F1 2011 review - Sebastian's perfect season

THE 2010 Formula One season has gone down as one of the most special seasons ever and it ended with the youngest ever world champion.  Just what would 2011 deliver?  The new season began with new regulations, such as the introduction of DRS which was brought in to make overtaking more possible in races.  KERS made a return after its 2009 failure and Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli returned to the sport as the sole tyre supplier after a 20-year absence.  Uprisings in the Arab world forced the postponement and eventual cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix, so once again, the championship would begin in Melbourne.

     From the moment he arrived at the Australian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel set a benchmark which no-one could live with.  He was untouchable at Albert Park, controlling qualifying and dominating the race to win the first event.  It was Red Bull’s first Australian victory and a sign of things to come.  McLaren arrived with a car that looked miles off the pace from their winter testing figures.  They were the surprise of the first race, as Lewis Hamilton produced a fighting performance to come home second, underlining the team’s hard work.  Team-mate Jenson Button had a fierce dice with Felipe Massa in the early stages of the race and got a drive-through penalty for cutting a corner and gaining an advantage on the Brazilian.  It left Button down in sixth by the finish.  Vitaly Petrov drove stunningly to register his first ever podium finish for Renault, a brilliant boost for the team deprived of Robert Kubica’s services this season after the Pole sustained serious injuries in a pre-season rally accident.  Both Sauber’s were disqualified for technical infringements which robbed Sergio Perez of points on his F1 debut, but it did allow Scottish rookie Paul di Resta to get a point in his first race.

Vettel started how it meant to go by winning the first two events

     In the heat of Malaysia, a Red Bull weakness was identified.  The tight packaging of their chassis meant they were struggling to keep KERS reliable.  However, this didn’t stop Vettel who was in a class of his own again, looking after his tyres and an intermittent KERS issue and claimed his fifth victory in the last six events altogether.  Button launched his championship assault with a brilliant second place and Kubica’s stand-in at Renault, Nick Heidfeld was an outstanding third, benefiting from a flying start that had him second into the first corner.  Talking of flying, his team-mate Petrov took to the air in a spectacular exit from the race with three laps remaining.  Old rivals Hamilton and Fernando Alonso clashed again, when the Ferrari misjudged an overtaking move.  For a separate weaving incident, a frustrated Hamilton was penalised and wound up eighth, with Alonso in sixth.

     After running out of fresh tyres in Sepang, Hamilton played the strategy game in China and it worked with a brilliant victory.  He overcame a major oil leak in the garage before the race and saved an extra set of tyres in qualifying to use them in a race that went down in the history books as one of the greatest ever.  Vettel beat Button to pole, but made a poor start and looked tense all afternoon, but showed his championship might with second place.  More KERS problems left Mark Webber in a dismal 18^th on the grid, but he put in a sensational fightback to claim the final place on the podium.  Button was a dejected fourth and produced one of the blunders of the season.  Having led the early stages, he made a terrible mistake and stopped at the wrong pit!  A comical moment, but Jenson would make up for it later in the season.  Felipe Massa’s inferior strategy left him down in sixth, but beating Alonso by 15 seconds made it a solid and sweet performance.  Another man who impressed in China was Nico Rosberg.  He led a significant chunk of the race, but faded badly to fifth by the end.  It was the closest Mercedes GP would get to finishing on the podium this season.

     Another tremendous Grand Prix followed three weeks later in Istanbul.  Pirelli’s tyre mileage left us with a four stop strategy for most of the top runners and overtaking galore with the effective DRS.  Despite crashing in wet practice on Friday and losing a day of race setup, Vettel was a comfortable winner on what turned out to be F1’s last trip to Turkey.  Webber ensured Red Bull had their first 1-2 of the season, coming out on top in a feisty scrap with Alonso, who claimed Ferrari’s first rostrum after a difficult start to the campaign.  A sticky wheel nut at a routine pitstop left Hamilton over 40 seconds adrift in fourth place and Button’s gamble on one less pitstop didn’t work and left him behind Rosberg in sixth.  While Rosberg was picking up points for Mercedes, Michael Schumacher’s weekend was a disaster.  Unnecessary contact with Petrov in the early laps and losing out in many midfield battles left him admitting to feeling ‘no joy’ following his 12^th place finish. 

 

Next stop on the Sebastian Vettel crusade was Barcelona, which surprised many with an exciting duel.  Despite being beaten to pole position by team-mate Mark Webber, Vettel showed his superiority on raceday.  However, he was made to work very hard for his 13^th career victory.  Fernando Alonso’s adoring Spanish public witnessed an incredible start as their hero catapulted from fourth on the grid into the lead.  Sadly, dreadful tyre wear left him ending a lapped fifth.  Vettel led from lap 19 onwards, but Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren was the faster package and hunted him down.  The German’s brilliant defensive driving was enough to take victory again and the team rightly praised his driving, rather than his ‘Crazy Frog’ impression.  Having made an awful start and dropping to tenth on lap one; Jenson Button produced two cracking moves on Alonso and Webber to complete the podium.  Michael Schumacher responded to his critics with a solid run to sixth, ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg whilst Nick Heidfeld came from last after a fire in practice to eighth.

Perez's rookie season was put on hold after this crash in Monaco

     Any driver will claim that winning in Monaco will be the highlight of the season and Vettel added Monte Carlo to his ever increasing trophy cabinet on a turbulent weekend in the principality.  The weekend started with a sickening shunt for Sergio Perez in qualifying.  The Mexican crashed out of the tunnel in Q3 and suffered a bruised thigh and concussion, keeping him out for two races.  In the race, Vettel, Alonso and Button produced a supreme afternoon of driver skill.  Sebastian survived a bad pitstop on lap 16 and stayed out on weaker tyres to hold off the Ferrari and McLaren.  Hamilton had a nightmare weekend, which included a qualifying demotion, then two more drive-through penalties in the race for controversial clashes with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado.  He attacked race stewards in an unsavoury post-race interview, beginning a dark period for the Brit.  Vitaly Petrov was admitted to hospital after being involved in a multiple crash with Adrian Sutil, Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari late on which caused a race stoppage.  Fortunately, the Russian escaped serious injury.   

      If anyone thought F1 2011 had been crazy so far, then the drama of the Canadian Grand Prix exceeded everything.  Five safety cars, a two hour stoppage for a torrential downpour and an amazing finish which had avid fans jumping up and around at 10.15pm in the evening!  Vettel drove brilliantly again and led through most of the chaos, until around the last lap, he ran wide and handed Jenson Button a sensational victory.  Button stormed back from 21^st and last at half-distance, following collisions with team-mate Hamilton and Alonso, which ended both of their races.  For once, Vettel showed he was human and still could crack under pressure.  Webber recovered from his own contact with Hamilton to make it two Red Bulls on the podium, just ahead of Schumacher, who ran as high as second and produced the best drive of his comeback.  Further back, a hard-fought eighth place from a pitlane start saved Jaime Alguersuari from the sack at Toro Rosso.

     After that Canadian excitement, the European Grand Prix disappointed with the usual lack of action in Valencia.  Vettel bounced back from his Montreal slip-up to dominate in trademark fashion.  He took pole position and won at a canter, whilst Alonso beat Webber in a straight fight to take an excellent second for Ferrari.  Hamilton had a very quiet run to fourth, followed by Massa and Button.  All 24 cars that started in Valencia made it to the finish; only the third time in history this has happened, after the 1962 Dutch GP and the 2005 Italian GP.

Alonso was in top form at Silverstone, taking his only win of 2011

An incident-packed British Grand Prix at Silverstone saw our fourth different winner of the season.  Alonso benefited from a poor Red Bull pitstop and Vettel being held up behind Hamilton’s slower McLaren in the middle part of the race to take Ferrari’s first victory since Korea last year.  Webber claimed pole position on Saturday, but dropped behind Vettel at the start and was forced by team boss Christian Horner to “maintain the gap,” in the closing stages.  There were time when memories of Turkey 2010 came flooding back, but a 2-3 result kept Red Bull comfortably clear in the constructors championship.  The Brits had a largely miserable day.  Paul di Resta made contact with Sebastian Buemi and had a dismal pitstop to wreck his hopes of points after qualifying a brilliant sixth, whilst a loose wheel nut ended Button’s grand prix prematurely.  Hamilton stirred the motions with fourth, holding off Massa in an exciting final corner duel, despite fuel management issues.

     Next was a trip to the chilly Eiffel Mountains and the Nurburgring, where Lewis Hamilton put a great weekend together to qualify on the front row behind Mark Webber and win the race.  He jumped the Australian at the start and used great strategy and daring overtaking moves on both Webber and Fernando Alonso to take the spoils.  Alonso was second and Webber back in third.  An off-colour Sebastian Vettel spun early on and seemed unhappy on home soil all weekend.  Nevertheless, smart pit work from Red Bull saw him leapfrog Felipe Massa on the last lap to salvage fourth place.  Once again, Jenson Button was out of luck, forced to retire with hydraulic problems, handing Adrian Sutil a best finish of the season for Force India in sixth place.  The pressure was growing on Nick Heidfeld at Renault after a clash with Sebastian Buemi put him out of the race and his seat in severe jeopardy.

      A week later and the McLaren summer renaissance continued at an unseasonably damp Budapest.  In a race decided by getting on the right tyres at the right time, Button mastered everything again to win in Hungary for the second time in his career.  The race was Hamilton’s for the taking, as he led the majority of it.  However, he was left to rue a missed opportunity when he spun into the path of Paul di Resta, forcing his countryman off the road.  Lewis got a drive-through and pitted six times, but still finished fourth.  Second place for Vettel increased his championship lead, with near rivals, Alonso and Webber finishing behind him in third and fifth respectively.  Heidfeld’s Renault career ended spectacularly when his engine air bottle exploded on pitlane exit, leaving his car in flames.  Fans also felt fiery, when news came through of a new TV deal in Hungary which sees Sky Sports receiving live coverage of every race next season and the BBC settling for partial coverage of ten live events.

Hamilton's crash in Belgium summed up a messy championship

After the summer break, Formula One returned at the end of August to Belgium and the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit.  Despite safety cars and serious concerns over blistered tyres after qualifying, Red Bull took a 1-2 finish.  Vettel handled it all with his usual panache and Webber recovered from a shocking start which saw him ninth into La Source to finish a very strong second.  Hamilton’s faint championship hopes ended when he had a silly collision with Kamui Kobayashi, which speared the McLaren into the barriers.  Team-mate Button started 13^th after a tactical mix-up in qualifying and had to pit early after first corner contact, but produced a stirring fightback to third.  Alonso was hindered by Ferrari’s decision to use one less set of dry tyres and without the grip levels of his rivals, the submissive Spaniard had to settle for fourth.  On the 20^th anniversary of making his F1 debut, Michael Schumacher stormed through from last on the grid after a wheel hub failure in qualifying to record a fabulous fifth place, narrowly ahead of team-mate Rosberg.  Pastor Maldonado scored his first and only point of the season, whilst Bruno Senna qualified a superb seventh on his Renault debut, but blotted his copybook by running into Jaime Alguersuari at the start of the race.

     The final European race of the season was as ever, at Monza and Ferrari country.  Red Bull feared they wouldn’t be very strong, due to the power disadvantage of their Renault engine, but Vettel blew the opposition away.  He produced a meteoric lap to take pole position by half a second on Saturday and despite Alonso beating him off the startline, made a brave and decisive pass on the grass to record another fantastic victory.  Button overwhelmed Alonso later in the race for second place, but despite poor traction from his Ferrari, Fernando still managed to make the podium to give the Tifosi something to shout about.  Michael Schumacher pushed the boundaries in a vigorous defence from Lewis Hamilton for half the race, with Hamilton eventually coming out on top for fourth place.  Massa was a distant sixth after contact early on with Mark Webber; the Australian having a pathetic off into the barriers on his way back to the pits with front wing damage.  Vitantonio Liuzzi produced his nomination for accident of the season, by trying to move his HRT into the points from the back row into turn one!  His ambition backfired, torpedoing Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg out of the race at the first chicane.

     The flyaway finish began under the lights in Singapore, where Sebastian Vettel eased to another victory and within one point of the title.  Jenson Button came second, which was enough to take the fight to Suzuka, but third and fourth place results ended any mathematical hopes for Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso.  The weekend was dominated by two run-ins between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, with a fuming Massa angrily confronting his rival in the interview pen after the race.  Paul di Resta was a notable sixth to achieve his best finish of his 2011 rookie year, whilst Michael Schumacher escaped injury after a nasty looking accident, when he went airborne over Sergio Perez.

Three wins for Button, including an emotional success in Japan

     Sure enough, as expected, Vettel sealed the world championship title at Suzuka, to become the youngest back-to-back champion in the history of the sport and only the ninth driver to achieve such a feat.  Button drove brilliantly once again to take victory, ahead of a hard charging Alonso, but third place was easily enough for Vettel in a gripping Grand Prix.  Once again, Hamilton and Massa made contact during the race, which saw a piece of McLaren bodywork deployed on the racing line and forcing the Safety Car out.  By their 2011 standards, the incident was relatively minor, but it was another flashpoint in a dismal season for both.  Michael Schumacher managed to split Hamilton and Massa at the chequered flag, whilst flu-ridden Perez drove well in his Sauber to eighth, as did Nico Rosberg from 23^rd on the grid to tenth.  However, Suzuka 2011 will be remembered for the place that wrapped up Sebastian Vettel’s glory season.

The German wasn’t finished yet though, as he cruised to his tenth victory of the season in Korea.  Combined with a third place finish for Webber, it sealed the constructor’s championship for Red Bull.  Hamilton blasted to pole, the first non Red Bull pole position of the season, but he was subdued all weekend as he finished second, his split from Nicole Scherzinger seemed to weigh on his mind throughout.  Button, Alonso and Massa completed the top six, leaving slim pickings for the rest.

      F1 made its inaugural visit to India and the sport gave the country the tradition in 2011 of a Sebastian Vettel pole position and a Sebastian Vettel victory.  He led every lap and was simply untouchable.  His 11^th triumph of the season put him within two races of equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season.  Once again, it was Button and Alonso who completed the podium positions which provided a great circuit, but sadly, very poor racing.  Massa and Hamilton became attracted again with their sixth collision of the season.  The Brit’s front wing was damaged and he limped home in seventh.  Massa was blamed this time by the race stewards and awarded a drive-through penalty, but it didn’t matter in the end, as he abused his Ferrari over the plastering kerbing and broke his front suspension.  Mercedes equalled their best result of the season, with Schumacher leading Rosberg home to fifth, as he did at Spa earlier in the season.

      However, Vettel’s hopes of equalling Schumacher’s wins in a season record ended on the second corner in Abu Dhabi.  A sudden deflation on the left-rear tyre sent the champion spinning out of the race.  Hamilton took full advantage and returned to form to secure a brilliant win in a very controlled and measured drive.  As so often the case this season, Alonso outperformed his equipment to take second place for Ferrari and despite a KERS failure, Button made it two McLarens on the podium. 

      Red Bull may have finished off the podium in Abu Dhabi, but they showed their class in the finale at Sao Paulo.  Webber finally ended his barren run by taking a magnificent victory in Brazil, although he was aided by a faulty gearbox problem for his team-mate.  Button wrapped up second in the drivers championship with a podium finish, but Hamilton was out of luck, finishing his largely desperate season off with gearbox failure.  At least he ended his public feud with Massa after the race.  Fourth place for Alonso wasn’t enough to hold off Webber for third place in the driver’s championship final positions.

Vettel and Red Bull were the class of the field in 2011

So, after 19 races in 18 countries and five different winners from three teams, the end has arrived for F1 2011.  Sometimes in the sport, you just have to appreciate greatness and we must hail Sebastian’s perfect season!

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sebastian Vettel 392, Jenson Button 270, Mark Webber 258, Fernando Alonso 257, Lewis Hamilton 227, Felipe Massa 118, Nico Rosberg 89, Michael Schumacher 76, Adrian Sutil 42, Vitaly Petrov 37, Nick Heidfeld 34, Kamui Kobayashi 30, Paul di Resta 27, Jaime Alguersuari 26, Sebastian Buemi 15, Sergio Perez 14, Rubens Barrichello 4, Bruno Senna 2, Pastor Maldonado 1

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP: Red Bull 650, McLaren 497, Ferrari 375, Mercedes GP 165, Renault 73, Force India 69, Sauber 44, Toro Rosso 41, Williams 5

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix - Webber ends barren run in style

SMILES: Webber finally has something to lookback on in 2011

AFTER 18 frustrating months playing second fiddle to his red-hot team-mate Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber finally tasted the champagne on the top step of the podium on Sunday.  The Australian won the 2011 finale in style in Sao Paulo, taking full advantage of a rare reliability issue that hobbled his team-mate.  From second on the grid, Webber was let through into the lead of the Brazilian Grand Prix on lap 29, as world champion Vettel had to battle on with a serious gearbox problem.  Nevertheless, he still finished second as Red Bull Racing put on a demonstration in a race that will quickly be forgotten by the avid F1 fan.

       On Saturday afternoon, Vettel broke another record with his usual pole position.  It was his 15^th of the campaign, eclipsing Nigel Mansell’s mark of 14 that he achieved in 1992.  From the moment the Red Bulls got into turn one first, the rest might have well parked their cars as they had no chance of getting on terms with the team that has had the best equipment, the best pit crew and the best strategies all season.  Vettel was first warned of his gearbox gremlin on lap 14 by his race engineer Rocky.  He was urged to short-shift in third and fourth and although he set some fastest laps to provoke some nerves within the team, Sebastian did what was asked.  Later, he said on the team radio; “I feel like Senna in 91,” which will go down as one of the sound bites of the season.  This was the famous reference to when the late Ayrton Senna won in 1991 with a major gearbox problem.  Webber caught his team leader and Vettel let him by into turn one in a piece of synchronised driving that is more likely to be seen by a couple of truck drivers on the M1.  It was an overtaking manoeuvre that would have struggled to get anyone excited.

       While the Red Bulls dominated at the front, the fans did witness an exciting dice between the other two standout drivers of the season, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.  The Ferrari looked to have the measure of the McLaren for much of the race, as Jenson struggled with a balance on the option tyres.  In fact, Fernando pulled off one of the best passes of the entire season, when he swept right around the outside of the Brit into turn six on lap ten.  52 laps later, Button had reeled him in again, as the Achilles heel of the Ferrari team came back to haunt them again.  Alonso couldn’t get decent consistency on the harder prime Pirelli tyre and Button outmanoeuvred him in turn four.  This decisive move meant Webber stole third place in the drivers’ championship from Alonso at the last event of the season.  

       Lewis Hamilton had a difficult race, as he was another driver to struggle with gearbox issues.  He had his from the tenth lap onwards, but unlike Vettel, his gave up the ghost whilst sixth on lap 48.  It completes a tough season for Hamilton, which sees him finish fifth in the championship and although he looked in good spirits, 2011 will largely be a season he’d like to forget.  At least he ended the feud with Felipe Massa that has ruined both of their seasons, by embracing his rival in parc ferme after the race; a gesture that was widely appreciated by Massa, Martin Whitmarsh and Stefano Domenicalli.  

DAMAGE: Senna and Schumacher harmed each other's races

     It was a race where there wasn’t a lot to shout about for the Brazilian fans.  Massa finished a lonely fifth, although he did pull off some donuts after the race to entertain everyone.  Potentially in his final race, Rubens Barrichello ended up in 14^th place for Williams after making a shocking start and dropping from 12^th to 20^th by the end of the first lap.  Bruno Senna qualified well, but was harshly penalised by the stewards for a clash with Michael Schumacher which wrecked both of their races early on.  The contact at turn one was unnecessary and pointless, but a racing incident.  Bruno damaged his front wing and Schumacher collected a left-rear puncture.  Both finished well out of the reckoning, in 17^th and 15^th places respectively. 

       The path was made clear for Webber to record the seventh victory of his career and his first since the Hungarian Grand Prix last July.  Vettel completed Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 of the season, followed by Button, Alonso and Massa.  Adrian Sutil put in his best drive of the campaign to record a fine sixth place for Force India, as he seeks a drive for next season.  His team-mate Paul di Resta completed a fine rookie season with eighth place and took Force India to within four points of snatching fifth in the constructor’s championship from the underachieving Renault team.  Nico Rosberg had his usual unobtrusive run to seventh place and the final points went to Kamur Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov.  Kobayashi’s two points were crucial, as it kept Sauber ahead of Toro Rosso in the constructor’s championship by three points and could be worth an extra $5million to the team in prize money.

       So, that is it then.  The curtain has come down on a season which has produced five different winners, from three teams, in 19 races across the globe, taking place in 18 countries.  We have seen some vintage races, numerous overtakes, records tumble and ultimately, a team and driver at complete harmony with one another.  Red Bull have set the standard this season and raised the bar once again in Formula One.  McLaren and Ferrari have a lot of hard work to do in the winter to get on terms, otherwise come Melbourne next March; the team from Milton Keynes will be ready to crush everyone again.

      Enjoy the winter break!  

2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Controlled Hamilton bounces back in style

SMILE: Lewis Hamilton was back on top form in Abu Dhabi

IN THE twilight of Abu Dhabi today, Lewis Hamilton reminded everyone just what a world class driver he really is.  He took full advantage of a rare bit of misfortune to strike the dominant Sebastian Vettel to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates.  It is the Brit’s third win of a troubled 2011 season, as he bounced back from recent traumas that have made his private life such a regular feature within the gossip columns of recent weeks.  Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the second McLaren of Jenson Button completed the podium on the Yas Marina island; the first rostrum without a Red Bull driver for 20 races.

      From the outset of practice on Friday, McLaren turned up in Abu Dhabi and looked very fast.  Vettel bounced back from a rare lapse which saw him crash on Friday to record another pole position in qualifying yesterday.  However, those who presumed it would be another Sunday stroll for the German were about to get the shock of the season so far.  

DEMISE: Vettel's tyre begins to deflate, ending his race very early

     He charged into the lead after a perfect start, but entering turn two, recognised a problem with the rear of his car.  A rear tyre suddenly deflated and sent Vettel spinning onto the grass.  Hamilton probably couldn’t believe his luck as he inherited the lead; a position with which he only relinquished during the pitstops.  Sebastian limped home with the flailing rubber doing sufficient damage to the rear bodywork and rear wishbone, therefore ending his race in the pits.  It is his first DNF since the cruel engine failure he suffered in Korea last October.  It also means that Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season can now not be broken.  A bemused Vettel and the team tried to find out what caused the instant puncture, with suspicions of low tyre pressures or debris off the turn one kerb.  As I write this, the cause is still unknown but the champion took his disappointment on the chin and stayed on the pitwall for the remainder of the event to watch proceedings.

       With Vettel out, it gave Hamilton the chance to assert himself at the front of the field again and what a good feeling it must have been.  A charging Alonso overtook Button on the first lap for second and kept the sister McLaren honest throughout the race.  However, Hamilton had better pace and more luck in the traffic to keep a secure lead of between three to five seconds throughout the 55-lap race.  As darkness fell, Red Bull’s problems deepened.  A dreadful nine second pitstop for Mark Webber cost him a shot at the final podium spot.  He seemed very cautious under braking throughout; suggesting that all was not well with the Australian’s car either.  With Button having a major KERS failure from lap 12 until around mid-distance, a significant opportunity was missed for a frustrated Webber.  Felipe Massa briefly took up the challenge, but he faded badly in the final stint and a pathetic spin at turn one had race engineer Rob Smedley shaking his head at another basic error from his driver.  Massa’s mistake allowed Red Bull to do a three stop strategy and enable Webber to pit on the final lap and put the less favourable prime tyre on.  Like at the Nurburgring with Vettel in July, the plan worked and left Massa marooned in fifth place. 

       Back infront and Hamilton completed the distance with little trouble to record his first win since the German Grand Prix in the summer and move him within six points of Webber’s fourth place in the driver’s championship.  Having experienced tough times both in his family and the split from girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger in recent weeks, Hamilton has had to experience a lot this season and he will be delighted with this performance.  He paid special tribute to his mum, who was there this weekend and celebrating her birthday too, making it a very happy Lewis on the podium.  Both he and Button wore the British poppy with pride too in memory of our soldiers on remembrance weekend in the UK.  Alonso seemed pleased with second place which keeps him just ten points shy of Button’s second place in the driver’s battle.  Behind Webber and Massa, Nico Rosberg had one of his strongest events of the season to finish sixth for Mercedes GP.  Team-mate Michael Schumacher survived a late race puncture to come home in seventh ahead of Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Kamur Kobayashi.  Sutil and di Resta’s finishes came on different pit strategies and all but secures Force India a best ever sixth place in the constructor’s championship.  Koabyashi’s point was his first since the Nurburgring race eight races ago, but that is significant, as it moves Sauber back ahead of Toro Rosso in the constructors by a single point.  Sebastian Buemi was unfortunate not to beat all of them, as a suspension failure ended his day early.  There was also a notable effort from Rubens Barrichello, who came home 12^th from the back of the grid in an uncompetitive Williams, beating both Renault’s and Jaime Alguesuari’s Toro Rosso.

        Only one race remains now in the 2011 season, which is the Brazilian Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.  For Lewis Hamilton, this is the perfect tonic and he will be aiming for similar success at Interlagos; a happy hunting ground for both McLaren drivers in the past.  Hopefully, Sao Paulo can provide everyone with a special finale which this season ultimately deserves.  

2011 Indian Grand Prix: New event, same winner

NICE: Vettel tastes the champagne after another win

IT MAY have been a new event, but there was a lot of predictability yesterday about the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. World champion Sebastian Vettel crushed the field again, as he so often has in F1 2011 to register his 11th win of a record-breaking season. In a fairly processional debut race at the Buddah International Circuit, the German coasted home, having led every single lap of the event. In the process, he broke Nigel Mansell’s record of laps led in a season and now is just two wins away from equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a single season back in 2004.

     With both championships in the bag for Red Bull Racing, attention focused more on the setting and venue for this new event, rather than the race outcome. Before the race started, there was poignant reflection with a dignified one minute silence held on the grid for racers, Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli, both tragically killed in accidents over the past fortnight which has raised questions again about the safety levels in professional motorsport.

     Once his visor was down, Vettel’s focus was again on producing a dominant display from his customary pole position. Once he got to the first corner first, there was little doubt about who was going to end on the top step of the podium. Further back, Rubens Barrichello outbraked himself and hit the back of his Williams team-mate, Pastor Maldonado. Kamur Kobayashi had to take avoiding action, but was speared by the Virgin of Timo Glock. Two corners later, Daniel Ricciardo ran into the back of Jarno Trulli, spinning the Lotus around and destroying one of his rear tyres. Barrichello and Trulli made it back to the pits for repairs, but their afternoons were severely compromised. Both Kobayashi and Glock retired from the damage picked up in the turn one fracas.

     Behind Vettel, Mark Webber lost second to Jenson Button into turn four on the first lap. After some resolute defending in the early stages from the Brit, Webber began to drop back into the clutches of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. Although Button did set four consecutive fastest laps between laps 10-13, Vettel was looking after his tyres by this point and still never looked troubled.

     So, with little going on at the front, it was left to F1’s biggest conflict in 2011 to take centre stage. For the sixth time this season, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa collided. This incident happened on the 22nd lap, whilst fighting over fifth place. Fighting back from a three-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in Friday practice, Hamilton had the measure of the Ferrari and got within striking distance out of turn four. He slipstreamed the Brazilian and dived down the inside into turn five. Massa looked across no fewer than three times before choosing to turn in, when Hamilton was already into the corner. The resulting connection had both blaming the other again, but it was Massa who this time got the penalty from the race stewards for causing an avoidable collision. Lewis didn’t get off lightly, as he had to limp back to the pits for a new front wing. He resumed in ninth, then toured home in seventh; not the result he wanted after a tough period for the Brit personally, which has concluded in a well-publicised split from his long-term girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

     It was worse for Massa, who had to pit soon after his drive-through to replace a front wing that was vibrating heavily on the track. Two laps later, he repeated his qualifying mistake by hitting the inside of the orange plastering kerbing at the turn eight chicane. The end result; a damaged front suspension and his race came to a premature and depressing end.

     Things went better for his team-mate Alonso, who managed to stay out longer than Webber to undercut him in the second round of pitstops. Out front, Vettel was so dominant, he was barely seen by the TV cameras. He cruised home to win his fifth race in the last six events. Button’s fine second place finish, combined with Massa’s DNF ensured McLaren will finish second in the constructors championship. The canny Alonso took another podium ahead of a disappointing Webber, who once again failed to maximise the opportunity of a promising grid slot.

     Michael Schumacher had an excellent afternoon to finish fifth, having started a lowly 11th on the grid. He beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to match Mercedes GP’s best team result of the campaign. Behind Hamilton, Jaime Alguersuari collected more points for Toro Rosso in an impressive run to eighth place. Team-mate Sebastian Buemi suffered a rare Ferrari engine failure, which enabled Adrian Sutil and Sergio Perez to pick up the minor points in ninth and tenth. It was another difficult day for Renault, with both cars finishing out of the top ten and Paul di Resta’s risky tyre strategy didn’t work either, with the Scot coming across the line in a low-key 13th.

     With two races left in this season, the remaining question seems to be; can Sebastian Vettel break more records in this historic season. It is staggering to think that he is still only 24 years of age. He is in another zone to everyone else on the grid at the moment, so I would be very surprised if he didn’t win the final two races of what has been a vintage 2011 season for this incredible German. The twilight of Abu Dhabi awaits, in two weeks time.

Sebastian Vettel - A legend in the making

# a special blog on the new double world champion replaced my regular Finishing Straight blog on the Korean Grand Prix.

THE word greatness is often used far too much in sport.  So too is the word, legend.  In the world of Formula One, you can only be considered a true great in the sport if you win the world championship twice.  Winning the title back-to-back is even harder to achieve, especially when you think of the current Formula One field.  The paddock may have been deprived of Robert Kubica this year by his pre-season rally accident, but this current crop of F1 drivers is probably the best in-depth we have had for over 30 years.  Multiple winners Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa, combined with superb British champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and former conquerors of Grand Prix racing, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.  So, this makes Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking achievements in 2011 all the more special.  He truly is a legend in the making.

       Vettel’s F1 career has been full of highs and he made a name for himself from day one in an F1 cockpit.  He set the fastest practice time in Turkey 2006; his first appearance on a Grand Prix weekend as a third driver for BMW Sauber.  When Kubica was ruled out of the 2007 US GP following his aeroplane-like crash in Canada, Vettel stood in for the Pole.  He became the youngest driver to score a world championship point, coming home eighth.  BMW were keen to hold on to this starring talent, but Sebastian was part of the Red Bull young drivers programme and he ended up in a Toro Rosso later in the season, replacing Scott Speed from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.  A few races later, he starred in Japan, running a stunning third in the wet at Fuji Speedway before crashing into the back of Mark Webber’s Red Bull behind the Safety Car.  The youngster was devastated and had be consoled by his team for the embarrassing crash, but he bounced back in stunning style to record an outstanding fourth place finish just seven days later in Shanghai.

       Paired with Sebastian Bourdais for the 2008 season, Vettel struggled in the early races to repeat his form from the beginning of 2007.  Unbelievably, he was involved in three first lap accidents which took him out on the first lap in three of the first four races (Australia, Bahrain and Spain).  Once Toro Rosso produced a new car, he started to show his true class, in a car which frankly, would have been doing well to beat Honda and Williams.  Sebastian began a string of points scoring finishes from Hockenheim onwards, but it was Monza 2008 that really made him into a real star of the future.

      On a weekend where the championship challengers struggled in unseasonably wet conditions, Vettel came to the fore.  He delivered an impeccable performance on Saturday to become the youngest driver ever to earn a Formula One pole position.  24 hours later, he drove away from the faster McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen with consummate ease.  He won the race at a canter, to become the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix.  It was one of the finest drives I’d ever seen in Formula One and many in the Monza paddock that weekend had the same opinion.  Further point’s finishes in Singapore, Japan and Brazil earnt Sebastian eighth place in the championship final positions, whilst Toro Rosso ended up ahead of senior team, Red Bull in the constructors championship. 

     With David Coulthard going into retirement, Vettel was the perfect fit for the senior Red Bull squad, moving to the team for 2009.  In China, he overcame reliability problems in qualifying to take the team’s first pole position.  On raceday, foul weather conditions greeted the drivers and teams, but once again, Sebastian’s control at the front was total.  He showed his true class to record Red Bull’s first ever race victory.  It was a 1-2 for the team too, with Webber following his new team-mate home.  He also won from the front at Silverstone, Suzuka and Abu Dhabi to finish an excellent second in the drivers’ championship, only being knocked out of the championship running by a poor Q1 in Brazil which saw him drop out of contention.  He did make mistakes, such as colliding with Kubica in Australia and crashing at Monte Carlo, but the potential of this new German was really coming through.

      2010 started frustratingly for the Vettel/Red Bull partnership, thanks to reliability problems.  A broken exhaust saw Vettel limp home to fourth in Bahrain and a loose wheel nut sent him spinning out of the lead in Melbourne.  He won in Malaysia, but struggled with the Red Bull chassis and started to come under pressure in the team from team-mate Webber.  It triggered an extraordinary collision between the team-mates in Turkey.  He also drove into Jenson Button’s sidepod at Spa, labelled after that race by McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh as “the crash kid.”  However, he came back with fourth at Monza and crushing victories in Japan and Brazil to leave him with a chance of the championship going into the final event in Abu Dhabi.  It was a four-way title shootout and Sebastian drove like a champion all weekend.  He started on pole and won the race.  With an early Safety Car period allowing the likes of Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov to leapfrog Fernando Alonso and Webber, it was enough for Sebastian Vettel to be crowned the 2010 FIA Formula One World Champion; the youngest in the 60 year history of the championship.

      This season, he has been in a class of his own.  The signs were ominous with dominant victories in the first two races in Australia and Malaysia.  A risky tyre strategy nearly paid off in Shanghai, but this time, he had to settle for second behind a hard-charging Hamilton.  After a heavy crash in Turkey practice which ruled him out of any dry running on Friday, he returned to Istanbul Park 24 hours later to take pole position by nearly half a second.  Race victory was a formality.  Vettel’s best two wins of the season came in Spain and Monaco, when his package was not the fastest on raceday.  In the latter, he held off the stiff challenges of Jenson Button and Alonso, having been on a worn set of Pirelli tyres for nearly 60 laps.  Canada brought a rare chink in the armour, running wide on the last lap to allow Button in for a gigantic victory.  He stormed to victory in Valencia and when he couldn’t win, Sebastian would consistently finish second, as he did at Silverstone and in Hungary.  In between this was a torrid home event at the Nurburgring, where he was second best to team-mate Webber all weekend and had to settle for fourth; the only event in 2011 when he hasn’t finished on the rostrum.  After a run of races without a win during the summer, he recovered to win at Spa, Monza and Singapore, again leading all three from the front.  A cautious third place at Suzuka by his own high standards was good enough to secure his second world championship and success last time out in Korea means he can still match Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season, set in 2004.

       In qualifying, he has the natural ability of Senna to set a lap when it is required.  He has shown he can overtake to win races like in Barcelona on Massa and Button and Alonso in Belgium.  When he gets infront, he seems to be able to coast to victory without any trouble.  With 100 per cent reliability and a sensational pitcrew around him, it’s no wonder why he has been the one to beat in 2011. 

      What Sebastian Vettel has achieved not just this season, but in his entire Formula One career is truly remarkable.  We shouldn’t be moaning at the domination of one driver at the front, we should be hailing and witnessing one of the true legends of this great sport show their genuine class.  The Vettel dynasty in Grand Prix racing has only just begun; it looks like Schumacher’s records could be beaten after all.

2011 Korean Grand Prix - Red Bull seal double success in Asia

DOMINANT: Vettel produced another flawless performance

RED Bull Racing secured the constructors championship in clinical fashion this morning at the Korean Grand Prix.  Newly crowned double champion Sebastian Vettel claimed his tenth victory of the season and Mark Webber’s third spot made sure that the Milton Keynes based team scored more points than their only rivals for this championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

     For the first time since the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, a Red Bull failed to qualify on pole position.  A rather subdued Lewis Hamilton produced a special lap to claim the top honours for McLaren.  However, Red Bull looked to be faster on raceday and from the moment Vettel charged into the lead on the fourth corner of the race, the outcome never really looked in doubt.  McLaren had looked seriously competitive again throughout the weekend, but both drivers lost out in a mad first lap.  Jenson Button was beaten up on the first circuit and got relegated from third on the grid to sixth at the end of it.  Button’s charge continued to be held back, when Mercedes GP managed to get Nico Rosberg briefly infront of the Brit in a pitstop race.

     In the early stages, Hamilton managed to hold onto Vettel, but the expected wear on the Pirelli tyres wasn’t as high as anticipated and once again, it was the Brit who wore out his tyres the most.  Not even a Safety Car period could halt Vettel’s charge after the first round of pitstops.  This was caused when Vitaly Petrov got into a fierce battle with Fernando Alonso down the longest straight in Formula One.  Both completely missed their braking point, but whilst Alonso realised trouble and took a wider route around the corner, Petrov clobbered straight into the back of the innocent Michael Schumacher.  Both cars were badly damaged and had to retire, with debris scattered across the circuit.  Petrov accepted responsibility for his misjudgement, but still incurs a five place grid penalty for the next race in India.

     As the race wore on, Webber became more of a factor in the reckoning.  He closed in on Hamilton and the pair had a couple of brilliant, clean dices.  Red Bull did miss a trick in pitting Webber at the same time as the McLaren, losing the opportunity to springboard Lewis via the ‘undercut.’  Although the leading cars were bunched together, no-one looked capable of pulling off an overtaking manoeuvre in frankly, a boring race that would have made anyone decide to go back to sleep for it’s early takeoff.  Fernando Alonso did produce the sound bite of the season, when he closed in on Button, but got a warning message about high fuel consumption.  He then said; “I give up, I give up.”  Perhaps it was a message of annoyance, having spent the first half of the race a forlorn figure, trapped behind the much slower Felipe Massa.

      Further back, Jaime Alguesuari passed Rosberg on the last lap to match his best ever career result of seventh place.  Sebastian Buemi brought his car home in ninth to secure some much-needed points for the Toro Rosso team, which sees them close up on Sauber in the championship.  Paul di Resta held off his team-mate Adrian Sutil to claim the final point for Force India.

     This season, it has belonged to one driver and one team.  Many congratulations to Red Bull Racing, the 2011 FIA Formula One Constructors Champions.

2011 Japanese Grand Prix - Button wins the battle; Vettel retains his title

CHAMP: Third place for Vettel was enough for a second title

SEBASTIAN Vettel made history this morning in Japan by securing the one point he required to become the youngest ever back-to-back Formula One world champion.  The German, 24 finished in third place at Suzuka to finally extinguish the final hope from a potential championship challenge in the form of Jenson Button.  However, Button won this tremendous Japanese Grand Prix in style to not only cement his position in second place in the driver’s championship, but lay down a serious marker that things might be significantly different in 2012.

GRASSY: Vettel squeezes out Button on the rundown to turn one

    Vettel arrived in Japan looking very relaxed, with just one point required to finish the job and finally rubberstamp the seal on a dominant season, which has seen his Red Bull dismantle a top-quality field.  Even if he remarkably failed to get anymore points between this race and the season’s conclusion in Brazil on November 27, Button would have to win every single event left on the 2011 calendar.  This weekend, the McLaren looked the better package around this high-speed venue and only an immense lap from Vettel earnt him his customary pole position yesterday.  He didn’t waste his advantage at the start of the race either, which irked Button.  Sebastian moved across the road to defend his position into the first corner, leaving Jenson with the choice of having a silly accident or backing off onto the grass.  Sensibly, Jenson lifted and this forced hesitation allowed Lewis Hamilton into second place.  Button was livid and wanted his title rival to get a penalty for his questionable driving.  Rightfully, the race stewards looked into the incident, but correctly decided not to take further action.

      With high tyre degradation levels from the Pirelli tyres this weekend, managing the rubber was going to always be the decisive factor, with DRS not playing so much of a crucial role in Japan.  Hamilton picked up a slow puncture early on and had to let Button through into second, before being forced to pit.  His podium chances were finished and once again, Lewis would have a run-in with his best mate at the moment, Felipe Massa.  The pair made contact on lap 24 into the final chicane, with a piece of debris coming off the Ferrari in the process.  Again, the stewards took a closer look, but decided that Hamilton’s strong defensive driving was legal.  However, the Safety Car was curiously called out to remove the tiny, offending Ferrari piece of bodywork on the road. 

     Button seemed to have the measure of Vettel on the option tyre and with the champion-elect’s setup indicating higher tyre wear, the McLaren was able to take the lead at the second round of stops and control proceedings from there.  His pace on the Safety Car restart was blistering, whilst Vettel’s tyres kept …blistering.  After another stop, the German got bottled up behind Adrian Sutil for two laps and this enabled the canny Fernando Alonso to leapfrog Vettel into second place.  Slightly ahead of them and Michael Schumacher took the opportunity to lead some laps thanks to the bunching up behind the pace car.  It means Schumacher becomes the oldest driver to lead any racing laps since Sir Jack Brabham in 1961 and that’s a record Vettel will struggle to take.  In the closing stages, Alonso upped the ante and forced Button, who was in fuel saving mode, to respond.  As you would expect from the 2009 world champion, he did and crossed the line approximately two seconds infront of the Spaniard to record his third win of the season.  Vettel kept pushing, but knowing that the podium was safe, held back to take the 15 points on offer for third position and sealed the inevitable of becoming 2011 FIA Formula One World Champion.

     Behind them, Mark Webber drove to fourth in the second Red Bull, to strengthen the team’s constructor’s championship ambitions.  Hamilton described his race as ‘shocking’ afterwards, but still recorded fifth, ahead of Schumacher and Massa, who put in another poor performance in the sister Ferrari, considering he outqualified Alonso on Saturday.  Sergio Perez came eighth for Sauber, holding off the effects of a flu bug that made him look as white as a sheep all weekend.  Vitaly Petrov’s fighting ninth place keeps Lotus Renault well on course for fifth in the constructor’s championship and Nico Rosberg made use of his five sets of fresh tyres after a hydraulics failure eliminated him in Q1.  Rosberg’s point was a good performance, ahead of both Force India’s and the local hero, Kamur Kobayashi.  Although it earnt nothing, Adrian Sutil pulled off the move of the race and potentially the season, when he drilled Kobayashi on the inside of the daunting 130R, on worn tyres and the dirty racing line.  It was a brave and superb piece of driving from Sutil and it earnt him, 11^th place and no points.  The only retirement of the afternoon was Sebastian Buemi, who had to pull off when a tyre wasn’t fitted onto his Toro Rosso properly after his first pitstop.

SOAKING: Winner Button gets a nice champagne shower from Vettel

     The emotion on Button’s face was clear afterwards, as he lives in Japan for most of the year with his beautiful Japanese girlfriend, Jessica.  Having spent several years driving for Honda too, you can understand Jenson’s affection for the place.  This was his first dry race win for McLaren and on this evidence, he will win more before the end of the season.  It was a great performance and in his celebrations, he pointed to his special helmet, which is to be auctioned off for charity to help those still suffering from the after-effects of the devastating tsunami to hit the country in March.

     However, Sebastian Vettel steals the limelight today with his incredible feat, in what has been an almost faultless season.  This won’t be his last title either and many of Schumacher’s records look increasingly under threat now, from this latest German wunderkind.  He joins Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Alonso in the shortlist of back-to-back world champions and it is a list he fully deserves to be on.  Although the constructor’s championship still needs to be sorted, we can now go racing and enjoy the final four races of the season, starting with next weekend’s Korean Grand Prix.

Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing on their title success; the kings of Formula One in 2011.  

2011 Singapore Grand Prix - Only one more point needed for Vettel

TOAST: Only Jenson Button can stop Vettel's title charge now

THE dominant Sebastian Vettel now only needs one more point to wrap up the inevitable and retain his Formula One World Championship.  He took the flag in a fascinating Singapore Grand Prix to record his ninth success of a 2011 season in which he has crushed the opposition.  Only 2009 world champion Jenson Button can stop him now winning the title and if he does, then I will flush my head down the toilet seat!  Vettel only needs a single point at the next race, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in a fortnight to become only the eighth driver in history to win back-to-back world championships and the youngest of that crop.  When you think that only Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Alberto Ascari, Ayrton Senna, Sir Jack Brabham and Mika Hakkinen have achieved this feat, it just underlines the fact that Vettel is one of the legends in the sport’s established and colourful history.

     Once again in Singapore all weekend, the Vettel/Red Bull combination was simply untouchable.  Although Button got to within 1.6secs at the end of the two hour event, Sebastian had the race under control once again.  On pole position by nearly half a second, he simply left the competition standing at the start and had a 25 second lead before a scary crash for Michael Schumacher brought out the Safety Car.  However, in the spectacular nightline scenery, he made a mockery of the restart and before Button could think about closing again, 12 seconds had disappeared in three laps!  Problems with backmarkers, especially with the duelling Williams of Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello wrecked any hopes of Button catching Vettel right up in the final laps.  It would have been an unlikely repeat of the Canadian Grand Prix, but the closing laps could have been even more gruelling than what they were.

      As Vettel had his traditional Sunday stroll, others toiled in the humid conditions.  Once again, Mark Webber made his customary slow start, baulking a flying Lewis Hamilton.  Webber dropped to fourth from the front row of the grid, as Button and Fernando Alonso took full advantage.  Hamilton fell to eighth and his afternoon was compromised even further by another run-in with his childish partner in crime, Felipe Massa.   

PUNCTURE: Another run-in with Hamilton ruined Massa's evening

     After their incidents in Monaco earlier in the season, it became clear that neither has learned their lesson from those events back in May.  The pair blamed each other for a near-miss in Saturday’s pole position qualifying shootout.  On Sunday, they had a collision at turn seven, that ruined their races.  Having just exited the pits from their first stops, Massa defended the inside line into the corner and was ran into the back by a rather clumsy turn-in attempt from Hamilton.  Massa collected a puncture and could only fight back to ninth by the finish.  Hamilton earnt his traditional drive-through penalty for causing a collision, but other smart overtaking, combined with good timing in the Safety Car phase meant he recovered to fifth.  Afterwards, Massa sarcastically congratulated Hamilton in the driver’s interview pen for the clash and it remains to be seen how far this bitter dispute goes between the 2008 title rivals.

     Whilst Hamilton was making headlines, Schumacher made a dramatic exit stage right on lap 29.  The seven-time world champion was involved in a feisty dice for position with team-mate Nico Rosberg and the Sauber of Sergio Perez.  The trouble began when Rosberg ran wide onto the marbles in the final corner on the previous lap, lost position to Perez and then aggressively claimed the place back with some force into the first bend.  Moments later, Schumacher tried to catch the rookie off-guard exiting turn seven, but misjudged Perez’s rightful braking distance and launched himself over the Mexican and straight into the barriers, narrowly missing Rosberg.  Luckily, Schumacher was unhurt, whilst both Rosberg and Perez went onto score points.

     Massa wasn’t the only Ferrari driver to have a tough day, as Alonso fought all day with tyres that simply didn’t like the set-up of his car.  His promising long race pace in Friday practice turned out to be a flash in the pan.  Twice, he got outmanoeuvred by Webber on the track, once after the Safety Car restart into the pathetic turn ten chicane.  Webber’s clever moves earnt him a deserved rostrum finish, behind Button.  Alonso had to settle for fourth, once again achieving the maximum his car was capable of on the day.  Vettel’s only minor scare was when Team Lotus released Heikki Kovalainen into his path during his final pitstop.  No damage was fortunately done, with Lotus expected to receive a fine for the incident.

     Scottish rookie sensation Paul di Resta had another outstanding event and ran as high as third briefly during the first round of pitstops.  Sixth place, two positions ahead of experienced team-mate Adrian Sutil confirms his standing as rookie of the year.  Rosberg held off Sutil, Massa and Perez in the final lap to finish seventh.  It was also a good day for Team Lotus, with Kovalainen finishing 16^th, notably outracing the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.  Once again, 15^th and 17^th place results sum up Renault need Robert Kubica back ASAP.  Their weekend was simply forgettable.

      However, Sebastian Vettel had another unforgettable weekend.  As he coasted across the line to take the delirium from his Red Bull mechanics, the fireworks exploded on the Marina Bay harbour, to complete another perfect day for the young German.  He now has two hands on the title and is aiming for more records in the final five races of the season.  Suzuka will end up seeing him crowned as youngest back-to-back world champion and knowing the way he has set his standards, he will go to Japan not for one point, but the maximum result and complete the mission in style.  

2011 Italian Grand Prix - Another cruise and collect for Vettel

UNEXPECTED: RBR's season domination continued at Monza

SEBASTIAN Vettel can mathematically become the youngest ever back-to-back Formula 1 world champion in a fortnight in Singapore after another flawless performance.  The German won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza today by a canter.  It was his eighth win of the season and he could have pitted, had a cigar and a cup of coffee and still exited in the lead.  That’s how dominant he was.  Despite being beaten off the line by a flying Fernando Alonso, the shorter gear ratio gamble that Vettel’s side of the Red Bull garage made yesterday paid off handsomely.  He used grass to re-pass Alonso after a brief Safety Car period and led afterwards throughout the final European race of the season.

     Having stormed to pole position by half a second yesterday on what was supposed to be Red Bull’s weakest circuit; Vettel made an average getaway and had to fend off Lewis Hamilton on the rundown to the tight first chicane.  However, Alonso, coming from fourth on the grid repeated his stunning start in Barcelona to lead the cars into the first corner.  However, there was carnage behind the leaders.  HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo failed to get off the grid, whilst Jerome D’Ambrosio clutch broke yards into the start of the race.  Seconds later, the second Hispania of Vitantonio Liuzzi got onto the grass and spun into the middle of the pack.  His car collected the unfortunate victims; Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg.  All three cars were eliminated, whilst Adrian Sutil, Kamur Kobayashi and Rubens Barrichello all picked up significant damage which ruined their afternoons.

CLASH: Webber clouts Massa, which ultimately ends his race

      Alonso led Vettel, Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa behind the Safety Car, but the Ferrari was simply no match for the Red Bull accelerating out of the chicanes.  On lap four, Vettel made his move stick at the second chicane, despite a robust defence from Alonso and drove into the distance.  A lap later, Mark Webber, who had passed Jenson Button off the restart, attempted the same crushing manoeuvre on Massa.  He hit the high kerbs in the first chicane, clouted Massa and spun the Ferrari around.  With the front wing buried underneath his aerodynamic floor, the Red Bull didn’t even bother turning into Parabolica and Webber went straight to the scene of the accident.  It is the first time since Korea 2010 that one of the Red Bull’s has failed to finish a Grand Prix.

     The main dice on the track was between former champions Michael Schumacher and Hamilton.  Schumacher had pounced on a sleepy Hamilton at the Safety Car restart and the Mercedes GP’s useful speed on the straights, combined with some cautious Hamilton driving kept the Brit frustrated for most of the day.  There were times when Schumacher moved across the track to defend his position more than once, with one instance leaving Hamilton on the grass at Curva Grande.  Button took advantage of the scrapping duo and he passed both cars in quick succession before the first tyre stops, to set off after Alonso.

      Having been warned by the FIA for his defensive driving tactics, Schumacher eventually gave best to Hamilton shortly after the first pitstops.  Button had a near-miss in the pits, when Rubens Barrichello almost squeezed him into the pitwall whilst making his second stop.  This minor delay meant he failed to clear Alonso, but the Ferrari struggled on cold hard tyres and Button pounced on the exit of the first chicane with 13 laps to go to claim second place.  In the closing stages, Hamilton closed right in on Alonso, but ran out of time and opportunity to make a pass stick.

      Whilst all the action was happening behind him, Vettel had a lonely run towards another victory, which now leaves him 112 points ahead of nearest rival Alonso.  He looked emotional on the podium, three years after winning here in a Toro Rosso, largely because Red Bull was expected to struggle around this racetrack.  15 seconds behind and Button finished an excellent second to continue his recent rich vein of form, whilst Alonso picked up the maximum available again, with a podium finish.  With Hamilton and Schumacher next up, it was the first ever race in world championship history that saw five world champions finish in the top five positions.  Massa had to settle for sixth, whilst Jaime Alguesuari collected yet more points for Toro Rosso in seventh place.  With Sergio Perez being ruled out by transmission problems, Paul di Resta finished a creditable eighth for Force India, with Bruno Senna and Sebastian Buemi taking the final points on offer.  For Senna, these were his first ever world championship points since making his Grand Prix debut last season for Hispania.

     So, the European season concludes with yet another Sebastian Vettel dominant performance.  He has the title in the bag now, and it only needs conformation.  If things go his way, it could be settled in a fortnight’s time.  Let’s hope F1 2011 can go out with a bang in the final six flyaway events of the season, beginning with the fourth night race in Singapore in two weeks.    

2011 Belgian Grand Prix - Super Seb takes a step closer

TOP: Vettel was in impeccable form again at Spa

DESPITE concerns with blistering tyres, Sebastian Vettel took a giant step closer towards a successful defence of his world championship title today.  The young German won the Belgian Grand Prix at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit to record his first win since success in Valencia over two months ago.  It was a drive full of control and confidence, on a day where his rivals made mistakes and failed to take opportunities of a rare Red Bull weakness.

     Formula One made a welcome return from its summer break with a dramatic qualifying session on a damp track.  Before the race had begun, the paddock was still talking about the incident at the end of Q2 yesterday between Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado, when the Williams driver seemed to make a deliberate attempt to take Hamilton out of qualifying altogether.  Dangerous it certainly was and Maldonado was given a five place grid penalty for his actions.  However, Red Bull had more pressing concerns, when tyre manufacturer Pirelli came to them at around 5pm yesterday, claiming that the super soft tyres their cars had qualified on were close to structural failure.  After rival teams rejected a request from the constructor leaders to change their tyres, the concern on the faces of Adrian Newey and Christian Horner could be evident before the start of the race.

     It got worse for Red Bull when Mark Webber made his customary shocking start.  Just like last year, the Australian’s anti-stall mode kicked in and he was swallowed up by the front pack.  Vettel led into the first corner, but was overhauled by the time the cars got to Les Combes by the fast-starting Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes.  Behind them, chaos ensured at one of the trickiest first corners in Grand Prix racing.  In his first start for nearly a year, Bruno Senna misjudged his braking capacity and smashed into Jaime Alguesuari’s Toro Rosso.  The contact rebounded Alguesuari into Fernando Alonso and whilst the senior Spaniard got away with the impact, his compatriot was out with broken front suspension.  Further back, Timo Glock’s ambition got the better of him, as he slid into the side of Paul di Resta’s Force India.  The resultant concertina saw di Resta take a bite out of Jenson Button’s rear wing, whilst the two Lotus cars of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen also got into an unfortunate tangle.  Button was lucky to escape injury as debris from Senna’s damaged front wing removed his right-hand mirror and lodged into his front wing.  After McLaren messed up his qualifying effort yesterday, it looked like he had another major fightback on his hands.

     Vettel drove back past Rosberg as soon as the DRS was activated, but soon pitted, as did his team-mate to get rid of the iffy tyres.  Button soon followed, though that was for the cosmetic repairs that he needed from the first corner skirmish.  Rosberg regained the lead, but was soon passed by the recovering Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.  On lap 8, Alonso and Webber showed their massive respect for one another, as the 35-year old Aussie produced great bravery to pass Alonso on the inside of the 185mph flat-out Eau Rouge kink.  This sort of stuff is why he has re-signed with Red Bull Racing for the 2012 season.  

MESSY: Hamilton's crash ended another disappointing day

     Five laps later, Hamilton’s dramatic weekend took a turn for the worse when he was pitched into the barriers by the Sauber of Kamur Kobayashi.  Hamilton had just passed Kobayashi and went to defend the Japanese driver from an immediate attack.  However, he moved across too soon before he was a car length infront of the Sauber.  The inevitable contact had Hamilton heading straight for the barriers.  He sounded rather dejected in interviews afterwards following another trying weekend which ended in grave disappointment.

     The safety car was deployed to clear away the wrecked McLaren and Vettel pitted for another stop, whilst Alonso and Webber elected to take track position, rather than pit.  Felipe Massa had moved upto fourth ahead of Rosberg, but was passed immediately on the restart by the fired up German.  Within two laps of the restart, Vettel was back infront and took command of the race from there.  Alonso looked good for second, but struggled for pace on the medium compound tyre and he was no match for Webber, who stormed past again with ten laps to go, far more comfortable on the same rubber.  Meanwhile, Button had produced an ultimate masterclass in how to overtake and with only three laps to go, passed Alonso with ease to take the final podium place.  Having been as low as 19^th, it was another great fightback.  However, no-one could stop Vettel, who cruised home to his first victory at Spa, on a circuit which was meant to be one of Red Bull’s weaker circuits in the final races.

    Behind Webber, Button and Alonso, Michael Schumacher produced one of his best races of the season to finish fifth.  It was a remarkable feat, having started last after a wheel fell off in the early stages of qualifying yesterday.  This is a special result on a special weekend for the great German, who was celebrating his 20^th anniversary of his F1 debut in a Jordan.  After a promising start, Rosberg had to settle for sixth, as he was hobbled by fuel consumption concerns like he was in China.  Adrian Sutil earnt some more strong points for Force India in seventh, whilst Massa could only manage eighth, as he had to make an extra unscheduled stop to replace a punctured tyre.  Vitaly Petrov and Maldonado completed the points scorers, with the latter scoring his first ever championship point and probably adding insult to injury on Hamilton’s dark mood following his hooligan antics 24 hours earlier.  After his delay, Senna had to settle for 13^th in his first drive for Renault, while di Resta narrowly missed out on points in 11^th. 

     With a 95 point lead, Sebastian Vettel has ended his summer drought and it is now not a question of if, but when he seals his second world championship.  He could take a massive step forward at Monza; the final European event of the season in a fortnight’s time.