The McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have ended the opening practice session 1st and 2nd respectively ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, as the Woking-based outfit continue to progress with their new upgrades which were introduced last weekend in Germany. The opening session of the weekend was run in glorious sunshine and hot temperatures, a stark contrast to the weather conditions experienced during the last two race weekends at Hockenheim and Silverstone. Once again, the three usual reserve drivers of Jules […]

Ferrari and Mercedes will test at the former French grand prix venue at Magny Cours in mid September. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the circuit is one of no fewer than three venues selected by F1 teams to complete their allowed days of 'young driver' running in 2012. The magazine said the three-venue solution is a farcical outcome, after the scheduled end-of-season Abu Dhabi test plans disintegrated due to team disharmony. The bulk of the teams are, however, sticking with Abu Dhabi, including Red […]

Heikki Kovalainen and Jaime Alguersuari have emerged as possible candidates to move to Sauber next year. Rumours indicate that one of the duo could replace Japanese Kamui Kobayashi in 2013. Finland's Turun Sanomat claims that Peter Sauber regards Kovalainen, who is on the market after three seasons with the 2010 startup Caterham, as a potential Sauber driver. The 30-year-old driver is quoted as saying: "Personally, my goal is to return to the top positions, but I don't know where. I haven't talked to anyone. "It […]

Lewis Hamilton will mark his one hundredth grand prix at Hockenheim this weekend. The McLaren driver has not missed a single race since debuting in Melbourne in 2007. "That's incredible, because I still remember my first as if it were only yesterday -- I guess Formula One has that effect on you!" said the 2008 world champion when asked about his century. Also celebrating his century this weekend is Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen, even though he actually didn't start the race in Barcelona two years ago […]

'Moscow' was the word on F1 fanatics' lips at the weekend. On the last days off before the arduous Hockenheim-Hungary double header, Russia was the centre of the sport's attention. Although the coastal resort city Sochi will host the first Russian grand prix in 2014, modern F1 cars and current drivers including Lewis Hamilton demonstrated their wares on a temporary street circuit around the Kremlin. "I think Moscow has an opportunity, I hope, in the future to put on a street race," Briton Hamilton is […]

Almost half of the world's biggest 25 companies have been involved in Formula One in the past five years. And the new research by F1's industry monitor Formula Money said a third of the world's 100 top companies have in the same period been involved in F1 as sponsors, owners or investors. They include three of the world's five biggest companies -- Ferrari sponsor Shell, Exxon Mobil (McLaren) and former Chinese grand prix backer Sinopec. Journalist Christian Sylt said oil companies and carmakers are "naturally […]

As he races away with the 2012 championship at the wheel of a still-inferior car, Fernando Alonso is being hailed almost universally within the F1 paddock. The season began disastrously for Ferrari with the ailing F2012, but as the technical boffins set to work on its weaknesses, the Spaniard at the wheel was always flawlessly consistent. Totally outclassed in Australia, he still finished fifth, he is the only driver to have won more than one grand prix so far, and Alonso has never been outside […]

Renault has reverted to an older specification of its alternator for the use of customers Red Bull, Lotus, Williams and Caterham this weekend at Silverstone. The decision follows the French supplier's struggles to get to the bottom of the problems that caused Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean to retire last time out at Valencia. A similar issue was also reportedly linked to a problem suffered by Vitaly Petrov at Monaco. "This (problem) is a great puzzle," Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports. "Not even Renault […]

Luis Perez-Sala has indicated HRT wants to keep its Cosworth engines for the 2013 season. It emerged recently that, with the independent British engine supplier losing key clients Williams and Caterham recently, Cosworth might not develop a V6 engine for the all-new 2014 regulations. Citing paddock speculation, the media reports even suggested the viability of Cosworth staying in F1 for the final V8 season next year is in doubt. The engine maker's last remaining F1 customers are backmarkers HRT and Marussia. HRT team boss Perez-Sala […]

Heikki Kovalainen says that he is looking forward to next weekend's British Grand Prix. Kovalainen finished thirteenth at the European Grand Prix in a race that was arguably Caterham's best performance of the season. With a revised CT-01 set to take to the track next Friday, which includes new rear bodywork and a revised exhaust layout, Kovalainen believes that more progress can be made. "Silverstone is a great track to race at, both because it’s one of our two home races and because it’s a proper […]

Valencia flagged a major headache for F1 engine supplier Renault. Not only did Lotus' Romain Grosjean break down with a failed alternator, so too did Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. Initially, it appeared the failures were coincidental, but Germany's Auto Motor und Sport now reports a common link. And, reportedly, Renault now suspects that a problem suffered by Caterham's Vitaly Petrov in Monte Carlo was also similar. The unit is reportedly manufactured in cooperation between Renault and Magneti Marelli. "We don't know what has broken, but […]

Jean-Eric Vergne will have to dig into his own pockets after Valencia. The rookie Frenchman was given a ten-position grid drop for Silverstone after oddly jinking before crashing into Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen on Sunday and then speeding back to the pits with a disintegrating Toro Rosso. The incident caused the race director to call a safety car period, whilst stewards ruled that a EUR 25,000 fine was also in order for Vergne due to "the serious nature" of the indiscretion. "What he did was not […]