Latest F1 news in brief

Rosberg criticized for making excuses for his inability to beat his teammate

Podium model plays down 'spraygate'
Drivers criticize Rosberg for Shanghai spat
Verstappen can be future world champion – Tost
Hulkenberg admits to 'hardest time' in F1 career
Alonso in top shape for years to come – trainer
Ferrari set to shine in Bahrain heat
Ecclestone approves 'human rights policy' for F1
Mercedes denies blocking engine rule changes
Bahrain Power Unit Considerations

Podium model plays down 'spraygate'
(GMM) 'Spraygate' could come to a screeching halt after the podium model at the center of the saga played down the controversy.

Lewis Hamilton came under fire after photographs of him squirting champagne into the face of an uncomfortable-looking woman on the Shanghai podium emerged.

But the model at the heart of the controversy, 22-year-old Liu Siying, told the local Shanghai Daily it was no big deal.

"It lasted for only one or two seconds, and I didn't think too much about it," said Liu, reportedly a graduate of a Shanghai art school.

"I think some foreign media are more sensitive about the topic than local media," she insisted.

The newspaper said Liu now works for a local real estate company.

On the Chinese social media service Weibo, Liu added: "I can't control other people's behavior when I'm working. I hope the public doesn't make too much of it, or that it affects my personal life."

Drivers criticize Rosberg for Shanghai spat
(GMM) Nico Rosberg is not backing down after accusing his teammate Lewis Hamilton of driving too slowly en route to victory in China last Sunday.

"I said what I felt," the German told British television Sky, "but I really have put Shanghai behind me now."

Two former F1 drivers, however, say the Mercedes driver was unwise to have criticized Hamilton for his driving tactics.

"I've never heard anything like it," said Marc Surer, now a television pundit, told the German broadcaster Sky.

"A driver complaining that another driver is driving too slowly in front of him is ridiculous and does himself and formula one no favors," he added.

"I think he is frustrated and angry, but if you don't even try to overtake, you can't win the race," said Surer.

Jochen Mass, meanwhile, told the Kolner Express newspaper that Rosberg's post-race comments were "outrageous".

"And even if he (Hamilton) did slow him on purpose, I would shut up and try to pass him next time.

"I would advise him to give his responses through his driving," he added.

Finally, Hamilton's former teammate Jenson Button said Rosberg will now learn that criticizing the 30-year-old publicly is not the best tactic.

"Talking in the press about something you are unhappy about only makes Lewis stronger," he is quoted by the Mirror.

"You can only rattle him by beating him, and for every race Lewis wins it is going to get worse (for Rosberg)," Button added.

"Nico is unhappy and has a right to be, but where can you point the finger? Lewis winning eight out of ten (races) to Nico's one, that's big."

Max Verstappen

Verstappen can be future world champion – Tost
(GMM) Max Verstappen is on the road to becoming world champion.

That is the claim of his boss Franz Tost, as others also gush about the early form of F1's controversial 17-year-old driver.

During his commentary in Shanghai last weekend, former F1 driver Martin Brundle said the young Dutchman has signs of following the likes of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher into the realm of true greatness.

Verstappen, who has already surpassed the on-track achievements of his father Jos, has also dazzled in 2015 with his daring overtaking.

Speaking to the German broadcaster Sky, Toro Rosso chief Tost agrees: "If he continues like this and has the right team and the right environment, then he can definitely win the world championship.

"I think you cannot really look at his actual age. On paper he may be 17, but in reality he is much more mature," he added.

Following Verstappen's signing, however, the FIA introduced a minimum age of 18 for future grand prix drivers.

But Tost said young drivers are arriving at the upper echelons of motor racing today "with a significantly higher level of driving skills" compared to the past.

Nico Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg admits to 'hardest time' in F1 career
(GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has admitted he will have to keep treading water at Force India for some weeks to come.

"It's actually quite a difficult situation," said the German, referring to reports the Silverstone based team will not have its 'B' car up and running until Austria.

"We are going to have to wait some time for improvements, so it is a hard time," Hulkenberg added. "It's never been like this in my career before."

Teammate Sergio Perez has already predicted ongoing "pain" for Force India this year, despite the team's solid season in 2014.

Asked to explain the difference, Hulkenberg said: "We basically stopped in the winter and could not develop the car like all the others."

Indeed, financial and supplier issues after the 2014 season concluded meant this year's car, the VJM08, was heavily delayed.

The team is now facing further delays in introducing much-needed technical improvements to the 2015 car, which will effectively be a 'B' version when it sees light of day in late June.

A week before that, Hulkenberg will make his debut at the fabled Le Mans 24 hours as a works Porsche driver.

Mexican Perez admitted recently he is struggling for motivation amid the Force India situation.

"We are all racers," said Hulkenberg, "so what we most like to do is fight for victories. If you can't do that then at least you want to fight for points, but even that is difficult at the moment.

"Even so, we still have one of the best jobs in the world, driving formula one cars. Of course I'm not where I want to be, but you also have to put things in perspective.

"There are many drivers who have been in this situation, so how unprofessional would it be if, after one month of the nine, you stick your head in the sand after three races?" he added.

Alonso in top shape for years to come – trainer
(GMM) Fernando Alonso will be in top physical shape for years to come, according to his trainer.

After his mysterious Barcelona testing crash and hospitalization, the Spanish driver admitted he was not fully fit when he returned to the wheel in Malaysia.

Following China, 33-year-old Alonso flew to Dubai – where he lives – to train hard ahead of this weekend's race in Bahrain.

"At the moment we are training more than four hours a day," trainer and physiotherapist Fabrizio Borra told the Spanish daily AS a week ago.

"He can continue for several more seasons if he wants to in perfect condition, because a driver at 35 in formula one today is at his physical peak," he added.

Can Ferrari beat Mercedes in the desert heat?

Ferrari set to shine in Bahrain heat
(GMM) Eyes will be on the skies on Thursday as the F1 world pushes through the Bahrain paddock gates.

A top of 34 degrees C is forecast in the island Kingdom, which will be music to the ears of those wearing red.

Mercedes bounced back a week ago with a one-two finish, but that was in chilly China. In the searing Malaysian sun, it was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who shone brightest.

"We can certainly do something more in the hotter temperatures," the German is quoted by SID news agency ahead of Bahrain, a night race.

Mercedes still has the downforce and power edge, but the reigning world champions have more difficulty than Ferrari in managing the tires once the temperature rises.

An engineer for the German marque told Auto Motor und Sport: "The next two races in Bahrain and Barcelona could be difficult for us again."

Boss Toto Wolff agrees: "Ferrari will be a danger for us on any circuit where they can use other strategies due to their good tire management."

Ecclestone approves 'human rights policy' for F1
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has made a sharp U-turn on his approach to this year's Bahrain grand prix.

Now some years after the violent civil uprising in the island Kingdom, Bahrain remains a controversial stop on the annual F1 calendar.

Indeed, there is still unrest, with reports 21 activists were arrested this week by government forces who fired tear gas on the eve of F1 practice, while human rights groups continue to voice concerns.

But The Times reports that F1 supremo Ecclestone is changing tack for 2015, approving a "policy document" that commits the sport to recognizing "human rights at all of its 20 venues around the world".

"The new guidelines also mean that the sport will operate a policy of 'due diligence' before signing up new hosts," the British newspaper added.

Back in 2012, Ecclestone dismissed the Bahrain controversy by saying it has "nothing to do with formula one".

"We don't go into a country and interfere with their politics," he told CNN. "I don't think sport should."

But the Formula One Group confirmed this week that formula one is now "committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights in its operations globally".

Lauda (L) denies Mercedes is blocking engine rules change. But what does Toto Wolff (R) say?

Mercedes denies blocking engine rule changes
(GMM) Mercedes has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone's claim the German carmaker is "killing" formula one.

The F1 supremo had made the comments in claiming that as he tries to fix the controversial engine regulations, dominant Mercedes is playing a spoiling role.

But Niki Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, takes issue with Ecclestone's view.

"We agreed to the token rule about developing in the season," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"We gave the green light so that Honda gets the average number of tokens of the other three (suppliers)," Lauda added.

"And we would also not be opposed to extending the engine allocation from four to five. That is even though all three measures are against our interests.

"So I don't think Bernie can really accuse us of blocking everything," he insisted.

Bahrain Power Unit Considerations
The Bahrain International Circuit features four long periods of wide open throttle. The first is the pit straight, at 1km long, followed by the 520m sprint between Turns 3 and 4. Another 520m burst between Turns 10 and 11 and 600m from Turns 13 to 14 creates a total of 2,640m flat out in a straight line. With a circuit length of 5,412km these four straights equate to some 50% of the lap.

With a further couple of short squirts of power added to the mix, the total wide open throttle time comes to a touch over 60%, on a par with Sepang and Montreal.

The average speed over one lap is approx. 200kph.

Bahrain’s arid climate can have severe consequences for the ICE. Pressure inside the cylinder rises and knock can be a real problem. Ignition timing is therefore very tightly controlled and checked to prevent issues developing.

Temperature in Bahrain is actually not a major issue. Due to the race and qualifying taking place at the end of the afternoon, temperatures drop to around 25Â°C, or normal ‘European race’ conditions.

The braking points at the end of the straights call for particular engine maps. Coming after a long period of wide open throttle, the braking phase is a lot heavier and cylinders are cut for longer. As a result their temperatures drop and getting them firing again correctly is incredibly important.

Renault Power Unit pieces

TURBOCHARGER
As at all tracks, getting the turbo response correct is crucial and a lot of time is spent developing maps to get a good torque response.

Alongside Turn 1, the exit of Turn 14 is one of the most difficult turns, but it must be completely correct. The exit falls slightly off camber as it enters Turn 15, but the driver has to get the line right as it is proceeded by the 1km pit straight. Finding the right balance between aggressive set-up and balance is a tricky balance.

MGU-K
The long straights are followed by heavy braking points, providing the MGU-K plenty of opportunity to recover energy lost under braking. Turn 1 creates the heaviest load as the cars brake from 325kph at the end of the straight to 65kph and 2nd gear.

Likewise Turn 4 generates a large amount of energy since the cars brake from a sustained period of wide open throttle. Around 27% of the energy recovered under braking comes from Turns 1 and 4.

Sector two from Turn 5 through to Turn 8 and Turns 11 to 13 contains a further eight braking points. Enough energy is recovered over one Sakhir lap to keep the battery at a high state of charge throughout the race.

MGU-H
The long straights give a steady stream of exhaust flow to the MGU-H. This is particularly important since fuel consumption over one lap is extremely high due to the frequency of heavy braking and acceleration. Sakhir has in fact the second highest fuel consumption per lap per race of the year after Montreal.