Motor racing-Alonso wins German GP in Ferrari one-two

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 25 (Reuters) – Fernando Alonso led Ferrari to a one-two finish in the German Grand Prix on Sunday after denying Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa an emotional victory one year on from a near-fatal crash. While Alonso celebrated his second triumph of the season, and 23rd of his career, it was accompanied by a whiff of controversy with Massa sent what sounded like a veiled message to allow the Spaniard to overtake on lap 49.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull after starting on pole position. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was fourth to extend his overall championship lead to 14 points.

(Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Hamilton leads McLaren one-two in Montreal

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton held off his McLaren team mate Jenson Button to win Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix and jump to the top of the Formula One drivers’ championship.

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In a repeat of the last race in Turkey, Hamilton crossed the line just a few seconds ahead of his fellow-Briton to leapfrog Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber and Button at the top of the standings.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished third to join the two McLaren drivers on the podium while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was fourth and Webber fifth after a thrilling 70-lap race.

Hamilton’s second win in a row took him from third to first place in the championship with a total of 109 points. Button remained second on 106 while Webber dropped to third on 103 ahead of Alonso (94) and Vettel (90).

While there were no major crashes the race, back on the program after being left off last year, lived up to its reputation as one of the most enthralling races on the Formula One calendar.

Five different drivers held the lead as teams were forced into a strategic battle to keep their tires from falling apart on the street circuit.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin)

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Hamilton smiles while Red Bull smarts

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton returned to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time this season on Sunday with a smile of delight that only rubbed salt in Red Bull’s wounds.

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The 2008 world champion, without a victory since September, led McLaren team mate and champion Jenson Button in a one-two finish in Turkey after his Red Bull rivals collided in front of him.

While Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel blamed each other, Hamilton put on a display of harmony afterwards by embracing Button and hugging his team mate’s father before spraying the champagne.

The two Britons had also jousted on track, fighting hard for the lead without putting a wheel out of place or banging into each other.

Button offered his immediate congratulations over the team radio: “That was excellent, well done Lewis,” said the older Briton, who has already won twice this season.

“Me and Jenson had a good little battle,” said the 25-year-old Hamilton of his 12th career win. “He got me on the outside into turn 13 and then fortunately I was able to get him back into turn one and so that was definitely unexpected.

FAIR BATTLE

“But a really fair battle with him and a great result for the team. Our second one-two. I think we truly deserved it and I want to dedicate this win to my dad. It’s his 50th birthday tomorrow. Perfect way for him to celebrate.”

The only jarring point of the afternoon came when a questioner asked Hamilton at the post-race news conference whether he was now back.

“I don’t think I was ever gone,” he said.

“I have just been a little unfortunate up until now and I think bit by bit myself and the team have just worked very hard to chip away.

“Yesterday we qualified second. We knew that was just one step we needed to make. They made it very tough for us but we put up a good fight.”

Hamilton was right behind the Red Bulls when they collided 18 laps from the finish and he could scarcely believe his luck.

“It was great to watch, it was like an action movie in HD or 3D; it was fantastic,” said the Englishman, now third in the standings and nine points off Webber’s lead.

Hamilton also had his American singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger with him at a race for the first time this year and is sure to encourage her to come along more often.

“I wouldn’t say no to it,” he said when asked whether she was his good luck charm.

“Every time she seems to come I seem to win. I think it was Monaco 2008 she came, Hungary I won and Singapore (last year), so she is definitely a little bit lucky for me I think.”

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Massa seeks win in Ferrari’s 800th GP

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A red letter day for Formula One glamour team Ferrari this weekend provides the perfect occasion for Felipe Massa to rekindle his Turkish Grand Prix love affair.

Sunday’s seventh round of the season will be the scuderia’s 800th grand prix, a milestone no other team is close to matching, and the Italians would dearly love to celebrate in style.

Massa could be just the man, even if rampant Red Bull look the runaway favourites after taking pole position in every race so far.

The Brazilian, fifth in the championship and 12 points adrift of his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso, has not won a race since 2008, having missed much of last year due to life-threatening head injuries suffered in Hungary last July.

Three races ago he was leading the standings but now needs to get back at least on level-pegging terms with Alonso, who won the season-opener in Bahrain.

Istanbul Park, out near the city’s second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, has favoured the little Brazilian like no other driver since the country first hosted Formula One in 2005.

Two years ago, after winning there for the third time in a row, Massa quipped that he was about ready to apply for Turkish citizenship.

“It’s a great memory,” he told the Ferrari website (www.ferrari.com) this week. “It’s a track I love to race, I enjoy driving this track and I won three times in five races.”

“I think it gives even more motivation to go there…to push even harder and fight for the victory,” he added.

Fantastic feeling

The circuit, running anti-clockwise like his beloved home Interlagos track, also gave Massa his first Formula One pole position and first victory in 2006.

“I believe we can bring a good car,” he said. “I think if everything works perfectly, we can have a competitive car.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to be a small part of these 800 grand prix for Ferrari,” he added. “I will try my best to go to Turkey to fight for the victory, to have also a nice celebration about these 800 grands prix. It’s a fantastic feeling to be inside this nice story.”

Alonso, the double champion who has already stamped his authority on the team, will be a big threat but the Red Bulls could again be just too fast for any rivals.

Australian Mark Webber will be going for his third win in a row while German team mate Sebastian Vettel, level at the top of the standings on points but behind on race wins, is another Turkey lover.

Vettel, who will have a different chassis to the one used in the last two races after a defect was found post-Monaco, made his Formula One debut in Turkey as a Friday test driver with BMW-Sauber in 2006 at the age of 19. The youngster made an instant impression, as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recalled.

“I said to him, right before his very first free practice… that he had received his super license just temporarily, ‘so don’t screw up but justify our trust in you’,” the 79-year-old Briton told formula1.com.

“The next thing I saw was his name on the very top of the timesheets. Then I thought to myself that this boy, only 18 years-old, is a sensation.”

Vettel, still just 22, started on pole last year and could well walk away from Turkey with the outright lead of the championship.

Red Bull have started every race this year on pole, and Istanbul has historically smiled on the top slot.

Britain’s Jenson Button won last year in a Brawn car he described at the time as a ‘monster’. His McLaren cannot claim a similar moniker but the world champion and team mate Lewis Hamilton will still be challenging for victory anyway.

HRT, Dallara part company

Formula One newcomers Hispania (HRT) will take over development of their car after ending a partnership with Italian chassis maker Dallara, the Spanish-based team said on Wednesday.

HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, and Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara Automobili S.p.A have together agreed on amicable terms not to pursue their collaboration, they said in a statement ahead of Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. Hispania Racing will continue to develop and improve the Dallara designed F110 chassis via its own development program, added the team.

Dallara completed the car for Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok this season after a late rescue of the cash-strapped team. The car had been commissioned by Campos Meta, which was renamed Hispania after a takeover by Jose Ramon Carabante in February. Reuters

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INTERVIEW – Cosworth able to engage fifth team – head

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cosworth would be able to supply engines to a fifth Formula One team next season but expect competition from Renault, according to manager Mark Gallagher.

Renault last week indicated that they were looking to power another team in addition to their own and championship leaders Red Bull, triggering speculation that Cosworth could lose one of their four current customers — possibly Williams or Lotus.

Gallagher, who heads Cosworth’s F1 operations, told Reuters in a telephone interview before Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix that he was sure all four would stay with the British-based company and suggested Renault were more likely to do a deal with a possible new entry.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) has sought applications to fill the 13th and final slot on the grid, unless anyone else pulls out, after a planned USF1 entry failed to materialise this year.

“The obvious solution (for Renault) is actually the 13th team that is coming into Formula One,” said Gallagher. “My gut feeling is that it is probably a Cosworth-Renault competition to supply the 13th team.”

Mercedes and Ferrari already supply three teams each. Cosworth’s current teams are Williams, HRT, Virgin Racing and Lotus.

Gallagher said providing engines for five teams would be ambitious but feasible, since they would have supplied USF1.

“It certainly wouldn’t be a problem to step up to the mark again and do it for next season,” he added.

STRONG ENOUGH

The Northern Irishman, who formerly worked at Jaguar and as marketing chief for Eddie Jordan at the team that now lives on as Force India, said there were a couple of serious candidates capable of filling the 13th slot.

“There are still teams out there that are strong enough,” he said. “I think, interestingly, the people this time around have seen what has happened to the new teams, they’ve seen just how difficult it is.

“I think anyone who is coming forward now comes forward…perhaps with their eyes even more open.”

None of the 2010 newcomers, who have all signed three-year engine deals, have scored a point in six races and just getting two cars to the finish has been a victory of sorts.

Gallagher said all three debutants had done an impressive job while Cosworth had delivered what they had promised in terms of reliability and affordability. That just left competitiveness to be addressed.

Former champions Williams, he made clear, were pushing them hard on that.

“The whole reason we jumped at the chance to work with Williams is that when you have a driver like (Rubens) Barrichello, who’s proven to everybody that he’s still at the top of his game, he was going to tell us exactly what we needed to do to optimise the engine’s performance,” he said.

“When you are working with people like (Lotus technical head Mike) Gascoyne and (Williams co-owner) Patrick Head, they are able to say ‘This is where you need to be at’ and we are comfortable that we met or surpassed those targets,” he added.

“We have no fear of any other engine in Formula One,” added Gallagher. “Of course having been out of Formula One for three years, we are having to do things to get the engine mapping right and the programming to optimise the way the engine delivers its power.

“But we are making improvements literally every race weekend and we are seeing the result of that on the track.”

Gallagher also played down talk of an impending flotation of Cosworth, who were sold by Ford to U.S. based motor racing entrepreneurs Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe in 2004.

“This is pure speculation and we kind of accept that this will happen from time to time,” he said.

“We are seeing something like 30 percent year on year growth and that’s not all down to Formula One. As a result of that we are often the target of various approaches and then you get the media speculation that comes on from that.”

(Editing by…To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Massa fired up for Ferrari red letter day

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A red letter day for Formula One glamour team Ferrari this weekend provides the perfect occasion for Felipe Massa to rekindle his Turkish Grand Prix love affair.

Sunday’s seventh round of the season will be the scuderia’s 800th grand prix, a milestone no other team is close to matching, and the Italians would dearly love to celebrate in style.

Massa could be just the man, even if rampant Red Bull look the runaway favourites after taking pole position in every race so far.

The Brazilian, fifth in the championship and 12 points adrift of his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso, has not won a race since 2008, having missed much of last year due to life-threatening head injuries suffered in Hungary last July.

Three races ago he was leading the standings but now needs to get back at least on level-pegging terms with Alonso, who won the season-opener in Bahrain.

Istanbul Park, out near the city’s second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, has favoured the little Brazilian like no other driver since the country first hosted Formula One in 2005.

Two years ago, after winning there for the third time in a row, Massa quipped that he was about ready to apply for Turkish citizenship.

“It’s a great memory,” he told the Ferrari website (www.ferrari.com) this week. “It’s a track I love to race, I enjoy driving this track and I won three times in five races.

“I think it gives even more motivation to go there…to push even harder and fight for the victory.

FANTASTIC FEELING

The circuit, running anti-clockwise like his beloved home Interlagos track, also gave Massa his first Formula One pole position and first victory in 2006.

“I believe we can bring a good car,” he said. “I think if everything works perfectly, we can have a competitive car.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to be a small part of these 800 grands prix for Ferrari,” he added. “I will try my best to go to Turkey to fight for the victory, to have also a nice celebration about these 800 grands prix.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to be inside this nice story.”

Alonso, the double champion who has already stamped his authority on the team, will be a big threat but the Red Bulls could again be just too fast for any rivals.

Australian Mark Webber will be going for his third win in a row while German team mate Sebastian Vettel, level at the top of the standings on points but behind on race wins, is another Turkey lover.

Vettel, who will have a different chassis to the one used in the last two races after a defect was found post-Monaco, made his Formula One debut in Turkey as a Friday test driver with BMW-Sauber in 2006 at the age of 19.

The youngster made an instant impression, as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recalled.

“I said to him, right before his very first free practice… that he had received his super license just temporarily, so don’t screw up but justify our trust in you,” the 79-year-old Briton told the formula1.com website.

“The next thing I saw was his name on the very top of the timesheets. Then I thought to myself that this boy, only 18 years-old, is a sensation.”

Vettel, still just 22, started on pole last year and could well walk away from Turkey with the outright lead of the championship.

Red Bull have started every race this year on pole, and Istanbul has historically smiled on the top slot.

Britain’s Jenson Button won last year in a Brawn car he described at the time as a ‘monster’. His McLaren cannot claim a similar moniker but the world champion and team mate Lewis Hamilton will still be challenging for victory anyway.

(Editing by John O’Brien;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Formula One statistics for Turkish Grand Prix

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

REUTERS – Selected statistics for Sunday’s Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit:

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WINS

Mark Webber’s victory in Monaco was his second in a row and fourth of his career. Red Bull have now won nine races in Formula One and three out of six this season.

The last driver to win three successive races was world champion Jenson Button with Brawn last year.

The last Australian to win three in a row was Alan Jones in 1980/1981 (last two of 1980 and first of 1981).

Ferrari have won 211 times while McLaren are the second most successful team with 166 victories. Williams have 113 wins.

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POLE POSITION

Red Bull have started every race this season on pole position (Sebastian Vettel 3, Mark Webber 3). The record of 15 in a season is held jointly by McLaren and Williams.

Webber is the only driver to have won from pole position this season, and has done so in the last two races (Spain and Monaco).

The last team to take seven poles in a row was Ferrari in 2000-2001. Ferrari have not been on pole since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The last driver to take three successive poles was Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in 2007.

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CHAMPIONSHIP

Four drivers have led the championship in six races this season – Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Massa, Button and Webber.

Webber is the first Australian to top the standings since Jones in 1981.

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FRONT ROW

Red Bull have started the last 10 races with at least one car on the front row.

Despite his two wins, championship leader Jenson Button has not started on the front row since Turkey last June.

McLaren last started on the front row in Abu Dhabi last November.

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TURKEY

In five Turkish Grands Prix, the race has only once not been won by the driver starting on pole position. That was Button who won with Brawn last year after starting in second place.

Brazilian Massa has the best record at the track, with three wins in a row.

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QUALIFYING

Two drivers have yet to qualify ahead of their team mates this season: Renault’s Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov and Virgin’s Brazilian rookie Lucas di Grassi.

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POINTS

Webber and Massa are the only drivers to have scored points in every race.

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MILESTONE

Sunday’s race will be the 800th Formula One grand prix that Ferrari have taken part in, the first being the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.

(Compiled by Alan Baldwin; Editing by John O’Brien;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Red Bull win in Turkey can ruin F1 championship title bid: Button

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button believes that his race for the championship title could be over in Turkey, if the Red Bull team romp away with the silverware yet again.

Button is currently fourth in the championship standings behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, and Ferarri”s Fernando Alonso.

The circuit in Istanbul should suit McLaren’s aero strengths, but if Red Bull dominates again after their 1-2 at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, it could spell disaster for the reigning champion, The Mirror reports.

Button trails Webber by eight points, but said: “This team have the resources, the manpower and the passion to succeed and to chase, and this is what they will do.”

“We’ve had a couple of issues in the last two races with reliability and mistakes, but we have to put those behind us now and focus on the next race in Turkey. We’ve got to come with a stronger car, and we can”t make any mistakes,” he added.

The Red Bull drivers are favourites to win the title this year, with the team already leading the constructors’ championship, 20 points ahead of Ferrari.

They have consistently out-paced others till now in the season, claiming pole position for all six races. (ANI)

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Red Bull dismiss Button as title threat

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button has been dismissed as a title threat by his main rivals Red Bull.

Button has dropped from first to fourth in the championship standings behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

Red Bull claims that Button’s McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso are the only men to fear.

“There are two people we fear for this world title. They are Alonso, because he is at his absolute peak, and Hamilton,” The Sun quoted Helmut Marko, Red Bull adviser, as saying.

“What the others are doing doesn’t bother us so much,” he added.

The Red Bull drivers are favourites to win the title this year, with the team already leading the constructors’ championship, 20 points ahead of Ferrari.

They have consistently out-paced others till now in the season, claiming pole position for all six races. (ANI)

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Hamilton looks for clean sweep against Red Bull heroes in Brit GP

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): Formula One 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton has said that he wants revenge in the form a clean sweep against the Red Bulls in next month”s British Grand Prix.

The Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are dominating their rivals, starting all six rounds from pole and winning three times.

“It was a bit too easy for Red Bull. They are a long way ahead but I have a lot of belief and faith in my team. I still reckon we can win both championships. We”re the best team,” The Sun quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

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Hamilton warns McLaren to sort out mess or forget about title

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 18 (ANI): Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has warned his team to sort the mess out, after McLaren was swept from the top of the drivers and constructors championships by the Red Bulls.

Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button’s challenge for title glory has been hit by a series of reliability problems.

Button slumped from top of the drivers standings to fourth after his engine blew up in Monaco on Sunday, The Sun reports.

Button is now eight points behind of race winner Mark Webber with Hamilton at seventh position.

Hamilton said: “We’ve under-performed. We’ve a big gap to make up. I doubt whether we can catch up with them by the next race. It’s not impossible but not likely. It’s up to me and Jenson to go in and really push the guys and get them on it.”

“We have to keep stressing to them they have to make that step forward. But they are under no illusions we have a big gap to make up.

“It’s too easy for Red Bull at the moment. They weren’t even pushing in the race. It’s not that it was scary but it was just taking the mickey a little bit,” the paper quoted him, as saying.

Hamilton fears it could take until the British Grand Prix on July 11 before he and Button can trouble Red Bull.

“I’m hoping by Silverstone we will be able to challenge them. Just imagine me and Jenson with a one-two. We’re fired up – don’t worry about that. I think we’re doing an exceptional job considering our true pace. We’re punching a bit above our weight. I still reckon we can win both championships. We”re the best team,” he said. (ANI)

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Webber takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Monte Carlo, May 15 (DPA) Mark Webber of Red Bull will start from pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix after holding off the challenge of Renault’s Robert Kubica to finish fastest in Saturday’s qualifying session.

The Australian, who also won last week’s Spanish GP, clocked 1 minute 13.826 seconds for the 3.340-kilometre street circuit to grab his third pole of the season and fourth overall.

Kubica will start from second on the grid after registering a time of 1:14.120 minutes, followed by Sebastian Vettel in the second Red Bull and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

Red Bull have now claimed top spot on the grid for all six races so far this season while Renault engines occupy the top three places for Sunday’s race.

‘Today’s lap just all came together, nice clean exits,’ said Australia’s Webber.

‘Three Renault engines and to get pole at Monaco is a nice feeling.’

Kubica was fastest in the final free practice session but had to yield to Webber’s superior pace in qualifying.

‘This was a good effort for us, the team and myself,’ said the Pole, adding that he thought the result was the best his team could have expected.

‘So far, so good. When you are so close it’s better to finish first but we have to be happy.’

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had to be satisfied with fifth place while team-mate and championship leader Jenson Button qualified down in eighth spot behind Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso will have to start from the pit-lane after crashing out in final free practice earlier in the day.

The two-time world champion crashed into the barriers at Massenet 23 minutes into the hour-long session and was unable to repair the damage to his car in time to register a lap time in qualifying.

Defending world champion Button leads the 2010 standings with 70 points from Alonso (67) and Vettel (60) after five of 19 season races.

‘Around here it counts a lot to have driveability,’ said Vettel.

‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’s a long race and lots of things can happen.’

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Webber emulates Brabham with Monaco pole

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber looked forward to picking up the baton from compatriot and Formula One great Jack Brabham after putting his Red Bull on pole position for Sunday’s showcase Monaco Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old’s second pole in the space of a week continued his team’s stranglehold on the top slot, with Renault-powered Red Bull chalking up six out of six this season.

Webber secured it by three tenths of a second from Poland’s Robert Kubica in a Renault, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel pushed into third place in Saturday’s qualifying at the harbourside circuit.

“The first lap went ok, I brushed the Armco (barriers) pretty hard at the start of the second sector…I finished that one and then went for another. It just all came together,” said the Australian, winner in Spain from pole last weekend.

The pole at the most evocative race in Formula One was the fourth of Webber’s career and the first at Monaco by an Australian since triple world champion Jack Brabham in 1967.

Brabham, now the oldest surviving champion at 84, also took his first F1 win in Monaco in 1959 — the only time an Australian has won on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean principality.

“I wouldn’t be here without Jack Brabham,” said Webber, reminded of the fact. “My Dad followed Jack when he was a young boy and that started I suppose the dream in the Webber household.

“Jack is an absolute legend of the sport and he’s been very good to me over the years…of course it’s an honour to get the pole today but it would be the biggest highlight of my career if I can join him tomorrow.”

ALONSO ABSENT

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa completed the second row in fourth place.

His team mate Fernando Alonso, a two times Monaco winner, watched qualifying from the garage after wrecking his car in final practice. The Spaniard, second in the championship behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, will start from the pit lane.

“This is the worst possible place to have to start from, given that overtaking is always problematic,” said Alonso.

“It was my mistake but it was also very unlucky, because with an impact at 90 (kph) you don’t normally write off a chassis.”

World champion Button, last year’s winner on the metal-fenced streets with Brawn GP, just sneaked through to the third and final phase of qualifying and secured eighth slot on the grid.

The Briton was unhappy with Massa however, accusing the Brazilian of impeding him.

“He backed off to get a clear lap for the next lap and he cost me time, so what happened can’t be any clearer. I don’t know what he was thinking,” he said. “He obviously wasn’t looking in his mirrors…he blatantly slowed me down.”

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 winner, qualified fifth with Germany’s Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes and back in front of team mate Michael Schumacher — who said the younger German had also cost him a quick lap.

Schumacher, a five times winner in Monaco and making a comeback at the age of 41 and after three years out, qualified seventh.

Fears that qualifying could be crash-strewn and chaotic, with three much slower new teams on the track and expanding the field to 24 cars since last year’s race, proved unfounded.

The only casualty was Renault’s Russian Vitaly Petrov, who slewed into the barriers at Ste. Devote in the second session and starts 14th.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

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Kubica hails Renault return to front row

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Poland’s Robert Kubica celebrated Renault’s return to the quick end of the Formula One starting grid on Saturday after he qualified on the front row for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The French manufacturer, world champions in 2005 and 2006, failed to win a race last year and ended the season in turmoil with a suspended permanent ban from the sport after a race-fixing scandal.

Although Fernando Alonso took pole in Hungary last July, before the scandal broke, and finished third in Singapore, the team’s future was up in the air until a takeover was agreed in December with Luxembourg-based businessman Gerard Lopez.

Since then, Kubica has helped revive their fortunes with some determined drives and Saturday’s qualifying was his best grid placing of the year so far.

“It’s a great day for us,” he told reporters. “Five months ago the team was not sure whether we would exist and we are here in Monaco on the front row.”

Kubica finished second in Australia, fourth in Malaysia and fifth in China and is now a challenger again for what would be only the second win of his career.

In Spain last weekend he had qualified only seventh, well adrift of Australian Mark Webber’s Red Bull on pole. Webber was again on pole in Monaco but the gap was reduced to less than three tenths of a second this time.

“If the same car (Webber’s) is one and a half seconds quicker in Barcelona, there is no reason why we should qualify in front of them,” Poland’s first and only F1 driver said of his performance.

“I was already surprised by our pace in free practice and qualifying but miracles don’t happen from one day to another.

“Of course when you are so close you are a bit upset but we have to be realistic and it was a great day for all of Renault.”

Kubica, always at home on a street circuit and winner in Canada in 2008 with BMW Sauber, was confident for the race.

“Generally the characteristic of the car is similar to two days ago and to this morning, actually this morning I felt the car was a bit better with changes more for the race,” he said.

“I was scared with a lot of fuel we would have too much bottoming, so we put up a bit the ride height and raised the car a bit…in qualifying we were slightly at a disadvantage but I think for the race it will be a bit better.

“Of course in Monaco the race is a bit different, it is not about race pace but bringing the car home, pitting at the right moment, getting out of pitstop without traffic,” said the Pole.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

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Webber puts Red Bull on pole in Monaco

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber dreamed of emulating compatriot and Formula One great Jack Brabham on Saturday after putting his Red Bull on pole position for the showcase Monaco Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old’s second pole in the space of a week continued his team’s stranglehold on the top slot, with Renault-powered Red Bull chalking up six out of six races this season.

Webber secured it by three tenths of a second from Poland’s Robert Kubica in a Renault, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel pushed into third place.

“The first lap went ok, I brushed the Armco (barriers) pretty hard at the start of the second sector…I finished that one and then went for another. It just all came together,” said the Australian, winner in Spain from pole last weekend.

The pole was the fourth of Webber’s career and the first at Monaco by an Australian since triple world champion Jack Brabham in 1967.

Brabham, now the oldest surviving champion at 84, also took his first F1 win in Monaco in 1959 — the only time an Australian has won on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean principality.

“I wouldn’t be here without Jack Brabham,” said Webber, reminded of the fact. “My Dad followed Jack when he was a young boy and that started I suppose the dream in the Webber household.

“Jack is an absolute legend of the sport and he’s been very good to me over the years…of course it’s an honour to get the pole today but it would be the biggest highlight of my career if I can join him tomorrow.”

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa completed the second row in fourth place.

His team mate Fernando Alonso, a two times Monaco winner, watched qualifying from the garage after wrecking his car in final practice. The Spaniard, second in the championship behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, will start from the pit lane.

World champion Button, last year’s winner on the metal-fenced streets of the principality with Brawn GP, just sneaked through to the third and final phase of qualifying and secured eighth slot on the grid.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 winner, qualified fifth with Germany’s Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes and back in front of team mate Michael Schumacher.

The older German, a five times winner in Monaco and making a comeback at the age of 41 and after three years out, qualified seventh.

Fears that qualifying could be crash-strewn and chaotic, with three much slower new teams on the track and expanding the field to 24 cars since last year’s race, proved unfounded.

The only casualty was Renault’s Russian Vitaly Petrov, who slewed into the barriers at Ste. Devote in the second session and starts 14th.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

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Webber on pole for Monaco Grand Prix

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber made sure of Red Bull’s sixth successive pole position after qualifying quickest for the showcase Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

Poland’s Robert Kubica split the two Red Bulls by putting his Renault alongside Webber on the front row and ahead of Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa completed the second row in fourth place.

His team mate Fernando Alonso, a two times Monaco winner, watched qualifying from the garage after wrecking his car in final practice. The Spaniard, second in the championship behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, will start from the pit lane.

World champion Button, last year’s winner on the metal-fenced streets of the principality with Brawn GP, just sneaked through to the third and final phase of qualifying and secured eighth slot on the grid.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Alison Wildey

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Formula One to ban F-ducts from next season

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 11 (ANI): The controversial F-ducts, allow drivers to divert airflow through the cockpit to “stall” the rear wings of their cars, decreasing drag and boosting speed, will be banned by Formula One from next season.

McLaren pioneered the breakthrough decision, which sidestepped the rule that there can be no moveable aerodynamic devices on cars.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button diverted air coming through a vent on the top of their McLarens by blocking a hole in the cockpit with their knees, The Sun reports.

But the controversy emerged again during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix after Ferrari turned up with a more radical and potentially dangerous system.

Driver Fernando Alonso was seen blocking a hole at his side with a special pad on the outside of his left glove. That resulted in the absurd situation where he was often driving at 190mph with only one hand on the steering wheel.

And when adjusting his brake balance with his right hand, he had no hands on the wheel at all, The Sun reports.

Team chief Stefano Domenicali joked that Alonso must have been steering with his legs.

The Mercedes, Sauber and Williams teams have also come up with variations of the system.

McLaren objected to the ban at a post-GP meeting of the Formula One Teams Association.

But the association voted in favour of outlawing the systems from the end of this season, on safety and cost grounds, The Sun reports.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose driver Mark Webber dominated the Spanish race, revealed his team were still looking into F-ducts. (ANI)

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Webber wins for runaway Red Bull in Spain

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber won the Spanish Grand Prix for rampant Red Bull on Sunday after leading from start to finish at Formula One’s most predictable circuit.

For a record 10th year in succession at the Circuit de Catalunya, the driver who started on pole position took the chequered flag as winner in the Catalan sunshine.

“Fantastic, you were untouchable,” the team told Webber, the first driver to win from pole this year, after he crossed the line a massive 24 seconds clear of Ferrari’s second placed Fernando Alonso.

“It was a fantastic result and I’m absolutely thrilled,” said the Australian of his third career win. “We had a faultless grand prix weekend.

“We’ve missed a few points in the constructors’ (championship) but a very special day for me.”

Spaniard Alonso, celebrating his first home race for the Italian team, inherited a crowd-pleasing runner-up position when McLaren’s hard-charging Lewis Hamilton crashed out when a front tyre suddenly deflated on the penultimate lap.

“I was just cruising to the finish line – it was great points for me. But then I blew a tyre with two laps to go. That’s motor-racing,” Hamilton told BBC television.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who had started on the front row alongside Webber, finished third despite suffering brake problems.

SCHUMACHER FOURTH

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher was fourth, the best result so far of the 41-year-old’s comeback season, with McLaren’s Jenson Button unable to find a way past and forced to settle for fifth.

Button, Hamilton’s team mate and reigning world champion, stayed top of the standings with 70 points to Alonso’s 67 after five of the season’s 19 races.

“The pace was good but it doesn’t make any difference if you can’t overtake,” said Button.

“I damaged my tyres quite badly. Really disappointing. It all came from the first pit stop. We had a problem with the clutch dragging. It’s not the result we wanted or deserved.”

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa was sixth, Germany’s Adrian Sutil seventh for Force India and Poland’s Robert Kubica eighth for Renault.

Williams returned to the points with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in ninth place and local youngster Jaime Alguersuari took the final point for Toro Rosso at his home track and despite a drive-through penalty.

The biggest challenge Webber faced, after holding off Vettel’s attempts to squeeze past at the start, was keeping alert as he lapped in splendid isolation and headed for a seemingly inevitable triumph.

Webber was the fourth different winner in five races.

Hamilton’s exit was the biggest shock of what had otherwise threatened to be a slow-burning afternoon after three thrill-filled races in the Far East.

“It was a deflation. It could have been debris caught in the rim. It’s not a straightforward puncture,” said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

“The tyres were in reasonable shape. I think probably debris caused the failure, but that’s speculation.”

Germany’s Nico Rosberg, who had been second overall going into the weekend, finished out of the points and behind team mate Schumacher for the first time this season.

On a nightmare afternoon for the young German, he had a problem at his first pitstop when the team released him before the front right wheel nuts had been tightened and had to stop and be pushed back.

(Editing by Kevin Fylan. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Webber wins Spanish Grand Prix for Red Bull

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber led from start to finish to win the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday.

Spain’s Fernando Alonso was second for Ferrari with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel third for Red Bull.

(Editing by Kevin Fylan. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Formula One struggles home after volcano disruption

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Formula One teams were reunited with their cars and equipment on Thursday after being stranded for days in China by flight chaos caused by ash from an Icelandic volcano.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who flew home to Britain after a ‘five stop strategy’ taking in Dubai, Rome, Nice and Glasgow before a final helicopter trip south, said the sport would take the disruption in its stride.

“Thankfully, the way the calendar is with the extra week between the Chinese and Spanish Grand Prix, it has a very limited impact,” he told the team website (www.redbullracing.com).

“There’s still over a week to turn the cars around and a lot of the components for the next race are produced here in the factory.”

“The factory hasn’t been affected. Obviously the turnaround components are a little bit out of synch now, coming back two or three days late, but with the additional week we’re confident it won’t cause us any major issues.”

The Spanish Grand Prix is in Barcelona on May 9.

Horner, who arrived home on Tuesday with Australian driver Mark Webber after Sunday’s race in Shanghai, said the rest of the team were due back on Thursday with the planes transporting the race cars expected a few hours earlier.

He said the only hitch to his travels was when Webber discovered on arrival in Scotland that he had forgotten his passport.

Some 55 Lotus team members, plus media and other F1 personnel, arrived back in Britain late on Wednesday — thankful that the Malaysian team’s principal Tony Fernandes also runs his own Air Asia airline.

Others were less fortunate, however.

A Force India spokeswoman, still in Shanghai and contacted by Reuters, said most of that team were still waiting for a flight out.

“Our drivers got out on Tuesday, so they are sorted,” she added. “(British test driver) Paul (Di Resta) is racing in the DTM (in Germany this weekend) so it was a bit more critical for him to get back.”

“The majority of the team are flying back on a charter expected to be leaving at some point tomorrow,” she added.

Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has the advantage of a private jet, appeared to have been the clear winner of what some have dubbed the ‘Volcanic Grand Prix’ to get home first.

“Predictably Bernie beat all of us back,” said Horner, whose German driver Sebastian Vettel got a lift with Ecclestone to Istanbul before catching another plane to Nice.

“I phoned him from Glasgow, very proud that we’d landed on British soil, only for him to say that he’d already been in the office for three hours.”

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar;

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