Massa's Blog: Everyone is pushing hard to improve the car

So far we have had two Grands Prix this season, producing the same winner and the same three teams on the podium, while Ferrari has not been part of that. If you are not winning, then of course you are not happy and you try and change the situation but the facts show that our situation is not as bad as some might say.

It’s true that in qualifying in both races so far, we were not quick enough and in Melbourne, even our race pace was not that impressive. However, in Malaysia our car had the performance on Sunday in the race. That is something we must keep up but in addition, even if this sounds like what we said last year, we need to push hard to improve our car’s performance over a single lap in qualifying. Over the winter, there was speculation that qualifying would be less important this year because of an expected increase in overtaking, but so far, we have seen that if you do not start at the front, life is more difficult for you, even if you have good pace.

Everyone in the team, back in the factory is pushing particularly hard to improve the car as soon as possible. But it’s hard to say how long a job that will be and of course I hope it will happen very quickly. In China we will have some updates and something new to be tested on Friday, whereas Turkey in a month’s time is when we can realistically expect to bring some significant updates for the car.

My race was spoilt by a problem at the first pit stop. The fact that we are definitely going to see more pit stops per race throughout the season means this is an area of teamwork, driver’s role included, that we have to be sure functions perfectly. Also, in Sepang, my problem occurred the first time I came in to change tyres which is the worst possible situation as it is in the early stages of a race that a delay can cost you the most track position and places, because all the cars are much closer to each other. If it happens late on in the race when positions have stabilised and maybe you have five seconds over the car behind, then you can get away with this sort of problem at a stop. It highlights the fact that this is a team sport and while the driver is a very important part of that, so too are the engineers and also the mechanics, this year even more so than before.

Another trend we are seeing is that there can be many changes of position in the closing stages of the race, as drivers perhaps try to get to the race finish without making a further stop for new tyres, despite suffering high degradation. That was clearly the case in Malaysia with a lot of overtaking in the final laps. That is why the strategy is even more important now, in order to get the tyre change sequence just right, so that you can avoid finding yourself fighting for position in the last few laps, while dealing with tyres that are no longer at their best. This is not just down to the engineers to chose the best moment, because now the driver really has to think about managing the tyre situation himself, to avoid destroying them too soon.

I arrive in Shanghai on Wednesday, having stayed on in Malaysia for a couple of days. I have finished twice on the podium in China, with a second and third place, but last year I was only ninth in that wet race. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if the weather can be unpredictable. In the past, even with the long straight, overtaking was quite difficult but the combination of the long straight and the moveable rear wing should make passing easier.

There is no panic at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, because we know panic does not achieve anything. Everyone has to work together and push hard to solve these problems we currently have and move in the direction that will see us secure better results as soon as possible.

Source: Ferrari.com

Sebastian Vettel blog: 'There's no need to panic'

There might be a few unknowns with tyres and KERS for Seb, but Red Bull Racing’s reigning F1 champion is far from uncomfortable at sweltering Sepang


by Sebastian Vettel on Apr 8, 2011

I was 17th quickest in practice on Friday morning, which was not very encouraging, but setting the fourth-fastest time in the afternoon was way better!

Today we were using KERS which, if it works as we hope, will help us improve our lap times.

Tyres don’t last very long in Malaysia, but that’s not a big secret. You really notice the degradation here. When we start racing, we’ll find out how long they last, but at the moment we’re happy with both the hard and soft compounds of the new Pirellis.

Mark [Webber] and I have been using the same strategy today, but he was just faster than me – in both practice sessions. His pace in the last sector was outstanding.

And this is not tactics on my part, I always want to go as fast as I can and no shilly-shallying…

Besides, it’s not a good idea to get caught with your trousers down on a Friday! But I’m certain I’ll improve my times tomorrow, so there’s no need to panic.

Source: Red Bull

Webber: Wing will work in Sepang

Mark Webber believes F1 will see the full capabilities of the new adjustable rear wings at this weekend's Malaysian GP

Although the wing, officially called the Drag Reduction System (DRS), made its debut in Australia, the layout of the Albert Park circuit meant it couldn't be used to its full effect.

However, this weekend's grand prix takes place at the Sepang circuit with its long start-finish straight.

The FIA has confirmed that the DRS detection zone will be situated 207 metres before the track's final corner while drivers may activate the wing five metres after the final corner and use it for the entire length of the start-finish straight.

And Webber believes this weekend's race will give F1 the first idea of how successful the wing can be.

"I got pretty close to Fernando (Alonso) a few times (in Australia) and only once with Lewis on Lap Three," the Aussie told Autosport. "Fernando was someone I expected to put more pressure on.

"But it was a characteristic of the corner onto the start-finish - it was too quick. And the entry to Turn 1, even if you got close, it was easy for the guy to manipulate the line for you, and give you a different trajectory into the corner.

"Here will be a completely different story - if you are within the zone on the Apex of Turn 15.

"If it doesn't work here I don't know where it will work. You have a slow corner to open the lap, a slow corner at the braking point, and Heathrow airport in between as well in terms of options, so it should work."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso's Blog: A weekend to tackle one day at a time

I arrived in Malaysia a few days ago, having stayed a while in Australia, on Hamilton Island. I decided to stay in this part of the world so as to be used to the local time zone, given we now take on two races in the Far East, first in Sepang and then in Shanghai. It’s important to get used to the weather conditions, especially here where the temperatures are around the 30 °C mark and, much more significantly, it’s very humid. I have done some sport, because it’s essential to keep training: in this race you lose a lot of liquid and it’s very tough driving in these conditions, so you need to be on top form to tackle the weekend properly. Being 100% ready in this respect can make all the difference on Sunday afternoon as even on a mental level, this race is very special.

The fact that the weather can change so quickly here makes the preparation work for the various phases of work on track more stressful. Suddenly it can go from sunshine to a short sharp shower and you need to be prepared for every eventuality. It’s not just a problem for us drivers, as its affects the whole team: in some cases you need to be ready with a plan B or C, or even maybe a D for all the various scenarios!

Luckily it’s not all been work, as I was able to have some fun too which is good as it helps you unwind at such a busy time: from the start of testing there hasn’t been much of a break in this bit of the season.

I stayed in touch with the engineers, via email and phone. We re-examined the way the weekend had gone in Melbourne and we discussed our preparations for here in Sepang. We know we have to improve our performance level, but we are equally aware that in the end, the race result was not such a disaster. We will have a few minor updates on the car, but nothing very significant, or the sort of thing you could say would be the key to take a leap forward in performance terms. I believe we must stay concentrated on our own work and try to understand how to get all the potential out of the 150° Italia and I’m sure there’s plenty to come. Before we achieve that, it’s pointless standing here making predictions about how the weekend will turn out. We just have to tackle it one day at a time.

My happiest memory of Sepang circuit goes back to my first ever pole position, which I secured on 22 March 2003. Neither myself, nor my team, Renault, had expected that sort of result on Saturday morning, but come the end of qualifying, we found ourselves with both cars on the front row. It was a very happy moment and I can still clearly remember how the afternoon went, then the dinner and Sunday morning, when I was thinking about what would happen in the race. Every time I come back here, I think of that weekend, at the happiness of taking pole and the feeling of trepidation going into the race. I did not win, as later happened in 2005 and 2007, but I was still third and so managed to jump up on the podium for the first time. It was definitely a weekend to remember for a long time!

Source: Ferrari.com

Webber chasing Sepang champagne

Mark Webber is confident Red Bull will find the cause of his lack of pace in Australia and rectify the problem before he heads to Malaysia

While his team-mate Sebastian Vettel dominated the Australian GP weekend, Webber came up short at his home race.

He was almost a full second slower than his Championship-winning team-mate in qualifying while on Sunday afternoon could only manage fifth place.

It was a disappointing result for the Red Bull driver, made more so by the fact that the team could not pin-point why was second best to Vettel.

The Aussie, though, has revealed that although the team found "a few pointers", they still aren't sure as to the reason behind his lack of pace.

"We found a few pointers in the data but we'll need to strip the car down before drawing any conclusions," Webber told The Telegraph.

"Only then will we know whether something was broken, or whether there was something fundamentally wrong with the car.

"More than anything, I struggled with a lack of grip. That affected the longevity of my Pirelli tyres because the degradation was much higher on my car than on Seb's.

"I was forced to make three pit stops during the race, whereas he dominated proceedings with a two-stop strategy."

But despite losing out to his team-mate Down Under, Webber reckons there could be champagne on the cards for him this Sunday in Malaysia.

"It always provides an interesting race, especially with the weather," the 34-year-old said.

"It's a great challenge for the driver too in terms of temperature and we'll need to see how the tyres go there.

"We got a lot of information from the first race and we expect our car to be good in Malaysia - I want to get some champagne and up on to the steps."

Source: Planet-F1

Monsoonal thunderstorm strikes Sepang

With the F1 circus bustling around the Sepang paddock late on Thursday afternoon, the skies opened.

There was thunder, lightening, and reams of driving rain, and similar conditions - rain in the late afternoon after a hot and humid day - have been observed in and around Kuala Lumpur for the past few days.

Moreover, local forecasts say the weather is staying put for the remainder of the week and the weekend, with a particularly high chance of rain around 4pm -- precisely the same time scheduled for qualifying and the race.

"The rain is expected to start around 4pm and normally lasts two hours," said a spokesman of the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Source: Motorsport.com