Mar.27 (GMM) Sir Richard Branson's arrival at the Albert Park circuit on Saturday coincided with an unfortunate headline in Britain's The Sun tabloid.

The headline said the British billionaire's "Virgin won't go all the way"; a cheeky reference to the bizarre story about the VR-01 car's fuel tank being not big enough to last a full race distance.

The newspaper said the new team is now the "laughing stock of F1", and that the car's redesign will cost Branson a million pounds.

Said a rival team boss: "It sounds to me as if they missed a decimal point."

The Daily Telegraph broadsheet was less unkind, but nonetheless reflected the amazement in the paddock about how the blunder could have been made by the team.

"The three other Cosworth-supplied teams did not make the same mistake despite the same fuel consumption," read the article.

But Virgin chief executive Graeme Lowdon told BBC radio that the problem is a "supplier issue", coinciding with suggestions the fuel tank was supplied by a different company than the rest of the 2010 field.

Latest F1 News - Mobile version

26 Feb: New Ferrari not quickest in field - Domenicali 26 Feb: Red Bull still best in 2013 - Tost 26 Feb: 2014 French grand prix 'possible' - Prost 26 Feb: Danica Patrick 'not interested' in F1 switch 26 Feb: Report - Gilles Simon working on F1 engine for Honda 26 Feb: Gutierrez plays down link to Carlos Slim 26 Feb: Caterham exhaust 'legal' insists van der Garde 26 Feb: McLaren replaces Mercedes-bound Lowe 25 Feb: 'Engine maps' trouble for Red Bull, Lotus - report 25 Feb: Mercedes-bound Lowe to miss 2013 opener - report 25 Feb: Mercedes 'in group of teams' behind Red Bull - Lauda 25 Feb: Gutierrez expects Hulkenberg to beat him early in 2013 25 Feb: New Ferrari 'much better' than 2012 - Massa 25 Feb: Teams 'will adapt' to new tyre situation - Gutierrez 25 Feb: Tight rules make today's F1 cars 'the same' - Forghieri 25 Feb: Williams removes controversial exhaust trick 25 Feb: Contract 'conflicts' cause of Marussia test snub - Razia 25 Feb: Lotus to fight Red Bull for title - Gutierrez 25 Feb: Marussia 'ahead of Caterham' - Chilton 25 Feb: Sutil will not stay in F1 as test driver The latest F1 News - Mobile Version