Super Seb makes it two in a row

Vettel took the title, Button claimed an emotional win and Hamilton clashed with Massa again. Here's my thoughts on that and more after a brilliant weekend of Formula 1 in Japan...

Supreme Seb seals title success at Suzuka: I had never been a huge fan of Sebastian Vettel until this year. Not that i disliked him, he always had my respect as a quick guy but he was never a favourite, someone i really willed on. When Robert Kubica came through the ranks at BMW i had my eye on him so i suppose the next man along which was Vettel was never going to capture my attention as much. I knew he was fast though and he soon showed it. Debut weekend in America and he scored a point and topped a practice session. Fast forward a year and at a drenched Monza he gets his first opportunity to win a race and takes it. However taking out Kubica at the start of 2009 didn't help my vibes towards him! But the next 2 seasons would see Vettel go from someone with raw speed into more of an all round package. He snatched the title at the death in 2010 but even then i thought the German had more room for improvement.

2011 has been sensational for Vettel. His brilliant qualifying laps, his racecraft and control of a Grand Prix, the coolness under pressure, the fabulous overtakes which some have wondered whether he could produce. It has been a world class display of sheer brilliance and a pleasure to watch unfold (Even if it means the championship not going to the wire) And off the track he's a funny, likeable guy who regularly makes you laugh. He's just annoyingly good! Of course the serious side of Vettel exists and his utter will to win and snap up every prize available is incredible. The appetite hasn't been quenched by 2 world titles and we are set for a few more years of great battles and rivalry between the likes of Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Button.

Button victory laids down marker for 2012: It was a glorious Sunday in Suzuka. The sun shining down, the choir singing the national anthem with such beauty on the grid and a race which was close throughout and went down to the wire. First point of contention was the start. I think Vettel pushed his luck with Button but the decision not to penalise him was the correct one. Button ends up in the pit exit and then the track tightens so i think technically the road closed up on him when it got to the point he was on the grass. Don't blame him for feeling aggrieved. The stewards reasoning was strange however as they made the point that Hamilton had taken a similar line to Vettel from the start. Don't see how that really plays an influence in what happens. Good that the FIA are giving reasons at least! Button eventually retook the lead, a pit time 8 tenths quicker than Vettel allowing the McLaren to get the 'overcut'.



Then we had a safety car after debris at Turn 7 (Webber/Schumacher collision) and Turn 16 (Hamilton/Massa) I thought this was a bit of an overreaction at the time because the pieces were small but i understand safety is paramount and the biggest gap on track at the time was 15 seconds between D'Ambrosio and Trulli so it would have been tight for a marshall to get out there. Just feels strange seeing a safety car for pieces of debris and only yellow flags when a burning Renault was exploding at the Budapest pit exit. Hamilton seem to not realise Massa was there in their collision. The stewards explanation on this was also odd taking into consideration that Massa was on trying to overtake on the left into a right hander. Hamilton may have been taking the normal line but you can't just do that when another car is already there! I'm always amazed how aware the drivers are of what's around and behind them being so low in the cars with small mirrors but Hamilton's recent incidents do make you wonder about his awareness around other cars, he has made some clumsy and unneeded moves. He is still a very quick driver and on his day the best and this slump of form will pass by and i feel he will bounce back.

Amongst the joy of Button and Vettel was another tremendous drive from Fernando Alonso. This guy is just relentless, getting everything out of what he has. I actually think Massa is driving better recently as well but it doesn't show up that well because of the form of the Spaniard. He wants a third title badly and will want to get it before Vettel does! Another driver showing good race pace is Michael Schumacher who came in 6th and led a lap of a Grand Prix for the first time since the same race 5 years ago. Another stat from Sunday was that the race had the most finishers on the lead lap in F1 history. 19 cars completed all 53 laps. Cheers to Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman on Twitter) for confirming that one!

Sauber duo impress on and off the track: After 2010 we knew that plenty of attention would be on Kamui Kobayashi and it certainly was as the crowds went wild for anything their home hero did. Unfortunately anti-stall kicked in at the start and a lack of fresh rubber saw him fall back in the closing stages. It was still a positive weekend after all he had done for his country in the wake of the tsunami disaster. Sergio Perez had a stunning race. Starting 17th and suffering from the flu, the Mexican found himself behind Jarno Trulli early on yet managed to come through and take a fantastic 8th, beating the Renault and Force India cars. I didn't know much about him before this season but he is really showing good speed and some feisty combat when wheel to wheel with other cars. He is being touted as a Ferrari driver for 2013 and it wouldn't surprise me to see him there (Sorry Massa fans!) Vitaly Petrov did well to get 9th after 2 stints on the prime tyre and Force India need something special to get 5th from them in the championship now. Another weekend with a crash for Bruno Senna who isn't really doing enough to keep that seat for next year in my opinion. Will the team look towards someone like Rubens Barrichello if Kubica can't return or perhaps stick in Romain Grosjean. We'll have to see how the muddled situation at Renault turns out.

A few words make all the difference: A story doing the rounds before the Japanese Grand Prix was Mark Webber saying he had given up hope of ever winning the world championship. Whilst it hasn't been the best season for the Australian, to see a driver currently in the best car in F1 declare he had no hope of being champion was a surprising one. However on Twitter and during interviews Webber dismissed the reports and said he had been misquoted. As i looked into this i got chatting to Cheryl Tay, the lady who conducted the interview with Webber. So what did he really say? Cheryl confirmed that the question put to Webber was "Have you ever thought of that (2010) as your last chance to be champion?" to which the Red Bull driver replied "yes of course, life goes on" So basically Webber feels that a great opportunity passed him by last season but he hasn't given up on 1 day becoming champion. Shows how easily things get misinterpreted in the media sometimes.

Korea DRS zone location revealed: F1 heads back to Yenogam for a 2nd year and it appears little has been done to the circuit since the 1st race where the track only got FIA approval 2 weeks before the Grand Prix. The pit entry, criticised by many, remains and the many buildings planned around the circuit still haven't come to be. The layout is a good one though with a really mixture of long straights and technical corners. I'm not happy with the DRS zone for this race which is between turns 2 and 3, the longest straight on the track at over 1km. Surely this will provide some action anyway and with DRS added may become too easy. We'll still lots of action, i just fear it will be diluted somewhat. There are shorter straights before and after the DRS zone so expect some battles to continue for a few corners. I like the DRS but there's room for improvement and perhaps the way it is implemented needs adjustment. Hopefully the FIA will assess it closely over the winter.

Lazenby to present F1 on Sky?: The BBC/Sky story has been pretty quiet recently. Mark Thompson said in a BBC radio interview last week that the highlights shows for the races the BBC don't show live will be 75 minutes. No confirmation yet on whether full ace replays will be available on any platform. We know that the BBC will show the British, Monaco and Brazilian races next year. Sky get to pick the next 3 races and then the choosing process alternates 1 pick at a time. The Daily Mail reported this week that Sky are still chasing Martin Brundle for their coverage and that Simon Lazenby could be the presenter. I don't have Sky so don't know much about Lazenby but he seems to be highly rated and worked with Sky's head of F1 on their Rugby coverage. Also interesting to see that the latest follows on his Twitter account are the Ferrari and Red Bull feeds...

What have you made of the 2011 season? Is Vettel now the best driver currently in F1? And who could be the next rising star to join the fight for victories? Let me know in the comments section

Image courtesy of http://www.mclaren.com

Alonso back on top at Silverstone

A new look Silverstone delivered a wet weekend but amongst the weather and the politics a sell out crowd was served up a brilliant grand prix on Sunday. And i was lucky enough to be there...

Friday was expected to be a bit of a wash out and so it proved to be, though it was quite changeable. At Noon i was sitting at Stowe bathed in sunshine. Before that was FP1. I headed towards the pit straight grandstands. Originally i was heading to the pit entry because i thought the top teams would be there but through a gap i spotted the Red Bull pitwall at the bottom of the pitlane. Most people were aiming for that end though! Eventually got in opposite the FIA garages at the final corner. At least the pitwall was lower at that end! It was a fun spot as the cars were really squirming through Club. A few cars ventured dangerously close to the astroturf and after 3 laps of power sliding Kamui Kobayashi lost it in spectacular fashion. As he got some air my view was blocked for a split second and i thought he was maybe going to roll! Thankfully he didn't but there was plenty of damage to the Sauber as seen in this picture taken by my Sister



Took up a seat at Becketts for FP2 and was really excited because i've heard lots of good things about this viewing area. Unfortunately it rained minutes before the start and i knew that with the first session also being wet and rain still possible for the rest of the weekend that the teams wouldn't want to use up too many tyres. Only 4 cars came out early on, including to my surprise Kobayashi in the repaired Sauber. Then it went very quiet for a long time and eventually i walked down to Copse as the wind was getting hard to handle! So it all fizzled out a bit and in terms of form there wasn't much to read into.

Returned back to the hotel to see Twitter dominated by exhaust rules discussion and disputes between engine suppliers. This would be an issue that would twist and turn all weekend. When i seen Christian Horner and Adrian Newey on the big screen during FP3 in the paddock i reckoned that something exhaust related had changed again! One line that Renault and Red Bull seemed to use a lot through the matter was that reliability would be an issue for them if the rules were changed. However i was talking to a friend with Lotus connections earlier in the week and he said something which at the time didn't mean much to me but which became more relevant as the saga unfolded. His words were that Renault were claiming reliability to be an issue but that this was just a ploy to try and stop the off throttle blowing being banned and hence stop a potential loss of performance

Qualifying was very entertaining as the conditions and circumstances meant everybody was under pressure through all 3 parts of the session and hence lots of laps from the cars. A slight anti climax as rain fell at the end of Q3. The cars came charging into Becketts as the rain fell so pretty dramatic but it meant the grid was set. Then there was some more rain post qualifying but nothing too severe so to see that they started the GP2 race under the safety car was shocking, a terrible and unnecessary decision.

Race morning and it was sunny and warm. It felt like a dry race was in prospect but an hour before the start there was a light shower at Vale. Despite that the track was still good enough for slick tyres but as the drivers came out to make their way to the grid it was clear on the screen that the other side of the circuit had got a much bigger soaking. It really was set to be a great race and so it proved to be. A dramatic opening lap seen Hamilton charging from 10th. Down into Vale Heidfeld and Petrov went into combat and almost collided! Petrov eventually ran out of space and had to give up the place.

Then it was a case of seeing who would make the stop for slicks first. I was tipping Button but it was Schumacher who pitted first, albeit he was coming in anyway after hitting Kobayashi. Another 2011 Mercedes front wing ending up in pieces. Sergio Perez did his usual trick of running long and his alternative tactics really worked out as he picked up a very good 7th. Jaime Alguersuari moved ahead of his team mate Sebastien Buemi in the championship after picking up another point.

The main focus was on the battle up front. Sebastian Vettel streaked away early on but a troublesome pitstop cost him the lead. Fernando Alonso was very quick so may well have challenged for the victory on the track but once he got out front he was away. Lewis Hamilton had fuel issues in the final stint which as confirmed by the BBC afterwards was because they had deliberately short fuelled him. A similar situation to Jenson Button in the same race last year where he started 14th and McLaren short fuelled him. It allowed him to make early progress but then handicapped him in his pursuit of Nico Rosberg and a podium finish. For Hamilton a frustrating finish but i think the strategy was a good one overall. Just shows you how much risk McLaren are having to take though. Hamilton probably would have been lower as well if Button had not been forced to stop after his wheel nut issue. Got a great view of his last lap battle with Massa, great stuff and brilliant to see cars racing to the line!

The other big talking point was the Red Bull battle in the closing laps. After Webber passed Hamilton he immediately closed in on Vettel. At first i didn't expect a fight and that Vettel would pick the pace up. But Webber kept closing and it was very exciting from the stands. After the race i was told that Webber had been told to "Maintain the gap" by Horner. My initial reaction was disappointment as i felt i had been watching a good duel develop and that it had been unfairly called off. On reflection i can see both sides of the argument, Red Bull just want the team to get the points in the bag but Webber wanted to finally beat his team mate this season. The key really is what was discussed before and during the race. If Red Bull have a policy of holding station in the final stint then Webber was quite naughty. I'm told by a Red Bull source that apparently (and i stress apparently) Vettel was told to turn down his engine with 10 laps to go as Alonso could not be caught. If that is true then the team may have created the situation. At the time Webber was still behind Hamilton so perhaps they thought he'd be busy battling him without getting involved with Vettel. Anyway there wasn't much harm done and there's a nice 4 week break in August where Webber can go and sign his contract extension if he wants to...

I thought DRS worked really well at Silverstone. Not many easy passes, lots of close duels and bringing cars closer which seen many battles through the following corners after the zone ended. Very good indeed and hopefully the FIA take note for future races. Track position was worth something in this grand prix but overtaking was still possible. It's been a fantastic season, the cars are actually racing rather than just getting near another car and being stuck. We are getting drivers going for it, being able to be positive rather than sit behind another car and wait for a pitstop and this is really good for the sport.

Another great thing at Silverstone was getting on the track after the race. Me and my Sister made a run for it and having seen on the screen that the podium ceremony was almost over we made a dive up the pit entry where there was hardly anybody and my Sister got some brilliant pictures of the cars sitting in Parc Ferme, That was very cool!







I think Ferrari have improved the car quite a bit but the Red Bull is still the one to beat. Alonso was a very deserving winner but things like the exhaust changes and avoiding the use of the hard tyre played into his hands. He's a superb driver though, he gets a sniff of victory and snaps up the opportunity so well. Vettel still increased his championship lead though. He has ticked many boxes in the last 12 months but one box which remains empty is a win on home tarmac so he'll be pumped up to achieve something which has proved difficult in his short career. A top 2 finish at the Nurburgring will also mean he becomes the first driver in F1 history to start a season with ten consecutive top 2 finishes. Lets hope for a fun double header in Europe before the summer break kicks in.

Vettel gets the win he wanted

A gripping 3 way battle was keeping F1 fans hooked to their screens but some traffic chaos deprived us of an epic finish. It was still a weekend full of talking points though...

Vettel makes it 5 out of 6: A lot of people felt Sebastian Vettel was lucky to win this race, comments which i can understand after the race because there was such a tense finish in store, but these are unfair. He delivered a superb lap to take pole position, was making the 1 stop strategy work and withstanding the pressure from Alonso. Of course between the traffic and the tyre degradation it would have been a fascinating finish without the red flag. I reckon, barring any abnormal incidents between the front 3 or a backmarker in the way, Vettel would have either hung on or hit the 'cliff' and fallen to 3rd. Something to ponder is that in Melbourne Perez did 185km on the soft compound and when the safety car was deployed near the end Vettel had done 175km on his set of tyres (same compound) with 30km to go. Red Bull said afterwards that the wrong compound was put on the world champion's car and that what should have been a 2 stopper was adjusted, on the call of Vettel himself, to a 1 stop. However BBC reporter Ted Kravitz had doubts over whether this was actually true. Red Bull changed their pitstop procedures this weekend after concerns Ferrari were reading their strategy in Spain but maybe they should reconsider after some serious confusion at the stop!

This allowed Jenson Button into the lead and he was on the options and pushing very hard whilst Vettel took the conservative route and nursed his primes. However he kept within a pitstop so when Button pitted again he had P1 again. McLaren then opted for a 3 stopper at this point which was a strange move. They had the information that the primes would do over half a race distance and really that cost Button second place and would have meant he was the man troubling Vettel rather than Alonso. Another trick missed by McLaren, though ultimately not mattering, was not pitting Button when the safety car was deployed for a second time. He was 40 seconds ahead of Kobayashi when it was deployed so could have pitted for new primes (no options left), retained third place and caught up to Alonso again but now with fresher rubber to be able to attack better on the final laps. Of course the red flag meant everybody got a chance to change without loss. Many complained this spoilt the restart and it did but it's a very rare situation and really things should be open as conditions can be variable, it was just the circumstances of yesterday that made it a shame.

Hamilton suffers a weekend of mayhem: Lewis Hamilton loves Monaco. Just thinking about flinging a car around the tight streets of Monte Carlo leaves him with a feeling of excitement at a place where his hero Ayrton Senna was so brilliant. Things were going well on Saturday as he topped Q1 and Q2 and had 2 sets of options for the all important Q3. As his main rivals got a time in early on there was no sign of the #3 car. Eventually he appeared but had a terrible sector 1. He blamed Felipe Massa in front but the Ferrari had not blocked the McLaren. Then the big accident for Perez caused a 40 minute delay. 2:26 left on the clock meant 9 cars would get a lap in fine and McLaren had ample time to calculate that. Yet they sent him out over 2 minutes before the session restarted. Cold tyres = no grip and Hamilton soon found that out, ending up cutting a corner and having his time deleted.

So he was clearly fast but it was going to be hard work from 9th on the grid. After several laps on Michael Schumacher's gearbox he made a sweet move into Ste Devote. Then it went downhill. A bad pitstop left him in traffic. Then he made an unrealistic move on Felipe Massa. He accused the Brazilian of turning in on him. Well Lewis that might have been because he was taking a corner... Then the scrap continued into the tunnel. Hamilton got a good run on him (KERS assisted at a guess) and passed in the tunnel. Massa got on the marbles and hit the wall. Race over. Then after the red flag Hamilton was all over Maldonado and into turn 1 had a look, he got half alongside and perhaps he felt it was doable after the earlier Schumacher move but really it was just too ambitious for such a tight corner and he pitched the Williams out of the race which was such a shame. Then came the post race outburst which was all a bit silly and unneeded. Hamilton has had down beat moments in his career before but this really was the worst of the lot. However he has had a habit of bouncing back with some great results so lets see what he bounces back with in Montreal, a place where he is mighty.

Elsewhere it was delight for Kamui Kobayashi with a career best 5th, though he was lucky to escape a penalty for hitting Sutil. Stewards really got that one wrong though he would have stayed 5th anyway. Sutil was 4th having been under constant pressure from the Sauber. The pair made a 1 stop strategy work and were helped by cars in front struggling and then getting stuck in traffic. Sutil emotions are probably mixed because the incident cost him time and then he got a puncture yet he still salvaged 7th! Behind Nick Heidfeld also had a good drive through to 8th and moved up to 6th in the championship. Rubens Barrichello finally got on the score board in 2011 and Sebastien Buemi took the final point after Jaime Alguersuari crashed. In the midst of the chaos near the end, it was intriguing to hear David Coulthard, Red Bull employee, on the BBC say during the replays that "Alguersuari, the man under review" Of course it could just be a general remark about the pressure both Toro Rosso drivers are under with Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings but perhaps a hint that it is the Spaniard that could be in line to make way for the Australian as it stands. He does have good backing coming from Spain and his Father but at the minute Buemi is the man picking up the points.

Best wishes to Vitaly Petrov and Sergio Perez after their weekend accidents. Hopefully they'll both be racing in Montreal in 2 weeks.

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.

Sepang serves up exciting weekend

A 4 way showdown for Pole Position on Saturday was followed by an action packed race with 55 overtakes and 63 pitstops. Up front, Sebastian Vettel continued his brilliant form with a fourth consecutive grand prix win. There were loads of stories throughout the field...

Vettel wins and Webber recovers: Sebastian Vettel had to work harder for his win this weekend than in Melbourne. Qualifying saw him edge out Lewis Hamilton and despite a loss of his KERS during the race he won without too many problems. Mark Webber had a manic race. After a KERS issue in qualifying the team replaced parts of the system in Parc Ferme. However it failed before the race and coupled with a poor start left the Australian swamped. He fought back with a 4 stop strategy, 1 more than most drivers. The advantage of that was he could really attack on his shorter stints and made up the time loss of an extra stop - and more. A good fightback to 4th will left his spirits but in still has a team mate to deal with whose confidence is sky high.

Hamilton v Alonso: Lap 45 and 46 seen controversy - heightened by post race penalties - between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver was penalised for moving more than once on the pit straight. We've seen drivers in past seasons push this 'code' but this year it is a written rule. In a Ferrari pre-season video their sporting director seem well up on the new regulations and it wouldn't surprise me if he was the one who told the team to protest the move. That was key because it forced the stewards to analyse it and make a decision and by the rule book Hamilton did break a rule. I think his thinking in the move was confused. Alonso was close and he probably thought that he'd be under more pressure but because the Ferrari's DRS wasn't working he wasn't as quick on the straight. So Hamilton made unnecessary moves and then backtracked and it cost him. Alonso got a harsh penalty for what was a minor mistake. If you penalise him for that then you have to penalise a lot of other incidents e.g Webber hitting Hamilton Australia 2010, Vettel hitting Sutil Great Britain 2010 etc. Costly mistake because a podium was there for the taking.

Fortunes reversed for Renault pair: Lewis Hamilton said after a stunning start move in Malaysia in 2007 around the outside that he had studied the past starts at the track and decided to go that way. On Sunday he looked for the inside instead and on that outside route came Nick Heidfeld in the Renault. Some stunning racing between the pair continued to turn 4 but it was the German who would make it stick and finish the lap 2nd after starting 6th. He lost some ground during his first stop but kept his cool - apart from 1 brief off track moment - to come home 3rd. Vitaly Petrov wasn't far off the pace of his team mate but a few minor mistakes seen him slip back. When Hamilton pitted late on Petrov had him in his mirrors and he ran off the circuit after getting offline onto the numerous marbles. Probably in a panic to maintain 7th he kept his foot down but on the mounted grass he got a massive amount of air and snapped the steering wheel mounting as well as wrecking the suspension. A nasty and bizarre incident for the Russian.

Mixed day for the rookies: Another race, another point for Paul di Resta. He delivered a good, clean weekend. The Force India hasn't got the raw pace but the evolution of the car has at least ensured some reliability. He has benefited from a good grounding with those practice runs last year but he has come in and coped well in what have been busy races. Replacing Liuzzi with the Scot is proving to be a good decision. Sergio Perez had his race ended in very strange circumstances. A piece fell off Sebastien Buemi's car and struck the floor of the Sauber. This set off a fire extinguisher which in turn knocked off the electrics in the car. Pastor Maldonado had more mechanical issues, Williams had a poor weekend and the South Americian hasn't been able to show his worth yet. Another tough weekend for Jerome D'Ambrosio who will be awaiting Virgin's updates with eagerness.

Confused? I'm confused: In an ideal world we would want every race to be a great race with clear and good entertainment. The addition of DRS and the deliberate making of high wearing tyres have been done to improve the show. Of course you would rather not revert to these gadgets but in this day and age it is needed. Sunday was a fantastic race and to see some journalists who report on the sport spinning a negative story on it because of all the activity is quite strange and disappointing. I'm looking at this more on a UK perspective but the race on Sunday recorded the best figures for a race in Malaysia ever. My Dad stayed and watched the whole thing. A guy who works for him even watched some of the race and enjoyed it. It was a fantastic race and i will take one like that every day over one like Bahrain 2010. KERS, DRS, the removal of the double diffusers and the tyres all played their part. Don't forget track design. It is clear that this is a factor. Sepang's long straights followed by tight corners in Sector's 1 and 3 really contribute to the action. Other circuits take note.

A few other things to note from the past weekend as well as the one to come in Shanghai.

- Another difficult weekend for Ferrari but the Prancing Horse was closer to the pace during the race. Senior staff have flown back to Italy between these back to back races which tells you a lot about the concern that there is about the car. It's believed by Italian media that the team will see how the Chinese Grand Prix goes before deciding on what course of action they will take with the development with the car. Ferrari implemented big updates during 2010 so don't write them off yet.

- Sebastien Buemi received a stop/go penalty for speeding in the pitlane. He was clocked doing 120.6 km/h in the 100 km/h limited pitlane. He pressed the limiter coming in but felt it had not gone on. However it had and in pressing it again thinking he was putting it on he turned it off and subsequently broke the limit. Usually this gets a drive through penalty so maybe he got a harsher penalty for the excess of speed he had. You could argue a situation like Lewis Hamilton passing the safety car in Valencia last year could have been dealt with in a similar manner. Jaime Alguersuari reported understeer in his car and it was discovered afterwards that there was damage to the front nose.

- There was some surprise when Hamilton went onto prime tyres at his second stop and used that compound until the end of the race. This can probably be explained by Q2 where he flatspotted his right front tyre into turn 1. So that set of tyres may well have been deemed unusable for the race. This meant he only had the set he started on plus one other set, forcing him into doing half the race on primes. That qualifying lock up may well have proved quite costly. Another imprtant thing is the tyre drop off. Sauber ran longer in the first stint in expectation of rain but once the tyres went off they were 3-4 seconds slower a lap. Kamui Kobayashi did manage a 2 stop strategy so another example of Sauber keeping the tyres well on their car.

- The DRS zone in China will be just over 900 metres long and positioned on the 1.175 km back straight between turn 13 and 14. The detection zone for the 1 second gap will be at turn 12. Should see plenty of action down into the hairpin. There has been resurfacing carried out on parts of the track. Also a 4.5 metre debris fence at turn 14. This is probably a response to the incident with Sebastien Buemi in practice last year where a wheel from the Toro Rosso went into a spectator area. We've seen a lot of standing water gather at times in the final corner during wet races in the past at Shanghai and the organisers have changed the drainage on that part of the track.

- Some quotes have come out from the organisers at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain which say they are still trying to get the race on at some point this year. There is even some talk that the King of Bahrain will be in the Shanghai paddock this weekend. Abu Dhabi is prepared to let Bahrain have their November 13th slot and then move the race at Yas Marina to December 4th. They'll be happy to do this as it means they get the season finale. A few weeks ago it seem unlikely in the extreme that a race would occur in Bahrain this year but the possibility remains open. At present the UK foreign office still advise against all but essential travel to the region

- The timetable for the Indian Grand Prix has been revealed:

Times are Local/UK

Fri 28 October
Practice 1 1000 - 1130/0530 - 0700
Practice 2 1400 - 1530/0930 - 1100
Sat 29 October
Practice 3 1100 - 1200/0630 - 0730
Qualifying 1400/0930
Sun 30 October
Race 1500/0930

The F1 Christmas Selection Box

As the off season continues, here's some videos and pictures to hopefully amuse you through the winter break. Thanks to anyone who suggested or contributed content. Enjoy!

What each contender faces for the race

It was a drama filled and tense qualifying session in Abu Dhabi but Sebastian Vettel had the speed at the end to notch up his 10th pole position of the season. Lewis Hamilton was just edged out by the German into 2nd. Championship leader Fernando Alonso took a vital 3rd on the grid alongside Jenson Button but it was disappointment for Mark Webber who could only manage 5th and shares row 3 with Felipe Massa. So what could possibly unfold tomorrow...

Sebastian Vettel: In terms of getting the win, Vettel is in a good position. The start and subsequent tyre wear will be key and he may have to be wary early on of Hamilton who needs the win to have any chance. Vettel done a couple more laps on his starting tyres in Q3 than most other drivers and the opening stint will be when he track is at its hottest so some early graining could see Hamilton on his tail. I feel he should have enough race pace to cover the McLaren though and should be in the hunt for the race victory. He needs Alonso to finish 5th or lower to take the title and that is out of his hands really. He may yet have to yield a victory to Webber in certain circumstances.

Lewis Hamilton: Simple really for Hamilton, he has to win, hope Vettel is 3rd or lower, Webber 6th or lower and that Alonso doesn't score any points. I think to get the win he'll need to get ahead early on and hope his slightly fresher tyres will help him put pressure on Vettel. Team mate Jenson Button could be a help to his title aspirations if he can get involved in the fight and at least push Vettel behind but he'll still need issues for Webber and Alonso. McLaren have finally got the 'double' F-duct working and are running quite a bit of downforce to keep up in the corners whilst the improved stalling of the rear wing maintains good speed on the straights. Good progress but perhaps too late to save Hamilton's championship ambitions.

Fernando Alonso: Overall things worked out ok for the Spaniard. Ferrari look like the 3rd fastest team this weekend, albeit it is extremely close for such a long track. With Webber struggling it eases the pressure on Alonso. If the Australian doesn't win tomorrow then a top 4 finish will seal a third title for the Ferrari driver. Dropping to 5th could allow Vettel to snatch the title on countback. Realistically for that to happen it will take either a major issue or being passed by Webber and Button so Alonso will hope to maintain his position early on and keep Webber behind and then settle for a minimum of 4th. A pressure for him to handle is the old engine which after powering him around Yas Island today has now done approximately 1250km and still needs to keep going for another 310km to ensure Alonso can see the chequered flag under the lights tomorrow.

Mark Webber: There are still 55 laps for things to change tomorrow but this was not a good Saturday for Mark Webber. The Australian really needed to be on the front row so that he could be challenging for the win or at least be in a position to inherit one if the situation dictated it. Instead he finds himself behind his title rivals and he needs to take risks to get back in contention. So where can the Red Bull driver make up positions. Obviously the start is one opportunity but it'll be difficult to make multiple places up as it is a short run to turn 1 and not a big braking zone. He certainly won't want Felipe Massa nipping ahead early on and interfering with his race. His car is not particularly quick in the speed trap so that could also make his task difficult. A safety car is not likely at this circuit but an early deployment would allow him to try a similar strategy to Singapore where he gained a couple of positions by pitting early for the hard tyre. However the pitlane loss in bAu Dhabi is quite a bit less than it was at Marina Bay. His task is difficult but he will just have to try and attack as much as possible. A victory for his team mate means Webber won't take the title so he will either need issues for others or hope he can get up behind him and hope Alonso is 3rd or 4th, forcing Vettel to yield for him.

So a lot of scenario's and permutations there but the world awaits to see what will unfold tomorrow. I feel Alonso is in prime position, he is very capable of dealing with the pressures involved and with Webber behind, a top 4 finish may well be enough. A 5pm start means a long wait for the drivers and plenty of time for the tension to build. Can Mark Webber show his fighting spirit one more time? Will Sebastian Vettel make it 2 wins out of 2 races in Abu Dhabi or could the outsider Lewis Hamilton pull off an incredible turnaround? In 24 hours we will know...

Thoughts on the Interlagos weekend

It wasn't up there with the all time classic Brazilian races but it sets things up beautifully for a thrilling finale to the season in Abu Dhabi...

Hulkenberg puts up a fight: Nico Hulkenberg looked pretty calm on the grid but, unseen on TV, appeared to have some sort of drama at turn 1 on the formation lap which allowed a few cars past but the German recovered to take his place at the front. It didn't last long as Sebastian Vettel and then Mark Webber dispatched him on lap 1. The Williams defended well from Fernando Alonso but eventually dropped to 4th on lap 7 and despite pressure, held off Lewis Hamilton until the pitstops. He eventually finished 8th which was enough to put Williams a point clear of Force India. The battle for 6th is the closest one left in the constructors championship.

Speculation continues over the Williams line-up for 2011. Don't expect official word until after the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi. You would think that the team would want to hold on to Hulkenberg after his weekend performance but with the team in a technical partnership next season with Hispania Racing, there has been some talk that the German could be offloaded to the Spanish team for a year before returning to replace Rubens Barrichello. Collin Kolles wants experience and youth at HRT next year and Pedro de la Rosa is believed to be in contention whilst Pastor Maldonado and Valterri Bottas, who are both testing with the team later this month, may also be slotted in at Williams request. I think that Maldonado will get into the Williams team so somebody will have to move on. This weekend could yet prove the final one for Barrichello in his long F1 career.

McLaren strategy keeps them hanging on: Lewis Hamilton was a grumpy man on Sunday afternoon. Things were bad even before the start as the 2008 champion reported vibrations with his brakes on the way to the grid, an issue he also suffered in Hungary this year. He was hounded by Alonso from the off and his McLaren looked a handful as he eventually slid wide allowing the Ferrari through. He also had tyre wear issues, overheating his tyres on his first 2 stints. Again the team excelled on the strategy side of things, responding to the safety car for Vitanonio Liuzzi's crash, caused by a mechanical issue, to put on fresh rubber without losing position. It was a fantastic move because it gave him the opportunity to attack Alonso and improve his title bid which was on the brink. However the amount of backmarkers between the leading cars caused havoc and meant that when Hamilton had cleared them all, Alonso was already 8 seconds. He needs a incredible turnaround to win the title but he's at least going into the final race with a chance, even if it is small.



Traffic, Traffic, Traffic!: This track was always going to represent some issues with backmarkers with it being so short but the fact that the record for most finishers (22) was equalled plus the safety car period towards the end compounded things. Nick Heidfeld got a penalty for ignoring blue flags and there were a few more, particularly the Toro Rosso drivers, who could have also been penalised. Felipe Massa even passed Nico Rosberg at one stage, who was 1 lap ahead of the Ferrari at the time! There was a rule a couple of years ago where the lapped cars unlapped themselves behind the safety car. That restored order but does mean some would gain back a lot of time. Perhaps allowing the cars on the lead lap to overtake backmarkers under the safety car should be considered for next season as the race was just a bit too mixed up in the closing stages.

Fernando continues the podium run: Having declared that 5 podiums in the last 5 races would be enough for the championship, Fernando Alonso has now achieved 80% of his goal. However a third title will only be certain if he is on the first or second step of the podium in Abu Dhabi. I feel that if he is behind a Red Bull 1-2 by lap 2 in Yas Marina then he'll need them to have some issues but we'll see how the weekend pans out. It is also believed that the engine that will be used in Abu Dhabi will be the same one that was used for Monza and Interlagos so managing that will be another pressure for the Spaniard to deal with.

Champions of the World!: Red Bull sealed the constructors title with a 1-2 and set both drivers up for a tilt at the drivers title. Much has been made of the approach taken by the team regarding the drivers championship. Of course they could have improved Webber's situation by letting him win but to be fair, Sebastian Vettel remains in the hunt. In theory, the best way to approach things from the start of the season is to back 1 driver completely like Ferrari did with Michael Schumacher. This however can mean much less excitement and credit must be given for Red Bull letting the pair fight each other. There could be a situation, which is not that unlikely, where Vettel is leading Webber in the final laps at Abu Dhabi. If Alonso is 3rd or 4th then Vettel can't take the title. So Red Bull will have to switch them to give Webber the title. Some think that the team will not do this but despite the ill feeling between the pair and the Austrian favouritism for Vettel, i will be hugely shocked if it didn't happened as throwing a certain title away would be simply crazy for the team or Vettel to do.



Misery all around for the Brazilians: No points garnered at all for the home drivers. Felipe Massa needed an extra pitstop after a wheel nut issue which left him scrapping it out at the rear of the field. Rubens Barrichello also had pitstop issues and then a puncture after contact with Jaime Alguersuari. Lucas Di Grassi had to spend time in the garage during the race whilst Bruno Senna came in 21st in the slow Hispania. He was up against Christian Klien but it was hard to compare the pair as the Austrian had issues pre-race and missed the race start. He also had to put more fuel in due to a pressure problem.

So the final week of the season is upon us. This promises to be a fantastic finale and 3 drivers definitely have a realistic chance of becoming world champion. Lewis Hamilton will need a shock result and issues for others but its only 1 race and it can still happen, just ask Kimi Raikkonen fans about 2007. It was a switch up front which cost Fernando Alonso that day and the same could happen again but will the Red Bull squabbling ultimately allow the Spaniard in for a third title. Engines are now heading towards the end of their life and reliability in the desert could also affect things. Webber even admitting that he thought his car was going to stop in the closing stages of Sunday's race with water pressure issues. All eyes now turn to Abu Dhabi...

Images courtesy of www.mclaren.com and www.forceindiaf1.com

All the championship possibilities

4 drivers head into the final round of the season with a chance of winning the Formula 1 world title. After Brazil, the standings are as follow:

Fernando Alonso 246
Mark Webber 238
Sebastian Vettel 231
Lewis Hamilton 222

Fernando Alonso will definitely win the championship if he finishes in the top 2

Alonso will also win the championship with these set of results:

Finish 3rd and hope
Webber is 2nd or lower

Finish 4th and hope
Webber is 2nd or lower

Finish 5th and hope
Webber is 2nd or lower
Vettel is 2nd or lower

Finish 6th and hope
Webber is 3rd or lower
Vettel is 2nd or lower

Finish 7th and hope
Webber is 4th or lower
Vettel is 2nd or lower

Finish 8th and hope
Webber is 4th or lower
Vettel is 2nd or lower

Finish 9th and hope
Webber is 5th or lower
Vettel is 3rd or lower

Finish 10th and hope
Webber is 6th or lower
Vettel is 3rd or lower

Finish 11th or lower and hope
Webber is 6th or lower
Vettel is 3rd or lower
Hamilton is 2nd or lower

Mark Webber needs to finish in the top 5 to have any chance of winning the world championship

For Webber to win the championship he needs to either:

Win the race and hope
Alonso is 3rd or lower

Finish 2nd and hope
Vettel is 3rd or lower
Alonso is 6th or lower

Finish 3rd and hope
Vettel is 2nd or lower
Alonso to 7th or lower

Finish 4th and hope
Vettel is 2nd or lower
Alonso is 9th or lower

Finish 5th and hope
Vettel is 3rd or lower
Alonso is 10th or lower

Sebastian Vettel needs to finish in the top 2 to have any chance of winning the championship

For Vettel to win the championship he needs to either:

Win the race and hope
Alonso is 5th or lower

Finish 2nd and hope
Webber is 5th or lower
Alonso is 9th or lower

Lewis Hamilton needs to win the race or else he can't win the championship.

So for Hamilton to win the championship he needs to:

Win the race and hope
Vettel is 3rd or lower
Webber is 6th or lower
Alonso is 11th or lower

Hulkenberg breaks through in Brazil

Sebastian Vettel qualified on the front row today, doing what he did at Monza in 2 years when he announced himself to the Formula 1 world. Tomorrow he'll line up along with fellow German Nico Hulkenberg who soared to a sensational pole position. I've been impressed with the rookie this year and i think he's been solid. Whereas fellow rookies Kobayashi and Petrov have had more spectacular moments, Hulkenberg has been quietly improving. However in the final 5 minutes of a wet qualifying, the track had developed a dry line and the top 10 all headed to the pits for slick tyres. The leaderboard was rapidly changing but the Williams driver kept lighting up the timing screen with purple sectors and would end up smashing the opposition by over a second.

So how did Hulkenberg manage to upstage everyone, including the championship contenders? My honest answer is i'm not really sure! His race engineer says he was on a dry setup and i can't imagine that the others would have compromised too much with the forecasts pointing to little chance of showers affecting things tomorrow. The Williams is a decent car but to be so far ahead of a car like the Red Bull was a massive surprise. Looking at the speed trap figures it seems the Williams and Red Bull are neck and neck on medium speed acceleration but the Red Bull cars have a greater end of straight speed. Vettel has stood out to me in recent races with this because he usually goes for a bit more downforce for a mighty car in the corners but then suffers with a low speed in the speed traps which makes it difficult to overtake. Yet he seems to be learning to compromise better, he was well up the speed charts in Korea which helped him lose less time in sector 1 whilst still be quick enough through the twistier sections of the track. From what i've can see, its a slight change of approach from the German and perhaps the benefit of experience shining through.

Fernando Alonso could be world champion in 24 hours but it'll be a struggle to seal it from 5th on the grid. I feel he will have a stronger package than Lewis Hamilton so could jump him but will not be able to beat the Red Bull's on raw pace. Up front though, Hulkenberg could well back up the pack so if anyone, like Vettel, can get past him off the line then they could well scamper off into the distance. The soft tyre should last for at least 20 laps though Friday seen graining on the rears so the first 10 laps could be quite interesting as the top 10 manage that. Jenson Button qualified in 11th and now looks out of the title hunt. Felipe Massa is down in 9th and unlikely to play a spoiling role in aid of Alonso. If the contenders finish where they are, the championship would go to Abu Dhabi looking like this:

Alonso 241
Webber 235
Vettel 224
Hamilton 222

It would also mean that Red Bull would be constructor champions so McLaren will be hoping Button can move through the field and prolong the battle to Yas Marina next week. However the reigning champion finds himself in between Petrov and Kobayashi, two men who will not hold back on the opening lap. Watch out for the Sauber driver, who has a free tyre choice and could emerge as a points scorer as the race unfolds.

So will any of the championships be decided tomorrow? Can Nico Hulkenberg score a maiden podium or even a sensational victory? Will Jenson Button and others fall out of the running for the title? Make sure you catch the race, race start is 2pm Brazilian time (4pm UK time)

Alonso wins as Red Bull falter in Korea epic

Rain, safety cars, crashes, mud and a red flag, it was a marathon inaugural Korean Grand Prix...

Race Control get 100%: It was a difficult day for the drivers but also for race control and Charlie Whiting. He had to deal with rain and the condition of the new surface. His first call was to delay the start by 10 minutes. I presume this was done as a lot of rain was coming in on the radar. The conditions before the race looked ok for a normal start and i was disappointed when they did but when things did get underway it was clear that the track was very wet and a red flag soon followed which was the correct decision. When the race resumed almost an hour later it was still a soaked surface but eventually the water cleared. There was a bit of psychological warfare going on as Mark Webber was quite reluctant for the safety car to come in but Lewis Hamilton was demanding that the race go green. I feel Whiting was a few laps too cautious in this situation. Still he managed to get a full race distance in though this was another tight call as darkness fell in the final laps. Again, another difficult decision as a red flag could have caused controversy in itself with the standings going back 2 laps. A red flag a lap after Sebastian Vettel retired would have meant the German would have been given the win so you can see the knock on effect of a decision but the last couple of laps were perhaps a bit too much.

Red Bull crash and burn: Saturday seen them take a dramatic 1-2 but it all went wrong on race day for Webber and Vettel. The Australian looked understandably edgy on the grid and perhaps in hoping the race would be stopped or not be a full points event got into too much of a negative mentality. He struggled compared to his team mate and then dropped it. His car then ended up taking out Nico Rosberg, who was unhappy with what Webber had done. I was a bit curious at the incident but looking back on it i think Webber was trying to back his car off the track rather than stop in the middle of the track so it was simply bad luck for the German. For Vettel it had been a great drive from pole but engine failure condemned him to a third DNF of the season. Whether Alonso, who was closing, could have passed him towards the end will never be known but it was still a mighty blow to Vettel's title hopes. The German can point to reliability costing him the title and its an intriguing argument, on one hand he has had the most unreliability of the title rivals but also the fastest car of the lot. Which is the best overall package is of course the big question.

Here's a rough idea of what drivers have lost through reliability, misfortunes and mistakes this season. Not possible to be accurate but interesting nonetheless...

Potential points lost through car problems

Vettel 66
Hamilton 32
Button 2
Alonso 2
Webber 0

Of course it's hard to define exact points and there has been plenty of indirect effects of reliability (Webber and Hamilton have suffered grid drops for gearbox changes) Jenson Button and Webber can also cite being hit by Vettel this season as well as Alonso suffering some misfortune. Everyone's had their moments, good and bad, and all remain in the hunt with 2 races remaining

Sauber at the double again: Another good day and vindication of the teams decision to bring in Nick Heidfeld as he scored good points for the team. He survived being passed 3 times by Adrian Sutil. The Force India had brake issues and eventually his day of banzai moves came to a end by hitting Kamui Kobayashi, the Japanese driver surviving the collision. Good stuff from the Swiss squad who will hope Kobayashi can spearhead a strong 2011 with the finances coming in from North America. The strategy was quite interesting, pitting both cars very early for inters but like Ferrari, the car keeps the tyre wear low in comparison to others and both drivers came through the field well and kept their cool.

Sutil received a 5 place grid penalty for his antics and Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi was also given the same punishment after smashing into Timo Glock, putting both men out of the race. The Swiss driver was on the inside but not close enough to pass. I think he was caught out by how wet that particular corner was and under braking lost it. He hit Glock hard and thankfully the tether kept the wheel from flying loose and avoiding what could have been a very nasty incident. Team mate Jaime Alguersuari was unfortunate as he lost a point on the last lap, frustratingly saying 'not fair' on Twitter afterwards.

Mercedes shrewd but Nico denied: Its been a year of disappointment for Mercedes after high expectations but as in China, they showed the potential they had in the wet. During the red flag period, they reverted both cars to a full wet setup, taking advantage of Perc Ferme rules not applying. Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher attacked from the moment the race went green but when Webber spun, Rosberg went left to avoid the Red Bull but was wiped out. He was understandably frustrated afterwards. He could have went on to win his first race thought the Mercedes works the tyres hard, meaning he could have been vulnerable towards the end. It was still a shame after looking good throughout the weekend. Can he show what he's worth in 2011? Schumacher took a joint best result of the season in 4th but has now been beaten by a team mate over a full season for the first time in his career.

Petrov downbeat as Liuzzi delivers: Oh Vitaly, you had switched early for tyres, made your way through the field and looking set for a massive result and then snap... offline a touch and a huge impact with the barriers. The Russian has simply crashed too much and only his bank balance will keep him at Renault next season. Eric Boullier is considering Sutil and Heidfeld so talent or money, which will win? Meanwhile there was a joint personal best result for Vitantonio Liuzzi as he tries to cling on at Force India. Sadly its a performance which has been too rare from the Italian.

In other news, Pastor Maldonado is getting a test day with Williams after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The team have confirmed Valeri Bottias as test driver so it certainly heightens the prospect of the Venezuelan replacing Hulkenberg for 2011. Patrick Head talked positively of the German at the weekend but also seen to hint that the decision was not down to him. Williams were looking set for big points towards the end of the race but the tyres went for both drivers, Barrichello slipping to 7th with an off and Hulkenberg crippled by a slow puncture which forced a late pitstop. A last lap pass on Alguersuari earned a point. Barrichello is one of 5 drivers with a fresh engine left so expect that to be utilised in front of his home crowd in two weeks.

Hispania's plan to sneak 10th?: It was a decent outing for Hispania, Sakon Yamamoto had a solid weekend, out qualifying Bruno Senna by almost a second. The Brazilian scored a personal best result of 14th, putting him ahead of the Virgin drivers in the championship. Hispania remain 11th in the championship which like Virgin in 12th means no prize money. Both teams need a 11th place finish, which on raw pace is pretty unlikely, to jump Lotus. It's hard to see an attritional race occuring in Abu Dhabi so basically the last opportunity is some Sao Paulo madness which is not out of the question. Colin Kolles has not ruled out getting 10th and i do wonder whether he is considering drafting Christian Klien in for the next round. The Austrian has only raced at Singapore but was much faster than Senna and he could be the best chance of pulling a top 11 finish off. It's hard to see Yamamoto being dropped with the finances he brings but with Senna heading to his homeland it would be a ruthless decision to drop the rookie. Collin Kolles can be ruthless though, so watch out for the possibility of yet another change at the Spanish team...

So Fernando Alonso heads to Brazil knowing he could seal a third championship in Sao Paulo. Mark Webber needs to bounce back and repeat his win from 12 months while Sebastian Vettel remains in the hunt but needs Alonso to have some difficulties. Lewis Hamilton kept his hopes alive with a battling second but with his car still the third quickest, he'll need plenty more twist and turns up ahead to take the title. He may however have the support of his team mate Jenson Button now, the Brits title reign now nearing the end barring an incredible turnaround.

It's incredible to think Alonso could do it earlier in the season but the Spaniard insisted that the upgrades were coming for the Prancing Horse and he has duly delivered. Six days of Formula 1 action remain and 5 still stand in the title race, roll on Sao Paulo!

Singapore: Step by Step

Well its good to finally be blogging after a busy weekend. It certainly was busy for the drivers as they raced to the limit for two hours on the streets of Singapore. There were plenty of talking points...

Start: The circuit organisers had a cleaning machine for this years event after the dust of 2009 and it had an effect. Off the line, the two men furthest forward on the dirty side of the grid got better launches. Fernando Alonso countered Sebastian Vettel with a hard defensive chop whilst Lewis Hamilton was more aggressive into turn 1 and took back his grid slot of 3rd from team mate Jenson Button on the outside.

Gaining an advantage: Further back, there was some controversy though it would not emerge till after the race. Nico Hulkenberg took to the astroturf at turn 2 and used it to pass Vitantonio Liuzzi on the outside going into turn 3. Then the other Force India of Adrian Sutil went off track at turn 7 and gained momentum, passing the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld. Both drivers would receive 20 second penalties after the race.

Are you serious mate?: Lap 3 and the safety car is deployed as Liuzzi's car is parked at the side of the track. Most of the front runners stay out but Red Bull decide to pit Mark Webber and put him on the hard tyre till the end of the race. Despite initial reservations from the Australian he pits and emerges in 11th. Felipe Massa who started last pitted before the safety car, doing a similar strategy as Alonso did in Monaco.

Timo train: Virgin had their last big update of the season and it paid off with improved pace. Timo Glock stayed out during the safety car period and found himself 10th at the restart. He was soon passed by Webber but put on a great display of defensive driving to hold off Adrian Sutil for several laps. Glock has always went well at the track, coming second last year for Toyota. However he would later retire and Virgin remain bottom of the championship. This race was a missed opportunity to move up the standings for the team

McLaren off the pace: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button found themselves dropping off the front 2 as the first stint progressed. The team finds itself right in the fight for both championships but whilst some great strategy and drives have kept them in the hunt they simply won't be able to win either unless they can find some performance gains. The tyres started to go for both Hamilton and Button and they found themselves leapfrogged by Webber.

Ferrari cover Red Bull: Vettel couldn't pit early as he would have hit traffic but when the McLarens pitted Red Bull seen the opportunity but unfortunately for them Ferrari spotted this and pitted Alonso at the same time. Vettel made an error at his stop, pulling away in second gear but he eventually got away. Staying out longer was ruled out by the team as the harder tyre was the quicker one at the time.

Hamilton and Webber collide: The safety car was deployed again after Kamui Kobayashi crashed at turn 18 and was then hit by Bruno Senna. On the restart Webber found himself behind two backmarkers in the form of the Virgin cars. He cleared one quickly but stuttered slightly into turn 5 behind the other and Hamilton was right on his tail. He got alongside and heading down to the braking zone of turn 7 found himself about half a car length ahead of the Red Bull which had the inside line. Hamilton braked late to try and get far enough ahead to maintain position. Webber fought hard though and also braked hard. He stayed tight on the inside, right up on the kerb but it got too tight on the exit and the front right of the Red Bull collided with the rear of the McLaren. Hamilton retired but Webber was able to continue. In my view, it was a racing incident. Hamilton was unlucky to find himself out whilst Webber was fortunate to get away with wheel rim damage to make the finish.

Schumacher and the Saubers: Michael Schumacher was involved in a lot of activity. First he was passed by Kobayashi who made a massive lunge and forced the Mercedes wide, even clipping the barriers. Schumacher was then passed by ex-colleague Nick Heidfeld, who squeezed the former world champion wide. The Mercedes then made a wild dive into turn 7 and sent Heidfeld into the barriers and out of the race. Team mate Nico Rosberg had a good drive, taking 5th position and extending Mercedes gap over Renault in the championship.

Kubica puts on passing masterclass: Robert Kubica has had some great drives this season but they have mainly been a case of getting into high positions and then being on the defensive from quicker cars. However after a puncture meant an extra stop it looked like getting any points would be a tough challenge. Granted he had fresher tyres which was a big help but it is still a tough track to overtake on. Buemi was dispatched first and team mate Petrov followed quickly. Next up was Felipe Massa and then Hulkenberg in the Williams. The Pole saved the best for last however. Adrian Sutil covered the Renault brilliantly down the Raffles Boulevard but Kubica did what Hamilton failed to do with a superb, clean move around the outside of turn 7.

Fireman Heikki: Finn Heikki Kovalainen had a good drive, running up in 13th late on but after being passed by Schumacher was tagged by Sebastien Buemi with the race drawing to a close. A fuel line was broken in the contact and after a lot of revving by Kovalainen to get the car pointing the right way the rear of the Lotus began to catch fire. Kovalainen was going to pull into the pitlane but opted against this, later saying he didn't want to take it in where a lot of people were. You can understand his indecision in the heat of the moment (excuse the pun!) but he did the right thing by stopping on the main straight. He then got hold of a fire extinguisher and proceeded to put the fire out himself! A shame for Lotus that they couldn't make the finish but they have maintained 10th in the championship

It was a race where Vettel was quicker but Alonso getting pole position was key and he put in a great drive to hold off the German. Webber maintains his championship lead but for McLaren its a case of not having the pure pace to compete. Jenson Button says they have a good update for Sukuza but i think they may need some rain to fall in Japan and Korea to have a chance.

Korea remains surrounded by rumours of it not happening. A FIA inspection has been delayed again and will only happen 13 days before the race is due to be held. The final layer of tarmac is going down today so that will be a crucial factor in whether the race will be able to go ahead. It would have an big effect on the chmpionship if the race fails to go ahead. It would also mean a 4 week break between Japan and Brazil.

State of play: 5 drivers, 5 races

The European season is over, five races beckon in Asia and South America and five men are embroiled in the epic which is the 2010 F1 season. The value of a race win covers them all. They have all had great moments this year but also incidents which may well be regretted come November 14th in Yas Marina. Who is best placed to take the title? Lets look at some of the factors involved as the season heads towards its finale.

Points

Mark Webber 187
Lewis Hamilton 182
Fernando Alonso 166
Jenson Button 165
Sebastian Vettel 163

Mark Webber's lead is narrow over Lewis Hamilton is narrow though the English driver's disappointment at retiring in Monza was increased by the feeling that it was McLaren's best chance outscoring Red Bull out of the remaining races. For the other three they could in theory leave Singapore in the championship lead but will more likely need non-scores from the people in the front to make big leaps. If not, it will be a case of chipping into the gap. DNF's are going to be a painful blow at this stage. Ferrari have been the most reliable this season whilst Red Bull have had races adversely effected by niggling problems. McLaren have suffered three terminal failures. An advantage for Fernando Alonso is he is the only contender in his team so basically has number one status. The other four have team mates as championship rivals so for Hamilton and Webber a gap built over their respective team mates in the next couple of races would strengthen them within their teams.

Tracks

Singapore
Japan
Korea
Brazil
Abu Dhabi

The key to guessing performance could be the effect the new load tests have had on the cars. Red Bull remain adamant that their performance loss is minimal and that when we see them race in Singapore the speed shown at circuits like Monaco and Budapest will be displayed. I believe that they still have the best car in the field though the gap has tightened. Expect them to be strongest in normal race circumstances. Singapore will be a tough test though, we seen many teams struggle with brake issues last season, including Red Bull and their sister team Toro Rosso. Japan should be a strong Red Bull track with Korea more even. They may suffer a bit at Brazil where engine power is a key asset. Abu Dhabi also has two long straights though they had a 1-2 at the track in 2009. Fernando Alonso is very quick around Singapore whilst Lewis Hamilton was flying before brake issues in Yas Marina last year. Japan and Brazil has been the scene of heavy rain before which would really put the pressure on. Yenogam in Korea also seems a rainy area.

Engines

New engines remaining
Mark Webber 2
Lewis Hamilton 1
Jenson Button 1
Sebastian Vettel 1
Fernando Alonso 0

It's advantage Webber in this area with 2 fresh units left. Of course it depends on how you've managed your allocation. Lewis Hamilton had a new engine for last weekend but it only did Saturday and one racing lap on Sunday so it is relatively fresh. Fernando Alonso is really under pressure here though, solely relying on used engines to get him through to the end of the season. This may mean less running for the Ferrari driver, especially on Friday's. For any driver who needs a 9th engine in the season, a grid penalty of 10 places will be given.

Experience

Title battles
Fernando Alonso 3
Lewis Hamilton 2
Jenson Button 1
Sebastian Vettel 1
Mark Webber 0

The Australian might be leading the championship but heads into the most pressurised stage of his career having never been in a title battle before. Sebastian Vettel finished second last season behind Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton has experienced both sides of the coin, an agonising one point loss in 2007 before an even more dramatic victory in 2008 with the last corner pass on Timo Glock. Fernando Alonso is best equipped with the pressures that the title chase bring. He fended off Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher for his two titles before missing out narrowly in 2007.

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.