This was a tale of two races. The first thirds of the race was dominated by Lewis Hamilton who led from the pole. The final two-thirds was a different story as a gearbox failure ended Lewis’ day and handed the victory to Sebastian Vettel. Meanwhile, the action off-track was even more interesting than the on-track action with the 2013 calendar being unveiled and more silly season news breaking. Continue reading
Fernando Alonso
F1 German GP: Seeing Red
The McLarens showed up this weekend with some new updates which had them fastest in Friday’s opening practice. The Red Bulls had been showing strong pace and Fernando Alonso said that the RB8 was the fastest car since the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, a fast car can only get you so far. Sometimes, having the fastest driver is all you need. After disappointment in the final stretch of the British Grand Prix, Alonso fought off the pressure to pick up his third win of the season. Continue reading
F1 British GP: Seeing Red (Bull)
From the start of the race, it appeared as though Fernando Alonso would storm off to his second-straight win. However, the race isn’t won until the drop of the checkered flag. A poor call on strategy cost Alonso the race as Red Bull outsmarted Ferrari which allowed Mark Webber to pick up his second win of the season. Continue reading
F1 European GP: Hometown Hero
For the first time this season, we have a repeat winner. It was only appropriate that the driver who has gotten the most out of his equipment this season and was racing in a home race was the first driver to win two races this year as Fernando Alonso picked up the surprise win. For a race on the streets of Valencia, this race was full of drama with passing and crashing a regular occurrence. The race will also be remembered for Michael Schumacher scoring the first podium of his comeback as he scored a hard-fought third place finish. Continue reading
F1 Malaysian GP: Slip and Slide
A race that would have been very straight forward for the McLaren if it stayed dry became an instant classic thanks to the changing conditions of the Sepang Circuit. In the end, it wasn’t the Mercedes-powered cars that led the way but the Ferraris that were in front at the end of the race. The first driver across the line was Fernando Alonso but he wasn’t the star of the race. The real hero of the day was Sergio Perez who hounded Alonso home to finish in second. Continue reading
Formula One: 2011 Barcelona Test 2 Recap
With the Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled because of political unrest, pre-season testing was extended for Formula One. All 12 teams were in attendance for the final test which was once again held at the Circuit de Catalunya, host to the Spanish Grand Prix. Not surprisingly, Red Bull and Ferrari were the fastest looking cars once again. However, a few more teams laid down some times to show that they wouldn’t be pushovers either. Continue reading
Formula One: Pirelli Tires Test
For the first time in 19 years, Pirelli tires took to the track on a Formula One race car. Just days after the final race of the season, most of the stars of F1 were back testing to get a head start on the 2011 season. Like it was toward the end of the season, Ferrari was the dominant car in this season as the Scuderia had the fastest car on each of the two days of the test. However, hot on their heels was World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Continue reading
F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Passing The Torch
The final race of the season didn’t need a contrived playoff format to produce proper drama in the final round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship. With the World Constructors’ Championship all wrapped up, the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel looked to steal the championship from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Vettel did all he could to win the title by speeding away from Alonso and Webber but it took a little bit of help for the German to win the World Drivers’ Championship. A bad strategy call dropped Alonso down the standings and it was Sebastian Vettel who won the 2010 Formula One World Championship. Continue reading
F1 Korean GP: Yes, It Actually Happened
It wasn’t until twelve days before the Grand Prix that we actually knew that there would be a Korean Grand Prix. It turns out that saying that was relative, really. It seemed like driver that led the most laps was Bernd Maylander who drives the safety car. Rain mixed with a lack of adequate drainage of the track meant a pair of starts behind the safety car. It was Sebastian Vettel that was scored as leading the most laps until his Renault engine grenaded. That let Fernando Alonso through to win and take the Drivers’ Championship lead. Continue reading
F1 Italian GP: Forza Ferrari
In Italy, there is no team other than Ferrari. Sure, football (or soccer as it’s known in my half of the world) is the national sport but the national team is Scuderia Ferrari. The Tifosi were out in full force at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. And they went home happy as Fernando Alonso scored the pole and the win in his first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari as the Scuderia put both drivers on the podium. Alonso’s win combined with poor outings for the championship leaders also gave us a much more interesting championship picture heading into the final stretch of the season. Continue reading
The Lowdown 