Ferrari's task is to improve step by step, rather than make a quantum leap in Barcelona next weekend. That is the claim of Spaniard Fernando Alonso, as the famous Italian team disappointed some headline-writers on Tuesday by not launching a 'B' car at the Mugello test. "We have to take a step forward in Montmelo, one in Monte Carlo, another in Canada, and so on," Alonso is quoted by La Stampa, after topping the rain-affected first day of testing on Tuesday with the improved F2012 […]

HRT will not attend the upcoming Formula One test in Mugello. After a difficult start to the season - which resulted in neither driver qualifying in Australia - the team has elected to skip the only in-season test at the start of next month in order to focus on their relocation. "The start to the season was a little bit rushed for us and, since the cars were set up for the first time, we have been working on them at the Grands Prix", said […]

Australian F1 fans are this week rejoicing in local hero Mark Webber even more than usual. Pressure applied by the Red Bull driver was reportedly instrumental in returning the sport to the live television airways in Australian capital cities. Fans were outraged with Australian broadcaster Ten's decision to take formula one from its high definition channel One, which in turn meant viewers in Perth and Adelaide had no live coverage at all. Angry fans bombarded Ten's Facebook and Twitter pages with criticism abuse, and urged […]

With Bahrain’s Sakhir International Circuit located in a desert, sand can quite often be blown onto the track, causing lack of grip for the cars. This was evident for Pirelli when they tested at the track in 2010, when a sandstorm halted proceedings. No sandstorms are expected this weekend, but sand on the track is expected to be a factor. After having three rain affected race weekends in Australia, Malaysia and China, the trend is naturally expected to stop as the F1 paddock travels to […]

It is wrong to say Sebastian Vettel has entered a period of "crisis" after winning two world championships on the trot. That is the insistence of Christian Danner, a former grand prix driver who now commentates on German television RTL. "It's a results crisis, not a Vettel crisis," he told the news agency DAPD. He is referring not only to Red Bull's failure to win a race so far in 2012, but the fact former pole position-king Vettel was outqualified in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain […]

Romain Grosjean insists he is not feeling "relieved" after the Chinese grand prix. The Frenchman, who returned to F1 this year after an abortive start to his career in 2009, showed good pace in Australia and Malaysia but failed to see the end of even the opening lap. In China, therefore, the pressure was on the reigning GP2 champion to finally record a result, and he duly finished sixth -- his first ever points in F1. "Relieved? No," the Swiss-born driver told RMC Sport. "No, […]

Michael Schumacher could be the next silver-clad driver who takes a Mercedes to the top step of the podium. His teammate Nico Rosberg dominated the Shanghai weekend and, at his 111th attempt, finally broke through with a maiden pole and win. The much-younger German also dominated Schumacher, the 43-year-old, at Mercedes in the last two years -- ever since the seven time world champion returned to Formula One in 2010. But former Benetton and Ferrari title winner Schumacher appears much more on Rosberg's pace this […]

Jenson Button rued a missed opportunity but McLaren had a good day and leave Shanghai with the lead in both Championships. Starting from fifth and seventh respectively, Button and Lewis Hamilton were both able to put the excellent long run pace of the McLaren MP4-27 to good use as they took the lower spots on the on the podium. Hamilton’s third successive third place lifts him into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship on 45 points, two points clear of Button who has a second […]

Whilst admitting the RB8 has "very nervous" handling, Sebastian Vettel insists there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the 2012 Red Bull. The German looks likely to struggle to add a third consecutive drivers' title to his tally this season, after slumping to just sixth in the points standings after the first two races. In China, he has reverted to a launch specification of the Adrian Newey-penned car's exhaust layout, whilst Mark Webber is plugging ahead with a further development of the Australia-Malaysia solution. "There is […]

After the first two races of 2011, Sebastian Vettel held a twenty-four point lead over Jenson Button. His rivals were taking points off of each other, enabling him to saunter off into a mammoth lead that he never relinquished. Fast forward twelve months and a disappointing Malaysian Grand Prix has left Vettel behind Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the championship. Considering their respective pre-season programmes, it’s astonishing that Alonso leads Vettel by seventeen points. You’d have got very long odds on that […]

The 2012 season has kicked off promisingly, with more overtaking moves recorded in the first two races than in the same exciting period last year. The finding is significant, given the highly lauded contribution early in 2011 made by the new passing aid 'DRS', and new official supplier Pirelli's heavily-degrading tyres. Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper said 2012 has so far broken even the all-time records of early last season, when there were 63 overtaking moves - excluding the first laps - in Australia and Malaysia […]

As the Formula 1 fraternity prepares to depart to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, tyre degradation is once again a top priority for teams’ and drivers’ alike. Pirelli have nominated the P Zero Medium (White) and P Zero Soft (Yellow) tyres for round three of the Championship, the same that was nominated for the season opening race in Australia. With the temperature in Shanghai relatively low in comparison to Malaysia, the nature of the Shanghai International Circuit will still offer the teams’ with degradation […]