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MISANO GIFT FOR JORGE

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F1 >> MotoGP >> WRC

the Blue oval is back! McLaren, Perez, Heikki, ferrari ... whats going on?

WRC F1

Prof Watkins a true f1 great

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OPENING SHOT

assen runner-up Dani Pedrosa Valentino Rossi and the #46 Club Misano

OPENING SHOT

assen runner-up Dani Pedrosa Jari-Matti Latvala, Wales Rally GB

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McLAREN ThE cENTRE OF dRIvER RuMOuR MILL

With Lewis Hamilton rumoured to be considering a move to Mercedes for 2013, the F1 rumour mill is all aflutter trying to determine who might replace the 2008 champion at McLaren. Drivers whose names have been linked to the possible seat at the British team include former Finnish employees Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen, both of whom represent known quantities. But Raikkonen would be loath to take on the heavy PR duties that befall a McLaren driver, while outside Formula One Kovalainen lacks the instant name recognition of a driver like Hamilton, Raikkonen, Button, or Alonso. A third Finn rumoured to be under consideration is Williams test driver Valtteri Bottas, who has impressed with his performances on Friday mornings this season, where he has regularly outpaced full-time driver and race winner Pastor Maldonado. Also in the frame is Force Indias Paul di Resta. Hiring the Scot would see a continuation of the all-British line-up, and di Resta last week announced that he had signed with Richard Goddards Sports Partnership, Jenson Buttons management team. But according to McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, speaking this week, the Woking team currently have no Plan B should Hamilton elect to switch teams. I haven't given Plan B any thought, Whitmarsh said in Spa. We want Lewis to stay, and we want him to stay if he wants to stay. But in terms of when you are trying to win a Championship, I've a number of priorities. You divide your time, energy and focus on those things - one of them is making the car faster, better; another is dealing with all the operational issues to make sure you don't make mistakes, and the other is dealing with your own drivers. But rightly or wrongly I haven't spent a lot of energy on that (plan B) subject.

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WEEK.com
EDITOR: Adam Hay-Nicholls adam@hay-nicholls.com AssIsTAnT EDITORs: Naoise Holohan, Kate Walker F1 AnAlysT: Peter Windsor MOTOGP EDITOR: Michael Scott michael@gpweek.com RAlly EDITOR: Martin Holmes martin@gpweek.com PRODucTIOn ARTIsT: Cedric Dufour PhOTOGRAPhy: Sutton Motorsport Images www.sutton-images.com Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com: Mark Sutton, Patrik Lundin, Dirk Klynsmith, Emily Davenport PublIshER: Chris Lambden publisher@gpweek.com PublIshED by: Grand Prix Week Ltd 61 Watling Street, Towcester Northants NN12 6AG United Kingdom ADVERTIsInG: n Richard Partridge gpweek@ntlworld.com Ph: + 44 1273 232 566 Mob: + 44 7771 567 644 n Mark Sutton mark@sutton-images.com n Gaye Grinsted (WRC/MotoGP) grinstedgaye@gmail.com Ph: +44 (0) 207 254 8796 Mob: +44 (0) 7921 283 070 n Adam Hay-Nicholls adam@hay-nicholls.com n se Asia, Australasia GPWEEK (Australia) publisher@gpweek.com

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PEREz OuT, hEIkkI IN AT FERRARI?

Lewis Hamiltons future might be the hot topic on the F1 agenda at the moment, but Ferrari is never far from the silly season spotlight. With Felipe Massas future not yet decided, the rumour mill continues to spin with stories naming his possible replacement in the red race suit. While Sergio Perez delivered a stand-out performance in Monza, passing Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso for second place in the closing stages of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo does not think the young Mexican is yet ready for a race drive with the team. Next season is too early, di Montezemolo told SkySports. I'm very pleased for him because first of all it showed that our choice when we picked up [Perez] as a young driver was good. Then it is thanks to Sauber, thanks to the Ferrari Academy, he grows up. To put a young guy to Ferrari with the pressure of Ferrari, you need more experience. The latest name to appear seriously in the frame for a job at Maranello next year is that of Caterhams Heikki Kovalainen. The Finnish driver has impressed with his consistent performances at the back of the field over the past three years, and his development feedback is highly praised. Adding fuel to the Kovalainen rumours this week was the news that the Finnish drivers management had been summoned to Maranelllo in the wake of the Italian Grand Prix. Finnish broadcaster MTV3 is reporting that Kovalainens representatives from IMG Worldwide would be meeting with Ferrari bosses at the teams headquarters next week. In other Ferrari news, F1 technical illustrator Giorgio Piola has revealed that the DRS on the F2012 is operated using a foot pedal. According to Piola, the Ferrari drivers operate their DRS via a switch to the left of the brake pedal, rather than via a steering wheel button as used by the other teams.

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Tributes abound, but Ron's eloquence sums it up

The F1 world was deeply saddened late last week by the news of the death of Professor sid Watkins, the former FIA medical delegate to whom many drivers owe their lives. Watkins was the pioneer when it came to improving safety. A lifelong fan of motorsport, Watkins volunteered at Watkins Glen Circuit during an overseas posting, but it was not until a meeting with Bernie Ecclestone in 1978 that the respected neurosurgeon became involved in Formula One. In the early days, Watkins faced stiff opposition from circuit staff, who saw his presence as a criticism of their own medical and safety provisions. During the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, a police blockade prevented Watkins from reaching the injured Ronnie Peterson, who died of his injuries the following day. Petersons death proved to be a catalyst for improvements in safety standards, and Watkins was able to push through a number of measures that have since become a basic requirement of a grand prix weekend. Thanks to Watkins on-going efforts to improve trackside medical care, F1 drivers now have access to anaesthetists, a medical car, and helicopters for instant evacuation. Following the black weekend at Imola in 1994, which saw the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, as well as a serious accident for Rubens Barrichello, Watkins was involved in the formation of the FIA Expert Advisory Safety Committee, which has since been merged with other groups and become the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety. The popular Briton died on Wednesday afternoon aged 84, following a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family. The world of Formula One rushed to pay tribute to the man whose efforts had made the sport safer for all, with drivers and team figures alike

vALE: PROF SId WATkINS

expressing their condolences at his passing, but one close friend summed everyone's thoughts up perfectly: Today the world of motor racing lost one of its true greats: Professor Sid Watkins, Ron Dennis said when news of Watkins death emerged. No, he wasnt a driver; no, he wasnt an engineer; no, he wasnt a designer. He was a doctor, and its probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make Formula One as safe as it is today. As such, many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that todays drivers possibly take for granted. But, more than that, Sid was a dear friend of mine, and Ill miss him bitterly. To his widow Susan, and to his family, I extend my sincerest condolences. He was a truly great man, and the world of motor racing simply wont be the same without him.

"He was a truly great man, and the world of motor racing simply wont be the same without him.
Below l to r: Sid Watkins, with good friend Ayrton Senna; with Bernie Ecclestone (1993), who backed his medical facilities campaign to the hilt; attending to Takuma Sato after a huge shunt; with Gerhard Berger at MIRA, working on safety initiatives ...

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ThE dARk hORSE RISES

A series of sterling efforts from Fernando Alonso over the course of the 2012 season have seen the spanish driver sitting atop the championship standings for much of the summer. On the leaderboards, it is the chasing names that have changed most often, as the Ferrari drivers rivals win and retire. But one name has always been there, or thereabouts, and while Kimi Raikkonen may not have a 2012 race win to his name, only a fool would deny the possibility of the taciturn Finn shaking up the championship at the end of the year. Raikkonen has managed six podiums in thirteen races, and only one non-points scoring finish since returning to Formula One at the start of the season. That race, the Chinese Grand Prix, saw the Lotus driver on course for a podium before a tyre gamble from the pit wall saw Raikkonen passed by an astounding ten drivers over the course of two laps. Because while Raikkonen has yet to deliver his bosses with that first post-comeback win, where

the Finn has excelled is in his consistency. So far this season he has collected three P2s, three P3s, and three P5s, plus three finishes in the lower end of the points. While his qualifying performances have yet to reach their full potential or that of the E20 there is no denying that in races, whatever the conditions, Raikkonen has impressed with solid performances that see him finishing towards the head of the pack every Sunday. Despite being yet to win a grand prix this season, Raikkonen remains a consistent threat in the drivers championship. The popular Finn is currently third in the standings, one point shy of triple race winner (and double retiree) Lewis Hamilton in second place. Given the chaotic nature of the season thus far, it would surprise no one in the paddock if Raikkonen were able to replicate the 1982 achievement of his fellow countryman, Keke Rosberg, and take the 2012 drivers title with only a single race win to his name.
as_gpweek_ogov.indd 1 as_gpweek_superior.indd 1 9/12/12 1:58 PM 9/7/12 4:43

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BRiEFLY
Following his win in the Monza sprint race last weekend, GP3 driver Tio Ellinas the most successful driver in Marussia Manor Racing GP3s short history as a team has been offered the chance of a test with the Marussia Formula One team. It doesnt quite seem real that Im going to get my first F1 test; it is something I have always dreamed of since I was a child, Ellinas said. The test should come after the season next year, so I will be well prepared for it. I have got a lot of work to do before then though, so I will keep my head down over the winter and work hard to prepare for the 2013 season. I really want to thank the Marussia F1 team for this amazing opportunity. The BRDC has given its backing to a new low-cost singleseater championship run by Jonathan Palmer, BRDC Formula 4. Aimed at promoting motorsport talent in an era of austerity, BRDC Formula 4 will see identical cars built spaceframe construction [which] will provide the optimal balance of strength, low cost and ease of repair, and the chassis will meet the latest 2012 FIA safety standards and feature front and rear wings. The cars, which will be known as MSV F4-013, will be powered by the cost effective and proven 2 litre Ford Duratec engine, developing 175bhp and featuring a Cosworth engine management system. The gearbox will be more sophisticated than any previous car at this level, being a 6 speed Sadev transmission incorporating paddle shift. The cars will run on slick and wet compound tyres provided by Yokohama. Team size in the championship is limited to four cars, with cost of entry ranging from an estimate 35,000 for a private entrant and 70,000 for a professional team.

ThREE dAyS IN MAGNy-cOuRS: ThE yOuNG dRIvER TEST

This week saw a Young Driver Test run in mixed conditions at Frances Magny-Cours Circuit, with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Force India all giving some young blood the chance to do some testing in a current Formula One car. While Tuesday and Wednesday saw dry track conditions, rain on Thursday morning gave the young drivers a chance to run on Pirellis wet and intermediate tyres an uncomfortable but invaluable experience. Jules Bianchi had two days behind the wheel of the F2012, on Tuesday and Thursday, while on Wednesday Davide Rigon took on driving duties for the Scuderia. Bianchi was otherwise engaged that day the only driver to spend three full days on track in MagnyCourse, Bianchi spent Wednesday doing his young driver duties for Force India. Bianchi was the fastest man on track on all three days, and managed the fastest lap time of the test on Wednesday afternoon, a 1m16.467s set behind the wheel of the VJM05. Also running for Force India were Luiz Razia, who took to the track on Tuesday, and Rodolfo Gonzalez, who rounded off the test for the team. Over at Mercedes, it was Sam Bird who took on the lions share of the driving duties, although Brendon Hartley, formerly of the Red Bull Young Drivers Programme, spent Thursday behind the wheel of the W03. Also present at the test was race driver Michael Schumacher, who dropped in to keep an eye on the young talent rising through the ranks. The sign of a keen competitor, or a future team principal? Mercedes debuted several new innovations at the test both the teams new Coanda-style exhaust and their innovative triple DRS system were put on trial at Magny-Cours. Team principal Ross Brawn was characteristically taciturn on his teams latest developments. When asked how the triple DRS worked, Brawn said only: We'll leave that up to everyone's imagination. The device is believed to channel air over the rear wing from three separate areas at the front and rear of the W03, giving the team added straight-line speed. Given that an effective triple DRS system would have provided the Silver Arrows with a clear advantage at Monza last week, it is a shame the teams race drivers were unable to show it off to its full advantage.

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BRiEFLY
Plans for a French Grand Prix may not be entirely dead in the water, with both Paul Ricard and Magny-Cours reportedly both interested in a slot on the F1 calendar. According to F1 journalist Joe Saward, both circuits are interested in an alternation deal with a foreign track, but do not appear to want to share the mantle of French Grand Prix. Plans to revive the race were close to being finalised earlier this year, but a change in government saw an end to high level support for the proposal. Both circuits appear to have raised funding from local sources, and will not need to rely on state financing in order to proceed. Italian tyre suppliers Pirelli have announced the tyre compounds for the next three races: Japan, Korea, and India. At the Suzuka and Buddh circuits, cars will be shod in the hard and soft compounds, while at Koreas Yeongam International Circuit Pirelli will be supplying the teams with softs and supersofts, the same selection on offer at next weekends Singapore Grand Prix. The tyre choices have been made with an eye to the characteristics of each circuit. Suzukas combination of high speeds and technical corners makes the hard/soft selection the best choice for optimum racing performance, while Koreas exceptionally low rates of tyre degradation put the supersofts on the table there.

WILLIAMS ANNOuNcE quARTERLy RESuLTS, F1 PAyMENT

Williams this week announced an upturn in their financial fortunes with the publication of the Williams Grand Prix Holdings Ltd half yearly results. The company is not limited to its efforts on track, and recent diversification efforts including but not limited to the Williams Hybrid Power work, the Williams Hybrid Technology Centre in Qatar, and deals with car manufacturers including Jaguar have seen the Grove outfit go from strength to strength. Chief executive officer Alex Burns spoke of the importance of this diversification to Williams future growth. We are pleased to report interim results that demonstrate the on-going stability of the business in a difficult economic climate, he said. We have made a step forward in Formula One this season and expect this upward trend to continue into next season. These results also validate our long term business plan of adapting technology and know-how developed in Formula One for commercial application in energy efficiency, safety and education. Our core business is now generating strong revenue figures from projects outside of grand prix racing. Overall group results saw across the board improvements from 2011, with turnover up from 47 million to 74.3 .3 million, while net profits were up from 1.9 million to 6.6 million. Core business results also improved, with turnover up from 46.4 million in 2011 to 73 million, while net profits went from 2.9 million to 8.5 million. Part of the reason for Williams financial improvement stems from a one-off payment from the Formula One Group following the signing of the next round of the Concorde Agreement. The size of the payment is unspecified, with the team saying only: The notable increases in half year turnover and profit are largely due to our diversification strategy as well as the recent receipt of a one off payment following a new commercial agreement for our continued commitment to Formula One. Williams is at a very exciting stage in its history and these promising results are indicative of this, said team founder and principal Sir Frank Williams. We have made good progress on track this year, thanks in part to a new technical team, which has seen us pick up our first win in eight years. Our diversification strategy is also gaining momentum, positioning us as a leader in the development of cutting edge technology in areas such as sustainability and safety.

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ThROuGh ThEIR LENSES

A selection of unique images, taken and signed by F1 drivers and team principals past and present was auctioned by Coys in aid of Great Ormond street Hospital Charity at the Wyndham Grand, Chelsea Harbour, London, last week. Among the sponsors of the evening was our own Sutton-Images. While tens of thousands of pounds was raised for the charity, we're intrigued by some of the offerings and thought-processes of some of our F1 contempories ... See if you can figure out who took each of the sample pics on this page some of the images contain a clue (answers on page 15 of this issue) ...

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3 6 7

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THE MOMENT

Singapore 2008: Under 'team instructions', Nelson Piquet Jnr spun his car, to initiate the Safety Car which would get team leader Fernando Alonso back into the race (which he won) ... except he somewhat overdid it. The car was wrecked and the scandal which followed saw Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds depart Renault, while effectively ending Piquet's F1 career.
(Sutton Images archive 1960-2012. Over 800,000 images available online for search and print order)

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ducATI hAS chANGEd MORE ThAN ThE OThERS

Race boss Preziosi answers the critics
Ducati Corse chief and Desmosedici designer Filippo Preziosi issued a robust defence of Ducatis progress, after the company had been criticised for a lack of development by the departing Rossis crew chief Jerry Burgess. Burgess blamed Rossis Laguna crash on a lack of concentration caused by the fact that we havent been keeping his interest by delivering new parts. A Japanese company on the back foot would have been doing say race by race, he said. The truth was very different, insisted Preziosi. We tested at least three different frames this year, and five different swing-arms. We changed the shape of the fuel tank, moved the electronics from the front to the centre of the bike. We changed the casting of the engine. Only the front fork is the same, and it is the same one used by all our other competitors. When you refine the bike, change all the parts, that is very similar to a major redesign, he told GPWeek. Engine changes had shifted the 90-degree V4 by 25 degrees backwards in the frame, to centralise mass, done in two stages. The second iteration, requiring new crankcase castings, had arrived for the US GP at Laguna. I think we showed that we are the company that changed more in our history. We used the trellis frame, monocoque, and perimeter. No other company did it in the past. So for sure Ducati is the more open-mind company, said PreziosI. The same was true about engines. He did not rule out a change to different engine architecture, but did not embrace it either. We will do whatever is necessary, he said. We would be open to do anything. We are a two-cylinder company, and we build a four-cylinder to compete in MotoGP So we showed . then ... He declined to comment in detail on Rossis problems. I want to speak about that when the season is finished. Now we are committed to do the best. Today we reached the second row, and we are racing tomorrow. So now all our energies have to be concentrated on that. We have a lot of ideas, but these are in testing. Monday we will test something and we are waiting for his comments.

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BRiEFLY
Superbike rider Jonathan Rea made a measured but impressive MotoGP debut at Misano, riding the Repsol Honda in place of the injured Casey Stoner. The rider from Northern Ireland finished eighth, improving through the weekend. He had followed the injured Nicky Hayden. Until he dropped me I could pick up some things from him. In the closing stages he closed to within a second ... only for Hayden to open up the gap again. Ive got a lot more to give, said Rea, who is back on his Honda Superbike next weekend, then returns to Aragon the week after. Colin Edwardss hopes of dumping his difficult Suter BMW CRT bike have come to nothing, while the Swiss chassis maker has rebounded from the Americans criticism and now has a second bike on the grid. Impressive CRT rider Danilo Petruccis Ioda team has abandoned their own-built Apriliapowered machine to switch to the Suter. But Edwards may achieve his hopes next year ... he and Moto2 team-mate Alex de Angelis have both signed up for next year with the same NGM Forward team, and there is a good chance he will be on an Aprilia ART. At 39, Edwards will remain the oldest rider on the grid. The memory of local hero Marco Simoncelli was strong at Misano, the track now named after him and only a few kilometres from his home. A charity cycle ride from Donington Park in England to Misano, led by Kevin Schwantz, raised money for the Marco Simoncelli Foundation charity, and a sea of fans with placards bearing his 58 racing number crowded a section of the track. At the same time a biography assembled by his parents and friends, entitled Il Nostro Sic (Our Sic), was launched. An English version will be published in due course.

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Ducati Junior Team conf irmed

On the eve of the Misano GP weekend Ducati officially announced that Ben spies and Andrea Iannone are to join the factorys new junior team next year, to be run by current satellite squad Pramac. This confirms GPWEEKs report of last week, and sets the scene for an accelerated development programme next year, with four riders on full factory-spec bikes feeding data and information back to factory engineers. Spies acknowledges it is a risk, but it is also the Americans only chance to stay in the premier racing series on a full factory machine. This was what persuaded the former World Superbike champion to change his mind about joining the BMW team in that series. Next year is going to be a big adventure and a big change, he said. I dont know what I can do in MotoGP but I know I havent , got the most out of myself yet. I had to think a lot about it, and I dont want to look back in five years knowing I didnt reach my full potential. Team-mate Iannone is a Moto2 hot-shot also grasping a rare opportunity. He admitted he had asked Rossis advice about the move, and his compatriot had backed up his choice. I preferred a full factory ride to a satellite team or in CRT, he said. Ducati Corse boss Filippo PreziosI said there was an option to use the junior team to test out new ideas and equipment on behalf of official factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden. Mainly we are happy to have four strong riders using all similar material to collect more data to speed up the process, he said.

BEN SPIES ANd ThE BIG AdvENTuRE

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BRiEFLY
Valentino Rossis practice of special helmets for home races displayed his usual quirky humour at Misano. He was pictured as a punch-drunk boxer with a black eye, asking: How am I doing? The design was dreamed up in conjunction with his usual helmet designer Aldo Drudi.Cal Crutchlow is the new leader of something of a revival in fortunes for the once-dominant British. His 2013 team-mate at the French Monsterbacked team is fellow Englishman Bradley Smith. Stoners replacement is Ulsterman Jonathan Rea; while Scott Redding is a candidate for the Ducati Junior team and also possibly Gresini Honda. Nicky Hayden was due to test the new Ducati chassis, used by Rossi in the race, the day after the Misano GP but with fractures in his right hand from his Indianapolis crash not fully healed he was not sure if he would go ahead. Some guys in the team thought I should withdraw from the race, but the doctors were convinced that as long as I didnt crash, I wouldnt damage my hand, he said; but it was painfully swollen after the race, which had been a typically brave effort, and the first time he had ridden a motorcycle since the crash. Castrol celebrated 10 years with the Gresini GP team, currently sponsored by San Carlo, at Misano, which is almost adjacent to the teams headquarters. Past riders including race winners Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri were part of the line-up of riders at the paddock party; and the mood was sustained when current rider Alvaro Bautista claimed his first MotoGP rostrum in the race.

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dORNA PLOuGhS AhEAd

cONTROL Ecu

Dorna is to challenge Hondas threats to quit MotoGP if a control eCu and rev limit is introduced, pressing ahead with plans for its introduction in 2014. It was confirmed at Misano that all teams will be offered a control ECU (without the rev limiter) next year, with the intention of making it compulsory for all the year after. The unit will be state of the art ... at least as good as what they have now, according to Race Director Mike Webb. A planned unit had already been rejected by teams as being below current standards, and the second-generation version would include more parameters. It is being developed by Italian electronics specialists Magneti Marelli, who currently supply both Yamaha and Ducati factory teams. Honda uses electronics developed in-house. HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto has said unequivocally that if this happens in 2014, Honda will move its factory racing efforts to World Superbikes. But Yamaha and Ducati are thought to be less opposed to the idea. However, Japanese industrial politics and traditions mean it is unlikely that Yamaha will go against Honda, suggesting a rocky road ahead. Ducati race chief Filippo Preziosi said that no decision had yet been made. This would be very effective to control costs and to close the gap between the factories and the smaller companies. On the other side, you lose the interest, because the necessity to develop electronic strategies pushes you to a better understanding of vehicle dynamics. Its a trade-off between two different views. We will wait for the proposal and we will discuss inside the company to decide our position. Of Hondas threat to move to SBK, he said: I would be very surprised if you end up with a control ECU in MotoGP and free ECU in Superbike. I think the needs of the two championships are very similar.

AdJuST yOuRSELF, NOT ThE BIkE

NIcky hAydEN

seasoned Ducati rider Nicky Hayden has one piece of advice for the new recruits to the Desmosedici. Dont try and turn it into something that you already know. Its different, and always will be. Hayden, who switched from Honda to Ducati in 2009, found the process difficult on his own account. And he believes that the less experienced Andrea Iannone may have an easier time of making the transition than ex-Japanese-bike riders Andrea Dovizioso and Ben Spies. Its always hard to say how someone will get on with the Ducati, he said. Some riders gel with it, and others dont. Past examples of the latter category include not only Rossi but also Marco Melandri and Sete Gibernau, both

of whom had a difficult time after joining the factory team. Sometimes its easier for kids who get on the Ducati who have not been anything else in the MotoGP class he said. After riding a Japanese bike, it can be really strange. European bikes are stiffer, and if you dont have any other experience it could be easier to get used to it. It took me quite a while. The main thing is to get on it and not adjust it more than you have to so it fits you okay. You have to adjust to the Ducati. For ex-Yamaha riders Spies and Dovi, he says: Youre not going to make it like a Yamaha. You have to adjust yourself more than the bike.

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NO LOITERING RuLE TO BE ENFORcEd

Race management has acted to stop the dangerous practice of riders lapping slowly in practice and qualifying, waiting for a fast man to pick up a tow and riders briefed that they face sanction if they are judged to have done that. It is particularly prevalent in the smaller classes but not unknown in MotoGP and has caused angry , outbursts in the past from Casey Stoner, among others. Stoner has singled out Hector Barbera as a particular offender; while Rossis leg-breaking crash at Mugello in 2010 was triggered when he slowed down to avoid being followed, causing his tyres to lose temperature. Moto2 and Moto3 qualifying sessions often see groups of up to ten riders cruising round nose to tail, waiting for a fast man to come along. The danger is obvious, with big speed differentials on the straights, and elsewhere. Race Director Mike Webb confirmed that riders had been briefed before the Misano race that the practice must stop. As well as visual evidence and that from closed-circuit TV, lap times will be analysed. Any rider doing a lap slower than a certain level, other than an in- or out-lap, will be investigated, and faces a sanction at the discretion of race management.

AnsWERs: Zoom Great Ormond Hospital Charity picture quiz! (Page 10) 1. Romain High-Flyer Grosjean 2. Damon Hill 3. Daniel Ricciardo 4. Bernie Ecclestone 5. Timo Glock 6. Kamui Kobyashi 7. John Booth (Marussia) 8. Kimi Raikkonen (obscurely artistic?) 9. Ross Brawn (always thinking of work ) 10. Mark Webber 11. Adrian Gadget Newey.

TEXAS GRANd PRIX: LEGAL BATTLE hOTS uP

A continuing flurry of claims and counterclaims concerning promotion contracts for next years GP at the Circuit of the Americas at Austin, Texas, has muddied the waters for the inaugural race, provisionally scheduled as the second round next year on April 14. As reported last week, putative promoter Kevin Schwantz is suing the circuit because his company, 3four Texas, has been cut out of the loop, after he believed he had a contract for the event. In the wake of his suit, Dorna issued a statement last week, saying that Schwantzs company had been contracted as promoter in February 2011, when Dorna understood that 3four Texas had an agreement with COTA to run the event . But the company had failed to furnish Dorna with required evidence of an agreement with COTA in June 2012. Dorna had no alternative than to terminate the contract, the statement read.

Strong top 10 results for Chris Walker and Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki at Donnington - giving him a great chance of securing seventh overall for the season.
Image: Tim Keeton, Impact Images.

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A new contract had been made with COTA. On Friday Schwantz responded, saying: COTAs claim is false; citing a press release the circuit had issued in 2011, which had named his company as party to the MotoGP contract. The race, which follows this years inaugural F1 event at the track in November, will be a third round in the USA, with both Laguna Seca and Indianapolis contracted for next year.

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RALLY

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Peugeot to Launch R5 at Paris Salon

Peugeot has confirmed the company will launch its R5 car at the forthcoming Paris Motor show on 27 september, the first public chance to see a car built for the FIAs new rally car formula. The model is intended to replace the 207 Super 2000, of which more than 100 examples have been built for rally competition use. Most significant factor of the announcement concerned the engine of the R5 which is based on the 260bhp EP6 CDT engine used in Peugeot RCZ racing cup cars. The company states that they know that 280 bhp is achievable. 208 R5 project leader Bertrand Vallat said: We are aiming for performance which is slightly higher than that of the S2000.

Good news from France

The entry list for round 11 of the 2012 World Rally Championship, Rallye de France Alsace (4-7 October), shows a strong increase in entries compared with last year, with a total of 74 against 64. This is despite a sharp drop in the number of WRC Academy drivers and the small number of entries in this years SWRC support championship. The list includes six Minis, all in WRC specification, two circuit racing drivers (Yvan Muller and Romain Dumas) and two young French drivers entered by Collectif Equipe de France Rallye (Stephane Consani and Sebastien Chardonnet) also in WRC cars. The French federations collectif has also entered Quentin Gilbert in a Citroen DS3 R3 and Nicolas Romiguiere in a Renault Twingo R2. There are also 21 fully privateer French entries.

MCRAE LOSES APRC TITLE HOPE

Retirement on Rally Hokkaido with engine failure due to a cracked cylinder head has cost Alister McRae the chance to retain his FIA Asia Pacific title. Hot favourite for the title remains Chris Atkinson, notwithstanding his absence from the event in Japan, with New Zealander Brian Green still with a mathematical chance of becoming champion at the final round. Atkinsons MRF team-mate Gaurav Gill lost his title chance when his Skodas clutch failed on Day 2, when leading. Protons guest driver Juha Salo retired on the same stage after lying thrid with suspension impact damage. The rally was won by Toshi Arai on the debut appearance of the Subaru Impreza GVB model R4 car (above). In addition to the new Subaru, Toyota showed their new four-door Vitz/Yaris

R1B car as course car. The European two-door R1A is due to be homologated later this year. There was a spectacular scene in the national category of the event, when five cars crashed all on the same bend.

Toyota debuted its new four-door Vitz/Yaris R1B car as Course Car (right)

Image: Ridder

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BRiEFLY
ERC: Andorran driver Joan Vinyes won the Rally Principe de Asturias, round 9 of the FIA European championship in a six year old Suzuki Swift S1600, ahead of the Peugeot 207 S2000 of Polish driver Michal Solowow. The rally was saddened when a spectator died in a crash on a stage. IRC: Ukraine driver Yuriy Protasov had been leading his countrys IRC Yalta Rally at the wheel of an ex-Latvala World Rally Car, converted to 1.6 turbo Super 2000 specification before puncturing and then retiring with broken suspension handing victory to the 2-litre Fiesta S2000 of Turkish driver Yagiz Avci. The early stages had seen an exciting duel between Protasov and Mikko Pajunen, the lead changing between them on each of the first five stages, but the Finnish driver damaged his car and retired. Day 2 of WRGB was the 5th anniversary of the untimely death of British former world rally champion Colin McRae. Sadly not a single British driver scored even a top six stage time on the event this year. Only three British drivers took part: Matthew Wilson finished eighth. Toyota Auris driver Johnny Gemmell won the Toyota Cape Dealers Rally in South Africa after early leader Mark Cronje lost a couple of minutes on the first day. Auris S2000 cars finished first, fifth and sixth. The Welsh promotional authorities announced they would continue their support for Rally GB, hopefully with revised requirements regarding the format of the route. The three day national event category supporting the WRC Wales Rally GB event was won by Bob Ceen, Subaru Impreza World Rally Cars took the top seven places.

RALLY

>>> nEWs

Skoda eyes Lappi

With Juho Hanninen unbeatable in the race for the FIAs european championship, his third major title in three years, skoda Motorsport have started looking further into the future. Hanninen has now won the IRC title in 2012, the SWRC in 2011 and the ERC in 2012. Skoda has now offered Esapekka Lappi a drive on the Rajd Polski, the penultimate round of the 2012 ERC series. Lappi has been unbeatable in national championship rallies in his native Finland, and on the Neste Oil Rally Finland he showed speed equal to Sebastien Ogier until suffering power steering failure. Skoda Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek has stated that Esapekka is one of the biggest talents in the sport. Poland has been chosen as this is a gravel event.

Citroen's Middle East mystery

It has been confirmed that Citroen has been in further negotiation with authorities in Qatar regarding Qatars hopes to obtain an exclusive sponsorship arrangement with the Citroen WRC rally team. It is still a mystery about the reasons why, or at what level, Qatar wants to be involved in the WRC and even if Qatar is the only Middle East interest that Citroen are dealing with. The latest rumour from the region is that Abu Dhabi is considering a return to the WRC scene and has also been speaking with Citroen. Negotiations between Citroen and Qatar appear to be getting very complicated. Certainly Qatar, through Nasser Al Attiyah, is putting a lot of pressure on Citroen, presumably worried that Citroen might instead decide to work with Abu Dhabi. Another factor is that Nasser is becoming increasingly frustrated that his hopes of regaining the Middle East rally championship title are slipping away, following his non-start in Lebanon. Basically Nasser wants to finalise a deal with a manufacturer, preferably Citroen, in which he can drive its car not only in WRC events but also MERC events. Citroen meanwhile has filed papers with the FIA in the hope the FIA will agree to homologate a competitive version of their DS3 in S2000 specification. Currently Nasser can only do this with Ford and Mini, not Citroen. Meanwhile Qatar has ordered a new 1.6 litre Fiesta RRC for Nasser to use later this year in case talks with Citroen fail, to keep Nassers 2012 MERC championship hopes alive.

Lappis successes so far have been at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta S2000 in Finland where he has been unbeatable, and the Fabia S2000 is widely regarded as the pacemaker 2-litre S2000 car. His co-driver will again be Janne Ferm.

Vale: Peter Hughes

One of the most significant people in Kenyan motorsport and the countrys motor industry has died. This was Peter Hughes, known worldwide by sporting enthusiasts as the organiser for many years of the Safari world championship rally, but earlier as the winner of the 1964 Safari. He was a member of the family which were the Ford distributors in the country and one of the pioneers of the CKD (completely knocked down) car production systems. His AVA car assembly company in Mombasa handled countless different makes of cars. The Ford business was started by his father, originally based in Nakuru, and Peters victory in 1964 was one of the first international rally wins for the Cortina. After his retirement from the sport he was closely involved in the organisation of the Safari Rally. On the 1991 Safari Rally his son Michael won the Group N category, on which his father was Clerk of the Course, and this was one of the first major successes in the WRC for Subaru.

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THROUGH THE LENS ...

Italian F1 Grand Prix

For this shot I stood in the pit lane and he was actually on the pit wall. It's a hairy place to shoot from as you're actually stationed outside garages, so you have to have your wits about you and always be aware of your surroundings in case a car is coming in or out of the pits. The French style helmets are for fire marshals and the visor does flip up, but to get this shot you obviously need it down and you need the marshal to stay still; it's no good him turning his head to watch the car go past! I always think the helmets are a bit Darth Vader-like! You can actually see us reflected in the visor, but then that's part of what makes it such an effective picture it's almost as if what he can see through his own eyes is being projected on to the visor. Mark Sutton Canon EOS-1D Mark IV ISO Speed: 400 Aperture: F5.6 Focal length: 700.0mm Exposure: 1/1000 Sec Exposure mode: Shutter priority

THROUGH THE LENS ...

Italian F1 Grand Prix
This is a nice shot because it's so clean, with nothing between me and the cars. I know the opportunities from here well as I've shot from the Parabolica for about 20 years now! We try and cover the four main overtaking opportunities at the circuit Turn 1, the Roggia chicane, Ascari chicane and Parabolica and it allows me to do the grid shots first and then walk back from the grid to the last corner. I'm standing where the old banking joins the track, where it's a lot wider onto the start/ finish straight, and Massa is stuck behind Ricciardo at this point, with Vettel and Alonso close behind; it's amazing how quick the cars come by you here. The old tower on the left had been done up a few years ago but it's good to see the history remains around the circuit, with a kerb still visible on the outside of where the banking joins the track. Mark Sutton Canon EOS-1D Mark IV ISO Speed: 200 Aperture: F9 Focal length: 120.0mm Exposure: 1/640 Sec Exposure mode: Manual

THROUGH THE LENS ...

Italian F1 Grand Prix

Does this look like a man who just won a Grand Prix? I don't know what was up with Lewis but since the Summer break he's been different. On the Hungary podium he looked up at us and was clearly a bit emotional , but now something's changed. There are lots of reasons rumoured as to the reasons for his state of mind, but it all seems to be building up on him. When he got pole he came in to Parc Ferme and didn't celebrate. After the race was similar even Jenson cracked a grin despite having a DNF which virtually ended his title hopes. But it was all we could do to get a smile out of the Italian GP winner Mark Sutton Canon EOS-1D Mark IV ISO Speed: 400 Aperture: F10 Focal length: 70.0mm Exposure: 1/320 Sec Exposure mode: Shutter priority

5 MINUTES

kEvIN cEccON
GPWeeK: How do you reflect on your first year of GP3? KEVIN CECCON: About the result, me and the team are not happy because we could have been on the podium more often, but we dont have experience because, as you say, its my first year in GP3 and the teams first year as well. And also we were a bit unlucky because apart from the podium in Monaco, when we reached third place, we reached the podium in Hockenheim but were penalised one minute because we put the tyres on seven seconds after the three minute board. We were unlucky because the choice was the correct one but we got the penalty for the seven seconds.

5 MINuTES WITh

Naoise Holohan talks to the GPWEEK-sponsored GP3 rookie afetr the season finale
Was the podium being taken away from you in Hockenheim the low point of your season? Yeah, but also some other mistakes that we made, especially in Valencia where I finished fourth but was in third and crashed in the last corner. I think it was still a good season though. five or six seconds slower than F1, so not a big step. But from GP3 to GP2 there is a big step, but next year with the new GP3 car this step will be much smaller.

with a good formula car. We will see. The winter is still too long. Is your budget going to be the deciding factor? My budget is really low. This year Im doing GP3 for the low budget, because as everyone knows I would like to do GP2. Its not a secret. My goal for this year was GP2. GP3 was a good experience though. I tried to give all my experience to Ocean and we will see. Next year there is a new car so everyone starts from zero.

What was it like to stand on the podium in Monaco earlier this year? It must be a young drivers dream It was a good result, especially the pole position because we made the pole in my group, so we showed that my experience and the team worked well there. It was a good result and of course to be on the podium in Monaco isnt something that happens every day. Monaco is the most glamorous track and stuff like that, it was really, really good to reach the podium there.

How does GP3 compare to other series in which you have raced, such as Auto GP which you won last year? For sure the categories are completely different, because Auto GP has 550 horse power, its a really old car, a Lola car, which comes from F3000, so its completely different. Here in GP3 its only 280 horse power with ground effect, and also its a new Dallara. I was champion last year so I cant say anything bad about that, but for sure this year was good too. Youre also one of the few drivers to have driven in a GP3, GP2 and an F1 car. What are the biggest differences between the three categories? For sure the biggest step is from GP3 to GP2, because GP2 and F1 is not a big step. GP2 is a really fast car and also at some tracks they are four,

Were here in Monza, at what some would call the home of F1, yet there are no Italians on the grid. Whats your view on that? Its not good for Italy because 20 years ago we had something like eight drivers in F1 and now we dont have any. But I dont think about this. I do as much as I can and leave politics to other people. How important has the support of GPWeeand sutton Images been this year for you? For sure Sutton Images and GP Week changed my image, especially at the track because Keith [Sutton], the Sutton family and Sutton Images have a really important background in F1. So its important for me, because now people in the F1 paddock will know me. Whats your plan for next year? I want to race, I dont know where at the moment. Next year is still too far away. Its too early to say something. I hope to race somewhere

How much has the lack of experience, both of yourself and the team, hurt you this year? For sure if I had had a team with experience I could have done better. This year taught me how to work with a team, as the first driver of the team because [Robert] Cregan doesnt have experience because he came from touring cars, so he doesnt have any experience of single seaters, and Carmen [Jorda] doesnt have any experience at all because she went to America last year. So I was the one to have to work on the car and give my experience to everybody, also to the other drivers, so it taught me how to work with the team.

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5 MINUTES

Martin Holmes catches up with Brazil's happy-go-lucky WRC driver ...

Meet a character who is not in the real world of rallying and the better for it! 44 year-old Brazilian driver Paulo Nobre has charted the most unusual passage into the top line of the sport, and by virtue of outrageous circumstances, now finds himself an official works driver for Mini. He brings with him an infectious sense of humour which lightens and brightens up the day of everyone he meets. He is just a little unusual ... In private life Paulo works in the stock market in Sao Paulo with interests there and abroad, and as a hobby has interests in the Palmeiras football club. He did not know anything about rally sport when the WRC went to Sao Paulo in 1981 and 1982, the OR occasions when Ari Vatanen and Michele Mouton won the rallies. GPWeeK: You discovered rallying in an interesting way. PAULO NOBRE: Until 2001 I did not know that rallying existed. It's funny, I always played soccer and I didnt know any rally people. I heard something about a thing called Dakar and the rally raids in Brazil, but just that. I met Ari Vatanen in 2007 when we raced the Dakar. He was in VW, I was in a BMW. It was an honour for me to meet him. But before, I didnt know anything about rallying. Was there some special person who introduced you to motorsport? I had a girlfriend who loved 4x4 cars, so when I went to change my car around 1998 or 1999, I bought a Pajero. I then got to know the organisers of Mitsubishi Motorsport in Brazil and they told me about the off-road regulatory rallies they have in my country. I said I dont know how to drive such a vehicle but a friend said Listen, lets go, lets try. Later I was told you have more fun racing against a clock than in regularity. Then came rallying. Its funny, this was like 11, 12 years ago and now I am in the WRC. This is funny life is funny. You couldnt have been the youngest driver when you turned to competitive cross country? When I started the cross country I was 33 years old and all the guys there had more than 10 years experience. Rallying is another thing altogether. You are much more on the limit because you have the pace-notes and everything, so youve got to use it with the speed and the reaction of the car at high speed. So this is how I came to rally. It is something fantastic. For many years I did both rally and cross country but with our world rally championship programme it was impossible to do both. Championship rallying in Brazil is at a low level, so how can one progress in rallying in your part of the world? Our rally championship in Brazil is in intensive care, like in the hospital, almost dying. There is one small but very special event in our country, the Rally of Erechim, which is our countrys qualifying round of the Codasur series. The Codasur series used to have rounds in countries all over the South American continent; now it has been narrowed down to four events in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, and all located only a few hundred kilometres away from each other. The Codasur for us is really interesting. You go to Argentina where they really know how to do it. You go to the only good event in our country, Erechim, which we say is the best race in Codasur! It is really interesting to do this championship. But what finally brought you into the big wide world? Everybody who starts in rallying dreams one day to go to WRC. In 2009-2011 we took a Mitsubishi to occasional rallies round the world and at the 2011 Wales Rally GB I had the chance to drive a Mini WRC for the first time. That for me changed everything. This year (2012) is the dream that my co-driver Eduardo (Paulo) and I had come true! You must always be careful with your dreams, be careful with the things you want too much, because maybe one day they come true. The WRC has enabled me to see and do special things, go places I would never have imagined. You would never believe what sort of challenge is the WRC unless you are actually there. Each special stage is a huge adventure by itself. And driving a World Rally Car means that the focus is really on what you are doing. Reverse seeding rules means I have many times been put first car on the road. Me, with Sebastien Loeb, Jari-Matti Latvala and everyone else following me! Do you have any personal motorsport ambition, something else you want to do, to achieve? In rallying I have the dream to win the Erechim rally. And talking about the world championship would be to score at least one point in the Driverss championship (in the top 10) by the end of the year. This would be for me fantastic. I never thought I would even be able to come and race in Europe one day. You always need to dream because what would be life if you dont dream? Even though the dream may be really difficult, you should still dream. And if my dream to finish in the top 10 of the WRC this year would come true that would be something really fantastic for us.

PAuLO NOBRE

5 MINuTES WITh

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OPINION

SEATS IN FIRST cLASS

ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS
F1 Editor
Martin Whitmarsh said the other week he hadnt got a Plan B should Lewis Hamilton decide to leave McLaren, but now its reported the team has approached sergio Perez to sound him out. Id have thought that would be a pretty short conversation. While Perezs driving this year warrants a top seat, hes a Ferrari Academy driver one that the Italians wouldnt want to gift their bitterest rivals and backed by a telecommunications company which is not Vodafone. So I dont see that its feasible. Nevertheless, Perez might feel a bit fed up with Ferrari right now. Luca di Montezemolo says that Perez isnt ready to join the Scuderia yet. I totally disagree. He snatched his third podium of the season last time out, ahead of Fernando Alonsos thirdplace Ferrari and at Monza no less. The cheers the Tifosi gave him, expectant that he will soon be wearing red, confirmed that he would be a very welcome replacement for Felipe Massa. Perez might not be the full Fernando, but he is ready to be trained by the master. Hes done his Bachelors at the Swiss finishing school and its time to graduate to the big league. It was revealed that Heikki Kovalainen was invited to Maranello last week for a chitchat, though Ive heard from one source that this was to offer a polite let-down. Well see, because the Heikki talk has been going on for a while and as a stop-gap choice theres a lot going for him. However, after his lacklustre spell at McLaren I think Heikki killed off any shot he has at a top team. He was barely any closer to Hamilton there than Massa is to Alonso now. Kova has proved a great leader at Caterham, and I think that proves hes better suited to the smaller team role. Great if he can get the promotion, but I wouldnt sign him if I were Ferrari. The word on the street now is that LdM favours retaining Massa for one more year. Another 12 months of rot coming up. Its timely that Massas joint best result of the year fourth place (he hasnt had a podium since Korea 2010) came in front of the home crowd, restoring Ferrari back to third place in the championship. I dont understand why Ferrari would extend Massas contract for any reason other than him being a nice bloke, nor do I see the necessity for a stop-gap like Heikki, or Mark Webber with whom they were speaking earlier in the year. Perez is ready. He has been all year. And no one will match Carlos Slims cash, a nice little bonus which Ferrari who have expensive tastes would welcome, Im sure. As for McLaren, the only available driver who could fill Lewis superstar-shaped void is Kimi Raikkonen, but things ended acrimoniously when they worked together before. Ron Dennis and Kimi did not see eye-to-eye. Could Whitmarsh convince the Finn to return, and then handle him in the right way? Would McLaren allow Kimi to escape the enormous PR demands that are currently put on Hamilton and Button, as Lotus do? Probably not. So that leaves Kamui Kobayashi, who has been outclassed by Perez all year; Paul di Resta, who I have to say doesnt really excite me; and Nico Hulkenberg. I can see Hulkenberg getting on well there, and gelling with Jenson. Given that car, I think he could win a grand prix today. But we wont know until Lewis puts his cards on the table.

OPINION

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GPWEEK.com // 23

OPINION

TRuE 'PORkIES'
OPINION

MICHAEL SCOTT
MotoGP Editor

Nothing could be truer than a good racing battle. everything is exposed, open, public. You can clearly see the courage, the errors, the disasters and the triumphs. Its all there in front of you. Well, thats not actually completely true. You cant see whats happening inside an engine, or the operation of fuel-saving electronics that is slowing one bike down. Nor tyre degradation, or a dodgy suspension setting. Even more obscure is the ever-thicker layer of bull that is smeared on racing, the more commercial it becomes. Lies, half-truths and twisted reality are meat and drink to the marketing departments and the associated PR machine, there to exploit racing, riders and fans for commercial gain. There were a couple of fine examples at the grandiosely named 'Aperol Grand Prix of the Republic of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera.' Number one came from Yamaha, launching a new livery, Race-Blu. Quite classy and handsome, with blue (youd guessed) two-toned with a sort of graphite grey. The colour combination shown on the MotoGP bikes echoes that for their latest sports bikes. Of course it makes perfect sense to link racing and super-street in this way. The market sector needs a boost, and not only for Yamaha, so good luck to them with it. No problem so far. Where it went wrong was in the assertion at the launch that it was reviving Yamaha

racing colours from the early 1980s. Which sounds fine and dandy. Except its quite wrong. Perhaps they shouldnt have said this to a room full of experienced racing hacks, several of whom were there at the time, and many others already in a state of such avid enthusiasm that they could certainly recognise every bike by its colour. There were blue Yamahas, a bit later on, but that was the colour of sponsor Gauloises. In the early 1980s, the Gauloises bikes were white, with blue side panels. It doesnt matter. But it doesnt taste as good as it looks. Then there was Bridgestones celebration of their 100th MotoGP win, due on Sunday. Perfectly true, but a bit hollow. More than 60 percent of those wins came after the introduction of control tyres in 2009. There simply wasnt any opposition. Every race was won by Bridgestone. It seems curmudgeonly to carp. Bridgestone threw a very fair party to celebrate the milestone, and are to be congratulated not only for the 35 wins and two World Championships achieved in open competition against Michelin and Dunlop. The Japanese company also does a good job most of the time, with very few tyre failures and a willing response to changing circumstances and requirements. Their biggest fault, say some, is that their tyres are too good, compared with the Pirellis supplied to World Superbikes. These, like the same companys F1 tyres, drop off rapidly if equally for all, so that tyre management becomes an important factor, and by the end of the race everyone is sliding around. There have been lots of lies told in racing over the years. Its only nowadays that so many of them are true.

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F1

>>> FEATURE

SWISS TIME
Sauber have already more than doubled their points tally of last year in 2012, and there are still seven rounds to go. CEO Monisha Kaltenborn tells Fabrizio Corgnati whats changed

istory is on their side. No less than twenty seasons and 233 grands prix ago (only eight teams have survived for more races), the sauber team stepped into Formula One and instantly raised eyebrows when they ran fourth and fifth at the end of the opening lap of their debut, in Kyalami in 1993. Times have changed, but three things have survived throughout the years together with the team itself, of course: Sauber's status as a small, mid-grid squad; their tendency to amaze the paddock with their performance; and their die-hard Swiss pragmatism. The team has taken three podiums already from 2012. Last winter, not even their CEO Monisha Kaltenborn would have bet her team would prove a serious contender for a win: "I think expecting something like this would have been too much, she confesses to GPWEEK. We were hoping, before we started winter testing, that the directions we took on developing the car were the right ones. And the first confirmation we got, at the winter test itself, was that the car appeared to be quite good. Then, if you look at the way the season evolved, we got more and more confirmation that the car is very competitive, because it was really working on most of the tracks, under very different conditions. We then also managed to show it in the results which we achieved, with the three podiums and things like that, but also very often we had a lot of bad luck. So I think we cannot say we expected it but, yes, the way the season evolved we definitely hoped for it." Already more than doubling their points' tally since last season (100 versus 44) with seven races still to go is a remarkable result for any team. But this becomes nearly a miracle for a team with modest resources (with the days of BMW ownership firmly in the past) and now capable of battling for

F1
fifth place in the standings against a giant constructor like Mercedes: "Of course we have our restrictions on personnel and on our funding, but we try to compensate that through our efficiency, Kaltenborn explains. It doesn't always work, and sometimes it's bad luck, like in Belgium, but I think that's the way we have to go. Clearly it is a risk if you do that, if you put too much up front, because then you have nothing left for the end. So you have to evaluate very carefully what is the advantage you are getting and how you invest your money." This result probably wouldn't have been possible, if it wasn't for this Austrian lawyer of Indian origins, who worked for the United Nations before becoming Formula One's first female team manager (and owner of a third of the outfit itself). But don't ask her that: "I don't know that and for me it is also not important. I am responsible for the team and it is my job to set out the parameters and to give people whatever I can to help them do their work. Since our name includes the word 'team', I think that's what matters." A very open but simple person, Kaltenborn doesn't like to speak in first person, even if she has personally changed the way the team works since her appointment in early 2010: "That's very difficult for me to judge, because I have my way, and that's the way I will be doing it. Maybe others can better judge what has changed. What has clearly improved a lot is the communication between the different departments, because it is important for your efficiency and the time you need to bring something on the track that the communications are quick and short. We have created a very transparent atmosphere, where you also get them confident. If you give people the confidence, that you believe in them and trust them, I think that provides the healthy environment and lets people really grow." This environment set out the possibility for the team slowly to rebuild itself after the BMW era and develop throughout the last seasons, she recalls:

>>> FEATURE

aBoVE: Monisha kaltenborn, sauber Managing Director speaks with alex sauber and sergio Perez BELoW: Perez crosses the finish line in second place at Monza

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GPWEEK.com // 26

F1
"First of all one has to say that the rule changes, which play a key role in this, from last year to this year were not very significant. There was a major change on the engine mapping side, with the off-throttle hot blowing, and the front wing was of course changed tremendously. But apart from that, rules are pretty similar, so that allowed us to take last year's car as the basis and develop that further, focusing on the weaknesses of the C30. So that's one side of it. The other is, I think, the strategies we took on the development proved to be the right ones. Not only that part of the development was the right one: what is more important is that our car evolved throughout the season. The ways we have chosen there, and the development work which has been done on the car, is exactly translating into performance the way we expected it. I think that gives you more than that advantage." Again a surprise for the world of Formula One, which usually sees the lower-budget squads starting well and then slipping away near the end of the season, not having enough resources to compete with the top teams in terms of car development. But, after all, isn't it exactly what Swiss proverbial efficiency is about? "I think we are very Swiss, in terms of all the prejudices you have regarding the Swiss people. We are very focused, we are very down-to-earth, we are very conservative in how we position ourselves, but yet we are very determined with what we want. I think it is also very typical in Switzerland, once you believe in your way, to go that way, be it against all odds. To have a team itself in Switzerland is against all odds! And we are still there." This very self-confident attitude is the same that has made team's founder Peter Sauber one of the best talent scouts in F1 and his team the perfect environment for newbies to excel in. Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi are the most recent alumni in a list which includes Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and even Michael Schumacher (when Sauber was the official Mercedes-Benz factory team in sports cars). "When you get young, inexperienced drivers, it is always a risk, Kaltenborn reckons. In Peter Sauber, we maybe have the person with the right feeling, because he has that touch with young drivers and he has proven that quite often. But it's a gamble sometimes. Even if you look at the performances in GP3 or GP2, are they really representative? We don't know. It's very difficult to judge the quality of a driver from GP2 and GP3 to get him to Formula One, because it is such a big step again. Maybe it is the kind of environment we offer here, where drivers can drive without pressure and show their ability. With these drivers we were convinced of their talent and they are doing a fantastic job." It isn't by chance, in fact, that both of them are regarded as being possible replacements for Felipe Massa at Ferrari (Sauber's engine supplier, incidentally) next year. Speaking about this topic, its the only time in our interview that Kaltenborn clams up. No she doesn't know anything about , Ferrari's intentions and no she hasn't been , in touch with Maranello about her drivers. What about technical director James Keys defection to rivals Toro Rosso? We have nothing to do with that decision, it is another team's decision, it is James' decision we wish him all the best there," Kaltenborn comments. But, since the former Force India engineer is the author of the incredible C31, one can legitimately think that the Swiss outfit have with their technicians the same selection capability they have with drivers: "Again, it is not about one person. Sauber have a strong history of always having very strong department heads and the people under them. So I think we might not have very well-known or very famous stars, like other teams, but we have on a broad area very good people. That makes the difference and allows us to work the way we can with the efficiency we have." Team work is so important for them and they rely so much on their technical department as a whole that they even gave up looking for Key's replacement: "We are the way we are by choice," Saubers CEO concludes. Looking at the results, could you blame them?

>>> FEATURE

aBoVE: Monisha kaltenborn and alex sauber BELoW: sauber drivers sergio Perez and kamui kobayashi

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GPWEEK.com // 27

MOTOGP

>>> MisAnO

AND LORENZO

cONFuSION

REIGN AT MISANO

Startline dramas virtually handed the race, and a signif icant championship lead, to Jorge Lorenzo at Misano. MICHAEL SCOTT watched the chaos

MOTOGP

>>> MisAnO

t wasnt one little glitch that ruined the World Championship battle; it was several. The end result took the heat right out of it, as Jorge Lorenzo took his Yamaha to a clear win, his sixth of the year; while Dani Pedrosa scored zero points after a comedy of start-line errors. Dani had put the Repsol Honda on pole after one weather-hit practice. He needed one more win to cut Lorenzos points lead down to single figures. It looked distinctly possible. Things went awry at the start. The red lights were on when Karel Abrahams AB Cardion Ducati suffered a clutch problem and stalled. He raised his hand, the start was aborted even as a few riders left the line, the flashing orange light shown. The race could have restarted promptly, but confusion on the grid meant a delay of eight minutes. By then Dani was in trouble, his front wheel locked. His bike was dragged off the grid, the brake freed up for the second warm-up lap, but now he had to start from the back of the grid. He didnt even finish the first lap. Hed picked his way through the CRT bikes and started passing the slower prototypes, the first being Hector Barberas Pramac Ducati. At the next corner, Barbera tagged his back wheel, both went down, and that was the end of that. Lorenzo had led away, survived a harrowing moment on lap three, then kept pressing on, unaware that his main rival was out of the race. He won without further disturbance by better than four seconds: I was lucky today, he said. My race pace was not so good. If they were denied a battle with Dani, more than 45,000 home fans had a real thrill anyway, as local boy Valentino Rossi seized second into the first corner, and

stayed there all the way to the flag, by far his best result in two years with Marlboro Ducati. He was pushed hard for the first half of the race by Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Yamaha) and Dovis team-mate Cal Crutchlow, until the Englishman slipped off on lap five. Bradl would drop away in the latter half of the race, leaving Rossi unmolested. I am happy for many reasons, he said. It was his and Ducatis home race, but most especially it was at the circuit named after his late friend Marco Simoncelli: I dedicate this result to Marco ... I would have liked to give him a win, but I think he would have had to wait too long, he laughed. Dovizioso had faded slightly after lap 11; meanwhile Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda) had got past Ben Spies (Yamaha) on lap six, and was closing. He took Dovi on lap 16, by when Bradl was in sight and losing pace. Bautista took the German class rookie on lap 19, with Dovi still close and Spies now also speeding up as he came to terms with the drop-off in grip in his front tyre. With five laps to go the gang of four was together; by the end Bautista just managed to hold Dovi at bay over the line, with Spies less than two seconds behind, and Bradl sixth. Nicky Hayden (Marlboro Ducati) was a brave seventh, riding with fractured bones in his right hand and pushing again at the end to fend off MotoGP first-timer Jonathan Rae, on Stoners Repsol Honda. Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics ART) was ninth after defeating team-mate Aleix Espargaro, who then fell off. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda was tenth. Given Lorenzos consistency, his 270 points to Danis 232 are an important margin. Stoner has 186, then Dovizioso (163) and Crutchlow (122).

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MOTOGP

>>> MisAnO

ThE BLAME GAME

Who caused the confusion on the start line after the aborted start? Depends who you speak to. To the main victim, Pedrosa, it was a lack of clear management from Race Direction: There is not a clear procedure. Some teams put on tyre warmers, nobody knew how many laps the race would be, the IRTA people were giving different information ... many different stories. Then all of a sudden the one-minute board was shown. His mechanics were still trying to free up his locked front wheel seemingly caused by a hydraulic lock in the brake. The board meant his teams had to pull his bike off the grid to pit lane, condemning him to a back-ofthe-grid start. He wasnt aware of this. When the bike was taken off the stand, the front wheel came free. They hurriedly pushed him back onto the grid, another transgression, but with the same punishment ... a back-row start. In the confusion his pit-lane speed limiter had been switched on. It took him half a slow warm-up lap to discover the problem, but he manage to repass the Safety Car only to be hustled to the back row. Race Director Mike Webb admitted there had been confusion. One problem is that in the case of an aborted start there is no time limit for the restart, in case we have to clear oil off the grid or something. Then the start procedure begins again with the one-minute board. But that was delayed because a number of riders had taken their helmets off (not allowed) and there were people on the grid beyond the stipulated two mechanics and one brolly girl. It needs tidying up, he admitted, promising a briefing at the earliest opportunity. But he firmly denied things were hurried along to fit the TV schedule. Everything was done exactly by the book. The trouble is, not many people have read it thoroughly, he said.

hAS ROSSI MISSEd ThE BOAT?

Rossis decision to leave Ducati for Yamaha suddenly seemed singularly ill-timed, after a new chassis transformed the recalcitrant Desmosedici into a bike that could claim second place, less than five seconds from the winner. He spoke, after the race, not only of an improved chassis but also being able to get the bike to respond as he wanted to setting changes a quality that had been elusive until now: The bike was well balanced. I was able to exit the corner with good traction, and when the tyres started to slide I could take some advantage. These are two particular points he has been complaining about for almost two years. It may be a false dawn ... Stoner was absent, and Pedrosa out of the picture. But it did look as though hed decided to quit just as things were beginning to come right. Asked if he had been a bit precipitate, he laughed, and tried to deflect the question, even blaming the assembled press. The trouble with MotoGP is everyone starts talking about next year too early in the season, he said. It used to be only at this part of the year we started to talk about next season. Now the choice for next year is made too early. Did he mean hed been forced to decide too early? Might it have been different otherwise? Now he bit the bullet, saying the only thing he could say. I am not regretting about my choice for next year, he told GPWEEK. But it is important for the guys in Bologna and my team to try to get some more good results and improve the bike before the end of this year.

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MOTOGP

>>> MisAnO

MOTO3 FAvOuRITE BLOWN OuT IN LAST-LAP BRAWL MOTO2

Pre-season favourite Maverick Vinales (FTR Honda) was the loser in a typical Moto3 last-lap brawl fifth among a group of seven across the line in 1.3 seconds. The win went instead to points leader Sandro Cortese (KTM), shouldering his way back to the front with three laps left, and staying just far enough ahead of the fight for a third win of the season. Italian rookie hero Romano Fenati (FTR Honda) had led for much of the race though Cortese would frequently nose ahead. Alex Rins (Suter Honda) was in the mix, along with Indy winner Luis Salom (Kalex KTM), Efren Vazquez (FTR Honda), Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM), and Vinales, hovering near the back of the gang after qualifying a down-beat 11th. Australian rookie Arthur Sissis (KTM) was also there for the early part of the race, losing touch only after half distance. Fenati tried to break away with some seven laps to go, but it didnt last for more than a lap, and when they started the last one he was down in fifth after being shoed aside four places on lap 21. But there was more to come from the teenager. Vinales had picked his way through to third as they started the final lap, and up to second halfway around it, with Cortese still well within reach. Then he was swamped in the last corners, with Salom seizing second and Fenati third. With Rins fourth, Vinales was fifth, ahead of Folger and Vazquez a high cost to his dwindling title hopes. Antonelli and Oliveira were a couple more seconds away; Sissis an excellent tenth. Cortese now leads Vinales by a very comfortable 46 points, with Salom just ten behind on 169. Fenati has 120, and Rins96.

MARquEz ThE MERcILESS MAkES IT SEvEN

Marc Marquez took another merciless stride towards the World Championship at Misano, taking his seventh win of the season in a shortened Moto2 race, after an oil spill at the first attempt brought out the red flags after three laps. The CatalunyaCaixa Suter rider took the lead only when it mattered, halfway round the final lap, in a fearsome battle with dwindling title rival Pol Espargaro (40 HP Kalex). Pol had taken the lead on lap 11, and didnt give up easily, the pair changing places three times on the final lap. He was a disheartened three tenths behind over the line. Andrea Iannone (Speed Master Speed Up) was third, dropping away at the end, after an early attempt at running away was cut back by his two pursuers. The same trio had been in front at the first start, but after three laps Gresini Suter rider Gino Reas engine blew in a cloud of smoke, and the race was stopped immediately so that oil could be cleaned up. The restart for a hectic sprint played badly for Scott Redding (Marc VdS Kalex), who had been fourth and threatening first time out. This time he was eighth into the first corner. Iannone led away from Marquez, Rabat, Espargaro and Luthi; and within three laps he had a lead of better than 1.3 seconds. But now Espargaro had consigned Rabat to third, and he gradially closed the gap. With Marquez on his tail he gradually closed up, catching him at the end of lap ten. By the end of it both he and Marquez were past, and two laps later had put a little distance on the Italian. With such a short race there was no time for loitering, and the leaders hastened towards their last-lap showdown, as fierce a fight as weve seen all year. Iannone was four seconds clear of the next trio, Mika Kallio (Marc VdS Kalex), Rabat (HP 40 Kalex) and Aegerter (CIP Suter). Luthi (Interwetten Suter) dropped behind Redding and Bradley Smith (Tech 3); Johann Zarco (JIR Motobi) a close tenth. Marquez now has 238 points to Espargaros 185; with Iannone on 165, Luthi 161 and Redding 115.

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'home' win for the Blue Oval

Team manager Bruno De Pianto (seated) and Team Principal Mario Stagni

RALLY

>>> WALEs GB

Despite a late charge from You-Know-Who, Jari-Matti Latvala led all the way for a confidence-boosting Wales Rally GB win. MARTIN HOLMES was there to see it

RALLY

>>> WALEs GB

or two long days it really looked as if the mighty Citroen rally empire was going to be comprehensively defeated. Jari-Matti Latvala was on his way to a repeat of his win of last year and his teammate, and initial rally leader, Petter solberg was in second place. On the final day however the Citroens, which had been woefully slow until then, found their form and Sebastien Loeb was able to pass Solberg into second place. Nothing however could deny Latvala the seventh victory of his WRC career, which had begun on this event 10 years ago. 27 year-old Latvala sprung into unbeatable form on the first morning when the Citroens

struggled to find grip in the slippery conditions, and he went on to win Rally GB for the second year running. Quite the reverse of form. Citroen left Britain defeated but assured that either Loeb or Hirvonen would win the Drivers' title but the Manufacturer's title cannot be claimed for the moment.

t had been seven months since a works Ford, once again Latvala, had stood at the top of the podium of a WRC event. It was a constant matter of so near, yet so far. Apart from Loeb's wins from 2008-2010, British built rally cars had won this event with only one exception since the last millennium. This is a win the company

desperately needed for corporate confidence in the sport. The shock of the visibly improved traction of the Citroens in the last gravel event, Finland, had given the M-Sport team an unwanted reality check. So it was all the more surprising that both Loeb and Hirvonen said the stages on the Friday and Saturday were too slippery for them. The new late summer date for the rally created conditions not experienced since 2005, but suddenly the one strength of their rivals had evaporated. The rally soon settled into a pattern, with the two works Fords, Loeb's Citroen and Ostberg's private Ford pulling away from Mikko Hirvonen's Citroen and a stream of world rally cars.

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RALLY

>>> WALEs GB

The slippery conditions didn't work for Loeb, but a late sprint on the final day netted second

Ott Tanak was driving in a solid sixth place until three stages before the end when the suspension broke. This elevated Evgeniy Novikov, ahead of Thierry Neuville, Matthew Wilson (on his first events since Monte Carlo), Martin Prokop and eventually Nasser Al Attiyah.

World Rally Cars. Chris Atkinson had the old model 01A Mini and had a series of minor problems but eventually came home in 11th place after damaging the rear suspension. Teammate Paulo Nobre stopped on the final day with a broken alternator cable.

he first half of the event had been processional, thanks to the consequence of reverse order running, but the final morning saw a fantastic fight for second place, eventually going on the penultimate stage to Loeb. Mads Ostberg yet again finished the top non-works driver, Sebastian Ogier was again well away the fastest S2000 driver, and enjoyed battling with various

he effect of the Ford domination was evidenced by the new enhanced official split timing facility, able to detect the fastest driver on every sector of the rally. On the first two days, Ford drivers were quickest on 53 splits, Citroens on 9. The real miracle then became clear. Despite the Citroen's amazing disappointment of performance, Loeb

contained the situation and was able to keep in touch with the Fords. So what was the secret behind Latvala's faultless command of the event? Jari Matti: "Fords have always been quick on this event. When you can get it all together it works. For me my feeling I could win came on Stage 3, Myherin, my favourite stage but I wasn't confident of winning however until right before the finish I was always waiting for Citroen to strike back. Malcolm Wilson: "He was much more relaxed; it was noticeable. There was no pressure on him and it showed!" And as for Loeb, he was contemplative. "You cannot win every time. Winning isn't so easy as some people imagine!"

Breen the survivor for win

six regular championship competitors started in the sWRC support category with Alastair Fisher a Guest driver in the old original M-sport Fiesta. There were problems for the two championship favourites. PG Andersson in the Proton went off the road on the first day and Hayden Paddon had electrical troubles, so both of them drove on under SupeRally rules leaving a great battle at the front between Craig Breen in his old 2-litre Fiesta (above) and Yazeed Al Rajhi in his 1.6 turbo S2000. Also in trouble on Day 1 was Fisher with broken suspension. At the end of Day 2 the Saudi driver was ahead by 0.1 seconds, but then came the announcement that he had been recorded by the police on two occasions for breaking the road speed limits. This led to a mandatory five minute time penalty which left Breen with a lead of over two minutes in front of Andersson's teammate Tom Cave with Al Rajhi in third place. Maciej Oleksowicz had a difficult rally but struggled through to fourth, and the three Day 1 miscreants finished in the three remaining positions. In the title stakes, both the series leader Andersson's and Paddon's problems and their low points scores meant Breen's victory revived his title hopes. Five drivers remain in the title hunt; those three, Oleksowicz and Al Rajhi with 21 points separating them, with just two (asphalt) rounds to go.

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RALLY

>>> TECH

the final link in the fias programme for rationalising the international rally car categories is now clear. Martin Holmes quizzes karl-Heinz Goldstein on Group r5
The R5 class (formerly called R4T) is a turbo four-wheel-drive category aimed at providing a more budget friendly alternative for super 2000 which, with the introduction of the 1.6 turbo version s2000s, has now become no cheaper than World Rally cars. The formula becomes effective on January 1, 2013. R5 cars are ultimately intended to serve as the sports second level formula, and rules have recently been approved by the World Motor Sport Council. Group R5 rally cars, like the two types of S2000 cars, are to be based on mass-produced cars already homologated within Group A rules (which means production runs of 2,500 examples in 12 months) and run with a minimum weight of 1200kg, like the current S2000. turbocharged four-cylinder engine, not necessarily with direct injection. This can be either an already turbocharged engine from within the range of the manufacturer or a normally aspirated engine with an approved turbocharger added, but it must not be a Global engine design. Maximum compression ratio is 10.5:1. The basic engine can be enlarged or reduced in capacity as required. (Curiously the maximum engine size in R5, unlike world rally cars, is not 1600cc but 1620cc). We dont know the maximum possible power output of these engines as we havent seen a prototype engine, yet. The engines must have a 32mm turbo restrictor and a boost pressure limit of 2.5 bar as written in the rules, but with a proviso that there is freedom to change either if appropriate later on. There is no limit for maximum revs, as this is self limiting . It is possible to use your own production turbocharger or you can change it to a FIA controlled one. type struts and shock absorbing systems can be used. Cost savings are planned for the suspension: For example the S2000 uprights are often of welded construction, which are more expensive than those with machined construction. This means the R5 uprights are inherently heavier than the S2000 uprights but there will not be so many options to homologate. They have to be interchangeable front to rear, the suspension control arms as well. Modifications for the bodywork can be made to allow fitting of the fourwheel-drive transmission in the same way as S2000, and additional openings are allowed in the bumper with extra air ducts for specific purposes. Maximum width of the cars is 1820mm, like the latest S2000 cars. in the development of the R5 regulations: Engineers are now asking how to interpret the various rules. We say how we interpret the rules. There are on-going questions all the time. Recently the FIA has had to formulate policies on things like daylight lamps. For 2013 the wording has changed to be a little clearer for example, like when Karl-Heinz Goldstein you switch on your headlights the daylights are going off. Some until they die for themselves. There is no people wanted to remove the plan to cut them out. daylights to have more cooling for the Peugeot are expected to be the first shock absorbers, but that wasnt allowed. manufacturer to produce an R5 design, If you take away your daylight lamps out, based on the 208, with a similar car to you must put an original part in. be produced by Citroen, developed by the same engineering team, intended to s from the start of 2013, R5 cars will run in Class 2 alongside 2-litre S2000, follow shortly afterwards. They say they expect to have their first car ready this 1.6 turbo S2000 and R4 cars: northern autumn: Even with these changes, when you We are not pushing to know when talk to the engineers who are designing the car is ready. It looks like all their these cars at the moment, they believe existing queries have been resolved; they the car will be competitive in the class. know now what to do. I think Peugeot There is no current plan to stop the use is the furthest ahead, the leader at the of the existing S2000 (2-litre or 1.6 turbo). moment. Originally this was the idea but not now. The other manufacturer currently in The S2000 cars will run and run until the active consultations with the FIA on R5 has naturally taken over, certainly at R5 design is Skoda, but Ford have also least till 2015. The same with N4 cars. I admitted they are actively studying the think the policy is to let the existing cars opportunities for an R5 car at this time. continue even longer, to let them run

Inside R5

he FIA official delegated to the work of developing this formula is Karl-Heinz Goldstein, a former WRC engineer for various teams, who explained how this will come about: It is intended as a lower level and more affordable version of Super 2000. R5 uses many of the principles behind S2000, notably the opportunity to convert an existing two-wheel-drive car into four-wheel-drive, but it can also be based on a production car that is already four-wheel-drive. The engine must be a 1.6

he transmission must be a controlled design, using a five-speed gearbox (six-speed in S2000) with mechanical limited slip type differentials front and rear with limits on their use for example with no negative pre-load facility. For the suspension, only McPherson

aps on costs of R5 are still being considered: People were not so happy with a cost cap idea, but we still have it in the rules. When you talk with the people interested in R5, manufacturers and so on, they are all aware that you have to build an affordable car. People cannot invest so much money in rally cars. I have spoken with engineers who used to have other ideas but they have changed their thinking to cost effectiveness, which is good. There have been no specific problems

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PARTING SHOT

f1 returns to the unique, flood-lit streets of singapore this week. alonso, 2011 ...