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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Between Seasons !

The ban on winter testing has actually made the in between Seasons period boring in a way though we get to talk of lot other things this winter. The main reason behind us getting more and more news and interesting articles is due to the fact of the driver changes that occurred, the new regulations that are coming in and most importantly the come back of one of the greatest in the sport - Michael Schumacher. to summarise what happened during the past week,

Fernando Alonso made his first appearance in Ferrari red, arriving in Madonna di Campiglio on Monday evening for the start of 'Wroom' week.

Although Alonso attended Ferrari's World Finals meeting at Valencia late last year, the Spaniard was unable to do so in Ferrari gear due to the fact that he was still contracted to Renault.

However, the change into the new year meant a change into new colours for the double World Champion.

Alonso arrived in the village in the Northern Italian region of Trentino, which traditionally plays host to the Scuderia's annual media event, together with his new team-mate Felipe Massa.

And although there were a few pictures taken, the real action will only begin on Tuesday when the Spaniard and the rest of his team hit the slopes.

Red Bull Racing will not be present at the first test session of the pre-season, according to team boss Christian Horner.

Red Bull, who finished second in last year's Constructors' Championship having claimed five victories, have revealed that their 2010 challenger, the RB6, will not be ready in time for the Valencia test.

The team will therefore wait until the second test, which takes place at Jerez from February 10-13, before turning a wheel in anger.

"As in 2009, we have elected not to run at the first test with the new car, so we will join at the second test," Horner told Autosport.

The decision to delay the first outing will ensure that the team has more time to conduct wind tunnel tests, even though Horner added that the car is an evolution of last year's RB5.

Michael Schumacher was back "on full alert" on Tuesday as he prepared for his Formula One return, even if bad weather put a dampener on his progress.

The seven-times F1 World Champion has been allowed to assist the GP2 Series in their development of a car planned from 2011.

That saw Schumacher back on track at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, with the German completing 52 laps, albeit in predominantly wet conditions that ultimately forced a halt to the day's running.

Nevertheless, Schumacher was happy with his day's work as he closes in on a comeback after three years in retirement.

"Today was good, especially because after a long time I could drive again in a car that came close to a current Formula One car," said the 41-year-old on his personal website.

"Despite the weather not being what we all would have liked all my senses were nevertheless on full alert. This alone was worth it.

"Unfortunately, it was always just too wet to go out with slicks. I tried them twice, but had to go back to the box (pits) immediately.

"But still, I am gaining a lot from being here because even if you cannot reach F1 level in terms of g-forces, you are still able to practice communication with the engineers.

"I felt comfortable out on the track from the very beginning, and naturally I'd like to thank our team and the GP2 Series very much for the opportunity to drive."

Schumacher will spend another two days behind the wheel, with his drive today defended by Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug.

In other news, Corsworth is all ready for the F1 comeback ensuring the partners who opted for their engines that the engines are ready. Crosworth if we remember right, was some of the fastest engines that were on track next to BMW in the early 2000 seasons.

While Lewis Hamilton is eagerly awaiting for what he calls 'the best season ever", his former team mate at Mc Learen  Hekki Kovalainen believes Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will battle it out for the top honours in the 2010 F1 season. 



"My guess is that it is between Lewis and Alonso - but I don't know how Mercedes GP will get on with Michael [Schumacher] and Nico [Rosberg]," he told Autosport

"They might have a very good car and it will be interesting to see how the drivers get on, and Jenson - how he finds McLaren and how that starts to work out there and how the races are going. But my gut feeling is that it is between Lewis and Alonso.

"But it doesn't matter to me too much, to be honest. If Lotus have a quick enough car then hopefully we will be there! But I think that is a bit unrealistic, and certainly I am not expecting it.

"If we are able to build a car that is at the front of the grid just like that, then something is wrong. Other teams must have done something really bad, or it is not realistic. That is my feeling what is going to happen at the front."


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