2012 Grand Prix season

[TBWG]

Jenson Button takes pole at Spa in dramatic Belgian GP qualifying session
By Matt Beer   Saturday, September 1st 2012,

Jenson Button finally secured his first pole position for McLaren with a stunning performance in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.

Kamui Kobayashi claimed his maiden front-row start as he underlined Sauber's speed with a shock second place, while world champion Sebastian Vettel failed to make it out of Q2.

Button put himself eight tenths clear of the field for much of Q2,then repeated that speed to deliver a 1m47.686s early in Q3.

One of the few drivers to do two Q3 runs, he found even more time at the second attempt and delivered a 1m47.573s.

Kobayashi was three tenths adrift as he secured his career-best Formula 1 start. Team-mate Sergio Perez also shone in fifth place.

Q1 pacesetter Pastor Maldonado was another star underdog as he took third for Williams, although an impeding incident involving the Venezuelan and 12th-place qualifier Nico Hulkenberg is under investigation.

Pre-race favourite Lotus only managed fourth with Kimi Raikkonen and ninth with Romain Grosjean. The latter had a few scares just getting out of Q1 following a mistake and traffic issues.

World championship leader Fernando Alonso could not repeat his morning practice performance and starts sixth.

As one McLaren took pole, the other was only eighth quickest, although Lewis Hamilton will gain a place when Mark Webber's Red Bull is demoted five places from seventh due to a gearbox change penalty.

Force India's Paul di Resta completed the top 10.

Vettel was the most significant casualty of a close Q2. Just two tenths separated him from Red Bull team-mate Webber, but that translated to seven positions, as last year's Spa poleman and race winner ended up only 11th, 0.012s off a Q3 spot.

He was not the only big name to miss out. Felipe Massa trailed the sister Ferrari of Alonso by seven tenths as he struggled to 14th, behind Michael Schumacher, whose 13th place was the best Mercedes could manage on a tough afternoon.

Already carrying a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change following his morning failure, Nico Rosberg was only 18th in qualifying after crossing the line moments too late for a final Q1 run.

Rosberg's disappointment meant both Toro Rossos reached Q2, where they beat the Williams of Bruno Senna. The Brazilian pulled off an incredible save after sliding broadside across the kerbs through most of Pouhon, then had to pit for repairs and could not get above 17th when he rejoined.

At the back, Timo Glock used Marussia's upgrades to get a little closer to the Caterhams, but his team-mate Charles Pic was beaten to 22nd by Pedro de la Rosa's HRT.

Results to follow.

TBWG

[TBWG]

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap
 1.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m47.573s
 2.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m47.871s  + 0.298s
 3.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m47.893s  + 0.320s
 4.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m48.205s  + 0.632s
 5.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m48.219s  + 0.646s
 6.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m48.313s  + 0.740s
 7.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m48.392s  + 0.819s***
 8.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m48.394s  + 0.821s
 9.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m48.538s  + 0.965s
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m48.890s  + 1.317s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m48.993s                                Gap *
11.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m49.722s  + 0.472s
12.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m49.362s  + 0.112s
13.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m49.742s  + 0.492s
14.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m49.588s  + 0.338s
15.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.763s  + 0.513s
16.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.572s  + 0.322s
17.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m49.958s  + 0.708s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m50.126s                                Gap **
18.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m50.181s  + 1.188s***
19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m51.739s  + 2.746s
20.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m51.967s  + 2.974s
21.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.336s  + 3.343s
22.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m53.030s  + 4.037s
23.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m53.493s  + 4.500s
24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m54.989s  + 5.996s

107 per cent time: 1m56.622s

* Gap to fastest in Q2
** Gap to fastest in Q3
*** Will take five-place penalty


TBWG

[TBWG]

Revised Belgian GP grid
Various penalties have seen the grid for Sunday's race at Spa rejigged.

Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg both both slipped down the grid due to penalties for changing their gearboxes, with Webber moving from seventh to 12th and Rosberg from 12th and 23rd.

Pastor Maldonando's delight at qualifying third was short lived after the stewards ruled that he had blocked Nico Hulkenberg during Q1 and as a result he will start in sixth place.

Revised grid:

1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari
3. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault
4. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
6. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault
7. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
8. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault
9. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes
10. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
11. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
12. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
13. Michael Schumacher Mercedes
14. Felipe Massa Ferrari
15. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari
16. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari
17. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault
20. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth
21. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth
22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth
23. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth

TBWG

[TBWG]

      
Belgian GP: Jenson Button dominates for McLaren after Spa start chaos
By Matt Beer   Sunday, September 2nd 2012

Jenson Button dominated a Belgian Grand Prix that began with a huge startline crash in which title contenders Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were eliminated.

With Sebastian Vettel coming through to finish second, the incident meant Alonso saw his championship lead slashed to 24 points.

The accident started when Lotus driver Romain Grosjean moved across the track on the approach to La Source and squeezed Hamilton's McLaren.

The two made contact and ploughed into the cars ahead in dramatic fashion. Alonso and Sergio Perez were also eliminated, while slow-starting front-row man Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado (who jumped the start) both picked up damage.

The latter pair rejoined, but Maldonado was soon out following a restart clash with Timo Glock's Marussia.

The accident totally reshuffled the race order, with Button leading Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus, Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta, Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and Toro Rosso pair Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

The Red Bulls were delayed in the chaos, leaving Mark Webber in eighth and Vettel 12th.

Button charged away from the outset, making a one-stop race work to perfection as he followed up his maiden McLaren pole with his first win since the season-opener in Australia.

Raikkonen lacked pace early on and was overtaken by Hulkenberg and Schumacher.

An early first stop helped the Lotus regain ground, but the best strategy appeared to be to pit once. A combination of that tactic and several early passing moves helped Vettel emerge in a clear second place.

Schumacher also tried to pit once, but found himself under big presser from two-stoppers Raikkonen and Hulkenberg.

This led to some spectacular racing, including Raikkonen overtaking Schumacher around the outside into Eau Rouge, as the seven-time champion twice managed to fight back past his rivals using DRS. Eventually he had to admit defeat and pit again.

By then Raikkonen was long gone and heading for the final podium spot, ahead of Hulkenberg, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, and Webber.

Schumacher salvaged seventh, as the Toro Rossos and di Resta fell back to the tail of the top 10.

Nico Rosberg and Bruno Senna also had to make late tyre stops, leaving them outside the points.

Caterham briefly looked like it might achieve an upset as Heikki Kovalainen emerged in 10th on lap one. But he soon fell back and would later have two spins and a pitlane clash with Narain Karthikeyan.


PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium;
44 laps; 308.052km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           1h29:08.530
 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +    13.624
 3.  Raikkonen     Lotus-Renault              +    25.334
 4.  Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes       +    27.843
 5.  Massa         Ferrari                    +    29.845
 6.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    31.244
 7.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +    53.374
 8.  Vergne        Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    58.865
 9.  Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:02.982
10.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +  1:03.783
11.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +  1:05.111
12.  Senna         Williams-Renault           +  1:11.529
13.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:56.119
14.  Petrov        Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
15.  Glock         Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
16.  Pic           Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
17.  Kovalainen    Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
18.  De la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth               +     1 lap

Fastest lap: Senna, 1:52.822

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth                 30
Maldonado     Williams-Renault             5
Perez         Sauber-Ferrari               1
Alonso        Ferrari                      1
Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes             1
Grosjean      Lotus-Renault                1

World Championship standings, round 12:

        Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Alonso       164        1.  Red Bull-Renault          272
 2.  Vettel       140        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          218
 3.  Webber       132        3.  Lotus-Renault             207
 4.  Raikkonen    131        4.  Ferrari                   199
 5.  Hamilton     117        5.  Mercedes                  112
 6.  Button       101        6.  Sauber-Ferrari             80
 7.  Rosberg       77        7.  Force India-Mercedes       59
 8.  Grosjean      76        8.  Williams-Renault           53
 9.  Perez         47        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         12
10.  Schumacher    35
11.  Massa         35
12.  Kobayashi     33
13.  Hulkenberg    31
14.  Maldonado     29
15.  Di Resta      28
16.  Senna         24
17.  Vergne         8
18.  Ricciardo      4



TBWG

[TBWG]

Naughty boy!



Romain Grosjean had been given a one race ban for causing the accident in Spa.

It is likely that Jerome d’Ambrosio will get the drive in Monza

Pastor Maldonado has been given two five-place grid penalties for Monza for a jumped start and causing a collision with Timo Glock.


TBWG

[TBWG]

Hamilton and Mercedes
September 5, 2012 by Joe Saward
Eddie Jordan is close to Bernie Ecclestone and it is not unusual for EJ to be used to put out stories. So if EJ is saying that Lewis Hamilton is close to signing for Mercedes, one needs to listen. But is it true? McLaren says that Lewis’s management is saying it is not true. I am a little suspicious because Bernie slipped in a little comment on the BBC at Spa suggesting Michael Schumacher might retire, but is that right, or is it part of a bigger political game with Mercedes? If Michael did retire, Lewis would be a good choice for the Germans, but I fail to see why it would be a good choice for Lewis. The one thing he does not need right now is more instability. And it would mess up the Mercedes succession plan, with Paul di Resta perhaps going to McLaren.

One might also read the situation as Bernie trying to place his pawns in such a way as to create a better show in 2013. With Jenson Button and AN Other at McLaren; and Hamilton at Mercedes there might be more interest.

For the time being I have doubts. If it has happened, it will be a reflection of Lewis’s state of mind, as this is not a logical thing to do.


TBWG

[nookiebear]

No smoke without fire!

[John the Traveller]

I forgot to say TBWG............brilliant drive from Jenson last Sunday! Absolutely flawless. Roll on Monza!

JT 

[TBWG]

   
Silver meddling
by Joe Saward

Michael Schumacher set the pace on Friday morning in Monza in his Mercedes. Jenson Button was second for McLaren, three-tenths behind, while Nico Rosberg was third. Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest for Ferrari but his session ended early with a mechanical problem, while Felipe Massa was next. Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Sergio Perez Mark Webber and Pastor Maldonado completed the top 10. Sebastian Vettel was 11th ahead of Nico Hulkenberg's Force India and Valtteri Bottas, juts a tenth behind Maldonado's best. Kamui Kobayashi was next ahead of Jerome D’Ambrosio in his Lotus (standing in for Romain Grosjean) and Jules Bianchi, who had taken over Paul di Resta's Force India for the session. The two Toro Rossos were next ahead of the two Caterhams, the two Marussias and the two HRTS, the second of which was driven by China's Ma Qing Hua.

TBWG  

[TBWG]

   
Italian GP: Hamilton fastest in Monza second practice
By Matt Beer   Friday, September 7th 2011

Lewis Hamilton led a McLaren one-two in the second Friday practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

As speculation over his future continued to dominate paddock conversation, Hamilton set the pace with a 1m25.290s lap.

That time was achieved on the softer of this weekend's Pirelli tyres, as was Spa winner Jenson Button's 1m25.328s lap in second place in the sister McLaren.

The Woking squad's move to the front was at the expense of home favourite Ferrari, which had led the way through the middle part of the session.

But despite the speed that saw him on top for a long spell with a 1m25.348s on hard tyres, championship leader Fernando Alonso had a number of problems.

First a brake issue required attention, then a gearbox issue curtailed his session.

Alonso's time still held up for third, just 0.058 seconds off the pace.

His team-mate Felipe Massa was next up. The Brazilian's only glitch was a vent flying off the top of his helmet at speed.

Nico Rosberg completed the top five for Mercedes. His morning practice pace-setting team-mate Michael Schumacher suffered DRS gremlins throughout the afternoon, and was back in 10th.

Kimi Raikkonen was fastest for a while early on and ended up sixth in the lead Lotus.

His one-off team-mate Jerome d'Ambrosio - standing in for the banned Romain Grosjean - was 0.6s slower in 12th.

Force India continued its strong Spa form to take seventh and eighth, Nico Hulkenberg ahead of Paul di Resta. Sauber's Sergio Perez was next up.

It was a quiet session for champion team Red Bull. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were back in 11th and 13th.

Pos             Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m25.290s            32
 2.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m25.328s  + 0.038s  35
 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.348s + 0.058s 17
 4th. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m25.430s + 0.140s 43
 5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m25.446s + 0.156s 41
 6.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m25.504s  + 0.214s  42
 7.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m25.546s  + 0.256s  40
 8.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m25.547s  + 0.257s  36
 9th. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.068s + 0.778s 32
10.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m26.094s  + 0.804s  38
11.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m26.104s  + 0.814s  35
12th Jerome d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault 1m26.157s + 0.867s 36
13. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m26.394s + 1.104s 31
14.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m26.404s  + 1.114s  42
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m26.724s + 1.434s 33
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.730s + 1.440s 17
17th Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m26.783s + 1,493 39
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m26.841s  + 1.551s  39
19. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m26.864s + 1.574s 36
20.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m27.222s  + 1.932s  36
21.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m27.944s  + 2.654s  36
22.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m27.968s  + 2.678s  36
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m28.575s + 3.285s 34
24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m28.779s  + 3.489s  21

All timing unofficial

TBWG

[TBWG]

   
Squaring up for the fight
by Joe Saward

The third session of practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza saw Lewis Hamilton take the fastest time, but his lap was only a thousandth of a second quicker than Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, while Paul di Resta, who has a five-place grid penalty to serve, was third fastest, ahead of Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. Nico Rosberg was next ahead of Sergio Perez, who stopped out on the track, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado. It was not a good morning for Red Bull Racing, with Mark Webber 11th and Sebastian Vettel 12th, the latter also stopping out on the circuit. Bruno Senna was 13th with Michael Schumacher, Kamui Kobayashi, Daniel Ricciardo, Jerome d'Ambrosio, Jean-Eric Vergne and then the usual six small fries chasing behind.

The Q sessions will be interesting.



TBWG

[TBWG]

Lewis’s half decent lap
by Joe Saward

Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Italian Grand Prix with a lap he called "half decent". He beat team-mate Jenson Button by a tenth. Felipe Massa kept Ferrari fans happy with third, but Fernando Alonso was back in 10th, after troubles getting the car working.

Paul di Resta was fourth but will drop five places to ninth. Michael Schumacher was fifth ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen and Kamui Kobayashi.



Pos            Driver              Car                   Time       Gap
 1.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m24.010s
 2.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m24.133s  + 0.123s
 3.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m24.247s  + 0.237s
 4.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m24.304s  + 0.294s***
 5.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m24.540s  + 0.530s
 6.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m24.802s  + 0.792s
 7.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m24.833s  + 0.823s
 8.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m24.855s  + 0.845s
 9.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m25.109s  + 1.099s
10.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m25.678s  + 1.668s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m24.742s                                Gap *
11.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m24.809s  + 0.567s
12.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m24.820s  + 0.578s****
13.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m24.901s  + 0.659s
14.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m25.042s  + 0.800s
15.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m25.312s  + 1.070s
16.  Jerome d'Ambrosio   Lotus-Renault         1m25.408s  + 1.166s
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m25.441s  + 1.199s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m25.834s                                Gap **
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m26.382s  + 2.207s
19.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m26.887s  + 2.712s
20.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m27.039s  + 2.864s
21.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m27.073s  + 2.898s
22.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m27.441s  + 3.266s
23.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m27.629s  + 3.454s
24.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes

107 per cent time: 1m30.076s

* Gap to fastest in Q2
** Gap to fastest in Q3
*** Will take five-place penalty
**** Will take 10-place penalty



TBWG

[John the Traveller]

Italian GP
A fantastic drive by Lewis Hamilton to win the Italian GP at Monza. But the biggest congratulations go to Sergio Perez for his number two spot on the podium. A great result for Sauber-Ferrari.
Hamilton is now getting ever closer to Fernando Alonso in the standings. I think we can look forward to a sensational second half of the season.
Cheers, JT.
Standing in for an airborne TBWG 

01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h19:41.221
02. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 4.356
03. Alonso Ferrari + 20.594
04. Massa Ferrari + 29.667
05. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 30.881
06. Schumacher Mercedes + 31.259
07. Rosberg Mercedes + 33.550
08. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 41.057
09. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 43.898
11. Senna Williams-Renault + 48.144
12. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 48.682
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 50.316
13. d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault + 1:15.861
14. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
15. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 2 laps
21. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 3 laps
22. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 6 laps
Did Not Finish
Button McLaren-Mercedes 32
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8

[John the Traveller]

RIP Sid 

Professor Sid Watkins, who played a massive role in improving Formula One's safety, has passed away at the age of 84.

Watkins had been suffering from cancer and reportedly passed away at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, surrounded by his family.

Watkins, known in the paddock at 'The Prof', served as Formula One's doctor and medical chief between 1978 and 2004.

During his time with the sport he helped countless drivers and was the doctor on the scene that fateful day in 1994 when Ayrton Senna suffered a fatal crash at Imola.

Watkins, though, was not just around on racing weekends, the Brit also played a massive role in improving safety.

Working alongside the FIA and its then-head Max Mosley, Watkins focused on both track and car safety, saving countless lives.

"Today the world of motor racing lost one of its true greats: Professor Sid Watkins," said McLaren chairman and former team principal Ron Dennis.

"No, he wasn't a driver; no, he wasn't an engineer; no, he wasn't a designer. He was a doctor, and it's probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make Formula 1 as safe as it is today.

"As such, many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that today's drivers possibly take for granted.

"But, more than that, Sid was a dear friend of mine, and I'll miss him bitterly.

"To his widow Susan, and to his family, I extend my sincerest condolences.

Rubens Barrichello, who also suffered a massive accident at Imola the weekend Senna and Austrian Roland Ratzenberger, wrote on Twitter: "It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94. great guy to be with, always happy...tks for everything u have done for us drivers. RIP."

Senna's nephew Bruno Tweeted: "RIP Prof. Sid Watkins. Sad news for us who stay behind."

[TBWG]

     Singapore GP Practice 1

Red Bull is dark horse
by Joe Saward

For some races Red Bull Racing has not been in the headlines in F1, with McLaren taking much of the glory. On Friday in Singapore, however, Sebastian Vettel set the pace in the first session on Friday evening, with a lap that was 0.049s faster than Lewis Hamilton's best. Jenson Button was third, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Pastor Maldonado, Mark Webber and the Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta.

It was a surprise to see Daniel Ricciardo in ninth, ahead of Sergio Perez, Bruno senna, Kimi Raikkonen and Kamui Kobayashi. Michael Schumacher was 14th ahead of a returning Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne and Nico Rosberg.

At the back there was a surprise with Marussia's Timo Glock outrunning the two Caterhams and Charles Pic underlining the team's progress by beating Vitaly Petrov to 21st. Pedro de la Rosa was 23rd with China's
Ma Qing Hua last in the second HRT.

It was interesting to note that Williams did not run Valtteri Bottas as it has at most races. Bruno Senna stopped out on the track, but had done a large number of laps by that point.


Practice 2


    
Bulls high!
by Joe Saward

Sebastian Vettel continued to show well in practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, but the second session was rather odd, with the drivers mainly deciding to concentrate on race preparations rather than going for times. There were few improvements after the session was stopped midway when Bruno Senna had a spin. After the restart the focus had changed. Vettel was three-tenths up on Jenson Button with Fernando Alonso third, Mark Webber fourth and Lewis Hamilton sixth. The top 10 was completed by the two Force Indias of Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean.

Next up was the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher, chased by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus, Pastor Maldonado's Williams, Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso, the two Saubers of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi and Bruno Senna's Williams.

Jean-Eric Vergne was 18th with Timo Glock maintaining his advantage over the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen and Charles Pic ahead of Vitaly Petrov.

Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan brought up the rear as usual.

    

Pos            Driver                Team                  Time               Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m48.340             27
 2.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m48.651s  + 0.311   24
 3.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m48.896s  + 0.556   26
 4.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m48.964s  + 0.624   26
 5.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m49.086s  + 0.746   28
 6.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  1m49.300s  + 0.960   30
 7.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m49.339s  + 0.999   31
 8.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m49.790s  + 1.450   32
 9.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m50.039s  + 1.699   28
10.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m50.161s  + 1.821   23
11.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m50.263s  + 1.923   23
12.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m50.345s  + 2.005   24
13.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m50.636s  + 2.296   32
14.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m50.791s  + 2.451   26
15.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m51.122s  + 2.782   28
16.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m51.450s  + 3.110   21
17.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault      1m51.452s  + 3.112   11
18.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m52.00$s  + 3.669   31
19.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.218s  + 3.878   29
20.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault      1m52.576s  + 4.236   27
21.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.863s  + 4.523   27
22.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault      1m52.936s  + 4.596   25
23.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth          1m54.448s  + 6.108   25
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m54.514s  + 6.174   30

All Timing Unofficial


TBWG