timesofmalta.com

Webber seeks Monaco tonic

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

Mark Webber is hoping the comfort of Monaco will help him get his Formula One title challenge back on track. Webber has so far endured a troubled season, with its nadir the sorry saga in Malaysia when he was deprived of a win by Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel’s decision to ignore team orders. The 36-year-old Australian has suffered other woes to leave him sixth in the drivers’ standings, 47 points adrift of three-times champion and current pacesetter Vettel. If Webber is to have any hope of mounting a charge he has to start this weekend in F1’s blue-riband event, the Monaco Grand Prix, where he has taken the chequered flag twice in the last three years. “It’s always been a good track for me,” said Webber, whose 2010 win remains one of his best memories. “I won there in Formula 3000, and I’ve had my couple of wins in Formula One. “It probably goes back to my street-racing experience in Adelaide in Formula Ford. I’m comfortable on street circuits, although I can’t translate it to Singapore yet. I don’t know why. “As for Monaco, it’s still a daunting place, a very challenging venue. “I’m not saying you are on holiday there. But when I’m out there, I don’t know what makes me feel...

Tyre changes to be less dramatic than feared

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

Changes to the Formula One tyres due to be introduced next month will be less dramatic than some have feared or hoped for, supplier Pirelli said yesterday. Motorsport director Paul Hembery told Reuters that the Italian company would find a solution that all teams could agree on without the outcome having a major impact on the championship. He said the aim was “to make the changes that you have to make with minimal disturbance to the sporting equity. “What we’re trying to do is find the mid ground and that’s where we’re at. The changes required would appear less than first envisaged.” Pirelli said last week, after a Spanish Grand Prix crammed with pitstops and some eye-catching tyre failures in practice, that they would change the structure and compounds of their tyres from the Canadian Grand Prix – round seven of 19 – in Montreal on June 9. The move drew criticism from Lotus and Ferrari, the two teams who have most to lose from any changes after adapting their cars to the 2013 tyres more successfully than others including champions Red Bull. While Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won with four pitstops in Barcelona, so too did Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in 2011 without any furore. The...