Bob Barnard Track Engineering

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.

Well that is what Bernie thinks will have to happen to stop the "dreamers" with their rose colored glasses from spending too much. Is he talking about race promoters? No, it is the teams, those terrible people who spend so much money on going racing. Perhaps if Bernie "capped" what CVC took out of the sport there would be enough money for these dreamers, and perhaps the race promoters could make a quid too. Just a thought.

While mentioning Bernie, he is still unimpressed by the demonstrations in Bahrain, so we are still going. The question will then arise, will we watch it?

Cars and teams have arrived in Melbourne, and also in Sebring, so we are getting close to having some answers as to who has the magic formula for this year. Maybe not Sebring, as not many new cars there. But who knows, maybe the Dyson cars can give Audi a run for their money just as the Duncan Dayton Hondas did.

Has Bernie had a change of mind, or is that heart? His whole philosophy has been survival of the fittest, reward the successful, sink or swim. The Concorde Agreement is based on rewarding the top teams with most money and giving the bottom teams absolutely nothing. So teams come and go, would be F1 team owners learn the hard way and either claw their way up or disappear.

Now it seems Bernie is taking pity on the three new teams, maybe we should let new teams run last years car from Red Bull or McLaren to get them going. What's this, sympathy? Bernie as always has the solution and always has had. Do as the NFL and NBA do and give the worst teams the best picks in the draft, equalize the money, and try and equalize the competition. So Bernie could just reverse the Concorde Agreement and give the top teams nothing, after all they are winning and should attract the most sponsorship, and give the bottom teams more money.

If you think about it that would dispense with the RRA, the resource restriction agreement, as the top teams would be restricted anyway. Just a thought. I suppose the rude letters from Ron Dennis and Luca will arrive shortly.

Talking of Luca di Montezemolo and Ferrari, is he really worried about their test performance or just setting us up by suggesting that he hopes podiums are possible. Alonso was second quickest at the last test so not too shabby.

No word yet from Beijing, so let's hope no news is good news. The season is getting ready to start for real with the Melbourne F1 GP and Sebring 12 hour, looking forward to that.

Our patience usually. Here we are with withdrawal symptoms from a cold and dark winter with no racing and needing something to stir the blood. What do we get? Testing. Just to show how irrelevant testing is, yesterday Hulkenburg in the Force India is fastest, and Senna in the Williams is among the slowest. Today Maldanado sets the fastest time of the week, in the Williams, and Di Resta in the Force India is way off the pace!

While testing does not show us who is really quick, it does throw up who is in trouble. HRT are not here at all and Marussia are running last year's car. Nothing much changing there. Lotus have a real problem with their chassis design and called off this week's test after seven laps when Grosjean said the car felt strange. Back to the factory. Ferrari are not on the pace and Alonso is saying the car is hard to understand. Sound familiar?

Indycar is testing the "Car of Today", the DW12, on ovals, and the drivers believe the problems have been solved with the handling. Pity there will not be many ovals left for them to drive on.

Over in Jerez di Puniet on the Aprilia powered CRT is putting in some good times, about 0.3 secs a lap off the Ducatti of Hector Barbera, which is better than the 5 seconds Colin Edwards managed, but it is a Ducatti and not the Honda, so let's not get too excited. The Duke is better this year by the sound of it, but still not on the pace of the Hondas.

World Superbike kicks off its season at Phillip Island, and testing there has seen a fair share of injuries. Leon Haslam for one has had surgery and may not start. Let's wait and see if Checa can keep it going from last year. He has been quick in testing so far.

NASCAR has its Dual 125's today, so I guess you can say the season has started.

30 days to go for the F1 season to start, and Australia loses its major sponsor, DHL! Of course good old QANTAS will step in, for a lot less I bet, but the CEO says sponsorship, corporate, ticket sales are all up! And they forecast to only lose $56m this year! But it is better value for money than the tennis.

Bahrain continues to be a political "bun fight" with British politicians and peers of the realm taking opposing sides of "should we go or not." Joe Saward has booked his ticket so it sounds as though it is on. Bernie had better be right "that it is only a couple of kids in trouble with the police." Nice one as always Bernie.  Like the guys in Sao Paulo just wanting to sell Jenson Button a hat. 

The Rolex 24 hour at Daytona started yesterday with practice and qualifying, with the newly reshaped Daytona Prototypes, DPs. They look somewhat sleeker, but are unlikely to win over fans used to Audis and Peugeots. Ryan Dalziel took pole in the Starworks Ford ahead of the might of Suntrust and Ganassi, but only just. In the GT class it is Brumos Porsche ahead of 458 Ferrari and another Porsche, but all in the 1.49.3 bracket, so very close. It's a long race as they say in the classics, and we can watch on Speed at 2:30 EST. Look out for Alan McNish in that Starworks DP, quite a change from the R18!

Elsewhere the economic fallout continues for F1. We have seen the BBC basically giving back the F1 coverage as it could no longer afford it, and now Spain's broadcaster has done the same with just weeks to go to the first race. Joe Saward is continuing the rumors about the financial viability of Sahara Force India, and we know Williams are struggling on that front. And who would give HRT much hope? Add to all that the Valencia, Korea, Japan, Spa, Nurburgring, Hockenheim, France situation and it would seem Bernie and CVC might be facing a difficult time continuing with their money pit. Not to mention Melbourne. I and many others have long suggested that the current business model is unsustainable.

Rubens Barrichello is off testing and Indy Retirement League car. Good luck to him, why not join his other Brazilian mates.