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From GMM

Sergio Perez has slammed Pirelli for supplying overly conservative tire compounds at the Spanish grand prix.

F1's official tire supplier had a tumultuous and highly controversial 2013 season, but so far the emphasis this season has been on the radical new rules and quiet engines.

"The problem is that Pirelli is not helping us to attack and enjoy driving," Mexican Perez, who drives for Force India, is quoted by Russia's f1news.ru.

"We have lost downforce compared to last year and now we have to drive very hard compounds," he added.

"It seems that Pirelli is worried about the graining of the front tires, but if you look at the difference between us and GP2, I think you have to be concerned that their cars are so close now in laptime.

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India VJM07 (Photo: Facebook)

"Our budgets are at least eight times more than the GP2 teams, but the speed difference is only one and a half seconds, or two seconds. It's not enough," said Perez.

"I think Pirelli needs to be more aggressive because on Sunday we are all going to just follow each other. We will have a boring race and that's not good for the sport," he added.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso also thinks Pirelli's selection for Barcelona is "too conservative", and according to Perez the pair are not alone in their thinking.

"At the drivers' briefing everyone complained that the cars are sliding and it's difficult to have a good level of grip," said Perez.

"Hopefully, Pirelli will listen and react also to the fans to make the races more interesting."

Pirelli's Paul Hembery, however, hit back by insisting that complaining drivers are just making "an excuse" for their own situations.

"It's the same for everyone," he said. "We had to take a different approach this year as the cars are completely different."

From GMM

Formula 1's most familiar face was missing on Friday as the sport practiced in Barcelona.

That is because, more than 1000 kilometres away, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was in a Munich court, fighting for his future and freedom.

Friday's events in Germany are perhaps the most significant yet in the corruption scandal, as the man 83-year-old Ecclestone is alleged to have bribed to the tune of $44 million began his role as the prosecution's star witness.

Fascinatingly, prosecutors do not totally dispute Ecclestone's claim that Gribkowsky blackmailed him. According to the Guardian newspaper, the jailed former F1 banker on Friday even admitted he tried to "create pressure to reach an agreement".

On the face of it, Gribkowsky's testimony on Friday may have helped Ecclestone's case.

SID news agency quotes Gribkowsky as saying he and Ecclestone did not discuss "at any time" precisely what the millions in payments were for.

"I never asked the question," he added.

From press release

Canadian race car driver Alex Tagliani will be back in an Indy car this Sunday, testing ahead of the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Tagliani has been watching IndyCar from the sidelines this season, taking part only in three United SportsCar Championship (USCC) events with RSR Racing.

But he has signed with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing to drive the No. 68 Dallara-Honda in the Indy 500.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (Photo: Facebook)

"It's going to be an interesting month of May," said the Lachenaie native ahead of his return.

"I can't wait to get back in 'Indy 500 mode'.

"The team is new, so obviously it's important that we learn how to work and communicate together. It's going to be difficult, but that's why we have six days of testing."

From GMM

F1 backmarker Caterham has ousted its technical boss Mark Smith.

That is the claim of Luis Vasconcelos, the correspondent at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya this weekend for Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper.

He said 53-year-old Smith, who has also worked at Renault, Red Bull and Force India before joining Caterham in 2011, was ousted due to the team's struggle for pace this season.

It has been rumoured that, having started the project in 2010, this season could be Caterham's last season in F1 before team owner Tony Fernandes loses patience.

"The one comment I would make is that we should not take anything for granted," team boss Cyril Abiteboul said in Barcelona on Friday.

"Formula one is the pinnacle of motor sport. We need to deserve our position on track. It's not like once you are in there you should sit down and relax," he added.

From GMM

Michael Schumacher is still at the hospital in Grenoble, the major German newspaper Bild reports.

It is now more than a month since the F1 legend's manager Sabine Kehm announced that the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver is showing "moments of consciousness and awakening" amid his long coma.

Not long after the early April announcement, Kehm said Schumacher, 45, would move "into a rehab clinic" as soon as it was possible.

"Bild's information is that Schumacher has not yet moved to a rehab clinic," the newspaper reported.

"Sabine Kehm only wants to make new statements when there are significant changes," Bild added.

From GMM

Mercedes' rivals may block the introduction of the 'megaphone' exhaust, according to reports.

Already utterly dominating the 2014 season, Mercedes will try the trumpet-like exhaust attachment at Barcelona during next week's post-Spanish grand prix test.

Earlier reports suggested that, following widespread criticism of the milder sound of this year's engines, the Mercedes exhaust would get F1's volume half-way between the volume of the current V6s and the old, screaming V8s.

But before the exhaust can be introduced at grands prix, "the other manufacturers, Ferrari and Renault, would have to agree", Austria's APA news agency reports.

"They fear that Mercedes has made the development for its own benefit," the report added.

Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda hit back: "It changes the horse power of the engine by zero. The only thing that changes is the funnel at the end of the exhaust.

"It just makes more noise," he added.

"Everyone thinks Mercedes has done this to have an advantage -- what absolute nonsense," said Lauda.

He claims that Mercedes was the only team that responded to the cries of the fans for more noise. "The others have not done anything," Lauda is quoted by the German newspaper Bild.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRi2)

Nonetheless, he said Mercedes' solution can simply be attached to the end of any exhaust -- including those coming from rival Renault and Ferrari engines.

Lauda said initial tests had shown that, with the attachment, "you can reach almost twice the volume" of the current V6 engines.

"The problem," he explained, "is that all the teams would have to agree. Just because of that it won't happen? What nonsense," Lauda charged.

Rival engine maker Renault confirmed that it is not convinced F1 has a sound problem.

"Take, for example, the most famous race outside of formula one, which is Le Mans," Renault chief Jean-Michel Jalinier is quoted by Speed Week.

"Last year I was there and there were more than 70 cars in the field, and yet it made less noise at the start than our 22 (F1) cars.

"But no one complains that Le Mans is not a fantastic race," he said.

"If GP2 is louder, it just means that GP2 is outdated rather than F1 having a sound problem.

"You just have to move with the times," Jalinier argued, "and it is no longer the time for a V10 or V8 using 60 litres of fuel every 100 kilometres."

Interestingly, it seems that Mercedes' efforts to introduce the 'megaphone' may not be blocked at least by its title rival Red Bull.

"The test (next week) is a step in the right direction," said Dr Helmut Marko.

"GP2 is now louder than formula one, which cannot be," he insisted.

From GMM

The Crimean crisis has thwarted sponsor talks between Russian companies and Sauber, the Swiss formula one team admitted.

Sauber's well-known financial troubles eased last year when a 'Russian rescue deal' was put together, featuring test driver Sergey Sirotkin.

But team boss Monisha Kaltenborn has admitted ahead of the Spanish grand prix that talks with Russian sponsors have now "come to a standstill" amid the threat of a Ukrainian war and US and European sanctions.

"A lot of talks which are very advanced have virtually come to standstill," she said.

"People are waiting and seeing what's going to happen and nobody really knows the entire impact it can have because the sanctions that have now been imposed are really biting some of them.

"We really hope that the situation can be clarified soon and all our deals can be sorted out," Kaltenborn said in Barcelona.

Also affected with regard to sponsor negotiations is Toro Rosso, whose new driver for the 2014 season is Daniil Kvyat, a talented young Russian.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso STR9 (Photo: WRi2)

"I just hope that it will end up in a positive way and we will go to Sochi because that's very, very important," team boss Franz Tost also said.

Tost is referring to the Russian grand prix, scheduled to take place for the first time this October.

A superbike round in Russia has already been cancelled, and the German touring car championship DTM is not ruling out axing its Moscow race.

But Marussia team boss John Booth said the current plan is for F1 to race in Sochi.

"As with Bahrain over the last couple of years, we'll follow our government guidelines on whether it's safe to travel or not," he said.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will only start 15th, Sunday on the grid of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Vettel made it through to Q3, Saturday during qualifying, but could not set a time in the final session because of transmission issues. He was therefore placed 10th on the grid.

But his team then had to change the gearbox of his RB10, meaning the German was hit with a 5-place grid penalty.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing (Photo: WRi2)

"I left the garage for Q3 and lost drive in second gear," he said.

"I still had third gear and above so we thought we could do the lap with that, but by Turn 1 I had lost all the other gears, so we couldn't continue.

"I think I could have had a go for P3 today, but we didn't get that far. I'm of course quite disappointed."

From GMM

Lotus has been left isolated after supplier Renault complained about unpaid engine bills.

Earlier in Barcelona, Renault chief Jean-Michel Jalinier warned that some of the French marque's F1 customers could soon have their turbo V6s turned off.

Jalinier did not name the delinquent teams, but Lotus' struggle to pay drivers and suppliers in 2013 was widely known.

Red Bull is Renault's de-facto 'works' team, so it is unlikely Jalinier was referring to the reigning world champions.

And the boss of the other Red Bull-owned team, Toro Rosso's Franz Tost, said on Friday: "As far as I'm aware, we have paid everything."

The only other Renault-powered teams in 2014 are Lotus and backmarker Caterham.

Caterham team boss Cyril Abiteboul said: "It's a confidential issue but I'm happy since I'm on time to say that we are settled with invoices with Renault Sport F1."

Lotus is yet to comment.

Tesla said its deal to supply Toyota Motor Corp. with battery packs and motors for a rechargeable crossover will conclude this year.

Seating and electronics supplier Lear will ask a bankruptcy court judge in New York later this month to sign off on an $8.75 million settlement to a Detroit lawsuit involving automotive supplier price-fixing over the previous decade.

Jeep is looking get some traction this summer in a new ad campaign that features newly released tunes from

BMW Group's joint venture with SGL Group will spend $200 million to triple the capacity of its carbon fiber products plant in Washington state. The partners said the factory will become the world's largest producer of carbon fiber.

BMW Group's joint venture with SGL Group will spend $200 million to triple the capacity of its carbon fiber products plant in Washington.

AutoCanada, the largest publicly traded dealer group in Canada, said Thursday its net income rose 22 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to $8.3 million Canadian ($7.6 million U.S.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said today it was recalling an estimated 780,477 minivans after reports of overheating, including some fires, in third-row power window vent switches.

There seems to be no shortage of rarities in the 450-car John Scotti Collection that's currently rolling across the block in Auburn, Ind., at the

General Motors is recalling some 8,208 Chevrolet Malibu and

Ford said today that it is issuing two more recalls of the Ford Escape crossover, putting the number of recalls covering the Escape since its 2013 redesign into double digits.

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan got the first-ever Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick for a rear-wheel drive luxury sedan.