McLaren have announced on Wednesday that British teenager Tom Blomqvist, son of 1984 world rally champion Stig Blomqvist, has joined the select group of young talent on their driver development programme. “I'm thrilled to get this opportunity with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,” said Blomqvist. “The competition gets fiercer every time you step up a category, and having this level of support will really improve my strength and confidence.”

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg ended the second day of testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya as the quickest runner. Hulkenberg posted a best time of 1m 22.608s on Wednesday at the Spanish track to beat the Sauber of Sergio Perez by four hundredths of a second. Perez completed 85 laps in the C31, despite an exhaust problem towards the end of the day. “Quite a few high priority points have been ticked off the job list,” explained Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Sauber's head of track engineering. “In the morning we started with aero comparisons, and then did some proper mechanical set up work....

After a few technical difficulties, this week's Barcelona test isn't going wholly to plan for Sauber's Sergio Perez. But, despite the limited mileage, Perez remains optimistic that the team is making steady progress and that his new car will be competitive once the season gets underway…

The 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on April 20-22 and tickets are now available on Formula1.com. Making its eighth appearance on the F1 calendar, Bahrain provides a race-going experience like no other. For a unique insight into the only island state in the Arab world and its spectacular Sakhir circuit

Approaching a season as the reigning champion means you have little to gain and a lot to lose. But if you're Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, and you're aiming to follow in the footsteps of Fangio and Schumacher by clinching a third successive title, then there's a very tangible target. At the moment, however, Vettel is forgetting what lies ahead and simply concentrating on ironing out any teething problems afflicting the RB8 and regaining the levels of grip he enjoyed last season…