Sebastian Vettel's dominance is being powered by a clever post-'exhaust blowing' solution, a specialist Italian magazine claims. After the reigning world champion extended his 2013 points lead with a dominant performance in Singapore, former F1 team boss Giancarlo Minardi raised doubts about the legality of Vettel's Red Bull. Minardi, watching trackside at Marina Bay, said Vettel's car displayed worryingly good handling, while his Renault engine "sounded similar to past seasons when traction control went into action". Indeed, Autosprint has now revealed an exclusive video that […]

The FIA is set to clamp down on the sort of shenanigans seen on the slowing-down lap after Sunday's Singapore grand prix. Fernando Alonso was reprimanded, and Mark Webber pushed ten places down the Korea grid, after the stricken Australian hitched a ride back to the pits on the sidepod of Alonso's Ferrari. It triggered great memories of 1991, when legend Ayrton Senna rode on the Williams sidepod of rival Nigel Mansell at Silverstone. However, publishing video footage of the moment Webber ran across the […]

Christian Horner revealed after the German Grand Prix that the team decided not to inform Mark Webber about the incident from his first pit stop while he was still racing. The Australian pitted on Lap 8 for a new set of tyres and was released even if the right rear wheel was not correctly fitted. The wheel came off and struck an FOM cameraman from the pit lane. “Unfortunately, in Mark’s stop obviously we need to understand fully what happened, why the wheel hasn’t located. […]

The FIA's Garry Connelly has defended some decisions made by stewards across the 2012 season. Speaking to AUTO magazine, Connelly explained that the stewards have information that is unavailable to the majority of viewers. "It’s a big responsibility but one that’s become a lot less of a burden simply because of the technology now at our disposal," he said. "We have a wealth of data, that most people won’t be aware we have access to. First of all, we have all the video feeds — the pictures that have gone […]

Dr Helmut Marko has hinted he thinks Fernando Alonso is a bad loser. "He seems to have problems if he doesn't win," said the leading Red Bull Racing official, speaking after the FIA rejected Ferrari's challenge to Sebastian Vettel's title over a disputed yellow flag pass at the 2012 Brazil finale. "When he (Alonso) doesn't win, then he develops incredible political skills," Marko added at a celebratory event in Graz, Austria. As the yellow flag saga unfurled, Spaniard Alonso referred to "the correct rules" being […]

Fernando Alonso believes 2012 was the best season of his career

Ferrari has until Friday to lodge a protest against the results of Sunday's championship-deciding Brazilian grand prix. The possibility that Sebastian Vettel could lose his 2012 title, to the benefit of Fernando Alonso, has arisen after video footage emerged on the internet depicting Vettel overtaking at Interlagos possibly under yellow flags. A spokesman for Ferrari admitted the team is "evaluating footage", which reportedly also includes still photography and various angles. "Anything that threatens the credibility of the championship has to be examined," the Ferrari official […]

Three leading specialist publications have played down the 'rubber Red Bull' affair. Recent video footage depicted the Adrian Newey-penned RB8 with a decidedly bendy front nose tip, causing some outlets and fans to question the legality of the apparently 'rubber' construction. But writing in Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, journalist Andrea Cremonesi said that "according to the FIA, everything is in order". "Word has arrived from Paris that the parts in question are not structural and are not subject to the rigid tests other parts […]

Kimi Raikkonen will race for Lotus in 2013, the team confirmed on Monday morning

Kimi Raikkonen did not announce his plans for the 2013 season as he turned 33 on Wednesday. A viral video on the internet, posted by an advertising agency that works with the 2007 world champion, announced recently that the speculation about Raikkonen's future beyond 2012 will "come to an end" on 17 October, "when a new contract will be published". Actually, it was all just a publicity stunt for the Lotus driver's new personal sponsor, a Finnish clothing brand called Makia Racing.

Kimi Raikkonen will announce his plans for the 2013 season on October 17. Despite Lotus chiefs saying the Finn is staying in 2013, 2007 world champion Raikkonen insisted at Suzuka that he has not yet signed a deal. But that will all change on his 33rd birthday. A viral video has emerged on Youtube, depicting Raikkonen signing an unbranded contract and then putting his finger to his lips and saying "shhh". The description reads: "There has been a lot of speculation about what Kimi Raikkonen […]

In anticipation of possible rain during the Grand Prix of Belgium in Spa, the Sauber F1 Team and Checo's race engineer Marco Schüpbach played a special prank on Checo as a comeback to Sergio's joke towards the end of the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix. After having started in 17th position, Sergio was in the points on 8th position when he sent a radio message to his race engineer in the final lap: "I have no more power, no power!" The despair on the pit stand […]