course, when you’ve achieved what we have, particularly in 2011, we’ve set a very high standard for ourselves. But, we’re always looking to improve, we’re always looking, in all areas, to try and do better. We can’t control what our opponents do, we’re up against some formidable opponents, but we can only really focus on ourselves and only when we get to Melbourne will we truly know where we sit against our rivals.” 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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ERPIECE UNVEILED

INTERVIEW SEBASTIAN VETTEL

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: THE TARGET IS TO OBVIO

n the day that the Red Bull RB7 broke cover, back-to-back world champion, Sebastian Vettel spoke about the season past, his holidays and the year ahead as he embarks on his title defense – with one clear objective: a hat trick of titles for driver and team. Back-to-back titles, the record for pole positions, most laps led, 11 wins last year – what’s your next target? Sebastian Vettel: Oh, we do it again! Obviously, we had a great year, and I think you know we’ll always look back to 2011 and think how special it was, but to be honest, you don’t start the season having, you know, expectations to have the same or similar season again. So we know how special it was and we really enjoyed that but we know how hard it is to be that consistent – always there and nearly every race on the podium – so, you know, the target is to obviously try to do it again and try to get everything out of ourselves, so we’ll see how we get on with the new car, the RB8. Did you get a chance to enjoy winning another world title? Vettel: Yeah, it was obviously, you know, quite busy after the first championship back in 2010, so yeah, in 2011, surely there’s a couple of things you have to do, want to do and you want to give back as well to, you know, people here in the factory, your fans. But after that, around Christmas, it was really 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

time to slow down, back off a little bit and enjoy the peace, have a good rest in order to be prepared for this season. It will be a long and hard season again, but yeah it was really nice to let things sink in and, as I said before, you know, I think it makes you realise how special the season was when you look at the results again and the races itself, and you sum up things a little bit. So, it was a nice feeling and the good thing is, similar to back in 2010, no one can take it away from you, so it was always stays in your memory. How did you spend your off-season? Vettel: Well, the thing is, many people always imagine the off-season to be as exciting or, you know, busy as the actual season – as in we do crazy things or we live a crazy life. But, to be honest, when you are traveling so much and you are so busy, you enjoy the time you have off really and that’s sitting at home enjoying normal things – watching TV, just not having to do anything. So I think that it was quite important to recharge the batteries, re-fuel the system a little bit, and, yeah, to come back fresh – hopefully fresh enough for this year. So, over Christmas I spent my time home with the family and with friends and then I went skiing a little bit; we had an awful lot of snow this winter so it was quite good. And then, very soon in January, you start to prepare yourself again. You start to work out regularly, so you get back into shape and burn the necessary calories and probably the unnecessary weight you might

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OUSLY DO IT AGAIN

INTERVIEW SEBASTIAN VETTEL have put n over Christmas. Are you expecting a bigger, tighter fight this year? Vettel: The thing is, at the beginning of last year we didn’t really expect whatever happened last year, so I think it’s the same thing again. It would be wrong to go into this season and expect 2011 to happen again, as in getting into the lead early and having a very big gap to other competitors in the Championship. So I think it will be very, very tight this year and everything else would be a surprise to be honest. Looking at the cars, you know there’s not much room we have left to play (with) for designers and to find something extra. You know, the last two years we have had two big things taken away, the double diffusers, plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust. So we are missing that and therefore I think it’s difficult to really create a difference. We’ll see, obviously we hope our car is better than all the others but It will be difficult, and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in the gaps will e even closer than they have been. Can you identify any weakness in your game? Are there things you want to work on? Vettel: Of course (in) 2011 we were extremely successful and it was a good season, so we [made] only [a] few mistakes. But still we sat down during the season and especially after the season and before this season again, trying to identify where we think we can improve, and yeah we got a couple of points. It’s not as if it was a blank sheet, so you would be surprised, and I think you know, we had a couple of pages with things that we can do better, we know we can do better. Of course, there were a lot of things that we did well and 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Vettel: It will be difficult and I think the cars will be fa

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airly similar

INTERVIEW SEBASTIAN VETTEL

we try to keep it up and improve them as well but, as I said, there are a lot of things here and there you know – small things, details, attention to detail – that you can work on that might make a difference on a Sunday. You know we have 20 races, so maybe it helps you only in one out of 20 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

races, but that might help you to score that one point more that you might need to be on top at the end, so we’ll see. What’s it like getting in the new car for the first time? Vettel: Obviously, you have a rough idea 28

bit is putting it on track and seeing how it feels, so that’s yet to be seen. But [the] first time I jumped into the car for the seat fit – checking the position, checking your pedals, see if everything works – I think it was the same for Mark and myself, we felt extremely comfortable, everything went well and we 29

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how the car should look like by what you see in the early stages from the design office, so yes it’s quite exciting to see the full car, everything coming together. So it’s quite a long progress, imagining when we start building the car and to today, where we present it. And again, the most exciting

INTERVIEW SEBASTIAN VETTEL got our position, comfortable position, fairly quickly. So it didn’t take too long. We had other cars where a little bit here a little bit there, you know, you always ask for something, but the RB8 was pretty straightforward, so we hope it continues that way. What do you think about Mr Ecclestone’s hope that you don’t dominate again? Vettel: I hope he’s wrong obviously! Its difficult to say. You know, every season we start from zero again and unlike other sports… I don’t know if in tennis, for instance, you’re the number one in the world, there is a certain gap between you and the number two, so you have this cushion and it doesn’t matter if its one year or another year, you still have it, whereas for us it all starts from zero again, zero points, everyone has the same chance and we are all building our new cars. So, until we really put them on track to race each other we don’t really know. So, we’ll see, but I’m as confident as I can be at this point and opefully we will have a good couple of days with the car; a good couple of ays testing to prepare the season well. Have you thought of a name for the car yet? Vettel: Not yet, no name yet! To be honest, last year we found a name I think Wednesday before the first race, in that race week, so we might be a bit earlier this year, but so far, no names. We have a couple of candidates, hot candidates, but nothing is decided yet! 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Vettel: I hope Mr Ecclestone is wro 30

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ong!

FEATURE ADRIAN NEWEY

ADRIAN NEWEY: I CAN’T SEE MYSELF GOI

drian Newey emphasised his loyalty to Red Bull on the first day of testing at Jerez, saying that walking out on the Formula One champions would feel like abandoning his children. In a clear sign he intended to see out his Formula One career with the British outfit, the design genius that every team in the paddock would like to poach said Red Bull felt very much like family. “So long as I am enjoying it and people want me to work here, I’ll carry on doing so,” Newey told reporters on the first day of pre-season testing in southern Spain. “I can’t see myself going anywhere else. “I’ve been involved in the team from very early on, I feel very centrally involved in it and proud we’ve managed to get from the ashes of Jaguar to where we are today. “That in itself brings a huge amount of satisfaction and the slightly paternal feeling of wanting that to carry on. To now leave for another team would kind of feel a little like walking out on your children in a way.” Red Bull, who renamed Jaguar after saving that team from being shut down at the end of 2004 when Ford pulled out, have taken both titles for the past two years with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel. With those successes, Newey has now designed championshipwinning cars for three separate teams after drawing world-beaters for Williams and McLaren. Ferrari have made no secret that he would be top of their wish list. The track debut of the latest Newey-designed creation is always an eagerly awaited event but early morning fog kept it, and Australian driver Mark Webber, out of sight for longer than intended on Tuesday. Newey explained the plane coming in from England with the rear wing assembly, which had been held back for checks after an online launch, had been unable to land in Jerez and was diverted to Seville. “We were stuck waiting for it to get from Seville to here,” said Newey. Asked how testing had gone otherwise, he smiled: “Well, it hasn’t caught fire yet and it’s managed to do a few laps.” The launch, offering a fleeting glimpse of the car, had shown an 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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ING ANYWHERE ELSE

FEATURE ADRIAN NEWEY

Newey: There’s always a chance that somebody will come up with something that’s right on the border intriguing slot at the base of the ramp of the nose into the front bulkhead and raised speculation about whether Newey was up to his tricks again. The designer said it was simply to cool 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

the driver. “Traditionally the driver cooling slot is always right at the front of the nose, really for styling as much as anything we moved it to where you now see it just to kind of break

up the aesthetics of the ramp that’s required by regulation.” Asked whether he expected the rules to throw up any controversies between now and the start of the season in Melbourne on

March 18, Newey felt it was unlikely but not impossible. “There’s always a chance that somebody will come up with something that’s right on the border,” he said. 35

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FOR THE RECORD FERRARI LAUNCH THE F2012

FERRARI F2012 CARRIES

he F2012 is the fifty eighth car built by Ferrari with the express purpose of taking part in the F1 World Championship. It adopts a well established tradition of being named after its year of manufacture. The project, which goes by the internal code number of 663, constitutes the Scuderiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interpretation of the technical and sporting regulations that apply this year: the main changes when compared to 2011 concern the height of the front section of the chassis, the position of the exhaust pipes and the mapping for the electronic engine management. Practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised, starting with the suspension layout: both the front and rear feature pull-rods, aimed at favouring aerod performance and lowering the centre of gravity. The front wing is derived from the one introduced on the 150Âş Italia in the final part 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

dynamic

t of its racing life

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S MARANELLO HOPES

FOR THE RECORD FERRARI LAUNCH THE F2012 and has been evolved from there. Further evolutions are planned in this area for the opening races of the season. The nose has a step in it that is not aesthetically pleasing: with the requirement from the regulations to lower the front part, this was a way of raising the bottom part of the chassis as much as possible for aerodynamic reasons. The sides have been redesigned, through modifications to the side impact structures, the repositioning of the

radiators and revisions to all aerodynamic elements. The lower part of the rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered, a feature achieved partly through a new gearbox casing and a relocation of some mechanical components. In recent years, the area of exhausts has been crucial in terms of car performance and much effort was expended on this front, based on changes to the regulations introduced this year. The rear wing is conceptually similar to the

Practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised

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the technical regulations forbid any modification to internal components aimed at increasing performance. Furthermore, much effort has gone into improving its installation in the new chassis, so as not to penalise the aerodynamics of the car. Another area on which the Maranello engine specialists have been working is performance drop off, with the aim of maintaining the highest possible performance level throughout each

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one used in 2011, but every detail of it has been revised and it is now more efficient. Naturally, it is still fitted with DRS (a drag reduction system,) which is operated hydraulically. The front and rear air intakes for the brakes have been redesigned and work was carried out in collaboration with Brembo to optimise the braking system. The engine in the F2012 is an evolution of the one that powered last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car, which is inevitable given that

FOR THE RECORD FERRARI LAUNCH THE F2012 engine’s cycle of use, which has now reached an average life of three races. The electronic management of the engine has been revised based on the modifications to the rules regarding the use of exhaust gases, a task that has required a great deal of attention and many hours on the test bed. The kinetic energy recovery system maintains its low central location in the car – a choice also aimed at maximising safety – and has undergone an update directed mainly at reducing its weight and at improving the efficiency of some of its components.

Several decades of technical collaboration with Shell has seen further progress on the fuel and lubricants front, revolving around improving performance in absolute terms and on durability over the life cycle of the engines, as well as reducing consumption. As usual, great attention has been paid to the electronics on the car, especially in terms of reducing weight and, obviously, reliability. As always at Ferrari, a great deal of time has been devoted to the performance and optimisation of the materials used, right from the design stage of each of

A great deal of time has been devoted to performance and optimisation of materials used

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work on the test beds prior to the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s track debut, has taken on even more importance. The three test sessions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona â&#x20AC;&#x201C; will serve to get a picture of the handling of the F2012 and to adapt it to the Pirelli tyres. Indeed, getting the most out of the tyres has been an area that has seen a lot of work both at the design stage and in how the activities at the track are to be managed. The car is due to undergo a very intensive development programme over the first part of the season, especially on the aerodynamic front.

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around six thousand components that make up the car. In part, this is done to ensure that all operations carried out at the race track are as efficient and effective as possible. Obviously, quality control remains a crucial aspect, as does the goal of reaching maximum levels of performance and reliability, while maintaining the highest possible safety standards. With a reduction in the number of days available for track testing before the start of the Championship, which has dropped from fifteen to twelve, preparatory

FOR THE RECORD LOTUS E2O LAUNCHED

LOTUS E20 BREAKS COVE

he car which Kimi Raikkonen will drive on his return to Formula 1, the Lotus E20, was unveiled to the world on Sunday, 5 February at the team’s headquarters. This is the 20th F1 car produced at the Enstone factory, hence the monicker – E20. Raikkonen and team mate Romain Grosjean did the honours of taking the wraps off the black and gold E20 which, like the majority of recently unveiled cars, features a steeped up section between the cockpit and the front nose area.

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ER AT ENSTONE

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FOR THE RECORD LOTUS E2O LAUNCHED

Raikkonen said: “I think these people know how to build a good [racing] car. Even the biggest teams cannot produce a winning car every year. They’re very capable people and they have a good feeling about things. They’re pushing hard so hopefully we will get good results.” Asked if he had any apprehension 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

coming back to F1 which he abandoned two years ago, the 2007 world champion answered: “Not really. It will be something slightly different to what it used to be when I was in F1 before. A different team and different regulations, but everybody’s different. For some people it’s more difficult to get used to new stuff.”

“It depends a lot on the car. If you have a good car it makes your life easier than if you have an average car. I was pretty happy after the first test we did two weeks ago. It felt pretty normal already. I think it will be okay, but before the first race it’s really difficult to say still. We will wait and see, but I am happy with how things are going,” added Raikkonen.

Team principal Eric Boullier gave notice that the team’s 2012 challenger features innovations which were ‘under the hood’, saying “It is true that the team’s reputation is good in terms of innovation and we brought through the last years some nice ones, and let’s say some more delicate ones, but definitely we have some this year.” 49

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FOR THE RECORD E20 TECHINICAL SPECS Chassis Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by Lotus F1 Team and designed for maximum strength with minimum weight. RS27-2012 V8 engine installed as a fully-stressed member. Front Suspension Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted inside the front of the monocoque. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels. Transmission Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with reverse gear. “Quickshift” system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts. Cooling system Separate oil and water radiators located in the car’s sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car’s forward motion. Rear suspension Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones with pull rod operated torsion springs and transverse-mounted damper units mounted in the top of the gearbox casing. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels. Fuel system Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL. Cooling system Separate oil and water radiators located in the car’s sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car’s forward motion. Electrical MES-Microsoft Standard Electronic Control Unit. braKiNg system. Carbon discs and pads. Calipers by AP Racing. Master cylinders by AP racing and Brembo. Cockpit Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with sixpoint or eight-point harness seat belt by OMP Racing. Steering wheel integrates gear change, clutch paddles, and rear wing adjuster. KERS Motor generator unit driving into front of engine with batteries as an energy store. Motor Generator supplied by Renault Sport F1. Electronic control unit by MagnetiMarelli. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: IT’S A DREAM COME TRU

omain Grosjean makes a return to Formula 1, with Lotus, after contesting seven races in 2009. He talks about the challenge of his first full season in the sport he loves Romain, how does it feel to have a fulltime F1 drive? It’s just starting to sink in. It’s a dream come true to get this drive. A fantastic emotion and a fantastic challenge as well. I think the team has a really good lineup for this year, with Kimi and myself. Hopefully we can do something special. I think I’ll only truly realise it when we get to Melbourne and I see my name on the official entry list. For now I’m really happy to be at the factory as much as I can, to get involved with the team and get ready for testing. How do you view this season – you had a part season two years ago – so is this a part-rookie year? It’s difficult to say how I should view this season. For sure I did seven grands prix alongside Fernando [Alonso] and the experience I gained from that was helpful – and is still helpful today. On the other hand there are still some circuits that I don’t know. But I don’t think we can say I’m a rookie, just because of the [level of ] experience [that] I have. Let’s say that I am a young driver who still has plenty of things to learn in Formula One, but we are all expecting a good season. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

How and why is the 2012 specification Romain Grosjean different compared to the 2009 version? Grosjean: Compared with 2009 I am two years older! No big difference, just an improvement in terms of many small things, including maturity. The 2009 experience was very helpful for me to understand things and grow up from that point. So it was difficult, but very good as well. The 2012 Romain Grosjean sees life a little bit differently. My aim is to enjoy my number one passion, Formula One. What do you expect will be your biggest challenge in 2012? Grosjean: Formula One is a big, big challenge, but I think the biggest challenge personally will be to get 100 per cent out of myself and the car, every time, no mistakes. That is the life of a Formula One driver. You need to get 100 per cent out of the car, focus, concentrate and improve lap after lap. So I hope we can have a good car from the beginning, some good ambitions going into the first race and just develop all season long. What do you think of the new car? Grosjean: From what I’ve seen of the new car so far, I can say that the colours are the same! We will see when get on the track. Hopefully it will be a good car and we can give it a nice nickname after the first test. Then we will try to improve it lap after lap and session after session. 52

UE TO GET THIS DRIVE

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN

LOTUS TARGET FOURTH

otus set Kimi Raikkonen a clear target on Sunday, of taking the former Renault team to fourth place in the Formula One championship in his comeback season. Champions Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all finished above former champions Renault last year but Lotus team co-owner Gerard Lopez said beating one of 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

them was a realistic aim. “The hopes are to have a strong car, strong drivers, of which one of them is obviously an ex-world champion,” he declared in a factory presentation of the new Renault-powered E20 car on the Lotus website (www.lotusf1.com). “Then you have to bring the car up to

the front of the pack, probably [by] trying to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season.â&#x20AC;? Raikkonen has not raced in Formula One since 2009, when he left Ferrari to make way for double champion Fernando Alonso, and embark on a new life in rallying. The Finn, triumphant in 18 grands

prix with McLaren and Ferrari and 2007 title winner with the Italian team, is one of an unprecedented total of six champions together on the starting grid, this year. His team mate is French driver Romain Grosjean, the GP2 champion who started seven races for Renault in 2009 without scoring a point. 55

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PLACE

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INTERVIEW ROMAIN GROSJEAN “I am happy to be back,” Raikkonen, never the most loquacious soul in the paddock, said when reminded how difficult seven-times champion Michael Schumacher had found coming back with Mercedes. “It will be something slightly different than it used to be when I was in Formula One with a different team. A little bit different regulations but everybody’s different. Some people have more difficulties in getting used to new stuff. “It depends a lot on the car. If you have a good car it makes life much easier than if you have an average one. I was pretty happy after the first test we did a few weeks ago and it felt pretty normal already,” added Raikkonen, who drove a two-year-old car at Valencia last month. The new black and gold E20 is named after the team’s Enstone factory as the 20th car the workforce have built there going back to the days of Toleman, Benetton and Renault. Both Benetton and Renault won titles, the latter in 2005 and 2006 with Alonso. The first chassis from Enstone made under the Lotus name has the distinctive stepped nose seen on all the cars launched so far, with the exception of McLaren. There was also new sponsorship from Unilever brands Rexona and Clear. It will be fired up on Monday before the first pre-season test starts at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain on Tuesday. “The people (here) know how to build a good car and even the biggest teams cannot produce every year the winning car…they are very capable people and have a good feeling of things and are pushing hard so hopefully we get good results,” said Raikkonen. Renault were just four points ahead of sixth-placed Force India last year, with Russian Vitaly Petrov as main driver and Brazilian Bruno Senna replacing Germany’s Nick Heidfeld for the latter half of the championship. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Raikkonen: The [Lotus] peop

ple know how to build a good car

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REPORT HAMILTON REVITALISED

LEWIS HAMILTON: I WANT EVERY RACE AND I THINK

f Lewis Hamilton was his own worst enemy at times last year, the McLaren driver assured the world on Wednesday that he would be starting the new Formula One season very much at ease with himself again. “I think it was just a fantastic winter where I got to spend time with friends and family and really was able to wind down,” said the 27-year-old, who complained last year about feeling burnt out. “I let loose for the first week where I did a bit of skiing and then I ate pancakes and all that stuff that I said I wasn’t going to do,” he told Reuters after the launch of the new MP4-27 car at the Woking factory. “I then got into quite an intense training regime and sat down in between times where I analysed the year and certain things in my personal life which weren’t as good as they could be and went about correcting those things. Today I just feel very fresh in my mind and very free of perhaps any of the burdens that I had on me last year.” Hamilton’s 2011 season was punctuated by crashes and collisions, mostly with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, and his on/off/on again relationship with American pop singer Nicole Scherzinger. He said he was now fully focused on the job of being a grand prix driver, “What I have decided to do this year is just focus on the most important thing and that’s racing.” “Of course I accept that my personal life is in the domain but I’d rather just focus on racing. But things are good. So I’m happy.” Hamilton won three races last season but was beaten by Jenson Button, the first team mate 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

who has ever finished a campaign ahead overall. Despite that fact, bookmakers have established Hamilton as 5/1 joint second for the title along with Ferrari’s Fernando behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel but ah Button on 7/1. “I want to win every race. I think I c said of the season that starts in Melbourn March 18. I think I’ve got the ability to. I t car is where we hope the car is, there’s no why we can’t do that. “The only thing that ever gets in yo is your own mind and your own insecurit obstacles that you put in your way. But I most important thing is to put those thin and to overcome them and I think I have “Standing right in front of you I fee than I was a few months ago particularly more so than I was last year at the start o he said. Hamilton’s McLaren contract expire end of the season, but he said he would clear that up as soon as possible to calm speculation. “That’s going to be a big topic,” he recognised. “At the moment the focus is preparation we have coming up for the s “I think probably after the first cou races it’s something we will probably wa get out of the way so we can focus on th the year without the team being concern without it being something that’s just ha around for us so then you guys won’t be ask questions about it.”

d of him

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es at the aim to paddock

just on the season.” uple of ant to he rest of ned and anging having to 61

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T TO WIN K I CAN

REPORT BUTTON’S BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

JENSON BUTTON: MY HE DEFINITELY IN THE RIGH

enson Button is hungry for a second Formula One title, and the great British breakfast, minus the fried bread, could feed his ambition in 2012. The 2009 world champion told Reuters at the launch of McLaren’s new MP4-27 car on Wednesday that he had a new regime to get him sharper than ever for a campaign that kicks off in Australia on March 18. Button, winner of three races last year and overall championship runner-up to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, explained that he was taking a different look at his nutrition with a Monaco fitness firm. “It sounds crazy, but when you are at the top of any sport you’ve got to look for everything, to run through different things,” he said, looking tanned and trim. “Certain things work for certain people, can keep you positive and in the right frame of mind for the time you need it within the car, and also out of the car. It’s all going really well. I’m enjoying it. “Normally you’d think it’s easy, you don’t have fat and things like that, but that doesn’t work for some people.” Asked jokingly if that meant the full English fry-up, beloved of team ‘truckies’ and mechanics toiling in the garages, was off-limits, the lover of sushi and Japanese delicacies smiled. “No, it’s not a bad thing for me actually. Steak and eggs is actually the best thing for me for breakfast.” Button said nothing had changed for him mentally since last season, his best since he won the title with Brawn GP, but his pre-season training regime left little doubt that he was pushing hard to 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

find every possible performance gain. After three “pretty awesome” week Hawaii, he returned to work at the factor for some time in the simulator and to see new car was coming along. He also spent an energetic day wit engineers and mechanics at Bisham Abb many of the British Olympic athletes gea London 2012 are put through their paces “My head’s definitely in the right p it’s nice to have spent quite a bit of time feeling the mood and spending time wit and then running through everything,” h The Bisham event, which was not a by team mate Lewis Hamilton, allowed h spend time with his crew and factory col Button, who will give the new car a debut at Jerez in southern Spain next we suggested the shared experience could a dividends in races. “We got everyone on the bike doin minutes of sprint, which was agony, but good for everyone to do, feeling the pain go through there, they’re never going to again,” he grinned. “Then we worked as teams on the and get to a certain distance the fastest b other team,” added the 32-year-old, the o mate of Hamilton to have beaten him ov course of a season. “Also they are doing a lot of stuff o stops to improve those, finding out wher mechanics’ strengths are around the car. on the (wheel) gun or somewhere else. It very useful.”

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EAD’S HT PLACE

REPORT MCLAREN CONFIDENT

NEW EXHAUST REGS NO TO MCLAREN MP4-27

cLaren’s technical boffins are confident they can claw back much of the aerodynamic performance taken away by rule changes enforced by Formula One’s governing body this season. The 2012 regulations have forced teams to re-position exhaust systems so that they exit periscope-style rather than having the gases blown through the rear diffuser for aerodynamic gain. Sophisticated engine mapping systems that allow a constant flow of hot exhaust gases even when the driver is off the throttle have also been banned. “We now have new constraints in terms of the geometry, so that is where we can put the exhaust pipe and what angle it can be directed at, all of that intended to keep it high and away from the diffuser,” technical director Paddy Lowe explained at the launch of the team’s new MP4-27 car. “The fact of the matter, though, is that exhausts exist on a car, you have to have them, they blow gas. “That will always generate some performance, a finite level of performance. Even just simply blowing exhaust out of the back of the car produces thrust that makes the car quicker,” he added. “So there still is a very narrow extent to which you can use exhaust gas to generate performance aerodynamically. Much, much reduced from last year but inevitably we’ve been trying to look at the ways to make the most of that.” 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

The MP4-27 showed off in a functional launch with the minimum of fanfare on Wednesday drew attention for the tightly-packaged rear-end and smooth bulges on the bodywork where the exhausts exit. Engineering director Tim Goss said the focus now was more on extracting gains from ‘unblown’ performance at the rear of the car rather than ‘blown’. He was coy when asked to put a figure on the overall loss of downforce compared to last year, when McLaren won six races and finished overall runners-up to Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel in both championships. “We’ve set ourselves some ambitious targets and we’d expect to recover a lot of what we lost,” he said. “You optimise around a certain package and… we thought we were particularly good at achieving performance from the exhaust system and blowing the diffuser last year. “You pay a price in terms of base performance of the car, we knew that, there were prices and trades that we were accepting, and ultimately last year it produced the quickest car,” continued Goss. “This year we’ve taken those gains back and worked harder on them and pushed that area harder… I don’t want to quote numbers, but we set very ambitious targets and we’d like to think that we go back with an equally competitive car.” 64

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BLOW

FOR THE RECORD FORCE INDIA VJM5 UNVEILED

FORCE INDIA VJM05 BRE

ahara Force India unveiled its 2012 challenger on 3 February as Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg pulled the covers off the VJM05 at Silverstone. They were joined by reserve driver, Jules Bianchi, as the team’s new car was presented for the first time. The VJM05 is the second car to be 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

created under the watch of Technical Director, Andrew Green, as the team seeks to build on its on its sixth place finish in the constructors’ championship and take the fight to the teams that lie ahead. “We have set our sights on challenging for fifth place,” explained Team Principal and Managing Director, Dr. Vijay 68

Mallya. “To do so we will need to begin the new campaign by delivering the kind of form we showed in the second half of 2011. I believe this is a realistic goal and that we have the talent and determination to realise these ambitions.” Chief Operating Officer, Otmar Szafnauer, echoed those sentiments as he

praised the team’s efforts to develop the VJM05: “The new car has come together nicely over the winter. We don’t know what our competitors have done, but we’ve made some gains over the winter and believe we’re in reasonable shape. It’s going to be difficult in the midfield, but our focus is on starting strongly and 69

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EAKS COVER

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FOR THE RECORD FORCE INDIA VJM5 UNVEILED Mallya: We have set our sights on challenging for fifth place

improving our position from last season.” Summing up the approach to 2012, Andrew Green added: “The car looks more refined; a lot racier and a lot more purposeful. You can start to see the aerodynamic concepts coming through now. It looks quite a bit different to the previous years, and so far the performance in the tunnel has been encouraging.” The drivers were delighted to get their first glimpse of the new car and set out their hopes for 2012: 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Paul Di Resta said during “Seeing the new car built and is always an exciting moment. all the waiting is finally over a for real. I’ve had a good winte batteries, but now I’m fully foc forward to the start of testing feeling in the team, good stab pick up where we left off at th

Nico Hulkenberg commented: “I saw the new car in the wind tunnel a few times and followed its progress during the winter. It looks aggressive and fast, but we won’t know where we stand until we get out there and compete against the others. Preparations for the new season have been full-on with simulator sessions and lots of fitness training. I feel ready to get back to racing and I’m excited to find out what the new car feels like next week.” 71

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g the launch function: complete for the first time . It’s when you realise that and the season is beginning r and I’ve recharged my cussed on 2012 and looking . There is a really positive bility and hopefully we can he end of last year.”

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INTERVIEW NICO HULKENBERG

NICO HULKENBERG: IT’S I’M LOOKING FORWARD T

ico Hulkenberg made his Formula 1 debut at the start of 2010 with Williams, but despite a stellar rookie season (including pole position in Brazil that year) the German was axed – big bags of money did the talking at Grove – and he found his way to Force India as reserve for 2012. This year he has been promoted to the race seat in Vijay Mallya’s outfit. He talks about the forthcoming season. Did you have a chance to relax this winter and how have you been preparing for this season? After Brazil I took some time out and just chilled a little bit and did some training. I went on a little holiday to New York after Christmas and since the beginning of January I’ve been pretty much flat out. It’s not like I’ve been sitting at home, there’s been plenty to do and think about! What are your initial thoughts on the Force India VJM05? I think the car doesn’t look too different to last year, expect maybe at the front of the nose, where there is a bit of a change. Apart from that, there isn’t much obvious, although the exhaust position is different. Aero-wise, it’s in the details again. I saw the car in the wind tunnel and it looked good, but you never know where you are until you are out there and you compete against the others, so let’s wait and see. All the teams have lost downforce with the exhaust rules. Are you confident that the team has been able to claw enough back? Everyone is positive. Losing the blown floor was a setback, but at the same time the aero guys and engineers are moving on and trying to develop other areas to try and gain what you lose. Nowadays you need a strong aero package, a good aerodynamic car, but also mechanically you cannot afford to have poor suspension. It all goes together as a package and you have to have harmony in the car. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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EXCITING TIMES AND TO IT

INTERVIEW NICO HULKENBERG

From pit wall in 2011 to race seat in 2012 for Hulkenberg

How would you describe the team’s philosophy with the new car? I think very clearly the philosophy is to build a competitive and very quick car! With 20 races this year you need a car which is very good on every circuit, not just high-speed 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

tracks like Monza, or tight street circuits like Monaco. I think if you want to compete against the others, and it’s pretty tough in the midfield, you need to be competitive everywhere. We’re just trying to develop and make the car stronger in every aspect.

How hungry are you to get started after not racing last year? Very! Preparations have been full-on with simulator sessions, the seat fitting, and my training regime has gone up a little bit in volume and intensity. So I’m getting myself back into shape again. It’s exciting times and

I’m looking forward to it. Will it take you a couple of weekends to get back into the rhythm of qualifying and racing? It’s difficult to know. Obviously I went through that process in 2010, and I still have memories of it. However, it’s not a situation 75

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INTERVIEW NICO HULKENBERG like the beginning of 2010 when I was a complete rookie and completely new to everything. I’ve gone through it before and I know what to expect and what is coming up. It’s not a bad situation, but not having been on the grid for a year means it might take some time and some adjustments before I’m fully up there and back in my race rhythm. You learned about the Pirellis in your Friday testing last year, but you don’t know about how they develop over the weekend into qualifying and the race. Is that the major thing you have to learn? Track evolution from P3 to qualifying, what you’ve got to do with your setup to re-adjust it, how the soft tyres behave in the race – I only know about that from the Bridgestone days, and I didn’t really run a soft Pirelli compound last year in free practice. So there’s a lot to learn and there are only a few tests before Melbourne. We’ve got a lot on our schedule, but it’s a good challenge! Apart from learning more about the tyres, what are your goals in testing? I just have to get back in the groove, get some mileage, get the F1 feeling back, and just prepare. The important thing is to do a qualifying and race simulation as well, at the latest by the last Barcelona test. It’s what you would do usually, but maybe this time it’s a bit more for myself to prepare. What are your thoughts on Paul? Obviously he’s going to be your main 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

rival this year. I know Paul very well from last year, and I saw what he could do. I think he did a very good and a competitive rookie season. Having a winter and then coming back for your second year, you’ve got to be stronger, it’s natural. You can have a good think about things. I think we both have a very competitive nature, and we both had some great success before F1. It’s going to be competitive, and at the same time what I could see from last year is that we work well together. It’s a healthy rivalry between us, we can push ourselves to the limit, and the team can be pushed to the limit as well, which is good. Do you have similar driving styles and set-up preferences? It’s difficult sometimes to make out the difference and you always think about your own set-up rather than your teammate’s. So I don’t know yet whether we have a similar driving style. The team did a great job to finish sixth last year. How tough is it going to be to repeat that, given the strength of the middle of the field? I think that’s the case every year, and if you look at how competitive it was in the midfield last year, there’s nothing new there. Obviously Williams wants to come back and push forward again – they want to make our life more difficult! We want to establish ourselves and maybe even gain one more place to be fifth in the constructors’, so it’s going to be interesting with Lotus as well. 76

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INTERVIEW PAUL DI RESTA

PAUL DI RESTA: WE’VE GO STRONGER THAN LAST Y

aul Di Resta was without doubt the revelation of the 2011 season, his rookie year in Formula 1 and it was a foregone conclusion that the Scot would 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

remain with the Force India team. He was at the launch of the team’s 2012 challenger – the VJM05 – and spoke of the forthcoming season. 78

Firstly, did you enjoy a relaxing winter and have a chance to recharge your batteries? I stopped working just before Christmas and that was it until January 13th, so I had

a chance to spend some quality time with family and friends, and switch off for a little bit. I pushed on with my training and I was in a good routine and really enjoying it. It was 79

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OT TO START YEAR

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INTERVIEW PAUL DI RESTA nice and quiet in Monaco and the weather was fantastic, so it encouraged me to get outside and get active. You got a feel for the VJM05 when you had your seat fitting. Your impressions? It’s looking quite good and the seat fit went very smoothly. The small issues I had last year were obviously considered in the design, which is what happens in your second year as part of a team – that’s one of the things that becomes a bit easier. I wouldn’t say the cockpit was tight last year, but I just couldn’t get low enough in the car, where I wanted to be. What is the team’s target with the new car? The target is just to go forward really, from where we left off at the end of last year. We’ve got to start a bit stronger than we did last year – that will be key. We’ve also developed a lot of the things that we tried last year and now believe that it’s the way forward. I’m not going to say what it is, but you’ll see it as soon as the car hits the track! Last year the team ensured that the car was competitive at all types of tracks, rather than just places like Spa and Monza. Will we see that again this year? We actually struggled a bit in terms of straight-line speed compared to others. So there was definitely a change. If you look at Hungary, it was one of our best results: a very strong performance across the whole weekend. So it’s good to keep going down that route. You need down force, but you need efficiency, and it’s a question of how finely you balance that. How much stronger do you feel personally heading into the season, compared with 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Di Resta: The target is just to g

go forward

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INTERVIEW PAUL DI RESTA

Di Resta: We have to start off where we finished last year and this time last year? A lot stronger. I’ve been training as hard as I ever have, really pushing on for the last few weeks. As I said, I’m getting myself into that routine and just pushing the body to another level. For some reason my life is just a lot more stable – it just lets you concentrate on the bits you need to as and 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

when they come in. The other benefit is that I now have a year under my belt. Whether it’s making decisions on travel arrangements or just analysing your time, you can really see what you didn’t like last year and what affected you, and just put it right. The Pirelli tyres were new for everyone last 82

d keep pushing in that direction year. Did you feel comfortable with them? It’s difficult to say because it was my first year, but it was not easy, because they were changing a lot and there was a big difference between them. At the same time everyone gets to run with the same tyres and it’s about making them work. It was all about doing it at the right point in the

weekend, especially during qualifying. You have a new team mate in Nico – are you looking forward to working with him? Obviously Nico was already part of the team last year. I’ve known him for a long time and I’m sure we will work well together. At the same time you do have that bit of 83

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INTERVIEW PAUL DI RESTA competitive nature, and you bounce off each other and push the team to take that little bit of an extra step. It’s an unusual situation, because you’ve both done one season of racing, and one year of Friday FP1s – albeit not in the same order! We’re on equal territory. He’s probably done a bit more mileage than me in an F1 car, and he knows all the tracks, so there’s not really any disadvantage for him. And he knows the team. You often shared a car with Nico on Fridays last year. Did you learn from that whether you have similar styles, and perhaps would like the new car to develop in the same direction? The testing priorities were always different, and even between FP1 and FP2 the car would change – they would generally try new things with Nico when he was in the car just to get a bit of an idea, even if it was about future races. So I don’t really know – I think that will develop over the winter. The competition in the middle of the pack is very strong. Do you agree that it’s not going to be easy to repeat last year’s form? True, we’ve got a job in hand to maintain sixth. At the end of last year we punched way higher than I think we should have, and credit to the team for their ambition. I think everybody is still on a high from that and hopefully that will push us to another level again. But it’s going to take a lot of dedication to achieve that. We have to start off where we finished last year and keep pushing in that direction. Looking at the overall package can you see any reason why you can’t do that? There’s definitely no reason why we can’t. We’ve had good stability and we have the same technical staff, and the same partners: Mercedes-Benz for engine and KERS, and McLaren for gearbox and hydraulics. So everything is very stable and has carried on over. It almost feels like there’s not been an end of the season and a beginning of the new one. Everybody’s in the same state of mind. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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REPORT FORCE INDIA

OTMAR SZAFNAUER: FORCE INDIA NEEDS TO G

top brass at Force India has acknowledged it will not challenge for the world championship until the team is bigger. Otmar Szafnauer, who is the Silverstone based team’s chief operating officer, told Auto Motor und Sport that the former Jordan, Midland and Spyker team’s head-count is currently 310. “Here at Silverstone we have 212, and there are 98 in our aero department in Brackley. 500 would be too many,” he told the magazine. “We don’t have room for that. “What is ideal? If we have 330 people next season, fifth place (in the world championship) should be possible. Can we be world champion with that? Probably not. We’d need 450.” The next step for Force India is the inauguration in of its new driver simulator. “We are growing cautiously. (This year) five to 10 per cent more people, but only in the departments where we can follow suit with the equipment. CFD for example,” continued Szafnauer. “In the wind tunnel, we are more limited.” The issue is that Force India is effectively unchanged since the Jordan days, with departed team founder Eddie Jordan opting instead for the philosophy of minimising infrastructure and paying external suppliers. “Even if we wanted to buy all the manufacturing machinery in the world tomorrow, we would have nowhere to put it,” explained Szafnauer. “We would need a new 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

factory. “We have autoclaves that are too small for a chassis or a floor. Strategically, it would be better to produce more parts ourselves because of the speed at which you can react. “We felt that (last year) in the blown

GROW TO WIN

diffuser area as we had to wait for some parts, while we could have produced some of them ourselves overnight.” Force India’s 2012 car, the Mercedespowered VJM05 with a McLaren gearbox, will be launched at the chilly Silverstone circuit early on Friday morning.

“I’m not getting carried away,” race driver Paul di Resta told the Herald Scotland ahead of his second F1 season. “A podium will be a massive challenge. We are a midfield team and you have to be realistic. I’m not saying it can’t happen but it will take a lot for us to achieve that.” 87

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FOR THE RECORD SAUBER C31 UNVEILED

SAUBER C31 LAUNCHED

Monday, 6 February, the Sauber F1 Team launched its new car for the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship. Drivers Kamui Kobayashi (25) and Sergio Pérez (22) unveil the Sauber C31-Ferrari at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain, where on Tuesday official Formula One pre-season testing will get underway. For filming purposes the C31 will cover its initial laps today. The Sauber F1 Team will enter its 20th season in the FIA Formula One World Championship spearheaded by an unchanged driver line-up. With Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Pérez and reserve driver Esteban Gutiérrez piloting the new Sauber C31-Ferrari, the Swiss outfit will be looking to further improve in 2012. “We’re aiming to start the new as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year Peter Sauber. “Our goal is to finish regularly in the points so as to put ourselves in a signifi World Championship.” Only three of their rivals on this year’s grid have been in Formula One longer than Pe through the season following the decision to cease development of a controversial techno 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

eter Sauber’s team. After an excellent start to 2011, the team’s form fell away mid-way ology. “The Sauber C31-Ferrari boasts a large number of promising new developments, 91

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season as strongly r,” explains Team Principal icantly better position in the

FOR THE RECORD SAUBER C31 UNVEILED

but in other areas it is a systematic further development of last year’s car,” says Sauber. “We are looking forward to another season working with our young and talented drivers,” adds the Team Principal. “Kamui will be competing in his third full season in F1. Last year we asked him to take on leadership responsibilities within the team and he has grown into the role. With his rookie season behind him Sergio is now approaching his second season, which is often the most difficult in a driver’s Formula One career. Both drivers have huge potential and will work 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

with the same race engineers as in 2011 to continue developing that promise. Esteban will be competing full-time in GP2 in his second season in the category and has shown – most recently in the November test – that he could also step into the car for a Grand Prix, if required.” The personable Kamui Kobayashi (25) became an instant favourite of Formula One fans on his arrival in the sport, not least with his daring but fair overtaking moves. “2012 will be not only my third season in Formula One, but also my third with the same team,” says the young Japanese. “We’ve been through

“But now I feel like I’ve arrived in Formula One and I’m determined to take a step up in 2012 and achieve better results for the team on a regular basis.” 20-year-old Esteban Gutiérrez will be focusing on the races in the GP2 Series. “At the same time,” says the team’s other Mexican driver, “I’m looking forward to working more with the Sauber F1 Team. I’m learning a lot by being able to experience and analyse the professionalism and intensity of the team’s work from the inside. It’s good preparation for me.” Summarising all the efforts put 93

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a lot together and can benefit from our shared experiences. In my first year with the team we had a bad start but a good second half to the season. The second year was the exact reverse. In our third year together we should be a reliable bet to finish consistently in the points. I’m really looking forward to the new season with the Sauber F1 Team.” In 2012 Sergio Pérez (22) is setting out to put the lessons from a turbulent but impressive rookie season in 2011 into practice. “My first year in Formula One felt like three years, there were so many new things to take in,” admits the Mexican.

FOR THE RECORD SAUBER C31 UNVEILED into developing the new Sauber C31-Ferrari, Chief Designer Matt Morris says: “The C31 is revolutionary where we had fresh ideas, particularly at the rear of the car, and it is an evolution where we knew we could carry over certain approaches. We had to improve on the weaknesses we identified on the C30, but at the same time we wanted to maintain its strengths.” The engineers opted again to go with a high chassis design. However, according to the new 2012 regulations, the nose cone needs to be lower, which is a safety requirement. As a result, the nose cone has quite a different shape to how it was in the past. The chassis itself shows absolute minimum cross sections all the way to the cockpit. By an overall tidier design, the front suspension has been optimised for integration with the chassis and the upright. Otherwise it’s a traditional layout with a pushrod and a high-level wishbone. Packaging was further optimised under the side pods in order to open up more aerodynamic development scope in that area. The cooling layout is based around a similar philosophy to the C30, because that proved to be effective. It helps to get the volume of the coolers forward and allows the design of very compact rear bodywork. A familiar element of the car 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

is the Ferrari engine, onto which an all-new carbon transmission is bolted – also supplied by Ferrari. The longitudinally mounted transmission is a very tidy, neat unit. The entire rear of the car is much more tightly packaged, helped by the gearbox design, and in addition the engineers have gone in some new directions around the floor at the back of the car. The exhaust tailpipe positions are regulated in 2012, which has had a further effect on how the bodywork design has been set out. The rear suspension is now a pullrod design. It shows a long pullrod towards the front of the gearbox and wide angled wishbones. This design allows improved packaging of the rear spring and damper elements. Despite the change from pushrod to pullrod, in terms of kinematics the engineers maintained a similar direction to the one they went in for the C30. Finally, Morris casts a glance at the next steps after the rollout of the Sauber C31-Ferrari: “The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago. We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the rollout car.” 94

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ing forward to another season working ung and talented drivers

FOR THE RECORD TORO ROSSO STR7 UNVEILED

TORO ROSSO STR7 LAUN

s the sun set on the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain on Monday evening, the spotlight turned to the Scuderia Toro Rosso garage as team sponsor CEPSA hosted the unveiling of the STR7. Taking the wraps off the new car that will defend the team’s colours in this year’s Formula 1 World Championship were the team’s drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, with help from CEPSA Co-Chairman, Santiago Bergareche. The STR7, as its name implies, is the seventh car to bear the Scuderia Toro Rosso name in Formula 1 and is actually the third to be conceived and designed entirely in-house in Faenza and at the wind tunnel facility in Bicester, UK. Santiago Bergareche: “The launch of this new car and our continued support of the team is a pivotal moment for CEPSA. It represents a major leap forward in our international expansion as Scuderia Toro Rosso will carry our name around the globe while it tackles the 2012 World Championship. CEPSA is a firm supporter of Formula 1, the very highest level of motor sport, because it represents the best possible showcase for technology and innovation in our sphere of activity. We at CEPSA, believe that Scuderia Toro Rosso shares many of our values and we look forward 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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FOR THE RECORD TORO ROSSO STR7 UNVEILED

to enjoying a successful and mutually beneficial partnership throughout the year.” Franz Tost: “A new car unveiled by two new drivers. The day before testing starts, we can claim to know more about the drivers than the car! It’s too early to 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

make predictions for the coming season, although clearly our aim is to score more points and finish higher in the championship than in 2011. The team has continued to expand over the past year in terms of our facility in Faenza and also in the number of staff who 100

work there, so we shape than at any seven year history Daniel Riccia definitely looks se bit emotional actu first F1 car that wi drive from the sta

With the new nose, it’s not exactly beautiful, but I’d rather have a quick car than a pretty one. Now I can’t wait to drive it tomorrow, when I don’t think I’ll need an alarm clock to wake up to start the day.” Jean-Eric Vergne: “After the 101

testing and all the work in the simulator, being here in Jerez unveiling the car, I feel like this is the real start to my Formula 1 career. It’s very exciting and the next two days are going to seem much too long, while I wait to get behind the wheel.” yallaf1

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are in better time in our y.” ardo: “The car exy. And it’s a ually, seeing the ill be mine to rt of the season.

FOR THE RECORD WILLIAMS FW34 UNCOVERED

A NEW BEGINNING FOR W

ormer world champions Williams presented their new car on Tuesday and declared a fresh start after enduring their worst season in 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

Formula One. A Renault engine has taken the place of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cosworth, Brazilian Bruno Senna has ousted veteran compatriot Rubens 102

Barrichello and a n line-up is in charg departures of Sam Patrick Head. The dark-blu

new technical ge following the m Michael and

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FW34 that was rolled out of the garage without fanfare on a chilly morning before the first preseason test was without doubt the least attractive Williams since 103

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WILLIAMS

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FOR THE RECORD WILLIAMS FW34 UNCOVERED Williams, who scored just five points last year with Barrichello and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, will not care how it looks so long as it is quicker and more reliable than its predecessor. “One could say that, looking at the Williams F1 Team today, we are off to a truly fresh start,” said team founder Frank Williams in a statement. “We have a new car, new driver line up, new engine and new senior personnel. We also have a number of new partners who have joined the team in the past few months. “The team has had a good winter at the factory and we feel ready and strong for the fight.” While the Renault engine is the same as that used by champions Red Bull, it is also identical to the one powering Caterham, the former Team Lotus who have yet to score a point. The roll-out was a novelty for Senna, who scored two points and started the final eight races of 2011 with Renault. He made his F1 debut in 2010 with struggling HRT, who did not have a car ready to test that year. “This is my ever first preseason testing programme since I started in Formula One two years ago,” said the Brazilian. “I’m really motivated and looking forward to working hard and with everyone in the team. I hope we have a successful month testing and developing the car so we arrive in Melbourne as well prepared as possible.” 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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INTERVIEW KARTHIKEYAN LAST MAN STANDING

NARAIN KARTHIKEYAN: I AGAINST sutton-images.com ALL ODD

fter being confirmed recently as an official driver for HRT F1 Team for 2012, Narain Karthikeyan driver shares his views on the upcoming season, talks about the tribulations of being a driver in a society where motorsport is not on the radar and his goals for the year ahead. It has finally been revealed that you will occupy the last seat available as an official driver, how are you facing this new challenge in Formula 1? Narain Karthikeyan: It all really started after the Indian GP, where we had a good performance which led to the belief that I am still competitive to drive in Formula 1. It is no secret how difficult it is to stay in F1 at this time, but I ensured that I was physically and mentally ready for any opportunity that arose. So I can’t wait to get back in the car and return to action once again. The uncertainty you’ve faced in the period spanning from the end of last season until the moment you’ve been confirmed can’t have been easy to handle. What have you done to keep yourself occupied? Karthikeyan: Well, there were more ups and downs than I can remember, positive and negative days – sometimes I just gave up but it was quickly followed by yet another glimmer of hope. It was exhausting mentally, but like the adage goes, all’s well that ends well. There was plenty to keep me occupied during the winter though, like I said earlier I trained 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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I AM HERE DS AND EXPECTATIONS

INTERVIEW KARTHIKEYAN LAST MAN STANDING

Karthikeyan: I am going to push as hard as possible as hard as I would have if my drive was confirmed last season; fitness is critical in F1 and racing in general. Then there were lots of discussions, which meant a lot of travelling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; flights, hotel stays and those sorts of things. So I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a whole lot of time to sit and mull over things, to be 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

honest. This will be your third season in Formula 1, what targets have you set yourself? Karthikeyan: As far as results go, it largely depends on the development of the car, although I must say that things are looking 110

promising. Otherwise, I have no doubts in my ability, I am extremely confident as last year and after the first few races, I drove better than ever. So Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be pushing hard no doubt about that. A lot of things change this year even though it is the same team, and I am sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be for

the better. The new management is wholly focused on all-round improvement and from what I have seen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they will do so. Practically the whole structure is new with respect to 2011, what sensations have the new directors given you? 111

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INTERVIEW KARTHIKEYAN LAST MAN STANDING Karthikeyan: The team has some very capable and experienced people on-board now, like the new Team Principal Luis Pérez-Sala and my teammate Pedro de la Rosa. So things are definitely changing for the better ever since the new owners have taken over. Saul (Ruiz de Marco, HRT F1 CEO) has a very good approach to what F1 should be, by applying his entrepreneurship experience to the team and I’m sure that it will lead to better things. Everyone knows it is impossible to change things in F1 overnight but we have certainly taken strides in the right direction. How would you define yourself as a driver? Karthikeyan: One thing’s for sure – I never give up. I’m here, against all odds and expectations, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. I have worked incredibly hard, I believe in my ability and know that I am as quick as anyone else out there. What do you know about and what would you highlight about your teammate Pedro de la Rosa? Karthikeyan: My first ever test was with Jaguar in 2001 and I remember Pedro was the team driver at the time. Even though I don’t know him very well, I know that he’s very experienced and from what I’ve seen, has a pleasant personality. We should be getting on well – it is not about trying to beat each other but working harmoniously to help the team progress as a whole. Healthy competition will collectively allow us to get the maximum out of the car and fast-forward the development process. He has a vast amount of developmental experience with a front-running team – so it’ll count a lot for the team in terms of approaching things and making the most out of our resources. What do you think you can contribute to the team this year? Karthikeyan: I am going to push as hard as possible, both inside and outside the cockpit and do whatever it takes to help the team progress in its rejuvenated form. Continuity is important in 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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INTERVIEW KARTHIKEYAN LAST MAN STANDING Formula 1 so I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running this year starting with some actual pre-season testing unlike last season where I first drove the new car on the opening race weekend in Australia. So there is all the incentive for me to ensure that I carry the team forward by delivering results and ensuring that nothing is left on the table as far as performance is concerned. Coming from a country with not much motorsport tradition, what led you to pursue the dream of making it to Formula 1? Karthikeyan: Ever since I started my racing career, I had just one goal in mind – Formula 1. It was definitely an unconventional dream to have, considering we had very little by the way of motorsport in India. Understandably, at the time I failed to realise what an uphill task it was. A more concrete picture emerged when I started racing in Europe, and it was during that time I came to terms with the harsh realities in earnest. We didn’t know the right steps to get to F1, but several setbacks made my resolve only stronger and my perseverance ultimately paid off when I made my debut in 2005. Last year you made history by becoming an Indian driver racing in the Indian GP. What dreams do you have left to fulfill? Karthikeyan: For me, Formula 1 is a continued dream, it is always ultracompetitive and competing at the pinnacle of the sport is what I love. So I am very happy to have the opportunity to continue living my dream and I have every intention to make the best out of it. 08.02.2012 ISSUE 05

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