Bernie Ecclestone is lining up a race in France as a replacement for the postponed American Grand Prix. A race had been planned to take place in New Jersey on June 16th next season, but that has been put back to 2014. Ecclestone revealed on Sunday that a replacement is being lined up, with the most likely destination being France. "As far as I am concerned, yes. I am hoping. We are ready to sign; we have a pen and are ready to sign", said Ecclestone, […]

Fernando Alonso believes that the next few races provide Ferrari with the opportunity to build a championship lead. "There are two or three grands prix that we will have the possibility to attack. Here, Japan and Korea with this part of the year, we went out two days ago and we will come back after Korea," Alonso told reporters in Singapore. "In this three-race trip, our aim is to win grands prix and to increase the lead. Seventy-five points on the table, so we need to maximise […]

Pirelli has announced the tyre nominations for Japan, Korea and India: rounds 15 to 17 of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship in October. In Japan, drivers will use the P Zero Silver hard tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre, delivering both performance and durability at the fast and challenging Suzuka circuit. For Korea, the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft has been nominated: a combination that also proved extremely effective on Pirelli’s debut last year in Mokpo. At the […]

Felipe Massa has the perfect chance to race for his career at Monza. After a miserable 2012 in which rumours began to swell about his impending Ferrari exit, the Brazilian qualified third in front of the team's loyal 'Tifosi' at Monza. So even if teammate Fernando Alonso would almost certainly have been ahead of him if the Spaniard's F2012 had not faltered in Q3, it is Massa's best qualifying result since Canada last year. "With Alonso's problems, we're counting on Massa," Ferrari president Luca di […]

HRT drivers Pedro de La Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan are eager to get back to racing after Formula One's lengthy summer break. Although HRT's drivers sit at the foot of the championship table, they are hopeful ahead of the second part of the 2012 campaign. "Spa is one of the drivers’ favourite tracks; it’s spectacular and difficult, not only because of the type of corners but also because of the weather, since one part of the track can be dry whilst another is wet, so […]

At the halfway stage of the season, we reflect on how each driver has fared so far...

Pirelli has announced the first three tyre nominations for the second half of the 2012 season in Belgium, Italy and Singapore. At Spa, the home of the Belgian Grand Prix, the P Zero Silver hard and P Zero White medium tyres will be nominated, allowing the drivers to meet the demands of a circuit that puts plenty of energy through the tyres. Just like Spa, Monza – Pirelli’s home race – is characterised by high speeds and fast corners, meaning that the P Zero Silver […]

Red Bull remained on the defensive in the Hockenheim paddock on Friday, as boss Christian Horner fended off the latest cheat claims. A German magazine this week revealed that, in Canada, the FIA asked the reigning champions to remove a hand-adjustable damper system from the RB8. The rules state that the adjustments can only be made with a special tool, thus ensuring a team cannot secretly make performance-enhancing changes during the strict 'parc ferme' period between qualifying and the race. It is just the latest […]

After the controversy which ensued during last weekend’s German Grand Prix regarding the engine mapping of the two Red Bull RB8s, further rumors have begun to gather momentum that the Milton Keynes-based outfit could be controlling the ride height of their cars. This discovery comes just before the start of qualifying at Budapest. This particular feature, which is believed to have been first spotted on the car at Montreal, was reportedly queried by the FIA at the time. If these rumors are found to be […]

Felipe Massa is now almost back to his best form, the Brazilian's race engineer Rob Smedley insists. 31-year-old Massa's form was so low earlier this season that some seasoned pundits were predicting Ferrari would have to oust him long before his contract expires at the end of the year. But, for the first time in 2012, Massa was back in the decisive 'Q3' qualifying segment in Monaco and Canada, and then last time out in Valencia Ferrari hailed his strong performance despite a tumultuous race. "Right […]

Sauber's Sergio Perez says that he needs to improve his qualifying performance at the British Grand Prix. Perez has failed to make Q3 since the Spanish Grand Prix, although he fought back to 3rd in Canada. Nevertheless, Perez believes that an improvement on Saturday will lead to better results on Sunday. "I think our car will be good in Silverstone and I want to fight for another podium there. In my view in Silverstone it is even more difficult to overtake than it was in […]

Written off beforehand as a 'boring' race, Valencia in fact hosted a frenzy of overtaking manoeuvres last Sunday. Before the race, Jenson Button and Mark Webber wrote off their chances of climbing through the field on the basis that passing is always almost impossible between the Spanish street layout's concrete barriers. But the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat has counted up the genuine passing moves in Sunday's race, and the tally is 58 -- second only to China in 2012. Last year in Valencia, and with […]