Vettel quickest in Tuesday tests while chassis problems forced Lotus team to pull out.

Two-time defending Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time in testing at the Montmelo circuit in Spain on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Red Bull driver clocked a fastest lap time of 1m23.265 in his 79-lap spell on the circuit.

“One thing is for sure, the cars have less grip than last year (due to new rules),” said Vettel. “But I felt good and it was a good day. We took a long break at lunch in order to make adjustments, but nothing was broken.”

His compatriot, Nico Hulkenberg, put in the second fastest time in his Force India car.

“It was a very positive day and the car was very balanced,” said the former Williams driver, who failed to get a drive last year.

Lotus, though, did not have a great day, despite having recorded the quickest times out of all the 2012 cars at a previous testing session in Jerez.

French driver Romain Grosjean had such a serious problem with his car's chassis that the team have decided to pull out of testing for the rest of the week.

“It wasn't an easy decision to take but it would be more productive to do this, working on both chassis,” said team director Eric Boullier.

“Our design department has already found a solution and we will be back for the final session of testing.”

Testing continues here until Friday and there will be a final series of testing back here on March 1-4, before the teams travel to Australia for the opening race of the season in Melbourne on March 18.

TEST TIMES - 21 FEBRUARY

1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) - 1m23.265

2. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India-Mercedes) - 1:23.440

3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) - 1:23.590

4. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) - 1:23.618

5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) - 1:24.100

6. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes-AMG) - 1:24.150

7. Sergio Perez (Sauber-Ferrari) - 1:24.219

8. Bruno Senna (Williams-Renault) - 1:25.711

9. Heikko Kovalainen (Caterham-Renault) - 1:26.035

10. Romain Grosjean (Lotus-Renault) - 1:26.809

11. Charles Pic (Marussia-Cosworth) - 1:28.026

Unveiling was a special moment for Schumi, who looks forward to being a contender again.

Michael Schumacher looked forward to being a contender again as his Mercedes team belatedly pulled the wraps off their shiny new Formula One car before testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday.

If the F1 W03 was far from attractive, with the by-now familiar stepped nose seen on all the other 2012 cars with the sole exception of McLaren, the sport's most successful driver declared it a beautiful moment.

“I have done quite a few roll-outs and launches of new cars, but even after all these years, I must say it still feels special,” said the seven times champion before beginning the second official pre-season test.

The German and team mate Nico Rosberg had both driven 50km in the car last week for a filming day at Silverstone but had used their 2011 car at the first pre-season test in Jerez last month.

Their main rivals Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari all unveiled their new cars before the start of the first of three tests scheduled before the 20 race season kicks off in Australia on March 18.

“Days like this are precious moments, as they are always filled with hope and anticipation,” Schumacher said. “Already last week, when we were driving the F1 W03 for the very first time, it instantly gave us good feedback and sensations.

“Starting today, we will work intensively to make it a competitive runner,” added the 43-year-old, who started his comeback in 2010 after retiring as a Ferrari driver in 2006.

“Obviously, we will only see over the next couple of weeks how big the step is that we have made... For my part, I am eager to fight again, looking forward to the new season, and I can't wait for it to begin.”

Schumacher has not been on the podium since 2006 and Mercedes have finished fourth in the two seasons since they bought 2009 champions Brawn GP, run by team principal Ross Brawn.

Brawn said the team, who have invested heavily in technical staff, had to go forward in the standings and were quietly confident they could do that.

Mercedes said the new car was better packaged and more efficient and also composed of some 200 more parts than the 2011 one while having a lower core weight.

“The F1 W03 is a car that I believe, and hope, our team can be proud of, and which will deliver the on-track results that everybody has worked so hard to achieve,” said Brawn, who recognised the stepped nose was “an acquired taste”.

The Briton said the new car was a clear step forward over its predecessor in sophistication and also a better integrated package.

“Last year, we produced a very bold car and, although its more radical elements didn't always deliver the results we had hoped for, the experience we gained has been invaluable to the design of the 2012 car,” he said. -Reuters

Austrian racer returning to Williams as a driver mentor for Senna and Maldonado.

Austrian racer Alex Wurz is returning to Williams as a driver mentor for Brazilian Bruno Senna and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, the Formula One team announced on Monday.

Wurz raced for former champions Williams in 2007, 10 years after his debut with Benetton, and also has a wealth of experience as a tester and reserve for McLaren.

The 38-year-old said the appointment, which starts at this week's second pre-season test in Barcelona, “highlights just how hard the team is pushing to optimise its performance.

“Throughout my career as a sportsman, which started at the age of 12 in BMX racing, includes over a decade in Formula One and is still ongoing (racing in the World Endurance Championship), I am lucky to have gained so much experience.

“I grew up in a family business of driver training and naturally I enjoy helping fellow athletes to operate at their best,” he added in a statement.

Senna and Maldonado are one of the least experienced pairings Williams have had, with the Brazilian completing a debut season in 2010 with HRT and then racing for Renault as a stand-in last year.

Senna has replaced compatriot Rubens Barrichello, Formula One's most experienced racer who is mulling a future in IndyCars in the United States.

Maldonado has just one year in F1 under his belt, with Williams enduring their worst ever season in Formula One last year when they finished ninth overall. -Reuters

This F1 season will now start without an Italian driver for the first time in 41 years.

The Caterham Formula One team has ditched Italian Jarno Trulli and replaced him with Russian driver Vitaly Petrov.

This means that the season will start in Australia next month without an Italian driver for the first time since 1970.

It also marked a quick reprieve for Russia's first Formula One driver, who was dropped by Renault (now Lotus) at the end of last season.

“We are all delighted to welcome Vitaly into our team and are very excited about the role he will play in helping us take the next steps forward in 2012 and for many years to come,” team principal Tony Fernandes said.

SHARED VISION

“When we first met it was immediately clear that Vitaly understands and shares our vision for how we want our team to grow.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank Jarno for the absolutely pivotal role he played in the formation and progression of our team since he joined us in December 2009.

“We have reached agreement with Jarno to bring an end to our partnership with him, but he will always be part of our family.”

Caterham, formerly Team Lotus, have yet to score a point in two seasons but have high hopes for this year. Their other driver is Finland's Heikki Kovalainen.

The change in driver comes after the first pre-season test in Jerez and just a month before the first grand prix of the year in Australia on March 18.

“TRAINING HARD”

Petrov, 27, said: “The passion and spirit that Tony and the whole team have to keep moving forwards is infectious, and I am honoured to be able to join them and play my part in helping the team mount a serious challenge to the teams ahead in 2012 and for many seasons to come.

“I have been training hard all winter and am ready to get back into the cockpit and go to work. From what I have seen already, our new car is another good step forward from 2011 and now I cannot wait to see how it feels when we get to Barcelona (for testing Feb. 21-24).

Petrov, who drove for Renault for two years, managed just one podium place and was seen as one of the first of the “pay drivers”, who got seats thanks to financial backing from their home country.

On Thursday, Caterham announced that Mark Smith had taken over their F1 technical department after Mike Gascoyne moved to become chief technical officer of the entire Caterham Group, including GP2.

Reports had said Gascoyne was a chief supporter of Trulli, who was philosophical about his departure and all but certain end to his F1 career, which started in 1997 but included only one race win at Monaco in 2004.

“From zero we built up and established a solid F1 team. I'm really proud to have been part of it,” the 37-year-old said. “I understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead.” -Reuters

Team tests in secret amid suspicions that it's hiding something from copycat rivals.

Mercedes gave its new Formula One car a track debut away from prying eyes on Thursday amid lingering suspicions that the late arrival meant the team had something to hide from copycat rivals.

The team said Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg each did 50km at the Silverstone circuit for what was officially a private filming day before the launch of the W03 at the second pre-season test in Barcelona next week.

German media have speculated that the car, which features a stepped nose like all the others except McLaren, has been held back to give rivals less time to crack its secrets before the season starts in Australia on 18 March.

Adrian Newey, multiple title-winning designer for champions Red Bull, told Reuters that was always a possibility.

“I was told by the German press, whether this is true or not, that the car was ready to run at the last test but they chose not to and why would that be?,” he said before being inducted into the Motor Sport magazine Hall of Fame at an event in London.

“I said I've got no idea, but why you might choose to do that would be if you had some feature on your car which you think is a big benefit and which is relatively easily copied. I'm not saying that is the reason, but it's a possible reason.”

Mercedes, run by former Brawn GP principal and ex-Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn, has said it decided to launch the car later than others to give the team the maximum time for development.

Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren all tested their new cars in Jerez last week. Apart from Mercedes, only Marussia (formerly Virgin) and HRT have yet to take the wraps off their 2012 machines.

COPYING TAKES TIME

Newey said it would take about six weeks to properly evaluate a development on a rival car and get it to the point where you could put it on your own.

“If you were prepared to simply go out and copy it because you think it's such a blinding idea without actually evaluating it properly then you can cut a bit of time out of that,” added the Briton.

The two most recent examples of teams coming out with a development that others then rushed to copy were the McLaren F-duct and Red Bull's side exhaust system.

“Last year where we put our exhausts on from the first test and McLaren had managed to copy (us), by their own admission, by the first race. I guess with hindsight we perhaps should have delayed that a bit longer,” he said.

The boffin, who has designed title-winning cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, said his new car had performed largely in line with expectations at the first test and could not comment on Ferrari, which seemed to have its work cut out.

However, he pointed out also that lap times could be easily manipulated by fuel levels, particularly at Jerez where each 10 litres of fuel on board equates to around 0.35 seconds a lap.

The Mercedes, he said, would be looked at closely by rivals only if it's performance indicated they were on to something.

“If it comes out and goes three seconds quicker than anybody else, yes of course,” he said.

“Other than that, simply because it’s later doesn't mean to say you are going to suddenly show more attention at that than anybody else's.

“Of course you do look at other people's cars but I generally find that at this time of the year the main thing to do is try and understand your own car rather than worry too much about what everybody else is doing.” -Reuters

The FIA also says the race will go ahead on April 22 as planned despite ongoing unrest.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is still on for April, despite opposition protests marking the one-year anniversary of a civil uprising against the minority rule in the Gulf kingdom.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesday's huge anti-government protest in Manama as “a lot of kids having a go at the police”.

“I don't think it's anything serious at all,” Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. “It doesn't change our position in any shape or form.

“If the people in Bahrain (the government) say, 'Look Bernie, it wouldn't be good for you to come over here,' then I would think again. That is what they said last year.”

RENEWED UNCERTAINTY

At least 40 people have been killed during a year of unprecedented political unrest in Bahrain. On Tuesday, police fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters to prevent them from regrouping on the outskirts of Manama and marching to Pearl Square - the epicentre of opposition demonstrations in 2011.

The clashes prompted renewed uncertainty about whether the 2012 F1 race could go ahead after last year's revolt by the Shiite majority against the Sunni rulers led to Bahrain's premier international event being canceled.

But governing body FIA said the race, which was first staged in 2004, would go ahead on April 22 as planned.

It stated on Wednesday: “The FIA, like many in the diplomatic community in the kingdom, believes the staging of a Grand Prix would be beneficial in bridging some of the difficulties Bahrain is experiencing.

“We are not in a position to influence political matters in a sovereign country such as Bahrain and we can only wish for a long-term peaceful solution.

“A number of reforms have been enacted, others are going through legislation. We warmly welcome this, as does the motorsport community that we represent.”

FIRST MIDDLE EAST GRAND PRIX

Bahrain's ruling dynasty has promised reforms to end the upheaval, although it refuses to make the far-reaching changes the protesters and the main opposition movement, Al Wefaq, have demanded.

The strategically important island of 525 000 inhabitants became the first country in the Middle East to be awarded a Grand Prix in 2004 and draws a worldwide TV audience of about 100 million viewers in 187 countries.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa owns the rights to the Grand Prix and serves as commander of the armed forces in the island country. Rulers there are eager to stage the race this year to show that the kingdom is safe again to draw foreign investors and tourists back to the country.

A so-called national dialogue began in July, but Al Wefaq delegates pulled out of the talks, saying the government was not willing to discuss political reform.

Since then, no talks have taken place, but street clashes between security forces and opposition supporters have broken out on an almost daily basis for months. - Sapa-AP

He has the potential to dominate F1 even further this season, says Red Bull owner.

Sebastian Vettel has the potential to dominate Formula One even further this season and take a third consecutive world title with ease, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has warned.

“He still has great potential ahead of him because his experience, his consistency and his domination in different situations will be given free rein,” Mateschitz said in a interview with Speedweek magazine.

“His focus in qualifying was already part of his strength but he's going to be even stronger in competition because he knows the complexity of his sport even better now.”

After their latest world double - drivers and constructors titles - and despite a change in the Formula One rules, Mateschitz believes Red Bull will again be the team to beat in 2012.

He also expects an even fiercer battle between Vettel and veteran Australian teammate Mark Webber, 35.

“It's important for the team that the duo are quick and fight on an equal footing,” said Mateschitz.

Vettel, 24, won his second world title with 11 wins, a record 15 pole positions and a 122-point winning margin over second-placed Briton Jenson Button, with Webber third. -Sapa-AFP

Michael Schumacher will drive the first laps in the new Mercedes Formula One car.

Michael Schumacher will drive the first laps in the new Mercedes Formula One car next week in Barcelona.

The team said on Tuesday that Schumacher would get into the Mercedes F1 W03 car on February 21 at the Circuit de Catalunya a few minutes after it was officially unveiled.

The seven-times champion will test the car on February 23 as well, while team mate Nico Rosberg will drive on February 22 and 24.

Mercedes were the only team to start pre-season testing last week in Jerez with a 2011 model, saying they wanted to develop the 2012 model as long as possible before the rollout.

A third and final round of testing is scheduled for March 1-4 in Barcelona, ahead of the March 18 season-opener in Australia. - Sapa-dpa

Team won't can't try out new car until final pre-season test after failing crash tests.

Spanish Formula One team HRT, which recently signed Indian Narain Karthikeyan as one of their drivers, will not be able to try out its new car until next month's final pre-season test after it failed two crash tests.

The team, which used its old car for a two-day test at Jerez in southern Spain this week, said on Twitter its new car had failed the mandatory tests “by a minor margin”.

The car passed 14 other tests and the chassis was also approved.

HRT, whose other driver is 40-year-old Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, added that the failure would prevent the team from rolling out the new car at the second pre-season test in Barcelona later this month.

Under new regulations introduced this season, cars must have passed the FIA crash tests and have had their chassis approved before they can take part in regular testing.

The third and final test in Barcelona starts on 1 March, with the season getting underway in Australia on 18 March. HRT has yet to score a point in two seasons. -Reuters

Rosberg in 2011 Mercedes tops the timesheets, Lotus still the quickest of the new cars.

Mercedes' theoretically outdated 2011 car has posted the fastest time in Formula One pre-season testing for the second day in a row, while the Lotus E20 is still the quickest of this season's new batch of competitors.

Nico Rosberg was quickest around the Jerez circuit on Thursday with a lap time of 1 minute, 17.613 seconds to follow up Michael Schumacher's leading pace of Wednesday.

Romain Grosjean in a Lotus was the fastest of the 2012 designs, the French driver's time of 1min18.419 more than eight-tenths of a second faster than defending double World champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, who was driving for the first time.

Lewis Hamilton's first spin in the new McLaren placed him fourth ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso, while Fernando Alonso kicked off his Ferrari campaign with the seventh-fastest time.

COOL RUNNING CAUSES CRASH

Grosjean's time was the fastest of the 2012 cars so far after three days of testing, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen having topped the timesheets in Tuesday's opening session.

Cool morning temperatures delayed optimal running for most as cars needed time to warm up tyres that all teams are still getting accustomed to. Force India reserve driver Jules Bianchi skidded off the slippery circuit to keep Nico Hulkenberg from getting any laps in the afternoon, when he was meant to hand over.

Vettel, back on track after dominating the championship last season, said: “The car feels fine and as we expected.

“There's quite a loss of grip due to the regulation changes, but you get used to it quickly and then start to explore how the new car feels. So far we can be happy, we had a couple of issues, but that's normal when the car is new.”

LONG, TOUGH PROGRAMME

Hamilton took over McLaren duties from Jenson Button, and the 2008 champion had few complaints on a day when he managed 80 laps.

Hamilton said: “My initial feelings are pretty positive, despite going through a long, tough programme of initial tests there were no nasty surprises, which is pleasing

“The car feels reasonably quick, and that's a nice feeling.”

Ferrari's pre-season form has failed to impress even with Alonso replacing Felipe Massa in the driver's seat on Thursday, with the Italians off the pace going into Friday's fourth and final day of the test in southern Spain. - Sapa-AP