Five races in, F1's cleverest brains are still yet to decode the mystery of the bizarre and fascinating 2012 season. As was the case when he utterly dominated last year, Sebastian Vettel is still leading the drivers' points chase. But, before last weekend, if he had been told that Williams' Pastor Maldonado would be the winner of the Spanish grand prix, the German admitted: "Well, I would have put a lot of money on them! "I think the odds weren't bad," he smiled. Indeed, the […]

Norbert Haug said he is proud Mercedes has reached the top of Formula One in a short space of time and with a small budget. The German carmaker's works team is often lumped together with F1's other grandees including Ferrari and McLaren, but Haug insists the Brackley based outfit is in fact "a small team, with a small budget". Mercedes' competition boss, who on Sunday collected the winning constructors' trophy on the Shanghai podium, also said some of the team's rivals - undoubtedly Red Bull […]

Pastor Maldonado attracted praise and scorn from high places after his performance in Melbourne. As far as Lotus team boss Eric Boullier is concerned, the Williams driver cost Romain Grosjean a place on the podium after their clash during the season opening grand prix. Asked when the promising black and gold E20 will make its first drive to the podium in 2012, Frenchman Boullier told Helsingin Sanomat newspaper: "When Maldonado doesn't crash into us." Venezuelan Maldonado, often criticised for being Williams' lead pay-driver, had another […]

Fernando Alonso was spared the Italian media's wrath after Ferrari opened its 2012 campaign with the troubled F2012 car. "Alonso once again saved Ferrari from disaster," said the authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport, after the Spanish driver drove the car to fifth place in Australia. The under-pressure Felipe Massa's opening race, however, "was a nightmare", the daily newspaper added. Jaime Alguersuari, the former Toro Rosso driver who is now a media analyst, also praised fellow Spaniard Alonso. "For Ferrari, it is an unique advantage to […]

If Adrian Sutil departs, Force India will have parted ways with a driver the team regards very highly. It is rumoured strongly that, despite his experience and sponsorship by the Medion company, German Sutil will be replaced for 2012 by the team's 2011 reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg. But according to Force India's official noises of late, Sutil is still highly regarded by the Silverstone based team. Asked to summarize drivers Sutil and Paul di Resta's contribution to helping the team to finish sixth in the […]

STR's Giorgio Ascanelli points towards Vergne and Ricciardo for 2012.

The Williams’ driver lineup for 2012 is a hot topic at the moment. Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado is assumed to have secured a seat because of the substantial PDVSA sponsorship he brings to the team. However, there is much speculation about who will drive the other car. There have been reports linking many drivers to the second seat, such as 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil as well as young driver Valtteri Bottas. Nevertheless, the decision on the matter is near, according […]

Even the ultra-competitive Mark Webber could not resist a piece of high praise for his teammate under the floodlights in Abu Dhabi. Minutes earlier, world champion Vettel had captured his fourteenth pole of the season; an achievement equalling Nigel Mansell's record set in 1992 in a car also designed by Adrian Newey. Red Bull rang in the news by jokingly calling the 24-year-old German 'Mr Mansell' on the radio. "He (Mansell) obviously took two races less to achieve the same but still, it's something very […]

A trio of former F1 drivers doubt Sebastian Vettel will trouble Michael Schumacher's all-time record of seven world titles. After the 24-year-old German became the youngest back-to-back world champion in the sport's history, Niki Lauda predicted that the record of Vettel's famous countryman could eventually tumble. But Damon Hill, Schumacher's early championship nemesis, thinks the seven-title record will stand. "They changed the rules because he (Schumacher) was winning too much," the 1996 world champion told the BBC. "It's much more competitive now than it ever […]

With Sebastian Vettel now among F1's great back-to-back world champions, the 'crash kid' label of 2010 should be formally repealed. That is the view of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, referring to the label coined last year by his McLaren counterpart Martin Whitmarsh after a spate of incidents for Vettel. A year on, it is 24-year-old Vettel's consistency that is winning the praise of the F1 world, while McLaren's Lewis Hamilton - who is two years older than his German rival - who might […]

Article originally written in June 2010. Think of what has changed since then... The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was an extremely significant race. No, not for the reason that you’re thinking of, it has nothing to do with Lewis Hamilton’s first victory. Halfway through the race, Robert Kubica attempted an optimistic move on Jarno Trulli but nudged the rear of the Toyota at high speed and his front wing became lodged underneath his own car. TV cameras missed the initial incident but they caught the […]

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull could reign over a new era of dominance in formula one, the international press and paddock pundits said after Sunday's Japanese grand prix. At Suzuka, despite needing only a single point to rule his last opponent out of contention for the 2011 title, Vettel ensured Jenson Button will not come within 14 points of his second consecutive world championship. The young German did it by finishing third but Spain's El Mundo hailed a campaign that has been "too perfect" for […]