Yardbarker: Formula One

Monza extends contract to host F1 races until 2016

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:31:56 -0500

Italy's Monza circuit will stage grand prix races until 2016 after Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone agreed to a contract extension with the venue.

Monza extends Formula One rights to 2016

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:25:03 -0500

MONZA, Italy -- Italy's Monza circuit will stage grand prix races until 2016 after Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone agreed a contract extension with the venue.

Monza extends Formula One rights to 2016 (PA SportsTicker)

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:17:32 -0500

Italy's Monza circuit will stage grand prix races until 2016 after Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone agreed a contract extension with the venue.

Breaking News: Button Injured In Horrific F1 Accident

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:36:49 -0500

For current world champion Jenson Button, it was meant to be the dream move, transferring to another very competitive and prestigious team with a new challenge awaiting...Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

Goodwood Festival 2010 to celebrate 60 years of Formula 1 (Pictures)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:46:57 -0500

The Goodwood Festival will feature an extensive collection of F1 cars

The 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed will celebrate 60 years of the F1 world championship with at least five current teams in attendance.

Champions Jenson Button anf Lewis Hamilton will both be present for McLaren as will reigning constructors’ champions Mercedes.

Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams will also have cars at this year’s Festival.

Goodwood promise “a gathering of cars and drivers that have shaped the history of motor sport’s most glamorous series” will mark the 60 anniversary of the first world championship.

The theme of the 2010 Festival is “Viva Veloce! The Passion for Speed”, celebrating Italy’s passion for motor racing. Alfa Romeo will feature heavily as the marque reaches its centenary this year. At today’s media event an Alfa Romeo Tip 159 ‘Alfetta’ was on display (see below), the same model that won the first two world championships in the hands of Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio.

World rally fans will get to see Sebastien Loeb and Ken Block in action, and Audi, Peugeot and Aston Martin will bring their LMP1 sports prototypes fresh from the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The event will also expand its non-motor racing side this year, with a new day of the event dedicated to the launch of new production cars. Manufacturers will run these cars up the hill on the Thurday before the event. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be reserved for the racing machines as usual.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is held on July 2nd-4th.

Goodwood Festival of Speed launch pictures

More pictures to follow

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009

Drivers say new rules in Formula One reduce overtaking

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:23:11 -0500

Fernando Alonso's victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix exposed potential problems with Formula One's rule changes, with some drivers saying they could lead to duller racing this season.

Barcelona 4-0 Stuttgart Champions League Highlights (Video)

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:37:38 -0500

Barcelona swept past Stuttgart with imperious ease thanks to a Leo Messi brace and goals from young starlets Pedro Rodriguez and Bojan Krkic. Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features! Barcelona 1-0 Stuttgart (Messi) Barcelona 2-0 Stuttgart (Pedro) Barcelona 3-0 Stuttgart (Messi) Barcelona 4-0 Stuttgart (Bojan) Don’t forget to check out Online Football Manager!

Drivers say F1's new rules reduce overtaking

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:03 -0500

SAKHIR, Bahrain -- Fernando Alonso's victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix exposed potential problems with Formula One's rule changes, with some drivers saying they could lead to duller racing this sea

Nike SB Dunk Low Premium “Larry Perkins”

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:13:12 -0500

When we first showed you these NIke SB Dunks, they were called the “Chirping Bird“. I am not sure if Nike read the comments on this site, or if they just changed their minds, but they have now updated the “sound” to a ringing telephone in an ode to Larry Perkins. Larry Perkins is a fictitious character from around five years ago, who was the “most underrated skater ever” and made prank calls on behalf of Big Brother Magazine. Like the previous version with the chirping sound, they sport a black denim upper. They sit upon a white midsole that shares its color with the heel tab, and a red outsole that compliments the branding on the heel and tongue tab. They also have a black furry bird-like lining, but since they don’t chirp anymore, I guess it is just “furry”. They are set to release Saturday, March 20th at Premier. via ATL Got Sole

36 world championships, 391 race wins: F1’s greats meet in Bahrain (Pictures)

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:30:07 -0500

Don't bother looking for Raikkonen and Piquet - they missed the event

The Bahrain Grand Prix organisers brought together 18 of the 20 living F1 champions for a special event to mark the 60th anniversary of the world championship last weekend.

Between them these 18 drivers won 36 world titles and 391 races – that’s almost half the 821 F1 championship races since 1950.

The oldest of the living champions is Australian Sir Jack Brabham. He won the first of his three world championships in 1959, then aged 33. Now 83, and not in great health, he still made it to Bahrain for the event – which is more than can be said for some of the younger successors to his crown.

Four of the 18 are still racing in F1 and may yet add to their successes. They’re in impressive company, as the record of their achievements below shows (click the drivers’ names for their biographies):

Name Champion in Wins Poles F’laps Starts Alain Prost 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 51 33 41 199 Alan Jones 1980 12 6 13 116 Nigel Mansell 1992 31 32 30 187 Mika Hakkinen 1998, 1999 20 26 25 161 Jacques Villeneuve 1997 11 13 9 163 Keke Rosberg 1982 5 5 3 114 Jody Scheckter 1979 10 3 5 111 Michael Schumacher 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 91 68 76 249 Damon Hill 1996 22 20 19 115 Fernando Alonso 2005, 2006 22 18 14 139 Jenson Button 2009 7 7 2 171 Niki Lauda 1975, 1977, 1984 25 24 24 171 Mario Andretti 1978 12 18 10 128 Jack Brabham 1959, 1960, 1966 14 13 14 126 Jackie Stewart 1969, 1971, 1973 27 17 15 99 John Surtees 1964 6 8 10 111 Emerson Fittipaldi 1972, 1974 14 6 6 144 Lewis Hamilton 2008 11 17 3 53 Total 36 391 334 317 2,557

Two former champions were missing from the party. Nelson Piquet (three championships, 23 wins, 24 pole positions and 23 fastest laps) probably stayed away due to the fall-out from the Singapore 2008 controversy.

It’s not clear why Kimi Räikkönen (one championship, 18 wins, 16 pole positions and 35 fastest laps) didn’t go. He switched from F1 to the World Rally Championship this year but he wasn’t at a rally last weekend.

The remaining champions have all passed away. They are Giuseppe Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, James Hunt and Ayrton Senna.

F1’s greats in Bahrain – Pictures

The 18 champions are pictures below with Bernie Ecclestone, FIA president Jean Todt and Todt’s partner Michelle Yeoh:

Alain Prost, Alan Jones, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Jacques Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill. Front: Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Niki Lauda, Bernie Ecclestone, Mario Andretti, Jeat Todt, Michelle Yeoh, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Emerson Fittipaldi, Lewis Hamilton" width="470" />

Back: Alain Prost, Alan Jones, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Jacques Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill. Front: Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Niki Lauda, Bernie Ecclestone, Mario Andretti, Jeat Todt, Michelle Yeoh, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Emerson Fittipaldi, Lewis Hamilton

Here are the 18 drivers plus the rest of the 2010 F1 drivers:

F1's former champions plus the 2010 F1 drivers

Rosberg surprises against Schumacher (Bahrain Grand Prix team mate battles)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:23:13 -0500

Rosberg headed Schumacher all weekend long

Michael Schumacher was overshadowed by team mate Nico Rosberg on his return to F1.

Elsewhere Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton drew first blood as they began a new season alongside highly competitive team mates.

Yesterday we got our first glimpse of how many of the intriguing team mate battles will play out in 2010. Take a look at each team and drivers’ performances below.

In this first in a new series of articles we compare the performances of the drivers in each team. You can get a more detailed breakdown of their qualifying and race statistics including a graph of their lap times by following the ‘Compare…’ links below.

McLaren Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

Despite their much-vaunted and controversial F-duct, which helped them enjoy higher straight line speeds than their rivals, McLaren never looked at home on the Bahrain circuit – especially over the bumpy new section.

Jenson Button

The weekend seemed to be going Button’s way after final practice, where he completed his programme while Hamilton lost time with a brake duct problem. But Hamilton out-qualified him to the tune of 0.4 seconds.

Starting eighth, Button was consigned to a race stuck in traffic, and losing a place to Mark Webber who drove around the outside of him at turn nine on the first lap didn’t help. His team gained him the place back in the pits.

Compare Jenson Button’s form against his team mate in 2010

Lewis Hamilton

The cameras didn’t catch exactly what happened between Hamilton and Felipe Massa at turn four on the first lap. But we know they went in side-by-side with Hamilton only slightly on the track, and came out with Massa ahead and Hamilton trying to fend off Nico Rosberg, so we can make an educated guess.

Hamilton spent 15 laps tucked up behind Rosberg which cost him in the region of ten to 12 seconds. Without that he would have at least been closer to the Ferraris, though probably not quick enough to pass them.

Compare Lewis Hamilton’s form against his team mate in 2010

Mercedes Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

Hands up how many people expected Nico Rosberg to be consistently ahead of Michael Schumacher this weekend? I certainly didn’t, but Rosberg consistently headed the returning seven-times champion at Bahrain.

Michael Schumacher

Right from the off Schumacher trailled Rosberg by a couple of seconds and that picture didn’t change much until Sunday.

In the race Schumacher’s fastest lap was a couple of hundredths quicker than Rosberg’s. But the damage had already been done and he finished the Grand Prix in his team mate’s wheel tracks.

Schumacher pronounced himself satisfied with his weekend’s work. Is he putting a brave face on it – or has he figured out where he was losing time to Rosberg?

Compare Michael Schumacher’s form against his team mate in 2010

Nico Rosberg

Rosberg revived his 2009 tradition by being quickest in practice on Friday afternoon. He out-qualified Schumacher but said he was struggling to keep his tyres from overheating.

He kept Hamilton behind him in the early stages but the McLaren driver passed him at the first round of pit stops. With a couple of laps to go Rosberg caught Vettel’s ailing Red Bull but, according to Mercedes, “was unable to pass in the turbulent air.”

Compare Nico Rosberg’s form against his team mate in 2010

Red Bull

After a difficult day on Friday Red Bull came on strong in qualifying with Sebastian Vettel taking pole position.

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel went quickest in Q2 and used just a single lap in Q3 to set pole position. He led the race up until the moment a faulty spark plug in his Renault engine slowed him down. Despite that he still finished fourth and ahead of his team mate.

Compare Sebastian Vettel’s form against his team mate in 2010

Mark Webber

The size of the gap to his team mate in qualifying – 1.1s – must have hurt Webber, who admitted:

[I] did my worst lap at the most important time. It was going well until Turn 16, but it wasn’t so good from there on.
Mark Webber

He put a smart pass on Button on the first lap of the race but slipped back to eighth in the pit stops, where he finished.

Compare Mark Webber’s form against his team mate in 2010

Ferrari Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

The F10s looked quick all weekend and it was a surprise to see them lose pole to Vettel. Concerns over their engines lead them to change the units in both cars before the race.

Felipe Massa

The Ferrari drivers did two laps each in Q3 and Alonso was the quicker of them at first. But Massa turned the tables to claim second on the grid for the race.

Less-than-robust defending from Massa at turn one let Alonso by into second – unsurprisingly he did a much more thorough job against Hamilton three corners later. Towards the end of the race the team urged him to reduce his pace to save engine life.

Compare Felipe Massa’s form against his team mate in 2010

Fernando Alonso

Having worked his way past Massa at the start Alonso inherited the lead from Vettel later on.

He then let rip with a series of fastest laps, finishing up a full second faster than anyone else. This was a fascinating moment because Alonso had no need to show his hand by pushing that hard.

His team must have known Massa was having to conserve his car and there was no pressure from behind. So why give away so much about what the F10 is capable of?

Was this his way of saying to his team mate ‘look what I can do’? Or was he just enjoying not having to star at Vettel’s rear wing for the first time in the race?

Compare Fernando Alonso’s form against his team mate in 2010

Williams

Williams expected to reach Q3 but neither of their drivers made it.

Rubens Barrichello

Barrichello missed the cut for Q3 by less than 0.2s, being bumped out by Jenson Button in the dying moments of Q2.

Despite picking up some damage during the race Barrichello set the sixth fastest lap, suggesting there’s more to come from the FW32.

Compare Rubens Barrichello’s form against his team mate in 2010

Nico Hülkenberg

Rookie Hülkenberg was quicker than his team mate in practice but Barrichello delivered when it mattered – out-qualifying the GP2 champion by half a second.

Hülkenberg spun his car at turn two on lap six, and made an early pit stop immediately afterwards to switch to medium tyres. He opted not to try to complete the remaining 47 laps without another stop, making a second on lap 25.

Compare Nico Hülkenberg’s form against his team mate in 2010

Renault Robert Kubica, Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

Bad luck and unreliability cost Renault a shot at the points.

Robert Kubica

Kubica declared himself happy with reaching the top ten in qualifying but believed he’d have been 0.4s faster but for a mistake at the hairpin. That would have put him ahead of Schumacher’s Mercedes and Button’s McLaren.

His collision with Sutil on the first lap destroyed his tyres and his race – without it he felt a points finish was on the cards.

Compare Robert Kubica’s form against his team mate in 2010

Vitaly Petrov

A mistake at turn nine spoiled Petrov’s first qualifying effort in F1 and left him 17th in Q2, a painful 1.6s slower than his team mate.

But he made up a lot of places on the first lap and was running 11th when he suffered a suspension failure which ended his race. Renault said Kubica only avoided suffering the same problem because he chose to run a different ride height.

Compare Robert Kubica’s form against his team mate in 2010

Force India Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

An encouraging first run for the VJM023 saw the team break into Q3 and score points.

Adrian Sutil

An excellent lap by Sutil in Q2, beating his team mate by over 0.6s, earned him a place in the top ten.

Sutil was blameless for the his first-lap collision with Robert Kubica which was triggered by the eruption of smoke from Mark Webber’s Red Bull. He fought back through the field, setting second fastest lap on the way.

Compare Adrian Sutil’s form against his team mate in 2010

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Liuzzi was happy with the balance of his car in Saturday morning practice but after qualifying he was complaining about poor traction in the VJM03.

In the race he profitted from the incident which delayed his team mate and came home ninth and leading runner outside of the ‘big four’. It looked like Sutil had better pace, though.

Compare Vitantonio Liuzzi’s form against his team mate in 2010

Toro Rosso Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

Their one-lap pace in pre-season testing didn’t look bad but after problems in practice the Toro Rosso drivers were well down the grid.

Sebastien Buemi

Buemi said he felt he could have gone two-tenths faster on his qualifying lap but still made it through to Q2, beating his team mate. An impressive showing given the time he lost on Friday due to technical problems.

Too much wheel-spin at the start meant he lost two places, though he recovered them over the next two laps. Buemi felt he took his pit stop too late, costing him further places. His car came to a halt three laps from the chequered flag with an electrical problem while running 14th behind Alguersuari.

Compare Sebastien Buemi’s form against his team mate in 2010

Jaime Alguersuari

With the bottom six places in qualifying likely to be occupied by the six new cars for most of the early races at least, only one driver from the established teams is likely to be eliminated in Q1. This time it was Jaime Alguersuari and it could prove an easy and dangerous way to call attention to himself if he makes a habit of it.

He blamed a mistake during his flying lap on super-soft tyres for his elimination. He made a good start and raced in front of his team mate in the midfield.

Compare Jaime Alguersuari’s form against his team mate in 2010

Lotus Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

Lost out to Virgin in the fight to be quickest of the new teams in qualifying, but had the last laugh in the race by having both cars classified while neither of the black-and-red cars finished.

Jarno Trulli

Always a strong driver in qualifying, Trulli beat his team mate by the comfortable margin of over half a second on Saturday. But his race was spoiled by understeer and, later, hydraulic problems.

Compare Jarno Trulli’s form against his team mate in 2010

Heikki Kovalainen

Kovalainen enjoyed a trouble-free first race for the T127 and finished as best of the runners in new cars.

Compare Heikki Kovalainen’s form against his team mate in 2010

HRT

Trying to compare HRT’s drivers at this stage is a waste of time given how little running they got. Chandhok only appeared on track for the first time in qualifying. Both cars started the race from the pit lane.

Karun Chandhok

After making his F1 debut in qualifying Chandhok’s race ended on the second lap when he hit an unfamiliar bump and swiped the barriers.

Compare Karun Chandhok’s form against his team mate in 2010

Bruno Senna

Senna retired 18 laps into his F1 debut after suffering a mechanical failure.

Compare Bruno Senna’s form against his team mate in 2010

Sauber

Some people had been talking up Sauber’s potential before the race but their lack of pace in Bahrain led some to wonder whether their car had been running light in testing.

But the feedback from the drivers was that the car was performing poorly on the new sequence at Bahrain and designer Willy Rampf said they had targetted a slot in Q2, so let’s not write them off just yet.

Pedro de la Rosa

De la Rosa said the C29 was ill-suited to the bumpy infield and felt he lost several tenths of a second through it on his fastest qualifying lap.

He was crowded out at the start and dropped down the order but pulled of the race’s few passes on his team mate to move up to 12th. Both eventually retired.

Compare Pedro de la Rosa’s form against his team mate in 2010

Kamui Kobayashi

Started the race on medium tyres and said afterwards the super-softs would have been the best way to go. Like his team mate he retired with an hydraulic failure.

Compare Kamui Kobayashi’s form against his team mate in 2010

Virgin Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

More reliability woes for the VR-01 with limited running in practice.

Timo Glock

Timo Glock was at least able to get his practice programme done on Saturday morning despite a wheel gun problem causing one of his wheels to come off, fortunately not at high speed.

Glock was the fastest of the drivers for the new teams despite using the medium compound tyre in qualifying instead of the super softs. He passed Kovalainen to lead the newbies’ race but retired with a broken gearbox a few laps later.

Compare Timo Glock’s form against his team mate in 2010

Lucas di Grassi

More reliability problems with the VR-01 meant di Grassi did very little running. Given that, qualifying within a second of his more experienced team mate on his debut was a respectable effort.

He pulled off on the second lap of the race with an hydraulic failure.

Compare Lucas di Grassi’s form against his team mate in 2010

QualifyingTeamDriverLap timeGapLap timeDriverRroundMcLaren Jenson Button1′55.672+0.4551′55.217 Lewis HamiltonQ3Mercedes Michael Schumacher1′55.524+0.2831′55.241 Nico RosbergQ3Red Bull Sebastian Vettel1′54.101-1.1831′55.284 Mark WebberQ3Ferrari Felipe Massa1′54.242-0.3661′54.608 Fernando AlonsoQ3Williams Rubens Barrichello1′55.330-0.5271′55.857Nico HülkenbergQ2Renault Robert Kubica1′54.963-1.6561′56.619Vitaly PetrovQ2Force India Adrian Sutil1′54.996-0.6571′55.653 Vitantonio LiuzziQ2Toro Rosso Sebastien Buemi1′56.189-0.8821′57.071Jaime AlguersuariQ1Lotus Jarno Trulli1′59.852-0.4612′00.313 Heikki KovalainenQ1HRTKarun Chandhok2′04.904+1.6642′03.240Bruno SennaQ1SauberPedro de la Rosa1′56.237-0.0331′56.270Kamui KobyashiQ2Virgin Timo Glock1′59.728-0.8592′00.587Lucas di GrassiQ1

This table compares the best lap times achieved by each teams’ drivers in the latest stage of qualifying both their drivers reached.

Race – fastest lapsTeamDriverFastest lapGapFastest lapDriverMcLaren Jenson Button1′59.970+0.4101′59.560 Lewis HamiltonMercedes Michael Schumacher2′00.204-0.0322′00.236 Nico RosbergRed Bull Sebastian Vettel2′00.218+0.7311′59.487 Mark WebberFerrari Felipe Massa1′59.732+1.4451′58.287 Fernando AlonsoWilliams Rubens Barrichello1′59.833-1.5682′01.401Nico HülkenbergRenault Robert Kubica2′00.474-3.8332′04.307Vitaly PetrovForce India Adrian Sutil1′59.393-0.5131′59.906 Vitantonio LiuzziToro Rosso Sebastien Buemi2′00.080+0.1161′59.964Jaime AlguersuariLotus Jarno Trulli2′02.930+0.2292′02.701 Heikki KovalainenHRTKarun Chandhok2′34.479+25.3522′09.127Bruno SennaSauberPedro de la Rosa2′01.650-3.3942′05.044Kamui KobyashiVirgin Timo Glock2′07.062-2.2992′09.361Lucas di Grassi

NB. Drivers in italics were not classified finishers (did not complete 90% of the race distance or more)

Race – average lapsTeamDriverAverage lapGapAverage lapDriverMcLaren Jenson Button2′02.565+0.4512′02.114 Lewis HamiltonMercedes Michael Schumacher2′02.542+0.0812′02.461 Nico RosbergRed Bull Sebastian Vettel2′02.433-0.1542′02.587 Mark WebberFerrari Felipe Massa2′01.969+0.3292′01.641 Fernando AlonsoWilliams Rubens Barrichello2′02.916-2.8922′05.808Nico HülkenbergRenault Robert Kubica2′03.051-2.7912′05.842Vitaly PetrovForce India Adrian Sutil2′03.334+0.6112′02.723 Vitantonio LiuzziToro Rosso Sebastien Buemi2′03.726+0.1942′03.532Jaime AlguersuariLotus Jarno Trulli2′09.373+2.1582′07.215 Heikki KovalainenHRTKarun Chandhok2′34.479+19.9072′14.572Bruno SennaSauberPedro de la Rosa2′05.114-1.2452′06.359Kamui KobyashiVirgin Timo Glock2′10.233-4.0052′14.238Lucas di Grassi

NB. Drivers in italics were not classified finishers (did not complete 90% of the race distance or more)

Analysing the drivers

This is the first in a new series of articles after each race comparing how the drivers have done. Please give your feedback on what you would like to see from these articles in future and how they can be improved.

Images (C) Ferrari spa, Renault/LAT, Williams/LAT, Bridgestone, www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, Lotus F1, Virgin Racing, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Motioncompany

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix: Alonso Victorious As Vettel Slips Away

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:05:17 -0500

Fernando Alonso got his Ferrari career off to a thundering start in the searing Bahrain desert, leading the prancing horse to a 1-2 victory over team-mate Felipe Massa by over 15 seconds...Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

Mixed reviews for Schumacher's comeback

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:51:38 -0500

Michael Schumacher's comeback performance has earned him a nickname he hasn't seen very often in his native Germany: "Creeping Schumi."

Mixed reviews for Schumacher's comeback (PA SportsTicker)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:58:55 -0500

Michael Schumacher's comeback performance has earned him a nickname he hasn't seen very often in his native Germany: "Creeping Schumi."

Bahrain Grand Prix stats and facts

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:27:29 -0500

Fernando Alonso is now one of F1's top ten winners" width="470" />

Fernando Alonso is now one of F1's top ten winners

Fernando Alonso emulated Kimi Räikkönen and Nigel Mansell by winning on his debut for Ferrari.

The win means he is now among the top ten drivers who have won the most F1 races. And it was a return to form for the red cars who recorded their first one-two finish since 2008. Here’s the stats and facts from the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the third time in his career, giving him more victories in the event than anyone else.

He joins the ranks of drivers who won on their first appearance for Ferrari, a select group which includes the likes of Nigel Mansell and Alonso’s predecessor Kimi Räikkönen.

It was Alonso’s 22nd win, giving him as many as Damon Hill, and tying in for tenth in the list of all-time greatest winners. But Alonso has lost his position as the active driver with the most wins which he enjoyed last year, due to the return of Michael Schumacher.

Bahrain Grand Prix pictures

With Felipe Massa in second place Ferrari recorded their 80th one-two finish and their first since the 2008 French Grand Prix.

While Alonso became the first driver to score 25 points for a win, Ferrari claimed the new maximum haul for a team in one race – 43 points for first and second. What’#s the maximum they could score if they keep that up? A mammoth 817 points.

Alonso also recorded his 14th career fastest lap, putting him 18th in the all-time list.

Pole position went to Sebastian Vettel who recorded the sixth of his career. That’s as many as 1972 and 1974 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, 1961 world champion Phil Hill, 1980 world champion Alan Jones, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Carlos Reutemann and Ralf Schumacher. Vettel also led a Grand Prix for the tenth time in his career.

Lewis Hamilton scored his 28th podium finish in 53 starts. As we noted before the start of the season his podiums-per-start strike rate is already over 50% and if he keeps racking them up this year he could catch Schumacher.

Mercedes weren’t able to pick up where they left off at the end of their last season as a full works team. They ended 1955 with four consecutive wins, three for Juan Manuel Fangio and one for Stirling Moss, but Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher could only mange fifth and sixth yesterday.

As for Lotus, both their cars retired from their final race at Adelaide in 1994, whereas Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli were classified finishers in 15th and 17th respectively yesterday.

HRT and Virgin, meanwhile, failed to finish in their first race.

Vitantonio Liuzzi and Rubens Barrichello became the first drivers in F1 history to score points for finishing ninth and tenth. Points for seventh and eighth were introduced for the first time in 2003.

Rubens Barrichello has now matched Graham Hill’s record of starting in 18 seasons. Barrichello’s run stretches back to 1993, Hill’s lasted from 1958 to 1975. But while Hill ‘only’ started 175 Grands Prix in that time, Barrichello has now done 286 and should pass the 300 mark later this year.

We saw seven DNFs yesterday, six of which for mechanical reasons, and Sebastien Buemi was a classified finisher despite having stopped with electrical problems. With three new teams in the sport we’ll probably see a much higher rate of retirements this year compared to last.

Spotted any more interesting stats and facts from the Bahrain Grand Prix? Share them in the comments…

Roundup: Ferrari Drivers on Top in Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:32:14 -0500

Fernando Alonso passed his teammate Felipe Massa at the second corner and overtook the pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel on the 34th of 49 laps to win the Bahrain Grand Prix.

2010 F1 Season Kicks Off With a Massive Sigh

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:55:57 -0500

So, the 2010 season has begun. And it was one of the most ballyhooed pre-seasons in my recent memory. With a new rules package, new teams, new tracks, four world drivers champions on the grid including the return of the seven time champion Michael Schumacher, it was justifiably predicted to ...

Bahrain Grand Prix in pictures

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:39:57 -0500

Fernando Alonso celebrates his Bahrain Grand Prix victory" width="470" />

Fernando Alonso celebrates his Bahrain Grand Prix victory

The start of a new F1 season usually takes place against the scenic background of Albert Park in Melbourne.

This year Australia was swapped for the sand dunes of Bahrain, which were brightened up by F1’s colourful 2010 grid. Here’s a collection of pictures from the race.

Fernando Alonso, King Juan Carlos, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, King Juan Carlos, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica, Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica, Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica. Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica. Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica, Renault, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jarno Trulli, Nico Rosberg, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Robert Kubica, Pedro de la Rosa, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" />

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Images (C) Ferrari spa, Renault/LAT, Williams/LAT, Bridgestone, www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, Lotus F1, Virgin Racing. Motioncompany

Rosberg stymies Hamilton while Vettel saves fourth (Bahrain GP analysis)

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:45:30 -0500

Vettel coped admirably with his exhaust problem to salvage fourth

The ban on refuelling gave the race a very different structure to what we saw in 2009, with almost every car one-stopping.

For several drivers that meant a frustrating day stuck behind rivals, unable to get close enough to try a pass.

Hamilton stuck behind Rosberg

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix - Hamilton's pace (click to enlarge)

Lewis Hamilton’s attempt to pass Felipe Massa at the start ended up with him losing a place to Nico Rosberg. That cost him dearly, as the lap times above show.

Despite being able to lap 0.5-1 seconds faster than Rosberg, the aerodynamic wake from the Mercedes prevent Hamilton from getting close enough to try to pass.

After his pit stop, where he’d got ahead of Rosberg, Hamilton was more or less able to keep pace with the Ferraris. Towards the end of the race Fernando Alonso let rip and set a series of fast lap that neither Hamilton nor Felipe Massa, who seemed to have some kind of problem, could keep up with.

Vettel’s problem

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix - Vettel's problem (click to enlarge)

I’d only just Tweeted that the race was “coming to the boil nicely” when it all fell apart. Alonso and Massa had been slowly catching Sebastian Vettel but suddenly his lap times increased and it became clear he had a problem.

As the graph shows Vettel coped admirably well with his exhaust fault and brought his lap times back down again. So much so that while it looked at first like he might drop out of the points completely he was able to stay ahead of Nico Rosberg for fourth.

It’s a long season and the points Vettel salvaged today could prove highly valuable later on.

New teams

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix - New teams (click to enlarge)

As expected, new teams Lotus and Virgin were very closely matched for pace and we saw some good racing between them. But they were a couple of seconds off the pace of the slowest of the established runners.

They were not a close match on reliability, however. Both Virgins were gone within 16 laps, both Lotuses were classified, although Trulli experienced some hydraulic problems which ended his race early. They were lapped a lot, which is what the spikes towards the end of Kovalainen’s line are.

HRT F1 were further off Lotus and Virgin’s pace than these two were off the rest of the field, but that is to be expected when they’ve had no testing.

Race and lap charts

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix race chart (click to enlarge)

The Bahrain Grand Prix was a processional affair – more on that later.

Most of the pit stops happened on laps 15 and 16 as the field spread out and the front runners found themselves able to pit and resume racing in clean air. Given how most of the front runners were able to get to the end of the race without any obvious tyre problems we could see even early first stops in future races.

Unless the ‘option’ tyre has a significant performance advantage, one-stopping could be the way to go at many races this year.

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix lap chart (click to enlarge)

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix

Alonso wins in Bahrain

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:36:00 -0500

Fernando Alonso won his debut for Ferrari in Bahrain. Sebastian Vettel looked to be in control until a cracked exhaust header allowed the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa to catch him, delivering a 1-2 for the Scuderia. Lewis Hamilton was third for McLaren, while a disappointed Vettel held on for fourth. Michael Schumacher was sixth in his return. It was a tough race for the newbies, with only the two Lotus cars seeing the flag, both well back from the leaders. Now it's off to Melbourne in two weeks time. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1hr 39mins 20.396secsFelipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +00:16.099 secsLewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 00:23.182Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull-Renault 00:38.799Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 00:40.213Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 00:44.163Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 00:45.280Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull-Renault 00:46.360Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Force India-Mercedes 00:53.008Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Williams-Cosworth 01:02.489Robert Kubica (Poland) Renault 01:09.093Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India-Mercedes 01:22.958Jaime Alguersuari (Spain) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:32.656Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Williams - Cosworth 1 lapHeikki Kovalainen (Finland) Lotus - Cosworth 2 lapsSebastien Buemi (Switzerland) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 3 lapsJarno Trulli (Italy) Lotus - Cosworth 3 lapsPedro de la Rosa (Spain) BMW Sauber - Ferrari 21 lapsBruno Senna (Brazil) HRT - Cosworth 32 lapsTimo Glock (Germany) Virgin - Cosworth 33 lapsVitaly Petrov (Russia) Renault 36 lapsKamui Kobayashi (Japan) BMW Sauber - Ferrari 38 lapsLucas Di Grassi (Brazil) Virgin - Cosworth 47 lapsKarun Chandhok (India) HRT - Cosworth 48 laps FIA post-race press conference - Bahrain Bahrain Grand Prix - selected driver quotes

Alonso Wins In Ferrari Debut At Bahrain

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:47:24 -0500

Sebastian Vettel started from pole and dominated Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, but it was Fernando Alonso who would take the victory in his debut for ...Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

Vettel faces Ferrari threat in season opener (Bahrain GP pre-race analysis)

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:10:10 -0500

Ferrari's race pace could halt Vettel's charge

Can Sebastian Vettel start 2010 the way he ended 2009 – with a win?

He’ll have to keep the fastest Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso behind him for 49 laps of the punishing Bahrain circuit. And the F10s are expected to have an advantage over Vettel’s car on race pace.

The start

Grid

The pole sitter starts on the left hand side of the track. The first corner is a right-hander.

Row 1Sebastian Vettel Felipe MassaRow 2 Fernando Alonso Lewis HamiltonRow 3 Nico Rosberg Mark WebberRow 4 Michael Schumacher Jenson ButtonRow 5 Robert Kubica Adrian SutilRow 6 Rubens BarrichelloVitantonio LiuzziRow 7Nico HülkenbergPedro de la RosaRow 8Sebastien BuemiKamui KobyashiRow 9Vitaly PetrovJaime AlguersuariRow 10 Timo GlockJarno TrulliRow 11Heikki KovalainenLucas di GrassiRow 12Bruno SennaKarun Chandhok

Lap one

The drivers will all have to remember to brake a lot earlier for the first corner than they used to do on lap one at Bahrain as each will have a full load of fuel on board.

Those on the left-hand side should benefit from starting on the cleaner side of the track but last year Timo Glock went into the lead from second on the grid. Positioning the car around the opening set of tight bends is crucial. But once they get to the narrow new section expect it to become a case of follow-my-leader.

Both the Ferrari drivers will fancy their chances of beating Vettel on race pace as the RB6 has been hard on its tyres in practice. Can either of them get past on the first lap?

They will also have to keep an eye on Lewis Hamilton, who is fourth on the grid. He’s known for his attacking starts and the MP4/25 was the fastest car through the speed traps in practice. If the lead trio get into a tangle and slow themselves down in the first three bends he could give them some trouble on the run to turn four.

The race Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" />

Bahrain GP qualifying pictures

Tyres

The top ten qualifiers have to start the race on the same tyres they used to set their quickest time. Here are the tyres they used:

Sebastian Vettel – Super soft
Felipe Massa – Super soft
Fernando Alonso – Super soft
Lewis Hamilton – Super soft
Nico Rosberg – Super soft
Mark Webber – Super soft
Michael Schumacher – Super soft
Jenson Button – Super soft
Robert Kubica – Super soft
Adrian Sutil – Medium

Almost all the top ten opted to use the super soft tyres, which are quicker over a single lap. But how long will they be able to make them last at the start of the race with a full fuel load onboard in the Bahrain heat? They will have to take extra care not to lock up and damage their tyres on the opening lap.

Strategy

The Ferrari drivers are expected to have better race pace than Vettel’s Bahrain and this present an interesting challenge for Alonso and Massa’s race crews if the pair find themselves stuck behind the RB6.

In this scenario whichever of the two Ferraris pits first stands the best chance of ending up ahead of both Vettel and the other Ferrari. No doubt both Ferrari driver would fancy that advantage, so how will the team make the call?

Red Bull aren’t the only team with tyre wear concerns – McLaren were struggling with tyre wear yesterday too.

On the other side of the coin, what about the Saubers? Much has been made of how the C29s are kind to their tyres over long runs, so how late can they leave their tyre changes?

Everyone from Rubens Barrichello in 11th and back can start the race on whatever tyres they choose, which means they can use a fresh set, if they have any left. Expect them to start on mediums which should cope with the heavy fuel load better in the early laps.

It seems two things will dictate when drivers will make their first pit stops. For the top nine it will be question of how long the super softs hold up. Ideally they’ll survive long enough so they can complete their remaining distance on medium tyres and do the race with a single tyre stop. At the very least they’ll want to get out of the pits ahead of the drivers who started on mediums.

But reacting to other teams’ strategy decisions will also be important. An early pit stop could help a driver who’s stuck in traffic to gain a few places in the short-term – but that means spending longer on the next set of tyres and potentially wearing them out too soon.

New teams

Lotus and Virgin will probably be in a race of their own at the back. Much has been said about the difference in speed between them and the leaders but even at five seconds per lap off the pace they’re only likely to get lapped two, maybe three times over the race distance.

The leaders are likely to come across the HRT F1 cars a bit more often – assuming they last the race distance.

How do you think the Bahrain Grand Prix will pan out? Who do you think will win? Have your say in the comments.

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying in pictures

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:33:41 -0500

Lewis Hamilton locks his tyres on his way to fourth" width="470" />

Lewis Hamilton locks his tyres on his way to fourth

The drivers had to get used to a busier track in the first qualifying session of the year with 24 cars in action at Bahrain. Here are pictures from today’s qualifying session.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Jenson Button, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Felipe Massa, Rob Smedley, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Adrian Sutil, Force India, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Bahrain, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Mark Webber, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" /> Mark Webber, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, 2010" width="208" />

More pictures from qualifying will be posted here later.

More F1 pictures

Images (C) Ferrari spa, Bridgestone, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team

Vettel holds back Ferrari charge for pole (Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying)

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:33:21 -0500

Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for Red Bull" width="470" />

Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel will start the first race of the year from pole position after heading qualifying for Red Bull.

He needed just one run at the end of Q3 to displace the Ferrari duo at the front of the field.

But Michael Schumacher could only manage seventh on his return to F1.

It was no surprise to see all three of the new teams eliminated in Q1. But the battle for newbie honours was close, with Timo Glock edging Jarno Trulli by one tenth of a second.

After a mammoth struggle with hydraulic problems HRT F1 finally managed to get Karun Chandhok on the circuit for the first time. He did seven laps on his first run and although he was slowest he will be able to start tomorrow’s race. He shares the back row of the grid with team mate Bruno Senna.

Jaime Alguersuari had the distinction of being the only one of the established runners to be knocked out.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

18. Jaime Alguersuari – 1′57.071
19. Timo Glock – 1′59.782
20. Jarno Trulli – 1′59.852
21. Heikki Kovalainen – 2′00.313
22. Lucas di Grassi – 2′00.587
23. Bruno Senna – 2′03.240
24. Karun Chandhok – 2′04.904

Vettel showed his hand in Q3, setting the quickest time which was also half a second better than team mate Mark Webber managed.

Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso traded fastest times early on. But things were not going so well at McLaren.

Both their drivers had to make a second attempt to ensure they made the cut and Jenson Button scraped into tenth place by less than two tenths of a second.

The Williams pair were also eliminated though Rubens Barrichello finally showed his hand and beat Nico Hülkenberg by half a second.

Vitantonio Liuzzi also failed to make the cut – he was around seven tenths slower than Adrian Sutil who did reach the top ten.

While Robert Kubica made it through to Q3 team mate Vitaly Petrov was 1.7 seconds slower and last in Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

11. Rubens Barrichello – 1′55.330
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi – 1′55.653
13. Nico Hülkenberg – 1′55.857
14. Pedro de la Rosa – 1′56.237
15. Sebastien Buemi – 1′56.265
16. Kamui Kobayashi – 1′56.270
17. Vitaly Petrov – 1′56.619

With the top ten qualifiers having to start the race on the same tyres they qualified teams tried different strategies in Q3.

Ferrari and McLaren both sent their drivers out for early laps followed by a tyre change and a final run. The other simply bided their time until the last possible moment.

While Alonso and Massa headed the times a mistake by Lewis Hamilton left him with a slow lap. Button didn’t get a flying lap in on his first run and returned to the pits after just an out- and in-lap.

Vettel headed the queue of runners making their final runs and his RB6’s pace through the middle sector proved decisive. That extra tenth of a second accounted for most of his advantage over second-placed Massa.

Hamilton’s run lifted him to fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes.

Once again Michael Schumacher was a crucial couple of tenths slower than his team mate, leaving him seventh ahead of Button.

Vettel hailed the car’s performance as a “big surprise” after their problematic practice session yesterday. But do they have the race pace to match their qualifying performance? We’ll find out tomorrow.

Top ten drivers in Q3

1. Sebastian Vettel, 1′54.101
2. Felipe Massa, 1′54.242
3. Fernando Alonso, 1′54.608
4. Lewis Hamilton, 1′55.217
5. Nico Rosberg, 1′55.241
6. Mark Webber, 1′55.284
7. Michael Schumacher, 1′55.524
8. Jenson Button, 1′55.672
9. Robert Kubica, 1′55.885
10. Adrian Sutil, 1′56.309

Alonso fastest in final practice

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:32:59 -0500

Fernando Alonso is the fastest man in Bahrain ahead of qualifying" width="470" />

Fernando Alonso is the fastest man in Bahrain ahead of qualifying

A third different car headed the third practice session ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso lapped the extended Bahrain circuit in 1′54.099 to head the times by almost three-tenths of a second.

Nico Rosberg, fastest in yesterday’s session, was second for Mercedes.

Felipe Massa was fastest for much of the session but his final effort was only good enough for sixth.

World champion Jenson Button was seventh for McLaren but team mate Lewis Hamilton could only manage 12th after ending his session early to have a brake change.

At the back of the grid Karun Chandhok failed to set a time and faced being unable to start qualifying.

Another of the new teams was in trouble – Timo Glock’s Virgin shed a wheel during the session and team mate Lucas di Grassi failed to set a time.

PositionCar numberDriverCarBest lapLaps18 Fernando AlonsoFerrari1′54.0991424Nico RosbergMercedes1′54.3680.2691336Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault1′54.5000.4011543Michael SchumacherMercedes1′54.5330.4341355Sebastian VettelRed Bull-Renault1′54.6460.5471667Felipe MassaFerrari1′54.7390.641471Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1′55.0000.90114811Robert KubicaRenault1′55.3311.23215915Vitantonio LiuzziForce India-Mercedes1′55.4321.333111010Nico HülkenbergWilliams-Cosworth1′55.4611.362131114Adrian SutilForce India-Mercedes1′55.5211.42213122Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1′55.8601.76181322Pedro de la RosaSauber-Ferrari1′56.0631.96414149Rubens BarrichelloWilliams-Cosworth1′56.2592.160151516Sebastien BuemiToro Rosso-Ferrari1′56.2952.196171617Jaime AlguersuariToro Rosso-Ferrari1′56.5042.405161723Kamui KobyashiSauber-Ferrari1′56.5302.431141812Vitaly PetrovRenault1′56.8112.712161924Timo GlockVirgin-Cosworth1′59.1735.074102019Heikki KovalainenLotus-Cosworth1′59.7895.69152118Jarno TrulliLotus-Cosworth2′01.2597.1652221Bruno SennaHRT-Cosworth2′04.0019.902112325Lucas di GrassiVirgin-Cosworth22420Karun ChandhokHRT-Cosworth

Bahrain Grand Prix FP2 analysis

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:47:23 -0500

There's not much to choose between the two McLaren drivers so far

The second practice session at Bahrain brought further evidence of Ferrari’s long-run pace but Mercedes and McLaren are up there with the on one-lap performance.

We look set for an entertaining qualifying session tomorrow. Here’s how all the teams got on in second practice today:

McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari

FP2 times: McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull

The McLaren and Mercedes drivers set their fastest times on qualifying simulations, as did Felipe Massa. But it looks like Alonso hasn’t shown his hand yet with a low-fuel run.

Massa’s long run looks good compared with those of the McLaren drivers:

LapFelipe MassaJenson ButtonLewis Hamilton12′00.1532′02.4812′01.79322′04.2012′02.1892′02.54332′00.6132′05.1572′02.27442′00.3312′01.9632′02.08552′06.3682′02.5092′02.43962′00.0872′02.4642′03.03672′00.3472′02.3512′02.89082′00.7922′02.7822′11.85992′00.3772′03.2682′34.349102′04.9292′03.5372′01.617112′00.0312′02.2422′01.668122′00.6152′02.4052′01.937132′01.1232′06.4972′10.953142′00.810152′00.877

Early in the session Hamilton aborted one run on the medium tyres having quickly destroyed them – a problem with tyre allocations so tightly restricted this year.

Mercedes one-lap pace looks promising, at least in the hands of Nico Rosberg. Although Michael Schumacher admitted afterwards to being “rusty”, his long-run pace compares favourable with Rosberg’s.

Red Bull, however, lost a lot of running the afternoon changing Mark Webber’s driveshaft and Sebastian Vettel’s brakes – the latter losing his car under braking for the final corner early in the session.

Williams, Force India, Renault, Toro Rosso and Sauber

FP2 times: Williams, Renault, Force India, Toro Rosso, Sauber

Although Force India topped the times in the first sector it was the VJM03’s pace over long runs that Vitantonio Liuzzi praised following the second session. He felt the car’s one-lap performance wasn’t quite there yet. Both his and Sutil’s long runs looked very consistent.

Sauber showed better pace than they did in the morning but Pedro de la Rosa complained of poor grip and described the turn seven bump as “dangerous”. Kamui Kobayashi suffered a puncture and had to curtail one of his runs.

Rubens Barrichello lost early running due to an electrical problem and finished both sessions almost one second slower than new team mate Nico Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg also looked quicker on his nine-lap stint than Barrichello did on his ten-lapper – of course we don’t know whether they were running the same fuel loads.

Renault said they were happy with the stability of their car under braking. As is to be expected Vitaly Petrov looks some way of Robert Kubica’s pace.

Jaime Alguersuari described the new section of track as “nothing special and very slow” – perhaps that was his revenge for being caught out by the complex where he spun in FP2. Team mate Buemi missed the entire session (apart from a single installation lap) due to car trouble.

Lotus, Virgin and HRT

FP2 Times: Lotus, Virgin, HRT

Bruno Senna logged 17 laps in the HRT and by the end of the session he’d finally managed to beat the best time set during the GP2 Asia practice session.

Worryingly, wheel nut failure brought his car to a halt at the first corner at the end of the session. Team mate Karun Chandhok didn’t do a lap at all despite hopes he would be out during FP2. He has just one hour to complete his first lap in the car before qualifying tomorrow.

Virgin were almost a second off Lotus’s pace in the second session but neither of their cars did low-fuel running and Timo Glock hasn’t tried the super-soft tyres yet.

Top 50 lap times

The top 50 times set during the session:

RankDriverLap timeLap1 Nico Rosberg115.40952 Nico Rosberg115.55523 Lewis Hamilton115.85474 Michael Schumacher115.85475 Lewis Hamilton116.05126 Michael Schumacher116.05127 Jenson Button116.07688 Sebastian Vettel116.45969Nico Hülkenberg116.5011710 Jenson Button116.516411 Felipe Massa116.5552712Vitaly Petrov116.751013Nico Hülkenberg116.799214 Felipe Massa116.812915 Sebastian Vettel116.924316 Jenson Button116.944217Vitaly Petrov117.0531118 Fernando Alonso117.142419Pedro de la Rosa117.2551720Pedro de la Rosa117.2871621Kamui Kobyashi117.3521722 Adrian Sutil117.361723 Fernando Alonso117.4152224 Rubens Barrichello117.4521825 Rubens Barrichello117.455226Kamui Kobyashi117.6611627 Adrian Sutil117.706428Vitaly Petrov117.7111229 Vitantonio Liuzzi117.833730 Adrian Sutil117.858231 Fernando Alonso118.0131932 Robert Kubica118.1552533Vitaly Petrov118.214634 Robert Kubica118.2262735 Vitantonio Liuzzi118.364836Vitaly Petrov118.429737 Vitantonio Liuzzi118.533238Vitaly Petrov118.952439Pedro de la Rosa119.0751340 Fernando Alonso119.0871041 Vitantonio Liuzzi119.305342 Rubens Barrichello119.3052043Pedro de la Rosa119.4951244 Robert Kubica119.541645 Jenson Button119.544746 Vitantonio Liuzzi119.581447 Fernando Alonso119.7241148Jaime Alguersuari119.799949 Robert Kubica119.8261450 Fernando Alonso119.8753Fastest laps

Extended data on the times set by all the drivers.

Pos.DriverCarFastestOnGapWithin 1%Laps1 Nico RosbergMercedes1′55.409502232 Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1′55.85470.4452223 Michael SchumacherMercedes1′55.90360.4943234 Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1′56.07680.6673285 Sebastian VettelRed Bull-Renault1′56.45961.052186Nico HülkenbergWilliams-Cosworth1′56.501171.0922267 Felipe MassaFerrari1′56.555271.1462308Vitaly PetrovRenault1′56.750101.3413269 Fernando AlonsoFerrari1′57.140241.73132510Pedro de la RosaSauber-Ferrari1′57.255171.84622411Kamui KobyashiSauber-Ferrari1′57.352171.94322712 Adrian SutilForce India-Mercedes1′57.36171.95232913 Rubens BarrichelloWilliams-Cosworth1′57.452182.04322114 Vitantonio LiuzziForce India-Mercedes1′57.83372.42432915 Robert KubicaRenault1′58.155252.74622916Jaime AlguersuariToro Rosso-Ferrari1′59.79994.3933117Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault2′00.44465.03581218Heikki KovalainenLotus-Cosworth2′00.873215.46422319Jarno TrulliLotus-Cosworth2′00.990135.58111420Timo GlockVirgin-Cosworth2′02.03726.6281321Lucas di GrassiVirgin-Cosworth2′02.18866.77922122Bruno SennaHRT-Cosworth2′06.9681611.55921723Sebastien BuemiToro Rosso-Ferrari7′11.0001315.5911124Karun ChandhokHRT-Cosworth

NB. ‘Within 1%’ refers to the number of times a driver set a lap time that was within 1% of his best.

Analysing practice

This is a new series of articles analysing the lap times from practice. If you have any suggestions for improvements or changes you would like to see, please post them in the comments.

Predict the pole sitter and top five finishers in the Bahrain Grand Prix for your chance to win F1 tickets, DVDs, books and more

Bahrain GP press conference: Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso, Button and Massa

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:38 -0500

Participants: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)

Q: A question to all of you. What are you most looking forward to during this season? Who is going to start? The World Champion.
Jenson Button: The same as all of us I think, and that is getting out there. It has been a few months since we actually raced for three of us here, so getting out there and racing, that’s what we all love. Testing is part of the job but racing is the bit what we really enjoy. I am looking forward to getting out there. It is such a competitive season, it looks like. It is possibly one of the most exciting seasons we have seen in Formula One, so just being a part of that is very special.

Q: Lewis, what are you most looking forward to?
Lewis Hamilton: Just getting on the track. Testing was good fun but obviously we did not have as much testing as we have had in the past and the more time in the car the more fun we have. Just looking forward to it all kicking off and to see where everyone else sits.

Q: Felipe?
Felipe Massa: Well, to get back to racing after eight months. It is a long time. I am looking forward to getting back to racing, to starting in a good direction after as Lewis said not many tests. But it is nice to be back racing.

Q: Michael, after an even longer absence what are you looking forward to? And welcome back.
Michael Schumacher: Thank you. The green light or the red light going off.

Q: The green light or rather when the red goes off?
MS: Yes.
FM: You are very motivated. You are already in the overalls.
MS: Exactly.

Q: Fernando?
Fernando Alonso: The same as everybody. Just starting the competition, the racing. Testing is okay but it is just preparation for the race itself, so looking forward to Sunday.

Q: Who has walked around the circuit? Any of you? Michael, what are your thoughts on the new section of the circuit? It is all probably fairly new to you.
MS: The first part looks quite exciting. The later part a little less exciting, but then you have to drive it and feel it in reality.

Q: Has anyone else been around the circuit to have a look at it? Jenson, been around the circuit?
JB: No, we are going out this afternoon.

Q: Lewis?
LH: The same.

Q: Jenson, a new team. What are the greatest changes and challenges for you?
JB: I think moving teams. I was with my previous team for seven years, so moving teams can be tricky. It is a completely new environment, it is a real challenge and most of us do not really like change, but it has been good. Even after sort of two months I really feel part of the team. We have not even gone racing yet and I feel a big part of the team. I have always worked very hard to make myself fit into a team reasonably well but the team have been great. They are so hungry for a good season. Last year for them was not the best and it has made them hungry for success this year. It has been good and having the simulator there has helped me a lot to get used to the environment of being in this car. I spent a lot of time at the factory, not just with the engineers, just spending time at the factory, so I am part of the furniture there. Testing has gone well as well. It is important to really use every second or every minute you are with the team as it comes around very quickly. We have Friday and Saturday morning before qualifying but it is not a lot of time, so you have got to be ready for when you arrive here in Bahrain.

Q: Having number one and being World Champion on the car. How motivating is that or is it even restrictive?
JB: I can’t see it as restrictive in any way. You should look at it in a positive way. Stepping into the car and seeing the number one on it is a very special feeling, especially here in Bahrain at the first race. Just before I put on my helmet and I look at the car and see the No 1 it is going to be an emotional moment but as soon as you step into the car and close your visor last season is out the window and you are purely focussed on this year.

Q: You won here last year. Is it a good circuit for you?
JB: I like it. It is a fun circuit to drive and it is a place you can overtake which is great. The new section is pretty slow. There are nine new corners on the circuit and most of them are slow now, so it is tricky and I look forward to getting out there and seeing what we make of it as it is difficult walking around it and trying to understand it. The simulator is useful but still in reality it is nice to get out there and feel it in the car. I hope it does make overtaking better but I am not sure if that is going to be the case. I think it could possibly make the racing more exciting as it is very tricky, so I look forward to getting out on the circuit tomorrow morning.

Q: Lewis, the man next to you is the reigning World Champion. How does that change things for you? Is that extra motivation?
LH: I don’t think it makes a huge difference. Jenson has been welcomed into the team and he seems to be doing a great job, very productive, enthusiastic and he has really brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the team. I can only see it as a positive. On my side, for me, just from coming from not so good a year last year but to finish on quite a high I feel just as determined as ever if not more.

Q: Which of the rule changes has been the most challenging as far as you are concerned?
LH: Probably just being a little bit heavier. Otherwise it has been pretty straight forward. Just trying to understand the tyres a little bit and understand the approach to the long stints being a little bit different to last year on lighter fuel but otherwise it is pretty straight forward. I am sure this weekend will be a challenge for everyone but we are all in the same boat.

Q: You finished second here in 2007, the first time you came here.
LH: That seems like a long time ago. We had a good car back then. The last two years things haven’t been particularly special but hopefully this weekend will be a new start for us and hopefully a positive for me and Jenson.

Q: Felipe, a big welcome back to you. What is it like to return, to be back in the car and back at a race meeting again?
FM: It is just nice to be back in business. That is my job for many years. I have lost a bit of races and just nice to be back. I feel really happy and a lot of motivation to get back to the job.

Q: You are a former winner here, but also in the past you have had some slow parts to the season. Is that something you are conscious of and determined to change?
FM: I think it is something that we understood in the past that the first race is important to finish, important to score points. Even in the last years we always had some problems in the car to finish the race. That I hope doesn’t happen. I hope we can finish most of the races in good points as we know at the end of the season it is always important to be there on a good amount of points. Many people say at the beginning of the season what is important is the reliability. Reliability is always important. It is important to finish the race. We did a lot of kilometres in the winter test which helps when you have a good car to start the season.

Q: Michael, what’s it like to be back at a race meeting when you are a driver and fully involved after an absence of three years?
MS: Well, naturally it is a bit more intense. From the morning to the evening with lots more details than you want and naturally you have to pay attention.

Q: How much are you still team building? People have spoken how you built a team at Ferrari. What is happening at Mercedes now?
MS: I think it is difficult to say right now what is going to be the development. Naturally you have to adapt, you have to evolve developing into the team. It is probably the thing that you will find some potential, you still can improve, to understand how at certain moments the team will work, why it will work, how you can combine the two things. But so far I have to say that the guys are good guys. It is good harmony, particularly due to knowing the boss quite well and he knows me too. It makes things a lot easier, a lot smoother, but otherwise I am sure there is some potential we will have to develop.

Q: You are a two-time winner here. What are your feelings about this circuit?
MS: Making it three.

Q: Fernando is a two-time winner as well, aren’t you?
FA: Yes, three also.

Q: But Fernando, again new team, new challenges. What are the major challenges? What are the major changes?
FA: As Jenson said I think every time you change team you need to adapt yourself a little bit to the new people, the new philosophy of working, of preparing the season. It has been a great time so far. I have been very comfortable with the team from day one to now, so I think we arrive at the first race with a good preparation and ready for the fight.

Q: Ferrari have been said to be one of the two top teams. Is that the way you see it?
FA: Not really. We are not comparing too much the times in winter or making many predictions for these first races. We have just been concentrating on our programme to try to be as prepared a possible for the first race. I think the four teams – Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari – any of the four teams can be a favourite for this race and for the first part of the championship with, I am sure, some teams also like Sauber and Force India, they will have a very good race as well. I think we will do our best. We are well prepared for this start of the season but we want to be World Champions in November, not in March. We will do our best but the goal is to win the championship and we know this is not easy at all and we need to work very hard for 10 months, so it is only the start.

Questions from the floor

Q: (Thomas Richtr – TV Nova) For all the drivers. If it was up to you and not working groups or the FIA, would you choose this year’s regulation regarding the refuelling ban and heavy cars at the start or last year’s regulation when it was a sprint from pit stop to pit stop?
FA: I am happy with any decision. It is just a new challenge for all of us. For the engineers, teams, drivers it is change in Formula One, so any change is normally welcome as it offers you the possibility of discovering some new area of our sport. I am happy with the change but I was happy last year. We will see. We need to give some time to the new regulations to see how the races are. If we see more overtaking, if not? Maybe the races are very spectacular or maybe the races are very boring. We need to wait and see a few races to see if the new regulations are working or not.

MS: Last year… yeah, for the simple fact it leaves more scope for strategy. Naturally, as a race driver you want to drive the fastest car and if you have full tanks to half full tanks it naturally makes a big difference.

FM: I think the regulations have to be good for everybody: for the drivers, for the teams but also a lot for the guys who are watching the race. It’s very difficult to say which ones (regulations) I prefer, the new ones or the ones from last year. We haven’t yet done a single race, it’s very early to say which one I prefer, but I think if it’s good to everybody – for the moment I don’t think anybody is against the regulations, so if it’s good for everybody, it should be no problem to change. It’s also a new challenge for everybody, as Fernando says, so we just need to focus on every new point and try to do the best.

LH: I think it’s a new challenge in the sport for all of us and the key is that we’re moving forward, so I’m excited to see how it works and I’m sure we will do everything we can, collectively, to put on a good show.

JB: I think everything’s been said. I think turn one’s going to be pretty interesting with that much fuel – going down to turn one. I think we forget about qualifying as well. Qualifying is different to last year: we will be running on low tanks all the way through, which is great. I think we will have more of an understanding after qualifying than the last couple of seasons with the cars on low fuel. But I think the differences from qualifying to the races will be bigger than we’ve seen before. Some cars will be very good on light fuel, maybe not so good on 150/160 kilos of fuel, so it’s going to be interesting to see.

Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC Sport) Michael, do you remember how you felt coming into the sport for the first time, up against champions who you had watched, the likes of Senna and Prost and so on? With your record and reputation, you’re very much the man to beat; is it going to be everyone else’s aim to attack you and challenge you on the track?
MS: Yes. Basically when I arrived, I wasn’t that full of confidence to be on the same playing field but being with them the first time, I noticed that I could be (competitive) and I do feel pretty much the same now. There’s no reason why somebody should not feel in the position to fight me because all those guys who will be on the grid on Sunday have good reasons to be there because they’re highly talented. I have the greatest respect for each of them; for me, each one is a big competitor that I have to look at.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Michael, you always said you don’t like understeer in your cars, and this year, due to the weight of the car, the tyres, the nature of the cars, you have understeer. Do you think that because of that we may not see the best of you?
MS: I think it varies very much from car to car, it’s a characteristic which is given to a car. Sometimes, you’re right, it may be given by the tyres, then it’s up to you and your team to get the balance that you want, because in the past, don’t forget a car suited me because I like oversteer, I like a neutral car, the fastest car, whatever that is!

Q: (James Allen – Financial Times) Fernando, you’ve talked about settling in; do you think you’re ready to win? And what do you think of Michael coming back?
FA: Yes, I think I’m ready to win. Every time you arrive at the first race of the championship you’ve been preparing yourself all winter for this moment, so I’ve been waiting very long to be here at Ferrari as well, many years of preparation for this moment, so now I feel ready to fight and hopefully we’re in a position to do that. To have Michael here, OK – it was a surprise for sure when he came back but as I said many times, it’s a very good thing for all of us, for all the drivers, for our sport and that can only help Formula One and because we are part of Formula One, all the drivers, it also helps us, so I am very happy that he’s here and hopefully we can have good fights.

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Question to Jenson and Lewis: just been watching the dynamic between you two guys while the other three have been answering questions at the front. You’ve been having a good laugh and a joke, sharing comments etc. Is that a good indicator of the friendship/relationship you two have already developed over the past few weeks together?
JB: It’s all for show! Exactly what we were told to do by Steve (press officer Steve Cooper).

LH: I agree. We’re focusing on a potential move to acting in the future!

JB: And no one’s asking us any questions, so…

Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) I have a question for you, Jenson. How do you feel about defending your title this season against Fernando in the Ferrari, Michael back at Mercedes, Lewis in the same equipment as you will have? Do you feel you will need a dominant start again this weekend?
JB: Yes, I think every championship, for any champion, I think it’s important to be quick out of the blocks. If you look back, normally the guy that really fights for the championship and gets the championship is strong from the word ‘go’, so yes, I think it is important for all of us to be up there at the front here in Bahrain. The competition is very fierce, I must say, but that’s why it is exciting. For a fan of Formula One, this season should be electric, it really should be. If it’s not, we’re doing something seriously wrong. It’s obviously great to have Felipe back after his horrific accident last year. Great to have Michael back because it makes me feel young again! Looking at this race, I don’t think there have been so many competitive drivers in competitive cars for a long time, so it’s great to see.

Q: (Jacques Deschenaux – GP Guide) To all of you, will the new distribution of points with 25 for the first, 18 to the second, change your approach and maybe your strategy for the race?
MS: You still want to score the 25, so that’s the main strategy. It’s certainly a little bit fairer, I think, in a way that if you have somebody who wins most of the races, naturally you will most likely say that he is going to be the champion by the end of the year, rather than somebody there just sitting, waiting and taking second and third places and suddenly being World Champion. I don’t think that makes much sense, as it has been in past years. Actually I think I was the reason why it was implemented, the small gaps, because I was winning so much and nobody could find a way to stop that. I think it’s absolutely correct, the way it is now.

FM: I think it’s correct as well. I think the winner, the victory is always more important than anything, so if you win, maybe to have a little bit more points is always better. So I’m with Michael.

LH: Well, what they said was right. It’s another challenge, it’s a small change to the results. As Felipe said, when you win the race it should be rewarded perhaps a little bit more than the guys who come in second and third. I think it will be interesting to see how it pans out. I’ve not really thought about it too much to be honest.

JB: I think we need to see how it goes. It’s the same as before. You still want to go out and win as many races as you can. Obviously when you’re fighting for a championship – I know how that feels now – it’s about being consistent as well. When you’re fighting for a win, it’s very difficult to hold back and think ‘I’ll come in second and pick up the points.’ We all want to win races and that’s what we’re here to do.

FA: I agree.

Q: (Carlos Miquel – Diario AS) Fernando, in the past you have said Michael is the best driver in history. Now, Michael is back, do you believe the same? And a question for Michael: who could be your biggest rival this year?
FA: Yes, if I said that, it’s because I really think that. If you see the World Championships that Michael has it’s something that is impossible to repeat and part of the history in our sport, as I said. Looking at the numbers, Grand Prix wins, pole positions, championships etc, I think we all agree that Michael is the best ever, so I’m happy that he’s here and as I said, hopefully winning a championship or winning a Grand Prix with Michael on the track has more value, so we will try.

MS: At my age, I keep forgetting things if they are too long away, so what was the question?
Basically, I think there are the four main teams that you’re looking at and in all those cars – so you’re talking about a potential eight drivers, seven around me that I have to look out for. Four of them are sitting here right now and there are three more that aren’t here right now. It’s very tough to mention which is the one, but it doesn’t matter who it is, because you’re focused on the one that it is.

Q: (Joris Fioriti – AFP) To all of you apart from Michael Schumacher: you were saying, Fernando, that winning a race ahead of Michael Schumacher would bring more importance. Don’t you think that if Michael starts to win too much, it’s going to be very bad for all of you in the end and for the sport too?

FM: Well, for sure we need to work very hard not to let him win too much. Every team wants to win but it’s the best for the sport to have the best drivers on the track, the best teams fighting on the track and I think that’s always great for the sport. Anyway, everybody wants to win, everybody wants to keep winning all the time. But it’s a big competition, so I think it will be very difficult as we saw in the tests, to see a single car winning every race. But anyway, you never know. The race starts now and we need to wait and see.

LH: We have to wait and see, we have to wait and see.

JB: Yeah. I think you’ve answered it yourself.

FA: I agree!

Former Formula One driver Stirling Moss falls down elevator shaft

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:30:40 -0500

Forget for a moment that you don’t care about race car driving and probably have no idea who Stirling Moss is and realize that somebody accidentally fell down an elevator shaft. Former Formula... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Photos: Formula 1 Training in Spain

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:35:32 -0500

Italian F-1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, of Force India team in his car to take part in a pre-seasson training session at Catalunya track, outside Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 26 February 2010. German F-1 driver Sebastian Vettel, of Red Bull team, takes part in a pre-seasson training session at Catalunya track, outside Barcelona, northeastern Spain, [...]