As a grand prix team, Sauber is really quite astonishing. Every season – except for the BMW days – they operate on a budget that amounts to roughly £1.50 and continue to fight in the midfield. However, could they be the team that struggles in 2012? Such a statement will only be pure speculation, but track side observers have noted nothing special from Sauber. It appears to be on a similar level to the C30, which finished seventh in the championship, although the problem could […]

Pastor Maldonado topped the timesheets on the third day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. The Venezuelan's lap of 1.22.391 was almost a second clear of his nearest rival in Barcelona. Michael Schumacher completed a race simulation in the afternoon, taking his lap total to 127 - encouraging for Mercedes after gearbox problems on Wednesday. A few red flags interrupted the day's running as Mark Webber, Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi all stopped on track, while Paul di Resta lost an engine cover […]

Nico Hulkenberg was the pace setter on the second day of testing in Barcelona. The German's morning lap time of 1.22.608 wasn't bettered in the afternoon session as he finished 0.040s faster than Sauber's Sergio Perez. Several drivers passed the 100 lap barrier - Hulkenberg,  Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Charles Pic, who was driving the 2011 car. A few teams ran race simulations in the afternoon, with Red Bull also practising several pit stops as they look to copy a device used […]

Jarno Trulli has revealed he was offered a seat at Ferrari some years ago. After fifteen consecutive seasons in Formula One, the 37-year-old Italian has lost his Caterham race seat to the well-backed Russian Vitaly Petrov. 2004 Monaco grand prix winner Trulli, 37, drove since 1997 for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Caterham's former guise Lotus. Writing in his New York Times blog, correspondent Brad Spurgeon said Trulli was made the Ferrari offer while he was racing for Toyota between 2005 and 2009. Trulli reportedly […]

T02 Barcelona - Day One Circuito de Catalunya, Barcelona - 21st February 2012 Driver: Heikki Kovalainen Chassis: CT01-#2 Total laps: 31 Best lap: 1.26.035 Heikki Kovalainen: “That obviously wasn’t how we wanted day one here to go, but that’s what testing is for – pushing everything to the limit to make sure we get rid of the problems before we get to the first race. It’s hard to learn a lot from limited laps, but I’m back in the car on Friday and I’m sure […]

1980 world champion Alan Jones has backed Caterham's decision to replace Jarno Trulli with Vitaly Petrov. Despite having extended the Italian veteran's contract for 2012, the former Lotus team decided at the last minute to sign the well-backed Russian. Caterham explained that Petrov brings "fresh impetus" to the team, whilst also admitting that the decision was made "with a realistic eye on the global economic market". One French report has calculated the 27-year-old's sponsorship contributions at EUR 12 million, including money from Russia's largest petrochemical […]

Only days after Caterham announced that Russian driver Vitaly Petrov had replaced Jarno Trulli at the team, it has been announced today that Caterham now have a Russian sponsor in petrochemical company Sibur. Continuing their partnership with Vitaly Petrov, Sibur logos will now appear on the Caterham CT01, as well as Petrov’s overalls throughout the 2012 season. With Sibur becoming an official team partner, this will undoubtedly bring in more funds for Caterham as they begin their third season in the sport. “We are delighted […]

The Italian press has pointed the finger at Vitaly Petrov's "rubles" as Jarno Trulli races out of Formula One. With Vitantonio Liuzzi replaced at HRT by Narain Karthikeyan, and veteran Trulli ousted at Caterham by Petrov, F1 history enters a new phase as Italy no longer has a single driver on the grid. "If you look," said former grand prix winner Riccardo Patrese to La Stampa, "the drivers coming in now are from central America and the East." The unsponsored Trulli, 37, said he still […]

1982 world champion Keke Rosberg has tipped Caterham to take a "step forward" in 2012. But the Finn, whose son is the Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, also said Heikki Kovalainen's team could face a speed-bump in the form of its scheduled factory move. "That will be a big distraction," Rosberg, 63, told the MTV3 broadcaster. "It's not just moving a few machines but hundreds of people, not all of whom will want to move schools and children and the like. Let's see how they cope […]

Vitaly Petrov could stay at the Caterham team beyond 2012, the Russian's manager said on Friday. Earlier, the former Lotus outfit announced that Petrov, ousted by Lotus (Renault) at the end of last season, is replacing Italian veteran Jarno Trulli with immediate effect. On the face of it, the deal is not a good look for Petrov, having displaced one of F1's most experienced drivers - and a grand prix winner - on the back of his sponsors' purse. Moreover, it also means there is […]

HRT on Friday refused to guarantee Narain Karthikeyan will race the full season with the struggling Spanish team. Albeit with different team ownership and management, HRT began the 2011 season also with Indian Karthikeyan at the wheel, but he was replaced mid-season for the Red Bull-backed Daniel Ricciardo deal. Reportedly with millions in sponsor backing, 35-year-old Karthikeyan is back on track for this season -- but perhaps not guaranteed a place at all twenty races. "The idea as of now is to race him the […]

Caterham F1 Team has today announced that Vitaly Petrov has joined the team as race driver, replacing Jarno Trulli with immediate effect. The Russian was at the Anglo-Malaysian team’s factory in Hingham on Friday 17th February for a seat fitting ahead of his first run with the team at the second pre-season test in Barcelona, 21st to 24th February. Team Principal Tony Fernandes: “We are all delighted to welcome Vitaly into our team and are very excited about the role he will play in helping […]