No more 'Big Two' for Ferrari and McLaren this season

It is no coincidence that the two title protagonists of 2008 are now struggling to set the pace in Formula One, according to McLaren and Ferrari.

They argue that, in fighting for the crown until the final corner of last season, they fell behind others in preparation for the sweeping rules changes of 2009.

McLaren has been open about its lack of race-winning pace with the MP4-24, which is underdeveloped because the bulk of the team's resources was allocated to securing the drivers' title for Lewis Hamilton at the wheel of its predecessor.

"I can have some regrets about resource allocation but we are proud to have Number One on the car," the reigning World Champion said last weekend.

Meanwhile, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo said on Tuesday that the Maranello marque is also "paying" for its efforts to win last year.

"Like McLaren we had to develop our (2008) machine right until the end, while others were already working on a completely different project many months prior," Montezemolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"You should not forget that this year's machines are not evolutions, which means that those who had extra time were really able to draw an advantage," the Italian said.

In contrast, non-2008 contenders like Toyota, Red Bull and Williams were able to turn their attention early to getting the most out of the 2009 regulations.

The furthest ahead is Brawn, who abandoned developing the 2008 (Honda) car almost as soon as it was born - and went on to a one-two victory at the 2009 season-opener in Australia last Sunday.

Haug - White tyre markings looks much better than green

Norbert Haug believes Bridgestone should consider altering its method for visibly distinguishing the two compounds of tyres on offer at Grand Prix in 2009.

With grooves being replaced by slicks for this season, it was no longer possible to paint white the inside middle groove of the softest tyre option.

A month before the 2009 season, following extensive winter testing, F1's official tyre supplier said it would instead paint a green line around the inside and outside edges of the sidewalls.

The colour green was selected to show Bridgestone's support for the FIA's 'Make Cars Green' environmental campaign.

However, in Melbourne last weekend, television viewers - including team figures in the garages and on the pitwall - at times expressed difficulty in identifying the green markings.

The problem may have been worsened by the evening sun.

"Perhaps the contrast of white on black is better than green on black," Mercedes' Haug admitted to German media.

"It is something to think about," he added, echoing comments previously made by several F1 pundits.

To heighten the importance of the matter, the significance of the tyres being used this season has increased given Bridgestone's new policy of skipping a specification in order to avoid offering two consecutive tyre types, therefore augmenting the difference in on-track performances.

For example, in Melbourne the 'medium' tyre was the specification of choice in the race, because the much softer 'super soft' significantly lost performance even after a lap or two.

With the 'soft' option not available, drivers had to deal with the wider margin between 'medium' and 'super soft' tyres. The greater challenge of establishing race strategies therefore had to be worked out accordingly.

Rosberg - Twilight race are too dangerous

So-called 'twilight' races are too dangerous for Formula One, according to Williams driver Nico Rosberg.

The late afternoon format, designed to make a better television viewing time for the bulk European audience, made its debut in Australia last weekend.

With the action completing as the sun fell low in the sky, the drivers gave the format mixed reviews, including complaints of glare and flickering shadows from trees.

This weekend it is Malaysia's turn, but the concerns about the 5pm start have grown louder given the additional likelihood of late afternoon monsoonal rain in the tropical climate.

23-year-old Rosberg, arguing that evening is not appropriate for high speed motor racing, said: "In Melbourne it was obvious that it just increases the danger so much."

"The visibility is so difficult, you can't even see the edges of the track in some corners.
I was driving into the sun and that's not what racing is about."

"So I really hope they reconsider that," he added.

The 'twilight' concept was a compromise for the Melbourne and Sepang organisers, who baulked at the idea of having to install expensive floodlighting - as is the case for the Singapore Grand Prix - for a fully night-time race.

But Rosberg insists F1 should stage either daytime or properly floodlit events.

Interview with Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton delivered a superb drive at the Australian Grand Prix, taking the start from 18th on the grid and pushing all the way to fourth position. The result, accomplished at the wheel of an admittedly off-pace McLaren Mercedes MP4-24, showed just how much the reigning World Champion worked hard on the Albert Park track.

Pending Jarno Trulli's penalty appeal, Hamilton's fourth position was changed to a third-place result, giving the Briton an extra reward for his efforts.

Next Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix offers a very different venue however, as the demanding nature of the Sepang circuit will put the MP4-24 to a harsher test than was the case in Melbourne.

Within this Q&A appearing on his website, Hamilton looks back at his Australian race, considers the upcoming challenge in Malaysia, and reiterates his full confidence in the McLaren team's abilities in returning to the forefront.

Given all that's been said about the pace of the car, what were your thoughts ahead of the race on Sunday?

"I was sat on the grid thinking, 'Shall I take it a bit easy into the first corner, knowing it's a long race, and be patient... or shall I just go for it and try to overtake as many cars as I can before Turn One?' In the end, I decided to be cautious: I knew there was likely to be trouble going into the first corner and I didn't want to be part of it. Then, after that, I just put my foot down, and I didn't back off for the entire race."

We could see your commitment via the onboard footage - there were some hairy moments, particularly exiting Turn Nine.

"Yeah, actually Turn Nine was one of my best corners. The car was quite planted through there so I felt reasonably confident in getting the throttle down hard and being able to deal with the rear-end. In other places, it wasn't so easy. It felt like there were four or five times through each corner where the car could snap away from you. And I was pushing so hard, and you knew it was coming, you were waiting for it, worrying about it, knowing that the car was going to break away and you were going to have to wrestle it back under control. That happened in every corner for 58 laps - it was an exhausting race for me."

Do you think this was one of your best drives in Formula 1?

"It was one of the most unexpected results of my Formula 1 career and, yeah, I think it was one of my best drives too. I'm a fighter, I've never given up at any stage of my motorsport career - both on and off the track - and last weekend was the same. I pushed like crazy on every single lap of the race, always looked for the gap and worked with the team over the radio to find every possible way of making us go quicker."

"This was a fantastic result for me, but also a brilliant team effort - our strategy was perfect, the input from the pitwall was superb and everything came together really well. On paper, the result may not look as strong as our victories, but to come from 18th on the grid to finish third, in a car that we admit is not as good as it should be, is a mega achievement."

What did you learn from this race?

"I learnt to never, ever, ever, give up. We showed in Brazil last year that we would always fight until the very end, and we showed it again in Melbourne yesterday (Sunday). I'll never give up when I'm in the cockpit - I want to race as hard as I can and I'm looking forward to getting closer to the front and mixing it with the leaders again. Also, Melbourne gave us a clearer idea of which teams have done the best job over the winter."

"I've got to say again how much respect and admiration I've got for Ross Brawn and all the men and women at Brawn GP. They've done an awesome job over the winter, worked so hard in such difficult circumstances, that it must have been a dream come true for them to finish one-two with Jenson (Button) and Rubens (Barrichello). He must have had a very worrying winter, and he certainly had a few tough years before that, so he really deserves this success. It must have been a brilliant feeling for him to be able to stand on the podium yesterday (Sunday), waving to his team. I saw a photo of the podium on the internet this morning - he looked really, really happy. They've shown just what an incredible sport we have and just how unpredictable F1 can be - I just wish I could have been on the podium to share his celebrations on Sunday."

Why are you so confident that McLaren Mercedes can bounce back?

"Because we haven't forgotten how to win. We're a world-class team, in fact, and while we're not yet at the front, everything within the McLaren Technology Centre is equipped to help us get back there as quickly as possible. From the strategists, the manufacturing capacity, the management, the mechanics - everybody has what it takes to win Grand Prix and World Championships. That's why I'm so confident that we'll get back to the front soon. I think Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is the strongest team in Formula 1 - and I know just how hard we are focusing on improving MP4-24. That's why I feel so confident that our performance will improve."

Is that something we'll see in Malaysia this weekend?

"The Malaysian Grand Prix is the second of two back-to-back flyaway races, and it's difficult for any team to make big changes to the car when it's so far away from the factory and there's so little time. Also, technically speaking, Sepang is a harder test of a Formula 1 car than Albert Park, so we can't realistically expect a repeat of the result we saw in Melbourne. But we're targeting upgrades and improvements at every race, so I hope they'll have a benefit. I know people are hoping for a night-and-day change in our car's pace, but that's not going to happen this coming weekend."

So when will it happen?

"The aerodynamicists and engineers are working round the clock back at Woking to make us competitive. We're taking huge steps forward and I'm confident we'll show definite signs of progress sooner rather than later."

Thank you Lewis.

"Thank you."

Nakajima will fit for Malaysian GP

Kazuki Nakajima insists he is fully fit to tackle the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Just four days before he was due to begin practicing at the Sepang circuit, the Japanese driver had a heavy crash into Albert Park's concrete walls during the 2009 season-opener.

The 24-year-old admitted blame for the lap 17 shunt and headed to the circuit medical centre for a precautionary check.

"Everything is fine and physically I am okay," the Williams driver said last Sunday.

However, Nakajima has now revealed that he knocked his hand in the impact at Turn Four.

"It was quite a big impact," he said, "but I'm fine except for a sore knuckle on my left hand. I'll be fine to race in Malaysia."

Alonso - Sepang will show the real Renault pace

Renault's pace in Malaysia this weekend will reveal whether the French team is set for a "difficult year" or not, according to Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard qualified his R29 twelfth in Melbourne before racing to sixth, but he believes his speed at Albert Park may not reflect Renault's true form for the rest of the 2009 season.

"The (Australian) circuit is very unique making it hard to draw conclusions," he said in an interview with Spain's Diario Sport newspaper.

"We have to have a bit more patience. In Malaysia if we don't go into the Q3 (qualifying phase) it will mean that we are probably not fast enough and we are going to have a difficult year," the 27-year-old declared.

"I believe that we are going to be more competitive (at Sepang) but anyway it will give us a better idea of where we are," added Alonso.

He said his goal for Malaysia is to qualify in the top five.

Alonso explained: "It is a very demanding circuit for cars, the same with Shanghai, where we will really see who is fast and if we have a good car."

F1 Medical Car new driver

The official Formula One medical car has a new full-time driver.

Late last year, Alex Wurz and Sebastien Buemi stepped in to drive the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate, reportedly because its regular driver, Dr Jacques Tropenat, had fallen ill.

It is not known why Tropenat, a former Le Mans driver, has not returned to the role in 2009, but last year he was promoted to become the FIA's deputy director of medical affairs.

At Albert Park last weekend, 29-year-old South African race driver Alan van der Merwe made his debut as medical car driver, and he will remain in the role for the whole 2009 season.

The former BAR/Honda test driver landed the job due to his links with FIA official David Lowe, who was formerly van der Merwe's team manager at the Carlin British F3 team in 2003.

Van der Merwe has also raced in F3000 and A1GP, and in 2006 was Honda's driver for its Bonneville land-speed record attempts.

Glock - Overtaking more harder without KERS

According to Timo Glock, F1's 2009 regulations have made it even harder to overtake some cars.

One of the main objectives of the new rules, including the introduction of KERS boost buttons and the radical shape of the bodywork, is to make passing less of a rarity.

But after last Sunday's season opener in Australia, Toyota driver Glock said he had rarely found following a rival car as difficult as at Albert Park.

"It's unbelievable how much downforce I lost behind him (Fernando Alonso)," the German told GP Week, when speaking about his battle with the Renault.

"Behind Kimi and the Ferraris it was a bit easier but with Fernando I had no chance and every time I was close enough I lost the downforce overall," Glock added.

The voluntary deployment of KERS technology, meanwhile, means that some cars this season are equipped with a power boost-button, while others - like the Toyota - are not.

27-year-old Glock revealed: "Every time I was behind a car it was a KERS car and I just lost the downforce, and when I was close enough they just pressed the (KERS) button and I had no chance."

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Ferrari confirm to use KERS again in Malaysia

Ferrari will again use active KERS systems throughout the Malaysian grand prix weekend, despite suspecting the technology played a role in the team's lack of pace in Australia.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said problems managing the tyres at Albert Park was a leading factor in the F60's struggle for speed.

"Tyre use is also linked to KERS, so there are many things that we need to understand now very quickly," the Italian is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Many teams, having spent a lot of time and money developing the newly allowable energy re-use technology in the winter, decided that the compromise in weight distribution is not offset by the 82 horse power bursts.

Domenicali said BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica - not running KERS - had a similar strategy in Melbourne last Sunday "but they did not destroy the rear tyres like we did".

"It is something that we must consider: the KERS and the weight distribution," he added. "But in Malaysia we will use KERS again.

Vettel - "I have the feeling Brawn's were playing with us"

Brawn GP recorded a one-two victory in Melbourne, but it seems the former Honda team could have destroyed rather than simply beaten its competition.

BMW-Sauber figures expressed huge disappointment about Robert Kubica's late crash with Sebastian Vettel last Sunday, insisting the Pole could have raced up to eventual winner Jenson Button and passed him.

"That's interesting," Briton Button, 29, grinned as he reflected on his win in St. Kilda - a beach suburb near Melbourne - before having to jet off to Malaysia.

"I don't think Kubica has any idea about whether I was driving as fast as I could have," he added coyly.

Red Bull's Vettel, seemingly matching his Mercedes-powered rival as he ran second to Button for most of the 58-lap race, suspects the Brawn driver's hint is indeed true.

"I have the feeling they (Brawn) were playing with us," the German told Auto Motor und Sport.

An unnamed Brawn team figure is quoted by Britain's Guardian newspaper as also suggesting the Brackley camp did not display its full pace throughout the 2009 season opening race weekend.

"It is just foolish to just annihilate people all the time," he said. "I think we have a little bit in the bag. We've got good stuff coming and I think we have reason to be confident," he said.

Button - Brawn GP future still unknown with financial problems

Jenson Button was all smiles as he lapped up the sun and spoils of victory before jetting to Malaysia, but he admits winning the Australian grand prix is no guarantee of a sound future for Brawn GP.

As he took in a light lunch near the beach with his new girlfriend Jessica at the Stokehouse restaurant near Albert Park, he told reporters he is so excited about the 2009 season that he is having trouble sleeping at nights.

But although reaping the benefits of departed Honda's huge investment last year, the long development path of the BGP001 car, and a power boost in the form of customer Mercedes-Benz engines, 29-year-old Button admits the car's mostly blank livery tells another story.

"We haven't got the budget but, hopefully, we will and hopefully people will take an interest in what we have done with a pretty plain (liveried) car," the Briton is quoted as saying by the UK's Express tabloid.

The much-feted Virgin linkup, estimated by analysts as worth millions of dollars in terms of TV exposure alone in Melbourne, is still just a $500,000 two-race deal, with most of the 2009 budget coming from money pledged by Honda in order to keep the team alive and avoid staff redundancy payouts.

Button, who led a one-two victory for the Brackley camp last Sunday, added: "Our factory and facilities are very good, it is just whether we've enough money to run the machines. I am hoping and guessing it is going to be ok. It would be a waste otherwise," said Button.

McLaren Mercedes - Malaysian GP - Preview

It wasn't the best of races for the McLaren Mercedes team in Australia, with 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton starting from the rear following bad qualifying pace and a gearbox change penalty.

Come race time on Sunday, Heikki Kovalainen was hit by Mark Webber's spinning Red Bull at the first corner; a punctured tyre and broken suspension sent the Finn back into the pitlane as he retired from the race.

Despite struggling with an off-pace MP4-24, Hamilton was aiming for points and pushed his way from beginning to end as he embarked on an aggressive strategy, reaching a remarkable fourth position at the finish line.

However, the stewards considered that Toyota's third-placed Jarno Trulli committed a mistake while the Safety Car was on track late in the race and called a 25-second penalty. The Toyota team intends to appeal the decision, but in the meantime Hamilton is promoted to the final step of the podium.

With the eventful Australian race behind them, the McLaren Mercedes team members now head for the fearsome heat and humidity of Malaysia, where the second round of the 2009 season will take place this upcoming week-end at the Sepang circuit.

Lewis Hamilton:
"Firstly, we shouldn't get carried away by our podium in Australia. Yes, we had a fantastic race but we're all aware that our car isn't capable of repeating that sort of performance on sheer pace alone.
And Sepang is one of the tougher tracks on the calendar, one where we will probably be further from the frontrunners than we were in Albert Park. The track is both fast and technical so requires good mechanical and aero grip. It's much more aero-dependent and rear-limited than Melbourne so it may highlight some of the shortcomings in MP4-24. Nevertheless, we're all really encouraged by the progress we've made and I know we'll be pushing as hard as ever to put more points on the board in Sepang."

Heikki Kovalainen:
"The Sepang track is a challenge because it requires several compromises to get the best set-up. There are plenty of long straights, where you ideally need lower downforce, but that gives the car a tendency to slide too much through the high-speed corners. The best corners are Turns Six and Seven – the fast left-right esses behind the pits. In the car, you've not only got to find the optimum balance, but also make sure the brakes and cooling are efficient, otherwise you'll be in trouble before you get to the end of the race. The only difficulty for me is the heat; coming from Finland, we often see the same temperature-readings – but with a minus in front!"

Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal:
"Despite a good result in the race, our performance in the Australian Grand Prix was not what we would like it to be, and the reality is that this weekend's race in Malaysia is unlikely to offer a significant improvement in fortunes. Nevertheless, we are still pushing to introduce performance to the car – the close proximity to the opening race means there won't be many large changes to the car but there will be several upgrades to existing components. For us, the mission is clear: we must introduce laptime to our car faster than our rivals to enable us to, firstly, catch the leading runners and then to be able to compete against them. It's a task we take incredibly seriously and are confident that progress will be made sooner rather than later."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
"With Lewis in third place, the season opener in Melbourne ended much better for us than we had expected after his 18th grid position. Compared to our test results in Barcelona two and a half weeks ago, we made a good step. This result was mainly due to Lewis' perfect drive and a good strategy by our team. Moreover, some of the incidents in the race went in our favour. However, we cannot expect the same again this coming weekend in Malaysia. We all will work flat out to improve our technical package further – that's a promise."

BMW Sauber - Malaysian GP - Preview

The Australian Grand Prix did not provide the points the BMW Sauber team wished for: Nick Heidfeld claimed 10th position, while Robert Kubica's almost-assured podium expectations came to an abrupt end three laps from the finish when Sebastian Vettel collided with his car.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team now travels to the home of its premium partner Petronas for the second round of the 2009 World Championship. The Twin Towers, the company's head office, are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit normally takes place in extreme heat, making it one of the toughest races of the season for drivers, team personnel and the cars.

Robert Kubica:
"We have a lot of fans in Malaysia and it is really a special feeling to drive there. The race went extremely well for me last year. Of course I hope that we can get a strong result again this time around. I'm really looking forward to this GP, as this is a unique track with a wide variety of corners; some are seriously quick, but others are very slow. And in some places you can choose different lines, which makes it particularly interesting. The final sector is very different from the other two, as it has just two long straights and a hard braking area.
This track really offers everything, and that means it demands a lot of the car. The later start time means there is a pretty strong chance of rain. I'm sure that we are in for an extremely interesting weekend."

Nick Heidfeld:
"For me Sepang is a nice, challenging circuit. Last year I managed to pull off some good overtaking moves there. The heat is always an issue, coupled with a high level of humidity. However, I've never had a problem with it and am particularly fit this year. We've often experienced cloudbursts in Malaysia in the late afternoon and early evening. This year's schedule increases the chances that we will still be on the track at this time. Hopefully it will still be light enough. I always feel very much at ease in Malaysia."

Toyota - Malaysian GP - Preview

The Malaysian Grand Prix has been a fixture on the Formula 1 calendar since 1999, with Sepang hosting its 11th Grand Prix this year. Prior to that the Malaysian Grand Prix was an event for other racing series, running intermittently from 1962-1995.

Toyota Racing is quickly in action again with the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, following just days after the season got under way in Australia. Heat and tremendous humidity await the team this coming week-end.

Toyota has proud memories of Sepang, which was the scene for its first Formula 1 podium back in 2005 when Jarno Trulli finished second. Last year the Italian again showed his mastery of Malaysia by finishing a superb fourth place while Timo Glock suffered an unlucky retirement when another car caused an accident.

Jarno Trulli:
"I generally go really well in Malaysia and I have had some strong results there so I am approaching this race with great confidence. We achieved a great breakthrough in Malaysia in 2005 when I got the team's first podium in Formula 1 so I have good memories which will inspire me this weekend. Of course one of the big topics in Malaysia is the heat and humidity, which is quite a challenge for the drivers. It's not easy but that's why I train so much over the winter; I'm fit and it will be fine. Australia was a weekend of highs and lows but we showed that we are very competitive and I hope we can do that again this weekend."

Timo Glock:
"I don't have much experience of racing in Malaysia because I was taken out so early last year, but from the practice and qualifying I know the conditions are quite extreme. It's also pretty tough on the cars and tyres as well but I can adapt quickly to different conditions and different tracks so I'm ready for the challenge. I said before the season started that our car looked pretty good and the performance we showed in Australia proved that. It's great to have good points on the board already this season and my goal is obviously to add to that this weekend. We have every reason to be optimistic."

John Howett, President:
"Australia was a very challenging weekend for the team but we responded extremely well to it and the performance was a credit to everyone. We showed extremely strong pace in the race and all our work has clearly delivered a competitive car which we expect to show again in Malaysia."

Bruno Senna on Force India list

Vijay Mallya has admitted interest in Bruno Senna, the 2008 GP2 runner-up who narrowly missed a seat on this year's Formula One grid.

25-year-old Senna, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, was a favourite for the cockpit alongside Jenson Button in 2009, until Ross Brawn completed the management buyout of the former Honda team and opted instead for Rubens Barrichello's experience in completing the Brawn GP line-up.

Indian billionaire Mallya is the owner and team boss of the Force India operation, who reportedly considered making a driver change for 2009 but instead opted for stability in keeping Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil.

"There were too many changes I was making with the team," he told the British Sunday newspaper the Observer.

"We had management changes and I wanted to have some stability and continuity," explained Mallya.

But he indicates that a change next year is on the cards, given that 36-year-old Italian veteran Fisichella is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

"I know that Giancarlo is reaching the end of his racing career, it may not be next year but he is certainly at the tail end," Mallya said.

"There are youngsters waiting in the wings -- one of them is Bruno Senna and we all thought he would be signed by Brawn GP but they went with Barrichello. We will look at the youngsters at the appropriate time," he added.

Abu Dhabi ready for Formula 1

Organisers of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have rubbished reports the Yas Marina circuit will not be ready to host the 2009 season finale.

Rumours last weekend, and subsequent reports in the Canadian press, suggested the defunct Montreal race could be revived in order to substitute for Abu Dhabi, whose project may be delayed by the global financial crisis.

But Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM) said tickets for the November 1 race went on sale on Monday.

"Progress on the construction of Yas Marina Circuit (...) is on track and there are no concerns regarding delivery deadlines," a statement issued by ADMM read.

"Abu Dhabi is excited to host the world on November 1st and we would love for Canadians to visit us and enjoy our country and hospitality, and to experience the thrill of motorsports with us," the press release added.

Italy dissapointed by Ferrari performance

The Italian press reacted with surprise and disappointment following Ferrari's terrible start to the 2009 championship.

The double retirement in Australia was reportedly the Maranello team's worst start to a season since South Africa in 1992, when both scarlet cars expired with engine failures.

"The Ferrari was slow and fragile," Corriere dello Sport summarised of the Albert Park race, where Felipe Massa stopped with a mechanical problem and Kimi Raikkonen was asked to retire with a few laps to go, having survived a spin into the wall.

Also referring to the F60 single seater, a standout of the winter test season, Tuttosport added: "It was much slower than expected."

Tyre management and poor strategy choices no doubt contributed to Ferrari's performance, and team boss Stefano Domenicali revealed to reporters that engineers will be looking closely at how the weight implications of the KERS system played a role.

"In my opinion, apart from the Brawns, we are competitive.
The solution for Malaysia is to work, work, work," said Felipe Massa, who was seventh fastest in qualifying.

While Ferrari is hoping for better this weekend, F1's other 2008 title protagonist McLaren knows it faces an even harsher challenge on the long curves of Sepang.

"There probably will be a bigger difference between us and the Brawn car (in Malaysia)," World Champion Lewis Hamilton admitted. "We'll be a little further behind."

"Hopefully by China and from then on we will be a little bit closer," he added.

Toyota appeal for Trulli podium

Toyota faces an uphill battle to appeal its lost Melbourne podium, but the Japanese team does have a valid case to argue.

Jarno Trulli's third place and champagne celebrations became twelfth on the official classification, after stewards ruled he illegally overtook Lewis Hamilton behind the Safety Car.

The Italian had been running third when the Safety Car came out late in the race, but he dropped behind the McLaren driver in an off-track moment.

"Trulli took back the place under the Safety Car," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh at the time of the investigation.

The stewards of the meeting agreed, promoting Hamilton to third, but Trulli insisted that he only passed the Briton because he had "suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road."

"I thought he had a problem," the 34-year-old said, "so I overtook him as there was nothing else I could do."

The rules permit overtaking under the Safety Car in such circumstances.

The problem for Toyota is the inadmissibility of appeals for post-race 25-second penalties, because if the incident had occurred earlier in the race, the penalty would have taken the form of a drive-through, which is not subject to appeal.

Toyota snuck in its appeal through a loophole, by lodging it not with the stewards of the meeting, but with the local clerk of the course.

The team has two days to formalise its appeal in writing.

If it allows the procedure, the Court of Appeal would be faced with a difficult decision. Hamilton has been quoted by Speed TV as admitting that - after passing Trulli following the Toyota's off - he was then "told (by McLaren) to let him back past."

Hamilton presumably then pulled over and slowed, which would seem to corroborate Trulli's explanation that he only passed the Briton because "there was nothing else I could do."

Fernando Alonso was unimpressed with KERS

Fernando Alonso was unimpressed with the performance of his KERS system in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard's Renault was one of just seven cars fitted with the controversial new energy re-use technology in Melbourne.

"It was not very useful," he told Spain's AS sports newspaper. "In terms of lap time we knew it doesn't give us an advantage, but I used it when I was right behind Glock - without a KERS - and the truth is that it was no help at all."

"At this circuit there was no benefit," Alonso added. "But let's see what happens at tracks with very long straights, like Bahrain, or Monza."

However, Toyota's Timo Glock reported during the race that he was unable to pass Alonso's Renault because the Spaniard kept using his KERS system to reopen the gap between them.

"It was difficult to overtake," said Glock, whose car was not KERS-equipped in Australia.