Vettel Rolls In Shanghai P1

Carrying the energy of wins in both of the season's first two races, Sebastian Vettel looked every bit as strong in gap practice Friday at Shanghai International Circuit.

Vettel, chasing the rare feat of initial a season with three straight wins, posted a quick lap of 1:38:739 to easily beat out coworker Mark Webber in the sister Red Bull RB7.

Webber, at 1:39:394, was the only other driver to eclipse the one minute, 39 second fence as third-place Lewis Hamilton (1:40:845) was more than two full seconds back of Vettel.

Jenson Button, who reported throughout the practice that his KERS system wasn't working, and Nick Heidfeld finished the top five.

The 90-minute session didn't turn out to Heidfeld's liking, however, as the German stopped his Lotus Renault GP entry on a wet track below overcast, hazy skies.

Heidfeld went over the curbs at Turn 10 and lost power, damaging his car.

Rookies Pastor Maldonado and Paul di Resta also spun, in that order, at different times.

Doctor happy with Kubica's progress

Robert Kubica is opening to get sensitivity back in his hurt hand, and is in good spirits considering the ordeal he has been through, according to one of the surgeons treating the Pole.

Hand specialist Dr Igor Rossello said he was happy with how Kubica, who has left rigorous care and started to begin the rehabilitation process, is progressing.

"He's no longer in pain and his psychological condition is pretty good," said Dr Rossello.

"He's clearly keen to start the rehabilitation work as soon as possible."

"He is doing pretty well and his situation is positive considering what he has been through."

Dr Rossello explained that the rehabilitation procedure was still at a very early stage.

"He can move his fingers somewhat and has a little bit of compassion already in his hand," he said.

"What is very significant is that there is no sign of infectivity, which is the main concern.

"He is now in his own large room so that he is as contented as possible.

"He has already started some mild hand exercises with the slight flexing of his fingers."

Kubica suffered a incomplete amputation of his right hand plus fractures to his right leg and arm in a awful rally crash in Italy earlier this month.

He may have to miss the entire 2011 season, and has been replaced at Renault by Nick Heidfeld for the period of recovery.

Renault to assess Heidfeld at Jerez test

Nick Heidfeld is to check for Renault at Jerez this week, as the team starts to assess potential replacements for their driver Robert Kubica, who was gravely injured in a rally crash on Sunday. Heidfeld, who boasts over a decade of Formula One experience and competed in five Grands Prix last season for BMW Sauber, will be in act over the weekend.

As originally listed, Kubica's team mate Vitaly Petrov will drive the R31 at the Spanish circuit on Thursday and Friday, before Heidfeld - and Renault reserve driver Bruno Senna - are given the chance to test over Saturday and Sunday. Renault will verify the exact running order on Friday evening.

Heidfeld began his Formula One profession with Prost in 2000 and since then has participated in 172 Grands Prix driving for Sauber (2001-2003), Jordan (2004), Williams (2005) and BMW Sauber (2006-2010). He enjoyed his most excellent season in 2007 when he ended fifth in the world championship, and he has achieved 12 podium finishes so far in his career.

Kubica remains in hospital in Italy subsequent his high-speed accident during the Ronde di Andora Rally. He has previously undergone seven hours of surgery to reconstruct his offended right forearm, but is expected back in surgery over the coming days to stabilise fractures to his right bear and right foot.

Final Pirelli test for Heidfeld, Grosjean to step in

Nick Heidfeld completed his final two-day test for the Pirelli at the Spanish circuit of Jerez this week, ahead of his Formula One race return. With former Renault driver Romain Grosjean set to take over development duties for the Pirelli, Heidfeld now heads to next weekend's Singapore Grand Prix where he will replace Pedro de la Rosa at BMW Sauber.

The German had already completed two tests - at the Mugello circuit in Italy and at France’s Paul Ricard - for the Italian tyre manufacturer, who will replace Bridgestone as Formula One racing's sole supplier next season. Grosjean will be in action for them next week at the Monza.

"We'd like to thank Nick for his very valuable contribution to our tyre development programme and we wish him all the best for the future,” said Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery.

“In order to avoid favouring any individual team, we have jointly decided to release Nick from his contract and now we have chosen Romain to test for us in Monza. He's packed a lot of experience into a short space of time, including all our GP3 tyre development, so I'm sure he'll be able to give us some very useful feedback.”

Grosjean started 2009 as Renault’s third driver but was promoted to a Formula One race seat alongside Fernando Alonso mid season after the team dropped Nelson Piquet. He couldn’t match Alonso, however, with a best qualifying slot of 12th in Italy and a best finish of 13th in Brazil and failed to retain his seat. This season he has been competing in the GP2, FIA GT and Auto GP series.

Heidfeld’s last test for Pirelli was encouraging and over two days he completed 100 laps of the 4.43-kilometre Spanish track at the wheel of the Toyota TF109, which is being used for Pirelli's pre-season development. His main task was to help the engineers finalise development on tyre construction, but he also tried out a range of different compounds.

“The tests here at Jerez have gone extremely well and we completed all the work that we planned over the two days,” concluded Hembery. “Now we move onto Monza, where our task will be to finalise the construction before we focus further on compounds."

Pirelli’s return to the sport next season will see the Italian company compete in their first Grand Prix in two decades.

With Heidfeld On Board, Pirelli Begins F1 Testing

Pirelli is wasting no time in preparing for the 2011 Formula One season, its first in more than the two decades.

The tiremaker has hired former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld as its official test driver, and has already begun initial testing of its F1 race tires.

Heidfeld will use the Toyota's F1 car from last year, the TF109, to test the new rubber that all the teams will use from 2011 onwards.

The 33-year-old raced in F1 for the 10 years, scoring 12 podium finishes. He is currently chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Heidfeld will drive the car in a series of test sessions on several different circuits beginning this month, and Pirelli said tire development work will “focus on finding the delicate compromise needed between the performance, durability and spectacle next season.”

Pirelli said all current Formula One teams will get the chance to test its new F1 race tires after the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.