Turkish GP: Vettel Cruises To His Third

Sebastian Vettel demonstrated his maturity and Red Bull their pace as the German put in a faultless drive to take his third win of the season

Starting from pole position, the defending World Champion stormed into the lead, completely untroubled by those behind him.

From there it was but a walk in the park for the Red Bull driver, who only reliquished the lead when he stopped for fresh tyres.

Cruising across the line, having opted for a four-stop strategy, which included a late stop to ensure that no one on fresher tyres could take the victory away from him ala China style, Vettel bagged another 25 points towards his title defense.

Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso were involved in a thrilling battling seven laps from the end of the grand prix. It started earlier in the race when Alonso past Nico Rosberg in the opening few laps and then later took Webber with the use of his adjustable rear wing.

The Aussie had no answer for the Ferrari driver as he stormed by and had to settle in behind him. Both drivers opted for four-stop strategies to give them the edge in the closing stages but it seemed to give Webber more of the edge and paid Alonso back, overtaking the Spaniard to finish second in a Red Bull 1-2.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton lost his chance of fighting for a podium finish when his third stop took precious extra seconds+ due to a problem with his front right wheel nut.

He dropped down the order but fought back to fourth place before coming in for his fourth stop, which put him behind team-mate Jenson Button, who was on a three-stopper to Hamilton's four. With Hamilton on fresh rubber, Button had no answer to his team-mate, who took the position off him without a breaking a sweat.

Nico Rosberg, another four-stopper, was the next to take Button, a welcome feeling for the Mercedes GP driver, who seemed to spend much of the race dropping down the order. He had been P2 after the opening lap.

Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov, Sebastien Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi completed the points.

Results
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:30:17.558
02. Mark Webber Red Bull +8.807
03. Fernando Alonso Ferrari +10.075
04. Lewis Hamilton McLaren + 40.232
05. Nico Rosberg Mercedes + 47.539
06. Jenson Button McLaren + 59.431
07. Nick Heidfeld Renault + 1:00.857
08. Vitaly Petrov Renault + 1:08.168
09. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso + 1:09.300
10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber + 1:18.000
11. Felipe Massa Ferrari + 1:19.800
12. Michael Schumacher Mercedes + 1:25.400
13. Adrian Sutil Force India + 1 lap
14. Sergio Perez Sauber + 1 lap
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams + 1 lap
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso +1 lap
17. Pastor Maldonado Williams + 1 lap
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus + 1 lap
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus + 2 laps
20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin + 2 laps
21. Narain Karthikeyan HRT + 3 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT + 5 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: That was one of the best

Lewis Hamilton has hailed the Chinese GP as "one of the best races I've experienced" after claiming his first victory of 2011

What maked the win sweeter for Hamilton and McLaren is the fact that it put an end to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's early-season dominance after the German won in Australia and Malaysia.

Starting P3 on the grid, Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button both beat Vettel off the line.

The defending World Champion hit back in the first two rounds of pit stops to reclaim the lead, but Hamilton had the last laugh as the decision to pit for a third time paid dividends when his fresher rubber allowed him to pass Vettel with four laps to go.

Hamilton says everything fell into place once the race got underway.

"I am absolutely overwhelmed," said the McLaren driver. "It feels like a long time since I was sitting here. I am proud and grateful for all the hard work I have put in.

"I will continue to push and looking forward to many more like this."

He added: "I think today the strategy that we came up with definitely helped

"My new option tyres seemed to last longer. The pit stops were fantastic. The car felt great and I was trying to nurse my tyres while picking up pace.

"It was one of the best races I've experienced. It feels amazing to be able to bring home a victory for the guys in the factory."

The 26-year-old nearly failed to make it to his P3 slot on the grid after a fuel line came loose before the start of the race. That resulted in a mad scramble to fix the problem. Even though he was able to line up in position on the grid, his mechanics were still working on the car moments before the formation lap.

Hamilton, though, insists he was never worried.

"I don't think worried was coming into my thoughts," he said. "I'm not sure what went on, but we took a lot of bodywork off. We knew there was six minutes to go and then with two minutes fortunately everything came together very quickly.

"But of course for me it is important to stay as calm as possible as that reflects on the guys in the garage. They got the car out which is the most important thing."

Now that McLaren have managed to overhaul Red Bull during a race, the next target will be to catch up with Vettel in qualifying.

"I think obviously we still have a long road ahead of us," Hamilton said.

"We are working very hard to close the gap. In race pace we are quite similar, but in qualifying we still have a lot of work to do."

Source: Planet-F1

Webber relishing Vettel's loss

Mark Webber may not have won the Chinese GP, however, he was one of the happiest guys around as his team-mate Sebastian Vettel also didn't win

Vettel claimed dominant wins in Australia and Malaysia prompting some to question whether F1 should just gift him the title right now.

After taking pole in China, it appeared as if it was going to be another Vettel victory.

However, the German lost out to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who used his fresher rubber to pass the reigning World Champ on lap 52, taking the win.

Surprisingly, the man who was happy to see Vettel lose was his own Red Bull team-mate.

"Congratulations to Lewis. It was good that someone finally... of course Seb is in the same team, but he's been on a phenomenal run and we're all here together fighting for victories," said the Aussie.

"Shame McLaren won in a way, but also we can't let Seb get too far away. It was a good day for the racing, I think, and a good day for us in terms of points for the team."

As for his own grand prix, Webber fought back from a dismal P18 in qualifying to finish on the podium, slicing past the Ferraris, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button in the final ten laps thanks to his newer tyres.

"It was an interesting GP, we decided to start on the prime hard tyre. We know it was not the more desired tyre. We got that out of the way, and it was quite tricky. It was not easy to come back with those guys.

"But I got the car back and we really started from there. To still see P17 on board after 15 laps [was hard], then I felt comfortable with car, and I had a few sets of tyres left after qualifying - so maybe the best bet is not to take part in qualifying and go from there!

"Jokes aside, great job this weekend, the guys haven't given up - it is a drive for everyone at the factory."

Source: Planet-F1

Chinese GP: Lewis Ends Seb's Dominance

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren overcame a pre-race wobble to end Sebastian Vettel's dominance with a superb Chinese Grand Prix victory

Hamilton's mechanics were frantically repairing a fuel leak on his car before the start of the race, but their hard work paid off as he finished ahead of Vettel.

The German's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber put in a sensational performance to claim the final podium position.

The Woking-based team made the dream start as both their drivers overtook Vettel at the first corner. Vettel hit back in the middle stages of the race, but ultimately the pit stop strategy cost him dearly.

The two McLaren drivers, Vettel, Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg all led the race at one stage, but Red Bull's decision to put Vettel on a two-stopper saw him drop to P2 as Hamilton on a fresher set of rubbers overtook him on lap 52.

Webber, who started 18th on the grid, charged up the field pretty much the whole afternoon and he was rewarded with a P3 after overtaking Button on the penultimate lap.

Mercedes claimed their best result of the weekend as Rosberg hung onto P5 with Massa and Fernando Alonso fifth and sixth.

Results
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:36:58.226
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull +5.198
03. Mark Webber Red Bull +7.555
04. Jenson Button McLaren +10.000
05. Nico Rosberg Mercedes Grand Prix +13.448
06. Felipe Massa Ferrari +15.840
07. Fernando Alonso Ferrari +30.622
08. Michael Schumacher Mercedes Grand Prix +31.026
09. Vitaly Petrov Renault +57.404
10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber +1:03.273
11. Paul di Resta Force India +1:08.757
12. Nick Heidfeld Renault +1:12.739
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams +1:30.189
14. Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso +1:30.671
15. Adrian Sutil Force India +1 Lap
16. Heikki Kovalainen Team Lotus +1 Lap
17. Sergio Perez Sauber +1 Lap
18. Pastor Maldonado Williams +1 Lap
19. Jarno Trulli Team Lotus +1 Lap
20. Jerome d' Ambrosio Virgin Racing +2 Laps
21. Timo Glock Virgin Racing +2 Laps
22. Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT F1 Team +2 Laps
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT F1 Team +2 Laps

Did not finish

24. Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso +47 Laps

Source: Planet-F1

Video: Fernando Alonso says Ferrari cannot win Chinese Grand Prix

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who qualifies in fifth for the Chinese Grand Prix, says the team is not quick enough to aim for victory in the race on Sunday



Source: FiftyBuckss

Button: Who knows? Maybe we can win

Jenson Button has not ruled out a third straight win in the Australian GP despite his new MP4-26's mediocre performance in pre-season testing

The 2009 Champion, in an interview with his team's official website, said: "Albert Park has been good to me: I've won there for the past two seasons.

"It's a great circuit for racing, it always seems to create unpredictable races.

"And, perhaps because it's habitually at the start of the season when a precise pecking order has yet to be established, we often see fast cars running out of sequence - and the excitement that that brings.

"With the added issue of multiple tyre stops, it could be a very exciting and unpredictable race weekend."

On his prospects for next Sunday's season-opener he added: "I'm regularly being asked if I can make it three wins in a row this year.

"On paper that might not look likely, but, seriously, who knows? I most definitely wouldn't rule it out."

He said he had added motivation this year after the triple trauma suffered by Japan of last Friday's earthquake, tsunami and radiation scare.

"I go to Melbourne this weekend resolving to not only try my best, but also to salute the brave people, and my many friends, throughout Japan."

His team-mate, fellow Briton and 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton, conceded that on paper at least, McLaren faced a tough task to cope with the speed shown in testing by the likes of rivals Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

"We can't hide the fact that testing has been tougher than we expected," said Hamilton, who won at Albert Park in 2008.

"Our test mileage hasn't been as high as that of our rivals, nor have we had the outright pace of the fastest cars.

"Still, I have a good feeling with MP4-26: I like driving our car, I think it will look after its tyres quite well and I understand that we'll be making further performance steps ahead of this opening race.

"Nevertheless, we know we go to Melbourne ready for battle: some teams are extremely well prepared - both from a pace and reliability point of view - but that can sometimes count for little in the unpredictable and somewhat chaotic opening races where it's equally vital just to take points home.

"I strongly believe that, while our preparations haven't gone as smoothly as we'd have liked, I get the impression that we'll be arriving in Melbourne with everything finally meshing together - and that makes me really excited."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh acknowledged that McLaren would not figure among the favourites to win in Melbourne, but he echoed his drivers' optimism that a decent showing was possible.

He said: "Do I think our testing pace is representative of the pace we'll show in Australia? No.

"Do I think we head into the weekend as race favourites? Unfortunately, no.

"But do I feel that we have the capacity to surprise a few people and be competitive? Very much so."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso: Best car, not strategy, will win

Fernando Alonso is adamant that the "quickest or best car" will win this year's Championship and not the best thinkers on the pit wall

Strategy looks set to play a huge role in this year's Championship as the new Pirelli tyres, which have high wear, could see drivers needing three or even four pit stops during a grand prix.

But despite this, Alonso is confident the best car will be the one that emerges victorious at the end of the season.

"As usual in F1, the quickest or best car will win the Championship in the end," the Ferrari driver told Autosport.

"Strategy is important, maybe one or two races will be decided by a very good strategy or someone very quick can have a mistake in a strategy point of view and lose that victory.

"But over 20 races or 19 races you can make mistakes one time in strategy or you can do a very good strategy one time but not every race, so in the end the most important thing will be to have the quickest car and we are working for that."

Added to that the Spaniard, who lost out on last year's World title due to a botched call from his pit wall in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, says teams will need to be flexible in their strategies.

"There are many possibilities this year. It is not like last year so that will be the most important thing.

"Sometimes it is better to sacrifice some laps that you know you are very slow at the end of the run, but maybe you make one stop less.

"It is a difficult call and a difficult judgement that we will need to make. We will need to be very open and very flexible in every race."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: We're not good enough to win

Lewis Hamilton believes that neither he nor Jenson Button have a chance of repeating their previous World title successes unless McLaren make vast improvements to their car

The 26-year-old conceded, though, that the ongoing work of the McLaren engineering team meant that the car could become capable of challenging last year's supremacy of Red Bull.

"Do I believe I have a car to win the world championship at the moment? I don't, no," was his blunt assessment when he spoke to Autosport.

"But that doesn't mean it won't become a World Championship-winning car.

"From today, the improvements we've had, it's something that can grow to be better, so as long as we keep pushing in the right direction with the development, and the new things we have coming several races down the line, hopefully they will enable us to close the gap and compete for wins.

"As long as we pick up a good few points in the first few races, then we won't be miles behind."

Hamilton, the 2008 World Champion, finished fourth in last year's World Championship.

He said it was vital that McLaren secured top-five finishes, at least, in the first four races of the season.

"Say for example we were able to be in the top five for the first three or four races, get those points, and then if we happen to have a car capable of winning, then it would still be possible," said the Briton.

"So I'm definitely not shutting the year off. Everything is still to play for."

However, the 14-time grand prix-winner said that Wednesday's testing session had only shown McLaren how much progress they still have to make.

Hamilton recorded the fourth fastest time of the session, 1: 22.888, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel fastest in the Red Bull in 1:21.865.

"It has been a tough day in the sense that we've not done enough miles," said Hamilton.

"I came here hoping to do more laps, to get in a good 100-odd laps, to get in a race distance.

"Usually at this time of the year, this is when we come with pitstops and one or two race distances a day, but we were nowhere near even completing one."

Source: Planet-F1

Schumacher: I can win another title

Michael Schumacher is confident that he can still add to his seven World titles despite suggestions that he is too old to reach the summit of F1

Having returned to the sport after a three-year absence, the German failed to reach the standards he had set in the past and generally performed below most expectations.

Despite this, the World Champion has lost none of the self-belief that helped him to seven World titles during the 1990's and 2000's, declaring that he is certain he can challenge for the top honours in 2011.

"Absolutely [I can win another title]," the German told F1 Racing.

"Look, we have a three-year project. Very clearly right now, we are not where we want to be. We've put a lot of effort into coming back and are optimistic we have a chance.

"But in the history of Formula 1, when does it ever happen that you come back straightaway from this level to win in just one year? Very rarely.

"So I'm sure we can fight for wins this year and we might be able to fight for the championship. I hope so. I'm here on a mission and I want to succeed. I want to perform and I'm going to put 100 per cent into it. And if that's not the case in 2011, then we will have to do it in the final year," he added.

Source: Planet-F1

Brazilian GP: Vettel wins as Bulls dominate

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber claimed yet another 1-2 as Red Bull won the Constructors' title in Brazil, Fernando Alonso's lead in the Drivers' was cut and Jenson Button dropped out

Vettel and his team-mate were quick to overtake pole-sitter Nico Hulkenberg and storm into the lead as the Williams rookie caused problems for Alonso and Hamilton. While Alonso finally got by him out on track, Hamilton had to wait until the German pitted - and all the time the two Bulls were pulling away at a rate of knots.

There was an interesting move in the mid-field as Jenson Button pitted on lap 12 - the very first man in. His stop sparked a move from others and it quickly became apparant that McLaren had made a good call as those pitting after Button, including Hulkenberg, Kubica, Barrichello and Massa all lined up behind the reigning World Champ out on track.

When the pit stops, which ranged from lap 12 to lap 28, finally played out, Vettel was leading by 2.7s over Webber with Alonso a further 10s adrift. Hamilton and Button were next in line. The race was rather stagnent from there, promising so much but delivering so little. At least until lap 51.

Drama unfold as Tonio Liuzzi suffered a huge shunt bringing out the Safety Car. McLaren was the only one of big teams to bring their title rivals in for fresh rubber with the two Bulls and Alonso staying out.

But when the race re-started on lap 56, F1 fans still did not get the battle they wanted as although second in the race, Webber had two cars between himself and Vettel on the track at the re-start - and they didn't exactly get out of the way all that fast. This allowed Vettel to easily pull away without any pressure. Alonso, Hamilton and Button also had to fight backmarker traffic which nullified the potential tussle we could have had for the lead.

Pity for F1.

The race ended with Vettel taking the chequered flag ahead of Webber, Alonso, Hamilton and Button. It also ended with Red Bull winning the Constructors' Championship, Alonso's lead in the Drivers' cut to eight, Hamilton's hopes hanging by a thread and Button out of the title race.

Results:

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h33:11.803
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 4.243
03. Alonso Ferrari + 6.807
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 14.634
05. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 15.593
06. Rosberg Mercedes + 35.300
07. Schumacher Mercedes + 43.400
08. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
09. Kubica Renault + 1 lap
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Massa Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. Klien HRT-Cosworth + 6 laps

Did Not Finish
Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 63
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 50

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso not expecting to win title in Brazil

Fernando Alonso is not ready to relax despite leaping into a strong points position with just two races left to run in 2010.

It is true that, now with an 11-point lead over Mark Webber, if the Spaniard wins in Brazil in two weeks and his Australian rival is fifth or lower, Alonso will secure his third drivers' world championship with a race to spare.

But McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh, whose drivers are also still mathematically in the hunt, said: "There is little doubt now the championship decider is going to be in Abu Dhabi."

Alonso agrees that he cannot rely on another Korea-like outcome before then.

"Red Bull showed us again in Korea that they are stronger than us, and that will be the same in Brazil and Abu Dhabi as well," the Ferrari driver told El Pais newspaper.

"So what we need is another small step forward to be competitive. We must be on the podium. If someone beats us now, congratulations -- winning or losing will depend on who is faster, on reliability and on luck," added the 29-year-old.

In comments published by Italy's La Stampa, Alonso said he is not interested in the mathematical possibility of him becoming champion in Brazil.

"Yes, that's true -- and if Red Bull miss their plane to Brazil, that's another way to be champion," he joked.

"The odds remain in favour of Red Bull."

Alonso said the only mathematical certainty is that he cannot lose the championship at Interlagos in two weeks.

"In Korea I have only guaranteed to be fighting in Abu Dhabi in the last race of the season," he confirmed.

Source: Motorsport.com

Japan GP: Vettel Takes Commanding Win

Sebastian Vettel boosted his title hopes with a significant victory in Japan as he dominated his team-mate Mark Webber. Fernando Alonso completed the podium places, but it was more gearbox problems for the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton

There was plenty of action at the start of the race as Vitaly Petrov, Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Massa and Tonio Liuzzi all crashed into retirement on the opening lap, bringing out the Safety Car. And while the drivers were slowly touring the track behind the Safety Car we had retirement number six as Robert Kubica's right-rear wheel fell off his car, forcing him to park it.

CONDITIONS: Bright and sunny with no rain predicted: 26C ambient, 36C track. Lucas diGrassi failed to get his car to the grid, the Virgin going off at 130R and hitting the barriers even before the parade lap.

GRID:1.Vettel, 2.Webber, 3.Kubica, 4.Alonso, 5.Button, 6.Rosberg, 7.Barrichello, 8.Hamilton, 9.Hulkenberg, 10.Schumacher, 11.Heidfeld, 12.Massa

START:When the red lights went out there was immediate action from the Renault of Vitaly Petrov veering across the track and into the barriers. He'd made contact with the Williams of Nico Hulkenberg seconds after the start. Both drivers out on the spot but Petrov the man at fault.

Further down the main straight Felipe Massa tried to make up quick places from P.12, and put his right wheels on the inside grass of the circuit coming into Turn 1. He slewed straight into the side of the innocent Tonio Liuzzi. Both men out. In Singapore Liuzzi hadn't lasted a lap but this time it was not his fault.

However the big excitement was at the front. Robert Kubica got a much better start from P3 on the grid and was straight in front of Mark Webber and also had the momentum to think about a challenge on Vettel - had the straight been longer.

Nico Rosberg got a dreadful start from P.6 and was immediately passed by Lewis Hamilton who jostled his way from P8 to P5 right behind his team-mate by the Esses. With four cars already at the side of the track, the Safety Car was dispatched immediately so they could be recovered.

LAP ONE ORDER:1.Vettel, 2.Kubica, 3.Webber, 4.Alonso, 5.Button, 6.Hamilton, 7.Barrichello, 8.Schumacher, 9.Heidfeld, 10.Sutil

Nico Rosberg, who'd dropped a long way back after his poor start, immediately stopped for his harder Prime tyres and rejoined at the back.

Robert Kubica was going to be a big problem for Mark Webber having got himself between the two Red Bulls, but on Lap 3 he'd suddenly dropped a long way off the back of the Safety Car and Sebastian Vettel, and TV cameras picked him up parking the Renault car. He'd lost a rear wheel off the right corner and parked it. Both Renaults out within three laps and six cars in total before we'd completed one lap at racing speed.

The Safety Car came in at the end of Lap 6 and on the restart Michael Schumacher made a classic overtaking move round the outside of Rubens Barrichello into the final chicane, snatching seventh place. At the same time Nico Rosberg tried to get round the outside of Sebastien Buemi at 130R. Buemi wasn't giving way and Rosberg was forced out wide onto the run-off at 170mph plus but miraculously managed to keep control of his car.

The race settled into a pattern with the Red Bulls swapping fastest laps at the front. By Lap 12 Vettel had a 2.0 second lead on Webber and Mark was 3.5 in front of Alonso. Jenson Button had started on the harder Prime tyre and was clearly holding up Hamilton who had the faster Option. But there was no easy way past.

Behind them, home boy Kamui Kobayashi was keen to change his surname to Kamikaze
with a less-than-100%-fair move up the inside of Alguersuari into the hairpin, grabbing P10 and using the Toro Rosso as a braking aid. Three laps later he tried the same move on Adrian Sutil into the hairpin, this time pulling off the move perfectly.

Jenson Button had been hoping that the Option tyre runners would need to stop on lap 10 or 12, but the circuit began to rubber in quickly, and with the added laps behind the Safety Car, the first Option runners to pit - Sutil and Heidfeld - only came in at the end of Lap 18. Lewis Hamilton pitted for the Prime tyres on Lap 22 and exited just behind Kobayashi who was up to P7 (but not yet stopped).

Michael Schumacher pitted from sixth place on Lap 23 but exited behind his team-mate, while Vettel and Alonso pitted on Lap 24 and Webber on Lap 25. There were no net changes for the front runners and Hamilton was swiftly past Kobayashi into Turn 1 on Lap 25. He was still several seconds behind Alonso, though.

Out in front, Jenson Button had gained no advantage from running the harder Prime tyre but soldiered on regardless. With 20+ seconds needed for a pit-stop he was not quick enough to retain fourth place, but had a big window for fifth place after his stop. Behind Button, the four who had changed their tyres closed in, the Red Bulls and the Ferrari managing their fuel and temperatures all the while.

LAP TWENTY-NINE ORDER:1.Button, 2.Vettel, 3.Webber, 4.Alonso, 5.Hamilton, 6.Kobayashi, 7.Rosberg, 8.Schumacher, 9.Heidfeld, 10.Barrichello, 11.Sutil, 12.Alguersuari

Though Hamilton closed down the gap to Alonso to a mere 2.2 seconds on lap 37 after his stop for tyres, that was as close as he would get. On Lap 39 he radioed back that he had lost third gear and because it is a sequential gearbox, the McLaren team didn't want him going any lower. So he was restricted to fourth-to-seventh gear, making the slow exit from the hairpin even slower.

Jenson Button pitted from the lead on Lap 38, as did Kobayashi from P6. Button rejoined in P5 and Kobayashi emerged behind Alguersuari again, in P11. With his new tyres, Button immediately started lapping two seconds a lap quicker than his team-mate who was just hanging on till the finish.

On Lap 45 Kamui Kobyashi proved that you don't have to use the inside line to overtake at the hairpin and overtook Alguersuari round the outside; the Toro Rosso needlessly banging wheels with the Japanese driver on the exit - and more than once. For this stupidity he picked up a puncture and had to pit, while Kobayashi's bent Sauber continued.

While all this was happening Adrian Sutil, Kobayashi's next target, spun in the middle of 130R, swapped ends and continued - the Mercedes engine of his Force India having started to emit plumes of engine oil smoke seconds beforehand. Sutil disappeared into the pits and retirement leaving Kobayashi free to home in on Rubens Barrichello.

Three laps later and Nico Rosberg's race came to a dramatic end as his Mercedes veered off the road at the Esses with a tyre bouncing high up into the air after a car failure. Race Director Charlie Whiting decided to recover the car under waved yellows.

On Lap 49 Kobayashi - on much fresher tyres than all the cars in front of him - sent one up the inside of Barrichello into the hairpin and was through to eighth place sending the Japanese crowd wild. A lap later and team-mate Nick Heidfeld had to defend his seventh place into Turn 1 from Kobayashi. By the time he'd got to the hairpin he'd decided to play the team game and let Kobayashi through- almost letting Barrichello past into the bargain.

At the front of the race Sebastian Vettel started to increase his pace without Button restricting him in front, Mark Webber also upped his pace but never looked like challenging him. Despite the Red Bulls' dominance they couldn't shake off Fernando Alonso's dogged pursuit. Jenson Button, on his fresher tyres, closed a little on Alonso but was never going to catch him, let alone pass.

They held positions to the flag with the falling-back Lewis Hamilton listening anxiously for gearbox noises in fifth. Behind him, in sixth place, Michael Schumacher posted his best result in a long while, having wiped the memory of a poor Singapore GP.

The Red Bulls flashed across the line first and second, Mark Webber gleefully claiming the Fastest Lap on the final lap to show Vettel what he could do in clear air. Alonso was not far off in third and Button ten seconds further back in fourth. However celebrating almost as much as the Austrian team were Team Lotus. They had scored another P12 with Heikki Kovalainen equalling their best result of the season and winning the battle of the new teams. Richard Branson had officially lost his 'air hostess bet."

Results:

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h30:27.323
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 0.905
03. Alonso Ferrari + 2.721
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 13.522
05. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 39.595
06. Schumacher Mercedes + 59.933
07. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:04:038
08. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari + 1:09.648
09. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1:10.846
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:12.806
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
14. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
15. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
16. Yamamoto + 3 laps
17. Rosberg Mercedes + 5 laps

Did Not Finish
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 45
Kubica Renault 4
Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1
Massa Ferrari 1
Petrov Renault 1
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1
Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 0

Source: Planet-F1

Kimi Räikkönen wins the Rallye Vosgien 2010

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström win his first Rally

Overall Classification :

1 1 RAÏKKÖNEN Kimi/LINDSTRÖM Kai FIN/FIN A8W 1-1 Citroën C4 WRC 52m59,4s 52m59,4s

2 7 GILBERT Quentin/GUILLAUME Renaud F/F A7K 2-1 Renault Clio Maxi 56m20,7s 56m20,7s 3m21,3s
3 5 PEREIRA Armando/URAL Olivier F/F A8W 3-2 Peugeot 206 WRC 57m18,5s 57m18,5s 4m19,1s
4 33 MOUREY Steve/BREGAND Elodie F/F A6K 4-1 Peugeot 206 S1600 57m33,1s 57m33,1s 4m33,7s
5 2 ROBERT Cedric/BRUNEL Virginie F/F F213 1-1 Peugeot 206 57m40,4s 57m40,4s 4m41,0s
6 72 MARTIN Damien/HUMBERT Emmanuel F/F Z15 1-1 BMW M3 58m34,1s 58m34,1s 5m34,7s
7 59 SCHNOEBELEN Jérôme/DUSSAUCY Pierre F/F F214 2-1 Peugeot 205 Maxi 58m42,4s 58m42,4s 5m43,0s
8 85 WEHRLE Philippe/WEHRLE Mathieu F/F N3 1-1 Renault Clio Ragnotti 58m45,9s 58m45,9s 5m46,5s
9 23 REUTTER Paul/FRECHARD Gaetan F/F GT10 1-1 Porsche GT3 58m51,2s 58m51,2s 5m51,8s
10 9 VOIRIN Pascal/MARGAINE Nadine F/F FA8 5-1 Ford Escort Cosworth 58m56,9s 58m56,9s 5m57,5s
11 82 DUCHENE Pierre Emile/GENET Alice F/F N3 2-2 Renault Clio RS 59m08,8s 59m08,8s 6m09,4s
12 37 MOUGIN Antonin/BRONNER Kevin F/F R2 1-1 Citroën C2 R2 Max 59m12,5s 59m12,5s 6m13,1s
13 57 CONREAU David/POUSSARDIN Laurence F/F F214 3-2 Peugeot 306 59m14,5s 59m14,5s 6m15,1s
14 84 EDEL David/HARTMANN Guillaume F/F N3 3-3 Renault Clio 59m24,9s 59m24,9s 6m25,5s
15 101 VINEL Jerome/GRANDJEAN Melanie F/F F213 4-2 Peugeot 206 1h00m11,1s 1h00m11,1s 7m11,7s
16 26 ALCARAZ William/PETITNICOLAS Aurélien F/F N4 4-1 Mitsubishi Evo 6 1h00m27,9s 1h00m27,9s 7m28,5s
17 21 LOUBET Jacques/GRANDEMANGE Marielle F/F GT10 2-2 Porsche GT3 1h00m34,2s 1h00m34,2s 7m34,8s
18 58 MARCHAL Eddy/CALOT Julien F/F F214 5-3 Renault Clio RS 1h00m53,8s 1h00m53,8s 7m54,4s
19 73 GOETTELMANN Maxime/VINEL Carole F/F Z15 2-2 BMW M3 E30 1h00m55,9s 1h00m55,9s 7m56,5s
20 119 KEMPF Jean Michel/LIEFFROY Gabriel F/F N2 5-1 Citroën Saxo VTS 1h00m58,0s 1h00m58,0s 7m58,6s
21 64 VALENCE Francis/JUIF Johnny F/F F214 6-4 Renault Super 5 1h01m08,9s 1h01m08,9s 8m09,5s
22 52 MORESI Gaetan/GEHIN Romuald F/F FA7 6-1 Renault Megane 1h01m18,6s 1h01m18,6s 8m19,2s
23 118 POIROT Laurent/BROT David F/F N2 6-2 Citroën Saxo VTS 1h01m20,3s 1h01m20,3s 8m20,9s
24 81 GILLET Romain/CORRE Ophelie F/F N3 7-4 Renault Clio Ragnotti 1h01m22,0s 1h01m22,0s 8m22,6s
25 38 LAFONT Eric/LAFONT Nadine F/F R2 2-2 Citroën C2 R2 Max 1h01m41,8s 1h01m41,8s 8m42,4s
26 114 STEMPFLE Damien/GAINET Aline F/F FN2 8-3 Peugeot 106 S16 1h01m48,3s 1h01m48,3s 8m48,9s
27 115 MAHEU Emmanuel/VALENTIN Anthony F/F FN2 9-4 Peugeot 106 S16 1h01m48,6s 1h01m48,6s 8m49,2s

Courtesy: Imola- luieluv

Lewis Hamilton Q&A: I’m targeting victory in Monza too

Although he almost lost it all after momentarily going off track in the rain, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton eventually cruised to a well-deserved victory in Belgium on Sunday. Added to his 2008 Silverstone and Monte Carlo triumphs, Hamilton has almost a complete set of wins at the calendar’s ‘classic’ venues. Next on the British driver’s agenda is Monza. And with the MP4-25 expected to be equally strong at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, he may not have long to wait, as he explained in an interview with his official website…

Q: Your third victory of the season returned you to the top of the championship standings. This was a crucial win, wasn't it?
Lewis Hamilton: Absolutely. We went into the summer break knowing that we hadn't had a great race in Hungary. Even though I retired, we'd really struggled for pace all weekend. Going into Spa, we were confident that we'd have a more competitive package - but, given the strength of the other top teams, you never quite knew where that would leave you. And it was quite a hard weekend to read, because of the conditions. Obviously, Friday was wet, and although we were quick, we didn't know whether that was just because of the weather, or because the car was quick. On Saturday, we got a better idea, and I'm sure I'd have been able to take pole if it hadn't been for that last-minute rain shower, or if we'd fitted fresh options for the first run in Q3. Still, to put the car on the front row, with Jenson fifth, showed that we were competitive again. In the race itself, I was able to settle into a steady rhythm at the front. The track was only slightly damp in places at the start, so it was quite easy to establish a gap. When the rain started to fall, that's when I began to get quite nervous, because you know you've built up a margin, and you know that you can so easily lose out in those sorts of conditions. It was scary.

Q: So what was going through your mind when you went through the Turn Eight gravel?
LH: My heart was absolutely pumping! In my mind, I was absolutely on the edge, just trying to nurse the car through the gravel and get it out and back onto the track. The funny thing is, I wasn't particularly pushing at that point - I'd just been on the radio to the team to explain to them how the track was feeling and how slippery it was. I braked at what I thought was a sensible distance, but the car just kept going forwards - which was pretty, er, exciting! I just had to take a straighter line, scrub off as much speed as possible and then try and get the car through the gravel. I just made it - I think I kissed the barriers with the left-hand wheel rims, but it was close!

Q: You've spoken before of your desire to win at Formula One racing's ‘classic' venues. You've now tasted victory at Monaco, Silverstone and Spa - how important is it to complete the set by winning at Monza?
LH: Yeah, I've always looked at those four circuits on the calendar as being a little more special than the others. A couple of years ago, I remember David Coulthard saying he was proud to win those four Grands Prix for McLaren because they somehow connected him to the history of the sport, and I know exactly what he means. It's because those venues are unique - they're very special; you can feel the history at those races more than anywhere else. That's why I was so pleased and proud to have finally won at Spa - because it's a giant of the sport, and it means something to every driver who's ever raced there. So I'm going to Monza looking to take another win and keep pushing forward in the championship. Our car should be strong there too, but, as with every race in this championship, you can never take anything for granted.

Source: Formula1.com

Interview with Lewis Hamilton after Belgian GP 2010

Source: keexx2

Alonso's Blog: A win down to hard work from the team

All wins are special. Winning is a great feeling and that was the case in Hockenheim, especially when I think of the huge workload undertaken by everyone at Maranello to achieve this fantastic one-two finish. No one ever gave up and I know how pleased they were to see two Ferraris cross the line ahead of all our rivals. For over a month now we have been saying that we had to get back to winning at least once before the summer break and finally, we did it. We did not have much luck in some races and, because of unusual incidents, we did not pick up the points we deserved. There was a slight feeling of frustration with this lack of results, but at last in Germany, for once we had a normal race on a weekend when he had no problems whatsoever and the result was there for all to see.

However, the win does not change my approach to the rest of the season. We knew full before Hockenheim that our car was much more competitive and that was what made me so confident. Now we must continue in this direction, starting this coming weekend in Budapest. The Hungaroring is a special circuit for me. It was here in 2003 that I scored my first Formula 1 win and I was on pole here last year. Returning to that 24th August seven years ago, I don’t remember much about the events of the day, because it was so emotional I had the impression that everything happened incredibly quickly: it would be nice to relive that experience this weekend at the wheel of a Ferrari.

The track can almost be described as a go-kart track for Formula 1 cars. The corners follow on, one from the other, so there is nowhere for a driver to pause for breath and it is vital to have a car that deals with the many bumps in the track surface and handles riding the kerbs. From the physical and mental point of view it is a pretty demanding race, so it is important not to get impetuous and overcook things, because any mistake is heavily penalised, especially in qualifying. It’s best to stay focussed and concentrate on your own work, trying to put together the perfect weekend, one step at a time. That is what we plan to do, starting on Thursday. I have already said it many times before: there is still a long way to go in the championship and the maths will only be done at the end.

Source: Alonso's Blog - Ferrari.com

Canadian GP: Hamilton takes his second win

Lewis Hamilton won arguably the race of the season, surviving the heated action, tyre changes and argy-bargy to claim his second Canadian GP win

The battle off the start line for the lead was between Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso while behind them it was a great deal more physical with drivers banging into each other as they tried to get through the first corner.

Hamilton held onto the lead but had to give it up as he shot into the pits with Alonso close on his heels. The duo were side-by-side on the way out with Alonso taking the position off the McLaren driver. However, it didn't last long as Hamilton overtook him on the track and maintained his advantage over the Ferrari driver through their second stops.

The duo, though, emerged behind Mark Webber as Red Bull opted to put their driver on hard and more hard tyres, hoping he could build a lead over those using the more fragile softer rubber. The hard/hard call meant Hamilton and Alonso just had to bide their time, waiting to pounce when Webber finally came in for his softer tyres.

In the end they didn't have to wait as they caught the Aussie hand-over-foot and Hamilton passed him into the first corner with the Spaniard quickly following suit. From there it looked to be a straight fight between the McLaren and the Ferrari for the victory before a backmarker caught Alonso unaware and Jenson Button leapt onto the mistake, taking P2 and securing McLaren's second successive 1-2.

Alonso had to settle for third, ahead of Vettel, Webber, Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg and Sebastien Buemi, who actually led the race for a lap.

The results, though, will only be confirmed after the stewards investigate an incident between Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil and another between Schumacher and Felipe Massa. And that will only be done in the hours after the race.

Results:

01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h33:53.456
02. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 2.254
03.Alonso Ferrari + 9.214
04. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 37.817
05. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 39.291
06. Rosberg Mercedes + 56.084
07. Kubica Renault + 57.300
08. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
09. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
11. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Massa Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
17. Petrov Renault + 2 laps
18. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps
19. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth + 5 laps

Did Not Finish

Glock Virgin-Cosworth 50
Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 43
De la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 31
Senna HRT-Cosworth 14
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 2

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton dedicates win to father

Following the chaos which was the Red Bull collision and subsequent aftermath in Turkey on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed his first race victory of the season, crossing the line ahead of team-mate Jenson Button before dedicating his first victory since Singapore last year to father and former Manager Anthony.

After being able to crucially split the Red Bull pair in qualifying, Hamilton lost second place to Sebastian Vettel at the first corner before retaking the position just moments later, following leader Webber until dropping to third courtesy of a pit-stop problem.

"It was quite exciting, actually!" Hamilton said in the post-race press conference. "We had good race pace; we knew we would be able to stay with the Red Bulls but they're so fast in Turn 8, so it's difficult to slipstream, but otherwise I was on Mark's tail. I had a little problem at the pit-stop, so it was double trouble."

Having seen the Red Bulls go off in front of him, Hamilton then fended off Button in their own inter-team scrap just seven laps later.

"I'm not sure what happened with these guys but me and Jenson had a good little battle and fortunately was able to come back into Turn 1," Lewis continued, having also had to monitor his fuel levels. "It was definitely unexpected but a great result for the team.

"I want to dedicate this win to my dad, it's his 50th birthday tomorrow, so a perfect way for him to celebrate it.

"We were pushing very hard with the Red Bulls and it was a combination of looking after brakes and tyres - Turn 8 was a killer - and also looking after fuel, so it was difficult to know how much fuel to save."

Source: GP Update

Lewis Hamilton doubts Chance of Win

Lewis Hamilton describes what it feels like to drive around Monaco and plays down his chances of a win in Sunday's race in Monte Carlo

Source: Youtube

Schumacher will win again, says Häkkinen

Mika Häkkinen is sure that former arch rival Michael Schumacher will return to winning ways after a tough first four races in the German's comeback season. The 7-time World Champion's sixth place finish in Bahrain is his best for Mercedes so far whereas team-mate Nico Rosberg has enjoyed two podium results.

Having claimed double titles in 1998 and 1999, the first of which was also within Schumacher's grasp until the final race of the season at Suzuka, Häkkinen left Formula 1 after a disappointing campaign yielded only two wins for McLaren in 2001. With Schumacher having departed the sport five years later, the Finn understands the desire to return for the Mercedes driver.

"It was clear that he needed a break," Häkkinen told Germany's Bild before explaining why Schumacher's pace so far may have appeared slower than expected. "It is up to the new technology of the cars and the tyres - that takes time to get to grips with.

"Another reason is that he is up against a selection of young drivers who have nothing else in their lives at the moment other than a will to win; their lives consist only of Formula 1 but that's a good thing because this sport requires total concentration and total attention. Age does make it more difficult, though; if you're 41, you have other things in life - a family, for example."

However, Mika is confident that Schumacher will greet a podium's top step at least once in 2010. "I'm pretty sure he will win a race this year," the Finn continued. "I know how he ticks and how obsessed he is with working if he has a goal set; but it is difficult for him because this sport allows no excuses - I'm glad I'm not doing it anymore!"

Source: GPUPDATE