Bahrain Friday quotes: Ferrari Friday, March 12th 2010, 15:04 GMT Fernando Alonso - 9th: “A slightly different Friday to usual for me, as it was the first one with my new team. We concentrated mainly on comparing the two types of tyre, so as to be as well prepared as possible for the race on Sunday, trying to get a car that performs consistently over a long run. Obviously, with such high temperatures, tyre degradation was more rapid, especially with the rears

Bahrain Friday quotes: Virgin Friday, March 12th 2010, 15:09 GMT Timo Glock - 20th: “Today hasn’t been the start to the weekend that we hoped for.

SAO PAULO — Danica Patrick’s stint in NASCAR is receding into her rearview mirror — for now.Patrick is back with the IndyCar Series after three races in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide circuit, and she can’t wait for the open-wheel season to get under way with the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on Sunday.”I’ve really enjoyed my time running in NASCAR thus far,” she told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

Moraes secures last minute KV return By Matt Beer Thursday, March 11th 2010, 20:18 GMT Mario Moraes has secured a late deal to rejoin KV Racing Technology for the 2010 IndyCar Series. The 21-year-old Brazilian impressed for the team last season, his second year in the championship, with ever more competitive performances including a front row start at Motegi and a maiden podium at Chicagoland

Rahal to drive for Sarah Fisher By Matt Beer Thursday, March 11th 2010, 09:46 GMT Graham Rahal has completed a shock deal with Sarah Fisher Racing for two early season IndyCar races. The American had been searching for a new drive since the loss of sponsor McDonalds brought his Newman/Haas/Lanigan stint to an end last winter.

Fisher happy to hand car to Rahal By Matt Beer Thursday, March 11th 2010, 11:08 GMT Sarah Fisher says she has no qualms about stepping aside for Graham Rahal at the St Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park IndyCar rounds - hailing the 21-year-old American as an “incredible talent.” Rahal revealed last night that he had secured a two-round deal with Sarah Fisher Racing, having been searching for a new drive following his winter split with Newman/Haas/Lanigan, which was prompted by a sponsor departure.

Pentus stays on at Fortec By Peter Mills Thursday, March 11th 2010, 11:46 GMT Fortec Motorsport has announced that Estonian racer Sten Pentus will contest a second consecutive season of Formula Renault 3.5 with the team. With limited previous experience, Pentus gained plaudits in his debut season by finishing second in the opening meeting at Barcelona, on his way to 12th overall in the standings. Fortec and Mofaz Racing, now Junior Lotus, ended their association in Formula Renault 3.5 over the winter but Richard Dutton’s team will continue in the series under its own banner.

Zampieri seals Pons FR3.5 deal By Peter Mills Thursday, March 11th 2010, 11:49 GMT Reigning Italian Formula 3 champion and Ferrari Driver Academy protege Daniel Zampieri will contest the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 season with Pons Racing. Double world motorcycle champion Sito Pons’s eponymous team claimed four victories in 2009 with Marcos Martinez, and previously carried Lotus Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen to the World Series by Nissan title in 2004

De la Rosa downplays tyre advantage By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde Thursday, March 11th 2010, 12:51 GMT Pedro de la Rosa has played down the advantage his Sauber team may have with the use of the tyres ahead of the start of the season. An analysis carried out by Bridgestone suggested after winter testing that the Sauber C29 is very good at looking after its tyres, something that will be crucial this year, with refuelling banned. But de la Rosa reckons the conditions during testing have been very different to those the team will face in Bahrain.

Castroneves: IndyCar getting closer By Matt Beer Thursday, March 11th 2010, 14:07 GMT Penske driver Helio Castroneves reckons his squad and main rival Ganassi are being reeled in by the rest of the IndyCar Series teams. Although Penske topped the times in the pre-season test at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Ganassi, Dreyer & Reinbold and KV Racing also had cars in the top six. Castroneves believes Penske and Ganassi have now reached the limit of the ageing Dallara-Honda package’s development potential, and with the car set to be used for another two years, the underdog teams will get ever closer