Daily Update Formula1 News

Heikki Kovalainen has said he has got no qualms about getting back in a Formula One car, ahead of his likely return to action in Turkey following his Spanish Grand Prix crash.
The Finn has resumed full training for the first time since his 145mph crash and, although he still needs to pass an FIA medical to be allowed to compete in next weekend's Turkish Grand Prix, he is raring to get back behind the wheel.
"I am feeling good, the stiffness in my neck has pretty much gone and I have been back training," Kovalainen said on Friday having just returned home for the first time.
"I left Spain on Thursday and went back to Finland, where I have spent some time working with the team doctor at our facility there on ensuring I am fit for the race. Initially during the week we were doing some light training before starting on my full programme just before the weekend. Lewis will also be here over the weekend doing his training before the race.

"The next stage for me is the fitness test at the track in Turkey on Thursday with the FIA. I can't wait to get back into the car and race with the team next weekend, but at the end of the day that decision is out of my hands, the FIA will make it based on safety grounds only."

When asked if he had any doubts about getting back in the cockpit, Kovalainen said: "None whatsoever, I want to get back racing as soon as possible, since the accident at Barcelona it has been my only focus.

"Everyone involved in the sport, the FIA in particular, is always working on improving safety for the drivers, but Formula One is a risky business. You know that as a driver, but you don't think about it. If you worry about things like that, you lose focus; I guess it is just not in my psyche."
McLaren have admitted they have a plan in place for Istanbul in case Kovalainen is not allowed to race, although they are optimistic about his progress since last weekend.
The tam's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "Our team doctor has kept an eye on him during the week both in Spain and then at the Kuortane Sports Institute in Finland and there has been no development of any secondary symptoms so everything is positive on that front.
"Before travelling to Istanbul, we will organise a full neurological examination for Heikki with our specialists in Finland as a matter of course. He will then have the mandatory FIA evaluation on Thursday at the circuit, which is a routine neuro and physiological test completed after any concussion.
"Of course we have a plan in place should the FIA request Heikki sits this race out, as at all Grands Prix, but we have a race driver who is naturally impatient to get back out there and this is the aim of the team. That said, we will fully respect the decision of the medical professionals, they are the specialists."
Kovalainen's damaged car from Spain has been quarantined at the McLaren factory pending a full forensic investigation into the causes of the accident.
The team have prepared their spare monocoque into a new race car for Kovalainen for Turkey.
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PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Spanish Grand Prix
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain;
66 laps; 307.104km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1h38:19.051
2. Massa Ferrari (B) + 3.228
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 4.187
4. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 5.694
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 35.938
6. Button Honda (B) + 53.010
7. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 58.244
8. Trulli Toyota (B) + 59.435
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 1:03.073
10. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
11. Glock Toyota (B) + 1 lap
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
13. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:21.670

Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 42
Alonso Renault (B) 35
Barrichello Honda (B) 35
Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 22
Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 9
Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 8
Piquet Renault (B) 7
Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1


World Championship standings, round 4:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Raikkonen 29 1. Ferrari 47
2. Hamilton 20 2. BMW Sauber 35
3. Kubica 19 3. McLaren-Mercedes 34
4. Massa 18 4. Williams-Toyota 12
5. Heidfeld 16 5. Toyota 9
6. Kovalainen 14 6. Red Bull-Renault 8
7. Trulli 9 7. Renault 6
8. Webber 8 8. Honda 3
9. Rosberg 7 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2
10. Alonso 6
11. Nakajima 5
12. Button 3
13. Bourdais 2

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Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen became the eighth consecutive man to win the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position, when he dominated Sunday's race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Finn shrugged off two safety car periods - the second when compatriot Heikki Kovalainen crashed his McLaren heavily after a front-end failure pitched him off the road in Turn Nine at an estimated 180 mph - and led home team mate Felipe Massa, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica. They finished 3.2s, 0.9s, and 1.5s apart respectively.
It may not have been a classic race, but it increased Raikkonen's championship score to 29 points and his lead to nine over Hamilton (20), while Massa jumps up to fourth on 18, one behind Kubica (19).
The Kovalainen incident occurred on the 22nd lap, possibly as a result of something causing the front-left tyre and rim to separate. It took a while to stabilise the Finn at the accident scene, but he gave a thumbs up as he was taken by stretcher to the medical centre. Later he was flown to hospital for precautionary checks, and his condition was described as stable.

The incident ruined Nick Heidfeld's race for BMW Sauber, since he was on a longer refuelling strategy and had just taken the lead after the first round of pit stops. He had to come in when the pit lane was still closed, and thus had to serve a stop-go penalty later on. That dropped him to a ninth-place finish.
Mark Webber brought his Red Bull home fifth ahead of Jenson Button's Honda, Kazuki Nakajima's Williams and Jarno Trulli's Toyota. The Italian was hampered by a long second stop and an unecessary third one after a communications mix up.
Giancarlo Fisichella was unable to resist the charging Heidfeld, so brought his Force India home 10th, ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock, who delayed himself running into the rear of David Coulthard. The Scot's left-rear tyre was cut as a result, so he also dropped back but managed to repass Super Aguri's Takuma Sato before the finish to claim 12th.
William's Nico Rosberg was headed for seventh place until his Toyota engine broke; Renault's Fernando Alonso was running fifth when his engine also blew up; Honda's Rubens Barrichello had a collision in the pit lane with Fisichella, which led to his subsequent retirement, and a clash on the opening lap also accounted for Force India's Adrian Sutil and, yet again, Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel. Team mate Sebastien Bourdais retired after being clobbered by Renault's Nelson Piquet as the Brazilian attempted to overtake. Piquet also failed to finish as a result. Finally, Super Aguri's Anthony Davidson went out with mechanical problems.
ref[formuala1.com]
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Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.701 1:20.784 1:21.813 17
2. Alonso Renault 1:21.347 1:20.804 1:21.904 18
3. Massa Ferrari 1:21.528 1:20.584 1:22.058 16
4. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.423 1:20.597 1:22.065 13
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.366 1:20.825 1:22.096 14
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.430 1:20.817 1:22.231 15
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.494 1:20.984 1:22.429 19
8. Trulli Toyota 1:21.158 1:20.907 1:22.529 19
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.466 1:20.815 1:22.542 20
10. Piquet Renault 1:21.409 1:20.894 1:22.699 18
11. Barrichello Honda 1:21.548 1:21.049 12
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.690 1:21.117 15
13. Button Honda 1:21.757 1:21.211 12
14. Glock Toyota 1:21.427 1:21.230 16
15. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:21.472 1:21.349 15
16. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:21.540 1:21.724 15
17. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:21.810 6
18. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.108 10
19. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:22.516 11
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:23.224 8
21. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.318 9
22. Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:23.496 9
ref [AS]

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ref [formula1.com]
Celebrating their 30th anniversary of Formula One competition seems to have boosted Williams’ motivation to return to the forefront of the sport this season. BMW Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren may lead the constructors’ race at present, but the British team are in the charging pack.

So far they have built up an impressive tally of points, thanks in part to Nico Rosberg’s podium finish at Melbourne. But while his challenge faltered in Malaysia and Bahrain, Rosberg is convinced they’ll return to flying form in Spain this weekend...

Q: Nico, the start of the season in Melbourne must have been to your liking. How did that third place feel?
Nico Rosberg: I have to say it was amazing to stand on the podium for the first time in F1. Last time I was up there was almost three years ago in GP2, but I still wasn't expecting a podium at all in the first race, as I thought we would end up in seventh or eighth position and get a couple of points. It was a big step up for me personally.

Q: Then you slipped 11 places to finish 14th in Malaysia and bounced back to eighth place in Bahrain. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride. What happened?
NR: In Malaysia we struggled a bit with the new asphalt of the circuit and we couldn't get the car to work properly all weekend, even though we went there thinking we could do well. In Bahrain, things went better, as we had trouble-free running all weekend and I scored a further point.

Q: You said that Williams can do much better, so how crucial was last week’s test in Barcelona? What upgrades have been made to the FW30?
NR: We had a good number of new releases coming to the car for the start of the European season, which we tested in Barcelona. The outcome was positive, even though we lost some track time on the last day due to bad weather conditions. We are now looking forward to going back there for the race.

Q: What is your impression - can those changes immediately translate into race performance at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix? Is your clear objective to finish in the points?
NR: There are three teams quite clearly quicker than us at the moment, which means that if everything goes smoothly and they have no problems, we can be seventh. There is little room left in the points for everyone else and the battle is tight. Most of the teams will bring improvements on their cars to the first European race. We'll see on Saturday in Barcelona where everyone is.

Q: Williams are currently the 'fourth power' behind BMW Sauber, Ferrari and McLaren, or in other words, the leader of the second group. Do you see a chance to defend that position and close the gap to the three frontrunners?
NR: The battle is very tight out there and it won't be easy at all to hold onto the fourth position in the constructors’ championship. However, this is our target for this year and we'll do anything we can to achieve it. With some luck, we might end up on the podium again.

Q: Now that the podium is not a foreign place to you and the paddock has cast you in the role of a serious driver, has your view of Formula One racing as your chosen profession changed?
NR: I consider the podium place to be one of the many steps which one takes during a career. And to achieve it shows that things are progressing and therefore it is a nice motivation boost. It also came a bit earlier than I expected, although I felt it would be possible during this season. I'm here to win so there is more to achieve.

Q: Your father, Keke, was invaluable to you at the start of your Formula One career. Lately, he hasn't been present at the races as much. How important a role does he still play in your professional life?
NR: My father and I decided some time ago that, when the time was right, he would step back, so this parting is really not as drastic as it maybe looks. We worked together on the contract extension with Williams at the end of last year and, after I signed, my father took the planned step back and reduced his involvement in the daily management. Of course, he is always there whenever I need any advice. He is a wise man and knows this business well so I can't see a better advisor.

Q: You are a young and good-looking guy and some have said you have star quality. In spite of this, you've managed to avoid scandal and press speculation about your private life. Do you consciously avoid the playboy image?
NR: I consider myself to be a discreet person and not very materialistic - I have a car and a motorhome that's all. That's probably the reason why people see me in a different way. F1 takes up the majority of my time and I want to focus on it in the best possible way, while balancing it with my private life.
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Kimi Raikkonen isn't ready to rule out McLaren as Ferrari's main rival this season, despite BMW being his closest challenger in the last two races.
BMW have finished on the podium at every race this season and had both cars ahead of the two McLarens at Bahrain two weeks ago.
But the reigning champion thinks their positions could easily be reversed during the next three races at very different circuits.
"Barcelona is one of the most difficult circuits for cars, then after here it's Turkey and then Monaco, and it can be a different story again," he said.

"Hopefully we can keep the upper hand we've had in the last two races, and BMW were stronger than McLaren at the previous race, so you never know. But we'll have to see what they've done here in testing."
Raikkonen also believes Lewis Hamilton's poor form at the last two races is a result of the McLaren slipping back into the clutches of BMW.
"If you don't have as a good a package as you had last year, then it is harder not to make a mistake," he added. "This is what happens."
He is also looking out for Renault to be able to join the battle at the front of the grid after Fernando Alonso set the quickest time of Wednesday's test at Barcelona.
"I don't have any idea what the other teams did on the other days (this week), but I heard that Renault have made a step," he said. "You presume that if they make a step it is a step forwards."
Raikkonen also sampled Ferrari's new nose cone for the first time at Barcelona yesterday, but the rain that affected the test prevented him from evaluating it fully.
"I only did one run with it and that was in the rain. We tried some little things but in these conditions you don't really feel exactly the best picture.
"But they tested it during the week and it seems to be positive. It is a little step forward so that is good."
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As well as making history as Formula One racing’s first-ever night race, the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix will also mark the introduction of electronic flag displays to the sport. The new technology, developed by lighting consultants Valerio Maioli S.p.A for the Singapore event, will be used in conjunction with the traditional flag signals waved by marshals.

The innovative system, which meets the FIA’s stringent requirements, is the result of more than a decade of development at the Barcelona, Imola and Monza racing circuits. Similar to units used to guide pilots at the runways of major airports, these ‘DigiFlags’ will convey the different flag colours in a more visible way during the night race.

Thirty five display panels will be situated around the Singapore track, each controlled by handheld panels operated by officials at each marshals’ post. In addition to improved visibility, the new system will also provide the race director with an overview of every flag display around the circuit, thereby ensuring the more efficient communication of warnings.

With less than six months to go before the inaugural Singapore event takes place on September 28, the race organisers have been hard work preparing the new street circuit. A week-long demonstration of the lighting system was held from March 29, with a 64-metre stretch lit up with 16 projectors, ahead of its complete installation in August.
ref [formula1.cm]

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Bridgestone used this week’s Barcelona test to complete their second major evaluation of the 2009-specification slick tyres which could be adopted next season in place of the current grooved rubber. It follows their first test in Jerez last December.

Bridgestone brought three slick compounds to the Circuit de Catalunya, each team receiving a total of nine sets. In line with proposed 2009 regulations, the tyres were used without tyre warmers and, for the most part, on cars running reduced downforce levels.

“Running with the slick tyres has been interesting and we are also happy with their performance,” reported Tetsuro Kobayashi, Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical manager. "We have accumulated good data for analysis from the four days here. This data will be processed and investigated carefully to evaluate our next steps.”

Kobayashi also played down fears that getting the cold slicks up to temperature without tyre warmers could present a safety issue. “The situation of warm-up with these tyres is much improved as we look to the future with no tyre blankets," he said.

The teams will get their next chance to sample Bridgestone’s latest slick developments in around three months’ time, but Kobayashi believes the men at the wheel have already had a pretty good glimpse of the future.

“The drivers now have a greater understanding of driving Formula One cars with slick tyres to the 2009 regulations with lower levels of downforce and no tyre blankets,” he added. “We should all expect to see more progress next time we test slicks, which is planned for the Jerez test in July.”
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