Formula 1 News (February):

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Shanghai abuse for Hamilton

The racial abuse Lewis Hamilton suffered in Spain was not an isolated incident, his father has told Formula One's governing body the FIA.

A group of spectators donned blacked-up faces and wigs to taunt McLaren-Mercedes star Hamilton during pre-season testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya last weekend.

But, according to the 23-year-old's father Anthony, Hamilton was also targeted by Spanish fans who travelled to support then team-mate Fernando Alonso at October's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

FIA president Max Mosley told The Sunday Times: "Anthony Hamilton told me that there were some people in China who were also appallingly abusive; not Chinese fans, but people who had travelled from Spain.

"If they went to Australia and did something like that, they could get arrested and we would know their names, and passport numbers, and they wouldn't get into another country.

"We will do everything we can to stamp this out, we will do whatever it takes.

"If, as appears to be the case, only a very small number of people are involved, it ought to be possible to stop it immediately.

"If it isn't, then we have sanctions and we could pull the grand prix."

Measured reaction

Nevertheless, and in spite of calls for Spain to lose one or both of its grands prix this year, Mosley has insisted that the actions of a few should not spoil the enjoyment of Formula One for the majority of Spanish motor racing fans.

He added: "We have a very wide discretion, but we have to be responsible and measured.

"Not to give the Spanish authorities the opportunity to show they can deal with it and ensure there is no recurrence would have been over the top.

"But it is necessary to make it clear it will not be tolerated, and we have done that."

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Kimi fastest despite problems

Kimi Raikkonen continued to dominate testing in Bahrain on Sunday, edging out Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa to spend yet another day at the top of the timesheets.


The world champion clocked a best time of one minute 30.015 seconds at the Sakhir circuit, beating his best time from Saturday by almost nine-tenths of a second.



It was also the Finn's quickest time yet during the current tests in the Middle East.



Massa finished in second place, 0.175s behind Raikkonen. However, it wasn't all plain sailing for the Ferrari duo, who suffered some reliability problems.

Raikkonen experienced an oil leak, while an engine failure late in his race simulation forced Massa to stop out on track.



The only other team in action, Toyota, also did simulations during Sunday's running, which included practice, qualifying and a race distance, including fuel and tyre pit stops.

Jarno Trulli was the quicker of the two Toyota drivers, clocking a 1:30.944s to Timo Glock's 1:31.213s.



Test times from Bahrain
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:30.015 61 laps
02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:30.190 70 laps
03 J. Trulli Toyota 1:30.944 91 laps
04 T. Glock Toyota 1:31.213 93 laps

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Glock - We're not closing the gap

Although he claims that Toyota's TF108 is an improvement on last year's car, Timo Glock fears it has not improved enough to close the gap on F1's frontrunners.

Last season was a disappointing campaign for the Japanese constructor, who failed to achieve a single podium finish and bagged just 13 points in total.

The team are confident of an improved showing with their new TF108; however, 2007 GP2 champion Glock is concerned that the car does not represent a big enough step forward relative to Toyota's rivals.

"All the other teams I would say make every year a step as well," the German told the Australian media in the build-up to the season-opening race in Melbourne on March 16th.

"For us, when we compare the 2007 car with the 2008 car, we definitely made a step in the right direction, but on the other side all the other teams made a step forward as well.

"So at the moment maybe (it) looks like we didn't do a step because time-wise we are the same like last year in terms of the gap to the top teams.

"But at the end I think we will see the clear picture... in terms of how much can we develop the car and how much closer we can come to the top teams and make the gap smaller."

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Massa downplays problems

Despite suffering an engine failure on Sunday during the current test in Bahrain, Felipe Massa says he's satisfied with Ferrari's reliability in the build-up to the new season.

The Brazilian, who has spent the past two days testing at the Sakhir circuit, had his running cut short when his engine failed while conducting a race simulation.

However, the problem was not Massa's first of the week as he also suffered a hydraulic problem 24 hours earlier.

Nevertheless, despite his two breakdowns, Massa remains confident that any reliability issues the new F2008 might have will be resolved before the season begins in Australia next month.

"It was a positive day, even though I didn't complete the race simulation because of an engine problem," he told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

"It's been taken off the chassis to investigate.

"The feeling is that it's not a serious failure, and that it's possible to solve it before the Australian GP.

"We would all have preferred to finish the grand prix (simulation), but it's better for the problems to come up now and not in the first GP, as in 2007 and at my disadvantage."

Good lap times

Less than five weeks away from the start of the new season, the Ferrari driver reckons the new F2008 will be one of, if not the, car to beat in Melbourne.

"I like the car: it's not yet the definitive one for the first GP, but the performance and the reliability are excellent," Massa added.

"The lap times are good both compared to last year and compared to Toyota's (the only other team currently testing in the Middle East).

"Comparisons with the rest will come soon. We are already more than satisfied, because we know we'll further improve."

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Hamilton on top at Jerez

Lewis Hamilton's return to Spain in the wake of the abuse he suffered in Barcelona last weekend saw the McLaren-Mercedes star top the timesheets on day one of the latest F1 group test at Jerez.

In contrast to the scenes witnessed at the Circuit de Catalunya 10 days ago, when a small number of bizarrely-dressed spectators shouted racial abuse at the Englishman, there were few fans present at the venue in the south of the country.

Hamilton finished the day fastest of the 16 drivers taking to the 4.423 km track, the 23-year-old completing 89 laps and setting a best time of one minute 19.102 seconds.

McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa was second fastest, less than 0.2secs behind - the Spaniard eager to play down the racism furore, which stemmed from Hamilton's rivalry last year with Fernando Alonso.

"The Spanish fans are educated and peaceful people," insisted de la Rosa.

"So much has been said about this issue. The important thing for me is that at this test it can be demonstrated that all drivers are treated with respect, which has always been the case."

F1's governing body, the FIA, has warned that any repeat of such scenes will result in severe sanctions, potentially including the loss of this year's Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Mark Webber, who was seventh quickest overall for Red Bull Racing, maintained that in Barcelona there were a "few guys absolutely out of order," but he also felt the incident was blown out of proportion by the press.

He added: "The over-reaction of the media...take it back a bit. It's totally controllable and we can get on top of it."

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima, Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. and the second BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld all went under the one minute 20 seconds mark.

Honda struggling

However, Honda continue to struggle, with Rubens Barrichello 12th and test driver Alex Wurz 16th and last - almost three seconds adrift of Hamilton.

Super Aguri ran only one car, with Takuma Sato at the wheel as the Japanese team have yet to finalise their driver line-up, despite the season-opening Australian Grand Prix being less than five weeks away.

Next week's planned launch in Barcelona has been scrapped due to sponsorship and driver issues, leaving the future of Anthony Davidson still up in the air.

Nine of F1's 11 teams are present at the test, with Ferrari and Toyota being the only absentees.

Jerez testing, times (Tuesday):

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)1:19.102 (89 laps)
2. Pedro de la Rosa (ESP/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:19.287 (88)
3. Robert Kubica (POL/BMW-Sauber) 1:19.539 (91)
4. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/Williams) 1:19.601 (93)
5. Nelson Piquet (BRA/Renault) 1:19.660 (120)
6. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW-Sauber) 1:19.958 (94)
7. Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull) 1:20.013 (113)
8. Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams) 1:20.029 (125)
9. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Toro Rosso) 1:20.105 (53)
10. David Coulthard (GBR/Red Bull) 1.20.176 (111)
11. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA/Toro Rosso) 1:20.418 (82)
12. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Honda) 1:21.133 (71)
13. Lucas Di Grassi (BRA/Renault) 1:21.200 (92)
14. Takuma Sato (JAP/Super Aguri) 1:21.400 (90)
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Force India) 1:21.533 (103)
16. Alexander Wurz (AUS/Honda) 1:21.950 (96)

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FIA to launch anti-racism campaign

The FIA is to launch a global anti-racism campaign at this year's Spanish Grand Prix.

The recent racist abuse directed at McLaren's Lewis Hamilton during testing in Barcelona has prompted Formula One's governing body to launch the 'Racing Against Racism' campaign.

All F1's stakeholders, including teams, drivers, circuits and national sporting authorities, will be asked to throw their weight behind the initiative.

Fans will also be able to join the campaign by visiting a website which will be set up in due course.

"The FIA was appalled by the scenes of racist abuse targeted at Lewis Hamilton," a spokesperson told autosport.com.

"Such behaviour runs counter to the fundamental principles of equality enshrined in the FIA's statutes.

"Formula One is a global, multi-cultural sport and has never encountered such scenes before and will not tolerate them in future.

"International motorsport can reach a huge global audience to send out positive messages of racial and sporting equality.

"We will be encouraging all those involved in motorsport to support our new campaign, from recent world champions to the next generation of potential champions at the grass roots of our sport."

The FIA demanded a report from Spain's motorsport federation explaining last weekend's incident and also threatened "serious sanctions" should such scenes ever be repeated.

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Webber leads the way

Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber led the way on day two of testing at Jerez.

The Australian driver posted the fastest time on Wednesday ahead of Williams' drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.

Team-mate David Coulthard was forced to retire early because of mechanical problems but former Williams driver Webber suffered no such misfortune.

He went on to take nearly one and a half seconds off his time on the opening day, clocking 1:18.628 after 72 laps.

Former world champion Fernando Alonso finished fourth in his Renault after sitting out testing on Tuesday meanwhile.

Alonso's former McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who topped the stadnings on Tuesday, finished sixth fastest.

Elsewhere, Renault's Nelson Piquet had to cut his session an hour short after his car caught fire and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais ran out of petrol on his final lap of the day.

Jerez testing, times (Wednesday):

1. Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull) 1:18.628 (72 laps)
2. Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams) 1:19.091 (98)
3. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/Williams) 1:19.215 (91)
4. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Renault) 1:19.710 (104)
5. Robert Kubica (POL/BMW-Sauber) 1:19.829 (116)
6. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)1:19.857 (68)
7. David Coulthard (GBR/Red Bull) 1:19.883 (97)
8. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Toro Rosso) 1:19.889 (114)
9. Nelson Piquet (BRA/Renault) 1:20.014 (110)
10. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/McLaren-Williams)1:20.152 (84)
11. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW-Sauber) 1:20.201 (109)
12. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA/Toro Rosso) 1:20.536 (76)
13. Jenson Button (GBR/Honda)1:21.147 (85)
14. Takuma Sato (JPN/Super Aguri) 1:21.376 (101)
15. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Honda) 1:21.710 (58)
16. Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India) 1:22.244 (86)

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Heikki quickest on final day

Heikki Kovalainen set the pace on the final day at Jerez, although it was McLaren's new wheel rim cover that stole the show.

Driving the MP4-23, which featured a radical new wheel cover visible on the front tyres, the Finn clocked 1:17.974 to beat Red Bull's David Coulthard by over half a second.

However, Kovalainen's best time for the day was set during the morning session, which was when the McLaren driver conducted simulated qualifying runs.

Third place went to Williams' rookie driver Kazuki Nakajima, who edged out Lewis Hamilton by over three tenths of a second.

"The primary focus of the test at Jerez has been pushing forward with the aerodynamnic program," McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said.

"There was some disruption to this on Wednesday and Thursday due to the windy conditions. However, the test team have been able to complete the proving process in a range of aerodynamic components."

Robert Kubica finished in fifth place for BMW, only one tenth ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who once again demonstrated Toro Rosso's improving pace and performance.

However, the German's day was not all plain positive as his car came to a halt out on track between turns four and five during the afternoon session with an electrical problem.

Nelson Piquet Jr and Sebastien Bourdais completed the top eight.

Jerez testing, times (Thursday)
1 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:17.974 96 laps
2 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:18.485 107 laps
3 K. Nakajima Williams 1:19.117 90 laps
4 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:19.429 83 laps
5 R. Kubica BMW 1:19.535 129 laps
6 S. Vettel Toro Rosso 1:19.688 53 laps
7 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:19.817 134 laps
8 S. Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:19.848 101 laps
9 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:19.934 116 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull 1:19.980 107 laps
11 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:20.669 89 laps
12 J. Button Honda 1:20.988 121 laps
13 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:21.010 103 laps
14 N. Hulkenberg Williams 1:21.116 71 laps
15 L. Di Grassi Renault 1:21.286 73 laps
16 A. Wurz Honda 1:21.605 103 laps

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Kimi - Room for improvement

After dominating recent tests in Bahrain, world champion Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari's F2008 still has room for improvement.

Ferrari joined Toyota for six days of testing in the Middle East over the past two weeks, with the Scuderia claiming a clean-sweep of the timesheets.

Raikkonen set a blistering pace at the Sakhir circuit, lapping more than two seconds faster than last year's pole position time for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

But, despite an impressive showing, Raikkonen believes the F2008 still needs to improve further before the season starts in Australia on March 16th.

"This session has also shown problems - small ones - with the F2008. We wanted to get to know the car better, and so we did," he told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

"There have already been improvements. Obviously reliability hasn't come automatically, but two or three lap times have already been interesting."

New parts

Outlining Ferrari's plans for improvement, the Finn revealed they will be running new aerodynamic parts in the remaining pre-season tests.

He added: "We've improved in many areas, now we look forward to the new aerodynamics we'll try out in the Montmelo (Barcelona) test.

"There we will go against our rivals and we'll know where we stand.

"The decisive step is the next test. And then Melbourne, because only at the first GP we'll know how the teams compare."

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Bernie - Racism a 'one-off'

Bernie Ecclestone has played down the recent racism row surrounding Lewis Hamilton.

The Formula One supremo also insists the decision by world governing body, the FIA, to launch an anti-racism initiative is unnecessary.

Hamilton was abused by a small minority of people at a testing session in Barcelona a fortnight ago.

The FIA admitted they were "appalled" by the ugly scenes at the Circuit de Catalunya.

At this year's Spanish Grand Prix that runs from April 25-27, the FIA will launch their 'Racing Against Racism' campaign.

But Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme: "I don't think it's necessary. All it does, like all these things, is give attention to the people who want attention.

"I think in Barcelona it was the group of people who caused the same trouble at the football.

"I don't think they're fans; I don't think they're anything, and I don't think they were supporting (Fernando) Alonso in particular.

Abuse

"I think they just like to abuse people. It was a one-off, nothing to worry about."

The FIA and Ecclestone have the power to pull the plug on the race in Barcelona should another incident occur.

But Ecclestone added: "We'd have to have a look it if anything like that happened, but this is just an isolated incident."

Ecclestone is at least convinced Hamilton has the character to brush the matter aside.

"I don't think he would be affected by it. I think he is strong enough to know it is all nonsense," insisted Ecclestone.