New VW Phaeton Build - Dresden Germany

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.