Fernando Alonso has said that he has strong faith in his Ferrari team ahead of the Korean Grand Prix. The championship leader qualified in fourth place at the Korean International Circuit, two places behind his main rival Sebastian Vettel. "You can see that our car is better suited to this track, given that it is basically the same one we raced in Japan. We must improve it and I expect to see some updates coming, right from the next race in India", he said. Alonso […]

Nico Hulkenberg is aiming to finish the Korean Grand Prix in the points after posting the eighth fastest time in qualifying. The German narrowly made it through to Q3 and eclipsed the Mercedes drivers in the final shootout. "It was not an easy qualifying session, but in the end everything went to plan. I did struggle in Q1 and Q2, and I’ve been fighting some understeer in the car all weekend, especially through the first sector", he said. "The times were very close and I […]

Kamui Kobayashi has admitted he could lose his Formula One seat due to a lack of sponsorship. Sauber is yet to name its 2013 driver lineup, but Japanese Kobayashi was considered likely to stay because his current teammate, Sergio Perez, is heading to McLaren. Kobayashi also boosted his chances with an impressive podium at Suzuka last Sunday. But he admitted in Korea on Thursday: "At the moment I have no sponsors to be here. It's a very strange feeling. "Getting a sponsor is very important […]

Pastor Maldonado has revealed he wants to stay at Williams in 2013. With his PDVSA backing and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez freshly re-elected, the Barcelona winner's place at the great British team was considered firmly secure. But he surprised the paddock in Japan last weekend by admitting he might switch teams for 2013. Maldonado said in Korea on Thursday: "To be honest I really want to stay with Williams. "I have good confidence with them but at the moment there is not confirmation. So (I'm) […]

It is simplistic to say Red Bull has sped into the 2012 title favourites' role due to its new 'double DRS' device. As Sebastian Vettel closed the championship gap to Fernando Alonso to just 4 points with wins in Singapore and Suzuka, it had emerged that his RB8 was equipped with a new top speed-boosting system. "As with all these things, there's never a silver bullet and I think it would be very difficult to say the car's performance here is purely down to a […]

Sir Jackie Stewart has once again offered to become struggling Romain Grosjean's coach. Earlier this year, when Lotus' French driver was first labelled a 'crash king' of the 2012 season, triple world champion Stewart offered to help the 26-year-old get to grips with the sport's psychological pressures. "I used to work with a coach and I don't feel that I need one today," Grosjean said in July. But three months later, immediately after serving a one-race ban for causing the Spa start-line crash and a […]

After another battling drive to clinch P6 in Japan, Kimi faces the rare challenge of an unknown circuit as the Formula 1 circus rolls on to Korea. Is the Iceman phased? Not a chance… Was P6 about what you expected from the Japanese Grand Prix or did you feel more was possible? Sixth wasn’t the result we were hoping for. We lost some time with all the incidents on the first lap and also had a problem in the second pit stop, so overall it […]

Lotus has sidelined its 'double DRS' system for now. While Red Bull quickly got its similar concept up and running to great effect with wins in Singapore and Japan, Lotus has been trying for several grands prix to fine-tune its version. The Enstone based team intended to finally debut it at Suzuka, but engineers failed to get it working properly in free practice. "It hasn't been easy," technical director James Allison is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "It's been harder than expected to […]

McLaren's drivers have conceded that they are effectively now out of the chase for the world championship. After Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won in Suzuka with title leader Fernando Alonso out at the first corner, pundits up and down the pitlane agreed that the pair will now have a head-to-head battle for the championship over the last five races of 2012. Mathematically, however, there are still plenty of contenders, including Lewis Hamilton who is 42 points behind. But, referring to Vettel and Ferrari's Alonso, the […]

Eric Boullier was vague when asked if Romain Grosjean's constant first-lap crashes have endangered his future in Formula One. "Not for now," said the Lotus team boss, who doubles as the head of the Gravity company that manages the beleaguered Frenchman's career. After his Monza race ban, Grosjean was back in trouble at Suzuka when he incurred the furious Mark Webber's wrath for yet another first-corner crash. "Maybe we need two separate starts -- one for him, one for us," the Australian, having earlier slammed […]

F1 insiders had a keen eye on Venezuela's presidential election on Sunday. The sport's main focus was, of course, in Japan, where Pastor Maldonado was racing his PDVSA-branded Williams around Suzuka. But in his native Venezuela, countrymen were busy re-electing the socialist incumbent Hugo Chavez -- probably a significant moment for the continuation of Maldonado's career. Chavez, who achieved 54 per cent of the vote, is a known supporter of Maldonado's F1 career, backing the 27-year-old in millions through the PDVSA brand. State owned oil […]

Kamui Kobayashi has expressed his delight at taking a podium at his home race. Kobayashi held off the charge of Jenson Button to finish in the top three for the first time in his career. "I’ve always felt that if you ever want to look back and regard yourself as a Formula One driver, you have to have been on the podium at least once", he said. "Without such a photo it’s a bit as if you had never been there. So it means a […]