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Formula 1
F1: Australian GP Weekend Notebook (UPDATE 12)
Check back here for frequent updates throughout the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne...
Mark Webber didn't fare so well in Spanish GP qualifying. (Photo: Getty Images)
PHOTOS: Australian Grand Prix Gallery
SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2013
[SUNDAY 7:55 am ET]
WEBBER WOES CONTINUE AT HOME GP: An all-too-familiar poor start and a slow pit stop conspired to yet again deprive Red Bull's Mark Webber of his first podium in front of his home fans at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Webber started from second on the grid, but was swamped in the run to the first corner, dropped to seventh after one lap and finished sixth. A winner of nine F1 races, Australian-born Webber's best finish in 12 years at Melbourne remains the fourth place he earned last year. "We salvaged something in the end, but that was Melbourne today and it was disappointing not to get more out of it," he said. Australia's other hope, Torro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo, fared worse, failing to finish due to an exhaust issue after 42 laps. — The Associated Press
[SUNDAY 6:30 am ET]
NO SMILES FOR BUTTON: For McLaren driver Jenson Button, passing the personal milestone of 1,000 career points provided little succor after a difficult race at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Button had won three out of the previous four races at Albert Park, so snatching a couple of points for ninth place hardly counted as cause for celebration, even if it took him to 1,001 points. The Briton said, "although that's a nice stat, it doesn't ease the pain caused by the knowledge that our car still needs a lot of work done before it's properly competitive." McLaren is well off the pace due to a radical overhaul of its cars while rivals have adopted a more conservative design approach. — The Associated Press
RAIKKONEN IS FIRST 2013 TITLE LEADER: Kimi Raikkonen is the surprise World Championship leader, after winning the season-opening Australian GP at the wheel of the fast and tire-friendly Lotus. Coming in behind the Finn, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso described the Melbourne result as "fantastic," particularly as he beat pole-sitter and traditional rival Sebastian Vettel, who many thought would be unbeatable on Sunday. "I wonder if anybody out there had money on a Lotus winning, a Ferrari second and a Red Bull in third?" wondered former F1 driver turned BBC commentator David Coulthard. Vettel said on the podium: "The first few laps were OK but then the tires started to fall apart. Lotus and Ferrari had incredible pace and we were third quickest." Spaniard Alonso admitted it is a "worry" that Raikkonen's Lotus coped better with the high degradation of the new Pirelli tires — of the top six finishers, only the Finn was able to make just two pit stops. Alonso said: "We only have five days to prepare for the next race (Malaysia) but we will again be a tough opponent." — GMM Newswire
ZYTEK INTERESTED IN 2014 ENGINE RULES: Yet another new name could be looking seriously at F1's radical engine rules for 2014. It is already a poorly-guarded paddock secret that McLaren is likely to team up with the Japanese giant Honda, probably in 2015. But with Marussia supplier Cosworth looking set to depart the sport at the end of the current season, the only confirmed engine manufacturers for the new turbo V6 era beginning next year are Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari. However, another one could be Zytek, a British engineering company. A leader in the hybrid field, Zytek currently works in the Auto GP, Le Mans and Renault World Series categories, and helped Mercedes to develop its KERS in 2009. On Twitter, the company hinted it was looking closely at F1's 2014 rules, "but (we) can't say too much about that at this stage. Maybe we will do a whole power unit ourselves," Zytek added. "Certainly we have all the elements needed for it in our skills/experience plus the (regulations) reset gives newcomers a chance. (It's) certainly a big job and needs serious money to turn the basic engineering concept into a competitive package." — GMM Newswire
NEW WILLIAMS 'UNDRIVEABLE':It has been a nightmare start to Williams' 2013 season. The deaths of Hugo Chavez and Ginny Williams were big commercial and personal blows for the famous British team, and now its new car has been denounced by Pastor Maldonado. "It is undriveable at the moment," said the Venezuelan. "I think we're back to two years ago with conditions in the team," added Maldonado, referring to 2011, when the Grove-based team finished a woeful ninth before a marked improvement last year. Unlike Maldonado, his rookie teammate Valtteri Bottas just squeezed into Sunday morning's Q2 segment at Albert Park. Maldonado is quoted by Brazil's Globo: "Perhaps, with less traffic, we would have entered Q2, but that's not the goal. The goal is to be among the top 10. Now, we are nowhere." — GMM Newswire
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SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2013
[SUNDAY 7:55 am ET]
WEBBER WOES CONTINUE AT HOME GP: An all-too-familiar poor start and a slow pit stop conspired to yet again deprive Red Bull's Mark Webber of his first podium in front of his home fans at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Webber started from second on the grid, but was swamped in the run to the first corner, dropped to seventh after one lap and finished sixth. A winner of nine F1 races, Australian-born Webber's best finish in 12 years at Melbourne remains the fourth place he earned last year. "We salvaged something in the end, but that was Melbourne today and it was disappointing not to get more out of it," he said. Australia's other hope, Torro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo, fared worse, failing to finish due to an exhaust issue after 42 laps. — The Associated Press
[SUNDAY 6:30 am ET]
NO SMILES FOR BUTTON: For McLaren driver Jenson Button, passing the personal milestone of 1,000 career points provided little succor after a difficult race at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Button had won three out of the previous four races at Albert Park, so snatching a couple of points for ninth place hardly counted as cause for celebration, even if it took him to 1,001 points. The Briton said, "although that's a nice stat, it doesn't ease the pain caused by the knowledge that our car still needs a lot of work done before it's properly competitive." McLaren is well off the pace due to a radical overhaul of its cars while rivals have adopted a more conservative design approach. — The Associated Press
RAIKKONEN IS FIRST 2013 TITLE LEADER: Kimi Raikkonen is the surprise World Championship leader, after winning the season-opening Australian GP at the wheel of the fast and tire-friendly Lotus. Coming in behind the Finn, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso described the Melbourne result as "fantastic," particularly as he beat pole-sitter and traditional rival Sebastian Vettel, who many thought would be unbeatable on Sunday. "I wonder if anybody out there had money on a Lotus winning, a Ferrari second and a Red Bull in third?" wondered former F1 driver turned BBC commentator David Coulthard. Vettel said on the podium: "The first few laps were OK but then the tires started to fall apart. Lotus and Ferrari had incredible pace and we were third quickest." Spaniard Alonso admitted it is a "worry" that Raikkonen's Lotus coped better with the high degradation of the new Pirelli tires — of the top six finishers, only the Finn was able to make just two pit stops. Alonso said: "We only have five days to prepare for the next race (Malaysia) but we will again be a tough opponent." — GMM Newswire
ZYTEK INTERESTED IN 2014 ENGINE RULES: Yet another new name could be looking seriously at F1's radical engine rules for 2014. It is already a poorly-guarded paddock secret that McLaren is likely to team up with the Japanese giant Honda, probably in 2015. But with Marussia supplier Cosworth looking set to depart the sport at the end of the current season, the only confirmed engine manufacturers for the new turbo V6 era beginning next year are Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari. However, another one could be Zytek, a British engineering company. A leader in the hybrid field, Zytek currently works in the Auto GP, Le Mans and Renault World Series categories, and helped Mercedes to develop its KERS in 2009. On Twitter, the company hinted it was looking closely at F1's 2014 rules, "but (we) can't say too much about that at this stage. Maybe we will do a whole power unit ourselves," Zytek added. "Certainly we have all the elements needed for it in our skills/experience plus the (regulations) reset gives newcomers a chance. (It's) certainly a big job and needs serious money to turn the basic engineering concept into a competitive package." — GMM Newswire
NEW WILLIAMS 'UNDRIVEABLE':It has been a nightmare start to Williams' 2013 season. The deaths of Hugo Chavez and Ginny Williams were big commercial and personal blows for the famous British team, and now its new car has been denounced by Pastor Maldonado. "It is undriveable at the moment," said the Venezuelan. "I think we're back to two years ago with conditions in the team," added Maldonado, referring to 2011, when the Grove-based team finished a woeful ninth before a marked improvement last year. Unlike Maldonado, his rookie teammate Valtteri Bottas just squeezed into Sunday morning's Q2 segment at Albert Park. Maldonado is quoted by Brazil's Globo: "Perhaps, with less traffic, we would have entered Q2, but that's not the goal. The goal is to be among the top 10. Now, we are nowhere." — GMM Newswire
Spanish Grand Prix
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