Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Why would HRT, a team desperately trying to be Spanish, hire a Chinese reserve driver with no record? Does he bring a big bag of money? HRT are certainly not selling anything in China to warrant trying to gain exposure there. They now have a 30+ Spanish lady driver and a 24 year old Chinese guy, neither with any obvious credentials. Sounds like a great test and back up team. Come to think of it why would we expect anything else. As we would say in Oz, all they need is a tent and elephants and they would have a circus.

Argentina look pretty certain to have a F1 race in 2013, on yet another Tilke masterpiece, while one of his other gems, Korea, is likely to be dropped as they cannot pay the fee. That was a great investment wasn't it? Anyone in Texas watching this?

Meanwhile Magny Cours is asking why no one is looking at their track to stage a revived French GP? It is said that it is too remote, but I have been to both Magny Cours and Paul Ricard, and let me tell you Paul Ricard is not exactly downtown anywhere either. Maybe Bernie's involvement at Paul Ricard has something to do with it, or the politics of the Magny Cours Department?

Spa is supposed to be alternating with a French GP, but the Belgian locals are not much in favor of that and have a petition going. If, like me, you think only seeing a race at Spa every other year while suffering Bahrain each year is too much to bear, please go on to the web site and sign the petition.

http://www.grandprixf1.be/home.html

On a last note, unsurprisingly, Lotus, the car maker, can no longer afford the sponsorship for the F1 team that carries its name, nor will it be able to buy into the team. The real team owners say they are happy to continue with the Lotus name anyway. Thank goodness after all that wrangling.

Now many of us "unlearn" most what we are taught in school or college, just stop using a computer program and see how fast you forget what to do. Not so with F1 engineers. Remember the F-Duct, banned, or so it seemed. No, only the way it was operated was banned with drivers using knees or hands to turn it on. So those clever chaps at Mercedes have worked out how to make it happen with no movable parts and nothing to do with the driver. It is somehow connected to the DRS system, although whether that is literally how it works or is it airflow induced I have yet to see defined. Anyway, they have it, stalling the rear wing and reducing drag, and Charlie Whiting has given it the thumbs up, so watch all the rest of the teams scramble to follow. Of course there is still that odd opening in the nose of the Mercedes, and the even larger one in the Red Bull "to cool the drivers feet." Oh yeh, designed by Newey? Don't think so.

Not long now until we get some answers. The Australian politician who called Bernie's daughter a "bogan," look it up, got an answer from Bernie. It seems that after seeing her on TV in all her indulgence and offering the opinion that if that's where their $50m is going that they spend on the race they had better things to do with it.  That's OK with Bernie, just don't renew the contract, he has plenty more mugs to pay like Argentina who are saying they will have a race in 2013. Someone has to miss out for that to happen, so one race in Spain for sure.

HRT say they are on the way up. From what I saw they are, up on stands trying to get the second car built in time for practice. They have already postponed scrutineering the car.

Over in Sebring the Audis are having it all their own way, with the Muscle Milk HRD LMP1 car and the Dyson Lola next. In GTE the 458 Ferrari is quickest, but expect the usual close race here, the one to really watch.