Mark Webber Preparing For Seventh Consecutive Season At Red Bull

Mark Webber is preparing to begin his seventh consecutive season with reigning Constructors’ Champions Red Bull, after joining the outfit back in 2007 after a stint with Williams. The Australian driver has won all of his nine Grands Prix with the Austrian outfit, and will be aiming to add to that tally in the coming season.

After two seasons in Formula 1, which included numerous drivers working alongside David Coulthard including the likes of Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi, Red Bull signed Mark Webber to partner the former McLaren driver. Once Coulthard retired after the 2008 season, Webber was joined by rising Red Bull protege Sebastian Vettel. Despite Vettel’s sensational rise to dominance in only a short space of time, Mark Webber has still enjoyed a prosperous career at the outfit, and is adamant he can become a Championship contender in the forthcoming season.

“The fact that this is my seventh season with the team is a massive advantage,” explained Mark Webber, after unveiling the new RB9 with team-mate Sebastian Vettel. “I couldn’t have envisaged it when I joined and it’s hard to believe that you could be with the same Formula One team for seven years, as continuity is not always easy to achieve in this sport. I’ve really enjoyed the years I’ve had here so far and I can’t wait to get going this season.

“Yes I do believe I can have a crack at the Championship again this year as I have done in previous seasons,” continued Mark Webber. “That’s my goal and that’s what I’m getting up each day thinking about and working hard with the team on doing that. They know that I need 100% support; you can’t fight for the Championships with 90%, you need 100%, and that’s what we’re going in to 2013 with this in place and I’m comfortable with that.”

Despite slightly controversial comments from Red Bull’s own Helmut Marko throughout recent weeks with regards to Mark Webber, both himself and the team are certainly remaining optimistic ahead of the new season. Although Sebastian Vettel remains widely regarded as the man to beat this year, Mark Webber will undoubtedly be striving to remain at the sharp-end of the pecking order throughout the year.

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Vettel Believed A Podium Finish Was Possible At Abu Dhabi

Sebastian Vettel has explained how he believed a podium finish was a possibility prior to the start of the action-packed Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite starting from the pit-lane after being controversially excluded from qualifying. The reigning Champion drove the race of his life, scything through the field to eventually finish an amazing 3rd.

After starting the race from the pit lane, Vettel immediately began to overtake the HRTs, Marussias and Caterhams, rising steadily through the order to 11th before the first safety car period. It was during this stage of the race when Sebastian Vettel pitted for a new nose cone, therefore falling back through the order to last position.

However, with the German now on fresh soft tyres, he was able to once again rise through the order to 2nd by lap 31. After a second pit stop, the German battled long and hard with the McLaren and Jenson Button, eventually passing the Briton and finishing a tremendously competitive 3rd behind race winner Kimi Raikkonen and Championship rival Fernando Alonso.

Despite Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s skepticism on a competitive result for Sebastian Vettel prior to the race, the German driver revealed how he always believed a podium finish was possible when interviewed by David Coulthard on the podium after the race.

“Yes, I did, to be honest with you.” Admitted Sebastian Vettel, when asked whether he thought it would be honestly possible for him to finish on the podium. “After the first couple of laps obviously that target was drifting a little bit away. I had a messy start to the race, which is quite difficult at the back, to get through the cars as quickly as I could, damaged my front wing.

“And then to the safety car, yeah I had a little bit of a big mistake with Daniel [Ricciardo] I think, who was stopping his car on the straights and I was very surprised. Turned to the right and… if it would have been 50m earlier, 50m later I wouldn’t have done damage to my front wing further but after that, I said to myself ‘yeah, either we go full attack or nothing’. So that’s what we did and I had a fantastic race. I enjoyed it a lot.”

If Sebastian Vettel hadn’t picked up damage to his front wing during the opening stages of the race, it’s possible that the German could’ve challenged for the victory. However, 3rd place is a sensational achievement after starting the race from the pit-lane. Although Sebastian Vettel’s lead in the Championship has been reduced by only three points, the Drivers’ Championship is there for the taking in two weeks time when the F1 paddock reconvenes for the inaugural race around the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

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Jake Humphrey To Leave BBC After 2012 season

BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey has announced plans to leave the BBC for BT after the current Formula 1 season, in a move which will see the 33-year-old become the face of BT’s Premier League football coverage from the 2013/14 season onwards. Humphrey has presented F1 since its return to the BBC in 2009, alongside Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard.

Jake Humphrey was initially a children’s TV presenter for CBBC, however he soon began covering sport for the BBC, with his first role as a match reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live in 2005. Humphrey’s career quickly gathered momentum with BBC Sport, as he soon began presenting Football Focus and Super Bowl coverage. Once the BBC obtained the rights to broadcast Formula 1 from ITV ahead of the 2009 season, Jake Humphrey was confirmed as the presenter for the coverage alongside pundits Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard. The trio were an immediate success, and have continued to present the coverage since. However, Humphrey will bring an end to that successful combination when he pursues his career presenting football coverage for BT next season.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team at BT, not just because I get to fulfill a lifelong dream of presenting the Barclays Premier League but because of the fresh perspective that BT will bring to both sport and broadcasting in this country,” explained Jake Humphrey after the announcement on Tuesday.

This season has seen the BBC share its broadcasting of Formula 1 with major sporting broadcaster Sky Sports, who have created a dedicated F1 channel and broadcast every session from every race weekend live. Due to a cut back on the BBC’s coverage of the sport, only half of the season is now shown live by the BBC.

It is yet unknown who Jake Humphrey’s replacement at the BBC will be, however rumors indicate that current BBC F1 reporter Lee McKenzie could get the nod. The 34-year-old Scot has presented F1 coverage previously, when Jake Humphrey covered the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and the Olympic Games in 2012.

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Closed Cockpits The Way Ahead In Formula 1 After Alonso Crash

Closed cockpits in Formula 1 are now almost a given in future seasons after Fernando Alonso’s lucky escape during the first corner incident at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, in which the Championship leader was violently collected by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.

With Technical Chiefs up and down paddock hinting at bringing forward plans to introduce closed cockpit designs, it is believed these introductions could occur as soon as 2014. With Grosjean’s car passing so closely to Alonso’s vulnerable head, a horrific outcome was only centimeters away as the Frenchman’s machine flew over the top of Alonso’s Ferrari.

A similar incident occurred in 2007, when David Coulthard tangled with Alexander Wurz at the season opening Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was attempting to overtake Wurz in the Williams, however the Austrian driver failed to notice him and the two collided with Coulthard flying over the Williams in similar fashion to Grosjean on Sunday.

Felipe Massa being attended to after getting struck on the head by debris at Budapest in 2009.

Closed cockpits in Formula 1 has been on the cards for several years now, especially after Felipe Massa was struck on the head by debris from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. This incident severely injured Massa, and came only days after Henry Surtees was killed in a similar incident during a Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch. McLaren’s Paddy Lowe believes the introduction of closed cockpits is inevitable, after working on the project in recent years.

“I think 2014 is intended, as we started the project a year ago,” explained McLaren’s Technical Director, Paddy Lowe. “Personally I think something is inevitable because it is the one big [safety] exposure that we have got. You see it time and time again and think ‘that was lucky’. One day it won’t be lucky. At the same time it is an open cockpit formula so we have to protect that, but it should be technically possible one way or another.”

Romain Grosjean was subsequently issued a one race ban for causing the incident, which took out two Championship contenders and nearly injured a fellow competitor. The Frenchman has become renowned for his start-line antics, and hopefully this ban will change his mentality when he returns to racing at the Singapore Grand Prix later this month.

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Sauber Confident Ahead Of The Canadian Grand Prix

After Sauber unfortunately failed to score any points at the Monaco Grand Prix last time out, both their drivers are now eager to score high amounts of points at the Canadian Grand Prix. This will be Sergio Perez’s first race at Montreal, after the Mexican driver failed to take part in last years race due to repercussions from his heavy incident at last years Monaco Grand Prix.

It was at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve that Sauber (then known as BMW) took their first and as of yet only F1 victory in their long and colorful 20 year history in the sport. Poland’s Robert Kubica lead home a BMW 1-2 ahead of Germany’s Nick Heidfeld and the Red Bull of David Coulthard, only a year after Kubica survived a horrific incident at the same circuit. Since then, Sauber have failed to score a single World Championship point in Canada, a fact both Kobayashi and Perez will hope to end come race day.

Kubica takes victory in 2008 – Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

“At the circuit in Montreal there are long straights but also slow corners.” Said Kamui Kobayashi, “I think our car seems to be okay for this. I hope there we can have the performance we want to see. We shall have to see what we can do, but I think Montreal is one of the places where we can be strong. I really like the city and the track, although, unfortunately, I have never had a great result there. This year I want to make up for this. Our car is getting better and I’m looking forward to the Canadian Grand Prix.”

Due to the medium downforce requirement of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Sauber are also bringing a new rear wing to the Canadian Grand Prix along with some minor modifications. With Sauber undeniably being struck by misfortune at times throughout the season, the Swiss outfit will be eager to find some luck as they aim for a competitive Canadian Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Wrong Setup Direction Made Qualifying Difficult For Vettel

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a difficult qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix, after apparently taking a step in the wrong direction in setup for qualifying. Whereas his team-mate Mark Webber qualified 2nd and will therefore start on pole after Schumacher’s penalty, Vettel will start the race from 9th after not setting a time in Q3.

The Monte-Carlo street circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull in recent years, with the Milton Keynes-based outfit winning the last two Monaco Grands Prix. It was also the scene of their first podium in Formula 1, when David Coulthard finished 3rd in 2006. However with the 2012 season being highly unpredictable and competitive, Red Bull have not been in full control in the opening five races in contrast to 2011.

With Sebastian Vettel already victorious this season, Mark Webber has a perfect opportunity to open his winning account during tomorrows race. In stark contrast to Webber’s fortune, Vettel will have a tough afternoon of racing ahead of him, with the likes of Raikkonen, Alonso and Hamilton to pass on the trickiest circuit for passing.

“It was a bit mixed up for me.” Said Sebastian Vettel, “It was looking very good this morning, but then I think we took a step in the wrong direction and ended up with a difficult car for qualifying. It’s a bit of a disappointment, as Mark showed what the car can do around here, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

With Sebastian Vettel tied on 61 points with Fernando Alonso atop the World Drivers’ Championship, a large points haul or even a podium is the only realistic aim for the reigning World Champion on the streets of Monte-Carlo.

Heikki Kovalainen Targeting Higher Race Finish At Monaco

The Monte-Carlo street circuit, which has played host to the Monaco Grand Prix since 1929, is notorious for springing up surprises when the F1 fraternity moves into the principality. Heikki Kovalainen is hoping this will help Caterham achieve a competitive result, after the Finn finished 14th in the race last season.

In 1982, it seemed no driver wanted to win the Monaco Grand Prix, as every driver who took the lead in the closing laps either spun or retired. Eventually Riccardo Patrese came through to win, even though the Italian driver spun and stalled his Brabham at the Loews hairpin several laps before. In 1996, it seemed no driver wanted to finish the race, as only three drivers were left running in a historic race which saw Olivier Panis win his only Grand Prix, followed home by David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert.

Heading to the 71st running of the historic and glamorous Monaco Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen hopes that the magic of Monaco will help Caterham finish higher than they have done so in their career so far. If the unpredictability of the 2012 season continues, Caterham could well take home their first ever World Championship points, however nothing is certain in this topsy-turvy “new” world of Formula 1.

“Monaco’s the race everyone in F1 wants to win, and it’s not just a famous F1 race, it’s one of the biggest annual events in the world.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “On track it’s one of the races where the pack bunches up a bit and that might give us a chance to do something special. Last year I finished 14th, one of our higher finishes of the season, so hopefully we can improve on that this year. We have KERS this year and a car that has good race pace, and as our car is slightly easier on the tyres than some of the teams ahead, maybe that will help us achieve a high race finish.”

With Pirelli offering the new super-soft (red) tyre to the teams this weekend, alongside the softs (yellow), tyre degradation coupled with the tight and twisty turns of Monaco could well reward the likes of Caterham throughout the weekend.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Ben Edwards Becomes BBC F1 Lead Commentator

Ben Edwards today announced on the social networking site Twitter that he will become the new BBC F1 Commentator, replacing Martin Brundle to commentate alongside David Coulthard in 2012. This comes after Martin Brundle switched to Sky for next season to front their commentary team alongside fellow ex-BBC commentators Anthony Davidson and David Croft.

Ben Edwards has recently been the British Touring Car Championship commentator for ITV and has also previously fronted EuroSport’s Formula 1 coverage alongside former F1 driver John Watson throughout the 1990s. Once EuroSport lost the rights to broadcast F1 at the end of 1996 he began commentating on ChampCar (CART) for EuroSport and ESPN International and had undeniably his finest moment during the final laps for the 2000 Michigan 500 where Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Andretti crossed the line side-by-side with Ben Edwards literally screaming in both delight and shock at such an exciting and close finish.

In 2002 Ben became the Lead Commentator for Bernie Ecclestone’s F1 Digital+ channel which was pay-per-view through Sky TV and was partnered by former colleague from EuroSport John Watson. However due to an unsuccessful 2002 season, F1 Digital+ ceased to exist and three years later Ben Edwards became the Lead Commentator for the new A1 Grand Prix Series launched in 2005. 

Although there has been no official statement from the BBC pertaining to Ben Edwards joining the team, he did say this on Twitter: “So, it looks as though it’s really happening. I will be the BBC F1 commentator in 2012 and I can’t wait! It took a while for things to be sorted, and thanks to ITV for being so understanding. Really looking forward to working with the crew.”

With both Sky and the BBC signing two superb commentators it’s going to be difficult to decide which channel to watch next seasons races on. 

Martin Brundle Officially Announces Move To Sky Sports

Former Formula 1 driver and current BBC Commentator, Martin Brundle, has today officially answered speculations about his 2012 plans by stating in his Sunday Times column that he will join the new Sky Sports F1 HD channel next season.

The former Tyrrell and McLaren driver first commentated on the sport at the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix when he retired from the race and was asked to join Murray Walker in the commentary box as James Hunt failed to appear. His next appearance as a commentator was partially throughout the 1995 season as he shared a drive at Ligier with Aguri Suzuki, however for 1996 he gained a full racing seat with Jordan and didn’t commentate again until 1997 when he officially joined ITV as co-commentator alongside the legendary Murray Walker.

He continued this role as co-commentator at ITV all though the channels running of the sport, which included commentating alongside James Allen once Murray had retired in 2001. When, in 2008, it was announced that BBC were set to get the rights back, Martin Brundle (along with Ted Kravitz) were part of the ITV team to move to the BBC for the 2009 season. For this season Brundle was once again co-commentator alongside Jonathan Legard, who was replaced in 2011 by another F1 driver in David Coulthard. This promoted Martin Brundle up to the lead commentator role, a role which the BBC must now try and replace, and rumors are circulating of Ben Edwards joining the team for 2012.

It has yet to be announced who will be joining Martin Brundle as Sky Sports F1 Commentator for 2012, however there are strong rumors that Sky have signed another BBC commentator (this time of Radio 5 Live origin) in David Croft. Whether this information is true or not time will tell.

Martin Brundle said in his Sunday Times column that the key factor for him joining Sky was his need to commentate on all 20 live races, not delayed broadcasts. Another key factor, he said, was the fact that Sky will not show any adverts during the race, something which the British public grew frustrated over with the ITV broadcasts between 1997 – 2008.

Many BBC fans will greatly miss him, many will simply migrate with him to Sky. Whatever the outcome, it is undeniable that Sky have secured simply the best commentator there currently is for their 2012 Formula 1 coverage.

McLaren Seeking 2014 Honda Engine Deal

It was reported today by a German magazine that the McLaren Formula One team are possibly seeking an engine deal with Honda in time for the 2014 season, this comes a few years after Honda pulled out of Formula One along with fellow teams Toyota and BMW.

This announcement would take place after 2012 when their engine partnership with Mercedes comes to an end, a partnership that has lasted for 16 years and has accomplished numerous success with drivers such as Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton winning races and championships with them.

McLaren were partners with the Japanese manufacturer from 1988 to 1992, and in those years they became World Constructors’ Champions a stunning four times, three with Ayrton Senna and one with Alain Prost. It was this period of the teams history when the bitter rivalry between Senna and Prost ignited, resulting in some of the most controversial events of Formula One’s history. 

When their ties with Honda ended in 1993, Ford came onboard and was replaced a year later by Peugeot before McLaren finally partnered themselves with Mercedes. As long as McLaren have had engines supplied by the German manufacturer, they have only ever been World Constructors’ Champions once, that being in 1998 when Mika Hakkinen won the first of his two championships.

However, in 2009 Mercedes sold their stake in the McLaren team when they bought 2009 World Champions Brawn GP, becoming what is now the silver arrows of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. As well as this Mercedes also power the Force India team, a partnership that has been ongoing since 2009 after Force India stopped using Ferrari engines. 

Honda left the sport in 2008 after taking over the British American Racing (BAR) team in 2006, and for three years raced with the same two drivers of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, winning only one race in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix with Button. However in the winter of 2008 it was announced that due to financial difficulties Honda had left the sport, leaving Button and Barrichello without a drive for 2009. However ex-Honda team principal, Ross Brawn, took over and created the Brawn GP team which went on and became surprise 2009 World Drivers’ and Constructors‘ Champions (ironically supplied by Mercedes engines)!.

McLaren were unable to comment on these speculations today.