The Back of Beyond

Sebastian Vettel celebrates his pole position in Bahrain, hugging chief mechanic Kenny Handkammer. The Red Bull driver stormed to pole, whilst teammate Webber qualified in 6th, after making a mistake on his final flying lap. Tyre wear was a significant problem in the heat of the desert, but Vettel starts in the best possible position – ahead of Massa and Alonso.

Credit: Getty Images

28-Feb-10: Hamilton Leads Final Day of Testing

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 28th February 2010 – a special edition to cover the fourth and final day of pre-season testing.

Lewis Hamilton was fastest on the last day in Barcelona, and he completed the most number of laps with 134. He was only a couple of hundredths faster than Webber in second though, and Massa and Sutil weren’t that far behind either. Further down the order, Kubica finished up tenth for Renault, whilst Kovalainen pipped di Grassi to finish Lotus ahead of Virgin by just under a second. Lotus had a good morning but had gearbox troubles in the afternoon, whilst Virgin were still struggling with hydraulic problems – but as mentioned previously, they’re hoping their pre-Bahrain upgrade will sort that out.

Massa has been talking about Ferrari’s progress so far and said: “I’m satisfied with the whole of testing, not just Barcelona. We did what we wanted to do, but it looks like it will be a very tough and competitive championship.” He also added: “I’m 100% sure that I will never have a problem with Fernando.” Just wanted to highlight that, in case it comes back to haunt him.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with your regular F1 Minute.

Tweets of the Week – 28th February 2010

Pre-season testing concluded this week in Barcelona, allowing teams and drivers to attempt to draw conclusions from their work. Preparations for Bahrai get underway, oh, and Mark Webber joined Twitter!

• On my way to the airport in a taxi, playing golf on my ipod, scored 54 on pebble beach! Wicked eagles all the time, I wish it was real… Heikki Kovalainen
• lot’s of questions about car:I quite like it…also the engine seems strong.Still very dificult to draw a conclusion about the others… Rubens Barrichello
• Good days work still learning loads about new wagon,team performing well,I have the feeling it going to be tight in the middle east!! Mark Webber
• Been note-making all night…my own version of pre-season training. Beats using medicine balls and running up hills!! Nightx Jake Humphrey
• Morning twts ! Today we have breakfast with Sir Richard and he will follow the tests after that. He might have a go on the car later! Hehe Lucas di Grassi
• Right… I am off in search of food and StefanGP’s containers full of spare parts which haven’t been made for cars that haven’t been built. Will Buxton
• Rubens is brilliant. After a full day of track running, he still did an hour & a half of media work for me (and let his supper go cold)! Claire Williams
• I had to dash to hear what Felipe Massa had to say. He says the 2010 Ferrari is consistent and reliable but rules out the team’s advantage Sarah Holt
• The Killers on high volume as Lotus Racing pack down after a very productive test session in Barcelona – bring on Bahrain! Lotus F1 Racing
• Test conclusions: Tyres working well, within predictions. Pretty close between teams. Bahrain is going to be very interesting. Andy Stobart

25-Feb-10: Webber Leads Day One of Barcelona Testing

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It’s the 25th February 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

Mark Webber put the first marker on the board for the initial day of testing in Barcelona. The Red Bull driver was about a second faster than next placed man Hulkenberg, with Rosberg behind for Mercedes. At the other end of the time sheets, Fauzy for Lotus, and di Grassi just above for Virgin Racing. di Grassi had a big crash just before lunchtime, causing a red flag, but more importantly, stopping the team from any more running. Technical director Nick Wirth said: “We’re going to need to spend the time before tomorrow replacing some broken suspension and wings. We should be back on track tomorrow morning when we hope to really start building up our mileage.”

Meanwhile, Robert Kubica has been discussing the atmosphere at Renault with Autosport, and he says: “I have found what I was looking for – a motivated team that is really nice to work with. I’ve got back something of the feeling like it was 10 years ago when I was in karting. Everything is much easier, it’s not as stressful, not as strict.” Well, he almost sounds happy!

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Red Bull on a Charge

Mark Webber on the first day of testing in Barcelona today. Webber led the way, giving Red Bull some much needed headlines, as the Australian finished about a second ahead of his nearest rival. Towards the back of the grid, Lotus and Virgin continued to struggle, with di Grassi crashing off halfway through the day. Testing continues tomorrow.

Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

19-Feb-10: Webber is Fastest on Jerez Day Three

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It is the 19th February 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

At last, some dry running in Jerez meant the teams got loads of laps in. Webber was fastest on the penultimate day at the circuit, with Alonso second and Button third. Hulkenberg was behind him, having completed 138 laps for Williams, the most of everyone. The least was 28 by Kobayashi for BMW Sauber, but that was because Kamui stopped out on track with a fuel problem after only a couple of hours. He returned to the track in the late afternoon.

Elsewhere, there are major changes at Campos Meta as shareholder Jose Ramon Carabante has taken full control of the team. Adrian Campos is out, and Colin Kolles has stepped in as Team Principal. Carabante said: “The whole rescue operation has been a race against time with the goal of always having the team run two competitive cars at the first Grand Prix.” That is still not guaranteed though.

That’s all for today, I’ll be back for a special testing roundup tomorrow.

The Race is On… Already

Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso want the same bit of track as they continue testing in Jerez. Webber went on to finish the day on top, and Ferrari were slightly more content about conditions in Spain, with some dry running to be had. Alonso finished second, behind the Red Bull, whilst testing continues tomorrow.

Credit: Ker Robertson/Getty Images

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Mark Webber sits in the RB6, ready to hit the track in testing at Jerez today. The Red Bull made it’s first appearance since the launch, and although Webber could only complete 50 laps, finished second to last, and had some reliability gremlins, the Australian said he felt pretty upbeat after his first day at work.

Credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images

Junior Senior

Mark Webber tests out the new GP3 chassis at Paul Ricard today. GP3 is a feeder series which is launching in 2010 to run alongside the GP2 events. The ten teams signed up to the series were invited to the circuit today to watch the car in action and talk to the technical partners involved in the sport including Dallara, Hewland and Pirelli.

Credit: Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service

01-Nov-09: Red Bull Take Abu Dhabi 1-2 Victory

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 1st November 2009.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was not perhaps the roaring success we were hoping it would be but Red Bull took a strong 1-2 victory after Hamilton had to retire from the race. It looked as though Vettel would have taken the win anyway, having more fuel on board, but it was made much easier when his nearest rival retired.

The only other things of note in the race were the last few laps when Button closed right up on Webber for second place. He looked as though he might be able to get past but couldn’t make it stick and ran out of laps. Also, Alguersuari had a bit of a faux pas by heading into the pit lane but pulling into the Red Bull box rather than outside his own Toro Rosso garage. He didn’t stop, and the jack man dived out the way as he hastily left again. Embarrassment all round.

Finally, on a sad note, the owner of Donington Park Tom Wheatcroft passed away yesterday at the age of 87 after a long illness. Our thoughts are with his family.

That’s all for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

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