Hamilton supreme in Chinese classic

Another thrilling race in Shanghai as Lewis Hamilton ended Sebastian Vettel's winning run with a late race charge...

Hamilton soars as Button loses out: Jenson Button had a good start and was holding the lead ok in the first stint. Of course with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel close behind the timing of the first pitstop was key. McLaren ended up running a 3 stop strategy on both cars but the initial plan was to 2 stop. The team came out for Button on lap 14 but he didn't come in until the next lap. He then made a terrible error by pulling into the Red Bull box. That cost both him and Vettel time. One possible theory (and this is simply guesswork!) is that Button was trying to stay out for as long as possible to make a 2 stop work better but that the team, having seen others behind pit, were reacting to the pace of the likes of Rosberg and changing to a 3 stopper because of the speed of other cars. So perhaps there was quite a bit of radio conversation and who knows amidst the busy nature of racing in 2011 maybe Jenson got distracted at the key moment in the pitlane. His pace was subdued after that and he would eventually get outdone by Hamilton.

Indeed Hamilton had been compromised because he had to wait an extra lap to pit and fell back on worn tyres, being overtaken by Vettel and Felipe Massa in consecutive laps. However his second stint was better, aided by a fresh set of options he had saved. It was interesting that a week on from Malaysia he had made such an effort to do so and it was clear after qualifying that tyres were on his mind and that he had deliberately plotted a strategy designed to maximise his race performance. Going for the extra stop really played better into his more attacking style and into the final stint he was back in the hunt and did a clean job of taking the cars ahead for a great victory.

Vettel's streak broken as Webber fights back: Red Bull ended up with 2 cars on the podium yet the fact that disappointment was felt by the team shows how far they've come. Vettel got a poor start but recovered positions at the first stop to find himself behind Nico Rosberg. Red Bull went for a 2 stop strategy and although it turned out to be the wrong decision there wasn't much in it. Having done 15 laps in the race in his qualifying tyres, he only managed a 17 lap stint in the middle of the race. That left him 24 laps on the primes and it proved to be slightly too much to hold off Hamilton. One mistake i did feel Red Bull made was sending the German out for a second run in Q3 when it was pretty clear that pole position was in the bag. Easy to say with hindsight but Vettel's first run was a good one and he would have not eeked out much more time even if it had been needed. In previous seasons this would not have been a big deal but it seems that putting a heat cycle into these Pirelli tyres really does take some life out of them if they are then reused. Expect quieter qualifying sessions with the current circumstances.

On Saturday evening i was pondering the future of Mark Webber. Out in Q1, the 2 junior Red Bull drivers doing brilliantly in making the top 10 and a bit of pressure was building even at this early stage of 2011. Would he let his head drop or fight back? Sunday showed it was the latter as he come from 18th to take a superb podium. Qualifying was a poor show, he only used the prime tyres and the car seem fine. If it had not been surely they would have given him some options. Why they didn't give him more laps at least was bizarre from the team. Anyway his pace on Sunday was mighty and showed that the RB7 is still the quickest out there. There were some conflicting reports about whether he had his KERS working or not. The actual details were that it worked until lap 24. He actually could have remarkably beaten Vettel because he had an off early in the race which cost him around 4 seconds so without that he probably would have caught his team mate late on. We also seen from his race that using the prime tyre early could be a good tactic this year. If we get an early safety car at some races i can envisage drivers pitting to get rid of it or even pitting for it and pitting again a lap later just so they can get it out of the way.

Felipe finds some form: Felipe Massa was unhappy after the race. This is good though because rather than the mentality of "i beat Fernando, that'll do" it was a case of him wanting more from the afternoon. His pace was good for a 2 stopper and i felt that was the right approach from Ferrari because they didn't have the pace to the teams in front so it was worthwhile trying something different. Unfortunately for the Brazilian track position is not as important this year and he was caught by a few drivers late on. Still it was nice to see him in the mix and battling with the drivers at the front Not much to say on Alonso's race, the Spaniard didn't seem quick throughout and limped home a frustrated 7th.

F1 changes a roaring success: It really was a tremendous race and credit to Pirelli who seem have got it right with the tyres. The DRS system is making for much more close action. Some say it has made passing too easy. My response to that is that some of the overtakes are indeed 'simple' but for those few easy passes you get lots of good one's and good battles. It also created moves in other places. For example Hamilton was able to get close to Button with DRS which allowed him a chance of passing into turn 1. In my opinion we are much better with racing like this than than what we have witnessed in some other seasons. Remember we were at a circuit which has seen little overtaking in dry races. It also helps more variable strategies become viable. On Sunday we got over 80 overtakes and the whole race was absorbing and thrilling. A peak audience of 5 million in the UK says a lot as well.

There is some talk that in Turkey we could have 2 DRS zones, perhaps with just 1 activation zone. So say we had zone's on the back and pit straights. There would be an activation point before the first one and if you are within a second of another car you can then use your DRS in the 2 zones for that particular lap. Now i think that would be too much and is unneeded unless it is a case of having the zones made shorter. So rather than one big (800 metre) gain in the lap you could make two smaller (400 metre) gains. This could eliminate the 'easy' overtakes but still allow cars to get close. The FIA may trial this in Istanbul. Another way could be giving the drivers a finite amount to use it during the race but this doesn't seem to be in the pipeline for now anyway. i think it is feasible and certainly feel it would be a great way to make the KERS more tactical at least.

Monza moments

The start Jenson Button got a great launch and Fernando Alonso needn't have squeezed across as the McLaren already had the initiative. Alonso tagged the back of Button and then went wheel to wheel with team mate Felipe Massa. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton was now on their tails. Going into turn 4 he had a look up the inside. He tried to stay tight on the inside but couldn't take any more kerb and made contact. The first tap was ok but the second was terminal. Hamilton's mistake though a tad unlucky to be out on the spot. Hindsight shows that more caution was required. The McLaren has escaped in a few scrapes this season though and today he didn't get away with it.

Jaime Alguersuari The Spaniard lost a point in Spa after cutting a chicane and he was at it again on lap 1. The Toro Rosso passed both Force India's by doing so and was awarded a deserved drive through penalty for gaining an advantage. Getting outperformed by Sebastien Buemi and needs some good drives to finish the season strongly.

Red Bull face difficulties Mark Webber lost 2 places off the line but worse was to follow when he ended up wide into the gravel out of turn 5 and lost another 3 places. He recovered excellently, passing Schumacher, Kubica and Hulkenberg on his way to 6th position. That gave him the championship lead but he was still frustrated, probably partly because he could have built a bigger gap over team mate Sebastian Vettel and strengthening his position in the team.

Vettel recovered from a sticky brake pedal which cost him time and a position to Webber to run all the way to the final lap before making his 1 pitstop to finish in 4th.

Strategy decides the winner Alonso had got close to Button a few times but seem to be able to keep in touch whilst keeping his tyres in check. For race leader Button, it was either pit and go for a quick outlap on the hard tyres or stay out and deliver a good in lap on used soft tyres. McLaren felt pitting first was the best option but the world champion said he had poor grip initially and Alonso put the hammer down to just edge ahead when he exited from his pitstop. The Spaniard had a pitlane time that was almost a second quicker than Button and that was probably the difference between first and second.

Nico Hulkenberg The German rode his luck today after cutting chicanes 3 times which did not improve Mark Webber's mood who was stuck behind him for a while. The Williams rookie has been quietly impressive recently, always close to experienced team mate Rubens Barrichello and has been quite consistent. It hasn't been particularly flashy like Petrov and Kobayashi but that has been partly down to good qualifying performances, meaning he hasn't found himself on a recovery drive come Sunday.

So with 5 races to go, 5 drivers remain firmly in the title hunt. This race has seen a recovery to a certain extent for all 3 contenders who failed to score in Spa. Singapore will be a totally different challenge. There we will see what sort of effect the revised load tests have had on Red Bull. The streets and dust of Singapore provide a mental and physical test with a race that will run the two hour limit close. Brakes are under pressure and mistakes are punished, its a gruelling challenge and we've already seen what it can produce in the past 2 years. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were both on the podium last year and they will be desperate to repeat that.

Alonso and Button set up for title revival

Fernando Alonso delighted the Ferrari fans, and indeed president, who had flocked to Monza with pole position today. It was only the second non Red Bull pole of the season. Jenson Button, running with the F-Duct on his McLaren, was second after putting in two strong laps in Q3. Felipe Massa was 3rd whilst title favourites Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton were 4th and 5th. A good result for the Australian after practice problems but frustration for championship leader Hamilton who ran a low downforce setup and complained about a lot of sliding in the corners. Sebastian Vettel was also unhappy after qualifying 6th, claiming his car wasn't working as well this afternoon than in practice.

Image courtesy of www.forceindiaf1.com

Ferrari have had good starts recently and will be confident of maintaining the lead. A key factor could be the man not in the title race, Felipe Massa. If he can jump ahead of Button at the start, then he can control the pack and allow Alonso to pull out a gap. Button's setup makes him vulnerable on the straight though overtaking will not be easy, it won't simply be a case of breezing past the reigning world champion. Tyre wear shouldn't be a big issue but the advanatge for Button is he should keep his tyres very well, giving him the flexibility of running a long stint on the soft tyre or stopping early and running to the end on the hard tyre. I think a one stop will be the normal strategy though i wonder if Toro Rosso would try a two stopper. They are extremely quick on the straights so i feel they should try something different from 14th and 15th on the grid, an agressive approach and one that is viable with the straight line speed they have.

Image courtesy of www.mclaren.com

For Webber, it was a case of maximising a tough weekend. He will probably feel that the top three are too quick for him and Red Bull tomorrow and will have the concerns of the poor starts that him and team mate Vettel have had recently as well as Hamilton attacking on the opening lap. Hamilton felt the setup choice was wrong after qualifying but he can still recover tomorrow. He seemed to stay close to Webber as he began his final lap. Perhaps he wanted to pick up some slipstream but a slide into turn 1 indicated he may have been affected by some turbulence. For Vettel, he may need some dramas ahead or he could well leave Italy 5th in the championship with 5 races to go

It could be a grand prix that sees the title battle squeezed back closer again. It should be another sunny and dry day and will hopefully be another fascinating grand prix. Race start is 1pm.

What to watch out for on Raceday

The Weather: We'll start with the obvious. After all 4 sessions being affected by rain, the teams will have to be on high alert with their rain radars and the sky above as they try and keep tabs on any showers which may break out during the race. Tyre choice will be critical and a lot of tyre have been used up already.

La Source: 23 cars scrambling towards this tight corner should provide much activity and with all the drivers warned about taking to the run off area on the outside it may well get too tight for some...

Overtaking: Once the first corner drama has passed and depending on the order, get your eyes set to see who takes Eau Rouge well. Mark Webber is in a car which weakness is straight line speed and running on a full tank of fuel. Lewis Hamilton will want to utilise his F-Duct and make a move on the Australian. Robert Kubica is also flying on the straights and will be on the attack. Sebastian Vettel may need to beaware of Jenson Button as well.

Setups: It appears that Fernando Alonso's sluggish ace today was due to opting for a wet setup. A risk certainly if rain fails to materalise. We seen how this tactic can pay dividends in Brazil last year so Alonso, along with the Toro Rosso drivers will hope to wake up and hear the rain in the morning.

Drivers on a mission: Vitaly Petrov's qualifying lasted less than a la and was a mistake which could prove costly as his future remains in the balance. He desperately needs a strong drive tomorrow. He is helped that he can start from the pits and have free reign on setup and tyres as well as the F-Duct so watch put for him moving through the field. The Saubers and Mercedes will also be looking for progress as they find themselves behind the likes of the Lotus team.

It was a thrilling qualifying and should be an enjoyable race. Start time is 1PM UK time. Check out http://twitter.com/cmckinleyF1 for updates and views during the race

Webber seizes opportunity on day of milestones

A fifth of the way in to today's 25th Hungarian Grand Prix and things were looking set for a relatively calm race. Sebastian Vettel had maintained the lead from pole position and had a twelve second lead. Fernando Alonso was second and Mark Webber was biding his time in third. Then a piece of debris on turn 11 transformed things. The safety car was deployed and the pit crews were on the move.

Vettel made a late entry in whilst team mate Webber elected to stay out. Lewis Hamilton took advantage of a slight delay for Felipe Massa to take 4th but chaos would then begin to ensue. Nico Rosberg didn't have his right rear tyre attached properly and it rolled through the Sauber box before being launched 20 feet, almost into the spectator area above the pits before hitting a Williams mechanic. He was taken to the medical centre but returned later and even took part in Rubens Barrichello's pitstop later in the race! Meanwhile Renault released Robert Kubica as Adrian Sutil was pulling into the next box and the pair collided. The Pole received a stop/go penalty and retired soon after. Both Mercedes and Renault were fined $50,000.

Webber now led from Vettel but the German was having some radio issues and seemed to allow his focus to drop. He didn't stay close to Webber during the safety car period and when the restart was happening Vettel appeared unaware and claimed afterward that he had no radio message alerting him and didn't see the lights go out on the safety car. His lack of awareness and Webber's eagerness to get a gap pulled to jump Alonso meant he was over 100 metres behind. Cars must stay within 10 car lengths and Vettel soon had a drive through. He served it whilst gesturing furiously, confused as to why he had been penalised. He lost a position to Alonso but was still 3rd.

The race for victory was now on. Webber had been off the pace through Friday and Saturday, not entirely happy with his car and a bit scrappy. The opportunity to take a 4th win of the season enlivened the Australian and he put in a stunning stint of driving, opening up a 22 second gap to pit and maintain a lead. He had took full advantage of the window of opportunity presented to him. Vettel was right behind Alonso but still a bit frustrated. Alonso was excellent, consistent and navigated the traffic superbly.

Lewis Hamilton meanwhile was out of the race after losing drive. He'll hope that he won't need a gearbox change for Spa or else he'll face a 5 place grid drop. The remaining points scorers were well behind but it was excellent results for Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg in 5th and 6th. Sauber celebrated their 300th grand prix with a double points finish. Pedro de la Rosa got off the mark this season with 7th whilst Kamui Kobayashi came from the back row to finish 9th behind Jenson Button who recovered from a poor start. He was helped by an early stop before the safety car was deployed.

Rubens Barrichello was 10th after a different strategy. The Brazilian ran long on the hard tyre, not pitting until the last 15 laps. He emerged 11th behind former team mate Michael Schumacher. He set after the Mercedes on his fresh rubber and had a couple of close attempts. With 5 laps left he was finally close enough. Schumacher moved right but Barrichello went down the inside towards turn 1. Schumacher kept squeezing and shoved Barrichello within centimetres of the concrete wall. The Brazilian bravely kept his foot in and even took to the grass to make the move stick. Schumacher was widely criticised but the German defended his actions. The stewards disagreed and Schumacher has been given a 10 place grid drop for Belgium in 4 weeks.

Webber's 6th career win in his 150th race gives him the championship lead. Fernando Alonso remains 5th but is within 20 points. It is simply incredibly close. Red Bull celebrated their 100th grand prix with a 12th win and now lead the constructors championship. They will be frustrated that their massive car advantage was not turned into a 1-2. This advantage could be cut in Spa however as the FIA are to increase the loads that are applied in front wing tests. This may mean that Red Bull will have to make alterations to their front wing at the loss of performance.

Adrian Newey will be hard at work to get round this. The teams will have to take an enforced two week break though at some stage in the month. Belgium will offer a different challenge and McLaren will be desperate to turnaround their fortunes after a lacklustre weekend. Red Bull are back on top but Alonso is on the prowl. It's a long break for the fans but the championship is set up beautifully for a sensational finale.

Vettel dominates as rookies shine

Red Bull were in their own battle for pole position today and Sebastian Vettel was supreme. He took pole position with ease with Mark Webber 4 tenths down in 2nd. The Australian was still three quarters of a second clear of Fernando Alonso. I think a good way of expressing the dominance Red Bull had is the reaction of BBC commentator during Q2 when he realised that Webber was upshifting through the challenging turn 11 whereas everybody else was downshifting. Felipe Massa was 4th and championship leader Lewis Hamilton was 5th. It was not so great for his team mate Jenson Button who went out in Q2 and will start 11th. He complained that he couldn't find a good balance in his car.

Pedro de la Rosa had a brilliant session, coming 8th on a twisty track with the longest wheelbase on the grid was a great effort from the Spaniard who had a personal best result of 2nd here in 2006. It was not such a good day for Kamui Kobayashi. He has showed glimpses of brilliance this season but a third Q1 exit of the season was not one of them. He was held up by Bruuno Senna on his last lap. Two other rookies though put in very impressive performances. Vitaly Petrov outqualified Robert Kubica as the two Eastern European drivers filled the 4th row. What the Russian nears to do is translate this excellent Saturday into good points tomorrow. Failure to do so puts his seat for 2011 in more jeopardy. Nico Hulkenberg pulled out a late flyer to make Q3 and qualify 10th, two places ahead of Rubens Barrichello.

McLaren and Mercedes asked for a clarification on the flexible front wings on the Red Bull and Ferrari cars after qualifying and the FIA have been examining them. They could deem them illegal but this is unlikely. What may happen is the tests applied to the wings are altered so that any loopholes being exposed are closed off. More information may emerge in the morning. The key really for the Red Bull drivers is the start. Vettel will want a smooth getaway after poor starts at Silverstone and Hockenheim. Webber will be concerned that on the dirty side of the grid he could be under threat from Alonso. If they can maintain a 1-2 then it should be comfortable for them. Their race pace isn't at the same level as their qualifying pace but they'll have more than enough to win. The Hungaroring can bite though, 70 laps int he heat could yet yield some unexpected drama. Just ask Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa from 2008. Race start is at 1pm BST

Red Bull flex their muscles

It was a clear and sunny day in Budapest and the picture on the track was pretty easy to see as well. After the blip of being outpaced by Ferrari five days ago, Red Bull dominated the practice running with Sebastian Vettel finishing the afternoon half a second clear of Fernando Alonso. Indeed the Spaniard and Ferrari look to the only challengers to Vettel and Mark Webber. McLaren were well off the pace and seem to have Renault for company. There was plenty of support for Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov in this 'Eastern European' grand prix and both men were quick as the twisty nature of the Hungaroring seem to suit the short wheel base of the R30.

Another prevalent issue is traffic. It was seen last weekend in the battle between the Ferrari's. Although the lap here is about six seconds longer than Germany, the flowing nature of the circuit means it can be hard for slow cars to get out of the way immediately when caught in a sequence of corners. We could well see some controversy on Sunday regarding that. Concrete on the outside of kerbs was also an issue. Charlie Whiting examined the final corner between sessions and Fernando Alonso also lifted a chunk with his diffuser at turn 9.

The main technical innovation under scrutiny is the flexible front wing which Ferrari and Red Bull. All wings are tested by the FIA with load tests and have to be within a certain threshold or are else deemed illegal. It seems that the two teams have created a wing that can flex but work in such a way that passes the FIA tests. Analysis on the practice coverage earlier showed how the Red Bull front wing was dropping really low on the straight, even seemingly scraping the ground. The Ferrari wing was also dropping but not as much whereas the McLaren wing was maintaining its position. They will be desperate to implement it on their car soon but it will take more than this component alone to bridge the gap to Red Bull, who look very strong for a victorious Sunday

Vettel staves off improved Ferrari's

The German crowd were delighted this afternoon as Sebastian Vettel took his 3rd consecutive pole position. He had a big fight on his hand but it wasn't from usual suspect Mark Webber as the Australian had a poor Q3 with a scruffy first lap and then running wide at turn 1 on his final lap. He will start 4th. Instead it was Fernando Alonso who was just two thousandths of a second away from Ferrari's first pole position since the final race of 2008. Felipe Massa, who took that pole, will line up 3rd though he was half a second off his Spanish team mate. McLaren were not in the hunt, Jenson Button edging out Lewis Hamilton by a tenth and both men will occupy the third row of the grid. Robert Kubica was 7th, impressive as the Renault still has no F-Duct. Rubens Barrichello was 8th and is still beaming after his exploits on the TV show Top Gear. Nico Hulkenberg joins Nico Rosberg on row 5 with Michael Schumacher 11th after missing Q3 by 8 thousandths of a second

It was a bad day for Force India. After early promise this weekend, it was a Saturday that started badly and got worse. Adrian Sutil needed a new gearbox after a driveshaft problem in morning practice so was already on the backfoot with no qualifying setup work and a five place penalty. This showed as the local driver struggled with rear end stability and he will start 19th. Vitantonio Liuzzi didn't even make Q2 after a crash early on. He was wide out of the final corner and the astroturf was quite wet and he was spun across the track and into the pitwall. A strategic option open to the Italian tomorrow is to do what Fernando Alonso did in Monaco. Start on the soft tyre, hope there is an early safety car and pit for the harder tyre. He is considering the other main option though, which is do what Kamui Kobayashi did in Valencia. Start on the hard tyre and make one stop near the end and attack on fresh tyres.

This could work as the field may get rid of the soft tyres early. If Liuzzi can get good track position then the field spread could help him get in the points. A badly timed safety car could scupper this though. Strategy is interesting as the soft tyres are holding up better than expected and the lack of heat has meant the hard tyres are taking a few laps to get up to full performance. So i think the front drivers will want to stay on the soft tyres until they are really going quite badly off as the hard tyre may leave them vulnerable on their out lap. It could well be warmer tomorrow though with the chance of rain low. The top ten will also have put their tyres through at least 3 laps already. It's a short run to turn 1 so expect little change. Further back it could get messy. The McLarens will be a threat on the run to the hairpin as they were the fastest cars in a straight line today. Mark Webber may have to be on the defensive.

A word for Jarno Trulli today. The Italian has had so many car problems at Lotus this season but really shone today, qualifying within a second of Jaime Alguersuari. Bruno Senna was only two tenths from the Virgin of Timo Glock though he had gearbox issues and has taken a penalty for a new one. Still impressive when you consider that the HRT car has had only two updates all season. Lucas di Grassi failed to set a time in qualifying, also suffering with gearbox issues.

So it promises to be another fascinating race tomorrow. Red Bull have the pole position slot again but Ferrari and McLaren may well have the race pace to make it a real contest for the victory. Tyre management could be crucial and this is something that Alonso has been good at so he will be looking for a second victory of the season to boost his championship chances. We've seen many punctures recently from small contact so everyone will be desperate to avoid those as well. It's a good track though so we should see plenty of action. Look out for the Force India drivers making their way through the field. Race start is 1pm BST and i'll be tweeting my thoughts during the race. Who do you think will win? Vote or comment

How Vettel's recovery could have been greater

Sebastian Vettel had an absolute nightmare opening lap at Silverstone. A poor start and contact with Lewis Hamilton gave the German a puncture and he went straight on at Becketts. By the time he had dragged his RB6 back to the pits and changed to a set of hard tyres he found himself nearly a lap down on his team mate and race leader Mark Webber. His pace was then pretty steady, though his plan was now to do 51 laps on the same set of tyres. For a significant points haul to be possible, he needed a field bunching safety car period and pieces of Pedro de la Rosa meant that this occurred with 24 laps left.

As the train of cars gathered, Vettel found himself the second last car in the quene. Only the Force India of Vitantonio Liuzzi was behind him as the cars behind in the order were in front on track but a lap down. We had seen that the soft tyres were working well early in the race and of course they would have become easier to run as the track gained more and more rubber. By pitting, Vettel would have lost 1 position but gained fresh rubber. We seen how this can be such a big help in the closing stages of a race with Kamui Kobayashi in Valencia.

He did get himself up to 7th but i feel that he should have pitted as the sacrifice of losing 1 place would have probably been outweighed by new tyres and he could have well cleared cars quicker and perhaps could have got as high as 5th realistically. There was little to lose and i feel it was definitely a feasible strategic option. They were still important points but in a championship so close, every race is important to make the most of and certainly the operational side of Red Bull remains a weak side of the team after the front wing controversy of Saturday and the failure to call Vettel in on Sunday

Webber takes win but friction remains

It was another enertaining Sunday afternoon in the 2010 F1 season as Mark Webber struck back from his Valencia flip and component controversy of yesterday to take a 3rd win of the season. He passed Sebastian Vettel off the line as both he and Fernando Alonso had poor starts, surprisingly so as they were starting on the clean side of the grid. Lewis Hmailton repeated his 2008 launch and going into Copse had the slightest bit of contact with Vettel. The German was fighting to get back at Webber but the Australian made sure he wasn't coming through and Vettel took to the run off area. He started to fight his car and the puncture sent him flying off the road into Becketts. Meanwhile Felipe Massa was getting rather over zealous with Fernando Alonso as he hit him and then stuck him onto the grass coming onto the Hangar straight. Massa had a puncture and limped back to the pits. Jenson Button made places through the lap and jumped to 8th.

Webber was pulling away bit by bit from Hamilton while another quick starter, Robert Kubica, was holding the field up. Another surprise though was the tyres. Usually it is a case of pitting and getting a quick lap in but perhaps with the slower pace the tyres were retaining performance. Nico Rosberg and Button were especially able to stay out and make progress. Ferrari's day then got worse as Alonso made a move on Kubica into Vale. Alonso took to the run off and cut the corner but maintained position. Both drivers pleaded their respective cases on the radio and Charlie Whiting ordered Alonso to let Kubica back through. However the Polish driver had a differential problem so was slowing towards retirement. Instead of losing the position and a few seconds, Alonso had a drive through penalty. The negative effect of this was compounded when the safety car was deployed soon after.

Adrian Sutil tagged the back of Pedro de la Rosa down the main straight in attempting to overtake. The Sauber lost pieces there and down Hangar straight. This threw Vettel a lifeline. It appeared he was driving conservatively early on. Perhaps the thinking was that they weren't going to score and should save the car for a situation like this. On the resumption of racing he was on the attack and made several moves, including on Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Michael Schumacher and eventually on Adrian Sutil by barging past his fellow countryman which left the Force India driver unimpressed.

A miserable and pointless weekend for Ferrari was completed by a spin for Massa and a puncture for Alonso from contact with Vitantonio Liuzzi. I felt Massa was a bit wild on the opening lap. I think Alonso was unlucky the way the penalty situation played out. By staying ahead of Kubica, he took a calculated risk that he would get away with the overtake. He should have let the Renault back in front as he only got passed by cuting the corner. In a way this shows the pressure that the Spaniard is under and perhaps his decision making was affected by this. We seen something similiar in the French grand prix 2 years ago when Hamilton after a DNF and starting near the back performed a similiar move on Vettel and ended up losing out more than if he had yielded earlier.

Webber had a great turn of pace as the fuel levels dropped and he cruised home to take victory. The post race antics were perhaps more interesting as he told Christian Horner that he hadn't done 'bad for a number 2 driver'. He then said afterwards in the press conference that he wouldn't have signed his contract extension if he knew that a situation like yesterday had occurred and wants talks with the management tomorrow. The media love this kind of thing and making the most of it but Red Bull brought it on themselves with the front wing decision.

So we move onto a double header in 2 weeks and i'm really looking forward to Germany, a track which is really well designed and usually produces plenty of overtaking and action so it should produce more good racing. The Silverstone layout produced more action than i thought it would, particularly Brooklands which i thought would be too quick but the long straight really helped so that was good. Red Bull have their internal issues, McLaren need the new package working quickly and Ferrari need to produce their best. Can Alonso show the spirit and fight of 2006? Roll on 2 weeks

Vettel wings pole position

Red Bull did what most expected them to do and took another crushing Saturday victory as Sebastian Vettel took pole position with Mark Webber again pipped into 2nd. The Australian was unhappy afterwards after it turned out that the new front wing on his car was given to his team mate after Vettel had problems in practice. Coming into Abbey the wing on the German's car came loose. Red Bull only had 2 with them so decided, based on practice times and championship standings which Vettel has the edge in both, to give the Valencia race winner the remaining new front wing. This will do little to dispel the feelings amongst some that Vettel is the favoured driver within the team. Fernando Alonso was 3rd but over half a second off pole while Lewis Hamilton declared himself delighted to have hauled his McLaren to 4th after a difficult day. Nico Rosberg was an impressive 5th, well ahead of Michael Schumacher who was 10th. Robert Kubica put his Renault 6th ahead of Felipe Massa. Rubens Barrichello continued the Williams improvement in 8th and Pedro de La Rosa was a surprise 9th.

It was a terrible qualifying for reigning world champion who ended up 14th and described his car as undrivable after feeling good in the morning. Conditions and particularly the wind was quite changable. Add in the lack of setup time and disruptive changes McLaren have had this weekend and it is perhaps not surprisng that Button, who is certainly somebody who really needs the car working to get the best out of his package, struggled to make a positive impression. He will need to pull something special off to get a good result tomorrow and it may well be a case of damage limitation.

Another man to watch out for early on is Vitantonio Liuzzi who qualified 15th but will start 20th after being penalised for what was a clear block of Nico Hulkenberg in the Becketts section. Toro Rosso were fined for a unsafe release when Jaime Alguersuari came out in front of another car. He was the main victim of Q1 while Lotus were still best of the new teams though Virgin's updates have brought them closer. HRT take up the back row with Sakon Yamamoto 4 tenths off Karun Chandhok. Will he be able to see the 52 laps out tomorrow?

Red Bull look set for a dominating display but it has looked that way before and they have failed to deliver. On a track like this, they really need to maximise the opprtunity before them. They did dominate Barcelona qualifying and Hamilton kept in Vettel's wheel tracks on raceday. Fernando Alonso will really want to get the jump on Webber at the start and the Australian will not want a repeat of his Valencia nightmare where he lost 7 positions on the opening lap. Everybody is on the soft tyre in the top ten so expect the usual early stop when there is a gap to drop into. This may differ with a safety car but they are pretty rare for Silverstone though not improbable. It could be a key swing in the championship. Can Sebastian Vettel make it 2 wins in a row. Will Jenson Button be able to charge through the field? What colour of trousers will Eddie Jordan wear on the BBC tomorrow? All will be revealed tomorrow, race start is 1pm BST

Silverstone sizzles as Senna sits on the sidelines

A sun drenched day in Northamptonshire saw an incredible 85,000 people take to the revamped Silverstone venue. McLaren had much of the support in the stands but were left with many issues as they struggled to optimise their new package while Red Bull looked strongest on a track that should be ideal for the RB6. Mark Webber ended the day on top after Sebastian Vettel led the first session. It wasn't all perfect for the Australian though as he suffered an electrical problem late in the afternoon. McLaren were off the pace and Lewis Hamilton had many trips off the circuit. He struggled particularly at the new Abbey corner, which was quite bumpy and there were lots of drivers going wide there as well as the slow speed loop section. This should be easier as the track, which started dusty, improves but the Abbey bump will remain and nailing it in Q3 will be key in the battle for pole position tomorrow.

Breaking news tonight is that McLaren will not run their new exhaust system for the rest of the weekend and that the previous spec version will be on their car for the remainder of the weekend. It a real hit to threir hopes of home glory this weekend. It looks like it should be a Red Bull domination if we have a 'normal' race. Ferrari will have blown exhausts and F-Ducts on their cars and will hope they can show the strong pace that they believe they had in Valencia but were unable to display. Mercedes had a decent run aswell though they have tended to run well on Fridays before slipping down the order. Force India seem to benefit from their SRW, especially Adrian Sutil and Williams also looked strong as they look to built on their great result in Valencia. Vitaly Petrov will be keen to be in the fight for Q3 as rumours that Kimi Raikkonen, who had a big crash in the WRC today, could replace him next year.

Virgin and Lotus both had good days with major new developments for their cars. Lotus had reliabilty issues throughout the day though, including engine and power steering problems. A lot of attention was on HRT. They dropped Bruno Senna on Thursday evening and replaced him with Sakon Yamamoto who has raced 14 times in F1 with Super Aguri and Spkyer. It seem that it was a money issue but the team announced that Senna was still part of the team. It is a bit of a mystery and a real shame for the Brazilian. He seemed unaware as the news was breaking, tweeting about going around the track with Karun Chandhok. His F1 future is certainly under some doubt for now.

So it looks set to be another Vettel/Webber battle for pole. With rain unlikely for Saturday or Sunday, the Red Bull team will feel confident of a 1-2. However this season has produced enough twists and turns to make assumptions foolish. Ferrari and McLaren will want to get amongst the action and the modfield battle will be fierce. The new layout is testing for the drivers so producing when it counts will be vital. Qualifying starts at 1pm tomorrow.

Vettel delivers the goods at the docks

Red Bull restored the Saturday order in the docks of Valencia this afternoon as Sebastian Vettel took his 4th pole position of the 2010 season. Much of the weekend running has seen the spotlight on what others were doing to bring themselves up to the pace of the RB6 but in what was an extremely close qualifying on a track that takes over 95 seconds to lap, it was the Austrian team that produced when it counts as Mark Webber made it a 1-2. Lewis Hamilton can count himself a tad fortunate to be third after a massive slide under braking cost him the chance to improve on his final lap. His rivals couldn't take advantage though. Stefano Domencali felt Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa did not get the perfect lap in but the Spaniard said he had made no mistakes. The local favourite looked disapponted afterwards, he was probably hoping for more from his revised car.

Image courtesy of www.mclaren.com

Robert Kubica was 6th for Renault. He was a dark horse for the front rows of the grid after strong practice form but couldn't quite repeat his Monaco performance on the Spanish streets. He remarked that the car was working better on the hard tyres but that he opted for the softer rubber in Q3 as it was a better strategic option for the race. World champion Jenson Button was 7th after locking up coming into the final corner. Williams had an impressive showing, getting both cars into Q3 for the first time since Malaysia. Both drivers set identical times but it was Nico Hulkenberg who took 8th on virtue of setting his time first. The German's performance is even more impressive when you consider that he could not run the F-Duct on his car as his longer legs made it awkward to operate. Rubens Barrichello also had problems adjusting the brake balance as his knee was getting in the way. Vitaly Petrov had a solid afternoon, finishing 10th.

Image courtesy of www.renaultf1.com

Not all the Germans were having a good day. Mercedes qualifying efforts were finished by Q2 with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher 12th and 15th. Schumacher needed a late lap to get into Q2 and had steering issues which may have hindered him. Rosberg has scored in both his visits to Valencia and even topped free practice 1. The big question is why the team have fallen behind despite new updates to the car. There seems to be fundamental issues that are hard to overcome and making it difficult to get the car competing at the front. The car is no disaster, it has scored podiums in the hands of Rosberg but is a major disappointment after the championship winning car of 2009. This years car seems a revoluion though, certainly on the outside with the Red Bull dip nose. Weight distribution and the narrow front tyres were areas which caught the team out and changes in Barcelona helped but have not totally recitfied the situation and Mercedes may now decide to shift focus to 2011 where the return of KERS could be a boost to them.

Image courtesy of www.mercedes-gp.com

It was also a disappointment for Force India, especially after confidence that they had got their switchable rear wing working to it's full potential. Kamui Kobayashi was the main Q1 casualty for the second qualifying in a row. In the new team battle, Lotus, who are conversely celebrating 500 races, were top but it was Jarno Trulli who led the charge. The Italian declared himself happy with his new chassis. It was also a good day for Lucas Di Grassi who outqualified Timo Glock for the first time. The German lost 6 tenths after going wide at the final corner. The 107% rule is returning for 2011 but if implemented today would have seen no drivers failing to make the race.

Image courtesy of www.forceindiaf1.com

So an exciting qualifying but perhaps a calmer race in store. The start and pitstops will likely influence the order. Hamilton will fancy taking advantage of the clean inside line to take Webber who may need to be on the defensive. If he can get between the Red Bull's then he will have a chnace of jumping Vettel at the stops. There was 11 cars out in the first 4 corners in the GP2 race earlier but expect the F1 men to be better behaved. Most drivers are likely to 1 stop and the soft tyre are holding up ok so the key will be getting back out into clear space to maximise pace on the out lap. The Valencia pitlane is the shortest on the calendar so this opportunity may present itself early on to the leaders. It might lack the action of Canada but it should be another close battle in this tight championship. The race starts at 1pm BST and UK viewers should note that the BBC race coverage is on BBC2. Check my twitter page for race updates and back here for post race analysis.

Red Bull face internal and external pressures

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber had differing emotions on show in Montreal on Sunday. The German, who finished 4th despite an oil leak with his gearbox, cut an angry and frustrated figure. The Australian, who came 5th after starting 7th because of a gearbox change before the race, was satisfied with a good haul of points on a track that Red Bull felt would not be best suited to their car. Lewis Hamilton's consecutive victories may have given him the championship lead but both Red Bull drivers remain within 20 points of the Englishman.

For Vettel, this season has been a case of what might have been. Most readers will have seen how strong positions in Bahrain, Australia and Spain were hampered by mechancial problems. What could have been a big lead early in the season was rather the annoyance of not being able to make full use of the RB6's early domination. The European races have seen Webber raise his game. Crushing victories in Barcelona and Monte Carlo over his team mate, who up to then had been the leading Red Bull, seen the Australian lead the world championship for the first time in his career. Then came the drama of Istanbul. Vettel looked set for pole position but more car issues hindered him at the vital moment and Webber maintained the advantage. As the German made his now infamous move he expected his team mate to yield, he was the main man and about to resume the normal order of things. But Webber was not about to give up. He made it as difficult as possible, he does not want to play number 2 and hand it to Vettel on a plate.

So who has the upper hand at Red Bull? Well i would have to side with Webber for now but this is as much for his good form as for Vettel's downfall. His frustration over the radio in Canada was evident. His flat out approach may be contributing to his reliabilty issues though this is something which is hard to pin directly in correlation with it. I feel Webber has got to him, he felt he was the main man in the team and the post race inquest after Turkey has put the Red Bull team under the microscope. Any perceived team preferences will now be under intense scrutiny. In Malaysia, Webber said he didn't try to jump Vettel in the stops as the agreement in the team was that the leading car had the first call on pitting. Yet this seems to have gone out the window with Webber being behind in Montreal but pitting first. Red Bull's operational side of the team have cost the team in maximising their car advantage so far this season. They have 2 drivers who are not happy with each other and this could ultimately harm their hopes in both championships.

Next weekend see's the third race at the street circuit in Valencia. This track was a weak one for Red Bull last season and for Mark Webber in particular. The team are going to try and run their F-Duct device to help straight line speed down the long straights on this circuit. The team tried it in Friday practice at Istanbul but decided not to use it for the rest of the weekend. What is important is that the team maximise their chances. It's so simple to say that but it's true. Silverstone should be ideal for them but their rivals may have similiar rear ends by then in an attempt to compete more competitively with them. Red Bull are still right in the hunt but the question marks are there. Can the team handle the pressure? Is Vettel good enough to be a top line driver? Will Webber be able to maintain the consistency needed to be a champion? All key issues and answers may well be forthcoming in the coming months. Red Bull are fighting against the two biggest teams in F1 and 3 of the best drivers in the world. If they can pull at least one championship out of this season come Abu Dhabi it will be a huge acheivement.

Why Canada is a must watch

Montreal is back on the calendar, a venue with so many memories from Jean Alesi's only F1 victory which triggered a track invasion to Lewis Hamilton's maiden win amidst a number of crashes in 2007. Turkey saw a 2 way battle between Red Bull and McLaren but this temporary race track makes it very difficult to predict who will have the upper hand. Many feel this could favour McLaren. It certainly has in the past with Hamilton winning in 2007 and leading in 2008 before his faux pas in the pitlane when he slammed into the back of Kimi Raikkonen. The problem for Red Bull is that the circuit doesn't have many fast corners. They showed in Monaco that they have improved on tighter circuits but the long back straight and the huge kerbs around the Giles Villeneuve circuit could be a disadvantage for them. Ferrari will hope for better while Renault will want Robert Kubica to repeat his street track form from Melbourne and Monaco.

Image courtesy of www.mercedes-gp.com

This is the first race of the year where the teams run a lower downforce configuration. Last season Force India were very quick in these conditions so they could be competitive this weekend. At the back of the field, HRT will hope that their high top speed as well as the track's lesser reliance on aerodynamics will allow them to be a bigger threat to Virgin and Lotus. The rookies amongst the field will want to avoid the walls that surround the circuit, there is now asphalt run off at turns 6 and 8 but the margin for error is still low compared to some of the newer venue's. It's the second shortest circuit track of the year so the potential for Q1 traffic problems is there but i would suspect that the margins will not be as huge as it has been at other tracks.

So racing in North America is back and here are some reasons why you should make sure you are tuned in come 5pm BST on Sunday:

Track: Montreal provides plenty of action, the final chicane, Casino hairpin and turn 1 are all viable overtaking places. The walls are close to the track and the surface has had break up problems in the past. Banging in consistent lap times is very difficult, the drivers face a great challenge as track conditions can really change over the course of the 70 laps. A slippery track can lead to accidents and damage, hammering the kerbs is needed for lap time but could hurt the fragile cars. Will this be the achilles heel of Red Bull this weekend?

Image courtesy of www.hispaniaf1team.com

Safety Car: This usually makes an appearance and was deployed 4 times as recently as 2007. This is due to the tight confides of the track, indeed the area between turns 3-5 are all fenced up and make it very difficult to clear cars or debris. With a one stop strategy now the norm, the safety car has a less decisive role in effecting strategies but if we get one in the early stages it will mix things up. People at the back may get rid of the soft tyre or do 1 lap on it and then switch back to the hard tyre. We seen in Turkey how tight Mclaren fuelled their cars. A possibilty in Canada is to factor in the potential for a safety car period and fuel the cars lighter but it is a very risky strategy which could go embrassingly wrong. The other effect of a safety car deployment is that the field is bunched up again, increasing the potential of close racing

Weather: It's been a very wet Thursday in Montreal. Bernd Maylander almost had a bad moment with the puddles on track when practising with the safety car earlier! The current forecast is for a clear and sunny Friday, overcast but dry on Saturday but Sunday morning currently shows a band of showers hitting Montreal and with the race starting at 12 noon local time it could mean the race at least starting in wet conditions. We've already had one street track with a wet start this season and that was a thriller so we could be set for another classic

How the battles within are building

The aftermath of the Turkish grand prix has seen the spotlight firmly on the key personnel of Red Bull as well as the tactics and messages that were being discussed on the McLaren pitwall last Sunday. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber collided on lap 40 before Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton banged wheels fighting for first in the closing stages. Red Bull and McLaren were clearly the fastest 2 teams in Istanbul but both of them have no clear number 1 driver with all 4 determined to take this years title.

Image courtesy of www.mclaren.com

It's been a week of conflicting messages from Red Bull. Post race on Sunday many fans felt that Sebastian Vettel was at fault for the incident which ended his race and cost Webber a potential win. However, Christian Horner pinned blame on both drivers while advisor Helmut Marko made it clear that he felt Mark Webber had been at fault, a response that has provoked much anger and made some question whether there is favouritism towards Vettel in the team. Ex-driver Marko is good friends with Dietrich Mateschitz and looks after the Red Bull young driver programme which Vettel is the main product of. Christian Horner then issued a statement which said that things had be cleared up and that both drivers should have played things better but that the team was now looking ahead to Canada. More allegations were to come out though. What we do know is that Vettel had saved more fuel than Webber earlier in the race and Webber on lap 40 had gone into a fuel saving mode. What this means is that the engine is using a leaner mixture of fuel so using less at the expense of less performance. We also know that as Vettel moved in on Webber, he used his 'overtake' button. This isn't a push to pass button like KERS last season but rather means that Vettel would have maximum revs at his expense to aid his challenge. The teams don't run the engines at full power throughout the race but rather try to take some strain off them while optimizing power at the important moments of the race.

Webber had asked the team to back Vettel off but they couldn't do this as both Hamilton and Button were close behind. It rumoured that Horner ordered Webber's engineer to tell him to let Vettel through but this message wasn't passed on to the Australian. On paper it could be argued that Red Bull would prefer Vettel to triumph over Webber. However Webber has had the upper hand recently while Vettel's challenge has been blighted by car issues. Will his RB6 survive the Montreal mayhem next weekend? Little things have seemingly been against Webber in the pecking order like pitstop order and runs in qualifying. All could be down to circumstances, indeed i believe Vettel pitting first last Sunday put Hamilton in a catch 22 situation and forced him to cover the German, hence reducing his chances of jumping Webber. This is the biggest challenge of Horner's career in managing 2 men determined to take their best chance yet of winning the championship. Even David Coulthard refers to the importance of controlling the team rivalry before the race on the Red Bull Racing podcast. Three years ago seen the Alonso/Hamilton begin to get feisty, Red Bull can't afford their title ambitions to be ripped apart by a driver feud.

It was mostly smiles at McLaren on Sunday, as you would expect after a 1-2 but race winner Lewis Hamilton was pretty subdued. Was he trying to maintain calm with 12 races still left or was he miffed at having to fend off his team mate in the final laps? Hamilton was in fuel saving mode but his only competitor was Button who was also needing to save fuel. The teams are pushing the boundaries more in regards to how much fuel they are putting in the cars and the fierce pace in the early laps coupled with no safety car periods meant that McLaren had little margin and needed to turn the wick down. Hamilton put his dropping back to Button down to a miscommunication. Hamilton confusion and annoyance however becomes clearer after FOM released the race edit video for Turkey on the Formula 1 website. In it, a radio conversation is broadcast between Hamilton and the team before Button makes his pass. Here is what was discussed:

Team - Lewis we need you to save fuel. Both cars doing the same.

Lewis - Jenson's closing in on me you guys.

Team - Understood Lewis

Lewis - If I back off is Jenson going to pass me or not?

Team - No Lewis... No

So Hamilton clearly and rightly expected no challenge. What we don't know is what Button was told. It was Lewis who asked about Button so i would take a guess that Button had no orders to hold station and seeing the opportunity tried to take advantage. He almost did and had he made it stick, then McLaren may have had a bigger issue on their hands. They know very well what division amongst the team can do and Martin Whitmarsh needs to ensure the battles remain relatively clean like the one in Turkey.

Image courtesy of www.mclaren.com

Button leads the McLaren challenge for the time being and has confounded critics who felt he would struggle to live with Hamilton. He has greatly impressed me this season in his clever driving as well as his sheer determination in trying to win another championship. This is most definitely a man not resting on his laurels. In a way, an improving McLaren could favour him more than Hamilton. At tracks where McLaren have been off the pace this season, Hamilton has tended to fare better, more capable of driving around car issues. Yet when the McLaren is hooked up, Button is more confident and able to match the 2008 world champion. Amidst the drama of Istanbul, what we seen was a McLaren much closer to Red Bulls raw pace and if developments keep coming then the probablity of another British world champion is a good one. It is a fantastic rivalry that is building and one that is making for compelling viewing.

Hamilton victorious as Bulls go mental

Lewis Hamilton became the 5th different this season with victory at Istanbul Park. Team mate Jenson Button was 2nd giving McLaren their second 1-2 of the season. For part of the race it looked like it would be Red Bull celebrating a 1-2 but it all went wrong when on lap 40 when Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber collided on the approach to turn 12. Vettel retired on the spot while Webber had to pit for a new front wing but still made the podium. It was a thrilling 4 way battle at the front and they were well clear of the cars behind as Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg came 4th and 5th. Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa were close throughout, rubbing tyres on lap 1 and the Renault just managing to stay ahead when both drivers pitted on the same lap. Fernando Alonso's progress through the field was limited, the Spaniard started on the soft tyre but remained 12th before moving to tenth at the stops. He was on Vitaly Petrov's tail but the Russian drove a great race and was unfortunate that contact with Alonso late on gave him a puncture and put him out of the points. Adrian Sutil was 9th for Force India while Kamui Kobayashi got Sauber on the scoreboard, even trying to race Sebastien Buemi towards the end who was a lap down after a first lap puncture and was going quickly on fresh tyres.

Both McLarens suffered from starting on the dirty side of the grid but fought back on the opening lap with their F-Ducts. Hamilton made a brilliant move on Vettel into turn 3, making it stick around the outside. Meanwhile Button was all over the gearbox of Schumacher and made a clean move on the outside of turn 12. The top 4 pulled away and Hamilton was all over Webber, coming close to making a move on several laps. At Red Bull it's usually the driver in front who gets the preference on pitting but it was Vettel who pitted first. This may have been a strategic move though as it meant Hamilton had to pit on the following lap to cover Vettel so couldn't jump Webber without beating him in a straight fight between the pit crews. Hamilton had a slow stop after an issue with the left rear tyre. It's not known if it was a similiar nut issue as both cars had in Barcelona. Hamilton soon had a go at passing Vettel but went too deep into the hairpin. Hamilton described Vettel's tactics as dangerous. Then the unexpected threat of rain came into the mix. Radars showed showers were incoming and reports from nearby areas indicated it. There were some light spots but with the track temperature still at 35 degrees, it was not causing major grip issues.



With 20 laps to go, Vettel was starting to close on Webber while the McLarens were still well in touch. It was already proving to be a fantastic race but then came the major drama. Vettel came out of turn 10 and down the back straight caught his team mate. Webber left him the width of a RB6 on the inside which Vettel took. The German was moving ahead but was on the dirty side as they approache turn 12. Vettel moved right but wasn't fully ahead of the Australian who maintained his line. They touched and Vettel went spinning with a damaged right rear tyre as Webber went deep into turn 12. The cars almost collided again in the run off area as Vettel gestured furiously. He also made the mental sign when out of the car. So what was going on amongst the madness? Well firstly, on the same lap Webber had went into a fuel safe mode so that would have lost him some performance. Vettel had more fuel than his team mate at this point. On the actual overtaking attempt it was Vettel's fault. He turned into Webber and caused the collision. Webber gave him just enough space, it was hard but fair racing. The argument against Webber could be that as he was battling his team mate who was already in prime position to take the lead, he should have made the overtake easier for Vettel, thus reducing the risk of it going wrong. Vettel was ahead but will have wanted to get across the track as braking offline may have lost him the position. Senior figures in the team, including Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, seemed to side with Vettel, making the point that their drivers were racing too close. Neither Webber or Vettel apologised for the incident.

It was a dream ticket for McLaren as they took first and second but they had their own partypiece to display. Both drivers had been told to save fuel but suddenly Button closed in on Hamilton. He made a move on the outside of turn 12 and took the lead through turn 13 but going too deep compromised the World Champion into the last corner. Hamilton fought back and dived down the inside at turn 1 with slight contact and just about made it through. It was a superb battle with both drivers showing great skill. The battle cooled after that but Hamilton seemed downbeat afterwards, saying he was surprised at Button's move. Hamilton seem to think that the battle was off and that they were holding station. It was a huge result for the Woking team and the important thing here is through the drama of the day, McLaren were on Red Bull's pace. It seems they have taken a big step forward with their car. They were able to run a low ride height on Saturday yet it didn't spoil their speed on full tanks so have they been able to work out the best way of optimising the ride height of their car, as many suspected Red Bull had at the start of the season. They ran the car very stiff and this may be not possible at Montreal though it is a track they and Hamilton in particular have excelled in the past.



The championship is turning into a thriller and with Canada next, we could have another cracker on our hands. The spice is increasing also with the Webber and Vettel relationship at high tension while Button continues to show his capability against Hamilton. Ferrari had a poor weekend but Fernando Alonso says wait till Valencia and see us then. It's believed a big update for the F10 could include a rear end and exhaust system similiar to the RB6. Mercedes are solid but not quick enough to be in the championship hunt while Renault's development has been spectacular with Eric Boullier praisng Robert Kubica as a strong racer who makes no mistakes. Kubica won the last race in Canada in 2008 but Hamilton, Alonso and Schumacher also know the winning feeling there. Will Red Bull add a winner to that list? Well they need to overcome mechancial and mental fragility

Red Bull remain fast but fragile

It was 7 out of 7 for Red Bull this afternoon in Turkey as Mark Webber took his 3rd consecutive pole position. Lewis Hamilton was 2nd in a strong showing with Sebastian Vettel 3rd after problems in Q3. Jenson Button was just behind the German and was 1 of several drivers who abandoned their last laps after Michael Schumacher spun at turn 8 on his last lap. The Mercedes driver wrecked his tyres but as he set his fastest lap on another set of tyres he will be able to use them for the first stint tomorrow. He starts 5th alongside Nico Rosberg. Felipe Massa is in a Renault sandwich in 8th while Kamui Kobayashi impressed in getting tenth though he was limited in Q3 as he only had 1 new set of soft tyres left to use. It was a bad day for Ferrari with Fernando Alonso only qualifying 12th. He had a spin on the first flying lap of his final run and was slightly up on his final attempt but with the track temperature in the 40's the tyres were giving up in the twisty final section and he lost time. Ferrari will need a better day tomorrow in their 800th grand prix.

The casualty of Q1 was, not for the first time this season, Vitantonio Liuzzi. The Italian ran with the teams new F-Duct device unlike team mate Adrian Sutil who was not comfortable with it after limited running in practice. Liuzzi had a shocker though, way off the pace and going out with a wimper. He complained of having little rear end grip but the team were not happy with this performance and the pressure is on with Paul Di Resta an available option to the team. Vijay Mallya has put a lot of trust in Liuzzi who has been with the team since it's beginnings but patience could begin to wear thin if this form continues. Lotus were leading the way in the B-class with Jarno Trulli just 1.4 seconds off the Force India. Timo Glock wasn't far behind but team mate Lucas Di Grassi was beaten by Bruno Senna in the HRT. The Brazilian was almost a second clear of Karun Chandhok. The Indian put the big difference down to straight line speed issues and staying on the hard tyres.

It was certainly eventful for Red Bull, on and off the track. After deciding not to run their new F-Duct system for the remainder of the weekend, the team ran a different wing on Vettel's car. However, Webbers only arrived on Turkish soil 30 minutes before the start of Q1. A quick drive to the track and the wing was fitted on in time for Webber. Vettel cruised through the first 2 sessions and was set to take provisional pole in his first run but locked up at turn 12 and ran wide at turn 14. He was 0.5secs slower than Webber in S3. In his final run, he ran wide at turn 1. The problem has been identified by Red Bull as a failed anti-roll bar at the rear of the car. After Webber's engine failure on Friday and throttle linkage problems in morning practice, it shows that Red Bull's title aspirations could be hindered by unreliabilty. Vettel probably would have been on pole if it hadn't been for the problem and he seem very frustrated in the press conference. We also had a little insight into the team when Mark Webber commented that he went out before Vettel at the end when he should have been the last to go. Perhaps this was because they were assessing Vettels car. It turned out well for Webber as he avoided the yellow flags for Schumachers spin.

Things certainly didn't go to plan for Ferrari as they qualified 8th and 12th. Fernando Alonso reported no problems, syaing that the spin he had made no difference and that the car was on the limit. The gaps were small but even so Massa was not near the battle for pole position on a track he goes well on. Alonso has a free choice of tyres tomorrow so he can either go on softs and try to make early progress or go for the harder compound and try and run a long first stint. A safety car period is not improbable but unlikely. The Ferrari is kind to its tyres and the team usually run better in race trim than in qualifying. If we get hot conditions like Friday for the race then this could be to the benefit of Massa and Alonso.

So is Mark Webber on for another victory or can Lewis Hamilton get in on the winning act? The run to turn 1 is relatively short and we've seen incidents in the past. Hamilton is on the dirty side of the grid so it may be difficult for him. However in the GP2 race earlier, the person starting 2nd was first into turn 1. In terms of the on track battle the strength for McLaren is its speed down the back straight whereas the Red Bull is supreme through turn 8. Jenson Button said that he was running a low ride height so it may be tricky for him early in the race on full tanks. If the McLarens want to get past they need to be close coming out of turn 10 but that will be difficult with the advantage the Bulls have in turn 8. McLaren best chance may be toward the end of the race though whether they're in a position to attack at that stage remains to be seen. Tyre strategy is expected to be the normal 1 stopper though this is a stressful track for the tyres so those who switch early may struggle in the closing stages. A 2 stopper is an option but will need track position and probably overtaking to make it happen. Could Hamilton try it? Perhaps as he is the quickest man in a straight line this weekend, it would certainly be fascinating to see but i still expect the 1 stop option to be the choice for the majority of the field.

It should be a good race as Hamilton looks for his first win of the season and Vettel aims to bounce back from his recent difficulties. Will Renault turn a strong qualifying into a double points finish and can Fernando Alonso haul his prancing horse up the order in Ferrari's 800th Grand Prix. The race starts at 1pm BST with dry conditions expected. Check out my twitter page throughout the race for updates and views as the 58 laps unfold.

Anticipation builds for Istanbul weekend

Friday at the Turkish Grand Prix saw McLaren top the timesheets in both free practice sessions which were held in blazing heat. Lewis Hamilton was quickest in the morning before Jenson Button headed the times in the afternoon, just pipping Mark Webber. The Australian pulled off before the end of the session with an engine failure. Sebastian Vettel tried out the new F-Duct device on his Red Bull and declared himself happy with his new chassis which he has named Randy Mandy. Fernando Alonso wasn't far off the front running pace in 5th but team mate Felipe Massa had issues, running wide several times at turn 8 before spinning into the gravel at the corner on his only set of soft tyres. The Brazilian got his car back to the pits but his tyres were badly damaged and he only managed 10th position. Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were less than a tenth apart in 6th and 7th with Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov 8th and 9th for Renault.

Massa was not the only driver having problems through the quadruple apex turn 8, with several drivers taking to the vast run off area on the outside of the corner. Most recovered back onto the race track but Adrain Sutil found the barriers in the closing moments of the first session. The German lost it on the third apex of the corner and did signficant damage to the front right corner of his car. He did get back out on track in second practice. Force India also tested out a F-Duct device today which is called a Switchable Rear Wing (SRW). At the back end of the field, Lotus continued to show promising pace with Heikki Kovalainen just 0.7secs off Jaime Alguersuari in the Torro Rosso. Lucas Di Grassi ran for the first time with the updated Virgin. Meanwhile at HRT, Sakon Yamamoto had his first outing for the team, taking over from Bruno Senna in the first session.

Red Bull ran the F-Duct on Sebastian Vettel's car in the first session. He operated it by using his left hand, similiar to how Ferrari used their device in Barcelona. However they have adjusted it so that the driver can now use his knee to operate it like the McLaren drivers. In the speed trap, Vettel was only going 1kph faster than Webber which would suggest that Vettel was not getting much performance from using it. Team principal Christian Horner was also unsure that the device would offer a big gain but praised the team for how quickly they had got the device onto the car. However after analysing the data the team has decided not to use it for the remainder of the weekend. Webber's engine problem cost him some running time but the lost engine only had 50km's of life left so not a major headache for the team. The Renault is not the strongest engine for overall power but tends to maintain performance over use better, is usually very reliable and has the best fuel efficiency in the field.

McLaren seem confident of a good result after strong pace today. The combination of fast corners and being able to run the MP4-25 stiff seems to bring the best out of the car. Of course, the test on this track is turn 8 and one of the challenges is that the setup required for the corner differs from what is needed on the other 13 turns. This means that engineers, as well as drivers, face a difficult challenge in getting the right compromise for car setup. Another problem for McLaren is getting one lap pace in the crucial Q3 session. This season we have seen cars do more than 1 flying lap on a run in order to get the best out of the tyres. Qualifying tomorrow may be a different challenge. If we have a repeat of the 50C track temperatures then it may be a case of getting 1 lap out of the soft tyre. We have seen people in the past lose the best of the tyres in the final sector so the balance between getting the tyres switched on but conserving enough in hand for a full lap will be a key factor tomorrow, particularly as sector 3 is the most dependant on mechancial grip.

There has been plenty of news floating about the paddock these past couple of days. The Pirelli deal which i said was done on Twitter on Tuesday is likely to be announced this weekend, with 3 compounds of dry tyres being supplied as well as an intermediate and wet choice. The speculation about the driver market had the brakes applied yesterday as Stefano Domenicalli said that Felipe Massa would probably be retained for 2011 alongside Fernando Alonso. Red Bull are hopeful of getting a new deal sorted for Mark Webber soon and insist Kimi Raikkonen is not an option. Ross Brawn says he would be happy to have the same drivers for next season and McLaren are unhappy to change their all english lineup so it looks like it could be a fairly stable market next season. In other news, Cosworth terminated their engine supply deal with USF1. I'm sure most people were confident of this fact considering the Americian outfit never made it to the grid!

So 1 more hour of practice at 9am BST followed by qualifying at 12 noon. Note that qualifying is held an hour earlier in Istanbul than the other European venues on the calendar. I expect Red Bull to show their full hand tomorrow and take another pole despite no F-Duct but can McLaren finally nail it when it matters or can Ferrari surprise in their 800th grand prix? We will find out tomorrow.

Red Bull's next race winner

Saturday 11th October 2008, 5.30am, I'm struggling to keep my eyes open as i watch the build up on ITV to the qualifying session at Fuji Speedway with Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa battling for the title. As another set of adverts appear i decide to go channel hopping and discover more motor racing on Channel 4. British F3 from Donnington Park. A title deciding race as well. So i thought i'd check this out. I like keeping an eye on GP2 etc but had to admit that i didn't know too many drivers in this field. In the opening stages there was the usual thrills and spills you'd associate with the lower classes of open wheel racing. However at the fr ont, one man was on his own, serenly pulling away lap after lap to take a crushing victory which gave him the title. Riding onboard with this Spanish teenager you could see consistency and no mistakes in what would have been a pressure situation with a championship on the line. Jaime Alguersuari was his name and i thought to myself "I'll remember that".

Despite my positive impressions of the man from Barcelona, I wasn't expecting to see him on the F1 grid less than 12 months later. Alguersuari was thrust into action at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest F1 driver at 19 years old, with his only previous running in an F1 car being in a straight line test. The reason for this opprtunity coming along so quickly is that Alguersuari is part of the Red Bull driver programme which has already seen many drivers get their chance in F1, like Vitantonio Liuzzi, Sebastian Vettel and the other current Torro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi. Felipe Massa expressed concern before the weekend that being put in so young could harm Alguersuari long-term. It's a valid point as rushing a driver in who still lacks that experience that is so important could suffer early poor results and really adversly affect his confidence. The positive for Alguersuari was that there was little expectation or pressure. With Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz owning 2 teams it basically gives him 4 seats on the F1 grid. It means that Torro Rosso can be used as a ground for blooding new talent while the main team is focused on winning races. It gave the Spanish teenager the license to learn F1. Alguersuari put in a respectable performance in Budapest, his lap times were fine considering it was his debut and his best lap in the race was less than half a second off team mate Buemi. The important thing for him was to get as much running as possible. He even continued his season in Formula Renault between Grand Prix weekends. No points came in 2009 but milage was gained, making use of all 3 days of the weekend. Japan was a rough experience for him with big crashes on both Saturday and Sunday at Degner 2 and 130R respectively.

2010 presents a proper chance to shine for Alguersuari. Pre-season testing gave him a chance to get used to his new car before going into the heat of battle. The opening races has allowed him to show glimpses of his capability. He held off the challenge of Michael Schumacher for 50 laps at Albert Park and then took his maiden points finish in Sepang which included a sensational pass on Nico Hulkneberg on the outside of turn 5. He repeated the trick on the German at his home race. There have been messy moments as well. In both Shanghai and Barcelona he collided with Karun Chandhok while lapping the Indian. A broken front wing compromised his Chinese race while knocking the HRT's front wing off in Spain earned him a drive through penalty.

Is he the future of Red Bull? Well, time is on his side. It's incredible to think he could start the 2015 season with over 5 seasons of experience yet only be 25! Short term prospects could be limited. Mark Webber's deal expires at the end of this season and though he hasn't ruled out a switch, it woulds till seem likely that he would stay on at the team. Should the Australian decide to go, other options would include Kimi Raikkonen who is currently running in his debut season in the World Rally Championship with Red Bull backing. Felipe Massa could be another option should the Brazilian lose his Ferrari seat to Webber. Buemi is also a contender, the Swiss driver having openly admitted that he would love to have a Red Bull seat in 2011. Sebastian Vettel is contracted until 2012. Mercedes would love to have Vettel leading their German aspirations but at the present time, the Red Bull is the car to have. Of course it doesn't take long for things to change in Formula 1 but Vettel will be content for the meantime, having taken the Torro Rosso route to the main team. All of this is speculation for the meantime. Red Bull have usually made driver line up decisions around July time in recent years so it'll be interesting to see if we have early confirmation around the time of the British and German Grand Prix weekends.

Alguersuari's personality perhaps is a reflection of the diving he has shown on track. He comes across as a very laid back and chilled out person. He is a huge fan of music and has DJ'ed to crowds of thousands. If his Twitter updates are anything to go by, then he is a very excitable guy! I really have been impressed by him. I think he has shown a lot of speed and while mistakes need to be ironed out, the potential is there to be a future star. Maturity will come with time, something he has plenty of. For now, his main challenge is to beat Buemi. If he can do that then he is beating one of his main rivals and is putting himself at the head of the quene for earning the promotion to Red Bull. Red Bull's next race winner? I think Jaime Alguersuari is a good possibility.