Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Daniel Ricciardo is on the fast track to an F1 drive, if driving an HRT can be called fast. Be careful what you wish for Daniel. Red Bull have bought Daniel a ride in the HRT Team to replace Karthikeyan, who will presumably get the ride back at the Indian GP later this year. So Helmut Marko wants Daniel to get more F1 seat time, but is not yet ready to ditch either of the Toro Rosso drivers. Who does Helmut want to groom Daniel to replace, that is the big question? I did ask a while ago when was the last time we had two Australians in a GP, if ever, and the answer was we have, but I think only once about thirty years ago in the Alan Jones era. I think the other driver would be Larry Perkins, but I am ready to be corrected.

Following the Red Bull pull out from NASCAR we now hear of another drinks company doing the same. Crown Royal has pulled the plug on the Roush Fenway team. Rats leaving a sinking ship?

A ship that certainly is not sinking is Le Mans and the ACO, with the announcement of the new World Endurance Championship, and now Porsche committing to build an LMP1 car for 2014. Not sure how you design a car for that far in the future the way the rules change, or why it is going to take so long? Porsche must have some information from the ACO on what those rules are going to be. Do we know? Is there some change that will take effect then? Anyway, presuming Peugeot and Audi are still running, and running diesels, we may see of the first time if what they have been saying is true, that a properly funded and designed car can compete with them without all the "equalization."

Talking of engines, no surprise here, the WMC ratified the V6 engine for F1 from 2014.