Formula 1 Enthusiasts

New VW Phaeton Build - Dresden Germany

2011-11-30T15:04:00.002Z

As some of you will know I have ordered a new Volkswagen Phaeton LWB, 3.0 Litre Tdi. On November 23 I had the privilege of going to the Transparent factory, Die Glaserne Manufaktur in Dresden to watch it being built and what an experience.

Accompanied by my friend and colleague Ian Hayward we flew directly from Heathrow on Tuesday 22^nd and were met by limousine at the airport and whisked off to the Hilton in Dresden. We then had the evening in Dresden and a meal at the Pulverturm Restaurant booked by Volkswagen.

Collected by limousine on the Wednesday morning Ian and I were ready for the day. We were treated like royalty on arrival and introduced to Manuela Hölsten who was to be our guide around Die Glaserne Manufaktur.

Donning White coats we went down to the production line where my new Phaeton was in its second phase of manufacture. After being shown the entire production system on various cars we arrived at a station where my cars body was suspended and being moved around so the underneath parts could be fitted.

It should be made clear that whilst we are in a robotic age the Phaeton is built by hand and the only thing robotic about it are the methods of moving everything around.

I was asked would I like to fit some parts myself and being given White gloves I was shown what to do and off I went. I then signed various parts and as we were accompanied by the official Volkswagen Phaeton photographer all these exciting issues were photographed for posterity and then presented to me during the day, both on disc and selected ones as printed copies.

The final part of the viewing of the car is what they call the marriage. This is where the body and chassis complete with all working parts come together which is incredible to see. It is too complicated to try and explain all the events so I have put the photographs onto my Flickr page for all to see.

The factory is quite something with parquet floors, moving conveyors containing 60,000 magnets on which the robots move, no air tools as everything is electric so the factory is very quiet and clean which is a pleasure to see. All the technicians wear White coats and the whole ambience is of quietness and attention to detail.

Once the 2.5 hour tour was completed we were then invited to have lunch in the Lesage, the 5* restaurant in the facility. After a quite wonderful lunch we then progressed to the Phaeton shop and I was in my element with all these specialised Phaeton items.

I was then prized out of there and off we went in their fully loaded LWB Phaeton for a trip down the Autobahn. The photo on the website shows us at 200km’s even though the car had its winter tyres on. After this we were dropped back at the hotel for leisure time again in Dresden for the evening.

Whilst the factory was built specifically for Phaeton production only it initially built the Bentley Continental but as the popularity of the Phaeton grew Bentley production ceased. Phaeton production now complete 58 hand built cars a day and as the mark grew in stature China became the main focus for the Phaeton and in fact 64% of them go there.

Volkswagen decided they wanted to build a luxury car some 17 years ago and I think the wording “Inspired by Perfection” sums it up. The factory took 5 years to plan and a further 2 to build and they are obviously very proud of what they have achieved in it since 2001.

“Die Glaserne Manufacktur” officially opened 10 December 2001 and Eunice and I have been invited to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations the following weekend and feel very honoured to be asked. It is obvious from being there all the personnel love what they do, attention to detail is for all to see as they realised they were entering a market where quality had to be a priority.

The factory is a huge landmark in Dresden and quite unique as passers by can simply walk in and look at certain areas but obviously not onto the production line. They also have parties booked on factory tours but again they are not allowed into the actual production facility.

The factory is all glass and the photos on my website show that off better than I can try and explain but it has become a manufacturing model, visited by other manufacturers to see how it is done.

A unique experience and well worth the effort for all new Phaeton customers.

F1 Malaysia - The Race

2011-04-10T08:47:00.007+01:00

Welcome back to Sepang for the Malaysian GP. There is plenty of talk about rain during the race and that will make interesting as usual.

A great and tense quali yesterday put Sebastian back on pole after Lewis had done all the running and only one tenth separated them at the finish of the session. It does appear Mclaren have now found the pace and are in position to compete with both Red Bull's.

Nice to see Bernie back with us during Martin's grid walk and as usual he had the usual entourage around him including the Malaysian Prime Minister. It was also great to see Lewis's Dad back in the paddock with Lewis and he was able to congratulate his other son after his first race in saloon cars and he did a good job. He is also managing Paul di Resta.

So we have 56 laps with a track temperature of 31 degrees and humidity at a staggering 83% and the drivers are going to have their work cut out over the race distance. All the teams were doing everything to keep cars and drivers as cool as possible on the grid.

Sepang is a very wide circuit and we will have plenty of opportunities to see overtaking using DRS particularly down the long start/finish straight. On the warm up lap Mark was on the radio noting a problem with his car and was advised by the pit they could see it but can't do anything about it, oh dear.

A great start and some brilliant driving to avoid bumping and boring which was great. Some great action and the winners without a doubt were Renault as Nick Heidfeld shot into P2 in front of Lewis with a great drive around the outside of P1. It is obvious Mark has no KERS and that confirms the problem he has and dropped him down to ninth.

Rubens had to pit as he lost his left rear tyre and had to do a complete lap on the degrading tyre. Mark is much quicker as he fights with Kamui but not at the end of the straight as Kamui goes straight back past and Mark is now down in tenth.

Nick is keeping Lewis in check in his Renault and this is allowing Sebastian to move ahead at the front. Jenson appears to be dropping back from Lewis and they are now talking about rain so the teams want to avoid stopping for tyres but need to avoid having to pit again when, and if the rain comes.

Mark was the first to stop on lap eleven and the KERS problem has basically destroyed his race. The tyres are starting to go off by lap twelve but the ever present rain is causing the teams to wait for tyres. Nick dropped off the pace and as Lewis was locked in behind Nick he then pitted in an attempt to get back into clear air. In the meanwhile Jenson, Felipe and Fernando were beginning to close in on Lewis.

On lap fifteen a little rain started to drop and that caused a flurry of pit stops but only back onto
soft tyres as the amount rain wouldn't affect the race pace. Nick seems to have had a problem and dropped back behind Fernando so Lewis comes into P2 and now must go into attack to catch Sebastian but some six seconds behind.

The rain was only a short light shower and by lap twenty Lewis was closing slightly on Sebastian with Fernando also closing on Lewis. Felipe then closed in on Mark and passed him quite easily as he used his KERS accepting Mark hasn't got his.

The front of the race started close down as Sebastian pitted and came out behind Felipe and the gap came down to just over three seconds. Jenson also closed in followed by Fernando and Mark driving brilliantly up to fifth.

It appears Sebastian doesn't have KERS either and he has Lewis hovering followed very closely by Jenson. Without doubt KERS and DRS are greatly assisting with overtaking and we have seen a lot of it today down the start/finish straight. However, Sebastian suddenly dropped in the fastest lap albeit he is carrying a weight penalty with the KERS system.

Lewis had Jenson closing in on him and Sebastian was just leaping ahead in front and had extended his gap to over ten seconds. Lewis had a slow stop as he had a problem with the front left and that allowed Jenson to jump up into P2 as he had a better stop. Lewis doesn't seem happy on lap forty and he has Mark all over his rear spoiler.

It's all happening now at the front as Jenson started closing in on Fernando and Sebastian on his fresh rubber and driving brilliantly. Fernando then pitted and came out behind Mark so that will be interesting. With most teams doing three pit stops it will be interesting to see whether Mark has to do a fourth stop as he pitted first and early during the race.

Mark has to stop for the fourth time on lap forty four as Jenson moved up to second and both Renault's were fighting with Felipe. All of a sudden Fernando came steaming up to the back of Lewis and battle royal commenced for third. The team then announced Fernando's DRS wasn't working as he came together with Lewis and broke his front spoiler.

We can only hope Lewis doesn't get a puncture as Fernando comes into the pits for a new front nose and rejoins behind Mark. At least Fernando's incident has taken the pressure off Lewis as he continues to struggle. Jenson was within eight seconds of Sebastian but he seems to have it covered up front.

Now we have a gaggle of cars fighting for third as Lewis struggles with this set of tyres and he has Nick, Vitaly and Mark driving brilliantly all looming in on the back of the Mclaren. Nick then passed Lewis into turn one and Mark having passed Vitaly then looms in one Lewis.

Lewis then went off the track between turns six and seven putting him back behind Vitaly in eighth as we only have three to go. Mark then started to home in on Nick's rear spoiler on the run to the flag.

Vitaly will be called the flying Russian after going off the track and flying back across the circuit and as he landed the steering column became detached albeit still connected to the steering.

Sebastian, Jenson, Nick, Mark, Felipe, Fernando, Lewis, Kamui, Michael and finally the top points scorer in tenth came Paul di Resta driving again brilliantly. Some great drives throughout the field from Jenson, Nick standing in for the injured Robert Kubica and Paul in only his second grand prix.

Fernando stopped on the in lap and it will be interesting to whether the stewards do anything as the cars should be driven back to parc fermez. The tyres did as forecast and caused many pit stops which makes it very interesting. Tyre wear is critical and achieving the optimum from the tyres is key.

So a very interesting race and apart from another Sebastian run away at the front there was at least plenty of action behind him. Who is going to take this fight to the Red Bull's as Mclaren, Ferrari and Renault appear to be on the pace but race pace seems to fall away.

A point of interest is the change in the result in Australia as both Sauber's were disqualified from the race so please keep in touch with my web site to see the actual result after the stewards changed the positions.

F1 Quali Malysia

2011-04-09T08:51:00.009+01:00

Good morning everybody and welcome to the heat and humidity (69%) in Malaysia and as always the threat of rain being anticipated at the end of the session. HRT are under pressure to perform and as we know in Australia they didn't beat the 107% rule and hence didn't get into the race.

Renault have struggled this weekend and a suspension failure hindered their weekend running. Ferrari are also struggling as they simply can't find the set up. For whatever reason they say they have lost pace since winter testing and don't know where the problem is so they are in damage limitation in the early part of the season.

Sauber had an unfortunate end to the race in Melbourne as it was deemed their rear spoiler top section was outside the parameters. This means both cars were disqualified which was a great shame particularly for new boy Perez who drove a brilliant race without a tyre stop.

It is going to be interesting to see whether Red Bull deploy KERS and Christian Horner confirmed they are running the system on the car this weekend. As if they aren't fast enough they now have a further 10 to 15 bhp and that will be significant. Ferrari were also off the pace in Friday running and couldn't get the car hooked up and ran in the low end of the top ten.

The first stoppage in quali one came as Sebastian Buemi lost the side pod on his Torro Rosso and the session was Red flagged whilst the offending piece of bodywork was collected. Teams are now under pressure to qualify after the interuption and many will have lost a set of tyres.

In the early running Lewis headed the times but that isn't really significant as all they are doing at this stage is moving through the three sessions whilst targetting pole. Red Bull didn't pull out any stops in Q1 finishing tenth (SB) and fifteenth (MW) as Felipe headed the times but not really significant at this early stage.

All teams ran under the 107% rule so at least we have a twenty four car grid for the race on Sunday. Red Bull didn't report any problems for Mark, they simply couldn't get the car set up on the different tyre / fuel combination albeit a full second behind Sebastian.

As there is a full second difference between the hard and soft tyres and all of a sudden Sebastian shot into the 1.35's but then Jenson shot it up to the front with a mid 1.35 and some half a second quicker than the Red Bull's.

After initial running it is the top 3 teams occupying the first six places and that is one has to say quite normal. All of a sudden both Renault's shot up into the top six and this looks very interesting for tomorrow's race. With only seconds left both Mclaren's led the field with Jenson in front of Lewis for a change.

We lost Michael and Rubens going into Q3 so Nico led his more illustrious team mate once again. So the fight for pole looks very interesting with the Mclaren's, Ferrari's, Red Bull's and Renault's fighting for P1. So we all ask when are Red Bull going to launch to the front.

So ten minutes to find the pole sitter and Lewis was the first out on soft tyres followed by Jenson. Lewis launches himself into his first lap with DRS and KERS in full chat and puts in a staggering 1.35.000 flat, incredible. He was followed by Sebastian, Mark & Jenson after the initial running with only three tenths covering them.

It appears only two of the teams are running twice with the rest only having one run. What a finish to the session but Sebastian pipped Lewis by such a small margin as it was measured in thousands of a second. So we had Sebastian in pole by a tenth followed by Lewis, Mark, Jenson, Fernando, Nick, Felipe, Vitaly, Nico and Kamui coming in tenth.

We have a real prospect for tomorrow as the difference in times really mean little over a race distance. What is interesting is both red Bull's were running KERS and our concerns about them running away at the front isn't materialising.

We all look forward to the race tomorrow.

F1 Australia - The Race

2011-03-27T10:19:00.014+01:00

It's good to be back in Melbourne and the stage for the first F1 race of the 2010 season. This season we have five world champions on the grid, Sebastian, Jenson, Lewis, Michael & Fernando and they are the cream of the crop. We all hope Mark can have an impact this season after being so close in 2010.

There remains one unanswered question, who is going to fight at the front with Red Bull as we certainly don't want a procession as we have had in the past. Hopefully the new form at Mclaren will keep both drivers up there, surely Ferrari are going to fight at the front, Mercedes are showing signs of being competitive and Renault also seem to have a good car from the start.

The new DRS (Drag Reduction System) will make a huge difference on the straights and at tracks like Monza, Silverstone and Spa it will be interesting to see the speeds they can achieve. The problem for the drivers is they have to be careful when they open up the rear spoiler as it obviously affect balance as we saw in quali yesterday as Adrian Sutil came onto the start/finish straight.

KERS is also back and the teams all seem to have problems one way or another and even Mclaren who seemed to perfect it had issues in Q3 yesterday and when it doesn't work it affects brake balance too. Red Bull didn't use it yesterday and amazing that they can throw away eighty horse power and still put in the stunning laps they do.

So new technology, new tyres, five world champions, four new drivers and it is all in place for the 2011 season but Sebastian's mighty lap yesterday doesn't bode well for the others. However, race pace is always different to qualifying pace, or let us all hope that is the case.

Prior to the start all the drivers and teams came to the front of the grid for a special one minute silence for the poor people in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami and others around the world less fortunate.

We all welcome David Coulthard to the commentary team along with Martin Brundle but we must all have noticed Bernie is missing, which is most unusual as he is in America discussing a new street race so we all wish him well with that.

As I mentioned yesterday during qualifying the track doesn't appear to rubber in like most circuits but it is a temporary circuit and normal roads when the Grand Prix has finished. There are also some support races here from Thursday onwards which is also unusual.

Most cars start the race on the soft tyres and of course on full tanks. So 17000 horsepower launches off the grid and Lewis didn't get a good start but he did retain his second place in front of Mark but Jenson lost two places, Michael lost a tyre completely after a puncture, Felipe shot up into fourth but Sebastian opened two seconds plus at the front which is bad news.

Up at the front Sebastian was still out front but Lewis is homing in followed by Mark, Vitaly and Felipe in a tremendous scrap with Jenson and Fernando is about to join then on lap eleven. The tyres are already going off and then all of a sudden Jenson shot past Felipe but not on the circuit and then when Fernando went past Felipe the question is whether Jenson had to let them go past.

To then add further confusion Ferrari pitted and it was then down to the stewards to decide what the position is. In the meanwhile cars were in for the first tyre change of the 2011 season and the leader stopped on lap fifteen. However, Lewis didn't and if he can do a fast lap he could pip Sebastian after his tyre stop.

After the pit stops it hadn't worked and Sebastian extended his lead out to six plus seconds and appears to be moving away. Mercedes are not doing well on lap twenty one with Nico down in eighth and Michael way down in twentieth.

Michael then retired with a technical failure, Rubens is now making headway up in ninth and closing in on Nico but he attacked and spun around and dropped back down to fifteenth. Nico then had smoke pouring from his Mercedes and it looks like both Merc's are out. That bodes well for Jenson as it moves into the points in eighth.

Mark doesn't seem to have the pace and comes in for his second tyre stop at the end of lap twenty six setting the mould for a three stop strategy. The new boy Paul Di Resta is doing a good job in his first race in eleventh and maybe he can get a point and Vitaly is still driving well still in third.

It will be fascinating to see how the tyre stops play out over the last few laps as there is so much difference between new and used tyres. Lewis then went off as his front under tray broke and we will await how it affects the car but still running in P2. The under tray is catching onto the floor and that will slow him down.

Sebastian came in on lap thirty seven followed by Lewis who doesn't seem to be affected by his floor problem. Sebastian in the meanwhile was still holding his lead to Lewis at now around twelve seconds and looks supreme out in front. Jenson then changed tyres on lap thirty eight in a meteoric stop in only 3.8 seconds.

A good scrap developed between Mark and Fernando and even with DRS Fernando struggled to get close enough to go by. Then Mark pitted on lap forty two and Fernando must have sighed as he now had a clear track. Fernando then pitted and his extra lap put him out in front of Mark whilst rookie Sergio Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and starting to attack Jenson.

As we enter the last ten laps it will be interesting to see how the tyre strategies play out with some on hard and others on soft compounds. Jenson moved past Felipe into sixth although he went in for his last tyre stop. Meanwhile Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and now in seventh but with only one pit stop.

At the flag the top ten were: Sebastian, Lewis, Vitaly, Fernando, Mark, Jenson, Sergio, Kamui, Felipe and Sebastien (B). So eventually nobody could match Sebastian in his Red Bull albeit Lewis did have a damaged car running to the end.

Pirelli appear to have done a good job and the last ten lap tyre issues didn't develop. Some great drives through the field including Sergio Perez, Paul Di Resta and Vitaly finishing third for his first podium.

Not a great race but a good start to the 2011 season and we await higher levels of competitive racing during the season. There is some debate as to whether Lewis's car will pass scrutineering which would be a shame.

So we start off as we finished last season with Red Bull. with at least one car way ahead and let us all hope Lewis and his Mclaren particularly are able start to fight harder up at the front. The new Renault also seems to be competitive after a great drive by Vitaly and one has to ask what would have happened if the injured Robert Kubica.

Lewis and Jenson must be satisfied with their performance after the initial running in pre-season testing.

We look forward to the next race in two weeks in Malaysia.

F1 Australia Qualy

2011-03-26T12:11:00.010Z

Welcome everybody to the 2011 season and let us all hope we have a season as exciting as 2010. The anticipated start in Bahrain was cancelled due to the problems in the country and all we can hope the unrest settles down and the GP can be rescheduled later in the season. A final decision will be made in May.

So it was off to Australia for the first race with a lot of changes to the cars. New tyres make their debut as Pirelli take over from Bridgestone. The interest is around durability as two to three tyre changes are planned which makes a huge difference to strategy for all the teams.

The new adjustable rear spoiler will also be a huge benefit on the straights where it can only be used. This will reduce down force and hence assist in overtaking. KERS is also back and we all know the challenges that system brings.

The drivers are now complaining about the amount of buttons they to activate in the steering wheel and one-handed driving can be dangerous when they are on the limit. There are also many changes behind the scenes, too many to discuss here.

The driver line up remains basically as 2010 but the notable addition is that of Paul Di Resta taking over the seat in Force India. Renault have been forced into a driver change after the unfortunate accident to Robert Kubica and the experienced Nick Heidfeld. One has to question the extra activities drivers undertake during the off-season.

Back to the cars and Red Bull seem still to be ahead but Mclaren and Ferrari are not far away. We all hope Mercedes are at the sharp end which will make the season much more interesting. Michael said he was fighting for a podium which is encouraging.

So after all the talk, the pre-season testing and comments from all the teams it is down to who can perform on the day. We also have a change in the commentary box as David Coulthard joins Martin Brundle, so we have two experienced drivers talking us through the races and they really make a huge difference to our TV experience.

Off we go for the first twenty minute qualifying session in 2011 and please note the 107% rule comes back so drivers not qualifying within 107% of the pole lap then they won't race. The first out was a Lotus with the others leaving it for what seemed a long time. Vitaly was the first to set a televised time in his Renault with a time of 1.29.4 which is fairly steady.

Out come the big guns as Sebastian goes fastest followed by Mark, Jenson and Lewis in the mid 1.26's. The times are obviously tumbling and Mark was the first into the 1.25's. Lewis then put in a typical Lewis meteoric lap into the low 1.25's confirming Mclaren could mix it with the Red Bull's. Strangely enough at this early stage both Ferrari's are sixth and seventh but then Michael puts his Mercedes up into fifth.

It is interesting watching the adjustable rear spoiler working as the drivers open it on the straights and it goes back once the driver hits the brake. The TV graphics are also very interesting showing all the new technology.

Ferrari appear to be panicking a little as both their cars went out on a new set of soft tyres. Vitaly was driving like a man possessed as he slotted his Renault up into a fantastic third but yet Nick Heidfeld didn't make it into Q2. At the end of Q1 we have two cars out due to the 107% and it will be in the hands of the stewards and teams to decide whether they race.

There was last minute panic for Felipe as he only got into Q2 at the very last minute. We lost the usual seven protagonists as we headed for Q2. Pasto Maldonaodo drove well to put his Williams through to Q2 in his first outing for the team.

Unfortunately Rubens got it all wrong on his out lap and dumped it into the gravel on turn three and went out to start the GP in seventeenth. Both Red Bull's went out new sets of soft tyres and then came back in without setting a lap time.

The first runs for Pirelli seem to be holding out well but the race tomorrow will show the durability albeit the track doesn't seem to be rubbering in as in previous seasons. Sebastian then through in a mighty lap on a 1.24090 which is a lightening lap and sets the bench mark in his first run on the soft tyres.

It is very interesting looking at the front of the pack as both Red Bull's, Mclaren's, Ferrari's and Mercedes with a lone Renault all in the mix with only 1.8 seconds covering the top ten.

Into Q3 we have Sebastian, Lewis, Mark, Jenson, Fernando, Kamui, Vitaly, Felipe, Nico and Jamei (deposing Michael who finished eleventh), so all the big guns are there.

Who can depose Sebastian will be interesting as we head into Q3 and the fight for pole position. They will all run as little fuel as they can and of course they have to start the race on the tyres they finish Q3 on. Lewis is the first out on the soft tyres into what will be a very interesting first qualifying of the 2011 season.

Sebastian sets an unbelievable 1.23.529 and who on earth can match that apart from maybe Mark, Lewis and Jenson but that lap is mighty. With only 3.25 seconds to go neither Ferrari's have even set a lap albeit they are on circuit.

So after Sebastian's mighty lap he remained on pole but Lewis slotted onto P2 followed by Mark, Jenson, Fernando, Vitaly (fantastic drive), Nico, Felipe, Kamui and in tenth, Sebastian Buemi. Great qualifying session and we all look forward to a very interesting race tomorrow.

F1 Abu Dhabi -The race for the championship

2010-11-14T12:23:00.016Z

Welcome back to the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi after a thrilling qualifying yesterday when Sebastian once again took pole with a fantastic lap.

As I said in qualifying yesterday the permutations are endless but one thing is for certain Lewis is targetting winning the race and the first corner will be very interesting. Of the first four Mark is in the worst position starting fifth and he simply has to pass Fernando to have any chance at all of winning the championship.

Red Bull have said they will "allow" Mark to pass Sebastian if he can win and Sebastian can't as the race unfolds. All the talk about we are racing for the team maybe put into question today if Mark can win and Sebastian can't but he is in front, hmmm.

Both Mclaren drivers are racing for maximum points for the team and the gap between themselves and Ferrari stands at thirty points going into the race and Mclaren seem to have second place in the bag if they can score at least some points. Whilst Lewis has a chance of the championship it is really out of reach.

According to Martin on his usual grid walk there are three hundred plus permutations as to who can win but at the end of the day it is now down to basically six drivers on the front three rows of the grid.

The grid walk was chaos with Kings, Queens, World Leaders from a host of countries and of course our Bernie and he has so much respect from the world's countries he can encourage major sponsors into the sport.

After eighteen races the tension on the grid is immense particularly for Red Bull and whilst Christian Horner says it is just another race that is bull****. The outcome of today will crown the 2010 world champion and there can be no higher accolade in the world of motor sport.

The track temperature as the cars leave the gird is thirty three with air temperature of twenty nine. The talking is now over and with fifty five laps round this 3.7 mile circuit this is going to be a thrilling spectacle.

Dusk looms over the circuit and the flood lights come on, hearts are pumping, revs are rising and Charlie sits above the grid and there off. What a dramatic start as Jenson jumped straight into second and whilst had a go at Fernando he dropped into third.

Then as the two Mercedes cars of Nico and Michael came together, Michael spun out and as Vitantonio came around completely unsighted launched himself over the top of Michael and both were obviously out. Out came the safety car for the first time today and that can change things as some cars came in to make their compulsory tyre change including Nico's Mercedes.

As the race unfolds the early tyre changes of Nico and Vitaly are coming play as Fernando is stuck behind Vitaly and the middle field runners are suffering. Lewis then pits on lap twenty four with Fernando still down in twelfth. Lewis dropped down to behind Robert and he simply has to pass him.

As it stands on lap twenty five Sebastian is leading the championship and after his tyre stop he came out putting Kamui and Robert between himself and Lewis. It is now getting tense amongst the top three as Jenson is lapping quicker than all of them as his fuel load drops and he has yet to stop.

Fernando is still stuck behind Vitaly who is driving brilliantly but affecting both Fernando and Mark who is still running twelfth and really not working out for him. Jenson is till running first and driving brilliantly and trying to take second in front of Lewis and maybe attack Sebastian if he can force the gap before his tyre stop.

Jenson was still on the super softs which aren't supposed to run that far into the race as he has now completed thirty seven laps. He eventually pits on lap forty and he comes out behind Lewis so the extended run on the soft tyres didn't work. Sebastian then went through in the lead and and on his way on lap forty one to the championship title.

Robert has still not stopped on lap forty three and frustrating Lewis and Jenson even though he has to stop make his compulsory stop to ensure he uses both sets of tyres.

After all the talk about swapping drivers around Sebastian went out into the lead straight away and he never looked as though he was to be headed and drove to the world championship and takes the accolade of being the youngest ever driver to win the highest accolade in motor sport.

Lewis came in second followed closely by Jenson and a fabulous one, two. The jubilation on the pit wall was a sight to behold and if any team knows how to party it is Red Bull. On his closing down lap Sebastian was quite rightly crying in the car as Christian Horner announced his championship over the radio.

On the winding down lap we saw Fernando shacking a closed fist at Vitaly for losing him the world championship and what on earth did Fernando expect him to do. He was behind Vitaly but he still had to pass Robert and Nico anyway. Sorry Fernando that was out of order, you lost because Ferrari got it wrong on the day.

Through the very smart line up of young ladies the top three drivers on the day progressed to the podium and there was a lovely atmosphere between the three drivers who are of course world champions over the past three years.

So as we leave Abu Dhabi and the final race of the 2010 season it is euphoria at Red Bull having taken both the Drivers and Constructors championships, the most iconic in the world of motor sport. Mclaren take second in the Constructors championship and a great season for both Lewis (fourth) and Jenson (fifth).

Fernando had a frustrating day but finished second only four points behind Sebastian and Mark also had a frustrating day behind Fernando and finally finished third in the championship.

F1 Quali Abu Dhabi

2010-11-13T12:26:00.013Z

At last we are here, the final race of the 2010 season and the climax to the eighteen race season. Welcome to Abu Dhabi and the Yas Marina circuit in the desert on the Yas Marina circuit off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

The constructors championship went to Red Bull in Brazil and their first of no doubt many. The drivers championship is a different issue with Fernando Alonso (246), Mark Webber (238), Sebastian Vettel (231) and on the outer edge Lewis Hamilton (222).

There are too many permutations to consider as the points are so close with only twenty four points between which is of course less than a race win.

The interest will be what happens in the race between the two Red Bull drivers after the well publicised comments from both drivers over the past weeks. Mark thinks he has been badly done to over the past races and Sebastian basically doesn't care about Mark's feelings and after Turkey can they be sensible and race for the right reasons.

Ferrari on the other hand have developed remarkably over the past races and Fernando has forced himself to the front when all seemed lost. Mclaren seemed to lose the balance of the car over the past races and Lewis's three DNF's haven't helped him at all. Realistically Lewis needs the front three to go off and that is expecting a minor miracle.

This will be the most important quali of the season for the top four and Lewis has showed he is ready to get out there and mix it up with the top three. He is of course very capable of winning this race but he needs luck to win the championship.

Here we go for the last quali of the season as the sun goes down at 1700 Abu Dhabi time, the track temperature drops so the drivers are struggling with tyre temperature, the flood lights come on and all is to play for at this spectacular circuit.

The first of the three quali sessions had all four of the top championship protagonists locked in combat switching around with Fernando two tenths faster than Sebastian. Lewis and Mark. Nobody dropped into the 1.39's but that will come I feel sure. Nico slotted into P2 and that could cause a mix up amongst the top four.

Jenson and Felipe were running in close support in fourth and fifth so its like 2 x 2 x 2 into the arc. We lost the usual 6 newer teams and the main loser of the top teams was Sebastian Buemi in his Red Bull.

Off into quali two and the first into the 39's was of course as Sebastian took off with the softer tyres. Both Mclaren's are mixing it up the front behind Sebastian and all of them are performing to the maximum.

Nico then again put in a stunning lap and slotted into P2 really mixing them all up at the front. Q2 saw Robert, Adrian, Nick, Nico H, Vitantonio and Jaime out of the pole shoot out. All five of the top teams are in the top ten and what can Mercedes and Williams do in the final shoot out.

Here we go for the titanic battle for pole in the most important session of the season in the fight for the championship. The teams are so close it is too close to call and we are now dealing in 1000's of a second and who will come out in front.

What a final session as Sebastian takes pole and that's getting boring as he always seems to manage pole when he needs it, Lewis was absolutely mighty and finished on the front row in P2, Fernando finished up with a great lap in P3, Jenson came in fourth followed by a lowly and out of sorts Mark.

The talking is now over and the race happens tomorrow with both Mclaren's mixing it up at the front and one has to say on the results of the pole session seem to favour Fernando for his third title.

Cannot wait for tomorrow.

F1 race Brazil

2010-11-07T15:18:00.004Z

So, welcome to Interlagos and the home of the Brazilian Grand Prix for the penultimate race of the 2010 season.

After the wet conditions in practice we are welcomed by a much better day and we hope this will be a classic race with the result taking the championship to Abu Dhabi. The mathematics for the top five are endless and all that I can really say is that if Fernando wins and Mark is below fifth then Fernando wins the championship so lets race and discuss the maths afterwards.

Jenson had an incident when leaving the circuit yesterday after quali as a group of young men bearing various items of armour tried to attack his car and quick thinking by his driver got them away from the incident without risk.

It appears a similar thing happened to the Sauber team but they weren't as lucky and they lost everything. All personnel were OK which is a blessing.

Nico Hulkenberg drove an excellent pole lap and finished some one second plus ahead of both Red Bull's to take his first pole position. The first for a long time for the William's team and with Rubens well up this could be another good day for the Williams Team.

The temperatures have obviously increased yesterday and prior to the start the track temp is 51 with air at 24. Nico Hulkenberg is in an unenviable position, his first pole, in front of the four leaders in the championship in the top five breathing down his neck and if he gets in turn one in front that could assist all four of them

Most of the top ten are starting on the Green walled softer tyres but will Jenson change his strategy starting from his lowly eleventh position as we know he can.

From the flag Sebastian passed Nico H into turn one and very quickly Mark went past also. Then Fernando passed Lewis and Nico H and after what seemed an eternity Lewis got past also. However, this put the Red Bull's well in the lead and split up the first four.

Jenson then came in on lap ten to change tyres and came out in tenth and in this race after all. Lewis then came in for his tyre change on lap twenty after complaining about no grip and he came out just in front of Jenson.

Lewis then started to lap quicker and quicker and his tyres should last to the end of the race. The Red Bull's tyres seem to be ok and the longer they go on their starting tyres the better they will be at the end of the race. Fernando then came in on lap twenty five and we await the Red Bull's to come in running line astern at the front.

Red Bull then responded to Fernando with Sebastian in first and Mark followed so the top four had know all changed tyres and we wait for it all to settle down. After the tyre change round it all stabilised at the front with around three seconds between the front two.

Mark is trying to hunt down Sebastian and he knows he won't get any assistance from him. Fernando is still over seventeen seconds behind Mark and Lewis runs some ten seconds behind Fernando.

On lap forty all the cars are still running which is excellent news as there have not been any accidents but then we lost the first car as Lucas retired his Virgin on lap forty five albeit he did come back out some seven laps down.

Then as Vitantonio came out of turn two he went straight off into the barrier and out came the safety car. Both Mclaren's then came in for tyres which will give them a lot of cars to pass to bring particularly Lewis back up to the fourth position he needs to retain his championship target going to Abu Dhabi.

After things settled down after the safety car Sebastian booted it from the front and extended his lead to Mark. Fernando was closing down Mark and Lewis was putting in fastest lap after fastest lap with his new tyres.

Jenson drove brilliantly and now running in fifth behind Lewis albeit not as fast. Into the final lap still only sixteen seconds covered the top four and the championship will be decided in Abu Dhabi.

The top ten were Sebastian (231), Mark (238), Fernando (246), Lewis (222), Jenson (199), Nico, Michael, Nico H, Robert and Kamui bringing up tenth.

So as we leave for Abu Dhabi Fernando still leads on 246 followed by Mark on 238. Sebastian leaves with 231 with Lewis 222 . So all is to play for in Abu Dhabi and Mark leaves Brazil the most disappointed of the top four.

Red Bull won the Constructors Championship here today and congratulations to them for this very young team who took on the might of Mclaren and Ferrari from their roots as Jaguar and Jacky Stewart's team.

F1 Race Korea

2010-10-24T10:04:00.008+01:00

Race day has arrived for round seventeen and the first time at the Yeongham circuit in South Korea, two hundred and thirty miles south of the capital Seoul. The unwelcome news for the drivers is it's raining but for we armchair spectators the rain adds a spice to race day. The rain will reduce temp which will have an effect on all the cars as track temp is important for tyre temp which Jenson and Felipe were complaining about yesterday.

The track temp is eighteen degrees and air temp nineteen which has dropped some seven degrees since quali yesterday which will make a huge difference. Plenty of discussions after the pre race laps as to whether they start on full wets or inters and an impossible choice for all concerned. The new circuit with oil on it mixed with the rain will make it extremely difficult.

The fans have arrived and the grandstands are full, the fans have come with their wet weather gear and the talk is over. As the rain is getting heavier before the start the race is delayed for ten minutes and will start behind the safety car.

After only four laps the decision was taken to throw the Red flag as the water was creating huge spray and aqua planing making it very dangerous. After a one hour the race proceeded behind the safety car at 1605 with only four laps completed. What happens now is in the lap of the gods.

So after many laps under the safety car the race started again and Sebastian bolted at the front and a couple of cars went off but nothing serious. Mark then went wide and across the circuit and when he came back across he collected Nico and both were out and back under the safety car. So the leader of the championship was out, Fernando went up to P2 and Lewis to P3.

This obviously makes a huge difference to the championship but this race has still a long way to go after only twenty three laps in the bag. After Buemi went off there was yet another safety car and they all dashed into the pits to change to inters.

Fernando had a wheel nut problem on the front right which allowed Lewis to go up into P2. However, Lewis then went wide at turn one and Fernando went back to P2. Lewis then had Felipe on his tail but he soon equalised the gap in P3.

Jenson was having all sorts of problems after his pit stop prior to the safety car. He came out in twelvth but amongst the back markers and a couple of incidents he dropped down to sixteenth. Then came a mighty blow for Red Bull as Sebastian's engine blew putting Fernando into the lead and Lewis second with the second Ferrari on the hands of Felipe up into third and that was the way it was at the flag.

Michael had a better day and was promoted to fourth and one has to say he drove better this time. This has made a massive difference to the championship as now Fernando takes the lead on 231 pts, Mark is now second on 220 with Lewis third on 210. Sebastian is now fourth on 206 and Jenson now almost out of it in fifth on 189.

There is still all to play for and it is looking almost a certainty that we will arrive in Abu Dhabi with four drivers who could win the title. With only a race win between the top four, depending on where the other drivers finish, it will be a thrilling race to finish the season.

Onward now to Brazil and after today's protracted race I personally can't wait.

Fi South Korea Quali

2010-10-23T12:04:00.011+01:00

The Formula 1 circus this weekend moves into the unknown as it arrives in Makpa in the South of Korea to the Yeongam circuit. Much talk has focused around the readiness of the new facility but Charlie Whiting finally passed the circuit ready for the arrival of the F1 teams.

The championship couldn't be tighter as the five protagonists fight like cat and dog up at the front with only three races to go. Mark, Sebastian, Fernando, Lewis and Jenson will have to cope with plenty of dust, grease and oil in their fight for the ultimate prize.

The race will be over fifty three laps, circuit length of nearly four miles and a total race distance of 192 miles. It is going to be a challenge for all the drivers and on a virgin circuit it will be up to the cars to to clean the track along with the sweepers as there are no support races.

Albeit the circuit has two long straights which should favour the F duct on the Mclaren's, Red Bull have said there cars are better suited for this type of circuit. All the drivers have had problems and whilst the organisers have made changes overnight it will be an issue for all the cars.

It was interesting watching David's access to the Mclaren Technology Centre at Woking and brings back memories for me and my visit to the facility during 2009, it is an unbelievable place with some phenomenal cars going back over many years. The Mclaren's have to perform this weekend and any disasters will unfortunately put both Lewis and Jenson out of the title chase.

It was great to see Australian Alan Jones as the appointed driver race steward this weekend. He was my hero in the TAG Williams of the bygone era some thirty years ago and a tremendous driver in his time at the wheel. As an ex world champion he will no doubt add a balanced view obviously supporting Mark's challenge.

So as quali looms the crowd have come and filled the grandstands, the weather is fine and the fight begins for the first twenty minutes as Heikki takes to the circuit in his Lotus some eight seconds off the pace of this mornings running.

Robert could mix it up at the front as he is very quick here and the mods to the Mclaren's seem to be working. This could be the most critical quali of 2010 for the Mclaren's.

After Q1 we lost Vitantonio, Jarno, Timo, Heikki, Lucas, Sakon and Bruno which is to be expected. Off the cars go into Q2 and times will start to get faster as the surface rubbers in.

So after a hectic Q2 we lost Nico (H), Kamui, Nick, Adrian, Vitaly, Jamie and Sebastian (B) and now the fight for pole begins with mere tenths between the leading contenders.

It is now all to play for and Eddie still feels Lewis has the car to be on pole albeit he dropped behind the Red Bull's in Q2. Mclaren have certainly found something since Japan many items having come in on private jets and suitcases.

With only a quarter of a second between the top five this is going to be a tense quali session. The first to show was Fernando who slotted in a 1.35.9 and is the first into the 35's followed by Sebastian and Lewis.

What a pole shoot out and in the end the Red Bull's took it by fractions of a second so Sebastian, Mark, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, Felipe, Jenson, Robert , Michael and in tenth Rubens. Now it is to play for tomorrow so bring it on and we should be in for an almighty dog fight.

F1 Singapore - The Race

2010-09-26T12:20:00.015+01:00

Here we go for the much anticipated Singapore Grand Prix around the 23 turns of the Marina Bay circuit. The teams are now into fly away races to the end of the season which means no real major upgrades so what they have will remain for the final five races of the 2010 season.

With only twenty four points covering the top five makes it very intense and any slip up amongst them could punt them out of the championship chase. Turns one and two could a major test for all the drivers.

Fernando on pole alongside Sebastian, the Mclaren's line astern behind, Mark back in fifth, Felipe last with plenty in between to cause problems for the top five including Robert in his Renault suggest this could be a very interesting if not great race.

Apart from the race in Singapore, underneath the lights it is also a great spectacle and you can really see the intense colours of the cars. A quick look at the Gull winged Mercedes safety car during Martin's grid walk showed what level of equipment this car has, a fantastic motor car which follows the grand prix circus.

The temperature in Singapore must be difficult for the drivers to deal with particularly as it is likely to be a two hour race. With humidity at 61 degrees, track temperature thirty one degrees, air temperature of thirty degrees and sixty one laps to go this is intense for all concerned.

The cars move off onto their siter lap and the tension begins to build. Tyres and brakes will be critical for all the cars and that has been the case for the past two years here. Mark blew a brake disc apart and rammed the barrier last year.

Away they go basically in grid order albeit Fernando had to move over to stop the fast starting Sebastian from coming past and Fernando put in quick laps from the start. Jenson passed Lewis momentarily but Lewis was later on the brakes into turn one.

Then out came the safety on only lap three and many of the cars came into to change to the prime tyres enabling them to run to the finish without another stop. Mark however rejoined in eleventh and his progress through the field was not helped by the twisty circuit nature. Felipe in the meanwhile was running in fifteenth and having the same problem passing as Mark.

Both Mclaren's seemed to be running a waiting game as Fernando was running a second quicker on lap fourteen. It will be interesting to see what happens when the top drivers come in to change the tyres. It appears the prime tyres are not working on their early stages and Nico H was complaining about traction on them.

Timo was causing a mobile chicane and the drivers who switched to the prime tyres were all blocked behind him and it took a mistake from him to allow Nico H and Felipe through. At the front Fernando was now down in the 51's as the fuel burns off and the front five won't have any problems changing tyres and holding their positions.

Sebastian was running some seven seconds ahead of Lewis and it seems the Mclaren's cannot hold the pace of the Ferrari and Red Bull at this fairly early stage of the race. Mark has dropped some thirty seconds behind Fernando and his progress was stunted after his tyre stop.

Then the Mclaren's dropped straight off the pace and had to stop for tyres but their pace had dropped Lewis behind Mark. Then they were followed in by Fernando and Sebastian and Sebastian almost immediately narrowed the gap to Fernando.

Kamui went into the barriers and Bruno went straight into the back of him which then brought out the safety car again. After what seems to have have been a long race already there are still twenty eight laps to go as they all bunch up behind the safety car.

The placings at thirty four laps are Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Lewis, Jenson, Nico, Robert and Rubens. With 26 laps to go the race will almost certainly run to the two hour period after all the events of the previous laps.

As the safety car came in Lewis was on better tyres than Mark and went to pass him, they tangled and once again out went Lewis and another non finish. The contact is being viewed by the stewards and we have to await the outcome. I believe a racing incident and will be surprised if any action against Mark is taken.

Now Mark has Jenson on his tail and the outcome between these two will be interesting. Out in front Fernando and Sebastian are in a class of their own trading fastest lap after fastest lap running only a second apart. After forty three laps we now had lost seven cars through accidents basically. In the meanwhile Felipe was now running in tenth which is creditable after starting last.

Robert picked up a right side rear puncture from sixth and pitted for a tyre change and strangely they put on a set of primes. He immediately shot onto the back of Sebastien B and with Vitaly in front him he was in a Renault sandwich. Robert was running now in twelfth until he passed Sebastien B and shot straight up behind Vitaly. Robert has nothing to lose as running eleventh and out of the points so action stations on his team mate.

Still nip and tuck between Fernando and Sebastian, Mark and Jenson and at the bottom end of the points Robert was now moving through as he passed Vitaly, Felipe, Nico H, Adrian and now Adrian is flying on his new tyres and already back to seventh.

It is still mighty close between the front two as Sebastian closes on Fernando when passing Michael and Heikki and they are both driving an outstanding race. As Fernando has the lead he will be very difficult to pass having the high ground.

As the final minutes ground down Sebastian was sat on Fernando's tail and it was certainly very tense. As the two hours struck Fernando took the flag after a great drive from the two times world champion.

At the flag Fernando finished in P1 followed by Sebastian, Mark, Jenson, Nico, Rubens, Robert, Adrian, Nico H and Felipe completing the points scorers. Vitaly, Jaime, Michael, Sebastien B, Lucas and finally Heikki whose was badly on fire and he had to put the fire out himself as the fire marshall's were too slow and he did a great job as the cars literally flew past him on the start finish line.

All the rest didn't finish and that of course included Lewis who leaves in third in the championship now twenty points behind Mark but still in the hunt.

Great race, great spectacle and congratulations to all the drivers for a wonderful job done under the heat intensity of Singapore. Now the teams move to Suzuka and hopefully to another thrilling race.

F1 Singapore Quali

2010-09-25T14:12:00.009+01:00

Welcome to the night race in Singapore and the fantastic albeit sometimes dangerous Marina Bay circuit. Lewis has criticised certain changes to the circuit complaining that what were already tight corners have now been made dangerous and actually launch the car into the air, very dangerous.

This is a tough track with plenty of turns and of course the drivers have to contend with body clock issues albeit none of them seem to mention that, only the heat.

Teams have difficult decisions to make at this time in the season accepting some of the drivers have a better chance to win the championship. However, Mclaren and Red Bull have both drivers fighting at the top and it appears Ferrari have chosen Fernando based on his points. There is talk Renault could upset the apple cart by taking points away from the front runners.

Into Q1 and it is a real dog fight at the top as Sebastian drops into the 46's. With 10 minutes to go the session was Red flagged as Felipe's Ferrari stopped out on track in a difficult position.

It does seem strange when looking at the long shots of the circuit in the dark yet when watching the race the lighting is so good you don't really notice the dark. However, the cars look even better as the bright lights show the colours in depth under the very strong lighting.

I feel impressed with myself as I have been lapping in the 1.46's on the WII in Lewis's car.

So as they resume it is Sebastian, Fernando, Mark, Jenson, Jaime and Lewis. Red Bull seem to have the edge here as they forecast that would be the case as in fact they said would be the opposite at Monza and Spa.

With Felipe out neither Mercedes cars came out for the remaining time in Q1 as they felt none of the lesser teams would beat their time. Whilst that makes some sense they are not learning anything either but they do save a set of tyres.

So as the session closes Fernando is in P1 with a mid 1.46 followed by Sebastian & Mark. As discussed earlier Robert has shot the Renault up to P4 and could mix the front runners up. We lose Timo, Lucas, Jarno, Heikki, new boy Chrstian Klien in the HRT car, Bruno and of course the luckless Felipe. Lewis finishes in ninth whilst Jenson was up in sixth.

They all launch out into Q2 and this will be a tight battle up front. Fernando found a glitch and had to go back to the pits for the engine to be remapped. Then out of the Blue, Lewis ran the fastest lap ever round the Marina Bay circuit in almost a flat 1.46 some half a second faster than Sebastian albeit Jenson was now third yet Michael in last place.

Jaime is driving fantastic and now running ninth which is great for Toro Rosso. Fernando came back out and the car is now running OK as he usurps Lewis into the 1.45's and it now appears all the top runners are going to have to run in the 45's to stand a chance.

As Q2 finishes things remain the same at the front and the only real point of note is that Michael is in the top 10 for the first time since Silverstone. So we lost Jaime, Nico H, Vitaly, Sebastien, Nick, Adrian and Vitantonio.

Going int Q3 we now have the five contenders for the championship in the top five positions so we await the pole lap session in Q3 with interest. Sebastian obviously got something wrong on his first Q3 run as he finished up seventh whilst Fernando and Lewis were running one and two.

In they all come for another set of tyres, refuel and off they go again. They are all finding turn two a problem as it is still a bit damp and with twenty three turns it is a very difficult track under pressure.

So we finish with Fernando on pole followed by Sebastian, Lewis, Jenson, Mark and still the top five in the championship are in the first five places. Then we have Rubens, Nico, Robert, Michael and Kamui.

The grid is going to give us a great race tomorrow and I am sure we all await with interest.

F1 Monza Race

2010-09-12T16:54:00.015+01:00

Well here we go for what is to be, I am sure, a thrilling race. It does appear Lewis mad an error with removing the F Duct of his car and we will have to await the outcome during the race. It will be interesting watching the two Mclaren's as they both have different set ups as Lewis has the high speed set up with low down force and yet Jenson has his set up with a high down force.

As Fernando's car is pushed into his pole position there is an army of team personnel on the grid preparing all twenty cars on the grid. The grid is a very special place and only the privileged get to walk its length amongst the cars.

Turn one will be very interesting as twenty low flying projectiles arrive at the very difficult turn right, left turn as also will turn four. The army of personnel leave the grid as the cars move away back onto pit lane to await events during the race.

As the Red lights went out Jenson got a fantastic start and passed Fernando into turn one followed by Felipe. The two Ferrari's then got tight together and in the following melee Lewis then tangled with Fernando which broke his right front and he was out.

So Jenson went into the lead but his high down force set up could affect him down the long straights, we will have to see how it plays out. Nico shot through to fourth but both red Bull's dropped places as Michael made up four places. As Mark passed Michael he was now behind Sebastian and are we to see fire works from the two of them.

The battle at front on lap twenty was intense after Jenson & Fernando traded fastest laps with Felipe still in touch matching the front two. The high down force set up on Jenson's car doesn't seem to have had an effect compared with the Ferrari. Nico still held fourth followed by Robert, Nico (H) and then the two Red Bull's in close company.

Sutil was the first stop for tyres early on as he swapped from soft to hard tyres but then had to pass a lot of cars to regain his position but that should help him later in the race. Then came a radio message from Sebastian that he had an engine problem as Mark went straight through.

Then Sebastian seemed to pick up the pace again so they will have to wait the outcome as the pit wall couldn't find anything. With the pace at the front fuel mileage could be a problem but I am sure the teams were aware of that prior to the race start.

When Jenson and Fernando came up behind back markers on lap twenty five it was all Jenson needed as the gap between the front two narrowed to just over half a second. Still no pit stops for the front runners which means they are still running the tyres they ran on the pole lap yesterday.

Nico was now some fifteen seconds behind Felipe in fourth showing the superiority of the front three runners. In the meanwhile Mark is still being held at bay by Nico (H) which is a credit to the Williams performance.

The Renault mechanics in the pit have asked Sebastian to change some settings on his steering wheel and they confirmed it was some form of engine glitch which seemed to stabilise during the ensuing laps after the changes.

With twenty laps to go more cars are coming on for tyre stops and the first of the high runners, Robert came in. Then came the message across Jenson's radio to push, push, push as he was coming towards his pit stops. Then Nico came in followed by Mark with Mark not making any ground on Nico.

Then in came Jenson with a 4.2 second actual stop followed on the next lap by Fernando but he came out in front of Jenson and the Tiffosi went wild. Then in came Felipe but he came back into third so no change there. Jenson now has all to play for but as the pit wall instructed him to go into fuel saving mode his back to the wall.

Now Jenson has more to worry about as Felipe comes into play in second and starts to close in on him. Fernando seems to have it to lose as he pulls three seconds ahead of Jenson so it seems all over unless Fernando makes a mistake under the pressure of the race as it has played out.

Sebastian is running in fourth but has yet still to stop for tyres and it will be interesting to see where he finishes up after his tyre change but with only five laps to go. In the meanwhile Mark is now running very close behind Nico (H) and getting very spirited but he then went through after a few scrappy laps from Nico (H).

Sebastian then came in for tyres prior on the penultimate lap and went straight into fourth but that is a blow for Mark. So at the flag after a brilliant drive from both Fernando and Jenson, the Ferrari took the win followed by Jenson and Felipe.

Sebastian then took fourth ahead of Nico, Mark, Nico (H), Robert, Michael with Rubens in tenth. So Mark retakes the lead in the championship followed by Jenson, Fernando and Jenson in fourth.

So after a thrilling race the Tiffosi will go home happy and there will be a lot of Vino drunk in the pubs and clubs in Italy tonight. Fernando will be an Italian hero after winning his first race for Ferrari on home soil and it will not do any harm for Felipe either.

So bring on Singapore and let us hope it is as thrillingas Monza. Great drives down the field as we leave Europe for the last five races of the season.

F1 Monza Quali

2010-09-11T12:16:00.011+01:00

Welcome to quali at the home of the passionate Tiffosi at Monza. The fans come in their droves to view their beloved Ferrari who have been at the top of everyones mind over the past few weeks. All the talk over the past week is the result of the FIA / WMSC ruling over the debacle in Germany where Felipe was asked to move over to allow Fernando to win the race.

The question of team orders has been a problem for many a year and there are of course varied thoughts across the sport. There is no doubt Ferrari applied a team order and now the other teams are saying the cost of breaching team orders is $100,000 which is a small cost in the world of F1.

I feel sure all the teams apply team orders in one way or another but Ferrari always have a habit of doing it in your face which does not help. From the teams point of view they have a massive investment, sponsors expect results without their names coming under disrepute and the drivers all want to win. So it is an issue that is very unlikely to go away and how the FIA and World Motor Sport Council deal with it will only become clear at the end of the season.

Anyway back to Monza. The weather looks good as we await for quali to begin. The big guns were locked in combat but both Red Bull's seem to be behind Mclaren and Ferrari in the early stages. Felipe, Fernando and Lewis were all in the 22's which is mighty around Monza. So both Ferrari's headed the timing sheets after Q1 in what is basically a warm up session for Q2 & Q3.

So after Q1 we unfortunately lost Yarno, Heikki, Antonio, Timo, Lucas, Bruno and Saron.

As we move into Q2 the track temperature is 39 & air temperature of 27 which is a little warmer than the drivers have had during the practice sessions. The Tiffosi will be pleased after Q1 with both cars in P1 & P2 but will the others haul them in as they all come out onto the track.

Lewis went straight in the mid 1.22's and has thrown down the gauntlet on soft tyres in difference to all the others. When you watch the cars in the Ascari chicane the cars are mighty and onto the straight into the famous Parabolica. Then it hotted up as Fernando slotted in with a faster time in the low 1.22's.

Again the Red Bull's don't seem to have the outright pace which is not what we have to expect albeit Sebastian sent in a 1.23 but six tenths off the pace. Michael is 1.256 off the pace and down in twelfth three places behind Nico up in ninth.

So everything points to a fantastic pole qualifying sessions as the top cars and drivers are locked in very tight combat. So out went Adrian, Michael, Sebastien, Kamui, Vitaly, Jaime and Pedro leaving us with the top ten to fight it out for pole.

Out they went and Fernando immediately threw in the first one twenty one of the weekend and is looking mighty. Jenson slotted into P2 followed by Felipe and Lewis after the first runs. The Red Bull's are in line astern in p5 and P6. Then they all came in to change tyres and the pole shoot out begins with only just over a minute to go.

The Tiffosi goes wild as Fernando takes his first pole for Ferrari at Monza followed by Jenson with a different set up to Lewis and the F Duct should give him a bonus down to turn one. Felipe took third, Mark fourth and a low grid position for Lewis in fifth.

Sebastian took sixth followed by Nico, Nico (H), Robert and Rubens. All is now set for a brilliant race tomorrow and the chicane at turn one will be very interesting. We look forward to a good race tomorrow with two new protagonists on the front row.

F1 Spa Race

2010-08-29T11:22:00.017+01:00

Welcome to race day in the Ardenne Forest and the 4.3 mile Spa Francochamps circuit for the thirteenth race of the 2010 season. After the mix of weather of qualifying the weather for the start looks as though it will be changeable again.

A great celebration this weekend for Rubens as he celebrates his 300th Grand Prix start and along with me I am sure you all wish him all the best for his future. He has always been such a lovely man but when he drops the visor it's business as usual. Hugely talented, a credit to his Brazil and now he is setting great laps and results for Frank Williams and the rejuvenating Williams team.

I always felt sorry for Rubens during his time at Ferrari running second best to Michael but he simply got in with the job and carried on regardless. Back in the early days in the lower formulae he has always had raw speed and whilst he did get nine wins at Ferrari that really belied his talent. Congratulations Rubens and carry on giving us the pleasure you always have.

Back to Spa as the cars leave the pits for the grid. Having just watched Mark's wonderful pole lap it shows how accurate one has to be around this 44 lap, 4.3 miles circuit. I run the F1 2009 championship on the Wii and have picked up a few tips and for those who have Wii please buy the program as it is a wonderful, realistic challenge.

After quali yesterday some of the teams are struggling for tyres including Sebastian who has only two sets of inters for the race if the rain comes. Martin did his usual excellent job on his grid walk and talked to a lot of the drivers including Sebastien, Jenson and Mark. Plenty of talk about the launch into the first corner and then of course down and up Eau Rouge which is a daunting corner.

I have stood at the bottom of Eau Rouge and the TV gives no real appreciation of how steep it is. Let us not forget the drivers will be launching into Eau Rouge on lap one and onto Kemmel with no testing time on full tanks due to the mix of weather during qualifying.

Mark commented he is concerned about Lewis behind him into Au Rouge as you would be and it will be interesting to see who succeeds. The other interest will be Fernando in a lowly tenth with Felipe up ahead in sixth and how will Ferrari play that?

So with a track temperature of 20/21 and air temperature of a lowly sixteen degrees the sky seems to be getting darker. Most of the drivers are on the softer, Green walled tyres and the weather will play a major part as the cars launch from the grid for the warm up lap.

The lights turned Red and Lewis went straight into P1 as Mark had a slow start. All went well into turn one and up Eau Rouge to but as they approached the bus stop at the end of lap one as most of the drivers went off on the wet surface and unfortunately Rubens went into the back of Fernando and his race was finished.

After lap one Jenson went past Robert and up behind his team mate so Mclaren into one and two. Then the safety car was deployed to clear the mess in the bus stop chicane and after it came in Sebastien passed Robert into P3. Lewis shot away at the front with Jenson in close pursuit.

Lewis seems to be in a class of his own and is flying being more than a second ahead of Jenson on a 1.53 on lap five. Mark is still stuck behind Robert but the stewards are investigating an incident between Sebastien and Robert and we await the result.

Jenson has a problem with damage on the front of his Mclaren and Sebastien is closing in on him on lap eight whilst he changes things in the cock pit to stabilise his damage problem. Lewis is going away at the front and in a class of one and now nearly five seconds ahead and should Jenson and Sebastien start to fight that will make it better for him.

Fernando is coming through the field after his pit stop after his coming together with Rubens and on lap ten running in fourteenth. Lewis is taking nearly a second away up at the front and driving like we know he can.

After fifteen laps things are stabilising at the front with Lewis out on his own followed by Jenson, Sebastien, Robert, Mark and Felipe but rain is forecast in Stabilo in ten minutes so there is a long way to go in this race as the rain will mix it up.

As in his usual style Sebastien got it all wrong again and shot straight into the side of Jenson and Jenson was out. Sebastien must learn you only win races by crossing the finishing line and his move is under investigation by the stewards. Sebastian dropped down to twelfth after going straight across the track into the pits for a new nose but Jenson got no further than turn eight.

The stewards then announced Sebastian had a drive through penalty for causing an unavoidable accident which is what he deserves. Robert seems to be putting distance between himself and Mark on lap twenty two who seems to be sitting and waiting. Felipe is also sitting comfortably running in fourth but Fernando is down in ninth.

The weather is getting cooler as the air temperature drops to fifteen. Mark then does his first pit stop on lap twenty three and rejoins in fourth whilst Robert, Lewis and Felipe haven't. Then Robert came in on lap twenty four and came out in front of Mark again followed by Felipe who came out in fourth as he was.

Lewis then came in the following lap and rejoins in his first place with nineteen laps to go and he really is in a class of one again. The Force India's are driving superbly as Adrian swept past Michael along Kemmel into Les Coombes, so easy.

The Mercedes are running line astern with Michael ahead of his much younger team mate. On lap twenty seven Sebastien once again had an issue in the bust stop chicane as he drove around Vitantonio and caught his rear tyre on Vitantonio's front spoiler giving himself a puncture but destroying Vitantonio's front spoiler causing him to pit once again.

Sebastien has a lot to learn and he must lose his imperious nature and calm down as he always seems to affect others rather than just hurting himself which is not good for those around him. His reputation if this continues will not do him any good with the other drives and one only hopes they don't start to respond.

All the talk is about the rain as on lap thirty four and only ten laps to go and whilst only light in the pit lane to start with it is forecast to get heavier as the minutes pass. It is easy to see the rain on the camera lenses and I am sure this is all Lewis needs out front. The weather then got wetter as Lewis went off in Stabilo but got it back on the track.

Lewis then came in to change onto inters followed by Robert who over shot his pit and let Mark through after his pit stop into second. They are now all having to protect the inters as they still have some eight laps to go.

Sebastian and Fernando are under investigation as Fernando came out of his pit into the side of Sebastian and banging wheels. Sebastian yet again involved in an incident albeit this one may not be his fault.

Sebastian then came in again after burning his tyres in the dryer tyres and then Fernando shot his Ferrari into the wall at Malmedy and he was out. This then brought out the safety car and as all the cars assembled behind the safety car anything could happen now. Three of the cars are on full wets with the remainder on inters and the only time one should really need full wets is where there is deep running water.

Lewis is complaining the safety car is too slow and one goes back to a comment Martin made on the grid about the tread depth of the tyres on the safety car. With Fernando's car now lifted off the track things seem to be brightening up so hopefully all the drivers will be safe to the end of the race in only four laps.

In came the safety car and Lewis walked away at the front and to see him coming along Kemal into Les Coombes at some two hundred miles an hour with the other cars creating plumes of smoke behind was fantastic.

So after a very mixed weather weekend Lewis took the flag after a start to finish where he was never headed. A wonderful drive by Lewis and Mark was fortunate to finish in second after Robert's cock up when coming into the pits for his tyre change.

The points scorers are therefore Lewis in first taking the championship lead from Mark followed by Mark, Robert, Felipe, Adrian, Nico, Michael, Kamui, Vitaly and Jamie.

Three of the championship hopefulls fell away during the race including the unfortunate Jenson, the unforgivable Sebastien and sadly Fernando who eventually shot it into the scenery near the end to bring out the safety car.

In the constructors championship Red Bull still retain their lead albeit only one point ahead of Mclaren on 330 and 329 respectfully.

F1 Spa Quali

2010-08-28T12:27:00.010+01:00

After the 3 week holiday break it is time to go back to the hustle and bustle of the F1 circus.

Before going into the quali session I would like to send a special welcome to Dick Bennets from West Surrey Racing and his partner and my great friend Teri Dickens who have gone to Spa this weekend for a break away from BTCC. West Surrey run Rob Collard and Andy Neate in the BTCC having won the champiosnhip last year in the hands of Colin Turkingon.

WSR are running Colin and a BMW this year in certain rounds of the World Touring Car Championship and I wish Colin all success along iwth the whole West Surrey Racing Team for the rest of this season and many more to come.

Back to F1 and this weekends race at the fantastic Spa Francochamps circuit in the Ardenne Forest where the weather can play a huge part in the outcome of the race going in and out of the forest. The first news is the ten place grid drop penalty to Michael for his very dangerous move to try and stop Rubens passing him in Hungary.

Who will beat the Red Bull's for the rest of the season as up to now it has only been mechanical gremlins that have kept the championship alive. Lewis suggests the weekend will be damage limitation for Mclaren but Ferrari seem to be making huge moves towards the front.

The 4.3 mile circuit is certainly a challenge as the circuit can be dry at one side of the circuit and wet on the other making life very difficult race. Mark is of course leading the championship but it is very close at the sharp end and the likes of Mclaren and Ferrari need to take points away from Red Bull or Red Bull will go away.

So into Quali one and all cars were ready to go at the Green light to try and get a banker lap in before the weather closed in. The sky looked very overcast and the clouds are closing in all the while. The weather affected things almost immediately as Vitaly lost it at the top of the circuit and the session was Black flagged whilst they recovered his car.

The teams lost time obviously in the Red flag period and then all cars piled into the pit lane ready to go as the weather could drastically affect the outcome of Q1. All teams went out on slicks but then the rain came down in Rivage and the drivers must have been driving on the very edge of adhesion.

As there were so many cars out at the same time there was real drama whilst Lewis and Jenson set the initial pace. The rain still came down in buckets at the top end of the circuit and times were all over the place. Nigel Mansell is the driver on the steward panel for this race and for certain he will have a busy weekend.

The circuit changed from wet to dry and back again mixing up the grid as both Sauber's went out at the top of the circuit. The White lines at the edge of the track are critical as plumes of water come off them as they put their tyres across them.

The winners out of the changeable conditions Heikki and Timo as we lost Jarno, Kamui, Bruno, Sakun, Pedro, Lucas and Vitaly who went out on lap one as the teams move into Q2. Through the top fifteen the Q1 times were really irrelevant and into Q2 all were out on slicks.

Lewis seems to be much faster than Jenson as Lewis slotted in a 1.46 and the frist driver to do it. He was followed by Sebastian, Robert, Jenson and Fernando and Mark seems to be struggling and under pressure.

After Q2 we lost Michael and with his ten place grid drop he will start on twenty first followed by Nico R, Jaime, Vitantonio, Sebastien B, Heikki and Timo. The track is now dry again as we get ready for Q1 and the pole shoot out.

Lewis looks masterful which wasn't expected and the Red Bull's are the one's really not doing what was expected. Out they went immediately into Q1 as the lights went Green and the pole shoot out started in earnest. Rain is still a threat and all drivers wanted to ensure they get the times in before the risk of the wet stuff.

With only ten minutes in Q1 everything is critical and Lewis was first out of the box and lighting things up albeit a little wild. Watching Lewis through Au Rouge on full chat without the slightest thought of lifting lifts the hair on the back of your neck. Mark came to the front with seven minutes to go and the gladiators are locked in combat. Robert and his Renault are well in the mix and running second at one point.

Both Rubens and Nico H were also running well in the Williams and it is wonderful to see both cars in the top ten. At the flag Mark took pole followed by Lewis who through in a mighty lap at the end, Robert took third followed Sebastian, Jenson, Felipe, Rubens, Adrian, Nico H and a miserable tenth for Fernando.

As usual Spa mixed things up and a very exciting quali session. I feel sure we have a great race in prospect tomorrow and I personally cannot wait.

F1 Hungary Race

2010-08-01T15:53:00.006+01:00

So qualifying is over and the race is upon us, welcome to the Hungaroring. The grid is primed for competition with Red Bull team mates on the front row with needle between them, Ferrari team mates on row two with obvious animosity from the team order farce at Hockenheim and on his own Lewis fighting the flag for Mclaren.

It appears Lewis phoned in on his warm up lap complaining about a bad vibration under braking so we await his appearance on the grid. He has appeared on the grid and they are inspecting his brakes actually on the grid to try and identify the problem.

Martin interviewed Bernie on the grid and he seemed quite relaxed about the furor over the Hockenhiem team order issue. He thought teams have a right to team orders so we await the final outcome in September once the WMSC have finalised their views.

With an air temperature of 46 degrees it is going to be hot as they run down the 700 metres to turn one on the first lap of this 2.7 lap circuit, so off they go for the warm up lap. With Jenson in eleventh he will have to be accurate and positive on the first lap.

Off they went and Sebastian launched his self away from the grid and continued to put in lap after lap a second quicker than the field and after only six laps he had a seven second gap back to Fernando in second. Fernando jumped Mark followed by Felipe but Vitaly also jumped Lewis for a couple of laps until status quo was established.

Jenson had a bad start as he got squeezed out into turn one and come out in a lonely fifteenth behind Michael. It appears he also has a spongy brake pedal and is in constant contact with the pits and maybe he is already in fuel saving mode for later in the race. All the top cars have two laps less fuel and they have to save that during the race.

Then we had a safety car causing all sorts of happenings. Lewis jumped Felipe as he had to slow down on the in lap allowing the team to change Fernando's tyres. There was an accident between Robert and Adrian as Robert was let out of his pit box too early as Adrian was coming in. Nico came out of the pits and lost his rear drivers side wheel and his race was run.

Mark was the only one not to change tyres and he started putting laps in the mid 25's. The stewards announced then Sebastian was under investigation by the stewards for not keeping within ten car lengths behind Mark as the safety car was coming in. To say he was not happy is possibly and understatement.

Once again Red Bull seem to be throwing things down the road as the stewards announce he has a drive through penalty which will compromise his race obviously.

Then out of the blue we lost Lewis with a mechanical issue and the championship leader was out. Robert then retired and we had all sorts of action within a few laps. This then makes life interesting as Fernando is only eleven seconds behind Mark and the race is his if he can retain that gap as Mark has to change tyres.

After his drive through Sebastian came out in front of Felipe but behind Fernando and this set lit the touch paper up front as Sebastian has a faster car than Fernando, Mark still hasn't given up as he pumps in qualifying laps in the low 1.24's attempting to get the eighteen second tyre change gap back to Fernando.

Mark is driving like a man possessed as he drops in times in the high 1.23's and lap after lap he is putting in times in that are taking him into the winning zone. Sebastian then began closing on Fernando albeit Mark now had the time he wanted to change tyres.

What a fantastic drive from Mark and with two or three laps left he has the time he needs to change and still come out in the lead. Fernando and Sebastian were now locked in combat on lap forty two and we await with anticipation for the overtake move.

Jenson was now running ninth on lap forty three as Mark came into the pits for his tyre change and came out well in front of Fernando and Sebastian as the two of them came down the pit straight. Sebastian now must have the Red mist down as he sees Mark come out in the lead and he is stuck behind Fernando and he will not be an easy man to pass.

With Mark now in the mid 1.22's he is pulling away from Fernando and Sebastian as Felipe closes in on the two of them so anything can happen yet. Lewis then advised it appeared he had a gearbox bearing failure.

Rubens is driving an excellent race along with Vitaly are running well in the top ten and nice to see. Michael is running in eleventh fifty two and with Rubens having to stop for tyres he is likely to move into the top ten and score some points.

Michael and Rubens were having a meteoric battle as Rubens had his late tyre change and was obviously very quick. As they came onto the pit straight Rubens was sat on Michael's tale in the slip stream and as he pulled out and half way past Michael moved him across into the concrete down the pit wall.

How Rubens got through is in the lap of the gods and Michael will be investigated by the stewards after the race as Michael's move was so dangerous.

After a fantastic drive Mark came home in P1 and left Hungary leading the world championship whilst Red Bull took over the constructors championship lead. Fernando was second followed by a very unhappy Sebastian after his drive through, Felipe was fourth followed by Vitaly which is a fantastic drive from him.

Nico Hulkenberg came home after another great drive in sixth followed by Pedoro, Jenson, Kamui and finally in the points Rubens. So both Sauber and Williams finished both cars in the top ten which is encouraging.

Great grand prix and fascinating race which switched back and fourth as the race went on.

F1 Quali Hungary

2010-07-31T15:24:00.011+01:00

Well, after the one, two at Hockenheim there has been no other talk apart from the question of team orders. As we armchair viewers there was no question Felipe slowed to let Fernando through after a call from his engineer Rob Smedley advising him Fernando was quicker than he was. Rob then followed it up with a further radio call apologising for the situation.

Rule 39.1 of the FIA Rule Book is quite clear that "there are no team orders in Formula 1" and there are of course three schools of thought. The teams are looking after the interests of their massive financial investment in the sport and accumulating points towards the manufacturers championship, the drivers wish to do the same thing towards the drivers championship and the fans want to see great racing.

It is fair to suggest Ferrari were going to finish with a one, two no what the driver was in front. Both Ferrari drivers drove brilliantly and definitely deserved their result. However, Ferrari did break the rules and it must now to be left to WMSC to decide what will happen in the best interest of the sport.

The stewards on the day decided Ferrari had broken rule 39.1 and fined them $100,000 and it must be left to Jean Todt and the WMSC to make the final decision. There has been much talk in the press and on the radio about how Ferrari have brought the sport into disrepute.

Personally I think that is rubbish as the fighting was over and Ferrari were one and two anyway. The Ferrari switch at Hockenheim has no reflection on the sport and this year is as competitive a season as we have had, Formula 1 is a team sport and always will be.

Let's turn our thoughts back to what we all enjoy, Formula 1 Motor Racing. We now have a six way fight at the front now Ferrari have finally got their act together. The controversy over the Red Bull flexible front wing goes onward and the teams are wishing the FIA to investigate it and Christian Horner is adamant that the car meets scrutineering and that should be the end of it.

Mercedes are still struggling and even after abandoning the new floor the car still doesn't seem to t0 be on the pace. Williams are ever competitive and Rubens particularly is showing the merit of the car. Hopefully they will get back to the results of Clay Regazzoni followed by Alan Jones, Ayrton Senna and our Nige, great times and we keep our fingers crossed for them.

Red Bull seem to be on fire for the weekend but Mclaren are struggling with both Lewis and Jenson in damage limitation mode this weekend. It always seems to be inevitable this year that Red Bull will be on pole with one of their drivers and we wait with anticipation to see if Fernando particularly can break Red Bull's stranglehold on the front row of the grid.

Felipe is also driving with more grit and this is of course the place of his accident during 2009 and we all wish him well for the weekend. Hopefully the two of them can start fighting consistently at the sharp end if Mclaren can't. Mclaren are lacking downforce and without doubt Lewis is having to punch the car and track into submission.

The usual protagonists are in the first drop out group and we lost Kamui, Timo, Heikki, Yarno, Lucas, Bruno and Yamomoto still in the car in place of Karun Chandock. The mid pack are getting tighter and tighter with each race with Force India, Sauber, Williams, Mercedes, Renault fighting for honours.

As they all move into Q2 Red Bull seem to be in a class of their own and it is obviously not a favourite Mclaren circuit as the F Duct doesn't work as well here as it is a more twisty circuit than say Silverstone. Both Renault's are after all working well here running in fourth and fifth with only a couple of minutes to go in Q2.

So we have lost Jenson, Rubens, Adrian, Michael, Sebastien, Vitantonio and Jamie bringing up the rear. So we lost two world champions in Q2 with both Jenson and Michael not going into the top ten shoot out. Q3 is going to be classic as there is only a tenth of a second between the top eight.

The pole shoot out will be tremendous as we watch with anticipation but Sebastian and Mark are so much quicker it is unbelievable. Both Red Bull's are one and two followed by Fernando, Felipe and Lewis ringing the neck of the Mclaren and only eight one thousands of a second slower than Felipe.

So pole went to Sebastian followed by Mark, Fernando, Felipe, Lewis, Nico, Vitaly, Robert, Pedro and Nico H in his Williams finishing tenth. So a great grand prix in prospect tomorrow and if the Ferrari's and Lewis can get off the line and fight at the front this could be exciting. Good drivers from both Vitaly and Robert in the Renault's and Nico in his Williams.

The big question is can Red Bull run from pole to the finish which they haven't done yet. Their cars are perfectly suited to the downforce levels required at Hungary and hopefully they don't run away from the front albeit it seems likely.

Martin Whitmarsh has brought a new term to Formula 1 "the best of the flxed wing cars" relating to the eighty five mm limit from the floor during racing.

Bring on the Hungarian Grand Prix tomorrow.

F1 German Grand Prix

2010-07-25T12:57:00.007+01:00

Welcome to the German Grand Prix from Hockenheim deep in the forest South of Manheim. Obviously with Sebastian on pole is great for the German crowd and with the six fastest cars in the top six we are set for a great race, hopefully. The weather is good and all the top ten are on the super soft tyres.

As the cars leave the grid for the warm up lap with the track temperature in the mid thirties there is the usual rush for the pits by the host of mechanics and team principals. A great start from both Ferrari's albeit they swopped from their grid positions as Sebastian moved to block Fernando allowing Felipe to into the lead. Lewis also passed both Jenson and Mark into fourth.

Both Ferrari's were doing fastest lap afetr fastest lap and slowly pulling away from Sebastian. The Green walled tyres seem to be holding out well on lap ten as the track temperature dropped to around 28 degrees.

On lap eleven Both Mercedes were running in eighth and ninth with Michael running ahead of his younger team mate. Sebastian then came in for a tyre change on lap thirteen and it will be interesting to see whether that assists Sebastian to keep him in contact with the Ferraris' after their stop.

Ferrari then responded with a tyre change for Fernando followed by Mark who also changed tyres but that put him down in ninth. Then came in Felipe followed by Lewis who then came out in front of Michael which all put Jenson out in front prior to his tyre change.

Felipe was still ahead of Fernando and it will be interesting to see when or if Fernando can make the jump on Felipe as he is locking wheels in the corners allowing Fernando to close the gap. Jenson is still out in front on lap seventeen he is putting in some ha=ot laps prior to his tyre change onto the harder compound.

Michael became locked in combat with Robert after his tyre change as Sebastian started to close the gap on the Ferrari's. The Ferrari's were now locked in battle as Fernando went on the radio to complain he was faster than Felipe and expects him to move over. Jenson then stopped and came out behind Lewis in fifth and now the two Mclarens are also locked in battle which will be interesting to watch.

Ferrari were having discussions about how they get Fernando in front of Felipe but yet Felipe was all of a sudden pulling away from Fernando on lap twenty seven. Obviously a lot of disquiet on the Ferrari pit wall and as usual Fernando expects Felipe to back off and let him pass.

Rob Smedley, Felipe's engineer came on the radio telling Felipe to get on with it which he is certainly doing and pulling away from Fernando. So, on lap 33 the positions were Felipe, Fernando, Sebastian, Lewis, Jenson and Mark at the sharp end with only fifteen seconds covering them the top six.

Both Mclaren's are playing a staying game to keep Mark behind them as they cannot get close to the front three. Lewis was asked to go into fuel saving mode as the call came from the pits that Lewis would have to run in G8 (fuel saving mode) at the end of the race.

Williams are not having a good run today and running thirteenth and fourteenth which is unusual for at least one of them not to be running in the top ten. Fernando is closing all the time on Felipe from three seconds down to less than a second on lap forty seven. Sebastian now started to close a little on the two Ferrari's and any fight between tem could bring Sebastian in range.

Rob Smedley then came on the radio advising Felipe that Fernando was quicker, in other words let him past. Rob obviously didn't want to pass on the message and obviously Ferrari want Fernando in front and on lap forty nine it happened and they all say there are no team orders. Rob then apologised to Felipe a lap later and the whole thing seems wrong to me.

Sebastian then started to close in much more on Felipe all of a sudden after the instruction basically to let Fernando through. Sebastian then through in a mid 1.16 and closed to two seconds on the Ferrari in second place.

There was no real fight at the end albeit a little tension as to whether Sebastian was to catch Felipe. So at the flag it was Fernando and Felipe and a one two for Ferrari followed by Sebastian, Lewis, Jenson and Mark making the top six.

F1 - German GP Quali

2010-07-24T12:32:00.005+01:00

After the thrills for the British crowd of Silverstone and the eventual win by Mark Webber after his trials and tribulations with his team mate Sebastian Vettel the F1 circus moves onward to the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, twenty km South of Mannheim.

Obviously the German drivers are what the crowd have come to see and there are 6 of them, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, Nico Hulkenberg and of course the darling of the German crowd Michael Schumacher.

The weather is changeable albeit the forecast has been unreliable since they started running on Friday. Lewis put his Mclaren into the barriers during Friday and they have had to rebuild his car which reduced his running time in practice which could affect his weekend. Sebastian headed the time sheets on Friday but Fernando wasn't far behind.

A lot of the cars were straight out as soon as the flag dropped due to the unreliable nature of the weather. After only ten minutes running yesterday Lewis seems to have forgotten yesterdays woes as he ran fourth early on behind the two Ferrari's and Jenson.

Vitantonio then put his Force India into the wall on the pit straight and the session was immediately Red flagged as his car lost the left hand front corner. The stopping of the session can have a detrimental effect for some of the teams as tyres are so quick to go off in quali.

The usual protagonists were fighting at the front of the pack and now they were down in the 1.15's which is the minimum time they need to be up at the front of the pack. The pole time is expected to be in the 1.14's as Fernando through in a 1.14.6. The usual teams were in the drop out zone with Virgin this time ahead of Lotus for a change.

This is going to be a mighty battle between the major three which will add spice to the weekend and we all need Ferrari to do well to make the numbers up at the sharp end. So out went Timo, Jarno, Heikki, Vitantonio, Bruno, Yamamoto replacing Karun for the weekend for contractual reasons and bringing up the rear Lucas.

At the sharp end the timings are headed by Fernando after Q1 as the times heat up followed by Felipe, the two Red Bull's and both Mclaren's. Out they all went into Q2 and things were now to hot up.

Ruben's is driving well again and the times from some of the drivers could mix up the grid as Ruben's and Robert were up there early in the session but the two Mercedes cars are not lighting up the timing screens and running way down out of the top ten.

With seven minutes to go a mere six tenths covered the top ten. Those not making the top ten were Michael, Kamui, Nico, Vitaly, Adrian, Pedro, Jamie and Sebastian Buemi bringing up the rear. So Michael didn't make the top ten to the dismay of the crowd I have no doubt.

Fernando was fastest again in Q2 followed by Sebastian, Mark, Lewis and the rest as the chips are down for Q3 and the shoot out for pole as the rain started to spit but shouldn't affect them on slicks.

Out they went immediately the flag dropped trying to get a banker lap in should the rain come down albeit the sun then came out. Mark put in the first time at 1.14.2 but was almost immediately usurped by Fernando as he went into the 1.13's. With the last six minutes this will be a mighty dash for pole as Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Lewis and Felipe battle at the sharp end.

It was going to be a battle and that what we had. Sebastian out qualified Fernando followed by Felipe, Mark, Jenson, Lewis, Robert, Rubens, Nico and Nico H. Now we have a slightly mixed up grid for tomorrow and the German crowd were ecstatic about Sebastian topping the field. Bring on the Grand Prix.

F1 Silverstone Race

2010-07-11T12:24:00.011+01:00

Welcome to race day at the home of the British Grand Prix. In glorious weather this is going to be a hot day and we Brits must be a little disappointed with Lewis in fourth and Jenson a lowly fourteenth after commenting his Mclaren was undriveable during qualifying.

It was great to see Sir Stirling being interviewed by the BBC team and wonderful to see his recovery after falling down the lift shaft at his home. The fans came out in force and it is a feature of the British GP and the drivers were in awe of their presence. It was also nice to see Lewis with his Dad and that there is no animosity between them.

The new look Silverstone will add to the challenge for the drivers and this weekend Nigel Mansell is on the FIA Stewards panel in case of queries or problems. Silverstone is a wonderful spectacle and has never looked better and a compliment to Damon Hill and his development team.

After the problems in Friday pre qualifying Mclaren removed the blown diffuser as it didn't work which made it difficult for Lewis and Jenson as they didn't get the running time in the changed trim.

A lot of controversy again at Red Bull after they came with only two new front wings and after Sebastian's broke they took Mark's off and put it onto Sebastian's car. That would suggest Red Bull have made a decision to support Sebastian which has caused condemnation in the pits.

Nobody seems to be giving anyone a chance against the Red Bull's but I think Lewis will have something to say about that and obviously ring the neck of his Mclaren at his home grand prix. The season suggests the red Bull's have had reliability problems for one or both of the cars and nothing can be taken for granted.

We have an interesting start to look forward to with conflict between Sebastian and Mark on row one after the spoiler issue, needle between Fernando and Lewis after they didn't hit it off as team mates on row two and Jenson staring fourteenth. Michael had a good qualifying session and is close to Nico compared to recent results and accepting one wants to first beat your team mate that could add a little spice. Throw in Robert in the Renault and Rubens in the Williams and all is set for a great race.

The tyre blankets come off and the warm up lap starts as the fans in the grandstands are flying a mix of flags flying around in the somewhat breezy conditions. Back to the grid all cars managed the warm up lap without hitch and we are ready for the start.

Charlie Whiting has a fantastic view over the pack and off they go. What a start, Sebastian went off with a puncture, Lewis moved into P2 as he launched past Fernando who went backwards after a bad start and when the two Ferrari's came together Felipe finished up with a puncture, Jenson came up to eighth at the end of lap one and Robert up into P3.

Mark then stabilised the position between himself and Lewis up in front and what else can happen as Sebastian is now dead last after this tyre change from the soft to the premium tyre, will that play out through the race.

After ten laps it was Mark out at the front and moving two and a half seconds away from Lewis, Robert comes next but one and a half seconds off the pace and in front of Nico, Fernando, Rubens, Michael, Jenson and Kamui in ninth.

Then we had the first round of tyre stops which benefited Jenson up to fifth whilst Mark and Lewis retained their positions out front with now five seconds between them. Now we had Nico in third followed by Fernando who then received a drive through penalty for an overtaking move on Robert who subsequently had to retire with a broken diff.

Then we had a safety car period to pick up debris from the circuit and this will negate any gaps between the field. When the safety car came in Lewis set off behind Mark and as Fernando went in to serve his penalty it brought Jenson up to fourth and accepting Nico has a barge board missing Jenson could finish up on the podium, we keep our fingers crossed.

Adrian passed Michael who obviously didn't like it and he lost a front wing end plate in the process of trying to stop him. Sebastian was now up to twelfth place after he was helped by the safety car.

After his penalty Fernando was not out to take prisoners from his now lonely sixteenth and sent an instruction to the pits he didn't want any more radio communication as he was to run his own race to the finish. On new tyres he put in some stunning laps and managed the fastest lap of the day on the now rubbered in track.

Mark managed his pace out front with a five second difference between him and Lewis albeit they are trading fastest lap after fastest lap in the mid 1.32's. Sebastian is still coming but his move forward was slightly held up by Adrian in his Force India.

Rubens was still driving well and running in fifth behind Mark, Lewis, Nico and Jenson and in front of Kamui, Adrian and Sebastian. The Mclaren team then confirmed Jenson is running short on fuel and hence the reason he wasn't able to close in on Nico.

So at the chequered flag Mark had driven from pole to finish and we didn't see a great deal of either him or Lewis finishing in second and a great result after all for Mclaren. Some great drives throughout the field including Jenson going from fourteenth to fourth, Sebastian who went from last after lap one to seventh but a bad day for Ferrari who weren't in the points for all sorts of reasons.

When Christian Horner spoke to Mark on his slowing down lap after the flag Mark commented not bad for a number two driver as he just proved a point. As the drivers met prior to going onto the podium they donned their promotional hats and watches and chatted happily after a great grand prix. So it was a win for Australia, a second for Great Britain and a third for Germany albeit all the cars are built in the UK.

The winners trophy was presented by the Duke of Kent who always officiates at the British Grand Prix and Sir Stirling presented the trophy to Lewis to the sounds of tumultuous applause from the crowd, presumably for both of them.

Whilst it was little processional at the front there were some great drives behind them. Well done Mark and poetic justice after the insult of the spoiler change yesterday.

Fernando is not well pleased again after his penalty and latter puncture even to a point he was furious enough not to talk to anyone after the race. All he needs now is for Spain to lose the World Cup Final tonight and his day will be complete!

After a great British GP the drivers left with Lewis still heading the chart on 145, Jenson 133, Mark 128, Sebastian 121, Fernando 96, Nico 89, Robert 83, Felipe 67, Michael 36, Adrian 35, Rubens 29, Kamui 15, Vitantonio 12, Sebastian B 9, Vitaly 6, Jamie 3, Nico H 3 and finally Pedro 1.

In the constructors championship Mclaren left Silverstone with 278 points followed by Red Bull 249, Ferrari 163, Mercedes 125, Renault 89, Force India 47, Williams 32, BMW 16, Toro Rosso 12 and Lotus, HRT and Virgin still left without a single point.

So not a lot changed at the front of the drivers and constructors and only Mark moving ahead of Sebastian was of any consequence. The battle at the top still rages with all the teams trying to match the pace of the Red Bull's and when they get it right they are pretty unstoppable. It was only Lewis who offered spirited resistance today and one feels he is the only one who can maybe apart from Jenson.

Now we are off to Hockenheim and the German Grand Prix in two weeks and "if" Mclaren can get the blown diffuser working properly we may see them approach the speed of the Red Bull's. What is unusual is that Red Bull always seem to have something that affects one or both of their drivers and I suppose that is a blessing or it could become boring at the front of the field.

Bye for now and enjoy the great spell of weather we are experiencing.

F1 Silverstone Quali

2010-07-10T13:07:00.003+01:00

Welcome to the new look Silverstone and the now long term home of the British Grand Prix after all the talk about it moving to Donnington during 2009. The battle up front is building as Red Bull, Mclaren, Ferrari and Renault all seem to be closing up.

The new Loop section will have the effect of bunching the cars up during the race which should be more exciting during the race. The usual protagonists are up at the sharp end as usual headed by Sebastian in Q1 but there is a long time to go yet during through Q2 & 3.

So we lost the usual cars after Q1 with Jaime in seventeenth followed by Heikki, Timo, Jarno, Pedro, Karun and newcomer for this race only Sanho Yamamoto replacing Bruno Senna in the second .

Into the second fifteen minutes of Q2 Michael was down in fifteenth and just on the bubble so we will have to see whether the Mercedes is any better as the weekend develops. I still think we are all expecting maybe too much in his comeback after three years away as the development of the cars is so much further advanced.

A lot of the cars have the new blown diffuser including Williams, Mclaren and it will be interesting to see whether Mercedes have mastered the concept after the problems it caused them in Valencia. One has to say the Red Bull's look might quick at this stage during Q2 and as Martin comments it is their race to lose.

Jenson seems to be struggling with rear grip which is a disaster at Silverstone and even Lewis is eight tenths off the pace of Mark. A lot of the cars are being affected by gusting side winds which shows just how much the cars performance can be changed.

Williams are doing well with particularly Rubens who is currently running in sixth. The big surprise is Jenson hasn't made Q3 and finished only fourteenth. So out went Adrian, Jamui, Nico H, Jenson, Vitantonio, Sebastien B and finally Vitaly.

So we have the main cars up at the sharp end but Mclaren are not performing as they should albeit Lewis is in the top few. Jenson said his car is undriveable even without the blown diffuser and they have taken off the upgrades as they are simply not working even though Gary Paffit spent all night on the simulator back at Woking.

Into Q3 they all launched and Lewis went out on the softer Green walled tyres. On his first run Mark became the first driver into the 1.29's only to be usurped by Sebastian only a few tenths quicker. Fernando took third, Lewis fourth after the first run followed by Nico, Rubens and Felipe.

Renault are still struggling with only Robert in Q3 while Sebastian once again took pole beating Mark and another Red Bull lock out on the front row followed by Fernando, Lewis, Nico, Robert who did a better lap in Q3, Felipe, Rubens, Pedro and in tenth Michael in the second Michael.

So an interesting qualifying and it looks well set up for tomorrow but the Red Bull's are mighty.

F1 Race Europe - Valencia

2010-06-27T12:41:00.010+01:00

The circus has moved onward to the European Grand Prix at Valencia and what a turn round for Renault after the Renaultgate affair in 2008. It is very hot with a track temperature of forty two and air temperature of twenty seven and it will be a hot race for the cars and drivers and it will be interesting to see how the tyres and brakes perform after the last race and the tyre degradation which gave us a great race.

The start will be interesting and hopefully Lewis can mix it up with the Red Bull pair. Most of the teams look as though they are on the softer, Green walled tyres and with two world champions on row two the start will be very interesting around the twenty five turns of the circuit and of course including the swing bridge which is welded up for the race.

As the lights went out Lewis got the drop on Mark and then attacked Sebastian into turn one. they were mighty close and touched twice causing, it would appear damage to the end plate on Lewis's car giving him a front end vibration. This allowed Fernando to attack Lewis and it all got mighty close. Mark dropped down to ninth in all the melee and behind both the William's.

Mark then made an early stop on lap eight to see if they could get him out of the pack. Unfortunately the tyre stop didn't work as it should have as they had a problem getting off the front left wheel. Then came Rosberg on lap nine and after over running his marks they changed all four tyres.

Then on lap ten Mark was coming up to pass Kovalinen at 190 mph and all of a sudden he hit the back of the Lotus which catapulted his Red Bull into the air and over it went and finishing up in the tyre wall. After such an accident it is a testament to the safety in the modern F1 car that Mark got out seemingly unhurt along with Heikki after such a rear impact.

Out came the safety car and a flood of tyre changes, Lewis changed his front spoiler and they all bunched up. Michael lost out as he changed his tyres late and then came in again but Jenson finished fourth.

So in came the safety car and the very mixed up grid launched itself into turn one. Fernando dropped to ninth, Felipe in eighteenth, Michael last but Kamui finished up in third followed by Jenson. So it was now all to play for with most of the race to run.

Both Mercedes are struggling with brakes and Nico had the call the temperature is now critical. This circuit is a brake killer and last year Mark had a disc explode so anything can happen in that department.

Lewis is under investigation during the race for an incident between himself and Fernando who accused him of backing up the pack through the safety car period. Lewis evidently passed the safety car as it came out for Mark's accident and was given a drive through penalty. The instruction went out to Lewis from the pit wall to go for it and close down on Sebastian prior to his stop.

After his stop he still came out in second and immediately started to narrow the fifteen plus seconds gap to Sebastian. With twelve laps remaining it seems all is set to the finish with really none of the cars really in competition. Then it was announced nine cars are under investigation for speeding behind the safety car and the drivers get a Delta time on their steering wheel advising the earliest time they may get to the pits.

Of those nine cars Jenson was also included and any penalties could change the entire finishing positions. Then all of a sudden Lewis through in a 1.37 lap and brought the gap down to Sebastian to only seven seconds.

After a great drive in third place on his original set of tyres Kamui had to pit to change his now worn tyres so he used both tyre compounds. Then with Kamui on his new set of tyres he came out eight behind Fernando and immediately went on the attack as he was so much quicker obviously. He passed Fernando with a great move and immediately up to eighth and then passed Sebastien (B) on the last corner into seventh, great drive.

At the flag Sebastian came across first followed by Lewis and Jenson but we must remember the stewards enquiry and we all await to see if they impose a position penalty in seconds for this race or look at grid slots at Silverstone. So instead of a one, two Mclaren had a two, three which on reflection finished up a great result.

Just a shame Lewis had the ten second penalty or we could have had a great tussle up front. As we leave Valencia and onward to Silverstone the drivers championship tightens at the front with Lewis (127), Jenson (121), Sebastian (115) and the luckless Mark with (103). Then comes Fernando (96), Robert (83), Nico (74), Felipe (67), Michael (34), Adrian (31), Rubens (19). Vitantonio (12), Sebastien B (9), Kamui (7), Vitaly (6), Jaime (3) and finally joined on a single point Nico H & Pedro.

In the constructor's championship Mclaren leave Valencia with 248 points followed by Red Bull (218), Ferrari (163), Mercedes (108), Renault (89), Force India (43), Williams (20), Toro Rosso (12) and finally BMW on eight points.

So we all await Silverstone with a degree of relish with a tight drivers championship on the revised circuit. Bring it on.

F1 Canada Race

2010-06-13T16:22:00.020+01:00

After the events of quali yesterday Mclaren were penalised with a £10,000 fine for requesting Lewis stopped on track and not make it back it to the pits. The question of team orders was again under discussion prior to the race but this time more about Lewis and Jenson.

The message Lewis received from the pit wall during the latter part of the race nearly cost him the win and very nearly lost the race for both the Mclaren's. After the collision between the two Red Bull's we all sat on the edge of our seats as Lewis was advised to save fuel, he asked whether Jenson would pass him and was advised No.

Jenson then went past, Lewis then took him into the lead again, again they swapped but it could have been a disaster for them both, so close. Let us hope we don't get a repeat this weekend even though we want the same excitement. We could have enough problems with safety cars today so that could give us a lot of excitement today.

There is a mix of tyres at the start which is unusual with Mclaren on the Green walled tyres and the Red Bull's on the harder compound. The soft tyre will present Lewis with a problem as the soft tyres suggest he will have to change them after as few as eight laps. We await with anticipation the result of this race.

The harder tyre is more difficult to get heat into so the start should be easier on the softer tyres but across the whole race all the teams have to use both compounds so it should equalise across the 70 laps.

Mark has been given a five place grid drop back into seventh which has moved from sixth to second up a place. Red Bull opted to change Mark's gearbox only as a precaution and hence the five place grid drop.

So with the highest track temperature of the year at 38 it is mighty hot which will be even more difficult for the tyres. The 2.7 mile circuit will present a problem balancing speed and high speed braking up as far as 5g. The run down to the first corner is a short blast from the grid and let us hope they all get through.

The first corner caused all sorts of problems as Lewis shot off into the lead followed by Sebastian and Fernando. Behind them there were all sorts of problems as Pedro, Felipe, Vitantonio and all needed new nose cones. Then coming into the last corner Kamui was the first to hit the wall and out he went.

We had an almighty scrap between Jenson and Mark but Jenson lost out and then Lewis seemed to be holding up the front runners forcing both Mclaren's to change tyres. Coming out of the pits Lewis and Fernando were side by side and all so close but Fernando went in front.

So the excitement started from the get go and after only nine laps we had both Red Bull's out front with Fernando and Lewis back to seventh and eighth. We must remember the Red Bull's will have to change to the soft tyres so as I mentioned earlier it could equalise over the race.

Up to lap sixteen it was very difficult to keep up with everything going on and as thought tyres are causing huge problems. Whilst all this was all going on we had changes in positions throughout the field and as it stabilised a bit Lewis was back in front followed by Fernando and Jenson as even the Red Bull's had to change the hard tyres much quicker than the teams thought.

The talk on only lap sixteen was the cars may have to change five times which is unheard of in F1. These walls around the circuit are looking mighty close as the drivers push hard trying to keep the lap times. The circuit seems to be rubbering up on lap twenty one and tyre management is the name of the game.

The five four are trading fastest lap after fastest lap as Lewis keeps Fernando at bay but Jenson, Sebastian and Mark are closing in and all are on the harder tyre excepting Sebastian who is still on the soft tyres. Great racing and anything could happen across this long race.

So on laps twenty nine and thirty we had another round of tyre changes which changed the front order with Mark in front followed by Lewis, Fernando, Jenson and Sebastian all battling for the lead. There is so much going on all the way down the field but the top five are basically equally two seconds apart.

On lap forty Mark was still out in the lead but only 10 seconds ahead and with a sixteen seconds pit stop for his final stop as he has to stop again to go onto the soft tyres. Lewis is closing in on Mark along with all the others in the top 5. On lap forty five Mark hit traffic and the gap was getting ever closer and the top five cars are only covered by ten seconds.

On lap fifty Lewis went ahead, Fernando couldn't go through but Mark then went into the pits for his last stop to go onto the soft, Green walled tyres. The two Force India's and Felipe had been having a great battle for the lower positions.

Both Mclaren's were also speeding and seem happier on the tyres than the others but still times amongst the top four moving all over the place. Jenson closes on Fernando who are closing slightly on Lewis whilst Mark has new tyres we will see whether he can close back on the top four.

Jenson then passed Fernando and we had a one, two for Mclaren again as the Ferrari got tied up ever so slightly by a slower car. Then Jenson and Fernando lapped Michael which must have been a blow for him. Mark in the meantime was hot on the heels of the front four and running quicker than Lewis. Now Jenson has clear air he is catching Lewis as the last ten laps start.

Michael was struggling with pace as his tyres were shot having had them on for some 30 laps. However, he then pushed Felipe off the track coming into the last turn which destroyed Felipe's front spoiler and he had no option to pit for a new one. Naughty Michael, very naughty and will be investigated by the stewards after the race.

Then Vitantonio was pushing Michael in a spirited fight between the two of them as the Force India tried to get to tenth and a point. Up at the front Lewis had it all under control followed by Jenson and a Mclaren one, two again for the second time in two races and they are now at the top of the both championships.

A huge welcome back to Canada and after a terrific F1 spectacle the top ten at the finish were Lewis, Jenson, Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Nico, Robert, Sebastian (B), Vitantonio and Adrian finally pushing Michael out of the points.

After Canada there has been a change now at the top of the drivers championship as Mclaren lock it out at the top with Lewis (109), Jenson (106), Mark (103), Fernando (94), Sebastian (90), Nico (74), Robert (73), Felipe (67), Michael (34), Adrian (23), Vitantonio (12), Rubens (7), Vitaly (6), Sebastien B (5), Jamie (3) and Nico and Kamui bringing up the rear with 1.

In the Constructors Championship the positions haven't changed. Mclaren leave Canada with (215), Red Bull (193), Ferrari (161), Mercedes (108), Renault (79), Force India (35), Williams (8), Toro Rosso (8) and BMW bringing up the rear with just 1 point.

We need more races like these Bernie, great race and full of excitement all the way from flag to flag. Best race of the season.

F1 Canada Quali

2010-06-12T17:37:00.011+01:00

The F1 circus moves onward for the first time for a couple of years to Canada and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. I am sure we all remember the horrific accident to Robert Kubica when he hit the corner of the wall before Turn 9. 70 laps around this circuit will a challenge for all and tyre longevity is evidently already an issue before practice.

The question of team orders has been subject to huge discussion since the last grand prix since Sebastian & Mark came together putting Sebastian out and then to make it worse Jenson and Lewis nearly did the same thing. The management of Red Bull were less than impressed to lose a one, two and it almost certain the same thing applies at Mclaren albeit the drivers didn't come together.

Jake had pre-qualifying discussions with Ross Braun (Mercedes), Martin Whitmarsh (Mclaren) & Cristian Horner (Red Bull) they all made it clear there are no team orders and I suppose the issue between Sebastian and Mark personified that. However, we all heard Mclaren issuing a directive to Lewis to slow down to save fuel which then put Jenson on his tail.

This allowed Jenson to subsequently pass Lewis who went back past Jenson and they were very close. Then came the call to Jenson to also save fuel and things calmed down again. The issue of team orders will continue to rear hits ugly head as all the teams try to outwit the other.

With only nine tenths of a second between the top ten in the third practice session this will be a tight session which we will all enjoy. The track is very slick as they can't get the rubber down and as Martin Brundle confirmed they can't get within three seconds of the lap record.

Fernando was the first of the top runners to show his hand as he slotted in a 1.17.684 but then Lewis shot in a 1.16 followed by a high 1.15 and one wonders whether the Mclaren's are matching the Red Bull's at last.

So after Q1 we lost Kamui, Heikki, Jarno, Timo, Bruno, Lucas and Karun which is the expected result really. All cars got through the first twenty minutes without any accidents as the Montreal walls loom ever near.

Into Q2 and the times started tumbling into the mid 1.15's and the top ten are swapping around at the top albeit Lewis is still heading the field.

So we lost Rubens, Nico (H), Michael, Vitaly, Jamie and Pedro in Q2 as the top 10 were left to fight it out. So we were left with Lewis, Sebastian, Robert, Fernando, Nico, Mark, Felipe, Adrian, Jenson & Michael which is nicely mixed up with only two tenths between the top six as they fight for pole.

Losing Michael in Q2 is obviously a big blow for him for the first time this year and with Lewis two tenths ahead of Jenson, Lewis is currently on a role which is great to watch as Mclaren match the Red Bull's which is what we have waited for all season.

All cars have safely gone through Q1 and Q2 which bodes well for all of them for the race tomorrow. Lewis looks very comfortable in the car and it shows as he goes into Q3 but Jenson on the other hand does not look as comfortable and is making mistakes. Lewis was first in to the 1.15's with a 1.15.500 and he looks great out there in front some one second ahead of Jenson.

There is a mix on tyres for the first time this season as the Mclaren's are on the soft tyres whilst Red Bull are on the hard compound. Then Mark slotted into pole but with 7 seconds to go Lewis launched his Mclaren around the circuit and a fantastic drive to take pole position and put Red Bull off pole for once.

Petty he had to stop out on circuit after a call from the pits to stop as they hadn't enough fuel to get back into the pits and they wanted a fuel sample. The crowd then witnessed Lewis then pushing his Mclaren round the circuit which they found amusing.

The grid for tomorrow is interesting now with Lewis on pole followed by Mark, Sebastian, Fernando, Jenson, Vitantonio, Felipe, Robert, Adrian and Nico lower down than usual.

Great quali session and with safety cars and two tyre stops for the race we have interesting prospect for the race tomorrow.

An Act 2010 Problem

2010-06-05T12:22:00.004+01:00

I have used Symantec Act since 1985 in its various forms. It is my principal piece of software and from it I process bookings, run my electronic diary and export to Outlook (using Companion Link) so I can then sync my contact data with my iPhone. All emails are also sent directly from the program so a complete record is specific to each contact.

I was quite happy running Act up to version 6 which was in a .dbf format and hadn't really thought about upgrading. Due to a requirement to upgrade my Microsoft Office program from 2003 to 2007 I was faced with a dilemma. Act 6 didn't work with Office 2007 so I had to upgrade to Act 9 to run the Office program which in a .sql format.

Act 9 was basically a disaster for me as the technical team at Act (Sage) couldn't import my 3,500 contacts so I had to recover my data by syncing my then Blackberry to Act which only gave me part of my contacts.

After the trials and tribulations of Act 9 I was offered the upgrade to Act 2010 (version 12) assuming a lot of the bugs in Act 9 had been resolved. That is simply not the case and maybe version 12 has more problems that Act 9 ever did.

As a lot of my bookings come from regular customers I use the "Duplicate" contact facility a lot as this retains the primary data leaving me to fill in the data against the new booking. When starting with Act 2010 the duplicate facility simply did not work.

I spent hours on the phone with technical support by remote link, ran report after report for them, sent copies of my database to them, created a new database from scratch after long discussions and when technical support replicated my database on their own computer they achieved the same result.

This took 4 to 5 weeks out of my life and the net result was they had to report the issue to the American tech support team which basically meant the issue was buried for ever. During this period I spoke to many engineers as well as sending lenghty emails about the problems with Act 2010. 1 of those emails still remains unanswered.

The issue are various: Company name is in standard rather than bold text irrelevant of how you set the field settings, the program is very unstable when trying to change the main view, the layou in the main view is not acceptable but certain of the functions cannot be changed and the list goes on.

It is typical of a piece of software developed by those who never use it and yet supposedly the prime database of its type in the world.

I rang UK tech support re another issue last week and spoke to maybe the 5th technician who answered my question on that day and whilst on the phone he realised the other duplication issue I had. I would also like to comment that I pay for their support which is not cheap.

The technician I spoke to said he would like to check a couple of things and my immediate answer was they have all been checked by other technicians as I was basically not prepared to spend further time resolving the unresolvable.

The first check was under the Tools menu from the main screen and he asked I check Tools /Manage Users and my name is there as Mr Peter Burton. He then asked me what does "My Record" show which was Peter Burton.

I simply put Mr in front of my name and the duplicate record function has worked perfectly ever since. I can only thank him for his input but it leaves a major question unanswered,

"WHY ON EARTH" did the previous technicians not know that. I asked the question and the reply was, they should have.

After many weeks of hassle, upset, questions, telephone calls, emails and a very disgruntled better half the cure for my problem was simply ensuring the database user name is the same as My Record.

Maybe training is the issue but as normal in these cases if it is not reported or listed as an FAQ then lesser technicians don't think about it. I have requested this be put in the FAQ's for future users. It would appear to me the manage users and my record data is a standard issue and therefore not listed in any of the FAQ's.

So, after using previous versions of Act since1985 with complete satisfaction I am now lumbered with a database that doesn't function correctly in many areas. No-one at Act / Sage has had the courtesy to apologise for their incompetence or in any way offer me compensation for the time I have spent solving my problem.

F1 Turkey Race

2010-05-30T17:30:00.026+01:00

The weather looks good for the start of the race and accepting the cars can go from zero to hundred miles an hour in four seconds turn one could be interesting. It's clear the dirty, right hand side of the grid isn't as fast as the clean, left side which could give Sebastian a punt into the first turn.

It will be interesting to see Fernando forcing his way through from twelfth and the first few laps could be exciting and the view through turn eight pulling 8g should be immense. The Red Bull durability still causes concern and this time with the rear wing which has had mods made to it since arriving in Turkey.

The cars launch from the grid for the warm up lap and the excitement builds. Can the Mclaren's use the abilities of the F duct to get ahead of the Red Bull's. Now the talking is over as the cars come to the line.

From the start as I forecast Sebastian went ahead of Lewis and Michael beat Jenson into turn one. Lewis soon took the place back and Jenson really set about Michael and went ahead fairly quickly which he had to do to keep with the leading three.

Lewis is really on the pace with Mark and his best chance of the season to go ahead and really challenging him on lap three. Great driving between the two of them. The front four are having a very interesting scrap and this is more like it.

It is interesting to watch Mark and Lewis through turn eight and The Red Bull is flat bit Lewis can't match there. However, he is then quicker through nine and ten keeping it close at the front. Watching Lewis into turn twelve on the bumps is unbelievable as the car seems very unstable but Lewis holds on.

We clearly saw Felipe and Robert come together early on and the tyre to tyre contact has put a groove in Felipe's near side front tyre but all seems well as the tyre is retaining its pressure. So after 10 laps it is Red Bull, Mclaren, Red Bull, Mclaren with only 3.8 seconds between first and fourth but only half a second between Mark and Lewis.

It does appear the Mclaren's have made great strides and are definitely matching the Red Bull's apart from turn eight. Fernando was the first to stop in lap twelve whilst Lewis is getting closer and closer to Mark even in the dirty air.

It seems Lewis only needs to sit this close to Mark until the first tyre stop and run an extra lap and he should take the lead. Jenson is also setting hot laps and maybe he can also take Sebastian.
Great driving between the two of them as they are very close as Sebastian comes in for his first stop.

Then surprisingly Mark and Lewis both came into the pits line astern and out they went and Mark was still in P1 followed by Sebastian but he was in front of Lewis due to his earlier stop.

Lewis now has a problem with two Red Bull's and we have to wait and see where Jenson comes out. In he comes on lap fifteen and he stops on the marks and he was gone but only feeds out in fourth and now the race is on and what a scrap we have to enjoy.

Then on lap twenty one they come across the back markers which can mix things up and Lewis is the one that can do it. Now we had rain forecast which comes as a surprise to all concerned and what have we to come. Lewis is really pushing Sebastian and he seems to like these hard tyres.

After twenty two laps the front four were already fifteen seconds ahead of Michael in fifth as the first back marker came and went without hitch for the front four. Who will gamble on intermediate tyres when the rain comes and the clouds look ever darker overhead. The front end of the Mclaren is stunning compared with the Red Bull's.

The track temp is 44 degrees and the rain will burn off quickly but that depends of how much of the wet stuff falls, we wait with baited breath. Wet tyres are being readied in anticipation of in the rain. The talk is of three mm's of rain and intermediate tyres seem a good call.

Behind the top four were Michael, Nico, Robert, Felipe, Vitaly and Fernando who are all quite close together. Nico is slowing down those behind him and they are all bunching up waiting to pounce. The track temp is tumbling down to below thirty degrees confirming the change in temperature since the start of the race.

Then on lap forty one Sebastian tried to pass Mark but as he got alongside he moved over into Mark. They touched and they both went off. Sebastian was out with a flat drivers side rear tyre. Oh dear, Sebastian got that wrong. Mark was also off but after a quick visit to the pits and with a new nose cone he came back and as he was so far ahead of Michael he rejoined in third, justice was done to some degree.

From the comfort of my armchair I have to say that was a ridiculous move on Sebastian's part and will no doubt affect Sebastian's championship and another one, two for gone. The change then gives Mclaren a one, two and a welcome change for the Woking team.

So through all this excitement Lewis took the lead followed by Jenson followed by Mark. Then an almighty scrap as Jenson took Lewis as they fought hammer and tongue. Great, clean stuff between the two Mclaren's as Jenson went ahead and Lewis then came straight back at him but all so close.

Brilliant driving between the two of them and maybe Mark and Sebastian should have done it like that. One wonders what the call was from the pit wall as the Mclaren pair nearly came together. Lewis was having none of it and immediately went 1.5 seconds ahead and all seemed to calm down. Brilliant from both drivers and obviously I am pleased they came through it without a problem.

The call from the pits we heard to Lewis to save fuel seems to have been ignored by Jenson and then we heard, after the excitement the same call to Jenson, wonder why! We still have rain on the cameras on lap fifty eight but the threat doesn't materialise.

Vitaly and Fernando were also having a spirited dice in the last few laps and eventually Fernando bullied his way through past Vitaly which damaged his front suspension and he went down the points and into the pits eventually. Fernando was going through whatever the Renault did in typical Fernando style.

So the finish eventually was a one, two for Mclaren and after the excitement of Jenson's pass on Lewis they need to both think themselves very lucky. Lewis showed his bottle with abundance and Jenson backed off sensibly so as not to do the same thing as the Red Bull drivers.

Behind them it was Mark (P3), Michael, Nico, Robert, Felipe, Fernando, Adrian and my fighting ace Kamui. Lewis drove a fantastic race and had the Red Bull's in sight from turn one. He waited, waited and waited and it came to him, which shows a maturity from my number one. Mclaren are coming slowly, slowly and it bodes well for us for the rest of the season.

The rain didn't come after all and gave us an excitement from start to finish from the top four. It is great to wonderful driving from the top four on the grid and let us have more of it.

After a very thrilling race the drivers and teams left Istanbul with changes at the top with Mark retaining his place with 93 points but now followed by Jenson (88), Lewis (84), Fernando (79), Sebastian (78), Felipe and Robert (67), Nico (66), Michael (34), Adrian (22), Vitantonio (10), Rubens (7), Vitaly (6), Jamie (3) and the last three Kamui, Nico H and Sebastian B (1).

In the team championship Mclaren take over the lead with 172 points followed by Red Bull (171), Ferrari (146), Mercedes (100), Renault (73), Force India (32), Williams and Toro Rosso (8) and BMW bringing up the rear with still only a single point.

Great race with superb driving from all the top drivers and a shame Sebastian made a horlicks of it. Now the teams move to Canada which comes back to F1 this year and another thrilling race in prospect around the streets of Montreal, 13 June.

F1 Quali Turkey

2010-05-30T16:19:00.006+01:00

After the thrills and spills of Monaco the F1 circus moves to a totally different circuit in Istanbul Park in Turkey. It's tight, it's twisty and sometimes frustrating when coming to overtaking. The discussions about Michael's overtake at the last corner has caused a lot of controversy and it appears there was a Green flag telling Michael he could overtake but at least now the rules are clear for all which is a result.

There is much talk of who is to partner Fernando for 2011 and there are three drivers in the fray as the silly season starts. Mark (Webber), Felipe (Massa) and Robert (Kubica) are now rumoured to be in the fight for what must be the most iconic driver on the F1 grid.

After the problem of the blanket left in the air duct on Jenson's car has caused a complete rethink of the procedures prior to the race. The blanket left in the air duct caused the engine to overheat on his way to the grid and the engine was actually destroyed prior to the start of the race.

Today is the 800th race for Ferrari and what a history they have in the sport. The Mclaren F Duct, which appears to be huge benefit to Mclaren is still causing the other teams to catch up and Force India are the latest team to adopt it. The lap record here has stood since 2005 in a 1.24 set by Montoya, a name which seems history now and a 1.27 seems to be the pole target in 2010.

The Red Bull's and Mclaren's are both quick here which hopefully will create a good fight at the head of the field. So here we go into quali and it could be very interesting as the drivers all love it here. The track temp at 39 degrees and the changing wind direction will make it a challenge for all the drivers.

Both Mclaren's set the early pace in the 1.27's but the Red Bull's hadn't set a time at that point. Half way through the session there were 23 cars on circuit and then came the Mark & Sebastian who blitzed their way to one and two and once again who can catch them.

After Quali 1 out went Vitantonio, Jarno, Heikki, Timo, Bruno, Karun and Lucas which seems to be the set standard for the season so far.

All the cars were running on hard tyres through quali one and two and they will no doubt switch to the softer compound for the pole shoot out. As usual it was Red Bull and Mclaren in the top four followed by both Renault's with Vitaly ahead of Robert with 5 minutes to go. Both Ferrari's are not shining yet as well as Nico (R) and still out of the top ten albeit they will come.

Then came a shock as Fernando went out in Q2 which is surprising. Michael seems to becoming more as one with the Mercedes and maybe we all expected too much after his three year out of the sport. So we lost Adrian, Fernando, Pedro, Sebastian (B), Rubens, Jamie and Nico (H).

So the launch for pole started and this will be interesting as the Mclaren's are apparently getting closer to the Red Bull's. Turkey is the first of the four anti clockwise circuits on the calendar and pole appears to be in the mid 1.26's.

Lewis set the early pace but Mark once again put his Red Bull into P1 followed by Lewis, Sebastian and Jenson. Lewis is really throwing the Mclaren around the circuit and turn eight is exhilarating to watch with most on full throttle. It seems incredible to think the soft tyres are struggling to cover one lap at full speed.

So the grid looks like this, Mark, Lewis, Sebastian, Jenson, Michael, Nico (R), Robert, Felipe, Vitaly and Kamui. The Mclarens are getting closer and at least have split the Red Bull's. The Mclaren's speed down the straights may just give them a chance in the race.

So Mark does it again and he really is on a high after is last two wins.

F1 Monaco Update & Amended Result

2010-05-20T13:30:00.004+01:00

Michael Schumacher's last minute dive to pass Fernando into Anthony Noades corner on the last lap at Monaco after the safety car went into the pits was deemed an illegal act and has earned him a 20 second penalty dropping out of the points down the twelfth. Any appeal against the judgement has now been ruled out by Mercedes.

The ruling for this year is covered by section 40.123 of the FIA Sporting Regulations and reads as follows and I quote "If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed, it will enter the pit-lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking". That seems to make it clear for all concerned and you can rely on Michael to test the rule book.

It was thought Ruben's accident was caused by the suspected loose drain cover but that has now been denied by the team . It appears his car had a left rear suspension failure. Patrick Head commented the was some sort of failure in the left rear suspension either in the suspension itself or something in the drive train.

The decision about the tyre manufacturer/s for 2010 is to be announced shortly. The teams need to know as quickly as possible allowing them to continue purposeful development of the cars for 2011. It appears Michelin and/or Pirelli are both in contention.

It would appear Dietrich Mateschitz is convinced that Mark Webber's dominant runs and back to back wins in Spain and Monaco has persuaded him to retain Mark and partner Sebastian Vettel for next season. There have been rumours that Mark would go across to Ferrari to replace Massa for 2011 so we will have to await developments and confirmation of who goes where.

There was talk of Kimi Raikkonen taking Mark's place at Red Bull but the Finn has yet to decide whether he wants to return or not and in any case Mark's retention at Red Bull would now appear to rule that out. The silly season will start shortly and we will have to ait and see.

F1 Race Monaco

2010-05-16T12:12:00.021+01:00

It's showtime. The spectacle of Monaco is the jewel in the crown of F1, the cars are nearer to the crowd, the speeds around this iconic street circuit are immense, the walls are ever close and the tunnel is still as dark and scary.

Martin took us around Mark Webber's pole lap which not only confirmed how great a lap it was but what a lap around Monaco is about. The bumps, barriers and turns of Monaco are around normal roads and we all know what "normal roads" are in the UK.

The talk is now over and it's time to race with a track temperature of 40 and air temperature of 22. As many of the drivers live in Monaco for them it is like a home grand prix which gives them added incentive.

The sound of the cars going around the principality onto the grid is deafening on TV but when you are there ear plugs are an absolute must. As usual the narrow Monaco grid is packed with team mechanics, paparazzi, reporters and many celebrities as the Monaco grid is the place to be seen.

The tyre covers come off as the teams move back to the pit lane as all the cars move off for the siting lap except Fernando who is starting from the pit lane after his appointment with the barrier wrecking his chassis before qualifying.

As the flag dropped 20,000 hp launched into the first corner as Sebastian (V) launched past Robert into Saint Devote making it a Red Bull one, two. All went well until the dreaded tunnel and Nico (H) hit the wall coming out of it making a mess of his car and bringing out the safety car. During the safety car period some of the cars on the soft tyres (they have to use both tyre compounds through the race) including Fernando changed to the prime tyres.

Then out of the blue Jenson stopped with what appeared to be a cooked engine and the second retirement on only lap one. It appeared a bung was left in one of the engine intakes going to the grid cooking the engine. All the rest followed the unbelievable Mercedes safety car whilst the debris from Nico's Williams was cleared out of the way.

Keeping all the temperatures under control is very difficult for the drivers and they would all be relieved when the safety car came in on lap six and back to racing. Mark launched his self away followed by Sebastian, Robert, Felipe and Lewis and then a small gap back to Rubens who was struggling on the first lap after the safety car.

It was exciting watching the mighty Fernando trying to get past Lucas and after a lot of gesticulating he passed him into the chicane after the tunnel and then quickly disposed of Jarno. The top five, with Mark moving away from the next four were leaving the rest behind but the interest will come if the tyres start to grain.

The cars in front of Fernando were getting a whole bag of TV coverage as the cameras were watching his surge from the back of the field and it was a feature of the early stage of the race. Mark seems to have Monaco under control and he was lapping in the mid 1.17's at a meteoric rate and on lap 17 he was some 5 seconds ahead of Sebastian.

Lewis was the first of the top runners to change to the prime tyres and he came out in front of Fernando and behind Jaime and this will be interesting to watch accepting Fernando has already changed his tyres. Then came a host of tyre stops on lap eighteen for all of the top teams and race on as we wait for the positions to settle down.

So after the tyre stops the positions were Mark, Sebastian, Robert, Felipe, Lewis and Fernando but after Nico's tyre stop it dropped him behind Michael into eighth. Rubens finished up with two wheels on my wagon as he hit the wall in Massenet with what looked like a mechanical failure to bring out the safety car for the second time.

All Mark's good work out in front was negated and he has now to be do it all over again as the team bunches up behind the Mercedes safety car. What seemed a quite rapid removal of Rubens' Lotus Mark was biting at the bit behind the safety car and Mark launched again at the front and he looks remarkably under control and in the groove.

Lewis seems to have stalled Fernando's meteoric move through the field but still not really putting pressure on Felipe in front of him. Nico was falling away from Michael in the hands of the Force India's whilst up at the front Mark was now already 2.5 seconds ahead of Sebastian after only three laps after the safety car withdrawal on lap forty one.

Mclaren are asking Lewis to be patient and look after his car and he received the information with comments better not repeated. Then out came the safety car for the third time as it was announced a drain cover had come loose and that of course is extremely dangerous and a most unusual occurrence. It appeared to be false alarm and the safety cover was deemed OK.

Poor old Mark had to do it again for the third time and he must be thinking what do I have to do to win this thing. So in came the safety car and off went Mark again with the rest line astern with no problems.

The safety cars of course reduce the problem of the leaders having to overtake the back markers which at Monaco can always cause problems for the faster cars. The top ten were covered by only nine seconds with 30 laps to go which shows how close the front runners are.

One of the features of Monaco is the speed the rubber goes down on the circuit and coupled with burning off the fuel the speeds get quicker as the times are now in the 1.16's. Fernando has had the tyres on his Ferrari since in effect lap one and yet they are still performing well albeit they will not be as good as those who have changed tyres and he is dropping away from Lewis.

Michael is driving a steady race in seventh but just can't get near enough to Fernando to make a pass. Nico (R) is dropping back from Michael and now some 2.5 seconds behind on lap 57. The last couple of races have seen Michael jump ahead of Nico for the first time this season and one wonders whether Michael is getting back to form.

Mark is driving supremely as he has done all weekend seeming to bas one with the Red Bull. Out in front he is now in the 1.15's and his drive around the Monaco streets is not matched by the rest. Robert is keeping Sebastian honest but the top 6 are spread evenly and not really fighting each other.

On lap 61 they started to come into the back markers and one hopes they all get through without incident. Sebastian and Robert got a little held up which put Robert nearer to Sebastian but enabling Mark to leap to six seconds ahead at the front on lap 64. Lewis has dropped a long way behind Felipe which we can only assume is caused by traffic.

Mark has now started to protect his car with ten to go but Sebastian has Robert pushing him so the gap came down slightly but all under control really. The tyres are all holding up well and there won't be any stops now being so close to the end.

Then Karun and Jarno had a big accident as Jarno tried to go inside Karun into La Rascasse, the wheels locked and over the top of Karun went Jarno. That brought the safety car out again in the safe hands of Bert Mylander for the fourth time and the race was destined to finish under the safety car and so it was to be.

However, you can always rely on Michael to be involved in Monaco controversy and particularly at La Rascasse, and in 2010 he didn't disappoint. I must explain the rule behind the safety car is different this year as once it leaves the circuit the drivers go across a line after which they can pass, they do not have to wait until crossing the finishing line.

They started the last lap and as the safety car peeled off into the pits after La Rascasse, Michael stuffed his Mercedes alongside Fernando and took sixth away from him going into Anthony Noades. Not often that the safety car can cause so much excitement and trust Michael to be aware of every trick in the book albeit a great move.

So after the final bit of excitement the race finished and Mark took the chequered flag followed by Sebastian (another 1,2 for Red Bull), Robert, Felipe, Lewis, Michael, Fernando, Nico, Adrian and Vitantonio making the top 10. There were nine retirements through the race including Karun and Jarno who completed seventy laps and there were only 12 cars running at the flag.

Mark's prize was to be presented with his trophy by Prince Albert in a somewhat different ceremony to the usual podium and as we left Monaco the championship has taken a new turn with a Red Bull one, two.

Mark & Sebastian leave with 78 points and take over the championship lead followed by Fernando (73), Jenson (70), Felipe & Robert (59), Lewis (57), Nico (54), Michael (22), Adrian (18), Vitantonio (9), Vitaly & Rubens (7), Jaime (2) and finally Nico H (1).

In the team championship Red Bull take over the lead with 156 points followed by Ferrari (132), Mclaren (127), Mercedes (76), Renault (66), Force India (27), Williams (8) and Toro Rosso (2).

After the thrills, spills and spectacle of Monaco the circus moves to Turkey for the next race 30th June and the question has to be asked who is going to stunt Red Bull's charge. They certainly have the quickest car even though not the most reliable. The stunning pace of Mark in qualifying and his pace in the race suggests someone has to do something special.

I look forward to talking to you again in Turkey.

F1 Quali Monaco

2010-05-15T12:17:00.013+01:00

Welcome to Monaco as the F1 circus arrives bringing along with it all the glitz at what is the jewel in the F1 crown. Without doubt this will be the most difficult quali of the season with 24 cars hurtling around this iconic street circuit. The feeling is the slower cars will cause some major scalps by blocking the quicker cars during quali 1.

It was wonderful seeing in the build up that Sir Stirling is getting better after his frightening fall down his own lift shaft breaking both his feet.

The breaking news is that Fernando will not be taking part in quali after a crash during warm up this morning. He hit the armco very hard which resulted in cracking the chassis and they are having to rebuild a new car in the pits with a new chassis and he will then start from the pit lane.

With reference to the problems anticipated by the slower cars Eddie Jordan made comment that it was a team issue. The new teams have not yet brought themselves forward and the gap is quite large and hence the problem. The drivers of the slower cars made it quite clear they will not block the quicker cars but they have their quali to run and hence if on a quick lap won't move over!

It was nice to see DC back from DTM to make up the usual commentary team and his run around Silverstone in the 2 seater didn't do Jake any good as he found it an amazing experience, albeit very scary.

It was interesting listening to comments about the new regime of having a previous drivers input into the steward's role during grand prix weekends. Damon and Johnny [Herbert] commented it is a vital role and the stewards found his input invaluable. Jean Todt made his appearance for the quali and it is nice to see him back in the pit lane.

So the unique challenge of quali at Monaco started at 1300 UK time with anticipation of a great 60 minutes to come. So it's over to Martin Brundle and Jonathan Ledgard for the session with only 23 cars, air temperature of 19, track temperature of 28 and it is at least sunny.

The first car out was Karun logging a 1.23.478, some seven seconds off the pace, as the excitement builds winding through the streets of Monaco. Lewis slotted into P1 first of the big hitters but soon lost that to Felipe. Then the first to break the 1.15 barrier was Sebastian but the times are really irrelevant at this point albeit then came the 1.14's.

Michael seems to be happier with his car and is now matching Nico in his Mercedes. As Fernando is not running there will only be 6 cars dropping out in Q1 and those appear to be the usual cars half way through Q1.

All predictions were correct as we lost Heikki, Jarno, Timo, Lucas, Bruno and Karun and the first anticipated problem for the quicker teams was really a non event. The only real problem we saw on circuit was for Robert coming up to a traffic jam coming out of the tunnel. Sadly we lost both Lotus's in Q1 and Heikki had a couple of spins which didn't do his laps any good.

Most of the cars were out straight away in Q2 with Mark leading the field as they all fight to be in the top ten as we lose another seven cars into Q3. Robert held P1 for quite a while with a 1.14.6 and as Martin commented that is quite handy. Times are so tight covering the top teams confirm there is no room for error around the principality.

Neither of the Mclarens were topping the timing screens with only six minutes to go with Jenson struggling to keep his place in the top ten. Nico looks good at the top of the screen with both Red Bulls in second and third and they sat in the pits with three minutes to go.

Vitaly was the first during quali to stuff it into the barrier which then caused problems for the others going through the Yellow flag zone at the end of the start finish straight. Jenson lifted his self to P8 to make it into Q3 with Lewis in P6.

No real unexpected scalps in Q2 as we lost Nico (H), Adrian, Sebastian (B), Vitaly, Pedro, Kamui and Jaime. Nico topped the timing screens in Q2 and then sat it out in the pits ready for Q3.

The shoot out for pole started with only ten minutes to go and Eddie Jordan suggests Robert would be a romantic pole sitter. Rubens once again is in the top ten but it is so very close amongst the ten running in Q3.

The first to post a time was Vitantonio in his Force India followed by Robert slotting into P1 with a great 1.14.2 which is flying around here and the fastest of the weekend so far. Lewis is a full second behind with a 1.15.3 but then he slotted into P2 but Jenson didn't seem happy. Mark then slotted in an incredible 1.14.1 with Robert, Lewis and Felipe trying everything they can to match it.

So Eddie wasn't far wrong and Robert was only just beaten by Mark, the only one in the 1.13's. So a very interesting grid with Mark in P1, followed by Robert, Sebastian, Felipe, Lewis, Nico, Michael, Jenson, Rubens and in tenth Vitantonio.

So six poles out of six starts is impressive by Red Bull and congratulations to Mark. We have an interesting race in prospect with some great drivers at the front and Fernando coming from the back as Michael had to some years ago after his "stop" in La Rascass.

Well done to all the teams for keeping out of trouble and the session went really without any problems apart from Vitaly who did it himself. Tomorrow will be a great affair and we all hope they can have a good race without serious incidents around this most iconic street circuit.

F1 Race Barcelona

2010-05-09T15:58:00.007+01:00

After the thrills and spills of qualifying now it is time to go racing in Catalunya. With the usual protagonists up front can they create a less boring race than we normally have in Barcelona.

One wonders whether the home grand prix scenario can help Fernando at home, can Michael move forward and beat Nico, can Lewis retain his race position ahead of Jenson this time and what about Mark keeping ahead of Sebastian, a lot questions to be answered in the first European Grand Prix of the season.

Martin did his usual excellent grid walk and also as usual upset Tanya from Sky Deutsland by butting in to talk to Nico Rosberg. The weather is at least dry for the start albeit it was mentioned there could be rain sometime during the race. There is a head wind down to the first corner so it could be interesting. It was also great to see Ron Dennis in the pits for a change.

At the start the track temp was 34 and most cars, if not all started on the Green walled tyres as they have to use their final tyres in qualifying at the start. We lost Heikki from the grid with a gearbox full of neutrals and had to be pushed into the pit lane. The grid launched from the start and the only real loser was Nico Rosberg dropping down to 12th.

In grid order they went with Mark keeping ahead of Sebastian then Lewis, Fernando, Jenson and Michael. We really needed a car between the two Red Bull's into turn one to create a fight at and Lewis was nearly there but pulled out into turn two for safety. A little excitement at the back end as Jamie had a fabulous start and launched himself into ninth.

After lap ten the first five were getting well spread apart and our worst fears of a procession were going to be realised. The two Red Bull's were really in a class of their own with Mark doing fastest lap after fastest lap and at this stage and even Lewis's best efforts couldn't close down Sebastian. The only real question is how much fuel do the cars have and could that make a difference.

The first round of pit stops came and went with some notable changes: Lewis passed Sebastian in a heart stopping moment into turn one passing one of the Virgin cars, Jenson lost out to Michael and Nico had a wheel nut problem and had to be pulled back into this slot dropping him to seventeenth.

A good scrap after the pit stops between Michael and Jenson with Michael's experience allowing him to keep Jenson at bay but for how long. Lewis as usual is driving his usual aggressive stance and keeping Mark at bay whilst moving away from Sebastian.

The first four were still spread out at half distance but the gap between Mark and Lewis was now 11.5 seconds. One a half seconds between Lewis and Sebastian was constant as was the same between Sebsatian and Fernando. Michael still managed to keep Jenson being him even after every spirited effort by Jenson to get by and Felipe was still running close to them both.

Vitaly and Kamui were also locked in battle whilst Jamie was given a drive through for, in effect driving over the front of Karun sending him to the pits for a new nose cone. Mark was still hanging it out at the front and even on worn tyres lapping now in the 1.25's.

It did seem strange watching the two Formula 2 drivers, Nico (R) fighting with Nico (H) for fifteen and sixteenth and Mclaren must be very dissatisfied with the weekend as they are not making inroads into the top teams albeit Michael is fifth but some two seconds slower than the top teams.

Sebastian (V) then came into the pits with what appeared to be a loose right front wheel and obviously that dropped him some 16 seconds behind Fernando and even with new tyres he is likely to stop there. Red Bull then played safe again and have cleared the pit garage ready if Sebastian has to retire. Once again the Red Bull - Vettel jinx plays its hand.

Then came the message from Sebastian's pit crew "beware you are about to lose your brakes" which I am sure is not what Sebastian wanted to hear! Lewis then speeded up in case Mark suffer with the same problem. I can only assume the problem with the brakes is a worn and thinning brake disc and Mark had that problem in a previous race.

I recently had that on my Touareg and it is quite scary, whilst my 3 litre Tdi Touareg has steel discs the Red Bull's certainly don't as they use carbon brakes. Once a brake disc gets thin it starts to get very warm and bends very easily, the result of which can be disastrous if it explodes.

Then a very sad moment for Lewis as he had a puncture on the final lap which shot him off into the gravel trap and he lost his nearside front suspension. That moved Fernando into second place on his home territory which will please the fans and Sebastian into third after all the problems with brakes in the latter stages. Jaime also drove brilliantly finishing in the points at his home grand prix.

So, a different result to what we thought. Mark took the flag with a little weave across the circuit and he must be very pleased. I have had a lot of comments about it being a boring race but I disagree which only confirms we all look for different things.

Leaving Barcelona the drivers championship looks like this: Jenson (70), Fernando (67), Mark (60), Nico (53), Lewis and Felipe (49), Robert (44), Michael (22), Adrian (16), Vitantonio (8), Vitaly and Rubens (7), Jamie (2) and last but not least Nico H (1).

In the constructors championship the points are as follows: Mclaren (119), Ferrari (116), Red Bull (113), Mercedes (72), Renault (51), Force India (24), Williams (8) and again last but not least Toro Rosso (2).

After a late change in places it is now off to the bright lights and glitz of Monaco next Sunday, a race that always brings surprises.

F1 Quali Barcelona

2010-05-08T12:51:00.011+01:00

Now we are back in Europe in Catalunya and it is nice to see the hospitality suites and trucks back in the paddock. Most of the teams come here with plenty of upgrades but Red Bull still appear to have the edge in qualifying. Whilst both Lewis and Jenson were top of the field in testing on Thursday, as is usual this season Red Bull showed the field with Sebastian and Mark heading the field on Friday.

Michael looks happier with the car and let us hope he can get up up with Nico. Mclaren made a mess of the set up for Friday but they both seemed happier with the set up in readiness for quali. Lotus are more confident with the car and Heikki suggests there maybe a second a lap improvement in the car.

So off we go into Q1 and the first to put in a time was Heikki in a 1.26.048 but in testing yesterday Sebastian was running in the late 1.19's. Massa was next along flying compared with the Lotus and he slots in a banker 1.23 as Fernando then moved into P1. The times will come down as the track rubbers in and the hard tyres bed in.

Then we had both Mclarens leading the field but locked in battle with the Red Bull's with the Ferrari's loitering. So after Q1 we lost Rubens, Jarno, Heikki, Timo, Karun, Lucas and Bruno. Williams were disappointing as Rubens lost out and both Lotus cars were out which is a shame.

Q2 is going to be very interesting as the times in the mid field are so close. Very interesting development on the Ferrari as Fernando is having to use only one hand whilst adjusting the F duct trying to copy the Mclaren development as well as adjusting the brake balance using no hands at times.

As we move into Q2 Red Bull seem to have it in the bag as early in the run they were one and two. Mclaren are ever closer, this is going to be very close. Lewis seems to have the edge on Jenson as Mark appears to have the same on Sebastian but we know how that can change. Michael then came up into third and is he coming to be as one with the car whilst Nico is back in ninth which is a change in the team positions in the season so far.

After all the comings and goings in Q2 we lost Adrian, Pedro, Nico (H), Vitaly, Sebastian (B), Jamie and Vitantonio. Disappointment for both Force India's as they have been so competitive in the previous races this season. Q2 remained tight at the top but both Red Bull's still have the edge but Lewis is hovering.

Here we go into the pole shoot out and this will be even tighter looking at the times so far. Again we had an issue in the pit lane as Fernando was released into the pit lane in front of Nico and a near accident was only just avoided. It does make it difficult for the drivers with peripheral vision as the sides of the modern F1 car are so high but that is why they rely heavily on the pit crew in the pit lane particularly.

Both Red Bull's then laid down the gauntlet with mark followed by Sebastian but both 1 second quicker than Lewis followed by Jenson and Michael but Nico down in tenth. So all the cars went into the pits to add some fuel but only just enough to complete the run.

With all the cars now on the Green walled tyres and the times are tumbling. Then Mark put the rest in the shade with the first into the 1.19's. What a furious last 10 minutes and Mark was just over a tenth ahead.

So the final grid looks like this: Mark, Sebastian, Lewis, Fernando, Jenson, Michael, Robert, Nico, Felipe and Kamui. So Michael heads Nico for the first time this season, Lewis heads Jenson and Fernando heads Felipe. All this suggests we should have a great grand prix with 4 world champions in the top 6.

Now things will be hectic in the pits evaluating all the data and let us hope we have a good Spanish GP.

A weekend under the Icelandic Volcanic Dust

2010-04-19T18:55:00.002+01:00

The Icelandic Volcanic Dust has a lot answer for. No flights, no jobs, the Scorpion grounded and ultimately relegated to the garden by her in doors. Now I want you to understand this is my wife Eunice's sacred ground and when she is around working in it is not for the faint hearted.

First job to remove a tree's roots which I accomplished with no hassle as Eunice was out. Then on her return the next job was to find a lot of top soil, and I mean a lot which needed to be sieved from under our huge hedge!

First problem, a seized barrow wheel so with no option open to me I decided to use it anyway. As moving it was restricted it didn't do the lawn any good either! It also appears I don't know how to use a barrow either as I should have put another bag inside said barrow so moving the soil from barrow to location was easier, you learn something every day!

After struggling with said barrow with seized wheel a solution under the Volcanic Dust was offered with lighter weight barrow version 2. I could now move forward at a pace. When filling said barrow version 2, which of course included the bag inside it, guess what, that had a flat tyre which wasn't apparent until I filled it.

So with 2 knack???? wheels on my barrow's life became a struggle. It now appeared the only solution was to carry said barrow with flat tyre to the soils destination. Onward still with a spring in my step I deposited said sieved soil into location, mistake, it was of course in the wrong place, silly me I should have known better!

So back under the hedge sieving soil I felt safe and away from any hassle which seemed quite peaceful after all. In my deliberations I decided there was a solution for the movement of the sieved soil to the desired location, leave that to the wife and I wouldn't get into bother again. So with barrow full I positioned it, with bag in it of course, in the area of the soils final location, good job with compliments flowing a plenty.

Forward to Sunday morning and of course after F1 it was time to inspect how I was to repair said punctured barrow wheel on the alternative lightweight barrow. Removed the tube and all seemed well so off to garage to blow it up. With air in its tyre the barrow was perfect and all seemed well as movement was now smoother and the lawn wasn't under duress.

Back under the hedge and things moved on a pace until I realised I was going to be there until 2011 sieving enough soil to fill in the area in question. After a garden meeting to discuss said top soil required I decided enough was enough so hot footed to the garden centre to purchase supplies.

Back at home said purchased bags of top soil were deposited in position and things began to look better, albeit still not enough. Back under the hedge but not with relish I sieved again and completed a further barrow full which definitely had an impact.

After the trials and tribulations of the barrow wheels I then decided to have a look at barrow version 1 and its seized wheel. Looking very professional, I equipped myself with several tool boxes and attacked the seized wheel.

Now accepting this wheel has probably been in situ for many a year, of course the first thing that happened was the nut sheared off on the first movement of the spanner. Now we have a perfect barrow without a wheel and I have to innovate a solution or simply buy a new barrow, which will go down like a lead brick.

All in all an eventful weekend and once again the Icelandic Volcanic Dust has a lot to answer for.

F1 China - Shanghai Race

2010-04-18T17:46:00.003+01:00

The Volcanic Ash fallout meant the commentary team was without Eddy Jordan who couldn't get there due the problems with air travel. They did have him on the phone but it was strange not hearing the regular banter between him and DC.

It was anticipated the race would start in the rain but that didn't happen albeit there was rain on the cars cameras on the warm up lap. The track temperature had dropped to 23 degrees with air temp of 20. So a lot of nerves as the cars approached the grid wondering whether they had chosen the correct tyres. Off they went in a cloud of spray and into turn 2 there was a big accident as Vitantonio lost it and speared across the grass and into Sebastiaen (Buemi) taking Kamui with him as well as he had nowhere else to go but run into the side of Sebastien. This brought out the safety car and in came some of the teams to change tyres. Fernando had obviously jumped the start as he shot into the lead past Mark who had out dragged Sebastian as the rest went off in grid order. Fernando had to take a drive through which he did once the stewards announced it.

Then it started to rain heavier and more cars changed to inters including Lewis who made a very late decision entering the pit lane across the grass. Both Red Bull's also came in for tyres and that dropped them both back down the field. Nico and Jenson stayed out on wets so the restart once the safety car went in was going to be interesting as those cars on new inters had so much more grid, they thought. In the ensuing laps the inters burned off almost straight away so Sebastian and Lewis went back in to change back to slicks and when they left they came down the pit lane together and nearly touching as they were side by side. Sebastian moved across on Lewis to push him nearer to the pit crews and this event will be looked at after the race by the stewards and it is likely action will be taken with penalties at Barcelona.

Nico was now leading on lap 8 followed by Jenson and the 2 Renault's but Mark, Sebastian & Lewis were locked in battle for ninth, tenth and eleventh. The rain came and went again and gave us some very interesting laps and then confusion as the rain started again. Lewis passed Mark on the long back straight as he was a sitting duck for the Mclaren. Then we had an almighty battle between Adrian, Sebastian and Lewis and as Sebastian got on the wrong side of Adrian, Lewis jumped them both up into sixth place and shot up behind Michael as he put in fastest lap after fastest lap.

Lewis was then stuck behind Michael and eventually passed him on the long back straight as Sebastian loomed again in his mirrors. Meanwhile the 2 Ferrari's were line astern in eleventh & twelfth. Then all of a sudden up at the front Jenson passed Nico after he went off in the rain on what must be worn tyres at this stage of the race. A lot of cars then came into the pits to change to inters as the rain came again. Lewis came in with Sebastian and came back out together but as Mark had pitted a lap earlier they were both behind him.

I have to say I have never seen anyone pass another driver going into the pits but Fernando did exactly that as he passed Felipe in what can only be considered a very dangerous move and I am sure the stewards will be having a look and words about that as well. Back at the front Jenson still led Nico and then the safety car came out to move some debris and hopefully settle things down again as there really were some heroics going on. This of course bunched the pack back together. So we had Jenson, Nico, Robert, Vitaly, Lewis and the rest.

The safety car came was coming in on lap 25 and after the goings on we still had 26 laps to go. With the safety car lights off and as they approached the next to last corner Jenson suddenly slowed the field too much and the cars all bunched up in chaos behind him as the 2 Red Bull's lost out. Hence there was a lot happening into the last turn but Lewis as usual kept his head and passed Michael and then shot straight onto the back of Vitaly and straight past and into fourth. Mark in the meantime had taken an excursion around the last corner as he got too aggressive mixed up with Lewis and Sebastian.

There is controversy over the way Jenson approached the last turn as he nearly stopped which according to Martin broke the F1 rule book but nothing about that during the rest of the race, another for the stewards. Anyway in the meantime Lewis was on the back of Robert and straight past into third and you can see by the cars body language he thinks he can still win this race. Behind we had Fernando passing Adrian followed by both Red Bull's in a serious tussle.

So after all the chaos of safety cars and rain Jenson was still in the lead well in front of Nico, Lewis, Robert, Fernando and Sebastian, A great battle ensued as Nico and Lewis became locked in battle and a very spirited drive from them both with Lewis going past. So behind Jenson we had Lewis, Nico, Fernando and Robert still there with the Renault. Now we had a very interesting scenario at the front as Jenson led from Lewis and we know what Lewis can do in this position.

Plenty of racing going on down the field with great drives from Fernando, Felipe, Mark, Sebastian and there is so much going on it is difficult keeping pace with it. Jaime was also driving a very spirited race but lost out to Adrian and Rubens which was a shame. Jenson seemed to have stabilised the position at the front and with 10 to go he was 4 seconds to the good. Then all of a sudden Fernando got the hurry up and closed on Nico to within one and a half seconds but by this time his tyres were shot so that is where he stayed.

Both Jenson and Lewis had also got tyre problems but Lewis was still ten seconds ahead of Nico with only eight to go but he was closing. The tyre issue hit all the drivers but no point in pitting then as the race would have been over. There were still some close fights in the last few laps including Felipe on Michael who went off towards the gravel trap at the last turn and Vitaly on Mark.

Jenson took the flag after and his tyre choice very early in the race and that actually won him the race as he had 2 tyre stops to Lewis's 4. It was nice to see the spirit between Jenson and Lewis before going onto the podium and along with Nico all the talk was about vision during the race. John Button can stop eating his finger nails now and he looked thrilled with the result. Martin Whitmarsh was obviously delighted albeit he said it was a very long race on the pit wall.Nico as usual drove an exemplary race and once again out gunned Michael who simply couldn't match his pace all weekend. The Red Bull's had to concede defeat finishing in sixth and eighth and they will be very disappointed as they seemed to have it in the bag from qualifying.

What a great race again and whilst not quite matching Melbourne there was something going on all 56 laps. Leaving China the championship had changed at the top as Jenson (60pts) now led Nico (50), Lewis and Sebastian (49), Felipe lost his lead (41), Robert (40), Mark (28), Adrian and Michael (10), Vitantonio ((8), Vitaly (6), Rubens (5), Jamie (2) and the lost point scorer Nico Hulkenberg in only his fourth race (1).

In the constructors championship Mclaren now took the lead (109), Ferrari (90), Red Bull (73), Mercedes (60), Renault (46), Force India (18), Williams (6) and the last team scorer Toro Rosso (2).

Now the teams head back into Europe to Barcelona (9 May) but they going to have problems getting out of China due to the Volcanic Ash fall out from Iceland. There are 6 Jumbo's waiting to move the cars and freight but things don't look good for air travel as I write. The only thing I can say in closing in bring on the rain in Barcelona as it seems to add huge excitement each time we have a wet race.

The results are now also posted on my website (www.scorpion-eph.co.uk) and by clicking the F1 tab at the bottom of the home page you can see the results of each race in 2010 and a compilation of the results I have shown above as well as results of past years races in F1. .

F1 Quali China

2010-04-17T13:50:00.004+01:00

The F1 circus moves to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix and in practice both Mclarens were firing on all cylinder, first Jenson, Nico and Lewis and then in the second run they swapped around. Eddie Jordan wasn't there this weekend due to the problems Europe is experiencing with the Volcanic Ash stopping flights in European Air Space.

One has to start asking questions about Michael as he has not matched Nico in either quali or the race in all the races so far. There is talk also about Felipe not retaining his seat for 2011 and that appears strange to me as he is topping the charts at this stage of the season.

DC is now going to drive in the DTM in between his contract for ITV F1 and it will be interesting to see how he can perform in the DTM rocket ships. He will feel strange to have roof for a change after his years in F1. We all wish him best for the races he will run during the 2010 season.

Back to F1 and a very strange event in practice saw the right front upright fail on Sebastian's (Buemi) Toro Rosso and the car almost immediately lost both front wheels. Whilst everything worked out OK for him it must be a concern to have such a catastrophic failure at the speeds of these cars. Norbert Haug (boss of Mercedes) seems quite relaxed about the Mercedes performance so far but accepts they are not there with the car yet.

Off we go into quali 1 in the dry with a track temp of 30 degrees and air temp of 20 degrees. All seems to point to Mclaren being on the pace of the Red Bull's and it should be a close quali session. Felipe was the first to put in a time in a 1.36.997 but that will be blitzed as the quali session unwinds. Lewis seems to have an affinity with Shanghai and we sit with anticipation of his times here and we were not to be disappointed as he slots in a lap .6 quicker with a 1.35.6.Nico is still outpacing Michael early in Q1 as he seems to have become one with the Mercedes.

Early in the session the Red Bull's don't seem to have the raw pace of the Mclaren's but their cars are still running very low to the track in qualifying and Martin commented how do they do that and then run the same spec but on full tanks for the race. The new teams are getting closer to the pace and it must be a huge challenge to match the top teams on a much smaller budget.

So after Q1 we lost Vinantonio, Jarno, Heikki, Timo, Lucas, Karun and Bruno and the big surprise is Vinantanio in his Force India as he should really be up in the top 10 with Adrian. Lewis retained his P1 slot and was never matched by the rest albeit Nico slotted into P2. Virgin are the best of the new teams and a positive step forward. Michael is still .5 secs slower than Nico and he must be very frustrated accepting his background.

Q2 then got underway and the first car out was Vitaly in his rebuilt Renault after his huge off in practice. One other worry is the Mclaren to all of a sudden have a box of neutrals and we will see how that develops for them over the weekend. A mixture of tyres being used as the teams sought the best balance. The Red Bull's don't seem to have it at this stage of the weekend and again Lewis is going even quicker with a first lap of 1.34.928. Michael then slotted into P6 but .7 behind. Fernando is not struggling with engines but he has used 2 already and they are going to have to protect the 6 remaining for the rest of the season.

Nico is still up there in P2 some two tenths behind Lewis but he still has the problem of the box of neutrals and it is becoming a concern. The Red Bull's are just not matching the front runners with Lewis the only driver in the 34's. All seems to be going to plan in the Mclaren garage even accepting his gearbox problem. There is still talk about Lewis's weaving during the race at Malaysia and as always the others always seem to want to beat him up only because he is too fast! It seems incredible that only 13 percent of the lap is on the brakes when looking at the lap.

Jenson could only manage seventh and Michael was only three hundreds of a second in front of Rubens but moved into Q3 but only in tenth place. So we lost Jaime, Rubens, Sebastian (Buemi), Vitaly, Kamui, Nico (Hulkenberg) and Pedro. The top ten are the usual contenders and it should be quite competitive in Q3 but Lewis seems to be out there in front. One has to say the Ferrari's have been very quiet up to now albeit always in the top 10.

So with Lewis sitting in P1 half a second quicker than the rest so it was now time for the last blast into the top ten grid positions. With only 10 minutes in Q3 it is very tight to ensure all goes well. This is set to be the tightest fight of the season for pole. Most teams are going for a 1 lap dash and then change tyres and go for broke. The Red Bull's seem to be glued to the track as they have been all season and it is impressive to watch.

Sebastian then all of a sudden seemed to get it together and was finally in P1 and his first into the 34's apart from Lewis in Q2. On the first run Lewis could only manage fifth with Jenson seventh which seemed strange. So Lewis then changed onto the Green walled, soft tyres and off he launched and as he only did a pit lane tyre change he was fuelled for both runs. It was meteoric then for the last few laps and all of a sudden the Red Bull's came good and for the second time this season they locked out the front row.

Lewis had a bad Q3 and didn't get it together and even dropped behind Jenson for the first time this weekend. Fernando put in a great lap and finished third after a highly competitive, best qualifying of the season. So we finished up with Sebastian (P1), Mark, Fernando, Nico, Jenson, Lewis, Felipe, Robert, Michael and finally Adrian in his Force India again in the top 10. It appears that maybe the Mclaren doesn't work as well on the soft tyres compared with the prime and that will interesting during the race.

Great quali session and we look forward to a great race. It will be good to see Lewis moving through from sixth and he looks forward to a good race and there is much talk about tomorrow being wet and we know from previous races that always makes for a very interesting race.

F1 Malaysia Race

2010-04-04T12:53:00.002+01:00

After the problems in quali the teams faced at least a dry start but with rain forecast.

Temperatures of 48/49 for both air & track meant it was for sure to be a hot sticky time for the drivers. As the cars came out to the grid Pedro's Sauber stalled in the pit lane and after starting it up it stopped on track and that was the end of his race.

The very mixed up grid after quali caused huge anticipation for all concerned into T1. Off they went onto the warm up lap and all seemed all well as they formed into position. Down went the flag and Sebastian launched his Red Bull past Mark & Nico into T1 and all the rest followed and cleared the first two corners.

Rubens had stalled on the grid but was to get going whilst Lewis launched his Mclaren down the pit wall and clean side of the track and made up 8 places to 12th by the end of lap 1. Meanwhile Jenson had opted for the dirty, grandstand side and found himself locked in battle with Fernando and Felipe and they were to remain like that for a lot of the race, albeit Felipe passed Jenson ultimately.

At the front Sebastian, Mark, Nico, Robert and Adrian were holding station and really nothing happened to change their relative positions to the end of the race. Jenson had made his first and only pit stop earlier than anyone on lap 9 which hampered him a little but his position to the 2 Ferrari's remained the same until Felipe went by.

Michael suffered a broken wheel nut which put him out the race on lap 9 and still he can't really match Nico in the sister car who has out gunned the 7 times world champion all season. Timo went out on lap 2 after a spin, we lost Kamui on lap 8 so both Saubers were out and then Vitantonio went out on lap 12 with throttle problems. Then later on out went Vitaly on lap 32 with gearbox issues and Heikki with problems with hydraulics on lap 46.

The fight between Lewis and his mate Adrian continued and with the Mercedes engine in the Force India, Lewis never over came him and they finished 5th and 6th respectively. Fernando had gear selector downshift issues all through the race which obviously hampered him throughout and his latter fight with Jenson for 8th filtered away and then his engine blew albeit he was classified 13th having completed 54 laps.

In the tyre change competition Mercedes came out top with a 3.9 sec season best change. Jamie confirmed his talent and drove a good race to earn his first point for Toro Rosso and he made some excellent overtaking moves throughout the race.

So, the rain stopped away which I suppose on reflection took away some of the excitement and Sebastian commented he would have liked a wet spell to cool things down. The race was not as thrilling as Melbourne but that will go down as a classic but Lewis's fight through the field and latter scrap with Adrian, Felipe, Jenson and Fernando locked in combat throughout the race and Jamie's overtaking moves added spice to a dull race up at the front.

Leaving Sepang the points have moved around a bit with Felipe taking over first place so they stood: Felipe (39), Sebastian and Fernando (37), Nico and Jenson (35), Lewis (31), Robert (30), Mark (24), Adrian (10) and rounding out the top 10 was Michael (9).

In the constructors championship it is Ferrari (76), Mclaren (66), Mercedes (44), Red Bull (61), Renault (30) and Force India (18) followed by Williams (6) and Toro Rosso (2).

The real excitement of the race was Lewis's meteoric rise from 20th and his scrap with Adrian for a few more points. The scrap between Felipe, Jenson & Fernando caused a few edge of seat moments but the front 5 remained basically as the first lap so that must be considered a little boring.

Off we now go to China on April 18 and we look forward to seeing any upgrades and moves from the lower teams into the higher ranks. Force Indai are now stamping their authority on the top positions with both Adrian & Vitantonio and it would be good to see Williams doing similar.

F1 Malaysia Quali

2010-04-03T14:38:00.008+01:00

After a tremendous race in Australia the F1 circus moved to Malaysia and the weather is obviously on everyone's mind after the first Red flag and half points finish in 2009. The weather didn't disappoint as it rained prior to the start of quali and all hell was to break loose.

Jenson had struggled with set up all day on Friday whilst Lewis was fastest throughout practice but that all means nothing now the rain has come. Into quali and the teams had 4 sets of inters and 3 sets of full wets for the weekend so it was critical to try and preserve tyres for the race.

As the session started most of the teams were out straight away but Mclaren and Ferrari decided to wait as their weather reports suggested the first rain storm was to be the only one and how wrong could they have been.

The teams on inters were able to put banker laps in but Mclaren and Ferrari struggled as the rain came again and they simply weren't quick enough on their full wets. Eddie Jordan commented it was a disgrace as the 2 top teams should know better and he was quite scathing of their decision.

Sebastian (Buemi) was the first to register a quick lap whilst all the big guns sat it out Then Sebastian put in a quick one followed by Kubica. With 12 mins to go all the teams were out and it was obvious the second downpour was going to hamper Lewis, Fernando and Felipe and they were stuck in 19, 20 and 21st places which was really what they deserved.

Jenson slid out into the gravel trap on turn 5 and was to take no further part so he finished his day in 17th as a miserable day for the Mclaren & Ferrari's continued.

The interest wasn't for once up front as the drop outs from Q1 made interesting reading. Trulli (17), Fernando (19), Lewis (20), Felipe (21) followed by those one would sadly expect to go out in Q1, Karun (22), Bruno (23) and Lucas (24).

What a prospect we now had with some of the new teams elevated into Q2. Jenson admitted after Q1 the team had got it wrong as they should have gone out on inters at the very start of quali and put bunker laps in and not sat it out in the garage. Was the decision naive (I don't think so), was it bravado (I don't think so either) so that leaves a degree of arrogance believing they can't be beaten in Q1!

Into Q2 and the top 17 looked very different as Vitaly put in a 1.48 only to be usurped by the rain meister, Michael but the places kept changing throughout as we still had big guns such as Sebastian, Mark, Nico and Robert.

However, None of the top 10 were safe at any time as the times changed constantly but eventually we lost (Vitaly (11), Pedro (12), Sebastian (Buemi) (13), Jaime (14), Heikki (15), Timo (16) and of course Jenson who only finished 17th from his time from Q1.

At the end of Q2 it was Sebastian (1), Robert (2), Adrian (3), Nico (Hulkenberg) (4), Nico (5), Robert (6), Mark (7), Vitantonio (8), Rubens ((9) and last but not least Michael (10).

The weather didn't improve much for Q3 with another downpour at the start. Less than 3 minutes in and with all the teams on full wets it was still considered dangerous and Red flagged which is always unnerving for the teams. The standing water at Malaysia once again playing havoc with proceedings.

Yet, out came the gladiators with 7.17 mins to go onto a very wet track with rivers running across. All the teams, apart from Mark were on full wets with both Force India's leading the field.

As Red Bull had its 2 cars on alternate tyres it was obvious one of them would stamp their authority on proceedings. Mark grabbed his Red Bull by the scruff of its neck and put in a stunning 1.49.327, some 1.3 secs in front of the rest.

After Mark it was Nico out qualifying his more experienced rain meister team mate once again followed by Sebastian in the second Red Bull and completing row 2 was Adrian again putting that Force India in the lead group.

With a stunning drive Nico (Hulkenberg) confirmed his F2 talent starting the third row with Robert, the fourth row was Rubens and Michael and rounding out the top 10 was Kamui and Vitantonio.

After the mayhem it only goes to prove the best teams in the world with the very finest technology can make catastrophic blunders and they really do not deserve any better. To be outshone by even some of the new teams must be very gauling for them and so it should.

From an armchair point of view it will make the grand prix tomorrow very exciting so we will have to see what 3 world champions and Felipe can do from their lowly grid positions. Let us all hope it is a safe race and gives us the excitement Australia did.

F1 Melbourne Race

2010-03-28T15:17:00.004+01:00

After the boring if not tiresome race in Bahrain expectations were high for Melbourne and we weren't to be disappointed. From the flag it was exciting all the way to the chequered flag and those who questioned the format for 2010 were certainly silenced for now anyway.

A rain shower before the start brought out the intermediate Bridgestones which caused some very early incidents. So, with a Red Bull front row, Ferrari-Mclaren second row, Ferrari-Mercedes third row, Mercedes-Williams fourth row and Renault-Force India fifth row it looked like being a thriller. Lewis sat back in eleventh and that was never going to stay like that.

Down went the flag and some 20,000 thousand horse power launched from the grid. Sebastian held his position but was ultimately followed by Robert, Felipe Nico as into turn 1 Michael, Jenson and Fernando came together and Lewis pounced through the mayhem.

There was also a coming together between Kamui, Sebastian (Buemi) and Nico (Hulkenberg) which took out all 3 and resulting in our thankfully only safety car of the day and first of the season. Jarno also didn't complete 1 lap and retired his Lotus with hydraulic problems which was a shame as both Lotus cars finished in Bahrain.

In the melee between Fernando, Jenson and Michael, Michael had to come in for a new front spoiler which really spoiled his race. Lewis on the other hand had a great start launching himself through the mayhem into sixth.

Upon resuming after the safety car on lap 5 Sebastian was out out in front from his pole position and the big question was who was to make the first pit stop onto slicks. That decision was taken by Jenson in a very brave move which was to win him the race albeit he went off almost straight away after changing his tyres.

In the mayhem Fernando had spun out at the first corner and was recovering through the field with a rapid rate of knots. By lap 8 there was a rush to the pits as the teams knew the pace Jenson had set once his tyres came up to temperature. After the pit stops with tyres up to temperature it was Sebastian with a 1 second lead over Jenson followed by Robert ahead of a very tight battle.

Nico, Felipe, Mark, Lewis were locked in combat as further back Fernando was recovering from his earlier revolution. Sebastian appeared to have things under control at the front as he and Jenson extended their lead over Robert in 3rd who had his mirrors full of Lewis on the rampage after passing Mark & Felipe.

In the meanwhile we lost Bruno with hydraulic problems on lap 4, Vitaly on lap 9 after a spin into the gravel trap which fortunately didn't bring out the safety car and Adrian with engine problems. Further on in the race we also lost Lucas with hydraulic problems and Timo with suspension failure.

Then out of the Blue Sebastian appeared to drive straight into the gravel trap which turned out to be an extension of the braking problems he had for a couple of laps. So Jenson was now in a lead he was never to relinquish.

Now deep into the race and the order was Jenson, Robert, Lewis, Mark, Felipe, Fernando and Nico. Then came a call from the pits asking Lewis to pit for tyres and he was not a happy man. No-one is sure why Mclaren called him in and he was the only one of the front runners who pitted.

This dropped him down the order but his fresh rubber meant he was lapping faster than all the others but out of track position. He was locked into battle with Mark but both were closing very quickly in the latter stages on Fernando, Felipe and Robert. All of the teams had graining on the rear tyres but Jenson's smoother driving style meant he fully in control up front.

On his new tyres Lewis had passed Mark and quickly came up to the rear spoiler of Fernando with a slippy slidey Ferrari. He tried everything in the book to get past and in doing so this let Felipe and Robert off the hook. Obviously Lewis had a problem on his hands with his front full of Ferrari and his mirrors full of Red Bull. Mark then overshot turn 13 and punted Lewis and himself off which let Nico through to fifth behind the Ferrari's.

Mark had to return to the pits for a new nose cone which put him back to ninth and was subsequently told off by the stewards for the collision. Lewis managed to go on and finished sixth and for the second time in the race not a happy bunny.

Throughout the race there had been some great scraps and none more so than Jamie and Michael and I am sure Jamie never thought he would be scrapping with the 7 times world champion. Liuzzi again had another great drive to bring home the Force India in seventh after passing Pedro's BMW in the process.

So, after an absolutely thrilling race Jenson (25 pts) drove supremely and finished some 12 seconds ahead of Robert 2 (18), Felipe 3 (15), Fernando 4 (12), Nico 5 (10), Lewis 6 (8), Vitantonio 7 (6), Rubens 8 (4), Mark 9 (2) and the last of the points went to Michael 10 (1) after overhauling Jamie.

Leaving Melbourne the drivers championship is still headed by Fernando with 37 points followed by Felipe (33), Jenson (31), Lewis (23), Nico (20), Robert (18), Sebastian who must be the unluckiest driver to date (12), Michael (9), Vinantionio (8) and Mark (6) rounding out the top 10.

The constructors championship is still headed by Ferrari (70) followed by Mclaren (54), Mercedes (29) with Red Bull and Renault tied on 18 points. They are followed by Force India (8) and bringing up the rear of the points scorers are Williams with 5.

I have to say Jenson drove a brilliant race having taking the very brave decision to change tyres so early in the race. I have to give him full credit for this race but we missed an opportunity of seeing a dog fight between himself and Lewis which did seem on the cards. I think if it came to that Lewis would either win all or lose everything.

So after much talk in the press about the boring start to the season in Bahrain and with only a week to go before Malaysia, I am sure none of we armchair F1 fans can wait and we will be riveted to our screens no matter where we are in the world.

F1 Quali Melbourne

2010-03-27T10:50:00.003Z

Well, the first bit of news came on Friday off the track as Lewis had an altercation with Australian police in his road car. Whilst the worlds press made a big thing about it I think it is rather amusing and I am sure the police loved every minute of it.

It also appears Lewis has parted his managaer and father Anthony Hamilton and according to the press it was Lewis who initiated it. I am certain we will hear more about this in the near future.

Back to quali and with cloudy skies it was all go for hopefully a better weekend showing than last time out in Bahrain. All the prospects were good for a better race weekend on a shorter track than Bahrain and on practice form it seems tighter as well.

Q1: None of the teams complained about traffic in Q1 but it looked, to say the least hairy at times. One can only say the Red Bull's are on fire and Sebastian was electric throughout quali. He was closely followed by Nico, Jenson, Lewis, Fernando, Mark, Michael, a struggling Felipe, Adrian again up there and closing out the top 10 came Robert in his Renault.

It is an awful thing to have to say but we lost the 3 new teams again and the only real surprise was the loss of Vitaly Petrov in the Renault but he was 2 seconds up the road from the new teams in a 26.5. So out went Lotus with Heikki and Jarno but both their cars at least finished in Bahrain, Virgin with Timo and di Grassi and both the HRT cars where both Senna and Karun are struggling big time.

Into Q2 where again we were to lose 7 cars and a couple of surprises in store. Sebastian & Mark were still out front followed by Fernando, Jenson, Nico (still in front of Michael), Michael, Felipe, Adrian still up there in the Force India doing a sterling job, Robert keeping the Renault up there and Rubens consistent again.

Then came a surprise and the first major scalp was Lewis himself who evidently hadn't enough fuel to complete the lap which would have taken him into the top 10. He seemed to struggle throughout Q2 and he was out, finishing in 11th. This is not as good a position as 2009 as there is no fuel strategy advantage anymore only choice of tyres.

After Lewis we lost Sebastian (Buemi), Nico (Hulkenberg), Vitantonio, Pedro, Kamui and finally Jamie. So only 1 of the Cosworth engined cars made Q1 and again it was in the hands of Rubens in his 1oth placed Williams.

Q1: So out came the big guns for Q1 with the teams looking ever upward wondering whether rain would spoil the party. The heli had some rain spots on the lens but that didn't affect quali. From the off it was Vettel setting the pace and the first to register a lap under 1.24. His stunning 1.23.9 was never to be headed even accepting Mark had the local, home turf advantage with the Aussie crown egging him on. His 24 dead kept him in second place giving us a Red Bull front row.

Fernando was there or thereabouts again following his success in Bahrain and made up row 2 in front of Jenson who obviously out performed Lewis in his lowly 11th.

Row 3 saw Felipe finally getting his act together albeit .8 secs off Fernando's pace and he was joined by Nico again out gunning Michael. Row 4 saw Michael in front of his old Ferrari partner Rubens who was showing Williams are on the pace.

Row 5 and making the top 10 was Robert who is still getting to grips with the Renault and once he does I think he will move up further and rounding out the top 10 was Adrian again showing the Force India is a top class team.

So the race looks like being a different prospect to Bahrain and has the prospect of being closer with hopefully a little more overtaking particularly with Lewis in 11th who must surely have to stamp his mark from the off.

We still have 6 seconds between pole and the 24th HRT car which could spell problems in the race due to the arrival speed of the cars behind the slowest. So we have 24 cars thundering around Albert Park's 5.3 kms circuit for 58 laps in what will hopefully be a dry race.

The lap record is held by Michael in 1.24.1 and surely that must be under threat from Vettel in particular with others not far away. We have certainly 8 cars capable of winning the race and they were all covered by less than 1 second in quali even accepting Lewis down in 11th.

Lets hope for a great grand prix tomorrow.

F1 Bahrain Race

2010-03-14T11:38:00.010Z

Here we go for the first race of the 2010 season and anticipation is very high for the first race as well as all the excitement to come. The new Mercedes SLS course car looks a mean machine and I have no doubt we shall hear the roar of this beast many times during the season.

It is great to have Ayrton's nephew, Bruno Senna on the grid and what an evocative name back in the sport along with Lotus and didn't it look spooky as he opened his visa when he broke down, I am sure we all wish them well. It was also nice to see the line up of F1 previous world champions and Martin spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on the grid and Damon was seen many times over the weekend. Names like Nicki Lauda, John Surtees, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher are evocative names in the world of F1.

At the second longest circuit of the season at 3.94 miles, the full tanks will mean the cars go faster as the race develops over the 49 laps. The lap record of 1.33.43 from 2009 will stand after this race due to the changes to the circuit and with a track temperature of 39 and air temperature of 36 it is going to be a hot race for all concerned.

The flag dropped and Sebastian shot into the lead from pole but Fernando passed Felipe at turn 2 in a classic overtaking move, Nico passed Lewis as he made a mistake running wide and mayhem happened behind at the back of the grid. It appears to me the plumes of smoke that, for some reason appeared from the back of Mark's Red Bull put off the followers and apart from dropping him back it also lost Robert many places.

Unfortunately then it became somewhat of a procession and it appears to me the drivers appeared to be driving very conservatively to protect their tyres and fuel loads. I sincerely hope this is not the case or this season could become a Fernando benefit.

So Sebastian held his lead followed by Fernando, Felipe, Nico, Lewis, Michael, Jenson and Mark but not particularly close and not really competing with each other. At the first tyre stop Lewis nipped in front of Nico and that was that done for Lewis but he never really got on terms with Felipe.

At the back we lost the unfortunate Karun Chandruk (HRT Cosworth) after only 1 lap with an accident across the bump, then Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth) went next. Then came a rash of failures including Kamui 11 Laps (Sauber Ferrari), Vitaly Petrov 13 Laps (Renault), Timo 16 Laps (Virgin Cosworth), Bruno Senna 17 Laps and finally Pedro de la Rosa 28 Laps (Sauber Ferrari).

However, Lotus did a fantastic job in their first GP for many years with both cars there at the finish so well done Heikki and Jarno. Williams also did a great job with Rubens in 10th and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th. It is fair to suggest there was more swapping and changing amongst the last 10 on the grid and at times, although we didn't see that much of it, it was quite exciting.

So back to the front and all seemed well but all of a sudden Sebastian started to slow slightly dropping a couple of seconds and it became apparent he had a broken exhaust. So, Fernando pounced into the lead that he was never to lose. Felipe kept in contention as he also passed Sebastian who forlornly pressed on.

I must pay tribute to Felipe as it is fantastic for us all to see him back and to come 2nd in his first race since his tragic accident can only be called fantastic for him, his fans, for us and Ferrari. Well done Felipe and we wish you all the best for the future and in your fight with Fernando.

Then Lewis passed the lonely Sebastian and that was basically the end of the race really albeit Nico was closing fast on Sebastian but all in vain as he failed by a short margin.

All the talk prior to the start was obviously about the comeback king Michael Schumacher and I suppose by his standards he didn't have a good weekend. In this sport the first thing you must do is beat your team mate and he was .5 secs behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.

So the final grid was Fernando (25), Felipe (18), Lewis (15), Sebastian (12), Nico (10), Michael (8), Jenson (6), Mark (4), Vitantonio (2) and last in the top 10 and points scorer Rubens (1).

So what have we learnt from today:

In the top team mate war: Fernando and Felipe very close, Lewis well in front of Jenson, Nico well in front of Michael, Sebastian far in front Mark.

Concern must be expressed about the new tyre and refuelling regulations as it could bring boring racing as the drivers have no alternative but to protect the cars. Engines now have to last 3 races, tyres are more restricted through race day and fuel has obviously to be conserved or the cars wouldn't reach the flag.

So congratulations to Fernando and Felipe and the Ferrari team but let us hope this is not the start of a procession as has happened in the past with Ferrari in Michael's hands!

F1 Quali Bahrain

2010-03-13T19:51:00.009Z

Well, the first quali of 2010 has been and gone and what an interesting start to the new season. Firstly a new team appeared on the grid in the shape of HRT Cosworth with drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandrock. The late entries didn't have much running but at least they qualified.

To clear something up is the question of fuel for quali and now we know the teams run their own fuel levels for quali which don't affect race fuel as all cars now start on full tanks as no refuelling throughout the race. The new front tyres are also 20mm narrower than last season and on the Green walled tyres they were causing problems during quali as they were going off quickly.

As all the talk will be about Michael Schumacher's return it does put pressure on him knowing the worlds press is watching and Nico Rosberg has a lot to prove albeit he has been 0.05 secs quicker than Michael all weekend.

So the new 24 car grid launched itself at 1100 Saturday full of anticipation of who was to be the leading light for the start of the season. Alonso was forecast to be that light but things always have a habit of changing in this sport.

Quali 1 was a bit of a procession really as the top teams didn't have to try very hard to beat the new teams who are not on the case yet. There was criticism of HRT as they haven't had any pre season testing and it was thought they shouldn't be on the grid at all.

So with 7 to lose in quali 1 and as projected we lost both Lotus's, both Virgin's, both HRT's and Jamie Alguersauri in the STR Ferrari. The first leading light so show his hand was Sebastian Vettel with a stunning 1.55.00 but was eclipsed by Fernando on a 54.6 who held that to the flag.

He was followed by Sebastian, Adrian Sutil, Felipe, Lewis, and Mark tied on 55.3 and then Nico and Robert Kubica tied on 55.5. Michael came in with a 55.6 and Jenson on 55.7. It was so close.

So into quali 2 and the ante went up as the remainder targeted quali 3 and with only a second between them. So we were to lose another 5 but no predictions as the remainder fought hammer and tongue.

At the sharp end Sebastian, Felipe, Fernando & Nico swapped places regularly. The times came tumbling down again but Sebastian put in a stunner at 1.53.9 which wasn't headed. He was followed by Fernando on 54.2, Felipe & Mark on 54.3, Lewis & Nico on 54.7 and last on a 55.00 was Adrian again in the Force India.

So the 10 going forward were Sebastian, Fernando, Felipe, Mark, Lewis, Nico, Michael, Jenson, Robert and finally Adrian. Out came the gladiators and with a long lap care had to be taken as to when they went out, came in and when or if tyres were changed. Accepting the tyres used in quali 3 had to go forward to the first part of the race.

Into quali 3 and the times were so close with only 2 secs covering the whole 10. Sebastian put in a 54.1 and that was good enough to give him pole albeit it wasn't as quick as his 53.9 in quali 2. Only a 10th behind on a 54.2 was Felipe, Fernando in the other Ferrari was third on a 54.6 and then Lewis on a 55.2 struggling for pace it seems.

5th was Nico in the leading Mercedes on a 55.2 the same as Lewis and Mark on a 55.3. So the top 6 were covered by only 1.2 secs. It is unusual for us to say that Michael was in the bottom half of the top 10 but he was only 7th on a 55.5 which by his standards will be a blow as Nico, his team mate was up in 5th, interesting.

Jenson was lucky to have got into quali 3 but he improved to 8th from 10th with a 55.7 so on the fourth row but 1.3 secs off the pace. Robert followed Jenson on a 55.9 and 10th was the incredible Adrian on a 56.3. So the gladiators fought and the first leading light is Sebastian following on from winning the last 3 races of the 2009 season.

My disappointment was Kamui Kobayashi didn't progress past quali 2 but we will see what he can do in the race. I am not sure what is meant by BMW Sauber Ferrari as I was under the impression BMW had gone so would this suggest they still have a financial investment. Strange though that BMW would allow their name to be on the team with Ferrari or even vice versa.

It appears some of the teams have an issue with Mclaren and and a duct on the top of the front body panel which as it can be opened or closed by the driver is deemed by some to be a mechanical device barred by the FIA. However, the fitment has been passed by the FIA but is it being suggested complaints may come. Not again boys, lets have a season without controversy for a change.

So, the new season has got off to a flying start in the desert of Bahrain and the new rules don't appear at this stage to be causing any problems. The cars look great which to some was a worry, the new teams are very enthusiastic with better to come hopefully and we can only wait to see how the drivers deal with the new fuel regs.

The new points allocation is also interesting giving a higher boost for the winner of each race. So the points allocation is 25 points for 1st, followed by 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1. So, for the first time we have points down to 10th place which gives more drivers to earn points which gives monies from FIA fund management.

So, a good start and let us hope the season gives us as much pleasure as 2009.

F1 Driver Line up 2010

2010-03-10T18:54:00.000Z

Well here we go and only 5 days before the weekends are again full of our favourite sport. The circus starts in Bahrain for a change this season with Australia coming second. Below is the final line-up of drivers teams as of Monday 8 March 2010.

This looks a very interesting line up with new cars, new teams and new stars which should be a very interesting season. Competition will run rife amongst team mates with the likes of partnerships such as Lewis/Jenson, Michael/Nico, Felipe/Fernando, Mark/Sebastian and the other top starts such as Rubens & Robert there to prove points make prizes.

Great also to see Peter Sauber back where he belongs on the pit wall with a strong driver line up including the star of the last 2 races in 2009, Kamui Kobayashi. Let us hope they have a great yet safe season and we wll wish them well.

The F1 Drivers and Teams:

Jenson Button

Lewis Hamilton

Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes

Nico Rosberg

Michael Schumacher

Brawn GP F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber

Red Bull Racing Renault

Felipe Massa

Fernando Alonso

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Rubens Barrichello

Nico Hulkenberg

AT & T Williams Cosworth

Robert Kubica

Vitaly Petrov

Renault F1 Team

Adrian Sutil

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Force Indai F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Buemi

Jamie Alguersuari

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari - TBA

Jarno Trulli

Heikki Kovalainen

TBA Lotus F1 Racing Cosworth

Pedro De La Rosa

Kamui Kobayashi

Sauber

Karun Chandhok

Bruno Senna

Campos Meta

Timo Glock

Lucas Di Grassi

Virgin Racing - Manor Grand Prix Cosworth

Sir Stirling Moss

2010-03-09T15:53:00.006Z

Sir Stirling Moss, our very own F1 legend has broken his ankles falling down a lift shaft.

Sir Stirling has broken both ankles when falling three floors down a lift shaft in his home Saturday, 6 March. It appears that his special lift doors opened in error and as he reached in to turn on the light the lift cage wasn't there but on the floor above.

When Paramedics arrived at his home in Mayfair they whisked him to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.He also broke four bones in a foot, chipped four vertebrae and suffered skin damage, the website said. His family said he was recovering well.

"Very unfortunate"

The website said: "He remained conscious throughout. With the assistance of Professor Sid Watkins he was moved on Sunday to a hospital closer to his home where he underwent surgery on both his ankles, which were plated and pinned.

"The door to the lift, that should have remained locked if the lift was not on the floor that it was called from, opened in error.

"He stepped into the narrow open shaft in the expectation that the lift would be present for him to walk into, as it should have been."

Lady Moss, Sir Stirling's wife, said: "This was a very unfortunate accident, it could have just as easily been another member of the family stepping into where the lift should have been."

His family said he was comfortable after a good night's rest and they expected the recovery to take up to six weeks.

Sir Stirling is known in the racing community as the greatest driver never to have won the Formula One championship.

He won 16 Grand Prix races between 1951 and 1961 and retired after crashing at Goodwood in 1962.

Apple iPhone Accessories - Belt Clip

2010-02-16T13:34:00.000Z

Well, this product all started as part of a Christmas present to my Dad, he is the hardest person in the World to buy for partly because he tends to go out and buy items just prior to his birthday or Christmas - don´t you Dad!

He is also "Mr Gadget", as we call him in our family circles so in some respects we know what type of gifts to buy him but he tends to have them already, this present was different, Daddy Dear couldn´t find a decent Apple iPhone case for his phone so Daughter Dearest got involved and managed to source (using my lovely friends on Twitter) this Apple iPhone case from a company in the USA. Apparently the case is the best thing since sliced bread and now my Dad's friends want one so we have decided to blog about this Apple iPhone case and present a link to our network, should they wish to buy one :). Glad you liked it Dad!

The Case is a Horizontal Leather Case with Belt Clip / Loop for the Apple iPhone

Classically designed to compliment any clothing style or fabric
Slim fitting case for the Apple iPhone
Includes high quality and detachable belt clip and optional belt loop slot
Protect your device from scratches - Functionality with a streamlined shape
Secure Magnetic snap closure for quick and easy access
173g in weight

The StartMonkey - Car Battery Charger

2010-01-21T15:22:00.002Z

Join Our Facebook Group "Portable Power Solutions" and keep up to date with the latest in portable power news!

Introducing the STARTMONKEY - the world's smallest "jump start" system for car batteries!

The startmonkey can restart a standard 12 volt car battery between 8 and 10 times on a full charge thanks to its High Energy Dynamic Polymer Battery and it's packed with high-tech features to give you total peace of mind. The startmonkey has 2 output channels: 1) a 12volt, 120Amp car jump start and 2) a 12volt, 100 watt max, 8Amp DC output for charging your portable gadgets.

Startmonkey is easy to use. For the average car with a flat battery, firstly ensure the engine battery is 12 volts (if 5 or 24 volts - DO NOT USE with startmonkey). Check the battery capacity level in the startmonkey and then simply attach the jump leads (red to red, black to black) to your car battery and the startmonkey will automatically start delivering 120 amps of power. Leave the startmonkey for 5-8 seconds, then turn the ignition on your car and your car will start.

StartMonkey will be available from March 2010 - Contact Us now to secure your order or visit us again in March for delivery times.

If the car fails to start, leave the startmonkey connected for between 10 and 15 minutes and then turn the ignition again.

Once your car starts, disconnect the startmonkey and store in pouch.

On the front of the startmonkey is a 4-segment LED array. When the startmonkey is fully charged, all 4 segments of the array will be GREEN. When it is 3/4 charged, 3 segments will be GREEN and when it is 1/2 charged, 2 segments will be GREEN. When the startmonkey only has a 1/4 charge left, the LED turns RED. It is recommended that the startmonkey is recharged when it gets to 50% capacity.

The startmonkey has an input socket so you can recharge it via the supplied in-car charger, this will take about 4 hours to charge a startmonkey with a 50% level of charge remaining. From empty, the startmonkey will be recharged via the in-car charger in 8 hours. The startmonkey can also be recharged via the SolarGorilla, the AC mains charge from the PowerGorilla and the forthcoming Silverback Gorilla. The input socket can even take voltages between 15 - 24 volts to recharge the startmonkey.

The DC output socket on the startmonkey means you can also charge your portable gadgets! Simply connect the included in-car charger socket to the DC output port, pop the included motormonkey into that and using the correct cables, you can recharge your phone, iPod, PDA, handheld games consoles and more! You can even use the in-car charger socket with your 12volt in-car chargers to operate your laptop, GPS system, etc.

The startmonkey has very low static wastage - meaning you can leave it unused for up to three years and it will still hold up to 75% of its power! It can also be recharged 500 times - so if your battery is still going flat after all that time - it may be time to get a new car!

What is the StartMonkey for?

Cars

Boats

Motorbikes

Quad Bikes

Lawnmowers

Electric Motors

Skidoos

Mercedes GP Petronas

2010-01-05T19:21:00.003Z

The new Mercedes team under the leadership of Norbert Haug and team principal Ross Brawn have signed a new long term agreement with Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas and will be called Mercedes GP Formula One Team.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Petronas is in the middle of a fast growing region for the car industry which makes it a valuable partnership.

The recent signing of Schumi has, I would anticipate encouraged Petronas to become involved in F1 again and it will be nice to see them back at the pinnacle of the sport. With Schumi partnered with Nico Rosberg is a very interesting prospect.

F1 Breaking News

2010-01-05T19:00:00.003Z

It is great to be able to announce BMW Sauber, back in the ownership of it's founder Peter Sauber, has been granted the 13th place on the 2010 grid. This will give us all the pleasure of seeing Kobayashi back on the grid after his 2 race performances in Brazil and Abu Dhabi in 2009.

F1 2010 Rule Changes

2010-01-05T17:56:00.004Z

Refuelling - This change to the sporting regulations is most striking from above as the fuel tank will be wider and longer and hence the race car wheel base will be approx. 15cm longer.

Fuel Capacity - This no refuelling change will increase the fuel tank capacity to at least 235 litres compared to the 120 litre capacity in 09.

Wheel Covers - A further change for 2010 is the banning of the recent new style wheel cover's due to the anticipated speed of the tyre changes without refuelling. 4 seconds, yes 4 seconds appears to be the estimated time for pit stops in the 2010 season.

Front Tyres - The new for 2010 narrower front tyres will make the new generation cars look completely different from the front coupled with wider rear bodywork to make room for the larger fuel tank.

F1 - Flavio Briatore

2010-01-05T17:34:00.005Z

The problems for Flavio Briatore have continued since the accusation he was instrumental in causing Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash his Renault GP race car purposely at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 to gain an advantage for Fernando Alonso.

The actions at the Singapore GP were investigated by Renault who suggested Briatore, Symonds and Nelson Piquet Jnr conspired for Piquet to crash in support of Fernando Alonso. The subsequent enquiry by the FIA barred Briatore (indefintely) and Symonds (5 Years) from FIA sanctioned motorsport.

The actions of the 3 protaganists was called the worst event in sporting history.

In now appears a French court has overturned the indefinite ban on the basis of a technicality and the same court overturned the ban on Pat Symonds too. I am astonished to hear this news and one question remains unanswered as far as I am concerned:

If, Flavio Briatore (Principal Officer), Pat Symonds (Executive Director of Engineering) and Nelson Piquet (the driver who was exonerated because he reported the incident to the FIA) are not responsible THEN WHO IS.

THE SPORTING FRATERNITY NEEDS TO KNOW WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE AS SOMEONE MADE THE CALL.

Whilst it is time to put this sporting travesty to bed the question as to who made the decision still must be answered.

I can only assume the lifting of the ban does not mean he would be allowed into F1 again but that will remain to be seen.

F1 Breaking News

2009-12-24T11:46:00.002Z

Michael Schumacher signs for Mercedes F1 for 2010.

Michael Schumacher, the 7 times World Champion, has signed a multi-million pound deal with the new Mercedes GP team. Michael, who will be 41 early in 2010 will partner another German, Nico Rosberg also new to the team.

Mercedes GP (formerly Brawn GP) will run from the Brawn factory in Brackley, Northants the home of the dmised Honda team. So there will be 2 German drivers in a German team to mirror the same at Mclaren where Lewis and Jenson are of course both British drivers in a British team.

Michael's return is great news for F1 and he will of course be back with his great friend Ross Brawn, the man who engineered his 7 world championships. His return will not be good news for the other drivers as he will be hungry for success after his 3 year break in competitive motor sport.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC he added: "I'm very motivated, thrilled and excited. He commented "I want to have fun out there and I feel as fresh as ever. I've recharged myself after a three-year break. The challenge is what I look for - I want to know it."

Michael's initial comeback in 2009 to replace Felipe Massa was thwarted by a neck injury sustained in a motor bike accident last February.

Recent medical checks confirmed he is back to full fitness and he is confident, after serious training all will be well.

Michael has been released from his revised consultancy contract for Ferrrari enabling to drive for the "Silver Arrows".

Schumacher revealed that it was Ferrari's request for him to fill in for Massa that sparked a desire to make a permanent return to the cockpit. He must have found it very difficult to leave his beloved Ferrari team but things change as this is a great opportunity for him and the new Silver Arrows team.

Obviously the Mercedes team will be competitive from the flag in Bahrain and will be building on the winning formula base which won Jenson the championship.

Good luck Michael on your return and the world will be watching with huge anticipation, eagerly awaiting a competitive season in 2010.

F1 News

2009-12-17T15:20:00.006Z

May I take this opportunity of wishing the Teams, Drivers, Fans, Marshall's and all those connected with Motor Racing generally all over the world a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2010.

Updates and General News
Silverstone has at last been granted an extended license for an unspecified period (albeit 17 years has been mentioned) to host the British Grand Prix at its rightful home. This will give Damon and his team the opportunity to make the required investment in the circuit with guaranteed return. Well done the BRDC and about time too.

Points System for 2010
Changes to the points scoring for drivers and constructor championships come into operation for the new season as follows:

1st - 25, 2nd - 20, 3rd - 15, 4th - 10, 5th - 8, 6th - 6, 7th - 5, 8th - 3, 9th - 2, 10th - 1.

That will make a big difference to the spread of points across the drivers and teams. Points for
9th and 10th will make a difference to the lower places as they are still achieving points for their efforts.

New Rules
New rules come into force relating to race day incidents. There will be a permanent panel of stewards who iwll go to each GP along with an additional local steward for each circuit. These 4 stewards will also be accompanied by an experienced former F1 driver to add to the decision making process. These may well help iron out some of the anomalies which have hindered drivers and teams over the past couple of seasons.

New Driver Appointments
The appointment of drivers is now changing by the day and once the places are all filled I will publish the full driver/team line up. This will finally update the last one I published a few weeks ago. News from this last 2 weeks.

I am pleased to hear Kobayashi has been given a drive with BMW Sauber for 2010 and we all wait their place on the grid to replace Toyota. Kobayashi sprung into the limelight for the last 2 races in 2009 replacing the injured Timo Glock at Toyota. He drove 2 fantastic races in both Brazil and Abu Dhabi and is without doubt a talent for the future.

Virgin Racing (Manor Grand Prix) have announced Lucas Di Grassi and Timo Glock and that sounds an interesting partnership for a new team.

Lotus have also announced their driver line up with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalinen. Let us all hope the resurgence of Lotus can match the talent of both drivers, if it can they should be up and around mid pack.

It was also nice to hear Felipe (Massa) is back in winning ways after winning the 500 Miles of Granja Viana Kart race in Cotia, near Sao Paulo. Felipe had team mates of Lucas di Grassi and Julio Campos and crossed the line first after 644 laps - or just under 11 hours of racing. Welcome back Felipe and all the best for 2010.

That's all for now and I will continue with the updates and any important news after Christmas.

F1 Calendar 2010

2009-12-17T13:09:00.004Z

The 2010 F1 Race Calendar sees 19 races with the introduction of Korea. Also the great news that Silverstone is to retain the British GP for the foreseeable future. The start race for 2010 has also changed to Bahrain and replaces Australia which is now race 2.

So here goes.

12 to 14 March Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
26 to 28 March Australian GP (Melbourne)
2 to 4 April Malaysian GP (Kuala Lumpur)
16 to 18 April Chinese GP (Shanghai)
7 to 9 May Spanish GP (Catalunya)
13 to 16 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
28 to 30 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
11 to 13 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
25 to 27 June European GP (Valencia)
9 to 11 July British GP (Silverstone)
23 to 25 July German GP (Hockenheim)
20 July to 1 August Hungarian GP (Budapest)
27 to 29 August Belgian GP (Spa-Francorchamps)
10 to 12 September Italian GP (Monza)
24 to 26 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
8 to 10 October Japanese GP (Suzuki)
22 to 24 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
5 to 7 November Brasilian GP (Sau Paolo)
12 to 14 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)

Can't wait for the start of the new season as I am bored without the adrenalin rush already.

F1 Drivers Line up 2010 - Update

2009-12-08T16:40:00.005Z

Things are getting a little clearer as the year moves on with the driver line up for 2010.

As of today the following drivers / teams are confirmed for 2010

Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes

Nico Rosberg
Driver 2
TBA Brawn GP F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
Red Bull Racing Renault

Felipe Massa
Fernando Alonso
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Rubens Barrichello
Nico Hulkenberg
AT & T Williams Cosworth

Robert Kubica
Driver 2 TBA
Renault F1 Team

Adrian Sutil
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Force Indai F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Buemi
Driver 2 TBA
Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari - TBA

TBA
TBA Lotus F1 Racing Cosworth

Bruno Senna Campos F1 Dallara Cosworth
TBA US F1 Team Cosworth

Timo Glock
Driver 2 TBA
Virgin Racing - Manor Grand Prix Cosworth

So we have some notable additions for 2010. 12 teams are shown above but to date Toyota, who are still bound by the Concorde Agreement to enter still have the 13th slot.

The return of Lotus is an evocative name in the sport and along with Cosworth I am sure they will both do an excellent job as they have proved in the past.

BMW Sauber have not yet had their slot finalised but I am sure we all wish to see Peter Sauber back in his rightful place on the pit wall as owner of his own team again. Well done Peter and all the best for the 2010 season and we all hoper to see you there.

That's all for now and I will keep updating the entries until we have the final grid line up.

(Image courtesy of www.turkeytouristline.com)

BTCC Championship 2009

2009-12-08T15:33:00.009Z

2009 BTCC Awards

By way of a change this time it is appropriate for me to mention the BTCC. This series has provided we armchair enthusiasts with thrilling racing for many a year and I have watched every race avidly. The British championship offers the thrills and excitement tin tops have provided we enthusiasts with for ever. Having been there myself I suppose I will always have an affinity with the sport.

This year has seen the emergence of Colin Turkington in his BMW 320si run by West Surrey Racing headed by Dick Bennetts. Throughout the year Colin has provided we TV viewers with some outstanding drives and none more than the last race of the season at Brands which must have been the closest and most thrilling for many a year.

I was happy to see him overcome the season long challenge from Fabrizio Giovanardi and Jason Plato who again both drove brilliantly throughout the season. I was also pleased he played down the threat from Matt Neal in the last race who was there to stop Colin winning!

So Colin won the 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship and it couldn't have gone to a nicer guy or a nicer team. In all the interviews we heard through the season he was pleasant, informative and above all completely realistic. Congratulations Colin on a job well done and more of it in 2010 would be appreciated.

Behind every good driver has to be a team dedicated to achieving ultimate glory. That team was Team RAC, the West Surrey Racing ran team headed by Dick Bennetts who were confirmed as Independents Team Trophy Champions for 2009, winning 348 points.

At the recent BMW Awards 2009 staged in Munich's Kesselhaus, Saturday 7 December Colin was also recipient of the BMW Sports Trophy title, presented to him by none other than Mario Thyssen of BMW F1 fame.

2009 saw 198 drivers from 24 countries score points towards the overall Trophy standings in 29 international racing series. As in 2007, Colin's performance earned him the trophy and we should all be proud of his achievement. The last time a BMW driver won the award was 16 years ago in the hands of Joachim Winklehock.

Colin's 6 victories in 2009 culminated in the final race of the season at Brands and any 1 of Colin, Fabrizio or Jason could have won. Whilst things didn't go as well as expected he scored enough points to take the championship.

2009 Autosport Awards
Staged for the 28th time in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane the event was sponsored by the 2010 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Jenson obviously took centre stage after his epic drives in 2009 in becoming our second F1 World Champion in a row after Lewis's title triumph in 2008.

The second award of the night went to Colin Turkington who was rightfully named as National Driver of the Year. Saturday in Munich and now Grosvenor House on Monday, will he ever come back down to earth ready for 2010! The award was presented to Colin by none other than Tom Kristensen and our very own Andy Priaulx.

Dick and the WSR team are obviously very proud of their achievements in 2009 and so they should be. Colin & Stephen (Jelley) provided a formidable partnership and supported the team's car building efforts throughout the season. No DNF's is a quite remarkable achievement in what is a very strenuous event for the cars.

There were other notable award winners including:
Sarah Moore - Club Driver of the Year - Ginetta Junior Champion
Kris Meeke - Autosport Rookie of the Year
F1 in Schools - Autosport Pioneering and Innovation Award
Brawn BGP001 - Racing Car of the Year
Adrian Newey - John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence
Citroen C4 WRC - Rally Car of the Year
Mikko Hirvonen - International Rally Driver of the Year
Enzo Ferrari - Gregory Grant Award
Ron Dennis - Gregory Grant Award for Lifetime Achievement
Jenson Button - British Competition Driver of the Year
and finally and the highlight of the evening
Dean Smith - Mclaren Autosport BRDC Award Winner

Congratulations to all all the drivers, teams and marshalls during 2009 and we look forward to it all starting again 2010.

F1 - Silly Season Update

2009-11-19T19:03:00.005Z

It’s all beginning to happen.

The final 2010 driver line up will be very interesting and probably the biggest change for many a year. Jenson is off to Mclaren and that will be a challenge for him and I have to say a mistake as he risks being put in the shade by Lewis.

Nico Rosberg is rumoured to be replacing Jenson at Brawn and with Nico being much more aggressive and in a great car it will confirm his talent. Kimi is taking a sabbatical in 2010 and interviews will never be the same, he won’t come back!

I am pleased to hear Timo Glock is confirmed at Manor Grand Prix and that will be an interesting partnership for the new team.

Flavio is claiming 1 million Euro’s in compensation and retraction of the life ban! Best of luck Flavio. Mercedes are buying 75% of Brawn and will run under the banner of the Silver Arrows again in 2010 and Mclaren say they are happy about it!

Toyota have decided to sign out after many millions over the past 4 to 5 years after being accused of trying to buy a championship. That didn't work and the current financial climate is as good an excuse as any.

And it goes on and there are those that still suggest F1 is boring, it may be sometimes on the track but off it is certainly very interesting at this time of year. There will certainly be more to come and I will continue the updates as news worthy stories come along.

F1 - Lewis versus Jenson

2009-11-19T17:31:00.007Z

Firstly I must congratulate Jenson on winning the World Championship in 2009. His decision to stay with Honda, latterly renamed Brawn was well justified on balance. However, one has to ask where else could he have gone. His CV wasn't exactly illuminating and the results simply weren't there.

However, I was somewhat surprised to hear Jenson is moving to Mclaren for 2010 as he will surely be tested there more than ever before. Rubens out drove Jenson in the final races of the season and it was only the first 6 races that gave Jenson the final edge.

None of that takes away the fact he did win the championship with finally some excellent driving and particularly overtaking in Brazil, his race of the season.

From a bad start Mclaren recovered in 2009 and improved the car by a greater margin than the other teams and Lewis certainly made capital of the resurgence. He out scored Jenson by 40 points to 34 in the last 7 races and proved he is simply in a class of his own.

It is a long time since we had such a prodigious talent in F1 and one must compare him with the likes of the late, great Ayrton Senna, our Nige (Mansell) and Alain (Prost) who have nothing to prove. Without doubt 3 years at Mclaren has seem him mature and he is better for that.

Lewis's rise to fame was prolific since joining Mclaren in 2007. His record speaks volumes, narrowly missing the championship in 2007, world champion in 2008 and had it not been for the diffuser issue and Liegate early in 2009 I think he would have been champion again.

Mclaren also had to concentrate on winning the title in 2008 and hence development on the 2009 car was seriously affected.

On the other side of the fence we have Jenson who's F1 career has been much less sparkling. His winning streak has been almost entirely achieved during the initial races of 2009 where Brawn started the season with a much better car. After Brawn started the season with the controversial double diffuser they had an immediate edge.

None of this makes Jenson's achievement in 2009 less deserved but all one can say he was in the right place at the right time.

So, Lewis versus Jenson. I am surprised Jenson has put his self in this position as in my opinion he will always be No 2 following in the footsteps of Heikki (Kovalinen) who one wouldn't have thought was driving the same car in 09.

Politics and financial gain aside I would have thought Jenson would have been better stopping where he was. With Mercedes buying into Brawn at the level they have suggests they are going to be front runners in 2010 and with the rumoured Nico Rosberg behind the wheel that will be a prolific partnership.

It will be nice to see 2 British drivers in a British team but I see it being a one sided affair in the favour of Lewis. If that is the case it will take away Jenson's 2009 achievement as the pundits will suggest the controversial double diffuser won him his races.

I wish both Lewis and Jenson all the best for the 2010 season and let us all hope I am wrong.

Formula 1 2009

2009-11-03T22:01:00.004Z

The 2009 Formula 1 season started in Australia as has been the norm over past years, however, controversy wasn't far away. Liegate started the problems as Mclaren were accused of lying to the stewards and Lewis was eventually banned from the results and Mclaren disgraced.

Then the Diffuser issue had to go to the world council to confirm whether the teams using the double diffuser were actually legal. Eventually the fitment was deemed legal so the teams that adopted it from the start obviously retained their edge. So, this gave teams like Red Bull, Mclaren and Ferrari on the back foot.

However, no-one can take away the fairy tail developing at Brawn. After a critical winter after Honda's retirement from the sport the Brawn team didn't even exist. Out of the ashes came the team rebadged with Ross Brawn's name above the door and the fairy tale began. Jenson and Rubens had remained loyal through the winter and the rest is history.

A drivers World Champion and consecutive British champions on the back of Lewis last year and of course the Constructors Championship. Well done to all at Brawn for a fantastic team effort.

Then came a major storm as FOTA came into conflict with the FIA. The threat was to create a breakaway championship and I cannot report any further about that as I am too close to the sport. Fortunately for us all the threat went away and a new Concorde Agreement signed to the relief of all concerned.

Then came a report that Renault had instructed one of its drivers to crash at the Singapore GP in 2008 allowing its other driver to win the race. After a major storm 2 of Renault's top men were banned from the sport, one for life and the other for 5 years.

Once again the sport was thrown into disarray but it soon went away as there were other issues developing in the background.

Max had decided he wasn't to continue as President of the FIA and 2 men came to the fore. Jean Todt and Ari Vatanen went head to head but Jean Todt won the day and took up his position straight away.

There were some great drives on the circuit and Jenson proved overtaking is possible all season long. Mclaren started way behind but Lewis scored more points than anyone else in the second part of the season. The team had advanced 2.3ish seconds from the beginning of the season and stand alone at the front.

Red Bull confirmed their class and were kneck and kneck with Brawn all the way through. Surely one of their drivers will win the championship at some point. Sebastian Vettel, having age on his side may be the one to achieve it.

Rosberg drove brilliantly all year showing Williams are not far away. New stars emerged in Jamie Alguersauri, Adrian Sutil and in the latter stages Kamui Kobayashi starred and hopefully we will see him on the grid in 2010.

On the team from Force India confirmed they are now in the mix and whilst I appreciate Fizzi's desire to drive a Ferrari one has to say it hasn't done his career any good at all and he would have been better staying with Force India.

We all welcome the new teams coming in for the 2010 season and it will be great to see the name Lotus back on an F1 grid. Let us also hope we see BMW back in whatever guise after the manufacturers confirmation it is pulling out at the end of the season.

The driver line up has still not been confirmed with only a few placings known. Fernando is off to Ferrari to join Massa on his return. Red Bull is retaining its very strong 2009 line up, Jenson has not secured his drive yet with Brawn but it is felt to be very close. The talk is that Rubens will swap with Nico but not confirmed as yet.

The rest will I have no doubt become known fairly shortly and once known I will publish it on the blog.

So by the time we came to the last race the past problems of the season gone had settled down and hopefully we can all enjoy a better start in 2010, concentrating on Motor Racing and leave the politics behind.

I will talk again soon.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2009-11-03T21:19:00.006Z

Abu Dhabi and the Yas Marina Circuit, what a spectacle and I have it on first hand experience the TV doesn't do it justice. I am advised the circuit, the facilities, the approach to the circuit and the pit facilities are unknown in F1.

The circuit was obviously very smooth and needed some rubber down to achieve better grip. Being the first twilight race it presented a few problems for the drivers and they had to have special visors with tinted ones coming off when the dark came.

Quali started with the same ferocity and Fizzi did uit again, 20th and last which is quite unvbelievable accepting what he is driving. The other 4 drop outs of Q1 were both Force India's which was a surprise and of equal concern was Heikki.

Quali 2 really was no surprise as Kimi was 11th, that man Kobayashi, Kazuki, Jamie and another surpise as Fernando came in 11th. So the scene was set for a real challenge at the sharp end.

Lewis appeared to be in a class of his own and marched to pole with a fantastic lap some .5 in front of Sebastian. Then we had the main protagonists like Jenson, Mark and Rubens fighting it out for the lower places on the grid.

So it finished Lewis, Sebastian (V), Mark, Rubens (in front of Jenson again), Jenson, Jarno, Robert, Nico and 10th came Sebastian (B).

So as everyone marvelled at the surroundings Martin's grid walk with Eddie was a little different to usual and very interesting. The teams in the meanwhile were all getting ready for racing amongst all the mayhem.

The warm up lap finished off they launched into turn 1. Lewis went from the start and everyone thought that was it, what we didn't know is he was in trouble with brakes. Sebastian kept Lewis in close company followed by Mark. To be fair the race wasn't a spectacle like Brazil, just a different circuit.

Eventually Lewis was brought into the pits by the team with an offside rear brake problem yet to be confirmed what exactly happened. Sebastian went away after Lewis's demise followed by Mark which was to finish as another 1, 2 for the Red Bull team and well done to them.

Behind Mark, Jenson and Rubens were fairly close but not really in competition but that man Kobayashi was firing on all cylinders. In the latter stages Jenson began to put Mark under pressure and it went until the flag was very thrilling and Jenson very nearly took second but in the end it it finished Sebastian, Mark, Jenson and Rubens.

At least finished on the podium in his final race in his world championship season. Well done Jenson.

So the season is finished and what a season it has been for all sorts of reasons, some good, some bad. We all have to wait now until March 2010 in Bahrain for the first race of what should be a different season with no refuelling and some new blood on the grid.

Thank you to all those who have read my blog and I look forward like all of you to 2010.

Brazilian Grand Prix

2009-11-03T19:56:00.011Z

In past few years Brazil has been the scene of the crowning of the world champion and we were all hoping it could be Jenson's title this year. The highlight of this years qualifying was the weather. All the cars went out in Quali 1 which caused one or two surprises to say the least.

Instead of the usual contenders we lost Lewis, Heikki, Sebastian, Nick and Vintanio.
Then the heavens opened and nothing happened for at least 2 hours and it was getting close to finishing qualifying using the grid positions from quali 1. After what seemed like an eternity quali restarted on a wet circuit.

Jenson then struggled and finished a very lonely 14th which wasn't where anyone expected him to be but in front of the even more lowly Sebastian. So Kamui, Jaime and Kazuki made 11, 12 and 13.

Off we went into quali 3 and the fight for pole. We were to have a very mixed up grid anyway apart from 1 and 2. Mark and Rubens fought it out at the front and after a thrilling fight Rubens took the pole at his home Grand Prix. Adrian shot the Force India into 3rd followed by Jarno.

Kimi followed in front of Sebastian (Buemi) in front of Nico, Robert, Kazuki and finishing the top 10, Fernando.

So into race day and whilst there was a slight chance of rain at least it started in the dry. Rubens led away from pole followed by Mark and what was to be the best race of the year commenced. There are those that suggest, including me sometimes, that F1 is boring with no overtaking.

With Jenson, Sebastian and Lewis at the back we were set for a thriller. An accident took out a very unhappy Fernando as he tangled with Adrian and Jarno and Nick also had a coming off. That took 4 out of the race and obviously moved up the 3 rocket ships coming at speed.

Lewis, Sebastian and Jenson sliced through the grid dispelling the myth about no overtaking in F1. Jenson particularly drove a fantastic race overtaking with unbelievable accuracy, nothing was to stop his dream.

So with some thrilling drives the race finished with Mark in P1 followed by Robert, Lewis, Sebastian (V), Jenson, Kimi, Sebastian (B) and the last points went to Rubens.

Jenson's 5th place was enough to take the World Championship and for the 2nd year in succession we had another British World Champion. The points of the 2 Brawn's also gave the Constructors Championship to Brawn so it was a double celebration.

I cannot end this report without mentioning Kumai Kobayashi after his first race in F1. His was a fantsatic drive to 9th and it may even give him a Toyota drive for 2010.

So what a race, great driving, tremendous overtaking and 2 championships concluded during the day.

Now with baited breath the Forumla 1 circus sets off to Abu Dhabi and the second new circuit in the desert and part of the United Emirates.

Japanese Grand Prix

2009-11-03T19:05:00.006Z

So from the night race in Singapore off they all went to Japan and the Fuji circuit. Quali 1 saw the usual protaginists go out with the exception of Mark who just couldn't get it right and the same for Fernando. The other 2 were Romain and Vintonio and the luckless Timo who had a big accident and couldn't carry on after his visit to hospital.

So, Toyota were down to 1 car as Jarno progressed onward into quali 2. The usual protagonists were at the front locked in battle with maybe Sebastian (Vettel) having the edge. Quali 2 saw no real surprises as Heikki was 11th followed by Jamie, Sebastian (Buemi), Fizzi and Kazuki.

So, the top 10 shoot out commenced with an almighty battle at the front. After a great battle for top between Sebastian (Vettel), Jarno and Lewis it finished in that order followed by Nick, Kimi, Rubens, Nico, Adrian and the again out of form Jenson.

The race didn't bring out any real surprises as the top 3 on the grid finished in the same position on the grid. Kimi drove well and finished 4th followed by Nico, Nick, Rubens, a lowly Jenson and the top 10 finished with Robert and Fernando.

The result in Japan tightened the points and put Sebastian into second ahead of Rubens and now in closer touch with Jenson.

Singapore Grand Prix

2009-10-26T15:48:00.006Z

So here we are at the race which has caused much controversary of late with the allegations that Renault forced Nelson Piquet Junior to crash at last years race (2008) so Alonso could win. The resultant FIA Council meeting concluded that Flavio Briatorre would be excluded from any involvement with events controlled by the FIA for life and Pat Simonds for 5 years.

Nelson Piquet was however given immunity as he was the one who offered the information to the FIA. I still find the saga difficult to accept within the sport I love and feel Nelson should have a penalty. He was the one that crashed the car at the perfect moment to allow Alonso, who had just pitted, to go on and win the race after the Safety Car period.

As if F1 hasn't had enough controversy over the past 2 seasons we are then faced with what has been called the worst act of its type in sporting history. Let us all hope we can finish the 2009 season off without any other controversy and that we can get back to the sport and start again with a clean sheet in 2010.

Back to F1. The teams came to Singapore with the 2009 World Champion in the balance. Battle was once more joined between, Red Bull and Brawn. Quali 1 saw a change for the first 5 drop outs as we saw Heidfeld, Liuzzi, Grosjean, and Alguersauri and the luckless Fizzi who just can't get to grips with the Ferrari. It is sad but Fizzi simply hasn't got there yet and doesn't seem to be any nearer.

Quali 2 came as a disaster for Jenson who finished 11th and not happy with his lot as once again he was outpaced by Rubens. The same luck applied to Kimi who coudn't get the Ferrari set up so both Ferrari's failed to get into Quali 1. So we lost Jarno who was again outpaced by Timo in his flying Toyota, Buemi, Adrian Sutil, Jenson and Kimi.

Into Quali 3 and without doubt Lewis was the star of the day. He launched his Mclaren into pole with a lap untouched by anyone else. His nearest challenger was the usual Sebastian Vettel who finished in P2. Nico was flying and put his Williams into P3 closely followed by Mark Webber. Alonso followed Mark and Timo (Glock) in his Toyota just pipped Robert (Kubica) and to finish off it was Heikki, Rubens and Kazuki.

Into race day and Lewis remained hot favourite and from the flag he was never really headed apart from pit stops. Timo drove a hero's race into second and he really had the Toyota humming and the same applied to Nico until he came out of the pits and crossed the dreaded White line. As is normal with this offence it brings an automatic drive through and put him back down to 11th.

The title contenders were basically locked together finishing in line astern with Sebastian (4), Rubens (5) and Jenson (6). This result tightened the championship and they went to Brazil with all 3 still in the fight albeit Jenson still has the edge.

So after returning to the scene of the Renault debacle last year all went off without a hitch, off to Japan.

Hungary - The race

2009-07-27T13:46:00.004+01:00

So on race day we had no further news about Felipe apart from that he had surgery for his cracked skull and was still in an induced coma. However, when brought out of the coma he was able to recognise his family which is great news.

The grid formed for the race and there was huge anticipation about the KERS on the Mclaren's being able to push them to the front and whilst Lewis launched it to 2nd into the first corner he was passed by Webber as Fernando shot off into the distance. However, a great piece of driving from Lewis soon put him into second and he set off after Fernando.

As Fernando was only fuelled to lap 13 he was really not a threat so had the prospect of a Mclaren victory from early on in the race. Lewis went from strength to strength and once Fernando's first pit stop was completed he was never to be headed.

Sebastian (Vettel) eventually retired his Red Bull and then disaster for Fernando as he felt something wrong with the right front wheel which eventually came off bringing back memories of the Surtees disaster the previous weekend. The news then came that Renault had received a 1 race ban so they will not be in Valencia.

A stirling drive from Kimi kept the Ferrari in 2nd throughout most of the race showing that maybe they are nearer the front again which is great news for the championship. Talking about the championship Jenson was again struggling with tyres and complaining over the radio to the team with Rubens struggling even more finally finishing 1oth and nil point.

So we had Lewis disappearing at the front followed by Kimi, Mark and another stirling drive from Nico. Heikki basically ran in 5th all day but was threatened in the latter stages by Timo in a rapidly closing Toyota. They were followed by Jenson, Jarno, Kazuki and Rubens.

So after an eventful weekend it appears that Brawn have lost something but Mclaren have gained a lot along with Ferrari. It is obviously nice to see a mix of winners and particularly when Lewis is up at the sharp end. Both Williams are now more consistent and the Red Bull's are still up at the front.

The rest of the season now looks very interesting and both Kimi and Lewis could be Jenson's greatest friends by denying the Sebastian & Mark better points in the championship. Martin Whitmarsh must also be thrilled with his first win as CEO and so he should be.

The championship has tightened up with less than 20 points between Jenson (70) and Mark (51.5) who took over 2nd place from Sebastian (47) with Rubens 4th (44), Nico now 5th (25.5) and Trulli 6th (22.5).

I am not suggesting Lewis can win this year but a few more wins with defaults from the major players, he could finish up with a reasonable world champion season. After his start he could do with something to brighten his season. His mood changes completely when given a winning car and let us all wish him well for the rest of the season.

I apologise for copying the following content but I feel in Felipe's situation it is better to print exactly what has been printed on the website.

BBC Forumula 1

Ferrari's Felipe Massa's condition is "severe but not critical" after surgery on his fractured skull in Hungary.

Surgeon Robert Veres said that Massa, 28, suffered damage to his left eye when he who was hit by a spring from Ruben Barrichello's car on Saturday.

"The immediate life-threatening condition has been averted but a complication could make it life-threatening again," said Veres.

"I am sure (his eye was damaged) but we do not know the extent yet," he added.

Massa, 28, who was hit by a spring from Ruben Barrichello's car on Saturday, is able to communicate "actively" and move his hands and legs but cannot speak.

A Ferrari spokesman said: "Felipe had a quiet night. He is OK, and he is due to have another CT scan today (Monday)."

A Hungarian hospital spokesman said they are "optimistic" that a "slow recovery is beginning".

"He's woken up [from sedation] more often and is able to communicate actively," added Istvan Bocskai, a spokesman for the Hungarian defence ministry, which administers the Budapest hospital where Massa is being treated.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo will fly to the AEK military hospital on Monday to be at Massa's bedside, alongside the driver's father, mother and pregnant wife, who have all flown in from Brazil.

In closing I am sure the above can put at least hope he will return to full fitness.

Hungary Quali

2009-07-27T13:06:00.005+01:00

Firstly our thoughts go out to the Surtees family after the tragic accident to Henry at Brands Hatch. This freak accident just shows how dangerous motor racing still is as the wheel off one of the other competitors cars hit him on the head.

What brings it home even more is the spooky freak accident to Felipe Massa only a week after when a spring from the rear of Rubens Barrichello's Brawn bounced down the circuit and was collected by Felipe who, it appears finished up with a fractured skull.

All the signs are that Felipe will fully recover but as I write he is still in an induced coma. Whether he will drive again seems to be in doubt and their is talk of him being replaced by, wait for it, Michael Schumacher and that would be a real revelation.

Anyway that is unimportant compared with Felipe's complete recovery and our thoughts go out to the Massa family in the meanwhile.

On a somewhat sombre note after Brands the F1 circus goes to the tight Hungaroring noted for no overtaking which the drivers seemed to ignore all weekend.

We, I am sure all welcome Jaime Alguersauri to F1 who is the youngest driver to take an F1 seat and obtain his super license. He has replaced the luckless Sebastian Bourdais at Toro Rosso or maybe even STR -Ferrari, and as the 2008 Formula 3 champion he has been brought in under the Red Bull young driver program and he seemed to be consistent during his first run.

There was the usual fight to see who was to lose out in Q1 and apart from Alguersauri who broke down it was the Force India's and again the BMW's who just don't seem to be able to get things right. One expects better from BMW and I wonder what is being said in Germany about their continuing in the sport through these difficult times.

On into Q2 which is where Felipe had his accident and I don't think we should dwell on that. The loss of the spring in Ruben's car meant he couldn't progress to Q1 and the team launched an immediate inspection to find why and he finished 12th.

The Red Bulls's, Mclaren's (isn't that nice to be able to say) and Williams's were having an almighty fight at the top with Rosberg in P1 at one stage. Q2 saw the demise of both Toyota's, Nelson in the 2nd Renault, Rubens and of course Felipe.

On into Q3 and the same 6 cars were fighting it out but this time, with a lightly fueled Renault it was Fernando who put the Renault on pole followed by Sebastian (Vettel) followed by Mark, Lewis and Nico and then Heikki, Kimi. Jenson seemed to having tyre problems again and finished a lowly 8th and then rounding out the top 10 it was Kazuki and Sebastian (Buemi).

Albeit all the drivers were concentrating on the job in hand all the talk was correctly about Felipe and the only news we had post quali was that he was in hospital and stable. We desperately await good news.

F1 Germany

2009-07-14T16:00:00.004+01:00

My apologies firstly for missing my blog for the British Grand Prix but I have been heavily involved in moving my man around during the F1 crisis talks. The infighting still goes on but there is a solution and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.

Germany was a good Grand Prix and the Red Bull's are really showing their prowess over the Brawn's. It always looked as though Lewis could do something from 5th off the grid with his KERS and he certainly shot to the front and could have been leading into turn 1.

However, on his meteoric path through Mark Webber caught his rear right wheel and what ensued was a puncture which basically ended Lewis's race but we can all take heart that the Mclaren's are back and fighting at the sharp end again.

Mark had a strange start as before he caught Lewis he had side swiped Rubens for which he was to get a drive through penalty. The Red Bull strategy and Rubens lack of pace meant Mark was soon back at the head of the field, a position he was never to relinquish.

There were good scraps all the way down the field but the Red Bull's were on top all the way through and finished 1,2 again. Massa had a good race eventually finishing 3rd but he had badly affected Rubens' race through the middle stint.

Nico had a good race again finishing 4th and looking at his results he is now very consistent finishing the last 2 races in 5th and before that a 6th. Both Brawn's were locked in battle in the latter stages and there was never a doubt Jenson would come out the better of that and he did crossing the line in 5th with Rubens behind him.

Rubens had his usual go at the team, of course accusing them of favouring Jenson and the heavy days at Ferrari come to mind whilst he was number 2 to Schumacher.

So an eventful race ended with the championship tightening up slightly but Jenson leaves Germany still with a 21 point lead over Vettel with Mark only a further 1.5 points behind with Rubens a further 1.5 points behind.

The next circuits certainly favour the Brawn's as they need warmer temperatures for the tyres to work properly so Hungary will be very interesting as it is of course where Jenson took his first win in a Honda which seems to be eternity ago.

In the constructors championship Brawn still have a lead of 19.5 points so it is getting very interesting in both sides of the championship. Bring on Hungary.