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Formula 1
F1: Grand Prix News Briefs (Update 2)
News from around the world of Formula One as F1 gears up for Australia...
Victorian state officials want the Australian Grand Prix to stay at the Albert Park location. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Government Wants Australian GP Venue Location To Stay: The local Victorian state government on Thursday threw a spanner in the works of plans to relocate the Australian Grand Prix from Albert Park after the current contract expires in 2015. The FIA had approved a study into private sector plans to host the race at a $200m permanent circuit in Avalon, about a 40-minute drive from Melbourne. But amid suggestions the new track could accommodate night racing and be cheaper to run, major events minister Tim Holding said the government wants the event to remain being held in the late afternoon in the city. "We like it here, it's right in the heart of the city, you get the aerial shots of Melbourne, it's got the lake, the bay, the CBD in it. "If you went 20, 30, 40 kilometers out of Melbourne you lose all that," he told the Herald Sun newspaper.
Hamilton 'Simply Faster' Than Button – Ecclestone: Bernie Ecclestone has said that he was not surprised when Lewis Hamilton outpaced F1's new reigning champion in Bahrain two weeks ago. Much has been written about the new pairing at McLaren, with many observers predicting that Jenson Button will need a few races to get up to speed with the team's incumbent Hamilton. But in a joint interview involving both Hamilton, 25, and the F1 chief executive, Ecclestone seemed to indicate that he expects the gap between the British pair will remain. When asked by Germany's Sport Bild if he was surprised to see Hamilton in front of Button in Bahrain, Ecclestone answered: "I would have been very surprised if he (Hamilton) was not." Why? "Because he is quite simply faster." Not surprisingly, Ecclestone's comments were not included in the English-language transcript of the interview posted on the official website F1.com. But in both German and English-language versions, the 79-year-old was not shy to make his feelings clear about the likely travels of F1's three new teams this season. When Hamilton said "never say never!" when Virgin's title prospects were discussed, Ecclestone quipped: "In this case I can (say never). I don't think that the new teams will raise their performance significantly over the season.”
Buemi's Bad Lunch, And Thirsty F1 Engines: Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi's preparation for the Australian Grand Prix was less than ideal. The Swiss youngster travelled to Milton Keynes to use the Red Bull simulator last week, but after eating a hamburger instead spent the afternoon vomiting. Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel on Thursday played down paddock rumors about the fuel efficiency of their respective title-contending engines. With some believing Red Bull driver Vettel's Renault needs to consume 6-10kg less fuel per race than Alonso's Ferrari, the latter Spaniard dismissed it as a mere "rumor". When also asked about the rumor by reporters, German Vettel answered: "Are we lighter than Ferrari? No idea."
Force India Also Close To McLaren-Style Concept: Like Sauber, it is believed Force India is also close to finishing an 'f-duct' air inlet system similar to the controversial one cleared to race this year on McLaren's 2010 car. "I hope that they don't see quite as much laptime performance as we believe we get from it," said McLaren's chief engineer Phil Prew, ahead of Friday practice in Melbourne, during which Sauber is expected to test its prototype system. "It was inevitable," he added when asked about the copies. "Hopefully we will be able to continue developing it and further exploit it one step ahead of the rest."
Hamilton 'Simply Faster' Than Button – Ecclestone: Bernie Ecclestone has said that he was not surprised when Lewis Hamilton outpaced F1's new reigning champion in Bahrain two weeks ago. Much has been written about the new pairing at McLaren, with many observers predicting that Jenson Button will need a few races to get up to speed with the team's incumbent Hamilton. But in a joint interview involving both Hamilton, 25, and the F1 chief executive, Ecclestone seemed to indicate that he expects the gap between the British pair will remain. When asked by Germany's Sport Bild if he was surprised to see Hamilton in front of Button in Bahrain, Ecclestone answered: "I would have been very surprised if he (Hamilton) was not." Why? "Because he is quite simply faster." Not surprisingly, Ecclestone's comments were not included in the English-language transcript of the interview posted on the official website F1.com. But in both German and English-language versions, the 79-year-old was not shy to make his feelings clear about the likely travels of F1's three new teams this season. When Hamilton said "never say never!" when Virgin's title prospects were discussed, Ecclestone quipped: "In this case I can (say never). I don't think that the new teams will raise their performance significantly over the season.”
Buemi's Bad Lunch, And Thirsty F1 Engines: Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi's preparation for the Australian Grand Prix was less than ideal. The Swiss youngster travelled to Milton Keynes to use the Red Bull simulator last week, but after eating a hamburger instead spent the afternoon vomiting. Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel on Thursday played down paddock rumors about the fuel efficiency of their respective title-contending engines. With some believing Red Bull driver Vettel's Renault needs to consume 6-10kg less fuel per race than Alonso's Ferrari, the latter Spaniard dismissed it as a mere "rumor". When also asked about the rumor by reporters, German Vettel answered: "Are we lighter than Ferrari? No idea."
Force India Also Close To McLaren-Style Concept: Like Sauber, it is believed Force India is also close to finishing an 'f-duct' air inlet system similar to the controversial one cleared to race this year on McLaren's 2010 car. "I hope that they don't see quite as much laptime performance as we believe we get from it," said McLaren's chief engineer Phil Prew, ahead of Friday practice in Melbourne, during which Sauber is expected to test its prototype system. "It was inevitable," he added when asked about the copies. "Hopefully we will be able to continue developing it and further exploit it one step ahead of the rest."
Spanish Grand Prix
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