Still buzzing after the excitement of the Chinese Grand Prix? We reckon Lewis Hamilton probably is after he managed break the grip Sebastian Vettel was starting to force on the 2011 Formula One season.
Here’s 90 pics to help you relive all the action.
Jenson Button took centre stage yesterday in one of the more bizarre incidents in Formula One history. Well, actually, what he took was Sebastian Vettel’s parking spot when the two drivers came in to pit during the Chinese Grand Prix.
As world champion constructor Red Bull Racing has the first garage in pit lane. McLaren, Button’s team, has the next garage down. So, when Button and Vettel raced into pitlane mechanics, from both teams were out waiting for their drivers. Button charged straight into the Red Bull spot, paused a little, was frantically waved on by Red Bull’s lollipop man, and then moved ahead to his McLaren bay a few metres ahead. Vettel seemed unfazed and the Red Bull team reacted with precision by sending out their man ahead of Button.
So, did Button simply make a rookie error? Was it a devious ploy to distract his rival team? Or has Button (not so) secretly revealed his wish to drive for Red Bull Racing?
While you can, check out the clip after the break.
[Pic: twitpic via @keithdaltons]
Lewis Hamilton has finally broken the early season dominance of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing to post a first race win for McLaren at today’s Chinese Grand Prix. It was a race for the ages thanks to a mix of tyre strategies that kept everyone guessing right to the chequered flag.
Vettel ran a two-stop strategy and despite a poor start where he lost track position to both McLarens he looked set for a third race win to start the 2011 Formula One season. The young German held his lead following the final round of stops for drivers opting for a three-stop strategy. However, the much talked about tyre degradation finally had an impact and allowed Hamilton to use his fresher tyres to dramatically cut Vettel’s lead. Ultimately, Vettel could not match Hamilton’s late race pace and had to settle for second.
Meanwhile, Mark Webber also ended the race in spectacular fashion taking his RB7 from a lowly 18th on the starting grid to claim what must be one of his most satisfactory podiums in his long F1 career. Webber began his race on the harder tyres and had made few inroads when he came in for the first of his three planned pit stops. With completely fresh soft tyres at his disposal for the rest of the race his prospects began to improve and it was the Australian’s final stint that stole the show.
Webber carved through the field lapping up to two seconds per lap faster than those ahead. Fourth place looked to be his most likely result. However, after despatching Nico Rosberg the third placed McLaren of Jenson Button was looking vulnerable. And so it proved with Webber passing Button on the second last lap.
The race was also notable for there being only one retirement; Jaime Alguersuari had a wheel fall off shortly after his first tyre change. In fact, the field of 23 race finishers set a new F1 record. Also making waves in the first round of stops was race-leader Jenson Button who stopped one pit garage early at the Red Bull team, only to be waved on to his rightful spot one spot further down pit lane.
A complete list of race results can be seen HERE. The full transcript from the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.
[Pic: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]
Sebastian Vettel can do no wrong, it would seem, as he claimed a third pole position for the year with alarming ease. His Red Bull Racing teammate, Mark Webber, can do nothing right. Meanwhile, McLaren pair Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are left to fight over Vettel’s scraps.
The 2010 world champion saved his best for Q3 in China yesterday and posted a time of 1:33.706. Jenson Button, in second, was over seven tenths further back with a best lap of 1:34.421. That was just enough to keep him ahead of Hamilton, who could only manage 1:34.463, despite running one extra quick lap in the final session.
Webber, still plagued by failing KERS issues, did not make it past Q1 and will start the race from 18th on the grid. Webber and Red Bull chose to run the first quali session using only the hard tyres. The team felt they had enough pace to get through and conserve the softs, which are around one second per lap quicker around the Shanghai circuit.
A full list of qualifying results can be seen HERE. The full post-qualifying press conference transcript is available after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull Racing/Getty Images]
UPDATE: Autosport has a good article with Mark Webber discussing his woes so far this weekend.
Already the 2011 Formula One season is looking like it could be a Sebastian Vettel procession. Thankfully, there’s still another 17 races to go; with any luck someone else will get a look in very soon. This weekend in China, perhaps?
Until then, here’s 78 images from the Malaysian Grand Prix to keep you busy.
Another commanding display when it mattered most has seen Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) claim his second Grand Prix victory of the year in Malaysia today. Most pundits wouldn’t have been surprised by first place, but seeing Jenson Button (McLaren) and Nick Heidfeld (Renault) take the minor placing probably raised a few eyebrows.
The Red Bull cars were again affected by their troublesome KERS. For Mark Webber, the frustration emerged immediately when his KERS failed on his way to the grid. Subsequently he made a poor start and was mid-pack after the first few corners. That he managed to climb his way back to fourth place should be commended.
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) have been slugged with a 20 second penalty after the race by stewards as a result of an incident between the pair early in the race. Alonso was lucky enough that the penalty did not affect his sixth placing. However, Hamilton has moved from seventh back to eighth, promoting Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber).
The full transcript from the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers across the line can be read after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) has nailed his third pole position in a row. The young German finished qualifying at the Sepang circuit with a best time of 1:34.870, one tenth faster than Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) who’s quickest lap was 1:34.974.
Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) could only manage the third fastest lap (1:35.179), despite regularly heading the time sheets during practice.
Crucially for Vettel and Webber they will start the race on the right side of the track. Previously pole position in Malaysia has been on the left side and has been changed at the request of the drivers who think the switch will offer better grip at the start.
The full transcript from the post-quali press conference can be read after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
McLaren has just posted an overview of its 2011 Formula One steering wheel found on the MP4-26. Just what do all those buttons do?
To help with the explanation make sure you click on the image above, which will give you a 1600px image to work with. Then, head on over to the McLaren website and all will be revealed.
The number of settings that can be changed the drivers is amazing. It’s no wonder they claim the addition of KERS and the moveable rear wing controls is starting to make things too complicated.
Making a return to AUSmotive in 2011 is our Grand Prix in pictures series. To kick it off here’s 93 images from the Australian Grand Prix to get you back in the mood for what will be a long and, no doubt, intriguing Formula One season.
Sebastian Vettel capped off a dominant qualifying display with a matching performance in the main race today. Put simply, the Red Bull driver was unstoppable.
Perhaps the most telling demonstration of this lies in the tale of the pit stops, where Vettel required just two stops compared to his teammate, Mark Webber, who munched his way through four sets of the new Pirelli rubber. Off the pace and one extra stop left the hometown hero falling well short of expectations back in fifth place.
Lewis Hamilton finished where he started, which is to say he put in a strong performance and brought his McLaren home in a comfortable second place. This despite a broken undertray which must have caused instability through corners.
Coming home in third was a super impressive Vitaly Petrov in the Lotus Renault GP machine. In many ways the Russian had the quietest race of all, nestled in between his more fancied rivals. It was a great effort and it’s also the first time we’ve seen a Russian on the podium in Formula One.
In breaking news the strong debut performance from Mexico’s Sergio Perez has been thrown into chaos following a decision to disqualify both Sauber C30s for a technical infringement concerning their rear wings. Perez and teammate Kamui Kobayashi finished the race in seventh and eighth places respectively. Perez needing just one tyre stop.
The full transcript from the post-race press conference featuring the first three men can be read after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull Racing/Getty Images]
A sublime qualifying performance from Sebastian Vettel has left Mark Webber bewildered ahead of the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing duo were expected to close out the front row, but McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had other ideas splitting the pair on the way to second on the grid.
Vettel’s lap time of 1m 23.529s is the fastest ever lap around Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. It was also a staggering eight tenths quicker than the best Lewis Hamilton could muster (1m 24.307s). Meanwhile, Webber was close to Lewis, but not close enough in third (1m 24.395s).
The times posted by Red Bull Racing are cloaked with intrigue after it was revealed neither driver had used KERS at all during qualifying. Webber added to the mystery when he stated, “We didn’t run it [KERS] today for reasons we will keep in the team.”
You can read the full transcript from the post-qualifying press conference featuring all three drivers after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull Racing/Getty Images]
Hats off to Vodafone Australia for releasing this on board footage on YouTube showcasing Jenson Button’s 1:48 lap around Mount Panorama last Tuesday. That’s a great lap time, of course, but how quick could a fully prepped F1 car go around the 6.2km track? It seems a widely held belief the four-year-old McLaren MP4-23 was running at about 85% of its full potential.
Button has said breaking 1:40 is achievable. That’s another 8 seconds cut from an already impressive time. We reckon there’s a full 10 seconds to be had though.
[Thanks to Al for the tip]