Fernando Alonso says he was pleased to spend his Canadian Grand Prix fighting with 'intelligent' rivals. Alonso was involved in battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg during his drive to second place. "It was nice to have these battles, particularly this race with so talented drivers, so intelligent drivers, that, you know, you fight wheel-to-wheel at 315km/h and you feel safe." "You feel you are racing and you are competing." Alonso admitted he was happier with the standard of driving in Canada […]

Qualifying is no longer as important as in the past, according to Mark Webber. "Previously," the Australian is quoted by the German-language T-Online website, "qualifying was almost everything -- 75 to 80 per cent. "It's now much less than that," the Red Bull driver added. Webber, 36, has been one of the leading critics of the 'new' Formula One, in which Pirelli's heavily degrading control tyres are dominating. Now, starting position is arguably completely outweighed by race strategy and tyre management. "There's still a little […]

As Formula 1 prepares for the European stint of the season, here's what we think we know so far...

The five rookies have yet to score a point in 2013, but this doesn't mean they're destined for the scrapheap.

The Bahrain International Circuit could host the season opening race in 2014. Circuit boss Zayed Alzayani said on Friday that he would be open to Sakhir Circuit hosting the final pre-season test and the first race of the 2014 season. "It's a good start to the season, it gives us the chance to have the teams here longer, there is more anticipation, more unknowns, how the cars will react to the new tyres, the regulations, the drivers are just back into their rhythm," he told […]

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen says he cannot understand why people are complaining about Pirelli's tyres. Several drivers, most vocally Mark Webber, have complained that Formula 1 has become too tyre centric during the early part of 2013. But Raikkonen, who won in Australia, believes that using the tyres correctly is simply part of racing. "I think you can push on these tyres, but it’s never perfect. You cannot always push 100%. I think they are very good in qualifying and have good grip, so it’s […]

Fernando Alonso says his race could not have been better, having taken victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. Alonso took he lead from Lewis Hamilton early on and managed a three stop strategy to beat Kimi Raikkonen by 10 seconds. "It couldn’t have gone better than this today! I hadn’t won since Germany and this has a special feeling because it was a tricky race full of action," said Alonso. "Along with the second place I got in Australia, this result shows that the car […]

Kimi Raikkonen says that Lotus do not possess the pace to compete for victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. Raikkonen qualified in second place - his best result since Monaco in 2009 - but concedes that his team is lacking downforce through the middle sector. "We don't have that speed right now," said Raikkonen, when asked about the gap to pole sitter Lewis Hamilton. "Second is not too bad, it is the best I can gain with the team. I'd rather be in first place, […]

Fernando Alonso thinks his 2013 title challenge is still on track, despite a difficult start to the new season. After a podium in Australia, the Spaniard's campaign hit the gravel in Malaysia recently when he made contact with eventual winner Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull on the first lap. Instead of pitting, Alonso gambled on staying out but retired when the damaged wing broke underneath his car. "In any case, the race simulations state that if I would have stopped to change the nose, I would […]

Ferrari must improve their qualifying performance, according to technical director Pat Fry. Ferrari has taken just four pole positions since the start of 2009 season - all achieved by Fernando Alonso - with only two of those coming in dry conditions. Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso qualified in second and third place in damp conditions in Malaysia, but were fourth and fifth in the dry in Australia. Massa confident in potential of F138 "We’ve shown reasonable race pace and on all the tyre types we […]

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean admits that he has yet to show his full potential so far in 2013. Grosjean finished in tenth place in Australia and followed that up with sixth in Malaysia. He sits in eighth place in the championship. "It’s been a little frustrating as I don’t think I’ve shown my full potential yet," he said. "The first two races were quite difficult for me and I would really like a weekend where I can show what myself and the team can do […]

Kimi Raikkonen believes that optimising tyre wear will be crucial in next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Raikkonen failed to score a point in last year's Chinese Grand Prix - his sole pointless finish since his Formula 1 return - after he tumbled down the order when his tyres wore out. "There was some good racing and it looked like a strong result could have been possible, but we ran out of rubber during the final stint and didn’t score any points," Raikkonen says when reflecting […]