Button says staying ahead will be tough

Jenson Button is expecting rival teams to put up a tough fight from now on following his two consecutive victories in Australia and Malaysia.

The Brawn GP driver has started from pole position and won both races as his team has enjoyed a dream start to the season following its problems during the winter.

But despite his dominance in the early part of the year, Button is aware that the opposition will catch up and make his life more difficult.

"After the excitement of the first two races, it has been great to have the chance to relax and reflect for a few days since the dramatic race in Malaysia," said Button ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

"I am understandably delighted with how our season has begun. However we are only two races in and everyone at the team is aware that our competitors will not stand still. We fully expect a tough fight from here if we want to continue our early successes.

"Looking ahead to next weekend, the Shanghai International Circuit is an enjoyable one for the drivers and a good technical challenge to find the right set-up.

"I particularly enjoy the high-speed sections and the overtaking opportunities going into the tight right-hander at turn five and at the end of the back straight."

Ross Brawn says the team has worked on solving some issues it had in the first two races and he is hopeful they will be in good shape in Shanghai.

"Whilst there have been no developments to the car, we have taken the opportunity to address a few small issues which arose over the first two races and we are in good shape for the next race in China," said Brawn. "We are expecting temperatures will be cooler and less humid this year with the race taking place six months earlier.

"Therefore as was the case in Malaysia, we will need to be prepared for the unexpected as rain has played its part in recent races at the Shanghai International Circuit."

China preview quotes: Renault

Fernando Alonso

Q. Fernando, a pretty eventful Malaysian Grand Prix for you. Tell us about your race...

FA: I made an amazing start and was up to third from ninth after the first couple of corners, which showed the clear benefit of our KERS system. However, I was heavy with fuel and it was difficult to defend my position from the cars behind me. Then it started to rain and I went off the circuit before I could change to wet tyres. After that it was all about being on the right tyres at the right time, but it wasn't easy predicting how heavy the rain would be. It was definitely the right decision to stop the race as it would have been dangerous to try and continue in those conditions.

Q. You've said the team needs to improve the car. Are you confident the team can do that?

FA: Absolutely. I believe in this team and we saw last year that they know how to fight back and find performance from the car. It's still very early days and everyone in the team is working hard to develop the R29 so that we can be more competitive in the next few races. I was disappointed not to score points in Malaysia as my aim is to score points at every race this season. Obviously it's difficult to change the car until we get back to Europe, but we have learnt a lot from the first two races and we certainly made progress in Malaysia. We need to take another step forward in Shanghai and hopefully score points.

Q. Are you looking forward to racing in Shanghai and what are your thoughts on the track?

FA: It's definitely a circuit that I enjoy and it's quite similar to Sepang with some quick corners, long straights and low-speed sections. You therefore have to find a compromise with the set-up to make sure you have enough downforce for the high-speed sections, but also good straight-line speed. I won the race there in 2005 when Renault also won the constructors' championship so it's a track with good memories for the team. I also enjoy being in China and the fans are really enthusiastic about Formula 1.

Nelson Piquet

Q. Nelson, it was a chaotic race in Malaysia - sum up your race for us?

NP: I had a good start and made up four positions, so things were looking quite good during the first stint, especially as I had a lot of fuel in the car. The car had a good balance in the dry, but then it rained and we had to pit early. The wet conditions were really bad and it was almost impossible to drive the car because of the poor visibility and aquaplaning. It was difficult to call the right strategy and the team did a good job, but races like that are always a lottery. It's a shame we couldn't restart the race, but the conditions were the worst I can remember at a Grand Prix.

Q. After two races what is the mood like in the team?

NP: The team is very motivated and determined to do a good job in China. We improved the car between Australia and Malaysia and we need to continue in this direction to try and get more from our package in China. I know the guys back at the factory are working really hard to prepare upgrades for later in the year and I'm sure we will continue to get stronger and stronger throughout the season.

Q. You finished in the points in China last year as a rookie - what are your targets for this year's race?

NP: After two races we've seen how close all the teams are, but I will still aim for the points this weekend. I need to make sure I improve my performance in qualifying so that I can reach Q2 or Q3 and have a good strategy for the race. We also need to see how the different tyres perform because Shanghai is quite a tough circuit for the tyres and we will need to do a lot of evaluation on Friday to make sure we are well prepared for the race.

China preview quotes: Toyota

Jarno Trulli: "I am really optimistic about the Chinese Grand Prix because we have started the season very strongly. It shows how much progress we have made since last season that in Malaysia I was a little disappointed with fourth because I wanted to finish on the podium and fight for the win. Last year in Malaysia I finished fourth and that was more than we expected.

"We are second in the Constructors' Championship so it's clear we are one of the top teams and both Timo and I have consistently been fighting at the front which is great. So the goal for me in China is to fight for the podium again and I think we have a really good chance. China is one of those circuits where I have never had much luck and it was the same last year when I was hit from behind at the first corner, so I'm determined to have a better weekend this time."

Timo Glock: "Malaysia was a crazy race but it was a great result for the team and it gives us a lot of confidence for the Chinese Grand Prix. We were really competitive in all conditions which is a good sign because it confirms we were right to be optimistic before the season started.

"We have had both cars finish in the top four in both races so far this season so we are definitely aiming to challenge for the podium again, but of course it's pretty close so we will have to do another good weekend. It seems strange to be going to China in April because it has always been later in the season; the weather looks like it could be a bit cooler than usual. I quite enjoy racing at Shanghai because it's an interesting track. Last year I went well there and scored points, but I'm hoping to get more than seventh place this weekend, that's for sure."

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis: "Shanghai is a track which offers a very wide range of cornering speeds so you cannot optimise the car just for high-speed or low-speed corners; you have to find a good balance. The unique aspect to the Shanghai track is its very long corners; turn one and turn 13. It is extremely important to get the balance of the car right in turn 13 because it comes out on to the main straight and you want to exit at the highest possible speed.

"These two corners and the specific lay-out in general are also demanding on tyres so overall Shanghai is quite severe in terms of tyre wear. If you have a compound which is too soft it is likely to have graining issue. So it will be interesting to see how the super soft and medium compound tyres behave this weekend."

BMW pushes for lighter car for Kubica

BMW Sauber is hoping to introduce a lightweight version of its F1.09 for the Spanish Grand Prix in a bid to boost Robert Kubica's chances of using KERS.

The Polish driver has been unable to use the device up to now, because its added weight and the subsequent loss of ballast has a knock-on impact on his car's handling - especially when it comes to tyre degradation issues.

Team-mate Nick Heidfeld, who is much lighter than Kubica, has been able to race with KERS in the first two events of the season.

With BMW Sauber adamant that KERS does bring a benefit, it is understood that the Hinwil-based team has been working hard on a weight reduction programme that would overcome the issues Kubica has faced.

The improvements are expected to form part of a major package of updates scheduled for the race at Barcelona in May - where Kubica could even use KERS for the first time.

Although there is a minimum weight limit for the car, a lightweight chassis would allow BMW Sauber to fit ballast in a more suitable place to help with the car's handling.

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has drawn short of confirming the plans for a lightweight car, but he has made it clear that the team is doing all it can to get KERS onto Kubica's car.

"We are aiming to prepare the cars for KERS with him," said Kubica. "That includes development on the KERS side as well as the car side.

"The issue is weight and the lack of ballast then to properly balance the car. It is not the KERS [alone] that causes the problem and we are working on that. My view is that in the course of the season you will need KERS to be up front - not just on the grid, but also in the race."

When asked by AUTOSPORT about a weight reduction programme for the Spanish GP, Theissen said: "That would help exactly. We have some developments ongoing, but...wait and see. I don't want to go into detail now."

Heavier drivers like Kubica and Mark Webber have been pushing for an amendment to the minimum weight limit in F1 for next year to stop them being penalised by KERS. One suggestion is for the drivers, their race wear and their seat to have a minimum weight.

Brawn: Diffuser row not affecting FOTA

Ross Brawn is confident that the unity of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) is holding together, despite the pressures being put on it by the wrangling over diffuser designs.

FOTA had always faced a challenge to keep all its members aligned amid the inevitable rows that erupt in the heat of competition.

And Brawn, who heads up FOTA's technical working group, believes the 'test case' of the diffuser controversy is showing that the body can come through such disputes without getting fractured.

"What I am pleased about is that FOTA is still operating well within its mandates, objectives and so on," said Brawn, whose team's diffuser design has been protested by Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, and Renault.

"This has not, as far as I can tell, damaged FOTA. We have to learn to work in that way, because we when we get on the track there will be instances where we will get very upset with each other.

"We have to put that to one side and say within FOTA we are trying to do something which is good for the sport.

"I draw this analogy with rugby, which is that you go out on the field and try and kill each other, then you come back and you have a beer. You have got to be able to separate those two things. And FOTA has got to be able to do that.

"We have got to be able to go out on the race track, objecting to someone's technical specs of the car is all part of it. It is part of the event, and we have got to able to put that to one side and say, 'okay we are having our situation there but let's work on trying to help Formula 1 improve and become better'.

"If we do that, and we seem to be able to do that, then that means FOTA can work. If the first time we fall out on the track it blows FOTA apart then that's no good and I don't think that will happen."

The FIA's International Court of Appeal hearing into the legality of the diffuser designs is to take place in Paris next Tuesday.

McLaren summoned by FIA's WMSC

McLaren has been summoned to appear before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council on April 29 to answer charges that it has brought Formula 1 into disrepute over the controversy surrounding Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix disqualification.

The team has been summoned after it 'deliberately misled' stewards at the Australian Grand Prix during a hearing into Jarno Trulli overtaking Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car in the closing stages of the Melbourne race.

The FIA announced on Tuesday that the team will appear before the extraordinary WMSC hearing in Paris on the Wednesday after the Bahrain GP to answer charges that it has breached Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

The rule states that competitors are in breach of the regulations if they take part in: "Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally."

The FIA claims that McLaren may have broken the regulations on five counts, that:

* on 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton in Car No. 1 to allow Trulli in Car no. 9 to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue;

* procured its driver Hamilton the current World Champion, to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards;

* although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise;

* on 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement;

* on 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards' hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing that what he was saying to the stewards was not true.

McLaren has already admitted that sporting director Dave Ryan and Hamilton lied to the stewards during the hearing in Australia, and a second meeting on the eve of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ryan has been suspended by the team, and Hamilton made an open apology for his actions after revealing that he had been advised by Ryan not to tell the full truth.

"I've never felt so bad," he said during an emotional press conference in Malaysia last week. "Try and put yourself in my position and understand that, like I said, I am not a liar. I have not gone through my life being a liar or dishonest. And so for people to say I am dishonest and for the world to think that....what can I say?"

It is possible that Hamilton could be called to testify at the WMSC hearing to clarify his involvement in the matter.

His father-manager Anthony was understood to have been in contact with FIA president Max Mosley during the course of last week's Malaysian GP weekend as the fallout from the controversy spiralled out of control.

Di Montezemolo: Ferrari will respond

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is confident his Formula 1 team can respond to its current difficulties, after joining a lengthy crisis meeting at Maranello on Tuesday.

The reigning constructors' champion has failed to score a point so far this season, and di Montezemolo says he has been left unimpressed by the way its campaign has begun.

However, following talks that lasted for two-and-a-half hours at Maranello today, he thinks the message has now got through to team members that the situation needs to be turned around quickly.

"It would be a euphemism to say people here were very angry, but these same people are also very determined to react," said di Montezemolo after the meeting.

"I brought with me a monk's hood to make everyone understand that we have to tackle this season with humility and made the point that I don't want to find us on some sort of TV comedy video programme after each race.

"Joking apart, I know that this group is known for its strong sense of pride and that will help us get out of this situation."

Although Ferrari remains convinced that its form has not been helped by the fact that three rival teams have been using a double-decker diffuser design, the team knows that further aerodynamic improvements are needed.

Di Montezemolo also made it clear that despite intense talks, the team was as unified as it had been under the Jean Todt era.

"Our discussions are held in the locker room, as was the case in the days of Todt and [Ross] Brawn, when we were going through particularly tough times," he said. "The team remains united and I have every confidence in it."

Although Michael Schumacher's role at the team has been the subject of intense speculation over the past few days, it is understood there was no discussion about his involvement during the meeting.

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Drivers in push to change start times

Formula 1 drivers are to push Bernie Ecclestone to bring the start times of the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix forward for next year, following safety issues that marred the first two events of this season.

Poor light and a low sun in Melbourne, allied to atrocious weather and fading light that forced the abandonment of the Sepang race, have forced the drivers into action to urge a shift in the start time of the 2010 races.

Although Ecclestone has said he is keen to keep the races running at 5pm local time, because it boosts the European television audience, the drivers believe that safety could be improved if the starts are shifted forward by just one hour.

Sources have revealed that part of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) regular post-race report to the FIA following the first two events will include a recommendation for the start times to be moved forward.

And it is understood that the GPDA will also write to Ecclestone to ask if he will consider shifting the start time so as to alleviate safety concerns for 2010.

A source within the GPDA told AUTOSPORT: "We already spoke to Charlie [Whiting, F1 race director] in the drivers' briefings to express our concerns about what could happen, and our fears came true. It was common sense that there would be problems

"In Australia it was very difficult. Because of the low sun, it was hard to see into Turn 1 and the pit lane exit line. While in Malaysia, the fading light made things very difficult.

"It wasn't the rain that was the problem in Malaysia, because it can rain just as heavily at 2pm as it did at 6pm. But there was no chance to restart the race when it started so late because it got too dark - and that was the problem.

"I think even if the races are shifted to one hour earlier it will make a difference. We understand that there are commercial reasons for running the races so late, but safety always has to come first."

Although Malaysian Grand Prix organisers have also expressed their desire to see the start time of their race moved forward, Ecclestone has so far remained adamant that things do not need to change.

When asked by AUTOSPORT at Sepang if he had regrets about the start time, because the race had to be abandoned, he said: "No. I just have regrets about the rain.

"I don't see anything wrong with the start time, we just didn't know about the rain. If we had started at 2pm then it would have rained as well."

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Raikkonen: Diffusers could decide title

Kimi Raikkonen says the FIA's ruling on the diffuser regulations ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix will have 'an enormous impact' on the outcome of this season's title battle.

Ferrari scored no points in Australia or Malaysia and the Finn does not think the F60 can keep pace with the likes of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams - the three teams that have been protested - with the current levels of downforce.

"The FIA's Court of Appeal will decide about the diffuser and this decision will have an enormous impact on the championship," Raikkonen said.

"We're missing grip and downforce. You just need to analyse the performance in the three sectors at Sepang to understand that we're losing a lot compared to the best cars. You could see it especially in the middle sector where downforce is really crucial.

"We need more downforce and we're working very hard on it. We still don't have any points after two races and this is a very difficult moment. We've seen other moments like this, but we know how to react and we'll do it already at Shanghai."

Raikkonen believes KERS is one area where Ferrari can make up time to its rivals, but warned that the team is still having issues with the system.

"At the start KERS works really well, as we could see last Sunday. It can give much more on this track [China], but at the moment we've still got some teething problems - I could see that myself in Malaysia.

"On Friday the cockpit filled with smoke, while on Sunday water infiltrated the KERS which lead to the destruction of its insulation and I had to stop."

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Q and A with Philippe Gurdjian

Abu Dhabi has unveiled some exciting plans for the 2009 Formula 1 season finale - which is to take place on a circuit on Yas Island in November.

But that did not stop the rumour machine going into overdrive last week amid rumours that the circuit would not be ready on time, and that Canada was being lined up to replace it.

The speculation was quickly dismissed, and AUTOSPORT caught up with the Yas Marina circuit boss Philippe Gurdjian to find out how progress was going, what F1 could expect from Abu Dhabi and what his own future holds.

Q. How is progress going with the track?

Philippe Gurdjian: Very well. There are no problems.

Q. So it is all on course for the end of season race?

PG: Yes. I don't know who made this wrong story, but on my side it was ridiculous. I don't understand where it came from. On my side, we are progressing. Aldar, the people who are building the circuit, are doing a good job. They are making also a good job for the island, because we are starting from an island that only had sand - no bridges, no roads, no electricity and no water. But everything will be done on time.

Q. What does the track look like at the moment? What is finished at the moment?

PG: Nothing is finished yet, but this is normal. We are on schedule. When you are building something, some place, you have to follow a schedule - and that is what we are doing. Maybe on one day we have a problem, but the day after we solve it.

Q. Tickets went on sale last week. What has interest been like?

PG: We are progressing very well, although I don't know exactly the situation today. I know that it is working very well.

Q. Has there been a decision yet on when the start time of the race will be?

PG: At this moment, the start time is 3pm. But the final decision depends on Mr. [Bernie] Ecclestone.

Q. Would you like to keep it at that time, or would you like it to go later?

PG: We have a certain idea of what we would like to do, but I cannot tell you today what it is! We have a very specific idea, and I hope we will be able to do it - and it will be as unique as the track.

Q. There have been some rumours in recent weeks that you could be involved in the new South Korea F1 project. What can you say about that?

PG: I don't know, maybe you know more than me! Tell me if you know!

The problem is that I am the man who has created the most incredible race tracks all over the world. First of all, I did Paul Ricard - it was a wonderful track and unique in the world. Then I did Bahrain, I did it in 70 days but I was not in charge of the design. At Abu Dhabi, I have been in charge of the design and the concept - and it will be the most incredible, exclusive and unique place in the world.

So if people want to make something more creative than all of these other circuits, then maybe I will be involved. But to go to a circuit where there is no idea, I will not be involved. I am not a builder - I am a creative man.

Q. How long is your commitment to Abu Dhabi?

PG: Until the end of 2010.

Q. And after that?

PG: I am an old man. Maybe I have to stop one time. I have done 25 grands prix up until today. This year I am still involved in Barcelona and then Abu Dhabi - so that will be 27. I will certainly stop before 30.

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Brawn: Ferrari, McLaren will catch up

Ross Brawn thinks it inevitable that Ferrari and McLaren will recover from their disastrous start to the campaign and soon start putting his dominant team under pressure.

Jenson Button has taken victory in the first two races of the year for Brawn GP, with last year's title front-runners McLaren and Ferrari having scored just one point between them.

And although people are hailing a 'new world order' in F1 this year, Brawn is convinced that the current formbook is not indicative of how things will pan out for the rest of the season.

Instead, he believes that what is happening at the moment is simply the result of those teams who switched development onto their 2009 cars early having a head start on those that kept pushing with their 2008 machines until the end of the year.

"It is a reflection on what has gone on in the last year or two," said Brawn. "With such a big change in regulations, McLaren and Ferrari had a championship to fight and I can understand that it was very difficult for them to say, 'look we'll stop pushing this year and put our effort into next year'.

"For us it wasn't even a clever decision, it was a very easy one - we didn't have a very good car so why waste time on it? For them it was a much more difficult decision, but they are both very strong and fantastic engineering companies, so they will sort it out.

"I think they are just paying the price for winning the championship last year. Because normally you develop a car and, if you are fighting for the championship, that same car goes forward into the next championship, so you don't lose things.

"Everything they did last year for the championship was in the bin after the last race, so it was gone. We now have slick tyres and new aerodynamics, so everything they did at the end of last year they could virtually throw away."

Although Brawn is delighted by what his team has delivered in the first phase of the season, he admits the start to the year has been ‘difficult' off track – with the outfit needing to make 270 redundancies.

"It's a very unfortunate process," he explained. "Obviously it has been going on while I have been away so I have not been involved first hand in the process, but it is just very difficult.

"Especially with everyone at the factory having produced such a good car, to say to people 'We can't give you a future anymore' is very difficult. But we had over 700 people and that's not viable for us to continue at that level.

"We have treated everyone with respect and we have done everything that we can to give them a good chance of a future. We have all of our employees on the same terms and conditions as they would have got if Honda had closed the company.

"They were fairly reasonable, and certainly above statutory, but they deserved it. They have done a great job, it is just a shame that we can't justify keeping so many people.

"So it is a very difficult period. Just now try to look forward and put that side behind us and try and build the company for the future. I think in reality if we had kept 700 people we wouldn't have been around very long, it just was impossible."

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Q and A with Peter Windsor

Formula 1 has always viewed the United States as a key market, and it's fair to say that interest in the sport in America has taken an upswing in light of the announcement earlier this year that Team USF1 is planning to compete from 2010.

With more than one month passed since USF1's plans went public, AUTOSPORT caught up with sporting director Peter Windsor to find out how the team was coming along.

Q. How is progress going with the team? What's been going on since the team announcement was made?

Peter Windsor: The announcement was to say that we were doing it, and that we had the money to become a team in 2010. Having said, we have now been formalising becoming a team. That has meant a lot of work on our side, in terms of paperwork and administration work, and a lot of work with the FIA and FOM in terms of formalising that entry. We are still in the process of that.

From our side, we are up and ready to go. But as everybody in racing knows, the 2010 championship is still very much something that has not been defined in terms of technical regulations. We are doing everything we can in terms of formalising it and paying deposits, etc., but the reality is no team becomes a team, even the existing teams, until the FIA says these are the regulations, and these are the teams competing in 2010. So we are waiting for that, and that should be in the next month or so.

Q. Has your official entry been lodged yet?

PW: Yes. Absolutely. It has been accepted. In fact, it was lodged a long time ago - well before we even did the announcement. And it has been accepted in so far as it can be accepted - in that nobody's entry has been accepted it. Until the 2010 regulations are defined, there is no 2010 championship as such. But we are very confident that we are in great shape, in terms of the entry, and it is looking good.

Q. What is the situation with your team name? There were lots of wild reports recently suggesting it had been changed?

PW: The USF1 name was basically a place mark name that Ken [Anderson] came up with. It is a great name! It was a working title for a work in progress that we began four years ago.

Like everybody, we know that 'F1' is a protected name, and we always wanted to do the correct thing. But until we were an existing operation there was no point in doing that because it was just a working title. As soon as we had a position publicly, and we were going to become a team, then we needed to sit down and see what the situation was.

Ken had registered several domain names for that situation, so we immediately kept everything on ice with another domain name to keep it ticking over. The new name, which is not too far away from the original name, is due to be announced soon. When the entry is formalised, when the 2010 championship is announced by the FIA, that is when we will come on line with a team name and a few other really good announcements as well.

Q. Q. What is the next step for the team in terms of personnel?

PW: Personnel is an interesting one because a lot of the personnel that are involved in the design and build of the car, we are going to be hiring them very, very soon. And we will be up to full capacity by July/August in that area. In terms of marketing and other stuff like that, that will gradually rise as the year progresses. The interesting area is operations - which is basically race team and a little bit of testing.

That really, by definition, is something we cannot do until October/November. Virtually all the guys we get will be from existing teams - be that F1, or American racing - and we cannot get them until the current season is over. That is something that will happen much later in the year.

We can talk to guys, and we will be and we are, but it is quite a thing to build a new team from zero. It is not the same as Brawn GP taking over from Honda, or Midland taking over from Jordan. Actually creating something from zero, there are some things that you cannot actually do until a certain date arrives - and operational personnel is one.

Q. What about your engine situation?

PW: The engine decision is part of the whole rebirth that F1 is going through right now. The Cosworth engine is certainly an attractive proposition. It is homologated, those guys were doing a great job with Red Bull Racing when Red Bull suddenly switched to Renault.

A lot of people who were at Cosworth have left, but equally there are a lot of good people still there too. That is a really interesting thing for us. Apart from anything else, Cosworth is now owned by an American, Kevin Kalkhoven, and that is a nice little link for us as well. The idea of working with a small specialist company is kind of in-tune with the way we are operating as a race team as well.

Q. So is that your preferred option?

PW: I wouldn't say preferred, but it is definitely an option we are looking at very, very seriously.

Q. And what about your facilities in Europe? There has been talk about you using the Epsilon base in Spain, or even Paul Ricard now?

PW: We haven't defined that. It is a little bit further down the road because it only comes into play once we get towards the operational end of it. That will be the back end of the year.

We would like the logistics base in Europe to be in a nice place, that is the first thing we want. We want people to enjoy going there. That is not casting aspersions on Milton Keynes, but there are nicer places perhaps for Americans to go to! So Spain has a great facility that Joan Villadelprat and Sergio Rinland have got, near Bilbao.

Pedro de la Rosa has introduced us to a really interesting new facility in Aragon, between Barcelona and Madrid where there is a nice Tilke circuit which looks really interesting.

And equally with Toyota leaving Le Castellet, that looks really cool too. It is a great part of the world. There is a lot of history, and a great place to fly people into - not just for testing, but to do a couple of days with the drivers in road cars or Formula Renaults. Ricard has got a lot going for it.

That will be one of the nice decisions to make later this year.

Q. Drivers is, for a team, the thing that fans talk about the most. Is that your last priority now?

PW: No, no. We want to get on with it, as quickly as possible. Again it comes under the header of unchartered territory for a new team starting from zero. And in our case we are restricting our choice to nationality - and bearing in mind none of those guys are in F1 at the moment, it makes for an interesting situation in terms of who you go for. It means we can take a bit of a risk. By definition we are going to be running rookies so we can be a bit creative there.

Having said all that, I think you will find that the way the budget capped teams approach drivers, and the sort of drivers they hire and how they pay them, it will be changing dramatically over the next three to four years as well.

There are certainly some very good Americans out there who Ken and I are confident will do a good enough job for us in our first year and, if not, in our second year. Equally, the way the driver market could be going, there could be some really quick experienced guys out there who are going to have to drive for a lot less than they are being paid for at the moment.

If that happens, teams like ours are in a position to look at some quite serious names, so although we have been saying from the start that we want to run American drivers, I guess we need to add a precursor to that which is, if there is someone really good and really quick out there who is available at the right price, then we wouldn't just turn away from that option.

Q. So is it conceivable you have one American and one non-American?

PW: It would be - not because we want to have one experienced driver, but if there was a very, very good driver available, and it was a deal we could put together relatively easily in terms of finding the money that he would want, then we would definitely look at that for sure. There is no doubt at the moment that one of our biggest problems in the first year to two years is going to be, and it is not a bad thing, that we are driver limited because those guys are so new.

We are ready for that challenge, but equally if there is someone really good we would have to look at it - and the new regulations may create that situation. But I am only guessing.

Q. How has the interest in America been since the launch, especially when it comes from sponsors?

PW: Ever since the announcement, we have just started turning the wheels on that. The announcement marked the point where Ken and I stopped being guys putting together a start-up operation for which we needed to get investment, and from then onwards we have evolved into being a race team. When you have a race team you have things to buy, you have property that has equity, and we are getting to that point now.

As soon as we are formalised as a race team, then we can go out to the marketplace with the other race teams and be a part of that marketplace. Certainly in American we have had quite a few companies contact us and say, 'wow this looks interesting. What's it all about? Come and talk'. We've had several of those meetings, which have all been really positive.

The catch word in America now, especially on the East Coast, is that American companies need to globalise. And globalising is something that F1 teams do very well for multi-national companies. So my gut feeling is that I think we can do a really good job for some great companies out there.

One for all, all for one: Phils get it done

With ALDS set, Rays ready for White Sox

Teams urged to act to get US GP back

USF1 project sets date for launch

Gillick’s method produced success

Sutil: Improvements will take time

Adrian Sutil believes it will take time for the full potential of Force India's technical partnership with McLaren-Mercedes to be exploited.

Sutil and team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella have failed to score a point or make it out of Q1 in the opening two races of the season, but the German is confident that the car will be improved significantly in the coming races.

"There is potential in this combination," Sutil told AUTOSPORT. "It's a difficult situation because there was not much testing as we built the car in about 120 days, so it's hard to pick up.

"We have a lot of things going on in the windtunnel and it looks promising. The question is whether it is enough to make steps because the others are not sleeping, they always develop.

"But I am confident. Right now I am quite happy that the car is working well. There are no reliability problems and that helps us a lot, we need mileage to understand the car."

Sutil, who narrowly missed out on a points finish with ninth place in Australia, believes that the spirit inside the team is better than it has been since he joined as a race driver at the start of 2007.

"There is a very positive spirit," Sutil added. "The atmosphere is good and that's why I'm very happy now. There are no problems in the team and that makes it stronger."

"It's always good if you feel good in a team. If there are some problems, yes of course you will start arguing and that doesn't help.

"But the baseline is very good right now. That means you can develop yourself well and have success more easily."

Sutil backs Force India’s KERS delay

Sutil says 2009 is crucial season

Culture shock just what Rays needed

Sutil: Force India to fight in midfield

Chance to advance spoiled for Rays

Ecclestone: McLaren could face ban

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone thinks McLaren could face a ban from races after being summoned to appear before FIA's World Motor Sport Council for lying to stewards.

McLaren is to face the FIA's WMSC in the week after the Bahrain Grand Prix to answer charges that the team deliberately misled race stewards about Jarno Trulli overtaking Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car at the Australian Grand Prix, and forced Hamilton to lie too.

Although there are a range of sentences available to the FIA, which could be as little as an official reprimand, Ecclestone has not ruled out the possibility of McLaren being suspended.

Speaking to The Daily Express, Ecclestone said: "We need to investigate closer what went on. It is about stealing a point and a place but those are worth money so basically it is fraud, although I am sure it started off more innocently without thought of the consequences.

"There are many options open if the charge sticks and it would be a terrible thing if any team were banned from races. But it could happen.

"It is not so long ago that McLaren were in front of the Council and it is never good for anyone if you are back in court quickly for something similar."

Rollins brings devotion to grand stage

Long balls lead Dodgers in Game 1

Ecclestone baffled by Raikkonen’s form

McLaren summoned by FIA’s WMSC

Hamilton, Ryan refused to change story

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren's former sporting director Dave Ryan refused to change their story about having deliberately let Jarno Trulli through at the Australian Grand Prix, despite being played radio conversations and media interviews that suggested the contrary in their second stewards' hearing at Sepang.

This week's AUTOSPORT reveals that Hamilton and Ryan maintained their stance in that second hearing that Trulli had taken it upon himself to overtake the McLaren in the closing stages of the Melbourne race, even though the stewards presented them with fresh evidence to say they were lying.

In the first detailed account of the stewards' hearings that have resulted in McLaren being called before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, AUTOSPORT reports that Ryan and Hamilton stuck to their original story when recalled for the second hearing.

An FIA source told AUTOSPORT: "First of all, Lewis heard the radio exchange. It appeared that the strategy was to be extremely vague and not be very direct with the answers. Then the interview where he said, 'I was told to let him through' was played.

"At that point they both got very uncomfortable, but still denied that's what had actually happened.

"It was a bit surreal, this situation where you had the radio evidence and the interview, and they were putting a completely different interpretation on what the words actually meant. But the words were very, very clear."

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has also revealed that Hamilton denied more than once in the original hearing in Australia that he had let Trulli pass him.

Whiting said: "When asked very clearly, 'Did you consciously let him past, did you pull over to let him past', he [Hamilton] said, 'No'. The question was asked more than once. He was adamant that he hadn't slowed down and hadn't let Trulli past."

This week's AUTOSPORT contains a full analysis of what happened on track and in the stewards' room in the controversy, as well as a look at what the situation means for McLaren's future.

McLaren summoned by FIA’s WMSC

Ecclestone: McLaren could face ban

McLaren parts company with Ryan

One for all, all for one: Phils get it done

McLaren eyes step forward in China

McLaren is expecting to deliver a small step forward in pace at next week's Chinese Grand Prix thanks to the introduction of a number of updates on its MP4-24.

With the team openly admitting that its 2009 challenger is behind a number of its rivals, McLaren has been pushing hard with developments in a bid to get itself into the title hunt.

And although it is unclear whether a double-decker diffuser will be part of its upgrade package, should the concept be given the green light at next week's FIA Appeal Court hearing, the team is hoping for progress on track in Shanghai.

World champion Lewis Hamilton said: "Hopefully, some of the upgrades we've added to MP4-24 for this race will have a benefit: it would be very encouraging if we could qualify a little further up the grid and be regularly challenging for points."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "We have reasons to be both disappointed and optimistic about our performance in the opening races of the 2009 season: disappointed because we do not yet possess the necessary technical package to enable us to fight with the leaders, but optimistic that our rate of progress is sufficiently rapid that we should be able to fight for points finishes on a regular basis.

"This race will see a number of new components introduced to MP4-24, and while we do not expect them to radically transform the car's potential, they should move us a little closer to the front than we saw in the opening two races."

Barrichello sorry to miss out on points

MLB Network partners with Verizon

Phils advance to first NLCS since ‘93

Kovalainen eyes more relaxed approach

Yanks rock Hard Rock at new Stadium

Glock: Toyota has to fight for first win

McLaren parts company with Ryan

McLaren said on Tuesday it has parted company with sporting director Dave Ryan, while vowing to work with the FIA ahead of the World Motor Sport Council hearing later this month.

The Woking-based team has been summoned to appear before the WMSC on April 29 to answer charges that it brought the sport into disrepute after lying to race stewards at the Australian Grand Prix - and then at a second hearing in Malaysia last week.

Stating that it wanted to work with the FIA for the best interests of F1, McLaren also confirmed that Ryan, who was suspended for his involvement in the matter last Friday, had now parted company with the team.

"McLaren acknowledges receipt of an invitation to appear at an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on April 29, received this afternoon," said McLaren in a statement issued on Tuesday.

"We undertake to co-operate fully with all WMSC processes, and welcome the opportunity to work with the FIA in the best interests of Formula 1.

"This afternoon McLaren and its former sporting director, Dave Ryan, have formally parted company. As a result, he is no longer an employee of any of the constituent companies of the McLaren Group."

Zambrano Game 2’s central figure

One for all, all for one: Phils get it done

McLaren summoned by FIA’s WMSC

Phils advance to first NLCS since ‘93

Malaysia Sunday quotes: Brawn GP

Jenson Button - 1st: "What a crazy race! It was really exciting out there and I'm delighted that we came out on top today. I didn't have the best of starts and was surprised at the lack of grip on my side of the grid. I went in deep at turn one and got a big snap of oversteer which dropped me to fourth but I was able to get past Alonso at the end of lap one and overtake Trulli and Rosberg at the first pit stops.

"I was happy with the car and our pace was good but the weather really threw the race wide open. Choosing the tyres was difficult but we made the right calls at the right time, particularly when it started raining so hard and so quickly. I have to say a massive thank you to my engineer Andrew Shovlin who was on the podium with me today and the whole team for their work on the strategy and in the pits. Last weekend we said that we had a fairytale start to the season and I am so proud that has continued here."

Rubens Barrichello - 5th: "It was a great race today and I was really happy with how the car was performing in the dry in the first stint of the race. After a good start, I felt that I had the pace to catch up with the front-runners and score some good points. Unfortunately once the conditions started to deteriorate, we lost a little too much time on my side of the garage with the pit stops which cost me a few places.

"However the important thing is that the car is going great and we have proved that it is competitive at different types of track. Congratulations to Jenson and the team for maintaining our fantastic start to the season and I look forward to continuing the challenge in Shanghai."

Ross Brawn: "A fantastic team performance today and a thoroughly deserved second victory of the season for Jenson and the team. It was an eventful race to say the least and I am pleased with how quickly we were able to react to the changing conditions to maintain the lead that Jenson had achieved in the first stint of the race.

"However it was not perfect as we could have had both cars in the top three if we had been a little bolder in bringing the drivers in for their third stops for intermediate tyres. We are delighted to have had such a successful start to the season with two pole positions and two victories in the opening races. You can't ask for more than that and it is a credit to the talent, attitude and dedication of our team that we have been able to achieve such results."

Rough start sinks Moyer, Phils in LA

Brawn upbeat about race chances

Alonso: Brawn will dominate race

Honda expected tough home race

Sepang looks to change race start time

Malaysian Grand Prix bosses are looking to change the start time of next year's race following the problems faced during last weekend's event.

The Sepang race began at 5pm - instead of the traditional 3pm start - in order to boost television audiences in Europe.

The decision led to widespread criticism from the majority of drivers, who felt there wouldn't be enough daylight in case of a likely rainstorm.

That proved to the case on Sunday, when the race had to be suspended after 32 laps. After over 50 minutes of deliberation, the race was not restarted.

Although F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was unmoved by the criticism, some felt the race could have gone on should it have taken place earlier, as it would have allowed for the track to dry up while there was still sufficient light.

Despite Ecclestone's support, Sepang bosses are now looking to change the start time to a "more suitable" hour in order to avoid a repeat.

"We definitely need to propose a more suitable time for our race," Sepang International Circuit CEO Razlan Razali told the country's The Star newspaper.

"The issue here is whether we have enough daylight, and on Sunday this was not the case.

"It was not just the fans who were dissatisfied with a shorter race but I think everyone involved in F1 also lost money."

Sepang rules out night race before 2015

Cooper has his bullpen’s back

Chance to advance spoiled for Rays

Mosley cautious on biofuel future

FIA president Max Mosley is cautious about Formula 1 having a biofuel future - despite Richard Branson's move to try and make the sport greener.

Branson's Virgin Group has entered F1 as a sponsor of the Brawn GP team, and he made clear at the Australian Grand Prix that he wanted to create a 'clean fuel' revolution in the sport.

"I am delighted to say that they have come up with such a [clean] fuel and over the next few months we will be trying to talk to F1, talk to the various car companies and see if we can have this fuel introduced as the fuel that F1 uses, so this sport goes from a slightly polluting sport to a clean sport," he said.

But Mosley is more sceptical about plans to make clean fuel a standard in F1, because of concerns that shifting crop production away from food and onto biofuels can be detrimental.

"We're obviously just starting with serious efforts on the environment in Formula 1," said Mosley. "The danger is people get carried away with new ideas for environmentally friendly motorsport, the most obvious one being biofuel.

"We now all understand the first generation biofuels are actually a negative in that what you're effectively doing is taking fuel away from people. The source of the first generation biofuels is the same as food and, when you've got one billion people in the world who don't have enough to eat, it's really not a good thing to do.

"Second generation biofuels perhaps, but the approach we have taken in Formula 1, and we intend to take in the future in the WRC, is to try to encourage efficient use of energy rather than to dictate which source of energy it should be."

Mosley believes the introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1 this year, and more use of similar technology in the future, will have a greater benefit on the environment that just biofuels.

"If you can get more work from a given quantity of energy or fuel, then that's precisely the direction the car industry is going and needs to go," he said.

"The KERS system is an example of that. Other examples are the recovery of energy from exhausts and even from the cooling system, both of which will come into Formula 1 in 2013.

"The KERS system is an obvious thing that needs doing because anybody can see that to waste the energy you have in a car when it is moving by simply turning it into heat and putting it into the atmosphere is completely wasteful.

"If the technology exists to recover the energy again and use it again then obviously we should use that. It doesn't matter if the car is an electric car, a hydrogen car, runs on biofuel or second generation biofuel, it doesn't make any difference. At the moment almost every car on the road and certainly every car on the rally whenever they put the brake on, that energy is lost.

"To reuse the energy again and again is clearly a massive step forward. We see this with some road cars such as the Toyota Prius is the obvious example. But those cars don't absorb all the energy when you put the brake on, certainly not if you brake at all hard."

He added: "Formula 1 is developing systems that are capable of absorbing all the energy, but at the same time are very small and very light like they have to be. The problem with the road cars is the systems tend to be very big and very heavy, so that's going in the right direction.

"That can continue to the car industry and the road traffic industry as a whole, and that's something we'd like to see coming in in rallies."

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TWG to clear up Williams complaint

Williams expects the complaint that led to its protest against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing at the Australian Grand Prix to get cleared up by technical chiefs later this week.

The Grove-based outfit originally lodged a complaint against the designs of the Red Bull Racing and Ferrari cars - claiming that the teams were illegally using an unregulated area in front of the sidepods for aerodynamic advantage.

The matter was discussed at length by the team and the race stewards in Melbourne but the protest withdrawn after it was found out that McLaren, Scuderia Toro Rosso and Williams' engine suppliers Toyota also featured similar design concepts.

Williams co-owner Patrick Head now says that the matter should get sorted out in a meeting of F1's Technical Working Group, which is made up of technical directors, later this week.

"As I understand it, it's one of the items on the agenda to be discussed at the next Technical Working Group, which is on Thursday," he explained.

"I believe there were ten cars on the grid with the particular design detail that we said didn't comply with the regulations, and it's not something we thought was a major performance differentiator. So I think it will be tidied up behind closed doors and clarified on Thursday."

Head denied any suggestions that Williams' decision to protest only Ferrari and Red Bull Racing over the matter was a tit-for-tat response to those two teams protesting its diffuser.

"No, [it is] none of that," he said. "Those were the teams we observed it on, and we were quite surprised to find the stewards said there were ten cars."

Vettel asked by FIA to discuss penalty

The story of ‘Boo’ for a new generation

Best-of-seven series a better test

Diffuser row won’t affect FOTA unity

Yanks rock Hard Rock at new Stadium

Protest lodged over teams’ diffusers

Malaysia Sunday quotes: Force India

Adrian Sutil - 17th: "When the rain started it was very difficult and just about impossible to drive. We were in second or first gear at 20kph and even then we were sliding around the circuit. It was unbelievable, so it was a good decision to stop the race. It was a bit of a shame that it couldn't be restarted as I think we would have had a good chance in the wet conditions. In the end though it was too dark to restart. Looking forward to Shanghai, I want to get another weekend with no problems: let's improve our pace and look for some downforce, and carry our momentum forward."

Giancarlo Fisichella - 18th: "Unfortunately we made a wrong call to change to extreme wets very early on. We came in too early and I did three or four laps under dry conditions so we destroyed the tyre. Then it was raining and the grip was getting better and better but there was just so much water and the tyres were almost slicks so I could not control the car, it was just aquaplaning. It was not a good race for us, unfortunately we had a wrong strategy but we will see for the next race."

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: "Today in Malaysia we had almost unprecedented conditions and we took a risk with the strategy. Unfortunately the rain we expected - which you can normally bank on coming - didn't come soon enough and Giancarlo was unfortunate enough to be returning to the pits for a new set of extreme tyres when the rain hit hardest. As a team we will learn from this as we move forward to China and Bahrain. We're growing in confidence and potential all the time so we just need a good race to demonstrate it."

Chance to advance spoiled for Rays

Weather leaves Series fit to be tied

Brazil Friday quotes: Red Bull

Malaysia Sunday quotes: Red Bull

Bourdais laments race not restarted

Theissen praises Heidfeld's performance

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen believes the performance of his driver Nick Heidfeld was key to his team taking its first podium of the year in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Heidfeld made the most of a one-stop strategy to come through the field and grab a surprise second spot.

And Theissen reckons that most of the praise for the result should be aimed squarely at Heidfeld.

"It was an unlucky loss of a podium finish in Melbourne, and the lucky win of a podium finish here," Theissen said about his team's start to the year. "I think for Nick it worked out perfectly.

"We expected wet weather conditions so we sent him out on a high fuel load and he was just able to stay out until the rain came. It meant he could do it on one pit stop, which was a very good strategy.

"Then in the wet, I have to say Nick did a fantastic job. He had been on his wet tyres for very long already when it really poured down, and the car was undriveable.

"We were ready all the time to service him, but he decided lap after lap to stay out, and he finally managed it until the red flag. That was the key then to P2 - and it tells a lot not just about Nick's experience but also his driving capabilities in the wet. That was really very good."

Theissen has also expressed regret about Heidfeld's teammate Robert Kubica failing to score a point once again.

"Robert definitely had an unlucky start and could have won Melbourne," said Theissen. "He would definitely have been P2, and here he was caught out by a technical problem.

"So for him it has been a very disappointing start to the season, and I hope we can see better results for him in the coming races. For Nick it was okay. Coming home with second place is definitely more than he could expect after the two qualifyings."

Q and A with Mario Theissen

Heidfeld blames traffic for missing Q3

Zambrano Game 2’s central figure

Theissen: BMW will learn from 2008

Post-race press conference - Malaysia

TV UNILATERALS

Q. Jenson, it is never easy. Very difficult at the start and what calls you had to make with changing weather conditions as your pit stop approached.

Jenson BUTTON: What a crazy race. It really was. My start was pretty bad. I had a lot of oversteer in the car. I don't think I got heat into the rear tyres and went back to fourth, got up to third and eventually got back to the front and I was pretty happy with that. Our pace was good and then the rain started but choosing the tyres was very difficult. Normally here when it rains it pours but it didn't to start with.

We went for the full wet tyre and it just destroyed itself and we saw Timo flying up behind us on the inter, so we put the inter on. Then just as he came by I saw his tyres were bald and it was raining out the back and he was struggling quite a bit on it and had to pit. I got one lap in on the inter with reasonable pace and I was able to get in and put the wet tyre on and come out in front. A very interesting race and I still haven't seen the chequered flag without a safety car in front.

Q. Nick, in 2005 from 10th to third and now from 10th to second. Great use of the conditions with a long fuel strategy. You came in on lap 22, a little bit earlier than you needed to, and it worked out perfectly for you.

Nick HEIDFELD: Yeah, I think it was a very difficult race obviously in these conditions. I took the right tyre choice, well, not the perfect tyre choice as I went straight to extremes. As Jenson said there is normally heavy rainfall here. Then the team told me there is heavy rain expected and I told them inters would be a lot quicker now.

Then just when they told me to pit it started to rain heavier and actually it was just 200 metres from the pit entry and I said 'no, no I stay out as it starts to rain more heavy.' I tried to preserve my tyres at the beginning and some other guys were quicker than me on the extreme wets and I knew if the rain starts then hopefully I can stay out. But still my rear tyres were destroyed completely and were slicks basically. When it started to rain I just tried to stay on the circuit.

Q. Timo, a great call to go onto the intermediates as Jenson just said. Talk us through that.

Timo GLOCK: Yes, it was a tricky race I have to say but in the end I have to say one of the best races I could ever do. We struggled a bit at the start. I don't know why we lost so many places. I couldn't believe Fernando and Kimi were in front of me at the first corner. I didn't know where they came from and I struggled and I was only, I think, P8 after the first lap and the traffic was really tricky and after five or six laps I saw already the clouds were coming and I was asking ‘when is the rain coming, when is the rain coming' and they said you know it should come in the next couple of minutes and then I thought it takes so long as you saw the big clouds coming definitely.

It took just so long and we were so close to the first pit stop, so I said ‘okay I will take the risk and we will go for it and go to inters and then we will see.' I saw already Felipe Massa was on heavy wets quite early and I knew that will destroy the tyres as well, so I said ‘come on, we go for it and take the risk' and in the end it paid off. But the last two laps behind the safety car it was so confusing. My engineer told me when I did the pit stop ‘you are leading the race,' so I said ‘okay, I don't push because I want to save the tyres.' Then I saw Jenson coming out just ahead of me, so I was P2. Then I jumped out of the car and now I am here I am P3. So hopefully when I come back down I will still be in P3. That's what I am hoping for.

Q. Jenson, in those closing laps just before the safety car came out you were racing with Timo in dreadful conditions.

JB: It was really bad conditions and you could not actually see the circuit. I mean it was that bad. We were behind the safety car and my team, who did a fantastic job, said all you have got to do is drive around and that was difficult enough. A few moments I was almost off the circuit. We are going around at running pace, that slow. The safety car was pulling away from us. All I had to do was drive around and stay on the circuit. But how slow it looks. It is embarrassing but that was as quick as we needed to go and if I'd gone any quicker I'd think I would have ended up in the gravel.

Q. Nick, talk us through the atmosphere on the grid when you were just sitting there?

NH: Well, actually I thought I was second if the race was stopped now as I knew that the race is counted not at this lap but one or two laps before that. But there was a lot of confusion and we were told to be in first position if the race resumes because apparently (Mark) Webber would have been at the front. There was a lot of mess and it took a lot of time standing there but in this maybe half an hour there was a lot of conversation and a lot of confusion going on.

Q. What was your feeling and the feeling amongst the drivers in terms of the conditions and a possible restart?

NH: Well, it was very clearly impossible to drive if the rain would have kept as strong as it was when the race was quite rightly stopped. As Jenson and Timo just said it felt like walking speed we were driving and still spinning off, so it was the right decision. And I think now outside it's dark already, so no chance to carry on.

Q. Timo, how was your start? Talk us through that.

TG: I mean you can see already I had massive wheel spin and I just could not pull away and then suddenly on the left side there is Fernando and Kimi coming and it was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it that Fernando was on the inside. We struggled quite a lot at the start as it was just really, really tricky, so at the end I was happy to keep my front wing in one piece. But that destroyed a little bit the race as we could not go the speed we should have done as Fernando was holding us up and Mark a little bit. Every time I was close enough I couldn't just attempt. One time I tried and damaged a bit the front wing. But the biggest problem was just traction. I could not get close enough to overtake.

Q. Jenson, you had a bit of a moment on the outside of turn one?

JB: I mean all weekend the circuit has been quite similar but there was such little grip I was really, really surprised and I went a little bit deep into turn one and got a big snap of oversteer and that carried throughout the first lap. I was really, really struggling with the rear end as (Fernando) Alonso was in front of me. I have never seen a car so sideways before. But I eventually got past Alonso coming into the second to last corner and then I had to chase down Jarno (Trulli) and Nico (Rosberg). An exciting race. I would rather have a boring race but we had an exciting one today and I came out on top, so I am happy.

One final thing. Can I just say a massive thank you to my engineer who was on the podium with me today. We have been through a lot of tough times but he has been wicked and today as we saw we came out on top and a lot of it was down to him, so ‘thank you very much.'

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Jenson, this could become a habit.

JB: Finishing behind the safety car you mean. Wow, what a race. We had everything in that race. It was very enjoyable. It was not the easiest start for me and I had a big snap of oversteer, pretty much at every corner on the first lap from the grid. I really struggled with the rear end. But then I closed up to Jarno and Nico and knew I was going longer and when they pitted I could put in a couple of quick laps. It got me in front and it was looking like it was going to be fine until I looked up and saw the clouds come over and it started raining. Unusual for Sepang it just started spitting and we went for the full wets thinking it is going to chuck it down.

But it didn't to start with. A few other people made the correct choice but we had a 16-18 second lead at that point. So I carried on and it started chewing itself up, so I pitted for inters as this guy (Timo) was flying. I came out just behind him but my inter was obviously new and his was very old and I was able to get past him on the wetter part of the circuit just before he pitted.

I got one good lap on the inter but then it started chucking it down, so I came in for the full went but then it was the safety car. It was a tough race and it was tough keeping it on the circuit. We were driving around it as if it was walking pace and you are still scared that you are going to chuck it off because you could not see the circuit to start with. It was not like it was rivers, it was a lake.

Q. You were worried about going off the grid anyway because you were on the dirty side of the grid?

JB: Yeah, it was true. Timo also suffered from the grid. I didn't get a bad start. The start was reasonable but the right hand side just shot past and the KERS cars came up, so I lost time there and turn one was messy really. I got a massive snap of oversteer at the exit and I couldn't get back from there.

Q. And you have never driven on the wets before?

JB: No, and the balance was definitely not right on the full wet. The circuit was reasonably dry, so it was difficult to get a balance. But I had massive oversteer on the first couple of laps and then the front started graining. There is a lot of work we need to do to sort our pace and balance out on the wet tyres but as I said it is just nice to get to the end of the race and we ended up on the top because, I think, of a good strategy and also looking at what other people were doing on the different types of tyres and we ended up on top. Congratulations to all the guys who work on the car but also the engineers and the strategy guys who got us here really.

Q. As I was saying just now Nick, you're eighth second place, but I'm sure you're happy with it today.

NH: Yes, exactly, I'm more than happy with that position. I started tenth and I couldn't have wished for more, basically.

Q. Amazing that you had one pit stop whereas these guys had three or four.

NH: It started to rain and as Jenson said, it was clear that it would rain heavily, so we went on the extra wets and as it was pretty dry still, I tried to preserve my tyres, especially the rear tyres and therefore at the beginning there were a couple of cars quicker than me. I was even overtaken by one guy, some people were driving away from me, but I knew that they would kill their tyres and if it would start drizzling or raining a bit more, I would then have the tyre and I would be able to stay out.

After that, the team told me all the time ‘OK, heavy rain expected in the next two minutes' but it just didn't happen, didn't happen, didn't happen. Just when they called me in, it started to rain heavily and just 300 metres before the pit entry I said ‘no, no, I will stay out, now it starts raining.' That was the right call, a bit lucky, obviously, but stopping once they told me to.

Q. And you got away with a spin right at the end as well, a very slow spin...

NH: Yes, it was. The safety car was out already, I had contact with the pits, they told me that I should observe the safety car's speed which we have on the dash and not go quicker than that. And I was laughing, telling them that I would be happy if I could go that quick. There was already a car which had spun there, so I thought ‘OK, I will go as slow as possible' but it was aquaplaning not only on the tyres but also on the plank. I spun and I was happy that I didn't go into the gravel. I don't think it would have mattered in the end anyway, because the result was taken from a lap earlier but that shows that it was the right thing to stop the race because it was just undriveable.

Q. Timo, that was an extraordinary race. You were basically part of the group bottled up behind Alonso before your first stop.

TG: Yeah, it was a bit disappointing at the start, I have to say. I went from third to eighth after the start, I think. I couldn't believe that Kimi passed me on the outside in turn one and Fernando on the inside, so I thought again that the KERS cars were in front of me. I struggled behind Mark Webber especially to get close enough to really go for it.

One time I tried it and damaged the front wing a bit and that was it really, so I had to stay behind. In the middle of the race I saw the rain was coming, the rain was coming but it took so long that I thought OK, when it takes so long then I go for intermediates because everybody else was already on heavy wets and I saw they struggled really and destroyed them, so I said ‘we go for inters and take the risk'.

I was driving around, driving around, overtaking cars, overtaking cars, and found that my tyres were going off as well, but my engineer told me ‘you're still the quickest on the track, you're still the quickest.' I think it was worse in turns seven and eight and that was the direction that the rain was coming from. It came to the point where I had to pit because my tyres were going off completely and I said ‘OK, I have to come in.'

It was just at that moment that Jenson overtook me again. Then we stayed on heavy wets and tried to follow the safety car and that was difficult, I was swimming around. I couldn't believe it because Jenson was sometimes going quite quickly and I was just swimming around. This morning we were joking around that hopefully everybody knows how to swim in those weather conditions, and I have to say that in the end it was like this, it was just unbelievable and impossible for me to drive at the end. I think it was the right call to stop the race.

Q. Sorry about the second place…

TG: Yeah, it was a bit tricky. My engineer told me ‘you're P2, P2'. Then I came up here and now I'm P3.

JB: You're behind me.

NH: I'm fine with second.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q. (Paulo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Do you think the decision to stop the race came a little bit too late? Do you think that a five o' clock start is still a good idea?

JB: We thought it was a fantastic idea before. The reason for it in Melbourne was because of the light and the poor light and the reflection you get on the visor, I found it very difficult to see the corner exits. But here, it obviously gets dark very quickly and as we all know, there's normally rain storms here at five or six o' clock in the evening and that proved to be correct. The race was way too wet and I think that the call was correct. It rained so hard so quickly that I think they did the right thing. It was very difficult for them to judge how wet the circuit is and in Fuji, for me, two years ago it was too wet but this year I think they made the right call to stop it at the right time.

NH: I think it was roughly at the right time. It was also not easy for me to judge because my tyres were worn down completely, so for me it was obviously difficult to drive. Maybe other drivers on fresh tyres would say we could have driven half a lap more but I think it was a good call. The safety car was just out for 20 seconds, that's when I saw the board, and then they put out the red flag, so I thought it was very well done.

JB: When the safety car is pulling away at 20 seconds a lap, you know that it's too wet for an F1 car.

Q. (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Two wins in a row, is it more than you expected?

JB: For me I think it's more amazing that we've done it in these conditions, because Australia wasn't easy with the safety cars and here with the changing weather conditions it made it a lot more difficult. These two here were not the guys that were fighting me at the start of the race, so the great thing is that we could see what was going on behind us and we could react to it and react to it quickly and that's why we're sat here at the moment. I'm very happy and it would be nice going to Shanghai leading by a few points, I think five points, and hopefully we can have a straightforward race and we can see where we stand.

Q. Nick, how was the KERS during the race, did you use it in the wet?

NH: You can use it, just a bit later than in the dry and I have to say that I was happy that it did work because it was the very first time that we had it on the car in the wet conditions, because it has to pass some tests first obviously in the wet and we were not ready in testing, so it was the very first time on the car and it worked OK.

Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you, when you stopped the cars on the straight after the red flag, did they listen to you regarding the possibility of continuing the race? JB: Yes, that was always a possibility and as far as I knew we were always planning for a restart, that's why all the cars were moved around, but the problem was that so many cars span off on the last lap that I think it was very difficult understanding who was in what position.

So that was why we were all moving around a lot on the grid, but we were all planning to start the race again. I am happy it didn't start again because we would have spent ten laps behind a safety car and every lap, every corner you got to you would be scared that you were going to throw it off the road, it's out of your control, it matters what position the river is in on the apex, you can't see it. So I think it was the right thing to do for sure. But we were planning for a restart.

Q. (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) If it was up to you, would you want to start again?

JB: No, I would obviously love to have the ten points, but this is the best we could have done, I think, and realistically it was the right thing to do. I'm sure some people will say ‘we didn't see the whole race and it's disappointing' but you have to think about the safety sometimes. I am here to race, as we all are but there are limits to what we can do with the cars that we have.

NH: I used the time to change my visor because it was getting dark and I put on a lighter visor because I thought I would not see anything otherwise. And I was on the radio telling our team manager and Charlie (Whiting) and the guys who normally listen anyway that I think it was undriveable in these conditions and I'm sure they listened to all the conversations that were going on.

TG: For me it was the same. I said to the engineers there was no way to drive anymore and then I was ready to jump out of the car but they said we had to prepare (for a restart) again and we would go behind the safety car, so I just put my helmet on and got ready and then they said ‘no, that's it, it's over.' At the end, you have to understand what Jenson said, it gets dark quite quickly and I think running around behind the safety car is not the best show and we have to stop at the right moment, I think.

Q. (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Jenson, if I'm not wrong, I think it's the first time you drove the Brawn in wet conditions. How was the behaviour of the car and can we say that the Brawn is suitable for every situation?

JB: Yeah, I'm sure it is but the conditions that we were running in today was a very unusual situation to have: full wets, or the extremes as they were, in slightly greasy conditions. We had to go for that option because we thought it was going to rain. There was no use taking a gamble being in the lead, so we took that tyre and obviously it felt pretty terrible. At high speed, you were slowing the car down to third gear because you just couldn't carry any speed because the rear was always trying to break away.

So the balance felt pretty awful but I think that's more down to the conditions we ran the tyres in, it was not the correct conditions. When we put the intermediates on for one lap, the car felt reasonably good. I had a good balance, because that was the correct conditions for that tyre until it started raining hard and then obviously no tyre was useable.

Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Timo, you said it was a risk to go onto the inters. Was it a long conversation with the race engineer, did you have to convince them that you wanted to take them or did they want to convince you that it was better to go onto wets?

TG: No, no, they just said ‘Timo, it's up to you, just take a look at the conditions' and I said ‘let's take the risk, we'll go for inters,' so at the end it was my call and it was the right one, I have to say, because like I said, it took a long time before the rain came down really hard. It was just the right call. Sometimes you have to have some luck and this time it was the right decision at the right moment. Unfortunately at the end, we had the late pit stop, we lost a little bit of position but in the end we have to be happy about this.

Weather leaves Series fit to be tied

Malaysia Sunday quotes: Brawn GP

Weber: Schumacher criticism unfounded

Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber has labelled as "idiotic" the criticism aimed at the seven-time world champion following the Malaysian Grand Prix.

German and Italia media report that Schumacher, who works as a consultant for the Ferrari team, was the man in charge of making the decision that ruined Kimi Raikkonen's race on Sunday, the Finn switching to extreme weather tyres too early.

Weber said Schumacher had nothing to do with it.

The German also suggested the former world champion's contract with Ferrari was unlikely to be renewed.

"The criticism aimed at Schumacher is totally idiotic," Weber was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "His contract with Ferrari ends at the end of the year, but I don't know whether it will be renewed.

"The attack against Schumacher makes no sense. He knows everyone and was in Sepang just by chance. The decisions from the pit wall were taken by the team.

"It's possible that his contract won't be renewed, but there will be a meeting midway through the year, so we'll have to wait.

"Should his contract really not be renewed, then it would certainly not be because of the Malaysian GP. Michael may give some advice to the team, but he is not the team leader nor the team manager at Ferrari."

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali refused to speak about Schumacher's situation following the race on Sunday.

"This is something we will discuss internally, it is not something that we will discuss outside," he said.

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Bourdais laments race not restarted

Sebastien Bourdais was left lamenting the Malaysian Grand Prix was not restarted, as he felt he could have scored some points.

The Toro Rosso driver, who finished in 10th position after the race was stopped on lap 32, believes his pace in the wet was strong enough to allow him to climb up the field.

"Round about lap 18, we were running low on fuel so we were hoping for rain before the end of the first stint," said Bourdais. "It didn't come quite in time and we gambled on extreme wets as heavy rain was expected, but instead it was more like drizzle, so we changed again to intermediates.

"Then the rain really came and I had to come in again for extremes and after that, the race was stopped. It was a shame, as it seemed we were pretty competitive in these very changeable conditions.

"I would have liked to restart, as it might have been an opportunity to pick up points, even if only half-points."

Team-mate Sebastien Buemi retired from the race after he spun off in the tricky conditions.

The Swiss driver also felt he could have collected points today.

"We were really going well and I think I was around P7 or 8 and the plan was to come in on the following lap, but then I went off at Turn 5," he said. "The extreme tyres were completely gone, like driving on slicks and I slowed down, but obviously not enough for the amount of water, so I spun, went into the gravel and stalled.

"We were competitive in terms of speed at some stages, running in the top six laptimes, even though I was running last, having had to come in to change the nose.

"I think one of the Force India cars pushed me wide at the exit of the last corner and I ran over something that broke the front wing. I am disappointed as the spin at the end was my mistake and it is on days like this that we should have picked up some points."

Weather leaves Series fit to be tied

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