4 more days to Singapore Grand prix

The containers started streaming into the F1 paddock at Marina Bay yesterday morning, with Force India, Williams and Renault ahead of the queue and the first to get their cars unpacked and parked in their garages.

By mid-afternoon, the pitlane was a hive of activity, with cranes unloading the crates of equipment and cars under the direction of Formula 1 logistics handlers, DHL.
The crew of the 12 teams can expect things to be in order when they take over their respective garages to prepare for Formula 1's only global night race at the Marina Bay street circuit from Friday to Sunday.
On the circuit, it was a picture of calm as workers put the finishing touches, giving curbs a new coat of paint and washing the track along the start-finish straight.

In and out of the paddock, there was a noticeable absence of the tension that marked the week leading to the inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 and last year's race.
"We have definitely worked out most of the teething issues after staging two successful rounds of the Formula 1 Championship. Everything is much more smooth-sailing now," Jonathan Hallett, Singapore GP's media and communications director, told MediaCorp.
"Everything this year is proceeding according to plan. Similarly, the teams have also grown accustomed to adapting to the special logistics a street circuit like ours presents."

But the lack of frenzy belies an explosive order of business that will ignite when the cars start roaring around the track.
Arriving in Singapore for the 15th stop of the 19-leg season, only 24 points separate championship leader Mark Webber and Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel.


McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and defending champion Jenson Button in the other Mclaren are between the Red Bull pair and with the five drivers desperate to be at the top step of the podium at the end of 61 laps on Sunday night, tempers threaten to be paper thin.
This is in part reflected in ticket sales, which have been brisk, selling out in 10 of the 16 categories and organisers anticipate a full house for all three days of the Grand Prix.

Justin Chew, Singapore Tourism Board's executive director for hospitality, F1 and sports, is also expecting a huge contingent of overseas fans to be at the Marina Bay street circuit.
"From what we can see of the take-up rate from overseas, the European crowd is returning in force after skipping last year's edition because of the economic

slowdown," Chew told MediaCorp.
"But we won't know the exact numbers until after the race."
Unlike previous years, hotels, too, around the circuit expect to be close to capacity during the weekend despite the high room rates of $1,000 and above.
Ernawati Setijo, Marina Mandarin's director of marketing communications, said they are nearing 80 per cent occupancy and expect to pass that figure in the next few days.
Said Setijo: "Without prior experience with Formula 1 in 2008, I think everyone entered the F1 weekend blind, trying to find what package worked.

"But all of us are wiser now. For example, we used to sell a minimum of four nights' stay, but we've rebundled it to two and it is working."

Ian dacotta - todaypaper?

Mark Webber cools talk of championship glory

Mark Webber says it is too early to talk about winning the world title despite going top of the standings after victory at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber made it two wins out of two on Sunday to lead the title race on count-back, with Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel joining him on 78 points.

"We're in a good position and we have a good foundation," he said.
"But no-one knows who is going to be in the hunt with a few races to go. I don't think it's between two guys."

The Red Bull team have been dominant this season, claiming pole position in all of the six races so far, with Webber winning in Monaco and last week in Spain while Vettel emerged victorious in Malaysia.

Vettel could also have had victories in Bahrain and Australia but was hampered by reliability problems.

Red Bull also lead the constructors' world championship by 22 points from Ferrari but when asked whether the championship will be between the team's two drivers, a cautious Webber added: "Two races ago everyone was saying someone else.

"In two races' time they might be saying someone else again.

"Obviously, Seb and I are equal on points. We've got some different venues coming up, keep in mind that engines are going to come into play in the back part of the championship.

"I'm optimistic and realistic enough to know that of course you are not going to win every race but we are looking to get as many top results as we can.

"It is a long way home. We have so many different conditions and different tracks - Montreal, Monza and Budapest - there are many exciting times ahead so I'm looking forward to it.

"There's lots of things to roll into this situation yet."

Webber hailed the victory in Monaco as an important landmark for his Red Bull team, calling it an "incredible day".

"Red Bull have not been around for long," he added. "People forget - three or four years ago they were saying we were the laughing stock.

"It's a great sports story to come in and take on great operations like McLaren and Ferrari.

"That gives us a good feeling but they will be back. They're still fighting right now, it's a good championship."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner echoed Webber's comments, describing the success as a "brilliant team result".

"This is even sweeter than Spain," said Horner. "Mark Webber has had the week of his life. To dominate the race like that here in Monaco is incredible.
"He has found a rhythm gelled and with the car and the upgrades.
"He is in a very good place at the moment. It's all about confidence round here and you wont find a more confident man than Webber in Monaco.

"Sebastian Vettel drove a great race as well to hold off Robert Kubica.

"The team comes before everything and its testimony to everybody's effort that we got this result.

"We had brake issues coming out of Barcelona the guys have worked relentlessly and this result is a reward for all of that hard work."

Webber was untouchable in Monaco, claiming his second straight pole on Saturday before cruising to victory in the race - despite the disruption of four safety cars - to become only the second Australian to win in the principality.

"It was not a nice situation to be honest with all the safety cars," added the 33-year-old after his fourth career win.
"You do all the hard work, you get away and then you have a safety car which neutralises that and you have some fast guys back on your wheel again.
"It was very difficult when it is like that but that's part of a driver's job, to stay composed and do the job."

The first Australian to triumph in Monaco was Jack Brabham in 1959 and Webber says the three-time world champion was the reason he got into the sport.

"I would not be here without Jack Brabham," said Webber. "My father started following single-seater racing when he was very young.
"He was a huge F1 fan and when Jack was doing the winning back then it started a fire in my dad to keep me interested.
"That translated in to me as a youngster and to win here on the same streets as Jack did is an amazing thing."

Afterwards, Vettel said that he was "very happy" despite not being able to match his team-mate.
"Especially in the beginning and the re-starts I wasn't able to keep up with him," he said. "There was a big difference.
"Later on, when I finally felt the grip I wasn't too far off but by then he was already 10 seconds down the road and winning the race by five, six, seven seconds, so there was no real point to make the effort trying to catch him.

"In the end I think it was our optimum. I am very, very happy - we couldn't have gone better.
"It's a long season and it is not about what you do in one or two races."

Sebastian Vettel wins the Malaysian GP for Red Bull

Red Bull overcame their reliability issues as Sebastian Vettel headed a one-two in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Vettel, whose car cost him potential wins in Bahrain and Australia, overtook team-mate and pole-setter Mark Webber at the start and held on to triumph.
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg took third while the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were sixth and eighth.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa leads the championship after finishing seventh as team-mate Fernando Alonso retired.
Massa is now two points ahead of Alonso, who is level on points with Vettel but heads him in the standings because of a stronger results countback.
Rosberg and Button are both two points back on 35, four ahead of Hamilton and five in front of Renault's Robert Kubica, who again impressed to finish fourth after coming second in Australia.

Despite losing his position at the head of the grid, Webber drove an excellent race - he produced the fastest lap (one minute 37.054 seconds) - to move up to eighth in the championship.
"The first part of the race is critical and the first sector I had a little wheel spin on the way to Turn One and gave Seb a big tow," said the Australian.
"The spirit and chemistry in our team is awesome and we fought well. Seb got the better of it but it could have gone either way. Great result for the team, we executed a beautiful weekend."
It was a first one-two for Red Bull since the final race of the 2009 season, the team finally getting their reward for consistently being the fastest car on the grid this season.
A broken spark plug did for Vettel in Bahrain and the German had a wheel failure in Melboune, while Webber's engine failed during Friday's practice session for this grand prix.
But they had no such problems on race day at the Sepang Circuit as both cars cruised problem-free and untroubled to the flag.

"I realised straight away I had a good start, I was able to gain, gain, gain and I had a good advantage," said Vettel. "I took the chance into Turn One, it was very late but I took it.
"It's good that we can fight each other but you should keep the respect and I am glad that we have done that, I am sure Mark would do the same as I did.
"After that we had the same pace but I was able to stay in front. We had a magnificent car - I just had to watch the pace and look after the tyres.
"It was a very good result for us especially after two races where we didn't finish where we wanted to be. It was important to stay relaxed and not panic so I am really pleased for me and the team."
The strategic errors made by Ferrari and McLaren during Saturday's rain-affected qualifying meant Alonso and Massa started 19th and 21st respectively, with Button and Hamilton 17th and 20th.
But while Vettel was busy passing Webber on Turn One, all four were making moves of their own and Hamilton, in particular, seemed to be picking off victims at will.

The 2008 champion, along with both Ferraris, was one of the few drivers to start the race on hard tyres but the call paid off as all three put themselves in strong positions.
Reigning champion Button had been sent out on soft tyres but pitted on lap nine for the hard variation and instantly began to hunt down his rivals with several new fastest laps.
Ferrari seemed to be gambling on pre-race forecasts of heavy rain coming to fruition because they kept their drivers out on the hard tyres while most other teams were bringing their men in for a fresh set.
The Italian team's plight was not aided by Alonso's car developing a broken clutch, which produced awkward down-shifts and made braking into the corners tricky and overtaking near-impossible.
With the likes of Rosberg, Kubica and Sutil, who secured an excellent fifth-place finish for Force India, maintaining the pressure up front with some scintillating laps, Ferrari and McLaren acted.
Hamilton stopped for soft tyres on lap 31 and Alonso was the final man to pit on 37, but Hamilton could not make it past Sutil and Alonso's broken clutch put paid to his chances.
The game was up for the Ferraris and McLarens, Button producing increasingly slow laps on ageing tyres and Alonso seeing his engine blow on lap 55 after trying to pass the world champion.

There was more disappointment for Michael Schumacher as the seven-time world champion retired on lap 10 after a nut dislodged itself from the rear left wheel of his Mercedes.
"I lost a wheel nut basically so there was no more drive left," the German, who had climbed from eighth to sixth when he was forced off, told BBC Radio 5 live. "It's very unusual for us to have a reliability problem.
"We were in good position I was pacing myself, and although it is a long race it was all looking OK."
However, Rosberg was understandably delighted to have secured a first podium finish with his new team since joining from Williams.
"It's a great feeling to be back up on the podium again," he said. "This is a great end to a strong weekend for us.
"We're not quite where we want to be yet so we need to push on but I'm confident that we'll get there soon."
Meanwhile, there was an improved showing from the new teams as a Virgin car - Lucas di Grassi's - completed a race for the first while Lotus and Hispania brought both drivers home.
It was also a day to remember for Torro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Hulkenberg of Williams, both of whom scored world championship points for the first time.

BBC Sport/formula1

Interview with Mark Weber

Mark Webber hopes to turn F1 losses into winning formula for Red Bull

Mark Webber started the season with a badly broken leg but the Red Bull veteran could become the most unlikely of Formula One champions

Wisdom comes from adversity," Mark Webber says coolly, his matter-of-fact Australian accent making him sound less like an aspiring sage than an old drinking buddy becoming suitably philosophical at the end of a long night. But, deep into the third hour of our own session, Webber remains brilliantly clear-headed and engaging. It helps that, over lunch at his home high up in the rolling hills above Nice on the C�te d'Azur, French sunshine and soft cheese take the place of a dimly lit bar and hard booze. Webber also has a permanent bump the size of a golf ball at the base of his right leg as a reminder of his own adversity over the last year.
His central role in a remarkably unpredictable Formula One season was almost obliterated when he suffered a severe break to his leg and fractured his shoulder after he was hit by a car while cycling in his own charity challenge last November. But even as he rubs his damaged leg, still held together by a metal rod that will only be removed after the final race in Abu Dhabi this November, Webber's thinking stretches further back.
"You don't learn much when you're winning," he says with a grin, acknowledging that his first victory in Formula One only arrived in his 131st race, and eighth year of trying, at the German Grand Prix in July. The preceding years had been a lonely grind in the middle or near the back of the grid as Webber drove hard for a variety of struggling teams.
"If you drive poor cars for two or three years there's a danger you'll be gone from the sport," Webber stresses. "It's a merciless business but, of course, there are guys who have the talent and the resilience to hang in during those difficulties. Those are the drivers that survive and grasp the opportunity when it comes. Look at Mika Hakkinen � who went a hundred races and then won a world championship. Maybe that's what's happened to Jenson [Button] and me this year. We've survived some tough times and we're now in the hunt for the title."

In contrast Lewis Hamilton, the reigning world champion, has endured a disappointing year, with the initially woeful performance of his McLaren being accompanied by an admission that he had lied to race officials in Australia. His predecessor as world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, has also raced fitfully and his and Ferrari's season has been overshadowed by the freakish accident that almost ended Felipe Massa's career. There have been numerous other problems off the track, from the usual controversy surrounding Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley to a new accusation that last season Renault ordered Nelson Piquet to purposely crash his car to stop a race.
The sporting duel between Button and Webber, and their unheralded teams at Brawn and Red Bull, has been much more uplifting. Webber's win at the N�rburgring came in the midst of an exhilarating surge which took him on to the podium in five out of six successive races and made him a serious contender for the drivers' championship. The streak has since broken and he finished ninth, and pointless, in the last two races preceding today's Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Webber is 21.5 points adrift but the surprising nature of this season continued as Button, looking increasingly twitchy, finished seventh in Valencia and crashed early at Spa.
Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel, the respective team-mates of Button and Webber at Brawn and Red Bull, have enhanced their own title aspirations. The season, with five races left, has boiled down to a battle of fascinating uncertainty.

"It's incredible how it's swung back and forth," Webber says, "but in the middle of the season I scored more points than anyone and that was a fantastic phase. We've now got to do it at the juicy end of the year. One of us four will win the title but we're also racing Kimi and Lewis. The points are going to be more evenly spread and, with Ferrari and McLaren coming back, it's harder to close the gap on Jenson. But if you have a great weekend and some of the other guys have a rough one then it can swing back your way. It's still wide open."
Today, after qualifying 10th on the grid, with Button starting sixth, Webber has to replicate his mid-season dazzle to have a realistic chance of remaining in the championship race. "Monza is important and, with their teams being the only two to have Kers, Kimi and Lewis could be potent. But we'll do OK and, whatever happens, I just hope I'm in with a sniff going into the last race."
The pressure on Button, meanwhile, is increasing. In a telling illustration of the doubts swirling around the British driver, Massa suggested that Button has buckled. "Jenson has gone down because of the pressure," Massa said while recovering in S�o Paulo from his life-threatening accident. "It's the only reason. The pressure has had a big impact on his mind."
Webber, intriguingly, believes differently. "I've always said Jenson won't lose the championship by blowing it. If anything the team will lose the championship. Brawn are stretched with their smaller resources and, bloody hell, it's amazing how quickly we forget where they came from. It's incredible they've led the whole season in a white [sponsor-less] car."
Brawn were born out of the despair of Honda's sudden withdrawal from Formula One. That shock departure left Button, Barrichello and Ross Brawn, their team principal, facing the prospect of being shut out of racing until just a few weeks before the season started. But they found a way to race again and, as Webber explains: "Ross and Adrian Newey [Red Bull's technical director] are better than anyone at adapting to the new regulations that came in this season. Brawn were incredibly quick at the start."
Button won six of the first seven races but Webber accepts that the psychological balance has shifted. "Jenson is very experienced, but the dynamics have changed. Part of him must think he can only go backwards and it would be disastrous to lose a once massive lead. Maybe the length of time he's been leading has become a factor."
Webber nods at the suggestion that Button would be haunted forever if he lost this championship. "Of course. It would be very unusual. But it's still hard to believe Jenson won't get some podiums before the year is out. If he does that then it's obviously going to be very difficult to beat him."
Such candour is typical of Webber � one of the warmest and most unaffected professional sportsmen you are ever likely to meet. His rounded personality has also helped him deal with the variable moods of his team-mate, the gifted but prickly young Vettel. Their relationship did not begin well when, in 2007, while Vettel was driving for Toro Rosso, the German shunted Webber off the track during the Japanese Grand Prix. Webber was furious because, despite having vomited inside his helmet earlier in the race, he had swept into second place behind Hamilton.
"It's kids," he ranted afterwards, venting frustration at Vettel's inexperience. "They fuck it all up."
The 33-year-old Webber, in the warm sunshine of his French retreat, grins wryly. "I was massively disappointed in him and he was petrified. But we eventually had a chat about it and he's grown up a lot since then."
Vettel still sulked a few months ago when Webber outdrove him in Turkey to finish second behind Button. "He was pissed off but since then he's learnt to deal with someone who can do a better, or similar, job to him. That's a credit to him � but we're both competitive beasts and we've had some tough meetings.
"Red Bull have done a phenomenal job backing us both but it does create some stress. Imagine how it is for the engineers as well. My engineers are for me. His engineers are for him. And in the middle we've got the mechanics doing all the pit stops. My gearbox guy does Sebastian's fuelling so we have to stay sensible and not do anything that would hurt the team."
At Spa, a mistake from one of Webber's team forced him to incur a time penalty after an "unsafe release" from the pit lane. "That drive-through really cost us," he says with a sigh. "I drove really well and we were on course for quite a few points. But with the field being so tight now you can't easily recover a 15-second penalty. But as long as they don't make the same mistake twice, and it's not intentional, I can live with it. Of course I don't want any of these other three guys to become world champion ahead of me but if it does happen then I'm not going to make a shopping list of excuses. Excuses get you nowhere."
That blunt determination helped Webber after his leg fracture last November, which was so bad it drew comparison with the injury that nearly ended the Arsenal player Eduardo's career in football. "The bone in my leg was not jutting out as far as Eduardo's but they were similar fractures," he admits. "If I had been a footballer I would still not be playing now. I would have been out at least a year."
Webber's rise this season seems even more remarkable � for that accident happened just 11 weeks before he returned to pre-season testing. "Naivety is a great thing because you really don't know what you're taking on," Webber says. "I just knew this was a bloody important season, with Vettel coming and the car looking competitive, and so I forced myself back. The leg was nowhere near healed but I had to put on a front. It was exhausting and, at night, once I closed that hotel door, it was really tough. The surgeons had taken out one of the screws, to stimulate the fractured side, and I couldn't walk properly. I probably should have been on crutches getting to and from the car. But that would've been a disaster. The messaging is all wrong."
Yet, for a sport that shuttles between beleaguered controversy and bloodless politicking, there could hardly be a better message than a driver as amiable and intelligent as Webber racing for the championship. His unlikely tilt at the title is one of the sporting stories of the year, and it would become unforgettable should he remain in contention for the rest of this strange but compelling season.
"I'm trying, mate," Webber says, laughing softly. "I'm trying real hard."

The Mole brings you... Lee McKenzie at Goodwood

From The Mole @ BBC

The Mole welcomes BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Lee McKenzie back on to the blog, to discuss her experiences at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend.
What a special weekend the Goodwood Festival of Speed is. It has become an institution in the British motorsport calendar since it was founded by Lord March in 1993 and this year's event, which took place over the weekend, continued the tradition.
The Festival features hundreds of cars - some of the most expensive, the fastest, the most memorable and the strangest in the world. That also goes for bikes, and in some cases drivers, too!
Goodwood is much more than just an event. It is a complete celebration of all things motorsport and I absolutely love it. Nowhere else in the world can the public get so close to the cars and, of course, the drivers.
There are no motorhomes or closed-off paddocks, and not many places for them to hide. And the Drivers' Club, which is where they head for food and drinks, really was a who's who last weekend.
As I walked in I met the always charming Murray Walker, strolled past Sir Stirling Moss and in one quick glance could see multiple world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, Le Mans winner Allan McNish, five-time Grand Prix bike champion Mick Doohan, Ayrton Senna's nephew Bruno Senna and the very first man to spray champagne after winning a race, 1960s Formula 1 legend Dan Gurney.

Stirling Moss in the 1954 Mercedes W154

On Sunday, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came along to drive the hill and entertain the crowds, joining a number of other current F1 drivers who attended over the weekend - including Red Bull's Mark Webber, Williams's Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota's Timo Glock.

Championship leader Jenson Button was one of many F1 drivers at the Festival.. ... and drove the 1934 Mercedes W25 Grand Prix car

Without fail, the drivers find enthusiasm for Goodwood is contagious. Glock was so excited by the whole event and so disappointed when he discovered he could only drive up the hill twice a day in his F1 car that asked if he could drive the Toyota Corolla World Rally Car on the forest stages - which he did and loved. That makes a third rally convert in the F1 paddock - between him, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica, there will be no drivers left in F1 at this rate!
One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 in which Ayrton Senna won his first world title being driven up the hill, with the great Brazilian's nephew Bruno at the wheel. The same helmet, same colours, same driving style - it was quite spooky.
There were plenty of celebrations, too - 100 years of Audi (former F1 driver Jacky Ickx drove a 1939 Auto Union); 75 years since the arrival of the Mercedes Silver Arrows. And Sir Frank Williams's 40 years of F1 were marked by a collection of the team's cars and drivers, past and present. The 1980 world champion Alan Jones got back behind the wheel as did Jacques Laffite and David Coulthard. Current Williams reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg drove Keke Rosberg's1982 championship-winning FW08, slightly concerned about both having to change gears and the H-shape gearbox as he negotiated the hill.

Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine drives Gilles Villeneuve's 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 at Goodwood

But Goodwood was looking forward as well as back over the weekend. Racing car constructor Lola had a car running on bio-fuel made from carrots and potatoes - even the steering wheel was made from carrots and waste material. Maybe F1 teams could cut costs by saving up all the waste from the catering and turn in to spare parts - there's an idea for Max Mosley!
In all seriousness, though, that is the great thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed - variety and quality and some of the best cars, bikes, driver and riders in the world across all genres. It is a fabulous weekend for anyone with an interest in motorsport pre-war, post-war or present day. And if you have never been before or haven't been for a while, then mark it in the diary for 2010.

Team owner Frank Williams celebrated 40 years in F1 at Goodwood

Sebastien Vettel Grabs Pole Position in Shanghai

Sebastian Vettel (born July 3, 1987 in Heppenheim) is a German race car driver. He drives for Red Bull Racing having replaced former driver David Coulthard.
By taking part in Friday practice for the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, Vettel became the youngest Formula One driver to drive at a Grand Prix meeting, at 19 years and 53 days. On Sunday September 30, 2007, during the Japanese Grand Prix Vettel became the youngest driver to lead a Formula One race. (Mike Thackwell remains the youngest driver to compete in a championship Grand Prix race; Nico Rosberg the youngest to drive an F1 car in private testing) He also became the quickest driver to get a fine in F1, being fined $1,000 nine seconds into his career, after speeding in the pitlane. He went on to become the sixth youngest driver to start a Grand Prix and the youngest driver to score points in a Grand Prix. During qualifying for the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel became the youngest Formula One driver to win pole position. He went on to win the race, making him the youngest F1 race winner by nearly a year.

Junior Series

Vettel demonstrating his Formula Three Euroseries car in 2006
Vettel started racing karts in 1995, winning various titles such as the Junior Monaco Kart Cup (2001). In 2003, he upgraded to open-wheel cars, and won the 2004 German Formula BMW Championship with 18 victories from 20 races. In 2005 he drove for ASL Mucke Motorsport in the Formula Three Euroseries. He was placed fifth in the final standings with 64 points, winning the year's top rookie honours. He did not win any races, but this was largely due to the championship's domination by Lewis Hamilton. Despite, this, he tested the Williams FW27 Formula One car on September 27 as a reward for this Formula BMW success. He then went on to test for the BMW Sauber team.
Vettel finished as runner-up in the 2006 F3 Euroseries, behind series leader Paul di Resta. He also made his debut in the World Series by Renault at Misano, winning after Pastor Maldonado was disqualified. However, at the next round at Spa-Francorchamps, his finger was almost sliced off by flying d�bris in an accident, and he was expected to be out of racing for several weeks.

However, he managed to compete in the Ultimate Masters of F3 at Zandvoort the following weekend, finishing in sixth place. He also set third fastest lap time, and it surprised his ASM team boss Fr�d�ric Vasseur. Vasseur said: "I was impressed for sure, because at the beginning of the week I was sure he wouldn't race! But he showed good pace from the first practice session. I can't imagine he's 100 per cent but at least we know we can be competitive in the next F3 Euroseries round at the N�rburgring next weekend - that's important."

Vettel became BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, when former incumbent Robert Kubica was called up to replace Jacques Villeneuve for the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Vettel impressed on his testing debut by setting fastest time in second Friday Free Practice before the race.The young German also impressed on his second testing session in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions, a race weekend in which all the BMW cars were quick, with his predecessor Robert Kubica finishing on the podium in the race.
He was confirmed as BMW's test driver for 2007, and also competed in the World Series by Renault Championship, where he had his first win at the N�rburgring. He was leading the championship when he was called up to F1 permanently, and his seat was taken by Michael Ammerm�ller.

Formula One

Vettel made his Formula One debut at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, driving for BMW Sauber.

2007: BMW Sauber
Following the serious crash of regular BMW driver Robert Kubica at the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel substituted for him at the US Grand Prix and started in seventh position on the grid, finishing in eighth position, thanks to Nico Rosberg's late retirement, to take his first F1 World Championship point and became the youngest driver ever to score a point in Formula One (at the age of 19 years and 349 days), a record previously held by Jenson Button � who was 20 years and 67 days old when he finished sixth at the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2007-2008: Toro Rosso

2007
On July 31, 2007, BMW released Vettel to join Red Bull's Scuderia Toro Rosso team, replacing Scott Speed as race driver as of the Hungarian Grand Prix. He earned approximately $165,000 for finishing the season with Toro Rosso. Before the race, it was also announced that Vettel would drive for STR in 2008. His team-mate would be S�bastien Bourdais.

Vettel struggled to keep up with Liuzzi's pace at Budapest, Istanbul, Monza and Spa, and never managed to progress amongst the lower-midfield pack (Toyota, Honda, Toro Rosso, Super Aguri). In the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji, Vettel worked his way up to third behind Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, and seemed to be on course for not only his but also Toro Rosso's maiden podium finish. However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions taking them both out of the race and prompting Webber to say to ITV reporter Louise Goodman �It�s kids isn�t it... kids with not enough experience � they do a good job and then they fuck it all up.� Vettel was caught on camera crying after the incident. He was initially punished with a ten-place grid penalty for the following race, but this was lifted after a spectator video on YouTube showed the incident may have been caused by Hamilton's behaviour behind the safety car, which Hamilton was also cleared of.

However, Vettel bounced back to finish a career-best fourth a week later at the Chinese GP having started 17th in mixed conditions. He collected five championship points, making it both his and Toro Rosso's best race result.

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz believes Vettel will be one of Formula One's big stars in the future. "Vettel is one of the young guys with extraordinary potential ! He is fast, intelligent, and he is very interested in the technical side."

According to some sources, at the end of the 2007 season Vettel was contacted by McLaren in order to replace Spanish two-time world champion Fernando Alonso who left the British team for Renault in the same period. The talks between McLaren chief Ron Dennis and Dietrich Mateschitz failed however, the Red Bull boss refusing a multi million Euro deal for the young German driver.

2008
After four races of the 2008 Formula One season Vettel was the only driver to have failed to finish a single race, having retired on the first lap in three of them. In each of these three instances, he was involved in accidents caused by other drivers. However, at the fifth round at the Turkish Grand Prix, he finally saw the chequered flag, finishing 17th after qualifying 14th. In the next race at the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel scored his first points of the 2008 Season with a fifth place finish, mainly due to the changing conditions. Vettel also benefitted from the downfall of other drivers, such as Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen. Vettel scored again at the Canadian Grand Prix after starting from the pit lane and having to fight off Heikki Kovalainen in the last few laps for the final championship point. Vettel finished 12th in the French Grand Prix after passing Hamilton at the start. Vettel retired on the first lap of the British Grand Prix after being clipped by David Coulthard and aquaplaning into the gravel trap along with the Red Bull driver. He then bounced back from this by finishing eighth at the German Grand Prix by fending off Fernando Alonso and securing the last championship point after Jarno Trulli went off the track. Vettel then became the first retirement of the Hungarian Grand Prix after his engine overheated during his first pit stop. Vettel impressed many at the European Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in the first practice session and fastest time in the second qualifying session, which was also the fastest overall time in qualifying. He qualified 6th on the grid, and finished 6th, 2 seconds behind Jarno Trulli.
At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel became the youngest driver in history to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Aged 21 years and 74 days, Vettel broke the record set by Alonso at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix by 317 days as he won in wet conditions at Monza. Vettel led for the majority of the Grand Prix and crossed the finish line 12.5 seconds ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

Earlier in the weekend, he had already become the youngest polesitter, after setting the fastest times in both Q2 and Q3 qualifying stages, and his win also gave him the record of youngest podium-finisher. Toro Rosso team boss Gerhard Berger said, "As he proved today, he can win races, but he's going to win world championships. He's a cool guy". Hamilton praised the German, stating that this victory showed "how good he is".

Alonso, whom Vettel displaced as the youngest Grand Prix winner, said the victory was "deserved" by the whole of the Toro Rosso team. The nature of the victory and the story of the 21 year old's fledgling career led the German media to dub him "baby Schumi", although Vettel was quick to downplay the expectation the result has brought, particularly the comparison with the seven-time World Champion: "To compare me with Michael Schumacher is just a bit ridiculous...It will be difficult in normal conditions for us to repeat this achievement". He then went on to finish fourth at the Singapore Grand Prix and fifth at the Japanese Grand Prix.
In the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, after running second for much of the race, Vettel overtook Lewis Hamilton in the rain for fifth place on the penultimate lap to contribute to a thrilling climax to the season. He nearly deprived the McLaren driver of the championship before Timo Glock slowed dramatically on the last lap (he was struggling with dry tyres in the ever increasing rain) enabling both Vettel and Hamilton to pass him, earning the Briton the title.

2009 onwards: Red Bull Racing

2009
At the start of the 2009 season, Vettel replaced David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing.
Vettel began strongly at the Australian Grand Prix, qualifying third and running in second for the majority of the race. However, a clash with Robert Kubica over second place on the third last lap of the race forced both to retire. He thought that he would be asble to do this because the yellow flag resulting from his incident forbids overtaking. Vettel attempted to finish the race on three wheels behind the safety car to salvage some points, but eventually pulled off to the side. He was given a ten-place grid penalty for the next race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, and his team was fined for instructing him to stay on track after the damage occurred. In Malaysia he qualified in third position, but was demoted down to 13th due to his ten-place grid drop. He spun out of the race while eighth, just before the race was stopped due to adverse weather conditions. However in China he went on to take pole position, the first pole for the Red Bull Racing team.

Race of Champions
Vettel competed in the 2007 Race of Champions, representing the German team alongside Michael Schumacher. Vettel and Schumacher won the Nation's Cup Title, after exciting finals. Vettel had to beat two RoC champions, Kovalainen and Marcus Gr�nholm, after Schumacher stalled his car. Vettel lost the individual competition however, in first heat, in his second battle against Kovalainen.

Helmet design

The Bergstra�e Coat of Arms that appears on the chin area of Vettel's helmet
Vettel's helmet, like most of Red Bull's drivers, is heavily influenced by the energy drink company logo. Apart from minor changes and sponsorship differences, it has rarely changed over the years since he has been backed by Red Bull.

A round -up Of the latest Jerez Testing

Heikki Kovalainen moved McLaren�s MP4-24 to the head of the order for 2009 cars at Jerez as teams finally enjoyed fine weather at a pre-season European test.

In stark contrast to the dire conditions that plagued the year�s first group outing at Portimao and partly disrupted Tuesday�s opening day in Spain, Jerez was bathed in warm and sunny conditions on Wednesday to allow some serious dry-weather running.

Sebastien Buemi was again predictably the official pacesetter in Toro Rosso�s 2008 car (clocking 1m17.591s after a mammoth 143 laps) but it was the picture behind that really counted as teams began to get an early indication of where they stand in the early 2009 pecking order.

And it was Kovalainen who won day two�s battle following an encouraging trouble-free 110-lap run in the latest McLaren � although his MP4-24 was running with a modified 2008 rear wing and not the new low-downforce version.

The Finn remained on the same programme as the opening day, focusing on set-up and KERS evaluations, with the team reporting an improving balance following several longer runs and a best time of 1m20.799s.

At the start of the test all eyes in the pit lane had been on Mark Webber, the Red Bull driver returning to action for the first time since breaking his leg at the end of November for his first taste of the team's new RB5.
Indeed encouragingly for both driver and team the Australian made an impressive comeback, appearing to show no ill effects from his injury during his 83 laps and clocking the second fastest time for a 2009 car, 1m21.321s.

His former team Williams meanwhile maintained its positive start to testing as Kazuki Nakajima put another 125 laps on the FW31.
The Japanese driver was just over a tenth of a second adrift of Webber after completing a productive programme which included set-up work plus tyre and reliability testing.
�Kazuki was testing for the team in Jerez today and covered over 550kms while undertaking mechanical set-up tests,� Williams technical director Sam Michael said.

�He also completed a full race simulation without issue.
We are looking forward to another productive day tomorrow when we will carry out more tuning work on the FW31 in preparation for the first grand prix.�

Bringing up the order was again Nelson Piquet Jr as Renault surprisingly continued to find itself at the bottom of the order.
A second day of frustration for the Brazilian was characterised by several small mechanical glitches with the R29 which restricted him to 49 laps.

His running for the week is now over, but he hopes team-mate Fernando Alonso is able to put significantly more mileage on the car over the remaining two days.

"The track conditions were better today and we continued with the work we did yesterday, learning about the car and beginning some basic set-up work," Piquet said.
"Again we didn�t do as many laps as we would have liked as we lost some time after lunch, but we still learnt some interesting things.

"The weather looks good for the rest of the week so the team should be able to get some more important data tomorrow and Friday.�

In addition to Alonso's first appearance of the week, Thursday will also see world champion Lewis Hamilton take to the track for just the second time this winter in McLaren's new car.

The recently confirmed Sebastien Bourdais replaces Buemi at Toro Rosso, while Sebastian Vettel will take over the RB5 again from Webber.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton wins German GP in Hockenheim

Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix twice, once at a canter, the second time in a blaze of insane wizardry. Ferrari must be wondering what they have to do to keep him in check. The answer might be to test Hamilton for EPO.
If this were the Tour de France fingers would be pointing at the drugs cabinet. But this is Formula One and underneath him Hamilton has a serious piece of kit. What alchemy McLaren have worked to deliver a machine as potent as this. Felipe Massa looked like he had seen a ghost after going under the Hamilton hammer.

Lewis Hamilton made good use of his ninth start from pole
For half the race Hamilton was coasting to victory. Then, after been shot in the foot by what looked a poor call from the McLaren pit wall not to come in under the safety car, Hamilton ripped back the initiative as if those in front were not there.
A lazy Sunday afternoon was passing without incident at the half way stage, at which point Hamilton had coasted from pole into an 11-second lead. He has worked harder on the Playstation. Then on lap 36 Timo Glock introduced himself to the German audience with a heavy shunt at the entry to the start finish straight.
Toyota were unable to determine the cause in the immediate aftermath. As Glock powered through the final turn he drifted slightly wide then a vicious spin took him backwards into a wall. The impact was fatal for his car and left the driver limping awkwardly from the wreckage. Thankfully his discomfort was temporary. A visit to the medical centre revealed no damage to Glock's personal chassis.
The incident took us back to Canada, where Hamilton last lost a commanding lead as a result of an accident and the introduction of the safety car. In Montreal he was jumped in the pits and clattered expensively into the stationary Kimi Raikkonen at the pit exit.
On this occasion Hamilton stayed out. Who knows by what mathematical matrix the McLaren number-crunchers had reached that conclusion? It was not the best decision ever made. His front running rivals shot in to refuel to the end of the race. When the safety car retreated five laps later with 26 still to negotiate, Hamilton was left needing to make up at least 23 seconds, sufficient time to refuel and come out with his lead in tact. He could not have pulled that off in Concorde.
Massa, who dropped to sixth from second, had sacrificed places but gained vital time as the cars bunched behind the safety car. Hamilton was lapping more than a second quicker at the restart but stayed out only nine laps, time to build a lead of 13 seconds. When he returned to the track he was running fifth and behind Massa's Ferrari.
Nick Heidfeld, another unfortunate who opted not to come in under the safety car, refuelled to give Hamilton one place back. On the three left in front, Hamilton went to work. He transformed the hairpin at turn six into an execution site. First team-mate Heikki Kovalainen gave way leaving 15 laps to claim Massa and Nelson Piquet, a random beneficiary of the safety car lottery.
Massa capitulated ten laps out, Piquet with seven to go. It was glorious stuff for Hamilton lovers; painful for the massed ranks of Ferrari followers, for whom this was telling evidence of a performance advantage shredded.
The chequered flag signalled the eighth victory of Hamilton's career, his second back-to-back haul and conferred a four-point advantage over Massa in the race for the championship. With eight races remaining Ferrari appear relatively at sea. Massa could make no impression on the Renault of Piquet, who benefitted form a welcome slice of luck when the safety car co-incided with his scheduled stop. The result, the first podium of his career, marked the only time that two Brazilians have finished in the top three since his father shared the honour with Ayrton Senna 17 years ago.
Massa complained of a lack of speed. His team-mate Raikkonen struggled all weekend to find anything like the right balance and finished sixth. Despite the shortfall to McLaren, were it not for the safety car Massa would have had too much for the rest of the field.
A month ago in Magny-Cours it was Ferrari who had everyone else scratching heads. McLaren have happened across a Eureka moment somewhere. Hamilton had pace to burn and powers towards the season's climax the man to beat.
Next up is Hungary, where Hamilton posted a controversial win a year ago and with it buried Fernando Alonso's short McLaren career. Before that the teams repair to Jerez for the next round of testing; a time for Ferrari to regroup and fathom a response to Hamilton.

Get set for F1 Roar

Next month�s Chingay
Parade will feature
Red Bull�s race car

TO PULL it off required some last-minute preparations, but the People�s Association (PA) did
not hesitate at the chance to give fans a �preview� of a Formula 1 car�s power, seven months before
the full blast of the inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.
Now, Singaporeans will have two opportunities to see a car from Red Bull Racing roar along
a part of the Grand Prix street circuit, before the highly-anticipatedSept 28 night race.
The team is one of 11 Formula 1 outfits that will do battle
this season and one of its cars will feature in the 36th edition of the Chingay Parade on Feb 16.
The car will also roar down the circuit on preview day � Feb 15, the day before � and will do
sprints and doughnuts (180 degree spins) with one of their top drivers, David Coulthard or Mark
Webber, at the wheel.
It will be the first item in the parade line-up and the car will start in front of the City Hall
steps and run down Connaught Drive and Raffles Avenue, before ending its stint in front of Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Speaking at the press conference yesterday, PA chief executive director Tan Boon Huat said: �I got a call late last month that Red Bull (Austria) were interested to showcase their car at
the Chingay Parade.
�The Chingay is already a big event, but having an F1 car running in it was an opportunity
to give Singaporeans something exciting to see. We had to rush to get things done, but it was
all worth it.� Tan said safety was the organisers� main concern but once
they ticked off all the boxes with the help of the Singapore Motor Sports Association (SMSA), PA
managed to get the permits from the Land Transport Authority and the Police.
Red Bull Racing are expected to run the 2007 version of their car � designed by Formula1 guru Adrian Newey � at the parade but will not touch top speeds of more than 300kmh.
�The Red Bull crew will be down earlier to assess what they can do,� said SMSA president
Tan Teng Lip. �But as they will be doing only short sprints and spins, the car will probably top 150kmh at most.
�In any case, we will have all the safety barriers in place.�